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☆ Colombia's Gustavo Petro finds his opening in Washington
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

So what was the most solid common ground President Biden, as host, could find for his guest? Leaders from the region tend to see the climate issue as their platform in international summits. Like many countries in Latin America, Colombia has received considerable investments from Chinese companies in recent years, mostly in the transport and mining sectors. “Petro has the aspiration of leading the new phase of Latin America’s geopolitics. And Biden can also tout a considerable concession from his meeting with Petro, who had always refused to condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine – until now.

☆ Belgorod: Bomb found in Russian city accidentally struck by own air force
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Darya Tarasova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —More than 3,000 people were evacuated on Saturday from residential buildings in the Russian city of Belgorod after a bomb was found close to the area accidentally bombed by Russia’s air force earlier this week, Russian state media reported. Explosives specialists assessed the device and said there was no danger of explosion, according to TASS. Late on Thursday, a Russian warplane dropped a bomb on Belgorod – a city of more than 400,000 people close to the border with Ukraine – leaving a large crater, blowing a car onto a roof and damaging nearby buildings. The Belgorod region has been the scene of several explosions and bombings since Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. The city was one of Russian troops’ staging areas in the run up to the invasion.

☆ Pentagon leak spotlights surprising interplay between gaming and military secrets
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The recent leak of classified US documents on social media platform Discord seemingly caught many at the Pentagon by surprise. The recent leaks on Discord exposed a shortcoming in how the US government alerts platforms that they are hosting sensitive or classified information, according to Discord’s top lawyer. The episodes point to vexing challenges for social media platforms like Discord – where 21-year Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira allegedly began posting classified information in December – and the US military, which has used Discord for recruiting. The Pentagon is trying to tap into online youth culture without it backfiring spectacularly, as it allegedly did with Teixeira. Classified or sensitive documents are also a unique problem for content moderators on social media sites.

CNN —The Air National Guardsman accused of posting a trove of classified documents to social media will be back in court Wednesday for a hearing on whether he will be kept in jail. Prosecutors are expected to argue to a judge that Teixeira should stay behind bars during the course of his legal case. According to charging documents, Teixeira began posting classified information to the Discord chatroom in December 2022, and he began uploading photos of the classified documents in January 2023. The fact that the documents sat online for months before being discovered has revived questions about how classified information is handled across the government. The Pentagon has limited access to classified materials in the wake of the leak, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has directed a 45-day review of classified intelligence handling across the Defense Department.

CNN —The person behind a massive leak of classified US military documents worked on a military base and posted sensitive national security secrets in an online group of acquaintances, The Washington Post reported Wednesday. The leaker, going by the moniker “OG,” began posting messages to the Discord chatroom last year that referenced military jargon, The Post reported. In the months that followed, the leaker posted messages in which he appeared to transcribe classified information from US documents, according to the report. “If you could think it, it was in those documents,” the friend and member of OG’s Discord group told the Post. Bellingcat, an investigative outlet, first reported on the connection between the leaked documents and the two Discord servers.

CNN —Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared Iftar with Ukrainian Muslim soldiers observing Ramadan on Friday, in what he said would become an annual “new tradition of respect.”Iftar is the meal breaking the daily fast during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Addressing participants at the dinner which included leaders of the Mejlis, the single highest executive-representative body of the Crimean Tatars, and representatives of the Muslim clergy, Zelensky thanked the Muslim community. Zelensky has repeatedly vowed to liberate Crimea, which he says remains “part of Ukrainian people and society. “Russia’s attempt to enslave Ukraine and other people of Europe began precisely from the occupation of the Ukrainian Crimea, precisely from repressions in the Crimea against Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar freedom, against Crimean Muslims,” Zelensky said. “The liberation of Crimea has no alternatives not only for Ukraine, but also for the whole world.”

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Iftar, Zelensky, “, ” Zelensky, ” Organizations: CNN Locations: Crimean Tatars, Ukraine, Crimea, Moscow, Europe, Ukrainian Crimea, Crimean, Crimean Muslims

☆ Russia can fight in Ukraine for two more years at current intensity, Lithuania says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Andrius Sytas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VILNIUS, March 9 (Reuters) - The chief of Lithuania's military intelligence said Russia has enough resources to continue the war in Ukraine for two more years at the current intensity. Moscow says it launched its "special military operation" in Ukraine a year ago to combat a security threat. "The resources which Russia has at the moment would be enough to continue the war at the present intensity for two years", Lithuania's intelligence chief Elegijus Paulavicius told reporters. Lithuania's intelligence services said sanctions had not harmed Russia's ability to fund its military as it redirects resources to them from public welfare. "This will depend greatly on the duration and the outcome of the war in Ukraine – the longer and the costlier the war, the more time it will take," the report said.

☆ Exclusive: Ukraine seeks US cluster bombs to adapt for drone use, lawmakers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Jonathan Landay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

They said Ukrainian officials urged U.S. lawmakers at last month's Munich Security Conference to press for White House approval. Ukraine hopes cluster munitions will give it an edge in the grinding fight against Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. But cluster munitions could be a step too far for the administration and some in Congress. A 2008 pact prohibiting the production, use and stockpiling of cluster munitions has been adopted by 123 countries, including most of NATO's 28 members. "And cluster munitions really are pretty lethal to mass formations as well as armor.

☆ One year of war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Moving PicturesOne year of war in UkrainePostedToday marks one year since Russia invaded Ukraine – an operation that both Moscow and military experts predicted would be over in days. But Ukrainian defenders surprised the world by unexpectedly holding out against Russia. The war in Ukraine has devastated the country one year on. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed or injured. Some 8 million Ukrainians have fled abroad for safety.

☆ Trying to bankrupt Russia could backfire
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Reuters GraphicsIn the initial aftermath of the invasion, Western allies mostly issued threats to stop buying Russian oil and gas. Russia could push up the global price by carrying out threats to reduce its oil exports. But if the global price rose enough, Russia might still earn similar amounts at lower volumes. But the global gas price would rise, and Russia could direct the liquefied natural gas it currently sells to Europe to other regions. With Kyiv benefiting from military support and the gains from tighter sanctions uncertain, trying to bankrupt Russia is not worth the risk.

☆ Former NATO commander says Putin is 'scrambling' for manpower in Ukraine and 'will take anything' at this point
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A former NATO commander said Putin is "scrambling" for manpower in Ukraine. It's a sign of how difficult this fight has become for him," the former NATO commander said. Putin in September declared a partial military mobilization as part of an effort to address Russia's manpower problems, calling up roughly 300,000 reservists. Fighters from the Wagner Group now comprise roughly 10% of Russia's ground forces in Ukraine, according to UK officials, per BBC News. Stavridis said that taking Soledar will give Russian forces a small morale boost but tactically is not a "terribly significant" development in the war.

☆ Yan Rachinsky: Russian Nobel Peace laureate slams Putin's war on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Allegra Goodwin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Russian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Yan Rachinsky blasted President Vladimir Putin’s “insane and criminal” war on Ukraine in his acceptance speech in the Norwegian capital Oslo on Saturday. Representatives of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureates collect the awards at Oslo City Hall, from left: Natalia Pinchuk, the wife of Ales Bialiatski, Yan Rachinsky, chairman of the International Memorial Board and Oleksandra Matviychuk, head of the Ukraine's Center for Civil Liberties. Markus Schreiber/APUkrainian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk called for an international tribunal to Putin and Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko to justice over “war crimes” in her acceptance speech. Human rights groups from Russia and Ukraine – Memorial and the Center for Civil Liberties – were officially awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2022 on Saturday, along with the jailed Belarusian advocate Ales Bialiatski. The new laureates were honored for “an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human right abuses and the abuse of power” in their respective countries.

On the surface, Brittney Griner and Viktor Bout are accused of ludicrously different crimes. Bout’s outsized importance to Russia has always been the bigger puzzle. I have seen videos of Bout in the Congo and across Africa, where he was pretty close to the conflicts there. There were suggestions too that he had served alongside senior Russians who are now close to President Vladimir Putin. This is a man who many ordinary Russians may have heard of, and he certainly is of mythological importance to the Russian elite.

CNN —Nearly 10 months after his invasion of Ukraine began, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday acknowledged that the conflict is “going to take a while,” as he also warned of the “increasing” threat of nuclear war. And without categorically ruling out the first use of nuclear weapons, Putin said he viewed the Russian nuclear arsenal as a deterrent rather than a provocation. “Nevertheless, we have a strategy… namely, as a defense, we consider weapons of mass destruction, nuclear weapons – it is all based around the so-called retaliatory strike,” he said. We are aware of what nuclear weapons are. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant been rocked by explosions in recent months amid fighting nearby, with Kyiv and Moscow blaming each other for the attacks.

Much of Ukraine’s resisting force has had to hunker down in muddy trenches, fighting tooth and nail to deny Russian forces a victory they desperately crave. Vasco Sousa Cotovio/CNNFamily tiesCaesar’s ideological drive is not the only reason some Russians have chosen to side with Ukrainians on the battlefield. Evidence of mass graves and civilian executions in those areas emerged following the withdrawal of Russian forces from the Kyiv region in early April. Russian soldiers fighting for Ukraine could face tougher consequences than their Ukrainian counterparts if they’re captured by the enemy. Vasco Sousa Cotovio/CNNBut pain and death are not a part of this unit’s lexicon, even as they face overwhelming odds in Bakhmut.

☆ ‘I wanted to resume my transition at all costs.’ Trans Ukrainians uprooted by war struggle to continue treatment
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

But for Eric and many other trans people, the war has also made it much more difficult to be who they are. HRT can be used by trans women, trans men and non-binary people to make their physical appearance more aligned with their gender identity. Anastasiia Yeva Domani is the co-founder of Cohort, a Ukrainian trans rights group. While trans Ukrainians still experience negative attitudes in some spaces, for example in shelters housing families, according to COHORT, the discriminatory Russian rhetoric has pushed more Ukrainians to speak up. The group launched a hotline for LGBTQ+ Ukrainians and opened an LGBTQ+ friendly shelter.

☆ African former rebels recruited as mercenaries by the Kremlin-linked Wagner Group have been abandoned in Ukraine, a report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Kremlin-linked Wagner Group recruited mercenaries from the Central African Republic to fight in Ukraine. It is active in the Central African Republic, where it works with the country's military and helps to combat rebel groups. Hundreds of rebels from the UPC surrendered last December after the CAR government and Wagner group promised incentives and further military work if they switched sides, The Daily Beast said. Those who returned to the Central African Republic have also had trouble working with the Wagner Group. The former rebels speaking to The Daily Beast also said that dozens of their colleagues have mysteriously disappeared in the Central African Republic.

☆ The Republican far-right is seeking to place new limits on aid to Ukraine after the GOP claimed a narrow House majority
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Far-right Republicans want Ukraine aid restricted, with some saying it should be cut off entirely. But one analyst told Insider that broader bipartisan support for Ukraine aid remains solid. Gunner Ramer, political director of the centrist Republican Accountability Project, told Insider that a narrow Republican majority in the House meant that lawmakers such as Greene would wield outsized influence. Ukraine aid bills have, to date, all passed with broad bipartisan backing. Ayres, meanwhile, cautioned House Republicans hostile to Ukraine aid that pressing the issue could alienate moderate voters, for whom core policy issues like crime and the economy remain key.

☆ Northern Europe has already slashed Russian oil imports by 90%, 2 weeks before the EU ban kicks in
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia's crude shipments to Northern Europe fell 92% in the four weeks to November 18, compared to February. That's a huge departure from 2021, when Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland were the top European importers of Russian oil. Even so, importers have already begun reducing their dependence on Russian energy supply — its key market Northern Europe has already slashed seaborne Russian oil imports by over 90%, according to Bloomberg analysis based on vessel tracking data. This is significant, because the Northern European nations of Germany, the Netherlands and Poland were the top European importers of Russian oil in 2021. While pipeline crude from Russia to EU is exempt from the December 5 ban, it made up just about one-third of all Russian crude oil exports to the EU last year.

☆ Analysis: In final week of COP27 climate talks, success hinges on 'loss and damage'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] People pass in front of a wall lit with the sign of COP27 as the COP27 climate summit takes place, at the Green Zone in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt November 10, 2022. Some negotiators and observers warn that failure to agree on such "loss and damage" funding could sour the U.N. talks and thwart other deals. At last year's U.N. climate summit all countries agreed to set tougher climate targets this year to keep average global temperature rises to the 1.5C limit that scientists say would avoid global warming’s worst impacts. A relaunch of U.S.-China collaboration on climate change, which China halted earlier this year, could help boost negotiations at COP27. Germany and a group of climate-vulnerable countries launched a "Global Shield" scheme on Monday to attempt to improve insurance for climate disaster-prone countries.

☆ Iran should not be allowed to play at World Cup, says former FIFA President Sepp Blatter
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Nadine Schmidt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter thinks Iran should be barred from the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, a Swiss paper and online news website quoted him as saying Friday. Swiss outlet ‘Blick’ showed a video of the former FIFA President at a talk at its publisher’s headquarters on Thursday. Meanwhile, soccer player Sardar Azmoun risks missing out on being selected for the World Cup after criticizing the government. Football and the World Cup are too big for it,” Blatter said of Qatar, the first country in the Middle East to host the tournament. The World Cup starts on November 20 with Iran starting its campaign against England on November 21.

CNN —Brittney Griner is appealing her verdict in Russian court Tuesday, nearly three months after the US basketball star was convicted of smuggling drugs into the country and sentenced to nine years in prison. Griner’s appeal will be considered in the Moscow Regional Court in a hearing at which her attorneys are expected to argue the verdict was unfair and unjustified under Russian law, they told CNN. The court hearing the appeal can choose to leave Griner’s verdict in place, overrule it and send it back to the lower court, or reduce Griner’s prison term, they said. “Brittney is very strong person and has a champion’s character,” Blagovolina and Boykov told CNN in a written statement ahead of Griner’s appeal. “However, she of course has her highs and lows as she is severely stressed being separated from her loved ones for over eight months.”“She is very nervous waiting for the appeal hearing,” they added.

☆ Pelosi reaffirms US support for Ukraine 'until victory is won' after progressive lawmakers push for talks with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued an implicit rebuke of progressive lawmakers. Pelosi reaffirmed US support for Ukraine after 30 lawmakers called for the US to hold direct talks with Russia. "Under President Biden, our support for Ukraine – and our determination to defend democracy – is here to stay until victory is won. The letter written by 30 House progressive lawmakers to President Joe Biden did not threaten future aid. "Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine," as Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said.

CNN —Tesla CEO Elon Musk has denied a claim that he spoke directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent weeks about the war in Ukraine and a proposed “peace plan” to end the conflict. Speaking to CNN on Tuesday, American political scientist Ian Bremmer, president of political consulting firm Eurasia Group, claimed Musk told him directly about his conversation with Putin last month. “Elon Musk told me he had spoken with Putin and the Kremlin directly about Ukraine. “My recommendation…would be to figure out a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is reasonably palatable, probably won’t make everyone happy,” Musk told the Financial Times in an interview published last week. “Musk also appeared concerned about more direct threats from Putin,” Bremmer wrote.

☆ Oleksandr Usyk: Boxing world champion shares images from family home in Ukrainian area previously held by Russians
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( Matt Foster | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Usyk posted photos of himself in front of the house on his verified Instagram account’s story along with a location tag for Vorzel on Tuesday. Usyk posted the photos of his house in an Instagram story. From Oleksandr Usyk/InstagramOne of Usyk's photos in his Instagram story was with his wife Yekaterina. From Oleksandr Usyk/InstagramThe photos show Usyk, 35, standing near a Ukrainian flag outside the fence of the house. When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, Usyk traveled to Ukraine and joined the territorial defense battalion.

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