Month: February 2022

Штаб ООС: на Донбасі загинув український військовий, ще один – травмований

Обстріли зафіксували біля Новотошківського, Золотого, Попасної, Південного, Пісків, Світлодарська, Богданівки, Маріуполя, Станиці Луганської, Щастя, Авдіївки, Мар’їнки, Гранітного …

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War in Ukraine Expected to Trigger Higher Fuel Prices

As Russia moves troops into the Donbas region of Ukraine, experts warn that the prospect of a shooting war erupting in Europe, combined with heavy sanctions on Russia, is likely to cause instability in the energy market, possibly translating into significantly higher costs for both gasoline and natural gas.    Because Russia is one of the world’s largest producers of oil and natural gas, disruptions in its output, whether as an unintended consequence of military action or as a response to international sanctions, can have a profound effect on energy prices.    Global oil prices are extremely sensitive to supply …

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Greek Authorities Suspend Search for 10 Missing in Ferry Fire

Greek authorities have suspended the search for 10 people missing in a ferry fire near Greece. The vessel is being towed to a mainland port five days after the blaze started.   The Euroferry Olympia caught fire last Friday three hours after leaving Igoumenitsa, Greece, for Brindisi, Italy. The ferry was carrying 292 people. Only 278 were evacuated safely to shore.  Ten people remain unaccounted for. Greek officials said they were thought to be truck drivers from Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey, BBC News reported.  Greek authorities requested Tuesday that the ferry be towed from a spot off the Island of …

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Standoff Ends at Amsterdam Apple Store; Hostage Safe

An hourslong hostage standoff at the Apple Store in Amsterdam ended late Tuesday with police in a car driving into the hostage taker as he ran from the store. His hostage was safe, police said.  “We can confirm that the hostage taker is out of the Apple Store,” police said in a tweet. “He is lying on the street and a robot is checking him for explosives. Armed police officers have him under control from a distance. The hostage is safe.”  Police then said that the man did not have explosives and that medical staff were attending to him. There …

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EXPLAINER: What is the Nord Stream 2 Gas Pipeline?

Germany on Tuesday halted the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea natural gas pipeline project designed to double the flow of Russian gas to Germany, a day after Moscow formally recognized the Russian-occupied regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine as independent states.  What is Nord Stream 2?  The more than $11 billion project that has bothered Germany’s allies was completed in September but has been idle pending certification by Germany and the European Union.   Nord Stream 2 was halted as it was set to ease pressure on European consumers facing soaring energy prices and governments that have spent …

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Ukrainian President Drafts Reservists, Rules Out General Mobilization for Now

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday said he is conscripting reservists for a special period but ruled out a general mobilization after Russia announced it was moving troops into eastern Ukraine.  One of Europe’s worst security crises in decades is unfolding after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized two areas of eastern Ukraine as independent. Both adjoin Russia and have been controlled by Russian-backed fighters since 2014.  Ukraine accused Russia of wrecking peace talks on ending an 8-year-old conflict in eastern Ukraine and resisted Moscow’s demands it scrap its ambition to join the NATO alliance.  In a televised address Zelenskyy said he …

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Прощання із капітаном Антоном Сидоровим (позивний «Варяг») у Києві – фоторепортаж

«Варяг» загинув 19 лютого поблизу селища Миронівського, Бахмутського району, Донецької області внаслідок смертельного осколкового поранення, яке отримав під час артилерійського обстрілу позицій ЗСУ російські гібридними силами …

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Police in Central African Republic Arrest 4 French Soldiers 

Police in the Central African Republic have detained four French soldiers who are with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the country (MINUSCA). The arrests sparked false rumors that France had attempted to assassinate the C.A.R.’s president. The French military personnel were arrested Monday at the airport in Bangui. The four men were in the security escort of French general Stephane Marchenior, the U.N. peacekeeping mission chief of staff. Marchenior was at the airport for a time Monday before C.A.R. President Faustin Archange Touadera was due to return from a trip to Belgium. After Marchenior departed, the four soldiers were …

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Pakistan’s PM Urges Peaceful End to Ukraine Crisis Ahead of Visit to Russia

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan is set to travel to Russia on Wednesday to meet with President Vladimir Putin, as the West condemns the Russian leader over the deepening Ukraine crisis. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said Putin and Khan “will review the entire array” of relations between the two countries, including energy cooperation.  “They will also have wide-ranging exchange of views on major regional and international issues, including Islamophobia and situation in Afghanistan,” the statement added.  Russia’s official news agency TASS quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as telling reporters Tuesday that Putin’s meeting with Khan “is scheduled for Thursday.” Officials …

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China and Russia Vowed Closer Ties, Ukraine is Challenging That 

Russia’s decision to send troops into two separatist enclaves in eastern Ukraine is forcing a difficult choice for China, which has aligned itself closer with Moscow but could face blowback if it is seen as supporting the unilateral redrawing of international borders, analysts say. The government of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday formally recognized the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics and ordered what it called “peacekeepers” into the contested regions. The moves followed a fiery speech in which Putin questioned Ukraine’s very statehood, further raising concern he is planning a large-scale invasion. The situation is tricky for Chinese …

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