Ukraine claims significant gains in counter-offensive against Russia - Financial Times

Ukraine claimed to have regained territory in its eastern regions in the most successful counter-attacks since troops repelled an assault on Kyiv and the north-east by Russian forces in the first months of the war.

The territorial gains have been made while Moscow is focused on repelling Ukraine’s southern counter-offensive around Kherson and could weaken Russia’s hold on the Donbas region, analysts said.

“This week we have good news from the Kharkiv region . . . you all have already seen reports about the activity of Ukrainian defenders,” Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his daily video address. The comments follow reports including videos on social media depicting Ukrainian soldiers liberating the city of Balakliia and nearby villages in eastern Kharkiv province.

The area lies near the city of Izyum, the base for one of Russia’s largest concentration of forces. The advance boosts Kyiv’s hopes of cutting supply lines to those troops, which are focused on trying to fully capture the eastern Donbas region.

Zelenskyy did not name the recaptured cities or towns, saying “now is not the time to name the settlements to which the Ukrainian flag returns”.

“The total area of the territory returned to Ukraine in the Kharkiv and [Kherson] directions exceeds 700 sq km,” said Brigadier General Oleksiy Gromov, deputy chief of the operational unit at Ukraine’s general staff, indicating the attacks were the first stage of a counter-offensive designed to push the Russians back east of the Dnipro river before winter.

You are seeing a snapshot of an interactive graphic. This is most likely due to being offline or JavaScript being disabled in your browser.

Russian officials have not acknowledged the eastern losses, but local leaders installed by Russia to govern occupied areas have reported bloody battles in the area.

Vitaly Ganchev, head of the “military-civil administration” for Russian-occupied areas in the Kharkiv region, said on Thursday that Ukrainian forces had attempted to encircle and seize Balakliia, but claimed they had been repulsed. “The city is under our control,” he told Russian state television.

However, bloggers and commentators embedded with Russian forces have reported recent defeats for President Vladimir Putin’s troops in the east.

The attacks have taken place at the same time as Kyiv launched its southern offensive, following weeks of long-range rocket attacks and artillery strikes. The equipment, provided by western allies, has proved crucial in destroying weapons depots, logistics and command posts in occupied territories.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Thursday to meet Zelenskyy. The Biden administration announced its intention to distribute military aid worth $2.2bn to Ukraine and 18 other European countries threatened by Russia. Washington has provided Kyiv with more than $14.5bn in military assistance since Moscow launched its invasion in February.

Separately, Washington has approved $675mn in military support for Kyiv, US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday during a meeting of western and Ukrainian defence chiefs at Ramstein air base, Germany. The aid includes ammunition for long-range rocket systems, additional Howitzers and artillery, armoured vehicles and other weapons.

“Ukrainian armed forces have inspired the world with their determination to defend their democracy [against] Russia’s reckless and ruthless war of choice,” Austin said.

“We are seeing real and measurable gains from Ukraine in the use of these systems” provided in military assistance packages by the US and its allies, said General Mark Milley, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, said at the airbase.

“The Ukrainians have struck over 400 targets with the Himars [high-mobility artillery rocket systems] and they’ve had devastating effect,” he added.

Taras Berezovets, a communications officer in a brigade of Ukraine’s special forces, posted on Thursday a video of himself touring abandoned Russian positions and vehicles near the liberated village of Bairak on the outskirts of Balakliia.

“They dumped their uniforms and all of their stuff” before fleeing, a Ukrainian soldier told him at an abandoned Russian fortification. Both claimed the enemy troops fled in civilian clothing in an attempt to avoid capture. The footage also showed Ukrainian soldiers gathering stocks of weapons left behind by Russian forces and tearing down a Soviet flag.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War suggested on Thursday that Ukraine had taken advantage of the fact that Russia had recently moved forces south.

“Ukraine’s operations in Kherson [region] have forced Russian forces to shift their focus to the south, enabling Ukrainian forces to launch localised but highly effective counter-attacks in the Izyum area,” it added.

Additional reporting by Felicia Schwartz in Washington

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiP2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZ0LmNvbS9jb250ZW50LzBiM2Y5ZTBhLTk3Y2QtNGVmYS1hM2Q0LTdiNTVmM2VmODBkONIBAA?oc=5

2022-09-08 13:16:31Z
1560875820

Brother who escaped to raise alarm as three siblings were killed in Ireland supports mother at vigil - Daily Mail

Hero brother, 14, who escaped to raise alarm as his three siblings were killed at their home in Ireland, supports his mother at vigil – as family vow a wonderful send-off 'for the three angels'

• Lisa Cash, 18, and twins Christy and Chelsea Cawley, 8, killed in Tallaght, Dublin
• Brother, 14, jumped out of a window to alert neighbours about the bloodbath
• He was injured in the fall but was able to support grief-stricken mother Margaret
• The funeral for the children will be held tomorrow, with thousands expected

By Jack Newman For Mailonline

Published: 10:53 BST, 8 September 2022 | Updated: 13:22 BST, 8 September 2022

The hero teenage brother who escaped the house of horrors in Ireland to raise the alarm about his three siblings being stabbed to death has supported his mother at an emotional vigil. 

The 14-year-old jumped out of the window at the home in Tallaght in the early hours of Sunday morning to alert neighbours about the bloodbath.

His older sister Lisa Cash, 18, and his younger twin siblings Christy and Chelsea Cawley, eight, were killed in the horrific attack, and their brother Andy Cash, 24, has been charged with killing them in a horrific frenzy.

The survivor required hospital treatment after injuring his leg while jumping out of the window but he was able to support the family at the ceremony for the victims at a local church where they lit candles and said the rosary on Tuesday evening.

Their mother Margaret 'Twink' Cash McDonagh, 40, was previously seen weeping as she held on to the photo and the family made a heartbreaking plea for everyone to remember the 'forever young' children.

Family friend Ned Collins told The Irish Sun of the teenage hero: 'He's numb with grief but is out of hospital and is doing his best to support Margaret.

'Margaret cannot speak, the grief is too much. She has barely been able to speak in three days. It is awful, just awful.'

The children's uncle Martin McDonagh said the family wants to give the trio a fitting goodbye at their funeral tomorrow.

He told The Irish Mirror: 'The funeral is going to be very big, thousands at it. Yeah, they'll get the send off they deserve.

'For the three angels. They are angels and they go straight to heaven.'

He added that Margaret has not been able to eat or sleep and she 'doesn't know if she is dreaming', such is the shock at losing three of her beloved children.

The children's eldest sister Margaret flew home on a 23-hour flight from Australia after hearing about the tragedy. 

Father Bill O'Shaughnessy told the mourners at a previous vigil: 'Tonight is just about a simple and gentle bit of prayer to remember three beautiful young people, Chelsea, Christy and Lisa, and to pray for each other in heavy and dark times that have hit this community and really just to be there for each other.'

The siblings will be laid to rest together at a joint funeral on Friday at St Aidan's Church in Brookfield. 

An online notice read: 'Tragically, at home; beloved and cherished son and daughters of Margaret and the late Andy Cash and Billy Cawley and much loved brother and sisters of Margaret and Mikey.

'Lisa, Chelsea and Christy will be forever loved and very sadly missed by their heartbroken family, grandparents Martin McDonagh, Martin and Mag, aunts, uncles, cousins, brother-in-law Michael, nephew Baby David, extended family and all their many friends.'

Nan Cawley, a relative of the children, wrote a moving poem dedicated to 'Tallaght's Angels'.

One line reads: 'Three young lives cut short, With so much left to give, Let's not think of how they died, Just how they lived.'  

Appearing in court Monday evening, Cash replied 'no comment' when charged with the murders of his three siblings. 

Judge McNamara denied a request from his solicitor that he should be kept in solitary confinement.

At about 9.20pm on Monday, Cash appeared before a special sitting of Dublin District Court, charged with three courts of murder.

Cash of Tallaght, south Dublin, stood when requested by Judge McNamara so she could formally identify him at the special sitting.

McNamara remanded Nash in custody. He will appear before Cloverhill district court at 10am on Friday via video link.

Cash allegedly stabbed Lisa when she tried to protect the twins, while their 14-year-old brother managed to escape through a window and call for help, the Irish Sun reported.

Lisa's body was found at the bottom of the stairs with apparent stab wounds.

It is believed that older sister Lisa was babysitting at the time they lost their lives.

Now, three local schools are united in grief, and are together trying to find a way to explain the deaths of three young people to classmates and friends and minds too young to grasp what happened in that home.

Balloons were released into the air in their memory, while schoolchildren and friends broke down in tears as their parents struggled to find the words to comfort them.

The victims' 14-year-old brother was taken to hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries, and their mother, a woman in her 40s, was released from hospital on Sunday and is being supported by her family.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has expressed his 'deepest sympathies' to their family, and said that the 'terrible tragedy' had 'left the nation shocked and very saddened', while Garda Commissioner Drew Harris described the deaths as 'dreadful and traumatic'.  

Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris said: 'What we're all reading in the newspapers and hearing on television and on radio programmes is just beyond a horrifically tragic and devastating scenario.'

'Three young beautiful lives to be extinguished overnight... We think particularly of that community, but I think it's something that has shocked the entire country.

'Our hearts and thoughts and our prayers go to the family, to their poor mum and the 14-year-old boy, to all their neighbours, all their friends, to the schoolchildren going back to school today, where there'll be two empty desks where beautiful twins only returned to school in recent days.

'I think the whole nation holds all of them in our thoughts.'

Neighbours said they will never forget what they saw and heard in the early hours of Sunday.

One neighbour, who did not want to give his name, said he was watching TV when he was alerted to scenes outside.

'I went outside and could see gardaí with their weapons out. We couldn't make sense of what was happening. It was very traumatic to see it all happen.

'They were a lovely, beautiful family. Our granddaughter sometimes played with the kids out on the street.

'None of us slept that night. People will not get over this. The community is rocked badly, mentally and physically. The guards did really well that night. They should be given medals. And the paramedics fought and fought so hard to save them. Lisa was a beautiful young girl and she tried her best to save those kids.'

Outside the house are pictures of the three, showing Christy and Chelsea making their first Holy Communion, among the long row of floral tributes.  

Another neighbour earlier told the Irish Daily Mail her daughter had only been playing with Christy and Chelsea two days previously.

'It was the first day that I let her out to play around the corner – just down the road from their house.'

Her young daughter continued the story: 'We played hide and seek down there. We had a good time. I can't believe it – that they are not here now.'

Another neighbour, who also asked not to be named, told the Mail: 'Their brother who was in the house went to get help. He is their hero. There are no words to describe what we saw and what happened.

'The whole community will need counselling now.'

Another neighbour, who also asked not to be named, told the Irish Daily Mail said: 'There are no words to describe what we saw and what happened. The whole community will need counselling now.' 

The principal of St Aidan's school, Kevin Shortall, paid tribute to Lisa, saying she was 'a quiet, beautiful young girl, very diligent, hard-working, got on with her work, was a great support to her friends in times of trouble.

'She is remembered as one of the most honest, genuine young people, full of integrity and no fuss, no drama around her.

'I believe she was babysitting at the time, and that would have been something that she was just so good at.

'She was the kind of person you could trust. That's the person Lisa was.

'We are all just meeting each other and shaking our heads and giving each other hugs and things like that. It's a very difficult morning.'

Mr Shortall said he had liaised with the principal of the primary school that Christy and Chelsea had attended on how to respond to the 'unprecedented' tragedy.

On Sunday, the Brookfield Community Centre opened to allow people to gather and help them deal with the tragic news.

'It doesn't feel like real life,' said Fianna Fáil councillor Teresa Costello.

'We've lost three young, vibrant, beautiful lives out of our community, in the most unimaginable terms, and it's going to be a really difficult road ahead.

'People are numb. I think it's not sinking in, but it's there and it's so raw for people and it's something you never imagine is going to be on your doorstep.

'The scale of what's emerging in terms of the detail, you never imagine that's something to happen, particularly to children, and the wider community here are well aware of what happened because they saw it.

'They saw it from their own houses, from their gardens, from the road.

'It's important to remember the names Lisa, Chelsea and Christy. They're the three most important people right now.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMihgFodHRwczovL3d3dy5kYWlseW1haWwuY28udWsvbmV3cy9hcnRpY2xlLTExMTkyODUzL0Jyb3RoZXItZXNjYXBlZC1yYWlzZS1hbGFybS10aHJlZS1zaWJsaW5ncy1raWxsZWQtSXJlbGFuZC1zdXBwb3J0cy1tb3RoZXItdmlnaWwuaHRtbNIBAA?oc=5

2022-09-08 09:53:29Z
1557284819

Zaporizhzhia: Ukraine suggests UN peacekeepers for nuclear plant - BBC

IAEA HANDOUT

Ukraine's nuclear chief has suggested that United Nations peacekeepers could secure the Zaporizhzhia power station.

The plant has been occupied by Russia since the early days of the war and come under repeated attack, with both sides blaming each other.

UN inspectors observed damage at the power station during a visit last week.

The inspectors recommended that a security zone be set up immediately to shield the facility, which is Europe's largest, from the fighting.

Vladimir Putin has said he trusted the report from the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but criticised the agency for not saying Ukraine was to blame for shelling the area.

The Russian leader described the IAEA as "a very responsible international organisation" which was under pressure. "Our servicemen are there - are we shooting at our own?" he asked, in response to claims that Russia could be responsible for shelling at the plant.

Shelling continued while the 14-strong IAEA team visited the site and its head, Rafael Grossi, warned of a very real risk of nuclear disaster. Although most of the team left the plant after two days, it said two of its officials would remain there on a permanent basis.

• How risky is stand-off over nuclear plant?

In an emergency session of the Security Council, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres set out steps for the creation of a demilitarised zone around the plant.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed calls by the IAEA for a safety protection zone at Zaporizhzhia.

Petro Kotyn, who runs Ukraine's nuclear agency Energoatom, suggested a UN peacekeeping contingent could set up a security zone at Zaporizhzhia and Russian troops withdraw.

In its report, the nuclear agency highlighted the "extremely stressful conditions" facing the 907 Ukrainian staff working there under Russian military control.

However, the IAEA was careful not to apportion blame to either side.

The IAEA's report says that there were Russian military vehicles stationed in two turbine halls and under the overpass connecting the reactor units and includes a photo showing Russian-flagged military trucks with the Z insignia parked inside a large building.

On Wednesday Mr Putin denied that there was any Russian military equipment on-site at Zaporizhzhia.

Separately, the head of Ukraine's nuclear security agency told a news conference that the site is currently disconnected from the electricity grid following shelling and that Ukraine was considering shutting it down for safety reasons.

While the nuclear plant is currently able to generate the electricity it needs to run its own cooling systems, should that cease to be the case it would be reliant on back-up diesel-powered generators.

The generators require four tanks of diesel a day, Oleh Korikov said, and it would be very difficult to replenish stocks across the front line.

Tuesday's report from the IAEA detailed the damage to the plant and said that while continued shelling had not yet triggered a nuclear emergency, it did present a constant threat to safety that "may lead to radiological consequences with great safety significance".

There was an urgent need for "interim measures" to prevent a nuclear accident caused by military action, it added, saying all relevant parties would have to agree to a "nuclear safety and security protection zone" being set up to avoid further damage.

The plant lies on the southern bank of the River Dnieper, across the water from Ukrainian-held towns and military positions.

Meanwhile, the UK's Ministry of Defence says fighting has continued in Ukraine on three fronts over the past 24 hours: in the east, in Donbas; in the north around Kharkiv, and in the south around Kherson.

The redeployment of Russian forces to southern Ukraine around Kherson has enabled Ukrainian forces to make progress in the Kharkiv region. according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War. The institute suggests Ukrainian forces may have taken a town near Balaklia as Russian troops retreated, blowing up bridges.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiMGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLWV1cm9wZS02MjgyMDI4N9IBNGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLWV1cm9wZS02MjgyMDI4Ny5hbXA?oc=5

2022-09-07 15:00:18Z
1560240690

Teacher Enoch Burke to remain in jail for breaching injunction - BBC

RTÉ

A secondary school teacher who was jailed after he ignored a court order will remain in prison for at least another week, after refusing to give an undertaking that he would obey the injunction.

The order prevents Enoch Burke from attending or attempting to teach at the school where he works.

But the court heard that after it was put in place, Mr Burke continued to go to the school.

A further injunction has been granted.

Mr Burke faced legal proceedings after a disciplinary process was launched against him by Wilson's Hospital school in County Westmeath.

It came after he confronted his then-principal in public at a school event in June - Mr Burke objected to addressing a student who is transitioning gender with a new name and using the "they" pronoun.

Mr Burke was suspended with pay pending the outcome of the process, but the court was told he turned up at the school for his timetabled hours.

'Case not about transgenderism'

The initial injunction was then put in place by the High Court, but after it was breached by Mr Burke he was jailed at Mountjoy Prison in Dublin.

On Tuesday afternoon, the city's High Court granted a further injunction, preventing Mr Burke from attending or attempting to teach pending the outcome of a disciplinary process.

Lawyers for the school said Mr Burke was attempting to say the case was about his refusal to call a boy a girl.

But barrister Rosemary Mallon said the case was not about transgenderism, but about a teacher ignoring a lawful decision by his school's board of management to suspend him on pay pending the outcome of a disciplinary process.

Ms Mallon said the principal had serious concerns about how Mr Burke may act in the school, as well as concerns for the student involved and the entire student body.

She said the case was not about his beliefs but about his alleged conduct.

Ms Mallon said Mr Burke was asking the court to interfere with the school's disciplinary process, something the courts should be slow to do.

'Worthy of commendation'

Mr Burke told the court he had spent the last two nights in Mountjoy Prison which was a new experience for him.  

He said he had had much time to consider his actions and behaviour leading him to that place.  

Mr Burke added he did not find instances of misconduct, but only actions "worthy of commendation".

He said he would never leave Mountjoy Prison if in doing so, he must violate his conscience and his religious beliefs, and deny his God.

Ms Mallon said it was quite clear Mr Burke had no intention of complying with the order and much of what he said were more appropriate issues to be dealt with at his disciplinary meeting or a full trial of the case.  

She said he had not legally challenged the suspension or the court orders despite having had the opportunity to do so.

Mr Justice Max Barratt said he accepted the case was not about the issue of transgenderism and was simply an application for a further injunction which he granted.

The case has been scheduled to come back before the court in a week's time although Mr Burke was told he could come back to court at any time if he wished to purge his contempt.  

The costs of the legal proceedings were awarded against him.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiMGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLWV1cm9wZS02MjgxODI0NdIBNGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLWV1cm9wZS02MjgxODI0NS5hbXA?oc=5

2022-09-07 14:10:53Z
CBMiMGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLWV1cm9wZS02MjgxODI0NdIBNGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLWV1cm9wZS02MjgxODI0NS5hbXA

Canada stabbings: Town 'shattered' amid stabbings manhunt - BBC

This video can not be played

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

Three days after a deadly stabbing spree in Saskatchewan, the surviving suspect's whereabouts remain unknown.

The announcement of a possible sighting of Myles Sanderson in the James Smith Cree Nation area on Tuesday turned out to have been a false alarm.

He has been the target of a major police manhunt since Sunday after the attack that left 10 people dead and 18 injured, not including the suspects.

The attack has rocked the otherwise peaceful Canadian region.

Police have warned people to "take appropriate precautions" in an alert sent to mobile phones in the area.

Tuesday's false alarm will probably do little to calm the tension felt in the indigenous community of James Smith Cree Nation, where most of the victims were found, and the nearby town of Weldon, which is mourning the loss of long-time resident Wes Petterson, 77, who is reported to have been murdered in front of his house.

In Weldon, a small town of some 200 residents with gravel streets, a neat grid of single-storey homes, two churches, a post office and corner shop, most doors remain shut, though there are plenty of media present.

Residents are "right now, pushing up against the glass, looking out their windows", said Ruby Works, one of the few Weldon residents willing to speak to visiting media.

"Everyone is shattered."

The nearby James Smith Cree Nation has also issued a plea for privacy and time to mourn, and some media have been asked to leave.

Sunday's attack has prompted messages of condolence from around the world - including from Britain's Queen Elizabeth, who is also Canada's head of state. She said she was mourning alongside all of Canada.

"My thoughts and prayers are with those recovering from injuries, and grieving such horrific losses," the monarch said in a statement on Wednesday.

• 'She died helping people and we have to pick up that torch'

Saskatchewan police initially said on Sunday they were looking for two suspects - brothers Damien and Myles Sanderson, aged 31and 32 respectively - who they believed might have travelled 300km (185 miles) south to Regina following the attacks.

On Monday, police revealed they had found Damien Sanderson's body that morning during the course of their investigation in a grassy area near a house on James Smith Cree Nation.

Police say his body had "visible injuries not believed to be self-inflicted at this point". But police did not say whether Myles Sanderson was believed to be responsible for his brother's death.

They also said they had charged both men on multiple counts, including Myles Sanderson with three counts of first-degree murder, despite him not being in custody.

Police are confirming few details amid a complex investigation.

Beyond the search for Myles Sanderson, many questions remain in the case, including what drew the violence to Mr Petterson's doorstep.

"You can't find anything bad about him," said lifelong Weldon resident Doreen Lees, who was still using the present tense while speaking of her late friend whom she had known for three decades.

Mr Petterson was a gentle man, known around town for his homemade Saskatoon berry jam, and for the flower he liked to wear in his hat.

He would often drive Mrs Lees, 89, to the nearby community church where they both were members.

This past Sunday morning, a few hours before church services would usually begin, Doreen and her daughter Leona were on their front porch, taking in the view of the neighbouring fields while Leona had coffee.

A man approached, holding a jacket over his mouth, and asked for a ride.

"He said, 'Can you help me? I've cut my face,'" Leona said. Believing he was injured she called for help, but the man fled.

Doreen and Leona are not sure whether it was one of the suspects, or someone else possibly involved, but police were quick to arrive that day and have since taken their statements.

For the first time ever, they have taken to locking their doors - but Leona has not stopped taking coffee on the porch in the morning.

"I did today, I will tomorrow," she said.

As the communities grapple with the grief, there have been appeals from police and indigenous organisations for people to come forward with any information.

"The uncertainty continues to cause immeasurable stress and panic among our families, friends, and neighbours," said Chief Bobby Cameron of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, which represents all 74 First Nations of Saskatchewan, in a statement on Monday.

"They have already gone through enough. We must do everything we can to help end this tragedy without any more loss of life."

Earlier this week, Chief Cameron alluded to issues of substance abuse, saying in a statement that "this is the destruction we face when harmful illegal drugs invade our communities".

Myles Sanderson's parole documents from earlier this year, first reported by the Canadian Press and obtained by the BBC, suggest a history of substance abuse. Evidence of violent behaviour, past convictions including assault charges and childhood trauma are also indicated in his file.

"These murders weren't just caused by individuals making decisions," said Niigaan Sinclair, head of indigenous studies at the University of Manitoba. "And that's not a defence in any way."

The crimes were "heinous, they were horrible", said Prof Sinclair, who is Anishinaabe. "But these brothers were born into trauma and are now sharing that trauma with those around them."

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiMWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy93b3JsZC11cy1jYW5hZGEtNjI4MTUyMDHSATVodHRwczovL3d3dy5iYmMuY29tL25ld3Mvd29ybGQtdXMtY2FuYWRhLTYyODE1MjAxLmFtcA?oc=5

2022-09-07 13:22:58Z
1557563242

EU plans cap on Russian gas in retaliation for Ukraine war - Sky News

The European Union appears set for a new showdown with Russia over gas supplies.

The bloc has revealed plans for a price cap on Russian gas imports in retaliation for the war in Ukraine and measures to help member states cope with the energy squeeze.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, laid out five proposals on Wednesday, hours after Russia's leader threatened to turn off the taps to any Western nations moving to impose price caps on his country's energy.

She said Russia had become an "unreliable supplier" after state-run Gazprom's decision to turn off the taps on the major Nord Stream 1 pipeline indefinitely last week, adding that the EU's reliance on Russian gas had fallen significantly since the invasion and stocks were back at 82% across the bloc.

One of the other measures however betrayed the perilous position the bloc continues to face ahead of winter.

Ms Von der Leyen proposed a mandatory cut in electricity use across the EU to preserve power by 10% a month based on a five-year average and by a further 5% during times of peak price periods.

She also planned a cap on the revenue of non-gas fuelled generators - bolstered by record raw energy costs - to re-channel their "unexpected profits" into measures that support households and companies.

More from Business

Image: Ursula von der Leyen said consumers across the EU were facing 'astronomic' bills

A windfall tax on fossil fuel firms was also on the cards, she said, along with aid for utility providers struggling under the weight of wholesale prices.

The plans, which will have to be agreed by member states, may face opposition.

Advertisement

Some EU countries are wary of capping Russian gas prices in case that costs them the dwindling supply they still receive from Moscow.

It follows confirmation that the UK is planning to bring down its own energy bills through a taxpayer-funded bailout. The details are expected this week.

Ms Von der Leyen explained that the planned cap on wholesale prices from Russia was now possible after the bloc had eased its reliance on Russian energy.

"We have increased our preparedness and weakened Russia's grip on our energy supply through demand reduction - which allowed our common storages to be at 82%," she said.

"Through diversification we have increased deliveries of LNG or pipeline gas from the US, Norway, Algeria, Azerbaijan, and others. For example Norway is now delivering more gas to the EU than Russia."

The UK has also been pumping record volumes to the EU via interconnectors for months as part of EU efforts to bolster storage.

Ms Von der Leyen said Russian gas accounted for 9% of imports, down from 40% in February before the invasion of Ukraine.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMie2h0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2V1LXBsYW5zLWNhcC1vbi1ydXNzaWFuLWdhcy1hbmQtbWVhc3VyZXMtdG8taGVscC1tZW1iZXItc3RhdGVzLWNvcGUtd2l0aC1lbmVyZ3ktc3F1ZWV6ZS0xMjY5MTk4MdIBAA?oc=5

2022-09-07 11:28:52Z
CBMie2h0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2V1LXBsYW5zLWNhcC1vbi1ydXNzaWFuLWdhcy1hbmQtbWVhc3VyZXMtdG8taGVscC1tZW1iZXItc3RhdGVzLWNvcGUtd2l0aC1lbmVyZ3ktc3F1ZWV6ZS0xMjY5MTk4MdIBAA

Canada stabbings: Town 'shattered' amid stabbings manhunt - BBC

This video can not be played

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

Two days after a deadly stabbing spree in Saskatchewan, the surviving suspect's whereabouts remain unknown.

Police said Myles Sanderson may have been seen on the James Smith Cree Nation, before reversing themselves hours later in a province-wide alert.

He has been the target of a major police manhunt since Sunday after an attack that left 10 people dead and 18 injured, not including the suspects.

The attack has rocked the otherwise peaceful Canadian region.

Police have warned people to "take appropriate precautions" in an alert sent to mobile phones in the area.

Tuesday's false alarm will probably do little to calm the tension felt in the indigenous community of James Smith Cree Nation, where most of the victims were found, and the nearby town of Weldon, which is mourning the loss of 77-year-old longtime resident Wes Petterson.

In Weldon, a small town of some 200 residents with gravel streets, a neat grid of single-storey homes, two churches, a post office and corner store, most doors remain shut, though there is plenty of media present.

Residents are "right now, pushing up against the glass, looking out their windows", said Ruby Works, one of the few Weldon residents willing to speak to visiting media.

"Everyone is shattered."

AFP via Getty Images

The nearby James Smith Cree Nation has also issued a plea for privacy and time to mourn, and some media have been asked to leave.

• 'She died helping people and we have to pick up that torch'

Saskatchewan police initially said on Sunday they were looking for two suspects - brothers Damien, 31, and Myles Sanderson, 32 - who they believed may have travelled 300km (185 miles) south to Regina following the attacks.

On Monday, police then revealed they had found Damien Sanderson's body that morning during the course of their investigation in a grassy area near a house on James Smith Cree Nation. The discovery brought the total death toll to 11.

Police say his body had "visible injuries not believed to be self-inflicted at this point". But police did not say whether Myles Sanderson was believed to be responsible for his brother's death.

They also said they had charged both men on multiple counts, including Myles Sanderson with three counts of first-degree murder, despite him not being in custody.

Police are confirming few details amid a complex investigation.

Beyond the search for Myles Sanderson, many questions remain in the case, including what drew the violence to Mr Petterson's doorstep.

"He's an [church] usher, just a little guy - 77 years old, not dangerous at all," said Jerry Rush, who is in town staying with his wife's family.

He often gave Mr Rush's elderly mother-in-law, Doreen Lees, rides to the church where they were both members, he said.

Flowers have since been laid on the lawn of his home's corner property on the edge of town.

But on Sunday morning, a few hours before church services would usually begin, Leona, Mr Rush's sister-in-law, and Doreen were on the front porch, taking in the view of the neighbouring fields while drinking coffee.

Mr Rush said they were approached by a man who said he was injured and asked to be taken to hospital. They now believe he was Damien Sanderson. The man later fled.

"They're sure it's Damien because of the size and Doreen could recognise his eyes" from police photographs, Mr Rush said. "They're scared."

The two have since asked Mr Rush and his wife to come and stay as the manhunt continues.

As the communities grapple with the grief, there have been appeals from police and indigenous organisations for people to come forward with any information.

"The uncertainty continues to cause immeasurable stress and panic among our families, friends, and neighbours," said Chief Bobby Cameron of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, which represents all 74 First Nations of Saskatchewan, in a statement on Monday.

"They have already gone through enough. We must do everything we can to help end this tragedy without any more loss of life."

Earlier this week, Chief Cameron alluded to issues of substance abuse, saying in a statement that "this is the destruction we face when harmful illegal drugs invade our communities".

Myles Sanderson's parole documents from earlier this year, first reported by the Canadian Press and obtained by the BBC, suggest a history of substance abuse. Evidence of violent behaviour, past convictions including assault charges, and childhood trauma are also indicated in his file.

"These murders weren't just caused by individuals making decisions," said Niigaan Sinclair, head of indigenous studies at the University of Manitoba. "And that's not a defence in any way."

The crimes were "heinous, they were horrible", said Professor Sinclair, who is Anishinaabe. "But these brothers were born into trauma and are now sharing that trauma with those around them."

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiM2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLXVzLWNhbmFkYS02MjgxNTIwMdIBN2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3dvcmxkLXVzLWNhbmFkYS02MjgxNTIwMS5hbXA?oc=5

2022-09-07 00:05:33Z
1557563242