Ukraine flood

- A + A KYIV (June 25): Dozens of Russian missiles rained down on military facilities in western and northern Ukraine on Saturday (June 25), local officials said, as Europe's biggest land conflict since World War Two entered its fifth month. Maxim Kozytskyi, the governor of the Lviv region in western Ukraine, said in a video posted online that six missiles were fired from the Black Sea at the Yavoriv base, with four hitting the base and two being intercepted and destroyed before hitting their target. Vitaliy Bunechko, the governor of the Zhytomyr region in the north of the country, said strikes on a military target killed at least one soldier. "Nearly 30 missiles were launched at one military infrastructure facility very near to the city of Zhytomyr," said Bunechko, adding that nearly 10 missiles had been intercepted and destroyed. In the Chernihiv region, also in the north, governor Vyacheslav Chaus said the small town of Desna had come under "massed" rocket … [Read more...] about Russian missiles rain down on military sites across Ukraine, say local officials

In those first few fraught hours of February 24th, after Russian forces invaded Ukraine, Anastasiia Smyk, CEO and co-founder of aviation software startup Input Soft , recalls being in a state of shock and incredulity. She was in Kyiv at the time, but her 11-strong team was scattered around the country. advertisement advertisement “The first week we were just thinking about how to survive at a human level,” says the 25-year-old entrepreneur. “So we decided to rent a house for our team in the Carpathian mountains, in the [safer] western part of Ukraine, and told them they could go there with their families to wait until we knew more about what was happening. Some of them went. Others were unable to get out.” One of those left behind was the startup’s accountant, whose home town of Kherson, in southern Ukraine, has been under Russian occupation since early March. On May 3rd, when the internet and mobile communications went down, she decided to risk her … [Read more...] about The war in Ukraine hasn’t ended. Here’s how these founders continue to build their businesses

US President Joe Biden (right) being greeted by Bavaria Prime Minister Markus Soeder (centre) upon arriving at Munich Airport on June 25, 2022 ahead of the Group of Seven summit in Munich, Germany. - A + A SCHLOSS ELMAU (June 26): German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is set to welcome leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) rich democracies on Sunday to a three-day summit in the Bavarian Alps overshadowed by the war in Ukraine and its far-reaching consequences, from energy shortages to a food crisis. The summit takes place against a darker backdrop than last year when the British, Canadian, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and US leaders met for the first time since before the Covid-19 pandemic and vowed to build back better. Soaring global energy and food prices are hitting economic growth in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The United Nations warned on Friday of an "unprecedented global hunger crisis". Climate change, an increasingly assertive China, and … [Read more...] about G7 summit kicks off under shadow of Ukraine war, stagflation risk

JAKARTA (Reuters) -Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Sunday he will urge his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts to open room for dialogue during a peace-building mission to the warring countries and ask Russia's Vladimir Putin to order an immediate ceasefire. "War has to be stopped and global food supply chains need to be reactivated," Jokowi, as the president is popularly known, said before leaving for Germany to attend the G7 summit on Monday. The president also said he will encourage the G7 countries to seek peace in Ukraine following Russia's invasion, and find an immediate solution to global food and energy crises. Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation". Separately, Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi said food and fertiliser products from Russia and Ukraine need to be "reintegrated into the global market, despite the war". "It is necessary to secure a grain corridor from Ukraine and open food and fertiliser exports from Russia. All … [Read more...] about Indonesia president to visit Ukraine, Russia on peace-building mission

- A + A (June 25): UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who survived a confidence vote just two weeks ago, is facing fresh threats to his leadership after his Conservative Party lost two key parliamentary seats, according to reports. Tory rebels seeking his ouster want to scrap the party’s rule that prevents another leadership poll from taking place for a year, the Times and the Telegraph reported. They’re organising to take over an internal panel of backbenchers known as the 1922 Committee that sets party rules on confidence votes, according to the reports. Andrew Bridgen, a Tory lawmaker, told GB News on Friday (June 24) that he would stand for the election to the executive of the 1922 Committee to try and change the rules. Nominations open next week and the vote could be the following week, he said. The rules can be altered at any time by a simple majority of the typically 18-member executive, according to the Telegraph. Graham Brady, the chairman of the … [Read more...] about UK PM Johnson may face new ouster effort after election loss

Tengku Zafrul: The MoF will continue to monitor external factors that can have a negative impact on the domestic economic situation to ensure that the cost of living of the people is under control. (Photo by Zahid Izzani Mohd Said/The Edge) - A + A KUALA LUMPUR (June 25): The projected consumption subsidy expenditure of RM77.3 billion so far for 2022 is the highest subsidy in history ever borne by any government, said the Ministry of Finance (MoF). Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said the projected consumption subsidies cover petrol, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (RM37.3 billion), cooking oil (RM4 billion), flour and electricity to reduce the people's cost of living, and subsidy bills (RM9.7 billion), excluding welfare assistance from 2018 to 2022. “When added to other assistance such as social welfare assistance, including Bantuan Keluarga Malaysia (BKM) (RM11.7 billion) and other subsidies (RM14.6 billion), the total subsidy so … [Read more...] about RM77b subsidy so far this year highest in history, says Zafrul

Ukrainian service members walk in the industrial area of the city of Sievierodonetsk, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, Ukraine June 20, 2022. (REUTERS/Oleksandr Ratushniak/File Photo) KYIV/POKROVSK, Ukraine — Russian forces have fully occupied Sievierodonetsk, the mayor of the eastern Ukrainian city said on Saturday, confirming Kyiv’s biggest battlefield setback for more than a month, after weeks of some of the war’s bloodiest fighting. Ukraine called its retreat from the city a “tactical withdrawal” to fight from higher ground in Lysychansk on the opposite bank of the Siverskyi Donets river. Pro-Russian separatists said Moscow’s forces were now attacking Lysychansk. The fall of Sievierodonetsk — once home to more than 100,000 people, now a wasteland — was Russia’s biggest victory since capturing the port of Mariupol last month. It transforms the battlefield in the east after weeks in which Moscow’s huge advantage in firepower had yielded only slow gains. Russia will … [Read more...] about Ukrainian city falls to Russia in one of war’s bloodiest fights

ANKARA (Reuters) -Discussions between Turkey, Finland and Sweden about the Nordic countries' NATO membership will continue and an alliance summit in Madrid next week is not a deadline, Turkey said after talks in Brussels on Monday. Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But the bids have faced opposition from Turkey, which has been angered by what it says is Helsinki and Stockholm's support for Kurdish militants and arms embargoes on Ankara. Last week, Turkey said documents it received from Sweden and NATO in response to the earlier written demands it presented the two candidates were far from meeting its expectations and any negotiations must first address Turkish concerns. Speaking to reporters in Brussels alongside Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Ankara was expecting Sweden to take immediate steps regarding actions by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group in … [Read more...] about Turkey says summit is not deadline for talks on Finland and Sweden’s NATO bids

PETALING JAYA: The Government is doing its best to tackle the uncertainties brought about by several issues affecting the world and will strive to reduce the economic burden on the people, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (pic). "The world situation is not so stable now not only because of Covid-19, but also due to the Russia-Ukraine war and other major factors affecting the world. "The sharp rise in inflation is a major challenge facing the world, including Malaysia," said the Transport Minister. Malaysia, he said, was also facing the issue of inflation in food, which is influenced by the rising global food prices which are mostly the main input to local food products. "The Malaysian Family Government is doing its best to address this issue, including providing a subsidy of RM77.3bil for petrol, cooking oil, food and several critical sectors to lessen the burden of the people," he said. Dr Wee, who is also MCA president, delivered his speech at the Federation of Hakka … [Read more...] about Dr Wee: Government doing its best to tackle global uncertainties

When Martin Luther King reminded us of “the fierce urgency of now,” he also warned that “there is such a thing as being too late.” On fixing the climate crisis, we are almost at that point. With record heat waves now raging across North America, Europe, and Asia; drought, wildfires, crop failures, and famine in some regions; unprecedented floods elsewhere; and record-high global ocean temperatures the last six years in a row, the summer of 2022 seems like we are all walking through the gates of hell. Perhaps the “fierce urgency” of this summer’s climate chaos will move governments to finally act. Despite 30 years of United Nations climate change conferences, global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, and the climate crisis continues to worsen. This November, the 27th United Nations climate conference (COP27) will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, and the Group of 20 Summit will be held in Bali, Indonesia. These government summits may be our last best chance to fix the … [Read more...] about Bali G20: Last best chance to fix climate crisis