Tag Archives: continuing

World

New satellite images show continuing Russian military buildup on three sides of Ukraine

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In Crimea, a large deployment of troops and equipment was observed by Maxar in images collected Thursday, according to Stephen Wood, a senior director at the company. The deployment is at the formerly disused Oktyabrskoye airfield, north of the Crimean capital Simferopol.

Maxar assesses that more than 550 troop tents and hundreds of vehicles have arrived at the site. Other sites in Crimea have also seen an influx of troops and equipment, including at Novoozernoye, where there have been extensive artillery deployments and training exercises.

A new deployment was identified by Maxar for the first time near the town of Slavne on the northwest coast of Crimea, including armored vehicles.

The new deployments in Crimea were observed on the same day that several Russian warships, including large amphibious landing ships, arrived in Sevastopol, Crimea’s main port.

In Belarus, Maxar observed what it calls a “new deployment of troops, military vehicles and helicopters” at the Zyabrovka airfield near the city of Gomel, some 15 miles (25 kilometers) from the border with Ukraine. It is the first time helicopters have been seen in the area. There also appears to be a field hospital at the site.

Additionally, troops and multiple battle groups remain deployed near the Belarusian city of Rechitsa — less than 30 miles (45 kilometers) from the border with Ukraine. Previous satellite imagery had shown the establishment of tent encampments near Rechitsa.

When combined with recent videos, they suggest a growing Russian presence in the area, which is some 200 miles (320 kilometers) east of where joint Russian-Belarus exercises got underway Thursday.

Social media videos have shown substantial movements by Russian military units in the past few days to the east of Ukraine, around the cities of Kursk, Rostov-on-Don and Bryansk.

Maxar reports what it calls “a large deployment of troops and military forces” that have “recently arrived at the Kursk training area to the east of the city — approximately 110 kilometers (75 miles) to the east of the border with Ukraine. ”

“Additional equipment continues to arrive in the area and preparations are being made to accommodate more troops and equipment,” Maxar said.

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World

Iran: Biden says US ‘continuing to suffer’ from Trump’s decision to pull out of nuclear deal

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“We’re continuing to suffer from the very bad decisions President Trump made to pull out of the JCPOA,” Biden told reporters at a press conference at the G20 in Rome, using the acronym for the formal name of the nuclear agreement — the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

The Iran nuclear deal was abandoned by the US under the Trump administration and talks to resurrect the deal in Vienna were suspended in late June after six rounds between Iran, China, Germany, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and — indirectly — the United States. The Biden administration has pledged to reenter the deal, but the President’s negotiators have been faced with tough talks and decisions on how to do so. At the same time, Iran began enriching uranium again once the Trump administration pulled the US out of the deal and has become more belligerent in the Middle East, as hardline new leadership has risen to power and Iranian-backed militias continue to strike American troops.

Biden held a meeting three of the leaders of nations who are party to that deal — German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson — on Saturday at the G20. The leaders said afterward they are “convinced that it is possible to quickly reach and implement an understanding on return to full compliance” of the Iran nuclear deal.

The meeting came two days after the US imposed new sanctions on Iran related to its drone program and less than a week after Tehran announced it would return to nuclear talks in Vienna with following a four-month hiatus.

US officials are highly skeptical that renewed talks over how to handle Iran’s nuclear program will yield the desired results and are actively discussing imposing penalties on Tehran.

Sources in Washington told CNN there is an ongoing debate within the Biden administration about how to proceed and how much to increase the pressure on Iran, with some sources beleiving the US and its allies are now more willing to impose a higher cost on Iran for failing to come to an agreement if Tehran continues to take actions that are inconsistent with the 2015 nuclear deal and bring it closer to developing a nuclear weapon.

US officials previously indicated they want the US to return to the negotiating table at the end of November. But the negotiators selected by Iran’s new hardline leadership openly oppose the nuclear deal, leaving little optimism in Washington.

When Sunday whether his administration will respond if Iran launches drone strikes or makes any other provocation, Biden answered: “We are going to continue to respond.”

CNN’s Kate Sullivan, Maegan Vazquez, Kevin Liptak, Kylie Atwood, Nicole Gaouette, Jennifer Hansler and Donald Judd contributed to this report.

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Entertainment

Angelina Jolie Says Brad Pitt Continuing to Work with Weinstein ‘Hurt’

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6:10 PM PT — Weinstein, through his assistant, tells TMZ … “It’s very clear to me that this is for more sales on Angie’s BOOK. THERE WAS NEVER an assault, and NEVER an attempt to assault.” HW adds, “It is brazenly untrue and clickbait publicity. You’re Angelina Jolie, every male and female in the world, I’m sure, shows interest in you. Is the whole world assaulting you?”

3:12 PM PT — Sources close to Brad tell TMZ … he never “teamed up” with Weinstein for “Inglourious Basterds” — he was simply part of a movie that Tarantino directed, which happened to get distributed by TWC.

Angelina Jolie says Brad Pitt‘s continuing to associate himself with Harvey Weinstein during their marriage led to some bad blood between the couple … adding it was painful.

The actress spilled the beans to The Guardian, saying “it hurt” when her then-hubby kept partnering with Weinstein and/or his production company — be it in distribution deals or any other capacity … ’cause Angie notes he knew how she felt about the disgraced movie mogul.

AJ says her hatred of Weinstein first surfaced back when she first worked with him for the ’98 flick “Playing by Heart,” during which time she claims she “escaped” an alleged attempt of his to get her alone in a room … something she now characterizes as an assault itself.

She goes on to say that she warned others about Weinstein after that, and even told her first husband, Jonny Lee Miller, to spread the word to other guys as a warning. Angelina also says she turned down a role in “The Aviator” just to avoid having to work with the guy again.

And yet, she points out that Brad continued to rub shoulders with Weinstein in the 2000s — teaming up, indirectly, to put out “Inglourious Basterds” — which The Weinstein Company helped release. Not just that, but she claims Brad went against her wishes in approaching HW to help make his 2012 movie, “Killing Them Softly,” which TWC distributed as well.

She says of that time, “We fought about it. Of course it hurt,” while adding that she refused to plug the movie … saying she didn’t attend promotional events with Brad.

The interesting thing about this, of course, is that Brad is said to have confronted Harvey back when his then-girlfriend, Gwyneth Paltrow, was first working with the producer in the late ’90s … and allegedly got accosted by HW for sex — something Brad apparently nipped in the bud after hearing about it from her in a face-to-face with the man himself. In a CNN interview, he said that’s just how boys from the South dealt with things like that back then.

He didn’t shy away from the heroics of that moment — but it’s crazy to hear Angie say, years after that, he was presumably OK working with that same guy … even amid her objections.

Originally Published — 12:24 PM PT



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Business

Continuing jobless claims hit new pandemic-era low, falling below 3 million

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Initial claims for unemployment insurance edged lower last week, meeting Wall Street expectations, while longer-term unemployment signs showed improvement, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

First-time filings for benefits dipped to 385,000 for the week ended July 31, a decline of 14,000 from the previous week as the jobs market remains essentially in a holding pattern during the economic recovery. The total hit the Dow Jones estimate exactly.

The four-week moving average of claims, which smooths weekly volatility, was little changed at 394,000.

Claims have circled largely in a range around the 400,000 level since mid-May, with employment rising in Covid-hit sectors such as leisure and hospitality but doing little in some other key sectors including most goods-related industries.

However, continuing claims showed a sharp dip, according to data that runs one week behind the headline weekly number.

That level plunged by 366,000 to 2.93 million, the first time continuing claims have fallen below 3 million since March 14, 2020.

The slide in continuing claims came as the total of those receiving benefits under all programs fell to just below 13 million, a reduction of 181,251, according to data through July 17 that reflected a drop in those receiving extended benefits. A year ago, that number was just shy of 32 million as enhanced unemployment benefits were directed to those displaced by widespread business lockdowns.

The claims numbers come a day ahead of the closely watched July nonfarm payrolls from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

While the Dow Jones estimate for the month is 845,000, a report Wednesday from payroll processing firm ADP showing just 330,000 more private payrolls jobs could signal a disappointment for July.

The spreading Covid-19 delta variant has caused some areas to reimpose restrictions, though they primarily have been limited to mask mandates. Last week’s jobless claims numbers will not figure into the nonfarm payrolls count.

This is breaking news. Please check back here for updates.

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Health

L.A. County reports more than 2,600 new daily coronavirus cases, continuing surge

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Los Angeles County reported 2,600 new coronavirus cases Saturday as the highly contagious Delta variant continues to spread and officials caution of a new surge.

The county also reported 10 new deaths Saturday, bringing the total to 24,624 fatalities since the pandemic began early last year.

Across the county, 688 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 and 21% are in intensive care units. The daily test positivity average over the past seven days was 4.31%.

“With unvaccinated individuals comprising over 90% of those currently hospitalized, the ability of the three vaccines to protect us from serious illness caused by the Delta variant is well established,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said.

On Friday, new daily cases in the county topped 3,000 for the first time since February.

L.A. County is now requiring everyone to wear masks in indoor public settings, regardless of vaccination status. Some restaurants are voluntarily closing their doors in response to the latest surge.

The unvaccinated face much of the risk in this stage of the pandemic, officials said. Hospitalizations and deaths are extraordinarily rare among vaccinated people.

More than half of Californians are fully vaccinated. While so-called breakthrough cases among vaccinated people have been seen, the vaccine is highly effective where it counts: protecting against severe illness.

Earlier this week, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious-diseases expert, cited studies showing the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were 95% and 94% effective against symptomatic COVID-19. The single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been found 72% effective against clinically recognizable disease.

“Infections after vaccination are expected. No vaccine is 100% effective,” Fauci said. “However, even if a vaccine does not completely protect against infection, it usually, if it’s successful, protects against serious disease.”

Nationally, more than 97% of people hospitalized for COVID-19 have not been vaccinated, according to Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cases among vaccinated people are generally less severe because they carry less virus, public health experts explain.

The vaccine is “fighting the infection in your nose and bringing down the viral load, and you don’t get symptoms,” Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious-disease expert at UC San Francisco, said earlier this month. “I don’t call that a vaccine failure. I call that a success because that’s exactly what your vaccine is supposed to do.”

Statewide, from July 7 to 14, the average case rate among unvaccinated Californians was 13 per 100,000, according to the state Department of Public Health. Among those who had been vaccinated, the figure was 2 per 100,000.

Across L.A. County, officials have been hosting community vaccination events to reach stragglers in areas hit hardest by the pandemic. On Friday, about two dozen people turned up for doses at a clinic in Pico-Union. On Saturday morning, Mayor Eric Garcetti joined L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, and state Sen. Sydney Kamlager at a community vaccination event in Leimert Park — a neighborhood where 59.5% of people age 16 and over have received at least one dose, according to county data.

“We still have about 4 million residents in Los Angeles County that are not yet vaccinated, and risk of increased spread of the Delta variant remains high,” Mitchell said. “This is why it’s so important that we are here in Leimert Park and that we continue to do all we can to reach Black and Latinx communities who are disproportionately impacted by COVID 19.”

Racial disparities in vaccination rates remain pronounced countywide. Among Latinos, 55% have received at least one dose, compared with 66% of white residents. In the Black community, that number is even lower, at 46%.

“It’s the same communities who have been impacted the most that are still not getting vaccinated,” Dr. Yelba Castellon-Lopez, an assistant professor with UCLA’s Department of Family Medicine, told The Times. “It’s a preventable catastrophe.”

City News Service and Times staff writers Rong-Gong Lin II, Luke Money and Brittny Mejia contributed to this report.

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World

India tells China continuing border tensions not in either side’s interests

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MUMBAI, July 14 (Reuters) – The failure of China and India to resolve the standoff over their disputed border in the western Himalayas, despite an agreement last year, is not in the interest of either side, India’s foreign minister told his Chinese counterpart on Wednesday.

In accordance with last year’s pact, military commanders on both sides completed a pullout of troops, tanks and artillery from the Pangong Lake area in February in a first step towards full withdrawal from other friction points.

India’s minister of external affairs, S Jaishankar, said friction in these other areas remained unresolved, however.

“(The minister) recalled that both sides had agreed that a prolongation of the existing situation was not in the interest of either side. It was visibly impacting the relationship in a negative manner,” India’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Jaishankar and China’s Wang Yi met at the sidelines of a gathering of foreign ministers in Tajikistan on Wednesday.

Thousands of soldiers have been facing off since April 2020 on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), or the de facto border, including at the glacial Pangong Lake, raising fears of a broader conflict between the two countries.

Both Indian and Chinese soldiers were killed in a clash in June last year – the first combat losses on the disputed border in more than four decades.

The two ministers agreed to seek a mutually acceptable solution to the problem and ensure stability on the ground by avoiding any unilateral action that could increase tension, the statement said.

Reporting by Abhirup Roy and C.K. Nayak
Editing by Sonya Hepinstall

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Sports

Knicks’ RJ Barrett continuing to thrive

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After shooting the lights out on the opening night of the season, RJ Barrett stumbled into some rough patches, the second of which coincided with the midst of a losing streak.

But despite the Knicks had their three-game winning streak snapped Friday night against the Kings in Sacramento, Calif., Barrett has rediscovered his touch and was making a major impact in the process.

“We’re just trying to work hard and grind every day,” Barrett said after scoring a career-high 28 points on 10-for-17 shooting in Thursday’s win over the Warriors. “That’s really what we’re trying to do. We’re really focused. We’ve been giving it our all and we’re going to continue to do that throughout the season.”

In Friday’s 103-94 loss to the Kings, Barrett had 21 points on 8-for-17 shooting — including going 2-for-2 from 3. Over his past five games entering Friday, Barrett had averaged 21.8 points — on 51.4 percent shooting and 38.9 percent from deep — to go with 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists. In the 10 games before that stretch, he was shooting just 33.1 percent from the floor and 12.8 percent from beyond the arc — numbers that were boosted by two games in the middle in which the lefty briefly got hot and shot 18 of 34 from the floor and 5-for-10 from three.

“I think RJ’s played really well over I’d say like the last five or six games, playing at a really high level,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He started off the season where he had a big opening night and I think teams came after him pretty good. But he’s adjusting and even during the stretch where he wasn’t shooting particularly well, he was rebounding great and he was playmaking.

Frank Ntilikina missed his 13th consecutive game since suffering a sprained right knee Dec. 29. Austin Rivers also was out for a second straight night with a sore right Achilles. … Sunday’s game in Portland has been switched from 9 p.m. Eastern time to 10 p.m.

— additional reporting by Peter Botte

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