- Pakistan 122-1 at lunch in first England Test
- Kazakhs approve plan for first nuclear power plant
- World marks anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- 'Second family': tennis stars hunt winning formula with new coaches
- Philippines, South Korea agree to deepen maritime cooperation
- Mexico mayor murdered days after taking office
- Sardinia's sheep farmers battle bluetongue as climate warms
- Japan govt admits doctoring 'untidy' cabinet photo
- Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack
- Darvish tames Ohtani as Padres thrash Dodgers
- Asian markets track Wall St rally on jobs data
- Family affair as LeBron, Bronny James make Lakers bow
- Cancer, cardiovascular drugs tipped for Nobel as prize week opens
- As Great Salt Lake dries, Utah Republicans pardon Trump climate skepticism
- Amazon activist warns of 'critical situation' ahead of UN forum
- Mourners pay tribute to latest victims of deadly Channel crossing
- Tunisia incumbent Saied set to win presidential vote: exit polls
- Phillies win thriller to level Mets series
- Yu bags first PGA Tour win with playoff win
- PSG held by Nice to leave Monaco clear at top of Ligue 1
- AC Milan fall at Fiorentina after De Gea's penalty heroics
- Lewandowski treble for leaders Barca as Atletico held
- Fresh Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Sucic stunner earns Real Sociedad draw against Atletico
- PSG draw with Nice, fail to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1
- Gudmundsson downs AC Milan after De Gea's penalty heroics for Fiorentina
- 'Yes' vote prevails in Kazakhstan nuclear plant vote: TV
- 'Difficult day': Oct 7 commemorations begin with festival memorial
- Commemorations begin for anniversary of attack on Israel
- Lewandowski hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- 'Nothing gets in way of team,' says Celtics' MVP hopeful Tatum
- India maintain Pakistan stranglehold as Windies cruise at Women's T20 World Cup
- 'We will win!': Mozambique's ruling party confident at final vote rally
- Tunisia voting ends as Saied eyes re-election with critics behind bars
- Florida braces for Milton, FEMA head slams 'dangerous' Helene misinformation
- Postecoglou slams 'unacceptable' Spurs after 'terrible' loss at Brighton
- Marmoush double denies Bayern outright Bundesliga top spot
- Rallies worldwide call for Gaza, Lebanon ceasefire
- Maresca hails Chelsea's 'fighting' spirit after draw with 10-man Forest
- New 'Joker' film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office
- Man Utd stalemate keeps Ten Hag in danger, Spurs rocked by Brighton
- Drowned by hurricane, remote N.Carolina towns now struggle for water
- Vikings hold off Jets in London to stay unbeaten
- Ahead of attack anniversary, Netanyahu says: 'We will win'
- West Indies cruise to T20 World Cup win over Scotland
- Arshdeep, Chakravarthy help India hammer Bangladesh in T20 opener
- Lewandowski's quickfire hat-trick powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Man Utd fire another blank in Aston Villa stalemate
- Lewandowski treble powers Liga leaders Barca to Alaves victory
- Russian activist killed on front line in Ukraine
On Russia's border, evacuees from rebel-held Ukraine hope for quick return
The loud explosions and wailing sirens in rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine were getting more frequent, so when the evacuation order came Elena Sokela decided it was time to get her son to safety.
"We didn't want to wait until it was too late. Better to get out now," the 40-year-old told AFP Saturday at a border crossing between the rebel Donetsk region and Russia, a day after the order to evacuate came down.
There was a steady flow of people acting on the order to leave, crossing between wire fencing topped with Russian flags on a bright morning at the Avila Uspenka checkpoint into Russia.
On Friday evening, leaders of two separatist republics in east Ukraine ordered women and children to flee and as soon as possible make their way to Russia.
Their poor and industrial rebel-controlled territories in Ukraine have been at the centre of weeks of tensions between Russia and the West.
Conflict monitors have warned of a sharp escalation in ceasefire violations in fighting between Ukraine's army and the separatists, a trend Sokela herself could attest to.
In her hometown of Shakhtarsk, she said, "we can hear everything perfectly clearly. There were explosions on Thursday. Some heavy stuff was coming down."
The US government earlier hit out at the orders, saying the move by Moscow-backed rebels was a "cynical" effort by Moscow to deflect from what the West fears is an imminent Russian invasion.
At the checkpoint Saturday there was a steady stream of elderly women and children, dressed in puffy coats on a crisp winter day and dragging wheelie bags.
Sokela was bringing her 16-year-old son to stay with his grandmother in Russia "where it's calm" but planned to return herself.
"Let's stay for a week and come back. Or maybe the school will be closed. No one has said anything yet," Sokela said.
Separatist leaders have announced plans to get hundreds of thousands of people out of the territory and into Russia, but AFP journalists at the crossing Saturday witnessed no mass exodus.
- 'Can't abandon people' -
There was only a small row of cars on the separatist side waiting to cross into Russia, and 10 school buses waiting to ferry arrivals stood empty.
Fifteen tents set up by the emergencies ministry on the Russian side of the crossing had no one to house.
So far, separatist officials have said fewer than 20,000 people have left, a fraction of the region's estimated population of three million people.
Still, Russian authorities were readying for a large influx.
The head of the Rostov region bordering Ukraine Saturday announced a state of emergency pointing to "an increase in the number of citizens who cross the border."
The head of Russia's emergencies ministry, who was dispatched by the Kremlin to Rostov, said Saturday some 400 people and 150 vehicles were in place to receive people arriving from separatist territory.
Several other nearby regions have announced they will house Donetsk and Lugansk residents.
President Vladimir Putin on Friday ordered handouts of 10,000 rubles (about 100 euros) to evacuees and health officials have said those entering Russia can be tested for the coronavirus and vaccinated.
Many, however, hope the displacement will be temporary.
The head of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic Denis Pushilin met with residents leaving, Russian news agencies reported, to offer reassurances.
"I hope it won't be for long," he was cited as saying. "But safety is paramount."
"I'll be here in Russia today to do my errands and then I'll come back later," she said.
"I'm a medical professional. I can't abandon people. I didn't leave them in 2014, I won't leave them now," she added.
P.Santos--AMWN