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La ville ukrainienne de Novaya Kakhova, occupée par la Russie, est sous le feu d’un “feu intense”

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Les autorités d’occupation russes dans le sud de l’Ukraine ont déclaré samedi que les forces ukrainiennes soumettaient la ville de Novaya Kakhovka à “d’intenses tirs d’artillerie” qui avaient coupé l’électricité. Le bombardement a eu lieu le jour même où les autorités de la Crimée annexée à la Russie ont signalé une attaque de drone contre un dépôt de carburant et alors que Kiev se prépare à une contre-offensive largement attendue contre les forces de Moscou. Lisez notre blog en direct pour voir comment se sont déroulés tous les événements de la journée. Toutes les heures sont en heure de Paris (GMT+2).

Cette page en direct n’est plus mise à jour. Pour en savoir plus sur notre couverture du guerre en Ukraine, cliquez ici

21h36 : Des centaines de personnes se rassemblent à Moscou pour manifester leur soutien à la guerre

Des centaines de motards fidèles au Kremlin sous la bannière du club de motards Night Wolves sont descendus samedi dans les rues de Moscou pour un rassemblement “patriotique” à travers l’Europe.

Le cortège dirigé par le fondateur et dirigeant du club Alexandre Zaldastanov, connu sous le nom de “The Surgeon”, vise à terminer le rassemblement à Berlin d’ici le 9 mai.

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Plusieurs participants au rassemblement ont agité des drapeaux russes et soviétiques. Certains avaient la lettre “Z” fixée sur leur vélo – un symbole de “l’opération militaire spéciale de la Russie” en Ukraine lancée en février 2022.

Baptisé “les routes de la victoire”, le rassemblement a repris le slogan traditionnel de l’offensive russe en Ukraine : “Nous ne décevrons pas les nôtres”.

16h52 : Carburant de Crimée destiné à la flotte russe de la mer Noire, selon un responsable du renseignement ukrainien

Plus de 10 réservoirs de pétrole totalisant jusqu’à 40 000 tonnes ont été détruits dans l’incendie d’une installation de stockage de carburant de Crimée. Selon les renseignements militaires ukrainiens, le carburant était destiné à être utilisé par la flotte russe de la mer Noire. Pendant ce temps, le gouvernement installé par la Russie de Sébastopol, la ville portuaire de Crimée, a déclaré que la perte “n’affectera pas l’approvisionnement en carburant de Sébastopol”.

Veuillez cliquer sur le lecteur vidéo ci-dessous pour visionner le rapport.


15h42 : Incendie éteint au dépôt de carburant de Crimée après l’attaque de l’Ukraine

Un incendie dans une installation de stockage de carburant dans la ville portuaire de Sébastopol en Crimée, causé par une frappe de drone, a été complètement éteint, a déclaré samedi le gouverneur installé à Moscou.

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Des experts avaient examiné le site et “il est devenu clair qu’un seul drone était capable d’atteindre le réservoir de pétrole”, a déclaré Mikhail Razvozhaev sur l’application de messagerie Telegram. Un autre drone a été abattu, son épave retrouvée sur le rivage près du terminal, a-t-il ajouté. Plus tôt, il a déclaré que personne n’avait été blessé.

15h39 : Les bombardements ukrainiens laissent cinq villages sans électricité

Cinq villages russes à la frontière avec l’Ukraine ont été privés d’électricité à la suite des bombardements ukrainiens, a déclaré samedi le gouverneur de la région de Belgorod, dans le sud-ouest de la Russie, qui borde l’Ukraine.

“Le village de Novaya Tavolzhanka a été bombardé aujourd’hui par les Ukrainiens”, a déclaré le gouverneur de Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, sur Telegram.

“Les lignes électriques sont endommagées”, a-t-il dit, ajoutant que les habitants du village et quatre autres à proximité étaient “sans électricité”.

15h27: Plus de 10 réservoirs de pétrole détruits par l’explosion en Crimée, selon les renseignements militaires ukrainiens

Un responsable du renseignement militaire ukrainien a déclaré samedi que plus de 10 réservoirs de produits pétroliers d’une capacité d’environ 40 000 tonnes avaient été détruits lors d’une explosion sur le port de Sébastopol occupé par la Russie le 29 avril, a rapporté RBC Ukraine.

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Le responsable, Andriy Yusov, n’a pas affirmé que l’Ukraine était responsable de l’explosion dans des commentaires rapportés par RBC, décrivant plutôt l’explosion comme “la punition de Dieu” pour une frappe russe sur une ville ukrainienne vendredi.

14h25 : Les autorités russes dénoncent la Pologne pour la saisie d’une école

La Russie a déclaré que la Pologne saisissant une école dirigée par l’ambassade de Russie à Varsovie samedi était une “violation flagrante” des accords internationaux et a mis en garde contre des conséquences “dures”.

“Nous considérons cela comme un nouvel acte hostile des autorités polonaises et une violation flagrante de la Convention de Vienne de 1961”, a déclaré le ministère russe des Affaires étrangères.

Cela “va au-delà du cadre de la communication interétatique civilisée et ne restera pas sans notre réaction brutale et ses conséquences pour les autorités polonaises et les intérêts de la Pologne en Russie”, a ajouté le ministère.

13 h 45 : La ville de Novaya Kakhova, dans le sud de l’Ukraine, occupée par la Russie, sous un « feu intense » au milieu des préparatifs de la contre-offensive

Les autorités installées par la Russie dans le sud de l’Ukraine ont déclaré samedi que les forces ukrainiennes soumettaient la ville de Novaya Kakhovka à “des tirs d’artillerie intenses” qui avaient coupé l’électricité. Cela survient alors que Kiev se prépare à une contre-offensive largement attendue contre les forces pro-Moscou.

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Novaya Kakhovka se trouve dans la partie de la région méridionale de Kherson contrôlée par la Russie. Elle se situe en amont du fleuve Dnipro depuis Kherson, la capitale régionale dont la Russie s’est retirée en novembre dernier.

« Novaya Kakhovka et les colonies autour du district sont sous le feu d’artillerie très intense des forces armées ukrainiennes », ont déclaré les autorités russes de la ville sur Telegram. Il a ajouté que les bombardements avaient laissé la ville “sans électricité”.

10h40 : Poutine signe un décret autorisant l’expulsion des habitants des territoires annexés sans passeport russe

Le président russe Vladimir Poutine a signé vendredi un décret qui donne aux personnes vivant dans certaines parties de l’Ukraine sous le contrôle de Moscou un chemin vers la citoyenneté russe, mais signifie que ceux qui refusent ou qui ne légalisent pas leur statut risquent l’expulsion. Le décret s’étend à quatre régions ukrainiennes que la Russie revendique comme siennes et qu’elle contrôle partiellement : Donetsk, Lougansk, Kherson et Zaporizhzhia.

Kiev dit qu’il reprendra les quatre zones et a accusé Moscou d’essayer d’intimider ses citoyens pour qu’ils acceptent la citoyenneté russe.

Le nouveau décret définit les moyens par lesquels les citoyens ukrainiens ou ceux qui détiennent des passeports délivrés par des républiques séparatistes soutenues par la Russie et qui vivent dans les quatre régions peuvent entamer le processus pour devenir citoyens russes ou légaliser leur statut auprès des autorités russes.

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Mais il indique également que quiconque ne prend pas de telles mesures d’ici le 1er juillet de l’année prochaine sera considéré comme un citoyen étranger, ce qui les exposera au risque d’être expulsés d’un territoire que la Russie considère comme le sien.

Le décret permet également aux autorités d’expulser des personnes des quatre régions si elles sont considérées comme une menace pour la sécurité nationale de la Russie ou si elles participent à ce que le décret appelle des manifestations non autorisées.

9h50: Un énorme incendie se déclare dans un dépôt de carburant en Crimée après une frappe de drone, selon les autorités pro-Moscou

Un énorme incendie s’est déclaré samedi dans un dépôt de carburant à Sébastopol, le principal port de la Crimée annexée à Moscou, le gouverneur installé à Moscou affirmant qu’il était le résultat d’une attaque de drone. L’incendie brûlait toujours mais il avait été maîtrisé et personne n’a été blessé, a déclaré Mikhail Razvozhaev.

Sébastopol abrite la flotte russe de la mer Noire et a été touchée par une série d’attaques de drones depuis le lancement de l’offensive ukrainienne du Kremlin l’année dernière.

“Une réserve de carburant est en feu dans le quartier de la baie de Kazachya” de la ville, a déclaré le gouverneur de la péninsule installé à Moscou, Mikhail Razvozhayev, sur Telegram aux premières heures de samedi. “Selon des informations préliminaires, il a été causé par une frappe de drone.”

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Il n’a pas précisé si le drone qu’il a cité comme responsable de l’incendie était ukrainien. La Russie a annexé la Crimée à l’Ukraine en 2014, une décision que la plupart des pays du monde considéraient comme illégale. Le président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky a déclaré que son pays cherchait à récupérer la péninsule lors de l’invasion à grande échelle actuelle de la Russie, et la ville de Sébastopol a subi des attaques aériennes répétées depuis le début de la guerre.

  • Principaux développements du lundi 24 avril

La Russie a attaqué des villes à travers l’Ukraine tôt vendredi, tuant au moins 26 personnes, selon des responsables locaux. Les nouvelles attaques meurtrières comprenaient une frappe contre un immeuble résidentiel de la ville historique d’Ouman, dans le centre de l’Ukraine. Le barrage de près de deux douzaines de missiles a mis fin à une semaine de pause après les frappes russes répétées qui visaient à paralyser le réseau énergétique ukrainien pendant les mois d’hiver.

L’Ukraine a déclaré avoir abattu 21 des 23 missiles russes et deux drones d’attaque dans la nuit.

Les nouvelles frappes ont eu lieu alors que le ministre ukrainien de la Défense, Oleksiy Reznikov, a déclaré que les préparatifs de son pays pour repousser les positions russes retranchées étaient presque terminés.

Les alliés et partenaires de l’OTAN ont fourni à l’Ukraine 1 550 véhicules blindés et 230 chars pour former des unités et l’aider à reprendre du territoire aux forces russes, a déclaré jeudi le chef de l’OTAN, Jens Stoltenberg.

© Studio graphique France Médias Monde

(FRANCE 24 avec AFP, AP et Reuters)

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International

Live like a French aristocrat… from just £41 a night each: Book a grand chateau with friends and family this summer and you may be in for a bargain

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Just the word ‘chateau’ sounds expensive, but staying in the castles and large country houses that were once home to French nobility doesn’t have to blow your holiday budget.

Gather the clan for a booking of up to a week and you’ll be surprised at how reasonable it can be.

BRITTANY FROM £41

Four-poster luxury awaits at the 15th Century Chateau de Queblen near Quimperle

Four-poster luxury awaits at the 15th Century Chateau de Queblen near Quimperle

Four-poster luxury awaits at the 15th Century Chateau de Queblen near Quimperle

Only the west wing of the 15th Century Chateau de Queblen near Quimperle has so far been restored, but the accommodation is far from medieval.

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Eat in the shabby-chic kitchen-diner before moving to the elegant sitting room with marble fireplace and windows looking out to 40 acres of wooded grounds.

Among the five bedrooms, one with a wooden four-poster bed is reached via a spiral staircase. The Breton coast beaches are just 15 minutes away.

How to do it: A week in September costs from £2,896 for ten (Airbnb property reference 45252876; also see chateaudequeblen.com). Take the car ferry to St Malo from £349 return (brittany-ferries.co.uk).

NORMANDY FROM £69

Grand: Chateau du Mont in Normandy is an 'imposing' property with formal and Italian gardens

Grand: Chateau du Mont in Normandy is an 'imposing' property with formal and Italian gardens

Grand: Chateau du Mont in Normandy is an ‘imposing’ property with formal and Italian gardens 

A fountain plays outside the imposing Chateau du Mont, with its formal and Italian gardens. Within, rooms are full of original features and wood panelling, the nine bedrooms have a refined period air about them, and the bathrooms have been nicely modernised.

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The thatched, beamed poolhouse has been converted from former stables. Bayeux and its tapestry are just 15 minutes away from this house whose guests have included the Dalai Lama and the Aga Khan.

How to do it: A week in May or September costs from £8,772 for 18 (chateaudumont-normandy.com). Take the car ferry to Le Havre from £146 return (brittany-ferries.co.uk).

BURGUNDY FROM £54

Chateau Bourgogne, half an hour from Chablis, boasts ten bedrooms and a saltwater swimming pool (above)

Chateau Bourgogne, half an hour from Chablis, boasts ten bedrooms and a saltwater swimming pool (above)

Chateau Bourgogne, half an hour from Chablis, boasts ten bedrooms and a saltwater swimming pool (above)

The decor at Chateau Bourgogne is 'farmhouse chic' with beamed ceilings and stone floors. Pictured is the library

The decor at Chateau Bourgogne is 'farmhouse chic' with beamed ceilings and stone floors. Pictured is the library

The decor at Chateau Bourgogne is ‘farmhouse chic’ with beamed ceilings and stone floors. Pictured is the library 

Just half an hour from Chablis, Chateau Bourgogne comes with its own wine library, and you can arrange for a sommelier to advise you which vineyards to visit. This creeper-clad property with crenelated turret and ten bedrooms has steep staircases, thick walls and a watchtower terrace.

The decor is farmhouse chic, with beamed ceilings and stone floors. A saltwater pool can be found in the grounds, and you can walk to the village to use the tennis court for free. Book a chef to rustle up something on the range cooker while you sip a glass or two.

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How to do it: A week in May is from £6,004 for 16 (oliverstravels.com). Take the train to Montbard via Paris from £219 return (thetrainline.com).

LOT-ET-GARONNE FROM £48

Chateau de Galaup, near the hilltop village of Beauville, may be new to Vintage Travel’s portfolio this year, but it holds plenty of history within its thick walls, with an old archway, square keep and two stone spiral staircases.

The 15th Century property with five bedrooms has been converted into a comfortable living space that exudes relaxed elegance, with timbered ceilings and terracotta floors. Outside, a pool has far-reaching views over the rolling countryside of France’s South West. There is also a tennis court.

How to do it: A week in May is from £3,358 for ten or £2,786 for six (vintagetravel.co.uk). Fly to Bergerac from £119 return (ryanair.com).

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DORDOGNE FROM £63

Chateau de la Forge in the Dordogne is a classic Perigord country house set within a 32-acre estate

Chateau de la Forge in the Dordogne is a classic Perigord country house set within a 32-acre estate

Chateau de la Forge in the Dordogne is a classic Perigord country house set within a 32-acre estate

You can really make an entrance at the 32-acre estate at Chateau de la Forge, where wrought-iron gates open on to an avenue of trees. It leads to a classic Perigord country house with blue shutters against pale stone walls.

Expect polished wood floors, panelled walls and high ceilings in the downstairs rooms; there’s also a billiard room. Upstairs, the six bedrooms have a more modern feel, with colourful fabrics. There’s a pool in the grounds, and you can hire kayaks to paddle along the Dordogne in nearby Mussidan.

How to do it: A week in September is from £5,295 for 12 (simpsontravel.com). Fly to Bergerac from £119 return (ryanair.com).

CHAMPAGNE FROM £50

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There’s surely no better place to party than in Champagne. Chateau de Mairy is just ten minutes from Chalons-en-Champagne and half an hour from Reims and Epernay, with as many cellars as you care to visit.

A historic monument, the 17th Century building with a private chapel has a genteel feel to its public rooms and 15 bedrooms, with chandeliers, panelled walls and floor-to-ceiling windows. Bathrooms and the kitchen aren’t of the same standard. Not that you need to cook here: it’s a short walk to the local restaurant, or you can book a local chef.

How to do it: A week costs from £7,145 for 20, or from £10,427 for 30 (chateaudemairy.com). Take the Eurotunnel to Calais from £232 (eurotunnel.com).

PAS DE CALAIS FROM £47

Chateau d’Hallines offers entertainment in abundance, from an indoor trampoline room and home cinema to a heated outdoor pool and a tennis court

Chateau d’Hallines offers entertainment in abundance, from an indoor trampoline room and home cinema to a heated outdoor pool and a tennis court

Chateau d’Hallines offers entertainment in abundance, from an indoor trampoline room and home cinema to a heated outdoor pool and a tennis court

You’re unlikely to get bored at Chateau d’Hallines, which is just 30 minutes from the Eurotunnel terminal at Calais. Its indoor attractions alone include a trampoline room (yes, really), mini tennis court, games room, home cinema and snooker room. Outdoors you will find a heated pool and a tennis court.

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The entrance hall leading from the exterior has a grand staircase leading to 12 colourful bedrooms sharing 11 bathrooms. Cook in the contemporary kitchen and serve dinner in the wood-panelled dining room, with its table for 30.

How to do it: A week in May is from £8,489 for 26 (holidaylettings.co.uk; ref 9074565). Take the Eurotunnel to Calais from £232 (eurotunnel.com).

PROVENCE FROM £71

A former retreat for French royalty, Chateau Aubenas near Forcalquier has an elevated view over the rolling hills of the Luberon. In gated grounds with a pool amid the pine trees, an olive grove and a sun terrace with barbecue, this cream-stone mansion is all about outdoor living.

Not that the interiors have been neglected; huge rooms with high ceilings have been decorated in a light palette, the modern, minimalist look rubbing shoulders with original features.

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A dormitory for four children is in the tower, and there are four other bedrooms for eight adults.

How to do it: A week in August costs from £6,015 for 12 (cvvillas.com). Fly to Marseille from £92 return (ryanair.com).

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British Dignitas membership soars by 24% as Scotland could be the first UK nation to legalise assisted dying

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  • 1,900 registered British members in 2023, a rise of 372 on the previous year  
  • The UK ranks second behind Germany in the number of its nationals registered 

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Dignitas membership in the UK soared by 24 per cent last year – as assisted dying legislation yesterday came closer in Scotland.

There were 1,900 registered British members in 2023, a rise of 372 on the previous year, according to figures.

Also last year, there were 40 UK residents who travelled to its clinic in Switzerland to die, Dignitas revealed.

The UK ranks second behind Germany both in the number of its nationals registered as members and the total number of people who have made the trip. 

Overall, 1,454 people had travelled from Germany, while there were 571 from the UK and 549 from France.

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The UK ranks second behind Germany both in the number of its nationals registered as members and the total number of people who have made the trip to Dignitas assisted suicide clinic (pictured)

The UK ranks second behind Germany both in the number of its nationals registered as members and the total number of people who have made the trip to Dignitas assisted suicide clinic (pictured)

The UK ranks second behind Germany both in the number of its nationals registered as members and the total number of people who have made the trip to Dignitas assisted suicide clinic (pictured)

The figures cover 1998 to 2023. However, fewer from Germany have opted to die at Dignitas, dropping into the single digits in recent years.

But the number travelling from the UK has risen, as has that of France which saw 50 citizens make the journey for an assisted death last year. It comes as legislation was published at Holyrood that looks to begin the process of Scotland becoming the first nation in the UK to legalise assisted dying.

Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur introduced the Bill which is likely to be voted on by MSPs later this year – it came after a consultation found 76 per cent of Scots supported the proposals.

A vote would be the third time the issue of assisted dying has come before the Scottish parliament – two previous attempts to change the law have been resoundingly defeated. 

The Bill sets out conditions under which assisted dying would be legalised in a bid to provide ‘robust safeguards’.

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Under the legislation, only those over the age of 16 with an advanced terminal illness would have the option of an assisted death. 

They would need to have the mental capacity to make the request and the Bill sets out a 14-day mandatory ‘reflection’ period. The patient would also be required to administer the life-ending treatment themselves.

Those eligible would also be required to have been resident in Scotland for at least 12 months and be registered with a medical practice. 

Mr McArthur said: ‘Currently in Scotland assisted dying is illegal, a situation that I believe is failing too many terminally ill Scots at the end of life. 

‘It is leaving them facing traumatic deaths that impact not just them, but those that they leave behind. We can and must do better.

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‘The provisions… would be robustly safeguarded to ensure the process works as intended.’

Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur introduced the Bill which is likely to be voted on by MSPs later this year – it came after a consultation found 76 per cent of Scots supported the proposals

Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur introduced the Bill which is likely to be voted on by MSPs later this year – it came after a consultation found 76 per cent of Scots supported the proposals

Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur introduced the Bill which is likely to be voted on by MSPs later this year – it came after a consultation found 76 per cent of Scots supported the proposals

The Bill has been praised by campaigners, led by Dame Esther Rantzen who is herself a member of Dignitas, having been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer.

 ‘The current law is cruel, complicated and causes terrible suffering to vulnerable people,’ she said.

‘I have received dozens of letters from people describing the agonising deaths of those they loved. This is literally a life and death issue.’

But Bishop of Paisley John Keenan said the Bill ‘attacks human dignity’ and introduces a dangerous idea that a citizen can lose their value and worth. 

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‘Assisted suicide sends a message that there are situations when suicide is an appropriate response to one’s individual circumstances, worries, anxieties,’ he said.

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Senegal’s Sall holds ‘courteous’ meeting with president-elect Faye

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Senegal’s anti-establishment leader Bassirou Diomaye Faye, whose weekend election victory could be officially confirmed within days, was welcomed at the presidential palace Thursday by outgoing leader Macky Sall.

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The meeting, which came after weeks of crisis surrounding the vote, suggested a swift and peaceful handover in the West African nation that prides itself on democratic stability in a coup-hit region.

Faye, 44, was only freed from prison 10 days before the election, along with his mentor Ousmane Sonko, who was barred from running following a criminal conviction he says was politically motivated.

The outgoing president received both men in what his office called “a courteous meeting where they discussed at length the major issues for the state, as well as the inauguration ceremony”.

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According to provisional results, Faye won the first round of the vote outright with 54.3 percent, far ahead of Sall’s hand-picked candidate, former prime minister Amadou Ba.

He came second with 35.8 percent of the vote.

Senegal’s Constitutional Court could declare Faye the official winner before the weekend, which would make a handover possible before April 2, the official end of Sall’s term.

This handout picture distributed by the Senegalese Presidency on March 28, 2024 shows Ousmane Sonko (2nd R), outgoing President Macky Sall (R) and president-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko (second from right) pictured in between outgoing president Macky Sall (right) and the country’s president-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye. © Senegalese Presidency handout via AFP

Sall provoked a political crisis in February by suspending the presidential election just days before polls were to open, citing security concerns.

The move sparked protests and clashes that left four people dead, before the Constitutional Court ordered him to set the date for March 24.

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Faye, who has never held elected office, is set to become the fifth president of the West African country of around 18 million people.

He has promised to restore national “sovereignty” and implement a programme of “left-wing pan-Africanism”.

(AFP)

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Xabi Alonso will NOT succeed Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool with Anfield icon set to stay at Bayer Leverkusen as Ruben Amorim emerges as new favourite

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  • Xabi Alonso will likely stay at Bayer Leverkusen in a blow to Liverpool and Bayern
  • Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim is now the leading candidate for Liverpool
  • Why a defeat against Arsenal will be curtains for Man City’s title defence – Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast 

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Liverpool and Bayern Munich have been dealt a blow in their search for a new manager after both received strong discouragement in their quest to appoint Xabi Alonso, with the Spaniard now likely to stay at Bayer Leverkusen.

Alonso had been strongly mooted as a Jurgen Klopp successor since the German announced he was to leave the club this summer, but Liverpool had been given no reason to believe the former midfielder wanted to leave the Bundesliga leaders.

It now appears Alonso, 42, is out of the running for the Anfield job, which makes Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim the leading candidate alongside Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi. 

Amorim, 39, will likely get an interview at Liverpool and it is believed he scored well on internal data tests.

Bayern had been public in their desire to recruit Alonso, perhaps a tactic to unsettle Leverkusen’s title tilt, but president Uli Hoeness on Thursday said it would be ‘probably impossible’ to lure him to Munich this year.

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Xabi Alonso will not be Liverpool's next manager after Jurgen Klopp because he wishes to stay in Germany

Xabi Alonso will not be Liverpool's next manager after Jurgen Klopp because he wishes to stay in Germany

Xabi Alonso will not be Liverpool’s next manager after Jurgen Klopp because he wishes to stay in Germany

Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim has emerged as the new favourite for the Liverpool job

Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim has emerged as the new favourite for the Liverpool job

Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim has emerged as the new favourite for the Liverpool job

He added: ‘Alonso is more inclined to stay at Bayer Leverkusen in view of their current successes, because he would not want to leave them behind. Let’s say if he had two or three more years of success, it would probably be easier to bring him out of there.’

Liverpool had never been confident on appointing Alonso despite strong external links. 

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Their recruitment drive, led by new sporting director Richard Hughes and CEO of Football Michael Edwards, now turns to Amorim and De Zerbi, whose Brighton side come to Anfield on Sunday.

Alonso, who was seen as Liverpool’s dream target, has overseen a revolution at Bayer Leverkusen since joining in October 2022.

When he signed up, they were in the relegation zone but he steered them into the top six.

This campaign, they are 10 points clear of Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga, unbeaten all season, and into the last eight of the Europa League for a second year running. 

It has been a historic season, with Leverkusen on course to lift their first Bundesliga title barring an almighty breakdown, and they have only conceded 18 goals in the process.  

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Liverpool were expected to compete with Bayern Munich for his signature, given that Thomas Tuchel will depart the latter in the summer. 

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi sits behind leading candidate Amorim for the job

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi sits behind leading candidate Amorim for the job

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi sits behind leading candidate Amorim for the job 

Bayern's honorary president Uli Hoeness said on Thursday that it would be 'probably impossible' to lure away Alonso

Bayern's honorary president Uli Hoeness said on Thursday that it would be 'probably impossible' to lure away Alonso

Bayern’s honorary president Uli Hoeness said on Thursday that it would be ‘probably impossible’ to lure away Alonso

Bayern are facing the prospect of their first season without winning a trophy since 2011-12 – following 11 consecutive title wins – and have thus deemed Tuchel surplus to requirements.

Alonso could still manage against Liverpool this season, with the Merseyside outfit and Leverkusen both through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

They are on opposite sides of the draw, meaning they could meet in the final on May 22.

Reports in Germany this month had claimed that Bayern were ahead of Liverpool in the race to hire Alonso, while former Sky Sports presenter Richard Keys claimed earlier this week that the 42-year-old manager had decided to move to Liverpool.

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Yet it now appears that neither Bayern or Liverpool will get their man.

Bayern honorary president Hoeness added: ‘I personally, we all, extremely appreciate Xabi Alonso, but you mustn’t forget that he is now training at a club that is currently in the process of becoming German champions.’

Bayern could reportedly turn to Ralf Rangnick as their successor to Tuchel – something Manchester United fans might have a thing or two to say about. 

Rangnick, the current Austria manager, spent six months as United’s interim boss in the 2021/22 season, steering them to sixth and the worst points total in their Premier League history.

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Horror bus crash leaves 45 dead with girl, eight, as the sole survivor after South African coach plunged off a bridge into a ravine before bursting into flames

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  • The bus driver lost control and collided with the bridge barriers, authorities said 

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A horror bus crash in South Africa has left 45 dead and only one survivor, an eight-year-old girl, who is being treated in hospital.

South Africa’s Department of Transport said that the driver lost control and collided with barriers on a bridge near Mamatlakala in the northeast province of Limpopo.

The bus then plunged over the bridge onto a rocky surface some 50 metres below before catching fire, according to reports.

The passenger bus was transporting pilgrims from Botswana, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, to Moria, a town in Limpopo, for an Easter weekend church service.

Rescue operations continued late into this evening, as some bodies were burned beyond recognition, others trapped inside the debris and scattered on the scene, Limpopo’s Department of Transport said.

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Firefighters at the scene of a bus crash on the R518 in the Waterberg district in Limpopo

Firefighters at the scene of a bus crash on the R518 in the Waterberg district in Limpopo

Firefighters at the scene of a bus crash on the R518 in the Waterberg district in Limpopo

Pictures show the wreckage of the bus in flames after it plunged off the bridge

Pictures show the wreckage of the bus in flames after it plunged off the bridge

Pictures show the wreckage of the bus in flames after it plunged off the bridge

Black smoke engulfed the passenger bus and firefighters were pictured at the scene

Black smoke engulfed the passenger bus and firefighters were pictured at the scene

Black smoke engulfed the passenger bus and firefighters were pictured at the scene

A view of the bridge, known as the Mamatlakala Pass, located in the northeast province of Limpopo

A view of the bridge, known as the Mamatlakala Pass, located in the northeast province of Limpopo

A view of the bridge, known as the Mamatlakala Pass, located in the northeast province of Limpopo

Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga, who visited the crash site, sent her condolences to the bereaved families and the Botswana government.

‘I am sending my heartfelt condolences to the families affected by the tragic bus crash, near Mamatlakala. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time. With heightened alertness, we continue to urge responsible driving at all times as more people are on our roads this Easter weekend,’ Chikunga said.

The minister added that the cause of the crash is under investigation. 

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France seeks help from allies to bolster security during Paris Olympics

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France has asked its foreign allies to send several thousand members of their security forces to help guard the Paris Olympics, officials said Thursday, underlining the strains caused by the sporting extravaganza which begins in July.

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“Several foreign nations are going to reinforce us in certain critical areas, such as dog-handling capabilities where the needs are enormous,” an official at the defence ministry told AFP on condition of anonymity.

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The official did not say how many foreign soldiers would be on French soil, but Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed his country was joining “an international coalition established by France” for the Olympics.

An official in the French interior ministry said separately that Paris had asked 46 allies to send 2,185 police reinforcements.

Both officials played down the significance of the requests for foreign assistance.

“It’s a classic move for host countries ahead of the organisation of major events,” the interior ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

For the rugby World Cup in France last year, European allies sent 160 police officers to help with security, the official added, with some of them visible to fans as they patrolled the streets.

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Securing the Paris Olympics is stretching France’s domestic forces, however, with an attack last Friday on a concert hall in Moscow, claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group, underlining the stakes.


“The terrorist threat is real, it’s strong,” French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal told reporters on Monday, adding that two plots by suspected Islamic extremists had been thwarted already this year.

Up to 45,000 French police and gendarmes are set to be deployed each day during the Olympics, while 18,000 troops are also expected to be mobilised, according to government figures.

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Another 18,000-22,000 private security guards will be on the ground for the Games, which run from July 26-August 11.

The request for foreign help was “for the spectators’ experience, to respond to the capacity challenge of the Games and to reinforce international cooperation,” the French interior ministry official said.

Germany said in March that it would send an unspecified number of police to France for the Olympics, while French forces are set to travel to Germany when it holds the Euro 2024 football tournament in June and July.

Unprecedented opening ceremony

The Olympics have been attacked in the past – most infamously in 1972 in Munich and again in 1996 in Atlanta – with the thousands of athletes, huge crowds and live global television audience making it a target.

French organisers have faced persistent questioning over their decision to hold the opening ceremony outside of the athletics stadium for the first time.

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Athletes are instead set to sail down the river Seine in a flotilla of boats in a made-for-TV extravaganza. The choice has been resisted by some security officials because of the challenges for police.

The crowd size for the ceremony has been significantly reduced, but 326,000 are set to attend with tickets while hundreds of thousands more are expected on the streets or watching from windows overlooking the waterway.

French security forces are screening up to a million people before the Games, including athletes and people living close to key infrastructure, according to the interior ministry.

France was placed on its highest terror alert on Sunday following the attack in Moscow.

(AFP)

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Indian police spot glowing UFOs zig-zagging over nuclear power plant – mirroring reports of craft at sensitive bases in US

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India’s Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant has become a UFO hotspot after a police officer reported seeing odd aerial lights above it more than 10 times last summer.

Indian Police Service investigator Syed Abdul Kader shared two videos exclusively with DailyMail.com, which track the bright lights making ‘zigzags’ above the facility.

Fearing the craft was not manmade, Kader turned to his nation’s leading UFO expert, who in 2019 filed a petition to the Supreme Court of India with the backing of former Pentagon officials and US Air Force vets — urging the south Asian nation to take all the unexplained sightings near its nuclear facilities more seriously. 

Kader’s UFO encounters add international heft to domestic national security concerns within the US, following detailed Pentagon and civilian research into an eerie correlation between UFO sightings and America’s tightly held nuclear arsenal.

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While the shape, size and speed of Kader’s mystery objects are difficult to discern, his footage shows them making unusual movements at the altitude of an airplane.

‘It’s shaking when it’s moving! It’s going up and down,’ the confused cop narrates in one video, watching the UFO’s bizarre and apparently non-aerodynamic maneuvers.

‘The way it’s moving,’ he opines in the video, ‘this could never be an airplane.’

India's Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant has become a UFO hotspot after a police officer reported seeing odd aerial lights above it more than 10 times last summer

India's Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant has become a UFO hotspot after a police officer reported seeing odd aerial lights above it more than 10 times last summer

India’s Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant has become a UFO hotspot after a police officer reported seeing odd aerial lights above it more than 10 times last summer 

Roughly a dozen or so incidents last summer all involved apparent airborne craft loitering near the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (pictured above) at the southern tip of the subcontinent - as well as the Madras Atomic Power Station near Kalpakkam, along the country's east coast

Roughly a dozen or so incidents last summer all involved apparent airborne craft loitering near the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (pictured above) at the southern tip of the subcontinent - as well as the Madras Atomic Power Station near Kalpakkam, along the country's east coast

Roughly a dozen or so incidents last summer all involved apparent airborne craft loitering near the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (pictured above) at the southern tip of the subcontinent – as well as the Madras Atomic Power Station near Kalpakkam, along the country’s east coast

‘It’s in a southern direction,’ Kader told his wife during the August 8th sighting.

‘It’s standing [or hovering] in the direction of the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant.’

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‘It is always coming in at this time, when it is not too dark, nor too bright,’ Kader’s wife can be heard saying. ‘I’ve seen this many times.’

While it is difficult for an outside observer to discern if the UFO is moving, or if Kader’s camera is unsteady, DailyMail.com can report that some common prosaic explanations can likely be ruled out.

Such sightings have turned out to be distant planets, like Venus that is the third brightest object in the sky, after the sun and moon.

And the bright ‘dog star,’ Sirius, as well as the planets Jupiter and Mercury have also been occasionally misreported as UFOs.

However, in Kader’s August 8 video, filmed at dusk (7:30PM local time), the eastern direction of the UFO at sunset refutes the notion that a common bright planet or star could explain the mystery’s eerie aerial glow.

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While the shape, size and speed of Kader's mystery objects are difficult to discern, his footage shows them making unusual movements at the altitude of an airplane

While the shape, size and speed of Kader's mystery objects are difficult to discern, his footage shows them making unusual movements at the altitude of an airplane

While the shape, size and speed of Kader’s mystery objects are difficult to discern, his footage shows them making unusual movements at the altitude of an airplane 

Syed Abdul Kader shared two of the videos exclusively with DailyMail.com, which show bright lights whizzing up and down above the facility

Syed Abdul Kader shared two of the videos exclusively with DailyMail.com, which show bright lights whizzing up and down above the facility

Syed Abdul Kader shared two of the videos exclusively with DailyMail.com, which show bright lights whizzing up and down above the facility

Police sub-inspector Syed Abdul Kader (right), assigned to the technical wing of the Tirunelveli office - one hour's drive north of the Kudankulam nuclear plant - told UFO expert Sabir Hussain (left) that he filmed two videos of these unusual aerial phenomena or UAP

Police sub-inspector Syed Abdul Kader (right), assigned to the technical wing of the Tirunelveli office - one hour's drive north of the Kudankulam nuclear plant - told UFO expert Sabir Hussain (left) that he filmed two videos of these unusual aerial phenomena or UAP

Police sub-inspector Syed Abdul Kader (right), assigned to the technical wing of the Tirunelveli office – one hour’s drive north of the Kudankulam nuclear plant – told UFO expert Sabir Hussain (left) that he filmed two videos of these unusual aerial phenomena or UAP

A sky map for that night and time, geolocated to the Kaders’ hometown of Tirunelveli via TheSkyLive.com shows that Venus was completely obscured, below the western horizon and below the sunset. 

Most other bright stars and planets were also not in the eastern sky at that moment. 

At another point in the video, Kader’s wife exclaims, ‘It’s so close. How come no one else is seeing this?’

To which Kader replies, ‘No, that’s why the DGP [Director General of Police] he, himself, has seen it [the UFOs]. And that’s why everybody’s talking about this.’

In fact, the Kaders’ sightings to the south overlapped with weeks of others in July and August up India’s east coast along the Neelankarai-Mahabalipuram shoreline.

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That region, near the bustling city of Chennai, is home to the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) in Kalpakkam.

Kader’s mysterious UFO videos were first secured by one of India’s foremost UFO investigators, Sabir Hussain, director of the Indian Society for UFO Studies (INSUFOS) based in Chennai.

It was Hussain who petitioned the Supreme Court of India in 2019 warning that casually dismissing reports of UFO activity near the nation’s sensitive atomic power sites could risks an unintentional nuclear war between India and its uneasy neighbor Pakistan.

His efforts came with letters endorsing his petition, by former US counterintelligence official and Pentagon UFO investigator Lue Elizondo, US Air Force veteran Robert Salas, and other UFO experts from America and Europe. 

‘Syed came to my house,’ Hussain told DailyMail.com. ‘I debriefed him.’

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‘He told me that most of the time, [the UFO] was either coming from the direction of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, going towards it, or stationary in that direction.’

Officer Kader, Hussain told DailyMail.com, also stated that the UFOs were sometimes spotted hovering above the nearby Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) Propulsion Complex.

Nestled alongside the mountainous Mahendragiri hill in the state of Tamil Nadu, the ISRO Propulsion Complex tests cryogenically stored rocket fuel among its other space program duties.

The ISRO facility is also approximately one hour’s drive south of the Kaders’ home, which is in the city of Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu.  

A vocal advocate on the UFO issue, Hussain once voiced his suspicion that alleged alien occupants of such craft cut communications between ISRO and its Chandrayaan-2’s Vikram lander in 2019 — for the south Asian nation’s own good. 

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‘The extra-terrestrials have sent a message to the Indian government to get rid of your nukes before you explore other worlds,’ Hussain told the Deccan Chronicle.

‘You will not be allowed to land on the moon unless “they” decide to allow you.’

The fate of ISRO’s Vikram lander aside, Hussain’s new UFO witnesses, sub-inspector Kader and his wife, can at least be heard in their videos discussing the mysterious aerial phenomena’s consistent apparent interest in the Kudankulam nuclear plant.

Kader’s video-taped sightings, as Hussain told DT Next, ‘happened just 10 days after former DGP [Director General of Police] Prateep V. Philip took pictures of a UFO on [the] Muttukadu sea shore near Chennai.’

Philip’s rank of DGP is the highest position attainable in the Indian Police Service.

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A sky map for that night and time (above), geolocated to the Kaders' hometown of Tirunelveli via TheSkyLive.com, shows Venus was completely obscured, below the western horizon and sunset. Most other bright stars and planets were also not in the eastern sky at that moment

A sky map for that night and time (above), geolocated to the Kaders' hometown of Tirunelveli via TheSkyLive.com, shows Venus was completely obscured, below the western horizon and sunset. Most other bright stars and planets were also not in the eastern sky at that moment

A sky map for that night and time (above), geolocated to the Kaders’ hometown of Tirunelveli via TheSkyLive.com, shows Venus was completely obscured, below the western horizon and sunset. Most other bright stars and planets were also not in the eastern sky at that moment 

The Kaders' sightings to the south overlapped with weeks of sightings in July and August up the eastern coast, along the Neelankarai-Mahabalipuram shoreline. That region, near the city of Chennai, is home to the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) in Kalpakkam (above)

The Kaders' sightings to the south overlapped with weeks of sightings in July and August up the eastern coast, along the Neelankarai-Mahabalipuram shoreline. That region, near the city of Chennai, is home to the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) in Kalpakkam (above)

The Kaders’ sightings to the south overlapped with weeks of sightings in July and August up the eastern coast, along the Neelankarai-Mahabalipuram shoreline. That region, near the city of Chennai, is home to the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) in Kalpakkam (above)

Hypothetical extraterrestrial interest in the Kudankulam nuclear plant, if correct, would join decades of active protests against the plant by concerned local civilians.

Thousands of local residents faced teargas shelling, imprisonment and prosecution under both terrorism and sedition charges by local police for speaking out against the nuclear energy plant. Even children with the protestors faced sedition charges.

In September of 2019 the Kudankulam nuclear plant was discovered to be infected with malware, which one cyber security analyst with CSO attributed to ‘a false flag operation using stolen North Korean code to muddle attribution.’ 

Hussain told DailyMail.com that the plant has faced corruption charges and safety concerns since before it first became operational a decade ago.

‘Kudankulam, which is a focus of our attention,’ Hussain said, ‘came online only in 2013 after Fukushima disaster happened.’

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‘Ever since it came online, it has been shutting down once every two months,’ he added. ‘They are working only to 30 percent of their capacity. So you do the math.’

DailyMail.com has reached out to the Indian government’s Nuclear Power Corporation of India, Ltd., which runs the plant, for comment. 

US Air Force ICBM launch officer Robert Salas (pictured above) told of his encounter with an orange flying disc that turned off 10 warheads at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana in 1967

US Air Force ICBM launch officer Robert Salas (pictured above) told of his encounter with an orange flying disc that turned off 10 warheads at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana in 1967
Robert Salas as a young airman

Robert Salas as a young airman

US Air Force ICBM launch officer Robert Salas (pictured left, and as a young man, right) told of his encounter with an orange flying disc that turned off 10 warheads at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana in 1967  

An email shows AARO staff contacted former US Air Force ICBM launch officer Robert Salas to gather information about his encounter. He tweeted his thank you email from AARO 

This time last year, two Air Force veterans revealed to DailyMail.com’s Josh Boswell that they had just testified to the Pentagon’s UFO-hunting All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) about their experiences witnessing UFOs interfere with US nuclear missiles.

One email showed AARO staff contacting former US Air Force ICBM launch officer Robert Salas to gather information about his chilling encounter with an orange flying disc that inexplicably turned off 10 warheads at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana in 1967.

Another former officer, Dr. Robert Jacobs, also briefed AARO, testifying to a 35mm film he shot for the Air Force in 1964, which allegedly caught a flying saucer shooting a test missile out of the sky.

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Although Salas described those early interactions with AARO officials as ‘very magnanimous,’ this month the disappointed Air Force veteran described the Pentagon office’s most recent UFO report as ‘a ‘Steaming pile of …’ 

‘I gave AARO a two hour PowerPoint presentation on the Malmstrom AFB incidents where twenty ICBMs were disabled during UFO encounters,’ Salas said on the social media site X, speaking to incidents at the base beyond 1967. 

‘The USGOV owes us, the informed public, much more respect on this subject,’ he concluded, ‘than offered by AARO’s steaming pile of insults.’ 

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Russia links Moscow attack to ‘Ukrainian nationalists’; US rubbishes claim

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Russia said Thursday it had evidence the perpetrators of last week’s massacre at a concert hall outside Moscow were linked to “Ukrainian nationalists”, a claim that the United States called nonsense.

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President Vladimir Putin and his security services continue to allege Kyiv and the West were involved somehow in last Friday’s attack, despite an Islamic State (IS) group affiliate having claimed responsibility.

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Putin said Saturday that 11 people had been detained after gunmen stormed the Crocus City Hall, setting the building alight and killing at least 143 people.

“As a result of work with the detained terrorists, examination of the technical devices seized from them and analysis of information on financial transactions, evidence of their links with Ukrainian nationalists has been obtained,” Russia’s Investigative Committee said on Thursday.

It alleged the suspects had received “significant amounts of money and cryptocurrency from Ukraine” and said another man “involved in financing the terrorists” had been identified and detained.

“Investigators will ask the court to remand him in custody,” it said.

Ukraine and its Western allies have branded as absurd accusations they were involved.

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“My uncle used to say … that the best manure salesmen often carry their samples in their mouths,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Thursday.

“Russian officials seem to be pretty good manure salesmen,” Kirby said, denouncing what he called Russia’s “nonsense propaganda.”

‘Completely inappropriate’

The four suspected assailants – with bruises and cuts on their swollen faces – were dragged into a Moscow courtroom Sunday, all of whom were from Tajikistan, Russian media reported.

Russia’s FSB security service said it arrested the gunmen while they were trying to flee to Ukraine, a claim seemingly disputed by Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko, who said they were headed for his country first.

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Islamic State (IS) jihadists have said several times since Friday that they were responsible, and IS-affiliated media channels have published graphic videos of the gunmen inside the venue.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov gave no indication on Thursday that Putin planned to visit the family members of those killed.

The Russian leader was seen lighting a candle for the victims at a Moscow church last week, but has not visited the scene of the massacre or publicly met with any victims.

“If any contacts are necessary, we will inform you accordingly,” Peskov said, when asked if Putin planned to meet family members of the dead.

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He also said Putin did not plan to visit Crocus City Hall, where rescuers had for the past week been searching the rubble for bodies.

“In these days it would be completely inappropriate to carry out any fact-finding trips, because this would simply interfere with the work,” he said.

(AFP)

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Insurance market Lloyd’s of London toasts best result ‘in recent history’ with £10.7bn profit

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  • The world’s biggest insurance marketplace rebounded to a £10.7bn profit
  • In the group’s underwriting arm, its profits swelled from £2.6bn to £5.9bn 

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Lloyd’s of London has achieved its strongest annual results ‘in recent history’ after swinging to a bumper profit from a loss the prior year. 

The world’s biggest insurance marketplace, whose roots date back to a 17th-century coffee house, rebounded to a £10.7billion profit last year after making an £800million pre-tax loss in 2022. 

It credited the performance to higher interest rates and an ‘unwind of the previously booked mark-to-market loss’.

Recovery: Insurance marketplace Lloyd's of London, whose roots date back to a 17th-century coffee house, rebounded to a £10.7billion profit last year

Recovery: Insurance marketplace Lloyd's of London, whose roots date back to a 17th-century coffee house, rebounded to a £10.7billion profit last year

Recovery: Insurance marketplace Lloyd’s of London, whose roots date back to a 17th-century coffee house, rebounded to a £10.7billion profit last year

In the group’s underwriting arm, its profits swelled from £2.6billion to £5.9billion due to falling costs from large risks and natural catastrophe claims.

This helped boost the company’s combined ratio – the difference between written premiums and payouts – by nearly eight percentage points to 84 per cent, its highest level for 16 years.

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A ratio below 100 per cent denotes a profit, while any figure above that number represents a loss.

Gross written premiums at Lloyd’s totalled £52.1billion, an 11.6 per cent increase on the previous year and its third consecutive year of double-digit growth.

John Neal, chief executive of Lloyd’s, said: ‘The results we’re reporting today are our best in recent history, with an outstanding underwriting result underpinned by a strong and resilient balance sheet.

‘Our ability to attract – and provide returns on – capital is vital to ensuring we can support our customers through uncertainty.’

In the past few years, the insurance market has doled out billions in claims related to the Ukraine war, especially for aircraft stranded in Russia.

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It has also taken losses from a significant number of extreme weather events; in 2023, these included the Turkey-Syria Earthquake, Hawaii’s August wildfires, and Cyclone Gabrielle in Oceania.

Lloyd’s of London’s results come a few weeks after two of its insurers, Beazley and Hiscox, both reported record annual profits and launched major share buybacks.

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Fallen cryptocurrency mogul Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in jail

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Disgraced cryptocurrency wunderkind Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in jail on Thursday following his conviction in one of the biggest financial fraud cases in history.

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US prosecutors were seeking a prison term of 40-50 years after a New York jury found Bankman-Fried, known by his initials SBF, guilty in November following a five-week trial that probed the one-time high roller’s spectacular fall.

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During the hearing Bankman-Fried told the courtroom that he was “sorry about what happened at every stage. And there are things I should’ve done and things I shouldn’t have.”

They “built something beautiful,” Bankman-Fried said. “And I threw it all away.”

The final sentence was meted out by US District Judge Lewis Kaplan who used the hearing to carefully walk through the financial crimes committed by Bankman-Fried.

There was “never a word of remorse for the commission of a terrible crime,” the judge said, adding that there was a risk Bankman-Fried would commit crimes again.

With the sentencing now done, Bankman-Fried’s lawyers said they would appeal his conviction.

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Calling Bankman-Fried’s seven-count conviction reflective of the defendant’s “unmatched greed and hubris,” the government’s sentencing request argued for significant jail time in light of fraud it estimates at more than $10 billion.

Bankman-Fried’s attorneys depicted their client as a diligent young man motivated by philanthropy who got in over his head, calling the government’s proposed sentence “barbaric.”

Their portrayal is similar to the one SBF’s defense presented at trial – which was quickly rejected by jurors after just five hours of deliberation.

Bankman-Fried’s defense team had asked for six years in prison, a sentence that would return him “promptly to a productive role in society,” said the attorneys led by Marc Mukasey.

FTX Implosion

A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a billionaire before the age of 30, Bankman-Fried conquered the crypto world at breakneck speed, turning FTX, a small start-up he cofounded in 2019, into the world’s second largest exchange platform.

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But in November 2022, the FTX empire imploded, unable to cope with massive withdrawal requests from customers panicked to learn that some of the funds stored at the company had been committed to risky operations at Bankman-Fried’s personal hedge fund, Alameda Research.


During the trial, some of Bankman-Fried’s closest associates said that he was key to all the decisions that saw $8 billion vanish from FTX.

This group included Caroline Ellison, the former Alameda CEO and Bankman-Fried’s on-and-off-again girlfriend, who testified that Alameda had stolen “around $14 billion” from FTX clients and that Bankman-Fried “directed me to commit those crimes.”

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Filings from the prosecution and defense offered starkly different takes on Bankman-Fried, the son of two well-regarded law professors at tony Stanford University.

“The lack of contrition is galling,” said US Attorney Damian Williams, who took issue with the image of Bankman-Fried as “selfless” and “altruistic,” as championed by the defense, noting he used funds for “luxury” real estate, donations to rub shoulders with political leaders, a Super Bowl television ad and “access to celebrities.”

The defense’s statement describes Bankman-Fried as “wracked” with remorse over the implosion of FTX.

Recovered funds

Bankman-Fried’s attorneys also pointed to statements from FTX’s current leaders expressing confidence that FTX customers and creditors would get back their money, saying in the brief that “the harm to customers, lenders and investors is zero.”

That argument drew a scathing response from FTX Trading Chief Executive John Ray, who said ongoing recoveries of ill-gotten gains do not make up for fraud.

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“That things he stole… were successfully recovered through the efforts of a dedicated group” of professionals “does not mean the things were not stolen,” Ray said in a letter to the court.

“What it means is that we got some of them back.”

(AFP)

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