Russian forces appear to have taken control of the flashpoint city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine after an 8-month-long battle. On Sunday, Ukrainian president Zelensky appeared to acknowledge the loss of the city in an interview. However, a spokesperson later denied the fall of Bakhmut during the interview. Bakhmut’s strategic position is directly on the route of the E40 highway connecting Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, with the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don – if Russian forces move beyond the city, they could move closer to their goal of capturing the entire Donetsk region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has thanked South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol for non-lethal military assistance to aid Ukraine in its war with Russia. The two leaders met on the sidelines of a summit of Group of Seven leaders in Hiroshima, Japan, marking the first time they have met. They discussed the situation at the front and how Ukraine is repelling Russia's invasion. Last week, the Ukrainian first lady visited South Korea to attend a media conference and asked for non-lethal military assistance for her country, leading to an agreement for $130m in financial aid.
German police have opened an investigation into the possible poisoning of two Russian exiles who attended a Berlin conference organised by Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Two women reported symptoms suggesting potential poisoning. The investigation is being handled by the state security unit. Russian investigative media outlet Agentstvo reported that a Russian journalist, who had recently left Russia, experienced unspecified symptoms during the event and went to the Charite University Hospital in Berlin; a second participant, Natalia Arno, director of the NGO Free Russia Foundation in the United States, experienced symptoms after the meeting in Prague.
Turks overseas have begun voting in a run-off election between Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Kemal Kilicdaroglu. Polling suggests that Kilicdaroglu has gained the support of those living in the UK, Southern and Eastern European states, including the Balkans, Finland and Sweden. Turkey has 3.4 million voters overseas, accounting for about 5% of the total electorate, and the votes of more than five million Turkish people resident in Europe may also influence the election. The second round of voting will take place domestically on 28 May.
Russia and Ukraine have given conflicting reports on the status of the city of Bakhmut. While Ukraine says its forces still partially control the besieged city, Russia has claimed that the Wagner mercenary force and its own troops have "liberated" it. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has claimed that Russia suffered over 100,000 casualties in Bakhmut, although the reports remain unverified. Russian-installed officials in Ukraine have also claimed that the city of Berdyansk was hit with British-supplied Storm Shadow cruise missiles. The leaders of the G7, which met in Japan, have stated that they remain committed to supporting Ukraine.
The renminbi has fallen 2% against the dollar in the past month, dropping to RMB7 per dollar, its weakest point since early December. This fall was prompted by warnings from the US Federal Reserve that it may increase domestic interest rates further, and doubts about China's post-Covid economic rebound, fuelled by soft data for April, indicating slow consumer spending and youth unemployment. Analysts expect the onshore renminbi to fall to RMB7.3 per dollar in Q4 and remain at this level for Q1 of 2024. The bank's preferred level is RMB6.5 per dollar to buffer against the adversities caused by fickle global forces.
French football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) topped the Ligue 1 in 2022 after Lille's victory last season. The club is home to Lionel Messi and Neymar, among others. Saint-Etienne has won the title a record 10 times, but not since 1981. Marseille won it nine times and Monaco, eight times. Nantes boasts the most consecutive matches without defeat (32) and the least number of defeats in a single season (1) in 1994-95.
China's Cyberspace Administration has said that memory chips made by US firm Micron Technology have failed the country's network security review. It added that it would bar providers of key infrastructure from using Micron products due to "serious network security risks" unless their risks are addressed. Details of the risks have not been specified, though Micron said it had received notification and looked forward to "continuing to engage in discussions with Chinese authorities".
Plane crash in Croatia kills three Dutch nationals, ministry says
Reuters
23-05-21 16:08
A light aircraft carrying three Dutch nationals has crashed in a mountainous region of north-west Croatia. The aircraft was reportedly Dutch-registered, and disappeared from radar during a flight from Maribor in Slovenia to Pula on Croatia’s Adriatic Coast. The cause of the crash is unknown and an investigation has been launched.
The head of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) has called for governments to consider vaccinating poultry against bird flu to prevent the virus from turning into a new pandemic. Only 25% of member states surveyed by WOAH would accept products from poultry vaccinated against HPAI, despite the European Union, which comprises 27 countries, agreeing an avian flu vaccination programme last year. France is set to become the first EU country to begin a bird flu vaccination programme, starting with ducks.
Contradicting reports have emerged on Sunday regarding the battle for the city of Bakhmut in Ukraine's east. The country's deputy defence minister, Hanna Maliar, said Ukrainian forces still occupied a small part of the city, with two flanks partially encircling it. However, Russian president Vladimir Putin claimed on Saturday that Bakhmut had fallen, and that troops and private security contractors had "liberated" it. Reuters could not verify reports from either side. The city has experienced the longest and bloodiest battle of Ukraine's 15-month war, according to Putin.
Police in Germany are investigating a possible poisoning case involving two Russians living in exile. The incident happened when the pair attended a meeting organised by Kremlin critic and exiled oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky in Berlin on April 29 and 30. One of the individuals was a journalist experiencing unspecified symptoms treated at Charite Hospital in east Berlin. The other, Natalia Arno, the director of Free Russia Foundation in the US, suffered sharp pain and strange symptoms after returning to her hotel in Prague. Several Russian opposition politicians and businessmen have died in unexplained circumstances in recent years.
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior was allegedly subjected to racist abuse from the stands and then sent off following a scuffle during a 1-0 defeat to Valencia on Sunday. The game was halted for ten minutes in the second half as Vinicius pointed out fans to the referee who he said had racially abused him. Vinicius carried on playing but was sent off a few minutes later after he became involved in a brawl with Valencia players. Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti, said: "For me Vinicius is the most important player in the world. LaLiga has a problem, these episodes of racism have to stop the match".
The match once again highlighted the issue of racism in Spain’s top flight. In recent weeks there have been reports of racist chanting aimed at Athletic Bilbao players Inaki Williams and Ibai Gomez and Espanyol’s Wu Lei. The Valencia captain, Dani Parejo, said of Vinicius’s sending off: “Vinicious is a great player. I’m against any kind of racism. I think we have to punish these people in every possible way.” Valencia coach, Salvador Gonzalez “Voro”, who had seen his side win for the first time in 12 games to move clear of the relegation zone, said that he hoped measures could be taken to rid the sport of racism.
Real Madrid exited the Champions League following a 4-0 thrashing at Manchester City on Wednesday in their semi-final, second leg. They are currently third on 71 points, 14 behind champions Barcelona, who secured the title last week with four games to spare. Valencia, however, are still fighting to avoid the drop. With three games to go, they are 13th in LaLiga on 40 points, five clear of the relegation spots.
Russia's Daniil Medvedev has won his first clay-court title, defeating Denmark's Holger Rune to clinch the Italian Open. Medvedev, who was out of the top 10 earlier this year, is now set to become the world's second-ranked player behind Carlos Alcaraz, and a serious contender for the French Open later in May. Medvedev, who had not previously won a match in Rome, revealed that he had not expected to triumph on clay, but had felt positive about his Madrid and Monte Carlo matches. "I’m really happy that I managed to do it and prove to myself and everybody that I’m capable", he said.
For his part, Rune said he is targeting his maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open, after reaching three finals during the clay season. Rune won his first ATP Tour title at the Sardegna Open in April.
Estonia and Latvia are in negotiations to purchase German-manufactured the medium-range IRIS-T SLM defence system from Diehl Defence. If successful, it will become the biggest defence cooperation project between Tallin and Riga, costing hundreds of millions of euros. The two countries hope to finalise the contract and make an announcement this summer. Neither country possesses an air force meaning they rely on NATO to patrol their airspace.
The article provides live coverage of the Ligue 1 match between Auxerre and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). PSG is the current leader of Ligue 1, with some of the world's best players such as Lionel Messi and Neymar. Saint-Etienne holds the record for the most league titles with 10, but last won in 1981, while Marseille has won it nine times and Monaco eight. Nantes holds the record for the most consecutive matches without defeat and the least number of defeats in a single season. The article invites readers to follow the live blog for updates on the game.
Phuket is expected to welcome one million Russians in 2017, making Russians the largest group of foreign visitors, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand. While the Thai island depends on tourism for 90% of its economy, the rise of Russian visitors has led to complaints of "bad behavior", including drunkenness, violence and traffic accidents, according to hospital nurses and provincial police reports in local media. Russians have frequently been arrested in Phuket for crimes including theft, recklessness causing death and drug smuggling, and some local residents complain they are being squeezed out of jobs while local schools are filled to capacity with Russian children. Wealthier Russians are reportedly acquiring elite visas enabling them to stay for between five and 20 years for $25,000 or more and almost all condo sales are to Russians, according to reports, and many are purchasing hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops and tourism-related businesses.
Japan's core machinery orders fell for a second straight month in March, indicating caution among firms about capital spending due to concerns about the global economic slowdown. The weak reading in machinery orders may raise doubts about the pace of the Japanese economic recovery, despite the country emerging from recession in Q1 due to a post-COVID consumption rebound. Core orders, which are seen as a barometer of capital expenditure in the coming six to nine months, fell 3.9% in March from the previous month.
Meta Platform Inc's Instagram experienced a technical issue that disrupted services for thousands of users, with more than 180,000 users reporting the issue's peak. While Meta stated the problem had been resolved and most users could reconnect to the app without trouble, the company did not disclose the number of users affected by this outage. Outage tracking site Downdetector showed more than 100,000 incidents in the US, 24,000 in Canada, and over 56,000 in the UK.
Potentia walks away from offer for Australia's Tyro Payments
Reuters
23-05-22 00:42
Shares in Australian payments company Tyro Payments fell by nearly 20% today after it announced that a buyout proposal had been withdrawn. Private equity firm Potentia Capital had offered A$1.60 per share, valuing the firm at A$875m ($594m), after first offering a price of A$1.27. Despite granting the company due diligence in January, Tyro said both offers undervalued it. Potentia said it had engaged with Tyro over commercial terms.
