Russian Defence Ministry Shows Troops Returning to Bases

^{PHOTO: VARIOUS OF MILITARY VEHICLES MOVING, BEING LOADED ON RAILWAY PLATFORMS}

INTERNATIONAL: Some troops in Russia's military districts adjacent to Ukraine are returning to their bases after completing drills, Russia's defence ministryhas said on Tuesday,February 15.

A large-scale drills across the country has continued, while some Southern and Western military districts units had completed their exercises and started returning to base, the ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov has said.

The ministry has also published a footage of what it said were tanks units of the Western and Southern military districts returning to their bases. The ministry did not specify where the drills took place.

The reported movements run counter to warnings from the United States and Britain that Russia may be poised to invade Ukraine at any time.

Moscow has denied ever planning to attack Ukraine but is demanding legally binding guarantees from the United States and NATO that Kyiv will not be allowed to join the military bloc. Washington and Brussels have so far refused to make such pledges.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was in Moscow on Tuesday and has met President Vladimir Putin in a high stakes mission to avert war.

The Destruction Caused by Landslide in Petropolis, Brazil

^{PHOTO: AERIAL FOOTAGE OF DESTRUCTION LEFT BEHIND BY MUDSLIDE, MOTHER LOOKING FOR HER CHILD, DOG BEING RESCUED}

An aerial images show the extension of the damage left behind by a mudslide caused by heavy rains on Wednesday ,February 16, in the city of Petropolis in Brazil.

At least 34 people have died after heavy rain hit Petropolis, located in the mountainous region of Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state.

City streets were flooded by downpours, while landslides have also resulted in fatalities.

President Jair Bolsonaro, who is traveling to Russia, has asked ministers to help the city and the victims of the storm. Rio de Janeiro's Governor Claudio Castro went to Petropolis on Tuesday night.

From Moscow, where he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, Bolsonaro has said he had spoken with the Regional Development Minister Rogerio Marinho and Economy Minister Paulo Guedes to secure assistance to the city.

Since December, heavy rains have triggered deadly floods and landslides in northeast Brazil and Sao Paulo state, threatened to delay harvests in the midwest and have briefly forced the suspension of mining operations in the state of Minas Gerais.

Petrol Tanker Crash Causes Massive Fire in Long Island, New York

^{PHOTO: OF TANKER FIRE} 

A tanker truck crash and overturned into a vacant building and burst into flames on Wednesday. It has spilled 13,000 gallons, or about 50,000 litres of petrol in Long Island, New York, causing a massive fire and shutting down traffic for hours and spilling fuel into the sewer system and into creeks, where it was being contained with booms.

The La-Z-Boy building was destroyed in the fire, and another building was damaged. Nassau County Chief Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro has said, there’s no threat to the environment at the moment. There’s no threat to any of the citizens or any homes.

The Coast Guard was helping to map the spill, he has added. The truck's driver was injured in the crash, and three of the 150 firefighters who responded were also treated for injuries, officials said at a news conference later Wednesday. The cause of the crash was under investigation.

The tanker crashed into a vacant La-Z-Boy showroom at North Center Avenue and Sunrise Highway, about 48 kilometers east of New York City.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said several state agencies, including the departments of environmental conservation and transportation and the state police, were assisting in the response to the explosion and fuel spill.

The environmental department used a drone to assess potential effects, Hochul has said. The explosion closed down part of Sunrise highway, a major road used by commuters.