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REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File PhotoLONDON/GDANSK, Aug 7 (Reuters) - European carriers on Monday reported disruptions and suspended flights across the African continent after Niger's junta closed its airspace on Sunday. The junta on Monday braced for a response from the West African regional bloc after ignoring its deadline to reinstate the country's ousted president or face the threat of military intervention. The disruption adds to a band of African airspace facing geopolitical disruptions including Libya and Sudan, with some flights facing up to 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) in detours. But aviation analyst James Halstead said that airlines would mostly have to find alternative routes and difficulties should be limited given the small number of African air connections. Spokespeople for Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) and Brussels Airlines said that flight times could be between one-and-a-half and three-and-a-half hours longer for rerouted flights.

Persons: Charles de, Stephanie Lecocq, FlightRadar24, James Halstead, I'm, Ilona Wissenbach, Tim Hepher, Jason Neely, Mark Potter, Conor Humphries Organizations: REUTERS, West African, Air, Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines, British Airways, Thomson Locations: Air France, Sudan, Djibouti, Paris, Charles de Gaulle, Roissy, France, GDANSK, Libya, detours, Europe, Africa, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Bamako, Mali, Accra, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia, West Africa

☆ Two years after Olympic defection, Belarusian sprinter cleared to race for Poland
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who left the Olympic Games in Tokyo and seeks asylum in Poland, attends a news conference in Warsaw, Poland August 5, 2021. Maciek Jazwiecki/Agencja Gazeta via REUTERS/File PhotoGENEVA, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, the Belarusian sprinter who defected at the Tokyo Olympics two years ago, has been cleared by World Athletics to compete for Poland after it waived the normal three-year waiting period for nationality changes. She defected to Poland, saying she feared for her safety if she returned to Belarus. A letter by the World Athletics Nationality Review Panel seen by Reuters on Monday said that Tsimanouskaya could represent Poland starting Aug. 6, 2023. World Athletics referred questions to the Polish Athletic Association (PZLA), saying it was a confidential application process.

Persons: Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, Maciek, Tsimanouskaya, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Olympic, Gazeta, REUTERS, Tokyo Olympics, World Athletics, Olympics, Reuters, Olympic Games, Polish Athletic Association, Paris Games, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Poland, Warsaw, Belarusian, Belarus, BLR, Budapest, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ 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

[1/5] Belarus' exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya gives an opening speech during the New Belarus conference in Warsaw, Poland, August 6, 2023. REUTERS/Kuba StezyckiWARSAW, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Exiled opponents of President Alexander Lukashenko met in Poland on Sunday, on the eve of the third anniversary of their unsuccessful post-election protests, to display unity and plan strategy including the issuance of "New Belarus" passports. Set up in August 2022 by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the self-declared government-in exile has opened more than 20 alternative embassies and information centres abroad. Speaking at a hotel in Warsaw to several hundred activists, including independent media and civic groups, Tsikhanouskaya urged opposition forces abroad to unite and support the creation of a "New Belarus" movement. Lukashenko has ruled Belarus with an iron first since 1994, using security forces to intimidate, beat and jail his foes or force them to flee abroad.

Persons: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Tsikhanouskaya, Syarhei Tsikhanouski, Agnieszka Pikulicka, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: New, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Belarus, New Belarus, Warsaw, Poland, WARSAW, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, Belarusian

☆ 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

☆ Ukraine seeks progress towards peace at Saudi Arabia talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Maha El Dahan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Ukrainian, Russian and international officials say there is no prospect of direct peace talks between Ukraine and Russia at present, with the war raging. The world's top oil exporter Saudi Arabia, which has maintained contacts with both sides since Russia invaded Ukraine last February, has played a role in convening countries that did not join earlier meetings, Western diplomats have said. SAUDI DIPLOMACYWestern officials and analysts said Saudi diplomacy had been important in securing China's presence at the talks. Zelenskiy attended an Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia last year where MbS voiced readiness to help mediate in the war. In March, Beijing brokered a resumption of ties between Saudi Arabia and its arch regional foe Iran.

Persons: Andriy Yermak, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Zelenskiy, Russia's, Eurasian Affairs Li Hui, Ajit Doval, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Xi Jinping, Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice, Yun Sun, Sun, Lidia Kelly, Maha El Dahan, Omar Abdel, Michael Martina, Aftab Ahmed, Angus McDowall, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: International, REUTERS, Saudi, Global, Kremlin, Eurasian Affairs, Indian National Security, Crown, Arab, MbS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Iran, Baker Institute, Stimson, Razek, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, China, India, Jeddah Ukraine, Russia, DUBAI, United States, Saudi Arabia, Ukrainian, Copenhagen, Beijing, Moscow, Jeddah, Riyadh, SAUDI, Saudi, Turkey, Middle East, Washington, Warsaw, Maha, Dubai, New Delhi

☆ Ukraine expects difficult but successful talks in Saudi Arabia
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Viacheslav... Read moreAug 5 (Reuters) - Talks starting Saudi Arabia this weekend to find a peaceful settlement to end Russia's war in Ukraine will be difficult, but Kyiv is counting persuading more countries to back its peace formula, the head of Kyiv's delegation said on Friday. Ukraine and its allies hope the meeting in Jeddah of national security advisers and other senior officials from some 40 countries - but not Russia - will agree on key principles on how to end Russia's war in Ukraine. China, which has firm ties with Russia, said on Friday it will send Special Envoy for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui for the talks. "We have many disagreements and we have heard different positions, but it is important that our principles are shared," he said. Ukrainian, Russian and international officials say there is no prospect of direct peace talks between Ukraine and Russia at the moment, as the war continues to rage and Kyiv seeks to reclaim territory through a counter-offensive.

Persons: Andriy Yermak, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Read, Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Eurasian Affairs Li Hui, Zelenskiy, Lidia Kelly, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: International, REUTERS, Eurasian Affairs, Global, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, Russia, China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Moscow, Warsaw

☆ Facing lawsuit from Musk, nonprofit head says he won't stop exposing Twitter's problems
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

And he's insisting that researchers at his nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate remain equally unafraid. Earlier this week, the company formerly known as Twitter filed a lawsuit in federal court against the CCDH, after the organization in June published research that Musk didn't like. Rather, Ahmed told staffers in a meeting after he heard about the lawsuit that they should "double down" on probing X. Lawyers representing X alleged in this week's lawsuit that the CCDH improperly obtained access to social media analysis tool Brandwatch and also illegally scraped data from Twitter using other methods. The CCDH said it obtained the tweets using a data-scraping tool and Twitter's search function.

Persons: Elon Musk, Imran Ahmed, Musk, Ahmed, I've, Jo Cox, there's, X, Brandwatch, He's, TikTok Organizations: Center, Twitter, CNBC, Washington , D.C, University of Cambridge, Labour Party, X Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Washington ,

☆ Wagner fighters seek to unsettle NATO's eastern flank, Polish PM says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WARSAW, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Fighters from Russia's private Wagner mercenary force are being moved close to NATO's eastern flank to destabilise the military alliance, Poland's prime minister said on Thursday. Wagner soldiers have begun training with the Belarus national army, prompting Poland to start moving more than 1,000 troops closer to the border. "We need to be aware that the number of provocations will rise," Mateusz Morawiecki said after meeting Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda in eastern Poland. "The Wagner group is extremely dangerous and they are being moved to the eastern flank to destabilize it." Nauseda said the number of Wagner fighters in Belarus could be higher than 4,000.

Persons: Wagner, Mateusz Morawiecki, Gitanas Nauseda, Nauseda, Vladimir Putin, Pawel Florkiewicz, Anna Wlodarczak, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: WARSAW, Belarus national, NATO, Thomson Locations: Poland, Belarus, Russian, Kaliningrad, Baltic, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine

CNN —Beyoncé has paid tribute to O’Shae Sibley, a 28-year-old professional dancer who was fatally stabbed at a Brooklyn gas station while vogueing to her music in what police say they are investigating as an anti-gay hate crime. Sibley was vogueing to a Beyoncé song at the gas station on Saturday night. A group of men approached Sibley as he danced with friends and started to shout gay slurs at the group, Sibley’s friend Otis Pena said on Facebook Live. The argument escalated and a man stabbed Sibley, said Pena, who witnessed the incident and put pressure on Sibley’s wound. Hate-fueled attacks are,” the senator, who is gay, tweeted.

Persons: CNN — Beyoncé, O’Shae Sibley, vogueing, SIBLEY, ”, Sibley, Otis Pena, Pena, Beyoncé, Kevin Mazur, Brad Hoylman, homophobes Organizations: CNN, Facebook, Maimonides Medical, Getty Images Police, New York, Lincoln Center, Performing Arts Locations: Brooklyn, Warsaw, Poland, New, New York

☆ Poland's mBank hopes to offer 2% mortgage loan in September
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Commerzbank's Polish unit mBank's logo is seen in Warsaw, Poland, May 31, 2023. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File PhotoGDANSK, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Poland's mBank (MBK.WA) expects a drop in write-offs in future quarters from those in the second quarter, its chief executive said on Wednesday. CEO Cezary Stypulkowski also said the bank hopes to offer 2% mortgage loans in September, a special product with state subsidised instalments. We hope that in September we will be able operationally to offer the loan," said Stypulkowski. He added that for the bank's customers, this is an important product to offer.

Persons: Kacper, Cezary Stypulkowski, homebuyers, Anna Banacka, Louise Heavens, Jason Neely Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, GDANSK

The company has also begun offering retired workers meals at the canteen so they can share knowledge of recently re-started lines producing Soviet-era ammunition for Ukraine, he added. Jiri Hynek, president and executive director of the Defence and Security Industry Association (DSIA) of the Czech Republic, told Reuters a lack of workers could push production out of central Europe. The association, which represents more than 160 companies, said exports accounted for around 90 percent of the industry's production of weapons and military-related supplies. Of that, Hynek estimated that supplies of military equipment to Ukraine accounted for 40% of exports. PITCHING PATRIOTISMOther sectors in Poland – emerging Europe's biggest economy – and the Czech Republic have struggled in recent years to find workers: a situation that has driven up labor costs and dampened growth.

Persons: David Hac, Hac, Jiri Hynek, Hynek, Lukas Visingr, Artur Zaborek, Zaborek, Michael Kahn, Anna Koper, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Europe's, STV, Reuters, European Union, Defence and Security Industry Association, WB Group, Central, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Thomson Locations: PRAGUE, WARSAW, Europe, Poland, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Policka, Prague, Czech, Central Europe, Stockholm, Poland's

☆ Poland-Belarus: Tensions high on NATO's border with Belarus after Wagner troops move closer
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Sana Noor Haq Josh Pennington Niamh Kennedy Darya Tarasova Jessie Gretener Yulia Kesaieva | Sana Noor Haq | Josh Pennington | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Belarusian soldiers and Wagner troops attend joint training exercises near the border city of Brest, in Belarus on July 20, 2023 amid increased border tensions between Warsaw and Minsk. Belarus' Defense Ministry/Handout/AP/FileMinsk had informed Warsaw about the exercise, but a border crossing took place in the eastern Bialowieza region at a “very low altitude, making detection by radar systems difficult,” the Polish defense ministry said in a statement. Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak subsequently ordered that more troops and combat helicopters be deployed along the border, the ministry added. “By deploying troops from both the west (Kaliningrad) and the east (Belarus), Russia would be able to effectively cut off the Baltic States from its NATO allies in central and western Europe. Five EU countries, four of whom border Ukraine – Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria – lifted sanctions on the import of Ukrainian grain, which they had installed to protect their own agricultural industries.

Persons: Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Wagner’s, Mariusz Blaszczak, Mateusz Morawiecki, Paweł Jabłoński, Barbara Yoxon, Putin, “, ” Yoxon, ”, Yoxon, Bulgaria –, Marcin Przydacz, Poland Organizations: CNN, NATO, EU, Belarus ' Defense Ministry, Polish, Belarusian Air Force, Air Defense Forces, Lancaster University, “, Presidential, International, Ukraine, ” Locations: Poland, Belarus, Minsk, Europe, Warsaw, Belarusian, Lithuania, Russian, Moscow, Brest, Polish, EU, Russia, Kaliningrad, Baltic, Grodno, England, Ukraine, Baltic States, Latvia, Estonia, Western, Ukrainian, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Kyiv, Republic of Poland

☆ Uber drives further up the road to redemption
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Uber branding is seen on private hire vehicle parking rank at Chopin Airport in Warsaw, Poland, March 22, 2023. NEW YORK, Aug 1 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Uber Technologies (UBER.N) Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi is shifting the ride-hailing company into a higher gear, but investors are lagging behind. Uber shares fell almost 6% on Tuesday morning, taking some of the shine off a stock that has almost doubled since the beginning of the year. Khosrowshahi remains some way from his destination on the road to redemption. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Dara Khosrowshahi, Lyft, Tony Xu, Jennifer Saba, Aston Martin, Steve Cohen, Peter Thal Larsen, Sharon Lam Organizations: Chopin, NEW, Reuters, Technologies, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, DoorDash, Khosrowshahi, Japan, India

☆ From Washington to Warsaw, a ‘greenlash’ is picking up steam despite extreme heat
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

A pushback against climate policies is not just a U.S. issue. Reprisals over climate policies come at a time of record-breaking extreme heat across the globe, with July poised to be the hottest month in human history. Ruling party leader Jarosław Kaczyński described the bloc's green policies as "madness" and akin to "green communism." "At the moment, it looks like green parties are not doing going fantastically well. "The IRA is called an IRA, it is not called a climate act because there's no way that you could get Democrats and Republicans to agree on something called climate," Tocci said.

Persons: Henry Nicholls, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, ESG, —, Kevin McCarthy, Drew Angerer, Nathalie Tocci, Tocci, U.N, António, Sadiq Khan's, Jarosław Kaczyński, Emmanuel Macron, Alexander De Croo, Ursula von der, Kenzo Tribouillard, Joe Biden's, Mark Rutte's, …, Jan Willem Erisman, Mateusz Morawiecki, Michal Hetmanski Organizations: Afp, Getty, Republican Gov, House, Biden, U.S, Capitol, Istituto, CNBC, Farmer, Movement, Internazionali, Belgian, Belgium's, IRA, BBB, Farmers, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images, Leiden University Locations: London, Marble, U.S, Europe, Florida, Washington ,, Italian, Poland, Ostend, European, Netherlands, The Hague, Polish, Warsaw

☆ Lukashenko taunts Poland again over Wagner troops near border
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg, Russia July 23, 2023. Sputnik/Alexei Danichev/Kremlin via REUTERS/File Photo License this content on Reuters ConnectAug 1 (Reuters) - Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday taunted Poland over the presence of Russian Wagner mercenaries near the NATO country's border, saying Warsaw should thank him for keeping them in check. State news agency Belta quoted him on Tuesday as saying that the Poles "should pray that we're holding onto (the Wagner fighters) and providing for them. Rzeszow is a city in southeast Poland near the Ukrainian border. On Saturday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said a group of 100 Wagner fighters had moved closer to the Belarusian city of Grodno near the Polish border, describing the situation as "increasingly dangerous".

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Alexei Danichev, Russian Wagner, Wagner, Belta, Mateusz Morawiecki, Lukashenko, Putin, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, Reuters, Tuesday, NATO, Polish, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, Kremlin, Poland, Warsaw, Belarus, Lukashenko, Rzeszow, State, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Grodno, Brest, Ukraine

☆ Switzerland is the most expensive place in Europe to see Taylor Swift's Eras Tours, because of course it is
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Eras Tour tickets in Zurich are the most expensive in Europe, per Swiss newspaper NZZ am Sonntag. Surprising nobody, Switzerland has once again topped the charts as the "most expensive country" — this time for the cost of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour tickets in Europe. The cheapest tickets in the country cost 167.5 Swiss Francs, or $190, according to Swiss newspaper NZZ am Sonntag. Switzerland consistently ranks as one of the most expensive places on Earth, and the Swiss are no stranger to paying the most for, well, everything. And despite the steep ticket prices, the tour is still selling out in its Switzerland stops, according to NZZ am Sonntag.

Persons: NZZ, That's, Swift, Taylor, — Organizations: Bloomberg, Morning, Swiss, Mac, Mercer, Wall Street, NZZ Locations: Zurich, Europe, Warsaw, Swiss, Switzerland, Poland, United States, Geneva, Hong Kong, Singapore

☆ Dutchman running from Amsterdam to Kyiv to buy ambulances for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Piroschka Van De Wouw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

He will run from Amsterdam to Kyiv to raise money for Ukraine. REUTERS/Piroschka van de WouwAMSTERDAM, Aug 1 (Reuters) - A Dutch ultrarunner is running from Amsterdam to Kyiv to raise funds for charity and demonstrate how close the Ukraine war zone is to Western Europe. The aim is to raise money to buy ambulances that Dutch charity Zeilen van Vrijheid (Sails of Freedom) will take to Ukraine. So far - after 10 days and about 500 km of running - Kragtwijk has raised 22,000 euros via his Ultra4Ukraine GoFundMe page, nearly enough for one ambulance, which costs 30,000 euros. Running towards the east, Kragtwijk will pass through Berlin and Warsaw and hopes to reach Kyiv in September.

Persons: Boas Kragtwijk, van, Piroschka van de Wouw, Christian Levaux, Geert De Clercq, Alison Williams Organizations: Reuters, Ukraine, REUTERS, AMSTERDAM, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: Amsterdam, Netherlands, Kyiv, Ukraine, Western Europe, Kragtwijk, Germany, Berlin, Warsaw

☆ Ukraine and Poland call in envoys after war support comments
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Kyiv and Warsaw have been firm allies throughout the conflict that erupted with the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson Oleh Nikolenko said the Polish ambassador was told in the meeting that statements about Ukraine's alleged ungratefulness for Poland's help were "untrue and unacceptable". Poland also called in the Ukrainian ambassador to Warsaw in response to the "comments of representatives of Ukrainian authorities", Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter. He also said: "I think it would be worthwhile for (Kyiv) to start appreciating what role Poland has played for Ukraine over past months and years." The Polish foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Persons: Marcin Przydacz, Oleh Nikolenko, Ukraine's, Przydacz, Poland, Anna Pruchnicka, Christina Fincher, Alex Richardson, Angus MacSwan, Alison Williams Organizations: Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Twitter, Kyiv, Ukraine, European Union, EU, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Poland, Russia, Polish, Kyiv, Warsaw, Ukrainian, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Central European

☆ More Wagner fighters move closer to Polish border, Poland PM says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW, July 29 (Reuters) - A group of a hundred soldiers from the Russian Wagner group have moved closer to the Belarusian city of Grodno near the Polish border, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Saturday. Earlier this month, Poland began moving more than 1,000 troops to the east of the country amid rising concerns that the presence of Wagner fighters in Belarus could lead to increased tension on its border. Most likely they (the Wagner personnel) will be disguised as the Belarusian border guard and help illegal migrants get to the Polish territory (and) destabilise Poland," Morawiecki said at a press conference in Gliwice, western Poland. "They will most likely try to enter Poland pretending to be illegal migrants and this poses additional threats," Morawiecki said. The following day, some Wagner fighters arrived at the training ground of the 38th airborne assault brigade outside the city of Brest, just a few miles from the Polish border.

Persons: Russian Wagner, Mateusz Morawiecki, Wagner, Morawiecki, Anton Motolko, Russia's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Agnieszka Pikulicka, David Holmes Organizations: WARSAW, Warsaw Pact, NATO, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Belarusian, Grodno, Polish, Poland, Warsaw, U.S, Ukraine, Belarus, Gliwice, Lithuanian, Kaliningrad, Africa, Brest, Moscow, Russia

☆ Belarus-EU borders may be closed if Wagner group incidents happen, Poland says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WARSAW, July 27 (Reuters) - Poland, Lithuania and Latvia could jointly decide to shut their borders with close Russian ally Belarus if there are serious incidents involving the Wagner group along their frontiers with the country, Poland's Interior Minister said on Thursday. NATO member Poland on July 19 decided to move military units to its east after Wagner mercenaries began training Belarusian special forces a few miles from its border. Two days later President Vladimir Putin accused Poland of having territorial ambitions in the former Soviet Union, and said any aggression against Belarus would be considered an attack on Russia. "Undoubtedly, should there be serious incidents involving the Wagner group on the borders of NATO and EU countries, such as Poland, Lithuania or Latvia, we will undoubtedly take an action together," the minister, Mariusz Kaminski, said. Road traffic between Poland and Belarus has been curbed since February amid deteriorating relations between the two countries.

Persons: Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Mariusz Kaminski, Alexander Lukashenko, Kyiv's staunchest, Marek Strzelecki, William Maclean Organizations: WARSAW, NATO, Soviet Union, EU, Belarus, Thomson Locations: Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus, Belarusian, Russia, Warsaw, Ukraine, East, Africa

☆ Philips slightly raises 2023 outlook after second-quarter core profit beat
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

(Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)Dutch health technology company Philips on Monday slightly raised its full-year targets after posting a bigger-than-expected jump in second-quarter core earnings thanks to better supply chains, a strong order book and efficiency measures. For the full year, it now expects a mid-single-digit comparable sales growth versus its previous guidance of a low-single-digit growth. Its adjusted EBITA margin is now seen at the upper end of its previously forecasted high-single-digit range. Philips, which is facing lawsuits over its recall of respiratory devices, said it had produced approximately 99% of the new replacement respiratory devices and repair kits required for the remediation of the registered affected devices. "Completing the Philips Respironics field action remains our highest priority.

Persons: Beata Zawrzel, Roy Jakobs Organizations: Philips, Getty Images, U.S . Department of Justice Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Amsterdam

☆ Elon Musk rebrands Twitter to 'X,' replaces iconic bird logo
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Twitter owner Elon Musk officially changed the company's famous bird logo to an "X" on Monday as part of a sweeping rebrand he announced on the social media site over the weekend. The transition from Twitter to X reflects Musk's vision to turn the platform into what he has called an "everything app." Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino wrote in a post Sunday that X will be "centered in audio, video, messaging, payments/banking." The company first began its transition to X in April, when the name of Twitter Inc. changed to X Corp., according to court filings. He shared a photo of the X logo projected onto the company's headquarters Monday.

Persons: Elon Musk, adieu, Linda Yaccarino, Musk Organizations: Twitter, Twitter Inc, X Corp, SpaceX, Musk's, Confinity, PayPal Locations: Warsaw, Poland

☆ Putin hosts Belarus leader, calls Ukraine's counteroffensive a failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko (R) at the Grand Kremlin Palace on May 25, 2023 in Moscow, Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine's counteroffensive "has failed" as he hosted Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, his close ally, for talks in St. Petersburg on Sunday. "There is no counteroffensive," Russian news agencies quoted Lukashenko as saying. Poland is moving extra troops toward the border with Belarus in response to the arrival of the Wagner forces who relocated there after staging a short-lived mutiny in Russia last month. Putin, in response, warned Poland on Friday that any aggression against Belarus would be considered an attack on Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Putin, Mark Milley, Russia's Wagner, Wagner Organizations: U.S, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Telegram, NATO Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russian, St . Petersburg, Ukraine, Poland, Warsaw, Rzeszow, Belarusian, Polish, Belarus, Minsk

☆ After Ukraine's success with US-made HIMARS, European militaries are looking for their own rocket artillery
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Other European countries are pursuing their own rocket artillery, buying HIMARS or building new systems. Sovfoto/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesMultiple launch rocket systems have been around since World War II, when the legendary Soviet Katyusha battered Nazi forces. But Russia adapted and moved its command and supply centers out of HIMARS range, though at the price of compromising some efficiency. Rocket artillery can't replace howitzers, which offer some advantages, such as the ability to fire barrages continuously for hours. Still, rocket artillery is certain to join howitzers as the backbone of Western artillery.

Persons: Lockheed Martin, HIMARS, PATRIK STOLLARZ, Biden, ATACMS, salvoes, Jakub Porzycki Organizations: Russia, Service, Rheinmetall, Defense News, Lockheed, Getty, US State Department, Army Tactical Missile Systems, Ukraine, Storm, Nazi, Anadolu Agency, Russian, GPS Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Germany, Munster, AFP, Poland, France, Soviet, Warsaw, Russia

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