Month: May 2022

Sense of Normality Returns to French Open

The first Grand Slam tournament without any COVID-19 restrictions since the pandemic started in early 2020 kicked off under menacing skies at Roland Garros Sunday. The French Open was the first major to be hit by the pandemic when it was postponed two years ago but all safety measures were lifted for this tournament, giving the fortnight a welcome sense of normality again. Thousands of mask-free spectators flocked into the stadium before play started at 11:00 local time (0900GMT) as Roland Garros opened its gates for the start of the main tournament. Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur, one of the favorites to …

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Wife of Swedish Citizen Threatened with Iran Execution Appeals to EU

The wife of Iranian-Swedish citizen Ahmadreza Djalali accused of espionage and threatened with execution in Iran, on Saturday called on the European Union to secure her husband’s release. “I hope that the the EU can really act decisively in order to bring Ahmadreza home,” Vida Mehrannia said according to excerpts of an interview on Germany’s ZDF channel. The EU must “not allow an innocent man to be killed in such an inhuman way”, she added. Djalali was sentenced to death in 2017 on the espionage charges, allegations denied by Sweden and his supporters. Iranian media had said he could be …

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Latest Developments in Ukraine: May 22

For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine. The latest developments in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. All times EDT: 4:04 a.m.: The latest intelligence update from the U.K. defense ministry says Russia has deployed Terminator tank support vehicles to the Severodonetsk area of the Donbas region. That area remains a key priority for Russia, the update says. However, it notes, “with a maximum of 10  Terminators deployed they are unlikely to have a significant impact on the campaign.” 3:02 a.m.: The New York Times reports that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia’s blockade of grain …

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No Truce, Concessions, Ukraine Says, as Russia Focuses on Donbas

There will be no cease-fire or concessions to Russia, Ukraine’s lead negotiator said Saturday as Russia upped its assault on Luhansk, one of the two provinces that make up the Donbas in eastern Ukraine. “The war will not stop (after concessions). It will just be put on pause for some time,” Mykhailo Podolyak, who is also an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said, explaining Ukraine’s position in light of recent calls for a cease-fire from U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. “They’ll start a new offensive, even more bloody and large-scale,” Podolyak added. Pro-Russian …

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Російські війська проривалися до Сєвєродонецька з чотирьох напрямків, але були відкинуті – Гайдай

Артилерійські та мінометні обстріли житлових кварталів тривають, постраждав майже кожний підконтрольний населений пункт Луганщини, повідомив голова ОВА …

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Fugitive North Macedonian Ex-Premier Gets 9-year Sentence

North Macedonia’s fugitive former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski has been handed a nine-year prison sentence for illegally ordering the 2011 demolition of a multimillion-dollar residential and business complex owned by a former political ally turned opponent.  The Criminal Court in the capital, Skopje, found that the demolition was an “act of political revenge” against Fijat Canoski, then the leader of the small Party for European Future (PEI), who had left Gruevski’s conservative government coalition and joined the opposition.  Three other former officials at the time of the demolition were also sentenced late Friday. Toni Trajkovski, the former mayor of the …

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Explainer: Who Were Mariupol’s Last Defenders?

The Ukrainian forces who made a determined last stand in a Mariupol steel mill against Russian troops were a mixture of seasoned soldiers, border guards, a controversial national guard regiment and volunteers who took up arms in the weeks before Russia’s invasion. As Russia announced it had completed its takeover of Mariupol with the surrender of the fighters who served as the final obstacle, Ukraine’s government did not confirm the city’s fall. Earlier in the week, Ukrainian officials said its combatants in the Azovstal steel plant had completed their mission and were being evacuated, describing them as heroes who had …

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German Weather Service Says Storm Generated 3 Tornadoes

A storm that swept across parts of Germany generated three tornadoes, the country’s weather service said Saturday. One of them left a trail of destruction and more than 40 people injured in a western city. Meteorologists had warned of heavy rainfall, hail and strong gusts of wind in western and central Germany on Friday, and people in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia were advised to stay home. Storms on Thursday had already disrupted traffic, uprooted trees that toppled onto rail tracks and roads, and flooded hundreds of basements in western Germany. The German Weather Service confirmed three tornadoes in …

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