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☆ Section of major I-95 highway in Philadelphia that collapsed after tanker truck caught fire underneath could take months to repair, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Celina Tebor Zoe Sottile | Celina Tebor | Zoe Sottile | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —A section of northbound I-95 in Philadelphia that collapsed after a tanker truck caught fire underneath the highway Sunday morning could take months to repair, snarling regional commutes and cutting off a major East Coast artery, Pennsylvania officials said. The commercial tanker truck, which was carrying a petroleum-based product, is still trapped under the collapsed highway, Pennsylvania Gov. The destroyed portion of the highway is “likely the busiest interstate in the commonwealth,” seeing around 160,000 vehicles daily, according to Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll. A side view shows the partial collapse of Interstate 95 after a fire underneath a Philadelphia overpass. City of Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management/ReutersWhile the collapse has not affected the city’s drinking water quality, according to a tweet from Philadelphia Water Department, the US Coast Guard is looking out for possible water pollution.

Persons: Josh Shapiro, ” Shapiro, Mike Carroll, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, “, ”, Derek Bowmer, Transportation Pete Buttigieg “, Leslie Richards, “ It’s, ” Buttigieg, Joe Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre, Shailen Bhatt Organizations: CNN, Authorities, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Philadelphia Mayor, SEPTA, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, Philadelphia Fire Department, Transportation, Philadelphia Office, Emergency Management, Reuters, Philadelphia Water Department, US Coast Guard, Philadelphia, Twitter, White, Federal Highway Administration, National Transportation Locations: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, detours, Maine, Miami , Florida, City

☆ Philadelphia highway collapses after vehicle engulfed by fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PHILADELPHIA, June 11 (Reuters) - A portion of a major U.S. highway collapsed in Philadelphia after a vehicle caught fire underneath it, city officials said on Sunday. Video showed emergency vehicles and workers gathered in the area. Traffic in both directions of the eight-lane highway was halted due to concerns about the structural integrity of the remaining southbound lanes. This stretch of the I-95 corridor sits in the dense northeast section of Philadelphia and connects the city to its northern suburbs, like Bucks County. Firefighters battled a large fire coming from a vehicle, Philadelphia Fire Battalion Chief Derek Bowmer told reporters.

Persons: it’s, Derek Bowmer, Crews, Bowmer, Dominick Mireles, Jarrett Renshaw, Maria Caspani, Njuwa, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: PHILADELPHIA, Washington . Firefighters, Philadelphia Fire Battalion, Emergency Management, Thomson Locations: U.S, Philadelphia, East Coast ., Bucks County, Jersey Shore, Boston, Baltimore, Washington, Delaware, New York

☆ Uncle Sam wants migrants. Facing shortages, military recruiters trade citizenship for service.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The biggest challenges have been identifying geographic pockets of immigrant populations, finding ways to reach them and helping any of those interested navigate the complex military recruiting applications and procedures. The Air Force effort began this year, and the first group of 14 graduated from basic training and were sworn in as new citizens in April. As of mid-May there were about 100 in basic training who had begun the citizenship process and about 40 who had completed it. Thomas said the program required changes to Air Force policy, coordination with U.S. By the time Air Force recruits finish their seven weeks of training, the process is complete and they are sworn in as American citizens.

Persons: —, Bidari, Kalden Lama, Ed Thomas, Thomas, Natalia Laziuk, I've, Christine Wormuth Organizations: US Army, Navy, Service, U.S . Army Reserves, Army, Air Force, Army Staff, Dallas, Marine Corp, Defense, . Citizenship, Immigration Services Locations: Nepal, Dallas, U.S, America, American, United States, Cameroon, Jamaica, Kenya, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Chicago, Mexico, Haiti, Nigeria, Ghana, Colombia, Dominican Republic

☆ Italy special forces board Turkish vessel after alert over unidentified passengers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, June 10 (Reuters) - A Turkish cargo vessel that Italian special forces boarded after the crew detected a group of unidentified people on board is now sitting off the southern city of Naples, website MarineTraffic showed, while police continue to investigate the situation. "My congratulations to the guys of the San Marco battalion and the police, who completed a wonderful operation," he wrote. A Turkish transport ministry statement said on Friday the Galata Seaways roll-on-roll-off cargo vessel was sailing from the Turkish port of Yalova to Sete, France. The captain told Italian police he issued the alarm after he saw two of them carrying knives, Ansa reported. The crew locked themselves in the engine room and alerted maritime authorities in Turkey, who in turn contacted Italy and France.

Persons: MarineTraffic, Guido Crosetto, Crosetto, Ansa, Angelo Amante, Federica, Yesim, Nick Macfie, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Twitter, San Marco, Thomson Locations: Turkish, Naples, Yalova, Sete, France, Turkey, Italy

☆ Ukraine is kicking off its big offensive armed with powerful Western tanks and weapons, but breaking Russian lines may be anything but easy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Ukrainians are armed with Western weapons, including tanks and armored vehicles, but they are facing tough Russian defenses. There appear to be Ukrainian offensive operations against Russian defenses in the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk oblasts, among other locations along the front lines. As some experts have said, the stakes for the Ukrainian offensive are high. Unlike last summer's sweeping offensive around Kharkiv, Ukrainian forces are facing much more heavily defended positions. The think tank added, as Russia makes claims of thwarting Ukraine's offensive, that "the success or failure of this phase may not be apparent for some time."

Persons: —, Klaus, Dietmar Gabbert, Mark Milley, Laurent van der, ISW, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Ukrainian, Washington Post, Financial Times, Kyiv hasn't, ABC News, NBC, Institute for, Bundeswehr, Getty Images, US, Joint Chiefs of Staff, CNN, New York Times, 81st Airmobile Battalion, Le Monde, Russian Ministry of Defense, Wall Locations: Ukraine, Donetsk, Russia, Russian, Klietz, Germany, Ukrainian, Kharkiv, Seversk, Novopokrovka

☆ NATO member Turkey to send troops to Kosovo amid unrest in the north
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ISTANBUL, June 3 (Reuters) - Turkey plans to send commandos to Kosovo on Sunday and Monday in response to a NATO request to join the alliance's KFOR peacekeeping force following unrest in the north of the country, the Turkish defence ministry said. In a statement on Saturday, the ministry called for restraint and constructive dialogue to resolve a crisis that it said could harm regional security and stability. "Our assigned unit (a commando battalion) is planned to be deployed to ... Kosovo on June 4-5," the ministry said. In violence on Monday, 30 peacekeepers and 52 Serbs who protested against the installation of the mayors were injured. The violence prompted NATO to announce it would send additional troops on top of 700 already on their way to the Balkan country to boost its 4,000 strong mission.

Persons: Ezgi Erkoyun, Giles Elgood Organizations: NATO, alliance's KFOR, U.S, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL, Turkey, Kosovo, Turkish, ., Kosovo's, Pristina

☆ French street artist C215’s heart ‘belongs to the Ukrainian people’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Mariya Knight | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Based in Paris, Guemy has collaborated with British artist Banksy — who has also created works in Ukraine — in the past. “Being French gives a proper sense of tragedy, not irony.”The artist's depiction of Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Matsiyevsky. The artist has even painted his own son Gabin, wearing a traditional Ukrainian shirt, on a building in Kyiv damaged by a Russian missile attack. Ukraine doesn’t want ‘peace,’ Ukraine wants victory and justice.”Guemy is planning to do more works in and about Ukraine. “My heart belongs to the Ukrainian people.”

Persons: haggard, Oleksandr Matsiyevsky, Christian Guemy, Matsiyevsky’s, ” Guemy, “, Ukraine ’, ”, Guemy, Banksy —, Ukraine Guemy, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, –, Eugène, ” It’s, Joel Saget, Nina, he’s, Dmytro Kotsiubaylo, Da Vinci, Bakhmut, Lesya Ukrainka, Roman Pilipey, Gabin Organizations: CNN, Russian, Ukraine, Getty Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Paris, Verkhovna Rada, Ukrainian, Lviv, France, AFP, Haiti, Rwanda, Spain, San Francisco, Irpin, Borodyanka, Roman, Russian, “

☆ After a year of fighting in Ukraine, the brutal logic behind Russia's 'human wave' attacks is becoming clear
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

At the bottom of the hierarchy is what RUSI terms "disposable infantry." According to the RUSI report, the term "human wave attacks" has been misleadingly applied to the way Russia has employed these infantry forces. The assault troops attack in larger company-size formations, backed by tanks and artillery as they attempt to outflank Ukrainian defenses. Once their mission is complete, assault forces are replaced by line and disposable infantry, who begin preparing for the next attack. Disposable troops are fed into the meat-grinder and killed or wounded before they can gain enough experience to survive.

Persons: —, Wagner Group's, Arkady Budnitsky, Wagner, They're, Diego Herrera Carcedo, demographically, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Royal United Services Institute, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Wagner Group, Donetsk People's Republics, Russian, Soviet, —, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russian, British, Rostov, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Forbes

☆ Kosovo Olympic Committee seeks IOC disciplinary action against Djokovic
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The violence erupted after ethnic Albanian mayors took office in northern Kosovo's Serb-majority area following elections that were boycotted by the Serbs. "Novak Djokovic has yet again promoted the Serbian nationalists' propaganda and used the sport platform to do so," Ismet Krasniqi, president of Kosovo's Olympic Committee (KOK), said in a statement. France's Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera, whose country will host the summer Olympics in Paris next year, said Djokovic's message was "not appropriate, clearly". Djokovic, chasing a record 23rd Grand Slam title, has said he was not holding back and would do it again. On Tuesday, Kosovo's tennis federation said Djokovic's comments were "regrettable", accusing him of using his status as a well-known personality to stir tensions.

Persons: Roland Garros, Serbia's Novak Djokovic, Aleksandar Kovacevic, Novak Djokovic, Djokovic, Ismet Krasniqi, Amelie Oudea, shouldn't, Hungary's Marton Fucsovics, Rohith Nair, Karolos Grohmann, Julien Pretot, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Helen Popper, Christian Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Kosovo Olympic, International Olympic Committee, NATO, Serbs, Kosovo's Olympic, IOC, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, PARIS, Serbian, Kosovo, Serbia, Zvecan, Kosovo's, Bengaluru, Karolos

☆ Ukrainian special operators are learning to fight Russia without the 'tethers' other militaries have gotten used to
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukrainian special operators in particular have been learning to fight without those "tethers." When Russia launched its attack early on February 24, 2022, Ukraine's government was caught off guard — but the Ukrainian military wasn't. Fortunately for Ukrainian special operators, their supply lines are short — they are fighting on their home turf, after all. Insider understands that the Ukrainian special operators often resort to unconventional methods to overcome logistics challenges on the ground. As the war drags on and the Ukrainian forces advance, Ukrainian special operators will continue to face logistical difficulties.

☆ A secretive SEAL-like unit is leading Ukraine's shadowy battle against Russia in a vital corner of the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations appears to be leading the effort for Ukraine. For Ukraine, the 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations, a secretive SEAL-like unit, is leading the shadowy battle against Russia. Therese PratsThe 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations was based on the Soviet-era 17th Naval Special Purpose Brigade. The 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations could play a significant role in future large-scale fighting. Roxana DavidovitsLike the 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations, most of the Ukrainian military emerged from the Soviet military.

☆ Russia's being more cautious with its tanks and trying to hide them after heavy losses in battle, but it's shooting itself in the foot
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Heavy Russian tank and armored vehicle losses have led Russia to change its tactics, according to a new report. A Ukrainian soldier checks a wrecked Russian tank outside of the village of Mala Rogan, east of Kharkiv, on April 1, 2022. "It is pretty rare to find a Russian tank that hasn't blasted ERA on every single surface they can conceivably get it on, including somewhere it's really counterproductive," Watling said. While ERA is quite effective, the Ukrainians know where the weak points are to one-shot kill a Russian tank, though it's not always easy to get a clean shot off. Destroyed Russian tank is seen outside of Izyum district of Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine on October 13, 2022.

☆ Ukrainian women training for war can kill Russians with 'office supplies,' resistance group leader says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian women trained for war can kill Russian soldiers with office supplies, a military leader said. "We have women who can kill individuals with office supplies, you know," Biletska said in an interview with war correspondent Tim Mak. "Like a pencil or a pen... it's not just guns or rifles, but the objects available in an office supplies store." More than 60,000 Ukrainian women now serve in the country's military, according to US embassy statistics. Ukrainian women on the front lines told The Invisible Battalion Project that they fear sexual violence at the hands of Russian soldiers.

☆ Ukraine says it advances on Bakhmut's flanks to entrap Russians
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Olena Harmash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Moscow says capturing Bakhmut now opens the way to further advances in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine says its advance on the Russian forces' flanks was more meaningful than its withdrawal inside the city, and Russian reinforcements sent to hold Bakhmut will weaken Moscow's lines elsewhere. Ukrainian forces were still advancing, particularly south of Bakhmut, Maliar said, though she said the intensity of fighting on the northern flank had subsided for now. "Wagner Group mercenaries likely secured the western administrative borders of Bakhmut City while Ukrainian forces are continuing to prioritise counterattacks on Bakhmut’s outskirts," the Institute for the Study of War think tank said on Monday. In the latest Russian attack, some 15 blasts were heard overnight in the southern Ukrainian city of Dnipro, a frequent Russian target lately.

☆ Future wars are going to be catastrophic and robotic, and militaries have to 'come to grips' with that, former general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Mick Ryan, the author and a strategist, says militaries need to "come to grips" with what is coming. The scene comes from a new novel, "White Sun War: The Campaign for Taiwan," written by a former military officer. "That is especially the case when the ratio of humans to autonomous systems in militaries is going to flip," Ryan told Insider. "We are not at the point yet where robotic systems are able to match humans in decision making," Ryan said. And these autonomous systems will have many similar flaws. "

☆ How will we know when Ukraine's long-awaited counteroffensive has started? Experts say look for the Western armor.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

But military experts say Kyiv's use of Western armor will signal the start of a larger offensive. "The Ukrainian counteroffensive, I think, is going to start with a bang, literally and figuratively," Mark Cancian, a retired US Marine Corps Reserve colonel, told Insider. Ukraine's expected counterpunch will come on the heels of what turned out to be a lackluster offensive carried out by Russian forces during the winter. The armored vehicles in particular are expected to help Ukraine hit hard and exploit gains quickly with shock, firepower, and mobility. You want to keep the Russian armed forces guessing as to, is this actually the commitment of their main forces?"

☆ Russian troops taking over from Wagner in Bakhmut are abandoning their positions, Ukrainian officer claims: 'As soon as they are afraid, they just run'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Ukrainian officer said Russian troops are abandoning their Bakhmut positions out of fear. "As soon as Wagner left and the regular Russian troops stepped in, they abandoned their positions," he said, adding: "The Wagner fighters would hold positions until the very end. The Wagner Group, which has thousands of mercenary fighters and prisoners serving in Ukraine, has spearheaded Russia's efforts to capture the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Western officials estimated in early March that up to 30,000 Russian troops had been killed or injured in the city. Zhydkov described a day when Russian soldiers used a grenade launcher to get into a five-story apartment building that was controlled by Ukrainian forces.

☆ Yevgeny Prigozhin: Wagner boss denies Washington Post report that he offered intelligence to Kyiv in exchange for territory
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Kostan Nechyporenko Victoria Butenko Anna Chernova Sana Noor Haq | Kostan Nechyporenko | Victoria Butenko | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Ukrainian soldiers, pictured in Bakhmut on Friday, fire a cannon near the eastern city, where a fierce battle for control against Russian forces rages. Prigozhin made the offer to Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate, known as HUR, in January, the Post alleged. It quoted one leaked document as stating that Prigozhin met HUR officers in an unspecified country in Africa. “Therefore, I simply could not meet with anyone there physically.”In his message, Prigozhin asked rhetorically, “Who is behind this? Kyiv also said it was operating “effective counterattacks” in the Bakhmut area, matching remarks by Prigozhin that Kyiv had recaptured some territory.

☆ Germany to provide 2.7 billion euro military aid package to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Two Leopard 2 A6 tanks from the German Army's Tank Battalion 203 drive around the training area. Germany will provide a new 2.7 billion euro ($2.97 billion)military aid package to Ukraine, including 30 Leopard tanks, the Ukrainian president's chief of staff said on Saturday. In a post on the Telegram app, Andriy Yermak said Berlin would also provide four Iris-T air defence systems, 20 Marder armoured personnel carriers, 200 reconnaissance drones, 100 armoured vehicles and a large quantity of munitions.

☆ A Ukrainian counterattack has the Wagner boss sounding alarms on a counteroffensive in 'full swing,' claiming Zelenskyy played everyone
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Chris Panella | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Wagner boss Prigozhin said on Thursday that Ukraine's "counteroffensive is in full swing." On his social media channels, Prigozhin accused Zelenskyy of lying when he said in a media interview that Ukraine needed more time before it could carry out a counteroffensive. Ukrainian forces signaled that they carried out "effective counterattacks" that forced some Russian soldiers to retreat. Zelenskyy, in a recent interview with public service broadcasters part of Eurovision News, said Ukraine still needs more time before a counteroffensive. Ukraine's combat brigades were "ready," Zelenskyy said, but his military still needs "some things" like armored vehicles that had been "arriving in batches."

☆ Russia's scramble to find microchips for its weapons hints at struggles the US and China could face in a future war
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia's scramble to find microchips for its weapons hints at struggles the US and China could face in a future war. Russian strikes and microchipsA Ukrainian military official with electronics from a destroyed Russian T-90M tank in Kyiv in March. Oleksii Chumachenko/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesWestern-made microchips and processors power many of Russia's weapon systems, even its most advanced missiles and aircraft. ASML is the only firm that produces extreme ultraviolet, or EUV, lithography machines, which are needed to make advanced microchips. A US-Chinese clash over Taiwan, or some other disruption, like a Chinese blockade, that halts exports of advanced semiconductors would affect numerous other industries.

☆ Video shows Russian soldiers fleeing Bakhmut outskirts, handing 3 square miles back to Ukrainian forces, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A screenshot from aerial footage posted by Ukraine's 3rd Separate Assault Brigade on May 9, 2023. The Ukrainian brigade in question was formed out of Azov veterans. A screenshot from aerial footage posted by Ukraine's 3rd Separate Assault Brigade on May 9, 2023. A screenshot from aerial footage posted by Ukraine's 3rd Separate Assault Brigade on May 9, 2023. 3rd Separate Assault Brigade/TelegramDespite the claimed Ukrainian gains, earlier reports suggest that Russian troops still hold a significant portion of the city.

☆ Ukraine unit says Russian brigade flees Bakhmut outskirts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Moscow has not commented on the reports from either side that its 72nd Separate Motor-rifle Brigade had abandoned its positions on the southwestern outskirts of Bakhmut. A Russian brigade is typically formed of several thousand troops. The 72nd Brigade pissed away three square km this morning, where I had lost around 500 men," Prigozhin said. Early on Wednesday the unit, formed from Ukraine's nationalist Azov Battalion, reposted a video of one of Azov's founders, Andriy Biletsky, who said his forces had "defeated" the Russian brigade. "In fact, the 6th and 7th squadrons of this brigade were almost entirely destroyed, brigade intelligence was destroyed, large number of fighting vehicles were destroyed, a considerable number of prisoners were taken," he said.

☆ Ukraine's special operators have been 'taking it to the Russians,' the head of US Special Operations Command says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukrainian special operators have been putting their US-provided training to use against Russia. Ukrainian special-operations forces will also have a key role in the outcome of those battles. Ukrainian commandos on the jobRomanian, Ukrainian, and US Army Green Berets train in Romania in May 2021. Roxana DavidovitsAs Russian forces poured into the country at the start of the war, Ukrainian special operators went hunting. SOCOM had also incorporated a focus on unconventional warfare, a specialty of US Army Special Forces, into its training.

☆ Sebastian Steudtner has turned to science as he chases the world’s biggest waves
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Matt Majendie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

CNN —Sebastian Steudtner holds the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed. Steudtner holds the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed. Win, win, win or perform, perform, perform. How boring is it to win and win and win? If I want to catch waves, I don’t think about you because you’re in my way, so you’re naturally competitive.

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