International

Ukraine forces ordered to withdraw from key battleground city

Published

2 years ago

June 25, 2022

Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Sievierodonetsk

Ukrainian forces have been ordered to withdraw from the key battleground city of Sievierodonetsk after weeks of fierce street fighting, in order to limit more casualties and regroup, but the move will be seen by Russia as a significant victory.

Ukraine officials said there was very little left to defend in the bombed-out eastern city, where hundreds of civilians remain trapped in a chemical plant.

The order to withdraw on Friday came four months to the day since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent tens of thousands of troops over the border, unleashing a conflict that has killed thousands, uprooted millions and reduced whole cities to rubble.

Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Gaidai said troops inSievierodonetsk had already received the order to move to newpositions.

“Remaining in positions smashed to pieces over many monthsjust for the sake of staying there does not make sense,” Gaidaisaid on Ukrainian television.

The withdrawal from Sievierodonetsk would mark the biggest reversal for Ukraine since the loss of the southern port of Mariupol in May.

The latest Russian advances appeared to bring the Kremlincloser to taking full control of Luhansk, one of Moscow’s statedwar objectives, and set the stage for Sievierodonetsk’s twincity of Lysychansk to become the next main focus of fighting.

Vitaly Kiselev, an official in the Interior Ministry of theseparatist Luhansk People’s Republic – recognised only by Russia- told Russia’s TASS news agency that it would take another week and a half to secure full control of Lysychansk.

Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, but abandoned an earlyadvance on the capital Kyiv in the face of fierce resistancebolstered by Western arms.

Since then Moscow and its proxies have focused on the southand Donbas, an eastern territory made up of Luhansk and itsneighbour Donetsk, deploying overwhelming artillery in some ofthe heaviest ground fighting in Europe since World War Two.

Ukraine on Friday again pressed for more arms, with its topgeneral, Valeriy Zaluzhniy, telling his U.S. counterpart in aphone call that Kyiv needed “fire parity” with Moscow tostabilise the situation in Luhansk.

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‘ORDERLY RETREATS’

South of Sievierodonetsk, Ukrainian soldiers also withdrew from the towns of Hirske and Zolote in the face of overwhelming Russian forces, said Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Arestovych said the orderly retreat from the towns was a good thing in that it broke with a Soviet and post-Soviet military tradition to never retreat, whatever the circumstances.

He said Ukraine’s military had learnt the hard lesson of trying to defend positions at all cost during battles with pro-Russian forces in 2014.

“Now, for the first time, we have a precedent where our boys retreated in an orderly fashion,” he said in an online video post.

Russian troops had entered Hirske and fully occupied the surrounding district on Friday, municipal head Oleksiy Babchenko said.

“There is a red flag flying over the municipaladministration (in Hirske),” a spokesperson for the regionaladministration told Reuters by telephone.

Ukraine’s foreign minister played down the significance ofthe possible loss of more territory in the Donbas.

“Putin wanted to occupy the Donbas by May 9. We are (there) on June 24 and still fighting. Retreating from a few battlesdoes not mean losing the war at all,” Dmytro Kuleba said in aninterview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

The general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said its troopshad some success in the southern Kherson region, forcing theRussians back from defensive positions near the village ofOlhine, the latest of several Ukrainian counter-assaults.

Ukrainian media showed footage of a school smouldering andgutted by Russian shelling in Avdiivka — a town in Donetskregion just inside Ukrainian-held territory. Reports said theschool had been used as a first aid centre and the attackdestroyed medicine and other supplies.

Reuters could not confirm the details of the fighting.

Russia says it sent troops into Ukraine to degrade itssouthern neighbour’s military capabilities and root out peopleit called dangerous nationalists.

Ukraine, which says Russia has launched an imperial-styleland grab, this week won new support from the West.

The war has had a massive impact on the global economy andEuropean security arrangements, driving up gas, oil and foodprices, pushing the EU to reduce its heavy reliance on Russianenergy and prompting Finland and Sweden to seek NATO membership.

The West has imposed an unprecedented package of sanctions on Russia, its top companies and its business and political elite in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

The measures have triggered an exodus of foreign firms, raised the prospect of Russia defaulting on its sovereign debt, and look set to trigger a deep economic contraction.

In a major sign of support, European Union leaders this week approved Ukraine’s formal candidature to join the bloc – a decision that Russia said on Friday amounted to the EU’s “enslaving” neighbouring countries.

Related Topics:battleground Sievierodonetsk Ukraine force withdraw

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International

American man arrested for beating tourist to death at Ireland hotel

Published

1 day ago

November 14, 2024

Trends Admin

American man arrested for beating tourist to death at Ireland hotel

A 30 year old American man whose name was not given by security officials, has been arrested for beating up a 60 year old tourist to death at the Ballyfin Demesne hotel in Laois, Ireland.

The Irish police force commonly known as ‘Garda that the incident occurred in the late hours of Tuesday, November 12.

Ballyfin Demesne hotel, is a popular luxury five-star hotel located in Laois, Ireland and special guests such as Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, George Clooney e.t.c had made use of the hotel in times past.

The victim was discovered unconscious in the late hours of Tuesday, November 12 and was then rushed to the hospital were he died due to severe beating inflicted on him by the culprit.

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Independent local councilor James Kelly stated that nearby communities were ‘stunned’ upon learning about the incident at the renowned hotel.

He said, “There would be a lot of staff from the area and they’re totally shocked by what has happened here.

“It’s something we didn’t think we’d be waking up to this morning.”

The police also noted that a senior officer has been assigned to lead the investigation and an incident room has been set up at Portlaoise Garda Station, Ireland.

Furthermore, a family liaison officer will be designated to assist the family of the deceased.

International

FBI raids home of crypto platform Polymarket CEO, after accurate prediction of Trump win

Published

2 days ago

November 14, 2024

Trends Admin

FBI raids home of crypto platform Polymarket CEO, after accurate prediction of Trump win

The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday carried out a raid at the home of Shayne Coplan, CEO of cryptocurrency prediction outlet Polymarket.

Authorities seized Mr Coplan’s phone during the raid, according to New York Post which first reported the incident.

Mr Coplan, 26, has been running the famous platform for bets throughout the 2024 presidential election in the United States.

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It wasn’t immediately clear why the search was conducted, but Polymarket promptly said it might be due to its activities during the election. Users on the platform had correctly predicted Donald Trump was going to defeat Kamala Harris. The company paid out a substantial amount to winners following the election.

“This is obvious political retribution by the outgoing administration against Polymarket for providing a market that correctly called the 2024 presidential election,” a spokesperson for Polymarket said in a statement from its headquarters in New York. “Polymarket is a fully transparent prediction market that helps everyday people better understand the events that matter most to them, including elections.”

It was unclear whether or not the FBI would be filing charges after the raid.

FBI raids home of crypto platform Polymarket CEO, after accurate prediction of Trump win

International

Two dead, buildings destroyed in American factory explosion

Published

2 days 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.