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☆ French military instructors in Ukraine would be a 'legitimate target' and may already be active, says Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Russia's foreign minister said French military instructors in Ukraine would be "legitimate targets." Sergey Lavrov said he had reasons to think some were already active in Ukraine. Russia has threatened nuclear strikes on countries that are considering sending troops to Ukraine. AdvertisementFrench military instructors operating in Ukraine would be a "legitimate target" for Russia, Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, said on Tuesday. Lavrov was speaking at a press conference in the Republic of the Congo when he was asked about reports that French instructors would shortly be sent to Ukraine.

Persons: Sergey Lavrov, —, Lavrov Organizations: Service, French Army, Russian Armed Forces, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Business Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Republic of, Congo

☆ What is D-Day? How the Normandy landings led to Germany’s defeat in World War II
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —June 6, 2024 marks 80 years since D-Day, the first day of the Normandy landings that laid the foundations for the Allied defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. The Allied troops’ invasion was coordinated across air, land and sea, in what can be described as amphibious landings. On D-Day alone, around 4,440 Allied troops were confirmed dead, according to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), with more than 5,800 troops wounded or missing. Because Omaha Beach was the bloodiest landing beach, the US Army lost the most men in the amphibious landings. Within minutes of reaching Omaha Beach, 16 of these men were killed and four were wounded.

Persons: –, France –, ’, Adolf Hitler, “, ”, Bedford’s, Bedford, Hitler Organizations: CNN, Royal British Legion, Canadian, Cotentin Peninsular, Omaha Beach, Juno, Allied, Pas de, Allies, Commission, Omaha, US Army, Bedford, Foundation, US Department of Defense, Western Allies, US, German Nazi, Third Reich, Victory Locations: Normandy, Nazi Germany, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Utah, Omaha, Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, Poland, Europe, Fortitude, Pas de Calais, Cotentin, British, Gold, Pas, Germany, Bedford , Virginia, Omaha Beach, Paris, Nazi, German, Reims

☆ 5 killed after floods engulf southern Germany
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Billy Stockwell | Inke Kappeler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Five people have died and thousands were evacuated in southern Germany after heavy rainfall hit the region and caused vast floods, prompting warnings from senior officials that the climate crisis was set to worsen extreme weather in the country. After heavy rainfall, the German Armed Forces has sent 800 personnel to the region to help with rescue efforts. Record floods occur every few years … record rainfall every few years,” Habeck, of the Greens Party, told broadcaster n-tv. Deadly floods hit Western Europe in 2021, with at least 220 people killed between July 12 and 15, mostly in Germany. Other areas of Europe have also been affected by heavy rainfall in recent days.

Persons: Juergen Weiss, Thomas Niedermueller, Armin Weigel, Olaf Scholz, ” Scholz, Robert Habeck, ” Habeck, HINA, CNN’s Barbie Nadeau, Louis Mian Organizations: CNN, Bavarian firefighters, Authorities, German Armed Forces, Bavarian, Environmental Office, Economy, Greens Party, Firefighters, Sunday, RTV SLO Locations: Germany, Bavaria, Baden, Wuerttemberg, Regensburg, Rudersberg, Bavarian, Passau, Europe, Udine, Northeastern Italy, Slovenia, Gornja Radgona, Austrian, Zagorje county

☆ With shake-up at defense ministry, ‘Putin’s chef’ gets his wish from beyond the grave
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-02 | by ( Sebastian Shukla | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Berlin CNN —Removing a long-time defense minister from his post is nothing out of the ordinary. Arresting five of his senior staff, however, is clearly more than just a search for fresh blood — especially in Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Analysts who spoke to CNN described the defense ministry as one of the most corrupt in the country. Putin was likely awaiting his reelection by the Russian people in March before making moving in on the defense ministry. The defense ministry is central to how that war ends.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Sergei Shoigu, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, ”, Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Prigozhin, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Kazakov, Stanovaya, Andrey Belousov, – Shamarin, Ivanov Mikhail Komin, Vadim Shamarin, General Vadim Shamarin, Reuters Shamarin, Ria Novosti, Timur Ivanov, Ivanov, Alexey Navalny, —, Turar Kazangapov, Oleg Savelyev, ” Komin, Prigozhin’s, Gerasimov, ” Stanovaya, Komin, “ it’s Organizations: Berlin CNN, CNN, West ., Reuters, Sputnik, Kremlin, Getty, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Putin, European Council of Foreign Affairs, Main, Russian Armed Forces, “, Russian Defence Ministry . Russian Defence Ministry, Ria, Benz, Corruption Foundation, Russian, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Staff, Armed Forces Locations: Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Ukraine, Russia, Kharkiv, Donbas, Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Russian, AFP, Vienna, Courchevel, France, Astana, Kazakhstan

☆ 80 years after D-Day, a dedicated team works to bring missing airmen home
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-02 | by ( Jaide Timm-Garcia | Isabel Rosales | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

A crash site rediscoveredIn 2016, the agency received a tip the crash site had been rediscovered on farmland in Normandy. D-Day was 80 years ago and the remains of missing service members continue to be uncovered. The results are then compared to a DNA sample from the missing service member’s medical file. In 2009, Stouffer heard about other missing service members being accounted for and reached out to the agency to offer his DNA samples for analysis. Defense Visual Information Distribution ServicePhotos of the three missing airmen were stationed at the dig site, providing what the team calls intrinsic motivation along their search.

Persons: Jake Tapper, “, William Donohue, David Madson, Albert Brooks, SSgt David Madson, Eric Klinek, Franklin D, Roosevelt, Klinek, ”, Donohue, Madson, Brooks, Major McKinley McCanless, Samuel Williams Jr, ” Capt, Brian Foxworth, ” Foxworth, ” Crews, Foxworth, Sergeant Raul Castillo, Castillo, Carrie Brown, you’re, ” Brown, Brown, “ You’ve, Paul Stouffer, William McGowan, McGowan, Stouffer, ” Stouffer Organizations: CNN, Chief Washington, Democracy, Airborne, Defense POW, Agency, Department of Defense, 304th Troop Carrier Squadron, 442nd Troop Carrier Group, 50th Troop Carrier, Waco Army Airfield, Army Air Forces, Allied Forces, 101st, Information Distribution Service Paratroopers, DC, Utah, United Kingdom . Defense, Information, Offutt Air Force Base, Armed Forces Medical, Dover Air Force Base, Registration, United States Military, Air Force Locations: Normandy, France, Europe, German, Nazi Germany, England, United Kingdom, Nebraska, Delaware, U.S

CNN —Mexicans headed to the polls on Sunday to vote in a historic election expected to return the country’s first woman president. More than 98 million voters are registered to cast a ballot in Mexico, and 1.4 million Mexicans are eligible to vote abroad. Mexico's opposition presidential candidate Xochitl Gálvez outside a polling station in Mexico City on June 2, 2024. Outside polling stations, voters told CNN that public security was one of their main concerns. Jorge Luis Plata/ReutersUS officials are closely monitoring the presidential election as it comes at a critical time for the Biden administration.

Persons: Claudia Sheinbaum, Xochitl, Jorge Álvarez Máynez, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Sheinbaum, ” Gálvez, Luis Cortes, ”, Jorge Luis Plata, Biden, CNN’s Michelle Velez, Priscilla Alvarez Organizations: CNN, Morena, PAN, ’ Movement, Reuters, Electoral Institute, coy, Republicans, Biden, Homeland Security Locations: Mexico, Mexico City, Yucatán, San Bartolome Quialana

☆ The Kremlin is accused of waging a 'shadow war' against the West with incidents of Russian sabotage on the rise
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Daniel Kochis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

If true, the loss of a Polish shopping center by means of Russian arson would be shocking on its own. As NATO advances toward the July summit, it's become clear that more comprehensive discussions on addressing the Russian sabotage campaign must take place. Some of the earliest identified acts of Russian sabotage occurred in 2014 at ammunition depots in the Czech Republic killing two and causing $42.5 million in damage. Bulgaria has played a crucial role in supplying ammunition and shells to Ukrainian forces, especially in the early stages of the war. Matthias Merz/picture alliance via Getty ImagesWeapons and training facilities aiding Ukrainian forces are frequent targets.

Persons: —, Donald Tusk, MAXIM SHEMETOV, Kaja Kallas, it's, Hannah Beier, Ozempic, Abrams, Matthias Merz, Russia, John MacDougall, Daniel Kochis Organizations: Service, Business, Reuters Estonia's, West, NATO, Scranton Army, BAE Systems, Denmark's Novo Nordisk, BAE, US Army, Getty Images, Energy, NATO Pipeline System, Deutsche Bahn, Investigators, DB, Getty, Kremlin, Ukraine, Center, Hudson Institute, United Locations: Polish, Poland, Wroclaw, Lithuania, Russia, Moscow, Russian, Estonia, Czech Republic, Vrbětice, Bulgaria, Scranton, Pennsylvania, United Kingdom, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Norwegian, Baltic, Bellheim, Germany, Czech, Europe, Berlin, France, Washington, Eurasia, United States, NATO

☆ Is the US decision on Ukraine weapons a game-changer?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The story of the past 27 months since Russia invaded Ukraine has been one of crumbling taboos. Despite securing more weapons from the United States last month, Ukraine has not been able to use them as it pleases. Red lines fadeThe US is joining the United Kingdom, France, Germany and several others in removing restrictions on how Ukraine uses the weapons it is given. Before Biden gave the green light, Putin had made veiled nuclear threats to countries considering allowing Ukraine to strike Russia with their weapons. In both cases, Russia had warned Ukraine and its Western allies not to cross its red line.

Persons: Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, Valentyn Ogirenko, Adam Kinzinger, Ben Hodges, ”, Vladimir Putin’s, Kateryna, Narciso Contreras, Franz, Stefan Gady, Ukraine “, Mathieu Boulegue, “, Putin, ” Stepanenko Organizations: CNN, Russian, Firefighters, Reuters, Institute for, Anadolu, Getty, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Kharkhiv, Center for, United, Russia Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, United States, Moscow, Kharkiv, Washington, “, Prague, Czech, pummel Kharkiv, Russian, Kharkiv Oblast, Vovchansk, Kharkiv region, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Crimea, Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia

☆ Survivors say Russia is waging a war of sexual violence in occupied areas of Ukraine. Men are often the victims
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

Editor’s Note: This story contains graphic and disturbing descriptions of sexual violence. Everywhere that Russian troops were located, we’re seeing cases of sexual violence and gender-based violence. But the real scale of sexual violence committed during the war may never come to light. Ukrainian officials say that it is difficult, but not impossible, to track down individual perpetrators of sexual violence crimes. Some survivors of sexual violence committed by the Bosnian Serb army during the Bosnian war in the early 1990s are only now coming forward.

Persons: Roman Shapovalenko, ”, —, Shapovalenko, ’, “, –, Chris McGrath, Anna Sosonska, Sosonska, ‘, ’ Roman Chernenko, Chernenko, …, ” Sosonska, Anna Mykytenko, ” Mykytenko, Mykytenko, Ukraine –, Vladimir Putin, Aleksey Smagin, Aleksandr Naumenko, Naumenko, – Oleksandr Chilengirov, Dmitry Laikov, Oleksii, ” Andrii, Andrii, Anna Voitenko, Putin, Russia’s, Maria Lvova, Oleksii Sivak, Sivak, ’ ”, ‘ we’re, ” Sivak Organizations: Kyiv CNN —, Russia’s Federal Security Service, Russian, CNN, Getty, United Nations Security, Ukraine’s, GRU, Russian Federal Penitentiary Service, Russia’s Ministry of Defense, Interior Ministry, National Guard, Kyodo, Criminal Court, ICC, UN, Global Rights, European Union, Ministry of Defense, Luhansk People’s Republics, Rosgvardia, Ukrainian, FSB’s Department, Defense, Constitutional, Terrorism, International Court of Justice, Kremlin Locations: Kyiv, Ukrainian, Kherson, Russia, Ukraine, Snihurivka, Moscow, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Crimea, Olenivka, Mariupol, Russian, Geneva, Rome, United States, United Kingdom, Luhansk, Russia’s Rostov, Nova Kakhovka, ‘, Bosnian

☆ Opinion | America’s Military Is Not Prepared for War — or Peace
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Roger Wicker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“To be prepared for war,” George Washington said, “is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.” President Ronald Reagan agreed with his forebear’s words, and peace through strength became a theme of his administration. It is far past time to rebuild America’s military. President Vladimir Putin of Russia has thrown Europe into war and mobilized his society for long-term conflict. Iran and its proxy groups have escalated their shadow war against Israel and increased attacks on U.S. ships and soldiers. Iran has provided Russia with battlefield drones, and China is sending technical and logistical help to aid Mr. Putin’s war.

Persons: ” George Washington, “, Ronald Reagan, America’s, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin Organizations: U.S . Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S . Navy Locations: American, China, Russia, Europe, Iran, Israel, Korea

☆ Mexico’s next president will be a woman. But violence has overshadowed the glass ceiling being shattered.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Sheinbaum is riding on a wave of popularity with the support of her long-time ally, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and their leftist Morena party. Mexico's President Andrés Manuel López Obrador gestures during an event in Mexico City. It was a strategy that saw the son of Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman released on the orders of López Obrador in 2019 to avoid bloodshed. The Supreme Court upheld an opposition complaint and ordered López Obrador to return the National Guard to civilian jurisdiction. Amid ongoing “gender-based violence, including femicides and disappearances,” Kloppe-Santamaría said, getting a female president at this moment feels “very paradoxical.”

Persons: Claudia Sheinbaum, “, Sheinbaum, –, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Xochitl Gálvez, Raquel Cunha, ” Stephanie Brewer, ”, López Obrador’s, Enrique Peña Nieto’s, Ulises Ruiz, Galvez, ” Gálvez, …, ” Brewer, Felipe Calderón, “ Militarization, López Obrador, Joaquin “ El Chapo ” Guzman, Armando Perez Luna, Ivan Macias Ivan Macias, Brewer, Falko Ernst, Gema, Santamaría Organizations: CNN, Mexico City, PAN, Reuters, Washington Office, Latin, Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics, –, coy, Mirador, AFP, Getty, National Guard, Defense, Defense . Police, National Action Party, REUTERS, Crisis, ” CNN, Defence, George Washington University ., Galvaz, Mexico City police Locations: Mexico, ”, Chiapas, Mexico’s, Guatemala, Morena, Mexico City, “ Mexico, Latin America, WOLA, Mirador San Miguel, Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco State, militarization, Maravatio, Michoacan, Mexican, femicides

☆ Here is what’s open and closed on Memorial Day 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, with many students out of school and office workers enjoying the day off. This year, Memorial Day is on Monday, May 27. Here’s what will be open and closed on Memorial Day 2024. Walmart and Target will be open on Memorial Day. Postal servicesThe United States Postal Service will not be delivering mail on Memorial Day.

Organizations: CNN, Retail, Walmart, Target, Kroger, Aldi, Costco, New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, Federal Reserve, United States Postal Service, UPS, FedEx

☆ ‘How do I live?’ A 10-year-old Ukrainian orphan recalls the brutal destruction of his family
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | Mick Krever | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“Mom was saying, ‘Kolya, Kolya.’ I shouted, ‘Mom, I’m alive.’”He said he frantically scraped the dust from his face and eyes. And I was shouting, ‘Mother, mother, it’s just a dream, a horrible dream.’” Mykola had a similar nightmare days earlier, and felt it might be recurring. Hours earlier, the family had a barbecue, and Mykola senior drank one beer too many and talked passionately about enlisting. In the pitch black, his son clambered outside, the front of their comfortable family home beyond recognition, its gates torn clean away. Video Ad Feedback CNN witnesses Ukrainian soldiers being treated after blast hits dugout 02:04 - Source: CNNThey were quickly tended to.

Persons: Eastern Ukraine CNN — Mykola, Larisa, Mykola Glushko, “, ”, ‘, ’, it’s, ’ ” Mykola, Mykola, clambered, Mick Krever, CNN Mykola, gurney, Ivan Organizations: Eastern, Eastern Ukraine CNN, CNN, Russian, quicken, 93rd Locations: Eastern Ukraine, Pokrovsk, Ukraine, Workers, Moscow, Kharkiv, –, Bakhmut, Russia

☆ What’s open and closed on Memorial Day 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-26 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN —Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, with many students out of school and office workers enjoying the day off. This year, Memorial Day is on Monday, May 27. Here’s what will be open and closed on Memorial Day 2024. Walmart and Target will be open on Memorial Day. Postal servicesThe United States Postal Service will not be delivering mail on Memorial Day.

Organizations: New, New York CNN, Retail, Walmart, Target, Kroger, Aldi, Costco, New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, Federal Reserve, United States Postal Service, UPS, FedEx Locations: New York

Kyiv CNN —The air at the Ukrainian military recruitment office where a 30-year-old hairdresser is being interviewed is filled with anxiety. “The time has come,” he told CNN. “The desire to fight the enemy is very important, in addition to training, equipment and preparedness,” he told CNN. If shelling starts on the frontline, I think I will be confused and will only create problems for others,” he told CNN. Andrii Demchenko, the spokesperson for the Border Guard Service of Ukraine, told CNN his officers detain people trying to cross out of Ukraine on daily basis.

Persons: –, ”, baring, Yurii Sodol, Yaroslav Galas, Daria Tarasova, Volodymyr Zelensky’s, Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi, Dmytro Kulibaba, Galas, “, Diego Herrera Carcedo, I’m, Ukraine doesn’t, ‘, ’, ” Galas, Andrii Demchenko Organizations: CNN, Da Vinci, Joint Forces, 128th Mountain Assault Brigade, People, Ukrainian Armed Forces, 114th Territorial Defense Brigade, Armed Forces, Getty, Border Guard Service of, Border Service Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Kreminna, Anadolu, Robotyno, Belarus, Donetsk Oblast, Europe, Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Romania, Hungary

☆ Russia's pulling combat forces from another continent to fuel its latest offensive push in Ukraine, Western intel says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewRussia has moved some combat forces from Africa to help support its latest offensive efforts in northeastern Ukraine, according to a new Western intelligence assessment. The Russian defense ministry created the Africa Corps last year as a way to expand its footprint on the continent and also in the Middle East. Photo by Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty ImagesRussia's defense ministry "almost certainly redeployed detachments from the Africa Corps to the Ukrainian border during April 2024 in preparation for this offensive," the defense ministry said. Other Africa Corps detachments are believed to have deployed to Syria, Libya, Burkina Faso, and Niger, the UK said. French Army via APThe recent deployment of certain Africa Corps units to the Kharkiv region appears to underscore Russia's commitment to its new offensive.

Persons: —, Wagner, Kostiantyn Liberov, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Africa Corps, Business, Nazi, French Army, AP, Libkos, Staff of, Armed Forces, Facebook Locations: Russia, Africa, Ukraine, Moscow, Vovchansk, Ukraine's Kharkiv, Kharkiv, Ukrainian, Syria, Libya, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali

☆ The West is tapping Russian money to arm Ukraine. Much more could follow
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

London CNN —Money generated by Russian financial assets frozen in Europe will soon start flowing to Ukraine, giving Kyiv a boost as it struggles to counter an advance by Moscow’s troops. The plan “would essentially bring forward that flow of interest proceeds from the assets… (through a loan) given to Ukraine,” Yellen told broadcaster Sky News in an interview this week. “Ukraine has substantial needs, and being able to marshal significant resources to help Ukraine is important,” she said. Most of the frozen Russian money is held in Europe, and the euro is the world’s second-most important currency after the US dollar. This would give Kyiv access to a much larger amount of money than using future or current windfall profits from Russian assets.

Persons: Janet Yellen, ” Yellen, Gabriel Bouys, Joe Biden, ” Lee Buccheit, Trade Valdis Dombrovskis, Yellen, there’s, —, Buchheit, Putin, ” Organizations: London CNN, Union, Sky News, “, US, Getty, University of Edinburgh Law School, CNN, EU, Trade, Reuters, Russia, Ukraine, World Bank Locations: Europe, Ukraine, West, Italy, Russia, Ukraine’s, Kharkiv, Frankfurt, Germany, “ Ukraine, Stresa, AFP, EU, Belgium, Kyiv

☆ China's military is surrounding Taiwan, sending its new president an unmistakable message
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Ella Sherman | Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewThe Chinese armed forces began conducting large-scale military exercises around Taiwan on Thursday, just days after the island's newly elected president Lai Ching-te took office. Taiwan's defense ministry posted a video condemning Chinese actions, as well as showing the various locations around it where Chinese forces are operating. The CCP’s military exercises, which highlight its hegemony mindset, have undermined regional peace and stability. An outdoor screen shows a news coverage of China's military drills around Taiwan, in Beijing on May 23, 2024. Taiwanese soldiers stand guard as flares are fired during a Taiwanese military live-fire drill, after Beijing increased its military exercises near Taiwan, in Pingtung, Taiwan, 6 September 2022.

Persons: —, Lai Ching, It's Organizations: Service, Business, Coast Guard, Navy, ROC Armed Forces, 國防部 Ministry of National Defense Locations: Taiwan, China, Beijing, Taiwan's

☆ Iran Begins Funeral Events for President Raisi
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Cassandra Vinograd | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Funeral events for Iran’s president and foreign minister began in northwestern Iran on Tuesday as investigators looked into the helicopter crash that killed them and the country grappled with the shock of losing two of its most prominent leaders at a volatile moment. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has announced five days of mourning for the president, Ebrahim Raisi, 63, and the foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, 60, who died when their helicopter plunged into a mountainous area near the Iranian city of Jolfa on Sunday. The state news media said the crash had resulted from a “technical failure.” Iran’s Armed Forces said it had begun an investigation and sent a team to the site. Some people held photographs of Mr. Raisi; the semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported that the country’s interior minister and acting president had been spotted in the crowd. He had been widely viewed as a potential successor to Ayatollah Khamenei, 85.

Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Raisi, Amir Abdollahian, Ayatollah Khamenei Organizations: Iran’s, Forces Locations: Iran, Iranian, Jolfa, Tabriz

Iran sought to project a sense of order and control on Monday by quickly naming an acting president and foreign minister a day after a helicopter crash killed both leaders. The change in leadership came at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East and domestic discontent in Iran, where many residents have called for an end to decades of repressive clerical rule. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, announced five days of mourning for the president, Ebrahim Raisi, 63, and the foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, 60, who died when their helicopter plunged into a mountainous area near the Iranian city of Jolfa. The men had been returning from Iran’s border with Azerbaijan after inaugurating a joint dam project. He had been widely viewed as a possible successor to Ayatollah Khamenei, 85.

Persons: Iran’s, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Mr, Raisi, Ayatollah Khamenei Organizations: Iran’s Armed Forces Locations: Iran, Iranian, Jolfa, Iran’s, Azerbaijan

☆ Extreme weather blunts the US military's technological edge
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewMore extreme weather is scrambling the high-tech systems that have given the US military its edge. For example, severe weather can degrade navigation systems such as GPS and sensors on precision-guided munitions. Heavy rain ground aircraft and drones, intense heat exhausts troops, dust storms gum up tank engines, and storms damage ships at sea. The problem is that tactical units on the front lines, or in remote areas, often lack the connectivity to receive weather reports. "NOAA [the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration], the private sector and universities are actively working to improve global weather models," Regens said.

Persons: —, James Regens, Napoleon, Jason Serrit, Regens, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Business, Royal United Services Institute, Waterloo, Staff, US Air Force, Antiphon Solutions, North America, Pentagon, NOAA, National Oceanic, Administration, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: British, Iran, Iraqi, California, Oklahoma, Europe, NATO, Forbes

☆ Ukraine Destroys Russian Minesweeper in Black Sea, Ministry Celebrates
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Ukraine says it has destroyed a Russian minesweeper in the Black Sea. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine celebrated the loss of the Kovrovets minesweeper on X.Ukraine claims to have destroyed or disabled a third of Russian ships in the Black Sea during the war. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementUkrainian forces destroyed Russia's Kovrovets sea minesweeper, the Ukrainian Navy reported on Telegram. "The Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, together with their comrades, continue to bring us closer to victory," the Ukrainian Navy wrote on its Telegram channel.

Persons: — Organizations: Ministry of Defense, Service, Ukrainian Navy, Naval Forces of, Armed Forces of Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Armed Forces of Ukraine

☆ Ukraine Reports No Shortages of Artillery Shells for First Time: Zelenskyy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this week that Ukraine's forces had reported no shortages of artillery shells for the first time since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, the Kyiv Independent reported. "For the first time during the war, none of the brigades complained that there were no artillery shells," Zelenskyy said on May 16. Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesUkraine's armed forces have faced severe artillery shortages in recent months, partly due to a US military aid package being stalled in Congress. Despite this, Russian artillery will likely outmatch Ukraine's for most of 2024, officials and analysts told Foreign Policy. He added that he expected Ukrainian forces would "hold the line" near Kharkiv City.

Persons: —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, milblogger Stanislav Osman, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Rustem Umerov, Petr Pavel, Vladimir Putin, Christopher Cavoli Organizations: Service, Kyiv Independent, Business, Kyiv Post, Army, Anadolu Agency, Getty, EU, BBC News, Policy, CNN, for Locations: Russia, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Ukraine's, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Donetsk Oblast, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Czech Republic, Russian, Kharkiv City

☆ Tsai Ing-wen: the leader who put Taiwan on the map and stood up to China
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Wayne Chang | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

While supporters applaud Tsai for standing up to China, defending Taiwan’s sovereignty, freedom and democracy, critics blame her for straining ties with Beijing, stoking cross-strait tensions. Beijing, which deems the tacit agreement a precondition for dialogue, has cut official contact with Taipei since Tsai took office. Taiwan President Tsai inspects reservists at a training session at a military base in Taoyuan on May 11, 2023. But under Tsai, Taiwan has sought to enhance its asymmetric defense capabilities, developing and procuring cheaper and more mobile weapon systems that could be instrumental in halting a potential Chinese invasion. Taiwanese military experts have increasingly advocated for such an approach, noting that Taiwan can never match China in military might and assets.

Persons: Taipei CNN — Tsai Ing, introvert, ” Tsai, Xi Jinping, Xi, Tsai, stoking, Taiwan’s, Lai Ching, ”, Alex Chan Tsz Yuk, Wellington Koo, “, Vanessa Hope, Ma Ying, Taiwan's, Jose Lopes Amaral, Wen, Amanda Hsiao, Nancy Pelosi, Chien Chih, Nancy Pelosi’s, Huang, Jameson Wu, ” Sung, ” Hsiao, “ Tsai, Sawayasu Tsuji, Sung, ” Tsai’s, –, Lai Organizations: Taipei CNN, Democratic Progressive Party, DPP, Kuomintang, KMT, World Health Organization, WHO, Atlantic, Trump, Biden, International Crisis, US, Getty, World Health Assembly, National Chengchi University, Getty Images, Taiwan’s Military Academy, ” Tsai’s DPP Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, China, United States, Beijing, Tsai, Asia, Wellington, Ukraine, Gaza, Japan, Czech Republic, Republic of China, Taoyuan, AFP, Washington, Hong Kong

☆ Gaza Gets Its First Aid Shipment from U.S. Pier: Israel-Hamas Latest Updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Victoria Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The notion of deploying U.N. peacekeepers into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been mentioned occasionally by diplomats. But the Arab League’s statement appeared to be the first time the group had officially made such a request in a written document, according to Farhan Haq, a U.N. spokesman. U.N. forces, which are typically drawn from the armed forces of multiple countries, do not enter live battle zones and do not engage in fighting. Both Israel and Hamas would also have to agree to having U.N. peacekeepers on the ground. “We don’t go into active combat, and parties themselves have to agree on allowing the presence of peacekeepers.

Persons: Farhan Haq, Mr, Haq, don’t, Israel, Vedant Patel, António Guterres, Guterres Organizations: United Nations, West Bank, . Security, League, Arab League, State Department Locations: Gaza, Israel, Manama, Bahrain, United States, Washington, Bahrain’s, Rafah

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