Zelenskiy: We need faster supplies, new weapons to confront 'tough' situation Crimea shaping up to be battleground that will decide Russia-Ukraine war – Lt. Gen. Hodges Scholz doubles down on refusal of fighter jets for Ukraine NATO escalating arms race to continue geopolitical standoff with Russia — lawmaker Russia may be linked to Stockholm Koran burning – Finnish FM Was Israel behind drone attack on Iran military installation? U.S. Defense Secy Austin heads to Korea and Philippines China grants approval for homegrown COVID-19 pills Chiang Mai ranked safest city in SE Asia Pepino the Cucumber gets Bolivians into the carnival groove President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday (January 29).
Ukraine is facing a "very tough" situation in the eastern Donetsk region and needs faster weapons supplies and new types of weaponry to withstand Russian attacks, Zelenskiy said "Bakhmut, Vuhledar and other sectors in Donetsk region — there are constant Russian attacks," Zelenskiy also attacked efforts to allow Russia back at the Olympics, saying inclusion at the 2024 Paris Games was tantamount to showing that "terror is somehow acceptable." As if we could turn a blind eye to what Russia is doing with Kherson, Kharkiv, Bakhmut and Avdiivka." He said Russia must not be allowed to "use (the Games) or any other sport event as propaganda for its aggression or its state chauvinism." In an interview with Insider, The relevant statement was made by retired Lt.
Gen. Ben Hodges, a former commander of US Army Europe, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. The fight to retake Crimea will be decisive in the Russia-Ukraine war. “The decisive terrain for this war is Crimea. The Ukrainian government knows that they cannot settle for Russia retaining control of Crimea,” Hodges said. In his words, Ukraine will “never be safe or secure or able to rebuild their economy so long as Russia retains Crimea”. According to Hodges, the next few months will see Ukraine setting the conditions for the eventual liberation of Crimea. Hodges stressed that Ukraine would need long-range precision strike weapons like the longer-range ATACMS missiles that can be fired from a truck-mounted HIMARS launcher in order to successfully boot Russia out of Crimea. Liberating Crimea could be achieved by isolating the peninsula via air and land attacks to sever and disrupt Russia’s main links to Crimea, including the Kerch Bridge, Hodges noted.
In this regard, Mr. Hodges criticized the Biden administration for its unwillingness to provide long-range weapons at Kiev's request, as the war escalates. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz doubled down on his rejection of demands by Kyiv to supply Ukraine with fighter jets on the heels of Berlin’s agreement to send battle tanks. “The question of combat aircraft does not arise at all,” Scholz said in an interview with Tagesspiegel published on Sunday. “I can only advise against entering into a constant competition to outbid each other when it comes to weapons systems.” Mr. Scholz also expressed displeasure with Ukraine, which repeatedly demanded weapons, one after another. He said that was causing tension among the donor countries and increasingly losing the trust of the people. His comments come after a top Ukrainian official said on Saturday that Kyiv and its Western allies were engaged in “fast-track”talks on possibly sending military aircraft as well as long-range missiles to help fight the invasion by Russia.
Scholz last week ruled out providing fighter jets, citing the need to prevent further military escalation “There will be no fighter jet deliveries to Ukraine,” he said on Wednesday, he said on Wednesday, soon after Germany and the U.S. agreed to provide advanced tanks for Kyiv’s war effort. Berlin said Germany and its European allies will send about 80 Leopard 2 tanks. A Kremlin spokesman told the state RIA Novosti news agency on Sunday Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to contacts with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz though has no phone call scheduled with him Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti. "For now, there are no agreed talks (with Scholz) in the schedule. Putin has been and remains open to contacts," Scholz was quoted by the Berlin daily Tagesspiegel in an interview published on Sunday as saying "I will also speak to Putin again– because it is necessary to speak.” He added: “The onus is on Putin to withdraw troops from Ukraine to end this horrendous” Putin and Scholz last spoke by phone in early December Spokespeople for Scholz could not be immediately reached for comment.
He is currently on a visit to South America. Recently, relations between Moscow and Berlin plunged after Germany agreed to have its Leopard 2 tanks appear on the Ukrainian battlefield – a move that angered Russia. In the past, Moscow has repeatedly criticized the West for military aid to Ukraine, saying that this will only prolong the conflict and increase the risk of a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO. According to the Kiel Institute for World Economy, Germany is the second-largest military donor to Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, after the United States. A Russian lawmaker said on Sunday. NATO is escalating the arms race not for the sake of peace and talks but in order to continue geopolitical struggle against Russia Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the international committee of the Russian State Duma wrote on his Telegram channel. "We should clearly understand: the North Atlantic Alliance is rallying its ranks and escalating the arms race not for the sake of peace and talks or for the ‘fight for freedom,’ But such ‘games of Russophobic bigots’ with a nuclear power are extremely dangerous and are a threat to everyone," The West is sending "competing and quite demonstrative signals," he noted, adding that on the one hand, Germany is not interested in the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine and is against dragging NATO in this conflict but, on the other hand, NATO officials say that the bloc is prepared for a direct confrontation with Russia.
"It is worth to recall German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock‘s revelations about a ‘war on Russia.’ No objections came from any of the European capitals back then," Slutsky noted. In fact, they are neck-deep in the Ukrainian conflict by supplying the Kiev regime with weapons, munitions, and now even heavy weapons. The question is whether they are going to admit it de jure," he added. Former Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has claimed. Ukraine was never able to achieve economic prosperity despite having a head start due to widespread graft among officials and widely held delusions of being a significant global player In an interview with the magazine Krytyka Polityczna on Friday, Sikorski, stated In his view, they were “hiding their corruption and delusions of grandeur behind a story” that they were playing some big game with the US, Russia, Europe, and China The MEP recalled that after the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Ukraine had a huge edge over many members of the former Eastern bloc . In particular, he said the country had “nuclear plants, an aviation industry, no debt and the most fertile land in the world.” Earlier this week, Sikorski suggested that Warsaw had considered partitioning Ukraine in the first weeks of the conflict The allegation, however, was vehemently denied by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who accused Sikorski of acting “like a Russian propagandist.” Once the second-largest economy in the Soviet Union, Ukraine was Europe’s poorest country by per-capita GDP as of 2020.
Another major reason Ukraine had become something of an economic backwater, however, is rampant corruption According to Transparency International’s Corruption Perception index, Ukraine ranked 122 out of 180 countries globally as of 2021. The same year, Freedom House, a US government-financed non-profit organization, described graft in Ukraine as “endemic,” President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Twitter on Jan. 29 that he had spoken to Petr Pavel, the newly elected Czech President, and invited him to visit Ukraine. “I personally congratulated Petr Pavel on winning the Czech presidential elections Thanked him and the Czech people for their unwavering support. Invited him to visit Ukraine,” he said. Zelensky congratulated Pavel on his victory on Twitter shortly after the results had been announced on Jan. 28. He praised Pavel for supporting Ukraine and its struggle against Russian aggression. “I will be glad to work closely for the benefit of the peoples of Ukraine and the Czech Republic and in the interests of a united Europe,” Zelensky said. Pavel, who previously served in the Czech army, emerged victorious in a runoff vote against populist billionaire Andrej Babis, seen as a more Russian-leaning candidate. A documentary detailing a harrowing first-person account of the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine received the audience prize at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah last night.
20 Days in Mariupol, by Mstyslav Chernov, was a joint project between The Associated Press and PBS Frontline. "I want to thank everyone who believed in us: AP, Frontline and Sundance and all the audiences who did not turn away," Mr Chernov said. "This is a privilege." Mariupol faced relentless bombardment for months in the early days of the war before it eventually fell into Russian hands – with hundreds thought dead. The city is said to be completely destroyed, with photographs depicting shells of buildings that were once homes. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III departed on Sunday (January 29) for a trip to South Korea and the Philippines that U.S. authorities say is intended to strengthen defense partnerships and regional stability. The meeting comes just weeks after the Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa and Japanese Defense Minister Hamada Yasukazu at the Department of State.
The Department of Defense said. The meetings are intended to strengthen U.S. military partnerships in the region and advance regional stability in the Indo-Pacific The Biden administration has indicated its intention to deepen regional treaty alliances with Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Thailand, for a free and open Indo-Pacific, that addresses security issues, trade matters, climate challenges and balances Chinese influence in the region. Meanwhile, major US allies in Asia such as South Korea and Japan have also increased their cooperation with Washington like never before amid the turmoil in the world due to the war in Ukraine and missile tests of North Korea.
Australia's defence and foreign ministers on Sunday said they aimed to deepen security ties with France and Britain during visits to Europe this week, flagging the Indo-Pacific as a key area of focus. The ministers said in a statement. The ministers' trip from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2 will comprise Australia-France Foreign and Defence Ministerial Consultations in Paris and Australia-United Kingdom Ministerial Consultations in London and Portsmouth In France, discussions will focus on "the increasingly challenging strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific and in Europe", while meetings in Britain would cover modernising the bilateral relationship, tackling climate change, building economic resilience and global peace and security. Foreign Minister Penny Wong will also meet with European Union officials in Brussels, while Defence Minister Richard Marles will afterwards travel to the United States to meet with Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin Australia has moved to bolster relations in the Pacific as China's influence grows including a security pact between China and Solomon Islands struck last year.
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto has claimed that Russia may have been behind the public burning of Korans in Stockholm, Sweden last week. He added that the stunt could have been orchestrated to derail the country’s bid to join NATO. On January 21, Rasmus Paludan, an anti-Islam activist and leader of a minor Danish far-right party, Stram Kurs set the Muslim holy book on fire outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.
Ankara strongly protested the action, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying that Sweden could no longer rely on Türkiye’s support for its accession to the US-led military bloc. Speaking to Finnish TV channel Yle on Saturday, Haavisto floated the idea that Russia could be linked to the book burning. “This matter is under investigation. Various ties in the activist’s circle have been uncovered,” Haavisto said. “I cannot say with certainty … But we have been shown a concept of how to act in order to inflict maximum damage [to the NATO membership bid].” The Russian Foreign Ministry harshly condemned the Koran burning. Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Haavisto’s suggestion that Moscow may have been responsible for the incident was “disgusting to watch.” that Haavisto’s suggestion that Moscow may have been responsible for the incident was “disgusting to watch.” citing Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. Israel appears to have been behind a drone attack on a military factory in Iran,United States officials say Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian criticised the drone attack as ‘cowardly’ and aimed at creating ‘insecurity’ in the country.
Iran said on Sunday that it intercepted drones targeting the facility near the central city of Isfahan, adding there were no casualties. Iranian state media released footage showing a flash in the sky and emergency vehicles at the scene. The extent of damage could not be independently ascertained One US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters news agency that it did appear Israel was involved. Israel was behind the drone attack, The Wall Street Journal cited unnamed US officials and people familiar with the strike as saying Other American officials declined to comment beyond saying the US played no role.
No response was immediately available from Israeli authorities. Meanwhile in Ukraine, which accuses Iran of supplying hundreds of drones to Russia to attack targets in Ukrainian cities, A senior aide to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter “Explosive night in Iran,” Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted. “Did warn you.” A ministry statement described three drones being launched at the facility, with two of them successfully shot down A third apparently made it through to strike the building, causing “minor damage” to its roof Isfahan’s factory is 350km (217 miles) south of the capital Tehran It is home to both a large airbase built for its fleet of US-made F-14 fighter jets and its nuclear fuel research and production centre.
Amir-Abdollahian responded, “Such moves can’t impact our nuclear scientists’ will and intentions to achieve peaceful nuclear energy.” Former President Trump said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis running for president would be “a great act of disloyalty” of his own 2024 presidential run. Trump visited New Hampshire and South Carolina, after a quieter-than-normal beginning to his reelection campaign. After his South Carolina speech, he sat for an interview with The Associated Press and criticized DeSantis,. who is rumored to be considering his own presidential run and who has consistently placed second in hypothetical Republican primary polls Trump emphasized his own status leading in many of those polls “If he runs, that’s fine. I’m way up in the polls. He’s going to have to do what he wants to do, but he may run,” Trump said “I do think it would be a great act of disloyalty because, you know, I got him in.” Trump endorsed DeSantis ahead of the Republican primary for the gubernatorial race in 2018. Environmentalists protested on Saturday (January 28) at the building site of a new airport nearby a bird habitat in Albania's south.
The project is designed to boost tourism but protesters say it will endanger sanctuaries for some 200 bird species including flamingos and pelicans. The picturesque Vjose-Narte lagoon close to Albania's Adriatic seaside is a crucial stop for flocks of birds in their annual migration between Europe and Africa. The government is building the airport just 5 kilometres (3 miles) from the Adriatic coast. A local tour guide present at the protest shared with Reuters. “Some people think that this airport will bring development, but in reality the airport will only bring destruction I oppose the construction of an airport in an area that needs to be secured.” The European Union, which Albania aims to join one day, has said the airport project, due for completion at the end of 2024, was undertaken in contradiction with national and international laws on protecting biodiversity The committee of the Bern Convention that works to protect European wildlife and natural habitats has said Albania should suspend the construction of the airport.
The National Medical Products Administration said on Sunday China has recently granted conditional approval to two homegrown COVID-19 oral pills The administration said that the two oral pills will be used for mild and moderate COVID-19 adult patients. According to the company, the novel drug is a combination of a small molecule anti-virus drug candidates and a dose of ritonavir, an antiretroviral medication already available on the market. XIANNUOXIN, was jointly developed by Simcere Pharmaceutical Group, headquartered in Nanjing as well as Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Wuhan Institute of Virology and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. The other new medicine is VV116 and was developed by Shanghai Vinnerna Biosciences and other research institutes based in Shanghai. Chiang Mai in the North of Thailand was named Southeast Asia’s safest city and the 32nd safest among 416 cities across the world. According to the Numbeo website, Chiang Mai won 75.5 points for safety in Southeast Asia, followed by Davao in the Philippines (72.4) and Singapore (70.8).
United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi was named the safest city in the world with 88.8 points followed by Qatar capital Doha (85.5) and Taiwanese capital Taipei (84.9). Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said: “Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has thanked all related agencies for ensuring safety among people,” He added that this ranking also reflects the government’s efforts in dealing with crimes, improving people’s lives and boosting confidence among foreigners. Chiang Mai is 800km north of Bangkok. Due to being located on the mountainous terrain, almost the highest in Thailand this place has a relatively cool climate and has many unique architectural works and majestic natural landscapes.
Pope Francis on Sunday (January 29) prayed for the end of violence in the Holy Land after a fatal Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin resulted in the death of ten Palestinians During his homily, Pope Francis also offered his prayers for peace and stability in the West Bank and for the safety of people in the area considered the "holy land" of Christianity. Seven people including a 14-year-old were shot dead on Friday (January 27) in the attack the worst on Israelis in the Jerusalem area , which drew wide international condemnation and heightened fears of already spiralling violence escalating further.
The Israeli military said on Saturday (January 28) it was sending additional troops into the West Bank, which has seen months of worsening Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has not remarked on Friday's attack and blamed Israel for the spiralling violence. A private museum in the United Arab Emirates unveiled on Saturday (January 28) a Torah scroll that survived the Holocaust, the latest sign of what Israel and its new Arab allies describe as a new approach to understanding Judaism in the Middle East. Ahmed Obaid Al Mansoori, founder of the Crossroads of Civilizations Museum in Dubai's historic district, said the display unveiled for International Holocaust Remembrance Day would help combat "big denial" of the Holocaust in the region.
"For us peace is a complete peace," Al Mansoori said " It's not just political, not economic, not security, not technology. It's beyond that. The scroll is on permanent loan to the museum from the Memorial Scrolls Trust, which looks after more than 1,000 Czech scrolls saved from the Holocaust and later sent to London. Israel has reached out to promote understanding of Judaism among its new allies in the two years since the UAE and fellow Gulf state Bahrain, followed by Morocco and Sudan, forged ties with it under U.S.-brokered pacts known as the Abraham Accords.
In the years after the Holocaust in Europe, Jewish communities that had existed for centuries throughout the Middle East largely disappeared, The International Holocaust Remembrance Day event took place at a time of rising Israeli-Palestinian violence The Freeride World Tour returned to Baqueira Beret as the 2023 season got off to a spectacular start in the Spanish Pyrenees on Sunday (January 29). Five criteria, as well as the “overall impression”, are used to judge the riders’ final score, including line, air and style, fluidity, control and technique.
Sweden’s Max Palm and America’s Addison Rafford won the men’s and women’s ski titles, while in the snowboard, America’s Michael Mawn and Canada’s Katie Anderson came out on top. The world’s best freeriders don’t have much of a break before the next event in the Andorran ski resort of Ordino Arcalis, which starts on February 4 Pepino the Cucumber officially turned on the countdown to carnival on Sunday (January 29) in Bolivia. Dozens of dancers followed the casket of the spirit of carnival, Pepino, from the cemetery through the streets of La Paz asking the figure to come back to life. After the kiss of the carnival queen, Pepino joyfully started performing traditional dances officially kicking off the countdown to the carnival The annual ritual surrounding Pepino's, cucumber resurrection marks the beginning of this festivity season in the Andean nation and was declared a Cultural Patrimony of La Paz in 2015.
While much smaller than Rio's famed, flamboyant carnival, the festivities in Bolivia are replete with colour, dance and music and attract thousands of tourists to witness the unique fusion of indigenous traditions, whimsy and colonial Catholicism..