Russian election latest: Putin claims landslide win as West condemns ‘pseudo-election’ – BBC News

No credible opposition candidate was allowed to stand in the vote which could see Putin in power until 2030.

Summary

  1. Vladimir Putin wins a fifth term as Russian president by a landslide of 87%, according to Russian exit polls
  2. He faced no credible opposition candidate as the Kremlin tightly controls Russia’s political system, media and elections
  3. Germany called it a “pseudo-election”, while the US said the vote was “obviously not free nor fair”
  4. Ukraine’s President Zelensky said Putin was “drunk with power and is doing everything to rule forever”
  5. In a post-election news conference, Putin vowed to press on with the invasion of Ukraine
  6. He also said Russian democracy was more legitimate than in the US, where “with mail-in voting… you can buy a vote for $10”
  7. Voting took place in the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine: Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea. Overall, turnout was 77%

Source: Russian election latest: Putin claims landslide win as West condemns ‘pseudo-election’ – BBC News

Fire extinguished at Ukraine nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest

LVIV, Ukraine/KYIV/PARIS, March 4 (Reuters) – A huge blaze at the site of Europe’s biggest nuclear power station was extinguished on Friday, and officials said the plant in southeastern Ukraine was operating normally after it was seized by Russian forces in fighting that caused global alarm.

Separately, a presidential advisor said Ukraine had halted an advance on the city of Mykolayiv after local authorities said Russian troops had entered. If captured, the city of 500,000 people in southern Ukraine, where Russian forces have made the most progress so far, would be the biggest yet to fall.

A huge blaze at the site of Europe’s biggest nuclear power station was extinguished on Friday, and officials said the plant in southeastern Ukraine was operating normally after it was seized by Russian forces in fighting that caused global alarm.

Source: Fire extinguished at Ukraine nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest

Russian troops are shelling Europe’s largest nuclear power station in Ukraine, officials say

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its second week Thursday as fighting continues across the smaller country.

There were conflicting reports about which side controls the city of Kherson. Ukrainians still control capital Kyiv despite Russian efforts to overtake the city. Port city Maripol and Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second biggest city, experienced heavy shelling Wednesday.

Specific accounts of military activity are difficult to confirm as the situation on the ground in Ukraine can change quickly.

Source: Russian troops are shelling Europe’s largest nuclear power station in Ukraine, officials say

Ukraine cities face intense shelling as Russian convoy closes in on Kyiv

Facing fierce resistance on the ground, Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to be moving toward an escalation of his forces’ assault from the air.

Ukraine’s embattled leader accused Russia of war crimes and “state terrorism” Tuesday after a fresh blast struck the heart of the country’s second-largest city, fueling fears civilians would face the brunt of an intensifying assault.

As the conflict escalated on its sixth day, increasingly heavy shelling hit major cities and a vast convoy of Russian forces threatened the capital, Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to defend Kyiv and sought to rally both his country and the international community against what he called “outright, undisguised terror” from Moscow, in a video message posted on social media.

Global condemnation and crippling sanctions have left the Kremlin isolated in the wake of last week’s invasion, confronting a spiraling economy and dogged defense from Ukrainian forces. U.S. officials said they feared Russian President Vladimir Putin, frustrated by his military’s struggles, may see an escalation of violence as his only option.


Latest updates on Ukraine:

  • Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, was hit by intensifying shelling.
  • A huge convoy of Russian forces approached Kyiv.
  • Zelenskyy vowed to defend “the heart of our country.”
  • U.S. officials said they feared a frustrated Putin may order escalation of violence.
  • Moscow insisted Western sanctions won’t get it to change its approach toward Ukraine.

Source: Ukraine cities face intense shelling as Russian convoy closes in on Kyiv

Pearl Harbor Day: What to know about Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Hawaii

On Monday, America commemorates the 79th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. Here are the facts surrounding that fateful day—and how to pay tribute.

“December 7, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy,” President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously proclaimed.

Americans on Monday will honor the 79th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

The surprise raid on the major U.S. Navy base near Honolulu killed more than 2,400 Americans and left another 1,100 injured. In short, the strike signaled the entry of the United States into World War II.

According to the National Park Service, Congress designated Dec. 7 as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day in August 1994. This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, a small, intimate gathering of veterans will be held at Pearl Harbor Visitor Center — though it is closed to the public.

Here are some facts surrounding that fateful day in U.S. history:

Just before 8 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese planes made the surprise raid on Pearl Harbor. During the attack, which was launched from aircraft carriers, nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight battleships, were damaged or destroyed, as well as more than 300 aircraft, according to the History Channel.

How many were killed at Pearl Harbor?

The official American death toll was 2,403, according to the Pearl Harbor Visitors Bureau, including 2,008 Navy personnel, 109 Marines, 218 Army service members and 68 civilians. Of the dead, 1,177 were from the USS Arizona, the wreckage of which now serves as the main memorial to the incident. Fifty-five Japanese soldiers also were killed.

Source: Pearl Harbor Day: What to know about Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Hawaii

Syria war: ‘Russian air strikes kill dozens’ in Idlib – BBC News

Russian air strikes in northern Syria have killed more than 50 Turkish-backed militia fighters in the mainly rebel-held province of Idlib, reports say.

Many others were wounded in the attack, which marks an escalation of violence in the region.

A training base for an Islamist group called Faylaq al-Sham was hit.

The assault puts at risk a ceasefire in Idlib, brokered and monitored by Russia and Turkey, which back opposite sides in the war.

UK-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the number of dead at 78.

Some of the wounded were in a serious condition, and the death toll was likely to rise, the Observatory added.

It described the attack – in the Harem region north-west of Idlib city – as the deadliest since the ceasefire came into force in March.

The truce brought to a halt a Syrian government offensive on the region which had displaced almost a million people, and has largely held since then.

When the ceasefire was announced, Turkey said it reserved the right to “retaliate with all its strength” against any attack by forces allied to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Idlib is the last province held by rebels and jihadists, who have been beaten back in a nine-year-long civil war.

Source: Syria war: ‘Russian air strikes kill dozens’ in Idlib – BBC News

4 in 10 millennials don’t know 6 millions Jews were killed in Holocaust, study shows – CBS News

Survey of U.S. adults found “critical gaps both in awareness of basic facts as well as detailed knowledge of the Holocaust”

NEW YORK — More than one-fifth of millennials in the U.S. — 22 percent — haven’t heard of, or aren’t sure if they’ve heard of, the Holocaust, according to a study published Thursday, on Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day. The study, which was commissioned by The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and conducted by Schoen Consulting, also found that 11 percent of U.S. adults overall haven’t heard of the Holocaust or aren’t sure if they did.

Additionally, 41 percent of millennials believe two million Jews or fewer were killed during the Holocaust, the study found. Six million Jews were killed in World War II by Nazi Germany and its accomplices.

Two-thirds of millennials could not identify in the survey what Auschwitz was.

“The survey found there are critical gaps both in awareness of basic facts as well as detailed knowledge of the Holocaust,” said a news release on the findings.

Source: 4 in 10 millennials don’t know 6 millions Jews were killed in Holocaust, study shows – CBS News

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