Marketmind: China developers catch break, BOJ hawks take flight
A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Kevin Buckland Chinese property stocks and Japanese government
2023-09-12 12:45
Ukraine special forces fight off Russian jet to retake strategic drilling rigs near Crimea, Kyiv says
Ukrainian special forces regained control of a number of oil and gas drilling platforms that Russia has used to help control the Black Sea in a "unique operation," the country's military intelligence (GUR) has said. During the operation, the GUR said, there was a clash between Ukrainian special forces on boats and a Russian fighter jet, which was damaged and forced to retreat. It said the platforms, close to Crimea and known as the Boika Towers, had been occupied since 2015 by Moscow, which seized and annexed the peninsula in 2014. The UK's Ministry of Defence has previously said the platforms could be used to launch helicopters, position long-range missile systems and as a base for forward deployment. "For Ukraine, regaining control of the Boiko Towers was of strategic importance and, as a result, Russia lost the ability to use them for military purposes," GUR said on Telegram. "Russia has been deprived of the ability to fully control the waters of the Black Sea, and this makes Ukraine many steps closer to regaining Crimea," it said. The GUR said troops also captured other "valuable trophies" such as helicopter munitions and a radar system that can track the movement of ships in the Black Sea, it said. It comes as Kyiv said that its troops had also regained more territory on the southern and eastern frontlines as it pushes on with its counteroffensive to reclaim land occupied by Russian forces. The deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said in televised comments that Ukraine had retaken nearly two square kilometres of land around the devastated – and Moscow-occupied – eastern city of Bakhmut, the scene for some of the fiercest fighting of the war. Ukrainian troops have regained control of about 49 square km near Bakhmut since the start of the counteroffensive in early June, Ms Maliar said. Ukrainian troops near the eastern frontline town of Avdiivka took advantage of Russian forces focusing on one part of the battlefield to advance and capture part of the village of Opytne south of the city, the head of the local military administration said. “In my opinion, this is very significant,” Vitaliy Barabash told national television. “To be frank, the enemy overlooked this southern direction a bit.” He called the advance a “thunderous assault operation”. Ukraine's military also said that Russia could launch a big mobilisation campaign soon to try to recruit hundreds of thousands of soldiers from inside Russia and occupied Ukraine. The Ukrainian General Staff provided no evidence in a statement to support its assertion. Russian officials have said there are no current plans for a new wave of mobilisation and that Moscow is focused on recruiting professional soldiers. "A mass forced mobilisation of the population is expected soon in the Russian Federation and temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine due to the occupiers' catastrophic losses," the General Staff said in a battlefield roundup. The mobilisation campaign could target between 400,000 and 700,000 recruits, it said, citing different estimates. In Kyiv, the German foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, said during that Ukraine's place was in the European Union, but urged it do more to fight corruption. At meetings with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other Ukrainian officials, she also heard calls for Western partners to provide Kyiv with more weapons including long-range missiles to fight Russian forces. Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said he had called for Taurus cruise missiles to be delivered to Ukraine as soon as possible. "You will do it anyway, its just a matter of time, and I don't understand why we are wasting time," Mr Kuleba said. Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report Read More World War I memorials in France and Belgium are vying again to become UNESCO World Heritage sites Kim Jong-un leaves for Russia by train ahead of weapons talks with Putin Court convicts Portuguese hacker in Football Leaks trial and gives him a 4-year suspended sentence
2023-09-12 01:52
Is EuroLeague a part of FIBA? A brief history
FIBA and Euroleague are separate organizations and have a tumultuous history with each other. There is not a resolution in sight, and here's how both FIBA and Euroleague ended up as the separate enemies they are today.
2023-09-11 23:57
2023-24 EuroLeague Playoffs: Format, schedule, predictions and more
The 2023-24 Euroleague playoffs will be the first in the competition's history to have teams qualify via a play-in tournament. Here's all you need to know. including format, key dates, and predictions.
2023-09-11 23:45
Extreme heat, fires and floods threaten Europe's economy
Mounting climate risks, illustrated by the extreme heat, wildfires and floods that ravaged parts of Europe this summer, could hurt the region's economy as soon as this year, the European Commission warned Monday.
2023-09-11 22:59
Leo Varadkar's United Ireland comments 'unhelpful' says Heaton-Harris
Chris Heaton-Harris says Leo Varadkar's recent comments on reunification were unhelpful to Stormont talks.
2023-09-11 22:52
Greek shipping minister resigns over the death of a man who was pushed off a ferry ramp
Greece’s shipping minister resigned Monday over the death of a man who was pushed off a ferry ramp by a crew member after arriving late. A Greek prosecutor brought criminal charges against the captain of the island ferry and three crew members over the encounter in the port of Piraeus, near Athens, that resulted in the Sept. 5 drowning of Andonis Kargiotis, 36. One crew member faces a charge of homicide with possible intent. Amateur video posted online showed the passenger running onto the Blue Horizon ferry’s loading ramp as the ship had cast off its moorings and was about to leave for the island of Crete. He tried to push past two crew members and then was pushed off the ramp when he tried again. The footage showed the man disappearing in water churned up by the ferry leaving the dock as crew members stepped away. The ship was eventually ordered to return but the man was found unresponsive. He was later determined to have drowned by a medical examiner. “No one can imagine that Greek sailors, violating the age-old rules for the protection of human life at sea, pushed and abandoned an unfortunate young man,” Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy Miltiadis Varvitsiotis wrote in an online post after submitting his resignation. Political opponents had accused Varvitsiotis, 54, of initially downplaying the ferry incident. He became maritime minister after Greece’s conservative government won a landslide reelection victory in June. Varvitsiotis apologized last week over remarks made in a private television interview in which he expressed sympathy for the indicted crew members. “There are those who grieve for the man so unfairly lost and also those who grieve for the people who went to earn their wage, a day’s pay, who now find themselves accused of murder,” he said in the interview. Christos Stylianides, a former Greek Cabinet member in charge of disaster response, was named as his replacement Monday. Despite its convincing election victory three months ago, the Greek government has found itself on the defensive over its handling of major wildfires and ongoing massive floods this summer. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide
2023-09-11 21:17
Denmark country profile
Provides an overview of Denmark, including key dates and facts about this European country.
2023-09-11 19:46
BMW Plugs £600 Million Into Electric Minis in Win for UK
BMW AG will invest in the 110-year-old plant where the Mini brand was born to make electric models,
2023-09-11 16:57
Kingspan Said to Make Rebuffed Proposal for Tie-Up With Carlisle
Kingspan Group Plc made an informal approach to combine with Carlisle Cos., which rebuffed the move to create
2023-09-11 16:19
Norway Inflation Slows in Surprise as Norges Bank Nears Peak
Norway’s inflation unexpectedly slowed last month, suggesting that Norges Bank is likely to end monetary tightening after an
2023-09-11 16:00
Oil Dips After Technicals Signal Rally May Have Run Too Hot
Oil declined after rallying almost 10% over the past two weeks, with technical indicators suggesting recent gains may
2023-09-11 14:50