Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 958
As the war enters its 958th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Thursday, October 10, 2024. Fighting At least six people were killed and eight injured after a Russian ballistic missile attack on the port infrastructure of Ukraine’s southern Odesa region. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said a Panamanian-flagged container ship, the Shui Spirit, was damaged in the attack, the third in the region in the past four days. Ukraine’s military said it struck a base in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region where Shahed drones were being stored. A statement by the General Staff said the attack was carried out jointly by naval forces and the SBU intelligence service. There was no official comment from Russia, although emergency services reported a large fire around the location of the alleged attack. Ukraine said it also hit a Russian weapons arsenal in the Bryansk region where ammunition for missile and artillery weapons, including those delivered from North Korea, was stored. Bryansk authorities later declared a state of emergency following “detonations of explosive objects”. Russia’s air defence units destroyed 47 Ukrainian drones targeting its western regions, the Ministry of Defence said. Regional officials said there were no reports of casualties. Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had retaken the villages of Novaya Sorochina and Pokrovsky in its Kursk region after they were captured by Ukraine in a surprise August offensive. Politics and diplomacy Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told a summit of southeast European leaders in Croatia that there was an “opportunity” to take “decisive action” to end the war in 2025. The Ukrainian president did not spell out how and why he saw such an opportunity. Zelenskyy, who is urging Ukraine’s Western allies to allow it to use long-range weapons on military targets deep inside Russia, is due to hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as well as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in meetings across Europe on Thursday. European Union envoys approved a plan to loan Ukraine as much as 35 billion euros ($38bn) backed by frozen Russian central bank assets. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Hungary was putting European security at risk as a result of its close ties with Russia. Speaking at a debate with populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the European Parliament, von der Leyen took aim at Budapest’s reluctance to join EU partners in helping Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. “The world has witnessed the atrocities of Russia’s war. And yet, there are still some who blame this war not on the invader but the invaded,” she said. Ukrainian investigators said they arrested 24-year-old Serhiy Gnezdilov, a soldier who fled his army unit in protest over the lack of term limits for long-serving troops, for desertion. Gnezdilov faces as many as 12 years in prison if found guilty. A Russian court found Trevor Reed, a former US Marine who was freed in a 2022 prisoner swap, guilty in absentia of serving as a mercenary for Ukraine and handed him a 14.5-year prison sentence. Investigators said Reed had joined Ukraine’s military in July 2023. A Russian court sentenced activist Yevgeny Mishchenko to 12 years in a penal colony for allegedly planning to join the Freedom of Russia Legion, a banned unit of Russians supporting Ukraine. Mishchenko was one of a handful of volunteers guarding a makeshift Moscow memorial to Boris Nemtsov, an opposition politician killed in 2015. The case was based on evidence from a security agent who posed as a volunteer at the memorial and recorded conversations with Mishchenko. Ukraine aims to organise a new peace summit by the end of this year and wants Russia to attend this time, Vasyl Bodnar, its ambassador to Turkey said. He ruled out any direct bilateral talks with Moscow at the meeting, saying any discussions were likely to take place through third-party intermediaries. Adblock test (Why?)
Taiwan’s President Lai says will ‘resist annexation or encroachment’
In his first National Day speech, new president stresses ‘thriving’ democracy of island claimed by Beijing. Taiwan’s President William Lai Ching-te has said he will stand against any attempt at annexation or encroachment into the island’s territory. China claims the self-ruled democracy as its own and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve its goal of unification. It has ratcheted up pressure on Taiwan since Lai, who it portrays as a “separatist”, was elected president in January. Addressing the island’s 23 million people, Lai began his first National Day speech by expressing his pride in Taiwan’s democracy. “Our democracy is growing and thriving,” he said, standing at a podium set up in front of the presidential office. “The People’s Republic of China [China’s official name] has no right to represent the people of Taiwan.” He said Taiwanese people were able to work together despite disagreements and urged them to look to the future. “I will uphold the commitment to resist annexation or encroachment on our sovereignty,” he said. Still, Lai’s tone for much of the speech was pragmatic. He indicated a willingness to cooperate with Beijing on issues such as climate change, tackling contagious diseases and “maintaining regional security to pursue peace and mutual prosperity for the wellbeing of the people on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait”. Lai also urged Beijing to use its influence in diplomatic efforts to resolve the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Adblock test (Why?)
Palestinians shot at while fleeing Israeli assault in north Gaza
NewsFeed People have been shot trying to flee an Israeli assault on Jabalia in northern Gaza. It’s the third ground offensive in the area since the war on Gaza began and dozens of people have already been killed. Published On 9 Oct 20249 Oct 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Middle East tension is ratcheting up; could oil prices rise?
Fears of a widening war in the Middle East have pushed up oil prices. Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have historically led to a sharp increase in oil prices. Today, Israel’s yearlong war on Gaza and its ground offensive in Lebanon have done little to boost prices. That is despite production cuts by major oil producers since October 2022. A wider war in the Middle East that pits Iran against Israel could change that. A dramatic increase in the price of oil could reignite inflation and have serious implications for the global economy. Many nations are pushing back against China’s exports of electric cars. Plus, will Thailand’s so-called “digital wallets” help grow its economy? Adblock test (Why?)
Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick left in race to be UK Conservative leader
Party members will now choose between former Trade Minister Badenoch and former Immigration Minister Jenrick after James Cleverly was eliminated from the race. Two right-wing former ministers will go head-to-head in the final round of the race to become the next leader of the UK’s Conservative Party after former Foreign Minister James Cleverly was eliminated. Wednesday’s vote by Conservative lawmakers saw Kemi Badenoch receive 42 out of 120 votes, ahead of Robert Jenrick with 41 votes. In a surprise twist, Cleverly, who won the previous round of voting, was eliminated from the race with 37 votes. The vote is the penultimate step in a race that has been marked by the kind of in-fighting that some Conservatives blame for their party’s defeat in July’s national election. Party members nationwide will now choose between former Trade Minister Badenoch and former Immigration Minister Jenrick, with the victor to be announced on November 2. Jenrick, a hardliner who calls for the United Kingdom to make deep cuts to immigration and rip up European human rights law, had been considered the frontrunner since the contest started in July. Meanwhile, Badenoch, a former trade minister, has positioned herself as an outspoken darling of not just the right wing of the party but of younger lawmakers, promising to be “something different”, a challenging voice in what she describes as a broken government system. According to the Conservative Home website, Badenoch is the most popular contender among the party’s membership. The final two both say they will reunite a party which had become mired in chaos, scandal and deep divisions over Brexit during its last eight years in government, and pledge to return it to its conservative roots to offer an alternative to Labour at the next national election, which must take place by mid-2029. Whoever becomes leader will be charged with turning around the Conservatives’ fortunes after they suffered a heavy defeat in the July election, when Labour won a landslide victory. But the Conservatives are more hopeful of returning to power in five years rather than the once expected 10 after Prime Minister Keir Starmer suffered a bumpy start to government, coming under fire over welfare cuts and donations for clothes. Adblock test (Why?)
At least two killed, 30 injured, in latest Russian attacks on Kharkiv
Northeastern city, the second biggest in Ukraine, has been a regular target for Russia since it began its full-scale invasion two-and-a-half years ago. Russian attacks on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-biggest city, have killed at least two people and injured more than 30, including a teenager. Russian forces dropped about four guided bombs on the northeastern city, about 30km (18 miles) from the border with Russia, on Tuesday afternoon, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. One of the bombing attacks killed a man and a woman who were walking along the street, he said, adding that at least three other people were injured. An earlier attack injured 28 people, including a 16-year-old, Syniehubov said. The authorities were working to verify the type of weapon used in that incident. Syniehubov and Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said a civilian production facility had been hit. Terekhov said there had also been a fire. Kharkiv has been a frequent target of Russian attacks since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Last week, a Russian guided bomb attack on the city struck a five-storey apartment block, injuring 10 people. There were several attacks on the city in September. Three people were killed when a Russian guided bomb hit an apartment building as world leaders were due to meet at the United Nations in New York. And dozens were hurt after a Russian missile struck a shopping mall and a sports centre at the beginning of the month. Ukraine also reported that civilians were killed in Russian attacks on the south and east of the country on Tuesday. The head of the southern Zaporizhia region, Ivan Fedorov, said a 71-year-old man was killed in a drone attack as he travelled in his car in the village of Prymorske, which is on the Dnipro river south of the regional capital and close to the front line. A woman who was with him in the car was admitted to hospital, Fedorov said. In the east of the country, where the fighting is most intense, officials said that a Russian attack killed one person and injured six others in the town of Kostiantynivka. The head of the Donetsk region, Vadym Filashkin, said Moscow’s forces had dropped “three guided aerial bombs on the town, hitting two residential buildings”. Adblock test (Why?)
Gaza has become a ‘graveyard’ for children amid Israeli attacks: UN
NewsFeed Violence, fear, displacement, hunger, loss and for 16,891 children in Gaza, death. These children are not numbers, they have a story, parents who loved them, grandparents who spoiled them and siblings who played with them. Their faces are now a memory etched in the hearts and minds of those who love them. Published On 9 Oct 20249 Oct 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Where are the Israeli captives taken in the Hamas-led October 7 attack?
EXPLAINER Despite pressure to agree to a deal that would see captives released, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has not budged. It has been a year since the Hamas-led attack on Israel in which 1,139 people were killed and about 250 captured and taken to the Gaza Strip. Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed more than 41,900 people in its genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza. Here’s what to know about what happened to the captives taken from Israel: What happened on October 7 last year? Palestinian armed groups led by Hamas’s armed wing attacked several areas in southern Israel. Israeli officials said 251 people were taken captive, including women, men, children and the elderly. Among them were 23 Thai nationals, one Nepali national and one Filipino national who were working or studying in Israel. Several were dual nationals. It is unclear how many of the captives hold dual citizenship. However, at least 15 of those released were from Mexico, Germany, Argentina, Ireland, the United States and South Africa. The US says 12 Americans were taken captive and seven are still in captivity. The captives were believed to have been taken to different locations in the Gaza Strip by fighters from different Palestinian groups. What happened to the captives? Nearly half the captives have been released. Others are still in captivity with some confirmed or feared dead. Israeli officials said 117 have been returned to Israel. Israeli and US officials say 101 people are still in Gaza. At least 33 bodies have been recovered by Israeli forces as of September 1, according to the Israeli government. Relatives and supporters of captives taken by Palestinian fighters on October 7, 2023, mourn at a memorial at the site of the Nova music festival on the first anniversary of the Hamas-led attack [John Wessels/AFP] Who did Hamas release? Some of the captives were unilaterally released by Hamas from October 20 to October 23, based on “humanitarian grounds”. Those released include: Natalie, 17, and Judith Tai Raanan, 59, (released on October 20) as well as Yochevid Lifshitz, 85, and Nurit Cooper, 79, (released on October 23). One hundred and five captives were released as part of a prisoner exchange mediated by the Qatari government from November 24 to December 1. They were 81 Israelis, 23 Thai workers and one person from the Philippines. In return, Israel freed about 240 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, many of whom were minors and many more who had not been convicted of a crime. Within the first four days of the temporary ceasefire, Israel arrested more than 130 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Did Israel get any captives out of Gaza? Eight people have been rescued alive from Gaza by Israeli forces, often during heavy shelling that kills scores of Palestinians: On October 31, Israeli forces rescued a female soldier, 18-year-old Ori Megidish, from northern Gaza. On February 12, two Argentinian-Israeli men – Louis Har, 70, and Fernando Marman, 60 – were rescued in Rafah in a raid that reportedly killed 100 Palestinians. On June 8, Israeli soldiers killed more than 270 people and injured 700 in a raid to rescue four captives from the Nuseirat refugee camp: Noa Argamani, 25; Andrey Kovlov, 27; Shlomi Ziv, 40; and Almog Meir Jan, 21. One man, Kaid Farhan Elkadi, 52, was found in southern Gaza on August 24 by Israeli soldiers. Israelis chant during an antigovernment protest calling for the release of Israeli captives in front of the Israeli Ministry of Defence in Tel Aviv on September 28, 2024 [Jack Guez/AFP] Who’s still captive and alive? As of September 1, about 101 captives were believed to still be in Gaza, according to Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari. They include more than 30 people Israeli officials said are likely dead. On August 12, Abu Obeida, a spokesperson for Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, confirmed that Hamas guards had killed a male captive and seriously wounded two female captives in separate incidents. On Monday, the Israeli group Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement on X that officials informed the family of Idan Shtivi, a 28-year-old male captive, of his death. At least 33 bodies have been recovered, according to Israeli forces, including: Three captives who were killed by Israel on November 10 in an air raid that Israel said targeted a tunnel where Hamas commander Ahmed Ghandour operated. Officials initially denied Israel was responsible for the killings but admitted that it was “likely” last month. Three men who had escaped their captors and were killed by Israeli forces on December 15 in the Shujayea area of Gaza. The soldiers opened fire even though the three men waved white flags and spoke in Hebrew to the soldiers. Six captives who were found dead in a tunnel complex in Rafah on September 1. Hamas said they had been killed by Israeli bombs. Israel said they were shot by Hamas members. Irena Tati holds a picture of her grandson Alexander, held by Hamas in Gaza, at a demonstration to call for the release of the captives at the Museum of Art in Tel Aviv on December 2, 2023 [Ariel Schalit/AP Photo] What’s next? Despite pressure from families of the remaining captives to accept a ceasefire Hamas proposed that would see all of them freed, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is insisting that Hamas must release the captives before any ceasefire can be negotiated. Netanyahu has faced even more pressure from the families as Israel has widened its war by attacking Lebanon last week. Some accuse Netanyahu of not prioritising the captives but focusing instead on starting wars with Israel’s neighbours for political gain. A captive deal “has certainly fallen off the table when it comes to this government”, Al Jazeera’s Stephanie Dekker said. Demonstrations demanding the release of the captives have been held weekly in Israeli cities in recent months. Hamas, meanwhile, has maintained it will not release the captives unless Israel agrees to and implements a complete ceasefire in
Brazil lifts ban on Elon Musk’s X platform
The platform formerly known as Twitter was suspended in Brazil, one of its largest markets, at the end of August. Brazil’s Supreme Court has lifted a ban on Elon Musk’s X after the platform was blocked amid a dispute over disinformation. “I authorise the immediate return of the activities” of X, Judge Alexandre de Moraes said in his ruling, after the company paid millions of dollars in fines for failing to comply with a series of court orders. He gave Brazil’s communications regulator 24 hours to make the platform accessible again. Musk, the world’s richest man and a self-declared “free speech absolutist“, has yet to react to the decision. Through its Global Affairs account, X said it was proud to return to Brazil, adding that it would “continue to defend freedom of speech, within the boundaries of the law” in the countries where it operates. The platform formerly known as Twitter was suspended in Brazil, one of its largest and most-coveted markets, at the end of August in a standoff over online disinformation related to Brazil’s 2022 election campaign. X had also failed to name a legal representative in the country, as required by law. After Moraes blocked X, Musk lashed out at the judge, calling him an “evil dictator” and dubbing him “Voldemort” after the villain from the Harry Potter series. Moraes, for his part, accused the platform of undermining democracy by allowing disinformation to flourish – a position backed by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who declared that the state would not “be intimidated by individuals, companies or digital platforms that believe themselves to be above the law”. X eventually complied with all of Moraes’s demands in order to have the suspension lifted. Last week, the judge confirmed that the company had also settled fines amounting to about $5.2m. The Brazil dispute was one of a series of recent face-offs between Musk, and governments including Australia and the United Kingdom seeking to prevent the spread of online misinformation. X had 22 million users in Brazil before it was blocked. Adblock test (Why?)
Duterte legacy in the balance as he seeks return to Davao stronghold
Davao, Philippines – Former President Rodrigo Duterte has registered to run for his past position as mayor of the southern Philippine city of Davao, in a potential last-ditch effort to save his family’s faltering political dynasty. The influence of the former president, notorious for his brutal “war on drugs” that saw thousands of extrajudicial killings, has waned in recent months after his family’s alliance with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr began to unravel. Duterte’s son, current Davao Mayor Sebastian Duterte, will be his father’s running mate. The powerhouse political family supported Marcos Jr’s successful presidential bid in 2022, but the alliance between the two families has unravelled in recent months. Vice President Sara Duterte, once seen as a probable successor to her father, resigned from her post of education secretary in June and has lost influence within the Marcos administration. The decision by her 79-year-old father to run for mayor comes as he faces an investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) into extrajudicial killings during the drug war. Lawyer Kristina Conti said last month that the ICC could file a warrant of arrest later this year. Duterte remains popular in Davao, long the family stronghold, but even there, his influence may be waning. Former President Duterte has come under pressure for his drug war and threats to opponents [File: Earvin Perias/AFP] Last month, Philippine authorities arrested religious leader and longtime Duterte ally Apollo Quiboloy, who faces child sex trafficking charges in the Philippines and the United States and had been hiding in a compound in the city. The arrest was seen as a strike by Marcos Jr against the Dutertes. Quiboloy, who calls himself the “Appointed Son of God,” announced on Tuesday that he would run for Senate in next year’s election. “After Quiboloy’s arrest, the possibility of arresting [Duterte] through Interpol and local police that is outside the control of the Dutertes seems more likely,” said Tyrone Velez, a columnist for the local publication MindaNews. Failed drug war In March, Sebastian Duterte announced he would continue the drug war started by his father, who had been Davao mayor for some 20 years before he became president and earned the nickname “The Punisher” for his brutal policies. In the ensuing days, at least seven drug suspects were killed in police encounters. The revival of the drug war was seen as an act of defiance by the Dutertes and it was not long before Marcos Jr responded. In May, the president removed Davao police chief Richard Bad-ang – a close Duterte ally who had been appointed to the post just before the killings – and dozens of other police officers. The Davao regional police office also announced a probe into the seven deaths. In July, a new police chief was finally appointed after being replaced three times in one day in a process Sebastian Duterte said was politically motivated. Drug killings have decreased – but have not stopped – in the Philippines since Marcos Jr took power, and in recent months, he has called for a “bloodless” drug war. Sixty-three people were killed in the central region of Cebu during anti-drug operations in 2024, according to the Dahas Project, an initiative of the University of the Philippines that tracks extrajudicial drug killings. Davao police killed a suspected drug dealer in a shootout on September 17, the first drug killing in the city since March, according to the Dahas Project. The alliance between the Dutertes and the Marcoses made them unstoppable in the last presidential election but the relationship has since unravelled [File: Eloisa Lopez/Reuters] Sebastian Duterte probably wanted to resume the drug war to solidify his support within Davao, Velez said, following criticism over his “lackadaisical leadership” and frequent absences from City Hall. “His camp must have thought restarting the drug war could make him a Digong 2.0 and make him relevant,” Velez said, using a popular nickname for Rodrigo Duterte. “But it was called off after a week.” The killings also took place as news of a potential ICC arrest warrant began to swirl. Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the ICC in 2019. But the court has said it still has jurisdiction over alleged crimes before that time, meaning Duterte could still face prosecution for thousands of killings. Closing in Removing pro-Duterte police officials has given Marcos Jr tighter control over anti-drug operations and taken power away from the Dutertes, even within Davao, Velez said. “The Marcoses want police directors in both the city and the Davao region who are not under the influence of the Dutertes.” The Marcos administration has also pushed out members of government loyal to Quiboloy, said Aries Arugay, chairperson of the Department of Political Science at the University of the Philippines, causing his national influence to “wane” in recent months. Quiboloy, who was Duterte’s spiritual adviser during his presidency, is himself a longtime player in Philippine politics. He supported Duterte’s 2016 campaign, lending the candidate his private jet, and supported Marcos Jr in 2022. Apollo Quiboloy, pastor and founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) church, is running for senator in the May 2025 elections [Jam Sta Rosa/AFP] But as the Duterte-Marcos alliance frayed, Quiboloy used his television network, Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), to broadcast misinformation and attack the Dutertes’s critics. In 2023, SMNI’s YouTube channel was taken down by Google and its broadcast licence suspended by the Philippines’s telecommunications commission. SMNI’s Facebook page was also no longer available. Earlier this year, Quiboloy claimed without evidence that Marcos Jr and his wife, Liza, were conspiring with Washington to assassinate him. Marcos rejected the allegations. Quiboloy, 74, was finally arrested after a weeks-long operation in which hundreds of his supporters formed human barricades to block authorities from searching inside the compound of his church, the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. Marcos Jr has indicated he is open to extraditing Quiboloy to the United States after the completion of domestic criminal proceedings. The Marcos administration wants to “communicate that they are serious in working with