#The Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni

[dcoglobalnews]

BREAKING NEWS: KYIV, MOSCOW HAIL ODESA GRAIN SHIPMENT

The first shipment of Ukrainian grain has left the Black Sea port of Odesa in a move hailed by Kyiv and Moscow.The ship is destined for Lebanon but will be jointly inspected off the coast of Istanbul under the terms of a UN-brokered deal.Moscow claims its forces have destroyed two United States-made HIMARS rocket systems in Ukraine. The Razoni, bound for Lebanon, is carrying more than 26,000…

[afeelgoodblog]

The Top 7 Best News of Last Week - August 8, 2022

🐶 - The story of a dog which was stolen 5 years ago and was found this week made me tear up :')

1. Coral makes comeback on Great Barrier Reef

Coral cover has bounced back across two thirds of the Great Barrier Reef.

The northern and central sections of the reef have the highest levels of coral cover recorded in 36 years of monitoring by the Australian Institute of Marine Science. While the reef has suffered negative effects from mass coral bleaching events in 2020 and again this summer, they weren't anywhere near as deadly for coral as the ones in 2016 and 2017.

The reef has also benefited from a few years without being battered by cyclones.

2. Emerald green hummingbird, feared to be extinct, has been spotted in Colombia

After years of attempts to find one of the world’s 10 most wanted bird species, the Santa Marta sabrewing has been unexpectedly rediscovered deep in the mountains of Colombia.

The tiny hummingbird had only been officially spotted twice: once when it was discovered in 1946 and again in 2010 when it landed serendipitously in a researcher’s mist net. Since then, it has been presumed by many to be extinct. “It’s so incredible to see photos and video of the Santa Marta sabrewing,” said John Mittermeier, director of threatened species outreach at the American Bird Conservancy, in a press release. “It’s like seeing a phantom.”

3. For 1st time since war began, Ukrainian grain ship leaves Odesa, bound for Lebanon

The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni, carrying Ukrainian grain, leaves the port in Odesa, Ukraine, on Monday.

More ships are expected to leave from Ukraine's ports through the safe corridors. At Odesa, 16 more vessels, all blocked since Russia's invasion on Feb. 24, were waiting their turn, with others to follow, Ukrainian authorities said.

4. Mother, daughter both pilot Southwest flight: 'It's been a dream come true'

Flying the friendly skies could not have been more touching for Southwest Airlines passengers en route from Denver, Colorado, to St. Louis, Missouri, last Saturday. 

Their pilots were Captain Holly Petitt and her daughter First Officer Keely Petitt, a mother-daughter duo in what the company calls a first for its flights. 

How nice for them! I can't help but smile :)

5. Iguanas reproducing on Galapagos island, more than a century after disappearing

Iguanas populated the island in vast numbers when Charles Darwin visited in the 1830s. Scientists believe the iguana disappeared from the island in the early 20th century, but now A land iguana is reproducing naturally following its reintroduction there.

In 2019, the Galapagos National Park authority reintroduced more than 3,000 iguanas from a nearby island to restore the natural ecosystem of Santiago, which lies at the centre of the Pacific archipelago.

6. Baytown family stunned their stolen dog 'Sheba' was found 5 years later

A Baytown family is stunned after receiving a message that their dog who was stolen five years ago was found more than 600 miles away. The Malmstrom family still can't get over the video that recently arrived on their phones.

"We were all crying," Stephanie Malmstrom recalled. "Me and my girls were just boohooing."

My dogs are my life and if they went missing that would be awful, so happy for this family!

7. Senate approves bill to aid vets exposed to toxic burn pits

A bill enhancing health care and disability benefits for millions of veterans exposed to toxic burn pits won final approval in the Senate on Tuesday, ending a brief stalemate over the measure that had infuriated advocates and inspired some to camp outside the Capitol.

The Senate approved the bill by a vote of 86-11. It now goes to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law. Biden described the legislation as the biggest expansion of benefits for service-connected health issues in 30 years and the largest single bill ever to address exposure to burn pits.

---

That's it for this week. This newsletter will always be free. If you liked this post you can support me with a small kofi donation:

Buy me a coffee ❤️

[ukrainenews]

Daily Wrap Up August 1, 2022

Under the cut:

A ship carrying Ukrainian grain has left the port of Odesa for the first time since the start of the Russian invasion under an internationally brokered deal to unblock Ukraine’s agricultural exports

The US Pentagon announced an additional package of security assistance for Ukraine valued at up to $550 million on Monday

Ukrainian military says another Russian storage site in Kherson was destroyed

Russians bomb hospital in Mykolaiv

“A ship carrying Ukrainian grain has left the port of Odesa for the first time since the start of the Russian invasion under an internationally brokered deal to unblock Ukraine’s agricultural exports and ease a growing global food crisis.

The Sierra Leone-flagged ship Razoni, carrying 26,000 tonnes of corn, finally set sail for Lebanon on Monday morning, according to Ukraine’s infrastructure ministry, following weeks of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, led by Turkey and the United Nations.

The Russian blockade of Ukraine’s ports since the start of the war in February has stoked a worldwide grain shortage that has caused the UN to warn of a looming hunger catastrophe.

“Ukraine, together with our partners, has taken another step today in preventing world hunger,” said Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukraine’s infrastructure minister. He stressed that Ukraine had done “everything” to restore the ports and said the lifting of the blockade would give Ukraine’s economy $1bn (£820m) in foreign exchange revenue.”-via The Guardian

~

“The Pentagon announced an additional package of security assistance for Ukraine valued at up to $550 million on Monday.

The assistance which is being drawn from US stockpiles includes 75,000 rounds of ammunition and an undisclosed amount of additional ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems.”-via CNN

~

“Ukrainian officials say that another long-range attack on a Russian storage site in the Kherson region has caused substantial damage.

Serhii Khlan, adviser to the head of the Kherson civil military administration, said on Ukrainian television that "another depot of ammunition and military equipment, which was brought by the enemy from Crimea, was destroyed yesterday on the outskirts of Skadovsk."

Skadovsk is on the Black Sea coast, about 80 kilometers from the nearest Ukrainian frontline position. A target there was struck last week.

Khlan said: "The turning point in the military operations in the Kherson direction took place more than two weeks ago - due to HIMARS, thanks to which we began to knock out depots in the rear positions of the enemy."

He said that in Skadovsk "there was a large amount of fuel and lubricant materials, and engineering equipment, which they are now driving from Crimea to repair the logistics arteries that were damaged by our military forces."

Social media video Saturday night showed a large and continuing fire in the region, according to community Telegram channels, but could not be exactly geolocated.”-via CNN

~

“The southern region of Mykolaiv came under more intense shelling overnight, with Russian forces hitting several civilian buildings including a hospital trauma center, Ukrainian officials said.

The head of the Mykolaiv regional military administration, Vitalii Kim, said at least three people were injured but so far no fatalities had been reported.

"Currently, it is known that private houses and yards were damaged,” Kim said. “The trauma center of one of the hospitals was also destroyed, four buildings, a medical vehicle were damaged, and windows were broken.” Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych also claimed Russian forces had targeted a medical facility.

“Tonight, Russian terrorists cynically fired at a number of civilian objects in Mykolaiv. Among them is our modern, brand-new trauma center,” Senkevych said. “The building is partially destroyed. Due to the blast wave, windows in the nearby medical units also blew out.”

No staff or patients were injured, he added.

The trauma center opened in 2019 and was one of the most modern in Ukraine, Senkevych said.“-via CNN

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, August 2, 2022

Western flames spread, California sees its largest 2022 fire (AP) Crews battling the largest wildfire so far this year in California braced for thunderstorms and hot, windy conditions that created the potential for additional fire growth Sunday as they sought to protect remote communities. The blaze exploded in size to more than 80 square miles (207 square km) just two days after erupting in a largely unpopulated area of Siskiyou County, according to a Sunday incident report. The cause was under investigation.

Pelosi to visit Taiwan (Bloomberg) US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to visit Taiwan on Tuesday, ignoring Chinese threats of reprisals if her trip to the island democracy takes place. Pelosi would become the first sitting speaker to visit Taiwan in 25 years: It would be a landmark move by the third-highest US elected official and may raise the risk of a military confrontation, given China’s long-held stance that Taiwan is its territory. A meeting between Pelosi and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen could happen on Wednesday, though Pelosi’s schedule is still in flux. China says its military would take unspecified action if the California Democrat visits and that it will not “sit idly by.” The Biden administration has in turn warned Beijing not to do anything rash. “We will not take the bait or engage in saber rattling,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. “At the same time, we will not be intimidated. We will keep operating in the seas and the skies of the Western Pacific as we have for decades.”

1st ship carrying Ukrainian grain leaves the port of Odesa (AP) The first ship carrying Ukrainian grain set off from the port of Odesa on Monday under a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey that is expected to release large stores of Ukrainian crops to foreign markets and ease a growing hunger crisis. The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni left Odesa for Lebanon, Turkey’s defense ministry said. A statement from the United Nations said the Razoni was carrying over 26,000 tons of corn. The ship is expected to reach Istanbul on Tuesday, where it will be inspected, before being allowed to proceed. The corn will then head to Lebanon, a tiny Mideast nation in the grips of what the World Bank has described as one of the world’s worst financial crises in more than 150 years.

Using Nuclear Reactors for Cover, Russians Lob Rockets at Ukrainians (NYT) Along most of the front line in Russia’s war in Ukraine, when one side lets loose with an artillery attack, the other shoots back. But not in Nikopol, a city deep in southern farm country where the Ukrainian military faces a new and vexing obstacle as it prepares for a major counteroffensive: a nuclear power station that the Russian Army has turned into a fortress. Nikopol, controlled by the Ukrainians, lies on the west bank of the Dnipro River. On the opposite bank sits a gigantic nuclear power plant—Europe’s largest—that the Russian Army captured in March. The Russians have been firing from the cover of the Zaporizhzhia station since mid-July, Ukrainian military and civilian officials said, sending rockets over the river at Nikopol and other targets. It is, in effect, a free shot. Ukraine cannot unleash volleys of shells in return using American-provided advanced rocket systems, which have silenced Russian guns elsewhere on the front line. Doing so would risk striking one of the six pressurized water reactors or highly radioactive waste in storage. And Russia knows it.

Zelensky Orders Donetsk Evacuation (Foreign Policy) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ordered the evacuation of the Donetsk region as fighting continues to rage in the east of the country following Russia’s capture of Luhansk in early July. The decision affects at least 200,000 people still remaining in Donetsk’s Ukrainian-held east and Zelensky promised financial and logistical support for those that heeded his call. “The sooner it is done, the more people leave Donetsk region now, the fewer people the Russian army will have time to kill,” Zelensky said. Zelensky’s announcement follows requests from other Ukrainian authorities. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said the evacuation was necessary now before winter sets in and the region would be without gas. Despite Russia’s grinding assault, eastern Donetsk’s three largest cities—Bakhmut, Slovyansk and Kramatorsk—are still in Ukrainian hands.

Tensions Flare on Kosovo-Serbian Border Amid Protests and Gunfire (NYT) A dispute over license plates between the Balkan nations of Kosovo and Serbia, from whom Kosovo split 14 years ago, yielded protests and gunfire Sunday night, prompting fears that the violence could escalate as Western countries are focused on the war in Ukraine. Amid demonstrators who built barricades, unknown gunmen fired on Kosovo police officers along the restive northern border with Serbia on the eve of a new law requiring ethnic Serbs living in Kosovo to switch from Serbian license plates to Kosovar ones in the next two months. Many Serbs in Kosovo still use Serbian-issued plates, which the government considers illegal. Kosovo’s government had also said that beginning Monday, all Serbian ID and passports holders must obtain an extra document to enter Kosovo, just as Kosovars must do to enter to Serbia. No one was injured by the gunfire, but in response to the violence, the Kosovo police closed two northern border crossings. “The overall security situation in the Northern municipalities of Kosovo is tense,” NATO-led mission to Kosovo KFOR said in a statement.

Myanmar junta extends emergency rule (Reuters) The head of Myanmar’s junta on Monday blamed instability for stalling efforts to implement a peace plan agreed with other Southeast Asian countries as he extended emergency rule for another six months. The junta first declared a state of emergency after seizing power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup in February last year. Myanmar has been in chaos since then, with conflict spreading after the army crushed mostly peaceful protests in towns and cities. Security forces have killed more than 2,100 people since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for political prisoners, an activist group. The junta has said such tolls are exaggerated.

China’s most powerful rocket falls back to Earth, lands in criticism (Washington Post) China said its most powerful rocket fell back to Earth, as NASA criticized Beijing for failing to share crucial data about its trajectory. The Long March 5B rocket, which weighs more than 1.8 million pounds, blasted off from the Wenchang spaceport on July 24—carrying another module to China’s first permanent space station, Tiangong, which is in the process of being constructed. The “vast majority” of the rocket’s debris burned up during reentry into the atmosphere at about 12:55 a.m., the China Manned Space Agency said Sunday in a statement on its official Weibo social media account. The rest “landed in the sea” at 119.0 degrees East and 9.1 degrees North, it said. These coordinates are in the waters off the Philippine island of Palawan, southeast of the city of Puerto Princesa. China’s statement did not say whether any debris fell on land. The United States said China was taking on a significant risk by allowing the rocket to fall uncontrolled to Earth without advising on its potential path. Last week, China’s state-run newspaper the Global Times accused the West of showing “sour grapes” and trying to discredit its efforts in space. The article accused the United States of leading a “smear campaign” against the “robust development of China’s aerospace sector.”

Al-Qaida leader killed (AP) As the sun was rising in Kabul on Sunday, two Hellfire missiles fired by a U.S. drone ended Ayman al-Zawahri’s decade-long reign as the leader of al-Qaida. He and his family had taken up residence in the home after the Taliban regained control of the country last year, following the withdrawal of U.S. forces after nearly 20 years of combat that had been intended, in part, to keep al-Qaida from regaining a base of operations in Afghanistan.

Iraq’s parliament protests (Foreign Policy) Protesters supporting Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr are camped out in Iraq’s parliament for the third straight day today after hundreds stormed Baghdad’s Green Zone on Saturday. Sadr has called the actions “a great opportunity to radically challenge the political system, the constitution, and the elections,” but has yet to appear in parliament himself.

2 years later, hope for justice in Beirut explosion fades (AP) It’s been two years since his 3-year-old daughter, Alexandra, was killed in a massive explosion at Beirut’s port—and Paul Naggear has lost hope that outrage over the disaster will bring justice and force change in Lebanon. The investigation into one of the world’s biggest non-nuclear explosions has been blocked for months by Lebanon’s political powers. Many blame the Lebanese government’s longtime corruption and mismanagement for the tragedy, but the elite’s decades-old lock on power has ensured they are untouchable. In fact, some of those charged in the probe were re-elected to parliament earlier this year. Even as the wrecked silos at the port have been burning for weeks—a fire ignited by the fermenting grains still inside them—authorities seemed to have given up on trying to put out the blaze. A section of the silos collapsed Sunday in a huge cloud of dust.

‘One miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation’ (NYT) The secretary general of the United Nations warned on Monday that humanity was “just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation,” citing the war in Ukraine among the conflicts driving the risk to a level not seen since the height of the Cold War. “All this at a time when the risks of proliferation are growing and guardrails to prevent escalation are weakening,” the official, António Guterres, said. “And when crises—with nuclear undertones—are festering from the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.” Mr. Guterres was speaking at the opening session of a conference at the U.N. headquarters in New York about upholding and securing the 50-year-old global Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, meant to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, aiming for eventual disarmament. The threat of a nuclear confrontation or a nuclear accident emerging from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a recurring theme in many of the day’s speeches.

[petnews2day]

Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

New Post has been published on https://petn.ws/4MHG

Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

Backlog of 73 ships waiting to transport crops from Ukraine An aerial view of Sierra Leone-flagged dry cargo ship Razoni, carrying a cargo of 26,527 tons of corn, leaves from Istanbul, Turkiye and passes surroundings of Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge to reach Lebanon after inspections are completed by Representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Turkiye and the […]

See full article at https://petn.ws/4MHG #PetTravelNews

[businessnewss]

Russia halts participation in UN-backed deal to export grain from Ukrainian ports after an attack on warships in Crimea

Russia halts participation in UN-backed deal to export grain from Ukrainian ports after an attack on warships in Crimea

The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni, carrying Ukrainian grain, is seen in the Black Sea off Kilyos, near Istanbul, Turkey August 3, 2022. Mehmet Caliskan | Reuters WASHINGTON – Moscow suspended its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, an agreement brokered earlier this year that reopened Ukrainian ports for agricultural product export. Russia’s Ministry of Defense said on…

[hbclife]

Russia halts participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the UN-backed deal that reopened Ukraine’s ports to feed countries around the world

Russia halts participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the UN-backed deal that reopened Ukraine’s ports to feed countries around the world

The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni, carrying Ukrainian grain, is seen in the Black Sea off Kilyos, near Istanbul, Turkey August 3, 2022. Mehmet Caliskan | Reuters WASHINGTON – Moscow suspended its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, an agreement brokered earlier this year that reopened Ukrainian ports for agricultural product export. Russia’s Ministry of Defense said on…

[corepaedianews]

Ukraine Recap: grain and gas were problems the west should have seen coming

Jonathan Este, The Conversation There was a perceptible sense of relief on Monday when the Razoni, a Sierra Leone-flagged vessel, left the port of Odesa with 26,000 tons of grain bound for Tripoli in Lebanon. This was the first ship out of the port city since Vladimir Putin sent his military machine into Ukraine and Russian ships began its blockade. The deal, negotiated by UN secretary general…

[rivaltimes]

The first ship with grain that left Ukraine after the failure of the sale to Lebanon returns to Turkey

The first ship with grain that left Ukraine after the failure of the sale to Lebanon returns to Turkey

The Sierra Leone-flagged freighter Razoni anchors in the Bosphorus off Istanbul. – Tolga Ildun/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa The ship ‘Razoni’, the first to leave a Ukrainian port since the beginning of the war for the export of grain, has returned to Turkey after Lebanon refused to pay for the order, alleging the delay of more than five months. that would have recorded the shipment. This has been…

[urbanchristiannews]

Ship Bringing Corn to Lebanon Causes a Stir

Ship Bringing Corn to Lebanon Causes a Stir

FILE – Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and U.N. officials arrive to the cargo ship Razoni for inspection while it is anchored at the entrance of the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. The Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni, loaded up with 26,000 tons of corn, is the first cargo ship to leave Ukraine since the Russian invasion, and set sail from Odesa Monday, August 1, 2022. Its…

[thenationview]

Storm in the Black Sea delays the trip of Ukraine's first grain ship

Storm in the Black Sea delays the trip of Ukraine’s first grain ship

© EPA Author: Lusa Bad weather hitting the Black Sea on Tuesday is delaying the first Ukrainian grain export ship from Odessa, and it is only expected to arrive in Istanbul on Wednesday, where the cargo will be inspected. The ship, ‘Razoni’, with the flag of Sierra Leone, left this Monday from the port of southeastern Ukraine, and was scheduled to arrive at the end of the day in the Turkish…

[squarwell-breakingnews]

First Ukrainian Grain Shipment Since Russian Invasion Reaches Turkey

First Ukrainian Grain Shipment Since Russian Invasion Reaches Turkey

The halt of deliveries from Ukraine has contributed to soaring food prices. Kyiv: The first shipment of Ukrainian grain to leave Odessa since Russia’s invasion reached Turkey on Tuesday under a landmark deal to lift Moscow’s naval blockade in the Black Sea. The Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni arrived at the edge of the Bosphorus Strait shortly after Kyiv announced the start of mandatory evacuations…

[ukrainenews]

Daily(ish) Wrap Up August 4-5, 2022

Under the cut:

Nato members are working closely with defence companies to ensure Ukraine gets more supplies of weapons and equipment to be prepared for the long haul in its war with Russia

The first shipment of Ukrainian grain to the UK since the war began is expected to arrive in 10 days

Zelensky says Russians responsible for shelling around nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia 

Head of Amnesty International office in Ukraine quits over report accusing military of putting civilians at risk

Russia ready to discuss prisoner swap with US, says Lavrov

The Biden administration's next security assistance package for Ukraine is expected to be $1 billion, one of the largest so far, and include munitions for long-range weapons and armored medical transport vehicles, three sources briefed on the matter told Reuters on Friday

“Nato members are working closely with defence companies to ensure Ukraine gets more supplies of weapons and equipment to be prepared for the long haul in its war with Russia, the Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said on Thursday.

Stoltenberg told Reuters in an interview:

We are providing a lot of support but we need to do even more and be prepared for the long haul.

Therefore we’re also now in close contact and working closely with the defence industry to produce more and to deliver more of different types of ammunition, weapons and capabilities.

Stoltenberg said separately in a speech in Norway to local Labour party activists on Thursday that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special military operation”, had created the most dangerous moment for Europe since the second world war and that Russia could not be allowed to win.”-via The Guardian

~

“The first shipment of Ukrainian grain to the UK since the war began is expected to arrive in 10 days, western officials said.

Millions of tonnes of grain have been stuck in Ukraine since Russia invaded just over six months ago.

A UN-brokered agreement last month allowed the first Ukrainian shipment to be cleared for travel this week, with the Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni carrying corn and entering the Bosphorus strait on the way to Lebanon on Wednesday.

Speaking about the newly re-established Ukrainian grain exports, a western official said the Malta-flagged Rojen is “due to arrive in the UK on August 14”, PA News reports.”-via The Guardian

~

“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has added his voice to the claim and counter-claim over which side shelled areas around and at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

"Today [Friday, August 5], the occupiers created another extremely risky situation for everyone in Europe — they fired at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, twice in one day," Zelensky said in his daily video message. "This is the largest nuclear power plant on our continent. And any shelling of this facility is an open, brazen crime, an act of terror," he added.

The Russian Defense Ministry has denied accusations made by the Ukrainian state nuclear company that Russian forces shelled the territory of the nuclear power plant — blaming instead the Ukrainians.

The power plant was taken over by Russian forces early in March, as was the nearby city of Enerhodar.

"This is an argument in favor of applying tough sanctions against the entire Russian nuclear industry — from Rosatom to all related companies and individuals. This is purely a matter of safety. The one who creates nuclear threats to other nations is definitely not capable of using nuclear technologies safely," Zelensky said.”

-via CNN

“Shelling hit a high-voltage power line on Friday at a major Ukrainian nuclear power station captured by Russia, prompting the plant's operators to disconnect a reactor despite no radioactive leak being detected.

Ukraine's state nuclear power company Energoatom blamed Russia for the damage at the Zaporizhzhia power station, Europe's largest. Earlier this week, the United Nations nuclear watchdog appealed for access to the plant, which Washington says Russia is using as a battlefield shield.

Russia's defence ministry accused Ukrainian forces of shelling the plant, which was captured by Russian forces in early March in the opening stage of the war, saying a leak of radiation had been avoided only by luck.

It said that as a result, the generating capacity of one unit had been reduced and power supply to another had been cut. In addition, the nearby city of Enerhodar had power and water supplies problems, a ministry statement said.

It was not the first time that military action has caused alarm at Zaporizhzhia, where the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency had at times reported losing connection with surveillance systems that keep track of nuclear material.

The Russian-installed administration of Enerhodar said in a statement fire had broken out and that power necessary for the safe functioning of reactors had been cut off. The plant continues to be run by its Ukrainian technicians.”

-via Reuters

~

“Oksana Pokalchuk, Head of Amnesty International Ukraine, has announced her resignation from the organization over its report criticizing the Ukrainian military for putting the lives of civilians at risk by using civilian facilities such as schools during the conflict.

In a statement on Facebook, Pokalchuk, said she had tried to dissuade the organization from publishing the report as it appeared.

"This is another loss that the war brought me.... Everything crashed against the wall of bureaucracy and a deaf language barrier," the post said. "If you don't live in a country occupied by invaders that are tearing it to pieces, you probably don't understand what it's like to condemn an ​​army of defenders." Pokalchuk said, "Since the beginning of the full-scale aggression, we have not stopped emphasizing the violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed by Russia, the aggressor country. We thoroughly document these violations, and they will form the basis of numerous legal proceedings and help bring those responsible to justice."

Referring to the Amnesty report, she said the report "cannot fail to contain information about the other side of the war, about the one who started this war.... The organization created material that sounded like support for Russian narratives. Seeking to protect civilians, this research instead became a tool of Russian propaganda."

In its report, Amnesty said Ukrainian forces had put civilians in harm’s way by establishing bases and operating weapons systems in populated residential areas, including in schools and hospitals, as they repelled the Russian invasion that began in February.  

Such tactics violate international humanitarian law, Amnesty said.

“We have documented a pattern of Ukrainian forces putting civilians at risk and violating the laws of war when they operate in populated areas,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s secretary general.  

“Being in a defensive position does not exempt the Ukrainian military from respecting international humanitarian law," Callamard said.”-via CNN

~

“Yesterday, a Russian court convicted the US basketball player Brittney Griner on drug charges, sentencing her to nine years in prison and a 1m rouble fine in a politically charged verdict expected to lead to a prisoner swap with the US.

US president Joe Biden released a statement following Griner’s sentencing, calling her detention “unacceptable” and demanding she be released.

Now, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has confirmed Russia would be willing to discuss a prisoner swap, but not publicly.

Speaking at the East Asia summit in Cambodia, Lavrov said:

We are ready to discuss this topic, but within the framework of the channel that was agreed upon by presidents Putin and Biden.

If the Americans decide to once again resort to public diplomacy... that is their business and I would even say that it is their problem.”

-via The Guardian

~

“The Biden administration's next security assistance package for Ukraine is expected to be $1 billion, one of the largest so far, and include munitions for long-range weapons and armored medical transport vehicles, three sources briefed on the matter told Reuters on Friday.

The package is expected to be announced as early as Monday and would add to about $8.8 billion in aid the United States has given Ukraine since Russia's invasion on Feb. 24.

The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that President Joe Biden had not yet signed the next weapons package. They cautioned that weapons packages can change in value and content before they are signed.

However, if signed in its current form, it would be valued at $1 billion and include munitions for HIMARS, NASAMS surface-to-air missile system ammunition and as many as 50 M113 armored medical transports.”-via Reuters

[infositely]

First grain ship from Ukraine en route to Lebanon under transit deal with Russia

First grain ship from Ukraine en route to Lebanon under transit deal with Russia

The first ship carrying grain from war-stricken Ukraine is expected to reach Turkey today (2 August) en route to Lebanon. Under a deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations with Russia in July to ensure safe transit of grain through the Black Sea, the ship left the Ukrainian port of Odesa yesterday morning. The Sierra Leone-flagged vessel, the Razoni, is due to dock in the port of Tripoli in…

[don-lichterman]

Bad weather in Black Sea slows 1st Ukrainian grain shipment

Bad weather in Black Sea slows 1st Ukrainian grain shipment

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The first cargo ship to leave Ukraine since Russia invaded its neighbor more than five months ago has run into bad weather in the Black Sea and is set to arrive later than scheduled in Istanbul, a Turkish official said Tuesday. The Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni, which set sail from the Ukrainian port of Odesa on Monday, is now expected to reach Istanbul early Wednesday,…

[unbiasedph]

'Relief for the world' as Ukraine grain ship leaves Odesa

‘Relief for the world’ as Ukraine grain ship leaves Odesa

The Sierra Leone-flagged ship Razoni leaves the Ukrainian port of Odesa with its cargo of 26,527 tons of grain Read Full News @ Rappler