DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ North Korea condemns US plan to send cluster munitions to Ukraine as 'criminal'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, July 11 (Reuters) - North Korea on Tuesday condemned U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine as a "criminal act" and demanded an immediate withdrawal of the plan. Reclusive North Korea has forged closer ties with the Kremlin and backed Moscow after it invaded Ukraine in February last year. The United States announced last week it would send Ukraine the weapons controversial for the danger they pose to civilians long after fighting ends as part of an $800 million security package. Many U.S. allies and partners helping aid Ukraine are among the 111 state parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits all use, stockpiling, production and transfer of cluster munitions and came into force in 2010. North Korea is not a party to the convention.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Biden, Choe Son Hui, Choe, Jack Kim, Ed Osmond, Nick Macfie Organizations: Korean Foreign, DPRK, Democratic People's, Kremlin, United States, U.S, Cluster Munitions, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, Ukraine, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Moscow, Russia, United States, U.S

☆ Ukraine war live updates: NATO leaders meet as Turkey approves Sweden bid; Kyiv comes back under attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

"In terms of Ukraine itself, President Biden, the Germans, and others, the French, are not willing to give Ukraine membership right now," Ariel Cohen, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center, told CNBC. "President Biden said after the war is over Ukraine will get the membership," he said. Does that commit NATO to a war against Russia to liberate the Ukrainian territory? As a result of that, NATO does not accept new member states that are currently at war or have land occupied by an adversarial power. "When we applied for membership of NATO, we spoke frankly: de facto, Ukraine is already in the alliance," he said.

Persons: Kyiv's, Biden, Ariel Cohen, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Natasha Turak Organizations: U.S, NATO, Council's Eurasia Center, CNBC Locations: Ukraine, Vilnius, Lithuania, Russia, Ukrainian, United States, France, Germany, NATO, facto, … Vilnius

☆ Ukraine vows it won't use cluster bombs in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov attends a session of the Ukrainian parliament dedicated the Constitution Day, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 28, 2023. The U.S. announced on Friday it would supply Ukraine with widely banned cluster munitions for its counteroffensive against occupying Russian forces. Cluster munitions are prohibited by more than 100 countries. "We recognize that cluster munitions create a risk of civilian harm from unexploded ordnance," Sullivan told reporters. Russia, Ukraine, and the United States have not signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the production, stockpiling, use, and transfer of the weapons.

Persons: Oleksii Reznikov, Reznikov, Maria Zakharova, Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden's, Sullivan, Margarita Robles, Rishi Sunak, Olena Harmash, Vladimir Soldatkin, Ros Russell, Mark Potter Organizations: Ukraine's Defence, Presidential Press Service, REUTERS, The U.S, Twitter, Foreign, Cluster Munitions, Spanish, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, REUTERS KYIV, Russia, The, Russian, Moscow, U.S, Washington, United States, Spain, Madrid, Britain

☆ Ukraine's attacks on Russian commanders have the US Army worried about its own 'fat and ponderous' command posts
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Ukraine's military has been using its long-range weapons to attack Russian command posts. A command post set up at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin in California during a training exercise. A destroyed Russian army command post pictured on March 13, 2022. One is to move command posts further from the lines and fortify them against bombardment or special-forces raids. Virtual reality would enable command posts to remain in secure locations far from the front.

Persons: —, Scott Woodward, James Geelen, Michael Peck Organizations: Army, Service, Command, US Army, National Training Center, Fort, GPS, CPs, Arms Army, Milford Beagle, US, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, Ukrainian Armed Forces, US Army CPs, Colorado . US Army, James Geelen Command, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Fort Irwin, California, Chornobaivka, Ukrainian, Kherson, Gen, Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, China, Taiwan, Russia, Fort Carson, Colorado, Forbes

☆ Live updates: Russia's war in Ukraine, drones intercepted near Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Tara Subramaniam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian servicemen ride in a T-80 main battle tank captured earlier from Russian troops, along a road near the front line town of Bakhmut on June 19. Ukraine’s Western allies are getting nervous about the fact that the progress of Kyiv’s long-awaited counteroffensive is being measured in meters, rather than kilometers. Kyiv’s allies are well aware that Ukraine cannot defeat Russia without their help. Many of the countries that are supporting Ukraine’s war efforts are struggling with high inflation, rising interest rates and sluggish growth. Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley said that the pace is not surprising, given that Ukrainian soldiers were fighting “for their life.”“We are giving them as much help as humanly possible, but at the end of the day, Ukrainian soldiers are assaulting through minefields and into trenches,” he said.

Persons: Serhii, he’s, ”, Mark Milley Organizations: Radio Free, Radio Liberty, CNN, US Joint Chiefs, Staff Locations: Bakhmut, Radio Free Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Washington

☆ Ukraine's counteroffensive: Why progress has been slow
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine’s Western allies are getting nervous about the fact that the progress of Kyiv’s long-awaited counteroffensive is being measured in meters, rather than kilometers. But the slower than expected pace of the counteroffensive means their support could become increasingly unsustainable if the conflict drags on. Many of the countries that are supporting Ukraine’s war efforts are struggling with high inflation, rising interest rates and sluggish growth. Multiple Ukrainian and Western officials have admitted that the counteroffensive has so far failed to yield major advances – but most were quick to add that the slow progress was justified. The front lines in southern and eastern Ukraine have not moved much over the past months, giving Russian troops plenty of time to dig in and prepare for a counteroffensive.

Persons: he’s, ”, Mark Milley, ” Milley, Milley, “, Legion, Defense Hanna Maliar, ISW, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Zelensky Organizations: CNN, US Joint Chiefs, Staff, National Press Club, Ukraine’s, Brigade, Defense Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Washington, Bakhmut

☆ After Wagner's mutiny, Russia's military is now fighting with war bloggers because they won't celebrate its few wins the way they want
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russia's claims of a small battlefield victory have drawn criticism from military bloggers. The milbloggers won't celebrate with Moscow, causing the defense ministry to clash with the writers. Russian military bloggers, or milbloggers, have disputed some of the defense ministry's claims, according to a Sunday assessment by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank. The milbloggers, said Ukrainian forces had managed to establish positions and that fighting was ongoing. Ukrainian forces, meanwhile, continue to make use of their huge inventory of heavy Western armor — including advanced tanks and infantry fighting vehicles from the US and its NATO allies — to liberate territory in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Persons: Russia's, Putin, —, Wagner Group's, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Sergei Shoigu, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Pat Ryder, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Institute for, Russian MoD, Russia's Defence Ministry, Military District, Russian Defence Ministry, REUTERS Wagner Group, Kremlin, Pentagon Press, Air Force, NATO, The General Staff of, Armed Forces, Facebook, Twitter Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Dnipro, Kherson, Russian, Washington, Russia, Rostov, Belarus, Ukrainian, —

Odesa, Ukraine CNN —Vladimir Putin’s response to the armed Wagner rebellion was “weak” and the Russian President is losing control of his own people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN in an exclusive interview. It’s weak,” Zelensky told CNN’s Erin Burnett in Odesa, in an interview taped on Sunday. Zelensky told CNN he was “surprised” to see his meeting with Burns reported in the media. Speaking at a news conference in Kyiv Saturday, Zelensky said Prigozhin’s rebellion had “greatly affected Russian power on the battlefield” and could be beneficial to Ukraine’s counteroffensive. Asked whether there was any scenario under which there could be peace without Crimea, Zelensky said: “It will not be victory then.”

Persons: Erin Burnett’s, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine CNN — Vladimir Putin’s, Wagner, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ” Zelensky, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Prigozhin, ’, Zelensky, Prigozhin’s, Bill Burns, ”, Burns, “, ” Burns, Burnett Organizations: Ukraine CNN —, CNN, US Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, Kyiv Locations: Odesa, Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Moscow, Russia, Rostov, Kyiv, Crimea

☆ Ukraine reclaimed an occupied village during its counteroffensive with far fewer troops than Russia, The New York Times reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

NYT reported that one village, Neskuchne, was liberated with roughly 70 Ukrainian troops. According to the Times, Russia also has a contingent of troops known as the Storm Z unit that consists of former inmates. Ukrainian soldiers told the newspaper that reclaiming the village was a slow and painstaking process. According to the Times, Ukrainian soldiers first moved in on Neskuchne by foot before carrying out an artillery attack with small drones. More than a dozen Russian soldiers were killed and wounded, and six Ukrainian soldiers died, according to the report.

Persons: —, Mark Milley, Russia's, Hanna Malyar Organizations: Service, Ukraine, New York Times, US, Chiefs, Staff, 129th Territorial Defense Brigade, Motorized Rifle Brigade, Times, Storm, 129th, Institute for Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Neskuchne, Donetsk, Moscow, Russian

☆ Opinion | The Supreme Court Turns ‘Equal Protection’ Upside Down
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The bureau was an obvious and essential measure to remedy at least some of the harm that slavery inflicted on Black Americans. The focus on diversity was an orchestrated compromise meant to win over the court’s key swing justice, Lewis Powell. By limiting it to a hard-to-define concept like diversity, the court opened the door to endless challenges. Why only racial diversity and not religious or political diversity? The word is not a “trendy slogan,” as Justice Jackson wrote in her dissent.

Persons: it’s, Sotomayor, Lyndon Johnson, Allan Bakke, Davis, Bakke, Lewis Powell, Jackson, ” Organizations: Americans, Howard University, University of California Locations: Freedmen’s, American

☆ Opinion | The 50-Year Fight to Dismantle Affirmative Action
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Jerome Karabel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In a historic commencement address at Howard University on June 4, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson laid out the intellectual and moral basis for affirmative action. Affirmative action offered a way to take into account far-reaching differences in personal circumstances and to begin to right a historic wrong. After a brief honeymoon of public support, affirmative action was met with a powerful backlash, and the policy has been under attack ever since. The intensity and duration of the attack is sad confirmation that many Americans remain unwilling to reckon with the barbarity of our racial history. In response to Reconstruction, Southern white people developed an entirely new and mythical history of slavery, the Civil War and ultimately Reconstruction.

Persons: Lyndon Johnson Organizations: Howard University, Civil, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Black, School of Medicine, of California Locations: Southern

☆ Taco John’s responds to Taco Bell’s Taco Tuesday lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —The fight for the “Taco Tuesday” trademark is getting spicy. Taco John’s, a regional chain, has responded to Taco Bell’s effort to liberate the phrase so that anyone can use it. In a filing Friday, responding to Taco Bell’s petition to “cancel” the trademark, Taco John’s parent company Spicy Seasonings denied there is “anything ‘not cool’ about” obtaining a trademark for the phrase. Gerben expects that Taco John’s and Gregory Hotel will likely conduct their own investigation as to whether or not Taco Bell has been “attempting to assist other restaurants or celebrities to use Taco Tuesday in an attempt to invalidate their trademark rights,” perhaps with a similar customer survey. “This is not going to be something where Taco Bell is going to be able to declare victory anytime soon,” he said.

Persons: Taco, ”, Taco Bell, Taco John’s, “, infringers, Josh Gerben, Taco Bell “, John’s, Gregory, Gerben Organizations: New, New York CNN, US, Taco John’s, Taco, Taco Bell, infringers, CNN Locations: New York, John’s, Wyoming, New Jersey

☆ After jobs warning, Germany's Axel Springer says AI can liberate journalists
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"For newsrooms, AI opens up new paths and freedoms. While Springer did not comment on the number of jobs at risk, company sources told Reuters a low three-digit number of employees would ultimately have to leave. Fadlallah said his focus was on regulatory challenges and the opportunities the technology opens up for consumers. Axel Springer is active in more than 40 countries and employs more than 18,000 people worldwide. Alongside its German titles, the firm owns English-language news website Politico, U.S. media company Insider and classified portals StepStone and AVIV.

Persons: Axel Springer, Samir Fadlallah, Springer, Fadlallah, Klaus Lauer, Anna Mackenzie Organizations: Reuters, Bild, Politico, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Berlin, AVIV

☆ A retired US general says Ukraine could recapture Crimea before the summer's out, but only if the US gives it the ammunition it needs
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges told Newsweek that Ukraine could retake Crimea before the summer ends. Hodges believes recapturing Crimea would be essential for Ukraine to rebuild its economy. "My principal caveat still remains that if the United States were to provide what Ukraine needs, then Ukraine could actually still liberate Crimea by the end of this summer," retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges told Newsweek on Wednesday. The Biden administration has held back from sending long-range weapons to Ukraine that have the capacity to strike targets in Russia. US officials told Ukraine in February that they weren't able to send over the ATACMS due to insufficient supply, per Politico.

Persons: Ben Hodges, Hodges, —, Pat Ryder, Biden, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Newsweek, Service, US Army, State Department, Pentagon, Tactical Missiles Systems, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Crimea, United States, Russia, Sevastopol, Saki, Russian, St . Petersburg, Belarus, Poland, Russians, Mykolaiv, Europe

☆ The destruction of a major dam near Kherson could be a game-changer for Ukraine's special operators
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But the flooding altered nearby shorelines and waterways, which may end up aiding Ukrainian forces. "While Russia may now see the terrain south of Kherson as safe, Ukrainian special operators should see opportunity. Alex Babenko/Getty ImagesNew and larger waterways will make it easier for Ukrainian special operators to move men and equipment around by boat. Ukraine's commandos and amphibious operationsThe collapsed Antonovskiy Bridge over Dnieper River in Kherson City, seen after Russian troops withdrew in November. They could also be used to distract Russian forces by launching diversionary raids elsewhere on the battlefield.

Persons: —, Maxym, Timothy Heck, Zachary Griffiths, Alex Babenko, Heck, Griffiths, GENYA SAVILOV, Narciso Contreras, Boyd Belcher, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: Service, Getty, Ukraine, Modern, Institute, Ukraine's 73rd Naval Center of Special, Navy, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images, NATO, White, US Defense Department, Tech, Bradley, Leopard, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins, School, International Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Soviet, Russian, Kherson, Ukrainian, Kherson oblast, West, Crimea, AFP, Donbas, Kherson City, Germany's, Johns

☆ Ukraine Recovery Conferece: War-torn economy needs private investors to rebuild
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine faces an enormous fundraising challenge, and it’s one that governments and development finance institutions won’t be able to meet without help from private investors. The Ukraine Development Fund is still in the planning stages and is not expected to launch until the conflict ends. But it faces a crucial test Wednesday, when it will canvas support from governments and investors attending the London conference. Attracting private investmentThe Ukraine Development Fund aims to raise so-called concessionary capital from governments and development finance institutions, and then use that to attract private investment. Sunak also unveiled a “war-risk insurance” framework Wednesday, backed by Group of Seven countries, which will help limit potential losses faced by private investors in Ukraine.

Persons: London CNN —, Rishi Sunak’s, Antony Blinken, Sergei Chuzavkov, Volodymyr Zelensky, Stefan Weiler, JPMorgan’s, Weiler, It’s, ”, Brandon Hall, ” Hall, Yan Dobronosov, ” Zelensky, Sunak, ” Sunak, Lenna Koszarny, — Jo Shelley Organizations: London CNN, Conference, Citi, Sanofi, Philips, Bank, World Bank, BlackRock, JPMorgan, Ukraine Development Fund, CNN, Fund, London, BlackRock’s, Group of, Private, Horizon Locations: Russia, Ukraine, London, United States, Russian, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Europe, East, Africa, Kupiansk

☆ Ukraine's 'Iron General' was spotted on video rocking an unusual Baby Yoda patch, and it's not immediately clear why
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine's military shared a video this week of Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi engaged in war efforts. A mysterious Baby Yoda patch could be spotted on his uniform, and its not exactly clear why. Ukraine's General Staff of the Armed Forces published a video on Monday showing Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, sporting a Baby Yoda patch in the center of his uniform as he discusses details on the war with other top officials. The new video includes scenes of Zaluzhnyi hovering over blurred-out information and walking alongside individuals whose faces have been censored. "Retweet if spotted Mr. Baby Yoda."

Persons: Valerii Zaluzhnyi, —, Serhiy Shaptala, Zaluzhnyi, Baby Yoda, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Ukraine's, Staff of, Armed Forces, Armed Forces of, Twitter, Ukraine's General Staff, Ukraine's Armed Forces, Kyiv's, Staff, Facebook Locations: Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ukraine, Moscow, Kherson

☆ Who is winning the war in Ukraine? Experts break down the territorial, psychological, and military gains made by Putin and Zelenskyy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Insider spoke to four experts about who they think is currently winning the war in Ukraine. But two experts told Insider this appears to be unattainable. "So territory-wise, I don't think Zelenskyy has budged on his objective of liberating all of the occupied territories," Miron told Insider. Photo by Getty ImagesMilitary victoryIt is difficult to analyze who is currently winning from a military standpoint because a lot of hinges on Ukraine's counteroffensive, all experts told Insider. John E. Herbst, who was the US ambassador to Ukraine from 2003 to 2006, told Insider that he believes that right now, the advantage lies with Ukraine.

Persons: —, Ukraine —, Vladimir Putin, Marina Miron, Volodymyr Zelenskyy's, Miron, David Lewis, Yasuyoshi Chiba, University of Birmingham's Jaroslava Barbieri, " Barbieri, Lewis, John E . Herbst, Bakhmut, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Barbieri, Herbst, Putin Organizations: Service, Department of, King's College London, Institute for, Royal United Services Institute, Getty, Kyiv, University of Birmingham's, Getty Images, Washington Post, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Crimea, Sloviansk, AFP, Ukrainian, Irpin, Bakhmut

☆ A psychologist says she broke down in tears when she learned the horrors that 2 castrated Ukrainian soldiers endured, says report
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Ukrainian psychologist described the horrors two soldiers went through in a new report by The Times. Anzhelika Yatsenko cried when she learned the young men were castrated while prisoners of Russia. It was "the first time I behaved not like a professional psychologist," she told The Times. The soldiers struggled to tell their psychologist, who specializes in troubled young men, what happened to them. While sexual violence against women and girls is widely covered in the context of war, sexual violence against men is less well-documented.

Persons: Anzhelika Yatsenko, —, Christina Lamb, Yatsenko, I'd Organizations: The Times, Times, Service, Sunday Times, UN Locations: Ukrainian, Russia, Ukraine, Poltava, Russian

☆ Ukraine's counteroffensive has been underwhelming so far — but it's low key for a reason
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Anatolii Stepanov | Afp | Getty ImagesWhen Ukraine's counteroffensive started last week there was no fanfare or official announcement, but that wasn't entirely unexpected. "We are trying to find the weakest places in the Russian defense line. Nonetheless, Ukraine's deputy defense minister conceded Wednesday that the fighting was "extremely fierce" and that the counteroffensive had only had "partial success" so far. CNBC contacted Ukraine's defense ministry for further comment and is awaiting a response. "We will see the main punches of Ukrainian forces in the nearest future.

Persons: Anatolii Stepanov, Nick Reynolds, Andrius, Oleksandr Musiyenko, Musiyenko, Matthew Miller, RUSI's Reynolds, they've, it's Organizations: Afp, Getty, Kyiv, CNBC, Defense, Centre for Military, Legal Studies, Velyka Novosilka, Ukrainian, Anadolu Agency, NATO, . State Locations: Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Russian, Kharkiv, Kherson, London, Russia, Central, Eastern Europe, Kyiv, Velyka, Donetsk, Bakhmut, Crimea, Donbas, Moscow

☆ Opinion: In Ukraine, the Russian military response to the counteroffensive shows how it’s improved – and how it hasn’t
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Opinion Sébastien Roblin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The beginning of the much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia seems not to have been a resounding success for Kyiv. But they don’t mean that all is lost for Ukraine – or even that Ukraine is now losing. Russia’s artillery ammunition, missile stockpiles and most-modern ground combat vehicles were gravely depleted, so 60-year-old tanks have been withdrawn from storage. It was while attempting to breach a path through one such fortified minefield that the 47th Brigade’s vehicles bogged down last week. Notably, a parallel drive toward Mariupol at the same time as the 47th’s failed attack last week has made fast gains, compelling Russian forces to withdraw from several settlements.

Persons: Sébastien Roblin, Bradley, ” Sebastien Roblin, Sebastien Roblin, Putin, Biden, —, Jens Stoltenberg, ” Organizations: Popular Mechanics, NBC, Forbes.com, Georgetown University, Peace Corps, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine’s 47th Brigade, Ukraine, Red Army, 47th Brigade, NATO, Twitter, Facebook Locations: China, Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Kursk, Kherson, Normandy, Berdyansk, Crimea

☆ Russia tries to signal normalcy as Ukraine forces advance
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Vitalii Hnidyi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

But corpses of Russian soldiers and burnt-out armoured vehicles lining the roadside in villages newly recaptured by Ukrainian troops attested to Kyiv's biggest advances since last year. Several bodies of Russian soldiers lay in the streets of ruined and depopulated villages. Ukrainian troops in Storozheve told Reuters they had killed around 50 Russians and captured four there. Kyiv says any elections staged by Russians on Ukrainian territory would be invalid and illegal. Ukrainian troops have yet to reach the heaviest Russian defensive fortifications, which are set back from the front line.

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak, Moscow's, Oleksii Hromov, Vladimir Putin, Ella Pamfilova, Lloyd Austin, Austin, Vitalii, Pavel Polityuk, Peter Graff, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Ukrainian, Troops, TASS, Defence Ministry, Federal Security Service, U.S . Defense, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Storozheve, Donetsk region, UKRAINE, Russia, Ukrainian, Neskuchne, Moscow, Mala Tokmachka, Bakhmut, Europe, Kyiv, Brussels, U.S, Washington

☆ Hong Kong protest anthem vanishes from online music platforms after government seeks full ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The ballad contains lyrics that reference the phrase “liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” a protest slogan that has been already outlawed in 2020 for what the government and courts have declared are the phrase’s secessionist and subversive connotations. Users in the US cannot purchase the song on Apple Music either, although it also still yields search results on the platform. Following its 1997 handover to China, Hong Kong was promised key freedoms and autonomy to run its own affairs. The head of Amnesty International’s China team, Sarah Brooks, described the government’s move to outlaw the song as “absurd.”“The Hong Kong government must end its increasingly fervent crackdown on freedom of expression. Playing the song in public in Hong Kong is now fraught with legal risk.

Persons: Hong Kong ”, ”, “ ThomasDGX, Hong Kong, Hong Kong’s, John Lee –, –, Sarah Brooks, ” Brooks, Hong Kongers, Carl Court, Queen Elizabeth II Organizations: CNN, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Google, Department of Justice, RTHK, Amnesty, “, Volunteers Locations: Hong Kong, United States, South Korea, Australia, Taiwan, China, Hong, Beijing

☆ Ukraine says it has retaken 100 square kilometres of land in counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, June 15 (Reuters) - Ukraine has regained control of over 100 square kilometres, or 38 square miles, of territory in its counteroffensive against Russian forces, a senior Ukrainian military commander said on Thursday. "We are ready to continue fighting to liberate our territory even with our bare hands," Brigadier-General Oleksii Hromov told a media briefing. Russia, which began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has not officially acknowledged the Ukrainian advances. Each side says the other has suffered heavy losses since the counteroffensive started, and Moscow and Kyiv rarely comment on their own losses. Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, Writing by Anna Pruchnicka, Editing by Timothy HeritageOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Oleksii Hromov, Pavel Polityuk, Anna Pruchnicka, Timothy Organizations: Russian, Reuters, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mala Tokmachka, Velyka, Russia, Moscow, Kyiv

☆ Exclusive: African leaders to propose 'confidence building measures' to Russia, Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Summary African leaders travel to Ukraine and Russia Friday and SaturdayAiming to begin "diplomacy-led" process to resolve conflictAfrica hit hard by economic fallout of warJOHANNESBURG, June 15 (Reuters) - African leaders could propose a series of "confidence building measures" during their initial efforts to mediate in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, according to a draft framework document seen by Reuters on Thursday. "The conflict, as well as the sanctions placed on Russia by major trading partners of the (African) Continent, have had an adverse effect on African economies and livelihoods," it said. The document lists a number of measures that could be proposed by the African leaders as part of the first stage of their engagement with the warring parties. The African peace effort is just one of several competing initiatives aimed at ending the fighting. Among the measures that could be proposed by the African leaders in the first stage of their engagement was an "unconditional grain and fertiliser deal".

Persons: Macky Sall, Cyril Ramaphosa, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Antonio Guterres, Ramaphosa, It's, Guterres, Zelenskiy, Michelle Nichols, Tom Balmforth, Joe Bavier, Olivia Kumwenda, Mark Potter, Nick Macfie Organizations: Reuters, Ukrainian, Global, NATO, United, Johannesburg, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Africa, JOHANNESBURG, Senegal, Zambia, Comoros, Kyiv, St, Petersburg, Russian, Belarus, China, Moscow, United Nations, Turkey

Search resuls for: "liberate"

25 mentions found