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☆ Zelenskyy said he thinks Ukraine can defeat Russia by next July. His own officials are significantly less optimistic.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Zelenskyy told reporters Wednesday that he thinks Ukraine can defeat Russia within one year. Few experts predict that Ukraine can achieve victory over Russia quickly, if at all. NATO said in 2008 that Ukraine could join at a future date, but declined its September 2022 request for "fast-track" membership. Earlier in the summit Zelenskyy decried the lack of a defined timeline as "unprecedented and absurd." Experts previously told Insider that negotiations between Russia and Ukraine that could end the war remain a distant prospect.

Persons: Zelenskyy, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mykhailo Podolyak, Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba, Kuleba, Valery Zaluzhny, Zaluzhny, John E . Herbst, Putin Organizations: Service, NATO, Presidential, Foreign Affairs, Radio Free, Washington Post Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Europe, Washington , DC, Washington, Ukrainian, NATO

☆ The anti-Putin Freedom of Russia Legion says it has 'ambitious plans' for more cross-border raids into Russia, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Freedom of Russia Legion comprises defectors from the Russian army and other volunteers. The anti-Putin group launched two cross-border raids into the Belgorod region in May and June. Its commander told The Observer it's planning more attacks, bolstered by the dissolution of Wagner. "There will be a further surprise in the next month or so," the Freedom of Russia Legion's spokesperson and commander, Caesar, told the newspaper. The Freedom of Russia Legion is based in Ukraine and comprises a few hundred soldiers, who are defectors from the Russian army and other volunteers fighting against their homeland.

Persons: Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Caesar, Caesar —, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: Russia Legion, Putin, Observer, Service, Legion, Guardian, Russian, Wagner Group Locations: Belgorod, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Ukraine, Shebekino, Al Jazeera, Moscow

☆ India downplays SCO Summit but Putin and Xi may not be complaining
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Hong Kong CNN —Last year, the world watched closely as China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi of India and other world leaders within a Moscow-friendly group gathered in the Uzbek city of Samarkand for a high-profile, two-day summit. World leaders pose for a photo during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on September 16, 2022. It remains unknown how tight a grip Putin now has on power in Moscow, and although he attended last year’s SCO summit, he has rarely left Russia since his invasion of Ukraine. Face-to-face meetings, however, can also provide opportunity for world leaders to talk out sensitive issues or push on points of contention that may be handled less delicately in a virtual setting. Given their respective ties with Moscow, both China and India have received pressure from the West to limit their relations or even push Putin toward peace.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Xi, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi, Putin –, Putin, Modi –, –, Modi, ”, Manoj Joshi, India didn’t, Murat Kula, what’s, Wagner, Steve Tsang, It’s, “, Moritz Rudolf, Paul Tsai, Tsang, Putin “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, SCO, “, Observer Research, Anadolu Agency, Getty, SOAS China Institute, University of London, Moscow, Paul Tsai China Center of, Yale Law School, Central, Soviet, Ukraine Locations: Hong Kong, India, Moscow, Uzbek, Samarkand, Ukraine, Eurasia, Russia, China, New Delhi, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, –, Iran, Washington, ”, Europe, Beijing, Belarus, Central Asia, Soviet Union

☆ OAS to resend observer mission to Guatemala after court orders election review
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

GUATEMALA CITY, July 3 (Reuters) - The Organization of American States (OAS) said on Monday it will send its election observer mission back to Guatemala after the country's constitutional court called for a review of the election's first round. Some analysts expect Arevalo to win the run-off due to Torres' unpopularity in the voter-dense capital, Guatemala City. "Given the recent resolution of the Constitutional Court... the mission has decided to deploy again in Guatemala," OAS said in a statement. It added the observer mission will be present during the review process and "will continue to gather relevant information" ahead of the run-off. "The mission considers it of vital importance that the will of the people as expressed at the ballot box be respected," the OAS added.

Persons: Sandra Torres, Bernardo Arevalo, Arevalo, Torres, Antony Blinken, Carolina Pulice, Sofia Menchu, Stephen Eisenhammer, David Gregorio Our Organizations: GUATEMALA CITY, of American States, Constitutional, Sunday, Thomson Locations: GUATEMALA, Guatemala, Guatemala City, United States

☆ Fact Check-The Guardian did not publish op-ed criticising British ex-politician's award
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Guardian newspaper did not publish an opinion column that suggested an award won by British broadcaster and former politician Nigel Farage was because of Russian money, as is claimed in a fabricated screenshot circulating online. Examples of the fabricated screenshot circulating on Facebook can be found here, here and here. But no such headline was published by The Guardian, said Cadwalladr in a written response to Reuters. A spokesperson for the media group in an email also said the newspaper did not publish the headline. A Google search did not show the fabricated headline (archive.md/xue2h).

Persons: Nigel Farage, Carole Cadwalladr, Read Organizations: Guardian, Facebook, Observer, The Guardian, Reuters Locations: British

☆ Opinion | The American Empire in the Fog of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In a critique of the political thinker James Burnham, penned in the wake of World War II, George Orwell wrote:Power worship blurs political judgment because it leads, almost unavoidably, to the belief that present trends will continue. Whoever is winning at the moment will always seem to be invincible. But a war that seems stalemated, that grinds without dramatic shifts, poses a somewhat different challenge to political judgment; the observer is always tempted to discern a certain trend, a sweeping historical judgment, amid a state of ebb and flow and wartime fog. The war in Ukraine is a case study, yielding very different big-picture arguments based on developments from month to month and even week to week. The same pattern applies to analysis of how the war fits in the global power picture.

Persons: James Burnham, George Orwell, Orwell, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Samuel Huntington’s, Francis Fukuyama’s Locations: South Asia, Asia, Tobruk, Cairo, Berlin, London, Ukraine

☆ Angered by counteroffensive complaints, Ukraine's top general says the expected mission is 'not feasible at all' with just the weapons his army has now
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Kyiv's top general, doesn't want to hear complaints that it's moving too slow. The pace is grinding in some sectors of the front, but Kyiv's top general says he doesn't want to hear complaints it's going too slow. Kyiv's military is currently undergoing several offensive maneuvers along the front lines in the eastern and southern regions and has made small — but, at times, costly — territorial gains in the process. Armed with the right missiles, these aircraft could help support Ukraine's air defenses and inflict damage on Russian positions at range. "So we just need to continue to support Ukraine and ensure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign independent nation in Europe."

Persons: Valerii, —, it's, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Zaluzhnyi, Sasha Maslov, Ukraine doesn't, Neskucne, Ercin Erturk, Biden, Pat Ryder, Mark Milley, there's, GENYA SAVILOV, wishlist, Jens Stoltenberg, We'll, Stoltenberg Organizations: Washington Post, Service, Ukraine, Ukraine's Armed Forces, Ukrainian Air Assault Forces, Washington, Getty, NATO, Ukraine's, Pentagon, Russia, Ukrainian Army, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images, Army Tactical Missile, Artillery, Street, Pentagon Press, Air Force, Joint Chiefs, Staff Locations: Ukraine, Russian, British, Russia, Storojove, Donetsk, ATACMS, Ukrainian, Avdiivka, AFP, Denmark, Netherlands, Europe, Lithuania

CNN —Sierra Leone’s President Maada Bio has been reelected for a second term in office, the country’s electoral commission announced Tuesday. Bio’s Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) won nearly 1.6 million votes – 56.1% of the total ballots – to defeat his closest opponent, Samura Kamara of the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party, who won a 41% share of the vote. Bio took an early lead on Monday, according to provisional results released by the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL). But the tallying of votes was fraught with controversies with international observers expressing concern about the integrity of the process. The APC party has yet to react to the final declared results.

Persons: Maada, Bio’s Sierra, Samura Kamara, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Sierra, Bio’s Sierra Leone People’s Party, People’s Congress, Electoral, Sierra Leone, “ Carter Center, APC

☆ Len Deighton Collects Outdated Travel Guides
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

You read the ones at the top and you never get to the bottom ones. I recently reprised the Cookstrips for a few years in The Observer Food Monthly with my son Alex. Are there any classic novels that you only recently read for the first time? When I started writing in 1960 and wrote “The Ipcress File,” I stopped reading fiction to develop my own voice. So now I almost never read fiction.

Persons: Illustrators ”, Eric Newby, Collins, Eric, Alex, I’m, Newby, ”, “ Organizations: Illustrators, Penguin Collectors Society, Royal College of Art, The Observer, Observer Locations: New York, London

☆ Fact Check-Did Biden break Flag Code during White House Pride event? Experts weigh in
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A Reuters photo of the flag display with the Progress Pride flag hanging between two U.S. flags can be seen (here). The Progress Pride flag is a reimagined version of the traditional Pride Flag, with added stripes (white, pink, light blue, black and brown) to represent the Trans community as well as minority or marginalized communities (here), (here). Other critics were less specific, saying the Progress Pride flag was displayed as more prominent overall. Consulted by Reuters Fact Check, vexillologists (flag experts) offered different perspectives on whether the White House display was a violation of the Flag Code. The U.S. flag on top of the White House can be seen in photos from the Pride celebration (here), (here), (here).

Persons: Joe Biden, Charles Spain, observer’s, Peter Keim, ”, Keim, “, Scot Guenter, Guenter, Read Organizations: White, Congressional Research Service, Reuters, Flag Research Center, U.S, ”, FRC, Facebook, Flag Foundation, San Jose State University, American Vexillological Association, NAVA, “, U.S . Locations: U.S, ” Spain, ”, American

☆ Joseph Fiennes says he rejected a Hollywood career due to bullying tactics by Harvey Weinstein
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Joseph Fiennes said he turned down a five-part Hollywood movie deal in his early career. He told The Observer that decision was due to bullying by Harvey Weinstein. Fiennes told the newspaper: "I'm not beholden to that. Joseph Fiennes said he turned down a big Hollywood deal early in his career due to bullying tactics by the now-disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein. "It was a bullying tactic that didn't sit well," Fiennes told The Observer in an interview.

Persons: Joseph Fiennes, Harvey Weinstein, Fiennes, I'm, Observer Weinstein, Mirimax, Elizabeth, Weinstein, Ralph Fiennes, Luther Organizations: Observer, Waterford Locations: Love

CNN —A statue of an antisemitic politician who is said to have inspired Adolf Hitler is to be tilted 3.5 degrees to the right. In 2012, a section of the Ringstrasse, the city’s central boulevard, that had borne Lueger’s name since 1934, was renamed Universitätsring. Debate over the future of the statue, which was erected in 1926, has been raging for years. The future of the statue, which has been repeatedly defaced, has been hotly debated in Vienna. He was therefore one of Hitler’s teachers,” Ariel Muzicant, president of the European Jewish Congress and former president of the Jewish Community of Vienna, told CNN in an email.

Persons: Adolf Hitler, Karl Lueger, Karl Lueger Platz, Austrian Hitler, Mein, ”, Lueger, Klemens Wihlidal, JOE KLAMAR, Wihlidal, ” Ariel Muzicant, ” Oskar Deutsch, —, “ Organizations: CNN, Getty, Public Art, European Jewish Congress, Jewish, of, antisemites Locations: Vienna, Austrian, Lueger, Viennese, AFP, of Vienna, Austria

☆ Just what is phygital art, and why is Dubai going big on it?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Mark Tutton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —“Phygital art” may not be the most elegant phrase in the English language, but it is generating a buzz in certain circles. The Art Dubai international fair has a digital component exploring new media and technology trends, including phygital works. Separately, Christie's hosted its Art + Tech Summit at Art Dubai this year. Pablo del Val: Phygital works of art can also be NFTs, but a phygital work of art doesn’t necessarily need to be an NFT. Cedric Ribeiro/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images for Art DubaiWhy is phygital art important to you?

☆ Jason Sudeikis says he changed Ted Lasso character because of Donald Trump
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Ted Lasso is a nicer character because of Donald Trump. That’s according to star and creator Jason Sudeikis, who plays the loveable, folksy coach on the Apple TV+ series. Jason Sudeikis in "Ted Lasso," now streaming on Apple TV+. Sudeikis and some of the other members of the “Ted Lasso” cast recently visited President Joe Biden at the White House in March for a discussion about mental health. Not just getting to play the characters, but also, what do you want to put out there into the world?”The third season of “Ted Lasso” is currently streaming on Apple TV+.

Washington CNN —The Supreme Court agreed Monday to reconsider long held precedent and decide whether to significantly scale back on the power of federal agencies in a case that can impact everything from how the government addresses everything from climate change to public health to immigration. Conservative justices have long sought to rein in regulatory authority, arguing that Washington has too much control over American businesses and individual lives. The justices have been incrementally diminishing federal power but the new case would allow them to take a much broader stride. Clement argued that the agency exceeded its authority and needed direct and clear congressional authorization to make the demand. The regulation was put in place to combat overfishing of the fisheries off the coasts of the US.

☆ UK's Labour suspends Diane Abbott for saying Jews experience prejudice, not racism
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The equalities watchdog found in 2020 Labour had serious failings in the party’s handling of persistent antisemitism complaints. Abbott, 69, was responding to a writer's claims that Irish, Jewish and Traveller people suffered racism. This is similar to racism and the two words are often used as if they are interchangeable," she wrote. A spokesperson for Labour party said she had been suspended pending an investigation. Britain's equalities watchdog said earlier this year the Labour Party had made sufficient changes over the last two years to tackle antisemitism.

☆ India's rural women are 'bearing the brunt' of climate shocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

India's rural women are bearing the brunt of climate related shocks like severe drought and extreme weather events, Universal Images Group | Getty ImagesIndia's rural women are bearing the brunt of climate related shocks like severe drought and extreme weather events, which are drastically affecting their daily livelihoods. The climate fund will allow women and communities to fight climate change and help provide new livelihood resources and education, said Clinton. Having access to clean water makes a huge difference in tackling the overall health issues for rural women, she added. In the latest economic survey released in February, the government said rural women were increasingly participating in economic activity. Government schemes and policies have helped rural women, said Akanksha Khullar, a visiting fellow with the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.

☆ Crowd erupts in laughter at Russia's top diplomat after he claimed the Ukraine war 'was launched against us'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A crowd laughed at Russia's top diplomat who said the Ukraine war "was launched against us." He was answering a question about Russia's energy strategy moving forward. One audience member asked Lavrov, "How the war has affected Russia's strategy on energy, and will it mark a privilege toward Asia? "You know, the war, which we are trying to stop, which was launched against us, using the..." Lavrov began, before being cut off by loud laughter from the crowd. He went on to say that the war has influenced the energy policy in Russia and that they "would not rely on any partners" going forward.

☆ Six Nigerian states challenge election in Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Camillus Eboh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ABUJA, March 3 (Reuters) - Six opposition-led Nigerian states have asked the Supreme Court to throw out the result of last weekend's presidential vote, saying the electoral body broke the law and its own rules during the count, court papers showed. Six of Nigeria's 36 states - Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo and Sokoto - said in court papers dated Feb. 28 that the election commission had failed to transmit results through an electronic system meant to show transparency. They sought a court declaration that all presidential election results announced by the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) "were invalid, null and void, and of no effect whatsoever". Those materials included ballot papers and voting machines, the order from the appeals court showed. There have been numerous legal challenges to the outcome of past Nigerian presidential elections but none has succeeded.

☆ Fact Check-Disney will not replace Mickey Mouse as its official mascot, contrary to online claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Its “about us” page partly reads as follows: “Mouse Trap News is the world’s best satire site. Mouse Trap News also posted these claims on TikTok (bit.ly/3Zerios), Instagram (bit.ly/3XNpIbW), Twitter (bit.ly/3ZgkSFp) and Facebook (bit.ly/3Sm54hT). Several media outlets (here), (here), (here) have reported that Steamboat Willie, the short film that introduced Mickey Mouse in 1928, will enter the public domain in 2024. Additionally, Disney has not made a statement about replacing Mickey Mouse (thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/). Claims that Disney will replace Mickey Mouse as its official mascot stem from a satire website.

☆ Iran to shun India's Raisina Dialogue over mention of protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian will not attend the Raisina Dialogue in India, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday, criticising a video posted by the conference organisers showing protests in the Islamic Republic. "The foreign minister's attendance was on the agenda ... but we witnessed an unprofessional action by the organisers in the form of a clip," Nasser Kanaani said in a televised news conference. "Iran and India are committed to non-interference in each other's internal affairs," Kanaani said. Anti-government protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, who had been detained for flouting the hijab rules, have damaged the clerical establishment's legitimacy at home and abroad. Many Western states have imposed sanctions following a harsh state crackdown on protests.

☆ You Don’t Have to Be Complicit in Our Culture of Destruction
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( David Marchese | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

Photo illustration by Bráulio Amado Talk You Don’t Have to Be Complicit in Our Culture of Destruction“People feel a kind of longing for a belonging to the natural world,” says the author and scientist Robin Wall Kimmerer. I am deeply aware of the fact that my view of the natural world is colored by my home place. But I don’t think that’s the same as romanticizing nature. Of course the natural world is full of forces that are so-called destructive. The story that we have to illuminate is that we don’t have to be complicit with destruction.

Several Latinos whose lives and work left a profound imprint on American institutions — from arts and entertainment to legal and civil rights — passed away in 2022. Cavazos began his education in a two-room schoolhouse on the King Ranch in Texas, where his father was a foreman. President Reagan named Cavazos Secretary of Education in 1988, making him the first Hispanic ever to serve in the U.S. Together, “Luis” and Maria” showed young audiences that Latinos were people who worked, fell in love and were part of their community. Her goals were to give Latinos a presence in the dance world, and to instill pride in Hispanic culture.

☆ A Republican is seeking to throw out his daughter's absentee ballot after she voted for his Democratic opponent, a report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Baio is seeking to throw out his daughter's absentee ballot, who voted Democratic. Tom Baio, a Mendham Township committeeman, lost his re-election bid to his Democratic challenger Lauren Spirig by three votes, according to the Observer-Tribune. Baio told the paper that among those is his daughter, Ariana Baio, who he said voted for the Democratic candidate. The statement claimed that Duarte's adult daughter voted despite living in Knoxville, Tennessee. "Local and county Republican operatives are trying to pit neighbor against neighbor."

☆ Intrepid septuagenarians have cold water poured on cross-channel record
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The brave septuagenarians arrived on Sangatte beach near Calais in September having entered the water 21 miles away on England's Kent coast 18 hours earlier in pitch darkness. But their incredible achievement has not been ratified by The Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation (CSPF), because of what was described as an 'illegal changeover'. Group leader Bob Holman, 78, said he was 'totally gutted' that 'nit-picking and a pedantic attitude' by the overseeing organisation had denied them the record. Legal action is now being considered by the group whose effort raised thousands of pounds for an Alzheimer's charity. The Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation has been approached by Reuters for comment.

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