Mum kills newborn baby and son after leaping from Moscow apartment block with children in her arms - Daily Mail

Mum kills newborn baby and son, 3, after leaping 190ft from Moscow tower block with kids in her arms after a battle with postnatal depression

• Olga Zharkova, 34, and her two sons, aged three and one month, died in the fall
• The wife of a Russian military officer jumped from a 19th floor flat in Moscow
• She is suspected to suffered acute postnatal depression before taking own life 

By Will Stewart In Moscow for MailOnline

Published: 09:37 BST, 13 October 2021 | Updated: 09:37 BST, 13 October 2021

A mother allegedly killed her newborn baby and toddler son after leaping almost 200ft from a tower block with the two children in her arms. 

Olga Zharkova, 34, and her two sons, aged three, and one month, died in the fall from a 19th floor flat in Moscow.

Police have opened a murder probe into her death and the death of her two young children.

She is suspected to have suffered from acute postnatal depression before taking her own life and killing her children in the 190ft fall, say investigators. 

The wife of a Russian military officer, Olga Zharkova, 34, fell to her death from a 19th floor flat in Moscow with her two sons, aged three and one month, in her arms

Olga had reportedly written a note saying she did not want to leave her children in this 'hard, gloomy world'.

'She complained to her acquaintances that she had postnatal depression,' a law enforcement source told Komsomolskaya Pravda, 'She felt lonely and tired.'

The mother-of-two, who is the wife of a Russian military officer, held the children in her arms as she fell. 

The mother held her newborn baby and toddler son in her arms as she leapt 190ft from the tower block (pictured, left, and right, view from above)

She is suspected to have suffered from acute postnatal depression before taking her own life and killing her children had reportedly written a note saying she did not want to leave her children in 'hard, gloomy world'

Her military officer husband was treated for shock when he arrived at the scene.

Earlier she had complained that her husband Dmitry, 35, was away from home for long periods on his military duties, say reports citing law enforcement.

The Russian Investigative Committee opened a murder probe into the deaths of the two children.

A 'postmortem psychiatric analysis' will be conducted on the mother, said reports.

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2021-10-13 08:37:40Z
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Afghanistan crisis: G20 leaders pledge to avert economic catastrophe - BBC News

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Members of the G20 group of major economies have pledged to avert an economic catastrophe in Afghanistan.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the country should not be allowed to "descend into chaos".

The virtual summit came as the UN urged world leaders to put billions of dollars into the Afghan economy.

US President Joe Biden stressed that aid should be provided via independent international organisations and not directly to the ruling Taliban.

But so far the money forthcoming has largely been counted in millions, just to provide emergency food and medicine.

Pledges include a promise by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to give €1bn ($1.15bn; £850m) to Afghanistan and to neighbouring countries taking in refugees.

Mrs Merkel, who did not stand for re-election last month and will step down as chancellor once a new government is formed, reaffirmed Germany's pledge of €600m.

"None of us has anything to gain if the entire monetary system in Afghanistan collapses or the financial system collapses," she told reporters.

"Then humanitarian aid can no longer be provided. Of course it's never easy to draw the line, so to speak, but to look on as 40 million people descend into chaos because there's no electricity supply or financial system - that cannot and must not be the goal of the international community."

A difficult situation made worse

By Yogita Limaye, BBC News, Kabul

The takeover of this country has caused a massive shock to an economy that was just about surviving.

Banks were closed for many days after the Taliban seized control, and while many have opened now, accessing cash is still difficult.

Many businesses shut down because their owners fled the country fearing for their lives. Many of those who had jobs haven't received salaries for months.

With no cash in the market, there has been a sharp rise in prices of day to day necessities including food. An already difficult situation created by war and drought has become much worse.

Women who had jobs and supported their families can no longer work and are now entirely dependent on handouts.

In Kabul, hundreds of people are still living in the open in tents with harsher winter months fast approaching.

Development aid given by foreign countries and agencies to Afghanistan, which helped to put cash into the economy, is all but frozen. This, on the ground, means that people who worked on development projects are out of jobs.

The global community faces a tough decision - how to reach the Afghan people, without recognising a Taliban government.

The chancellor said the Taliban must grant access to all UN bodies delivering aid, and stressed the need for the rights and girls and women to be respected.

Mrs Merkel's words were echoed by Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who was hosting the virtual summit.

He said G20 countries had to have contact with the Taliban but that did not mean recognition of the Islamist group's government.

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Not all G20 leaders were present - Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin sent representatives - but Mr Draghi said all participants had agreed on the need to provide more aid.

The leaders also discussed ways to prevent Afghanistan becoming a haven for militants such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, and the need to provide safe passage for foreign nationals and Afghans hoping to leave Afghanistan.

• AT THE SCENE: Fighting off hunger under the Taliban
• ANALYSIS: What has changed in Afghanistan in 20 years
• ANALYSIS: A new order begins under Taliban rule

The summit came as Western and Afghan officials met in Qatar to discuss aid, terrorism concerns and evacuation of foreigners.

These were the first direct talks between the two sides since US troops left Afghanistan and the Taliban took power in August.

'Nothing to eat'

The recent international moves come as Afghanistan faces what aid workers fear is a severe humanitarian crisis.

Afghans have been describing their difficulties to the BBC.

"Nothing can be found, and even if it is available, it's too expensive and not affordable," one retired man said. "I was paid last year and am still waiting on my salary, I have nothing to eat with my children."

Another, a government employee in the northern town of Takhar, complained that officials were lying about the payment of salaries.

"I've received nothing," he said. "What type government is this?  If an employee doesn't go to work, there would be complaints and an investigation. But if he's not being paid, how can he survive?"

UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned at a donor conference last month in Geneva that the poverty rate was soaring and public services were close to collapse.

Some 40% of the country's GDP - national output - comes from aid, according to the World Bank.

The US froze $10bn (£7.3bn) of the country's central bank assets after the Taliban captured Kabul on 15 August.

For the poor in Kabul, the priority is staving off starvation, the BBC's Jeremy Bowen recently reported from the Afghan capital.

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2021-10-12 18:56:23Z
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Gabby Petito: US woman was strangled to death, coroner reveals - Sky News

Gabby Petito was strangled to death, a US coroner has announced, following a post-mortem examination of her body.

Teton County Coroner Dr Brent Blue told a news conference: "In the manner of death in Gabrielle Venora Petito, we find the cause of death the cause is by strangulation and the manner is homicide."

Ms Petito, 22, who vanished while on a road trip with her boyfriend, was found dead in Wyoming on 19 September - a week after her parents reported her missing - and the case has made headlines across America.

Dr Blue said the level of decomposition of the body suggested she died three to four weeks before her body was discovered.

Image: Brian Laundrie is a person of interest in her disappearance and remains unaccounted for

Ms Petito's family were notified of the results of the medical examination ahead of the news briefing.

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There is a huge effort to track down her travelling partner Brian Laundrie who is considered a person of interest in her disappearance and remains unaccounted for. He has been missing for nearly a month.

Dr Blue said he could not comment on who committed the murder, as this was "up to law enforcement". It is not yet clear if the new cause of death might lead to additional charges against Mr Laundrie.

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The post-mortem took more than three weeks to complete and included specialists and an analysis of toxicology test results, the doctor said.

DNA evidence was taken from Ms Petito's body but the coroner did not clarify who it belonged to. Dr Blue declined to comment further on the post-mortem, citing Wyoming law that limits what coroners can release.

The couple were visiting national parks in the western US in a Ford transit van and documenting the trip on social media.

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Gabby Petito: 'He grabbed me with his nail'

Police bodycam showed them being pulled over in Utah in August after they got in an altercation, with the officer separating the couple.

No charges were filed, but police ordered the two to stay in separate lodgings for the night.

Ms Petito's body was eventually found in an undeveloped camping area surrounded by woodlands and brush, about 30 miles (48km) northeast of Jackson, Wyoming.

TV personalities including Duane Chapman - known as Dog the Bounty Hunter - and America's Most Wanted host John Walsh have started their own searches for Mr Laundrie.

Earlier this month, police released new bodycam video in which Ms Petito tells officers that, while her boyfriend had hit her, she had hit him first.

Image: The couple were travelling in a white transit van. Pic: North Port Police

The case has led to renewed calls for people to pay greater attention to cases involving missing Indigenous women and other people of colour, with some commentators describing the intense coverage of her disappearance as "missing white woman syndrome."

Federal officials in Wyoming last month charged Laundrie with unauthorized use of a debit card, claiming he used a Capital One bank card and someone's personal identification number to make unauthorized withdrawals or charges worth more than $1,000 during the period in which Petito went missing

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2021-10-12 19:09:42Z
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La Palma volcano eruption: Lockdown lifted for residents after lava swallowed factory sparking fears over toxic fumes - Sky News

Around 3,500 residents of La Palma have been told they can leave their homes after authorities ended a lockdown caused when lava engulfed a cement plant, producing a thick cloud of smoke in the area.

Local emergency services ordered over 3,000 residents to remain indoors to avoid inhaling toxic fumes from the burning cement plant as it was being swallowed by the lava from the Cumbre Vieja volcano on Monday.

On Tuesday, authorities said the smoke cloud had passed and the air quality had improved so the residents of El Paso and Los Llanos de Aridane could leave their homes.

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The Cumbre Vieja volcano continues to erupt

As the incident was unfolding, Miguel Angel Morcuende, the technical director of the Canary Islands Volcanic Emergency Plan said the fire at the plant had "produced a very dense smoke that sullied the air".

While local emergency services took to Twitter to urge residents to "lock down, if possible, in the most inner rooms."

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La Palma's airport remained open but 11 flights were cancelled on Tuesday and others were delayed, airport operator AENA said.

Meanwhile, there were 64 seismic movements on Tuesday, the strongest measuring 4.1, according to the Spanish National Geological Institute.

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Lava from the eruption that began on 19 September has laid waste to a total area of nearly 600 hectares, according to Mr Morcuende.

After the volcano's cone partially collapsed on Saturday, a new river of lava streamed towards the sea, devouring banana and avocado farms and most of the remaining houses in the town of Todoque.

Image: A map of the Cumbre Vieja volcano eruption on La Palma

Image: Drone footage shows lava trail of destruction

Image: Lava erupts from the La Palma volcano

In the three weeks since the eruption, torrents of molten rock have destroyed 1,186 buildings, the Canary Islands Volcanic Institute said.

About 6,000 people have been evacuated from their homes on La Palma, which has about 83,000 inhabitants.

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2021-10-12 13:56:42Z
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North Korea: Kim Jong-un vows to build 'invincible military' - BBC News

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North Korea's leader has vowed to build an "invincible military" in the face of what it says are hostile policies from the United States, state media report.

Kim Jong-un added that weapons development was for self-defence, and not to start a war.

Mr Kim made the comments at a rare defence exhibition while flanked by a variety of large missiles.

North Korea has recently tested what it claims to be new hypersonic and anti-aircraft missiles.

The South meanwhile has recently tested its own submarine-launched weapon.

In his speech at the Self-Defence 2021 exhibition held in the North's capital, Pyongyang, Mr Kim addressed the military build-up in the South and said that North Korea did not want to fight its neighbour.

"We are not discussing war with anyone, but rather to prevent war itself and to literally increase war deterrence for the protection of national sovereignty," he said.

Mr Kim, surrounded by an array of military hardware including tanks, accused the US of stoking tensions between North and South Korea.

He said there was "no behavioural basis" to make North Korea believe that the US was not hostile.

The US under President Joe Biden has repeatedly said it is willing to talk to North Korea, but has demanded Pyongyang give up nuclear weapons before sanctions can be eased. North Korea has so far refused.

Kim Jong-un didn't just talk about his new military might - he showed it to us.

This was the equivalent of a military parade. We have not seen this kind of defence exhibition since Mr Kim took power.

Surrounded by intercontinental ballistic missiles and portraits of him dressed in military uniform, he told those gathered that he felt "bottomless pride" as he touched the missiles.

And he made it clear that he's not done building his arsenal, which he says he needs as a deterrent.

He vowed to continue work on his wish list of weapons, while noting that South Korea was doing the same by building up its defence force in recent years.

This is Mr Kim's way of telling those criticising his arms programme that they are hypocrites. He wants Pyongyang to have the right to build up its military - just like Seoul.

Yet, just days earlier he urged his officials to focus on improving the lives of North Korean people as they face a "grim" economic situation.

With limited funds and under strict economic sanctions, can he really build an "invincible" force and help his people?

And if it comes to a choice - what will it be?

• North Korea's missile and nuclear programme
• A high-profile defector opens up on Kim's N Korea

North Korea is banned from testing ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons by the UN. It has repeatedly flouted these bans and has been heavily sanctioned as a result.

Last month, the UN atomic agency said North Korea appeared to have restarted a reactor which could produce plutonium for nuclear weapons, calling it a "deeply troubling" development.

North Korea has always maintained that it needs to continue developing weapons for defence.

But observers say it is also being used as a way to rally the impoverished country. North Korea is thought to be in dire economic straits after authorities shut borders to stop the spread of Covid-19.

Crucial supplies like food and fuel have been cut off from China, North Korea's main political and economic ally.

Mr Kim, unusually, wore sandals with socks paired with a formal dark suit at the exhibition, prompting some renewed speculation outside North Korea that this could be related to his health.

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Mr Kim is thought to have had medical problems linked to his weight, including gout which can result in foot swellings. He had been seen limping in public in the past.

Reuters quoted Colin Zwirko, an analyst with Seoul-based NK News, as saying: "He lost a significant amount of weight in a short period in May, and in September he was seen standing on padded mats during long speeches, which is not typical."

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2021-10-12 09:17:36Z
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Crete earthquake: Greek holiday island hit by large 6.4 magnitude tremor sparking tsunami warning - Sky News

A large 6.4 magnitude earthquake has hit the Greek holiday island of Crete and a tsunami warning has been issued.

The quake struck the east coast of the island at a depth of 10km under the village of Palekastro, according to the US Geological Survey.

The village is 84km (52 miles) from Agios Nikolaos, which is a popular destination for British tourists.

It comes three weeks after another tremor killed a man on the island and damaged hundreds of buildings.

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September: Strong earthquake wreaks havoc in Crete

There were no immediate reports of serious damage or injury after Tuesday's earthquake, which, according to the Geodynamic Institute in Athens, was followed by aftershocks measuring 4.1 and 4.6 in magnitude.

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Authorities said police and fire crews were checking buildings in eastern Crete for damage.

The quake was also felt on Greek islands to the east of Crete, including Karpathos, Kassos and Rhodes.

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Crete's deputy regional governor, Yiannis Leondarakis, told Greece's state-run radio: "The quake was felt all over the island, and it did cause concern because we are still feeling the aftershocks from the previous quake."

Hundreds of people from villages south of the island's largest city, Heraklion, remain homeless following a 5.8-magnitude quake that struck on 27 September.

Image: Firefighters check their gear next to the rubble of a demolished church, following the earthquake three weeks ago

A man was killed while carrying out restoration work at a church that was damaged in the area.

Residents whose homes were damaged were moved to hotels and tents set up by the army.

Mr Leondarakis said of Tuesday's earthquake: "Fortunately, there does not appear to be any serious damage despite the fact that it was a strong event and occurred at a shallow depth."

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2021-10-12 11:37:30Z
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IMF backs Georgieva after World Bank data-rigging scandal - Al Jazeera English

The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) executive board has expressed its full confidence in Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva after reviewing allegations that she pressured World Bank staff in her previous job to alter data to favour China.

But United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen put Georgieva on notice that she would closely monitor the IMF’s follow-up and evaluate any new facts or findings, and called for proactive steps to reinforce data integrity and credibility at the IMF.

The IMF’s 24-member board and the US Department of the Treasury issued separate lengthy statements Monday after a week of marathon meetings over Georgieva’s actions as World Bank CEO that threw into question her continued leadership of the IMF.

Georgieva, a Bulgarian economist and the first person from a developing country to head the fund, had vehemently denied the claims. She welcomed the board’s endorsement in a separate statement of her own and said she was pleased its members had agreed the allegations against her were unfounded.

“This has obviously been a difficult episode for me personally,” she said. “However, I want to express my unyielding support for the independence and integrity of institutions such as the World Bank and IMF; and my respect for all those committed to protecting the values on which these organizations are founded.”

Georgieva had won the support of France and other European governments last week, but US and Japanese officials pushed for a more thorough review of the allegations, according to sources briefed on the matter.

At issue was a damning report prepared by the law firm WilmerHale for the World Bank’s board about data irregularities in the bank’s now-cancelled “Doing Business” report.

The firm’s report alleged that Georgieva and other senior officials applied “undue pressure” on bank staff to make changes to boost China’s ranking in the business review, just as the bank was seeking Beijing’s support for a significant capital increase.

Georgieva strongly denied the allegations, which date back to 2017, when she was the World Bank’s chief executive. She became the IMF’s managing director in October 2019.

The board said the information presented during its review – which included meetings with WilmerHale attorneys and Georgieva – did not conclusively demonstrate that she played an improper role in the Doing Business report.

European governments had sought a speedy resolution of the matter ahead of this week’s annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank, where Georgieva and World Bank President David Malpass are leading discussions on the global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, debt relief and efforts to speed vaccinations.

The US and Japan, the fund’s two largest shareholders, cautioned against prematurely reconfirming confidence in the IMF leader, said one of the sources.

‘Serious issues’

Yellen spoke with Georgieva on Monday about the “serious issues” raised by the probe and underscored her commitment to “preserve the integrity and credibility of the World Bank and the IMF,” the US Treasury said in a statement.

While the report “raised legitimate issues and concerns,” Treasury said it agreed with other board members that “absent further direct evidence with regard to the role of the Managing Director there is not a basis for a change in IMF leadership”.

Yellen told Georgieva the WilmerHale report showed the need for shareholders to be vigilant in defending the integrity of both institutions, and said the IMF should renew their commitment to upholding transparency and whistleblower protections.

Even as Georgieva holds on to her job, the accusations affect her tenure at the IMF, which is expected to deliver unbiased analysis and serve as an honest broker and tough advice-giver among governments, especially those seeking its aid.

The scandal has also dented research reputations at both institutions, raising critical questions about whether that work is subject to member-country influence, current and former staff from both institutions say.

Malpass declined on Monday to comment on the IMF process but said the World Bank was working to improve the integrity of its research, including by elevating its chief economist, Carmen Reinhart, to be part of the bank’s 10-person senior management team.

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2021-10-12 05:16:14Z
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