Cincunri Sakia

Sabtu, 09 April 2022

Ukraine war: UK sending armoured vehicles for first time as Zelenskyy demands 'firm response' to Kramatorsk railway blast - Sky News

President Zelenskyy has demanded a "firm global response" as he blamed Russia for an attack near a rail station that killed at least 50 people - with the UK set to provide fresh military aid.

Britain will send armoured vehicles to Ukraine for the first time as part of a new £100m package, as Mr Zelenskyy warned against "any delay" in offering further weapons.

Speaking in his nightly video after what he called a "war crime" near Kramatorsk station, he said a "delay in providing weapons to Ukraine, any refusals, can only mean the politicians in question want to help the Russian leadership more than us".

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told Sky News the Ukrainian military would get Mastiff heavily armoured patrol vehicles, which weigh 23 tonnes and carry eight troops and two crew.

It is understood they will be stripped of sensitive equipment and could help mount offensive operations close to Russian lines.

The Mastiff was designed to withstand Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) during the Afghan war.

Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles, 800 anti-tank missiles, helmets, and night vision goggles will be included in the consignment, in addition to 200,000 items already distributed.

Key developments:

• Ammo depot destroyed at air base in central Ukraine, says Russia's Interfax news agency
• General responsible for atrocities in Syria reportedly now in charge of Ukraine invasion.
• Curfew in Black Sea port of Odesa from Saturday night until Monday amid fears of attack
• More than 6,600 people evacuated through humanitarian corridors on Friday
• EU promises to "accelerate" Ukraine's membership
• Russia has lost 19,000 troops, Ukraine claims, after Kremlin admits 'significant' losses

Live updates as Russian forces abandon tanks in 'possible sign of collapse'

Defence secretary says support will continue

Speaking at a NATO ceremony in Romania, Mr Wallace refused to be drawn on whether the UK would commit anti-ship missiles such as the Harpoon, as requested by President Zelenskyy.

Mr Zelenskyy says they will help prevent Russia from consolidating its control of Ukraine's Black Sea coast.

Mr Wallace said: "I won't discuss different types of weapons systems. I don't want to flag to Russians any change until they have happened."

He added: "Our commitment is to support Ukraine to make sure they have as much help as possible to defend themselves. And if the tactics of the Russians change, what we give them will change as well."

The defence secretary also called the Kremlin "deluded" after Sky News's interview with Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Mr Peskov was accused of living in a "parallel universe" and peddling a "catalogue of lies" when he denied Russians had committed war crimes in Bucha.

Station attack is 'evil that has no limits'

The missile strike near Kramatorsk station has raised more claims of war crimes and was described by Ukraine's president as an act of "evil that has no limits".

Five children were among the at least 50 people killed. Up to 4,000 people, thought to be largely women and children, were at the station when the blast hit.

Sky's John Sparks, reporting from the scene, said that emblazoned on the side of the mangled missile was за детей, which translates from Russian as for - or on behalf of - the children.

The station had been packed as people tried to flee Ukraine, but the Russian defence ministry denied targeting the station.

Mr Peskov claimed that Russian armed forces had no missions scheduled for Kramatorsk.

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"Like the massacres in Bucha, like many other Russian war crimes, the missile attack on Kramatorsk should be one of the charges at the tribunal that must be held," said President Zelenskyy on Friday night.

Sky News military analyst Professor Michael Clarke said pictures of the almost intact missile laying outside the town indicate it is a cluster bomb - illegal for use on civilian targets.

General responsible for Syria atrocities 'now in charge'

Ukraine's railway operator said on Saturday that services out of Kramatorsk were still disrupted but that evacuations would continue at other stations in the country's east.

The start to the weekend also saw Russia claim to have destroyed an ammunition depot at the Myrhorod Air Base in central Ukraine, according to the country's Interfax news agency.

The Black Sea port of Odesa also imposed a curfew from Saturday night until Monday morning amid fears of an attack on the city.

There are also unconfirmed reports that Alexander Dvornikov, a Russian general responsible for atrocities in Syria, has been put in charge of the Ukraine invasion.

Speaking to Sky News, former UK ambassador to Russia Sir Roderic Lyne appeared to confirm the news.

"They've appointed a new general with a pretty savage track record in Syria to try to at least gain some territory in Donetsk that Putin could present as a victory," he said.

Russian forces abandon tanks in 'hasty' withdrawal

As Russia withdraws forces from northern Ukraine, one Western official said the abandoned tanks, vehicles, and artillery could indicate "the collapse of morale and the collapse of the will to fight".

The official told reporters on Wednesday: "We can confirm that there are no longer units in northern Ukraine.

"It has been a pretty hasty withdrawal by Russian forces and there's a lot of Russian equipment which has been abandoned in that hasty withdrawal and that's only going to exacerbate the challenge they have in terms of the refurbishment and reconstitution of their forces as they remove them both into Belarus and into Russia."

'Little point' negotiating with Russia, says PM

Following talks in Downing Street with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Boris Johnson said he saw little prospect of success negotiating with Mr Putin directly - although he did not criticise those, such as the French president, who continue to do so.

"Negotiating with Putin does not seem to me to be full of promise. I don't feel that he can be trusted," he said.

"That is not to say I don't admire the efforts of people who try to find a way through. But my own view is that I am deeply, deeply sceptical and, I'm afraid, cynical now about his assurances."

Meanwhile, Home Secretary Priti Patel apologised after being criticised for delays in accepting refugees as the latest figures show only around 12,000 Ukrainians have arrived in the UK, despite 40,900 visas being granted.

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2022-04-09 12:33:45Z
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Pakistan's PM Imran Khan tipped to lose no-confidence vote - Sky News

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan is facing a no-confidence vote in parliament this morning, one he is expected to lose.

It comes a day after Pakistan's Supreme Court blocked his bid to stay in power, ruling that his move to dissolve parliament and call elections early was illegal.

This set the stage for today's vote, expected at 6.30am UK time, with opposition politicians saying they have the 172 votes in the 342-seat assembly needed to unseat Mr Khan.

But the former cricket star turned conservative Islamic politician is still standing firm, vowing on Friday that he "will not accept an imposed government".

'As good as gone'

Mr Khan surged to power in 2018, but recently lost his parliamentary majority, and a prominent newspaper recently described him "as good as gone".

The embattled prime minister has urged his opponents to take to the streets in support.

"All of you will have to come out on Sunday after evening prayer to protest, to peacefully protest … I again say that should never indulge in violence," he said. "It should be a peaceful protest."

Opposition politicians put forward a no-confidence motion in parliament last Sunday and in response, Mr Khan dissolved parliament and called a snap election - and it was this move that was deemed unlawful.

The vote was tabled over what the opposition has called the prime minister's economic and political mismanagement, and they blame him for failing to revive the economy and tackle corruption.

No prime minister has finished a full five-year term since independence from Britain in 1947.

Accusations of opposition colluding with US

Mr Khan has accused his opponents of colluding with the US to remove him, but has provided no evidence.

He said he wants the Supreme Court to investigate communications between a senior US diplomat, whom he has not named, and Pakistani diplomats, which he claims show evidence of collusion.

He alleges the US government wants him gone because of his foreign policy choices in favour of Russia and China. He visited Moscow on 24 February and held talks with Vladimir Putin - the same day tanks rolled into Ukraine.

The US state department has denied any involvement, with spokeswoman Jalina Porter telling reporters on Friday that there was "absolutely no truth to these allegations".

What could happen next?

If the opposition wins the vote, it is up to parliament to choose a new head of government, possibly the leader of the opposition, the brother of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif.

He would hold office until October 2023, when a new election is scheduled to be held.

Nawaz Sharif was disqualified from holding office after he was convicted of corruption and named in the so-called Panama Papers.

If the opposition are unsuccessful, early elections would be called.

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2022-04-09 04:21:37Z
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When are the French presidential elections, who is running, and how do they work? - Sky News

French voters will go to the polls in the first round of France's 2022 presidential elections on Sunday.

Although President Emmanuel Macron is still leading the polls, his main rival Marine Le Pen has climbed up the ratings and now poses a veritable challenge to his hopes of a second term in the Elysee.

If Ms Le Pen is elected, her far-right policies would mean huge changes for France and for the rest of Europe.

Sky News looks at how the French president is elected and how this year's vote is shaping up.

How does it work?

France has a semi-presidential system, which means it has both a president and a prime minister.

But compared to other similar ones around the world, the French president has considerably wide-ranging powers.

They are directly elected, which means people vote for the candidate themselves - not their party. Unlike in the UK, where the leader of the party with the most votes becomes prime minister.

The presidential vote is divided into two rounds - taking place this year on 10 and 24 April.

Any candidate with the backing of 500 sponsors can run in the first round.

If one person gets more than 50% of the vote, they win outright, but this hasn't happened since Charles de Gaulle's re-election in 1965.

Otherwise, only the top two candidates make it through to the second round.

Whoever wins that round will become president - this year on 13 May - for a five-year term.

A similar two-round vote will then take place for the MPs - or deputes - in the National Assembly, France's lower house of parliament.

Because the two votes run on the same five-year cycle, the president's party almost always wins the majority of the 577 seats in the National Assembly as well.

But until 2002 the cycles were slightly different, which meant the president's party sometimes failed to security a majority, significantly reducing his power.

The new president is also tasked with electing a prime minister, to be in charge of the government, while they preside over the executive.

Who is running?

There are 12 candidates in the first round of this year's election, ranging from the far-right to the far-left.

Although Mr Macron has dominated the opinion polls in the years since his election in 2017, in recent weeks, his main rival Ms Le Pen has closed the gap.

Emmanuel Macron

Elected at just 39, Emmanuel Macron is the youngest French president in history.

Previously a member of the Socialist Party, the former investment banker created his own centrist party La Republique En Marche (France on the Move) in 2016.

With En Marche's majority in the National Assembly, Mr Macron's pro-business policies have seen an overhaul of France's staunchly-protected labour code, nationalised railways and pension system.

This has seen him come up against major opposition from the Yellow Vests - or Gilets Jaunes - who have staged regular protests throughout his presidency.

He has also had to navigate the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic as well as, more recently, the war in Ukraine.

Although he has played a negotiating role between the two sides, some have criticised him for keeping an open dialogue with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

Marine Le Pen

Marine Le Pen, 53, was the runner-up in the 2017 elections. This will be her third attempt at the presidency.

A key far-right figure, she is the daughter of the Jean-Marie Le Pen, who founded France's National Front and is notorious for his racist, anti-immigrant views.

She took over from her father as leader in 2011 and, in an attempt to distance herself from his reputation, banished him from the party in 2015.

After losing out to Mr Macron in 2017, she rebranded the National Front to National Rally.

Although anti-immigration by nature and a previous supporter of Mr Putin, Ms Le Pen has been quick to announce her support for Ukrainian refugees.

She has also focused heavily on the cost of living crisis, which many credit with her recent uptick in the polls.

Jean-Luc Melenchon

Leader of the far-left party La France Insoumise - France Unbowed - Jean-Luc Melenchon is the best hope of a left-wing candidate reaching the second round, currently polling third.

Although unlikely to beat Ms Le Pen, the 70-year-old is a veteran of French politics and known for his divisive rhetoric.

His policies include weaning France off of nuclear energy, increasing the minimum wage and reducing presidential powers.

Eric Zemmour

Eric Zemmour is another far-right candidate running this year.

A former columnist and TV pundit with convictions for inciting racial hatred, he is the more radical option to Ms Le Pen.

Vehemently anti-immigration and anti-Islam, the 63-year-old's pro-Russian views have also been a burden on him following the outbreak of war in Ukraine, with Ms Le Pen quick to disassociate herself with the Kremlin.

Valerie Pecresse

Right-wing candidate Valerie Pecresse already holds high political office as president of Paris's Ile de France region.

The 54-year-old is running for the Republicans - France's mainstream Conservative party.

Many of her policies are similar to Mr Macron's, which has meant she has struggled to differentiate herself and poll very highly.

Yannick Jadot

Among the left-wing candidates is Yannick Jadot, a former Greenpeace campaigner.

The 54-year-old has served as a Green member of the European Parliament, representing the West France constituency, since 2009.

Mr Jadot had been hoping to capitalise on the success the French Greens had in the local elections two years ago, but he looks unlikely to poll anywhere near the second round.

Anne Hidalgo

Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo is running for the French socialists.

Although popular in her current constituency, with the French left enjoying little success since Francois Hollande's epic fall in popularity, the 62-year-old is currently only polling in single digits.

Fabien Roussel

Current leader of the French communist party, Fabien Roussel, has been a member of the National Assembly since 2017.

The 52-year-old's policies include increasing taxes for big business and nationalising large banks and energy companies.

Philippe Poutou

A far-left candidate for the New Anti-Capitalist Party, Philippe Poutou is a former Ford factory worker who made headlines for insulting his fellow candidates in the 2017 first round and refusing to take part in a joint photo.

It is the 55-year-old's third attempt at the presidency.

Nathalie Arthaud

Secondary school teacher Nathalie Arthaud, 60, has also stood for the presidency three times since 2001.

Spokesperson for France's Workers' Struggle party, she advocates for large increases in the minimum wage and a ban on job cuts.

Nicolas Dupont-Aignan

The only sitting MP for the far-right Debout la France - Rise Up, France party, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan has previously served as the mayor of Paris suburb Yerres.

The 61-year-old's extreme policies on immigration have largely been drowned out by the more popular Marine Le Pen and Eric Zemmour.

Jean Lassalle

The founder of his own agricultural-focused party Resistons!, former shepherd Jean Lassalle has been an MP in the Pyrenees since 2002.

Passionate about rural issues, he is well known and liked by many, but his political career is almost certain to remain confined to his seat in the National Assembly.

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2022-04-09 00:26:42Z
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Jumat, 08 April 2022

Dozens dead after missile strike on railway station in east Ukraine town - Financial Times

Russian missiles killed dozens of people at a railway station on Friday in one of the deadliest attacks in the six-week war, hitting a hub in eastern Ukraine where residents were gathering to flee a renewed Moscow offensive.

Fifty people were killed, including five children, at the station in Kramatorsk and about 100 were injured, the Donetsk administration said.

“Thousands of people were at the station during the missile strike, as residents of Donetsk province are being evacuated to safer regions of Ukraine,” said Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the region’s military-civilian administration.

The attack came as Ukraine braced itself for Moscow to step up its assault on areas it does not control in the Donbas region — comprised of the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces — having largely withdrawn from territory north of Kyiv.

Referring to Russian forces, Kyrylenko said that they “knew well where they were aiming and what they wanted” in the Kramatorsk attack. “They wanted to take on as many peaceful people as possible, they wanted to destroy everything Ukrainian,” he said.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said the station was hit by Russian Tochka tactical ballistic missiles. “Not having the strength and courage to confront us on the battlefield, they are cynically destroying the civilian population. This evil has no bounds,” he said.

The US believes Russia used a short range ballistic missile, the SS-21, for the strike, a senior US defence official said, adding that Washington was still assessing whether cluster munitions were involved.

Unconfirmed videos posted on social media by the Ukrainian railways company showed police walking around corpses at the strike site.

Baggage is strewn across a platform after the rocket attack © Ukrainian president’s Telegram channel/AP

Charles Michel, president of the European Council, described the attack as “horrifying”. He said: “Action is needed: more sanctions on Russia and more weapons to Ukraine are under way from the EU.”

The bloc is already discussing a new set of measures, having agreed a package this week targeting Russian coal exports and dozens of oligarchs in the wake of the mass killing of civilians in Bucha and other Kyiv suburbs.

In Kramatorsk, witnesses recalled hearing two explosions after missiles hit the station as people were waiting to board a train scheduled to depart 30 minutes later.

Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraine’s railways company, said on its Telegram channel: “This is a deliberate blow to the passenger infrastructure of the railway and the residents of Kramatorsk.”

Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said: “Russians knew that the train station in Kramatorsk was full of civilians waiting to be evacuated. Yet they struck it with a ballistic missile . . . This was a deliberate slaughter. We will bring each war criminal to justice.”

Russia’s defence ministry initially said it had used high-precision rockets to attack three Ukrainian railway stations in the Donbas that it claimed were hosting “Ukrainian reserves’ armaments and military equipment”.

But after the scale of the civilian casualties became clear, Russia denied any involvement in the attack, which it said was a “provocation” that “has nothing to do with reality”.

The defence ministry said: “Russia’s forces had no plans to fire on targets in Kramatorsk on April 8.” It claimed that the missiles used in the attack were used solely by Ukrainian forces.

More than six weeks after Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow’s troops have largely withdrawn from north of Kyiv after failing to seize the capital, according to Ukrainian and Russian officials. However, they are regrouping and rearming ahead of an attempt to advance in the eastern Donbas region, where Kramatorsk is located.

Oleksiy Reznikov, Ukraine’s defence minister, said Russian attacks on civilian targets underscored the need for Kyiv’s western allies to supply it with more modern and longer-range weaponry.

Speaking to the Financial Times and other news outlets on a visit to Bucha, where evidence of widespread atrocities against civilians emerged this week, Reznikov said: “You can see the atrocities in civilian places. There are no military facilities, no military targets [here]. Just civilian. It is the same in Bucha, Irpin, Dmytrivka and today you can see it in Kramatorsk.”

Reznikov said Ukraine needed multi-launch rocket systems, tanks, armoured vehicles, anti-ship missiles and Nato standard calibre artillery to go on the offensive against Russian forces in the east and the south.

“We need more long-range weapons. We can deter them [with anti-tank weapons]. But we need to keep them out,” he said, adding that Kyiv was “changing philosophy” for the next phase of the war.

Reznikov said Ukrainian forces needed little training to operate anti-ship missiles or US or German tanks.

Friday’s strike on Kramatorsk follows an attack on Thursday on a nearby railway bridge, 35km from the frontline. That strike hampered efforts to evacuate civilians from the eastern provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk.

On Thursday, Serhiy Haidai, head of Ukraine’s Luhansk military administration, said Russian forces were regrouping and would “try to conduct an offensive” within three to four days.

Neither Russian nor Ukrainian military claims can be independently verified.

Additional reporting by Felicia Schwartz in New York

Video: Ukraine's battle of the airwaves

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2022-04-08 18:12:05Z
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Nato states agree to supply heavy weapons to Ukraine - Financial Times

Nato member states have agreed to supply new types of advanced weaponry to Ukraine, alliance representatives said, as Kyiv prepares for an offensive by Russia in the country’s east.

The pledge came after a plea from Ukraine’s foreign minister for western countries to move faster with supplies or risk seeing “many people die . . . because this help came too late”.

Six weeks since Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, ordered the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow’s troops have largely withdrawn from territory north of Kyiv after failing to seize the capital but are regrouping and rearming ahead of an attempt to advance in the eastern Donbas region, Ukrainian and western officials said.

That has sparked demands from Kyiv for western countries to supply more heavy weapons, armour and more advanced systems. Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said he would use a Nato meeting in Brussels to ask for aircraft, missiles, armoured vehicles and heavy air defence systems, among others.

Liz Truss, UK foreign secretary, told reporters after the meeting that member states had backed giving more weapons.

“There was support for countries to supply new and heavier equipment to Ukraine, so that they can respond to these new threats from Russia,” she said. “And we agreed to help Ukrainian forces move from their Soviet-era equipment to Nato standard equipment, on a bilateral basis.”

Antony Blinken, US secretary of state, said Washington was looking at sending “new systems” to Ukraine.

“We are not going to let anything stand in the way of getting Ukrainians what they need,” he said. “We are looking across the board right now, not only at what we have provided . . . [but] whether there are additional systems that would make a difference.”

The promise of more military aid came as Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesperson, admitted Russia had suffered “significant losses of troops” during its invasion of Ukraine, which he described as “a huge tragedy for us”.

Peskov said Russia had withdrawn from Kyiv and Chernihiv in central Ukraine last week as a “goodwill act to lift tension from those regions and show Russia is really ready to create comfortable conditions to continue negotiations”. But fighting would continue in the Donbas, he added.

Following the killing of hundreds of civilians in Bucha and other Kyiv suburbs, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, warned that elsewhere in the country Russia would seek to portray people killed by its forces as victims of Ukrainian troops.

“To do this, the occupiers collect corpses on the streets, take them out and can use them elsewhere in accordance with the elaborated propaganda scenarios,” he said in a video address late on Thursday.

Nato member countries have supplied Ukraine with anti-tank missiles, drones and other defensive weaponry before and during the war. However, they have declined to supply other classes of weapons or impose a no-fly zone, as Kyiv has demanded, over the risk of engaging Russia in a wider war.

Ukrainian defence forces with NLAW anti-tank weapons in Kyiv last month. Nato countries have promised to send more advanced systems as a fresh assault by Russia looms © Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images

Kuleba said afterwards he was “cautiously optimistic” that alliance states would meet his demand but warned that delays would result in more deaths.

“Either you help us now, and I am speaking about days . . . or your help will come too late,” Kuleba said. “Many people will die . . . exactly because this help came too late.”

He added: “I was very specific about the requests and the timeline that they should be accommodated. I will be looking forward to the follow-up from allies.”

Ukraine has warned that Russia was preparing a renewed offensive in the Donbas aimed at seizing territory in the two administrative regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, which separatists have partially occupied since a Moscow-backed uprising in 2014.

Ukraine’s military authorities on Wednesday called on residents living in the regions to leave “while they still had the chance”.

Jens Stoltenberg, Nato’s secretary-general, said allies had agreed to “further strengthen” support for Ukraine immediately and in the “medium and long term”.

“It was a clear message from the meeting today that allies should do more and are ready to do more to supply more equipment. They realise and recognise the urgency,” he said.

Meanwhile, the UN General Assembly on Thursday voted to suspend Russia from the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, an international rebuke to Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine and alleged atrocities.

Ninety-three UN members approved Russia’s suspension — the first imposed on any permanent member of the UN Security Council.

However, 24 UN members, including China, Iran, Bolivia and Kazakhstan, voted against Russia’s suspension. Another 58 countries abstained, including India, Indonesia and Egypt, showing that a wide range of nations have sided with Moscow or sought to remain neutral in the conflict.

Additional reporting by James Politi in Washington

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2022-04-08 06:34:03Z
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Ukraine war: 'I feel pretty damn lucky to be here' - British journalist Benjamin Hall reveals he lost half a leg and a foot in bombing that killed two colleagues - Sky News

A British journalist has revealed he lost half a leg and his other foot in a Russian attack that killed two of his colleagues.

Fox News correspondent Benjamin Hall was working with cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski and Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra Kuvshinova when their vehicle was hit by artillery shelling from Russian troops near Kyiv on 16 March.

Mr Zakrzewski and Ms Kuvshinova - who had been working as a consultant for the channel - both died in the attack.

As well as losing a limb, Mr Hall lost most of his hearing and the vision in one eye.

Putin spokesman's admission prompts shock - follow live updates

Speaking for the first time since the assault, Mr Hall tweeted: "To sum it up, I've lost half a leg on one side and a foot on the other.

"One hand is being put together, one eye is no longer working, and my hearing is pretty blown... but all in all I feel pretty damn lucky to be here - and it is the people who got me here who are amazing!"

He posted an image of himself sitting in a hospital bed, wearing bandages and an eye patch as he explained the nature of his injuries.

Mr Hall also paid tribute to his former colleagues.

"Its been over three weeks since the attack in Ukraine and I wanted to start sharing it all," he said.

"But first I need to pay tribute to my colleagues Pierre and Sasha who didn't make it that day. Pierre and I travelled the world together, working was his joy and his joy was infectious. RIP."

Mr Hall was rushed to hospital in Ukraine but was later able to leave the country.

Ukraine news website kp.ua reported Mr Zakrzewski and Ms Kuvshinova died "as a result of artillery shelling by Russian troops in the north-eastern part of the village of Gorenka".

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Their deaths came just days after US filmmaker Brent Renaud was killed in Ukraine after Russian forces opened fire on his vehicle.

The 50-year-old, from Arkansas, was gathering material for a report about refugees when his vehicle was hit at a checkpoint in Irpin, just outside Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Sky News chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay was shot and wounded near Kyiv last month while travelling to the town of Bucha.

Camera operator Richie Mockler took two rounds to his body armour in the incident.

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2022-04-08 03:34:46Z
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Kamis, 07 April 2022

Israel: Two killed, several wounded in Tel Aviv shooting - BBC

Scene of attack at a bar in Tel Aviv (07/04/22)

Two people have been killed by at least one gunman in the centre of Tel Aviv, Israel, in the fourth attack of its kind in just over two weeks.

The shootings happened on Dizengoff Street, one of the busiest streets, known for its bars and restaurants.

Security forces are hunting for at least one gunman and police have told people to stay indoors.

It follows a spree of attacks by Israeli Arabs and a Palestinian which left 11 people dead.

Eight people were wounded in Thursday night's shootings, four of them critically, Tel Aviv's Ichilov hospital said.

According to the Times of Israel, the attack began when at least one gunman opened fire at Ilka bar on Dizengoff.

"We dove under the tables and people started crying, it was horrible," Evelyn Gertz, 34, who was eating next door, told the news site.

Video from Dizengoff Street shows people running away as emergency vehicles pour into the area, sirens wailing. CCTV footage from an outside bar shows people drinking then suddenly dashing away at the moment of the attack, overturning chairs in the scramble to escape.

As security forces scoured the area, police appealed to people to not venture out.

"Don't leave your homes. Don't stick your heads out of the window. Stay off your balconies," police spokesman Eli Levy said on Channel 13 television.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is reportedly being briefed at the military headquarters in Tel Aviv, about 1km (0.6 miles) from Dizengoff Street.

Israel's security forces were already on a high state of alert after a deadly spate of attacks in recent days.

At the end of last month, five people were shot dead by a Palestinian gunman in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish suburb of Tel Aviv. Days earlier, six people were killed in two attacks by three Israeli Arabs in the northern city of Hadera and the southern city of Beersheba. All the perpetrators were shot dead.

It marks the deadliest period of attacks in Israel since 2006, with fears of further incidents in the lead-up to the Muslim festival of Ramadan, the Jewish festival of Passover and the Christian festival of Easter which coincide in a rare convergence next week.

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2022-04-07 20:20:40Z
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