Tag Archives: AL

US

Ex-FBI official worked for sanctioned Russian oligarch, prosecutors say

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NEW YORK, Jan 23 (Reuters) – A former top FBI official was charged on Monday with working for sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, as U.S. prosecutors ramp up efforts to enforce sanctions on Russian officials and police their alleged enablers.

Charles McGonigal, who led the FBI’s counterintelligence division in New York before retiring in 2018, pleaded not guilty to four criminal counts including sanctions violations and money laundering at a hearing in Manhattan federal court.

He was released on $500,000 bond, following his arrest over the weekend.

Prosecutors said McGonigal, 54, in 2021 received concealed payments from Deripaska, who was sanctioned in 2018, in exchange for investigating a rival oligarch.

McGonigal was also charged with unsuccessfully pushing in 2019 to lift sanctions against Deripaska.

Sanctions “must be enforced equally against all U.S. citizens in order to be successful,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge Michael Driscoll said in a statement. “There are no exceptions for anyone, including a former FBI official.”

Separately on Monday, federal prosecutors in Washington said McGonigal received $225,000 in cash from a former member of Albania’s intelligence service, who had been a source in an investigation into foreign political lobbying that McGonigal was supervising.

McGonigal faces nine counts in that case, including making false statements to conceal from the FBI the nature of his relationship with the person.

“This is obviously a distressing day for Mr McGonigal and his family,” the defendant’s lawyer Seth DuCharme told reporters after the Manhattan hearing. “We’ll review the evidence, we’ll closely scrutinize it, and we have a lot of confidence in Mr McGonigal.”

Deripaska, the founder of Russian aluminum company Rusal (RUAL.MM), was among two dozen Russian oligarchs and government officials blacklisted by Washington in 2018 in reaction to Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

He and the Kremlin have denied any election interference.

Also charged in the Manhattan case was Sergey Shestakov, a former Soviet diplomat who later became an American citizen and Russian language interpreter for U.S. courts and government agencies.

Prosecutors said Shestakov he worked with McGonigal to help Deripaska, and made false statements to investigators.

Shestakov pleaded not guilty on Monday and was released on $200,000 bond.

The enforcement of sanctions are part of U.S. efforts to pressure Moscow to stop its war in Ukraine, which the Kremlin calls a “special military operation.”

Deripaska was charged last September with violating the sanctions against him by arranging to have his children born in the United States.

The following month, British businessman Graham Bonham-Carter was charged with conspiring to violate sanctions by trying to move Deripaska’s artwork out of the United States.

Deripaska is at large, and Bonham-Carter is contesting extradition to the United States.

Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien, Bill Berkrot, Jonathan Oatis and Marguerita Choy

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Luc Cohen

Thomson Reuters

Reports on the New York federal courts. Previously worked as a correspondent in Venezuela and Argentina.

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World

Kosovan minister says Serbia aims to destabilise the country

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MITROVICA, Kosovo, Dec 27 (Reuters) – Kosovan Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla on Tuesday said Serbia, under the influence of Russia, was aiming to destabilise Kosovo by supporting the Serb minority in the north who have been blocking roads and protesting for almost three weeks.

Serbs in the ethnically divided city of Mitrovica in northern Kosovo erected new barricades on Tuesday, hours after Serbia said it had put its army on the highest combat alert following weeks of escalating tensions between Belgrade and Pristina.

“It is precisely Serbia, influenced by Russia, that has raised a state of military readiness and that is ordering the erection of new barricades, in order to justify and protect the criminal groups that terrorize… citizens of Serb ethnicity living in Kosovo,” Svecla said in a statement.

Serbia denies it is trying to destabilise its neighbour and says it just wants to protect its minority there. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday, Serbia would “continue to fight for peace and seek compromise solutions.”

Belgrade had said late on Monday that in light of the latest events in the region and its belief that Kosovo was preparing to attack Serbs and forcefully remove the barricades, it had ordered its army and police to be put on the highest alert.

Since Dec. 10, Serbs in northern Kosovo have erected multiple roadblocks in and around Mitrovica and exchanged fire with police after the arrest of a former Serb policeman for allegedly assaulting serving police officers.

Albanian-majority Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 with the backing of the West, following a 1998-1999 war in which NATO intervened to protect ethnic Albanian citizens.

Kosovo is not a member of the United Nations and five EU states – Spain, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Cyprus – refuse to recognise Kosovo’s statehood.

[1/5] A woman walks near a roadblock, in the northern part part of the ethnically-divided town of Mitrovica, Kosovo, December 27, 2022. REUTERS/Florion Goga

Russia, Serbia’s historical ally, is blocking Kosovo’s membership in the United Nations.

Around 50,000 Serbs live in the northern part of Kosovo and refuse to recognise the Pristina government or the state. They see Belgrade as their capital.

Kosovo’s government said police had the capacity and readiness to act but were waiting for NATO’s KFOR Kosovo peace-keeping force to respond to their request to remove the barricades.

Vucic said talks with foreign diplomats were ongoing on how to resolve the situation.

In Mitrovica on Tuesday morning trucks were parked to block the road linking the Serb-majority part of the town to the Albanian-majority part.

The Serbs are demanding the release of the arrested officer and have other demands before they will remove the barricades.

Ethnic Serb mayors in northern Kosovan municipalities, along with local judges and some 600 police officers resigned last month in protest over a Kosovo government decision to replace Serbian-issued car license plates with ones issued by Pristina.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led European Union states to devote more energy to improving relations with the six Balkan countries of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, despite continuing reluctance to enlarge the EU further.

Reporting by Fatos Bytyci and Ivana Sekularac, Editing by Alexandra Hudson

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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US

Explainer: NATO’s Articles 4 and 5: How the Ukraine conflict could trigger its defense obligations

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WASHINGTON, Nov 15 (Reuters) – A deadly explosion occurred in NATO member Poland’s territory near its border with Ukraine on Tuesday, and the United States and its allies said they were investigating unconfirmed reports the blast had been caused by stray Russian missiles.

The explosion, which firefighters said killed two people, raised concerns of Russia’s war in Ukraine becoming a wider conflict. Polish authorities said it was caused by a Russian-made rocket, but Russia’s defense ministry denied involvement.

If it is determined that Moscow was to blame for the blast, it could trigger NATO’s principle of collective defense known as Article 5, in which an attack on one of the Western alliance’s members is deemed an attack on all, starting deliberations on a potential military response.

As a possible prelude to such a decision, however, Poland has first requested a NATO meeting on Wednesday under the treaty’s Article 4, European diplomats said. That is a call for consultations among the allies in the face of a security threat, allowing for more time to determine what steps to take.

The following is an explanation of Article 5 and what might occur if it is activated:

WHAT IS ARTICLE 5?

Article 5 is the cornerstone of the founding treaty of NATO, which was created in 1949 with the U.S. military as its powerful mainstay essentially to counter the Soviet Union and its Eastern bloc satellites during the Cold War.

The charter stipulates that “the Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.”

“They agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defense recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area,” it says.

AND WHAT IS ARTICLE 4?

Article 4 states that NATO members “will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened.”

Within hours of the blast in Poland on Tuesday, two European diplomats said that Poland requested a NATO meeting under Article 4 for consultations.

[1/4] Zuzana 155 mm gun howitzer of NATO Enhanced Forward Presence battle group takes position before live fire exercise, during Iron Spear 2022 military drill in Adazi, Latvia November 15, 2022. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins

HOW COULD THE UKRAINE WAR TRIGGER ARTICLE 5?

Since Ukraine is not part of NATO, Russia’s invasion in February did not trigger Article 5, though the United States and other member states rushed to provide military and diplomatic assistance to Kyiv.

However, experts have long warned of the potential for a spillover to neighboring countries on NATO’s eastern flank that could force the alliance to respond militarily.

Such action by Russia, either intentional or accidental, has raised the risk of widening the war by drawing other countries directly into the conflict.

IS INVOKING ARTICLE 5 AUTOMATIC?

No. Following an attack on a member state, the others come together to determine whether they agree to regard it as an Article 5 situation.

There is no time limit on how long such consultations could take, and experts say the language is flexible enough to allow each member to decide how far to go in responding to armed aggression against another.

HAS ARTICLE 5 BEEN INVOKED BEFORE?

Yes. Article 5 has been activated once before – on behalf of the United States, in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked-plane attacks on New York and Washington.

WHAT HAS BIDEN SAID ABOUT ARTICLE 5 COMMITMENTS?

While insisting that the United States has no interest in going to war against Russia, President Joe Biden has said from the start of Moscow’s invasion that Washington would meet its Article 5 commitments to defend NATO partners.

“America’s fully prepared with our NATO allies to defend every single inch of NATO territory. Every single inch,” Biden said at the White House in September.

He had declared earlier that there was “no doubt” that his administration would uphold Article 5.

Reporting by Matt Spetalnick;
Editing by Kieran Murray, Grant McCool and Bradley Perrett

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Entertainment

Season 4, Episode 10, “It Was All a Dream”

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LaKeith Stanfield as Darius
Photo: Guy D’Alema/FX

With this brilliant episode, Atlanta is over. I tried to go into this series finale with zero expectations, but of course I had some. I expected it to be non-traditional in that Atlanta way, which for me defaulted to chill. Even the trailer looked fairly calm, although it would obviously be a Darius adventure. And still, with my expectations to not expect anything, I nevertheless wan’t prepared for the absolute perfect mind-fuck of this quintessentially Atlanta episode, directed by Murai and written by Glover. Bravo, y’all.

The episode started in the chill mode that I initially thought, with Darius zoning out to Judge Judy as Earn and Al prepared to go out. Everything about this scene is so intentional yet subtle; it isn’t apparent until the second watch that the opening shot of Darius is framed to look like a tank, with that groovy soundtrack, Judge Judy, and the Popeyes commercial serving so much importance later. The conversation with our main trio of men is so natural, as Darius sets off on his own before they all go meet up with Van (though I wish they axed the Johnny Depp joke). Also, I appreciated that there were nods to the characters’ arcs in the prior few episodes, with Earn sharing Van’s wants and the “Old MacDonald” song about Al’s Safe Farm.

When Cree Summer (!!!!) popped up, I was hoping that Darius had found his perfect transcendental soulmate and they would finish the episode together, but I also appreciated the conversation as a lovely bit of exposition, since I didn’t know about sensory deprivation besides the Simpsons episode. Part of the brilliance of this episode is that Atlanta has two modes: the heightened reality and the grounded surrealism. When he runs into London, his wild former friend who can pass a sobriety test while cross-faded, it’s a segment that feels very much like the reality of Atlanta. She seems like a character who could’ve popped up in something like season one’s “The Club,” even up to stealing the cop’s gun. After she runs over the kid, and Darius drops the stolen gun, that wake-up moment as the gun fires and he awakes is a complete surprise, because everything was so thoroughly set up…except how it actually feels to be lost to the senses. So from here on out, I’m questioning everything that happens with him.

The “tea in the tea room” moment and the excessive laughter: Is Darius still in the tank, or are the excessively-laughing women? It really seems like it could be both, but then Darius gets kicked out. We then get this lovely, simple scene of Darius visiting his brother, the only time we’ve interacted with his personal history besides the Nigerian restaurant in “White Fashion.” It all feels so real, until he sees thick Judge Judy. Then there’s the moment of him awaking and waking up, and that final shot of him screaming in the tank with the door closed. Did he ever get out? Has he ever gotten out?

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Meanwhile, Earn, Al, and Van are in a completely different storyline where it’s heavily hinted that Darius is gonna show up late after the story’s over. Van’s friend (Candice?) has invested in Atlanta’s first Black-owned sushi restaurant, run by a chef who studied under sushi masters in Japan. It’s Black-sushi fusion, in a spot that used to be a Blockbuster and still has the candy on the racks. The towels aren’t all white, but a random assortment. The apparent sous chef calls out “Sup” instead of “Yes, chef.” Al (and I) are immediately skeptical, and he’s staring at a Popeyes right across the street. (Van is less antagonistic, but quickly decides the meal ain’t it.)

Zazie Beetz as Van and Donald Glover as Earn Marks
Photo: Guy D’Alema/FX

When the main meal comes out, the infamous potentially-poisonous blowfish (another bit of Simpsons knowledge), Al’s done, Van’s done, I’m done…and Earn still wants to support the culture. Then master chef DeMarcus shows up and serves a truth-telling monologue similar to Kirkwood Chocolate’s. (Based on a quick Google, sushi is traditionally served at room temperature to get the best flavor experience, and chefs do make the meal bare-handed.) The man has a point that the phrase “Black-owned sushi” shouldn’t automatically bring pause (though the Blockbuster of it all probably doesn’t help). It’s a very honest, hilarious speech that raises intra-cultural questions. But then Darius storms in and punches the mad chef in the face before he can force them to eat the blowfish. They all speed off in a stolen pink Maserati.

The final scene is some Inception-type shit in the best way, not a corny reproduction but a clever instance in which Glover takes the belief that the audience has suspended ever since the invisible car and shoves it back onto us all for a brief moment. Have the past four seasons of the show just been Darius’ tank dreams? The Teddy Perkinses, Thomas Washingtons, and the white Earnest Marks would have you believe so. But in the end, the episode leaves it up to the audience. We don’t see whether or not Judge Judy is thick. The contingent who think that “It Was All A Dream” is a brilliant subversion of the trope, and the others who will be mad that the trope was even a possibility can fight it out on Reddit. But you can’t deny that it’s such a great Atlanta ending.

I’m really glad that this is how the show left us. I assume there will be naysayers about the ending, because you can find a naysayer about literally anything. I’m focusing on the craft of storytelling, the way the episode tricked us along with Darius multiple times, fit another social-commentary monologue into the B-plot, and did it all pretty much flawlessly. Tomorrow I’ll be sad that such a show has ended, but tonight I’m leaning back with a smile on my face, happy that Glover and the Atlanta team got to make their weird, indescribable, creative, excellent show.

Stray observations

  • I’m writing this in a bit of a rush, but I’m super excited to find the two bookend tracks for this episode later.
  • Seriously, I will be making derivatives of the “Old MacDonald” song to roast my friends for the next few months.
  • I think this episode has the most hidden Atlanta logo yet, and I’m very happy about it. It’s like they’re going, “Bruh, you know what you’re watching. You know our style. We don’t have to say it.”
  • I’m kind of surprised there hasn’t been Popeyes discourse on Atlanta yet. It’s a topic that would’ve felt extremely dated if they didn’t find a unique angle. (Glad they did.)
  • Sooooo many good jokes in this episode. Like Al about the Popeyes: “Smell like the manager mean as hell.”
  • I really do think that London would be just as wild if it wasn’t a tank dream. Maybe not steal a cop’s gun, but probably the weed, vodka, and beer bottle.
  • That shot of Darius looking at Al, Van, and Earn through the window was sweet. I’m gonna miss the four of them.
  • It was a pleasure to recap this for you all.

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Entertainment

Todd McFarlane’s Spawn Movie Gets Captain America 4 Writers

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Image: New Line Cinema

There is, somehow, a sequel to The Animal happening. The Simpsons takes on It in new Treehouse of Horror images. Plus, director Lee Cronin teases Evil Dead Rise, and new footage from She-Hulk and Rick and Morty. Spoilers now!

The Animal 2

Deadline reports Rob Schneider will reprise his role as Marvin Mange, the police evidence clerk whose organs were replaced with animal parts, in a wholly unexpected sequel to 2001’s The Animal at Tubi. According to the outlet, the sequel will see the character “get into an accident and have to be put together again with new animal parts,” which he’ll use to “hunt down a new uber-animal with powers far beyond his own.”

Spawn

 THR has word Scott Silver (Joker), Malcolm Spellman (Falcon and the Winter Soldier) and Matthew Mixon are writing a new script for the Spawn reboot at Blumhouse. As of this writing, Jamie Foxx is still on board to play Al Simmons/Spawn, but Jeremy Renner’s involvement as Twitch Williams remains “to be determined.”

Evil Dead Rise

Director Lee Cronin shared a new behind-the-scenes photo from Evil Dead Rise on Twitter.

Halloween Ends

Laurie distracts Michael with an exploding lasagna in a new clip from Halloween Ends.

HALLOWEEN ENDS Clip – Michael Myers Finds Laurie in the Storage Room (2022)

MK Ultra

Meanwhile, Anson Mount is having second thoughts about the CIA’s experimental mind control program in a new clip from MK Ultra.

MK Ultra | Exclusive Clip | I Don’t Like Questions

Star Trek: Picard

In response to a fan on Twitter, showrunner Terry Matalas implied he plans to kill off at least one member of The Next Generation crew in the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard.

Werewolf By Night

During a recent interview with Fandom, Michael Giacchino described the monsters in Werewolf By Night as “person[s] with a problem, who can’t solve it and needs help solving it.”

Too often, even in Marvel movies, a lot of times monsters are just used as something to kill, something to defeat. And I’m like, no, monsters are nothing but a person with a problem, who can’t solve it and needs help solving it. Everything that I loved as a kid about these [monster] films is that they were allegories for people with afflictions that need help. And I felt like that’s the point of view we need to take with this. It cannot just be about ‘Oh, there’s something different, let’s destroy it!’ There’s too much of that going on in our world these days.

I wanted to do something that was about, no, let’s peel back the layers of the onion and understand what’s behind this thing being a monster. Why is it happening? None of these monsters want to be monsters. They don’t want to go around indiscriminately killing people and destroying things. It’s just, that’s their lot in life. Everyone has a lot in life, we all have some struggles, some sort of thing that we’re struggling to solve or deal with within our own selves. And that’s where I want it to go with this story.

Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi

Disney has released a poster for Tales of the Jedi, its upcoming series of animated short films set in the Star Wars universe.

Treehouse of Horror Presents: Not It

Bloody-Disgusting has six new images from The Simpsons’ episode-length It parody, “Not It.”

Photo: Fox

Photo: Fox

Photo: Fox

Photo: Fox

Photo: Fox

Photo: Fox

American Horror Story

Spoiler TV has synopses for the first two episodes of American Horror Story’s eleventh season.

Something’s Coming

Mysterious deaths and disappearances ramp up in the city. A doctor makes a frightening discovery, and a local reporter becomes tomorrow’s headline. Written by Ryan Murphy & Brad Falchuk, directed by John J. Gray.

Thank You For Your Service

Gino grapples with his trauma. Patrick’s search takes him to dark places. A stranger contacts Hannah with a grave warning. Written by Ned Martel & Charlie Carver & Manny Coto, directed by Max Winkler.

Quantum Leap

Ben finds himself in the Wild West in the synopsis for “Salvation or Bust,” the October 17 episode of Quantum Leap.

Ben is transported back to 1898 and the rustic, frontier town of Salvation, where he must take on a deadly outlaw. Magic, Jenn and Ian face a new threat when a curious senator shows up at headquarters asking a lot of questions about the Quantum Leap program.

[Spoiler TV]

La Brea

A deadly fog envelops the Clearing in the synopsis for La Brea’s October 18 episode, “The Fog.”

When a fog falls over the Clearing, Eve leads a defense against a group of invaders, only to encounter a threat more dangerous than they’ve faced before. In 1988, Josh and Riley pursue a woman who may hold the key to stopping the impending tidal wave disaster.

[Spoiler TV]

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

She-Hulk meets Leap-Frog and spars with Daredevil in two clips from today’s episode.

NEW LEAP FROG FIGHT SHE-HULK CLIP Episode 8 Official Clip

Rick & Morty

Dinosaurs solve all the world’s problems in a new clip from this week’s episode of Rick & Morty.

Rick and Morty | S6E6 Sneak Peek: Dinosaur Utopia | adult swim

Ghostwriter

Finally, Ghostwriter returns for a third season this October 21 on Apple TV+

Ghostwriter — Season 3 Official Trailer | Apple TV+

Banner art by Jim Cook

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

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World

Albania arrests two Russians, one Ukrainian trying to enter military plant

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TIRANA, Aug 20 (Reuters) – The Albanian Defense Ministry said on Saturday that two of its soldiers were injured while trying to stop two Russians and one Ukrainian who tried to enter a military plant in central Albania.

“Three citizens with Russian and Ukrainian passports have tried to enter the factory,” the ministry said.

“The officers who were guarding the plant reacted immediately, but during their efforts to stop the three foreign nationals, two of our soldiers were injured,” the ministry said, adding that the soldiers were in stable condition.

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The ministry said the three foreign nationals were detained. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said the three individuals are “suspected of espionage.”

The defense ministry said one of the arrested, identified only as a Russian national M.Z., 24 years old, entered the Gramsh plant’s territory and was trying to take photos.

The ministry said the man used a kind of spray against soldiers while trying to escape after being stopped by guards.

Two others, a Russian woman identified as S.T., 33, and an Ukrainian man F.A., 25, were also arrested in the vicinity.

Many Russian and Ukrainian tourists visit Albania during summer holidays. The Gramsh military base is more than 70 kilometers away from the beaches.

During its period under Communist rule, Gramsh was used to produce the Russian type of the AK-49 rifle.

According to the ministry’s website, the plant now provides manufacturing services for the defense industry. It did not give more details.

Albania has been a member of NATO since 2009.

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Reporting by Florion Goga, writing by Fatos Bytyci, editing by Chris Reese

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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World

North Macedonia votes to end dispute with Bulgaria, clears way for EU talks

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SKOPJE, July 16 (Reuters) – Lawmakers in North Macedonia on Saturday passed a French-brokered deal aimed at settling a dispute with Bulgaria and clearing the way to long-due European Union membership talks.

With 68 votes, the 120-seat parliament voted in favour of the agreement. Opposition lawmakers did not participate in the vote and left the room.

“Today we are opening a new perspective for our country…from today we are moving with accelerated steps to join the EU family,” Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski said in a press conference after his cabinet approved parliament’s conclusions.Kovacevski said the first meeting between his government and the EU would be held on Tuesday.

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The deal proposes that North Macedonia’s constitution be amended to recognise a Bulgarian minority. The proposal does not require Bulgaria to recognise the Macedonian language.

In exchange, Bulgaria will allow its West Balkan neighbour to start membership talks with the EU.After the agreement was adopted, governing party deputies rolled out EU and North Macedonian flags.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who travelled to Skopje and urged lawmakers on Thursday to vote the deal, said the vote “paves the way for opening the accession negotiations rapidly.”

Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama, whose country has been held back because the EU has linked its progress to that of North Macedonia, said an Albanian delegation would travel to Brussels on Monday to start membership talks.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed the vote, saying Washington recognised “the difficult tradeoffs considered in this compromise, which acknowledges and respects North Macedonia’s cultural identity and the Macedonian language.”

The leader of the biggest opposition party VMRO-DPMNE, Hristijan Mickoski, whose party protested against the deal since the beginning of July, said “nothing was over”. He added his party would not back constitutional changes which require two-thirds of the vote.Bulgaria’s parliament lifted its veto on Macedonian-EU talks last month. This also triggered protests in Bulgaria and contributed to a no-confidence vote that toppled the government.

North Macedonia, a former Yugoslav republic, has been a candidate for EU membership for 17 years but approval for talks was first blocked by Greece and then by Bulgaria.

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Reporting by Fatos Bytyci and Ognen Teofilovski; Editing by Christina Fincher

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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World

‘This is a victory’: smiling Zelenskiy promises EU membership, Russia defeat

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June 23 (Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday declared the EU’s move to accept Ukraine as a candidate for accession as a victory and promised not to rest until Russia’s defeat and full membership had been secured.

European Union leaders formally accepted Ukraine as a candidate to join the 27-nation bloc, a bold geopolitical move hailed by Ukraine and the EU itself as an historic moment. read more

“This is a victory,” a smiling Zelenskiy said in a brief video posted to his Instagram channel, noting Ukraine had waited 30 years for this moment.

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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a meeting with local authorities during a visit to the southern city of Mykolaiv, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Ukraine June 18, 2022. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS

“We can defeat the enemy, rebuild Ukraine, join the EU, and then we can rest,” he said in a low voice.

“Or perhaps we won’t rest at all – our children would take offence. But without any doubt, we will win.”

Andriy Yermak, Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, said Kyiv would quickly implement the plan needed for accession talks to begin.

“Ukraine will be in the EU,” he tweeted.

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Reporting by David Ljunggren and Ronald Popeski;
Editing by Mark Porter and Sandra Maler

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Entertainment

Season 3, episodes 1 and 2

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Donald Glover and Brian Tyree Henry in season 3, episode 2 of Atlanta
Photo: Coco Olakunle/FX

At SXSW last week, Atlanta creator and star Donald Glover said he wanted season 3 to be a “Black fairytale.” That tracks with the show’s genre-skipping ethos, which has forayed into surrealism and horror, and the evolution of its characters, who may be about to taste the first mythical fruits of rap superstardom. The full extent of that remains to be seen, but the first two episodes of season three cement Atlanta’s reputation as a classic-in-progress and one of the most daring and imaginative shows on television, period.

It’s been nearly four years since the end of season two, so, here’s a refresher: Earn (Glover) manages his cousin, the rising rapper Al “Paper Boi” (Brian Tyree Henry), basically because they’re cousins. Laconic philosopher sidekick Darius (Oscar nominee Lakeith Stanfield) is along for the ride, as is Earn’s on-again, off-again girlfriend Van (Zazie Beetz). The first two seasons followed them from struggle to breakout to the cusp of major success, and season three was publicized as taking place on a European tour.

But that’s not where we are as the season premiere begins.

The show has gone Gothic before (particularly in last season’s exceptional “Teddy Perkins”) and has turned away from its main characters to do nearly anthology-style episodes. But not much can prepare you for “Three Slaps,” a retelling of the Devonte Hart story, about a while female couple who killed themselves and their six Black foster children in 2018.

The episode exactly replicates certain aspects of the real-life tale (Devonte’s fedora, his tearful clinch with a cop) while filling in the blanks with exceptional economy and tension. The script, by Stephen Glover, also includes the show’s trademark pitch-dark irony: When the Devonte-inspired character, Loquareeous (now nicknamed “Larry”), is standing at a farmer’s market wearing a sign that says “Free Hugs,” a white man asks him, “Is your dad Hugs?”

Things don’t end exactly like the true-life Hart story, and it’s unclear if the entire unfolding was happening in someone’s mind (Earn’s?) or in some parallel universe. But that doesn’t detract from its impact as an indictment of the foster system, the cruelty that can lie beneath well-meaning, and the obliviousness of onlookers. I haven’t been able to get this episode out of my mind for days. It haunts and reverberates, producing the same kind of prolonged hangover HBO Sunday night dramas once did.

Episode two finds the group in Amsterdam. Having picked up two fans who proceeded to trash his hotel room, Paper Boi sits in a very posh jail (which, in Amsterdam, apparently look like a slightly elevated Residence Inn, complete with room service menus provided by solicitous cops—an excellent sight gag).

LaKeith Stanfield in season 3, episode 2 of Atlanta
Photo: Coco Olakunle/FX

Meanwhile, Van shows up, adrift after a professional disappointment, and she and Darius trip around the city. A crumpled-up address found in a thrift-store coat leads them to sort of a deathbed cocktail party, as a man’s loved ones and his “death doula” have gathered to celebrate his final moments. There, Van receives existential counsel from the doula: “You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.”

Once Earn bails out Paper Boi, the focus turns to the preparation for that night’s show, and Paper Boi wonders what’s up with all the Dutch people wandering around in blackface. Their driver explains that it’s a local holiday tradition to dress up as “Black Pete,” Sinterklaas’ assistant. “Sounds like Santa’s slave, but I respect the rebrand,” Paper Boi says, classically. (The script, by Janine Nabers, deserves a shout-out.) The Sinterklaas celebration complicates the gig that night and leads to a confrontation in the venue lobby that feels downright Kubrickian, one that only Atlanta would dare try.

Even beyond that, “Sinterklaas Is Coming To Town” includes one of the funniest and most darkly shocking moments in recent memory, and I won’t spoil it just in case you’re scanning this before watching. Coming at the close of the death-doula scene, it’s reminiscent of the best moments of Six Feet Under, only taken one step further. And that’s Atlanta: The show—like its characters—is really going places. It’s unclear where the twists of this fairytale will lead, but judging by these two episodes, they’re not to be missed.

Stray Observations

  • A low-key scene stealer in episode two: Darius’ coat.
  • Zazie Beetz makes a strong impression in episode two, turning in affecting work at the dying man’s bedside before The Big Twist.
  • Also excellent: Christopher Farrar as Loquareeous, the protagonist of “Three Slaps.”
  • The script for “Three Slaps” is award-worthy, but it’s hard to imagine it finding traction in comedy categories. A shame.
  • Donald Glover has announced that seasons three and four of Atlanta, which were shot concurrently, will be the last.

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World

Bus carrying North Macedonian tourists crashes in flames in Bulgaria, killing 45

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  • Bus was taking tourists home to North Macedonia from Turkey
  • Survivors leapt from burning vehicle
  • 12 children among the dead – Bulgarian official
  • ‘This is a huge tragedy’ – North Macedonian premier

SOFIA/SKOPJE, Nov 23 (Reuters) – A bus carrying North Macedonian tourists crashed in flames on a highway in western Bulgaria before daybreak on Tuesday, killing at least 45 people, including 12 children, officials said.

The cause of the accident was unclear but the bus appeared to have hit a highway barrier either before or after it caught fire, the officials said.

Seven people who leapt from the burning bus were rushed to the Pirogov emergency hospital in the Bulgarian capital Sofia and were in a stable condition, hospital staff said. They had suffered burns and one had a broken leg.

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Bulgaria’s interior ministry said 45 people had died, making it the most deadly bus accident in the Balkan country’s history.

Interim Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov said bodies were “clustered inside and are burnt to ash”.

“The picture is terrifying, terrifying. I have never seen anything like that before,” he told reporters at the site.

The accident happened on the Struma highway about 30 km (19 miles) west of Sofia around 2 a.m. (0000 GMT).

The coach party had been returning to Skopje, capital of North Macedonia, after a weekend holiday trip to Istanbul, a trip of about 800 km (500 miles).

Bulgarian investigative service chief Borislav Sarafov said four buses from a North Macedonian travel agency had entered Bulgaria late on Monday from Turkey.

“Human error by the driver or a technical malfunction are the two initial versions for the accident,” Sarafov said.

CRYING AND IN SHOCK

In front of the Ismail Qemali elementary school in Skopje, pupils cried after hearing news that five of their schoolmates, all from one family, had been killed.

“Ergin was my friend. He was a very good boy. Very nice. I am so sorry that they died,” Blerim Bushi, 11, told Reuters.

A view shows the site where a bus with North Macedonian plates caught fire on a highway, near the village of Bosnek, Bulgaria, November 23, 2021. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov

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In Sofia, Adnan Yasharovski, 45, said his 16-year-old daughter Zuleikha called him to say she had survived the crash, and he travelled to see her in hospital.

“She was crying. Her hands were burnt but otherwise fine,” he told Reuters outside the hospital.

“She didn’t say much, she was crying and she was in shock. I only saw her through the door as due to COVID, they did not let me into the room.”

Some relatives gathered outside the Besa Trans agency in Skopje, whose Facebook page advertised twice-weekly trips to Istanbul, and which Yasharovski said ran the trip. The office was closed and its representatives could not be reached for comment.

Television footage showed the bus standing upright but charred and gutted by fire in the middle of the highway, which was wet from rain.

“This is a huge tragedy,” North Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev told reporters in Sofia and expressed his condolences to relatives of the victims.

Zaev said the passengers were all from North Macedonia but appeared to include a Serbian citizen and a Belgian citizen. It was unclear whether the two were among the victims or injured.

Zaev said he had spoken to one of the seven survivors who told him the passengers were sleeping when they were woken by the sound of an explosion.

He said people sitting at the back of the bus were able to break a window and jump out.

Zaev said the passengers were from various communities in North Macedonia, a country of 2 million that borders Bulgaria and is home to an ethnic Albanian minority.

In Skopje, ethnic Albanian Osman, 31, told Reuters he had come to the office of the travel agency with his brother and sister seeking information about their parents.

“We do not know if they were on the bus that crashed or not. We have no information about them. The agency is not answering the phone. Perhaps we will need to go to Bulgaria,” he said.

Albanian Foreign Minister Olta Xhacka said the passengers were from North Macedonia’s ethnic Albanian community.

“Great grief for the 45 lost lives of Albanians from Northern Macedonia during the tragic accident in Bulgaria,” he said on Twitter.

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Reporting by Tsvetelia Tsolova in Sofia, additional reporting by Ivana Sekularac in Skopje; Writing by Stephen Coates and Jan Lopatka; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore, Gareth Jones and Nick Macfie

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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