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☆ Ukraine war live updates: China's Xi leaves Moscow after mixed talks with Putin; drones target Kyiv and Crimea, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The original plan was to send Ukraine 31 of the newer M1A2 Abrams, which could have taken a year or two to build and ship. Officials said the M1A1 also will be easier for Ukrainian forces to learn to use and maintain as they fight Russia's invasion. The officials spoke on Tuesday on the condition of anonymity because the plan has not yet been publicly announced. Pentagon officials are expected to make the announcement Tuesday. The Biden administration announced in January that it would send the tanks to Ukraine — after insisting for months that they were too complicated and too hard to maintain and repair.

☆ A massive explosion in Crimea destroyed a cache of Russian cruise missiles, a key weapon in its attacks on civilian infrastructure, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine's MOD said that Russian Kalibr missiles were destroyed in a blast in Dzhankoi, Crimea. Meanwhile, Russia said it had foiled a drone attack in the area. Ukraine said that Kalibr missiles are a key weapon in Russia's attacks on its civilian infrastructure, according to the Kyiv Independent. The paper cited military officials as saying dozens of Kalibr missiles were located on ships in the Black Sea as of January. A composite image appearing to show wreckage from a claimed drone attack in Dzhankoi, Crimea, on March 20, 2023.

☆ US, China, Russia argue over North Korea at United Nations
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] People watch a TV broadcasting a news report on North Korea firing a ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast, at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, March 16, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File PhotoUNITED NATIONS, March 20 (Reuters) - The United States, China and Russia argued during a United Nations Security Council meeting on Monday over who was to blame for spurring North Korea's dozens of ballistic missile launches and development of a nuclear weapons program. North Korea has been under U.N. sanctions for its missile and nuclear programs since 2006. China and Russia blamed joint military drills by the United States and South Korea for provoking Pyongyang while Washington accuses Beijing and Moscow of emboldening North Korea by shielding it from more sanctions. Russia and China, veto powers along with the United States, Britain and France, have said more sanctions will not help and want such measures to be eased.

☆ Egypt’s Military Is Under Pressure to Loosen Its Grip on Economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Chao Deng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

CAIRO—Outside the historic Ramses Railway Station, one of Cairo’s busiest intersections, more than a dozen food stalls and convenience stores sell a variety of goods, like croissants, peanuts, fresh fruit and meat. Behind this strip of business: the Egyptian military.

☆ Israel's 'Handmaids' become a defining image of the mass protests against Netanyahu's judicial reforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Women dressed as "Handmaids" are at the forefront of mass protests against the Netanyahu government. Netanyahu's plans to lessen the power of the Israeli supreme court. The protests in Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities oppose Prime Minister Netanyahu's plans to lessen the power of the Israeli Supreme Court in favor of elected officials. Israeli protesters wearing costumes from ''The Handmaid's Tale'' particiapte in a rally against Israeli Goverment's judicial overhaul bills at Haogen Junctions on March 16, 2023. Gili Yaari/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesPeople around the world are also voicing concerns about Netanyahu's plans.

☆ North Korea launches missile ahead of South Korea-Japan summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] People watch a TV broadcasting a news report on North Korea firing a ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast, at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, March 16, 2023. North Korea has conducted multiple missile launches this week amid ongoing joint South Korea-U.S. military drills that Pyongyang condemns as hostile actions. In a statement on Thursday, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North had launched at least one unknown type of ballistic missile off its east coast. Japan's government also confirmed the launch, and Japan's coast guard estimated it would land roughly an hour after it was fired, suggesting it was a long-range weapon such as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). As part of the efforts, the two U.S. allies have agreed to share real-time tracking of North Korean missile launches, and have vowed to further deepen military cooperation.

☆ North Korea Fires Two Short-Range Ballistic Missiles
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Jiyoung Sohn | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

People at a railway station in Seoul walk past a television screen showing file footage of a North Korean missile test. SEOUL—North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles, following its playbook of using weapons tests to keep pressure on the U.S. and South Korea as the two countries conduct joint military drills. The missiles were fired around 7:40 a.m. on Tuesday from North Korea’s western coastal province of South Hwanghae and traveled about 385 miles in 10 minutes before landing in waters near the east coast, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said.

☆ London has a new airport train that's even more expensive than the Heathrow Express per mile
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Stephanie Stacey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A new rail service that connects Luton Airport to the train station 1.25 miles away is now running. It costs £4.90 to ride the Luton DART, or about £3.90 ($4.70) per mile. The DART costs more per mile than the Heathrow Express and the cost about $350 million. The Luton DART, which finally connects Luton airport, just north of London, to its railway station started running a limited service on Friday. Take a look at the Luton DART.

☆ China logs nearly 40 million entry-exit trips in two months
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Passengers wait at Fuyang West Railway Station in China on Feb. 15, 2023. China logged 39.72 million entry and exit trips between Jan. 8 to March 7, according to National Immigration Administration data, showing the revival in travel after Covid-19 restrictions were dismantled. Data showed 122,000 visas and residence permits for foreigners were issued by immigration administration agencies nationwide by March 7, up 33.1% from before the policy U-turn. During the recent Lunar New Year in late January holiday trips surged in the country. The number of people entering and leaving the country hit 1.013 million on Feb. 25, exceeding one million in a single day for the first time since 2020, said the National Immigration Administration.

☆ 'Let's bring France to a halt': Oil refineries blocked and trains halted by pension reform protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Christophe Archambault | Afp | Getty ImagesStrike action over plans to raise the pension age in France caused widespread disruption on Tuesday, as trains came to a near-standstill, many schools were shut and fuel deliveries were blocked from refineries. Lou Benoist | Afp | Getty ImagesEric Sellini, a representative from the CGT union at TotalEnergies, told Reuters that a strike blocking the Gonfreville refinery in Normandy would run until Thursday. Another at the Donges refinery in western France is set to run until Friday, he added. Sameer Al-doumy | Afp | Getty ImagesThe strikes come as French workers grapple with red-hot inflation, which accelerated unexpectedly in February to hit 6.2% year-on-year. Around two thirds of the public support protests against the pension reforms, according to an Elabe survey.

☆ Greek station master detained pending trial over train crash -lawyer
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Lawyer Stefanos Pantzartzidis, who represents the station master being investigated over the fatal collision of two trains, speaks to journalists outside the courthouse, after his client was detained pending trial, in the city of Larissa, Greece, March 5, 2023. REUTERS/Thanos FloulisATHENS, March 5 (Reuters) - The station master at Greece's Larissa railway station was detained pending trial on Sunday, his lawyer said, on charges related to the country's deadliest train crash on record. On Thursday, he said that his client had assumed responsibility "proportionate to him", but other factors were also at play, without elaborating. Greek railway unions have long complained of slipping safety standards, which place both passengers and workers at risk. Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Michele Kambas; Editing by Alexander SmithOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Putin has a secret brood of children being raised in luxury comparable to Russian tsars, report claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Putin has several young children with his rumored girlfriend, Alina Kabaeva, Proekt reported. He built a 13,000-square-foot mansion for them close to his main residence in Valdai, Proekt said. It is unclear how many children the couple share exactly, though Proekt reported they are all under the age of 18. In the summers of 2021, and 2022, a small karting track was set also up for the children, the outlet said. Putin's other childrenOver the years, Putin has fought hard to keep his children, and rumored girlfriends, from the spotlight.

☆ How Ukraine's 'lifeline' railway runs even as Russia bombs it, according to a man fighting to keep the trains on time
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Alexander Kamyshin, CEO of Ukrainian Railways, explained to Insider how the operation keeps going. "Some people say that railways is the lifeline of Ukraine," Kamyshin said in a recent interview with Insider. Kamyshin oversees Ukrainian Railways, the state-owned company that has kept Ukraine's economy and people moving through a brutal year of war. AP Photo/Leo CorreaBut even with the burdens of war, Ukrainian Railways also managed to innovate and expand during 2022. We want to keep growing, to keep constructing, and to keep doing new projects even during the war," Kamyshin said.

☆ A year into the war, Ukraine and the West prepare for the biggest reconstruction since World War II
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

People help to clean up debris at a bus station damaged after a shelling, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kherson, Ukraine February 21, 2023. Lisi Niesner | ReutersOne year since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine's economy and infrastructure are in tatters, with the government and its allies planning the largest rebuilding effort since World War II. The International Monetary Fund estimates that the Ukrainian economy contracted by 30%, a less severe decline than previously projected. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva visited Ukraine this week, meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NBU Governor Andriy Pyshnyy, among others. It is difficult to predict the size of this debt reduction as it depends on the state of the Ukrainian economy at the time the restructuring is agreed," Nasser said.

☆ Trump defends Kim Jong Un after recent missile tests, and says he has a right to feel threatened by US military drills in South Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump said North Korea's Kim Jong Un feels 'threatened' by military exercises. He went on to complain that South Korea "pays us very little to do these extremely expensive and provocative drills. A man watches a TV screen showing North Korea's missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul. The tests were a warning to South Korea and the US over extensive military exercises planned over the next few weeks, North Korea said. In response, South Korea, Japan and the US staged joint air drills featuring a strategic bomber and stealth fighters.

☆ Several of Putin's homes have been connected to railway lines with secret stations built nearby for his armored train: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Putin's main residences have been connected to a secret railway line, Proekt reported. Putin has been regularly using an armored train to travel between his homes, according to reports. The engineer also claimed to have seen Putin's special train traveling on the route on at least one occasion, per Proekt. Trainspotters have previously reported sightings of what is believed to be Putin's secret train in motion, according to images shared on a Russian train travel message board. Details of the supposed secret railway line and stations follows a report by the Dossier Center, a group that tracks the activity of Kremlin associates, which said Putin has been using a special armored train to travel between his homes since 2021.

☆ Two killed in knife attack on German train - authorities
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Forensic experts stand next to a train on which an incident involving a knife attack took place, at a railway station in Brokstedt, Germany, January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Fabian BimmerBERLIN, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Two people were killed and several others injured in a knife attack on Wednesday on a regional train travelling between Kiel and Hamburg in northern Germany, authorities said. Earlier, the Bild newspaper had said five people were injured in the attack. Police were investigating at the train station in Brokstedt, the German railway Deutsche Bahn said on Twitter, adding some services between the two cities had been cancelled. "Federal and state police are working closely together on investigating this case," state interior minister Sabine Suettelin-Waack said in a statement.

☆ Russians lay flowers at improvised memorials to commemorate Dnipro dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 20 (Reuters) - Russians in St Petersburg and Moscow have been laying flowers at improvised memorials to the victims of a Russian missile attack on a nine-storey apartment block in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. On Friday evening, dozens of bunches of flowers and several cuddly toys were arranged around the base of a monument to Ukrainian national poet Taras Shevchenko in central St Petersburg. A young man said that "one way or another, even in times like these, this shouldn't become normal". Ukraine says the building in Dnipro was hit by a Russian Kh-22 missile. Among those who paid their respects in St Petersburg were a middle-aged couple.

☆ Millions of Chinese workers on the move ahead of Friday travel peak
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Bernard Orr | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] A medical worker helps a patient receiving treatment at the emergency department of a hospital, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Shanghai, China January 17, 2023. Travellers bustled through railway stations and subways in Beijing and Shanghai, many ferrying large wheeled suitcases and boxes stuffed with food and gifts. The infection rate in the southern city of Guangzhou, capital of China's most populous province, has now passed 85%, local health officials announced on Wednesday. Clinics in rural villages and towns are now being fitted with oxygenators, and medical vehicles have also been deployed to isolated areas. Doctors in both public and private hospitals were being actively discouraged from attributing deaths to COVID, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

☆ China's Lunar New Year travel to boost economy after COVID crunch
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

While many analysts say a return to economic normality will be gradual as the impact of COVID weakens, some see the Lunar New Year as a welcome early consumption boost. But with so many people on the move, health experts fear a deepening of the COVID outbreak, leaving the elderly in rural villages particularly vulnerable. Reuters reported on Tuesday that doctors in both public and private hospitals were being actively discouraged from attributing deaths to COVID. State media reported that some 390,000 passengers were expected to travel from Shanghai train stations on Tuesday alone for what is known as the Spring Festival holiday - seen as the world's largest annual mass migration before COVID. As travellers moved through stations in Shanghai, China's largest city, some expressed optimism despite the risks.

☆ China reports 3% GDP growth for 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING — China reported GDP growth for 2022 that beat expectations. GDP grew by 3% in 2022, the National Bureau of Statistics said Tuesday. In 2021, growth had rebounded by 8.4% from just 2.2% growth in 2020. Fourth-quarter GDP rose by 2.9%, beating expectations from the Reuters' poll of 1.8% growth. In 2022, the metropolis of Shanghai locked down for about two months in an attempt to control a Covid outbreak.

☆ China's Lunar New Year travel offers spark of economic rebound from COVID crunch
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

While many analysts say a return to economic normality will be gradual as the impact of COVID weakens, some see the Lunar New Year as a welcome early consumption boost. But even as workers move out, health experts fear a broadening and deepening of its COVID outbreak, leaving the elderly in rural villages particularly vulnerable. The WHO earlier welcomed Saturday's announcement after last week warning that China was heavily under-reporting deaths from the virus. "This is especially important during periods of surges when the health system is severely constrained," the statement said on Monday. As travellers moved through stations in Shanghai, China's largest city, some expressed optimism despite the risks.

☆ Fact Check-Video shows man being hit by a live wire in India, not being electrocuted due to Bluetooth earphones
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A video shows a ticket examiner at the Kharagpur railway station in India being electrocuted when a live wire hit him on the head. The video, however, is being shared online alongside an unrelated claim that the electrocution happened due to wearing Bluetooth earphones. The video shows two men talking on a train platform when a long, thin wire comes into frame and lands on the head of the man on the left. He is electrocuted and falls back onto the tracks, while the other man and onlookers run out of frame. The incident seen in the video took place in India, where a ticket examiner was injured by a falling live wire, according to local reports.

After three years of strict and suffocating anti-virus controls, China in early December abruptly abandoned its "zero COVID" policy, letting the virus run freely through its 1.4 billion population. Several experts forecast more than one million people in China will die from the disease this year. TRAVEL RUSHBeijing's main rail station has been packed with passengers leaving the capital in recent days, according to Reuters witnesses. Meanwhile, daily arrivals in the gambling hub of Macau exceeded 55,000 on Saturday, the highest daily arrivals since the pandemic began. China's transport ministry has said it expects more than 2 billion trips in the weeks around the holidays.

☆ China, Hong Kong resume high-speed rail link after 3 years of Covid curbs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Staff members hold a sign at Guangzhou South Railway Station to celebrate the resumption of high-speed rail services on January 15, 2023 in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province of China. Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland resumed their high-speed train services starting from January 15 after a three-year suspension due to Covid-19. China resumed on Sunday high-speed rail services between Hong Kong and the mainland for the first time since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, as it dismantles travel curbs after Beijing scrapped quarantine for arrivals a week earlier. "For the past three years, due to the pandemic, it has not been easy to enter China in any way," added Mang, originally from the southern city of Guangzhou. "I have not been able to go home for a long time."

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