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☆ Singapore kicks off the world's first Olympic Esports Week
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Audrey Wan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

An athlete warms up before the cycling finals on the second day of Olympic Esports Week in Singapore. Yong Teck Lim | Getty ImagesSINGAPORE — Singapore is hosting the inaugural Olympic Esports Week where over 100 athletes from around the world are competing across 10 virtual sports. It builds on the success of the Olympic Virtual Series staged before the Tokyo Summer Games in 2021, which attracted 250,000 participants, the IOC added. Singapore is no stranger to esports competitions, launching the Singapore Games Association to develop the country's esports ecosystem. The Singapore Tourism Board said the country has the potential to become a "top-of-mind destination for esports fans globally," CNA reported.

Persons: Yong Teck Lim, Alvin Tan, Tan, Halimah Yacob, Newzoo Organizations: Getty, SINGAPORE —, Olympic, International Olympic, Olympic Games, Straits Times, International Olympic Committee, Tokyo Summer Games, IOC, Singapore Games Association, Singapore Tourism Board, CNA Locations: Singapore, SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE — Singapore, Suntec City, Esports, Asia Southeast Asia, Statista

☆ CAS to hear Russian figure skater Valieva's case in September
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 22 (Reuters) - Kamila Valieva's doping case hearing involving the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), International Skating Union (ISU) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will be held from Sept. 26-29, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Thursday. Russian Valieva tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine at the Russian national championships in December 2021 but the result was only made known on Feb. 8, 2022 a day after she helped her team win gold at the Beijing Olympics. "Following the hearing, the CAS Panel will deliberate and prepare the Arbitral Award containing its decision. At this juncture, it is not possible to indicate when the final decision will be announced," CAS said in a statement. During the Beijing Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided no medals for the team figure skating event would be presented until Valieva's case had been resolved.

Persons: WADA, RUSADA, Valieva, Rohith Nair, Ken Ferris Organizations: Doping Agency, Skating Union, ISU, Sport, Russian, Beijing Olympics, Doping, Beijing Games, International Olympic Committee, United, Canada, Thomson Locations: Russian, Japan, Bengaluru

☆ Paris 2024: Both Russia and Ukraine ‘diametrically opposed’ to Olympic mission, says IOC president
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Jill Martin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach has lamented Ukraine and Russia’s “diametrically opposed” views on neutral athletes’ participation in a speech at the 140th IOC Session. In March, the IOC announced a widely criticized recommended pathway to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international competitions despite the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. So far, no decision has been taken on Russian and Belarusian athletes’ participation at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Ukrainian side wants us to totally isolate anyone with a Russian and Belarusian passport. Either position is diametrically opposed to our mission and the Olympic Charter.

Persons: Thomas Bach, Russia’s, ” Bach, Fabrice Coffrini Organizations: CNN — International Olympic Committee, IOC, Getty, Olympic, Olympic Games, CNN, National Olympic Committee Locations: Ukraine, Lausanne, AFP, Russian, Ukrainian, Russia

☆ Ukrainian athletes should have chance to qualify for Paris Games-IOC
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, June 22 (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday appealed to Ukraine to give their athletes the chance to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics despite a partial ban on competing against Russian and Belarusian athletes. "It is hard to understand why the Ukrainian government is depriving their own athletes from their chance to qualify for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and to make the Ukrainian people proud." In some sports, such as athletics, those Russian and Belarusian athletes remain banned but in others, including tennis, Ukrainian players regularly face Russian or Belarusian competitors playing as neutral athletes. No decision has yet been taken on Russian and Belarusian athletes' participation at the Paris Olympics next year. "The entire Olympic community, the entire world is longing for Ukrainian athletes shining brightly in international competitions," Bach said.

Persons: Thomas Bach, Bach, Karolos Grohmann, Ken Ferris, Toby Davis Organizations: Olympic Committee, Paris, Russian, Olympic, IOC, International Federation, Olympic Games, Paris Olympics, Thomson Locations: LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Russian, Belarusian

☆ International Boxing Association is stripped of its recognition, Olympic Committee says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] International Boxing Association(IBA) president Umar Kremlev speaks during the opening ceremony of Women's World Boxing Championships at Indira Gandhi Indoor stadium in New Delhi, India, March 15, 2023. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis/File PhotoLAUSANNE, Switzerland, June 22 (Reuters) - The International Boxing Association's (IBA) recognition as the global body for the sport was stripped on Thursday by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) due to its failure to complete reforms on governance, finance and ethical issues. While the IOC regularly removes or adds sports to the Olympic Games programme to make them more attractive to younger audiences, it is extremely rare for the Olympic body to strip an international sports federation's recognition. "This is a hugely significant moment for the sport," World Boxing said in a statement. "We urge every national federation ... to join and support World Boxing in its efforts to ensure boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement."

Persons: Umar Kremlev, Anushree, Karolos Grohmann, Alan Baldwin, Jon Boyle, Ken Ferris, Toby Davis Organizations: Boxing Association, Indira Gandhi, REUTERS, International Olympic Committee, IBA, Sport, IOC, Tokyo, Tokyo Games, Gazprom, Olympic Games, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Ukraine, Russian, Los Angeles

☆ Gamers meet Games in inaugural Olympic Esports Week
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Edgar Su | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Workers set up the venue for the inaugural Olympic Esports Week in Singapore June 19, 2023. Building on the Olympic Virtual Series, the Olympic Esports Week is part of a drive under IOC President Thomas Bach to remain relevant to young people and embrace technological advances. "We've launched the brand Olympic Esports, and Olympic Esports Week here in Singapore is the first ever - super excited about it." "But they're also sharing a lot of similar values, and the Olympic values, like friendship, respect and excellence are all part of both worlds. "In esports we can see the same synergies, we can see the same values, and this is what we want to see during this Olympic Esports Week."

Persons: Edgar Su SINGAPORE, Siti Zhwyee, wiling, Zhwyee, Thomas Bach, Vincent Pereira, We've, Pereira, they're, Edgar Su, Nick Mulvenney, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Workers, Olympic, REUTERS, Elite, Convention, Exhibition, Ubisoft, Reuters, International Olympic Committee, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Suntec, esports, Hangzhou

☆ Paris Olympic headquarters searched as part of corruption investigations
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Julien Pretot | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] The logo of the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics Games is seen on the Pulse building, the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Olympics organizing committee, as a police search is currently underway, in Saint-Denis near Paris, France, June 20, 2023. The national financial prosecutor's office (PNF) said the Paris 2024 headquarters were raided amid a preliminary investigation launched in 2017 into contracts made by the Summer Games' organising committee. "A search is currently under way at the headquarters of the Organising Committee," Paris 2024 said in a statement. "We are aware that there has been a search by police of the Paris 2024 headquarters today," an IOC spokesperson said. "We have been informed by Paris 2024 that they are cooperating fully with the authorities in this matter."

Persons: Denis, Stephanie Lecocq PARIS, Tony Estanguet, Dentsu, Julien Pretot, Karolos Grohmann, Alex Richardson, Alison Williams Organizations: Paralympics, REUTERS, Summer Games, Olympic, Paralympic, Corruption Agency, Paris, Dentsu, Tokyo, Tokyo Games, Thomson Locations: Saint, Paris, France, SOLIDEO, French, Saint Denis

☆ Sports court rejects IBA appeal, IOC condemns leadership language
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, June 20 (Reuters) - The International Boxing Association (IBA) has failed to reverse the stripping of its recognition by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Tuesday rejecting its urgent appeal. On Tuesday the IOC Executive Board also objected to comments made by the IBA leadership at a regional meeting in Brazil. "The President of the Appeals Arbitration Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has today dismissed the IBA’s urgent request," CAS said. On Tuesday the IOC Executive Board said it objected to language used by IBA President Umar Kremlev at an American Boxing Confederation meeting in Brasilia. "The Executive Board of the IOC condemns the violent and threatening language used by the President of the IBA, Umar Kremlev, against a number of individuals from the IOC," it said in a statement.

Persons: Umar Kremlev, Karolos Grohmann, Ken Ferris Organizations: Boxing Association, International Olympic Committee, Sport, IOC, IBA, American Boxing Confederation, Continental, Reuters, Thomson Locations: LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Brazil, Brasilia

☆ Sweden to move ahead with 2030 Winter Games bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 17 (Reuters) - The Swedish Olympic Committee (SOK) intends to move ahead with a bid to host the Winter Olympics for the first time after a four-month feasibility study showed there was interest in staging the Games in Stockholm. Sweden, a winter sports powerhouse, has unsuccessfully bid eight times for the Winter Games, including the 2026 edition which was awarded to Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo. Stockholm staged the Summer Olympics in 1912. "Our preliminary study shows that Sweden has the opportunity, know-how and will to arrange the Winter Games in 2030," SOK president Hans von Uthmann said in a statement. The Japanese city of Sapporo, which hosted the 1972 Winter Games, was considered the favourite but has put its bid on hold in the wake of a widening corruption scandal over the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Persons: Hans von Uthmann, Hritika Sharma, Lincoln Organizations: Swedish Olympic, Winter, Milan, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Games, Committee, Tokyo, IOC, Thomson Locations: Stockholm . Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden, Mumbai, Sapporo, Salt Lake City, United States, Los Angeles, Hyderabad

☆ International Boxing Association to appeal stripping of IOC recognition at CAS
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Karolos Grohmann | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 12 (Reuters) - The International Boxing Association (IBA) will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision to strip it of recognition, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. The decision now needs the rubber-stamping of an extraordinary IOC session, to be held remotely on June 22. The IOC executive board recommended that the IOC Session decide "the IBA should not organise the Olympic Games LA28 boxing tournament." In an IBA report sent to the IOC recently, the boxing association blamed the Olympic body for intransigence and false statements. The newly formed boxing body includes the United States and Britain as well as New Zealand, Germany, Netherlands and Sweden, who joined the Swiss-registered World Boxing in April.

Persons: Kremlev, Karolos Grohmann, Aadi Nair, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Boxing Association, Sport, Reuters, IBA, IOC, Games, Tokyo, Gazprom, Swiss, Boxing, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Russian, Ukraine, United States, Britain, New Zealand, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden

☆ Indian wrestlers suspend protest after promise of swift probe of federation chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Rupam Jain | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW DELHI, June 7 (Reuters) - India's top wrestlers said they had decided to suspend protests on Wednesday after the country's sports minister promised a swift probe of their federation chief who they accused six months ago of sexually harassing female athletes. The wrestlers have been camping in New Delhi for months seeking the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has denied the allegations. Singh, a six-time member of parliament, has been accused of sexually assaulting seven female athletes, including a minor. His lawyer rejected all the allegations levelled by the wrestlers and said Singh was cooperating with the police in the probe. It has also threatened to suspend WFI if it fails to hold a fresh election this month.

Persons: Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Singh, Narendra Modi's, Bajrang Punia, Anurag Thakur, Punia, Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, . Sports Minister Thakur, Joanna Maranhao, Sakshi Dayal, Hritika Sharma, Bill Berkrot, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Wrestling Federation of India, Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Sports, Tokyo, . Sports Minister, Rights Alliance, International Olympic Committee, IOC, Thomson Locations: DELHI, New Delhi, Asian

☆ International Boxing Association to be stripped of recognition - IOC
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Karolos Grohmann | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, June 7 (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee executive board on Wednesday recommended withdrawing recognition of the International Boxing Association (IBA) over its failure to meet a set of reforms, the Olympic body said in a statement. "The report establishes that the IBA has failed to fulfil the conditions set by the IOC... for lifting the suspension of the IBA’s recognition." In an IBA report sent to the IOC recently, the association blamed the Olympic body for intransigence and false statements. The Swiss Boxing Federation last week became the latest national ruling body of the sport to leave IBA and join the rival boxing organisation. The newly formed boxing body includes the United States and Britain as well as New Zealand, Germany, Netherlands and Sweden, who joined the Swiss-registered World Boxing in April.

Persons: Umar Kremlev, Karolos Grohmann, Gareth Jones, Ed Osmond Organizations: Olympic Committee, International Boxing Association, IOC, Olympic Games, IBA, Tokyo, Gazprom, Swiss Boxing Federation, Swiss, Boxing, Thomson Locations: Los, Russia, Ukraine, United States, Britain, New Zealand, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden

SINGAPORE, June 7 (Reuters) - Bangladesh is facing its worst electricity crisis since 2013, a Reuters analysis of government data shows, due to erratic weather and difficulty paying for fuel imports amid declining forex reserves and value of its currency. Bangladesh, the world's second-largest garments exporter behind China supplying global retailers including Walmart, H&M and Zara, has been forced to cut power for 114 days in the first five months of 2023, a Reuters analysis of power grid data showed. Supply was short of demand by as much as 25% early on Monday, the data showed. Over 40% of the 7.5 GW of power plants running on diesel and fuel oil could not operate because they lacked fuel, according to the operator. Power imports by the energy hungry nation, which has very little renewable capacity, held steady at less than 10% of total supply, the data showed.

Persons: Bangladesh Taka, Ruma Paul, Matthew Chye Organizations: Walmart, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Power, Power Grid Co, Reuters Graphics, Oil, Reuters, Bangladesh, U.S ., Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Bangladesh, China, Zara

☆ IBA wants boxing in Olympics but will not be run by third parties - Kremlev
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Karolos Grohmann | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

PARIS, June 6 (Reuters) - Boxing must stay in the Olympic Games and the International Boxing Association (IBA) will do everything for it to happen but the sport also wants respect and will not be run by third parties, IBA President Umar Kremlev said. "The current crisis situation and the past scandals were all situations created by the member of the IOC, Mr CK Wu." The IOC has not sanctioned CK Wu, who in 2020 resigned from the Olympic body citing medical reasons. According to the IBA report, repeated efforts by IBA officials to meet with IOC officials were ignored. We would like the IOC to also achieve this principle of becoming the home of the Olympic movement," Kremlev said.

Persons: Umar Kremlev, Kremlev, Thomas Bach, CK Wu, Wu, Taiwan's Wu, Karolos Grohmann, Ken Ferris Organizations: Olympic Games, International Boxing Association, Reuters, IBA, IOC, AIBA, CK, Gazprom, Thomson Locations: Los, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian

☆ GB Boxing seeks associate membership of new world body
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 6 (Reuters) - GB Boxing will seek associate membership of World Boxing, a new rival to the Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA), as the divided sport fights for its Olympic future, it said on Tuesday. GB Boxing delivers the United Kingdom's publicly-funded World Class Programme but is not a national governing body as England, Wales and Scotland have their own separate ones. Associate membership does not carry voting rights but will allow representatives of GB Boxing to hold offices within World Boxing. "It is vitally important to the future of the sport in the UK and across the globe that boxing remains part of the Olympic programme," said GB Boxing chair Jason Glover in a statement. "GB Boxing has played a significant role in helping to establish World Boxing and the decision to apply for associate membership is a sign of our long-term commitment to the new organisation and a desire on our behalf to play a part in its future development."

Persons: Kingdom's, Jason Glover, Alan Baldwin, Ken Ferris Organizations: Boxing, Boxing Association, Olympic, IBA, IOC, Thomson Locations: Russian, England, Wales, Scotland, Germany, Britain, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Sweden, United States, Los

☆ IOC to hold executive board on Wednesday with boxing in focus-sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Karolos Grohmann | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, June 6 (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee will hold a one-day executive board meeting on Wednesday with the embattled International Boxing Association (IBA) in focus, sources said on Tuesday. The IOC has a planned executive board meeting set for June 20-22 but has now scheduled Wednesday's event following an IBA report on the state of required reforms sent to the Olympic body. Two sources with knowledge of proceedings confirmed to Reuters the meeting on Wednesday, with boxing in the spotlight. The IOC suspended the IBA in 2019 over governance, finance, refereeing and ethical issues and did not involve it in running the boxing events at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The IBA report sent to the IOC recently blamed the Olympic body for intransigence and false statements while claiming the IBA had done enough to meet reform criteria.

Persons: Umar Kremlev, Karolos, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Olympic, International Boxing Association, IOC, IBA, Reuters, Paris, Thomson Locations: Los, India

☆ Exclusive: Olympics-IBA says has met reform criteria, accuses IOC of intransigence
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Karolos Grohmann | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

PARIS, June 5 (Reuters) - With boxing teetering on the brink of Olympic elimination, the International Boxing Association (IBA) told the International Olympic Committee it had met its reform criteria and any ban lacked legal basis. "IBA did its best to eliminate IOC’s concern on IBA’s different areas of work and to improve them, such as finances, governance and sports integrity," the IBA report said. "It is necessary to remind that CK Wu at that time was an IOC member, and it is completely wrong that IBA bears full responsibility for the wrongdoings of the IOC member," the IBA said. "The IOC surpassed IBA completely and contacted the officials without prior agreement of data sharing between the two entities." "Withdrawal of the IBA’s full recognition by the IOC will be not justified, fair and legally correct decision," it said.

Persons: Umar Kremlev, CK Wu, Karolos, Christian Radnedge Organizations: International Boxing Association, International Olympic, IOC, Reuters, IBA, Paris, Gazprom, International Federation, Olympic Games, Thomson Locations: Los, India, Ukraine, Paris

☆ Novak Djokovic stands by Kosovo comments at the French Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic has stood by his decision to send a political message about Kosovo at the French Open. After his first-round victory on Monday, Djokovic wrote “Kosovo is the [heart symbol] of Serbia. So that’s all.”He added that he had not spoken to French Open tournament director Amélie Mauresmo about the incident. Djokovic is no stranger to controversy at grand slam tournaments. “A drama-free grand slam, I don’t think it can happen for me,” he said on Wednesday.

Persons: Novak Djokovic, Djokovic, Serbia ”, ” Djokovic, Hungary’s Márton, Amélie Mauresmo, ”, Srdjan, didn’t, “, Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Rafael Nadal Organizations: CNN, “, NATO, Serbian, Olympic, KOC, International Olympic Committee, Tennis Federation, ITF, IOC, Olympic Games, Covid Locations: Serbian, Kosovo, “ Kosovo, Serbia, Zvecan, Melbourne

☆ Kosovo Olympic Committee seeks IOC disciplinary action against Djokovic
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The violence erupted after ethnic Albanian mayors took office in northern Kosovo's Serb-majority area following elections that were boycotted by the Serbs. "Novak Djokovic has yet again promoted the Serbian nationalists' propaganda and used the sport platform to do so," Ismet Krasniqi, president of Kosovo's Olympic Committee (KOK), said in a statement. France's Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera, whose country will host the summer Olympics in Paris next year, said Djokovic's message was "not appropriate, clearly". Djokovic, chasing a record 23rd Grand Slam title, has said he was not holding back and would do it again. On Tuesday, Kosovo's tennis federation said Djokovic's comments were "regrettable", accusing him of using his status as a well-known personality to stir tensions.

Persons: Roland Garros, Serbia's Novak Djokovic, Aleksandar Kovacevic, Novak Djokovic, Djokovic, Ismet Krasniqi, Amelie Oudea, shouldn't, Hungary's Marton Fucsovics, Rohith Nair, Karolos Grohmann, Julien Pretot, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Helen Popper, Christian Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Kosovo Olympic, International Olympic Committee, NATO, Serbs, Kosovo's Olympic, IOC, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, PARIS, Serbian, Kosovo, Serbia, Zvecan, Kosovo's, Bengaluru, Karolos

CNN —The Kosovan Olympic Committee (KOC) has called for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Tennis Federation (ITF) to take disciplinary action against Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic. On Monday, Djokovic left a political message on a TV camera lens at the French Open in response to violent clashes in Kosovo, writing: “Kosovo is the [heart symbol] of Serbia. There were clashes with protestors on Monday after ethnically Albanian mayors took office in northern Kosovo, a majority Kosovo Serb area, following April elections that Kosovo Serbs had boycotted. Djokovic elaborated on his message in Serbian at a press conference this week, saying: “This is the least I could have done. Djokovic plays in the second round of the French Open against Hungary’s Márton Fucsovics on Wednesday.

Persons: Novak Djokovic, Djokovic, Ismet Krasniqi, KOC, “, Djokovic “, ”, ” Djokovic, Garros, Jean Catuffe, Serbia ”, Krasniqi, Hungary’s Márton Fucsovics Organizations: CNN, Olympic, KOC, International Olympic Committee, Tennis Federation, Serbian, IOC, ”, Kosovo Serb, Kosovo Serbs, Kosovo, Djokovic, ITF, Olympic Charter, ” CNN, Hungary’s Locations: Kosovo, Serbia, Serbian

☆ NATO-led troops guard town hall in northern Kosovo
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Fatos Bytyci | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/6] U.S. Kosovo Force (KFOR) soldiers, under NATO, stand guard near a municipal office in Leposavic, Kosovo May 31, 2023. Following clashes on Monday in Zvecan, another northern town, during which 30 NATO troops and 52 ethnic Serbian protesters were hurt, NATO said it would send 700 more troops to Kosovo to boost its 4,000-strong mission. Those ethnic Albanian mayors were then installed last week, a decision that spurred rebuke of Pristina by the U.S. and its allies on Friday. The ethnic Albanian mayor of Leposavic, another northern Kosovo town, remained in the municipal building on Wednesday after entering it amid Serb demonstrations on Monday. Peacekeeping troops were deployed in Kosovo in 1999 after NATO bombing drove Serbia's police and army out of its former province.

Persons: couldn't, Dragan, –, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Olaf Scholz, Albin Kurti, Novak Djokovic, Djokovic, Jeton Hadergjonaj, Aleksandar Vucic, Fatos Bytici, Ivana Sekularac, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Kosovo Force, KFOR, NATO, REUTERS, Serbian, U.S, Reuters, United, Wednesday, Belgrade, Kosovo Olympic, International Olympic Committee, Kosovo Albanian, Thomson Locations: U.S, Leposavic, Kosovo, LEPOSAVIC, Zvecan, Serbian, Pristina, KOSOVO, United States, Serbia, Bratislava, Northern, Belgrade, EU

☆ The US Air Force's first stealth jet showed up to an exercise in Alaska with a not-so-stealthy addition
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( David Cenciotti | The Aviationist | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Stealth aircraft, such as the F-22 Raptor or the F-35 Lightning II 5th generation jets are equipped with Luneburg (or Luneberg) lenses: radar reflectors used to make the LO (Low Observable) aircraft (consciously) visible to radars. In fact, tactical fighter-sized stealth aircraft are built to defeat radar operating at specific frequencies; usually high-frequency bands as C, X, Ku and S band where the radar accuracy is higher (in fact, the higher the frequency, the better is the accuracy of the radar system). However, once the frequency wavelength exceeds a certain threshold and causes a resonant effect, LO aircraft become increasingly detectable. For instance, ATC radars, that operate at lower-frequency bands are theoretically able to detect a tactical fighter-sized stealth plane whose shape features parts that can cause resonance. F-35s deployed abroad usually feature their typical four radar reflectors: to exaggerate their real RCS (Radar Cross Section) and negate the enemy the ability to collect any detail about their LO "signature".

☆ Bangladesh struggles to pay for fuel imports as dollar crisis worsens -letters
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Ruma Paul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DHAKA, May 22 (Reuters) - Bangladesh is struggling to pay for imported fuel because of a dollar shortage, letters reviewed by Reuters show, with the state petroleum company owing more than $300 million as it faces an "alarming decrease in fuel reserves". Heavily reliant on energy imports, Bangladesh is grappling with power cuts resulting from a fuel shortage that have badly hurt its exports-oriented garments industry. BPC imports 500,000 tonnes of refined oil and 100,000 tonnes of crude oil every month. The April letter said several fuel suppliers had either sent fewer cargoes than scheduled or threatened to halt supplies. Others in South Asia, such as Sri Lanka and Pakistan, have also sought or received IMF funds this year.

☆ India's Russian oil buying hits record high, slashes Mideast, Africa share
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Nidhi Verma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Asia's third-largest economy imported about 1.9 million barrels per day (bpd) of Russian oil in April, about 4.4% higher than the previous month, the data showed. Higher imports from Russian raised the share of oil from the C.I.S. India's oil imports from various regionsRussia remained the top oil supplier to India for the sixth-straight month in April, followed by Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Oil imports from Russia also rose as Indian Oil Corp (IOC.NS), the country's top refiner, raised the size of its annual import deal with Rosneft (ROSN.MM). Lower purchases of oil from the Middle East dragged OPEC's share of India oil imports to a record low of 46%, the data showed.

☆ Borrell urges EU to crack down on imports of Indian fuels made with Russian oil -FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

India has emerged in the past year as a top buyer of Russian oil following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Russia's largest oil producer Rosneft (ROSN.MM) and top Indian refiner Indian Oil Corp (IOC.NS) have also signed a term deal to substantially increase and diversify oil grades delivered to India. According to ship-tracking data from Kpler, Reliance Industries (RELI.NS) and Nayara Energy were the key exporters of refined fuels and buyers of Russian oil. However, that has increased to 200,000 bpd after the EU banned Russian oil products imports from Feb. 5 this year, data from Kpler shows. Any mechanism to stem the flow of Russian oil would need to be implemented by the national authorities, Borrell told the FT, suggesting that the EU could target buyers of Indian refined fuels which it believes are derived from Russian crude.

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