News Trending

Ukraine war: Germany fears Russia gas cut may become permanent

By 554 0

German imports of Russian natural gas through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline under the Baltic Sea have been stopped for 10 days due to routine maintenance. But German Economy Minister Robert Habeck issued a warning that EU nations needed to be ready in the event that gas imports would not start up again.

In reaction to EU sanctions over the conflict in Ukraine, he has charged that the Kremlin has been using gas “as a weapon.” Mr. Habeck acknowledged that Germany had grown too reliant on Russian gas. However, he stated that two floating terminals for LNG deliveries would be ready by the end of the year.

Russian gas giant Gazprom reduced gas flows via Nord Stream 1 to just 40% of the pipeline’s capacity in the middle of June. It attributed the delay to the equipment being maintained by Siemens Energy in Germany.

According to the Canadian government, a fixed Siemens turbine for the pipeline will now be delivered to Germany. The Ukrainian government was incensed by such action and claimed that Canada had changed the sanctions it had put in place against Moscow “at the whims of Russia.”

Despite the restrictions, Canada says it is allowing Siemens Canada a “time-limited and revocable licence” to transfer fixed turbines back to Germany. The government of Germany is concerned that gas supplies might be temporarily or permanently limited.

Every summer, when gas demand is lower than in the winter, pipeline repair is customary. The concern is that Russia might not open the taps again.

Italian energy company Eni said it would receive around a third less gas from Russia’s Gazprom on Monday compared to typical levels sent over the previous several days as a result of the pipeline outage.

Fatih Birol, the director-general of the International Energy Agency, has cautioned that Russia may completely cut off gas supplies to Europe and that the continent has to start preparing right away.

Poland, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Finland have already stopped receiving gas from Russia because they won’t accept a new payment system.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

News Trending

Russian rockets kill 15 in Chasiv Yar housing block, Ukraine says

By 600 0

Officials report that after Russian rockets attacked an apartment building in the eastern Ukrainian town of Chasiv Yar, at least 15 people have died and it is believed that another 20 are buried under the debris. Five people were recovered alive. A representative of the Ukrainian emergency services provided the dead toll.

The five-story building’s one side was torn off, creating a pile of debris. In the Donetsk region, Chasiv Yar is close to the city of Kramatorsk. The centre of a Russian push is Donetsk. Russian Uragan rockets, according to the region’s governor Pavlo Kyrylenko, were to blame for the destruction.

Reuters reported that a survivor by the name of Lyudmila said, “We hurried to the basement, there were three impacts, the first someplace in the kitchen.

“The second, I don’t even remember, there was a flash, and we immediately ran down the basement through the second entrance. From last night till this morning, we sat there.

The US M777 howitzer hangar at Chasiv Yar was destroyed by Russian forces, according to a report from the Russian defence ministry on Saturday.

Two Donetsk cities in the line of the Russian offensive, Kramatorsk and Slovyansk, have seen their defences reinforced by Ukrainian forces.

The Russians want to grab the remainder of Donetsk after taking the Luhansk region. The industrial Donbas, which is made up of both regions, is claimed by President Vladimir Putin to be a part of Russia.

Despite Russian shelling of Mariupol causing greater devastation and casualties, Ms. Bakhal claimed that the Chasiv Yar civilian death toll was one of the highest in Donetsk thus far.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

News Trending War

Russia’s McDonald’s replacement runs low on fries

By 601 0

According to Russian media, some locations of the recently launched fast food chain “Tasty and that’s it,” which took the position of McDonald’s in Russia, would temporarily stop providing fries. Because there aren’t enough of the right kind of potatoes available, customers will need to order another side dish to go with their burgers and nuggets. By the fall, according to the business, fries will be back on the menu. In opposition to the invasion of Ukraine, McDonald’s withdrew from Russia. A Russian investor purchased the American fast food chain’s eateries, and in June, a few of them reopened under the slogan “Vkusno I Tochka,” which translates to “Tasty and that’s it.”

However, a month after the restaurant’s debut, one of its signature dishes remains hard to find. It’s also possible that “rustic potatoes,” a thicker-cut variation of the standard French fry, won’t be available. According to a statement given to the Russian news outlet Tass, the harvest for the type of potato required to create fries in 2021 was subpar.

Although it had also become impossible to import potatoes from markets that may temporarily replace the domestic supply, it was stated that the corporation normally tried to purchase potatoes from Russian suppliers. However, Russia’s agriculture ministry attempted to allay any worries about a potato scarcity in a Telegram message headed “There are potatoes – and that’s it.”

“There are plenty of potatoes, especially processed ones, on the Russian market. Additionally, crops from the upcoming harvest have already begun to arrive, eliminating the danger of a scarcity “added the ministry. In 1990, McDonald’s built its first location in Moscow, signalling the opening of deeper trade and cultural links between the West and the former Soviet Union.

But more than three decades later, in opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the American icon and scores of other Western businesses withdrew from the country.

Wide-ranging sanctions imposed by the West on Russia currently damage supply chains and raise unemployment. Up to 10% of the Russian economy is predicted to contract in 2022.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

News Trending War

Russia-Ukraine war: Moscow politician gets 7 years for denouncing war

By 1004 0

In what is reportedly the first complete jail term under new legislation targeting dissent, a Moscow councillor has been sentenced to seven years in prison for speaking out against Russia’s conflict in Ukraine.

After being caught on camera criticising the invasion during a city council meeting in April, Alexei Gorinov, 60, was taken into custody. Anyone who promotes “false news” about the military could spend up to 15 years in prison under the post-invasion rule. It is forbidden for Russians to refer to the invasion as a war.

However, in speeches to legislative leaders on Thursday, President Vladimir Putin mentioned the “war in the Donbas.” He has since devised the term “special military operation.” The first prison sentence under the new law, according to human rights campaigner Pavel Chikov, was given to Gorinov. Judges have only imposed fines or deferred sentences thus far.

The court found that he had committed his crime “based on political animosity” and had deceived the Russian people in order to make them “feel anxious and fearful” about the military operation.

When Gorinov appeared in court in northern Moscow, he held out a piece of paper with the words “Do you still need this war?” scribbled in ink. A security guard raised his hands in an effort to mask the message.

In late April, more than a month after giving a speech at a district meeting in Moscow’s Krasnoselsky neighbourhood, the opposition councillor was taken into custody.

When children were dying in Ukraine, Gorinov objected to the concept of holding a children’s drawing competition. He had also attempted to call for a moment of silence to honour the victims before the council meeting began.

A second opposition council member who agreed with him has subsequently left Russia. They two allegedly planned their conspiracy to tarnish the Russian military, according to the prosecution.

Picture Courtesy: google/images are subject to copyright

News Trending

Brittney Griner pleads guilty to Russian drugs charge

By 546 0

Brittney Griner, a US basketball player, admitted guilt to drug charges in a Russian court but said she didn’t do it on purpose. The gold medalist from the Olympics was held in February at a nearby airport after it was claimed that cannabis oil vape cartridges were discovered in her luggage.

She explained to the court in Khimki, “I was in a rush packing and the cartridges accidentally landed up in my luggage. Her trial started last week on allegations that may land her in jail for ten years. Cherelle Griner, Griner’s wife, had earlier urged Joe Biden to take “whatever steps are required” to achieve her release. Cherelle Griner was informed by Mr. Biden that he was working to obtain a release as quickly as feasible.

The basketball player had already written to the president expressing her fear that “she might remain here forever.” The US has been cautioned by Russian government representatives not to “make noise in public about the case.” According to deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov, “the hype and working on the public, with all the enthusiasm for this genre among modern politicians, today only complicates” the legal process.

“Please accept my guilty plea, your honour. But no intention was present. I wanted to avoid breaking the law, “In English, Brittney Griner addressed the court. She stated that she needed more time to prepare and would prefer to deliver her testimony later. After that, the trial was postponed for a week.

With the WNBA franchise Phoenix Mercury, Griner is one of the most successful players in the women’s professional league in the US. She had gone to Russia in the off-season to play club basketball, and she has played for the EuroLeague team UMMC Ekaterinburg since 2014.

Her high-profile arrest at the Sheremetyevo airport outside of Moscow occurred a week before Russia invaded Ukraine, despite the fact that cannabis oil is illegal in that country.

Picture Courtesy: Google/Images are subject to copyright

News Trending

Rocco Morabito: Fugitive mobster handed over to Italy

By 619 0

Mobster Rocco Morabito, one of Italy’s most wanted individuals, has arrived in Rome after being extradited from Brazil, where he had been hiding. Morabito, who was dubbed the “cocaine king of Milan,” was taken into custody by Brazilian and Italian police in May of last year during a combined operation.

The 55-year-old will spend 30 years in prison for distributing drugs. The mafia boss used a false identity while hiding underground in South America for decades. He was finally located by police last year in Joo Pessoa, a port city in northeastern Brazil, where he was detained alongside Vincenzo Pasquino, another Ndrangheta mafia member. Since then, Pasquino has been given a 17-year prison term for narcotics trafficking.

After decades of searching, Rocco Morabito has finally arrived in Rome. Rocco Morabito, who was raised in the Calabrian hamlet of Africo and has ties to mafia leader Giuseppe Morabito, rose to prominence within the ‘Ndrangheta, a vast criminal organisation that dominates much of the cocaine trade in Italy and worldwide.

Morabito established important cocaine smuggling routes from South America into Milan as a young man, quickly becoming known as a prolific drug dealer in the city.

He was well-dressed in double-breasted suits and frequently spotted mixing with the city’s jet set. Italian police immediately became aware of him and put him under surveillance.

He was seen trying to arrange arrangements to get more than a tonne of cocaine from South America into the country, but he quickly vanished. Police believe he eluded capture by travelling to Brazil, where he resided under the guise of Francisco Capeletto. From there, he moved to the neighbouring country of Uruguay, where he spent at least 13 years living in the tourist city of Punta del Este.

He was imprisoned for two years in 2019 while awaiting extradition to Italy until he and three other prisoners made their escape via a hole in the roof.

He was eventually located in a hotel in the city of Joo Pessoa in 2021 as part of a multinational police operation directed by Interpol with the goal of stopping the ‘Ndrangheta. His extradition to Italy was authorised last week by Brazil’s federal top court.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

News Trending

Drought emergency declared in northern Italy

By 552 0

In light of the worst drought in 70 years, Italy has declared an emergency in five northern districts around the Po River. To address the water scarcity, emergency funding totaling €36.5 million (£31 million; $38 million) will be allocated to Emilia-Romagna, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Piedmont, and Veneto.

According to the agricultural group Coldiretti, the drought puts more than 30% of Italy’s agricultural output in jeopardy. Water rationing has already been announced by a number of municipalities. Water problems in northern Italy have been made worse by unusually warm temperatures and minimal rainfall during the winter and spring.

The Italian government stated that “the state of emergency is intended to manage the current crisis with unprecedented means and powers.” If things didn’t get better, it threatened to take more action. Italy’s longest river, the Po, flows more than 650 kilometres eastward (404 miles).

Farmers in the Po Valley claim that crops are being destroyed by seawater that is now leaking into the river. Mario Draghi, the prime minister, travelled to the Dolomites on Monday, where a glacier fall left 13 people missing. He claimed there was “no doubt” that global warming contributed to the calamity.

On the Marmolada mountain, an avalanche brought on by the glacier’s disintegration resulted in at least seven fatalities and eight injuries.

Drones with thermal imaging capabilities are helping in the search for the missing, who also include a number of international nationals.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

Entertainment News Trending

Michael Longley: Belfast poet wins €250,000 Feltrinelli Poetry Prize

By 594 0

Michael Longley, a poet from Belfast, has received a €250,000 (£216,000) European cultural award. At a ceremony in November, Longley will accept the Feltrinelli International Prize for Poetry. Former winners of the award include John Ashbery, Eugenio Montale, and WH Auden.

Longley was born in 1939, and at the age of 30, he released No Continuing City, his debut book of poetry. From 2007 to 2010, he served as Ireland’s professor of poetry. Italy’s Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei bestows the prize once every five years in each discipline, on a national and international level.

According to the Accademia dei Lincei, Mr. Longley won because of “the extraordinarily relevant nature of his ideas and the cultural ramifications they have, as well as the very high level of stylistic excellence of his work.”

It read: “Longley is a tragic singer of Ireland and its dramatic past and an amazing poet of landscape, especially of the Irish West, which he examines with the careful and passionate attention of an ecology.

But he has also addressed subjects such as loss, grief, and sympathy in his poetry, as well as the seduction, conquest, and enchantment of love, the shock of war in all times, the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the gulags.

The Belfast native’s parents, both Londoners who emigrated to Northern Ireland prior to the birth of their son, were both World War One veterans from England.

He and his twin brother were born on July 27, 1939, in Lower Crescent, a neighbourhood off University Road in Belfast, only weeks before World War Two broke out.

Both the Royal Belfast Academical Institution (also known as Inst) and Trinity College in Dublin, where Longley later studied classics, had an impact on his career.

When he “fell in love very strongly” with a girl from a local school, Methodist College, he began his writing career in his early teens.

He was given the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry in 2001, as well as the Wilfred Owen Award in 2003. In 2010, he was appointed CBE.

For his contributions to literary and cultural life in Belfast, where he and his wife, the critic Edna Longley, reside and work, he was given the freedom of the city in 2015.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

News Trending

Deadly blasts hit Russian border city

By 592 0

According to regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, explosions in the Russian city of Belgorod, which is close to the Ukrainian border, have killed at least three people.

At least 39 privately owned residential buildings and 11 apartment complexes were partially destroyed by the explosions, he claimed. The blasts, he said, activated air defence systems. The governor’s claim could not be independently verified, and Ukraine showed no immediate response. The information was obtained through Mr. Gladkov’s Telegram channel.

Numerous civilians and combatants have been killed or injured since Russia’s invasion on February 24 on the pretext of “demilitarising” and “de-Nazifying” Ukraine as it moved closer to Nato, and at least 12 million people have left their homes. In response, Western nations have armed Ukraine and imposed previously unheard-of sanctions on Russia, a nuclear powerhouse and a major source of energy.

Picture Courtesy: Google/Images are subject to copyright

News Trending

Germany, Nigeria to sign accord on returning Benin Bronzes

By 617 0

In order to facilitate the return of significant sculptures known as the Benin Bronzes that were stolen from Africa in the late 19th century, Germany is scheduled to sign an agreement in Nigeria on Friday.

In Europe and North America, ownership issues over items that were plundered during colonial periods have become a growing concern for governments and museums. The bas-relief Bronzes were among many other priceless artefacts that were taken from the Kingdom of Benin’s royal palace in 1897 by a British colonial force.

Many of Berlin’s institutions are governed by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, which declared last year that it was starting official talks to restore items to its collection. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Culture Minister Claudia Roth, and their respective Ministers of State for Foreign Affairs Zubairo Dada and Lai Mohammed will all sign the agreement of understanding in Berlin.

Although the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation hopes to maintain some of the Bronzes on loan from Nigeria, the final details of the restitution have not yet been disclosed. Ten pieces of Benin Bronze were taken off display at the National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C., last year, and the Smithsonian promised to return them to Nigeria. Talks on returning the items have already started in other museums.

Many of the items are still housed in the British Museum, which has defied requests to give them back.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright