Month: October 2023

На Лимано-Куп’янському напрямку стало менше обстрілів: Євлаш назвав причину

«Противник зараз акцентує увагу поблизу Синьківки, Іванівки та Макіївки. Намагається перекидати туди свої штурмові загони – «Шторм-Z», «Шторм», різні стрілецькі батальйони та танкові підрозділи» …

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UK’s Opposition Labour Party Says if Elected it Will Track Down Billions Lost to COVID-19 Fraud  

Britain’s main opposition Labour Party says that if it wins power, it will appoint a “COVID corruption commissioner” to try and recoup some of the billions lost to fraud and waste during the pandemic.  Labour economy spokeswoman Rachel Reeves is due to outline the plan in a speech Monday at the party’s annual conference. She says the commissioner will bring together tax officials, fraud investigators and law enforcement officers will track down an estimated $8.8 billion in lost public money spent on grants and contracts related to COVID-19.  Like many countries, the U.K. was forced to sidestep usual rules as …

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Traffic Resumes at Germany’s Hamburg Airport After Iran Plane Threat

Air traffic has resumed at Germany’s Hamburg airport, a spokesperson told Reuters on Monday, after a police operation in response to a threat against a plane from Tehran prompted all landings and take-offs to be halted. A federal police spokesperson earlier said officers, acting on a threat of an attack sent via email, searched a plane with 198 passengers from Tehran that had landed in the northern German city. The German air force said on its X social media account that it escorted the plane after it entered German airspace east of Berlin due to a bomb threat. Police interviewed …

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Think Tank: Rail Traffic Surge on North Korea-Russia Border Suggests Arms Supply to Russia

Recent satellite photos show a sharp increase in rail traffic along the North Korea-Russia border, indicating the North is supplying munitions to Russia, according to a U.S. think tank. Speculation about a possible North Korean plan to refill Russia’s munition stores drained in its protracted war with Ukraine flared last month, when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin and visit key military sites. Foreign officials suspect Kim is seeking sophisticated Russian weapons technologies in return for the munitions to boost his nuclear program. “Given that Kim and Putin discussed some military exchanges …

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Baltic Sea Gas Pipeline Shut Down Over Suspected Leak 

Finland and Estonia said Sunday that the undersea Balticconnector gas pipeline running between the two countries across the Baltic Sea was temporarily taken out of service due to a suspected leak. Gasgrid Finland and Elering, the Finnish and Estonian gas system operators, said they noted an unusual drop in pressure in the pipeline shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, after which they shut down the gas flow. “Based on observations, it was suspected that the offshore pipeline between Finland and Estonia was leaking,” Gasgrid Finland said in a statement. “The valves in the offshore pipeline are now closed and the leak …

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UK Supreme Court to Decide on Britain Asylum-Seekers’ Resettlement  

The British government’s contentious policy to stem the flow of migrants faces one of its toughest challenges this week as the U.K. Supreme Court weighs whether it’s lawful to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda.  The Conservative government is challenging a Court of Appeal ruling in June that said the policy intended to deter immigrants from risking their lives crossing the English Channel in small boats is unlawful because the East African country is not a safe place to send them.  Three days of arguments are scheduled to begin Monday with the government arguing its policy is safe and lawyers for migrants …

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London Police Step Up Patrols After Israel-Gaza Violence 

London police said Sunday that they had boosted patrols across parts of the city following the attacks on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.    “We are aware of a number of incidents… in relation to the ongoing conflict in Israel and the border with Gaza,” the Metropolitan Police said on social media.    “The Met has increased policing patrols across parts of London in order to provide a visible presence and reassurance to our communities,” it said.    Britain’s interior minister Suella Braverman said there should be “zero tolerance for anti-Semitism or glorification of terrorism on the streets of Britain.”   “I …

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ECB’s Lagarde: Confident over 2% Inflation Target and Europe’s Winter Gas Situation 

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said in an interview published on Sunday that she was confident the ECB would meet its target of getting inflation back down to 2%, and relatively confident over Europe’s gas reserves situation.  Last month, the ECB raised its key interest rate to a record high of 4%. “The key ECB interest rates have reached levels that, maintained for a sufficiently long duration, will make a substantial contribution to the timely return of inflation to the target,” Lagarde said in an interview published on Sunday in French paper La Tribune Dimanche. The ECB’s website clarified …

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