Month: August 2022

Ukraine to Mark 6 Months Since Russian Invasion

Ukraine is set this week to mark six months since the Russian invasion. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his daily address Saturday, “I remember what various ‘advisers’ told me and advised me then. … I know that many of them are now ashamed of the words that were said then. … Ukrainians have proven that our people are invincible, our defenders are invincible.” Zelenskyy said, “We still need to fight, we still need to do a lot, we still need to persevere and endure, unfortunately, a lot of pain. … But Ukrainians can feel proud of themselves, their country, and …

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Pope Urges Dialogue over Church-State Crisis in Nicaragua after Bishop’s Arrest 

Pope Francis on Sunday called for an “open and sincere” dialogue to resolve a stand-off between the Church and government in Nicaragua, following the arrest of a bishop who is a leading critic of President Daniel Ortega. Speaking to pilgrims and tourists in St. Peter’s Square for his weekly blessing, Francis made his first comments on the crisis in the Central American country, where in recent months authorities have detained priests while others have gone into exile. Francis, who did not specifically mention the arrest of the Bishop Rolando Alvarez of Matagalpa in the north of the country, said he …

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Daughter of Putin Ally Killed in Blast

The daughter of an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin was killed Saturday when the Toyota Land Cruiser she was driving exploded in Russia. Darya Dugin, a journalist, was killed in the blast Saturday near Moscow. Darya’s father is Russian political commentator Alexander Dugin, often referred to a “Putin’s brain.” Media reports say the elder Dugin, an ultra-nationalist, may have been the intended target. Both father and daughter were supporters of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. …

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Finland, Sweden Offer NATO an Edge as Rivalry Warms Up North 

The first surprise, for the Finnish conscripts and officers taking part in a NATO-hosted military exercise in the Arctic this spring: the sudden roar of a U.S. Marine helicopter assault force, touching down in a field right next to the Finns’ well-hidden command post. The second surprise: Spilling out of their field headquarters, the Finnish Signal Corps communications workers and others inside routed the U.S. Marines — the Finns’ designated adversary in the NATO exercise and members of America’s professional and premier expeditionary force — in the mock firefight that followed. Finnish camouflage for the Arctic snow, scrub and scree …

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Ukraine’s Naftogaz Backs Scholz’s Bid for Canadian LNG Ahead of Trip

Shortly before his two-day trip to Canada, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz received support for his interest in Canadian liquid natural gas to help replace Russian gas imports from an unexpected ally: Ukrainian state-owned gas company Naftogaz. Kyiv has been at loggerheads with Berlin over its gas imports policy: firstly, over its deal with Moscow to build the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and more recently over its deal with Canada to get a repaired turbine for the Nord Stream 1 delivered back to Germany. But the prospect of LNG deliveries to Europe from Canada, one of the world’s top gas producers, …

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British Lawmaker: Nuclear Accident Could Draw NATO Allies into War

Conservative British member of parliament Tobias Ellwood, who chairs the House of Commons Defense Select Committee, cautioned that any nuclear accident at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant could draw NATO into the war between Russia and Ukraine.   “Let’s make it clear now: any deliberate damage causing potential radiation leak to a Ukrainian nuclear reactor would be a breach of NATO’s Article 5,” he said Friday on Twitter.     Article 5 of the NATO treaty states that an armed attack against one or more NATO allies in Europe or North America is to be considered an attack against them all …

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Sixteen People Killed in Turkey as Bus Crashes at Accident Site

Sixteen people were killed in southeast Turkey on Saturday when a bus crashed into emergency workers and journalists who were working at an earlier accident on a highway near the city of Gaziantep, local authorities said. Regional governor Davut Gul said the dead included three firefighters, four emergency health workers and two drone operators from a Turkish news agency. “At around 10:45 this morning, a passenger bus crashed here,” Gul said, speaking from the scene of the accident on the road east of Gaziantep. “While the fire brigade, medical teams and other colleagues were responding to the accident, another bus …

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