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☆ Ukraine mourns ace fighter pilot 'Juice' killed in collision
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The death of Andriy Pilshchykov, 30, a poster boy for Ukraine's air force who lobbied Western governments for supplies of F-16 fighter jets, was a bitter blow for Ukraine's military as it battles Russia. The air force spokesperson described him as a "mega-talent". Standing beside her were his mother and a young man in an air force pilot's jumpsuit who held up a photo of him, his head bowed. [1/6]Ukrainian servicemen attend a wake ceremony of Ukrainian military pilot Andriy Pilshchykov, who was killed on Friday when two L-39 combat training aircraft collided over a region west of Kyiv, in Kyiv, Ukraine, August 29, 2023. Since Russia's 2022 invasion, he had travelled to the U.S. in a delegation seeking supplies of F-16 fighter jets.

Persons: Andriy Pilshchykov, Natalia Menesheva, Young, ashen, Pilshchykov, Gleb Garanich, JETS Pilshchykov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, …, Yulia Reshitko, Pilshchykov's, Militarnyi, Ivan Lyubysh, Sergiy, Tom Balmforth, Timothy Heritage, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Catholic, REUTERS, JETS, U.S, Reuters, MiG, NATO, Thomson Locations: Western, Russia, Kyiv's, Kyiv, Ukraine, California

☆ The US is making 'irreversible' progress with a former Russian partner in a tense corner of Europe, but not everyone in NATO will be happy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

For Cyprus, it's a move away from its longtime partner in Russia, but Turkey isn't happy about it. Cyprus has made "important strides" in its military and security cooperation with the US, Michalis Giorgallas, Cyprus' minister of defense, told Insider in response to written questions. Giorgallas told Insider. "This trajectory will continue," Giorgallas told Insider, adding that after the National Guard partnership, "our defense cooperation with the US has become irreversible and we look forward to what's to come." Giorgallas told Insider that the area is historically an unstable one and that the instability has become more visible in more domains, such as at sea and in the air over the region.

Persons: it's, Michalis Giorgallas, aren't, ROY ISSA, Panteleyev, Yiannis Kourtoglou, Giorgallas, John Yountz, —, IAKOVOS HATZISTAVROU, Christopher Cavoli, BIROL BEBEK, Constantine Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, NATO, UN, Getty, Cypriot, Russian Navy, Airbus, US Army, Staff, Military Education, Training, Cypriot National Guard, New Jersey National Guard, National Guard, US European Command, Turkish, Fletcher School of Law, LinkedIn, Twitter Locations: Republic of Cyprus, Cyprus, Russia, Turkey, Wall, Silicon, Europe, East, North Africa, Moscow, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Ankara, Washington, Crimea, Ukraine, Limassol, AFP, US, Nicosia, Larnaca, John Yountz Cypriot, Cypriot, Greece, Tartus, Northern Cyprus

☆ How a Harvard Professor Became the World’s Leading Alien Hunter
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Seth Fletcher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

If Loeb’s mother had been around at that point, he said, she would have tried to dissuade him from his late-career turn toward alien hunting. The newly revealed government interest in U.A.P.s got wealthy people wondering how to invest in the search for alien life. In May 2021, the Harvard astronomy-department administrator told Loeb that an anonymous donor had given him $200,000 in research funding. If anything was left of this meteor, or extraterrestrial probe, it was scattered across the seafloor north of Papua New Guinea. Encouraged by that project, Loeb and Siraj started thinking about going after the Papua New Guinea meteorite.

Persons: ’ ” Loeb, Sara, ”, “, Loeb, U.A.P.s, Eugene Jhong, Frank Laukien, Amir Siraj, Siraj, Charles Hoskinson, James Cameron Organizations: Harvard, Galileo, U.S . Space Command, EYOS Expeditions, Pacific Locations: Bulgaria, Israel, Lexington, Boston, United States, Papua New Guinea, U.S, Papua, Guinea, Washington, cryptocurrency, Mariana

Here are some details of the impact:* DEATHThe war has caused death on a level not seen in Europe since World War Two. The war has left nearly 500,000 troops either dead or injured, according to the New York Times. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Sept. 21 that 5,937 Russian soldiers had been killed since the start of the war. When added to Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, Russia now controls about 17.5% of Ukraine, an area of about 41,000 square miles (106,000 square km). Shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, international oil prices spiked to their highest levels since the records of 2008.

Persons: Chasiv Yar, Violeta Santos Moura, Sergei Shoigu, Julie Kozack, William Burns, Putin, Guy Faulconbridge, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: REUTERS, United Nations, Human Rights, New York Times, Russian, Reuters, Belfer, Harvard Kennedy School, International Monetary Fund, CIA, European Union, Kiel Institute, Thomson Locations: Chasiv, Ukraine, Donetsk, Europe, United States, Ukraine's, Russia, Crimea, Russian, UNHCR, UKRAINE Russia, Massachusetts , New Hampshire, Connecticut, wastelands, RUSSIA, Moscow, China, Saudi Arabia, Britain, Germany, Japan

☆ Wildfire rages near Athens for second day, forcing more evacuations
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ATHENS, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Hundreds of firefighters struggled overnight to contain a wildfire on the outskirts of Athens, forcing more evacuations as authorities warned the risk of new blazes was high across the country on Wednesday. Twenty people have been killed since fires erupted in northern Greece on Saturday and quickly spread, fanned by gale force winds in the second major outbreak of the summer. A fire near the village of Fyli on the foothills of Mount Parnitha, some 25 km (15 miles) north of Athens, spread towards the town of Menidi, where about 150 people had to be evacuated from three nursing homes, a local official said. "We kept the fire away from homes," Stathis Topalidis, deputy mayor of Menidi, told state broadcaster ERT on Wednesday. [1/5]A satellite image shows an overview of wildfires in Alexandroupolis, Greece, August 21, 2023.

Persons: Topalidis, Karolina Tagaris, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: ERT, Maxar Technologies, REUTERS Acquire, Volunteers, European Union, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, Athens, Greece, Fyli, Mount Parnitha, Menidi, Alexandroupolis, Turkey, East, Asia, Italy, Rhodes

☆ Foster picks big guns in New Zealand team to face Springboks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Coach Ian Foster has selected the same backline that helped beat the Springboks 35-20 during the Rugby Championship in Auckland last month. Foster is keen to give his team a good run ahead of their World Cup opener against France in Paris on Sept. 8 and this presents an excellent opportunity to do so against the old enemy and reigning world champions. "This is our final game before the Rugby World Cup and this test is critical in our preparation," Foster said. "With just two weeks to go, it’s an important opportunity to get us battle-ready for the start of the tournament. "These games (against South Africa) are always intense and physically challenging, and I’m sure this one will be no different."

Persons: Ian Foster, Russell Cheyne, Barrett, Luke Jacobson, Shannon Frizell, Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Dane Coles, Codie Taylor, Foster, Aaron Smith, Richie Mo'unga, Jordie Barrett, Telea, Will Jordan, Beauden Barrett, Ardie, Sam Cane, Jacobson, Scott Barrett, Whitelock, Tyrel Lomax, Ethan de Groot, Rieko Ioane, Mark Telea, Samisoni Taukei'aho, Tamaiti Williams, Fletcher Newell, Josh Lord, Tupou Vaa'i, Dalton Papali'i, Cam Roigard, Anton Lienert, Nick Said Organizations: Rugby Union, International, New Zealand, Murrayfield, REUTERS, Rugby, South, Twickenham, Springboks, France, Blacks, Australia, Argentina, Pool A . New Zealand, Brown, Thomson Locations: New, Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain, Zealand, South Africa, Auckland, Paris, Coles, France, Italy, Uruguay, Namibia, Pool A . New

☆ Ukraine's anti-graft police zero in on major wartime corruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Semen Kryvonos, director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) speaks with Reuters, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine August 18, 2023. But now, according to Kyiv's top anti-graft cop, it's a matter of sheer survival as the country battles against Russia's invasion. "Corruption is no longer seen as a just a crime, but as a crime against national security," said Semen Kryvonos, head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). A bigger staff of 300 detectives, compared to the current level of nearly 250, would allow for a new unit dedicated solely to reconstruction-related crimes and to strengthen an existing one probing defence-related corruption, Kryvonos added. A Transparency-commissioned opinion poll in June found that at least 77% of Ukrainians believe corruption is currently among Ukraine's main problems.

Persons: Semen Kryvonos, NABU, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Kryvonos, Zelenskiy, Dan Peleschuk, Tom Balmforth, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Reuters, Bureau Press Service, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Russia, Supreme, Ukraine, European Union, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russian, Brussels

☆ Ukraine may use new Black Sea route for grain shipments - producers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Ukraine is considering using its newly-tested wartime Black Sea export corridor for grain shipments after other cargo ships follow the first successful evacuation of a vessel on the route last week, a senior agricultural official said on Monday. Russia has blockaded Ukrainian ports since it invaded its neighbour in Feb. 2022 and threatened to treat all vessels as potential military targets after pulling out of a U.N.-backed safe passage deal last month. A Hong Kong-flagged container ship stuck in Odesa port since the invasion travelled the route last week without being fired upon. The Financial Times said Kyiv was finalising a scheme with global insurers to cover grain ships travelling to and from its Black Sea ports, citing Ukraine's Deputy Economy Minister Oleksandr Gryban. To attract ship owners to Ukrainian ports which have come under fire from Russian forces, Marchuk said Ukraine had already allocated 20 billion hryvnias ($547 million) for ship insurance.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Denys Marchuk, Oleksandr Gryban, Marchuk, Pavel Polityuk, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Agrarian Council, Financial Times, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Romania, Bulgaria, Hong Kong, Odesa, Mykolaiv

REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Aug 21 (Reuters) - PayPal's (PYPL.O) stablecoin is likely to succeed where Facebook's failed, thanks to the payment giant's standing in Washington and policymakers' greater understanding of the issues in the last three years. "From a policy perspective, there is a seismic difference between Facebook's Libra and PayPal's stablecoin," said Isaac Boltansky, director of policy research for brokerage BTIG. Dan Dolev, a senior analyst at Mizuho, said PayPal USD is not a game-changer for PayPal investors. When Facebook unveiled Libra, a stablecoin whose operations were based in Switzerland and which was pegged to a basket of currencies, executives made no secret of their ambitions. Facebook rebranded Libra, scaled it back and moved the project to the United States, in a bid to win U.S. regulatory approval.

Persons: Fabrizio Bensch, stablecoin, Facebook's, Christopher Giancarlo, PayPal's, Isaac Boltansky, Dan Schulman, Dan Dolev, Maxine Waters, Joe Biden's, Janet Yellen, Yellen, TerraUSD, stablecoins, There's, Jack Fletcher, Patrick McHenry, Hannah Lang, Andrea Shalal, Pete Schroeder, Niket, Michelle Price, Matthew Lewis Organizations: PayPal, REUTERS, Rights, U.S ., Facebook, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Federal Reserve, Meta, Paxos Trust, New York State Department of Financial Services, Mizuho, Financial Services, Treasury, Congress, prudential, Republican, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Washington, U.S, Switzerland, United States, transact, stablecoins, Bengaluru

☆ Russia says F-16s will escalate Ukraine war; Kyiv says they will tip the balance in its favour
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen sit in a F-16 fighter jet at Skrydstrup Airbase in Vojens, Denmark, August 20, 2023. Denmark and the Netherlands on Sunday announced they would supply F-16s to Ukraine, with the initial six due to be delivered around New Year. Danish Defence Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said Ukraine may only use the donated F-16s within its own territory. "We donate weapons under the condition that they are used to drive the enemy out of the territory of Ukraine. The Netherlands has 42 F-16s available in all but has yet to decide whether all of them will be donated.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Mette Frederiksen, Ritzau Scanpix, Mads Claus Rasmussen, Vladimir Barbin, Yuriy Ihnat, Jakob Ellemann, Jensen, Oleksiy Reznikov, Jacob Gronholt, Pedersen, Pavel Polityuk, Angus MacSwan, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Denmark's, Skrydstrup Airbase, REUTERS, Sunday, Washington, Danish, . Defence, Thomson Locations: Skrydstrup, Vojens, Denmark, U.S, New, Russia, Ukraine, COPENHAGEN, Netherlands, Russian, Ukrainian

☆ Factbox: Russia's Luna-25 moon mission fails: what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LUNA-25It was Russia's first moon mission since the Soviet Union's Luna-24 returned with samples from the moon in 1976. The lander was boosted out of Earth's orbit toward the moon a little over an hour later. Russia had not attempted a moon mission since Luna-24 in 1976, when Leonid Brezhnev ruled the Kremlin. Luna-25 was supposed to execute a soft landing on the south pole of the moon on Aug. 21, according to Russian space officials. Eventually, in the early 2010s, Russia settled upon the idea of the Luna-25 mission to the south pole of the moon.

Persons: Luna, Roskosmos, Yuri Gagarin, Leonid Brezhnev, Vladimir Putin, Guy Faulconbridge, Philippa Fletcher, Christina Fincher Organizations: 2.1b, Vostochny, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Soyuz, Luna, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Amur, Russia, Soviet, Vostochny cosmodrome, Moscow, RUSSIA, Soviet Union

☆ West African militaries meet to finalise possible Niger intervention
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Military personnel gesture as the ECOWAS anthem is played during a meeting of the Committee of Chiefs of Defense staff on the deployment of the ECOWAS standby force in the Republic of Niger, in Accra, Ghana. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko Acquire Licensing RightsACCRA/NIAMEY, Aug 18 (Reuters) - West African army chiefs were due to hold a second and final day of talks on Friday in Ghana's capital Accra, where they have been hashing out the details of a possible military intervention in Niger if diplomacy fails to reverse a military coup. Military officers deposed Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26 and have defied calls from the United Nations, the West African bloc ECOWAS and others to reinstate him, prompting regional powers to order a standby force to be assembled. He said most of the bloc's 15 member states were prepared to participate in the standby force excepting those also under military rule - Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea - and tiny Cape Verde. Any escalation would further destabilise West Africa's impoverished Sahel region, which is already battling a decade-old Islamist insurgency.

Persons: Francis Kokoroko, Mohamed Bazoum, Security Abdel, Fatau Musah, Alessandra Prentice, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: ECOWAS, Chiefs, Defense, REUTERS, Rights, United Nations, West African, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, Islamic, Thomson Locations: Republic of Niger, Accra, Ghana, Rights ACCRA, NIAMEY, Ghana's, Niger, West Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Cape Verde, Sahel, al Qaeda

☆ India closes in on moon landing as Russia also races to lunar south pole
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Nivedita Bhattacharjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Indian space agency launched the rocket carrying the spacecraft on July 14, blasting off from the country's main spaceport in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. Rough terrain is expected to complicate a landing on the lunar south pole. A previous mission by India's space agency, the Chandrayaan-2, crashed in 2019 near where the Chandrayaan-3 will attempt a touchdown. Both India and Russia have national interests in successful landings and in claiming the historic first at stake. Russia's space agency Roscosmos has said the Luna-25 mission would spend 5-7 days in lunar orbit before descending to one of three possible landing sites near the pole.

Persons: Roscosmos, Luna, Narendra Modi's, Nivedita, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: ISRO, Handout, REUTERS, Rights, LM, Indian Space Research Organisation, Luna, India's, Skyroot Aerospace, Thomson Locations: Russia, Andhra Pradesh, India, Ukraine, Bengaluru

☆ Ukraine reports new attack on grain silos but cargo ship sets sail
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] Hong Kong-flagged container ship Joseph Schulte leaves the sea port, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine, in this handout picture released August 16, 2023. Russia has made regular air strikes on Ukrainian ports and grain silos since mid-July, when it pulled out of the U.N.-backed deal for Ukraine to export grain. Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM), which owns the ship jointly with a Chinese bank, confirmed that the ship was en route to Istanbul. Kubrakov said it was carrying more than 30,000 metric tons of cargo in 2,114 containers, adding that the corridor would primarily be used to evacuate ships from the Black Sea ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa and Pivdennyi. DANUBE PORTSUkraine turned to its Danube river ports after Russia pulled out of the Black Sea grain deal seeking better terms for exports of its own food and fertilizer.

Persons: Joseph Schulte, Oleksandr Kubrakov, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, Kubrakov, Urozhaine, Hanna Maliar, Izmail, Lidia Kelly, Gus Trompiz, Matthias Inverardi, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Philippa Fletcher, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Facebook, REUTERS Acquire, Benchmark, United Nations, Reuters, United Nations Conference, Trade, Development, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, Ukraine, Odesa, Russia, KYIV, Russian, Hong, Kong, Reni, Moscow, Big, Istanbul, Chornomorsk, Pivdennyi, Ukrainian, Urozhaine, Azov, Constanta, Romania, Black, Turkey, Nairobi

☆ Court Ruling Revives Reparations Claim Filed by Tulsa Massacre Survivors
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Lauren Mccarthy | More About Lauren Mccarthy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The legal fight over reparations for the 1921 massacre of Black residents in Tulsa, Okla., will continue, after the Oklahoma Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal of a lower court’s dismissal of a lawsuit filed by the attack’s last three living survivors. The lawsuit, filed in 2020, includes the city, the Tulsa County sheriff, county commissioners and the Oklahoma Military Department, which administers the Oklahoma Army and Air National Guard, as defendants. A Tulsa County district judge dismissed it in July, and the state’s high court agreed last week to hear an appeal. “It is a huge victory for us,” Damario Solomon-Simmons, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in an interview on Tuesday. Ms. Benningfield Randle said she still has flashbacks of corpses being stacked on the street as her neighborhood burned, according to the lawsuit.

Persons: ” Damario Solomon, Simmons, Viola Fletcher, Hughes Van Ellis, Lessie Benningfield Randle, Benningfield Randle Organizations: Oklahoma Supreme, Tulsa County, Oklahoma Military Department, Oklahoma Army, Air National Guard Locations: Black, Tulsa, Okla, Oklahoma, Tulsa County

☆ Container ship leaves Russian-blocked Ukrainian port of Odesa - Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Hong Kong-flagged container ship Joseph Schulte leaves the sea port, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine, in this handout picture released August 16, 2023. "A first vessel used the temporary corridor for merchant ships to/from the ports of Big Odesa," Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Facebook. He identified the container ship as the Hong-Kong-flagged JOSEPH SCHULTE and said it had been in the port since Feb. 23, 2022, the day before the invasion. He said the ship was carrying more than 30,000 metric tons of cargo in 2,114 containers. "The corridor will be primarily used to evacuate ships that were in the Ukrainian ports (Chornomorsk, Odesa and Pivdennyi) at the time of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation," the deputy prime minister said.

Persons: Joseph Schulte, Oleksandr Kubrakov, JOSEPH SCHULTE, Pavel Polityuk, Jacqueline Wong, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Facebook, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Russian Federation, Thomson Locations: Hong Kong, Ukraine, Odesa, Ukrainian, Russia, Moscow, Big, Hong, Kong

☆ Tumbling rouble claws back ground as central bank to meet
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Putin's economic adviser Maxim Oreshkin earlier said the central bank could ensure that the pace of lending drops to sustainable levels with higher rates. "The central bank has all the tools to normalise the situation in the near future." Asked earlier whether it might make an emergency hike from the current 8.5%, the central bank declined to comment. "The central bank is not fully in control," independent Moscow-based economist Ian Melkumov told Reuters. "The central bank doesn't want to kill the economy and businesses in the same way it had to last year," he said.

Persons: Rouble, Vladimir Putin's, rouble, Putin, Maxim Oreshkin, Oreshkin, Denis Popov, Popov, Matt Vogel, REUTERS Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Vladimir Solovyev, Ivan, Timothy Ash, Ian Melkumov, Alexander Marrow, Marc Jones, Gareth Jones, Philippa Fletcher, Christina Fincher Organizations: TASS, of Russia's, FIM, Moscow News Agency, Handout, REUTERS Central Bank Governor, Popular, Kremlin, Reuters, BlueBay Asset Management, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, London

GAZA, Aug 14 (Reuters) - A heatwave and worsening power cuts in Gaza have left some of those living in the overcrowded Palestinian enclave struggling to breathe. Power cuts, which are unpredictable at the best of times, now last for around 12 hours a day instead of 10 as demand for air conditioning soars. "Power cuts deprive patients of their right to regular oxygen ventilation and that pushes patients to keep visiting hospital," Haj said. Alongside cases of acquired pulmonary fibrosis, Gaza health officials say more than 300 people in the enclave were born with cystic fibrosis, which causes the lungs and digestive system to become clogged with sticky mucus. Abdel-Majeed Al-Sbakhi, who has diabetes as well as cystic fibrosis, was among those forced in hospital by the heat.

Persons: Ismail Nashwan, Mohammad Al, Haj, Gaza's Shuhada, Majeed Al, Sbakhi, Nidal al, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Hamas, Aqsa, Thomson Locations: GAZA, Gaza, Egypt, Israel, Gaza's, Gaza's Shuhada Al

☆ Ukraine condemns 'provocative' Russian actions in Black Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Palau-flagged vessel Sukru Okan transits Bosphorus on its way to the Black Sea in Istanbul, Turkey August 13, 2023 this screen grab from a video. REUTERS/Yoruk Isik/File PhotoKYIV, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Ukraine on Monday condemned what it called "provocative" Russian actions and called for decisive countermeasures by the international community, a day after Moscow said one of its warships had fired warning shots at a cargo vessel in the Black Sea. Moscow said in a statement on Sunday that its Vasily Bykov patrol ship fired automatic weapons on the Palau-flagged Sukru Okan vessel after the ship's captain failed to respond to a request to halt for an inspection. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly condemns the provocative actions carried out by the Russian Federation on August 13 in the Black Sea in relation to the Turkish dry cargo vessel 'Sukru Okan,' which was en route to the port of Izmail," the ministry said in a statement. Kyiv said the incident was a gross violation of international law and "exemplified Russia's deliberate policy of endangering the freedom of navigation and safety of commercial shipping in the Black Sea".

Persons: Yoruk, Vasily Bykov, Türkiye, Dan Peleschuk, Philippa Fletcher, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, of Foreign Affairs, Russian Federation, Thomson Locations: Palau, Istanbul, Turkey, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Izmail

☆ Ukraine sacks army recruitment chiefs in anti-graft shakeup
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Dan Peleschuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Zelenskiy said that any sacked army recruitment officers who are not being investigated should head to the front to fight for Ukraine "if they want to keep their epaulettes and prove their dignity". Ukraine has increasingly faced recruitment challenges as the war, now in an brutally attritional phase, nears the 18-month mark. Last month, the head of the Odesa region's recruitment centre was ordered into pre-trial detention on suspicion of illegal enrichment. Despite recent moves against graft, Ukraine still ranks 116th out of 180 countries in Transparency International's latest Corruption Perceptions Index. A Transparency-commissioned opinion poll in June found that 77% of Ukrainians believe corruption is among Ukraine's most serious problems.

Persons: Zelenskiy, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Friday's, Valery Zaluzhny, Dan Peleschuk, Tom Balmforth, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: European Union, Thomson Locations: Western, Russia, Ukraine, Odesa, Spain

☆ Niger junta names government, West African leaders to discuss next steps
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

General view as supporters of Niger's coup leaders take part in a rally at a stadium in Niamey, Niger, August 6, 2023. West African heads of state hold a summit in Nigeria aiming to agree on a plan of action for Niger, where coup leaders have refused to stand down despite the bloc's threat that it could use force to restore democracy. Since the July 26 power grab shocked the region, the defiant junta has rebuffed diplomatic overtures and ignored an Aug. 6 deadline from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to reinstate ousted president Mohamed Bazoum. The bloc's leaders are expected to agree on next steps, which could include military intervention - something an ECOWAS official has said would be a last resort. Envoys of the Nigerian president, and ECOWAS chair, Bola Tinubu met coup leaders in the capital, Niamey, on Wednesday, offering a glimmer of hope for dialogue after previous missions were spurned.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Roufai Laouali, Antonio Guterres, Bola Tinubu, Alessandra Prentice, Sofia Christensen, Robert Birsel, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: REUTERS, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, NIAMEY, ABUJA, West, Nigeria, Abuja, Mali, Burkina Faso

☆ How a sheep wagon became one man's doomsday survival plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Daniel T. Allen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Aaron Fletcher has been preparing for doomsday for 15 years. See how a nomadic shepherd thinks everyone will have to live in a post-apocalyptic world.

Persons: Aaron Fletcher

☆ Moody misses out on NZ squad for World Cup, Retallick included
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Rugby Union - 2018 Bledisloe Cup Rugby Championship - Australia v New Zealand - Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand - August 25, 2018 - New Zealand's Joe Moody celebrates with teammates after scoring a try. "But with the compilation of his time off and our programme, having to go into the first part of this World Cup fully loaded, we just want him to go and get some game time. "So whether it'll be round one, round two of the World Cup, we're not sure. Retallick's frequent second-row partner Sam Whitelock was selected for his fourth World Cup. The All Blacks will play the Springboks at Twickenham in London on Aug. 25 and start their World Cup campaign against hosts France in Paris on Sept. 8.

Persons: Joe Moody, Ross Setford, Brodie Retallick, Sam Cane, Loosehead Moody, Ian Foster, We've, he's, Retallick, Josh Lord, Foster, we're, Sam Whitelock, Braydon Ennor, David Havili, Finau, scrumhalf Brad Weber, George Bell, Codie Taylor, Dane Coles, Samisoni Taukei'aho, Ethan de Groot, Fletcher Newell, Nepo, Ofa, Tamaiti Williams, Tyrel Lomax, Scott Barrett, Tupou Vaa'i, Ardie Savea, Dalton Papalii, Luke Jacobson, Shannon Frizell, Aaron Smith, Finlay Christie, Cam Roigard, Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie, Richie Mo'unga, Anton Lienert, Jordie Barrett, Rieko Ioane, Caleb Clarke, Emoni Narawa, Leicester Fainga'anuku, Mark Telea, Will Jordan, Nick Mulvenney, Jamie Freed Organizations: Rugby Union, Rugby, REUTERS, All Blacks, Australia, Braydon, Wallabies, last, South, Blacks, Springboks, Twickenham, France, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Eden, Auckland , New Zealand, France, Hawkes Bay, New, Dunedin, Europe, South Africa, London, Paris, Lincoln

☆ Russia launches new burst of missile and drone attacks, Ukrainian air force says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine's air defence destroyed 30 out of 40 cruise missiles and all 27 of the Shahed drones that Russia launched overnight, the Air Force - which is celebrated in a holiday on Sunday - said on the Telegram messaging channel. It also said Russia launched three Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, but did not disclose any further information on them. "In total, in several waves of attacks, from the evening of Aug. 5 to the morning of Aug. 6, 2023, the enemy used 70 means of air assault weapons," the Air Force said. Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat told the national Ukrainian broadcaster that one of the key targets for Russia's overnight attack was the Khmelnytskyi region. "Now, it is the Starokostiantyniv airfield that haunts the enemy," Ihnat said.

Persons: Serhiy Tiurin, Tiurin, Yuriy Ihnat, Ihnat, Lidia Kelly, Tom Hogue, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Kyiv's Air Force, Air Force, Telegram, Russia, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Khmelnytskyi, Starokostiantyniv, Ukrainian, Warsaw

☆ Poland finds leak on one part of Druzhba oil pipeline from Russia to Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A view shows a leak detected in Druzhba oil pipeline as reported by Polish pipeline operator PERN, in Chodecz, Poland August 5, 2023, in this picture obtained from social media. The leak was detected near Chodecz, central Poland, on one of the two lines of the western section of the Druzhba through which crude oil reaches Germany, PERN said. Germany stopped buying Russian oil in January, but German media have reported that Kazakh oil was being imported through the line. The Druzhba oil pipeline is one of the world's largest and can carry 2 million barrels per day. Flows through the Druzhba pipeline have dropped sharply since Russia's invasion of Ukraine and pipeline infrastructure has been hit several times since in attacks that Moscow has blamed on Ukraine.

Persons: Anna Trzeciakowska, Grzegorz Jankowski, Vera Eckhert, Pavel Polityuk, Frances Kerry, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: REUTERS Companies, Firefighters, State Fire Services, TVN24, German Economy Ministry, Thomson Locations: Chodecz, Poland, WARSAW, Russia, Europe, Moscow, Ukraine, Germany, Wloclawek, Eastern, Central Europe, Belarus, Nord, Baltic

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