Saturday, August 13, 2022
Civilians arrive in safer areas under Ukrainian army control
A large number of civilians who have been internally displaced as a result of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine are being evacuated from areas controlled by Russian forces and are travelling for days to reach safe facilities secured by the Ukrainian army.
An Anadolu Agency team has filmed dozens of civilian vehicles arriving at a reception centre near Zaporizhzhia in the country's southeastern region, which is partially controlled by Ukrainian forces.
Civilians were evacuated and provided safe corridors only after receiving special authorisation from Russian forces.
Ukraine warns of fresh 'provocations' near occupied nuclear plant
Ukraine's defence intelligence agency has warned of fresh Russian "provocations" at an occupied nuclear plant in southern Ukraine, while the exiled mayor of the town where the plant is located said it had come under fresh shelling.
Enerhodar mayor Dmytro Orlov, who evacuated to Kiev-controlled territory in April, wrote on Telegram that local residents had informed him of fresh Russian shelling in the direction of the town’s industrial zone and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant on Saturday. It was not clear if any shells hit the grounds of the plant.
Ukraine and Russia have traded accusations over multiple recent incidents of shelling at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, while the G7 group of nations have called on Moscow to withdraw its forces from the power station.
Russia starts delivering extra gas to Hungary: Budapest
Hungary has said that Russia has started delivering additional gas to the EU member following a July visit to Moscow by its foreign minister.
Hungary's Foreign Ministry said trade negotiations with Moscow "led to an agreement", resulting in Russia's Gazprom starting to deliver "above the already contracted quantities" on Friday.
"It is the duty of the Hungarian government to ensure the country's safe supply of natural gas, and we are living up to it," ministry official Tamas Menczer said on his Facebook page.
Moscow is all set to hold "sham" referendums in parts of Ukraine on joining Russia “in coming weeks,” says a senior Biden administration official, warning Russian "land grab" will not go unchallenged https://t.co/BErbmnySU9
— TRT World (@trtworld) August 12, 2022
Ukraine says 'fierce fighting' at village Russia said it controlled
Ukraine's military command has said that "fierce fighting" continued in Pisky, an eastern village which Russia had earlier in the day said it had full control over.
"The occupiers are trying to break through the defense of our troops in the directions of Oleksandropol, Krasnohorivka, Avdiivka, Maryinka and Pisky," Ukraine's general staff said in its nightly briefing note on Facebook.
"Fierce fighting continues," it added.
Maltese-flagged ship with Ukrainian grain docks in Italy
A Maltese-flagged ship carrying 13,000 tons of corn arrived at a port in Italy, local media has reported.
The ship Rojen docked at the Port of Ravenna on the North Adriatic Sea late Friday after setting off from Ukraine’s Chornomorsk on August 5. The vessel is expected to continue offloading its cargo until August 16, according to Il Resto Del Carlino news website.
More ships carrying soybeans and crude sunflower oil from Ukraine are expected to arrive in Italy in the coming days. The ship was the first to arrive in Italy after the Ankara-brokered grain corridor agreement was signed between Türkiye, Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations on July 22.
Any possible seizure of Russian assets by the US will completely destroy Moscow's bilateral ties with Washington, TASS news agency quotes the head of the North American Department at the Russian foreign ministry as saying https://t.co/IE6180Xky5
— TRT World (@trtworld) August 13, 2022
Russia blocking access to medicines: Ukraine
Ukraine’s health minister has accused Russian authorities of committing a crime against humanity by blocking access to affordable medicines in areas their forces have occupied since attacking the country 5-1/2 months ago.
Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Liashko said Russian authorities repeatedly have blocked efforts to provide state-subsidised drugs to people in occupied cities, towns and villages.
“Throughout the entire six months of war, Russia has not (allowed) proper humanitarian corridors so we could provide our own medicines to the patients that need them,” Liashko said, speaking at the Health Ministry in Kiev late Friday.
Two road bridges to Russian occupied territory out of use
The two primary road bridges giving access to the pocket of Russian-occupied territory on the west bank of the Dnipro in Kherson Oblast are now probably out of use for the purposes of substantial military resupply, British military intelligence has said.
Even if Russia manages to make significant repairs to the bridges, they will remain a key vulnerability, the UK's Ministry of Defence said. "Ground resupply for the several thousand Russian troops on the west bank is almost certainly reliant on just two pontoon ferry crossing points," the ministry said in an intelligence update.
With supply chain constrained, the size of any stockpiles Russia has managed to establish on the west bank is likely to be a key factor in the force’s endurance, according to the update.
Russia claims full control of Pisky village in Ukraine's Donetsk region
Russian forces have taken full control of Pisky, a village on the outskirts in Ukraine's Donetsk region, Interfax cited the Russian defence ministry as saying.
Russian and pro-Russian forces had reported that they had taken full control of Pisky more than a week ago.
The ministry also said that Russian forces had destroyed a US-supplied HIMARS rocket system near Ukraine's Kramatorsk and a depot with ammunition for the system, Interfax reported.
Two more ships carrying sunflower seed and corn have sailed from Ukrainian ports, Türkiye's National Defence Ministry says https://t.co/oLSfWxylPv
— TRT World (@trtworld) August 13, 2022
Russia says ties could break over terror sponsor declaration by US
Russia has told the United States that bilateral diplomatic ties would be badly damaged and could even be broken off if Russia is declared a state sponsor of terrorism, Russian news agency Tass cited a top official as saying.
Alexander Darchiyev, head of the North American department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that if the US Senate succeeded in passing a law to single out Russia, this would mean Washington had crossed the point of no return, Tass said.
Zelenskyy: EU should ban rich Russians from entering
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has issued a fresh call for European Union states to ban visas for Russian nationals to keep the bloc from becoming a "supermarket" open to anyone with the means to enter.
Zelenskyy said his proposal did not apply to Russians who needed help for risking their freedom or their lives by resisting Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin's policies.
"There must be guarantees that Russian killers or accomplices of state terror not use Schengen visas," Zelenskyy said in an address, referring to visas granting the holder access to the border-free Schengen Area that spans several EU states.
For live updates from Friday (August 12), click here
Source: Reuters
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The School District of Philadelphia is mandating that students and staff wear masks for the first 10 days of the school year, and is requiring that pre-kindergarten attendees mask-up all year.
Officials from the school district and city made the announcement in a letter to parents on Friday, stating that after the first 10 days of the school year, from Aug. 29 through Sept. 9, most schools will go mask-optional.
The letter states that when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 community transmission level is high, students and staff will be required to wear masks in schools. When the level is medium, masking is "strongly recommended."
Students and staff at the district's Pre-K Head Start program, the district's income-driven pre-kindergarten program for ages 3-5, will be required to wear a mask for the entire 2022-2023 school year, according to the announcement.
FOX NEWS POLL: MORE CONCERN OVER CORONAVIRUS THAN MONKEYPOX
Students play outside at recess as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions are lifted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Reuters/Hannah Beier)
"For the first 10 days of the new school year – from August 29 through September 9 – all students and staff will be required to wear masks while in school, regardless of the COVID-19 Community Level," the announcement reads. "Students and staff at PreK Head Start programs are still required to wear masks at all times, regardless of the Community Level."
There are also instances when an isolated mask requirement might be implemented, such as a school-wide or classroom COVID-19 outbreaks, or when returning from extended breaks and holidays.
The district is also implementing a "mask to stay" program, stating that students and staff who have been exposed to COVID-19 can stay in school but must wear a mask for 10 days.
CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' COVID-19 VACCINE MANDATE APPEAL DISMISSED
Students return to school as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions are lifted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Reuters/Hannah Beier)
If a student tests positive for COVID-19, they are required to isolate at home for at least five days, but can return to school afterward if they're symptom-free "but must wear a high-quality (N95 or KN95) mask for an additional 5 days and must eat in a designated area," the announcement reads.
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News medical analyst and professor of medicine at New York University Langone Medical Center, said there's "no public health value" in making students and staff mask-up for the first 10 days of the school year.
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A student reflects her lunch bag on a wall in a hallway as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions are lifted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Reuters/Hannah Beier)
"The whole thing is, mandates aren't working at all. So, you know, they just obscure the question about whether there's any public health value in actually doing any of this. I mean, I think if you're at a high risk, there is. So if I was in an area with a lot of spread, and I was at high risk, I might choose to wear a mask indoors. But there's no evidence that these mandates doing anything.
Siegel added that "mandates for ten days are like a sign of hypocrisy."
Monday, July 25, 2022
First Ukraine grain ships may move in days: UN
The first ships to export Ukraine grain from the country's Black Sea ports may move within a few days under a deal agreed on Friday by Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye and the United Nations, a UN spokesperson said.
A Joint Coordination Center will liaise with the shipping industry and will publish detailed procedures for ships in the near future, said deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq.
UN World Food Programme optimistic on Ukraine grain export deal
The World Food Programme (WFP) said it was optimistic about a UN-brokered deal to reopen Ukrainian ports for grain exports but warned the agreement alone will not solve the global food crisis even if it is implemented effectively.
The WFP itself has had to cut aid this year in key hunger hotspots like Yemen and South Sudan due to global inflation and critical funding gaps, both exacerbated by the Ukraine conflict.
The current global food crisis is not a price crisis alone, and that man-made conflict, climate shocks and the Covid-19 pandemic will continue to drive up global food insecurity even if Friday's deal holds, a WFP spokesperson said.
"We are preparing for everything to start this week," says Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, who led Ukraine's delegation at last week's grain talks in Istanbul pic.twitter.com/7E85Ie4hxO
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) July 25, 2022
Ukraine claims it has destroyed 50 Russian ammunition depots
Ukraine said its forces had used US-supplied HIMARS rocket systems to destroy 50 Russian ammunition depots since receiving the weapons last month.
Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov underlined the growing impact that the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) are having as Ukraine tries to repel Russia's attack.
Reznikov also said Ukraine had received three Gepard anti-aircraft armoured fighting vehicles, the first of 15 expected, and that Kiev was expecting to take delivery of several dozen Leopard tanks.
This cuts their (Russian) logistical chains and takes away their ability to conduct active fighting and cover our armed forces with heavy shelling
Russia wants to end Ukraine's “unacceptable regime” - Lavrov
Russia’s top diplomat said Moscow’s overarching goal in Ukraine is to free its people from its “unacceptable regime,” expressing the Kremlin’s military aims in some of the bluntest terms yet as its forces pummel the country with artillery barrages and airstrikes.
Lavrov said Moscow is determined to help Ukrainians “liberate themselves from the burden of this absolutely unacceptable regime.”
Lavrov accused Kiev and its Western allies of spouting propaganda intended to ensure that Ukraine “becomes the eternal enemy of Russia."
Russian and Ukrainian people would continue to live together. We will certainly help Ukrainian people to get rid of the regime, which is absolutely anti-people and anti-historical
Kremlin says Odessa strike should not hamper grain exports
The Kremlin has said that Russian strikes on Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odessa "should not affect" a Türkiye-brokered and UN-backed deal between Moscow and Kiev to unblock grain exports.
"This cannot and should not affect the start of shipment," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, two days after Moscow hit the port.
He said Moscow's strikes targeted "exclusively" military infrastructure and were "not connected with the agreement on the export of grain". The weekend strikes on Odessa came less than a day after Moscow and Kiev signed the landmark deal.
Russia says it destroyed HIMARS ammo depot in Ukraine
Russia's Defence Ministry says its forces have destroyed an ammunition depot for US-made HIMARS rocket systems in Bogdanovtsy, in Ukraine's Khmelnytskyi region.
The reports were not independently verified.
Russia has previously said it destroyed several of the HIMARS systems supplied to Ukraine by the West, in claims denied by Kiev.
Britain says fighting continues in Ukraine’s Donbass and Kherson
Inconclusive fighting has continued in both Donbass and Kherson regions in eastern and southern Ukraine, British military intelligence has said.
Russian commanders continue to face a dilemma - whether to resource Russia's offensive in the east, or to bolster the defence in the west, Britain's defence ministry said on Twitter.
The ministry added in its regular bulletin that on July 18, the British intelligence identified a Russian military vehicle refit and refurbishment facility near Barvinok, in Russia's Belgorod Oblast, which is 10 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.
"At least 300 damaged vehicles were present, including main battle tanks, armoured personnel carriers, and general support trucks," the update added.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHNTbuEsHMA[/embed]
Putin will not attend Japanese ex-PM Abe's funeral, Kremlin says
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the state funeral of Japanese former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the Kremlin has said.
"No, Putin has no plans to visit Japan and attend the funeral," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that Russia was yet to decide the country's presence at the funeral.
The Japanese government has notified all the countries it has diplomatic ties with, including Russia, of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's state funeral, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yos hihiko Isozaki said.
Zelenskyy says Ukrainians won't be 'cowed'
After five months of Russian attacks, Ukraine will continue to do all it can to inflict as much damage on its enemy as possible, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.
"Even the occupiers admit we will win," he said as he hailed the upcoming day of Ukrainian statehood, July 28, a new annual holiday that Zelenskyy announced in August last year. "We hear it in their conversations all the time. In what they are telling their relatives when they call them."
Like every day in the last months, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine was not letting up. "We do everything to inflict the highest possible damage on the enemy and to gather for Ukraine as much support as possible."
He said Ukraine had an important week ahead, with the holiday approaching in the midst of what he called a "cruel war." "But we will celebrate against all odds. Because Ukrainians won't be cowed."
Russian investigator seeks new tribunal for Ukraine
The head of Russia's investigative committee has said Moscow had charged 92 members of Ukrainian armed forces with "crimes against humanity" and proposed an international tribunal backed by countries including Bolivia, Iran and Syria.
The government's Rossiiskaya Gazeta quoted committee head Alexander Bastrykin as accusing "more than 220 persons, including representatives of the high command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as commanders of military units that shelled the civilian population."
The Ukrainians were involved in "crimes against the peace and security of humanity, which have no statute of limitations," he said.
For live updates from Sunday (July 24), click here
Source: Reuters
The State government has asked rice millers and Civil Supplies officials to ensure the launch of full-scale milling operations in two days, now that the Centre has agreed to buy custom milled rice.
Where workers have left due to closure of mills after the Centre suspended custom milling of rice since July 7, the owners were asked to overcome the handicap immediately.
The instructions were issued by Civil Supplies Minister Gangula Kamalakar at a meeting on Friday. The Minister urged the General Manager of Food Corporation of India to step up movement of rail rakes to facilitate quick disposal of stocks.
Meanwhile, the rice millers’ association was wary about milling paddy cultivated in the last rabi season because the stocks were soaked in rainwater and will not meet the Fair Average Quality norms of FCI for payment of selling price. It will not be remunerative for millers even if the rice was tested to determine the quantity of broken rice and fix payment of compensation accordingly.
As the mills were packed with paddy of kharif last year pending milling, the owners had stored the stocks of rabi under protective covers in open spaces. However, a large quantity was exposed to the rains. If milled, the yield of raw rice from it will not amount to even 25%. Therefore, this stock was best for boiled rice which, however, will not be purchased by the FCI. The association favoured sale of the entire quantity of 50 lakh tonnes of paddy produced in rabi by e-tendering.
