У Запоріжжі завершився другий матч кваліфікаційного раунду Євробаскету-2021, де збірна України поступилася команді Угорщини 60:62.
Обидві збірні у перших матчах здобули перемоги, тож сьогодні боролися за перше місце у турнірній таблиці групи F.
Команди показували рівну гру у кожній десятихвилинці, вириваючись на кілька очок і постійно наганяючи один одного. Перша чверть завершилася з перевагою «синьо-жовтих» у чотири очки, проте уже у наступній десятихвилинці угорці майже наздогнали збірну України – команда Багатскіса вийшла на перерву, маючи в своєму активі +2.
Після перерви жодній з команд так і не вдалося вирватися вперед, тому все залежало від останньої чверті. За чотири секунди до кінця матчу «синьо-жовті» зрівняли рахунок, проте пропустили двоочковий за дві секунди до сирени. Перевести гру у овертайм команді Айнарса Багатскіса не вдалося. Як результат, 60:62, і перша поразка України.
«Ми випадали з гри на декілька хвилин і в підсумку ухвалювали хибні рішення. Також команда не зберігала концентрацію в багатьох ситуаціях. Дуже засмучені та спустошені цією поразкою. Хочу сказати дякую за ці чудові три дні у Запоріжжі. Тут були неймовірні атмосфера та фанати. Це баскетбол і поразки трапляються, як би це не було прикро», – прокоментував виступ збірної головний тренер Айнарс Багатскіс.
Найрезультативнішими гравцями стали Володимир Герун, В’ячеслав Бобров та Артем Пустовий, які набрали по 12 очок.
В іншому матчі групи F збірна Словенія виграла у команди Австрії 85:78. Тож за результатами двох матчів в активі української команди перемога на виїзді та поразка вдома, а отже три очки у кошику «синьо-жовтих». Команда Айнарса Багатскіса посідає другу сходинку в турнірній таблиці. Очолює квартет збірна Угорщини.
Після матчу українські вболівальники фотографувалися з гравцями та брали автографи
Наступні матчі відбору на Євробаскет-2021 відбудуться 28 листопада у Словенії, а 30 листопада вдома – гра проти Австрії. …
Правоохоронці у Нових Санжарах на Полтавщині здійснюють свою роботу у штатному режимі, повідомив радник міністра внутрішніх справ Іван Варченко.
«Персонал санаторію, медики, поліцейські, нацгвардійці і рятувальники здійснюють у штатному режимі свою роботу – забезпечення порядку на території та по периметру об’єкта, а також на території населеного пункту. Вся правоохоронна система України зараз зорієнтована на те, щоб забезпечити перебіг процесів, які відбуваються в зоні обсервації і навколо цього. Ми маємо достатньо сил і засобів для убезпечення від будь-яких надзвичайних ситуацій», – заявив Варченко.
За його словами, поліція зараз вивчає всю інформацію, що стосується акції протесту в Нових Санжарах.
«Зараз Національна поліція працює над усім спектром інформації. Ми визначаємо людей, які брали участь у заходах, визначаємо в якій якості, які функції вони виконували під час акцій. Рухаємось в межах слідства. Наразі ми перевіряємо всю інформацію про провокаторів та штучно створену паніку, держава буде давати лише достовірну інформацію», – сказав Варченко.
20 лютого до України прибув літак з евакуйованими громадянами, які перебували в китайському Ухані, де зафіксований спалах коронавірусу. На борту перебували 45 громадян України та 27 іноземців, а також екіпаж і супроводжуючі лікарі. За даними української влади, усі – здорові. Втім, впродовж 14 днів вони перебуватимуть на обсервації в закритому медичному центрі Національної гвардії у Нових Санжарах.
У селищі спалахнули протести й сутички з правоохоронцями. За даними поліції, дев’ять правоохоронців зазнали травм. Також до медиків звернулася одна цивільна особа. Упродовж дня поліцейські затримали 24 людини.
Попри заворушення, автобуси з евакуйованими з Китаю громадянами змогли заїхати на територію селища. …
Bus drivers in Moscow kept their WhatsApp group chat buzzing with questions this week about what to do if they spotted passengers who might be from China riding with them in the Russian capital.
“Some Asian-looking [people] have just got on. Probably Chinese. Should I call [the police]?” one driver messaged his peers. “How do I figure out if they’re Chinese? Should I ask them?” a colleague wondered.
The befuddlement reflected in screenshots of the group exchanges seen by The Associated Press had a common source — instructions from Moscow’s public transit operator Wednesday for drivers to call a dispatcher if Chinese nationals boarded their buses, Russian media reported.
A leaked email that the media reports said was sent by the state-owned transportation company Mosgortrans told dispatchers who took such calls to notify the police. The email, which the company immediately described on Twitter as fake, carried a one-word subject line: coronavirus.
Since the outbreak of the new virus that has infected more than 76,000 people and killed more than 2,300 in mainland China, Russia has reported two cases. Both patients, Chinese nationals hospitalized in Siberia, recovered quickly. Russian authorities nevertheless are going to significant — some argue discriminatory — lengths to keep the virus from resurfacing and spreading.
Moscow officials ordered police raids of hotels, dormitories, apartment buildings and businesses to track down the shrinking number of Chinese people remaining in the city. They also authorized the use of facial recognition technology to find those suspected of evading a 14-day self-quarantine period upon their arrival in Russia.
“Conducting raids is an unpleasant task, but it is necessary, for the potential carriers of the virus as well,” Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a statement outlining various methods to find and track Chinese people the city approved as a virus prevention strategy.
The effort to identify Chinese citizens on public transportation applies not only to buses, but underground trains and street trams in Moscow, Russian media reported Wednesday.
Metro workers were instructed to stop riders from China and ask them to fill out questionnaires asking why they were in Russia and whether they observed the two-week quarantine, the reports said. The forms also ask respondents for their health condition and the address of where they are were staying.
In Yekaterinburg, a city located 1,790 kilometers (1,112 miles) away from Moscow in the Urals Mountains, members of the local Chinese community also are under watch. Self-styled Cossack patrols in the city hand out medical masks along with strong recommendations to visit a health clinic to Chinese residents.
Human rights advocates have condemned the targeting of Chinese nationals as racial profiling, not an effective epidemic control strategy.
“Prevention of any serious virus, be it a flu or the new coronavirus, should involve a proper information campaign and not discrimination of other people,” said Alyona Popova, an activist engaged in a year-long court challenge of Moscow’s use of facial recognition technology.
The containment measures in the capital came as the Russian government instituted an indefinite ban on Chinese nationals entering the country that could block up to 90% of travelers coming to Russia from China. Weeks before, Russia shut down the country’s long land border with China, suspended all trains and most flights between the two countries.
The Moscow Metro confirmed to The Associated Press that the underground system was “actively monitoring the stations” and has a protocol in place for dealing with people who have recently returned from the People’s Republic of China.
“We ask to see their documents and to show us documents [proving] that if they have recently returned from the People’s Republic of China, they have undergone a two-week quarantine period,” Yulia Temnikova, Moscow Metro’s deputy chief of client and passenger services, said.
If an individual does not show proof of completing the quarantine, Metro workers ask the person to fill out the form and call an ambulance, Temnikova said.
Bus and tram drivers contacted their labor union about the instructions to look for Chinese nationals and report them to the dispatch center. The drivers were outraged and didn’t know what to do, Public Transport Workers Union chairman Yuri Dashkov said.
“So he saw a Chinese national, and then what?” Dashkov said. “How can he ascertain that he saw a Chinese national, or a Vietnamese national, or a Japanese, or [someone from the Russian region of] Yakutia?”
Dashkov showed the AP a photo of the email that officials at Mosgortrans were said to have sent out. He also showed three photos of on-bus electronic displays reading, “If Chinese nationals are discovered in the carriage, inform the dispatcher.”
The AP was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the email and the photos. Dashkov shared screenshots of what appeared to be a genuine bus drivers’ group chat in WhatsApp.
While Moscow public transit operator Mosgortrans dismissed the email as phony on its official Twitter account Wednesday, the company told the AP in a statement two days later that it does “conduct monitoring” and “sends data to the medics when necessary.”
Mosgortrans referred additional questions to the detailed statement from Moscow’s mayor, who on Friday acknowledged the sharp focus on Chinese people in the city’s virus-control plan.
Officials ordered everyone arriving from China to isolate themselves for two weeks, and those who skip the quarantine step will be identified through video surveillance and facial recognition technology, Sobyanin said. The systems give authorities the ability to “constantly control compliance with the protocol,” he said in the statement.
The mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the city’s containment approach and the accusation that it’s discriminatory. But rights activist Popova insists the facial recognition program is unlawful whether the searches are seeking Russian or Chinese faces.
“We have a constitutional right to privacy, and citizens of [other countries] have it according to foreign and international legal norms,” she said.
Temnikova from the Moscow Metro rejected accusations of racial profiling. Subway workers “mainly look at the passenger’s [health] condition,” she said, and approach “people who need help.”
Addressing identification questions like the ones that worried the bus drivers, Temnikova said it should be “clear who could have arrived from China” because “it is obvious.”
The Cossacks of Yekaterinburg — men in conservative, often pro-Kremlin groups claiming to be successors of the proud guards who policed the Russian Empire’s frontiers — took fighting the virus into their own hands three weeks ago. They also have a system of sorts for deciding who needs a face mask and advice to see a medical professional.
“Mainly [we approach] people from China because it is from them that the coronavirus came. They are the main source,” Igor Gorbunov, elder of the Ural Volunteer Cossack Corps, told the AP during one such patrol Friday.
“But not only them,” Gorbunov continued. “There are different nationalities, there are many people of Asian appearance, and they seem to be vulnerable to this disease, the coronavirus, because it is them who are most often affected. Europeans are not yet affected much.”
Vietnam and the U.S. have announced that cooperation on cross-border crime has led to a U.S. grand jury indictment of an American teacher accused of traveling to the Southeast Asian nation to have sex with minors.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of California alleged that the teacher, Paul Marshall Bodner, of San Francisco, California, “met Vietnamese boys as young as 11 or 12 years old and engaged in sex acts with them at a hotel located in Ho Chi Minh City when he traveled to Vietnam” in the period from July 2015 to August 2016. If convicted he faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
U.S. ambassador to Vietnam, Daniel J. Kritenbrink, said the investigation was aided by close cooperation between the two nations, which normalized relations in 1995, 20 years after the Vietnam War, and have since become partners on security, trade, and cultural issues.
“In this instance, strong collaboration between the Homeland Security Investigations office in Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security have brought multiple child victims one step nearer to finding closure,” said Kritenbrink on Thursday. “This arrest also underscores how the United States and Vietnam can work together effectively to combat child exploitation.”
Human trafficking has become a higher priority for Vietnam since October of last year, when 39 of its citizens were found dead in a container truck in the United Kingdom, believed to have suffocated to death after being trafficked from Vietnam. Trafficking victims from the Southeast Asian nation range from workers tricked into bondage abroad, to young women sold as brides, such as to Chinese or Korean husbands.
The Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, based in Hanoi, works to help sex trafficking victims, including both those who are sold abroad as well as those forced into sex work domestically. However the new coronavirus has complicated the foundation’s efforts in recent weeks. Vietnam and China have effectively shut down their 1,200 kilometer land border. That makes it harder for traffickers to send Vietnamese to China, but it also makes it harder to rescue victims and return them home.
“Blue Dragon has temporarily suspended rescue operations of human trafficking survivors from China, as the current restrictions to travel within and from China prevent our rescue team from conducting operations as usual,” the organization said in a statement. “On the legal front, Blue Dragon will use this pause to work on child sexual abuse cases and prosecutions of traffickers.”
The foundation usually assists with prosecutions of traffickers and sex offenders in Vietnam.
In contrast, the charges against Bodner, brought by a U.S. federal grand jury, mark a rare instance of joint investigations between Vietnam and the U.S. that lead to an indictment.
The 64-year-old was charged with three counts of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, as well as one count of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in a foreign place.
The grand jury indictment was unsealed the day of a pre-trial hearing for Bodner on Feb. 14 but a trial date was not announced.
In addition to law enforcement, Vietnam and the U.S. have also increased their cooperation in defense. Last year the U.S. conducted its first ever joint naval drills with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a bloc of 10 nations with a rotating chair that is being hosted this year by Vietnam.
The U.S. also gave Vietnam’s Coast Guard six patrol boats worth $12 million in 2019, part of ongoing efforts to shore up Hanoi’s defenses in the South China Sea. Vietnam has territorial claims there that are being challenged by China, whose growing power is also pushing the U.S. and Vietnam closer together.
Розведення чи загострення: що зміниться на Донбасі?
Трьохстороння контактна група у Мінську майже погодила розведення в районі КПВВ «Гнутове», а міністр внутрішніх справ України пропонує спільне патрулювання окупованих територій поліцією, миротворцями та представниками ОРДЛО. Та чи можливе на ділі нове розведення на тлі нового загострення на Луганщині? Чи виправдане воно?
Журналісти побували поруч із ділянкою розведення №2 поблизу Золотого, а також порівняло ситуацію із схожою точкою – КПВВ «Гнутове»
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With power and a prodigious shot, Alex Ovechkin now stands where few in the NHL have been.
He became the eight NHL player to score 700 career goals, reaching the milestone in the third period of the Washington’ Capitals’ 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.
The 34-year-old Russian forward one-timed a slap shot from the right circle that went in off the left post 4:50 into the third period, tying the game at 2. It was his 42nd goal of the season, one behind Boston’s David Pastrnak for the league lead, and came on his second shot on goal of the game.
Capitals players rushed onto the ice to congratulate their teammate, and Devils fans gave him a strong ovation.
Wayne Gretzky leads the career list with 894 goals. He is followed by Gordie Howe (801), Jaromir Jagr (766), Brett Hull (741), Marcel Dionne (731), Phil Esposito (717) and Mike Gartner (708).
Ovechkin had not scored in five straight games before getting No. 699 against Montreal on Thursday night. He had 14 goals, including three hat tricks, in his previous seven games before the drought.
He needed 1,144 games to reach the landmark, second fastest behind Gretzky at 886 games. And the player who has been tormenting goalies since joining the league in 2005 moved from 600 goals to 700 in 154 games, the fewest among the eight players to reach the mark.
The first overall pick in the 2004 draft, Ovechkin has 1,270 points since the start of his rookie season, just ahead of Penguins star Sidney Crosby (1,256) since they both debuted that year.
Despite Ovechkin’s climb, Washington lost its fourth straight and fell to 3-7-1 in its past 11 games to remain tied with Pittsburgh atop the Metropolitan Division at 80 points — the Penguins have an edge with a game in hand. Washington hosts Pittsburgh, which lost 5-2 at home to Buffalo, on Sunday.
Damon Severson scored the winning goal for last-place New Jersey with 1:59 left off a cross-ice pass from Nikita Gusev. Wayne Simmonds and Jesper Bratt also scored for the Devils, and Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 33 shots.
Tom Wilson cut New Jersey’s lead to 2-1 late in the second period to set up Ovechkin’s tying score. Ilya Samsonov made 26 saves.
Підконтрольний Росії відділ судових приставів в Білогорському районі анексованого Криму дозволив власник сафарі-парку «Тайган» і зоопарку «Казка» Олегу Зубкову виїздити за межі анексованого Криму та сусідньої Росії. Про це повідомляє проєкт Радіо Свобода Крим.Реалії з посиланням на відеозвернення підприємця.
«Мені була вручена постанова від виконавчої службі про те, що всі обмеження з мене знімаються, я стану виїзним. Моє ім’я прибрали з бази. Однак це рішення було прийняте ще 31 січня і до сьогодні я не був у законному порядку сповіщений про цю постанову. Вже звільнили й Демченка – фахівця, який нібито ухвалював подовження цих невиїздів. Але мені від цього не легше. Є структура, яка не випускала мене більше двох років», – сказав Зубков.
Читайте також: Суд у Криму звільнив Олега Зубкова з СІЗО
За його словами, 3 березня в підконтрольному Росії Білогорському районному суду пройде засідання, де буде розглядатися заява захисту Зубкова проти виконавчої служби.
Кримському підприємцю Зубкову заборонили виїзд з Росії та окупованого півострова в жовтні 2017 року. Причиною постанови стала відмова Зубкова на вимогу суду зачинити кафе, розташоване на території парку «Тайган» у Білогорському районі Криму.
У Олега Зубкова, який у 2014 році підтримав анексію півострова Росією – тривалий конфлікт окупаційною владою Криму. Зубков стверджує, що протягом п’яти років не може оформити документи на земельні ділянки, де розташована його власність.
В однієї з іноземних громадян, яких розмістили в обсерваторі у Нових Санжарах, виявили загострення гострої гастроентерологічної хвороби, повідомило Міністерство охорони здоров’я.
У відомстві уточнюють, що жінка відчула біль у животі увечері 22 лютого. До військового санаторію, де триває обсервація, прибула екстрена медична допомога.
Читайте також: Евакуйованим з Китаю передали Біблію та настільні ігри – ОДА
«Лікарі прибули із пересувним апаратом для проведення ультразвукової діагностики та з спеціальними контейнерами для забору проб. Полтавські медики спрацювали оперативно. Зайшли, здійснили медичний огляд та вийшли із приміщення обсерватора із дотриманням всіх протиепідемічних норм», – цитує пресслужба заступника міністра охорони здоров’я Віктора Ляшка.
Лікарі встановили у іноземної громадянки загострення хронічної гастроентерологічної хвороби, призначили лікування та дієтичне меню. У міністерстві стверджують, що зараз вона почувається добре, ані в неї, ані в інших мешканців обсерватора немає ознак гострих респіраторних захворювань.
21 лютого заступник голови МОЗ Дмитро Коваль повідомив, що їжу для евакуйованих готують за межами санаторію за принципом кейтерингу.
Читайте також: До СБУ звернулися з проханням оцінити заяви політиків через евакуацію з Китаю – депутат
20 лютого до України прилетів спецрейс із китайського міста Уханю, де зафіксований найбільший спалах нового коронавірусу. У літаку перебували 45 громадян України і 27 іноземців, а також екіпаж і лікарський супровід. За даними української влади, всі здорові.
Водночас евакуйовані впродовж 14 днів будуть на карантині-спостереженні (обсервації) в закритому медичному центрі Національної гвардії в Нових Санжарах на Полтавщині. За повідомленнями влади, небезпеки ймовірного потрапляння коронавірусу за межі закритого медцентру навіть у разі його виявлення немає.
У неділю 23 лютого у столиці Австралії Канберрі австралійські українці та місцеві друзі України провели перед посольством Росії акцію до шостої річниці анексії росіянами Криму. Близько півсотні людей стояли біля входу до території посольства з плакатами «Крим – це Україна! Звільніть Крим!» (Crimea is Ukraine! Liberate Crimea!).
Як повідомила Радіо Свобода координаторка акції Наталя Альохіна, метою акції було «привернути увагу громадськості до російської агресії в Україні і нагадати австралійцям про геополітичний злочин Кремля – окупацію Криму».
Окрім інформації про окупацію Криму, учасники акції нагадали ще про один злочин Росії: 76 років тому відбувся геноцид – депортація чеченського та інгушського народів, заначила Альохіна.
Читайте також: Кримському правозахиснику Джеппарову спробували вручити застереження від російської прокуратури
Також сьогодні у Канаді кримськотатарська спільнота – представники Canadian Association of Crimean Tatars (Канадська асоціація кримських татар – Торонто) проводить акцію на підтримку кримськотатарського народу та на захист телеканалу ATR.
23 лютого 2014 року у Сімферополі з ініціативи Меджлісу кримськотатарського народу відбувся Всекримський мітинг на підтримку Революції гідності. У ньому взяли участь близько 5 тисяч осіб. 26 лютого 2014 року перед будинком кримського парламенту відбувся масштабний мітинг прихильників і супротивників територіальної цілісності України.
У 2019 році активісти міжнародної громадської ініціативи «Об’єднані прапором провели всесвітню кампанію на підтримку кримськотатарського народу: кримськотатарський прапор «здійснив мандрівку» 28 країнами світу на чотирьох континентах за дев’ять місяців.
Читайте також: Бостон: Бутман, який підтримував анексію Криму, завершив турне під пікет активістів
Як повідомляв тоді кореспондентові Радіо Свобода координатор акції Микола Круцик, прапор зустрічали і підписували представники кримськотатарської та української діаспор, політики і громадські активісти у сотнях міст.
А 26 червня, у День кримськтотатарського прапора, його пронесли центром Києва, таким чином, за словами Круцика, «висловивши підтримку кримським татарам, які за умов окупації Криму продовжують боротьбу за свої права і за Україну».
У березні 2014 року Росія анексувала український півострів Крим. Міжнародні організації визнали анексію Криму незаконною і засудили дії Росії, країни Заходу запровадили проти неї економічні санкції. Кремль заперечує анексію півострова і називає це «відновленням історичної справедливості».
Верховна Рада України офіційно оголосила датою початку тимчасової окупації Криму і Севастополя Росією 20 лютого 2014 року.
A few years ago, the newly elected Kosovo prime minister overturned Serbian trucks. But Albin Kurti now says he is ready to revoke tariffs introduced by his predecessor on Serbian goods.
Kurti, who took office in early February, is backed by most of 1.8 million inhabitants of the former Serbian province for such a move but is nonetheless walking on eggshells.
Under intense international pressure to abolish tariffs and resume stalled talks with Serbia, Kurti also faces a fierce backlash from veterans who fought for independence and dominated politics for decades.
The former student leader wrote recently on his Facebook account that he was ready to “abolish the 100 percent tariffs” on Serbian goods.
A municipality worker hangs Kosovo’s flag to decorate the main street, during the 12th anniversary of the country’s independence in the capital Pristina, Feb. 17, 2020. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008.
Principle of reciprocity
They were introduced in late 2018 by Ramush Haradinaj as retaliation for a Serbian blockade of Kosovo’s Interpol membership. Belgrade still refuses to recognize the independence declared by the breakaway territory in 2008.
The tariffs “will be replaced by the principle of reciprocity between the two states” in political, economic and commercial affairs, Kurti said.
The concept, commonly in use in international relations, could mean for example a ban for Serbian license plates in Kosovo, as Kosovar plates are prohibited in Serbia.
U.S. envoy for Belgrade-Pristina talks Richard Grenell urged Pristina to abolish tariffs as “it hurts Kosovo and chases businesses away from creating jobs.”
‘National pride’
But opposition parties that emerged from the guerilla movement that fought Serb forces during the 1998-1999 war that claimed 13,000 lives, are against commercial concessions.
To mobilize the public, the opposition is trying to collect a third of the votes in Kosovo’s 120-seat parliament to call an extraordinary session on the issue.
Haradinaj urged the new prime minister to refrain from removing tariffs “for some temporary political points you might gain from the international community.
“We have to stand united in opposing Serbia until mutual recognition,” he said. His AAK party threatened to hold street protests against the move.
The tariffs are a “response to Serbia’s constant attacks against Kosovo,” said Kadri Veseli, leader of the largest opposition party PDK.
For Shpetim Gashi, analyst at the American think-thank Council for Inclusive Governance, the issue goes beyond tariffs and is now a question of “national pride.”
“Kurti will be walking on a tightrope when replacing it with reciprocity,” Gashi told AFP.
The European Union, like Washington, made normalization of ties between Serbia and Kosovo a priority for the sake of economic development and future integration into the EU.
FILE – People protest Kosovo’s decision to raise customs tariffs on Serbian and Bosnian goods, in the village of Rudare near Mitrovica, Kosovo, Nov. 23, 2018.
‘Not forever’
A recent survey by the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies showed that about 60% of those questioned backed the move while 35% were against it.
“I supported my government’s decision to retaliate with the tariffs, but it cannot last forever,” Ekrem Hoxha, a 40-year-old technician told AFP.
Muhamet Sejdiu, a 32-year-old grocery store owner, echoed his words.
“I understand what brought the tariffs. Serbia really has gone too far,” he said. But “I think it is time to return to normalcy. On the shelves I have goods from Bulgaria, (North) Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Europe. … I don’t mind having among them goods from Serbia.”
Serbia’s exports to Kosovo amount to around 400 million euros ($433 million) annually and economists like Safet Gerxhaliu call for normalization between the two neighbors.
“It is time to think about opening up a dialogue on eliminating barriers and doing business, not just between Kosovo and Serbia, but also in the whole region,” he said.
In exchange, Brussels and Washington are asking Belgrade to end its campaign to persuade other countries to withdraw their recognitions of Kosovo’s independence.
According to Pristina, Kosovo is recognized by more than 115 states, although Belgrade claims the number is less than a 100.
Kurti said he was ready to resume a dialogue “focused on mutual recognition.”
The former rebel seems to have turned the page on his tumultuous past when he was prisoner of Slobodan Milosevic’s regime and rioted against Serbia’s rule and later the Kosovo establishment by spraying the parliament with tear gas.
“It is clear that Kurti is evolving,” said Agron Bajrami, editor in chief of prominent Koha Ditore daily.
“The time for overturning Serbian trucks has passed.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders cruised to victory in the Nevada caucuses, heartening his supporters and stoking alarm among moderates who fear he is too liberal and would lose to President Donald Trump.
Here are some takeaways from the Nevada caucuses:
Sanders’ presidential bid gets rocket fuel
Sanders’ convincing win means there is no longer an asterisk next to his status as the front-runner in the race. He proved his strength with a broad coalition that included Latino voters, union members and African Americans.
Now Sanders claims three victories in a row heading into South Carolina next Saturday, and more important, Super Tuesday on March 3 when about one-third of the delegates needed for the nomination are at stake. The biggest prizes that day, California and Texas, look a lot like Nevada demographically.
FILE – Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg at a campaign rally in Salt Lake City, Feb. 20, 2020.
Another advantage: His opponents remain splintered and, with the exception of billionaire former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, underfunded to compete across such a vast terrain.
But now there will be extraordinary pressure to try to consolidate moderate support in an effort to stop Sanders’ rise. And Sen. Elizabeth Warren will have a decision to make on how much she tries to draw separation from Sanders since they are both competing for the progressive vote.
There is at least one strong note of caution about Sanders’ success. In Iowa and New Hampshire he didn’t seem to grow the electorate substantially. Data is still out in Nevada.
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg speaks at a campaign rally, Feb. 22, 2020, in Denver.
Buttigieg issues warning about Sanders
Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg ran well behind Sanders, but he tried to cast himself as the strongest alternative to Sanders.
In language uncharacteristically blunt, Buttigieg issued a warning to Democrats about the perils of nominating Sanders, whom he characterized as inflexible and whose ideas are not in the American mainstream.
“Sen. Sanders believes in an inflexible, ideological revolution that leaves out most Democrats, not to mention most Americans,” Buttigieg told supporters. He held himself out as the only viable alternative. “We can prioritize either ideological purity or inclusive victory,” Buttigieg said.
He added: “Sen. Sanders sees capitalism as the root of all evil. He’d go beyond reform and reorder the economy in ways most Democrats — let alone most Americans — don’t support.”
Despite his forceful argument, there’s a serious risk to Buttigieg in the upcoming calendar. He will have to win over black voters in South Carolina, then pivot to a multistate primary with comparatively limited resources. Buttigieg put out a plea for $13 million from donors before Super Tuesday.
The former mayor of a city of 100,000 has repeatedly defied the odds in the presidential nominating contests, but the odds are getting longer.
Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a Nevada Caucus night event in Las Vegas, Feb. 22, 2020.
Biden has his back against a firewall
Former Vice President Joe Biden was hoping Nevada would turn things around for him after a disastrous showing in Iowa and then New Hampshire. He argued that he’d do better in a more diverse state.
But Biden again lost badly even as he told supporters at a union hall, “We’re alive and coming back and we’re gonna win.”
His last and best hope may be to win in South Carolina next Saturday. He’s counting on his support among the state’s black voters — they could make up two-thirds of the voters — to serve as his firewall.
If Biden doesn’t win South Carolina, the rationale for his candidacy will much harder to maintain.
In Las Vegas, he tried out a new rallying cry: “I ain’t a socialist. I ain’t a plutocrat. I’m a Democrat. And I’m proud of it.” Party loyalty may be all Biden has left.
Maybe Culinary isn’t all-powerful after all
The 60,000-member Culinary Workers Local 226 represents workers in the casinos on the Las Vegas strip, and it’s routinely described, correctly, as the most powerful force in the state’s Democratic politics. But it’s not omnipotent.
Culinary didn’t want Sanders to win. It has strongly opposed his “Medicare for All” plan, warning its members that it would eliminate their own generous health plan. Some observers thought the union might end up backing Biden. But after the former vice president’s embarrassing performances in Iowa and New Hampshire, Culinary instead stayed neutral.
The calls from leadership went unheeded by many. Sanders had strong showings in some caucuses in casinos where crowds of Culinary members chanted the Vermont senator’s name and powered him to wins in most casinos. Culinary is driven by its members, many of whom are Sanders supporters, and there was no consensus among the rest about what they should do.
Leadership decided to refrain from a divisive fight, helping pave the way for Sanders’ win. It’s a reminder that even in places like Nevada with strong political institutions, those institutions ultimately derive their power from voters.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., reacts while meeting supporters at a campaign office, Feb. 22, 2020, in Las Vegas.
No bounce for Klobuchar
Sen. Amy Klobuchar produced one of the few surprises of the race when she surged to a third-place finish in New Hampshire, announced that she had raised more than $12 million, and vowed to prove her doubters wrong.
Her momentum proved short-lived. She finished well behind the leading candidates, and in the process, prompted questions about her viability.
But in a speech to supporters in her home state of Minnesota, she was defiant and said she would continue. She even tried to make a virtue of the fact that Trump mentioned her name at a rally.
“By the way, for the first time ever, he mentioned me at a rally,” she said. “You know I’ve arrived now. You know they must be worried.”
Probably not. Time is running out for candidates who haven’t finished higher than third in any contest. That also applies to Warren, also desperately needs a win. Her strong debate performance came after much of the state had already cast early votes.
Not a great return on investment
Tom Steyer, the billionaire who made his fortune running a hedge fund, bet heavily in Nevada, more than $12 million on advertising, and lost big, finishing sixth. Steyer has made strong appeals to minority voters, but in Nevada, failed decisively.
But Steyer’s impact on the race could come next week in South Carolina, where he has spent even more money. Polls show that he has made significant inroads among African American voters. That would not be good news for Biden, who is counting on those votes to resuscitate his campaign.
A person was struck by a float and fatally injured Saturday evening during one of the iconic parades of the Mardi Gras season in New Orleans, authorities said. It was the second death in days to mar this year’s Carnival festivities.
A city agency tasked with emergency preparedness tweeted that the death occurred Saturday night as the popular parade of the Krewe of Endymion was rolling. The agency, NOLA Ready, said it had no immediate details about how the death occurred or the identity of the person.
NOLA Ready tweeted that the remainder of Endymion’s parade was being canceled Saturday evening. Reports said 13 floats had already passed the area where the accident occurred and that the remaining floats and marching groups diverted elsewhere. Police said the accident occurred along Canal Street, a major downtown thoroughfare in this Mississippi River port city.
Second death
The fatality comes as New Orleans had already been mourning the death of a 58-year-old woman who witnesses said was run over by a parade float Wednesday night in the runup to Mardi Gras.
That death occurred during the parade of the Mystic Krewe of Nyx, an all-female Carnival group. Witnesses said the woman, later identified by authorities as New Orleans native Geraldine Carmouche, had apparently tried to cross between two parts of a tandem float and tripped over a hitch connecting the sections.
It wasn’t immediately clear if a tandem float was involved in Saturday night’s fatality, but the city agency NOLA Ready tweeted that tandem floats would not be allowed for the remainder of the 2020 season. Tandem floats are multiple floats connected together and pulled by one tractor.
Mardi Gras concludes with the Fat Tuesday celebration that marks the raucous climax of a week or more of parades and parties each year.
2019 attack
The 2020 Carnival season deaths come just a year after a car sped into a bicycle lane near a parade route, hitting nine people and killing two bicyclists not far from where the Krewe of Endymion formation had just passed. A man identified as the driver was subsequently charged with two counts of vehicular homicide.
Before this year, the most recent Carnival float-related fatality happened in 2009, when a 23-year-old rider fell from a float and in front of its wheels in Carencro, about 120 miles (195 kilometers) west of New Orleans.
In 2008, a rider getting off a three-part float after the Krewe of Endymion parade in New Orleans was killed when the float lurched forward and the third section ran over him, police said.
Зеленський для перевірки МОЗ призначив скандальних Тодурова і Голубовську!!!
Президент Зеленський створив робочу групу, яка протягом 7 днів має оцінити реформу МОЗ. І до її складу включив кількох скандальних персонажів. Зокрема, Тодурова і Голубовську, які встигли засвітитись і в корупційних оборудках, і в антинаукових твердженнях.
Блог про українську політику та актуальні події в нашій країні
Для поширення вашого відео чи повідомлення в Мережі Правди пишіть сюди,
або на email: pravdaua@email.cz
Найкращі пропозиції товарів і послуг в Мережі Купуй!
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said he would hold a summit with the leaders of Russia, France and Germany on March 5 to discuss the situation in Syria’s last rebel enclave of Idlib.
“We will come together on March 5 and discuss these issues,” Erdogan said in a televised speech, following a phone call on Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his tele-conference with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The Turkish leader did not say where the summit would be held but his announcement comes a day after Macron and Merkel called for a four-party Syria summit also involving the Russian leader.
A months-long offensive by Russia-backed Syrian troops against rebels backed by Turkey in northwest Idlib has seen close to one million civilians flee the violence.
The two European Union heavyweights on Friday “expressed their willingness to meet President Putin and Turkish President Erdogan to find a political solution to the crisis,” the chancellor’s office said.
Russia on Wednesday objected to the U.N. Security Council adopting a statement that would have called for a cease-fire in Idlib, diplomats said, after a tense closed-door meeting.
Turkey, which has threatened an “imminent” operation in Idlib after its troops have come under intense fire from regime forces, has given Damascus until the end of this month to drive back its army positions.
Syrian regime fire has killed 17 Turkish personnel this month alone, sparking a war of words between Ankara and Moscow, a key Damascus ally.
Iranian media is saying that preliminary results of Friday’s parliamentary election are showing conservatives winning 70% of the 290-seat chamber, with independents taking about 20%, and reformists just 10%. Many observers, however, are pointing to extremely low turnout in most parts of the country.
Amateur video broadcast by Arab and Iranian media showed several men outside an Iranian polling station, claiming that electoral officials had “stolen” Friday’s parliamentary election. VOA could not independently confirm the claim, but dozens of video reports by citizen journalists on social media appeared to show extremely low turnout at many polling stations.
There were some reports on social media that turnout was so low, Iranian electoral officials had decided not to announce the exact turnout, region by region, but instead would give the total turnout for the entire country.
Despite the apparently low turnout, Iranian media continued to show video of President Hassan Rouhani asserting that [Friday’s election] was “a glorious event in the history of the country and of the [1979 Islamic] revolution.” He added that polling stations across the country were linked online, and that he was impressed by the Interior Ministry’s electoral “nerve center.”
Iran’s Fars news agency quoted Abbas Ali Khadkhodai, spokesman for the Guardian Council that supervised the election, as thanking the “thousands of members of the council’s observer network across the country” for making sure that the election was “sound and that people’s votes were in good hands.”
Poll workers carry ballot boxes after voting in parliamentary elections ended, in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 22, 2020. (via Wana News Agency)
Photos on social media, however, showed electoral officials at a number of polling stations emptying ballot boxes on the floor and appearing to count them manually.
Former Iranian president Abolhassan Bani Sadr told VOA that according to reports he’s seen, more than 80% of Iranians boycotted the election, and that the government did not expect such a strong reaction from the public.
He said the government is still insisting turnout was high, though the figures they publish show the reality. In the city of Khorramshahr, he noted, authorities are claiming that 47,000 people voted, but they’re also saying that the winner received only 9,000 votes. That probably means only about 17,000 people voted and they multiplied the real figure by a factor of at least three.
Iran’s parliamentary election also appears to coincide with a public scare over a coronavirus outbreak in several cities, including Qom. Social media is reporting one top Tehran municipal official had come down with the virus and was seen Friday shaking hands with other officials and voters.
Arab news channels for the most part ridiculed Iran’s election, and one Lebanese TV station joked that the “only thing Iran does well, is to spread the coronavirus.”
European Union leaders are still seeking a compromise on their next seven-year, trillion-plus-dollar budget. But they ended two days of talks so divided they couldn’t set a date for their next meeting.
European unity over Brexit was nowhere to be seen during this first meeting since Britain’s departure from the EU. Leaders of the 27 remaining members ended budget talks Friday acknowledging the gridlock.
The tone was set by the EU’s most powerful members. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the differences were too big to overcome, while French President Emmanuel Macron said the deadlock was deeply regrettable. “We don’t need Britain to show disunity,” he added.
But inaugurating the annual agricultural fair in Paris Saturday, Macron underscored just why the divisions remain so strong. He told French farmers he remained firm in defending the EU’s biggest budget item — agricultural subsidies — of which France is a top beneficiary.
These kinds of no-go zones are being staked out by other member states. Poorer, mostly eastern European nations and five countries that currently get rebates want a more generous budget. Meanwhile the so-called frugal four, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden, don’t want the budget to exceed one percent of the bloc’s gross national income.
At the same time, the EU’s new executive arm has outlined ambitious new goals — including achieving zero greenhouse emissions by 2050. Those also will need funding — or risk being scaled down. Then there’s the $65 billion budget hole left by Britain’s departure, which needs filling.
Yet EU leaders say they are confident a compromise will be struck.
European Council President Charles Michel says the bloc has no choice but to reach a decision. The question is when.
Analyst Marta Pilati, of the Brussels-based European Policy Center research group, says the longer talks drag on, the more likely EU-funded programs will be affected next year.
“The first consequence of non-agreement is … that we have a delay in implementation, which in practice means that the EU will not be able to disburse funding to the programs so that they can start in January, but maybe that will happen in March and April next year,” Pilati said.
The current budget expires in December. After EU leaders reach agreement on the next one, the European Parliament will need to ratify it, which also promises to be complicated.
Увечері 22 лютого відбувається фінал українського національного відбору на пісенний конкурс «Євробачення-2020». Телеканал «UA: Перший» транслює подію наживо.
На сцену вийдуть шість виконавців: Krutь з піснею «99», Jerry Hail («Vegan»), Go-A («Соловей»), David Axelrod («Horizon»), Khayat («Call for love») та Tvorchi («Bonfire»).
У «Євробаченні-2019» Україна участі не брала. Національна суспільна телерадіокомпанія і переможниця нацвідбору Maruv відмовилися підписувати контракт про участь на «Євробаченні». На адресу співачки лунала критика через її виступи в Росії.
У 2018 році від України на «Євробачення» поїхав співак Melovin. Він посів 17-е місце.
Загалом представники України двічі перемагали у пісенному конкурсі «Євробачення»: у 2016 році – співачка Джамала з піснею «1944», у 2004 році – Руслана з піснею «Wild Dances». …
Дует Tvorchi є фаворитом національного відбору на пісенний конкурс «Євробачення-2020», свідчать дані букмекерських котирувань.
Серед двох інших фаворитів – Khayat і Krutь.
Фінал українського національного відбору на «Євробачення» відбудеться ввечері 22 лютого. На сцену вийдуть шість виконавців: Krutь з піснею «99», Jerry Hail («Vegan»), Go-A («Соловей»), David Axelrod («Horizon»), Khayat («Call for love») та Tvorchi («Bonfire»).
Відбір на Євробачення. Трансляція
У «Євробаченні-2019» Україна участі не брала. Національна суспільна телерадіокомпанія і переможниця нацвідбору Maruv відмовилися підписувати контракт про участь на «Євробаченні». На адресу співачки лунала критика через її виступи в Росії.
У 2018 році від України на «Євробачення» поїхав співак Melovin. Він посів 17-е місце.
Загалом представники України двічі перемагали у пісенному конкурсі «Євробачення»: у 2016 році – співачка Джамала з піснею «1944», у 2004 році – Руслана з піснею «Wild Dances».
The head of the World Health Organization says he fears the increase in the number of cases of coronavirus in Iran could be a signal of worse things to come. Iran has reported 18 cases, including at least five deaths in the past two days.
The number of cases and deaths reported in Iran still pales in comparison to that recorded in China.
But WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed concern about the number of cases in countries outside of China that have no clear epidemiological link, such as travel to China.
“There is a case which is linked to Iran now in Lebanon. This is a 45-year old woman. And, those [cases] are actually very concerning. Take them as trends. So, what I believe is the window of opportunity [for containment] is still there. But … our window of opportunity is narrowing.”
Tedros urged countries to act now to contain the coronavirus, before the window of opportunity closes. Currently, some 30 countries report cases of the virus, and at least 18 people outside China have died. South Korea has the largest cluster of confirmed cases outside China.
Tedros said this is no time for pessimism, but for action. He said the WHO is coordinating a global response that can defeat this disease.
“The measures China and other countries have taken have given us a fighting chance of containing the spread of the virus… We must not look back and regret that we failed to take advantage of the window of opportunity that we have now,” Tedros said.
The WHO chief spoke in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, attending an emergency meeting on COVID-19. It is organized by the African Union and the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The WHO is working to try to prevent COVID-19 from gaining a foothold in the developing world. It is focusing efforts on strengthening fragile health systems on the African continent and other vulnerable regions.
Egypt is the only African country with a confirmed case of coronavirus. The WHO reports suspected cases of COVID-19 in several other African countries have been tested and proved to be negative.
Voters in Togo are going to the polls Saturday to cast their ballots in a presidential election.
Political observers say incumbent president Faure Gnassingbe will likely be the winner. His family has ruled the West African nation for more than 50 years.
Gnassingbe took over Togo’s top position in 2005, following the death of his father, Eyadema, who had ruled for nearly 40 years.
Gnassingbe was instrumental in enacting constitutional changes last year that would limit presidents in the deeply impoverished country to two five-year terms.
The constitutional changes are not, however, retroactive and Gnassingbe could be in office until 2030.
In the lead up to the vote, the president promised to improve the country’s health, education and agricultural sectors.
Jean-Pierre Fabre, opposition presidential candidate of the National Alliance for Change, casts his vote during the presidential election in Lome, Togo, Feb. 22 2020.
Six challengers are facing off against Gnassingbe, including Jean-Pierre Fabre who came in second in elections in 2010 and 2015.
The opposition has not backed any of the candidates, in an attempt to force a second round of voting.
Togo faced major protests from the opposition in 2017 and 2018 that were effectively squashed by the government.
The coronavirus continued to spread rapidly in South Korea on Saturday, with the country reporting its largest single-day spike in confirmed infections since the outbreak began.
The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 229 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of South Korean infections to 433.
That is a drastic increase from four days ago, when there were only 31 confirmed infections. South Korea now has the highest number of cases outside of China and a cruise ship off the coast of Japan.
Authorities are vowing more effective containment efforts, even as protesters in Seoul on Saturday defied a local government ban on large rallies.
Wearing masks and chanting anti-government slogans, hundreds of mostly older conservative protesters packed tightly into a square in Seoul’s central Gwanghwamun district, where feisty protests are held nearly every weekend.
Medical workers wearing protective gear carry a patient infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Chuncheon, Feb. 22, 2020.
Confusing messages
Police warned protesters they could be fined up to $2500 for violating the ban, but made no attempts to disperse the crowd. At one point, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon pleaded with protesters to go home, saying they posed a risk to public safety.
“It can not only hurt you, but also impact the safety and health of your neighbors,” Park said, according to the Yonhap news agency.
But some of the protesters told VOA they believed the virus could not spread among crowds, as long as they were gathered outside — an incorrect notion that may have stemmed from comments by a protest leader, as reported by CNN.
Against the city government’s order, the Christian opposition group is going ahead with their weekend rally. The leader told the congregation, “I spoke to a doctor. His case study shows that you can’t catch virus outside.” pic.twitter.com/EJkkuO2s26
Lee Gun, a 61-year-old, said he believes large groups are safe as long as they are in an open space. “I came to worship and pray for my country,” said Lee, proudly displaying a Bible. The weekly gatherings often have religious themes.
“It is not risky as long as it is in an open area,” said Gang Bo-mun, a 65-year-old from Gyeongnam province. He said he was not worried about the threat of a fine, which he believed was intended to shut down political participation.
Seoul officials have defended the ban on large urban rallies, noting that weekend protests in Gwanghwamun are usually composed of older protesters, who are much more susceptible to the coronavirus.
According to a report this week by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the overall coronavirus fatality rate is 2.3 percent. But that figure spiked to almost 15 percent in infections of people over age 80.
FILE – A man wearing a mask to prevent contracting the coronavirus walks past a branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony in Daegu, South Korea, Feb. 21, 2020.
China still epicenter
The highly contagious virus, which causes a pneumonia-like respiratory illness known as COVID-19, has killed more than 2,300 people and infected more than 75,000 worldwide. Nearly all of the infections have been in China, where the virus originated.
So far, only two coronavirus patients have died in South Korea. But with the number of virus cases having nearly doubled for four consecutive days, many fear the worst is yet to come.
Most of the South Korean infections have been in the southeastern city of Daegu and the nearby county of Cheongdo.
In Seoul, which has seen a smaller surge of new infections, virtually all commuters on public buses and trains wore masks and exchanged nervous glances if someone sneezed or coughed.
Police officers wearing face masks stand guard during a rally in downtown Seoul, South Korea, Feb. 22, 2020. South Korea on Saturday reported a six-fold jump in viral infections in four days to 433.
“It looks like a scene from a disaster movie,” said Choi In-woo, a 20-year-old freshman university student in the Gwanghwamun neighborhood of the Jongno district, which reported the most new cases in the capital this week.
“I’m really scared if it lasts longer,” said Choi, whose university has canceled orientation for the spring semester.
Many conservative forces have called on the government to further tighten restrictions on the entry people from China. An editorial this week in the conservative Chosun Ilbo compared the government’s efforts to trying to “catch flies with the windows wide open.”
There are concerns that fears of the virus are becoming entangled with anti-China sentiment. Some restaurant owners in Seoul placed “no Chinese” or “no foreigners” signs outside their businesses. A delivery drivers’ union requested its members not be required to take food to neighborhoods with large Chinese populations. And a petition with over 700,000 signatures is calling for the government to ban entry to Chinese nationals.
But authorities say the virus has now begun spreading locally among people with no links to China.
This handout picture taken Feb. 19, 2020, by Daegu Metropolitan City Namgu shows workers in protective suits spraying disinfectant in front of the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the southeastern city of Daegu, South Korea.
Religious group
More than half of the infections are linked to a fringe religious congregation in the southeastern city of Daegu, where a 61-year-old woman who tested positive for the virus had worshiped.
The Shincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony was founded in 1984 by Lee Man-hee, who is revered by his followers as a messiah. The group claims to have approximately 200,000 followers in South Korea.
The Yonhap news agency reported that the virus may have spread more easily at the religious gatherings, since its adherents sit close together on the floor and often place their hands on one another.
Lee, the leader of the group, has said the virus is the “work of the devil.” He has also temporarily closed all his churches, saying members should instead watch services on YouTube.
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