Latest news with #Russian-Belarusian
Time of India
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
NATO Nation Germany Scrambles Eurofighters To Poland As Russia Prepares Major Zapad 2025 Drills
/ Aug 05, 2025, 12:01PM IST Five German Eurofighter jets and 150 troops have been deployed to Poland ahead of the Russian-Belarusian 'Zapad-2025' military exercises. Stationed at Mińsk Mazowiecki, the mission aims to reinforce NATO's eastern air defences amid rising tensions. The deployment serves as a show of force and allied solidarity just weeks before major Russian-led drills involving 13,000 troops. NATO says it will closely monitor the exercises, citing a lack of transparency from Moscow and Minsk.#NATOvsRussia #Zapad2025 #Eurofighters #PolandDefense #EasternFlank #GermanyDeploys #NATOAlert #RussiaBelarusDrills #MarkRutte #AirPower
Fox News
31-07-2025
- Business
- Fox News
European prime minister resigns after protests over past financial dealings
Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas resigned on Thursday following protests in the country's capital over investigations into his alleged business dealings. "Gintautas Paluckas called me this morning and informed me of his resignation," Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda told reporters, according to Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT). Nausėda also said Paluckas made the right choice and welcomed the decision. Nausėda recently gave Paluckas two weeks to decide whether or not to stay in his position. "The president has asked the prime minister to either give a reasoned answer to the questions raised by the public in the next two weeks, or to consider seriously his further options as prime minister," presidential adviser Frederikas Jansonas told reporters on July 24, according to LRT. The prime minister's resignation also comes after a smaller party threatened to exit the country's ruling coalition unless Paluckas stepped down from his position. After media outlets began publishing investigations into Paluckas' business and financial dealings, Lithuania's anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies launched probes of their own, according to the Associated Press. One of the cases against him is more than a decade old. In 2012, Paluckas was convicted of mishandling the bidding process for rat extermination in Vilnius, where he was serving as the director of the city's municipality administration, the Associated Press reported. However, it has been revealed that he did not pay a chunk of the nearly $20,000 fine. A more recent scandal involved a €200,000 ($228,777) subsidized loan that Garnis, a company Paluckas co-founded, received after Paluckas was already serving as prime minister, according to LRT. The outlet added that Lithuania's Chief Official Ethics Commission is investigating the loan. Garnis was also linked to a more recent scandal involving the prime minister in which Dankora — Paluckas' sister-in-law's company — received EU funding and used it to purchase goods from Garnis. However, according to LRT, public outcry pushed Dankora to return the funds. Paluckas denies any wrongdoing and claims the criticism is part of a "coordinated attack" by his political opponents, according to the Associated Press. The prime minister's resignation puts Lithuania in a precarious position, as it comes just before Russia and Belarus hold joint military exercises. Paluckas' whole cabinet is expected to resign as well, possibly leaving the Baltic country without a functioning government just weeks ahead of the Russian-Belarusian exercises, according to the Associated Press. However, this may not impact Lithuania's foreign policy, as Nausėda, who represents the country on a global scale, has been an ardent supporter of Ukraine during its years-long war with Russia.
Los Angeles Times
03-04-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
Myanmar earthquake death toll rises to 3,145 as more bodies found
BANGKOK — The death toll from the earthquake that hit Myanmar nearly a week ago rose Thursday to 3,145 as search and rescue teams found more bodies, the military-led government said, and humanitarian aid groups scrambled to provide survivors medical care and shelter. Information Minister Maung Maung Ohn also announced at a meeting in the capital, Naypyidaw, that 4,589 people were injured and 221 others were missing, state television MRTV reported. The epicenter of the 7.7 magnitude quake on March 28 was near Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city. It brought down thousands of buildings, buckled roads and destroyed bridges in multiple regions. Local media reports of casualties have been much higher than the official figures. With telecommunications widely out and many places difficult to reach, the numbers could rise sharply as more details come in. A report issued Thursday by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated that the earthquake and aftershocks have affected more than 17 million people across 57 of the country's 330 townships, including more than 9 million who were severely affected. 'The coming days will be critical in determining the full scale of the disaster's impact and the response required to meet the needs of millions affected,' it said. The World Health Organization said that according to its initial assessment, four hospitals and one health center had been completely destroyed, while another 32 hospitals and 18 health centers had been partially damaged. 'With infrastructure compromised and patient numbers surging, access to health care has become nearly impossible in many of the worst-hit areas,' the U.N. said. 'Thousands of people are in urgent need of trauma care, surgical interventions and treatment for disease outbreaks.' A mobile hospital from India and a joint Russian-Belarusian hospital also were now operating in Mandalay. With many left homeless by the quake, and many others staying away from their homes because of fears that ongoing aftershocks will bring them down, workers in Naypyidaw labored in the 104 F heat to busily erect big tents in open fields to provide some shelter. In Mandalay, local residents gave slices of watermelon to Chinese volunteers taking a break from the high temperatures. More than 1,550 international rescuers were operating alongside locals on Thursday, according to a statement from the military. Rescue supplies and equipment have been sent by 17 countries. Myanmar's military seized power in 2021 from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has turned into a civil war. The quake worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis, with more than 3 million people displaced from their homes and nearly 20 million in need even before it hit, according to the United Nations. As concerns grew that ongoing fighting could hamper humanitarian aid efforts, the military declared a temporary ceasefire Wednesday, through April 22. The announcement followed unilateral temporary ceasefires announced by armed resistance groups opposed to military rule. The military said that it would still take 'necessary' measures against those groups, if they use the ceasefire to regroup, train or launch attacks. Already on Thursday, there were reports from local media in Kachin state in the north of Myanmar that military attacks continued in several areas, but they couldn't be independently confirmed. Prior to the earthquake, the military was battling the Kachin Independence Army militia group. The KIA on Wednesday also declared a ceasefire but reserved the right to defend itself. It was unclear how the reported fighting broke out. The earthquake shook Kachin, but there have been no reports of damage there. In Bangkok, where the quake brought down a skyscraper under construction, the search for survivors and bodies continued as Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt said that a possible sound of life was detected in the rubble. By near day's end, however, nobody was found. Twenty-two people were killed and 35 injured in the city, mostly by the collapse of the unfinished building. Rising writes for the Associated Press. Jintamas Saksornchai contributed to this report.
CBS News
03-04-2025
- Health
- CBS News
As Myanmar earthquake deaths top 3,000, BBC goes undercover to reveal devastation near epicenter in Mandalay
The death official death toll from the massive earthquake that hit Myanmar nearly a week ago rose Thursday to 3,085 as search and rescue teams found more bodies, the internationally isolated nation's military-led government said, and humanitarian aid groups scrambled to provide survivors medical care and shelter. In a short statement, the military said another 4,715 people have been injured and 341 are missing. The epicenter of Friday's 7.7 magnitude earthquake was near Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city. It brought down thousands of buildings, buckled roads and destroyed bridges in multiple regions. Local media reports of casualties have been much higher than the official figures, and with telecommunications widely out and many places difficult to reach, it's thought the numbers could rise sharply as more details come in. The military junta that seized power of Myanmar in 2021 has maintained strict control over its borders since the disaster, refusing to let foreign journalists in and keeping up operations against rebel forces in the divided nation until Wednesday, when it declared a temporary ceasefire in the brutal civil war. CBS News' partner network BBC News, however, managed to sneak a team into Myanmar, with correspondent Yogita Limaye visiting the devastated city of Mandalay to witness the destruction first-hand before leaving to file her report from neighboring Thailand on Wednesday evening. Without formal access to recovery sites or government officials, the BBC team's ability to assess official rescue and recovery efforts was limited, but Limaye's report painted a picture of a crisis exacerbated by an extremely limited influx of foreign assistance — and a major city desperately in need of help. The World Health Organization said that according to its initial assessment, four hospitals and one health center in Myanmar had been completely destroyed while another 32 hospitals and 18 health centers had been partially damaged. "With infrastructure compromised and patient numbers surging, access to health care has become nearly impossible in many of the worst-hit areas," the U.N. said. "Thousands of people are in urgent need of trauma care, surgical interventions and treatment for disease outbreaks." A mobile hospital from India and a joint Russian-Belarusian hospital also were now operating in Mandalay, but the BBC report showed much of the little assistance reaching survivors in Mandalay was being provided by small local groups, or ad hoc by survivors. Limaye found no evidence of a major mobilization of Myanmar's military forces to help in search and rescue efforts, and it was unclear Thursday whether the newly announced ceasefire — which the junta said would last only until April 22 — might free up some troops to join that work. Limaye and her team covertly visited the main hospital in Mandalay, where hundreds of quake victims were lined up in rows of beds in the scorching heat outside, as the facility itself was too badly damaged by the quake to continue using. There was a clear lack of medics on hand to treat the wounded, some of whom had only family members to console them as they awaited treatment for serious injuries. The video surreptitiously recorded by the BBC as Limaye's team drove through central Mandalay showed most buildings seriously damaged and many completely toppled. The work to recover victims' remains from vast piles of twisted metal and concrete was scattered, and one woman told Limaye she had been waiting several days for anyone to come and help find her son, a construction worker believed to be among five trapped in a large building that was left at almost a 45-degree angle, with its lower floors crushed by the quake. Thousands of people have been left homeless, and the BBC's video showed many others choosing to camp outside their homes in Mandalay, clearly scared that ongoing aftershocks could still topple their damaged homes. Some search and rescue teams have been allowed in by the junta, including from allies China and India, and residents in Mandalay gave slices of watermelon to Chinese volunteers taking a break from the heat on Thursday. More than 1,550 international rescuers were operating alongside locals Thursday, according to a statement from the military, which said rescue supplies and equipment had been sent by a total of 17 countries. Myanmar's military seized power in 2021 from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what quickly turned into a civil war. The military junta's control over the country is patchy, and there were reports that it continued bombarding some rebel held areas — including areas impacted by the quake — even after declaring the ceasefire. The quake worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis, with more than 3 million people displaced from their homes and nearly 20 million in need even before it hit, according to the United Nations. It was only as the international community voiced concern that ongoing fighting could hamper humanitarian aid efforts that the military declared the temporary ceasefire on Wednesday. The announcement followed unilateral temporary ceasefires announced by armed resistance groups opposed to military rule. The military said it would still take "necessary" measures against those groups if they tried to use the ceasefire to regroup, train or launch attacks. Already on Thursday there were reports from local media in Kachin state in the north of Myanmar that military attacks continued in several areas, but they could not be independently confirmed. Prior to the earthquake the military was battling the Kachin Independence Army militia group. The KIA on Wednesday also declared a ceasefire but reserved the right to defend itself. It was unclear how the reported fighting broke out. The earthquake shook Kachin, but there have been no reports of damage there.
Chicago Tribune
03-04-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Myanmar earthquake death toll rises to 3,085 as more bodies found
BANGKOK — The death toll from the massive earthquake that hit Myanmar nearly a week ago rose Thursday to 3,085 as search and rescue teams found more bodies, the military-led government said, and humanitarian aid groups scrambled to provide survivors medical care and shelter. In a short statement, the military said another 4,715 people have been injured and 341 are missing. The epicenter of Friday's 7.7 magnitude earthquake was near Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city. It brought down thousands of buildings, buckled roads and destroyed bridges in multiple regions. Local media reports of casualties have been much higher than the official figures and with telecommunications widely out and many places difficult to reach, it's thought the numbers could rise sharply as more details come in. The World Health Organization said that according to its initial assessment, four hospitals and one health center had been completely destroyed while another 32 hospitals and 18 health centers had been partially damaged. 'With infrastructure compromised and patient numbers surging, access to health care has become nearly impossible in many of the worst-hit areas,' the U.N. said. 'Thousands of people are in urgent need of trauma care, surgical interventions and treatment for disease outbreaks.' A mobile hospital from India and a joint Russian-Belarusian hospital also were now operating in Mandalay. With many left homeless by the earthquake, and many others staying away from their homes over fears ongoing aftershocks will bring them down, workers in Naypyitaw labored in the 40 degree Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) busily erected big tents in open fields to provide some shelter. In Mandalay, local residents gave slices of watermelon to Chinese volunteers taking a break from the heat. More than 1,550 international rescuers were operating alongside locals on Thursday, according to a statement from the military. Rescue supplies and equipment have been sent by 17 countries. Myanmar's military seized power in 2021 from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has turned into a civil war. The quake worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis, with more than 3 million people displaced from their homes and nearly 20 million in need even before it hit, according to the United Nations. As concerns grew that ongoing fighting could hamper humanitarian aid efforts, the military declared a temporary ceasefire Wednesday, through April 22. The announcement followed unilateral temporary ceasefires announced by armed resistance groups opposed to military rule. The military said it would still take 'necessary' measures against those groups if they use the ceasefire to regroup, train or launch attacks. Already on Thursday there were reports from local media in Kachin state in the north of Myanmar that military attacks continued in several areas, but they could not be independently confirmed. Prior to the earthquake the military was battling the Kachin Independence Army militia group. The KIA on Wednesday also declared a ceasefire but reserved the right to defend itself. It was unclear how the reported fighting broke out. The earthquake shook Kachin, but there have been no reports of damage there. In Bangkok, where the quake brought down a skyscraper under construction, the search for survivors and bodies continued as Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt said a possible sound of life was detected in the rubble. By near day's end, however, nobody was found. Twenty-two people were killed and 35 injured in the city, mostly by the collapse of the unfinished building.
