International

Putin says Ukraine will ‘receive a worthy response’ over Kursk incursion

Published

3 months ago

August 13, 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Putin says Ukraine will ‘receive a worthy response’ over Kursk incursion

Russian President Vladimir Putin says Ukraine is trying to undermine Russian stability with its incursion into the south of the country and warns that Ukraine will receive “a worthy response”.

Last week, Ukrainian forces rammed through the Russian border and swept across western parts of the Kursk region. The incursion is Ukraine’s biggest across the border since the start of Russia’s war in the country in 2022.

Apparently caught by surprise, Moscow has hit back militarily by deploying its own troops to quash the incursion. Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Monday that additional forces and resources had arrived in Kursk, without elaborating on the numbers.

“Heavy tracked vehicles are being loaded onto automobile trailers for prompt delivery to the areas where Ukrainian Armed Forces formations are being blocked and to ensure the safety of the road surface,” the military reported.

On Monday, Ukraine’s army chief, Oleksandr Syrskyii, said Kyiv controls about 1,000sq km (386sq miles) of Kursk, according to a video excerpt of his report shared by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Telegram.

Monday was also the first time Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukrainian military forces are operating inside Kursk. In his nightly address the president said war was now coming back to Russia after Moscow had taken fighting to other countries.

Earlier in the day, Kursk Governor Alexei Smirnov told Putin that six days of Ukrainian ground attacks on his region had resulted in the loss of 28 settlements, and the incursion was about 12km deep and 40km wide.

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He said 12 civilians had been killed and 121,000 people were evacuated or left the areas affected by fighting on their own. The total planned number of evacuations is 180,000.

False accusations?

On Monday, a new evacuation order was also issued in Russia’s Belgorod region as its Krasnaya Yaruga district feared an incursion by Ukrainian forces, according to Vyacheslav Gladkov, the regional governor.

Krasnaya Yaruga is located in the northwest of Belgorod and borders Kursk.

Putin said at a televised meeting: “The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces are increasing dramatically for them, including among the most combat-ready units, units that the enemy is transferring to our border.”

“The enemy will certainly receive a worthy response, and all the goals facing us will, without a doubt, be achieved,” the president added.

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said Russia was trying to falsely accuse Kyiv’s military of war crimes.

The SBU said on Telegram that it had gathered information showing Russia may stage crimes that it would, in turn, blame on Ukraine.

Moscow and Kyiv regularly accuse each other of planning so-called false flag operations.

Military analyst Sean Bell told Al Jazeera that while critics deemed Ukraine’s surprise attack reckless, “Momentum and initiative is everything in warfare. This caught everybody off guard.”

Kyiv ready for retaliation?

Ukraine has also been bracing for more Russian attacks in retaliation for its recent cross-border incursion.

On Sunday, at least two people were killed and three injured in a Russian air attack outside Kyiv. Ukraine also announced it had evacuated 20,000 people from the Sumy region, which sits across the border from Kursk, as the fighting in the area intensified.

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Moscow and Kyiv have also accused each other of starting a fire on the grounds of Europe’s largest and now Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in Ukraine on Sunday with both sides reporting no sign of elevated radiation.

Zelenskyy, meanwhile, has reiterated his calls to Ukraine’s allies for “a full-fledged air shield that can protect all our cities and communities”.

“Ukrainians see a prospect of a long war, a difficult war, a bloody war,” Lieutenant General Ihor Romanenko, former deputy head of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, told Al Jazeera.

Ukraine needs two things – better arms and ammunition supplies and a massive nationwide mobilisation that exceeds highly unpopular recent steps to enlist tens of thousands of men, he added.

Meanwhile, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged Russia and Ukraine to follow “three principles for de-escalating the situation”.

There should be “no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of fighting and no fuelling the flame by any party”, a ministry spokesperson said in a statement, adding that China will “play a constructive role in promoting a political solution to the crisis”.

China presents itself as a neutral party in the war and says it is not sending lethal assistance to either side, unlike the United States and other Western nations. But it is also a close political and economic ally of Russia, and NATO members have branded Beijing a “decisive enabler” of the war, which it has never condemned.

Putin says Ukraine will ‘receive a worthy response’ over Kursk incursion

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

International

Two dead, buildings destroyed in American factory explosion

Published

11 hours ago

November 13, 2024

Trends Admin

Two dead, buildings destroyed in American factory explosion

Two employees of Givaudan sense colour, a factory known for making colourings for beverages, located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States (US) were killed in an explosion that took place at the company’s facility.

The factory reported that the incident which took place on Tuesday, November 12 in the afternoon have also destroyed buildings around the company.

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Louisville Mayor, Craig Greenberg stated that firefighters managed to rescue and evacuate numerous individuals from the site, including some who sustained life-threatening injuries.

He also confirmed that all employees present at the plant during the explosion have been accounted for.

Earlier reports indicated that at least 11 workers were hospitalized.

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.

Two dead, buildings destroyed in American factory explosion

International

Local security chief arrested over murder of mayor in Mexico

Published

19 hours ago

November 13, 2024

Trends Admin

Alejandro Arcos

Local security chief arrested over murder of mayor in Mexico

German Reyes, a local security official in Chilpancingo, Mexico has been arrested for the murder of the city’s mayor, Alejandro Arcos.

The Mexican authorities announced his arrest via a statement on Tuesday, November 12.

The Mayor was killed in the month of October as security officials discovered his lifeless body in his pick-up truck with his head chopped off and placed on his body.

The brutal killing and decapitation of Mayor Alejandro Arcos, which occurred just days after he assumed office, stunned the nation.

Guerrero prosecutors confirmed the detention of the security official who was identified as German ‘N,’ in line with Mexican practice of withholding the full names of suspects.

However, a local government official later identified him as German Reyes, who was the security chief for Chilpancingo, a city of around 280,000 residents in southwestern Mexico prior to his arrest.

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“The Guerrero prosecutor’s office, the Mexican army and the National Guard, arrested a man for the crime of qualified homicide in Chilpancingo,” the statement said.

The arrest seems to provide more proof of the extensive infiltration of organized crime in local governments across large parts of Mexico, as well as the corruption among local officials.

Reyes had a lengthy career in Mexico’s military, according to his public profile.

Further reports by the police revealed that the Mayor had prior to his death, left Chilpancingo in his truck without a driver or security detail, heading toward the nearby town of Petaquillas, Mexico.

Local media also suggested that Arcos had met with members of Los Ardillos, a criminal group operating in Guerrero, Mexico.

Local security chief arrested over murder of mayor in Mexico

International

COP29: Islamic bank supports WHO Impact Investment with $10m

Published

1 day ago

November 12, 2024

Trends Admin

COP29: Islamic bank supports WHO Impact Investment with $10m

The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) has committed a $10 million grant to the World Health Organization (WHO) to support the Health Impact Investment Platform (HIIP), bolstering its mission to strengthen primary healthcare systems worldwide.

Announced on November 12, 2024, during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, the grant highlights IsDB’s dedication to enhancing health resilience and climate adaptation in low- and middle-income countries.

In a statement on Tuesday, IsDB described HIIP as a groundbreaking partnership among Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), WHO and nations seeking robust health and climate solutions.

“This initiative focuses on the investment in essential, climate and crisis-resilient primary health care services and systems,” the bank stated, emphasizing the aim to reinforce the health system, especially in low- and middle-income countries and in underserved communities, ultimately aiming to foster resilience against emerging health threats and climate challenges.

Fifteen countries are identified as part of phase one of the Health Impact Investment Platform: Burundi, Central African Republic, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia Guinea Bissau .

Other countries included Jordan, Maldives Morocco, Senegal, South Sudan, The Gambia, Tunisia and Zambia.

Supporting WHO’s technical assistance goals

The $10 million grant will specifically support the technical assistance that WHO provides to countries around the world to assess investment needs and to design the most impactful health projects.

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“These projects will serve as the foundation for co-investment by the MDBs, ensuring that resources are directed toward areas with the greatest potential for positive health outcomes,”IsDB added.

Over the next four years, WHO aims to strengthen climate resilience as part of its Fourteenth General Programme of Work, which includes implementing national climate adaptation plans and making 10,000 health facilities fully operational, including solar-powered electrification.

Unlocking $500m in health investments across the region

In addition to the $10 million grant, IsDB’s contribution is projected to unlock at least $500 million in health investments across the region.

“This collective goal is part of a broader effort to mobilize a total of US$ 1.5 billion in concessional loans and grants, focusing on critical areas, this way addressing national health priorities.”

Advancing health resilience, leadership statements

IsDB President Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser said, the Islamic Development Bank is proud to support the Health Impact Investment Platform as part of our unwavering commitment to advancing universal health coverage and resilience in our Member Countries.

“These Multilateral Development Banks and WHO partnerships enable us to scale up primary health care where it is needed most, creating a stronger foundation to withstand future crises and addressing the pressing health challenges of today.”

“Together, we are fostering a healthier, more equitable future for communities across the globe,” he said.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that low- and middle-income countries need access to sustainable financing to strengthen their health systems through primary health care, to make them both more resilient to pandemics and more equitable in delivering essential health services.

“The Health Impact Investment Platform combines WHO’s public health expertise and on-the-ground presence with the resources and financing expertise of the Islamic Development Bank and other multilateral development banks. By working together, we can make a significant difference in improving health outcomes and creating a healthier future for all.”

The IsDB, along with its partners, remains committed to fostering partnerships that will advance healthcare and improve quality of life globally.