A Chicago-based artist has raised $145,000 (£110,000) so far for the aid effort in Ukraine by making a Lego-style figurine of the country's President, Volodymyr Zelensky.
The mini figure - by custom Lego creators Citizen Brick - went on sale with a price tag of $100 and quickly sold out.
Money raised is being donated to the charity Direct Relief, who have sent medical aid to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began.
Summary
- An art school in Mariupol, where about 400 people were sheltering, was attacked, the city council says
- Officials say the building has been destroyed and people could be trapped under the rubble
- Ukraine's president alleges that Russia committed war crimes in the city, where heavy fighting has now reached the centre
- It comes as officials there allege thousands of residents have been forcibly taken to Russian cities. The BBC is yet to verify the claim
- The UK defence ministry, meanwhile, says Russia had failed to gain control of the air and is relying on weapons launched from its own airspace
- Ukraine's military says Russia paused offensive operations on Saturday, instead replenishing supplies and repairing equipment
Heatwaves at both of Earth’s poles alarm climate scientists
Antarctic areas reach 40C above normal at same time as north pole regions hit 30C above usual levels
Fiona Harvey and agencies
Startling heatwaves at both of Earth’s poles are causing alarm among climate scientists, who have warned the “unprecedented” events could signal faster and abrupt climate breakdown.
Temperatures in Antarctica reached record levels at the weekend, an astonishing 40C above normal in places.
At the same time, weather stations near the north pole also showed signs of melting, with some temperatures 30C above normal, hitting levels normally attained far later in the year.
Fortress KyivOn the Road with the Volunteers Protecting the Ukrainian Capital
They used to be teachers or employees for logistics companies. Now they’re the core of the resistance. Tens of thousands of volunteers have developed a line of defense that has proved hard for the Russians to break. They have transformed the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv into a fortress.
By Kurt Pelda in Kyiv
Like arrows, surface-to-air missiles chase an invisible target somewhere above the highway connecting Kyiv to the outside world. In rapid succession, Ukrainian air defenses fire five guided missiles. They leave a trail behind them before they turn into a big curve and explode far up in the blue of the sky. Like the contrails left behind by jets, the smoke from the rocket engines can be seen for minutes afterwards.
"They’re aiming at the missiles the Russians are trying to destroy our cities with," says Daniel, the young driver, as he tries to follow what’s happening in the sky through the windshield. "Five missiles for one target – our air defenses certainly don’t seem to lack ammunition," he adds.
Japan marks 27th anniversary of Aum cult's attack on Tokyo subways
Japan marked the 27th anniversary Sunday of the nerve gas attack by the Aum Shinrikyo cult on the Tokyo subway system that killed 14 people and injured over 6,000, as the country moves to increase the safety of railways following a string of recent random attacks on passengers by individuals.
Officials of the subway operator Tokyo Metro Co and relatives of the victims observed a moment of silence at a memorial service at Kasumigaseki Station at 8 a.m., around the time when the deadly sarin nerve agent was released in train cars on March 20, 1995.
The doomsday cult's founder Shoko Asahara, who masterminded the attack, and 12 of his former followers were put to death in 2018.
Ukrainian historian: Putin made two huge miscalculations
A Ukrainian historian wrote in an opinion piece in The New York Times on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin made two major miscalculations regarding the invasion of Ukraine.
"master tactician but inept strategist" and said he has made his most profound miscalculation by not anticipating a response from the West and Ukrainian resistance.
Clocks vanishing from JR stations due to demands on time
By JIN NAGANUMA/ Staff Writer
March 20, 2022 at 11:00 JST
Japan’s rail network famously works with clock-like precision, but finding a clock to check timetables at many stations is becoming increasingly difficult.
East Japan Railway Co. (JR East), for example, is removing station clocks at a rapid pace as part of efforts to slash maintenance costs.
Company officials said station clocks no longer fulfill an essential role as passengers tend to rely on their cellphones for time checks.
JR East removed clocks from all its stations in Yamanashi Prefecture, central Japan, except for Kofu, the prefectural capital.
No comments:
Post a Comment