International
Ukraine fight isn’t proceeding as quickly as Russia expected, U.S. Defense official says
-
Russia has encountered tougher resistance than it had anticipated from Ukrainian troops, said a senior U.S. Defense official.
-
Moscow has “significant combat power” left at its disposal, the official said.
-
The UK ministry said Russian armored units were approaching Kyiv from multiple angles in an attempt to encircle the capital but “continue to face strong resistance from the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”
Russia has encountered tougher resistance than it anticipated from Ukrainian troops, said a senior U.S. Defense official, who warned that Moscow still has “significant combat power” left at its disposal.
The United States has indications that the fighting in Ukraine is proceeding in “not quite the way that they [Moscow] had anticipated,” according to the official, who declined to be named.
“Their [Russians’] momentum, particularly as it comes to Kyiv, has slowed over the last 24 hours,” the official said.
“They have not achieved the progress that we believe they anticipated they would,” said the official, who added that the tempo of the fighting can change at any moment.
About a third of the Russian troops that were placed along Ukraine’s borders have now crossed into Ukraine, according to the U.S. Defense official, who declined to elaborate on the other two-thirds of Russian troops.
Kyiv assault
Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy warned in the early morning hours Saturday local time that a Russian assault on Kyiv was imminent. Sounds of combat could be heard from within the city on Friday night, according to NBC News.
READ ALSO:
- How Russia forged closer ties with Africa
- Fire Razes Shops At Ladipo Auto Spare Parts Market in Lagos
- Why it’s difficult to increase varsity lecturers’ salaries – FG
That U.S. assessment of Friday’s fighting jibes with information the U.K. Ministry of Defence posted to its official Twitter account at 10 p.m. GMT on Friday.
The U.K. ministry said Russian armored units were approaching Kyiv from multiple angles in an attempt to encircle the capital but “continue to face strong resistance from the Ukrainian Armed Forces.” Russian troops made advances throughout Friday, but Ukraine still retains control of its “key cities,” the ministry said.
Command and control
Significantly, Ukrainian military authorities still have good command and control over their deployed forces, the U.S. Defense official said.
“Command and control” refers to lines of communication, usually electronic, between military decision-makers and units in the field. Central control is critical if far-flung troops are to act in a coordinated way.
The official said it’s not clear why Ukrainian communications are still functioning.
“We don’t believe that the Russians have employed the full scope of their electronic warfare capabilities, and it’s not clear exactly why,” the official said.
Ukrainian air missile defense systems are still working, though they have been degraded by strikes, the official said.
The official gave an update on the number of Russian missiles that had been launched.
“What I can tell you now is that we have seen more than 200 total launches as of this morning,” the official said, adding that the launches have been a mix of both ballistic and cruise missiles.
Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, said Friday that Russia’s attacks have been brutal but “were not as successful as the enemy has planned.”
“The enemy is clearly surprised by the results of the Ukrainian armed forces and volunteers to protect the integrity of our country,” Markarova said. “We see that they didn’t advance the way they planned.”
CNBC/MSN
International
Poland suspends migrants’ right to apply for asylum
Poland suspends migrants’ right to apply for asylum
Poland has temporarily suspended the right of migrants arriving in Poland via its border with Belarus to apply for asylum.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced it would be happening after the controversial bill, which will allow Polish authorities to suspend this right for up to 60 days at a time, was signed into law by President Andrzej Duda.
Tusk had said it would be adopted “without a moment’s delay” while Duda said the changes were needed to strengthen security on the country’s borders.
But the law has been criticized by rights groups including Human Rights Watch, which said the EU should take legal action against Poland if it was implemented.
The group urged the country’s parliament last month to reject the bill, saying it “flies in the face of Poland’s international and EU obligations” and could “effectively completely seal off the Poland-Belarus border, where Polish authorities already engage in unlawful and abusive pushbacks”.
READ ALSO:
- Trump slaps 25% tariffs on car imports to US
- Reps pass bill to strip Vice President, governors, deputies of immunity
- Businessman collapses in court during trial over $578,000 cash seizure
The government said previously the suspension would only be applied temporarily to people who pose a threat to state security, for example large groups of aggressive migrants trying to storm the border.
Exemptions will be made for unaccompanied minors, pregnant women, the elderly or unwell, anyone exposed to “real risk of serious harm” by being returned and citizens of countries accused of conducting the instrumentalization of migration – like Belarus
Tusk has dismissed criticism from human rights groups.
“Nobody is talking about violating human rights, the right to asylum, we are talking about not granting applications to people who illegally cross the border in groups organised by Lukashenko,” he said in October.
Since 2021, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Finland have seen a huge increase in the number of people crossing into their countries illegally from Belarus and Russia.
Polish authorities have sent thousands of troops and border guards to police its border with Belarus and built a 5.5-metre-high steel fence along 186 km of the frontier where at times several thousand migrants have been left stranded.
Rights groups estimate more than one hundred people have died on the borders between Belarus and Poland, Lithuania and Latvia since 2021.
EU eastern flank countries and the European Commission have accused the Belarusian and Russian authorities of weaponising migration to create a new route into the EU to destabilize the bloc.
Poland suspends migrants’ right to apply for asylum
BBC
International
Trump slaps 25% tariffs on car imports to US
Trump slaps 25% tariffs on car imports to US
US President Donald Trump has slapped new 25% import duties on autos and car parts entering the US, threatening to escalate the global trade war.
Trump said the additional duties would go into effect on April 2, with levies on businesses importing autos beginning the next day. Charges for parts are scheduled to begin in May or later.
The president stated that the proposal would result in “tremendous growth” for the auto industry, saying that it would boost jobs and investment in the United States.
However, analysts believe the measure will result in a temporary stoppage of significant US vehicle production, higher costs, and strained relations with allies.
Last year, the US imported approximately eight million cars, accounting for approximately $240 billion (£186 billion) in trade and roughly half of total sales.
Mexico is the top foreign supplier of cars to the US, followed by South Korea, Japan, Canada, and Germany.
Trump’s latest move could disrupt global car trade and supply chains. Many US car companies have operations in Mexico and Canada under the terms of the long-standing free trade agreement.
READ ALSO:
- Reps pass bill to strip Vice President, governors, deputies of immunity
- Businessman collapses in court during trial over $578,000 cash seizure
- Fire guts Onitsha market, many shops, goods destroyed
However, the new taxes on parts from Canada and Mexico are exempt until US Customs and Border Patrol establish a method to assess the duties, according to the White House. Every day, billions of dollars in goods cross borders between neighbouring countries.
On Wednesday, General Motors’ stock fell almost 3%. The sell-off spread to other firms, including Ford, following the president’s speech that reaffirmed the tariffs.
When asked during a news conference if there was any chance he would change his mind, Trump responded no, later adding, “This is permanent.”
“If you build your car in the United States there is no tariff,” he said.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stated that his government would consider all measures in reaction to the taxes.
Japan, home to several major automakers, is the world’s second-largest vehicle exporter.
Japanese automakers’ shares, including Toyota, Nissan, and Honda, sank in early trading in Tokyo.
A tariff is a levy on imports levied by the government and paid by the company importing the goods.
Trump has welcomed the instrument, intending to use it to target a wide range of imported goods as part of a larger effort to defend American industries and increase production.
However, while the rules can protect domestic industries, they also increase costs for businesses that rely on imported parts, such as carmakers.
According to the Anderson Economic Group, 25% tariffs on parts from Mexico and Canada alone could increase the cost of a car by $4,000 to $10,000, depending on the type.
Trump slaps 25% tariffs on car imports to US
International
Three girls arrested for attempting to stab mother
Three girls arrested for attempting to stab mother
Three teenage sisters in Texas have been charged with trying to stab their mom to death for turning off the Wi-Fi.
The sisters, ages just 14, 15, and 16, were busted after chasing their 39-year-old mother from their Houston home late Sunday allegedly bashing her with a brick and then knocking over their grandmother when she tried to stop them, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
“The three siblings allegedly coordinated a plan to try and kill the mother,” Gonzalez wrote on X.
READ ALSO:
- Senator Natasha apologises to Oby Ezekwesili over clash with Nwaebonyi
- Just in: Petitioners insist on Natasha’s recall, submit contact list to INEC [PHOTO]
- My husband likes sex too much, wife seeks divorce
“The mother was struck with a brick” and ” In the process, “the grandmother was knocked over while trying to protect” her, the sheriff said, without further identifying any of those involved.
Luckily, both adults escaped serious injury, he said.
All three sisters were arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and were booked into the Harris County Juvenile facility.
Three girls arrested for attempting to stab mother
-
metro2 days agoAttack on Mufty of Ilorin: Onikijipa Family Charges Stakeholders to Call Sheikh Habibullahi Al-Ilory to Order
-
metro3 days agoCourt refers Ojukwu property case to alternative dispute resolution
-
Health2 days agoNigerian doctor pioneers W’Africa first robotic prostate cancer surgery
-
metro3 days agoCBN rejects Osun nomination of ex-Aregbesola’s commissioner as bank director
-
metro3 days agoRivers: Presidency reveals security intelligence leading to emergency rule
-
metro2 days agoFubara: Supreme Court reacts to photo of Justice Agim with Wike
-
metro2 days agoUNIOSUN mourns as 5 students die in auto crash
-
metro3 days agoShehu Sani faults senators taking voice vote objection to media