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☆ Erdogan offers free gas pre-election after first Black Sea field shipment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERSANKARA, April 20 (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday flicked the switch on Turkey's first delivery of natural gas to an onshore plant from a reserve discovered in the Black Sea, and promised to provide free natural gas for households before May 14 elections. "We will provide free natural gas for household consumption up to 25 cubic meters monthly for one year," Erdogan said at the inauguration of an onshore natural gas port in the northern province of Zonguldak. Limitless natural gas for all household consumption will be free for the next month, Erdogan said. 10 million cubic metres of gas per day in Turkey's Black Sea gas fields will be produced initially, Erdogan said. Production will be increased to 40 million cubic metres of gas per day in the coming period, he said.

[1/4] Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, accompanied by his wife Emine Erdogan, greets the audience during a meeting of his ruling AK Party to announce the party's election manifesto ahead of the May 14 elections, in Ankara, Turkey April 11, 2023. Erdogan is facing the biggest political challenge since his AK Party (AKP) came to power in 2002, with polls showing support sagging in recent years after unorthodox economic policies hobbled the lira currency and sent inflation surging. Erdogan said last week a team was working on strengthening economic policies under the coordination of former economic tsar Mehmet Simsek, who is well respected by international investors. In the presidential election next month, Erdogan will be up against the main opposition alliance candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. On foreign policy, Erdogan said the AKP would continue normalizing relations in the region and aim to build an "axis of Turkey".

If a nuclear attack were headed toward the US, residents would have fewer than 30 minutes to prepare. Russian Presidential Press Service/APA nuclear attack remains highly unlikely, but it's not out of the question, experts say. Redlener said the best way to learn of an impending nuclear attack would probably be TV or radio. Survivors of a nuclear attack would have about 15 minutes before sandlike radioactive particles, known as nuclear fallout, reached the ground. A sign for a nuclear fallout shelter on a residential block in Brooklyn.

☆ Top Saudi, Iranian diplomats to meet in China - official, media
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The meeting between Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, will be the first formal meeting between Saudi Arabia and Iran's most senior diplomats in more than seven years. 6 in Beijing as the deal was facilitated by China," a senior Iranian official told Reuters. Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran in 2016 after its embassy in Tehran was stormed during a dispute between the two countries over Riyadh's execution of a Shi'ite Muslim cleric. The kingdom subsequently asked Iranian diplomats to leave within 48 hours while it evacuated its embassy staff from Teheran. The relationship had worsened since 2015, after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intervened in the Yemen war, where the Iran-aligned Houthi movement ousted a Saudi-backed government and took over the capital Sanaa.

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy: Situation in Bakhmut 'especially hot'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERSApril 2 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday that the military situation around the city of Bakhmut, besieged by Russian forces for months, was "especially hot". Especially Bakhmut," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address. Russian forces have for months been trying to encircle and capture Bakhmut, a town of 70,000 before the Russian invasion launched over a year ago. Prominent Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said fighting had engulfed the city centre. Ukrainian forces had repelled 25 enemy attacks, but Russian forces had captured the AZOM metal plant, which Ukrainian troops had defended for days.

☆ Zelenskiy says Russian UN Security Council presidency is absurd
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERSKYIV, April 1 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday said it was absurd Russia had assumed the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council, adding this showed the institution's "total bankruptcy". On Saturday Russia took over the presidency of the U.N.'s top security body, which rotates every month. "And at the same time Russia is chairing the U.N. Security Council. Zelenskiy said it was time for a general overhaul of global institutions, including the Security Council. "It is very telling that on the holiday of one terror state – Iran - another terror state – Russia – begins to preside over the U.N. Security Council," Yermak wrote on Twitter, referring to Iran's Islamic Republic Day holiday.

☆ Turkish parliament ratifies Finland's NATO accession as Sweden kept waiting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Turkish parliament was the last among the 30 members of the alliance to ratify Finland's membership after Hungary's legislature approved a similar bill earlier this week. Finland and Sweden asked to join NATO last year in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "NATO membership will strengthen Finland's security and improve stability and security in the Baltic Sea region and Northern Europe," the Finnish government said in a statement following the Turkish parliament vote. Twe Turkish parliament's ratification of Finland's NATO membership is set to be approved by President Tayyip Erdogan and then published in the country's Official Gazette. When Finland's instrument of accession document reaches the U.S. State Department, the Nordic country will formally become a NATO member.

☆ Zelenskiy visits troops near front line in southeastern Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/6] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy poses for a picture with Ukrainian service members near a frontline, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine March 27, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERSKYIV, March 27 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met troops in southeastern Ukraine on Monday, the latest stage of a tour of frontline regions since a top general said a counterattack against Russian forces could come soon. In separate trips last week, the president met soldiers in eastern Ukraine near the small city of Bakhmut, where fighting is intense, and spoke to officials and residents in the southern region of Kherson, where Ukrainian forces pushed back Russian troops last year after months of occupation. In separate posts, Zelenskiy also released footage of himself visiting a command centre and meeting regional civilian and military officials. Reporting by Dan Peleschuk, Editing by Gareth Jones and Timothy HeritageOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/3] Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan and Finland's President Sauli Niinisto shake hands during their meeting in Ankara, Turkey March 17, 2023. The parliaments of all 30 NATO members must ratify newcomers. "We have decided to initiate the ratification of Finland's accession process to NATO in our parliament," Erdogan told reporters after meeting with Niinisto, adding he hoped parliament would endorse the bid before May 14 elections. Washington and other NATO members had hoped the two Nordic countries would join the alliance at a NATO summit set for July 11 in Vilnius. Turkey's parliament is expected to ratify Finland before it closes in mid-April ahead of the parliamentary and presidential votes scheduled for May 14.

[1/3] Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan and Finland's President Sauli Niinisto shake hands during their meeting in Ankara, Turkey March 17, 2023. The parliaments of all 30 NATO members must ratify newcomers. "We have decided to initiate the ratification of Finland's accession process to NATO in our parliament," Erdogan told reporters after meeting with Niinisto, adding he hoped parliament would endorse the bid before May 14 elections. Amid simmering tensions with Sweden, Erdogan signalled in January that Turkey could endorse Helsinki ahead of Stockholm. Washington and other NATO members had hoped the two Nordic countries would join the alliance at a NATO summit set for July 11 in Vilnius.

[1/5] Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan meets with people in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey February 8, 2023. "The earthquake definitely changes our opinion because the first responders and tents were very late to arrive," he said. How big a challenge Erdogan faces is difficult to determine, given the lack of polling in the region. One party official said they would "re-direct" residents' focus to efforts to rebuild and stress no one but Erdogan could do this quickly. The region voted 65% or more for the AKP and its nationalist ally the MHP in the last election in 2018.

☆ ICC's top prosecutor in Ukraine to probe Russian attacks on power grid
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Mike Collett-White | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and ICC Prosecutor Karim A. A. Khan QC meet, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 28, 2023. ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said. Andriy Kostin, Ukraine's Prosecutor General who accompanied Khan to the bomb site, praised the cooperation between his offices and those of the ICC. Kostin's office said that tens of thousands of Russian attacks had been launched on infrastructure and civilians which had no military justification.

☆ Rupert Murdoch said Sean Hannity was 'privately disgusted' by Donald Trump for weeks after the election: court filing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rupert Murdoch said in a January 2021 email to Paul Ryan that Sean Hannity was "disgusted" by Trump. Murdoch added in his email that Hannity was "scared to lose viewers" despite his distaste for Trump. Murdoch said to Ryan that Hannity also needed a "wake-up call" after the Capitol riot. Segments of emails Murdoch sent in 2021 were published on Monday in a court filing from Dominion Voting Systems. Wake-up call for Hannity, who has been privately disgusted by Trump for weeks, but was scared to lose viewers," Rupert Murdoch wrote in response to Ryan.

☆ Putin's 'invincible' missile has a very common problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Putin has touted Russian hypersonic weapons like the Zircon missile as impossible to defend against. A destroyer, for example, might not detect a missile until it gets to within about 15 miles, according to Kaushal. Russian frigate Admiral Groshkov launches a Zircon hypersonic missile in the White Sea in October 2020. Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via APThe weapon was developed remarkably quickly compared to previous Russian missiles. "Furthermore, there appear to be no reported test failures, which is irregular for a new missile, especially one as complex as a hypersonic cruise missile," Kaushal noted.

☆ Biden pledges new military aid for Ukraine during Kyiv visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and U.S. President Joe Biden shake hands before a meeting, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 20, 2023. Biden also said additional sanctions would be announced this week against the Russian elite and companies trying to evade sanctions to "back the Russian war machine". Sacrifices have been far too great," Biden told reporters in Kyiv, where he held talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Visiting Kyiv for the first time since the start of Russia's war on Ukraine, Biden said Washington would stand with Ukraine as long as it takes. The United States has been by far the largest supplier of military assistance to help Ukraine repel better-equipped Russian invaders.

☆ A year after Russia’s invasion: How Ukraine endured
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +21 min

REUTERS/Valentyn OgirenkoIn the early hours of Feb. 24, 2022, tens of thousands of Russian soldiers entered Ukraine. By seizing the city of three million people, and capturing or killing Zelenskiy, Russia’s hope appeared to be that Ukraine would quickly surrender. By March 23, Russia’s advance had captured regions of Ukraine along the Belarus border but Ukraine’s forces had begun reclaiming territory near Kyiv. Satellite imagery of Russia’s military convoy near Invankiv, Ukraine, Feb. 28, 2022. The two sit on a bed, with a radio and teddy bears nearby., image Ukrainian civilians have endured The will of the people of Ukraine continues to be that they remain free.

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy thanks Norway for $7 bln in aid over five years
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy shake hands before a meeting, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 1, 2022. Speaking via video link from Kyiv, Zelenskiy said Norway's decision set a precedent for "sustainable support", calling it a "historic contribution". Russia will not overcome our unity, the unity of all those that cherish freedom." Those who are here today, we are with Ukraine today," Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said. For 2023, half the package will fund military aid to Ukraine and the rest is to go to humanitarian assistance, although this breakdown could change in coming years.

☆ A year into war, Ukraine's Zelenskiy defies Putin against the odds
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/4] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy sings the national anthem during his visit in Kherson, Ukraine November 14, 2022. Nor does Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched his "special military operation" in Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022 and appears to be preparing for a long war. They underestimated his leadership qualities," said Volodymyr Fesenko, a Kyiv-based analyst who said Putin misjudged Zelenskiy. "(Putin) prepared a special operation not a full-fledged war ... because he thought Zelenskiy and the Ukrainian army were weak and that they would not be able to put up lengthy resistance. Anton Grushetsky, deputy director of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, put public trust in Zelenskiy at 70% to 80%.

☆ Zelenskiy: too early to declare victory after repairs to power system
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERSFeb 12 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday hailed efforts to restore power generation systems damaged by Russian attacks but warned the population it was too early to declare victory on the energy front. Zelenskiy said power workers had done such a good job repairing the damage caused by Russian missile and drone strikes on Friday that most people had not had to face too many outages on Saturday and Sunday. Zelenskiy said scheduled energy outages would once again be in place when the working week started on Monday. Russia has carried out repeated waves of attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities in recent months, at times leaving millions of people without light, heating or water supplies during the cold winter. "This is the best response of Ukrainian energy workers to enemy shelling," he said in a statement.

☆ Olympics row deepens as 35 countries demand ban for Russia and Belarus
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Andrius Sytas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

With war raging in Ukraine, the Baltic States, Nordic countries and Poland had called on international sports bodies to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in the Olympics. "At the same time, we know that 70 percent of Russian athletes are soldiers. He said that most participants had been in favour of an absolute exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes. The IOC has opened the door for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals. While Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of host city Paris, has said Russian athletes should not take part, Paris 2024 organisers have said they will abide by the IOC's decision on the issue.

The government declared a "level 4 alarm", calling for international assistance, and a three-month state of emergency in the most affected provinces. 'BLACK SWAN'Reconstruction costs are likely to run to many billions of dollars, straining an economy already hit by 58% inflation. The six-party opposition said only that the government should work "without discrimination" to address the disaster that hit regions including Kurdish communities and Syrian refugees. But Ugur Poyraz, Secretary General of centre-right nationalist IYI Party, said he had toured severely hit areas and as of Tuesday morning seen no sign of emergency rescue workers. "The response of Erdogan's government to this natural disaster might shape the attitude of the floating voter but the loyalties of most voters are already determined."

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy invited to take part in EU summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European Council President Charles Michel speak during EU summit, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 3, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS/File PhotoBRUSSELS, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been invited to take part in a summit of European Union leaders, the EU said on Monday, amid reports he could be in Brussels as soon as this week. Charles Michel, the president of the European Council of the EU's national leaders, invited Zelenskiy "to participate in person in a future summit," a spokesman for Michel tweeted. The next EU summit takes place on Thursday and Friday of this week in Brussels. Earlier in the day, multiple media outlets reported that Zelenskiy could attend the summit and may also address a session of the European Parliament.

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy strips citizenship of several former politicians
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Nick Starkov | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends an International Human Rights forum, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine December 9, 2022. LVIV, Ukraine, Feb 5 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy revoked the citizenship of several former influential politicians on Saturday in the latest of steps to "cleanse" the country from pro-Russian influences. Zelenskiy would not list the names, but said they had dual Russian citizenship. According to Ukrainian state media, the list includes several top politicians from the office of Viktor Yanukovych, who served as Ukraine's pro-Russian president from 2010 until he was removed from office in 2014. Reporting by Nick Starkov, David Ljunggren and Lidia Kelly; Writing by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Europe is set to ramp up its oil war against Russia — and markets are bracing for more disruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The European Union's ban on Russian oil product exports is slated to kick in on Feb. 5. The Group of Seven implemented a $60 price cap on Russian oil on Dec. 5. "We also expect this to put upward pressure on prices for oil products more generally." Yet this also means that they will continue to take cheap imported crude oil and process it domestically rather than buying refined oil." "This will create logistical challenges and higher transport costs if Russia seeks to redirect product flows to Asia, as it has done with crude oil," analysts at Eurasia Group said.

[1/6] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen attend an EU summit, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 2, 2023. The United States and its Western allies stepped up pledges to deliver more weapons to Ukraine in January. Authorities were investigating senior military officials in two separate cases of suspected corruption, officials said on Thursday. EASTERN BATTLEGROUNDThe EU-Ukraine summit coincides with an intensification of Russian pressure on Ukrainian forces in eastern battlegrounds but also in the northeast and south. The refrain from Ukraine officials and military analysts is that the Russians are exploiting the main resource they have - superiority in manpower.

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