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Israel Sets Up Secret Firm to Fight BDS

Protestors march behind a banner of the BDS organization in Marseille, southern France, on June 13, 2015. PHOTO: George Robert / AP
Protestors march behind a banner of the BDS organization in Marseille, southern France, on June 13, 2015. PHOTO: George Robert / AP
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Israel Sets Up Secret Firm to Fight BDS

Protestors march behind a banner of the BDS organization in Marseille, southern France, on June 13, 2015. PHOTO: George Robert / AP
Protestors march behind a banner of the BDS organization in Marseille, southern France, on June 13, 2015. PHOTO: George Robert / AP

The Strategic Affairs Ministry has set up a public-benefit corporation, comprising generals and former diplomats, to engage in what it calls “mass awareness activities” as part of “the struggle against the delegitimization campaign” against Israel led by the BDS internationally.

Israeli media obtained a list of the shareholders and directors of the company, Kella Shlomo, who include former Israeli ambassadors to the United Nations.

The government recently allocated 128 million shekels ($37 million) to the initiative, in addition to the 128 million shekels it will raise from private donors around the world.

The new initiative will not be subject to the Freedom of Information Law, in accordance with the secrecy policy of the ministry, which refuses to release detailed information about its activities.

The shareholders and directors include former ministry director-general Yossi Kuperwasser; former UN ambassador Dore Gold, who is also a former adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; and former UN ambassador Ron Prosor.

They also include businessman Micah Avni, whose father, Richard Lakin, was killed in a 2015 terror attack in Jerusalem; Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin, who heads the Institute for National Security Studies; and Col. (res.) Miri Eisin, who served as the prime minister’s adviser on the foreign press during the Second Lebanon War.

Also on the list are a former National Security Council chief, Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror, and Sagi Balasha, a former CEO of the Israeli-American Council, which has casino magnate Sheldon Adelson as a major supporter.

Most refused to discuss the initiative and referred questions to the office of Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan.

According to the government resolution, the funding was granted “to implement part of the ministry’s activities related to the struggle against the phenomena of delegitimization and boycotts against the State of Israel.” It says the agency will work to raise its portion of the financing for the initiative (around half) from “philanthropic sources” or “pro-Israel organizations.” A steering committee will be appointed for the initiative to comprise government representatives and representatives of the other funding partners.

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World

4 Toddlers Stabbed in France

French forensic police officers work at the scene of a stabbing attack in the 'Jardins de l'Europe' park in Annecy, in the French Alps, on June 8, 2023. (Photo by OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE / AFP)
French forensic police officers work at the scene of a stabbing attack in the 'Jardins de l'Europe' park in Annecy, in the French Alps, on June 8, 2023. (Photo by OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE / AFP)
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4 Toddlers Stabbed in France

French forensic police officers work at the scene of a stabbing attack in the 'Jardins de l'Europe' park in Annecy, in the French Alps, on June 8, 2023. (Photo by OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE / AFP)
French forensic police officers work at the scene of a stabbing attack in the 'Jardins de l'Europe' park in Annecy, in the French Alps, on June 8, 2023. (Photo by OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE / AFP)

Four toddlers and two adults were stabbed in a knife attack in the tranquil French mountain town of Annecy on Thursday, and the government said the suspected assailant was a Syrian refugee.

Two of the children and one adult were in hospital in a life-threatening condition, while the other victims were less seriously hurt.

A video of the attack, taken by a bystander and verified by Reuters, showed the assailant jump a low wall into a children's playground and repeatedly lunge at a child in a stroller, pushing aside a woman who tries to fend him off.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said the suspected attacker, who was in police custody, was a 31-year old Syrian national who was granted asylum in Sweden 10 years ago. He had entered France legally, she said, and was carrying Swedish identity documents and a Swedish driving license.

The four children were just toddlers, aged between 22 months and three years, Annecy prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis told reporters.

One of them was a British national, another was Dutch, Bonnet-Mathis said.

As the assailant, who wore a blue-chequered headscarf and sunglasses, slashed at his victims, one bystander tried to stop him by throwing his backpack at him, the video showed.

The incident took place at around 0745 GMT in Le Paquier park in Annecy, a town in the French Alps.

"The nation is in shock," President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter, calling the attack "an act of absolute cowardice.”

In Paris, lawmakers interrupted a debate to hold a moment of silence for the victims.



The assembly president, Yaël Braun-Pivet, said: "There are some very young children who are in critical condition, and I invite you to respect a minute of silence for them, for their families, and so that, we hope, the consequences of this very grave attack do not lead to the nation grieving.”

World

Bomb Explodes in Afghanistan during a Memorial Ceremony for a Taliban Official

Taliban security personnel standing guard near the scene of a suicide bomb blast close to the Afghan ministry of foreign affairs in Kabul, Afghanistan, 27 March 2023. EPA/SAMIULLAH POPAL
Taliban security personnel standing guard near the scene of a suicide bomb blast close to the Afghan ministry of foreign affairs in Kabul, Afghanistan, 27 March 2023. EPA/SAMIULLAH POPAL
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Bomb Explodes in Afghanistan during a Memorial Ceremony for a Taliban Official

Taliban security personnel standing guard near the scene of a suicide bomb blast close to the Afghan ministry of foreign affairs in Kabul, Afghanistan, 27 March 2023. EPA/SAMIULLAH POPAL
Taliban security personnel standing guard near the scene of a suicide bomb blast close to the Afghan ministry of foreign affairs in Kabul, Afghanistan, 27 March 2023. EPA/SAMIULLAH POPAL

A bomb exploded Thursday in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province during a memorial ceremony for a deputy governor who was killed in another blast two days earlier, a Taliban official said.

The latest explosion occurred near Nabawi mosque during a funeral for Mawlavi Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, the deputy governor of Badakhshan. He was killed by a car bomb on Tuesday alongside his driver in Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan, said The Associated Press.

Moazuddin Ahmadi, the provincial director of information and culture, confirmed the explosion but couldn't provide other detail. He said there are casualties and an investigation is ongoing.

Local sources who spoke on condition of anonymity say the blast happened inside the mosque where Taliban officials and local people attended the memorial ceremony.

The ISIS group claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s car bombing that killed deputy governor and his driver. Ten people were also wounded in the blast.

Ahmadi was wounded in the explosion and died shortly after at a local hospital, according to the director of the information and culture in Badakhshan.

In December, a car bombing killed Badakhshan’s provincial police chief as he made his way to work.

The regional affiliate of the ISIS group — known as ISIS in Khorasan Province — said at the time that it had carried out that attack. IS said it had parked an explosive-laden car on the road and detonated it when the police chief was close by.

World

Kherson Governor Says 600 sq Km of Region under Water

Volunteers evacuate local residents from a flooded area after the Nova Kakhovka dam breached, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kherson, Ukraine June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Alina Smutko
Volunteers evacuate local residents from a flooded area after the Nova Kakhovka dam breached, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kherson, Ukraine June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Alina Smutko
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Kherson Governor Says 600 sq Km of Region under Water

Volunteers evacuate local residents from a flooded area after the Nova Kakhovka dam breached, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kherson, Ukraine June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Alina Smutko
Volunteers evacuate local residents from a flooded area after the Nova Kakhovka dam breached, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kherson, Ukraine June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Alina Smutko

Around 600 sq km of Ukraine's southern Kherson region is under water, 68% of which are located on the Russian-occupied left bank of the Dnipro River, the regional governor said on Thursday.

Oleksandr Prokudin wrote on the Telegram messaging app that the average water level as of Thursday morning was 5.61 meters, Reuters said.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday that international aid groups must take immediate action to tackle the aftermath of the destruction of a hydropower dam in Ukraine and any group not on the spot helping was simply incapable.

"It is necessary for international organizations, like the International Committee of the Red Cross, to get immediately involved in the rescue operation and help people in the occupied part of Kherson region," Zelenskiy said in his daily video address.

"If an international organization is not present in the disaster zone, it means it does not exist at all or is incapable."

Zelenskiy said residents in areas of southern Ukraine occupied by Russian troops were without water, food or medical help and it was impossible to determine how many people in this area might die.

 

World

European Source to Asharq Al-Awsat: Revival of 2015 Nuclear Deal ‘No Longer Possible’

Grossi speaks during a press conference in Vienna, on Monday (EPA)
Grossi speaks during a press conference in Vienna, on Monday (EPA)
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European Source to Asharq Al-Awsat: Revival of 2015 Nuclear Deal ‘No Longer Possible’

Grossi speaks during a press conference in Vienna, on Monday (EPA)
Grossi speaks during a press conference in Vienna, on Monday (EPA)

The Secretary-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, did not succeed at calming the fears of Western countries about the continued progress of Iran’s nuclear program, although he has informed the Board of Governors, during its quarterly meeting held this week in Vienna, about some progress in the dealings with Iran.

Western countries have conveyed their concerns to the council, pointing to the increasing risk of a nuclear proliferation crisis in the Middle East as a result of Iran’s escalation of its nuclear program.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, a senior European diplomat said that Iran constituted a major problem due to its escalation on more than one side, as Tehran revealed that it had tested a hypersonic ballistic missile on Tuesday morning.

The diplomat, who is well-informed of the course of the nuclear negotiations, concluded that returning to the agreement in the form that was proposed a year ago was “no longer possible” due to “the change of facts” since then. He stressed that any nuclear deal “must be negotiated from the outset.”

Nuclear negotiations with Iran stopped almost completely 9 months ago with the eruption of the protests across the country and Tehran’s suppressive policies. Western countries also affirmed that any negotiation to return to the agreement was not possible, in light of Iran’s support for Russia in its war with Ukraine.

Nonetheless, Washington has recently opened new channels of communication with Tehran, including a mediation by the Sultanate of Oman. US reports revealed two weeks ago that high-ranking US officials had visited Muscat for consultations on Iran.

Oman had played a pivotal role in negotiations between the Americans and the Iranians in the track that led to the 2015 nuclear deal.

However, two European diplomatic sources confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the Omani mediation was related to issues outside the nuclear agreement. One of the diplomats said that the Americans have “other outstanding issues” that they are discussing with Tehran through Omani officials.

The IAEA Board of Governors continued on Wednesday its discussions over Grossi’s report on the investigation into secret nuclear sites in Iran. Although the ambassadors of Western countries accepted the report, they warned Iran against its continued lack of cooperation.

US Ambassador Laura Holgate told the Board of Governors: “After three years of engagement by the Agency and repeated Iranian delays, Iran has at long last provided a possible explanation for the presence of uranium particles detected at one of these undeclared locations, called Marivan, such that the Director General reports that questions about that site are considered no longer outstanding at this stage.”

Iran had informed the agency that the traces of enriched uranium found by inspectors at the Marivan site belong to a mine and a factory that was run by the Soviet Union.

The US ambassador added: “While the report characterizes Iran’s explanation as possible, Iran has not provided any evidence to support this explanation... The Agency now says it has no further questions related to two of the four sites at this stage, but this does not constitute “closure” of these files, as some have inaccurately claimed.”

 

World

Taiwan Activates Air defense as China Aircraft Enter Zone

An H-6 bomber of Chinese PLA Air Force flies near a Taiwan F-16 in this February 10, 2020 handout photo provided by Taiwan Ministry of National Defense. Taiwan Ministry of National Defense/Handout via REUTERS
An H-6 bomber of Chinese PLA Air Force flies near a Taiwan F-16 in this February 10, 2020 handout photo provided by Taiwan Ministry of National Defense. Taiwan Ministry of National Defense/Handout via REUTERS
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Taiwan Activates Air defense as China Aircraft Enter Zone

An H-6 bomber of Chinese PLA Air Force flies near a Taiwan F-16 in this February 10, 2020 handout photo provided by Taiwan Ministry of National Defense. Taiwan Ministry of National Defense/Handout via REUTERS
An H-6 bomber of Chinese PLA Air Force flies near a Taiwan F-16 in this February 10, 2020 handout photo provided by Taiwan Ministry of National Defense. Taiwan Ministry of National Defense/Handout via REUTERS

Taiwan activated its defense systems on Thursday after reporting 37 Chinese military aircraft flying into the island's air defense zone, some of which then flew into the western Pacific, in Beijing's latest mass air incursion.

China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has over the past three years regularly flown its air force into the skies near the island, though not into Taiwan's territorial air space, Reuters said.

Taiwan's defense ministry said that from 5 a.m. (2100 GMT on Wednesday) it had detected 37 Chinese air force planes, including J-11 and J-16 fighters as well as nuclear-capable H-6 bombers, flying into the southwestern corner of its air defense identification zone, or ADIZ.

The ADIZ is a broader area Taiwan monitors and patrols to give its forces more time to respond to threats.

Some of the Chinese aircraft flew to Taiwan's southeast and crossed into the western Pacific to perform "air surveillance and long distance navigation training", the ministry said in a statement.

Taiwan sent its aircraft and ships to keep watch and activated land-based missile systems, it added, using its standard wording for how it responds to such Chinese activity.

China's defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

China completed a second phase of joint air patrols with Russia over the Western Pacific on Wednesday, following flights on the previous day over the Sea of Japan and East China Sea, prompting concern in Japan over its national security.

Laura Rosenberger, chair of the American Institute in Taiwan, which manages the unofficial relationship between Washington and Taipei, is visiting Taiwan this week.

On Monday, she told Taiwan media that the United States had an enduring interest in preserving stability in the Taiwan Strait and the United States would continue to arm the island, a source of constant friction in Sino-US ties.

In April, China held war games around Taiwan following a trip to the United States by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.

Taiwan's government rejects China's sovereignty claims and says only the island's people can decide their future.

World

Raging Canada Wildfires Threaten Critical Infrastructure

A fire hazard sign sits beside a highway near a forest fire that has been burning since Sunday on the shore of Centennial Lake in the Township of Greater Madawaska, Ontario, Canada, June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Blair Gable
A fire hazard sign sits beside a highway near a forest fire that has been burning since Sunday on the shore of Centennial Lake in the Township of Greater Madawaska, Ontario, Canada, June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Blair Gable
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Raging Canada Wildfires Threaten Critical Infrastructure

A fire hazard sign sits beside a highway near a forest fire that has been burning since Sunday on the shore of Centennial Lake in the Township of Greater Madawaska, Ontario, Canada, June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Blair Gable
A fire hazard sign sits beside a highway near a forest fire that has been burning since Sunday on the shore of Centennial Lake in the Township of Greater Madawaska, Ontario, Canada, June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Blair Gable

Hundreds of uncontrolled forest fires blazed across Canada on Wednesday, threatening critical infrastructure, forcing evacuations and sending a blanket of smoky air wafting over US cities.

Wildfires are common in Canada's western provinces, but this year flames have mushroomed rapidly in the country's east, making it the worst-ever start to the season.

About 3.8 million hectares (9.4 million acres) have already burned, some 15 times the 10-year average, said Federal Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair.

"Across the country as of today, there are 414 wildfires burning, 239 of which are determined to be out of control," he told a briefing. The giant eastern province of Quebec is among the worst affected, Reuters reported.

"We've ... seen continued impacts to critical infrastructure in Quebec such as roads and rural closures, telecommunication interruptions and high voltage power lines being threatened by the growing fires," said Blair.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault earlier said the province was able to fight 40 fires at the same time.

"But we have 150 fires so we have to make sure that we focus where the problems are the more urgent," he told reporters.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he spoke with US President Joe Biden by phone on Wednesday to thank him for "critical support" in tackling the blazes. Hundreds of US firefighters have already arrived in Canada and more are on their way.

"We're seeing more and more of these fires because of climate change. These fires are affecting everyday routines, lives and livelihoods, and our air quality," Trudeau said in a statement on Twitter.

South of the border, more than a dozen US states were under air-quality alerts on Wednesday as smoke from the wildfires wafted south.

An unusually early and intense start to wildfire season has set Canada on track for its worst-ever year of fire destruction as warm and dry conditions are expected to persist for months.

"In coming years we will have to reflect seriously on how we can equip ourselves to deal with this new reality. We will be facing more and more extreme weather events that will cost us a lot more," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the briefing.

About 520 firefighters were battling the blazes with another 150 due to join soon from the army, Legault said. He said he hoped 500 more would arrive in the next few days from the neighboring province of New Brunswick as well as France, the United States, Portugal, Spain, and Mexico.

Residents of the towns of Chibougamau and Ouje-Bougoumou in northern Quebec received evacuation orders Tuesday night, becoming the latest group of people in the province to evacuate homes after thousands were forced out last week.

Around 11,400 people have been evacuated so far from remote parts of northern Quebec and another 4,000 will be evacuated soon, Legault said.

In neighboring Ontario province, Canada's most populous, deteriorating air quality has been forecast this week in cities including Ottawa and Toronto due to smoke plumes.

World

Australia to Ban Nazi-Era Swastika, SS Symbol

Australia says it would introduce laws to the parliament next week banning public displays and sales of Nazi hate symbols - Reuters
Australia says it would introduce laws to the parliament next week banning public displays and sales of Nazi hate symbols - Reuters
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Australia to Ban Nazi-Era Swastika, SS Symbol

Australia says it would introduce laws to the parliament next week banning public displays and sales of Nazi hate symbols - Reuters
Australia says it would introduce laws to the parliament next week banning public displays and sales of Nazi hate symbols - Reuters

Australia said on Thursday it would introduce laws to the parliament next week banning public displays and sales of Nazi hate symbols, citing a rise in far-right activities at home.

The swastika, one of the most recognisable symbols of Nazi propaganda, and the insignia of Schutzstaffel (SS), the paramilitary wing of the Nazi party, will be outlawed to be used as flags and armbands or printed on clothes, Reuters reported.

"We've seen, very sadly, a rise in people displaying these vile symbols, which are symbols that have no place in Australia, they should be repugnant," Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus told Channel Seven television.

"Regrettably, we have seen violence associated with some of the public events that these people have put on."

A ban on the Nazi salute will not be added to the federal law, the attorney-general said. He said state and territory governments can enforce that ban in a more effective way.

"State governments have got more responsibility for what you might call street offences, and our law goes to public display and includes online ... the salute we've left for the states."

Australia's spy agency has been warning far-right groups were on the rise in Australia and that they had become more organized and visible.

Dreyfus said all Australian states and territories had either passed laws or announced plans to ban Nazi symbols, and the proposed federal laws will mesh with the states'.

Offenders can get up to 12 months in prison, he said.

There will be exemptions for artistic, academic or religious use of swastikas, which has a spiritual significance in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.

World

Fate of Israel’s Judicial Plan May Hang on June Parliament Vote

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a weekly cabinet meeting in the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, Sunday June 4, 2023. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a weekly cabinet meeting in the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, Sunday June 4, 2023. (AP)
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Fate of Israel’s Judicial Plan May Hang on June Parliament Vote

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a weekly cabinet meeting in the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, Sunday June 4, 2023. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a weekly cabinet meeting in the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, Sunday June 4, 2023. (AP)

Israel's Knesset will hold a vote next week that could tip the scales against a drive by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right coalition to curb the Supreme Court, a move that set off one of the country's worst political crises in years.

Parliament on June 14 is set to elect two lawmakers to join a panel that will select judges, including to the Supreme Court, one of the few checks and balances in Israel's political system.

The make up of the nine-member panel of lawmakers, senior judges, ministers and lawyers has been at the heart of a battle over the nature of Israel's democracy, which began in January when the government announced a plan to overhaul the judiciary.

This touched off protests and Western powers voiced concern about what it meant for Israel's democratic health.

If one of the two lawmakers chosen is from the opposition - keeping the status quo - it would be a sign of compromise by Netanyahu after weeks of talks with his opponents and a setback for hardliners in his religious-nationalist government who want more control over judicial appointments.

It could affect the Supreme Court, which must replace the chief justice and another judge, in coming months.

"There are no guarantees with someone you don't trust," opposition head Yair Lapid told Army Radio, although he and other lawmakers have indicated over the past week that agreements on candidates for the panel have been reached.

But Netanyahu's Likud party has kept the opposition guessing, saying on Monday a decision would be made next week.

The possibility that an opposition lawmaker would be named to the panel has pushed the shekel up some 3% this week, with a 1.1% gain to a two-week high of 3.644 per dollar.

Critics denounce the judicial plan pushed by Netanyahu, who is on trial on graft charges that he denies. They say the move to let parliament override many Supreme Court decisions threatens the independence of the courts and endangers democracy.

The court acts as a check in Israel's political system which has few other balances, given it has just one chamber of parliament.

Washington wants consensus

Until now, Netanyahu's talks with the opposition to defuse the crisis have yielded little. He has also sent mixed messages about the overhaul's fate, compounding uncertainty that has hit the economy and the shekel.

The vote on the panel makeup could provide clarity for Israelis and Western allies, including Washington which has urged Netanyahu to reach a consensus over legal reforms.

If parliament adheres to a custom in the confidential vote by electing an opposition member, it would signal to opponents that Netanyahu was serious about a compromise and was ready to adjust his judicial plan.

Facing dissension from within his party, Netanyahu told Likud on May 29: "The reform is not dead, but we are making every effort in talks in order to reach broad agreements."

Likud Justice Minister Yariv Levin, a driving force behind the overhaul plan, says he and his allies want to give elected politicians more sway over what they see as a left-leaning and over-reaching Supreme Court.

Critics say it will politicize the judiciary.

Lawmaker Keti Shitrit, who is on the Likud team that is in negotiations with the opposition, said: "The reform will happen, just not in its original form."

The Prime Minister's Office Director-General Yossi Shelly played down questions about the judicial discussion. "I think that ultimately it will end positively," he told Kan radio.

World

Russia and Ukraine Say Ammonia Pipeline Was Damaged, in Potential Blow to Grain Deal

Communal employees work on a site of an overnight explosion in the center of Kharkiv on June 6, 2023, following missile strike, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
Communal employees work on a site of an overnight explosion in the center of Kharkiv on June 6, 2023, following missile strike, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
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Russia and Ukraine Say Ammonia Pipeline Was Damaged, in Potential Blow to Grain Deal

Communal employees work on a site of an overnight explosion in the center of Kharkiv on June 6, 2023, following missile strike, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
Communal employees work on a site of an overnight explosion in the center of Kharkiv on June 6, 2023, following missile strike, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)

A pipeline used to transport ammonia fertilizer from Russia via Ukraine which may be central to the future of the Black Sea grain deal has been damaged, according to both Kyiv and Moscow, potentially complicating talks around the accord.

Russia's defense ministry said a "Ukrainian sabotage group" had blown up a section of the pipeline on Monday night near the village of Masyutivka in Kharkiv region. The village is on the frontline between Russian and Ukrainian troops.

"As a result of this terrorist act, there were civilian casualties. They have been provided with necessary medical assistance," the Russian ministry said in a statement.

"At present ammonia residues are being blown out of the damaged sections of the pipeline from Ukrainian territory. There are no casualties among Russian servicemen."

Oleh Sinehubov, the governor of Ukraine's Kharkiv region gave a different version of events. He said in a statement posted on Telegram that Russian troops had shelled the pipeline.

Six Russian shells had landed near a pumping station near Masyutivka at around 5.45 pm (1445 GMT) on Tuesday, nearly 24 hours after Moscow alleged Ukraine had blown up the same pipeline, he said.

Reuters could not independently verify the Russian and Ukrainian assertions.

Resumption of supplies via the Tolyatti-Odesa pipeline, the world's longest ammonia pipeline, may be key to the renewal of the Black Sea grain export deal. The pipeline has been closed since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 in what it called a "special military operation".

Russia has repeatedly cast doubt on whether it will continue to renew the grain deal, brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye, which facilitates agricultural exports from Ukraine via the Black Sea.

Among the conditions for renewal that Moscow has put forward is resumption of the Togliatti-Odesa pipeline.

Moscow has said it will limit the number of ships allowed to travel to Ukraine's Pivdennyi port near Odesa under the deal until the pipeline is restarted.

In a briefing on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said it would take between one and three months to repair the damaged section of the pipeline.

"The ammonia pipeline was one of the linchpins of the implementation of the agreements made in Istanbul on July 22. The (pipeline) was key to global food security," Zakharova said.

World

Pence Says ‘Different Times Call for Different Leadership’ in Video Launching 2024 Presidential Bid 

Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks to local residents during a meet and greet, Tuesday, May 23, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP)
Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks to local residents during a meet and greet, Tuesday, May 23, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP)
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Pence Says ‘Different Times Call for Different Leadership’ in Video Launching 2024 Presidential Bid 

Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks to local residents during a meet and greet, Tuesday, May 23, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP)
Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks to local residents during a meet and greet, Tuesday, May 23, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP)

Former Vice President Mike Pence promised "the best days of the greatest nation on earth are yet to come" in a video released Wednesday formally launching his campaign for the Republican nomination for president.

"Different times call for different leadership," Pence says in the video, released via Fox News and Twitter hours ahead of a kickoff event in Des Moines. "Today our party and our country need a leader that’ll appeal, as Lincoln said, to the better angels of our nature."

While it would be "easy to stay on the sidelines," he adds, "that’s not how I was raised. That’s why today, before God and my family, I’m announcing I'm running for president of the United States."

Pence is staking his presidential hopes on Iowa as he launches a campaign that will make him the first vice president in modern history to take on his former running mate.

Pence's campaign will also test the party's appetite for a socially conservative, mild-mannered and deeply religious candidate who has denounced the populist tide that has swept through his party under former President Donald Trump. And it will show whether Pence still has a political future after Jan. 6, 2021, with a large portion of GOP voters still believing Trump's lies that the 2020 election was stolen and that Pence had the power to reject the results.

Pence and his advisers see Iowa — the state that will cast the first votes of the GOP nominating calendar — as key to his potential pathway to the nomination. Its caucus-goers include a large portion of evangelical Christian voters, whom they see as a natural constituency for Pence. They also think Pence, who represented Indiana in Congress and as governor, is a good personality fit with the Midwestern state.

"We believe the path to victory runs through Iowa and all of its 99 counties," said Scott Reed, co-chair of a super PAC that launched last month to support Pence's candidacy.

Iowa has typically been seen as a launching pad for presidential candidates, delivering momentum, money and attention to hopefuls who win or defy expectations. But recent past winners including Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum and Mike Huckabee have failed to ultimately win the nomination.

And Pence faces steep challenges. He enters the race as among the best-known Republican candidates in a crowded GOP field that now includes Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

But Pence — seen by Trump critics as complicit with his most indefensible actions and maligned by Trump loyalists as a traitor — is also saddled with high unfavorable ratings.

A CNN poll conducted last month found 45% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents said they would not support Pence under any circumstance. Only 16% said the same about Trump.

Pence’s favorability has also slipped in Iowa, according to The Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll.

Shortly after leaving office, in June 2021, 86% of Iowa Republicans said they had a favorable view of Pence. But the Register’s March Iowa Poll showed that figure had dropped to 66%. The poll also found Pence with higher unfavorable ratings than all of the other candidates it asked about, including Trump and DeSantis, with 26% of Republicans polled saying they have a "somewhat" or "very" unfavorable view of him.

And just 58% of Iowa evangelicals said they had favorable feelings toward Pence — a particularly disappointing number, given his campaign's strategy.

But Pence, who has already visited Iowa more than a dozen times since leaving office, has also received a warm welcome from voters during his trips. During a "Roast and Ride" event over the weekend that drew a long list of 2024 candidates, Pence stood out as the only candidate to actually mount a Harley and participate in the event’s annual motorcycle ride. When he arrived at a barbecue at the state fairgrounds, he moved easily from table to table, warmly greeting and chatting with attendees.

But there remains lingering skepticism of Pence among many Republican voters who adhere to the baseless but persistent conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was stolen. Many who cling to the falsehood believe Pence was complicit in the plot to deny Trump a second term because he refused Trump’s pressure campaign to reject the Electoral College vote when he presided over a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump's supporters violently stormed the building.

Pence advisers say they recognize the challenge and intend to explain to voters directly that Pence was adhering to his constitutional duty and never had the power to impact the vote in his ceremonial role.

"I think it’s something you have to walk straight through," said his longtime adviser Marc Short.

Beyond Jan. 6, his team sees their primary goal as reintroducing Pence to a country that largely knows him as Trump's second-in-command. They want to remind voters of his time in congressional leadership and as governor and are planning a campaign heavy with town halls, house parties and visits to local diners and Pizza Ranch restaurants — more intimate settings that will help voters get to know him personally.

"People have seen Mike Pence the vice president. I think what people are going to see is Mike Pence the person," said Todd Hudson, the speaker of the House in Indiana and a longtime Pence friend who has signed on to help with outreach to state legislators. "I’m super excited for people to get to know the Mike Pence that I know, who's funny, who's just a wonderful person... the more relaxed Mike Pence."

Reed believes there is a strong desire in the party for a candidate like Pence who espouses Reagan-style conservatism, including traditional social values, hawkish foreign policy and small government economics.

"We think this nomination fight is going to be an epic battle for the heart and soul of the conservative, traditional wing of the Republican Party. And Pence is going to campaign as a classic conservative. His credentials are unmatched," he said.

Unlike Trump and DeSantis, Pence has argued that cuts to Social Security and Medicare must be on the table and has blasted those who have questioned why the US should continue to send aid to Ukraine to counter Russian aggression.

"We are not going to try to out-Trump Pence. Everybody else is," Reed said. "Pence is the only candidate running not to be Trump’s VP."