Friday, August 4, 2023

Six In The Morning Friday 4 August 2023

 

Russian ship hit in Novorossiysk, Black Sea drone attack, Ukraine sources say

By James Waterhouse in Kyiv & Kathryn Armstrong in London
BBC News

A Russian naval ship has been damaged in a Ukrainian naval drone attack in the Black Sea, Ukrainian sources say.

The assault reportedly occurred near the Russian port of Novorossiysk, which is a major hub for Russian exports.

Russia's defence ministry said it had repelled a Ukrainian attack on its naval base there which involved two sea drones, but did not admit any damage.

But Ukrainian security service sources say the Olenegorsky Gornyak was hit and suffered a serious breach.

They told the BBC a sea drone was carrying 450kg (992lb) of dynamite when it hit the ship.

Russia made no mention of any damage in its report of the incident.

Sea drones are small, unmanned vessels which operate on or below the water's surface.



Russian court sentences Alexei Navalny to further 19 years in prison

Opposition critic decries extended jail term as ‘Stalinist’ and calls on Russians to resist Putin regime

A court in Russia has extended Alexei Navalny’s prison sentence by 19 years, the opposition leader’s supporters said, citing the judge at a court hearing.

Navalny, 47, once led street protests against the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, built a nationwide political opposition, and revealed salacious details of Kremlin officials’ corrupt lifestyles.

As revenge, Russia has sentenced him to a cumulative three decades in prison, a term that will keep the Kremlin critic behind bars and out of politics for as long as Putin remains alive.


India court suspends Rahul Gandhi's defamation conviction

The conviction was over comments deemed insulting to Prime Minister Modi. The court order allows the opposition leader to return to parliament and run in next year's elections.


India's Supreme Court suspended on Friday the conviction of the leader of the opposition Congress, Rahul Gandhi, in a defamation case.

The move allows him to return to parliament and compete in the 2024 parliamentary election.

The opposition leader was convicted in March over comments he made in 2019 that were seen as insulting to people surnamed Modi, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The case was brought against him by a Gujarat state lawmaker of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

How did the Congress party react?

Congress party members celebrated the ruling, shouting slogans and distributing sweets at the party headquarters in New Delhi.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the leader of the party in the lower house of parliament, said he would write to the speaker of the legislature to reinstate Gandhi.


Yemen’s street vendors struggle amid deepening economic crisis



After eight years of war in Yemen, the poorest country in the Arabian peninsula is experiencing an economic crisis made worse by two competing currencies backed by the conflict’s opposing sides. FRANCE 24’s Edouard Dropsy, Nabeel Alawzari and Matthew Thompson report from Marib, a city whose merchants and street vendors have felt the full weight of the crisis.


British Scouts to pull out of Saemangeum Jamboree campsite amid heat wave


British Scouts participating in the World Scout Jamboree are set to leave the event site amid mounting safety concerns stemming from a sweltering heat wave, Britain's largest Scouting organization said Friday.

"U.K. Scouts are transferring our young people and adult volunteers from the Jamboree site at Saemangeum to Seoul," the Scout Association said on its website.

"We will start moving our people to hotel accommodation over the next two days. As we are the largest contingent, our hope is that this helps alleviate the pressure on the site overall," it added.


Saudi’s MBS wants more than peace at his Ukraine summit

Published 8:30 AM EDT, Fri August 4, 2023


Saudi Arabia’s ancient Red Sea port city Jeddah, stewing in the steamy heat of the world’s hottest summer on record, is not the obvious pick to cool the world’s fiercest conflict, currently raging in Ukraine.

Yet, the desert kingdom’s king-in-waiting, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – MBS for short – thinks he can help. Last fall he had a role in the release of Western mercenaries captured by Russian forces while fighting in Ukraine. Now he is hosting a summit to discuss peace in the country.

Ukrainian officials say the venue is a boon for them “that completely destroys the narrative of Russia” that Ukraine is only supported by “countries of the collective West.” They expect as many as 40 nations to be represented, including the US and India.


(Why would or should anyone trust Bone Saw MBS?)




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