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☆ Russia asks IAEA to ensure Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant security
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 23 (Reuters) - Russia urged the International Atomic Energy Agency on Friday to ensure Ukraine does not shell the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, saying it was otherwise operating safely. Alexei Likhachev, chief executive of the Russian state nuclear energy firm Rosatom, made the comments at a meeting with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi in the Russian city of Kaliningrad, Rosatom said in a statement, after Grossi visited the plant last week. "We expect concrete steps from the IAEA aimed at preventing strikes by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, both on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and on adjacent territory and critical infrastructure facilities," Rosatom quoted its chief as saying in a statement. The IAEA said this week that the power plant was "grappling with ... water-related challenges" after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam emptied the vast reservoir on whose southern bank the plant sits. Moscow and Kyiv have regularly accused each other of shelling Europe's largest nuclear power station, with its six offline reactors.

Persons: Alexei Likhachev, Rafael Grossi, Rosatom, Grossi, Kevin Liffey Organizations: International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Armed Forces of, Kyiv, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Kaliningrad, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Moscow, Kyiv

☆ 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

In a video statement, Zelenskiy said Kyiv was sharing its information with international partners about the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia plant in southern Ukraine. "Intelligence has received information that Russia is considering the scenario of a terrorist act at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant - a terrorist act with a release of radiation," he said. The Kremlin dismissed the allegation as "another lie", and said a team of U.N. nuclear inspectors had visited the plant and rated everything there highly. Zelenskiy made his statement two days after Ukraine's military intelligence chief accused Russia of "mining" the cooling pond that is used to keep the reactors cool at the Zaporizhzhia plant. In his video statement, Zelenskiy said intelligence agencies had gathered new evidence of how Russian forces blew up the dam and other structures at the hydroelectric plant.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Read, Zelenskiy, Anna Pruchnicka, Tom Balmforth, Timothy Heritage, Peter Graff Organizations: Conference, Kremlin, Kyiv, Intelligence, Thomson Locations: videolink, Ukraine, London, Britain, KYIV, Russia, Soviet Union, Chornbobyl, Dnipro

☆ Opinion | The Largest and Fastest Religious Shift in America Is Well Underway
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Jessica Grose | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Donnell McLachlan, 29, who lives in Chicago, has been sharing the story of his deconstruction on TikTok @donnellwrites, where he has nearly 250,000 followers, since 2021. He was brought up in what he describes as a small Black church on the South Side of Chicago in the Pentecostal and Apostolic traditions. “I started to notice the distance between what we professed and what we actually did,” he told me, especially when it came to women, the L.G.B.T.Q. community and Black Lives Matter. And just like language, there are many interpretations and ways to express it.

Persons: Donnell McLachlan, “, ”, McLachlan, ” McLachlan, ” Jill Fioravanti, Fioravanti “, Hillel Organizations: Southern Baptist Convention, Conservative Jewish Locations: —, Chicago, Maryland

☆ Pink Floyd, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and Me
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Charlie Savage | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +19 min

Muted tk tkLike other band members have done consistently over the years, Waters denied that Pink Floyd intentionally structured its 1973 album to align with the 1939 film. Before my article, “The Dark Side of the Rainbow” was just a word-of-mouth thing on an early internet message board. I mostly listened to alternative rock in those days, but Pink Floyd’s Usenet group had a hold on me. I shared that page on the Usenet group and added it to a Pink Floyd “Web ring” — a system in which people with related pages linked to one another. The article page was logging hundreds, then thousands, and eventually tens of thousands of visitors.

Persons: Floyd, ‘, Oz ’, ”, Roger Waters, Joe Rogan, Waters, Noam Chomsky, Rogan, Pink Floyd —, Oz, Dorothy, Clare Torry’s, “, Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons, Willie Nelson, ” Waters, ” Rogan, “ I’ve, it’s, I’m, floyd, Kurt Cobain, Toto, Marvel, grooving, Dave Gilmour, Pink, Kurt Loder, Oz ”, “ Akira ” —, Dorothy tiptoeing, perversely Organizations: The, Gazette, New York Times, Hoosier, MGM, Miss, Journal Gazette, Columbia Records, Dave Gilmour & Co, MTV, New York Daily News, The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun, YouTube Locations: Austin , Texas, Louisiana, Fort Wayne, Ind, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Indiana, Boston, York

A Russian-installed official said on Sunday that Ukraine had taken control of the village, Piatykhatky, in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Ukrainian forces had not only retaken Piatykhatky but had advanced by up to seven km (4.3 miles) into Russian lines in two weeks, capturing 113 square km (44 square miles) of land. The reported capture of the villages reflects incremental gains for Ukraine that highlight the challenge of breaking through lines Moscow has spent months strengthening. Russia says it invaded Ukraine to "denazify" it, an argument Ukraine and its Western allies call a pretext for a land grab. While Ukraine conducts what Western governments and analysts say are probing attacks to test Russian forces, officials from two NATO member states said Moscow is redeploying some of its forces as it seeks to predict where Ukraine will strike.

Persons: Ukraine Zelenskiy, Hanna Maliar, Piatykhatky, Maliar, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Vladimir Rogov, Margo Grosberg, Michael Kofman, Denise Brown, Dan Peleschuk, Lidia Kelly, Wendell Roelf, Philippa Fletcher, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Russian Defence Ministry, NATO, Russia, Western, Estonian Defense Forces, Twitter, Russia's Defence Ministry, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, French, KYIV, Russian, Piatykhatky, Moscow, Ukrainian, Novodonetske, Donetsk, Sweden, Estonian, Dnipro, Estonia, U.S, Great Salt, Kherson region, Kyiv, West

☆ Heat, drought and fire: Europe's year of extremes in 2022 will not be a 'one off,' new report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The climate crisis is taking an enormous toll on Europe, which was ravaged by extreme heat, drought, wildfires and glacier melt last year, a new analysis has concluded. The cracked ground of La Vinuela reservoir during a severe drought in La Vinuela, near Malaga, southern Spain August 8, 2022. Europe experienced the second-largest burned area on record in 2022, the report found, with Central Europe and the Mediterranean, in particular, seeing large areas scorched by fire. And oceans were unusually warm, with average sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic the hottest on record. With the arrival of El Niño, a natural climate phenomenon with a global warming effect, many scientists are concerned 2023 could see even starker climate extremes.

Persons: ”, Carlo Buontempo, Jon Nazca, El, Petteri Taalas Organizations: CNN, World Meteorological Organization, Central, North Atlantic, WMO Locations: Europe, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, France, La Vinuela, Malaga, Central Europe, North

☆ Evidence suggests the Ukrainian dam collapsed due to a controlled explosion set off inside the structure. An international investigative group says it's 'highly likely' Russian forces were behind the
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A critical dam in southern Ukraine collapsed on the early morning of June 6, displacing thousands. Experts say the dam's collapse could only happen with a large explosion from within, per NYT. "If your objective is to destroy the dam itself, a large explosion would be required," Michael W. West, a geotechnical and geological engineer, told The Times. The Times reported that a US intelligence satellite also captured infrared heat signals in the area just before the dam fell apart. A senior US military official told the Times that Russian operatives were most likely behind the attack.

Persons: —, Michael W, Strelets Organizations: Service, The New York Times, Times, The Times, Mobile Justice Team, European Union, CNBC Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Russian, Kherson, Dnipro, Romania

☆ Death toll rises from flooding after Ukraine dam breach
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 18 (Reuters) - The death toll from flooding following the destruction of the Kakhovka dam has risen to 16 in Ukraine, Kyiv officials said, while Russian officials said 29 people have died in territories that Moscow controls. The breaching of the Kakhovka Dam on June 6 unleashed floodwaters across a large swath of land in southern Ukraine and in Russia-occupied parts of Ukraine, destroying farmland and cutting off supplies to civilians. Andrei Alekseyenko, chairman of the Russian-installed administration in the Moscow-occupied parts of the Kherson region, said on the Telegram messaging app the death toll had risen to 29 people. Ukraine accuses Russia of blowing up the Soviet-era dam, under Russian control since early days of its invasion in 2022. A team of international legal experts assisting Ukraine's prosecutors in their investigation said in preliminary findings on Friday it was "highly likely" the collapse in Ukraine's Kherson region was caused by explosives planted by Russians.

Persons: Andrei Alekseyenko, Lidia Kelly, Lincoln Organizations: Telegram, Russian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Russian, Ukraine's Kherson, U.S, Great Salt, Crimea, Melbourne

☆ Evidence suggests Russia blew Kakhovka dam in Ukraine: NYT
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 18 (Reuters) - Evidence suggests this month's destruction of the huge Kakhovka dam in a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine resulted from an inside explosion set off by Russia, the New York Times said. "The evidence clearly suggests the dam was crippled by an explosion set off by the side that controls it: Russia," the Times said. Ukraine accuses Russia of blowing up the Soviet-era dam, under Russian control since early days of its invasion in 2022, unleashing floodwater across a large swath of the battleground, destroying farmland and cutting off water supplies to civilians. The Times cited engineers as saying only a full examination of the dam after the water drains from it can establish the sequence of events leading to the destruction. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lidia Kelly, William Mallard Organizations: New York Times, Times, Russian, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Ukraine's Kherson, U.S, Great Salt, Crimea, Melbourne

☆ As Floodwaters Recede, Ukrainian Authorities Brace for Possible Disease Outbreaks
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Megan Specia | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Nearly two weeks after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in southeastern Ukraine, the floodwaters are receding, but local officials are grappling with a new concern: the potential for outbreaks from waterborne disease. On Saturday, local officials in Kherson and Mykolaiv, the two regions most affected by the flooding on the Dnipro River unleashed when the dam collapsed, outlined plans to ensure safe drinking water. And doctors in hospitals across those regions have been warned to prepare for the potential for an outbreak of disease. Hundreds of residential areas are still underwater, including some under Russian occupation. International humanitarian organizations have shared concerns about widespread pollution and the potential for illness, but the Ukrainian health authorities maintain that they are vigilantly monitoring for any signs of a disease outbreak.

Persons: Oleksandr Chebotarov Organizations: Kherson City Clinical Hospital, International Locations: Ukraine, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Dnipro, Kherson City

CNN —Beaches in the southern Ukrainian region of Odesa have been closed off after filthy waters from a collapsed dam washed downstream, posing a “genuine threat” to local residents, authorities say. Homes are seen underwater in a flooded neighborhood in Kherson, Ukraine, Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Celestino Arce/NurPhoto/Reuters A neighborhood of Kherson, Ukraine, remains flooded Saturday, June 10, following the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam days earlier. Celestino Arce/NurPhoto/Getty Images Ukrainian servicemen use boats to evacuate people in a flooded neighborhood of Kherson on June 8. Alex Babenko/Getty Images Houses in a flooded Kherson neighborhood on June 7.

Persons: Felipe Dana, Andrey Alekseenko, Celestino Arce, NurPhoto, Evgeniy, Hanna, Oleksandr Klymenko, Vladyslav Musiienko, Alex Babenko, Angelina Kopayeva, Muhammed Enes Yildirim, Tetiana, Ivan Antypenko, Alexey Konovalov, Musiienko, Nina Lyashonok, Oleksandra, Alina Smutko Organizations: CNN, Authorities, Kyiv, Ukraine’s Ministry, Internal Affairs, Telegram, Local, AP, Reuters Volunteers, Reuters, Getty, Anadolu Agency, Planet Labs PBC, Reuters Red Cross, AP Local, Culture, Reuters Local Locations: Ukrainian, Odesa, Russia, Dnipro, –, ”, Dnistrovskyi, Kherson, Ukraine, Crimea, Russian, Nova, Mykolaiv, Kherson . Roman, Vladyslav, Nova Kakhovka, Libkos

☆ The true cost of Ukraine's dam disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Raphael Sanis | Robert Leslie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

The destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam emptied a reservoir that supplied water to much of southern Ukraine. Thousands were forced to flee as water flooded parts of Kherson, damaging wildlife, washing away property, and contaminating drinking water — a catastrophe that could be felt for years. But the biggest effect may be transforming southern Ukraine's fertile farmland into a desert.

Locations: Nova, Ukraine, Kherson

☆ 'Highly likely' Russia behind Ukraine dam collapse, international experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Anthony Deutsch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AMSTERDAM, June 16 (Reuters) - It is "highly likely" that the collapse of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine was caused by explosives planted by Russians, a team of legal experts assisting Ukraine's prosecutors in their investigation said in preliminary findings released on Friday. Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of destroying the Kakhovka dam as a Western-backed tactic to escalate the conflict. Ukraine is investigating the blast as a war crime and possible criminal environmental destruction, or "ecocide". "Even in the highly unlikely scenario the dam, or indeed the area nearby, posed a valid military objective commensurate with eviscerating the dam, it is still afforded an elevated protection under international humanitarian law," she said. The ICC, the world's permanent war crimes tribunal, is also investigating the attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure, which may violate international law.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Yousuf Syed Khan, Khan, Catriona Murdoch, Anthony Deutsch, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Global Rights, International Criminal, Reuters, ICC, Thomson Locations: AMSTERDAM, Ukraine, Soviet, Kherson

Big increases from mostly coal-fired thermal generators (+149 billion kWh), wind farms (+79 billion kWh) and solar generators (+19 billion kWh) offset a fall in hydro production (-82 billion kWh). Chartbook: China electricity generationThe two provinces of Sichuan (354 billion kWh) and Yunnan (296 billion kWh) in southern China produced almost half of the country’s total hydro-electric power (1,352 billion kWh) in 2020. ENERGY SECURITYSouth China’s drought and reduced hydro generation explains why the central government has encouraged coal miners to maximise production and coal-fired generators to stockpile fuel. Coal imports increased by +86 million tonnes (+90%) in the first five months as generators and steelmakers took advantage of lower international prices to rebuild inventories. Large numbers of new coal-fired plants are being authorised and built to meet short-term load growth and reliability requirements even as government plans to reduce the share of coal-fired generation in the medium and long-term.

Persons: steelmakers, John Kemp, Barbara Lewis Organizations: National Bureau of Statistics, Coal, China Electricity Council, Thomson, Reuters Locations: China, Chartbook, Sichuan, Yunnan, Yibin

☆ Counteroffensive Is Grueling and Costly, but Promising, Ukraine and U.S. Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Marc Santora | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The United Nations’ chief nuclear energy watchdog, Rafael Mariano Grossi, ventured into the war zone on Thursday to visit the endangered Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, held since last year by Russian forces. After crossing the front line to reach the plant, he explained the concern in posts on Twitter, but did not say what he had found. On Thursday, a missile struck Kryvyi Rih, a city in central Ukraine, damaging an industrial area and injuring one man, but no deaths were reported. On Tuesday, a strike in the same city hit an apartment block and a warehouse, killing at least 12 people and wounding dozens of others. A day earlier, a missile destroyed apartments and a warehouse in Odesa, on Ukraine’s southern coast, killing three people and displacing hundreds, officials said.

Persons: Rafael Mariano Grossi, Grossi Organizations: United Nations ’, International Atomic Energy Agency Locations: Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Odesa

☆ IAEA's Grossi: Water for cooling a priority at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

June 15 (Reuters) - The head of the U.N. atomic energy agency said on Thursday that ensuring water for cooling was a priority of his visit to the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine, adding that the station could operate safely for "some time". Rafael Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was inspecting the state of Europe's largest nuclear plant following last week's breach in the Kakhovka dam downstream on the Dnipro River. "With the water that is here the plant can be kept safe for some time. The plant is going to be working to replenish the water so that safety functions can continue normally." Russian forces captured both the nuclear plant and the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam shortly after President Vladimir Putin sent them into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

Persons: Rafael Grossi, Grossi, Read, Vladimir Putin, Gareth Jones, Ron Popeski, Angus MacSwan, Grant McCool Organizations: International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Tass, Atomic Energy Agency, Press, United Nations, Security, TASS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Dnipro, Russia, Ukrainian, Moscow, Kyiv

☆ Without climate change, these extreme weather events would not have happened
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

People often want to know if an extreme weather event happened because of climate change, said Friederike Otto, climate scientist and co-lead of the World Weather Attribution initiative. And, more often than not, they are finding the clear fingerprints of climate change on extreme weather events. “We’re always going to have extreme weather, but if we keep driving in this direction, we’re gonna have a lot of extreme weather,” said Ted Scambos, a glaciologist at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty ImagesSiberian heat wave, 2020In 2020, a prolonged, unprecedented heat wave seared one of the coldest places on Earth, triggering widespread wildfires. A study from the journal Nature Climate Change found the period from 2000 to 2021 was the driest the West has ever been in 1,200 years, noting human-caused climate change made the megadrought 72% worse.

Persons: Friederike Otto, Otto, We’re, we’re, ”, Ted Scambos, Alexander Nemenov, Andrew Ciavarella, Kathryn Elsesser, San Salvador de la, Aitor De Iturria, ” Otto, Mamunur Rahman Malik, “, Fadel Senna, Debarchan Chatterjee, Saeed Khan, koalas, David Paul Morris, Lake Powell, Hurricane Ian, Ricardo Arduengo, Ian, Lawrence, Abdul Majeed, António Guterres Organizations: CNN, University of Colorado -, Getty, UK’s Met, Oregon Convention, Northern, World Health Organization, South Asia, Bloomberg, Western, Stony Brook University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory ., UN Locations: University of Colorado - Boulder, Siberia, AFP, Oregon, Portland, Pacific, . Oregon, Washington, Canada, British Columbia, Canadian, Lytton, San Salvador de, Cercs, Catalonia, Spain, North America, Europe, China, Dahably, Wajir County, Kenya, Africa, Horn of Africa, Somalia, Ethiopia, Masseoud, Morocco, Portugal, Algeria, Kolkata, India, South Asia, South, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Bangladesh, Thailand, New South Wales, Australia, Oroville, Oroville , California, States, California, Lake Oroville, Lake Mead, Lake, Nevada, Arizona, Mexico, Hurricane, Matlacha , Florida, Caribbean, Florida, Swat, Bahrain, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, Sindh, Balochistan

☆ U.N. nuclear chief's visit to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant delayed
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, June 14 (Reuters) - A planned visit by U.N. nuclear chief Rafael Grossi to Ukraine's Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been delayed by "some hours", a diplomatic source said on Wednesday. Russian state-owned news agency RIA said the visit had been expected to take place on Wednesday but that it had been delayed by a day. Russian forces captured the hydroelectric dam and the nuclear plant in southern Ukraine shortly after their February 2022 invasion. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant uses a cooling pond to keep its six reactors from potentially disastrous overheating. Speaking to reporters in Kyiv, Grossi said there was no immediate danger but that it was a "serious situation".

Persons: Rafael Grossi, Grossi, RIA, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Andrew Osborn, Timothy Organizations: International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Reuters, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine

☆ Russia-Ukraine War Updates: 6 Killed By Missile Attack in Kryvyi Rih
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Andrés R. Martínez | Gaya Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

The breach of the dam sent water from the Dnipro River coursing downstream and drastically reduced the volume of water in the Kakhovka reservoir. Ukraine controls the western banks of the reservoir, while Russia holds parts of the eastern bank. But it also needs to be supplemented with reservoir water, which means accurate monitoring of the reservoir’s water level is crucial. Over the past year, shelling has cut external power supplies to the plant and also hit an area where spent fuel is stored. Mr. Grossi has repeatedly warned of the potential for nuclear catastrophe at the plant.

Persons: Rafael Mariano Grossi, Volodymyr Zelensky, Grossi, ” Mr Organizations: United Nations, International Atomic Energy Agency Locations: Ukraine, Dnipro, Russian, Russia, Europe

☆ The US is sending Ukraine more explosives to blast obstacles like these in Russian defenses
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Sam Fellman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

They're layered with treacherous obstacles like mines, ditches, and anti-tank dragons teeth. Close up of Russian trenches, fortifications, and tank obstacles in the Kherson region on November 15, 2022. Dragons teeth obstacles can be seen in the three rows of gray dots before the trenches and fortified positions. Nazi Germany's defenses, like the Siegfried Line built to defend its west, also featured dragon's teeth, machine-gun pillboxes, razor wire and mines. As Insider's Jake Epstein has reported, Russian positions may be vulnerable to attack from assaults that cross open terrain and steer clear of roads.

Persons: —, Jack Watling, Nick Reynolds, Brady Africk, Siegfried, Jake Epstein Organizations: Service, Technologies, UK's Royal United Services Institute, American Enterprise Institute, US Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Kherson, Dnipro, Nazi

☆ The scarcity of water is emerging as a global economic threat. With China and India looking the most at risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Ghosh warned that water scarcity must not be viewed as a sectoral issue, but one that "transcends the entire economy." Asian economies "must understand that it is a regional common good and it is in their own interest to mitigate the risks that come their way in order to prevent the economic shocks that severe water scarcity will impose," he said. India, now the world's most populous nation, will be the hardest hit from water scarcity. "Water scarcity is not particularly problematic to these industries because a lot of the water can be recycled. The Gezhouba dam water conservancy project of the Yangtze River after heavy rain in Yichang, Hubei Province, China.

Persons: Ritesh Shukla, Arunabha Ghosh, It's, Ghosh, Shanshan Wang, Wang, Wayne Middleton, Arup Organizations: Getty, Council, Energy, CNBC, World Bank, Lowy Institute, Arup, Visual China, Getty Images, Water, Future Publishing Locations: Peth, India, China, Asia, Philippines, Singapore, Kunming, Yunnan Province, Getty Images India, Taiwan, Yichang, Hubei Province

☆ As climate change hits, China weighs new water megaprojects
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( David Stanway | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"What they have been doing so far is using engineering solutions to try to physically supply water and fix their water problem," said Mark Wang, a geographer at Melbourne University who studies the impact of China's water infrastructure. "If China can reduce water use and increase efficiency, it doesn't need mega-diversion projects." Total investment in fixed water assets exceeded 1.1 trillion yuan ($154 billion) last year, up 44% compared with 2021, analysts said. It rose 15.6% to 407 billion yuan in the first quarter of 2023 and officials say even more funding will be made available. 'CHAIN REACTIONS'Part of the new plan involves the expansion of the South-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP), an ambitious engineering project that diverts surplus Yangtze River water to the arid Yellow River basin in the north.

Persons: Li Guoying, Mark Wang, Wang, Genevieve Donnellon, Gorges, David Stanway, Gerry Doyle Organizations: of Water, Melbourne University, China's Ministry of Water Resources, Oxford Global Society, Diversion, Thomson Locations: China, SINGAPORE, Sichuan, Liangshan County, Poyang Lake, Tibet, India

☆ Russia kills 10 in strike on Ukraine; Kyiv says troops make gains
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/7] A view shows a residential building heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine June 13, 2023. Ukraine's top military command said that air forces destroyed 10 out of 14 cruise missiles Russia launched on Ukraine and one of four Iranian-made drones. After a week of giving little information about its offensive, Ukraine said on Monday it had recaptured seven settlements so far. Russia has not acknowledged any Ukrainian gains and says its forces have repelled advances since June 4. Its defence ministry said on Tuesday its forces had repelled Ukrainian attacks near the villages of Makarivka, Rivnopil and Prechystivka.

Persons: KRYVYI, Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Olha Chernousova, Zelenskiy, Hanna Maliar, Peter Graff, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Dnipropetrovsk Regional, Civil, REUTERS, Russia, Troops, Deputy, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Reuters, Military, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Moscow, KRYVYI RIH, Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Kryvyi Rih, Uman, Europe, Dnipropetrovsk, REUTERS Russia, Kursk, Russia, Ukraine's, Makarivka, Nova, Crimea, Belozerka

He has also said that there could be "nuclear weapons for everyone" who joined the Russia-Belarus union. Putin said Russia would remain in control of the weapons just as the United States controls its own tactical nuclear weapons deployed in Europe. Putin has repeatedly raised concerns about the 200 U.S. B61 tactical nuclear warheads deployed at bases in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Turkey. Russia's nuclear weapons are controlled and transported by the 12th Main Directorate of the defence ministry (12th GUMO). By putting nuclear weapons back in Belarus, Putin is showing that the architecture of post-Cold War nuclear arms control is crumbling.

Persons: Stringer, Vladimir Putin, Moscow's, Putin, Pavel Zarubin, Su, Lukashenko, Jens Stoltenberg, Guy Faulconbridge, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Kremlin, Street, Ukraine, Sukhoi, of American, WHO, United, NATO, B61, U.S, 12th, Directorate, State Department, Thomson Locations: Kakhovka, Nikopol, Ukraine, Dnipropetrovsk region, MOSCOW, Belarus, Russia, Soviet Union, Britain, United States, Belarusian, Lida, Lithuanian, Europe, U.S, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Kazakhstan, States

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