Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 764
As the war enters its 764th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Friday, March 29, 2024. Fighting At least three people were killed in Russian shelling and aerial attacks. One of the dead was a taxi driver in southern Kherson whose car was hit by a missile. His two passengers were injured and taken to hospital. Two people were injured by falling debris in southern Zaporizhzhia after Russia launched drone attacks on eastern, southern and southeastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian military said it shot down 26 of the 28 Iranian-designed attack drones. Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said security measures in the Ukrainian capital would be tightened, particularly around large gatherings, after a spate of Russian ballistic missile attacks and threats of escalation. Politics and diplomacy Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke on the phone with Mike Johnson, speaker of the House of Representatives, telling him it was “vital” for the United States Congress to pass a $60bn military aid package for Kyiv that has been held up for months. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba arrived in New Delhi for talks on Kyiv’s 10-point peace formula ahead of a proposed summit in Switzerland. The plan demands the complete withdrawal of Russian troops and the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Moscow has dismissed the initiative as a non-starter. Matthew Axelrod, a senior official in the US Commerce Department, said the US was asking American companies to stop shipping goods to more than 600 foreign parties over fears the items could be diverted to Russia for use in Ukraine. Russian human rights group Memorial warned the health of Oleg Orlov, its 70-year-old leader, was deteriorating, and accused prison authorities of subjecting him to inhumane treatment. Orlov was jailed last month for two and a half years over his criticisms of the war in Ukraine. He has filed an appeal. A court in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad jailed journalist Mikhail Feldman for two years for criticism of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. A Russian military court in Yekaterinburg jailed 31-year-old self-described anarchist Azat Miftakhov for four years on charges of “justifying terrorism” over comments made to inmates while serving a six-year sentence for breaking a window at a local office of President Vladimir Putin’s political party. Prosecutors said Miftakhov had told other prisoners he would “avenge” a friend who died fighting for Ukraine and expressed support for the bombing of a regional office of Russia’s FSB security service in 2018. The French Defence Ministry said authorities took down a fake website recruiting volunteers to fight for Ukraine against the Russian invasion. The site had claimed that 200,000 French people were invited to “enlist in Ukraine”, with immigrants given priority. Weapons Ukraine’s defence minister asked allies for more air defences at an extraordinary meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council and said some 97 percent of Russian missile, drone and guided bomb attacks so far this year had been on civilian infrastructure. Sergey Naryshkin, the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), visited Pyongyang this week to deepen bilateral cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang. North Korea has been accused of sending weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine. Adblock test (Why?)
Biden administration OKs $60m in aid for Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster
Maryland Governor Wes Moore warns of ‘very long road ahead’ to recover from deadly bridge collapse. United States President Joe Biden’s administration has unveiled $60m in emergency funds to support cleanup and reconstruction efforts in the Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster in Baltimore. The Federal Highway Administration said on Thursday it provided the “quick release” funds to rebuild the collapsed bridge within hours of receiving a request from the Maryland Department of Transportation. The swift disbursement of the funds came after Biden earlier this week said he had directed the government to “move heaven and earth” to quickly rebuild the bridge, which collapsed on Tuesday after being struck by a cargo ship. “No one will ever forget the shocking images of a container vessel striking the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing its collapse and the tragic loss of six people,” US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “The federal emergency funds we’re releasing today will help Maryland begin urgent work, to be followed by further resources as recovery and rebuilding efforts progress. President Biden has been clear: The federal government will do everything it takes to help rebuild the bridge and get the Port of Baltimore back open.” The announcements of the funds came as Maryland Governor Wes Moore warned of a “very long road ahead” to recover from the disaster as experts consider how to remove the Singapore-flagged Dali from the mangled wreckage of the bridge. “The Dali is almost as long as the Eiffel Tower and the Dali has the Key Bridge on top of it. We’re talking 3,000 or 4,000 tonnes of steel that’s sitting on top of that ship,” Moore said. Authorities have said they need clear wreckage from the ocean floor to reach the bodies of four missing workers believed to be trapped in their vehicles in a “superstructure” of concrete and other debris. Divers on Wednesday recovered the bodies of two workers from a pick-up truck near the bridge’s middle span. Federal officials have told Maryland lawmakers the final cost of reconstructing the bridge could reach $2bn, Roll Call reported, citing a source familiar with the discussions. Adblock test (Why?)
Life Magazine set for revival by Karlie Kloss and husband’s media company
Magazine known for photography of major 20th century events ceased print publication in 2007. Life magazine, the American magazine known for its iconic photography capturing major events of the 20th century, is set to be revived under a deal struck by fashion model Karlie Kloss’s media company. Bedford Media, which Kloss owns with her venture capitalist husband Joshua Kushner, said in a statement on Thursday that the magazine would be relaunched in print and digital form after it secured publishing rights in an agreement with Dotdash Meredith. The financial details of the deal and the relaunch date were not immediately disclosed. “Josh and I are honored to continue @LIFE’s legacy ❤,” Kloss said on Instagram. Joshua Kushner, the founder of Thrive Capital, is the brother of Jared Kushner, former president Donald Trump’s son-in-law. Life, launched in 1883, was a mainstay of American journalism for much of the 20th century, featuring history-defining photography such as the iconic image of a United States Navy sailor kissing a stranger on the day Japan surrendered to the US in WWII. After a period of decline, the magazine switched from weekly to monthly publication in the late 1970s before ceasing publication in 2000. Publisher Time Inc resuscitated the magazine as a supplement in 2004 before ending the print edition for good three years later and launching a website to display its archives. Adblock test (Why?)
Japan health scare: Drugmaker reports two more deaths linked to supplement
Kobayashi Pharma has recalled cholesterol-lowering supplements with red yeast rice over possible link to kidney disease. A Japanese drugmaker whose dietary supplements are at the centre of a growing health scare has reported two more deaths potentially linked to a pill that lowers cholesterol. Thursday’s announcement by Kobayashi Pharmaceuticals brings the total number of deaths under investigation by the company and health ministry to four, with more than 100 people hospitalised. Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told parliament on Thursday that “we need to make clear the cause [of the illnesses] and consider various responses if necessary”. He was responding to an opposition politician who urged him to revise safety frameworks that were relaxed under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Last week, Kobayashi recalled three of its supplements, including Beni Koji Choleste Help, after about 106 customers were hospitalised because of kidney problems. The over-the-counter products contain an ingredient called red yeast rice, or “beni koji”, which is supposed to help lower bad cholesterol. The company said on Thursday that it was in the “process of confirming the facts and causal relationships” in the two additional fatalities and “decided to make this report public from the viewpoint of prompt disclosure”. “Beni koji” contains Monascus purpureus, a red mould that is also used as food colouring. Public concern Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a media conference that the government has urged the pharma company to take “swift and serious action toward determining the cause” and disclose relevant information as “concern among the public is spreading”, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported. The Osaka-based drugmaker has yet to pinpoint a specific cause but said there was a possibility that the products contained “ingredients we had not intended to include”. The fermentation process can produce a toxin called citrinin which can damage the kidneys, however, the company said its analysis did not detect any citrinin. Medical studies describe red yeast rice as an alternative to statins for lowering high cholesterol, but also warn of a risk of organ damage depending on its chemical makeup. In addition to the supplements, more than 40 products from other companies containing “beni koji”, including miso paste, crackers, sake, bread and a vinegar dressing, have been recalled, the health ministry said. Hayashi said Japan was sharing information with the World Health Organization and relevant countries after online sales of products subject to the drugmaker’s voluntary recalls were suspended in China, while products have also been removed from circulation in Taiwan. The company supplies red yeast rice to some 50 firms in Japan and two in Taiwan. A Kobayashi executive said last week that the company first received complaints about kidney problems in January. Adblock test (Why?)
India’s opposition supporters protest arrest of key leader
NewsFeed Protesters attempted to march to Prime Minister Modi’s house after a key opposition leader was arrested in an alcohol corruptions case just weeks ahead of national elections. The ruling BJP has been accused of suppressing opposition after senior leaders were jailed for similar charges. Published On 28 Mar 202428 Mar 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Eleven dead, thousands affected as Cyclone Gamane batters Madagascar
Houses washed away and roads destroyed after cyclone hits north of the Indian Ocean island. At least 11 people have been killed and hundreds of homes destroyed as Cyclone Gamane smashed into northern Madagascar, according to officials. The storm was projected to skim the Indian Ocean island, but changed course and hit the island’s Vohemar district in the early hours of Wednesday. Video images showed torrents of water rushing through villages and people making human chains in waist-deep water while trying to help those trapped in their houses escape the deluge. Numerous routes and bridges were flooded and cut off. Six people drowned and five others were killed by collapsing houses or falling trees, with some 7,000 people affected overall. “It’s rare to have a cyclone like this. Its movement is nearly stationary,” General Elack Andriakaja, director general of the BNGRC national disaster management office, said in a statement. “When the system stops in one place, it devastates all the infrastructure. And that has serious consequences for the population. And significant flooding”, he said. The full extent of the damage is still unclear, because many villages in the region were cut off from the rest of the country, making access difficult for rescue teams. The cyclone moved across the island with an average wind speed of 150km/h (93mph) and heavy rainfall. In some places, winds of 210km/h (130mph) were measured. Gamane has been reclassified as a tropical storm and was expected to leave the island on Friday afternoon, according to meteorologists. Located off the coast of southeastern Africa, Madagascar is regularly affected by severe weather. A year ago, tropical Cyclone Freddy devastated the country as well as the neighbouring mainland countries of Mozambique and Malawi. More than 500 people lost their lives. Adblock test (Why?)
Former US Senator Joe Lieberman dies at age 82: Media reports
Joe Lieberman, Al Gore’s running mate during the hotly contested 2000 presidential election, has died at age 82 after suffering complications from a fall. United States media announced his death on Tuesday afternoon, citing a family statement. One of the few high-profile independents in the US political sphere, Lieberman largely caucused with the Democratic Party during his four terms as a senator, representing the state of Connecticut. But he identified as a centrist, and towards the end of his career, he embraced the No Labels movement, an organisation that shirks the traditional two-party system in favour of “common ground”. Lieberman, however, was part of the Democratic presidential ticket in 2000, when Gore – then-vice president under Bill Clinton – raced for the White House himself. When Gore chose Lieberman as his vice presidential candidate, the senator became the first Jewish running mate to represent a major party in the general elections. The decision also catapulted Lieberman into one of the most divisive presidential races in recent history. The Gore-Lieberman ticket won the popular vote – but it lost the crucial Electoral College, the metric the US uses to decide who wins the presidency. Instead, Republican George W Bush emerged victorious in that race, after the US Supreme Court ruled to end a recount effort in the pivotal swing state of Florida. An estimated 537 votes separated Bush and Gore in the state. Lieberman’s career in national politics, however, came to an end in 2013, after he announced his retirement. For years, he had faced criticism for his hawkish approach to the US’s war in Iraq. He has, however, continued to exercise influence as a political lobbyist, lawyer and advocate for groups like No Labels. Al Gore and Joe Lieberman rally together for the US presidency in Jackson, Tennessee, on October 25, 2000 [File: Stephan Savoia/AP Photo] Senate career Lieberman started his national political career in 1988, earning his first US Senate win with an unconventional ticket. He ran as a Democrat but was backed by prominent conservatives like pundit William F Buckley Jr. A New York Times article that year captured the surprise at the odd-couple pairing: “Buckleys Are Backing A Democrat?” But the alliance proved to be a fruitful one. Lieberman – who had previously served as a state senator – squeaked out a narrow win against three-time incumbent Republican Lowell Weicker Jr, who was considered the favourite to win. Once in office, Lieberman continued to work both sides of the aisle. In 1990, for instance, he rallied bipartisan support for amendments to strengthen the Clean Air Act. He also championed efforts to restrict violence in video games, pledging to develop a government rating system for the industry if it did not do so itself. “Few parents would buy these games for their kids if they really knew what was in them,” Lieberman told reporters in 1993. His advocacy helped forge the Entertainment Software Rating Board, a self-regulating arm of the gaming industry. It was one of many moves Lieberman made in his attempts to represent the moral high ground in the US cultural discourse. Another example came in 1998 when then-President Clinton found himself engulfed in long-running sexual assault allegations and questions of misconduct. As details about Clinton’s extramarital relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky emerged, Lieberman condemned the president on the Senate floor in a high-profile speech. He is sometimes credited as the first prominent Democrat to speak out publicly against Clinton’s actions. “Such behaviour is not only inappropriate,” Lieberman said of Clinton. “It is immoral, and it is harmful.” He ultimately voted with his fellow Democrats in Clinton’s Senate trial, opting not to remove the president from office. Joe Lieberman leaves the White House after a visit on May 17, 2017 [File: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo] A hawkish track record Critics often cite Gore’s decision to choose Lieberman as his running mate in the 2000 presidential race as an effort to distance the Democratic ticket from the scandal of the Clinton years. It was also an appeal to the political centre: Lieberman had backed several traditionally conservative issues, including by supporting school voucher programmes, something many Democrats feared would imperil funds for public schools. Though the Gore-Lieberman ticket ultimately failed to win the presidency in 2000, Lieberman still managed to hang onto his Senate seat that year: Connecticut law allowed him to run in both races at the same time. But the attacks on September 11, 2001, would highlight Lieberman’s track record for hawkishness – something that would ultimately lead to his political decline. Lieberman had previously shown a hawkish streak: In 1991, he co-sponsored a bill that authorised the use of military force in the Gulf War. He also backed the 1998 Iraq Liberation Act, which supported efforts to remove Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. He was one of only two Senate Democrats to do so. So when the administration of Republican President Bush announced its intention to invade Iraq in 2003, as part of his post 9/11 “war on terror”, Lieberman was a vocal supporter. In an interview with CBS’s Face the Nation, he echoed talking points that Hussein was harbouring weapons of mass destruction, and therefore the invasion was necessary. “We know he had enormous quantities that were never accounted for. And that’s why we’ve got to continue to look for them,” Lieberman said. Those claims, however, were later shown to come from flawed or exaggerated intelligence reports. Lieberman also helmed efforts to create the Department of Homeland Security, another part of the US’s response to the 9/11 attacks. Its mission was to “secure the United States from terrorist threats or attacks”, but critics warned it would violate civil rights protections and other civilian privacy measures. Speaking to the New York Times in 2005, Lieberman acknowledged that his stance on the 2003 Iraq invasion had sown division in the Democratic Party. “Some Democrats said I was being a traitor,” he told the newspaper, though he credited some of the backlash to the
US stock market hits record high after three-day lull
S&P 500 rises 0.9 percent as major players including Apple and Tesla see gains. The US stock market has hit a record high after a string of downbeat trading sessions. All three leading stock indexes rose on Wednesday, ending a three-day lull. The S&P 500, which tracks the performance of 500 of the largest US companies, finished up 0.9 percent on Wednesday, surpassing last week’s record. The rise leaves the benchmark index up more than 10 percent so far in 2024. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq Composite rose 1.22 percent and 0.51 percent, respectively. Among the big corporate players, Apple and Tesla climbed 2.12 percent and 1.22 percent, respectively, while semiconductor company Nvidia Corp declined 2.5 percent. Pharmaceutical giant Merck climbed 5 percent after announcing that the US Food and Drug Administration had approved its drug Winrevair to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension. Cruise line Carnival rose 1 percent after the company raised key earnings and revenue projections and revised its costs downward. Cintas, an office supplies company, surged 8.2 percent after reporting a better-than-expected profit for the latest quarter. Trump Media & Technology Group, former US President Donald Trump’s social media company, rose 14.2 percent, continuing its rally after surging 16 percent in its market debut the previous day. Investors are anticipating the release of key US economic data this week, including updated figures on jobless claims, gross domestic product and consumer sentiment. Adblock test (Why?)
Can we talk about Tate? The ‘manosphere’ in Australian schools
Young fans of self-styled “manfluencers” like Andrew Tate, currently facing charges including rape in a Romanian court, are increasingly bringing misogynist views into Australian schools, leaving other children, teachers and parents searching for answers. In response, the Australian government is offering 3.5 million Australian dollars ($2.3m) in grants in a trial aimed at tackling “harmful gender stereotypes perpetuated online”. The manosphere’s reach into Australian schools has gotten so bad that some Australian teachers are quitting their jobs, according to a recent study published by Monash University in Melbourne. The Monash researchers found that students were openly expressing “male supremacist” views in class. One teacher says a student told her “I hate women”, while another said boys as young as 13 were made “sexual moaning noises” in her class. “People are crying out for what to do,” Naomi Barnes, a senior lecturer in the School of Teacher Education and Leadership at the Queensland University of Technology, told Al Jazeera. A former teacher who now lectures aspiring teachers, Barnes says that teachers and parents have come to her asking what to do about the ideas peddled by people like Tate, and how to discuss them with their children, Drawing on her research on how misinformation from bad faith actors spreads, Barnes developed guidelines she’s used in her own classrooms. But she acknowledges it is not easy. “Andrew Tate has already given them all the comebacks,” she said, noting how Tate tries to use arguments of free speech in response to critics, even when what is being said is not true, and potentially harmful. She encourages parents and teachers to be prepared to listen and to try to understand what a child is trying to say. Young people may be more likely to respond when a conversation is brought up by a trusted adult, Barnes adds, including on questions like what it “means to be a part of a fair and just society”. In her classrooms, she tries to “open up a space where students feel comfortable to tell me what they’re really thinking”. Instead of telling students their ideas are wrong, she asks them to explain their thinking. “Be careful. Think through what you said,” she advises, as well as telling them, “You’ve taken a group of people’s humanity away.” ‘He has your children’ Currently facing charges of rape, human trafficking and being part of an organised crime group, Tate’s particular brand of toxic masculinity has attracted some 9 million followers on X, and billions of views on TikTok and YouTube. A former kickboxer, Tate gained notoriety after he was removed from the United Kingdom’s version of the Big Brother reality television show after a video showing him attacking a woman emerged. He then turned his attention to social media, where bans from major platforms have done little to dampen his popularity. “You can listen to 20 hours of Andrew Tate, and not hear anything misogynistic. But his fans listen to hundreds of hours. And these things cohere together into a narrative that he’ll never say in one soundbite,” explained author and senior lecturer Tyson Yunkaporta. Yunkaporta’s most recent book Right Story, Wrong Story delves into the spread of disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking to high school students late last year he says he asked them to “put your hands up, who’s into Andrew Tate?” “Almost all of the boys. And surprisingly, more than half of the girls put their fists in the air [and] cheered,” Yunkaporta told Al Jazeera. Yunkaporta says the English teachers he spoke to from the school were aware of Tate’s influence. “English teachers are the best with staying on top of the problematic discourses that infect the world,” he said. But he noted some of the other teachers had no idea who Tate was. “He’s in the top five most influential people on the planet right now. And he has your children,” he told them. But it is not only schools where followers of the manosphere are making themselves known. Sharna Bremner, the founder of End Rape on Campus Australia, says similar ideas are now “flowing onto university campuses”. Australian teachers say students are increasingly spreading ‘manosphere’ ideas inside their classes [File: Dan Peled/EPA-EFE] And Bremner says it’s not just students who are sharing Tate’s views in class. “It’s something that people are hearing from their classmates or sometimes even from their tutors,” she told Al Jazeera. Homegrown misogyny While much of the recent focus has been on Andrew Tate, who is currently awaiting trial in Romania and extradition to the United Kingdom, the ideas he is spreading are hardly new to Australia, which has long struggled with sexism and gendered violence. “Manfluencers or manosphere-type” influencers “have been around forever”, said Barnes, who thinks Tate will inevitably be replaced by someone else. In recent years, sexual abuse and domestic violence have attracted significant discussion in Australia, something Bremner attributes to the “Rosie Batty effect”. Batty became a prominent advocate against domestic violence after her 11-year-old son Luke Batty was murdered by his father. She was named Australian of the Year in 2015. But the problems have persisted, including in Australia’s parliament where reports of widespread sexism led to protests across the country in 2021 and efforts to address gender inequality in Australia continue to be met with resistance. Last month, Australian senator Matt Canavan referenced Tate in response to new data on the gender wage gap in Australia. “I’m sick and tired of this bulls***,” Canavan, a member of the Nationals party, told reporters. “Young men in particular feel like they are now being discriminated against and that’s why they are going to watch the likes of Andrew Tate.” Minister for Families and Social Services Amanda Rishworth described Canavan’s comments as “dangerous”. “Linking Australia’s first major report on the gender pay gap to influencers like Andrew Tate who glorify violence against women is unacceptable,” she said. “By contrast, we’re investing 3.5 million [Australian dollars; $2.28m] to counter harmful gender stereotypes perpetuated online as part of our
Videos of malnourished children show Gaza’s forced starvation crisis
NewsFeed Starvation is getting worse in north Gaza where 31% of children under the age of 2 are suffering from acute malnutrition, a percentage which has doubled since January. Published On 27 Mar 202427 Mar 2024 Adblock test (Why?)