2023-07-28 10:54:52
Russian Olympic Committee chief accuses IOC of acting ‘in interest’ of Ukraine
The head of the Russian Olympic Committee, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, on Friday accused the International Olympic Committee of acting “in the interests of Ukraine”, after it called for showing “sensitivity” with Ukrainian athletes.
“The IOC… took the side of the political conflict, began to act in the interests of this side,” Pozdnyakov complained on Telegram.
Russia ‘Carefully’ Studying African Initiatives to Settle Ukraine Conflict, Putin Says
Vladimir Putin assures that Russia is studying “carefully” the peace initiatives in Ukraine emanating from Africa.
The Russian president receiving the head of the Malian military junta during the Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg. Sputnik/Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via REUTERS
“We respectfully view your initiatives and study them carefully,” he said.
“Previously, mediation missions were monopolized by countries with so-called advanced democracy. Now Africa is also ready to help solve problems that seem outside its priority area of interest,” he added.
This announcement comes as a summit is being held in St. Petersburg between Russia and many African countries.
Abrams tanks could arrive in September, according to US media
According to the press Politico, the first American-made Abrams tanks could be delivered to kyiv as early as September. The promise to deliver 31 of these devices was made in January by US President Joe Biden.
Japan announces new sanctions against Russia
Japan has announced an intensification of its sanctions against Moscow due to the invasion of Ukraine, including an embargo on exports of electric vehicles. These new sanctions follow similar reprisals taken by the United States and the European Union against the Kremlin.
Restrictions have also been put in place on steel, plastic products and electronic parts that can “be diverted for military purposes.” »
The war in Ukraine could worsen food insecurity in Africa for at least two years
In a daily report, the British Ministry of Defense says that “the impact of the war in Ukraine will certainly worsen food insecurity in Africa at least for the next two years”.
US senators vote on their Pentagon budget, disagreement with the House
US senators adopted their version of the Pentagon’s annual budget on Thursday, but with a different version adopted by the House, elected officials will have to agree in the fall to finalize the financing of the army.
The text approves the $ 886 billion requested by President Joe Biden for 2024, confers a 5.2% increase in military pay and grants $ 300 million in aid to Ukraine. The vote, at 86 to 11, is well over the necessary 60 mark, with many Republican senators voting alongside the slim Democratic majority in the upper house.
Ukrainian drone attack foiled, says Moscow mayor
Ukraine carried out a drone attack which caused no damage or casualties, the mayor of Moscow said early Friday, without specifying the exact location.
“During the night, an attempted enemy drone attack was carried out, the drone was shot down by the forces of the Ministry of Defense”, wrote on Telegram Sergey Sobyanin. There is “no damage or casualty”, he added. The elected official did not provide more information on this attack.
Zelensky visited in Odessa the cathedral hit in a Russian bombardment
The Ukrainian president visited Thursday, during a trip to Odessa, a major Black Sea port targeted several times by Russia, the Transfiguration Cathedral, damaged during a recent Russian bombardment.
“Volodymyr Zelensky inspected the destruction in the Transfiguration Cathedral caused by the recent massive Russian bombings on civilian infrastructure and the historic center of Odessa,” according to the Ukrainian presidency.
Founded more than 200 years ago and destroyed by the Soviets in 1936, the Cathedral of the Transfiguration was rebuilt in the early 2000s thanks to donations. It was consecrated in 2010 by the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill. The building is under the Ukrainian Orthodox Church attached to the Moscow Patriarchate, a branch that severed its ties with Russia after the February 2022 invasion.
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