Month: November 2023

A sweeping plain dotted with ruined houses stretched into the horizon and toward the blue expanse of the Dnipro River, where a clutch of Ukrainian forces were poised for Russian attacks. The Dnipro, Europe’s fourth-longest river and a historic trading route, has become a key front since Ukrainian troops pushed Russian forces back over its banks in the south last year. The river winds the length of the country from north to south, eventually flowing into the Black Sea from the Kherson region, where it separates the two armies. While Ukraine’s recapture of Kherson city last November was a defeat …

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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is overextending Russia’s domestic military resources and is straining “its ability to retain baseline defenses across its vast area,” the British Defense Ministry said in its daily intelligence report about the conflict in Ukraine. The ministry said Thursday that analysis of recent reports about the loss of several Russian SA-21 long-range Surface to Air Missile (SAM) systems indicates that for Russia to continue its coverage of Ukraine, Russia will highly likely need to reallocate SAMs routinely used to protect distant Russian regions. Long-range SAMs, like the SA-21, can hit targets up to 400 kilometers away, according …

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Russia, Venezuela and Pakistan are the top three recipients of Chinese development funding in the past two decades, but the crisis-riddled countries may be losing attraction for Beijing. China is moving to protect its global investments under the Belt and Road Initiative, according to a study released this week by AidData, a research lab at the U.S. university, William and Mary. The research shows that China gave $1.34 trillion dollars in grants and loans for more than 20,000 projects to 165 low-income and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2021. While the top three recipients received funding for different reasons, AidData …

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Turkey’s media regulator has voted to order the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle, or DW, to obtain a broadcast license for its Turkish-language website. The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK) ruled on the move Wednesday in a majority vote, saying the German broadcaster must comply with a Turkish licensing regulation that came into force in 2019. RTUK previously moved to block DW’s content in 32 languages under its dw.com domain, along with VOA Turkish, over the refusal by both media outlets to obtain a license. Both international broadcasters said previously they could not comply with the regulation because of …

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French President Emmanuel Macron gave opening remarks on Thursday in Paris at an aid conference for Gaza, stressing that “all lives have equal worth.” Representatives from more than 50 nations, including the U.S. and several Arab states, were in attendance. Israeli officials weren’t invited but were informed of the meeting in advance, Macron’s press office said. Macron appealed for a humanitarian pause in Israel’s counteroffensive against Hamas, saying that ensuring the safety of civilians is “non-negotiable.” According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, around 1.5 million Palestinians – roughly 70% of Gaza’s population – have …

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Britain’s interior minister on Thursday accused the country’s largest police force of being more lenient toward pro-Palestinian demonstrators than other groups, deepening a political feud sparked by the Israel-Hamas war.  In a highly unusual attack on the police, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said London’s Metropolitan Police force was ignoring lawbreaking by “pro-Palestinian mobs.” She described demonstrators calling for a cease-fire in Gaza as “hate marchers.”  Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was under growing pressure to fire Braverman, a divisive figure popular with the authoritarian wing of the governing Conservative Party. Sunak’s spokesperson, Max Blain, said that Braverman’s article had not been …

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Spanish police say that veteran right-wing politician Alejandro Vidal-Quadras, has been taken to the hospital after being shot in the face in Madrid. Alejo Vidal-Quadras, 78, a member of Spain’s conservative popular party, and was its regional leader in Catalonia, was shot in the wealthy Salamanca area of central Madrid at about 1.30 p.m. local time. Vidal-Quadras was conscious when he was taken to the hospital. Police have identified two men in connection with the shooting, who got away on a black motorcycle. The gunman, wearing a helmet, left the motorcycle to carry out the shooting. No arrests were made …

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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba Thursday rejected any calls for talks with Russia amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “Those who argue that Ukraine should negotiate with Russia now are either uninformed or misled, or they side with Russia and want Putin to take a pause before an even larger aggression,” Kuleba posted on X. Kuleba said Ukraine “should not and will not fall into this trap.” The Kremlin said Wednesday that it would engage in talks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his side will not participate in negotiations until Russia has withdrawn all of its troops from areas it …

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The sound of children’s footsteps echoed along a school hallway in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson as pupils gathered to board a coach marked “Evacuation.” Nadiya Kondratkova stood surrounded by suitcases, her crimson lips trembling and her eyes filled with tears. This was the first time she had parted from her daughters. “They have to get some rest far away from the explosions and sirens,” Nadiya said, explaining her decision to send them away.  “They’re exhausted,” she told AFP. “They can’t sleep anymore and they scream at night.” The city has suffered daily attacks since it was recaptured by …

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