
With Kremlin apologist leading the polls, Slovakia vote threatens country's support for Ukraine
Slovaks are voting in a parliamentary election on Saturday, a knife-edge vote that could radically reshape Slovakia's approach to Ukraine and create deep rifts within NATO and the European Union.
1970-01-01 08:00

Confident of Poland continuing Ukraine military support despite strained ties, Nato chief says
Poland will find ways to address disagreements with Ukraine without the recent differences impacting its military support, said Nato’s secretary general Jens Stoltenberg. The two neighbouring nations have encountered friction in their ties after Poland – that has been one of Ukraine’s fiercest allies through the course of Russian invasion – decided to extend a ban on Ukrainian grain imports. Last week, Poland said it would only carry out previously agreed arms deliveries to Ukraine and choose to focus on rebuilding its own weapons arsenal. “I’m expecting and I’m confident that Ukraine and Poland will find a way to address those issues without that impacting in a negative way the military support to Ukraine,” Mr Stoltenberg said in an interview in Copenhagen on Friday. The announcement coincided with tensions peaking between the two neighbours after Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky said some countries were “feigning solidarity by indirectly supporting Russia” with a ban on grain imports. After Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine last February, a majority of Ukrainian grain ended up in Europe as the main Black Sea shipping lanes all but closed. Imports were then blocked by five countries to try and protect EU farmers amid fears the amount of grain would drive down local prices. Poland extended the ban after the European Union-brokered deal expired last week. On Tuesday, Mr Zelensky repeated his accusation on Eastern European nations backing Russia during his speech at the UN General Assembly. Poland then summoned the Ukrainian ambassador to its foreign ministry to protest Mr Zelensky’s comments. Hours later, Warsaw announced it would no longer be supplying weapons to Ukraine. “We are no longer transferring weapons to Ukraine, because we are now arming Poland with more modern weapons,” the prime minister said. Poland has previously sent 320 Soviet-era tanks and 14 MiG-29 fighter jets to the war-torn country. Mr Morawiecki also issued a warning to Kyiv, saying if they “escalate the conflict”, additional products will be added to the list of banned imports. “I am warning Ukraine’s authorities. Because if they are to escalate the conflict like that, we will add additional products to the ban on imports into Poland,” he said. “Ukrainian authorities do not understand the degree to which Poland’s farming industry has been destabilised. We are protecting Polish farmers.” Ukraine’s other ally Slovakia is also seeing discussions of halting support to Ukraine. The Nato nation has been a staunch ally of Kyiv and sent military equipment including MiG-29 fighter jets and an S-300 air defence system to its neighbour. But opposition leader and former prime minister Robert Fico has pledged to end that military support. Mr Fico is leading polls ahead of Saturday’s election. “Whatever new government they will have in Slovakia, we will continue to sit down at Nato meetings,” Mr Stoltenberg said, “and I’m confident that we’ll find ways to continue to provide support – as we have been after every election in this alliance since the war started”. Read More Plans for Poland's first nuclear power plant move ahead as US and Polish officials sign an agreement Why has Poland stopped supplying weapons to Ukraine? Zelensky accuses ‘some friends in Europe’ of playing into Russia’s hands Poland done sending arms to Ukraine, leader says, as trade dispute escalates
1970-01-01 08:00

Putin launches overnight drone and missile attacks on eastern and southern Ukraine
Vladimir Putin’s forces launched overnight drone and missile attacks that targeted Ukraine’s eastern and southern parts as the war-hit country’s officials ordered the evacuation of an infrastructure site that was targeted. Ukraine’s air force said Russia’s forces launched a swarm of Shahed drones from Crimea and the Black Sea in an overnight offensive on Saturday. One of the strikes targeted an infrastructure site in the Vinnytsia region as the air force warned of the threat of ballistic missiles. Authorities asked people to stay in shelters and said a general evacuation was not yet necessary apart from the immediate area where the strike occurred. “At this time there is no need for a general evacuation, apart from the immediate area around the site of the hit,” said Vasyl Polishchuk, head of administration for the town of Kalynivka, according to the town’s website. “Attack UAVs are moving in the north-west direction. A threat to the Vinnytsia region. Stay in shelters!” it said on its official Telegram channel. The officials did not mention what target was struck and what weapon had been used. However, regional governor Serhiy Borzov said the hit was made on an unspecified infrastructure site, a term used by Ukrainian officials to refer to facilities involved in power generation and other industries. The governor announced an air raid alert at 1.10am local time and within an hour, he reported a strike. An initial air raid warning for an anticipated strike was announced at 11.17pm in western Ukraine’s Vinnytsia, Cherkasy and Kirovohrad oblasts. Ukrainian air forces issued more than 40 air raid alerts on its Telegram channels for Donetsk, Odesa, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv regions among several other cities as Russian forced launched a massive wave of attacks overnight. Air-raid alerts and warnings were issued throughout the night. It warned of “the threat of using ballistic weapons in areas where the alarm has been declared”. “Don’t Ignore Airborne Alarms! Head for cover,” read another alert around 6.30am. On Friday evening, the air force of Ukraine’s armed forces said several groups of drones were fired from the Crimean peninsula. Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin orders former Wagner boss to control ‘volunteer units’ and rejoin frontline Ukraine urges other nations to boycott playing Russia after Uefa decision Russia is set to avoid a full ban from the 2024 Paralympics in Paris Putin recruits former Wagner commander ‘Grey Hair’ Troshev to oversee Ukraine mercenaries Ukraine ‘hits power substation’ in drone attacks on Russian border regions
1970-01-01 08:00

Chocolate Could Get Even Pricier If Africa’s Cocoa Crop Flops
Chocolate risks becoming even more expensive if West Africa’s new cocoa harvest ends in disappointment. Cocoa prices have
1970-01-01 08:00

Stark Finds $426 Million of Irregular Transactions in Thai Audit
Stark Corp., a Thai industrial cable maker at the center of an accounting scandal and debt defaults, discovered
1970-01-01 08:00

Rocco Baldelli gives vague injury update on Carlos Correa, others ahead of Minnesota Twins playoff push
With the Minnesota Twins looking ahead to the postseason, manager Rocco Baldelli is not giving too much away when it comes to injury updates for Carlos Correa and others.
1970-01-01 08:00

Carlos Rodon's contract looks worse than ever in disastrous final start
In his final start of his first season with the New York Yankees, Carlos Rodon allowed eight earned runs before recording an out against the Kansas City Royals.
1970-01-01 08:00

Philippines Gives Rice Farmers $224 Million in Aid Amid El Nino
The Philippines said it will provide 12.7 billion pesos ($224 million) in financial assistance to about 2.3 million
1970-01-01 08:00

Goldman Pays $3 Million to CFTC Over Futures Trading Controls
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. will pay $3 million to settle a US regulator’s allegations that its internal controls
1970-01-01 08:00

China Stock Investors Say Worst Yet to Come in Property Crisis
China’s property sector has yet to see the worst of the crisis that has cast a pall over
1970-01-01 08:00

Murder Claim in Canada Is Only Helping India Leader Modi at Home
As the US and its allies fret over Canada’s allegation that India orchestrated the murder of a Sikh
1970-01-01 08:00

SmileDirectClub Files for Bankruptcy, Capping Years of Losses
Dental aligner company SmileDirectClub Inc. filed for bankruptcy four years after raising $1.35 billion in an initial public
1970-01-01 08:00