Month: July 2023

Latest in Ukraine: US to Send Additional $400 Million in Aid to Ukraine

Latest Developments:    A former U.S. Marine who was freed by Russia last year in a prisoner swap has been injured while fighting for Ukraine against Moscow’s forces, the U.S. State Department said.  Russia’s prosecutor-general declared independent TV channel Dozhd to be an undesirable organization, continuing the crackdown on news media and groups regarded as threats to Russia’s security. Dozhd, which is often critical of the Kremlin, closed its operations in Russia soon after the beginning of the Ukraine conflict, moving first to Latvia and then to the Netherlands.   The European Union is considering helping fund the costly transportation of …

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Wildfires Bring Death and Destruction to Sun-Scorched Mediterranean

Large areas of the Mediterranean sweltered under an intense summer heat wave on Tuesday, and firefighters battled to put out blazes across the region.  In Algeria, at least 34 people have died. In Croatia, flames came within 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) of the medieval town of Dubrovnik late on Tuesday.  Greece has been particularly hard hit, with authorities evacuating more than 20,000 people in recent days from homes and resorts in the south of the holiday island of Rhodes.   Close to 3,000 tourists had returned home by plane as of Tuesday, according to figures from the Transport Ministry, and tour …

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Former US Marine Freed from Russia Is Injured While Fighting for Ukraine

A former U.S. Marine who was freed by Russia last year in a prisoner swap has been injured while fighting for Ukraine against Moscow’s forces, the U.S. State Department said Tuesday.  Trevor Reed, who was held by Russia for more than two years before winning his freedom in April 2022, sustained shrapnel wounds after stepping on a landmine about two weeks ago but now is recovering at a German hospital, according to U.S. news accounts.  The U.S. has repeatedly warned Americans to not visit Ukraine during the war, let alone join Ukrainian forces in the fight against Russia. At some …

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Russia Declares Independent TV Channel ‘Undesirable,’ Bans it From Country

The Russian prosecutor-general’s office on Tuesday declared independent TV channel Dozhd to be an undesirable organization, continuing the country’s wide crackdown on news media and groups regarded as threats to Russia’s security.  The designation outlaws Dozhd from operating in Russia and exposes its journalists, staff and donors to potential criminal charges.  Dozhd, which is often critical of the Kremlin, closed its operations in Russia soon after the beginning of the Ukraine conflict, moving first to Latvia and then to the Netherlands. The prosecutor-general’s office said Dozhd had spread extremist material and discredited authorities.  The channel frequently offended authorities with its …

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У Пентагоні відреагували на інцидент з російським винищувачем в Сирії

У Пентагоні відреагували на пошкодження безпілотника США MQ-9 Reaper  російським винищувачем у небі над Сирією. «Я не можу говорити, чому росіяни продовжують таку небезпечну, непрофесійну поведінку, але ми бачимо, я б сказала, зростання цього. Лише 23 числа у нас був російський винищувач, який пролетів дуже небезпечно близько до одного з наших безпілотників MQ-9, який виконував місію знищення ІДІЛ», – розповіла заявила заступниця речника Пентагону Сабріна Сінгх під час брифінгу. Вона зауважила, що російські війська знають, «де ми працюємо». «Немає виправдання тому, як їхні сили продовжують переслідувати наші MQ-9 після багатьох років операцій США в цьому районі. Тому ми знову закликаємо …

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«Нехай вирішують прихожани» – голова Одеської ОВА про відбудову зруйнованого собору в Одесі

Іноземні держави вже запропонували свою допомогу для відбудови Спасо-Преображенського православного собору Одеси, але наразі Одеська ОВА це питання не розглядає, оскільки очікує на експертизу. Про це в коментарі Радіо Свобода повідомив голова Одеської військової адміністрації Олег Кіпер. «Ми сьогодні це питання ще не розглядаємо, так як ми не розуміємо технічно чи можливо ту частину (зруйновану – ред.) відбудувати, тому що там відійшла опорна стіна, і наскільки це безпечно. Я думаю, що до цього питання потрібно повернутися після обстеждення, експертизи і відповідних висновків спеціалістів», – сказав Кіпер. На запитання Радіо Свободи, чи існує консенсус у громаді стосовно відбудови храму, допоки він …

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Study Finds Climate Change Fingerprints on July Heat Waves in Europe, China and US

The fingerprints of climate change are all over the intense heat waves gripping the globe this month, a new study finds. Researchers say the deadly hot spells in the American Southwest and Southern Europe could not have happened without the continuing buildup of warming gases in the air. These unusually strong heat waves are becoming more common, Tuesday’s study said. The same research found the increase in heat-trapping gases, largely from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas has made another heat wave — the one in China — 50 times more likely with the potential to occur every …

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Switzerland and Norway Draw 0-0 Leaving Group A up for Grabs

Goalkeeper Gaelle Thalmann shielded Switzerland to a 0-0 draw against Norway on Tuesday at the Women’s World Cup, as the Norwegians played without star striker Ada Hegerberg because of injury. Hegerberg was initially listed to start, but the team announced during the match that the former Ballon d’Or winner was unable to play after experiencing “a feeling in the groin” toward the end of her pre-match warmups. The Norwegians could have used her to break open a scoreless game. In her place, Sophie Roman Haug started the match as a striker. But Roman Haug’s Women’s World Cup debut proved to …

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Greece Faces New Heatwave as Wildfires Rage

Greece braced for a new wave of soaring temperatures Tuesday, as wildfires raged on several popular tourist islands, forcing mass evacuations. In the capital city of Athens the mercury is expected to soar to 41 degrees Celsius, and reach up to 44C in central Greece, according to the national weather forecaster EMY. Many regions of the country were on “red alert”, meaning there is an extreme risk of dangerous forest fires exacerbated by strong winds. The very hot weather comes after a weekend of intense heat as thousands of locals and tourists fled forest fires on the Greek islands of …

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