We are talking about Russian air strikes in western Ukraine and the difficulties the French Green Party has faced in obtaining votes.
Russian airstrikes kill dozens in western Ukraine
Russia launched a barrage of airstrikes on a military base that had served as a hub for Western arms deliveries near the Polish border, killing at least 35 people and injuring at least 134. Videos show the moment of the attack and the aftermath.
The base is located just 20 kilometers from Poland, perilously close to where US troops are deployed, in a region of Ukraine that has been a safe haven. Ukrainian officials called the attack a “terrorist attack” and renewed calls for NATO to impose a no-fly zone in the country.
Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, said the airstrikes were a sign that Russian troops were expanding their targets in Ukraine because they were “frustrated with their lack of ability to take some of the major cities”.
Toll: The International Committee of the Red Cross warned that time is running out for hundreds of thousands of civilians still trapped in Mariupol, where more than 2,000 people have died. In a basement in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, nannies keep 19 surrogate mothers alive.
kidnapped: Ivan Fyodorov, the 33-year-old mayor of the southern Ukrainian city of Melitopol, encouraged resistance to the conquering Russian soldiers. He was then arrested and nothing has been heard from him since.
Press victims: Brent Renaud, an award-winning American filmmaker and journalist, was murdered yesterday in Ukraine in Irpin, a suburb of Kiev. He had contributed to The Times in recent years. His reporting partner, Juan Arredondo, was hospitalized.
oligarchs: The war eventually led Britain to go after the ultra-wealthy Russians in London. US officials believe a superyacht in an Italian dry dock may be linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
stranded: Hundreds of aircraft from Western companies are still in Russia. They may never be recovered, forcing the companies to take on billions of dollars in losses.
Covid wave in the South Pacific Islands
After escaping the coronavirus for a year and a half, New Caledonia, a French region of the South Pacific, experienced a deadly outbreak last fall when the Delta variant broke through. As the more recent Omicron wave subsides, the disproportionate impact of the virus on the area’s indigenous people has become apparent.
While New Caledonia’s connections to France have resulted in state-of-the-art medical facilities to care for the infected, almost all doctors come from abroad. Indigenous Kanaks also have high rates of obesity and diabetes, and low incomes compared to the European settlers in the region, making it more difficult for them to live with the coronavirus.
New Caledonia is not alone. Powered by the Omicron variant, the coronavirus is now reaching parts of the South Pacific that had avoided the pandemic for nearly two years. More than a thousand people have been infected in Tonga – a wave likely catalyzed by ships carrying relief supplies after a volcanic eruption and tsunami in January – while Kiribati and the Solomon Islands are battling their own first outbreaks.
In other developments:
The French Green Party struggles to inspire voters
Environmental issues have become increasingly prominent in France in recent years, marked by a series of marches and lawsuits, as well as sweeping legislation on climate change. Yet the political party that places the most emphasis on these issues has failed to gather many voters.
With less than 30 days to go before the first round of the presidential election, Green Party candidate Yannick Jadot is about 5 percent in the polls. The run-up to the election has been dominated by issues of security, immigration and national identity, reflecting the recent shift to the right in France. Jadot is performing poorly with working-class voters, who fear the impact of the clean energy transition on their livelihoods.
The French Greens, analysts say, have failed to convince voters that they are a credible government force capable of dealing with issues of diplomacy and defense, as is the case in Germany, where the Greens are now part of a three-party coalition.
Media: According to a survey by several environmental groups, climate issues have accounted for just 2.5 percent of media coverage of the election in the past four weeks.
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Asia and the Middle East
Hazel McCallion has been a force in Canadian politics for longer than anyone, despite starting her career in middle age. After playing pro hockey in the 1940s, “Hurricane Hazel” led Mississauga, Ontario, through epic growth until she left office at the age of 93. At 101 years old, her recommendations still matter.
ART AND IDEAS
Fresh eyes on an old site
It’s time to bring the 2,000-year-old city of Pompeii into the 21st century.
Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the site’s 40-year-old director, hopes visitors will gain a broader understanding of the ancient city — which was buried in ashes in AD 79 by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius — including the roles of race, gender and class within. its complex society. And he’s using technology to try to protect the site from the ravages of climate change.
“We must not forget that all the wealth and artwork that we see in Pompeii is really based on a society where not only slavery existed, but where there was no concept of social welfare,” he said. Last year, archaeologists discovered a stark room they believed to have been home to an enslaved family — a cramped space that may have doubled as storage space, lit by a single window.
Other experts praised the approach, which is part of a broader shift in archaeology. “Often archaeologists can be conservative with the topics they cover,” said one historian, adding, “I’m excited to see things start happening at Pompeii.”