UF Ukraine Rebuilding Initiative members stand with Gainesville mayor to mark sister-city partnership Oct A team of Gators is preparing to design prosthetic limbs and build bomb shelters for civilians more than 5,000 miles away After a year of campaigning for a sister-city agreement between Gainesville and Nizhyn students with UF’s Ukraine Rebuilding Initiative saw their efforts come to fruition Mayor Harvey Ward signed a memorandum uniting the cities Oct 31 in a partnership to promote international understanding and facilitate cultural exchange.  the 22-year-old president of the Ukraine Rebuilding Initiative hopes it will enable budding biomedical engineers and diplomats to aid a country embroiled in an existential conflict “I think there's an urge to highlight the importance of healing within communities that are in need right now,” he said As the third anniversary of the war draws near, Ukraine has lost 80,000 soldiers and an unknown number of civilians President-elect Donald Trump, who has mused about ending the war before he takes office,  plans to curtail funds to the country as Russia advances into its eastern region.  a UF political science and international relations senior said projects on the municipal level are paramount.  “We weren't expecting any national government money in the first place so our understanding of our work does not alter in any way,” he said “We're kind of taking international politics into our own hands in this capacity.” Twenty-year-old UF political science junior Elizabeth Kemp secretary of the Ukraine Rebuilding Initiative said threats to federal aid for Ukraine haven’t taken her eyes off the ball said she wasn’t sure she wanted to pursue a career in diplomacy She said seeing the sister-city project become reality sealed the deal for her “In this program and through my personal internship experience it's been just truly amazing and has made me even more passionate,” she said Former Gainesville Mayor Lauren Poe worked closely with the Ukraine Rebuilding Initiative to push the sister-city agreement over the finish line he is an advisor to the project and guides the students to remain ambitious but realistic He said the key to a sustainable sister-city partnership is for both parties to understand the work necessary to maintain a diplomatic relationship and commit to seeing projects through The Gainesville City Commission established its sister-city program in the 1980s with a first-of-its-kind partnership with the Soviet Union.  Poe is now director of the Greater Gainesville International Center and has played a role in similar partnerships Israel and Poland — many of which weren’t student-initiated.  Because of UF’s prominent international presence Poe said it makes sense for its students and faculty to spearhead such a project He said UF and Ukraine’s Gogol State University members must remain clear-eyed and priorities-driven with a plan to fulfill shared goals.  “One thing is having a local group in both cities that takes ownership of the program and is willing to be held accountable making sure that there are clear goals set,” he said you're not going to be able to do much of anything at all.” members of the Ukraine Rebuilding Initiative can begin to work on their multi-pronged diplomatic agenda Students plan to build bomb shelters at Nizhyn bus stops and deliver medical and nutrition-based packages to its community They will also design prosthetics for injured soldiers and deploy UF agricultural research to boost the city’s farming productivity UF students and Gainesville community members can pitch in vis-a-vis donations and volunteer work Mikhaylov said his team began collecting donations in early October a fraction of what they’ll need to finance several expensive projects Bomb shelter construction will cost about $19,000 and a nutritional package program about $5,000 UF biomedical engineering junior Ivan Perevorukhov vice president of the Ukraine Rebuilding Initiative said anyone interested in becoming involved is welcome to attend general board meetings the team will find a role for a prospective member to serve He said the skills needed to power the mission are diverse “Many of our members are people who don't want to sit idly by,” he said “If you have something to bring to the table we’ll either teach you or we'll learn together.” Correction: This article originally stated the Ukraine Rebuilding Initiative bomb shelters were for soldiers It has been updated to say they were built for civilians.  Contact Natalie Kaufman at nkaufman@alligator.org Natalie Kaufman is the business enterprise reporter and a second-year journalism major you'll catch her drinking too much caffeine and running The Church of John the Theologian in Nizhyn Simon BourkeWexford PeopleFri 2 May 2025 at 05:00Wexford town is to enter into a sister city partnership with Nizhyn in Ukraine in what has been described as a move to promote “inclusion and peace” throughout the respective areas wrote to the Wexford Borough District to request that an official relationship be established "I would like to extend my sincere thanks for the warm welcome and kind hospitality shown to me during my recent visit to Wexford,” he said “I am truly grateful for Ireland’s continued support for Ukraine during these difficult times The solidarity of the Irish people – and particularly the people of Wexford – is deeply appreciated I was especially moved by the opening of the Sunflower Ukrainian Hub which stands as a powerful symbol of compassion and unity and the evident spirit of mutual respect between our communities I would like to express my sincere interest in the possibility of establishing a twinning partnership between Nizhyn and Wexford I believe such a partnership could lay the foundation for meaningful co-operation in areas such as cultural exchange “Nizhyn and Wexford share many common values – rich historical traditions I believe these shared qualities create a strong foundation for meaningful cooperation.” Mayor Kodola’s invitation was discussed further at the April meeting of the Wexford Borough District with all councillors agreeing that accepting it would send a strong message out to the wider world “Rather than a twinning process this would see Nizhyn become our sister city,” said the Mayor of Wexford “It’s a movement that seeks to improve relations with cities around the world "It would be wonderful to establish a link with them and let them know we haven’t forgotten them and Wexford is a welcoming place for their people.” A proposal to formally accept the invitation was made by Cllr Robbie Staples with Cllr Ray Shannon seconding it Other SportsShock results at Enniscorthy greyhound stadium as big-priced wins recorded in second round of stakeThe second round of the April Unraced Stake produced some shock results as favourites failed to qualify and some big-priced winners were recorded the Russian army once again attacked Nizhyn in the Chernihiv region with Shahed drones states the head of the Chernihiv Regional Military Administration the attack resulted in strikes on an infrastructure facility and a residential dormitory the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had reported the threat of strike drones the threat of enemy drones targeting the regions had been lifted a multi-story residential building was damaged with 18 apartments suffering varying degrees of damage will meet with participants of a development cooperation project Joining the conversation are the Chairman of the Riga City Council and the Riga City Council’s team involved in the project implementation This is one of the development cooperation projects in Ukraine financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs The objective of the project is to help Ukrainian people cope with the consequences of the Russian military aggression through fostering long-term bilateral contacts and organizing the visits of Ukrainian representatives to Latvia including the provision of informative and psycho-emotional support to Ukrainian educators and municipal employees from the city of Nizhyn in Chernihiv Region The delegation from Nizhyn has arrived in Latvia to participate in the kick-off events of the project as well as to hear a course of lectures on mentoring for psychological support The project envisages preparing employees of educational institutions and local government authorities for submission of EU projects the project makes it possible to provide essential support to educators of the city of Nizhyn and local government employees through organizing training in the field of eurointegration and drawing up EU projects It also fosters building new contacts between Nizhyn and Riga as well as exploring the potential for new projects to be implemented in the future The project is coordinated by the Riga Investment and Tourism Agency Total financing for the project amounts to EUR 66 817.55 (EUR 56 197 as a grant; EUR 10 620.55 – as co-financing from the Riga Investment and Tourism Agency) Ukraine is Latvia’s priority in development cooperation: a half of projects approved in 2024 are related to Ukraine Particular focus is placed on assistance to Ukrainian regions According to data collected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Latvia’s total support to Ukraine amounts to 1% of GDP or approximately EUR 770 million (figures for June 2024) under bilateral development cooperation with Ukraine is supporting 13 grant projects in 2024 for a total amount of EUR 643 751.69 (36.15% of the total bilateral development cooperation budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) Projects will be carried out in the following areas: psycho-emotional support to women; rehabilitation; microsurgery; financial supervision; forensic expertise and war crimes documentation; the development of small and medium-sized enterprises; European integration and EU law; agriculture; auditing; and human rights Your feedback will help us improve this site Thousands in Centre County Lose Power After Severe Storms Man Dies by Electrocution in State College After Severe Storm Damaged Power Lines Road Closures Continue in Centre County After Severe Storm Nizhyn Mayor Oleksandr Kodola and State College Borough Council President Jesse Barlow celebrate the signing of a sister cities agreement on May 3 Oleksandr Kodola fought back tears as he began to speak on Wednesday to a crowded council chambers at the State College Municipal Building It was the first time during his week of speaking with people in the United States that tears had come “Today my country is fighting,” Kodola said We are also fighting for the values of the western world and America human rights and safety and stable and sustainable development.” whose trip has included visits with other Ukrainian mayors to Denver for the Cities Summit of the Americas and to Washington made his way to State College for the signing of a sister city agreement between the two university towns the culmination of months of efforts by borough residents and officials With the agreement through Sister Cities International State College plans in the short-term to facilitate aid to the city damaged in the Russian invasion by promoting fundraising efforts (it can’t use taxpayer dollars) the communities plan to engage in cultural who led the 90-minute ceremony and joined Kodola in signing the memorandum of understanding called the day a “historic occasion.” Though war brought the communities together “We honor the deep and abiding ties between our two communities and the resilience and strength of our shared human bond,” Nanes said “As we look ahead we are inspired by the hopes and dreams of our peoples and our communities… Through this sister city agreement we will build understanding and mutual admiration that will endure for generations to come.” Kodola spent much of his remarks sharing his city’s culture and history as well as how it has been deeply impacted by the war with Russia Nizhyn Mykola Gogol State University has played a key role in the development of his city of 70,000 people in the Chernihiv Region of northern Ukraine He spoke of the many festivals Nizhyn hosts during peace time its varied museums and historic sites and its industries such as its sunflower oil processing plant and canned food factory He also discussed how Nizhyn’s airport was attacked in the early days of the invasion and the battles that raged around the city as well as the 90 Nizhyn residents who lost their lives in military service and more than 10 civilians killed Photos showed the devastation that left dozens of buildings businesses and boilers damaged or in rubble The effort that led to the sister city partnership was sparked by Svitlana Budzhak-Jones a native of Ukraine and longtime State College resident who have been working since last year to raise money to help with critical infrastructure repairs in Nizhyn In addition to the two municipalities’ similar population and positions as college towns Budzhak-Jones told council late in 2022 that they settled on Nizhyn because of the extent of the damage  It did not experience total damage in the Russian invasion to the extent the State College community could not provide meaningful help But it did see infrastructure damage that needed be fixed including to a central boiler station that was unable to provide heat and hot water Budzhak-Jones and fellow residents in 2022 founded Sister’s Sister a nonprofit organization to provide humanitarian relief to Nizhyn Kodola said the $18,000 raised by State College residents helped to repair the city’s most damaged boiler “A big district of our city of over 5,000 residents were provided with warm water and heat during this winter adding that funds also helped by sterilizers for a hospital’s maternity ward “The document that the two mayors will sign today is another manifestation of the American people’s unrelenting support of the great nation of Ukraine fighting for its existence freedom and defending the democratic values of the entire world,” she said “Our sister city memorandum of understanding is only the beginning of an exciting new project between all members of our communities faith based organizations or arts and culture groups … on the road to the happy and peaceful future mutual understanding and well-being of everyone in both cities of State College in Pennsylvania and Nizhyn in Ukraine.” Kodola stressed that he expects the partnership to benefit both communities “I want you to understand that this is a two-way street that the partnership is not just one way,” he said “I don’t want you to feel that I am here to ask for your help only We are very interested in a partnership relationship and that we will have this huge friendship between the two communities in the future.” Matsievskyi has become a national hero and the subject of worldwide media attention Nanes said the banner will be hung “in a place of honor” in the borough building Kodola also expressed appreciation for the burgeoning bond between the communities “Even though we are geographically located way too far away from each other right now at this moment we are so close,” Kodola said “All Nizhnites and Ukrainians will never forget this day.” 80% of consumers turn to directories with reviews to find a local business We offer the latest breaking news and videos straight from the Centre County region in Central PA Contact us: info@statecollege.com © Copyright 2000 –  2024 | StateCollege.com® | All Rights Reserved | State College PA – Centre County – Central Pennsylvania – Home of Penn State University This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. StateCollege.com Privacy Policy page Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker You don't have permissions to access this page How the military operation near Nizhyn at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine slowed down the Russian offensive on Kyiv and the justification of Russian prisoners of war as well as the motivation of Ukrainian soldiers read in the RBC-Ukraine article the company commander of the 8th Special Operations Forces regiment with the call sign “Simba” fought in Rubizhne and in the settlements of Syze and Bolotene in Luhansk region during the ATO After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine He conducted numerous assault and surveillance operations on the Kherson and Kharkiv directions he was promoted to major for successful completion of tasks RBC-Ukraine asked Simba about his combat experience military operations near Nizhyn and Bakhmut the frontline stories that impressed him the most and his understanding of the concept of heroism and his attitude towards military service evaders - Your military career began long before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine - When Maidan (Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity - ed.) was happening That's when I finally realized that I wanted to go and defend my country I was studying to become a programmer at the Kyiv Interregional Academy of Personnel Management but decided to enter the Odesa Military Academy I received his diploma and almost immediately accepted the position of commander of a machine gun platoon of the 95th Assault Brigade in Rubizhne I performed combat missions in the settlements of Syze and Bolotene I joined the Special Operations Forces and was assigned to the unit where I am still serving and many contusions that I can't even count but all of them were not critical and allowed me to stay in the army I serve in the same unit as my father - he has been in the army for 34 years He has the call sign "Lev" (Lion in Ukrainian - ed.) Everyone remembers the cartoon about the Lion King and his son Simba - my military nickname came from there Major “Simba” went through all the hot spots of the front during the full-scale war (photo provided by the press service) - At the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine you organized a military operation to defend Nizhyn - I have long realized that there would be a full-scale Russian invasion I reacted to it quite calmly because I was already prepared When my friend sent me a link to Putin's speech we had already moved out to perform a combat mission so I gathered one consolidated staff group of 10 people having planned certain activities that we had to perform I turned to the unit commander with an action plan we realized that there were hostilities there We had little chance of getting into Nizhyn We loaded more than 5 tons of various weapons and explosives and left there were no checkpoints on the road at that time no one understood where Ukrainian units were and where the Russian units were and a column of vehicles was standing on the side We thought it was cool - we were not alone here and we would have something to fight with we saw the letter O - Russian vehicles coming from Belarus The Russian occupiers did not realize who we were because we were without insignia so we managed to drive through and get into the city Later it turned out that this was the only road to Nizhyn at that time - How long did you stay in Nizhyn and did you manage to accomplish your planned tasks - Our operation lasted about a month - until April 2 there was the 58th Brigade in Nizhyn and maybe 5 men from the resistance movement who wanted to join us They were formed by the military enlistment office from civilians and the issue of weapons and ammunition was closed because the Russian army was the “sponsor of this program” and they were going through the outskirts to the capital They did not expect any resistance from this city we had to not only hold the line but carry out 360-degree fire raids and ambushes We could make three ambushes in a day from three different directions and this misled the enemy about the number of personnel They thought there were a lot of us and did not want to spend their resources to take the city and already there we fought against the Russians with theirs - captured armored personnel carriers Major Simba organized a military operation in Nizhyn at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine (photo provided by the press service) you reduced the force of the attack on Kyiv We analyzed Russian troops' movement routes moved with four people in a car to the village of Kruty and used anti-tank mines to set a trap under the bridge where all the Russian logistics were passing we forced the Russians to move 150-180 kilometers further along other roads we were transferred to combat operations in the Donetsk region and Lyman - we made ambushes in the forests and worked there until Lyman was liberated from the Russian occupiers - You also took part in the defense of Bakhmut.. when you walk through the forest in ambushes you meet a minimum of artillery fire and the Russian troops where if there is no artillery fire for 30 seconds you realize that an assault has already begun from some quarter We had a unit consisting of two groups and were actively engaged in mortar fire meaning we had two firing positions in Bakhmut itself We also used snipers and cooperated with the 93rd Brigade Often we had to help the guys to enter the positions if they were lost The same position could pass from the Russians to our control twice in one day Many operations were conducted on the outskirts The groups were mobile and the tasks were as fast and flexible as possible We had to move along the entire front line Major Simba has 5 years of combat experience (photo provided by the press service) - I know that you managed to take Russian soldiers prisoner Their group either fell behind or got lost we managed to destroy two armored vehicles and take three people from the personnel prisoner What they said in 2022 and now are radically different things but each of them knew exactly what task they had come here for The officer we took prisoner tried to prove for a week that he did not know how he got here He asked us to let him go home and promised that he would never come back and there were many interesting things that I cannot disclose.. And those Russians who are now being captured do not want to talk they realize that this is their final station They are so zombified that there is simply no point in talking to them Now Russian prisoners are just an exchange fund to take our guys home - Are Russian prisoners really afraid to return to Russia We have a lot of video evidence and radio intercepts of their conversations that confirm this The toughest thing I heard was from the Wagner PMC in the Donetsk sector when we were holding the defense of Bakhmut These fighters had no options at all - they were told that they were going to the end and there was no turning back - either they would secure their position or they would not return at all I will not disclose all the moments of their communication with their command It was also the case that half of them had hepatitis and half had been convicted of the most serious crimes They had already come to terms with their deaths before they even arrived in Ukraine The only motivation for the Wagnerians is a possible amnesty and some minimal financial support - And if we compare the Wagnerites with other units of the Russian army - The so-called invincible Wagner PMC that Russians talk about is scattered in all parts of the white world today What Wagner was able to do was destroy more than 50 thousand of its personnel in two blocks in Bakhmut What kind of power and strength of a unit are we talking about But the power of intimidation and the fact that people have nothing to lose has played its role Simba and his comrades performed combat missions in Bakhmut (photo provided by the press service) - Many impressive events are happening at the front every day Share the story that you remember the most - I won't mention any specific units in order not to disclose any information We were tasked with conducting reconnaissance We discovered a Russian column of "tigers" - three armored vehicles and their route ran through the rear from Yampil to Lyman after which we managed to hit all three vehicles with their personnel It is interesting that when we moved to a safe distance of 1-2 kilometers we raised a drone and waited for the evacuation to arrive When another tiger arrived for evacuation and 4 personnel we managed to destroy both this equipment and the military There were a lot of photos of those damaged tigers on the Internet We took the equipment that remained more or less intact to our units We did everything according to the procedure but this is war and the situation can turn around at any time Our guys were performing a mission and entered a minefield OZM-72 anti-personnel mines leave little chance of survival When we heard the radio communication between them we decided to move to evacuate and help the guys The first vehicle we sent to evacuate them hit an anti-tank mine so I decided to take a medic with me and go to them in my car We managed to evacuate all the personnel within 3 hours (we cannot disclose the number of soldiers so that Russia does not understand the composition of the units - ed.) The soldiers who were in bad condition received timely medical care and survived - We perform many complex and universal tasks We are trained for any kind of work - for reconnaissance This is a versatile unit that can perform any task on water The general planning is done by the headquarters and sets us tasks Planning is carried out following all NATO procedures and then we move on to the material - what weapons we take on a mission - There is a statement that a soldier's heroism is a mistake of the leadership We cannot be robots and always make the right decisions I know many fighters who are real heroes and perform heroic deeds despite their commanders But we need to figure out what is the very aspect of a hero Is a person who did not leave you wounded on the battlefield and stayed with you until the end held the enemy and you managed to escape - is he a hero Different actions can be considered heroic It is not necessary to destroy 20,000 tanks to become a hero Sometimes it is enough to make a strong-willed decision and stay to provide timely assistance We had a situation when one of my comrades was killed in a small arms battle and remained in a position occupied by the Russians I told my guys that I was not forcing anyone because I understood all the risks of the operation I could see in their eyes that many of them realized what we were signing up for and where we were going Major “Simba” plans to stay in the army after the war (photo provided by the press service) - How do you deal with the loss of your comrades because tomorrow you could be in their place But the memory of the fallen does not go away we congratulated the father of our fallen guy on his anniversary - What can you say about the level of motivation in the army now This is normal because if all people said that they wanted to fight every person understands why they are here and what tasks they have to perform People who are not motivated now should ask themselves why they are here they need to change something in their minds Commanders need to talk to their personnel When people hear the support of their commanders behind them - What kind of fighters would you like to see join your unit - It doesn't have to be a person with certain physical parameters We select both in the regiment and in our unit A person who has passed the basic test in the regiment - physical training psychological and medical tests - comes to our unit for an interview then we check physical activity and look at the person's nervous system The most important thing is motivation and more or less adequate physical fitness Everything else is acquired directly in the unit and support - everything falls on our hands - There is often a debate in society about whether a man should be mobilized to the front if he is panicked and does not want to fight - We ask a man who lives with his wife and children and goes to the pond every weekend to swim Let's draw a parallel and ask the soldiers at the front if they don't want to be there either will we drink coffee with Russians in Bukovel (Ukrainian ski resort - ed.) So the question here is in the minds of citizens There are many cases when a person can get a reservation from mobilization I see that the malefactor has disappeared in many people And those who have it are already at the front I do not believe that all men should fight But when a person is unconscious and refuses where the chances of dying are three times higher what kind of attitude can be taken toward him We have regular volunteers who have been working with us since 2014 But it's the fundraisers that are hard to cover I had the experience of raising money for one thermal imaging drone while the price of the drone was 230 thousand I completely lost the desire to engage in such fundraising The guys and I chipped in from our salaries this is my third car since the beginning of my rotation The first one crashed into an armored personnel carrier and the second one was a direct hit from a Russian tank I arrived at the checkpoint to see the guys from the neighboring unit got out of the car and 30 seconds later I was hit by a direct hit We had been saving for this vehicle for 4 months Now the third vehicle is still on the move and I hope it will serve for a long time - How do your relatives perceive your service I have seen my mother about 10 times since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion There are no complaints from my wife and mother This is the most important thing in a family - I understand that victory is still far away but have you thought about what you will do after the war I will continue to fulfill my duties in the army because I do not believe in Russia's honesty and justice I want to be ready for an attack once again And if my knowledge and experience can help other people save their lives and inflict damage on the enemy then I would probably prefer to stay in the army State College is on track to partner with Nizhyn the State College Borough Council unanimously approved a resolution to endorse the relationship Borough Council President Jesse Barlow and Mayor Ezra Nanes shared that borough resident Svitlana Budzhak-Jones was crucial in organizing this effort The borough can’t officially approve this relationship but it intends to establish it “as soon as reasonably possible.” “This is a resolution of the Borough of State College endorsing a sister city relationship with Nizhyn “This is actually asking our government to act by the council We still have to go through the steps of certifying this.” Nizhyn is a war-ridden city about 70 miles northeast of Kyiv The resolution is intended to broaden ties between State College and the Ukrainian city “The purpose of a Sister City relationship is to enhance a peaceful friendly connection between people of different nations; expand humanitarian aid; further cultural and faith-based exchange; and extend educational linkages for youth and adults for both cities and to increase awareness of both cities as being growth cities in the sectors of connected liberal arts and financial services,” the resolution reads The borough can’t directly provide funds to Nizhyn, but it can highlight fundraisers and form a long-term partnership with it. The Borough Council encouraged folks to aid its local humanitarian relief organization Sister’s Sister and other legitimate organizations “The mayor has already communicated with me and sent me a holiday card and we’ve done the same,” Nanes said the substance and the body of this comes from the community and all of the neighborhoods and that is why we’re really able to undertake this with full intention to support a war-torn city and hopefully grow from our relationship with them.” a Penn State assistant professor of Slavic and Global and International Studies and Ukrainian student club advisor expressed her excitement about the partnership to the council and we’re really looking forward to developing and helping you develop relationships with the city of Nizhyn,” Ladygina said it’s really very meaningful that our town stands by Ukrainians in their fight for freedom.” Eisenhower emphasized personal diplomacy in the 1960s which first popularized the concept of sister cities the Sister Cities International nonprofit includes programs in 500 communities that establish connections across the globe McKenna is a third-year agricultural science major from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Her red flags include being a ginger, a Disney adult, and a chronic yapper. In her free time, she enjoys reading books and curating oddly specific playlists. You can follow her on Instagram @mckenna.murph or email her at [email protected] This year’s logo was designed by Sara Bobulinski a photographer and member of the Class of 2023 Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Clean Creatives advocates for transparent advertising and to put an end to greenwashing of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine is currently on a visit in Constantinople to attend the enthronement of the Elder Metropolitan of Chalcedon On the occasion of his visit to Constantinople the Archbishop met Metropolitan Eugenios of Rethymno after the Service of the Rejoicings in the Phanar he pointed out that Metropolitan Eugenios was one of the hierarchs who as a member of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate participated in the decisions that led to the granting of the Tomos of Autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in 2018 “Metropolitan Eugenios is proud to have his signature on this historic document while sending warm wishes to our Primate and to the local Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” Archbishop Zorya said in a post Мав приємність у Патріархії після п’ятничного вечірнього богослужіння привітатися і поспілкуватися з Преосвященним… Posted by Євстратій Зоря on Friday, March 19, 2021 The Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate approved on October 4th the canonization of Eldress Sophia Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew traveled by air to Antalya the Patriarchate of Jerusalem solemnly celebrated the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women... Archbishop Elpidophoros of America celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Monastery of the Theotokos.. it was announced that two Roman Catholic institutions in Bavaria have decided to jointly.. (function() { window.mc4wp = window.mc4wp || { listeners: [] cb) { window.mc4wp.listeners.push( { event : evt callback: cb } ); } } }})(); © 2023 OrthodoxTimes.com - All rights reserved Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website These cookies do not store any personal information Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia has granted co-financing to the Riga Investment and Tourism Agency as part of the grant project competition "Support for development cooperation projects in recipient countries designated by the Republic of Latvia" The agency will use the funding to support Ukraine and implement activities planned under its initiated project "The Bridge of Friendship Riga–Nizhyn" The primary objective of the project is to provide informational and psycho-emotional support to Ukrainian educators and municipal employees from the city of Nizhyn The goal is to help them survive the consequences of Russian military aggression the agency plans to share experience and prepare employees of educational and municipal institutions for the submission of European Union projects They will also help educational institutions create an implementation algorithm for infrastructure projects and prepare at least one joint international project The current situation in Ukraine is difficult with regular attacks and shootings by Russian forces has focused all its attention on supporting soldiers and the vulnerable population and all resources are being directed to the defence effort employees of municipalities and educational institutions are also helping even though they themselves need both practical and psychological support just like the soldiers fighting on the front lines The project of the Riga Investment and Tourism Agency aims to strengthen the psycho-emotional resilience of employees of educational institutions in Nizhyn (especially teachers) and strengthen the capacity of educational institutions in Nizhyn by providing online training seminars for educators on specific topics The project will improve and supplement the work skills and competencies of Nizhyn municipality employees and educators of educational institutions and employees of Nizhyn municipality and educational institutions will be trained in EU project management with special attention paid to procurement procedures and transparency principles As a result of the project "The Bridge of Friendship Riga–Nizhyn" twinning solid ties with the city of Nizhyn will be established for further cooperation within the framework of other possible projects the Riga City Council adopted a declaration condemning the Russian Federation's military aggression and large-scale invasion of Ukraine The unjustified invasion of the territory of Ukraine by the Russian Federation is a gross violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine The Riga City Council decided to help Ukraine and its people who suffered from the military aggression of the Russian Federation Riga has provided support in many ways to Ukraine and its civilians This project is an obvious continuation of Riga’s assistance to Ukraine The project "The Bridge of Friendship Riga–Nizhyn" is financed with the support of the grant project competition of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia "Support for development cooperation projects in the designated recipient countries of the Republic of Latvia" The project is being implemented in cooperation with the Riga Support Center for Ukrainian residents Culture and Sports of the Riga City Council Its activities will continue until November 2024 Community members participate in a rally to support Ukraine on Feb 2022 at the Allen Street Gates in State College State College Borough plans to establish its first “sister city” relationship by partnering with a Ukrainian town that community members have been working for months to aid Borough council on Monday unanimously approved a resolution introduced by council President Jesse Barlow to form an official sister city relationship “as soon as reasonably possibly,” with Nizhyn a city of 68,000 people in the Chernihiv Region of northern Ukraine and home to Nizhyn Mykola Gogol State University the borough plans to facilitate aid to the war-damaged city — though it cannot provide direct taxpayer funds — and encourage community members to pitch in “This is really an effort that is driven by the community,” State College Mayor Ezra Nanes said adding that he already has exchanged holiday cards with Nizhyn Mayor Oleksandr Kodola “…The substance and the body of this comes from the community and all of the neighborhoods That is really why we are able to undertake this with full intention to support a war-torn city and hopefully grow from our relationship with them.” Nanes said borough leaders will plan to meet via Zoom with Nizhyn officials in the near future Budzhak-Jones told council in December that they settled on Nizhyn for multiple reasons It did not experience total damage in the Russian invasion to the extent the State College community could not provide meaningful help But it did see infrastructure damage that has yet to be fixed including to a central boiler station that has since been unable to provide heat and hot water Though it’s much older than State College Nizhyn shares similar characteristics with the borough They have comparable population sizes and are both home to major universities Budzhak-Jones and fellow residents established Sister’s Sister, a nonprofit organization to provide humanitarian relief to Nizhyn, in particular for the boiler repair, and last month organized a benefit concert at The State Theatre But their efforts needed more than what one neighborhood could accomplish “These people really need some sort of support and help,” she said “We do whatever we can but we are just one neighborhood.” Council’s resolution encourages community members to donate to the organization Contributions can be made by check to Sister’s Sister Inc. the goal of the sister city relationship is to “identify activities common to all that can generate new initiatives to further nurture humanitarian pursuits promotion of human rights and improved municipal governance and administration,” according to the resolution Creating a sister city partnership is more than a mere agreement to do so. Sister Cities International a nonprofit founded by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1956 works with nearly 500 member communities “to play an essential part in creating a more peaceful world through people-to-people exchanges and initiatives,” according to its website Community members met with Barlow and Nanes last summer to discuss the idea But exploring it further required several months and more discussion “Sister cities is not an uncomplicated thing,” council member Peter Marshall said in December “It takes some effort; it takes some planning and some research.” the relationship is expected “to result in many exchanges to the benefit of both municipalities,” according to the resolution Penn State assistant professor of Slavic and global and international studies and advisor for the Ukrainian Society student club said she and the local Ukrainian community appreciated the efforts to raise awareness about Ukraine’s plight and to develop a relationship with Nizhyn “I want to say thank you very much for your hard work and your unwavering support of our community “This is really an important historical move and we are really looking forward to developing and helping you develop relationships with the city of Nizhyn … these days it’s really very meaningful that our town stands by Ukrainians in their fight for freedom.” This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. StateCollege.com Privacy Policy page. The man has been preliminarily identified as Tymofii Shadura a member of the 30th Prince Konstanty Ostrogski Mechanized Brigade The Insider quotes the AFU report in full: Journalist Yuri Butusov has revealed a different identity of the soldier shot at point-blank range – Oleksandr Ihorevich Matsiievskyi Matsiievskyi had joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine as a volunteer after the Russian invasion began and served as a sniper He belonged to the 163rd Battalion of the Territorial Defense in the city of Nizhyn Matsiievskyi moved to Nizhyn in 2008 to live with his mother Butusov further stated that Matsiievskyi's body was returned home in February with no information about the circumstances of his death at the time The results of the forensic examination matched the wounds seen in the video A video purportedly depicting the shooting of a Ukrainian prisoner of war by Russian soldiers was shared on Telegram channels on March 6. In particular, the video was posted on Trukha a Telegram channel with over 2 million subscribers In the video an unarmed man stands at a dug trench («lying-down trench») and smokes The man utters: «Glory to Ukraine,» and then he is shot with automatic weapons head of Ukraine's presidential office calling the video “another example of Russia's national insignificance and weakness.” “There will be retribution for every such war crime No one will be able to hide from it,” the official added President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has pledged to find those responsible for the killing of the serviceman: “The phrase 'Glory to Ukraine!' will always resonate in Ukraine and millions would continue to respond with 'Glory to the Heroes!' Ukraine will always remember the bravery of each individual who had sacrificed their life for the freedom of the nation.” We really need your help! Subscribe to donations! Сделано в Charmer устарел и не позволяет корректно отображать сайт Following an uplifting Shabbos Tes Kislev at Mitteler Rebbe’s Ohel in Nizhyn a newly renovated Shul was dedicated on chag hageulah Yud Kislev in close proximity to the Ohel a new shul was inaugurated near his Ohel in the cemetery of Nizhyn in the Chernigov region of Eastern Ukraine The dedication followed an uplifting Shabbos at the Ohel with over 30 Yidden gathering in Nizhyn despite the ongoing Russian invasion and constant bombardments marking the birthday and hilula of the Mitteler Rebbe on that day The group mainly consisted of Yidden from Kyiv Meals and accommodations were arranged by Rabbi Schneur Zalman Deitch who worked tirelessly to arrange all the needs of the guests taking care of all their needs while the temperature outside dipped below zero the day which chassidim celebrate the anniversary of the Mitteler Rebbe’s release a newly renovated shul was dedicated for the benefit of visitors to the Ohel The renovation took place in recent months taking advantage of the lower number of visitors during the war who also oversees the hachnasas orchim in Haditch the project also included which included a complete renovation of the hachnasas orchim complex setting up proper plumbing and water infrastructure The renovation was sponsored by philanthropist Yitzchak Mirilashvili and generous donors from around the globe the project was completed and the inauguration was held chairman of the Jewish Federation in Ukraine hung the mezuzah at the entrance of the complex and the small crowd shared a l’chaim in honor of the chag hageulah Notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment a memorial was opened in honor of the fallen defenders in the center of which is a monument to the Hero of Ukraine Oleksandr Matsievsky who was shot unarmed after saying "Glory to Ukraine!" About this reported in the Nizhyn city council The memorial complex was built in the form of a Cossack cross in the center - the figure of the Hero of Ukraine Oleksandr Matsievsky There is an electronic information stand near the memorial where you can read the biographies of 158 fallen defenders from Nizhyn a team of specialists worked on the memorial under the leadership of architect Zhanna Balanyuk and sculptor Serhii Oleksienko Money for the works was allocated by benefactors It should be noted that in September of this year a monument to Oleksandr Matsievsky was erected on the territory of a private medical institution in the capital of Georgia In Mykolaiv, the winners of the competition for the project of the memorial complex were determined In Darnytsia, instead of a Soviet monument, a memorial avenue of fame will be built The Verkhovna Rada failed to vote for the destruction of the Memorial Cemetery in Gatny +380 (44) 465 53 41 +380 (67) 638 76 00 hello@pragmatika.media https://pragmatika.media two employees of the municipality of the Ukrainian city of Nizhyn will come to Riga for practical training as part of the Riga Investment and Tourism Agency project in Ukraine The training will be related to EU project management and special attention will be paid to educational projects The said employees of the Nizhyn municipality will be undergoing their studying in Riga until November 21 when they will head back to Ukraine to apply and pass on the knowledge they acquired in Riga to their colleagues The aim of the project "The Bridge of Friendship Riga–Nizhyn" is to provide psycho-emotional and informational assistance to Ukrainian educators and municipal employees from the city of Nizhyn to help them survive the consequences of Russian military aggression and prepare the employees of educational and municipal institutions for submitting projects to the European Union the Riga City Council pronounced a declaration condemning the Russian Federation's military aggression and large-scale invasion of Ukraine The city of Riga has provided various support to Ukraine and Ukrainian civilians who have applied for asylum in Riga in particular This project is an understandable continuation of Riga’s assistance to Ukraine The funding of the "The Bridge of Friendship Riga–Nizhyn" project was obtained in the grant project competition “Support for Development Cooperation Projects in recipient countries designated by the Republic of Latvia” organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia It is implemented in cooperation with the Riga Support Center for Ukrainian residents The project’s activities will continue until November 2024 This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The armed forces of the russian federation recently has actually decreased by one brigade It is about the 74th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade from the city of Yurga At least the brigade is not combat-ready and is being redislocated to Russia It should be noted that this unit initially operated near Chernihiv and Nizhyn at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine In those places the brigade suffered losses After the escape of the occupiers from the North of Ukraine this brigade was relocated to the Izyum direction the russian 74th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade took part in the crossing of the Seversky Donets near Belogorovka where the Russians lost from one to two battalion tactical groups According to the information that was obtained by Defense Express from several own sources the remnants of the russian 74th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade are currently being withdrawn from Ukraine due to complete loss of combat capability All three motorized infantry battalions of the brigade were defeated In the tank battalion of the brigade are only five tanks that are able to move on their own of 31 tanks Fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine also ransacked the artillery units of the brigade it is said that 550 people from the 74th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade were involved in forcing the Seversky Donets River of which 485 people or 88% were lost in the combat the brigade is being redislocated to the Voronezh region where army psychologists will work actively with the personnel the FSB became actively interested in the affairs of the brigade and began to collect compromising information on the brigade command As Defense Express reported the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has obtained documents proving that Russia’s 1st Tank Army has suffered massive losses in manpower and equipment during its operations in Ukraine Find more details on the theme in a publication by Defense Express: The city of Imatra is entering into a partnership and cooperation agreement with the Ukrainian city of Nizhyn - The city of Imatra has already shown its sympathy towards Ukraine in different ways Cooperation with Nizhyn is one new and concrete option to be a support The initiative to establish bilateral relations between Imatra and the Ukrainian city came from the ambassador of Ukraine From Olga Dibrova The ambassador hoped that Imatra could find a similar type of city by the water as a partner Ambassador Dibrova suggested Nizhyn from the Chernihiv region as a partner city The cooperation agreement drafted by the cities is to be decided by the city council on Monday the cooperation is a response to the council initiative submitted by basic Finns which proposed that Imatra acquire a twinning city in Ukraine but a cooperation and partnership agreement through which concrete cooperation is sought Representatives of the city of Nizhyn are ready to arrive at the signing ceremony in Imatra in early 2023 The city of Imatra has already approached the city of Nizhyn and asked if the townspeople could be helped in some way heaters and power stations for the support points organized for the townspeople We are now trying to acquire these devices and we are trying to get the aid shipment going in the near future because the winter has been predicted to be tough for the Ukrainians Liaison Director Tea Laitimo, teaimatra.fi (tea[dot]laitimo[at]imatra[dot]fi) {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"/2022/03/09/russia-claims-it-has-seized-another-ukraine-city-as-fighting-continues/"},"datePublished":"2022-03-08T17:32:14.349Z","dateModified":"2022-03-09T09:15:23.284Z","headline":"Russia claims it has seized another Ukraine city as fighting continues","description":"A recap of the latest developments in Ukraine on the 14th day of the Russian invasion 10.14pm: That concludes 1News' live updates for today join the Tonight team on TVNZ1 and OnDemand and Breakfast from 6am for the latest developments 10.10pm: From the Associated Press: China says it is sending humanitarian aid including food and daily necessities worth 5 million yuan (NZ$1.15 million) to Ukraine while continuing to oppose sanctions against Russia over its invasion Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters an initial batch was sent to the Ukrainian Red Cross on Wednesday with more to follow “as soon as possible" 10.02pm: The Russia sanctions bill has passed its third reading in Parliament with unanimous support across the House The bill will allow New Zealand to join other countries around the world in applying a range of sanctions on Russia Russia has claimed it has taken the city of Nizhyn as Russian forces are trying to link up south of Chernihiv and east of Konotop," a geopolitical and security analyst said on Twitter 9.30pm: Footage from a drone appears to show an anti-tank missile strike against a Russian tank by Ukrainian units 8.45pm: The latest report from 1News Europe correspondent Daniel Faitaua Russia’s defence ministry has claimed that it’s obtained secret documents that "prove" Kyiv was planning an attack on Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine The Reuters news agency says the ministry has published six pages of documents that "prove" Kyiv was planning a military assault on the Russian-backed rebel regions in Donbas Reuters says it can not independently verify the documents - written in Ukrainian - which appear to outline combat preparations for tactical military units President Putin recognised two Russian-backed regions in east Ukraine the self-styled Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic The general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces says the country is building up its defence of key cities in the north south and east as Russia’s advance has stalled In a statement early on Wednesday (local time) it said that forces around Kyiv are resisting the Russian offensive with unspecified strikes and “holding the line" The Ukrainian general staff said that in the northern city of Chernihiv Russian forces are placing military equipment among residential buildings and on farms it said Russians dressed in civilian clothes are advancing on the city of Mykolaiv the administration of the northeastern border city of Sumy says further civilian evacuations are planned on Wednesday 8pm: Universal Music Group - the world's largest music company - has announced it will suspend all business in Russia and close its offices 7.50pm: The UK's Ministry of Defence says Ukrainians are successfully holding Kyiv with Russian forces unable to make any "significant breakthroughs" Ukraine's air defences were also praised "Ukrainian air defences appear to have enjoyed considerable success against Russia's modern combat aircraft probably preventing them achieving any degree of control in the air," the Ministry tweeted Sumy and Mariupol remain encircled by Russian forces and continue to suffer heavy Russian shelling The BBC are reporting Russia has announced another ceasefire to allow civilians in cities under attack to flee The corridors will again be set up for Kyiv Kharkiv and Maripol at 10am local time (8pm NZT) 6.10pm: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says it has lost contact with Chernobyl nuclear data systems Russia invaded Ukraine and seized the defunct plant site of a 1986 disaster that killed hundreds and spread radioactive contamination west across Europe the agency said more than 200 technical staff and guards remain trapped at the site working nearly two weeks straight since the Russian takeover in order to prevent another nuclear disaster the only way to contact the plant now is by email Ukraine’s energy minister said Russian forces that now control a Ukrainian nuclear plant are forcing the exhausted staff to record an address that they plan to use for propaganda purposes Russian troops have been in control of the Zaporizhzhia plant since seizing it an attack on Friday that set a building on fire and raised fears of a nuclear disaster It was later determined that no radiation was released Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said on Facebook that about 500 Russian soldiers and 50 pieces of heavy equipment are inside the station He said the Ukrainian staff are "physical and emotionally exhausted" Russia describes the war as a "special military operation" and says it is conducting targeted attacks Halushchenko's reference to propaganda appears to refer to Russian efforts to show it is not endangering Ukrainian civilians or infrastructure according to several local Ukrainian media outlets The alarms signal potential danger from airstrikes and are a warning to residents to take shelter in bunkers if they're not there already There are explosions in Kyiv as the clock ticks past 6am local time Reporters on the ground say an air raid siren has rung out around the city to alert people to seek shelter immediately is suspending operations of all 70 KFC company-owned restaurants in the country and is finalising an agreement to suspend all Pizza Hut restaurant operations in Russia which has at least 1000 KFC and 50 Pizza Hut locations in Russia that are nearly all independent franchisees said in a post on its website dated Monday that it had “suspended all investment and restaurant development in Russia while we continue to assess additional options" Foreigners travelling to Ukraine to fight against the Russian invasion will be given Ukrainian citizenship according to comments on television by first deputy interior minister Yevhen Yenin Yenin told a phone-in: "If such persons from among foreign citizens are interested in obtaining Ukrainian citizenship our legislation provides for such an opportunity." Thousands of people are believed to have travelled to fight in Ukraine 4.10pm: Around 5000 people and 1000 cars evacuated the city of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine on Tuesday local time (Wednesday NZT) according to deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office Kirill Timoshenko Sumy has seen heavy attacks in recent days and is almost cut off from the rest of the country 3.50pm: The US is sending two anti-missile batteries to Poland to provide defensive reinforcements and counter any potential threat to NATO during Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine spokesman for US European Command Captain Adam Miller said 3.40pm: US Vice President Kamala Harris will begin her trip to Poland and Romania tomorrow She will meet with the leaders of both countries to coordinate on their response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and how the US can further support neighbouring nations The trip comes as the Pentagon dismissed Poland's proposal to transfer its MiG-29 fighter jets to the US for delivery to Ukraine claiming it was too risky as the US and NATO seek to avoid an outright conflict with Russia 3.15pm: Former Ukranian MP Hopko Hanna has broken down in tears during a heartbreaking interview with US TV service NBC Hanna repeated calls for a no-fly zone to be imposed over Ukraine "This is about humanity," she told Katy Tur The no-fly zone has so far been refused as it may result in more countries becoming involved in the conflict Biden said the Ukraine war "will never be a victory" for Russian President Vladimir Putin "Putin may be able to take a city - but he will never be able to hold the country," Biden said the highest-ranking woman at Ukraine’s UN Mission is accusing Russia of effectively holding civilians “hostage” and says “the critical situation” in Mariupol and other cities demands immediate action by world leaders and humanitarian and medical organisations She tells a UN Security Council meeting that civilians “are not allowed to leave and the humanitarian aid is not let in" Russians open fire and kill them,” Mudrenko says The Russian military denies firing on convoys and charges that the Ukrainian side was blocking the evacuation effort Mudrenko says a 6-year-old girl died on Tuesday in the besieged city of Mariupol on the Azov Sea “alone in the last moments of her life as her mother was killed by Russian shelling" she says “Russian occupiers fired at a van with a group of female teachers of the local orphanage (and) three of them were killed” There are also “cases of child sexual violence committed by occupiers" 1.30pm: the Latest from the UK's Ministry of Defence: The Defence Ministry says Russian forces have reportedly disrupted humanitarian corridors again on Wednesday - the third successive day Russia has breached its own ceasefire agreements The ministry says shelling and small-arms fire continue those still besieged cities continued to suffer from food water and power shortages which have been "exacerbated by heavy Russian shelling" The Pentagon says Poland’s offer to give its MiG-29 fighter jets to the US so they can be passed to Ukraine raises serious concerns for the NATO alliance and the plan is not “a tenable one" Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby says in a statement that the prospect of jets departing from a US/NATO base in Germany to fly into airspace contested with Russia in the Ukraine war is concerning He says it’s not clear to the US that there is a substantive rationale for it The US will continue to talk to Poland about the matter The National Party is criticising the Government for being too slow to help Ukrainians fleeing the fighting in their country come to Aotearoa National's immigration spokesperson Erica Stanford says New Zealand-based Ukrainians haven't been able to rescue their family members because Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi hasn't created a dedicated visa pathway "It’s been 14 days since Russian bombs started falling on Ukraine yet the Government has done nothing to expedite visas for wider family members of Kiwi-based Ukrainians." While there’s a note on the Immigration New Zealand website saying Ukrainians’ visa applications will be prioritised “We now know the reason they can’t find application forms or information about how to apply - because it doesn’t exist," Stanford says She says National will continue to call on the Government to create a special humanitarian visa for immediate family members of Ukrainians who live in New Zealand “We called for this visa because we know there is no ability for wider family members to use the compassionate entry criteria of existing visas after Minister Faafoi last year changed the rules to exclude humanitarian crises occurring outside of New Zealand “Other countries have been able to fast-track family members fleeing the war On Tuesday, Faafoi announced additional support for Ukrainians in New Zealand that will allow them to stay in the country for longer. It also allows Ukrainians outside of the country with a valid visa to come to Aotearoa immediately. The full detail of that policy can be found here Stanford says the announcement "failed to help a large number of Ukrainians who need our support to bring their parents brothers and sisters and other family members to New Zealand" Ukrainian authorities say that Russian warplanes have carried new strikes on residential areas in eastern and central parts of the country were killed in the town of Chuhuiv just east of Kharkiv The Russian artillery has pounded the outskirts of Kyiv forcing civilians to hide in shelters while water an official who coordinates humanitarian efforts in the Kyiv region He says the shelling made it impossible to evacuate the bodies of five people who died when their vehicle was fired upon in Borodianka near Kyiv and the bodies of 12 patients of a psychiatric hospital there Another 200 patients are stuck there without food and medicines A US intelligence leader says Putin is growing increasingly "angry and frustrated" and that he's likely to intensify his attack on Ukraine CIA Director William Burns is among those testifying before the House Intelligence Committee Burns is the former US ambassador to Moscow and has studied Putin and Russia for years "He's likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties," Burns says "He has no sustainable political endgame in the face of what is going to continue to be fierce resistance from Ukrainians." Burns says Putin is likely to be "unsettled" by the west's reaction but adds that the Russian President isn't "crazy" "I think he's far more insulated from other points of view and people who would challenge or question his views it makes them extremely difficult to deal with because of the hardening of his views over time and a narrowing of his inner circle." He says the invasion has played out largely as the US had predicted in contrast to Putin's optimism that he'd be able to take Kyiv in the first two days of his campaign “He was confident that he had modernised his military and they were capable of quick He's been proven wrong on every count," Burns says He adds: "I think Putin is determined to dominate and control Ukraine this is a matter of deep personal conviction for him He's been stewing in a combustible combination of grievance and ambition for many years." thanks her country's neighbours for opening their borders to women and children "Thank you for keeping them safe, when the aggressor has rendered us unable to do so," she says in an open letter "I thank the citizens of the attacked cities who have coordinated to help those in need and social services – showing that in Ukraine "I acknowledge those that have provided humanitarian aid to our citizens and thank you for your continued support." thinking incorrectly he would be able to "unleash blitzkrieg" Zelenska condemns the Russian President's actions and the media outlets who support him "Despite assurances from Kremlin-backed propaganda outlets who call this a "special operation" "Perhaps the most terrifying and devastating of this invasion are the child casualties Eight-year-old Alice who died on the streets of Okhtyrka while her grandfather tried to protect her "Fourteen-year-old Arseniy was hit in the head by wreckage and could not be saved because an ambulance could not get to him on time because of intense fires "When Russia says that it is 'not waging war against civilians' I call out the names of these murdered children first." 11.11am: Charity Save the Children says as 1 million child refugees escape the fighting in Ukraine "Reports from the border suggest that some children are arriving unaccompanied after being sent by family members who were unable to leave Ukraine but wanted their children to be safe from ground attack and aerial explosions," the charity says "Others have been separated from their families in the chaos of fleeing their homes Many of the solo arrivals are under 14 and showing signs of psychological distress." Save the Children’s Eastern Europe director says the charity is establishing family tracing and reunification procedures with other agencies to help reunite children with extended family and friends in Poland and neighbouring countries She says child protection systems and reporting mechanisms are also being set up to keep the children safe Save the Children NZ chief executive Heidi Coetzee says Kiwis have donated more than $300,000 to help Ukrainian children 11.03am: Belarusian media outlet Nexta has posted a photo appearing to show Russians lining up outside McDonald's after the fast food chain announced earlier on Wednesday it was temporarily closing all restaurants in the country because of Ukraine's invasion 11.00am: Any Russian aircraft that enters the UK's airspace can be detained by the Government Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps says "We will suffocate Putin's cronies’ ability to continue living as normal while thousands of innocent people die," he says 10.52am: Pepsi is also suspending sales of its non-essential products in Russia The beverage and food company was under increasing pressure to pull its operations from Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine the Wall Street Journal reported earlier PepsiCo was reluctant to shut down in Russia because it employed tens of thousands in the country and made essentials like milk and baby formula PepsiCo’s CEO Ramon Laguarta says in a statement they entered the Russian market "at the height of the Cold War and helped create common ground between the United States and the Soviet Union" given the horrific events occurring in Ukraine we are announcing the suspension of the sale of Pepsi-Cola We will also be suspending capital investments and all advertising and promotional activities in Russia," Laguarta says now more than ever we must stay true to the humanitarian aspect of our business That means we have a responsibility to continue to offer our other products in Russia including daily essentials such as milk and other dairy offerings Laguarta says the company will also continue to support its 20,000 Russian associates and the 40,000 Russian agricultural workers in its supply chain The company is donating NZ$5.8 million to the Red Cross World Central Kitchen and Save the Children Authorities evacuated thousands of people from the eastern city of Sumy Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says 5000 people Vereshchuk reaffirms that Ukraine will not accept Moscow’s offer to establish safe corridors for civilians to head toward Russia saying it will only agree to safe exits leading westward Vereshchuk says that the evacuation from the southern port of Mariupol failed earlier on Wednesday because the Russian troops fired on a Ukrainian convoy carrying humanitarian cargo to Mariupol that was to carry civilians from the city on its way back She says the city is in a “catastrophic situation” cut from water adding that a child in Mariupol has died of dehydration The Russian military denies firing on convoys and charges that the Ukrainian side is blocking the evacuation effort Poland says it will give all of its MiG-29 fighter jets to the US apparently agreeing to an arrangement that would allow them to be used by Ukraine’s military The decision comes as Washington looks at a proposal under which Poland would supply Ukraine with Soviet-era fighters and in turn receive American F-16s to make up for their loss Ukrainian pilots are trained to fly Soviet-era fighter jets The Polish Foreign Ministry says in a statement that Poland is ready to deliver the jets to the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany Poland requests the United States to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities." 9.55am: Coca-Cola and Starbucks are suspending all of their operations in Russia Coca-Cola says it will continue to assess the situation "Our hearts are with the people who are enduring unconscionable effects from these tragic events in Ukraine." Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson says in a statement the beverage company decided to immediately pause business activity in Russia as it continues to watch "tragic events unfold" He says the shipment of all Starbucks products will also be halted and its licensed partner is pausing store operations Johnson says Starbucks will continue to support its almost 2000 Russian partners who depend on them for their livelihoods we will continue to make decisions that are true to our mission and values and communicate with transparency." Critics of Russia say sanctioning its energy exports would be the best - perhaps only - way to force Moscow to pull back from Ukraine A full embargo would be most effective if it includes European allies which are also desperate to stop the violence in Ukraine and the danger Moscow poses to the continent it's far from clear that all of Europe would take part in an embargo though Britain announced that it would phase out Russian oil imports by the year's end Europe is deeply reliant on energy it imports from Russia the world’s second-largest crude oil exporter behind Saudi Arabia While the US can replace the relatively small amount of fuel it receives from Moscow the impact of the US oil ban on Russia would likely be minimal The US imports a small share of Russia's oil exports and typically doesn't buy any of its natural gas roughly 8 per cent of US imports of oil and petroleum products came from Russia the imports totalled the equivalent of 245 million barrels in 2021 which was roughly 672,000 barrels of oil and petroleum products a day imports of Russian oil have been declining rapidly as buyers shun the fuel Because the amount of oil the US imports from Russia is modest Russia can potentially sell that oil elsewhere it will probably have to sell it at a steep discount because fewer and fewer buyers are accepting Russian oil If Russia were eventually shut off from the global market rogue countries such as Iran and Venezuela might be "welcomed back" as sources of oil 9.28am: Amid the turmoil in Ukraine and the newly-announced ban on Russian gas imports in the US Kiwis are also experiencing a massive rise in fuel prices at the pump The average price of 91 in Auckland and Wellington - the highest in the country - exceeds NZ$3 a litre and is still rising Canterbury has the lowest average gas price at NZ$2.87 per litre for 91 Data from Gaspy shows the steep increase in gas prices in recent days The Russian military is offering again to provide humanitarian corridors for civilians to leave five Ukrainian cities after several previous attempts to establish safe exits failed Ukrainian officials say Russian shelling again made it impossible for civilians to use the corridors on Wednesday despite a deal reached a day earlier alleging that Ukraine only has allowed civilians to use one corridor from the city of Sumy and blocked other routes from Kyiv Russian Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev says the Russian military has announced it will stop firing at 10am Wednesday Ukraine time (9pm Wednesday New Zealand time) to let civilians leave safely via the corridors He suggests setting up a hotline between Russia and Ukraine to coordinate the evacuation The Russian gymnast who was criticised for displaying a pro-war symbol at a World Cup event while sharing the podium with a Ukrainian rival says he has no regrets and would do it again if given the opportunity Speaking to Russian state-controlled media outlet RT Ivan Kuliak says: "I would do exactly the same." "I saw it on our military and looked at what this symbol means.. I will always fight for victory and play for peace." was slammed on social media for taping a makeshift "Z" to his singlet for the medal ceremony after winning bronze in the parallel bars final at the Apparatus World Cup event in Doha on Monday The "Z" is a common symbol painted on tanks and other war machines currently being used in the Russian invasion of Ukraine It is also worn by civilians and officials who support Putin's decision to invade Ukraine The International Gymnastics Federation is investigating the incident Kuliak may face a lengthy ban from the sport or be stripped of his medal Read the full story here 8.29am: Zelensky thanks the US and President Joe Biden for banning all Russian oil imports. Read more details about the ban here The Ukrainian President tweets that the ban will strike "in the heart of Putin’s war machine" Biden says the economic sanctions the US has imposed on Moscow has "caused the Russian economy to crater" Let's return now to the story of Kiwi Alex Wills and his Ukraine-born fiancée Marria Torbina, who Breakfast first met on Tuesday The couple is anxiously trying to get Torbina’s 64-year-old mother to New Zealand after the Government promised last week it would fast-track visa applications from Ukrainians to come to Aotearoa Wills said on Tuesday the reality was far more convoluted Wills says he worried about what would happen to his mother-in-law after her 30-hour train ride to the border of Slovakia and Hungary from Ukraine Without a clear path to come to New Zealand she will be standing in the corner of a gym in Slovakia with goodness knows what facilities at 64 years old" Torbina says: “I’m very happy to announce that my mum made it to Slovakia." lots of support and we were contacted by a lovely New Zealand lady who has family in Slovakia.. she contacted her sister who is now in touch with us to help our mamma to stay in Slovakia until we wait for [a] decision about [a] visa to New Zealand." Read their full story here Since the pair spoke to Breakfast on Tuesday, the Government has made changes to visas for Ukrainians to make it easier for them to stay for longer in New Zealand 8.01am: The Associated Press reports the Russian military says 723 people were evacuated from Sumy to Poltava It identified them as mostly citizens of India It made no mention of any Ukrainians among those evacuated 7.43am: Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi was on Breakfast earlier this morning to discuss the changes he announced on Tuesday that will make it easier for Ukrainians in New Zealand to stay for longer and for visa holders overseas to come faster "[Nearly] Two weeks into this invasion Do we offer the likes of temporary visas or is it more permanent?" Faafoi told Breakfast "We want to make sure that we carefully work through those issues mindful of the urgency and concern that people in NZ have for their families in Ukraine and obviously the situation in Ukraine is getting exponentially worse." The full detail of Faafoi's announcement can be found here 7.38am: 1News Europe correspondent Daniel Faitaua is in Poland He says the border crossing is packed with mostly women and children He says bus after bus is filling up with refugees seeking shelter or heading to the train station McDonald's will temporarily close all of its restaurants and pause all of its commercial operations in Russia In a statement from CEO Chris Kempczinski he says he has spoken to many in the company in recent days we have operated with the belief that communities are made better when there’s a McDonald’s nearby," he says we employ 62,000 people who have poured their heart and soul into our McDonald’s brand to serve their communities Russian suppliers and partners who produce the food for our menu and support our brand And we serve millions of Russian customers each day who count on McDonald’s "In the thirty-plus years that McDonald’s has operated in Russia we’ve become an essential part of the 850 communities in which we operate our values mean we cannot ignore the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine." Kempczinski says all McDonald’s employees in Russia will continue to receive a salary and the Ronald McDonald House Charity will continue its full operations "RMHC Ukraine is partnering with local hospitals and providing humanitarian aid throughout the country." He says McDonald’s will continue to assess the situation in Russia and Ukraine before deciding if additional measures are needed it’s impossible to predict when we might be able to reopen our restaurants in Russia We are experiencing disruptions to our supply chain along with other operational impacts." 7.15am: Prices for Brent Crude are at US$126.9 a barrel as the US announces a ban on Russian oil imports Ukraine has accused Russia of breaking a ceasefire and shelling a humanitarian corridor from Zaporizhzhia to the besieged Mariupol the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Buses emblazoned with red cross symbols carried water The plan was for them to then ferry civilians out of the city of 430,000 people Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says But soon after officials announced that buses were on their way Ukrainian officials say they had learned of shelling on the escape route It is unclear whether the supply convoy made it to Mariupol or whether any civilians managed to get out The city's deputy mayor tells the BBC that Russian forces continued to pound areas where people were trying to gather ahead of being evacuated civilians would be allowed safe passage out of several cities It also isn't clear if evacuations had happened from any of the other cities aside from Sumy Ukrainian officials say a safe corridor did open early Tuesday (local time) from Irpin a city near Kyiv that has been without electricity But it's not clear how long it remained open or how many people used it Many of Moscow's proposed evacuation corridors lead to Russia either directly or through Russia's ally Belarus The Russian military says it proposed two safe corridor options from Kyiv including one that would lead to Russia and the other to the West But it says the Ukrainian government accepted only one of the 10 routes - from Sumy to Poltava Ukrainian officials are blasting the corridors to Russia as unacceptable but there is no confirmation that they rejected other corridors Britain is joining the United States in announcing a ban on imports of Russian oil Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng says oil and oil products from Russia will be phased out by the end of the year He says the transition period “will give the market businesses and supply chains more than enough time to replace Russian imports” Kwarteng says the UK would work with its other oil suppliers A bit more now on earlier developments overnight New Zealand time US President Biden announces the US is “targeting the main artery of Russia’s economy” by banning imports of Russian oil the latest sanction intended to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine “We will not be part of subsidising Putin’s war,” he says in the Roosevelt Room at the White House Biden’s announcement comes amid rising pressure from Democrats and Republicans and it reflects a willingness to accept the political risk of rising gas prices to economically retaliate against Russia “Defending freedom is going to cost,” Biden says “It’s going to cost us as well in the United States.” Although Biden had tried to work in concert with European allies he acknowledges many are not announcing a similar ban because they’re more reliant on Moscow for oil and gas “So we can take this step when others can not,” he says “But we’re working closely with Europe and our partners to develop a long term strategy to reduce their dependence on Russian energy as well.” Read the full story here 6.43am: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson praises Zelensky for standing firm for democracy and freedom ordinary Ukrainians are defending their homes and their families against a brutal assault Their actions are inspiring millions by their courage and their devotion," Johnson says after Zelensky's address to the House of Commons He says the UK will continue to tighten the "economic vice" around Russian President Vladimir Putin "Britain and our allies are determined to press on - to press on with supplying our Ukrainians friends with the weapons they need to defend their homeland Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer says the House is moved by "the bravery the resolve and the leadership" of Zelensky "Invading troops march through his streets "No one would have blamed him for fleeing he has stayed in Kyiv to lead the Ukrainian people and to fight." Mōrena and welcome to live coverage from 1News as the fighting in Ukraine enters its 14th day Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has just addressed UK’s House of Commons virtually He becomes the first foreign leader to address the House of Commons The Commons chamber and the public gallery are packed Zelensky was greeted with a standing ovation Zelensky says more than 50 children had already died in the war “These are the children that could have lived but these people have taken them away from us.. And I know that you will never forgive the occupiers.” Ukraine’s fight against Russia is like Britain’s against Nazi Germany in World War II He says he’s proud his country continued fighting even after calls from Moscow they lay down their arms "We will not give up and we will not lose We need to sit down at the negotiating table Zelensky repeats his previous calls for a no-fly zone over his country - something the US and its NATO allies have refused to do because it could bring them into direct conflict with Russia British MPs are about to speak in response Scroll down for a recap of 1News' coverage on the latest developments in Ukraine on the 14th day of the Russian invasion Ukrainian nationals overseas who have valid visas can also come to the country immediately China says it is sending humanitarian aid including food and daily necessities worth 5 million yuan (NZ$1.15 million) to Ukraine while continuing to oppose sanctions against Russia over its invasion 10.02pm: The Russia sanctions bill has passed its third reading in Parliament with unanimous support across the House The bill will allow New Zealand to join other countries around the world in applying a range of sanctions on Russia Russia is again promising temporary ceasefires to allow civilians to leave While there’s a note on the Immigration New Zealand website saying Ukrainians’ visa applications will be prioritised On Tuesday, Faafoi announced additional support for Ukrainians in New Zealand that will allow them to stay in the country for longer. It also allows Ukrainians outside of the country with a valid visa to come to Aotearoa immediately. The full detail of that policy can be found here Damaged furniture after a shelling in pro-Russian separatists-controlled Donetsk Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska in 2020 "Thank you for keeping them safe, when the aggressor has rendered us unable to do so," she says in an open letter Save the Children NZ chief executive Heidi Coetzee says Kiwis have donated more than $300,000 to help Ukrainian children Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson says in a statement the beverage company decided to immediately pause business activity in Russia as it continues to watch "tragic events unfold" Read the full story here 8.29am: Zelensky thanks the US and President Joe Biden for banning all Russian oil imports. Read more details about the ban here Let's return now to the story of Kiwi Alex Wills and his Ukraine-born fiancée Marria Torbina, who Breakfast first met on Tuesday Marria Torbina says her 64-year-old mother made it to Slovakia and has been taken in by a family there Read their full story here Since the pair spoke to Breakfast on Tuesday, the Government has made changes to visas for Ukrainians to make it easier for them to stay for longer in New Zealand The full detail of Faafoi's announcement can be found here 1News Europe Correspondent filed this report from Medyka in Poland In a statement from CEO Chris Kempczinski Read the full story here. 6.43am: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson praises Zelensky for standing firm for democracy and freedom. "At this moment, ordinary Ukrainians are defending their homes and their families against a brutal assault. Their actions are inspiring millions by their courage and their devotion," Johnson says after Zelensky's address to the House of Commons. He says the UK will continue to tighten the "economic vice" around Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Britain and our allies are determined to press on - to press on with supplying our Ukrainians friends with the weapons they need to defend their homeland, as they deserve." Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer says the House is moved by "the bravery, the resolve and the leadership" of Zelensky. "Invading troops march through his streets, shells rain down on his people, and assassins seek his life. "No one would have blamed him for fleeing. Instead, he has stayed in Kyiv to lead the Ukrainian people and to fight." Mōrena and welcome to live coverage from 1News as the fighting in Ukraine enters its 14th day. Ukraine’s President spoke to British MPs as Russia wages an invasion of his country. (Source: Breakfast) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has just addressed UK’s House of Commons virtually. He becomes the first foreign leader to address the House of Commons. The Commons chamber and the public gallery are packed. Zelensky was greeted with a standing ovation. Zelensky says more than 50 children had already died in the war. “These are the children that could have lived, but these people have taken them away from us... I will never forgive this. And I know that you will never forgive the occupiers.” Ukraine’s fight against Russia is like Britain’s against Nazi Germany in World War II, he tells MPs. He says he’s proud his country continued fighting even after calls from Moscow they lay down their arms. "We will not give up and we will not lose. We will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost." Zelensky adds: “The war must be stopped. We need to sit down at the negotiating table, but for honest, substantive talks.” Zelensky repeats his previous calls for a no-fly zone over his country - something the US and its NATO allies have refused to do because it could bring them into direct conflict with Russia. British MPs are about to speak in response. Britain's VE Day parade draws thousands celebrating 80th anniversary A 100-year-old Royal Air Force veteran accepted the thanks of a nation as Britain paused to mark the 80th anniversary of victory in Europe during WWII World Kidnappers target crypto entrepreneurs for ransom in France French police rescued the father of a wealthy cryptocurrency entrepreneur in a nighttime raid after he was taken hostage for ransom UK police arrest Iranian men over alleged attack plot head of the force's Counter Terrorism Command said police are still working to establish a motive "as well as to identify whether there may be any further risk to the public" Crime and Justice Russia and Ukraine clash over ceasefire proposals as fighting rages Moscow accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of threatening the safety of dignitaries attending Victory Day celebrations Key takeaways from Prince Harry's raw BBC interview The rift between Prince Harry and his family has burst into the open again with the prince’s raw television interview after losing a court case over his security Trump draws criticism with AI image of himself as the pope The image featuring Trump in a white cassock and pointed mitre was the topic of several questions during the Vatican’s daily conclave briefing Three in hospital after Christchurch house fire 36 mins ago US states push for speed-limiting devices on the cars of dangerous drivers 45 mins ago Ten dead after tourist boats capsize in sudden storm in China 59 mins ago Qantas confirms new Auckland-Perth flights 8:52am Britain's VE Day parade draws thousands celebrating 80th anniversary 8:30am Blaze at McDonald's in east Auckland treated as suspected arson 14 mins ago 1Two men's shared name brings years of trouble and a hefty bill to one Person dies following morning crash on Auckland motorway The 'Trump slump' boosts the left in Canada and Oz – but what about NZ? Destiny Church to move out of its South Auckland headquarters Erin Patterson shared love of mushrooms in online group Stephen Stone’s son files complaint over Crown Solicitor’s statement Two arrested over alleged plot targeting Lady Gaga concert in RioBrazilian police said they thwarted an alleged bomb attack planned for Lady Gaga's concert on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro. Lady Gaga rocks Copacabana Beach with free concert for over 2 million fansCries of joy rose from the tightly-packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand. Lorde announces new album name, dateThu, May 1 Kim Kardashian to testify in Paris trial over 2016 armed robberyMon, Apr 28 Chubby Checker, Outkast, Cyndi Lauper join Rock & Roll Hall of FameMon, Apr 28 Lorde releases new single after weeks of cryptic teasesThu, Apr 24 Chubby Checker, Outkast, Cyndi Lauper join Rock & Roll Hall of FameMon while Ukraine reported continued clashes."},{"_id":"ANYFXRT6HJGS5AMPB7CSWZ5VEU","type":"text","content":""},{"_id":"UBNDDSBRBZEG5NCQG3RVMKH2HE","type":"text","content":""This is an important town Both the Ukrainian and Russian military updates mentioned the town of Nizhyn. Russia claims it took the city, Ukraine reported continued clashes. This is an important town, as Russian forces are trying to link up south of Chernihiv and east of Konotop. pic.twitter.com/wCl6Nkr5y4 Drone films an anti-tank missile strike (Javelin possibly) against a Russian tank by Ukrainian units belonging to the Commandment North pic.twitter.com/txL7Uet5bE Universal Music Group, the world's largest record company, is suspending its business operations in Russia and closing its offices.#StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/kbP5WLnetQ (3 of 3)Ukrainian air defences appear to have enjoyed considerable success against Russia’s modern combat aircraft probably preventing them achieving any degree of control of the air Loud series of explosions heard from Kyiv and surrounding area right now Kyiv city just put out another siren alert to seek shelter immediately The explosions have been incessant for three minutes "This is about humanity." @HopkoHanna talks to @KatyTurNBC about the dire situation in Ukraine as pressure mounts for a no-fly zone. pic.twitter.com/5bZsvCfVHa This much is already clear: Ukraine will never be a victory for Putin.Putin may be able to take a city — but he will never be able to hold the country Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 08 March 2022 Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/g3NtoHmnL3🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/oDhCz7OhEP In #Russia, people lined up at McDonalds pic.twitter.com/TQtsxndibi BREAKING: I have made it a criminal offence for ANY Russian aircraft to enter UK airspace and now HMG can detain these jets. We will suffocate Putin's cronies’ ability to continue living as normal while thousands of innocent people die. pic.twitter.com/cYjreNSYRz Thankful for US and @POTUS personal leadership in striking in the heart of Putin’s war machine and banning oil Encourage other countries and leaders to follow We are enforcing an enormous package of economic sanctions that has caused the Russian economy to crater The Russian ruble is down almost 50 percent since Putin announced his war It is now worth less than one American penny As UK MPs in the House of Commons rise to their feet to applaud Ukrainian President Vlodomyr Zelensky .. John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ rings out here at Poland border. pic.twitter.com/vWf8ivjUpQ Russian forces are now shelling the humanitarian corridor from Zaporizhzhia to Mariupol 8 trucks + 30 buses ready to deliver humanitarian aid to Mariupol and to evac civilians to Zaporizhzhia Pressure on Russia MUST step up to make it uphold its commitments A 100-year-old Royal Air Force veteran accepted the thanks of a nation as Britain paused to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day and honour the men and women who fought to save the country during World War II The day featured a procession by 1300 members of the British armed forces accompanied by troops from Ukraine and the UK’s NATO allies The parade didn't begin until Alan Kennett accepted the salute from Garrison Sgt Major Andrew Stokes in front of an audience that included King Charles III “Thank you and your generation for securing our freedom 80 years ago,” Stokes wearing a navy blue blazer with his medals pinned on the left breast This year’s V-E Day events have taken on increased significance because they are likely to be the last major observance to include significant numbers of World War II veterans actor Timothy Spall recited the victory speech wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivered to a roaring crowd in central London on May 8 Britain started its V-E Day ceremonies three days early because Monday is a public holiday in the UK “I think we’ve been very lucky that we’ve had 80 years of peace … and we’ve got to think about all those that have (made) the ultimate sacrifice and there’s very few of them left now because they’re all over 100,″ said Michael Burn who wore a suit patterned after Britain’s red “This is the last time we will celebrate the day in this sort of scale.” Then it was time for the parade from the Houses of Parliament through Trafalgar Square and down the Mall to Buckingham Palace won a huge round of applause as their flag swept past the royal viewing platform The event ended with a flyover by British military aircraft including a wartime Lancaster bomber and the RAF’s Red Arrows aerobatic team the Princess of Wales chatted amiably with Bernard Morgan a veteran who worked as a code breaker during the conflict Their place in the front row was a reminder of the gulf between those who fought in World War II and the present generation With even the youngest of those men and women nearing their 100th birthdays and their ranks dwindling rapidly many have said they feel a special imperative to tell their stories and attend events that honour their fallen comrades a mechanic who landed in Normandy to set up an airfield said he was proud to represent the veterans “I just remember those that didn’t come back,” he said the latest alleged criminal effort in France to extort people involved in the management of digital assets The man was kidnapped Thursday morning in Paris (local time) “The victim turned out to be the father of a man who made his fortune in cryptocurrencies and the incident was accompanied by a ransom demand,” its statement said without giving their names or other specifics about their identities Police investigators located the hostage in a house in the Essonne region south of Paris from which he was rescued on Saturday night (local time) It said he was treated for injuries but gave no details French media reported that the alleged hostage-takers cut off one of the man's fingers Police detained five people — four were in or close to the house where the man was held captive while the fifth was at the wheel of a vehicle thought to have been used for the alleged abduction It said the police investigation is looking at an array of possible criminal charges including kidnapping “with torture or a barbaric act.” police said a co-founder of French crypto-wallet firm Ledger was also kidnapped with his wife from their home in the region of Cher of central France Police said they made 10 arrests and that the alleged kidnappers demanded a ransom in cryptocurrency from another of Ledger's co-founders A raid by France's elite National Gendarmerie Intervention Group unit that specialises in hostage situations freed Balland the next day followed the day after that by the liberation British counterterrorism officers arrested four Iranian men over an alleged plot to attack an unspecified target and three others over a national security threat The government called them the biggest "counter state threat and counterterrorism" operations for years The Metropolitan Police force said five men aged between 29 and 46 were detained Saturday in various parts of England under the Terrorism Act on suspicion of preparing "a terrorist act" Four are Iranian citizens and the nationality of the fifth was still being established Police said the attack plot targeted a single location that was not being named "for operational reasons" It said the premises was being given "advice and support" All the suspects were being questioned at police stations and have not been charged Police said they are searching several properties in London the Manchester area of northwest England and Swindon in western England Forensic officers in blue overalls were photographed at a house in Rochdale Three of the counterterror arrests took place in the Greater Manchester area Rochdale resident Kyle Warren told Sky News he "heard a massive bang" and saw "20 or 30 police with guns" drag a man from a neighbouring house "We've seen a man getting pulled out from the back basically got dragged down the side entry and thrown into all the bushes and then handcuffed," he said head of the force's Counter Terrorism Command were arrested in London on suspicion of a national security offence as part of an unrelated investigation Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said "these were two major operations that reflect some of the biggest counter-state threat and counterterrorism operations that we have seen in recent years" Britain's domestic intelligence service has warned of a growing threat from attackers linked to Tehran Cooper said "the ongoing investigation is immensely important" to determine whether the arrests were connected to the Iranian state She said "this reflects the complexity of the kinds of challenges to our national security that we continue to face." the head of the MI5 domestic security service said his agents and police have tackled 20 "potentially lethal" plots backed by Iran since 2022 most aimed at Iranians in the UK who oppose the country's authorities He said at the time there was the risk "of an increase in a presenter at a Farsi-language television station critical of the Iranian government was stabbed in the leg outside his home in London Two men were later arrested in Romania and charged over the attack The UK's official terror threat level stands at "substantial," the middle of a five-point scale Ukraine and Russia are at odds over competing ceasefire proposals as Moscow accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of threatening the safety of dignitaries attending Victory Day celebrations after he dismissed Russia's unilateral 72-hour ceasefire Zelensky instead renewed calls for a more substantial 30-day pause in hostilities He said the proposed ceasefire could start anytime as a meaningful step toward ending the three-year war “Let’s be honest — you can’t agree on anything serious in three Zelensky said that Moscow’s announcement of a 72-hour ceasefire next week in Ukraine to mark Victory Day in World War II is merely an attempt to create a “soft atmosphere” ahead of Russia’s annual celebrations “so that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s guests on Red Square feel comfortable and safe.” He said that Ukraine cannot provide security assurances to foreign officials planning to visit Russia around May 9 warning that Moscow could stage provocations and later attempt to blame Ukraine Zelensky said that some governments had approached Kyiv seeking safety reassurance while their delegations are in Russia “Our position is very simple: we cannot take responsibility for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation,” he said “They are the ones providing your security and we will not be offering any guarantees.” Zelensky said he had instructed Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry to advise against visiting Russia during this period “We must tell those who approach us: we do not recommend visiting the Russian Federation from a security standpoint don’t ask us — it’s your personal decision.” The Ukrainian leader reiterated that Kyiv’s military actions will remain “mirror-like,” responding to Russia’s moves He acknowledged that implementing a complete front-line ceasefire without robust international monitoring remains nearly impossible but emphasised that the 30-day window offers a credible start He confirmed ongoing efforts to convene the next round of negotiations with the US He also expressed hope that it could happen in Ukraine saying it was a “positive sign” that such a gathering is under discussion despite recent personnel changes in Washington Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that he had “unequivocally threatened the world leaders who are planning to arrive in Moscow on May 9” deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council said Saturday that nobody could guarantee Kyiv’s safety if Ukraine attacked Moscow celebrations on May 9 “In the event of a real provocation on Victory Day no one will guarantee that May 10 will come in Kyiv,” he wrote on Telegram Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russia expects Kyiv to take steps to de-escalate before Victory Day actions aimed at de-escalating the conflict during the holidays,” Peskov told journalists were meant to “test Kyiv’s readiness to find ways for long-term sustainable peace between Russia and Ukraine.” and prompted another appeal from Zelensky for more decisive support from the country’s allies Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said drones hit 12 locations across the city late Friday The Kharkiv Prosecutor’s Office said that Russian forces used drones with thermobaric warheads it said thermobaric weapons create a powerful blast wave and a hot cloud of smoke The prosecutor said its use may indicate a deliberate violation of international humanitarian law nearly every night in Ukraine turns into a nightmare "Strong and real decisions are needed from our partners — the United States all our partners who seek peace,” Zelensky wrote on X Russia fired a total of 183 exploding drones and decoys overnight Russia also launched two ballistic missiles Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down 170 Ukrainian drones overnight The ministry said eight cruise missiles and three guided missiles were also intercepted were injured in a drone strike on the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk overnight The latest wave of attacks comes after the US and Ukraine on Wednesday signed an agreement granting American access to Ukraine’s vast mineral resources It finalises a deal months in the making that could enable continued military aid to Kyiv amid concerns that President Donald Trump might scale back support in ongoing peace negotiations with Russia In a long and at times emotional conversation the 40-year-old prince said he wants reconciliation while re-airing grievances against the royal family Here are the key takeaways from the BBC interview won’t speak to him because of “this security stuff” – a legal wrangle over protection for the prince when he is in Britain Harry has been estranged from his family since he and his wife Meghan quit royal duties in 2020 and moved to the United States alleging hostility and racist attitudes by the press and royal establishment Harry’s tell-all 2023 memoir “Spare,” stuffed with private details and embarrassing revelations But Harry said what’s souring the relationship now is a decision to remove his police protection detail after he stopped being a working royal On Friday the Court of Appeal in London rejected Harry’s bid to restore the protection saying a government committee was justified in deciding that security should be assessed on a case-by-case basis whenever Harry visits the U.K alleging that the decision to withdraw his security had been made at the direction of royal officials who sit on the committee alongside police and government representatives He said they were “knowingly putting me and my family in harm’s way,” hoping that the sense of threat “would force us to come back.” He suggested his father was part of the problem saying he’d asked the king “to step out of the way and let the experts do their job.” has been treated for an undisclosed cancer for more than a year Buckingham Palace has given infrequent updates and has not disclosed what form of cancer the king has said “I don’t know how much longer my father has.” He held out little hope of another meeting soon Charles has returned to a full slate of public duties This week he told a reception for cancer charities that being diagnosed was “a daunting and at times frightening experience.” He added: “I can vouch for the fact that it can also be an experience that brings into sharp focus the very best of humanity.” Harry has well-founded concerns for the safety of himself and his family behind his brother William and William’s three children Harry’s lawyer said in court papers that al-Qaida had published a document that said Harry’s assassination would please Muslims Harry said that before 2020 he was placed in the highest tier of at-risk royals alongside his late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II he has been stripped of taxpayer-funded police protection and also denied permission to pay for it himself He said that is not as good as police protection which is provided for life to “people who leave public office,” such as former prime ministers “I can never leave the royal family,” he said and they've only increased over time.” He claimed that “some people want history to repeat itself,” an apparent reference to the death of his mother Princess Diana She was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997 while being pursued by paparazzi and Harry said he “can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K.” The prince said he loves Britain and “it’s really quite sad that I won’t be able to show my children my homeland.” Harry claimed that he and his family are endangered when visiting Britain because of hostility aimed at him and Meghan on social media and through relentless hounding by news media Harry’s explosive memoir “Spare” scattered bitterness and blame at Charles Queen Camilla – Harry’s stepmother – and his elder brother William and even the British press that he reviles and has repeatedly sued “I would love reconciliation with my family There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore,” Harry said Historian Anthony Seldon said Harry had chosen his words deliberately to signal he “wants to make a new start.” “There will be no more spiteful books,” Seldon told Sky News “He has signalled he wants to be back in a way that needs to be worked out.” said it's hard to see how reconciliation can happen “He clearly feels aggrieved at the outcome of this legal action but there is a great deal to be gained by maintaining a dignified silence,” Little said US President Donald Trump posted an artificial intelligence-generated image of himself dressed as pope as the mourning of Pope Francis continues and just days before the conclave to elect his successor is set to begin Trump's action drew rebukes from a group representing Catholic bishops in New York and among Italians shared Friday night on Trump's Truth Social site and later reposted by the White House on its official X account raised eyebrows on social media and at the Vatican which is still in the period of nine days of official mourning following Francis' death on April 21 Catholic cardinals have been celebrating daily Masses in his memory and are due to open the conclave to elect his successor on Wednesday The death of a pope and the election of another is a matter of utmost solemnity for Catholics for whom the pope is Christ’s vicar on Earth where the papacy is held in high esteem even by nonreligious Italians was the topic of several questions during the Vatican’s daily conclave briefing Saturday Italian and Spanish news reports lamented its poor taste and said it was offensive given that the period of official mourning is still underway Left-leaning former Premier Matteo Renzi said the image was shameful insults institutions and shows that the leader of the right-wing world enjoys clowning around,” Renzi wrote on X the US economy risks recession and the dollar loses value which represents the bishops of the state in working with government “There is nothing clever or funny about this image "We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St Italy’s left-leaning La Repubblica also featured the image on its homepage Saturday with a commentary accusing Trump of "pathological megalomania.” The White House did not immediately respond to questions about the backlash to the image or why the president had shared the image a prominent far-right influencer and Trump ally who recently participated in a Catholic prayer event in March at Trump's Florida resort We’ve all been making jokes about the upcoming Pope selection all week It’s called a sense of humor," he wrote on X The episode comes after Trump joked last week about his interest in the vacancy That would be my number one choice," the thrice married president “I was excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope This would truly be a dark horse candidate but I would ask the papal conclave and Catholic faithful to keep an open mind about this possibility!” Graham “The first Pope-US President combination has many upsides who is Catholic and was one of the last foreign officials to meet with Francis before the pope died also joked about Secretary of State Marco Rubio becoming pope suggesting Rubio could add it to the long list of titles he holds including national security adviser and acting archivist Trump also has put in a plug for Cardinal Timothy Dolan we have a cardinal that happens to be out a place called New York who's very good is one of 10 US cardinals who will be voting in the conclave but Trump’s pitch might have cost Dolan support with cardinals sequestered for the duration is to prevent outside secular powers from influencing their choice There is an old saying about campaigning for the job of pope or of being promoted excessively especially by outsiders: If you “enter a conclave as pope bishops in general and Francis in particular over the administration’s hard line stance on immigration and its efforts to deport migrants en masse Right before he was hospitalised in February for pneumonia Francis issued a strong rebuke of the administration's mass deportation plans and Vance's theological justification of it Francis tried to remake the US Catholic hierarchy more in his image elevating pastors who prioritised social justice and migration issues over culture warriors who were more favoured by his more doctrinaire predecessors St John Paul II and Benedict XVI A new pope who is more conservative could reverse that effort Trump has nominated as his ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch whose Catholicvote.org has been aggressively covering the pre-conclave days at the Vatican It was one of the main disseminators in English-speaking media of a report flatly and officially denied by the Vatican that Cardinal Pietro Parolin had had a health scare this past week that required medical attention Parolin was the secretary of state under Francis and is seen as a leading contender to be pope He is also the main architect of the Vatican’s China policy and its controversial 2018 deal with Beijing over bishop nominations -- a deal that the was sharply criticized by the first Trump administration A teenager who admitted being "addicted to speed" behind the wheel had totalled two other cars in the year before he slammed into a minivan at 180km/h in a Seattle suburb killing the driver and three of the five children she was transporting for a homeschool co-op After sentencing Chase Daniel Jones last month to more than 17 years in prison the judge tacked on a novel condition should he drive again: His vehicle must be equipped with a device that prevents accelerating far beyond the speed limit Virginia this year became the first state to agree to give its judges such a tool to deal with the most dangerous drivers on the road already is using it and similar measures await governors' signatures in Washington state and Georgia New York and California also could soon tap the GPS-based technology to help combat a recent national spike in traffic deaths "It's a horror no one should have to experience," said Amy Cohen who founded the victims' advocacy group Families for Safe Streets after her 12-year-old son was killed by a speeding driver in front of their New York home more than a decade ago the minivan driver who was killed when Jones ran a red light was building a backyard greenhouse with her husband to help educate several kids who shuttle between homes during the school day Also killed in the March 2024 crash near Hudson's home in Renton were Boyd "Buster" Brown and Eloise Wilcoxson Hudson's two children were sitting on the passenger side and survived "You always hear of these horrific accidents Smith knew Washington state Representative Mari Leavitt who reached out to offer condolences and tell him she was sponsoring legislation to mandate intelligent speed assistance devices as a condition for habitual speeders to get back their suspended licenses Leavitt predicts it will have an even more powerful impact than revoking driving privileges citing studies showing around three-quarters of people who lose their licenses get behind a wheel anyway the state saw a 200% increase in drivers cited for going at least 80km/h over the speed limit according to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission "I guess I don't understand why someone is compelled to want to drive that fast," Leavitt said "But if they choose to drive that fast with the speed limiter It's going to stop them in their tracks." which Washington legislators passed last month and Democratic Governor Bob Ferguson is expected to soon sign using the first letters of the names of the four victims: Buster didn't receive a speeding ticket in his two previous crashes he likely wouldn't have been required to use the speed-limiter ahead of the fatal one And because it could be 2029 before the law takes effect the judge's requirement at sentencing only applies to his time on probation after being released from prison Competing tech companies that joined forces to lobby for ignition interlock requirements for drunken drivers have been working in unison again the last few years to pitch intelligent speed assistance chief government affairs officer at one manufacturer said fleet vehicles including school buses in the nation's capital have been trying it out for years But it took a lot of refinement before the GPS technology could instantly recognize speed limit changes and compel vehicles with the devices installed to adjust accordingly "We've got a lot more satellites in the sky now," said Ken Denton a retired police officer who is the chief compliance officer at Cincinnati-based LifeSafer the devices would prevent cars from exceeding speed limits or whatever threshold regulators set An override button allows speeding in emergencies but states can decide whether to activate it and authorities would be alerted any time the button is pushed which beeps to alert drivers when they are going too fast is required for new cars in the European Union California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a similar proposal last year explaining vehicle safety requirements are set by the federal government and he was concerned a patchwork of state laws could stir confusion Before Delegate Patrick Hope agreed to sponsor the proposal in the Virginia Legislature he tried out the device in Nannini's car which was calibrated to not go more than 14km/h over the speed limit "That was my first question: Is it safe?" Hope said Hope is now pondering whether to install it on the cars of his three children the price could be hefty: US$4 (NZ$6.70) per day and a US$100 (NZz$167.50) installation fee The fee would be less for low-income offenders which provides support services to the loved ones of crash victims knows firsthand the kind of impact slowing down speeders can make A year after her son was struck and killed in front of their New York apartment the road's speed limit had been lowered "When you are going a few miles slower it's much less likely to be deadly." Four boats capsized in a sudden storm at a tourist spot in southwestern China More than 80 people fell into a river when strong winds hit the scenic area in Guizhou province late Sunday afternoon The boats capsized after a sudden rain and hail storm on the upper reaches of the Wu River a man could be seen performing CPR on another person while one of the vessels drifted upside down Initial reports said two tourist boats had capsized but state media said on Monday that four boats were involved and the seven crew members were able to save themselves Guizhou's mountains and rivers are a major tourism draw and many Chinese were travelling during a five-day national holiday that ended Monday Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all-out efforts to find the missing and care for the injured the official Xinhua News Agency said on Sunday Xi underscored the importance of strengthening safety at tourist attractions large public venues and residential communities as well as for the rush of people returning at the end of major holidays CCTV said the capsized boats had a maximum capacity of about 40 people each and were not overloaded An eyewitness told state-owned Beijing News the waters were deep but that some people had managed to swim to safety the storm had come suddenly and a thick mist obscured the surface of the river Qantas has announced that direct flights between Perth and Auckland will take off later this year Flights between Auckland and Western Australia's capital would begin in December The airline also added flights between Perth and Johannesburg and Sundays with an approximate flight time of 8 hours Perth to Auckland flights would operate as QF111 on Monday The approximate flight time was around six hours and 45 minutes Both flights would use Qantas A330 aircraft with 27 business class seats and 224 economy seats The new flights would allow a one-stop route to London via Perth It would also allow for connections via Perth from Auckland to airports across South Africa the new flight to Auckland would also allow a one-stop connection to New York on the airline's QF3 service “We’re so excited to be launching two new international routes unlocking more options and greater choice for all Australians to connect to the world through our growing network," Qantas International chief executive Cam Wallace said “By connecting Perth directly with Auckland and Johannesburg we’re supporting the local economy by opening valuable inbound tourism opportunities for Western Australia as well as generating new jobs for the state These routes also enable further growth throughout Australia with connections across our domestic network." A person has died following a crash on Auckland's south-western motorway this morning The single vehicle crash was reported to police shortly before 5am the sole occupant of this vehicle died at the scene," a police spokesperson said "Earlier closures of northbound lanes have now lifted and police advise motorists to continue to expect delays as earlier backlogs clear "We appreciate motorists' understanding this morning while emergency services carried out their work." Police said the serious crash unit examined the scene this morning and an investigation was underway into this morning's crash on behalf of the Coroner This is in addition to an earlier crash on Auckland's northern motorway near the Auckland Harbour Bridge Emergency services responded to a two-truck collision on the northern motorway near the Auckland Harbour Bridge shortly after 5am New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) said all lanes south on State Highway 1 were open again following this earlier crash with five lanes available on the Harbour Bridge "Allow extra time for delays on the Northern Motorway to slowly ease this morning three lanes going south were now open again between Onewa Rd and the Harbour Bridge," NZTA said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's landslide win at the weekend following Canadian Prime Minister's Mark Carney's victory less than a week before should indicate to our politicians that the New Zealand "Trump trend" of 2024 may have peaked Trying to capitalise on the electoral success of US President Donald Trump now that his policies are having real-world effects is proving to be a big mistake for conservative leaders Australian voters have delivered a landslide win for the incumbent Labor Party returning Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for a second term with a clear majority of seats When he said in his victory speech that Australians had “voted for Australian values” an unspoken message was that they’d firmly rejected Trumpian values opposition and Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton had such a bad election he lost his own seat While not the only reason for his electoral demise Dutton’s adoption of themes associated with Trump backfired Opinion polls were projecting Dutton’s Coalition to win and exceeded expectations in the election itself the Liberals were “reduced to a right-wing populist party that is all but exiled from the biggest cities” Commentators identified a number of reasons including his “culture wars” and being depicted by Labor as “Trump-lite” Following a Trumpian pathway turned out to be a strategic blunder And Dutton’s downfall mirrors Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s defeat in Canada’s election on April 28 Canada’s incumbent centre-left Liberals were heading for defeat to the Conservatives But there were two gamechangers: the Liberals switched leaders from Justin Trudeau to Mark Carney and Trump caused a national uproar with his aggressive tariffs and his call for Canada to become the 51st US state Pre-election opinion polls then did a dramatic flip in favour of the Liberals who went on to win their fourth election in a row Poilievre’s campaign had adopted elements of the Trump style such as attacking “wokeness” and using derogatory nicknames for opponents His strategy failed as soon as Trump rolled out “America First” policies contrary to Canadians’ economic interests and national pride The takeaway for serious right-wing leaders in liberal democracies is clear: let Trump do Trump; his brand is toxic Trump’s actions are harming America’s allies affirmative action and climate change have seen voters outside the US react with self-protective patriotism A perceived association with Trump’s brand has now upended the electoral fortunes of (so far) two centre-right parties that had been in line to win and had been banking on the 2024 MAGA success somehow rubbing off on them what has been dubbed the “Trump slump” isn’t a universal trend the centre-left Social Democratic-led government was ousted in February in spite of Trump ally Elon Musk’s unhelpful support for the far-right anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party the populist Reform UK party has risen above 25% while Labour has fallen from 34% in last year’s election to the low 20s in recent polls But other governing centre-left parties are seeing an upside of the Trump effect In early January it looked like the incumbent Labour Party would be trounced by the Conservatives and the right-wing Progress Party Opinion polls dramatically flipped in early February boosting Labour from below 20% back into the lead Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre will get another term in office Denmark’s governing Social Democrats have enjoyed a small polling boost since Trump declared he’d like to take Greenland off their hands The common denominator underlying these shifts to the left seems to be the Trump effect Voters in countries normally closely allied with the US are turning away from Trump-adjacent politicians people are rallying patriotically around centre-left Trump is harming leaders who could have been his allies the man himself seemed proud of the impact he had in Canada polls in mid-2024 showed support for Trump was growing – heading well above 20% Australia’s election suggests that trend may now be past its peak with debate over ACT’s contentious Treaty Principles Bill behind it and despite NZ First leader Winston Peters’ overt culture-war rhetoric (which may appeal to his 6% support base) the right-wing coalition government’s polling shows it could be on track for a second term – for the time being While the Trump effect may have benefited centre-left parties in Australia and Canada polling for New Zealand’s Labour opposition is softer than at the start of the year While “America First” policies continue to damage the global economy centre-right leaders who learn the lesson will quietly distance themselves from the Trump brand while maintaining cordial relations with the White House could do worse than follow Anthony Albanese’s example of not getting distracted by “Trump-lite” and instead promoting his own country’s values of fairness and mutual respect.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GUGWB5HTRVGGNP5PFWDLBH7SXM","content":"Grant Duncan is a teaching fellow in Politics and International Relations This story is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence ","type":"text"},{"_id":"BMPLRKQ2NRDPZOPKHPADSUD4UE","content":" Erin Patterson had shared with true crime fans her love of mushrooms excitement over buying a food dehydrator and plans to cook beef Wellington The 50-year-old mother of two has pleaded not guilty to all counts against her including three murder charges for killing her estranged husband's family after feeding them lunch at her Leongatha home Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson all died in hospital from death cap mushroom poisoning after eating a beef Wellington Patterson had prepared for them on July 2023 Patterson claims it was "a terrible accident" Three members of a true crime Facebook group Patterson was part of gave evidence on day five of her Supreme Court trial in Morwell The group was created to go over the case of convicted baby killer Keli Lane she was a really good researcher," group member Christine Hunt said about Patterson's online reputation said in 2023 Patterson had shared photos of a black dehydrator with mushrooms inside "She was a bit excited that she'd purchased a food dehydrator," Barkley said via video link Screenshots of Patterson's messages to the group were also shown to the jury "I've been hiding powdered mushrooms in everything the kids had no idea," she wrote in one post said Patterson "seemed to really like mushrooms" In the weeks before the deadly mushroom meal Patterson asked the group if anyone had cooked a beef Wellington and if they had advice Erin said she was making beef Wellington," Hay said "I think she was at the supermarket and she messaged us something about the beef that she was buying." She said Patterson had told them the mushrooms came from an Asian grocer Hay said Patterson asked her for tips on how to make sure the beef Wellington pastry did not go "soggy" as it was one of Hay's favourite dishes said she joked: "I'd make a tofu Wellington" so we had a good laugh about that," she said Patterson's estranged husband Simon finished his evidence to the jury after almost three days in the witness box Defence barrister Colin Mandy SC put it to Simon that he had asked Erin - two days after the lunch - "is that what you used to poison them?" "I did not say that to Erin," Simon responded The jury of 15 people were shown messages from a family group Signal chat between Simon his former wife and his parents - in December 2022 - after he last week claimed she had sent "extremely aggressive" messages to his mother and father which he said were from a few months later having a crack at me and accusing me of some things in response to what I'd messaged her about," he said After his parents tried to help Erin and Simon resolve a dispute over his child support payments his mother Gail took a step back and stopped reading messages from Erin in the group chat "Mum really struggled with anxiety," he said The trial before Justice Christopher Beale will continue today The son of Stephen Stone has filed a Law Society complaint against the Auckland Crown Solicitor alleging she misled the court with her statement about the lack of evidence to retry his father who was acquitted of double murder last week said Alysha McClintock’s statement had caused "significant harm" to his father and family by “perpetuating a myth” the Crown case was dropped because witnesses were unavailable Stephen Stone spent more than 26 years wrongfully imprisoned for the 1989 murders of Deane Fuller-Sandys and Leah Stephens the Crown admitted he and three others convicted in connection with the crime suffered a miscarriage of justice The Court of Appeal accepted a police failure to disclose two key documents led to the miscarriage Stone’s convictions were quashed in October and a retrial ordered Known as the "Larnoch Road Four" their convictions relied heavily on four eyewitnesses who were given immunity from prosecution and name suppression McClintock told the High Court in Auckland one of the key reasons a retrial couldn’t go ahead was because three of the four witnesses were "no longer available through a combination of the consequences of the appeal decision death and witnesses no longer being in New Zealand" The Evidence Act sets out scenarios where a witness is considered unavailable These include if the person is dead; outside of New Zealand and it’s not reasonably practicable for them to be a witness; they are unfit to be a witness; or they cannot be compelled to give evidence Daniel Stone acknowledged one witness was dead and one was in Australia he claimed that it was not correct to say three witnesses were no longer available the others were “wholly unreliable” witnesses and the Crown’s statement was: “Designed to publicly spin the position in favour of the prosecution in an inappropriate abuse of the Crown's role.” During the Court of Appeal hearing in August the court heard the two non-recanting witnesses had changed their stories significantly multiple times and how bodies were disposed of,” Stephen Stone’s lawyer Annabel Maxwell-Scott told the court The Court of Appeal declined to rule their evidence inadmissible “The fact Mr X and Mr Y each made a number of startling contradictory statements to the police was before both juries in the earlier trial,” the judgement said McClintock said there was no longer enough evidence to prove charges against Stone beyond a reasonable double – referring to additional ESR testing on samples collected by police at the time which had not produced any results of significance; and Stone’s admissions of murder to get parole did not provide a basis for prosecution said outside the court on Wednesday that the Crown’s statement was “incredibly frustrating” “There is no acknowledgement of their own role in these miscarriages of justice and they gave the distinct impression that they believe Stephen has done something — and that's outrageous in my view." McClintock told 1News: "It is not appropriate for me to engage in debate about the reasons for my decision or the content of the statement through the media." Attorney-General Judith Collins’ office said: "It is not appropriate for the Attorney-General to comment about what has been said in Court by a prosecutor about a particular criminal prosecution." Stephen Stone’s acquittal was handled very differently to the acquittal of Alan Hall – another high-profile miscarriage of justice case the Crown and court acknowledged the miscarriage "We cannot end this judgment without acknowledging that just as the criminal justice system has failed Mr Hall so too has it failed the Easton family," said the 2022 judgment Alan Hall was declared innocent in 2023 and received nearly $5 million compensation for 19 years wrongful imprisonment Lady Gaga gave a free concert Saturday night in front of 2 million fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach for the biggest show of her career (...) Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd kicked off the show at around 22.10pm local time with her 2011 song Bloody Mary Cries of joy rose from the tightly-packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand Concert organisers said 2.1 million people attended the show switching between an array of dresses including one with the colours of the Brazilian flag Some fans – many of them young – arrived on the beach at the crack of dawn to secure a good spot “Today is the best day of my life,” said Manoela Dobes a 27-year-old designer who was wearing a dress plastered with a photograph from when she met Lady Gaga in the United States in 2019 Madonna also turned Copacabana Beach into a massive dance floor last year The large-scale performances are part of an effort led by City Hall to boost economic activity after Carnival and New Years’ Eve festivities and the upcoming month-long Saint John’s Day celebrations in June “It brings activity to the city during what was previously considered the low season – filling hotels and increasing spending in bars generating jobs and income for the population,” said Osmar Lima the city’s secretary of economic development in a statement released by Rio City Hall’s tourism department last month Rio’s City Hall said in a recent report that around 1.6 million people were expected to attend Lady Gaga's concert and that the show should inject at least 600 million reais (NZ$178.3 million) into Rio’s economy Similar concerts are scheduled to take place every year in May at least until 2028 Lady Gaga arrived in Rio in the early hours of Tuesday The city has been alive with Gaga-mania since as it geared up to welcome the pop star for her first show in the country since 2012 Rio’s metro employees danced to Lady Gaga’s 2008 hit song LoveGame and gave instructions for today in a video A free exhibition celebrating her career sold out While the vast majority of attendees were from Rio the event also attracted Brazilians from across the country and international visitors More than 500,000 tourists poured into the city in the days leading up to the show according to data from the local bus station and Tom Jobim airport Rio’s City Hall said in a statement yesterday made a cross-continent trip from Colombia to Brazil to attend the show “I’ve been a 100% fan of Lady Gaga my whole life,” said Serrano who was wearing a T-shirt featuring Lady Gaga’s outlandish costumes over the years the mega-star represents “total freedom of expression – being who one wants without shame” Rio officials have a history of organising huge concerts on Copacabana Beach Madonna’s show drew an estimated 1.6 million fans last year while 4 million people flooded onto the beach for a 1994 New Year’s Eve show by Rod Stewart in 1994 that was the biggest free rock concert in history sixteen sound towers were spread along the beach Rio state’s security plan included the presence of 3300 military and 1500 police officers Among those present were Lady Gaga admirers who remember their disappointment in 2017 when the artist cancelled a performance scheduled in Rio at the last minute due to health issues “She's the best artist in the world,” the 25-year-old said I love you” in Portuguese rose from the crowd behind him whose real name is Ella Yelich O'Connor which also displayed what appears to be the album cover art — an X-ray of a pelvis "100% written in blood," the website read The new album's announcement came a week after she released her latest single What Was That The song's music video was filmed at a mysterious pop-up event in New York City's Washington Square Park that was initially shut down by police. The event ended up going ahead after all, and fans who stayed got to hear the new song for the first time. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lorde (@lorde) It was the first sign of a follow-up to Lorde's previous album Her other albums were 2013's Pure Heroine and 2017's Melodrama she collaborated with British singer Charli XCX on a remix of Girl so confusing — on a re-release of the Grammy award-winning Brat Kim Kardashian thought she was going to be raped and killed when criminals broke into her bedroom in central Paris tied her up and stole more than US$6 million in jewellery 10 people will go on trial in Paris over the robbery abduction and kidnapping of the media personality and the concierge of the residence where she was staying during Paris Fashion Week the night of October 2 Kardashian’s lawyers said she will testify in person at the trial starting Monday and scheduled to run through May 23 "Ms Kardashian is reserving her testimony for the court and jury and does not wish to elaborate further at this time," they said "She has great respect and admiration for the French justice system and has been treated with great respect by the French authorities "She wishes the trial to proceed in an orderly fashion in accordance with French law and with respect for all parties to the case." In interviews and on her family’s reality TV show Kardashian has described being terrified as robbers pointed a gun at her In a 2020 appearance on David Letterman’s Netflix show she tearfully recalled thinking: "This is the time I’m going to get raped Twelve people were originally expected in the defendants’ box and another is seriously ill and can't be tried five of the 10 defendants were present at the scene of the robbery The French press has dubbed them The Granddad Robbers because the main defendants are elderly and have careers as bank robbers with long criminal records Kardashian told investigators she was taken to a bathroom next to her bedroom and placed in the bathtub Her attackers fled on bicycles or on foot and she managed to free herself by removing the tape from her hands and mouth She had also removed the tape from her feet and rushed to her stylist’s room She called her sister Kourtney to tell her about the theft Kardashian told investigators that she had not been injured adding that she wanted to leave France as soon as possible to be reunited with her children According to her testimony and that of the concierge at least one of the suspects had a handgun The gangsters stole many pieces of jewellery estimated to be worth more than US$6 million (NZ$10 million) Only one piece of jewellery — a diamond cross on platinum that was lost during the suspects' escape — has been recovered Two of the accused have partially confessed to the crime is one of two suspected robbers who allegedly entered the apartment his genetic profile was found on the tape used to gag Kardashian who was waiting for him in a parked car at a nearby train station The second robber said he tied up the concierge with cables but did not go up to Kardashian’s apartment said he acted as a lookout in the ground-floor reception area He said he was unarmed and did not personally threaten Kardashian but admitted he shared responsibility for the crime Abbas was arrested in January 2017 and spent 21 months in prison before being released under judicial supervision he co-authored a French-language book titled I Sequestered Kim Kardashian is the second alleged robber suspected of entering the flat although he was filmed by CCTV cameras and numerous telephone contacts with the other co-defendants show his involvement The other defendants are suspected of providing information about Kardashian’s presence in the apartment Others are accused of playing a role in the resale of the jewellery in Antwerp Joe Cocker and Bad Company will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — in a class that also includes pop star Cyndi Lauper the rock duo the White Stripes and grunge masters Soundgarden the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum status and the late singer-songwriter Warren Zevon will get the Musical Influence Award pianist Nicky Hopkins and bassist Carol Kaye will each get the Musical Excellence Award who sang at Woodstock and was best known for his cover of The Beatles’ With a Little Help From My Friends a member of Elvis Costello & The Attractions who argued that Cocker is "about as rock and roll as it gets" Soundgarden — with the late Chris Cornell as singer — get into the Hall on their third nomination They follow two other grunge acts in the Hall — Nirvana and Pearl Jam Bad Company get in having become radio fixtures with such arena-rock staples as Feel Like Makin’ Love Can’t Get Enough and Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy The Ahmet Ertegun Award — given to nonperforming industry professionals who had a major influence on music — will go to Lenny Waronker Some nominees that didn't get in this year included Mariah Carey and subsequent Let’s Twist Again are considered among the most popular songs in the history of rock 'n' roll The 83-year-old has expressed frustration that he hadn't been granted entry before including telling the AP in 2014: "I don’t want to get in there when I’m 85 years old so you better do it quick while I’m still smiling." Lauper rose to fame in the 1980s with hits such as Time After Time and Girls Just Want To Have Fun and went on to win a Tony Award for Kinky Boots have six Grammys and a reputation for pushing the boundaries of hip-hop The White Stripes — made up of Jack White and Meg White — were indie darlings in the early 2000s with such songs as Seven Nation Army Artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before they’re eligible for induction The induction ceremony will take place in Los Angeles this fall Nominees were voted on by more than 1200 artists historians and music industry professionals The selection criteria include "an artist’s impact on other musicians the scope and longevity of their career and body of work as well as their innovation and excellence in style and technique" Dave Matthews Band and singer-guitarist Peter Frampton were inducted Lorde has dropped her new single What Was That after weeks of cryptic posts and teases that set fans buzzing It's the lead single from her upcoming fourth album and her first original solo release since 2021's Solar Power which is three minutes and 28 seconds in length Some fans had been lucky enough to hear the track in full earlier this week. On Wednesday, Lorde posted a picture of Washington Square Park yesterday with the caption "tonight 7pm". Fans flooded the park an hour before she was supposed to appear, with photos shared of eager fans scaling trees to catch a glimpse of the singer. Shortly before she was to perform, the Royals singer took to social media to tell fans police had shut the event down. "Omg @thepark the cops are shutting us down," the message read. "I am truly amazed by how many of you showed !!! "But they’re telling me you gotta disperse ... I’m so sorry." However, the pop-up event ended up going ahead after all, with fans who stayed getting their first full airing of Lorde's new single. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lorde (@lorde) Lorde, real name Ella Yelich O'Connor, announced the single last week sharing a headshot-style photo of her wearing a red shirt with a dripping wet face Earlier this month, she dropped a 15-second snippet of the unreleased song Lorde was seen wearing a white shirt and jeans while walking through New York City I gave you everything/Now we wake from a dream What was that?” she sings over a synth beat It was the first sign of a follow up to Lorde's previous album S. Francisco entrepreneur Mouli Cohen notified in a press release of a donation to upgrade the Jewish cemetery in Nizhyn, Ukraine, where the Lubavitcher Mitteler Rebbe is buried. Mendel Weiss is quoted as praising him. Full Story Philanthropist Mouli Cohen and his wife Stacy Cohen have provided funding for the Jewish cemetery in Nizhyn The city of Nizhyn located in northern Ukraine was once a major center of Hasidic Judaism Jews who visit the Ukraine come to Nizhyn on a regular basis to see the local Jewish cemetery and to pray at the site of the tomb of the the Hasidic master the facilities and services received an extensive upgrade allowing the Jewish cemetery of Nizhyn to have guest services for the first time Until recently the conditions were very poor and made it extremely difficult for guests and travelers to visit this sacred location Electricity was not previously available at the site and the access was extremely limited The work done to renovate the site was significant and the site has been improved considerably The newly refurbished site has been heralded by visitors it was impossible to stand there for more than a few minutes,” says Mendel Weiss thanks to the generous help of Mouli and Stacy Cohen A new synagogue and study facility have been built in the cemetery recently and new lines of electricity have been installed to enable lights and electricity for the comfort who those who visit “I feel very lucky to be involved in such a valuable project and I am looking forward to more opportunities related to the preservation of ancient and important sites in the future,” says Mr the number of visitors has increased and those that do visit are spending longer hours in prayer and meditation as they enjoy the modern services and facilities Sign up for the COLlive Daily News Roundup and never miss a story The tomb of the second Lubavitcher Rebbe in Nizhyn * by Meir Dahan Δdocument.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()) Δdocument.getElementById("ak_js_2").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()) I was just at the kever of the MItteler Rebbe and greatly appreciated all your work May you and your family be blessed with total goodness and kindness in total abundance like the goodness and kindness you bestowed upon our Holy Rabeiim and all of the visitors that come May Hashem always smile down on you and your family And… may this move herald the Moshiach now and you will have the honor to meet the Mittler Rebbe himself Which kwver in the Mitteler Rebbe’s Ohel is his and who is the other kever (Though I have an idea from the Sippurei Chassidim by Rav Zevin)