Month: August 2024
Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomes second peace summit with India in attendance
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced ongoing discussions with several countries about hosting a second peace summit. He expressed support for India as a potential host but emphasized the need for the host country to join the peace summit communique. Zelenskiy also said he had told India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he would support India
Israel-Hezbollah Escalation
Israel and Hezbollah have been at war for decades, but the conflict escalated quickly in recent weeks, after a rocket killed more than 10 people in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights last month. Hezbollah said in early July that if Israel and Hamas come to a cease-fire agreement, it would stop fighting. Israel hit Hezbollah targets
Ukraine’s ban of Russian-linked Orthodox Church
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday signed a law barring religious groups with ties to Russia. The bill was signed on the 32nd anniversary of Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union, which included Russia. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church officially broke away from the Moscow patriarchy in 2022. The bill, approved Tuesday 265-29 by Ukraine’s parliament,
The arresting of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov
Telegram’s large user base, with groups of up to 200,000 members, has faced significant criticism for spreading misinformation and harmful content. The app has been criticized in the UK for hosting extreme channels linked to recent violence. Although Telegram has removed some problematic groups, experts say its moderation of harmful content is weaker compared to
The disputed South China Sea
China and the Philippines blamed each other for the tense confrontations in the high seas off Sabina Shoal, which has become a new flashpoint, where both have deployed coast guard ships on suspicion that either one may take steps to seize the uninhabited atoll. Chinese coast guard ships fired water cannons and blocked and rammed
Plan to bomb a remote South African island with tonnes of pesticide-laced pellets
Hordes of mice are devouring the eggs of some of the world’s most important seabirds that nest on Marion Island, about 2,000 kilometres (1,240 miles) southeast of Cape Town, and have started eating live birds. Conservationists said Saturday that they plan to bomb a remote South African island with tonnes of pesticide-laced pellets to kill
Red Sea oil tanker explosion
Three fires broke out on a Greek-flagged oil tanker in the Red Sea, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has reported, after Iran-backed Houthi militants attacked the vessel and its crew was evacuated. The Sounion is the third tanker owned by Athens-based Delta Tankers to be targeted by the Houthis this month. The Houthis
Private spacewalk
SpaceX’s attempt at the first ever private spacewalk next week will be a test of trailblazing equipment. A billionaire entrepreneur, a retired military fighter pilot and two SpaceX employees are poised to launch on Tuesday aboard a modified Crew Dragon craft, before embarking on 20-minute spacewalk 434 miles into space two days later. SpaceX’s five-day
Moscow and Kyiv swap prisoners of war
Russia and Ukraine exchanged over 100 prisoners of war on Saturday as Kyiv marked the third Independence Day since Moscow’s full-scale invasion.The Russian Defense Ministry said the 115 Russian soldiers had been captured in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces launched their surprise offensive into Russia two weeks ago. The ministry said the soldiers were
EU is Disrupting Oil Supplies From Russia to Hungary
Hungary and its neighbour Slovakia have been protesting since Ukraine put Russian oil producer Lukoil on a sanctions list in June, stopping that company’s oil from passing through Ukrainian territory to Slovak and Hungarian refineries.Hungary’s foreign minister said on Saturday the European Commission’s decision not to mediate in a dispute over blocked oil supplies from