Briefly

FRANCE

1 dead, 5 injured in wedding hall attack

One person was killed and five others wounded in northeastern France when several masked gunmen opened fire at a wedding ceremony, police sources said on Sunday. The attack in the northeastern city of Thionville was said to be linked to a settling of scores between drug traffickers. The shooting took place at a reception hall overnight on Saturday to Sunday, with about 100 people in attendance. Two people were seriously injured and one was in a critical condition. "The wedding was not targeted as such, it was people who were at the wedding," a law enforcement source said.

COLOMBIA

Rebel group agrees to 'unilateral cease-fire'

A Colombian splinter group of former FARC guerrillas known as Segunda Marquetalia has agreed to a "unilateral ceasefire" and the release of captives following negotiations with the government, a joint statement said on Saturday. The talks, held in the Venezuelan capital Caracas last week, are the latest attempt by Colombia's President Gustavo Petro to end six decades of conflict between the government and rebel groups. As part of the cease-fire deal, Segunda Marquetalia committed to the "delivery of the people they are holding", a joint document said. "The full implementation of de-escalation will begin as soon as the presidential decree on offensive military operations comes into force," the text said.

EAST EUROPE

Russia claims 2 more villages on battlefield

Russia on Sunday claimed two more villages in the conflict against Ukraine as its forces continue to hold the upper hand over Kyiv. Moscow has claimed new villages regularly for weeks, as outgunned and outmanned Ukrainian forces struggle to hold them back. Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces had "liberated the settlement" of Novooleksandrivka as the Russian army pushes further westward into the Donetsk region. The village is now the most western point of the region that Russia holds. Moscow also said its forces captured the small village of Spirne, further north in the Donetsk region near the border with the neighboring Lugansk region.

Agencies Via Xinhua