Russia and ukraine conflict

Sadly, we are seeing exaggerations and economy with the truth in the reports on the ongoing war in Ukraine. (Illustration by Suneesh K.) Cataclysmic global events have a long history of bringing out the best and the worst of news reporting. It isn’t any different today in the midst of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia . Much of the reporting has been brave and moving. Sadly, there’s also been news bordering on downright fabrication . Little, it would seem, has changed since the Great Moon Hoax of August 1835 when the New York-based paper The Sun carried a series of six reports about how English astronomer Sir John Herschel, using the biggest telescope ever built, had established that there was an alien civilization on the moon. The Sun claimed that Herschel had sighted vegetation, “brown quadrupeds”, and “large winged creatures, wholly unlike any kind of birds.” The writer of the story later claimed that it was meant to be satirical but by then enough Americans had bought … [Read more...] about Russia Ukraine conflict: The fine line between misreporting and propaganda about Ukraine

- A + A LONDON/NEW YORK (June 24): Global dealmaking is entering an arid season as raging inflation and a stock market rout curb the appetite of many corporate boards to expand through acquisitions. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February and fears that an economic recession is looming dealt a blow to merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the second quarter. The value of announced deals dropped 25.5% year-on-year to US$1 trillion, according to Dealogic data. "Companies are standing back from M&A in the short term as they are more focused on the impact of a recession on their business. The timing for dealmaking will come but I don't think it's quite there yet," said Alison Harding-Jones, Citigroup Inc's EMEA M&A head. M&A activity in the United States plunged 40% to US$456 billion in the second quarter, while Asia Pacific was down 10%, Dealogic data showed. Europe was the only region where dealmaking didn't crash. Activity was up 6.5% in the … [Read more...] about Global M&A braces for dry spell as boardrooms put expansion on hold

Copper or Doctor Copper as market analysts refer to it due to its reputation of having a “Ph.D. in economics” because of its ability to predict the direction of global economy, has tumbled significantly in the recent past and is currently trading at its 15-month low on the London Metals Exchange (LME). The past trends of copper prices and global economic growth have signified that both the copper prices and global economy move in tandem and one can predict the turning points in global economy based on the direction of global copper prices. Experts are of the opinion that the correlation between copper prices and global economic health does largely hold good, though, at times there might be some brief aberrations. “Aberrations may occur due to governments’ interventions in the form of fiscal stimulus, or the major central bankers’ trying to respond to the changing macro-economic conditions by the way of change in their monetary policies”, said Praveen Singh, AVP, Fundamental … [Read more...] about Dr Copper’s falling prices indicate more ailments on the cards for global economy

In 1962, American forces dropped four Napalm bombs in Vietnam. (Image via Wikimedia Commons) Few pictures have symbolised whole wars quite like the Napalm Girl after a photographer captured the nine-year-old with severe burns on her back in Vietnam. Phan Thị Kim Phúc became a symbol of the horrific realities of war and Nick Ut won a Pulitzer for clicking her in 1972. On the anniversary of that date the image still haunts us for its direct recall of a moment mankind can never stop regretting. This is how man can treat fellow-man. We loot, we plunder, we shoot, we bomb. As the recent school shootings in Texas prove, as a species we kill for no reason. Battles are not just chapters in history textbooks or folklore, but an unfolding series of current events. The chemical attacks in Syria in 2014-15 used chlorine, sarin, mustard gases as weapons. Photographer Danish Siddiqui was killed in Afghanistan last year. The Russia-Ukraine fracas have already taken a heavy toll on … [Read more...] about Napalm Girl: Why she never grows old

- A + A (June 24): US President Joe Biden’s political fortunes have changed dramatically since his first Group of Seven (G7) summit last summer, or even his last visit to Europe in March. It couldn’t come at a worse time for his international allies as Russia settles into a long war with Ukraine. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who will welcome G7 leaders in the Bavarian Alps, views Biden as a driving force in sustaining pressure on Moscow and believes that unity among allies could fray once again if Republicans win back the White House in 2024, according to a German government official who requested anonymity to discuss internal thinking. It was only a year ago, on a sandy English beach in Cornwall, when European leaders celebrated that Donald Trump was gone and that the US had returned to the multilateral orbit. Now, that relief has been replaced with a sense of foreboding about whether Biden’s Democrats survive midterm elections and the president’s political … [Read more...] about Biden limps to G7 as allies fret over his troubles at home

President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.  Image from BBM Media MANILA, Philippines — An environmental advocacy group is urging incoming President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to take bolder steps in the country’s shift to renewable energy. Philippine Business for Environmental Stewardship (PBEST) is pushing for expanding the Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA) provision of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2021 to include electricity end-users who, despite having low consumption, can transition to renewable energy. “Renewable energy is the future. It is our key to achieving power stability and resilience without being subject to external circumstances,” PBEST co-convenor engineer Felix Vitangcol said in a statement on Friday. In making the appeal, Vitangcol cited the impending depletion of the Malampaya gas field by the end of this decade; the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine; and outdated power infrastructure in many places in the country … [Read more...] about Bongbong Marcos urged: Take bolder steps to expand access to renewable energy

Ukrainian service members patrol an area in the city of Sievierodonetsk, Ukraine on June 20, 2022, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues. (Reuters filepix by Oleksandr Ratushniak) - A + A KYIV (June 24): Ukrainian troops were set to withdraw from the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk after weeks of intense bombardments and street fighting, the regional governor said on Friday, as Russian advances raised fears they could be cut off and surrounded. Russian troops fully occupied a town south of Lysychansk, which lies across the Siverskyi Donets River from Sievierodonetsk, Ukrainian officials said. Moscow claimed it had encircled about 2,000 Ukrainian troops in the area. The Russian advances appeared to bring the Kremlin closer to taking full control of Luhansk province, one of Moscow's stated war objectives, and set the stage for Lysychansk to become the main frontline city on that front. Ukrainian forces had for weeks held out against an onslaught in … [Read more...] about Russians close in on east Ukrainian cities, defenders set to quit Sievierodonetsk