Will Samajwadi Party’s alliance with Congress continue? SP chief Akhilesh Yadav breaks his silence
Akhilesh Yadav’s statement came while he was speaking to reporters during his visit to Uttar Pradesh’s Etawah to pay tributes to his father and Samajwadi Party (SP) founder Mulayam Singh Yadav on his death anniversary.
ZEE proposes biographical film on Ratan Tata’s life as humble tribute to his legacy
Mr Punit Goenka, MD & CEO of ZEEL, believes that the great work done by Ratan Tata should be presented to India and the world at large; especially the youth, and ZEE would take a step forward in this direction.
NC lawmaker accuses Mayorkas of politicizing ‘tragedy for personal gain’ after FEMA funding alarms
A Republican congressman from hard-hit North Carolina is accusing Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of playing politics with Hurricane Helene after the storm ravaged the Southeast and killed more than 230 people. Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., implored his district’s residents to not believe “outrageous rumors” about the response to the storm in an open letter published Tuesday. “[Federal Emergency Management Agency] FEMA officials have repeatedly affirmed that the agency has enough money for immediate response and recovery needs over the next few months,” Edwards wrote. “Secretary Mayorkas’ statement indicating otherwise was an irresponsible attempt to politicize a tragedy for personal gain.” He also defended FEMA from “outrageous rumors” that disaster funds were being diverted to help illegal immigrants, and that aid was being blocked from reaching its destination. TRUMP LAUNCHES GOFUNDME TO HELP HURRICANE HELENE VICTIMS, RAISES MORE THAN $1M “We have seen a level of support that is unmatched by most any other disaster nationwide; but amidst all of the support, we have also seen an uptick in untrustworthy sources trying to spark chaos by sharing hoaxes, conspiracy theories, and hearsay about hurricane response efforts across our mountains,” Edwards wrote. It comes after Mayorkas warned last week that FEMA did not have the funds to make it through the current hurricane season, spurring alarm across the country. Mayorkas was forced to clarify those comments during the same conversation with reporters, stating FEMA had funding to meet its “immediate needs.” The comments were met with skepticism by GOP leaders after Congress made $20 billion in FEMA funds available in federal funding legislation last month, and it exacerbated tensions as some North Carolina residents are already struggling with adequate supplies and aid. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., suggested to Fox News Digital last week that the House would act on additional disaster aid as soon as possible but noted it likely will not be possible until November, when Congress returns after the election. FOX CORPORATION LAUNCHES DONATION DRIVE FOR AMERICAN RED CROSS HURRICANE HELENE RELIEF EFFORTS Edwards said in his letter that he was already helping prepare a supplemental funding bill for when the time comes. The funding woes also prompted some Republicans to point to a separate FEMA-run program that provides support to illegal immigrants at the border, questioning whether the roughly $1 billion allocated there over the last two fiscal years was taken from money for disaster relief. However, Edwards unequivocally denied that in his Tuesday letter, despite top Republicans like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., promoting the claim. HURRICANE HELENE: NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENTS FIGHT FOR THEIR SURVIVAL AS BASIC GOODS BECOME SCARCE “Disaster response efforts and individual assistance are funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts,” Edwards said. “FEMA’s non-disaster related presence at the border has always been of major concern to me, even before Hurricane Helene, and I will continue to condemn their deployment of personnel to the southern border, but we must separate the two issues.” Edwards admitted FEMA had “shortfalls” in its response but denied the federal agency was seizing private property or providing only $750 to disaster survivors, claims that were spread on the internet by unverified sources. He also said FEMA was not conducting road closures or vehicle inspections, nor was it restricting airspace for rescue operations. “Nobody seeking to fly resources into Western North Carolina will be prohibited from doing so by the FAA or North Carolina Emergency Management so long as they coordinate their efforts with NC Aviation,” Edwards wrote. It comes after Elon Musk spread rumors that FEMA was blocking the distribution of supplies and that airspace was blocked amid his efforts to distribute Starlink internet connections. Edwards also assured that Hurricane Helene “was NOT geoengineered by the government,” noting, “Nobody can control the weather.” That came in response to online conspiracy theories that the federal government intentionally created the hurricane to take control of the area’s lithium mines. The DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Former law enforcement officers, military vets step up to save stranded hurricane survivors without FEMA
Americans with backgrounds in the military and law enforcement have stepped up to help save hurricane survivors in North Carolina without the assistance of the federal government. “FEMA’s out of money. They just announced it. … We’ve got money to put everywhere else on the globe — this administration does — but we don’t have the money inside of FEMA, a federal emergency management, to help our citizens here in the United States,” Aaron Negherbon, founder and CEO of Cops Direct, told Fox News Digital. The comments come as relief efforts continue in North Carolina, a state with widespread devastation from Hurricane Helene. NORTH CAROLINA GOP FOCUSING ON ‘HAND-TO-HAND POLITICAL COMBAT’ TO RAMP UP GROUND GAME IN BATTLEGROUND STATE But those efforts have also become a political hot potato as the election nears, with critics widely panning the federal government’s response to the natural disaster. “They’re offering them $750 to people whose homes have been washed away,” former President Trump said at a rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend. “And yet we send tens of billions of dollars to foreign countries that most people have never heard of. They’re offering them $750. They’ve been destroyed. These people have been destroyed.” The criticism came after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned last week that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “does not have the funds to make it through” the hurricane season, prompting a stopgap measure by lawmakers to replenish the agency’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) with $20 billion, according to a report from National Public Radio. Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris has argued critics of the administration’s response have been pushing “disinformation.” “There’s a lot of mis- and disinformation being pushed out there by the former president about what is available, in particular to the survivors of Helene,” Harris said. “It’s extraordinarily irresponsible: It’s about him, it’s not about you. And the reality is that FEMA has so many resources that are available to folks who desperately need them.” Negherbon said his and other organizations have opted to “step in and aid our fellow Americans when they need help.” RESIDENTS IN KEY NORTH CAROLINA DISTRICT REVEAL HOW THEY THINK THEIR COUNTY WILL VOTE IN NOVEMBER “I can tell you that my phones are ringing, and my email is chiming all day long because of the requests from agencies that need our support,” he said. “One jurisdiction, one county, one community is hearing about what Cops Direct is doing, and, all of a sudden, they’re telling the next county over and, therefore, our phone is ringing.” One way Cops Direct and others have been helping is by flying much needed emergency supplies to residents who have been cut off by the storm with many roads and traditional paths to homes being washed away and inaccessible. Ross Johnson, owner of TacMed, a company that makes emergency medical supplies for use on the battlefield and for law enforcement, told Fox News Digital he used his skill as a pilot and a vast network of other pilots to help rush supplies to those affected by using helicopters. “There was no way to get anywhere. So I said, ‘Hey, let’s see what we can do,’” Johnson, a former Army Green Beret who served three tours in Afghanistan, said. Johnson said FEMA has not been operating in the same areas he has been helping, though he noted that the agency is likely helping in other places. “I’m not saying they’re not doing anything. I’m sure they have a role. And we know that they’re a big organization that has a response time. … It takes time to move that machine,” he said. Instead, Johnson said he has focused his efforts on areas where his skill as a pilot can be most beneficial. “We’re in the mountains,” Johnson said. “Places accessible by helicopter.” Johnson also noted the people undertaking the effort to assist those in North Carolina are volunteering their time and effort and their own resources in hopes of making a difference for those who have had their lives upended by the natural disaster. “It really is people that just want to do good. You know, we’re locals. We know the area. These are our neighbors, and we have a way to help them. And that’s what we’re trying to do,” he said. “We’re not Uber Eats. … We aren’t making money on this. We’re just a couple of guys with access to some assets that are the right tool for this job, at least at this point in time.” The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Political storm: Back-to-back hurricanes rock Harris-Trump presidential campaign
President Biden, making calls with elected officials in Florida on Wednesday evening, as powerful and extremely dangerous Hurricane Milton crashed into the state. And the president also speaking with Democratic and Republican senators from the states hard hit by Hurricane Helene, which tore a path of destruction through the southeast nearly two weeks ago. “I directed my team to do everything we can to save lives and help communities before, during, and after the hurricane — the one that has just passed and this awful one that’s about to hit,” Biden said at the end of a long day overseeing the federal response to the storms. And the president stressed that “my most important message today is for those who are in impacted areas, please, please listen to your local authorities, follow all safety…instructions and evacuation orders. This is serious, very serious.” BIDEN CANCELS OVERSEAS TRIP AS MILTON BEARS DOWN ON FLORIDA With less than four weeks to go until Election Day in November and Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump locked in a narrow margin-of-error showdown in the race to succeed Biden in the White House, and with two of the hardest-hit states from Helene — North Carolina and Georgia — among the seven key battlegrounds that will likely determine the outcome of the 2024 election, the politics of federal disaster relief are again front and center on the campaign trail. Trump for nearly two weeks has repeatedly attacked Biden and Harris and accused them of being incompetent in steering the federal efforts in responding to the back-to-back deadly hurricanes. EYE OF THE STORM: BACK-TO-BACK HURRICANES IMPACT HARRIS-TRUMP PRESIDENTIAL RACE “The worst hurricane response since Katrina,” the former president charged on Wednesday as he pointed to the much-maligned initial federal response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which was heavily criticized for being slow and ineffective. Trump, speaking at a campaign rally in battleground Pennsylvania, lobbed another political bomb at Harris, arguing that “She just led the worst rescue operation in history in North Carolina…the worst ever, they say.” And the former president once again made false claims that FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) diverted money intended for disaster relief and spent it on undocumented migrants in the U.S. as he turned up the volume on his inflammatory rhetoric over the combustible issue of illegal immigration. “You know where they gave the money to: illegal immigrants coming,” Trump said as the crowd of MAGA supporters loudly booed. CLICK HERE FOR UP-TO-DATE FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE STORMS A couple of hours earlier, as the president and vice president received their latest briefing from FEMA and other federal agencies on storm preparations in Florida and relief efforts across the Southeast, Biden said that “we have made available an unprecedented number of assets to deal with this crisis, and we’re going to continue to do so until the job is done.” Biden also took aim at Trump, accusing him of leading an “onslaught of lies.” The president charged that the rhetoric from Trump and other Republicans was “beyond ridiculous” and that “it’s got to stop.” Harris, who in July replaced Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket, had a similar message during an interview Wednesday on the Weather Channel. “This is not a time for us to just point fingers at each other as Americans,” Harris said. “Anybody who considers themselves to be a leader should really be in the business right now of giving people a sense of confidence that we’re all working together and that we have the resources and the ability to work together on their behalf.” HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS WEATHER UPDATES ON HURRICANE MILTON But earlier this week, Harris and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida traded verbal fire over whether he ignored hurricane-related calls from her. The vice president called DeSantis “selfish,” and the governor accused Harris of playing “political games.” “Natural disasters present perils and promise for presidential hopefuls,” longtime Republican strategist Colin Reed, a veteran of multiple GOP presidential campaigns, told Fox News. Reed noted that “for the incumbent, it’s an opportunity to demonstrate competence and steady leadership and prove that their government is able to function at a core level during a time of peril.” But it doesn’t always play according to the script for an incumbent president. Then-President George H.W. Bush took a political hit over FEMA’s disorganized efforts to provide relief in Florida from Hurricane Andrew, which pounded the then-key battleground state weeks before the 1992 election. Fast-forward a decade and his son – then-President George W. Bush – enjoyed a political bounce in Florida during his 2004 re-election thanks to his aggressive response to Hurricane Charley, which hit in August of that year. Bush was narrowly re-elected, thanks in large part to carrying the Sunshine State, but his administration’s image in handling storms took a major hit the next year, over the botched response in Louisiana to Hurricane Katrina. As he ran for re-election in 2012, then-President Barack Obama’s aggressive response in dealing with Superstorm Sandy -which slammed into the Eastern Seaboard days before the election – likely boosted him to victory. Reed argued that “without a real role to play in the response to Helene and now Milton, Vice President Harris is betwixt and between, wary about being seen as too close to a deeply unpopular administration but also well aware that its failures will be seen as her failures and political baggage to carry the next three weeks.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Trump counters Harris media blitz by ripping Bob Woodward, Howard Stern and her hurricane briefing
On one point, at least, the Kremlin has sided with Bob Woodward against Donald Trump. Woodward is coming out with a new book, and among its headline-making disclosures is his report on what happened when the pandemic struck, when the death toll was soaring and people could not get home testing kits for Covid-19. FROM KISSY-FACE SITDOWN ON ‘THE VIEW’ TO A TOUGHER GRILLING ON ‘60 MINUTES,’ KAMALA HARRIS IS MAKING NEWS President Trump, at that point in 2020, secretly sent Vladimir Putin a number of Abbott Point of Care Covid test machines “for his personal use.” The Trump campaign said Woodward’s book, an advance copy of which was obtained by CNN, consisted entirely of made-up stories. But Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov confirmed the receipt of the Covid machines. “As for the tests, when the pandemic began, countries did not have enough equipment,” Peskov said. “And many countries then exchanged such gestures of support and sent each other shipments of various equipment they had.” In fact, during that spring of 2020, Russia sent the Trump administration 60 tons of medical equipment. Woodward also quotes the Russian dictator as telling Trump: “I don’t want you to tell anybody because people will get mad at you, not me. They don’t care about me.” KAMALA 2.0’S CHALLENGE? MAKING MORE NEWS, AND NOT JUST WITH ULTRA-FRIENDLY HOSTS But Peskov disputed another assertion by Woodward, that Trump has stayed in touch with Putin since he left the White House, with as many as seven calls between them. “As for the calls, that’s a lie,” Peskov said. In the book “War,” however, the Washington Post sleuth recounts a scene where Trump tells a top aide to leave the room so “he could have what he said was a private phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.” Trump officials now say they’re not aware of any such conversations. The former president granted Woodward 18 taped interviews for his previous book, but they had a falling out after the veteran reporter wrote that Trump was unfit for office – and was sued by his subject for releasing the recordings. I know Woodward’s work extremely well, and while any journalist can be misled by sources, he does not make things up. Other parts of the book deal with Joe Biden confronting Putin about the coming invasion of Ukraine, had Kamala Harris warn a skeptical Volodomyr Zelenskyy, and – with officials assuming a 50 percent chance that he might use a tactical nuclear weapon against the Ukrainians, called the Kremlin boss the “epitome of evil.” The president repeatedly cursed out Bibi Netanyahu, calling him an SOB and, later, a “f***ing liar” after the Israeli prime minister invaded the crowded area called Rafah despite American pressure. WHY VANCE EASILY BEAT WALZ IN DEBATE, SOFTENING HIS IMAGE IN THE PROCESS In the statement from Trump’s spokesman, which sounds like it was dictated by the boss, Woodward is described as “a truly demented and deranged man who suffers from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome. Woodward is an angry, little man and is clearly upset because President Trump is successfully suing him because of the unauthorized publishing of recordings he made previously. President Trump gave him absolutely no access for this trash book that either belongs in the bargain bin of the fiction section of a discount bookstore or used as toilet tissue. Woodward is a total sleazebag who has lost it mentally, and he’s slow, lethargic, incompetent and overall a boring person with no personality.” Why stop there? Trump, who prides himself on being a counter-puncher, wastes little time before swinging away. After Harris’ friendly radio interview with Howard Stern, who said it would be insanity to vote for Trump, this post appeared on Truth Social: “BETA MALE Howard Stern made a fool of himself on his low-rated radio show when he ‘interviewed’ Lyin’ Kamala Harris, and hit her with so many SOFTBALL questions that even she was embarrassed. “He looked like a real fool, working so hard to make a totally incompetent and ill-equipped person look as good as possible, which wasn’t very good. I dropped Howard a long time ago, like most others, and have since been credited with very good judgment!” Donald and Howard were, of course, once New York pals, and Trump attended his wedding. Trump also had campaign manager Chris LaCivita take a swipe at Fox News for covering (along with other networks) a government briefing, featuring both Biden and Harris, on Hurricane Milton as the monster storm was heading toward Florida. “@FoxNews just as bad as every other ‘cable news’ network …running literally propaganda and @KamalaHarris TV ads disguised as a news conference,” Chris LaCivita posted on X. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Of course there’s a political benefit for Harris showing that she and FEMA are working hard to prepare for the Florida storm, just as there is when Ron DeSantis holds a presser on the Category 5 threat. But with Kamala’s media blitz finally making some news after weeks in which Trump has dominated the campaign coverage, this reflects his determination to insert himself into every story that surfaces, no matter how negative.
PM Modi to inaugurate Varanasi’s Sampurnanand Stadium, sports complex built under Khelo India, on October 20
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday morning has departed for a two-day visit to Laos to attend the 21st ASEAN-India Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit. PM Modi’s visit to Vientiane for a two-day visit comes at the invitation of his Laos counterpart Sonexay Siphandone.
Biden blasts Trump over misinformation about Hurricanes Milton and Helene
US president accuses predecessor of leading ‘onslaught of lies’ about government’s response to the storms. United States President Joe Biden has condemned misinformation about Hurricanes Milton and Helene as “un-American”, singling out his predecessor for making false claims about the government’s rescue and recovery efforts. Speaking as Hurricane Milton was on the verge of making landfall in Florida on Wednesday, Biden said people in need of help were being put at risk by the “reckless, irresponsible and relentless” promotion of disinformation about the government’s response to the storms. “Quite frankly, these lies are un-American,” Biden said in remarks at the White House. “Former President Trump has led this onslaught of lies.” Biden signalled out a number of baseless claims made by Trump, including that disaster relief funds had been diverted to migrants. “What a ridiculous thing to say. It’s not true,” Biden said. Asked by reporters why he thought Trump was spreading false claims about the government’s response, Biden said he did not know. “I simply don’t know. You can speculate, but I just find it – I’ve used the phrase more than I’ve ever used it in my career – it’s un-American. It’s un-American. It’s not who the hell we are,” he said. Biden also condemned the promotion of “even more bizarre” claims by Republican House of Representatives member Marjorie Taylor Greene, a close Trump ally. “Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a congresswoman from Georgia, is now saying the federal government is literally controlling the weather – we’re controlling the weather,” he said. “It’s beyond ridiculous. It’s got to stop.” Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for November’s presidential election, levelled similar criticism at Trump in an interview with CNN, branding his behaviour “unconscionable”. “We all know it’s dangerous, and the gamesmanship has to stop at some point, the politics have to end, especially in a moment of crisis,” Harris said. Trump on Wednesday reiterated his criticism of the Biden administration’s handling of the crisis. “This administration has not done a proper job at all. Terrible, terrible,” Trump said at a campaign rally in the key swing state of Pennsylvania. “We just pray for everybody,” he said. “We hope that God will keep them safe.” Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida at about 8:30pm (01:30 GMT Thursday) local time, battering the coastal state with winds of up to 193km/h (120mph). Milton, which the National Hurricane Center has described as “extremely dangerous” and “life-threatening”, comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene killed at least 230 people across Florida and several other southern states. Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 958
As the war enters its 958th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Thursday, October 10, 2024. Fighting At least six people were killed and eight injured after a Russian ballistic missile attack on the port infrastructure of Ukraine’s southern Odesa region. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said a Panamanian-flagged container ship, the Shui Spirit, was damaged in the attack, the third in the region in the past four days. Ukraine’s military said it struck a base in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region where Shahed drones were being stored. A statement by the General Staff said the attack was carried out jointly by naval forces and the SBU intelligence service. There was no official comment from Russia, although emergency services reported a large fire around the location of the alleged attack. Ukraine said it also hit a Russian weapons arsenal in the Bryansk region where ammunition for missile and artillery weapons, including those delivered from North Korea, was stored. Bryansk authorities later declared a state of emergency following “detonations of explosive objects”. Russia’s air defence units destroyed 47 Ukrainian drones targeting its western regions, the Ministry of Defence said. Regional officials said there were no reports of casualties. Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had retaken the villages of Novaya Sorochina and Pokrovsky in its Kursk region after they were captured by Ukraine in a surprise August offensive. Politics and diplomacy Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told a summit of southeast European leaders in Croatia that there was an “opportunity” to take “decisive action” to end the war in 2025. The Ukrainian president did not spell out how and why he saw such an opportunity. Zelenskyy, who is urging Ukraine’s Western allies to allow it to use long-range weapons on military targets deep inside Russia, is due to hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as well as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in meetings across Europe on Thursday. European Union envoys approved a plan to loan Ukraine as much as 35 billion euros ($38bn) backed by frozen Russian central bank assets. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Hungary was putting European security at risk as a result of its close ties with Russia. Speaking at a debate with populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the European Parliament, von der Leyen took aim at Budapest’s reluctance to join EU partners in helping Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. “The world has witnessed the atrocities of Russia’s war. And yet, there are still some who blame this war not on the invader but the invaded,” she said. Ukrainian investigators said they arrested 24-year-old Serhiy Gnezdilov, a soldier who fled his army unit in protest over the lack of term limits for long-serving troops, for desertion. Gnezdilov faces as many as 12 years in prison if found guilty. A Russian court found Trevor Reed, a former US Marine who was freed in a 2022 prisoner swap, guilty in absentia of serving as a mercenary for Ukraine and handed him a 14.5-year prison sentence. Investigators said Reed had joined Ukraine’s military in July 2023. A Russian court sentenced activist Yevgeny Mishchenko to 12 years in a penal colony for allegedly planning to join the Freedom of Russia Legion, a banned unit of Russians supporting Ukraine. Mishchenko was one of a handful of volunteers guarding a makeshift Moscow memorial to Boris Nemtsov, an opposition politician killed in 2015. The case was based on evidence from a security agent who posed as a volunteer at the memorial and recorded conversations with Mishchenko. Ukraine aims to organise a new peace summit by the end of this year and wants Russia to attend this time, Vasyl Bodnar, its ambassador to Turkey said. He ruled out any direct bilateral talks with Moscow at the meeting, saying any discussions were likely to take place through third-party intermediaries. Adblock test (Why?)
Taiwan’s President Lai says will ‘resist annexation or encroachment’
In his first National Day speech, new president stresses ‘thriving’ democracy of island claimed by Beijing. Taiwan’s President William Lai Ching-te has said he will stand against any attempt at annexation or encroachment into the island’s territory. China claims the self-ruled democracy as its own and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve its goal of unification. It has ratcheted up pressure on Taiwan since Lai, who it portrays as a “separatist”, was elected president in January. Addressing the island’s 23 million people, Lai began his first National Day speech by expressing his pride in Taiwan’s democracy. “Our democracy is growing and thriving,” he said, standing at a podium set up in front of the presidential office. “The People’s Republic of China [China’s official name] has no right to represent the people of Taiwan.” He said Taiwanese people were able to work together despite disagreements and urged them to look to the future. “I will uphold the commitment to resist annexation or encroachment on our sovereignty,” he said. Still, Lai’s tone for much of the speech was pragmatic. He indicated a willingness to cooperate with Beijing on issues such as climate change, tackling contagious diseases and “maintaining regional security to pursue peace and mutual prosperity for the wellbeing of the people on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait”. Lai also urged Beijing to use its influence in diplomatic efforts to resolve the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Adblock test (Why?)