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Nebraska Gov. Pillen reverses rejection of federal child food funding after meeting with students

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen reversed course on Monday and announced that the state will accept roughly $18 million in federal funding to help feed hungry children over the summer break. Pillen announced in December that the state would reject the funding, defending his position by stating, “I don’t believe in welfare.” But he came under intense pressure, including from some members of his party, to accept the money. At a news conference Monday, Pillen said he decided to accept money allocated through the U.S. Department of Agriculture after meeting with a group of high school students from around Nebraska who visited the state Capitol this month. NEBRASKA GOV. PILLEN’S REJECTION OF FEDERAL CHILD FOOD FUNDING SPARKS LEGISLATIVE ACTION “They talked about being hungry, and they talked about the summer USDA program and, depending upon access, when they’d get a sack of food,” Pillen said. “And from my seat, what I saw there, we have to do better in Nebraska.” The Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children — or Summer EBT — program was widely employed as part of federal assistance made available during the COVID-19 pandemic, and then made permanent in 2022. It provides pre-loaded EBT cards to low-income families, those whose children are eligible for free and reduced-price lunches at school, and those who are already on food assistance, Medicaid and other assistance programs. Those families would receive $40 per eligible child for each of three summer months. The cards can be used to buy groceries, similar to how SNAP benefits are used. US FEDERAL PROGRAM TO PROVIDE FOOD BENEFITS FOR NEARLY 21 MILLION CHILDREN THIS SUMMER Pressure from lawmakers, particular those from rural areas, also played a part in Pillen’s about-face. The governor previously argued that Nebraska would continue to help food-insecure children through the Summer Food Service Program, a separate program that provides meals and snacks at various sites when school is not in session. But critics countered that not all families have access to the on-site programs, particularly in Nebraska’s vast rural stretches, where the sites can be far from struggling families. A bill from state Sen. Jen Day of Omaha, a Democrat in the officially nonpartisan Legislature, would have forced the state to accept the federal funding. The bipartisan support for the program became clear when Republican state Sen. Ray Aguilar, of Grand Island, made Day’s bill his priority for the session, giving it a good chance to be debated by the full Legislature. Aguilar was among two dozen Republican lawmakers who appeared with Pillen at Monday’s news conference. Nebraska was one of 15 states — all with Republican governors — that opted out of receiving the funding this year. Those states include neighboring Iowa, where Gov. Kim Reynolds criticized the federal food program as doing “nothing to promote nutrition at a time when childhood obesity has become an epidemic.” Reynolds’ office declined to answer questions Monday about whether she is holding to her rejection of the funding. FOOD BANKS STRUGGLE AS MORE PEOPLE FACE FOOD INSECURITY State Sen. Megan Hunt, of Omaha, thanked Pillen for deciding to accept the funding. “This goes to show that all voices make a positive difference, and that hard work and building support across the state and across the political spectrum on common ground issues to help Nebraskans and bring our tax dollars home is a win for everyone,” Hunt tweeted. The deadline for states to declare that they are participating this summer had been Jan. 1, but the USDA extended it to Thursday. Pillen said Monday that Nebraska officials had already reached out to the USDA to confirm that the state would participate this year. The USDA did not immediately answer questions about whether any of the other 14 holdout states had indicated by Monday if they would participate this year, but said the agency is committed to working with those that are “operationally ready to participate successfully in 2024.”

San Francisco mayor London Breed now faces a fourth major challenger to her reelection

A former interim mayor of San Francisco announced Tuesday he’s running for his previous job, joining a competitive field of candidates who say the city has crumbled under the watch of Mayor London Breed, who is up for reelection this year. Mark Farrell served as interim mayor of San Francisco from January to July 2018, when Breed was elected to finish the term of Ed Lee, who died in office. The lawyer and former city supervisor said he had not planned to return to politics but feels he has the right skills to turn San Francisco around. “It is really painful to watch the city you love and you grew up in maligned across the globe,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. He has scheduled a press conference for later Tuesday morning. CROWD SETS AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE ABLAZE IN SAN FRANCISCO’S CHINATOWN Breed, the first Black woman to lead San Francisco, was reelected in 2019 to a full term that has lasted five years since voters changed the election calendar to line up with presidential contests. There is no traditional March primary. Instead, all the contenders will appear on the November ballot and voters will rank them by preference. San Francisco’s downtown has struggled to recover from the pandemic, and residents and businesses continue to complain about vandalism, store break-ins, tent encampments and open drug use. “Polls show she is going to have a very difficult reelection,” Eric Jaye, a veteran Democratic political consultant, said of Breed’s chances. “Her challenge is that voters in San Francisco are in a pretty sour mood … and they want to hold someone responsible.” Jaye is not working for any of the candidates this cycle but in previous mayoral races, his communications firm has represented moderate and progressive candidates in San Francisco and San Jose. San Francisco has a reputation of upholding progressive politics, but the four major candidates, including Farrell and Breed, are considered centrist Democrats in that they generally favor police and business interests. The other primary candidates are Supervisor Ahsha Safaí and Daniel Lurie, a philanthropist and heir to Levi Strauss. While she’s not on the March 5 ballot, Breed is pushing a pair of public safety proposals that are. Proposition E would give police the power to use drones and surveillance cameras, among other policy changes. The other item on the ballot, Proposition F, would require adults on welfare who are addicted to illegal drugs to receive treatment in exchange for cash assistance. Critics say the ballot measures are not in line with San Francisco voters who value privacy over surveillance and encouraging rather than mandating participating in drug treatment programs. Lurie is also raising money for Breed’s Prop. E — while arguing Breed should have done more earlier in her term. Safaí calls the proposition racist, as racial minorities are already overpoliced. Farrell, who also supports the measure, says if elected, he will be aggressive in beefing up police staffing, clearing all large tent encampments and providing incentives for businesses to bring downtown workers back to the office. Lurie leads in fundraising with nearly $4 million, including $1 million from his mother Miriam Haas to a political action committee backing his campaign. Haas is a business person whose late husband was the great-grandnephew of Levi Strauss. Meanwhile, political action committees supporting Breed have raised $1.3 million, including $200,000 from Michael Bloomberg, former New York City mayor. Safaí has raised just over $300,000.

GOP Rep Zinke alleges husband of primary opponent punched staff member

Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., on Monday alleged that the husband of his primary opponent assaulted one of his staff members during a campaign event over the weekend. In a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Zinke said Rick Todd, the husband of his opponent, Mary Todd, was seen destroying and removing campaign material from an event space at the Montana GOP kickoff in Helena.  Mary Todd’s campaign has denied Zinke’s allegations. Zinke said staff told Rick Todd to leave and he “grew aggressive,” forcibly pulling a sign from his staff’s hands while yelling at them and other witnesses.  Zinke alleged that Rick Todd then punched one of his staff members, while yelling at others who were trying to get him to walk away.  Zinke cited witnesses as saying Rick Todd “aggressively approached” his staff, “apologizing for his actions while being told again by event organizers to please leave my staff alone.”  ANDY KIM GAINS MOMENTUM OVER NJ FIRST LADY IN DEMOCRATIC SENATE CONVENTION TO REPLACE BOB MENENDEZ Per Zinke’s telling, Mary Todd then approached his staff and admitted her husband’s guilt, telling his staff and witnesses that is “wrong and shameful” for her husband to have assaulted one of Zinke’s staff members.  “This is not the first time Mr. Todd has acted aggressively on the campaign trail,” Zinke said. “During the 2022 campaign, he verbally accosted my wife and my female staff. This behavior is simply unacceptable.”  Zinke said he was not going to press charges, believing the episode “is better resolved with a personal apology.”   Todd’s campaign told Fox News Digital in a statement that Zinke’s allegations were “categorically false and defamatory.” “After the Congressional Primary of 2022, my husband Rick and I did donate two $1000 checks to Ryan Zinke’s campaign,” the campaign said. “We also hosted a fund raiser in our home, in his honor. What the Zinke campaign is calling ‘campaign material’ is one of our checks which they enlarged and publicly displayed at the GOP winter Kick-Off in Helena. My husband was understandably upset because our private information was on display. He did not punch anyone. Zinke, on the other hand, resorted to slanderous lies.” Fox News Digital reached out to Zinke’s campaign for further comment.

Joe Biden ‘enabled’ family to sell access to ‘dangerous adversaries,’ Tony Bobulinski testifies

EXCLUSIVE: Joe Biden “enabled” his son Hunter to sell access to the United States’ “most dangerous adversaries,” including the Chinese Communist Party, Russia and more, the first son’s ex-business associate Tony Bobulinski is expected to testify as part of the impeachment inquiry Tuesday. Bobulinski, who worked with Hunter Biden to create the joint-venture SinoHawk Holdings with Chinese energy company CEFC, and said he met with Joe Biden in 2017, is testifying behind closed doors at the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees Tuesday. Fox News Digital obtained a copy of Bobulinski’s prepared opening statement. HUNTER BIDEN’S EX-ASSOCIATE TONY BOBULINSKI HEADS TO CAPITOL HILL THIS WEEK TO TESTIFY IN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY Bobulinski will testify that from his “direct personal experience,” it is “clear” that Joe Biden was “‘the Brand’ being sold by the Biden family.’” “His family’s foreign influence peddling operation—from China to Ukraine and elsewhere—sold out to foreign actors who were seeking to gain influence and access to Joe Biden and the United States government,” Bobulinski will testify. “Joe Biden was more than a participant in and beneficiary of his family’s business; he was an enabler, despite being buffered by a complex scheme to maintain plausible deniability,” Bobulinski will say. “The only reason any of these international business transactions took place—with tens of millions of dollars flowing directly to the Biden family—was because Joe Biden was in high office.” Bobulinski will add: “The Biden family business was Joe Biden, period.” Bobulinski is also expected to raise “possible violations by Joe Biden of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, the Foreign Corrupt practices Act, and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).” Bobulinski is set to detail CEFC’s arrangement with the Biden family, stressing that it is a “surrogate” of the Chinese Communist Party. FLASHBACK: HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS ASSOCIATE’S TEXT MESSAGES INDICATE MEETING WITH JOE BIDEN “The Chinese Communist Party through its surrogate, China Energy Company Limited, or ‘CEFC’—a CCP-linked Chinese energy conglomerate—successfully sought to infiltrate and compromise Joe Biden and the Obama-Biden white House,” Bobulinski will say, noting the work began in 2015 and continued through when Joe Biden left office in January 2017 through March of 2018. Bobulinski will say CEFC’s “aggressive approach” to the Biden family began around the same time Joe Biden announced he would not run for president in 2016. Biden made that announcement in October 2015. Bobulinski is also expected to call Hunter Biden “the Biden family’s weakest link.” Bobulinski is expected to testify that Joe Biden “was aware of the CEFC transaction, enabled it and had a constitutional responsibility and obligation to the American people to shut it down before it began.” “This is because CEFC had been identified as a known surrogate of the Chinese Communist Party by the U.S. Government and prosecutors in the Southern District of New York as far back as 2016, possibly earlier,” Bobulinski will explain, noting that Biden “should have been aware that his own administration had red-flagged CEFC as a tool of the Chinese Communist Party.”  “This should have made any business transaction with CEFC a non-starter,” Bobulinski will say. BOBULINSKI OFFERED TO TESTIFY AT HUNTER BIDEN GRAND JURY BUT ‘NEVER HEARD BACK’: SOURCE Meanwhile, Bobulinski will testify that he “personally met with Joe Biden in Los Angeles in May of 2017 multiple times to discuss the broad contours of our business dealings.” Fox News Digital first reported on those meetings between Bobulinski and Biden in October 2020. “The only reason Joe Biden met with me privately during the Milken Institute Global Conference and seated me at his head table was because I was a business associate of the Biden family,” Bobulinski will say. Bobulinski will also explain that the Biden family members “were enriched to the tune of tens of millions of dollars from some of our most dangerous adversaries, including the Chinese Communist Party and players from Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Kazakhstan, and other foreign nations and entities.”  Bobulinski is also expected to say that the Biden family “knowingly and aggressively defrauded” him.  Meanwhile, Bobulinski is expected to say that federal law enforcement has been “singularly unwilling to speak with me or hear the facts” he plans to share with the committee. Bobulinski will say that he has “never” been contacted to testify in any federal investigation related to the Bidens, including with Special Counsel David Weiss’ team. In October 2020, Bobulinski voluntarily went to the FBI’s Washington Field Office “with several phones containing years of encrypted communications between me and numerous members of the Biden family and their associates.” EXCLUSIVE: JOE BIDEN ALLEGEDLY PAID $5M BY BURISMA EXECUTIVE AS PART OF A BRIBERY SCHEME, ACCORDING TO FBI DOCUMENT Bobulinski is set to begin by thanking the committee for giving him the opportunity to share the “facts and evidence” with the American people that he has “been trying to outline for over four years, all backed up and supported by emails, texts, documents, records, pictures, and other evidence.” Bobulinski served in the U.S. Navy’s Naval Nuclear Power Training Command as a decorated master training specialist instructor; the Command’s chief technology officer, holding “Q security clearance” from the Energy Department and from the National Security Agency; and later served as a direct input officer for the command in his final Navy Fitness Report. “I am here today out of duty to God and country in a nonpartisan manner with only one party in mind, the party I served with honor and gratitude: the United States of America,” Bobulinski will say, maintaining that he is “not a political person,” while disclosing that he did make campaign contributions to Democrats, like Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., over the years. Bobulinski first came forward with his story about Joe Biden’s alleged involvement in his family’s business deals weeks before the 2020 presidential election. “For nearly four years, I have tried to tell the American people the truth about serious corruption at the very top of their government,” Bobulinski will say, referring to the Bidens. “In return, I have been falsely accused

Kari Lake lands endorsement of Senate Republican campaign arm as GOP aims to turn Arizona red

The Senate Republicans’ campaign arm is throwing its support behind Kari Lake in battleground Arizona’s crucial race, a contest that could determine if the GOP wins back control of the chamber in November. Tuesday’s announcement by National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Sen. Steve Daines is the latest sign that Lake is moving past her outsider and fiery election-denial-centered 2022 campaign for Arizona governor and is capable of working with the GOP establishment. “Kari Lake is one of the most talented candidates in the country. Kari is building out an effective campaign operation that has what it takes to flip Arizona’s Senate seat in November. I’m proud to endorse Kari Lake for United States Senate,” Daines, the Republican senator from Montana who is chairing the NRSC this cycle, said in a statement. THE TOP FIVE SENATE SEATS LIKELY TO FLIP IN NOVEMBER Lake is a former longtime local TV news anchor in Arizona who’s a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump and his unproven claims his 2020 election loss to President Biden was due to massive voter fraud. She sparked plenty of controversy in her narrow 2022 gubernatorial election loss. Lake never conceded her more than 17,000-vote defeat and repeatedly and unsuccessfully challenged the results in court. But since announcing her Senate bid last October, Lake has consistently courted the NRSC and establishment Republicans, most recently last weekend at the campaign committee’s winter meeting in Palm Beach, Florida. “I am honored to have the endorsement of Chairman Daines and the NRSC,” Lake said in a statement, which was first reported by Politico. “We are uniting Republicans in Arizona and have a clear path to victory. The Senate Majority runs through Arizona.” FIRST ON FOX: TOP SENATE REPUBLICAN TO BOOST LAKE WITH KEY ENDORSEMENT Daines and the NRSC have been much more hands on in GOP Senate primaries – in candidate recruitment and efforts to dissuade others from running – in comparison to the committee during the 2022 cycle under then-chairman Sen. Rick Scott of Florida. The NRSC backed candidates Tim Sheehy in Montana and Dave McCormick in Pennsylvania as they launched their campaigns. But while Daines has complimented Lake in recent months, he has waited until now for an official endorsement. In Arizona, Lake faces a nominal rival in Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, and she’s considered the overwhelming favorite to win the nomination. Fox News has confirmed that the NRSC will host a fundraiser for Lake on March 6, which will be attended by Daines as well as Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the Senate GOP Conference chair. Barrasso, the number three Republican in Senate GOP leadership, had previously endorsed Lake and plans to campaign with her in Arizona on Feb. 29. Democrats control the U.S. Senate with a 51-49 majority, but Republicans are looking at a favorable Senate map this year, with Democrats defending 23 of the 34 seats up for grabs. Three of those seats are in red states that Trump carried in 2020 – West Virginia, Montana and Ohio. Five other blue-held seats are in key swing states narrowly carried by President Biden in 2020 – Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Once reliably red, Arizona has become a key southwestern general election battleground state. The state narrowly voted in 2018 for then-Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema in a crucial Senate race, and for President Biden and Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly in 2020. Lake was narrowly defeated for governor in 2022, while Kelly won election to a full six-year term in the Senate by five points. This year’s Senate election in Arizona remains complicated as Sinema, who is now an independent, has not yet decided whether she will run for re-election. Rep. Ruben Gallego is the frontrunner for the Democratic Senate nomination, and the possibility of a three-way contest with Sinema, Gallego and Lake has some Republicans salivating. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee took aim at their GOP counterpart and at Lake following the news. “Kari Lake is the poster child for Senate Republicans’ candidate quality problem and abysmal recruiting strategy, DSCC spokesperson Tommy Garcia charged in a statement. “An election loser despised by Arizona Republicans, Lake brings massive baggage and disqualifying flaws to the campaign. We’re thrilled with the NRSC’s choice. Lake is the perfect candidate – to lose the race.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Ted Cruz makes endorsement in key battleground Senate race: ‘Bernie Moreno has what it takes’

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, revealed on Tuesday who he is endorsing in one of the most critical Senate races of the 2024 cycle. In his endorsement of Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno, Cruz emphasized the race’s crucial influence on determining which party will claim the Senate majority in 2024 as Republicans seek to flip the chamber. “Now more than ever, we need to rally behind candidates who will help flip the Senate back to a Republican majority,” Cruz wrote in a press release first obtained by Fox News Digital. “Bernie Moreno has what it takes to win his race and join the fight against Joe Biden and his radical agenda. I am proud to endorse him and look forward to working alongside him in the Senate.“    OHIO SENATE CANDIDATE BERNIE MORENO, ENDORSED BY TRUMP, TO FACE OFF AGAINST 2 GOP OPPONENTS Moreno, who also received backing from former President Donald Trump, is running in a highly competitive primary for the Republican nomination to take on Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, in the general election. GOP SENATOR ANNOUNCES ENDORSEMENT IN KEY BATTLEGROUND SENATE RACE: ‘WE NEED MORE CONSERVATIVE FIGHTERS’ In accepting the endorsement, the Senate-hopeful said that he wants to work with Cruz to “get our nation back on track.” “Senator Cruz is a relentless fighter against the Washington establishment, and I am grateful for his endorsement,” Moreno said of the endorsement. “I look forward to partnering with Senator Cruz to reverse the damage that Joe Biden’s agenda has done and get our nation back on track.” Cruz is only the latest prominent political figure to back the Republican Senate-hopeful, following Sens. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Gov. Kristi Noem, R-S.D. Moreno will compete against Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and State Senator Matt Dolan at the Ohio Republican primary race on March 19, 2024.

Riot police fire tear gas on farmers protesting in India

NewsFeed Police in India have fired tear gas at protesting farmers on the Haryana-Punjab state border. The farmers have organised a march to the capital New Delhi to demand greater government support and guaranteed prices for their produce. Published On 13 Feb 202413 Feb 2024 Adblock test (Why?)

Ukraine’s new army chief is known as the ‘butcher’. Can he beat Russia?

The new commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi has built a fearsome reputation as a military commander in the war with Russia, but he faces some major challenges, including how to mobilise new forces and combat corruption in the ranks. Over the past week, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has fired most of his top generals in an attempt to “reset” management of the country’s decimated, undermanned and undersupplied armed forces. The list of 15 dismissed generals includes the popular commander-in-chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who has been replaced by Syrskyi – described by some as a “butcher” with little regard for loss of human life. Some heads of combined forces, military reserve, ground and airborne forces, along with some of their deputies and advisers, have survived the cull. “The first thought is that this is an absolutely unprecedented action,” said Nikolay Mitrokhin of Germany’s Bremen University, who has been writing detailed analyses of the Russia-Ukraine war since the conflict began in 2022. “Apparently, it was coordinated with the new commander-in-chief, Syrskyi, who named the people he would want to work with as a team,” Mitrokhin told Al Jazeera. The wave of dismissals follows the failure of last year’s counteroffensive to regain Russian-occupied areas in southern and eastern Ukraine, corruption scandals, dire delays to Western military aid and chaotic management of the armed forces. However, the scale of dismissals reflects the way Zelenskyy has been managing Ukraine since coming to power in 2019. “It’s very much in Zelenskyy’s style with his decision to ‘fire ’em all’, not only those who failed their work, but even those who belong to the wrong generation or team,” Mitrokhin said. The only top officers who have kept their jobs are the ones who commanded successful operations against the Russian fleet on the Black Sea, along with some heads of the air force and air defence force who “demonstrate success or stability in repelling Russian attacks”, he said. Newly appointed top military commanders pose with President Zelenskyy after a meeting in Kyiv on February 10, 2024 [Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters] Challenges ahead The new top brass faces a string of challenges – and mobilisation is number one. Kyiv does not disclose its battlefield casualties, but Washington believes Ukraine has lost at least 70,000 servicemen. The now-dismissed Zaluzhnyi had wanted to mobilise 500,000 men, but Zelenskyy rejected the idea fearing popular protests and citing limitations in training, housing and arming. Thousands of Ukrainian men of fighting age are believed to have bribed their way out of the country – or crossed Ukraine’s borders illegally, either by land or even by swimming across the ice-cold waters of the Prut River near Moldova. Some conscription officers have been arrested after receiving bribes of thousands or tens of thousands of dollars to “free” someone from military service and have now amassed enormous assets in Ukraine and abroad. Zelenskyy fired each regional conscription officer, replacing them with battle-tested veterans vetted by intelligence services. But the new appointees failed to mobilise enough men for the 1,000km-long front line amid devastating losses of manpower. Zelenskyy, left, shakes hands with Zaluzhnyi on February 8, 2024; just days later, the latter has been replaced by Syrskyi [Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP] ‘This man sent me to die like meat’ Meanwhile, some servicemen are snubbing the shake-up of Ukraine’s top brass. One seasoned veteran who enlisted in 2014, after pro-Russian separatists took up arms against Kyiv in the southeastern Donbas region, and had just returned from the front line, was especially dismissive about new top general Syrskyi. “This man sent me to die as if I were meat,” he told Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity, saying the servicemen who complain about their superiors or corruption end up dispatched to the most dangerous front-line spots to be killed. He claimed that medical doctors are instructed to ignore life-threatening wounds and injuries. “A man lost two legs and still was deemed fit for service,” he said. Other servicemen have reportedly complained about Syrskyi’s “butcher” tactics of neglecting human losses. Syrskyi addressed these concerns in his first public speech on the new job. “The life and health of servicemen has always been and is the main value of the Ukrainian army,” Syrskyi said on February 9. The former deputy chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Syrskyi is indeed “harsher” than his predecessor. “Judging by his previous actions, he has a harsher approach in preparing and organising action and in holding his subordinates accountable,” Lieutenant-General Ihor Romanenko told Al Jazeera. However, Syrskyi “is very scrupulous in preparing for hostilities, he goes into details, thoroughly studies matters of supply and so on”, Romanenko said. Syrskyi gives instructions in a shelter in Soledar, the site of heavy battles with the Russian forces, in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, January 8, 2023 [Roman Chop/AP] Major successes under Syrskyi While heading land forces, Syrskyi has been credited with two significant successes. One was the defence of Kyiv in February and March 2022, when tens of thousands of Russian soldiers tried to encircle the capital from the north. Under Syrskyi’s command, small and highly autonomous groups of servicemen and irregular forces attacked Russian troops and armoured vehicles, cut off their supply lines and used drones for reconnaissance and surprise attacks. One such serviceman was Bohdan Yavorsky, whose group of two dozen men ambushed a column of armoured vehicles in the northern Kyiv suburb of Bucha. They immobilised the column by bombing the first and last vehicles and showering the rest with grenades and Molotov cocktails before speeding away and calling in an air raid to destroy the rest of the vehicles. “This crap was stinking in the centre of Bucha for a month until it was removed,” Yavorsky told Al Jazeera in August 2022. Syrskyi’s second big success was also in 2022, when he clandestinely amassed light infantry in the eastern Kharkiv region to break through Russian defences and liberate the entire region

Iran simulates strike on Israeli base as it showcases naval force

The display is seen as a clear message to Israel and the US as the war in Gaza spreads tensions across the region. Tehran, Iran – Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has simulated a strike on a major Israeli airbase, making a show of its naval capabilities. Footage aired by state television on Tuesday showed that the IRGC fired a range of munitions from ships and submarines. The wargame appears a clear message as Israel’s war on Gaza escalates and tensions rise across the region. The footage showed that the IRGC launched missiles from two locations at a re-creation of the Palmachim airbase in Israel. The base is a critical operations centre for the war on Gaza. It has fighter jets in multiple hangars and receives wounded Israeli soldiers for treatment. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced at Palmachim last month that Tel Aviv will not hesitate to attack Iran. A large number of at least two variants of long-range ballistic missiles, Emad and Qadr, were shown being launched and hitting targets with a claimed precision of under 4 metres (13ft). State television called Palmachim in central Israel the “largest airbase of the Zionist regime in occupied territories”. IRGC commander-in-chief Hossein Salami said the force for the first time has succeeded in launching long-range ballistic missiles from a warship. “This new achievement increases the range of our naval influence and power to any desired location because our ocean-traversing warships can be at any point in the oceans,” he said. “There will be no safe place for any power that wants to create insecurity for us.” 🚀 شلیک موشک بالستیک دزفول از ناو شهید مهدوی به صورت کانتینر پرتاب pic.twitter.com/XxnojGeM3y — MESHKAT (@projectmeshkat) February 13, 2024 Translation: Firing a Dezful ballistic missile from the Shahid Mahdavi warship in a container launch. Footage carried by state television showed two long-range ballistic missiles being launched from the Shahid Mahdavi, a multi-purpose warship capable of carrying a variety of missiles, drones and radar systems. The missiles, which have a claimed range of at least 1,700km (1,056 miles), were reportedly launched from somewhere in the Sea of Oman and hit targets in a desert in central Iran. The IRGC also displayed speed boats, catamarans and submarines in action with short-range missiles launched by the former. There was no official confirmation, but the missile appears to be a variant of the Qaem, the Iranian equivalent of the US-made Hellfire missile. The IRGC also showed missiles being launched from its two recently unveiled catamarans that are capable of firing antiship cruise missiles. A torpedo launched from a submarine was shown to hit a ship. A new kamikaze drone was briefly shown being launched, which appeared to have similarities with the Lancet drones developed by Russia. Different Iranian UUVstorpedo in service of the IRGC Navy. pic.twitter.com/Elcnf93hKr — Yuri Lyamin (@imp_navigator) February 13, 2024 The display comes as the Houthis in Yemen, which Washington says are armed by Iran, disrupt global trade through the Red Sea. The Yemeni group is considered part of the “axis of resistance”, an informal, Iran-led political and military coalition in West Asia and North Africa that challenges the United States and its allies. In a post on X on Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian threatened “severe consequences” for Israel if it goes through with its plan for a ground invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza, where 1.4 million Palestinians have been displaced. The Iranian diplomat was in Qatar on Tuesday in a regional tour that has taken him to Lebanon and Syria as well. He said Tehran does not want the war to get out of hand and called for a ceasefire on a trip during which he met with regional and “axis of resistance” leaders. Adblock test (Why?)

Who is Ajay Mishra Teni and how is he connected with this year’s farmers’ protest?

The tragic event, which occurred in 2021, saw four farmers fatally mowed down by a car while staging protests.