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☆ Kazakhstan through to Billie Jean King Cup finals, France ease past Britain
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Tennis - Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers - Kazakhstan v Poland - National Tennis Centre - Beeline Arena, Astana, Kazakhstan - April 15, 2023 Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina celebrates with teammates after winning her singles match against Poland's Magda Linette REUTERS/Pavel MikheyevApril 15 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan advanced to the Billie Jean King Cup finals for the second time after defeating Poland 3-1 in their qualifier on Saturday while France brushed aside last year's semi-finalists Britain. Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina had helped Kazakhstan build a 2-0 lead on Friday and the world number seven had no trouble dispatching Magda Linette 6-4 6-2 to give her side an unassailable lead in Astana. The best-of-five qualifiers featured two singles matches on Friday and two reverse singles plus a doubles rubber on Saturday. Poland, without injured world number one Iga Swiatek, finally got on the board as Weronika Falkowska and Alicja Rosolska won 6-4 6-4 in what was essentially a dead rubber. Garcia got the double break and the world number five served out the set to secure France's place in the Finals.

☆ Xi is trying to humiliate Biden by driving a wedge between him and his European allies as part of a global power play
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

China's president is seeking to exploit differences among Western allies, analysts say. Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) welcomes German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Grand Hall in Beijing in 2022. Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, and Olaf Scholz, Germany's chancellor, are among the European leaders Xi has hosted. Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping make a toast following their talks in Moscow on March 21, 2023. But Freudenstein cautioned European leaders against the belief that Xi can act as a mediator with Putin.

☆ Ukraine's GDP fell 29.1% in 2022 during Russia's invasion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Gleb GaranichKYIV, April 13 (Reuters) - Ukraine's gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 29.1% in 2022 as Russia's full-scale invasion battered the economy, the state statistics service said late on Wednesday. The final 2022 GDP figure was slightly better than the 30% drop previously forecast by the government. The government says GDP may grow 1% in 2023 due to an improving situation in the transport, retail and construction sectors. Ukraine's grain crop fell to 53 million tonnes in 2022 from a record 86 million tonnes in 2021 due to the invasion. Another key part of economy, the metals sector, reduced steel production by almost 71% after several leading plants were destroyed or occupied.

☆ Ukraine's Naftogaz says Russia told to pay $5 billion for seizing Crimea assets
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The logo of Ukraine's state energy company Naftogaz is seen outside the company's headquarters in central Kyiv, Ukraine October 18, 2021. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich/File PhotoKYIV, April 13 (Reuters) - Ukraine's state-owned gas company Naftogaz said on Thursday that Moscow had been ordered by an arbitration court in The Hague to pay $5 billion in compensation for unlawfully expropriating its assets in Russian-annexed Crimea in 2014. "Despite Russia's attempts to obstruct justice, the Arbitration Tribunal ordered Russia to compensate Naftogaz for losses of $5 billion," Naftogaz said. The company, whose assets in Crimea included Chornomornaftogaz which produced significant amounts of gas from the Black Sea, gave no further detail of which overseas Russian assets it could target. Naftogaz has been in talks with investors on a debt restructuring to bring the company out of a months-long default.

☆ Ukraine farmers say protests in EU over Ukrainian grain are political
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Inquam Photos/George Calin via REUTERSKYIV, April 12 (Reuters) - Protests by European farmers are political and shipments of Ukrainian grain are not reducing the profitability of their business, Ukrainian food producers' union UAC said on Wednesday. Poland last week said it would temporarily halt Ukrainian grain imports after farmers' protests led Poland's agriculture minister to resign, but transit would still be allowed. "The political nature of the European farmers' strikes is obvious. "However, certain forces need to demonstrate that this is due to an oversupply of Ukrainian grain," he said, noting that the country faced elections later this year. Ukrainian officials this month said, however, the country may export a further 15.6 million tonnes of grain in the April-to-June quarter, which would lift this season's exports to nearly 53 million tonnes.

☆ Kyiv denies Wagner Bakhmut claim, Russia says forces advancing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The claim by Russian entrepreneur Yevgeny Prigozhin that his Wagner mercenary group had seized more than 80% of Bakhmut was untrue, it said. And Russian forces, it said, had struck Ukrainian army reserves trying to break through. Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukraine's eastern military command, dismissed Prigozhin's latest 80% claim in a comment to Reuters. Analyst Konrad Muzyka, director of the Rochan military consultancy in Poland, said his calculations bore out the Russian claim of 80%. Russian forces, it said, had tried unsuccessfully to move on two villages to the northwest.

☆ Ukraine battles rage, Kyiv reported to rethink counter-offensive after leak
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The head of the Moscow-controlled part of Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, said Russian forces now held 75% of the city. As the battles ground on, U.S. media outlet CNN reported that Ukraine was forced to amend some military plans ahead of its long-anticipated counter-offensive because of the leak of dozens of secret documents. HOT ON THE EASTERN FRONTA Ukrainian counter-offensive has long been expected after months of attritional warfare in the east. Elsewhere, Russia's defence ministry said its forces destroyed a depot with 70,000 tonnes of fuel near Zaporizhzhia, and Ukraine reported widespread Russian shelling in northern regions. In a rare coordination between the warring parties, Russia and Ukraine carried out another prisoner swap, with 106 Russian captives freed in exchange for 100 Ukrainians.

☆ Ukraine alters counter-offensive plans after document leak - CNN
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, April 10 (Reuters) - Ukraine has been forced to amend some of its military plans ahead of a much-vaunted counter-offensive due to a leak of classified U.S. documents, CNN reported on Monday citing a source close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Ukrainian officials told Reuters on Friday the allegedly leaked documents contained fictitious information and looked like a Russian disinformation campaign. Asked about the CNN report, presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said Ukraine's strategic plans remained unchanged but that more specific tactical plans were always subject to change. "Right now its impossible to reassess plans, because they are only being worked out (now)," he added. Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, told Reuters: "We are working on our own plans...

☆ NHL roundup: Connor McDavid hits 150 points in Oilers' win
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

Tomas Hertl scored, and James Reimer made 29 saves for the Sharks, who have lost seven straight against the Oilers. McDavid notched his 150th point when he scored with 1:44 left in the opening period for a 2-1 lead. Jesper Bratt scored the lone goal and MacKenzie Blackwood made 38 stops for the Devils, who had won back-to-back games. Avalanche 4, Kings 3Denis Malgin scored two goals for visiting Colorado in a win against Los Angeles. Alex Nylander, Danton Heinen and Evgeni Malkin each scored a goal and Tristan Jarry made 19 saves for the Penguins.

☆ Ukraine says data leak is Russian effort to sow doubt about counter-offensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, April 7 (Reuters) - A leak of classified documents detailing secret U.S. and NATO plans to help Kyiv looks like a Russian disinformation operation to sow doubts about Ukraine's planned counter-offensive, a Ukrainian presidential official said on Friday. Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters that the leaked data reported by the New York Times contained a "very large amount of fictitious information" and that Russia was trying to seize back the initiative in its invasion. "To try to influence the scenarios for Ukraine's counteroffensive plans. Ukrainian troops have faced for months a Russian onslaught in its east concentrated around the city of Bakhmut. It hopes to launch a counter-offensive in the coming weeks or months to wrest back territory held by Russia.

☆ Ukraine seeks to prevent military leaks after NATO assistance plans reportedly appear on social media
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

"The participants of the meeting focused on measures to prevent the leakage of information regarding the plans of the defence forces of Ukraine," it said. One document posted on social media said 16,000 to 17,500 Russian forces had been killed since the invasion. The Ukrainian military said it was holding on in the city but the situation was difficult. Ukrainian military expert Vladyslav Selezniov has said Ukraine will have to pull back if the route for getting supplies in and wounded out is threatened. Eastern Military Command spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi told Reuters Ukraine controlled the situation in Bakhmut and understood Russian intentions.

☆ Kyrgyz eco-activist's 'trashion' tackles a burning problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Kyrgyz artist and environmental activist Cholpon Alamanova poses for a picture in her workshop in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan March 30, 2023. Alamanova and her team of more than 80 women use the Kyrgyz traditional patchwork sewing technique, kurak, in order to recycle the textile waste, usually burned in landfills, into colourful blankets, clothes and accessories. In doing so, her workshop has become part of a global "trashion" trend promoting the use of recycled, used, thrown-out and repurposed elements to create garments, jewellery and art. The task engenders a warming feeling that motivates her to keep doing it, says Alamanova, while helping to keep alive the tradition. Reporting by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine discusses preventing military leaks after report of breach
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Ukrainian servicemen prepare to fire a mortar, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near the city of Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine April 6, 2023. REUTERS/Oleksandr KlymenkoKYIV, April 7 (Reuters) - Ukraine's president and top security brass discussed ways to prevent leaks of military information at a meeting on Friday, Kyiv said, after secret documents detailing Western help for Ukraine reportedly ended up online. It also did not refer to a New York Times report that said documents about U.S. and NATO plans to build up the Ukrainian military had been leaked online. A spokesperson for Ukrainian military intelligence said it was possible the information in the posts was entirely fictitious, and that there had been no leak. One part offered an estimate for Ukrainian military losses that was far higher than Western estimates made available so far.

☆ Ukraine pushes for Western warplane 'coalition'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] A MiG-29 and F-35 planes are parked on a tarmac during a NATO media event at an airbase in Malbork, Poland, March 21, 2023. During a visit to Warsaw on Wednesday, Zelenskiy said Poland had been instrumental in getting Western allies to send battle tanks to Ukraine and he believed it could play the same role in a "planes coalition". MACRON IN CHINAEuropean Union executive head Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected to discuss Ukraine during talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday. The U.S. and NATO have said China is considering sending arms to Russia, which Beijing has denied. 'SHOULDER TO SHOULDER'Polish President Andrzej Duda said Warsaw was working to secure additional security guarantees for Ukraine at a NATO summit to be held in Lithuania in July.

☆ These are the countries that will be 'most hit' if oil prices reach $100
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Esso Fawley Oil Refinery, operated by Exxon Mobil, stands in Fawley, U.K., on Thursday, May 14, 2020. The surprise output cut by OPEC and its allies sent oil prices rallying — and analysts say major oil importers like India, Japan and South Korea will feel the most pain if prices hit $100 per barrel, as some have predicted. On Sunday, OPEC+ announced a production cut of 1.16 million barrels per day, in a move that oil markets were not expecting. "It's a tax on every oil importing economy," said Pavel Molchanov, managing director of private investment bank Raymond James. The voluntary cuts by countries in the oil cartel are set to start in May and last till the end of 2023.

☆ Ukraine will take 'corresponding' decisions if troops risk encirclement in Bakhmut - Zelenskiy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, April 5 (Reuters) - Ukrainian troops face a really difficult situation in the eastern city of Bakhmut, but Kyiv will take the "corresponding" decisions to protect them if they risk being encircled by Russian forces, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday. The Ukrainian leader told a news conference in Poland that Kyiv's forces in Bakhmut sometimes advanced a little only to be pushed back by Russian forces, but that they remained inside the city. Ukrainian forces have held out against a Russian onslaught there with heavy losses on both sides. His trip comes with Ukraine expected to launch a counteroffensive to seize back land in the south and east from Russian forces in the coming weeks or months. Zelenskiy said that the more ammunition Ukraine receives from Western partners, the faster it would be able fight back in Bakhmut and elsewhere.

☆ Putin opens talks with Belarus leader, no public mention of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, April 5, 2023. Sputnik/Pavel Byrkin/Pool via REUTERSApril 5 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Belarus counterpart Alexander Lukashenko to Moscow on Wednesday for two days of talks, but in their opening public remarks both men steered clear of the war in Ukraine. Last month Putin said Russia would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Lukashenko allowed Putin to use the territory of Belarus as a launch pad for the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia and Belarus are formally part of a Union State, a borderless union and alliance between the two former Soviet republics.

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy heads to Poland to deepen ties with key Western ally
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Kacper PempelKYIV, April 5 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected shortly in neighbouring Poland, a close ally that has played a big role in galvanising Western military and political support for Kyiv against Russia's full-scale invasion. Poland has taken in more than a million Ukrainian refugees over the past 13 months of war. The NATO member has also played an important role in persuading other Western powers to supply battle tanks and other weaponry to Ukraine. Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Tuesday that Kyiv was grateful to Poland for clearing the way for deliveries of MiG fighter jets. "During talks with President Zelenskiy, we will certainly discuss Ukrainian grain and various agricultural products, because we want any trade with Ukraine not to destabilise our market," Morawiecki said.

Raymond James says there's a "textbook buy-on-the-dip opportunity" for shares of Clean Energy Fuels — it could be a volatile ride for investors. The firm upgraded Clean Energy to outperform from market perform. It set a price target of $6 per share, which implies 42.8% upside from Wednesday's close price. Analyst Pavel Molchanov thinks the renewable energy company could see gains as natural gas fuels, including those derived from biogas, play a role in the decarbonization of fleets. Shares of Clean Energy were up 3.3% before the bell Wednesday.

☆ Ukraine battles on in Bakhmut as Finland joins NATO
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Pavel Polityuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] An Ukrainian serviceman sits atop an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, near the bombed-out eastern city of Bakhmut, in the eastern Donetsk region, Ukraine, April 2, 2023. "From a legal point of view, Bakhmut has been taken," said Prigozhin, who has previously made premature claims. "Bakhmut is Ukrainian and they have not captured anything and are very far from doing that," Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesperson for the eastern military command, told Reuters. Western pressure on Russia may increase with Finland, which shares a 1,300-km (810-mile) border with Russia, joining NATO on Tuesday. "In the event that the forces and resources of other NATO members are deployed in Finland, we will take additional steps to reliably ensure Russia's military security," he told RIA.

☆ NHL roundup: Wild, Stars seal playoff berths
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Despite the defeat, the Wild clinched a playoff berth thanks to the point for the overtime loss plus the Nashville Predators' 5-1 loss to the Dallas Stars. William Karlsson had two assists and Keegan Kolesar also scored for Vegas, while Brossoit finished with 30 saves. Matt Boldy scored his 30th goal of the season and also had an assist and Brandon Duhaime and John Klingberg also scored goals for Minnesota. Jared McCann scored two goals for Seattle, and Morgan Geekie, Ryan Donato and Carson Soucy each had a goal and an assist. Lawson Crouse scored the only goal of the game for the Coyotes, who are 0-6-2 in their past eight games.

☆ Oil production: Saudi Arabia is 100% 'pragmatic and cynical,' analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailOil production: Saudi Arabia is 100% 'pragmatic and cynical,' analyst saysPavel Molchanov of Raymond James says if Saudi Arabia needs to cooperate with the Kremlin to maximize its revenues and economic well-being, "that is precisely what the powers that be in Riyadh will do."

☆ Ukraine says Russia 'very far' from seizing Bakhmut, denies Prigozhin claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

They attached it to the side of who knows what, hung their rag and said they had captured the city. A tank is towed through a road, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, near the bombed-out eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, in the eastern Donetsk region, Ukraine, March 29, 2023. REUTERS/Violeta Santos MouraThe head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said late on Sunday that his forces had raised the Russian flag over the administration building. Prigozhin said that from a "legal" point of view, Bakhmut had been captured by Russia, an idea vehemently denied by Cherevatyi. "Bakhmut is Ukrainian and they have not captured anything and are very far from doing that to put it mildly," he said.

☆ Ukraine says six killed, eight wounded in Russian shelling in east of country
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, April 2 (Reuters) - Six civilians were killed and eight wounded in Russian shelling of Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine on Sunday morning, a senior Ukrainian official said. "Russians have carried out massive shelling of the town of Kostiantynivka," Andriy Yermak, head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff, said on the Telegram messaging app. He said 16 apartment buildings, eight private houses, a kindergarten and an administrative building were damaged. Yermak added photos showing the partial destruction of buildings and craters from explosions. Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Frances Kerry and Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ NHL roundup: Carter Verhaeghe nets career-best 4 goals in Panthers' win
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Sabers 6, Flyers 3Alex Tuch scored his second career hat trick to help Buffalo to a win against host Philadelphia. Morgan Frost scored twice and Felix Sandstrom made 23 saves for the Flyers, who had their seven-game point streak snapped. Avalanche 5, Stars 2Nathan MacKinnon had two goals, Mikko Rantanen had a goal and three assists, and host Colorado beat Dallas. Ben Hutton, Zach Whitecloud and Brett Howden also notched goals for Vegas, which is 5-1-1 in its past seven games. J.J. Moser and Milos Kelemen scored for the Coyotes (27-37-13, 67 points), who have dropped seven straight games (0-5-2).

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