Sri Lanka is mired in a deep political and economic crisis and the country’s then President Rajapaksa has flown out of the country, days after a huge crowd of protesters stormed his residence in July 2022. Protesters for months have demanded the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, whose government has been blamed for chronic mismanagement of the country’s finances.

The island nation of 22 million people has suffered months of lengthy blackouts, acute food and fuel shortages, and galloping inflation in its most painful downturn on record.

Island nation of Sri Lanka is mired in a deep crisis, they ousted their president who fled the country days after a huge crowd of protesters stormed his residence in July 2022. The country’s 22 million people have suffered months of lengthy blackouts, acute food and fuel shortages, and galloping inflation in its most painful downturn on record.

Here is how the crisis unfolded:

April 1: State of emergency

Rajapaksa declares a temporary state of emergency, giving security forces sweeping powers to arrest and detain suspects, after a spate of protests.

April 3: Cabinet resigns

Almost all of Sri Lanka’s cabinet resigns at a late-night meeting, leaving Rajapaksa and his brother Mahinda – the prime minister – isolated. The governor of the central bank, having resisted calls to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), announces his resignation a day later.

April 5: President loses majority

President Rajapaksa’s problems deepen as finance minister Ali Sabry resigns just a day after he was appointed. The embattled leader loses his parliamentary majority as former allies urge him to quit. He lifts the state of emergency.

April 10: Medicine shortages

Sri Lanka’s doctors say they are nearly out of life-saving medicines, warning that the crisis could end up killing more people than the coronavirus.

April 12: Foreign debt default

The government announces it is defaulting on its foreign debt of $51bn as a “last resort” after running out of foreign exchange to import desperately needed goods.

April 19: First casualty

Police kill a protester, the first casualty of several weeks of anti-government protests. The next day, the IMF says it has asked Sri Lanka to restructure its colossal external debt before a rescue package can be agreed.

May 9: Day of violence

A mob of government loyalists bussed in from the countryside attacks peaceful protesters camped outside the president’s seafront office in Colombo. Nine people are killed and hundreds more injured in the reprisal attacks that follow, with crowds targeting those responsible for the violence and setting fire to the homes of politicians.

Mahinda Rajapaksa resigns as prime minister and has to be rescued by troops after thousands of protesters storm his residence in Colombo. He is replaced by Ranil Wickremesinghe, a political veteran who had already served several terms as premier.

May 10: Shoot-to-kill orders

The defence ministry orders troops to shoot on sight anyone involved in looting or “causing harm to life”. But protesters defy a new government curfew, which is rolled back at the end of the week. The top police officer in Colombo is assaulted and his vehicle set ablaze.

June 10: ‘Humanitarian emergency’

The United Nations warns that Sri Lanka is facing a dire humanitarian crisis, with millions already in need of aid. More than three-quarters of the population had reduced their food intake due to the country’s severe food shortages, the UN says.

June 27: Fuel sales suspended

The government says Sri Lanka is nearly out of fuel and halts all petrol sales except for essential services.

July 1: New inflation record

The government publishes data showing inflation has hit a record high for the ninth consecutive month, a day after the IMF asks Sri Lanka to rein in prices.

July 9: President’s house stormed

President Rajapaksa flees his official residence in Colombo with the assistance of troops, shortly before demonstrators storm the compound. He is taken to an undisclosed location. Footage from inside the residence shows jubilant protesters jumping in the pool and exploring its stately bedrooms.

Wickremesinghe’s residence is set on fire. Police say he and his family were not at the scene. Rajapaksa later offers to step down on July 13, parliamentary speaker Mahinda Abeywardana says in a televised statement.

July 13: President flees country

President Rajapaksa flies to the Maldives on a military aircraft, accompanied by his wife and a bodyguard. His departure comes after a humiliating airport standoff in Colombo, where immigration staff did not allow VIP services and insisted all passengers go through public counters.

July 21: Sri Lanka has a new president

Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the President of Sri Lanka.

Source: Al Jazeera

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Cape Town, Wellington, London (9/11 – 27)

South Africa has become the unequalled rugby world champion after winning the World Cup for a record fourth time on 28 October 2023. Before the 2023 edition, The Springboks won the Rugby World Cup in 1995, 2007, and 2019. Their closest rival is New Zealand, who has won the title on three occasions (1987, 2011, and 2015). Australia has two titles (1991 and 1999) and England has one (2003).

There are some interesting statistics about The Springboks’ success as the only team to have won the Rugby World Cup four times. South Africa has a 100% winning record in World Cup finals. They bested New Zealand twice (15-12 in 1995 and 12-11 in 2023) and England twice (15-6 in 2007 and 32-12 in 2019).

South Africa has won those finals despite only scoring two tries in total. Both of those tries came in the 32-12 win over England in 2019. The other 22 points for South Africa in the 2019 final came from two conversions (4) and six penalties (18).

In 1995, all of their points in the 15-12 win over New Zealand came from penalties (9) and drop goals (6). In 2007, The Springboks scored 15 points in the final against England only with five penalties. In their most recent triumph in 2023, four penalties from Handre Pollard ensured the narrow victory over New Zealand.

On the other side of the play, South Africa also does not allow their opponents to score many tries in the final. Beauden Barrett’s score in Paris on 28 October 2023 was the first time the Springboks had conceded a try in a World Cup final. Defense and set-pieces basically are South Africa’s main weapons.

“South Africa plays a certain style,” said former New Zealand player, Jeff Wilson. “Ultimately, when it comes down to it, defenses are still winning in the big games. Defenses are standing out, the set-piece is still the be-all and end-all. When push comes to shove, South Africa went to the front eight and just kept going. That’s how they win games and allows them to dominate in areas.”

South Africa could inspire other teams to do the same. The problem is that could as well be the killer of an entertaining rugby. Worth noting that New Zealand is arguably the most entertaining team in the last two World Cups because they always made the most tries.

The All Blacks always fell short in those two tournaments. A try in rugby is the primary way for teams to score points when playing the game. The strategies and maneuvers to execute a try are the main treat for fans.

When it is more and more difficult to score a try, potentially that would make rugby not fun to watch anymore. Fans will be seeing more kicks and one-pass carries with little action.

Another former New Zealand player, John Kirwan, says that the Springboks are boring to watch and insists that the governing body needs to enforce some changes. “I was bored during their game because it was stop-start. Now, the game needs to change. It’s an anaerobic game; we need to be an aerobic game,” Kirwan said.

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A medic from Northern Ireland has spoken of his “nerve-wracking” time in the Turkish earthquake zone, treating pregnant women caught up in the disaster.

Obstetrician Paul Holmes, who is originally from Ballymena, County Antrim, spent the past three weeks working in a field hospital in southern Turkey.

“I’ve come across mums who have literally been pulled out of the rubble,” he said.

“Carrying a baby is obviously worrying for any mother at the best of times, let alone when you have survived an earthquake on this scale and in many cases have been left totally homeless and sleeping in a tent.”

Mr Holmes also experienced two “fairly major” aftershocks during his deployment, the first of which caused an electrical fire in the grounds of a damaged hospital building where he is based.

More than 50,000 people were killed when earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria 6 February and thousands more are now missing, injured or homeless as a result.

Mr Holmes arrived in Turkey on 11 February as part of a UK-Emergency Medical Team deployed by the British government through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

He helped set up a tented field hospital in Türkoğlu, in the car park of a hospital that is no longer safe because it was destabilised by the earthquake.

“The hospital was still standing, but some of the internal floors and ceilings had fallen down and it was very much not usable,” he explained.

He worked alongside Turkish medics at the joint Ministry of Defence-FCDO field hospital and spent his nights sleeping in a tent in sub-zero temperatures.

‘Ice inside tents’

Many of the women he has treated were not physically badly injured but were among the quake survivors suffering trauma, hardship and extreme temperatures as their homes were destroyed.

“Kids are coming in with lots of respiratory infections and illnesses, partly from living in tents in temperatures of minus seven or eight at night. I know the tents we are camping in have had ice on the inside some mornings never mind on the outside,” Mr Holmes explained.

He added many traumatised pregnant women were very stressed about their unborn children and his team helped to replace some of the services lost when the hospital was damaged.

“It’s been very, very rewarding to be able to see the relief on their faces as I’ve been able to show them their babies on an ultrasound scan and let them listen to the baby’s heartbeat, and just to be able to reassure them that the baby is doing very well.”

‘Grateful’

Mr Holmes grew up in Northern Ireland but moved to Scotland to study medicine when he was 18.

Now 56, he usually works at the Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Stirlingshire, but also volunteers with frontline medical aid charity UK-Med.

According to the FCDO, UK aid money pays for EMT staffs’ regular roles “to be backfilled to ensure the NHS is not impacted”.

“It is a privilege to be part of the UK government’s humanitarian response,” Mr Holmes said.

“It’s been amazing how grateful Turkish people have been for our help, partly for the medical or healthcare assistance we’ve been giving, but also I think they’ve really appreciated the expression of solidarity that the UK team coming over has meant to them.”

Mr Holmes said he was touched by the Turkish generosity of spirit, despite their loss and suffering.

He recalled that when his team apologised to patients because they had not been able to shower for a week at their camp, one patient invited them home so they could use their bathroom facilities.

Another woman collected walnuts for her garden and brought them to the aid workers.

It is not the first time Mr Holmes has been deployed to an earthquake zone to deliver medical aid, but it is the first time he has experienced powerful and dangerous aftershocks.

“The first one briefly set the hospital building on fire, which was slightly nerve-wracking. I saw smoke after it triggered an electrical fire but thankfully it was brought under control very quickly and there wasn’t huge damage.

“We had to move our overnight camping tents because they were deemed a bit close to the hospital,” he recalled.

“The other big aftershock happened in the evening time when we were standing around chatting.

“It’s not enough to knock you off your feet but the closest thing I can compare it to is when you are on a boat in choppy seas. You are not being thrown from side to side, but if you were trying to walk, you’d be unstable.”

Mr Holmes said the situation was “obviously worrying” but added he was able to stay in contact with his wife and four children every day by phone to reassure them that he was OK.

‘Brave’

He is due to return home to the UK on Saturday.

Last month, a search and rescue team from Northern Ireland returned home from Turkey after helping to rescue a woman who had been trapped in a collapsed building for nine days.

“The UK government is proud that brave firefighters and medics from Northern Ireland have been at the very heart of our efforts to help the Turkish people in their hour of need,” said UK Minister for Development Andrew Mitchell.

“The UK government’s priority now is to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches the thousands of families left homeless by the earthquake. It will be so vital in ensuring those affected can begin to rebuild their lives.”

Source: BBC

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Kenes Rakishev is a prominent entrepreneur, investor & philanthropist with interests in mining, high tech and innovative technologies.

Kenes Rakishev’s thoughts about Electric Vehicle

Companies along the EV supply chain need further support and investment, if we are to solve EV issues and encourage faster uptake, Kenes Rakishev says.

Although the pandemic has caused demand for the Electric Vehicle to fall, the outlook for EVs looks bright: with enhanced globalisation pushing the industry’s growth, government subsidy packages, and more EV investment, the rising valuations are deserved. The EV industry is providing a solution to the most pressing concerns of our time, including climate change, and unemployment caused by the pandemic.

Kenes Rakishev:

European governments are leading the way in recovery initiatives for the EV sector, from manufacturing to sales. This has led to some fantastic opportunities. Investors are seeing favourable returns; the international community is on the way to achieving climate change goals; the EV industry is benefitting from more funding; individuals are finding employment in a fantastic field of work during a general economic downturn.

Who is Kenes Rakishev?

Kenes (Kenges) Rakishev is a prominent investor and entrepreneur regarded as one of the most influential businessmen in Kazakhstan. Kenes Rakishev has business interests spanning technology, oil & gas, finance, shipbuilding, and metals & mining industries, and serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of several industry leaders including Kazakhstan Petrochemical Industries, SAT & Company, Net Element and Vyborg Shipyard.

Kenes Rakishev is also Chairman and Co-Founder of Sirin Labs, which has developed the world’s first blockchain smart phone Finney, and Managing Partner at Singulariteam-1 and Singulariteam-2 venture capital funds that focus on innovative tech companies.

Source: Talk-Finance

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The longtime leader appointed an internationally respected former banker as finance and treasury minister and on Friday named a former co-CEO of a U.S.-based bank as head of the central bank.

But lingering uncertainty over Erdogan’s economic direction and an apparent move to loosen government controls of foreign currency exchanges have led Turkey‘s currency to plunge to record lows against the U.S. dollar this week.

The Turkish lira has now weakened by around 20% against the dollar since the start of the year. It has raised fears of even higher prices for people already struggling to afford basics like housing and food amid high inflation.

“I am anxious. I am unhappy. Soon my income won’t pay the rent,” said Sureyya Usta, a 63-year-old who lives in Ankara.

Here’s a look at the falling value of the lira, what lies ahead for the economy and how people have been affected:

ERDOGAN’S ECONOMIC POLICIES

Turkey has been plagued by a currency crisis and skyrocketing inflation since 2021, which economists say are the result of Erdogan’s unorthodox belief that raising interest rates will increase inflation.

Conventional economic thinking — and the approach being taken by central banks around the world — calls for the opposite: rate hikes to control price spikes.

Erdogan has exerted pressure on Turkey’s central bank to lower borrowing costs.

The bank has cut its key policy rate from around 19% in 2021 to 8.5% now, even as inflation hit a staggering 85% last year. Inflation eased to 39.5% last month, according to official figures, but an independent group says the true number is more than double that.

In other policy considered to be unorthodox, economists say the government aggressively intervened in the markets to prop up the lira ahead of the elections, depleting Turkey’s foreign currency reserves to keep the exchange rate under control.

“Pressure over the lira had been high for some time, but excessive interventions by the central bank was preventing” the currency from skyrocketing in recent weeks or months, said Ozlem Derici Sengul, an economist at the Istanbul Spinn Consultancy.

A RETURN TO ‘RATIONAL GROUND’?

Hours after being sworn in, Erdogan announced that Mehmet Simsek, a former Merrill Lynch banker who had previously served as his finance minister and deputy prime minister, would return to the Cabinet after a five-year break from politics.

Simsek said Turkey had no other option but to return to “rational ground.” In a sign that Erdogan’s new administration might pursue more conventional economic policies, Simsek also said there were no “shortcuts or quick fixes” but vowed to oversee Turkey’s finances with “transparency, consistency, accountability and predictability.”

In another sign, Erdogan on Friday appointed Hafize Gaye Erkan to lead the central bank, taking over from the current chief who has championed rate cuts since 2021. Erkan, a former co-CEO of a U.S.-based bank, becomes Turkey’s first woman central bank governor.

Economists say, however, that it’s not clear to what extent Erdogan, who has ruled the country with a tight grip, will give Erkan and Simsek free rein.

“The markets are not convinced yet” of Erdogan’s return to traditional policies, Sengul said. There are uncertainties over whether Erdogan will “allow unlimited independence to the central bank and other institutions — or have another strategy,” she said.

WHY IS TURKEY’S CURRENCY FALLING?

The Turkish lira tumbled to record lows against the dollar this week, first falling 7% on Wednesday and then 1.6% on Friday.

Economists say the sharp slide earlier in the week resulted from the government loosening its controls over the currency following Simsek’s appointment. However, the plunge may have been steeper than what it had anticipated.

The lira weakened by a limited 0.5% on Thursday amid reports that state banks were asked to resume selling foreign currency to prop up the currency. On Friday, the lira depreciated to another all-time low of 23.54 to the dollar.

“Loose interventions, combined with some uncertainty, created an excessive depreciation in the lira in one day,” Sengul said about the Wednesday drop. “The banks are currently intervening in the exchange market, that’s why we will not have another 7% depreciation.”

HOW ARE PEOPLE AFFECTED?

High inflation is pinching households and businesses with costlier groceries, utility bills and more. A weaker currency means Turkey, which is dependent on imported raw materials, will have to pay more for everything from energy to grain that are priced in dollars.

Usta, the 63-year-old from Ankara, works at a firm that sells cash registry machines to boost her retirement pension but still struggles to pay her living expenses amid high inflation.

She is worried that this week’s sharp decline in the lira will lead to further price increases and even more financial uncertainty for her.

“I keep cutting back and cutting back so that I can afford to live, so I can pay for gas and electricity. But how much more can I cut back?” Usta said. “I’ve forgotten about going to the theater and the cinema — or going out to meet friends.”

Usta says her rent doubled earlier this year, but the owner wants to increase it again. Moving out isn’t an option because rents have skyrocketed even in her low-income neighborhood, she says.

Sengul, the economist, says the one-day currency shock is unlikely to have a huge impact. If, however, the depreciation is not contained, she warns, “market pricing behavior will dramatically deteriorate.”

Source: abcnews

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Event in front of Turkish embassy will further inflame tensions between two countries

Turkey has condemned a demonstration involving the burning of Qur’ans in Sweden on Saturday, further inflaming tensions between the two countries amid Stockholm’s Nato bid.

The protest in Stockholm, which took place under heavy police protection in front of Turkey’s embassy, gathered about 100 people and a crowd of reporters, Agence France-Presse reported.

The Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan, who also has Swedish citizenship and staged the event, gave an hour-long speech against Islam and immigration before setting fire to a copy of the Qur’an.

A day prior, Turkey’s foreign ministry summoned Sweden’s ambassador over the permission granted to Paludan’s protest. It was the second time Sweden’s ambassador to Turkey has been summoned this month, after having had to answer for a 12 January stunt during which a Kurdish group hung an effigy of Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in Stockholm.

Earlier on Saturday, Ankara cancelled a 27 January visit by Sweden’s defence minister, Pål Jonson, intended to be a discussion about Turkey’s refusal to ratify Sweden’s Nato accession.

Turkey’s defence minister, Hulusi Akar, said the meeting was cancelled because it “has lost its significance and meaning”.

Jonson, however, announced the meeting had been postponed after talks with Akar on Friday at the US military base in Ramstein, Germany.

“Our relations with Türkiye are very important to Sweden, and we look forward to continuing the dialogue on common security and defence issues at a later date,” he tweeted on Saturday.

Prior to Paludan’s event on Saturday, Turkey’s foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, called it a “hate crime” that could not be characterised as freedom of expression, and asked Sweden not to allow the “vile act” to take place.

The Stockholm protest was also denounced by İbrahim Kalın, chief adviser to Erdoğan.

“The burning of the Holy Qur’an in Stockholm is a clear crime of hatred and humanity,” Kalın tweeted. “We vehemently condemn this. Allowing this action despite all our warnings is encouraging hate crimes and Islamophobia. The attack on sacred values is not freedom but modern barbarism.”

Sweden’s government has sought to distance itself from the demonstration, with the foreign minister, Tobias Billström, condemning it on Saturday.

“Islamophobic provocations are appalling,” Billström tweeted. “Sweden has a far-reaching freedom of expression, but it does not imply that the Swedish government, or myself, support the opinions expressed.”

Turkey has proved to be an obstacle to Sweden and Finland’s historic application for Nato membership after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which marked a reversal of the Nordic countries’ decades of neutrality. Sweden and Finland have gained the approval of 28 Nato members so far, bar Hungary and Turkey.

In November, Hungary’s president, Viktor Orbán, said his parliament would ratify Nato membership for Sweden and Finland in early 2023. But Turkey is still holding back, demanding the extradition of people in Sweden it claims to have links to the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK) – designated as a terrorist group by Turkey, the EU and the US – or to banned cleric Fethullah Gülen.

Source: The Guardia

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Paris, Dublin, Johannesburg (20/9 – 15)

The 2023 Rugby World Cup will contest what will arguably be the grandest game in the Pool Stage this weekend. On Saturday night, 23 September 2023, South Africa and Ireland go head-to-head in Pool B, at Stade de France, Paris: the world number two against world number one. All will witness a reigning world champion versus a team with a winning streak extending from July 2022.

Both teams dive in with two wins from their opening games. The Springboks won 18-3 against Scotland – and then obliterated Romania 76-0. Meanwhile, Ireland have been barely tested, as they got an 82-8 win over Romania and 59-16 over Tonga. This will in fact be the first time that Ireland and South Africa have met at a World Cup.

But in the last meeting between them on 5 November 2022, Ireland won 19-16. Johnny Sexton scored 9 of Ireland’s 19 points in that game. Sexton is still Ireland’s main man in the 2023 Rugby World Cup, having scored 40 of Ireland’s 141 points with 3 tries, 11 conversions, and 1 penalty.

In his last performance against Tonga, Sexton became Ireland’s all-time top points scorer with 1090. “I’m very proud to do it, but tonight it was more important getting the win and moving on to what is such a massive game (against South Africa) this coming week,” he said.

With Sexton and company on fire, Ireland have already scored 141 points, the top number so far in this year’s World Cup.

South Africa doesn’t have a “Johnny Sexton” in their ranks, at least in the first two matches. Makazole Mapimpi, Cobus Reinach, and Damian Willemse share scoring responsibility, with 15 points each. The Springboks are basically unpredictable.

Against Romania, South Africa made 14 player changes to a team that ran on for an opening 18-3 win against Scotland. That is naturally a prime concern for Ireland. “They are the type of guys who come up with new plans and tricky little things in new games,” said Ireland’s scrum-half Connor Murray. “So you have to be prepared for everything.”

Defence is another strength of the defending champion.

The Springboks only conceded 3 points from two games, against Scotland and Romania. In fact, South Africa only conceded two tries in their last eight games at the tournament. Their current run includes shutouts against Namibia, Italy, Japan, England, Scotland, and Romania.

Their points aggregate across those eight games marked 343 scored and 47 conceded. “This team has always prided itself on defence, so I am extremely happy,” The Springboks’ head coach Jacques Nienaber said in the wake of the 76-0 victory over Romania.

The winner of this massive match will be in the driver’s seat of Pool B, with a possible matchup against New Zealand in the next round. The loser will likely claim second place in Pool B and potentially face France in the first round of the knockout stages. “It will be a big game, in terms of who finishes one and two in the pool, but there are still games to play after this match,” said Nienaber. “I don’t want to get too far ahead. If it’s Italy, if it’s France or New Zealand, it’s going to be a tough quarterfinal, it doesn’t matter who we play.”

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On its sprawling 800km frontline, Russia is preparing for a decisive battle.

As the sloppy winter mud begins to dry, Russia is preparing for a decisive battle across its front, which is three lines deep in places. 

Kyiv wants to seize the initiative and beat back the invader after an underwhelming Russian offensive achieved limited results last year. 

But Moscow has learned from past failures and is once again counting on a long, grinding war it believes it can win. 

Russia’s fortifications extend from Kherson in the south all the way to northeastern Ukraine, a stretch of some 800 km.

Ukrainian attacks will come up against several successive obstacles, Brady Africk, of the think-tank American Enterprise Institute, told AFP.

Russia has “layers of fortifications and trenches”, he said. “This includes anti-tank ditches, barriers, pre-made defence lines like ‘dragon’s teeth’ and trenches for men.”

“The goal for the Russians is to take the hit,” added Pierre Razoux, Academic Director of the Mediterranean Foundation for Strategic Studies (FMES).

“In the second curtain, the attacker tends to get stuck and even if he passes, the third is frankly complicated.”

Where Ukraine will hit is shrouded in secrecy and could still be undecided. 

Wishing to throw Moscow off the scent, Kyiv may launch a “small-scale attack” as “a decoy”, explains Andrew Galer, an analyst at Britain’s Janes Institute.

This could cause Russia to divert its defensive resources away from the main target, meaning Ukrainian troops will encounter less resistance. 

Vassily Kashin, of Moscow’s National University, suggests the Bakhmut region is one option, which has seen heavy fighting for months. But he admits: “The data we have is very limited.” 

On Monday, the boss of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin predicted a counter-offensive on the day his fighters seize Bakhmut, pointing to 9 May that marks the Russian victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.

Since the start of the war, the Kremlin has relied on its large pool of soldiers, with some claiming conscripts are being used as cannon fodder against a better-equipped Ukrainian force. 

Despite suffering heavy losses, successive recruitment campaigns, notably last year’s partial mobilisation, have brought more Russian troops to the front. 

“Even [if] exhausted by its effort, [Russia] will still have enough reserves of men to help absorb the shock” of a Ukrainian assault, wrote Philippe Gros and Vincent Tourret, in a study by the Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS).

“They have put in place enough counter-mobility measures to significantly complicate any Ukrainian advance.”

There are widespread claims that many Russian conscripts, drawn from the far-flung corners of the country,  have been rushed through training and are woefully underprepared for battle.

Yet, even poorly trained reservists can hold the line, suggested AFP. 

“No Ukrainian offensive, even the most effective, will put an end to this war,” said Kashin from Moscow’s National University.

Flush with Western equipment, Kyiv is better armed than it was a year ago. 

However, many promised weapons have not made it to the frontlines yet, while Ukrainian equipment has also been destroyed. 

“A high level of losses [have been] generated by the war of attrition, in particular among the most experienced officers and soldiers,” notes the FRS, adding there is a “drastic constraint on the consumption of ammunition”. 

Further complicating Ukraine’s war effort it is also juggling between old weapons from the Soviet period and cutting-edge Western arms, making logistics and training critical.

Breaking through enemy lines is only valuable if the conquered area can be held. 

 “The further [the Ukrainians] go in reclaiming territory, the longer the supply chain is,” warns Andrew Galer.

Kyiv worries that the West may grow tired of supplying arms to Ukraine, though many capitals have promised to do whatever it takes to help them win. 

“He has no room for error. He can only act when he is sure of his shot”, says Pierre Razoux.

Meanwhile, as it prepares to go on the offensive, Ukraine must also still defend a list of priorities: Kyiv, Kharkiv, and the supply lines between the two cities, its border with Belarus, Odesa, besides its civilian nuclear power plants.

Ex-colonel turned historian Michel Goya says “only two breakthroughs have been achieved in this war: in Popasna by the Russians in May 2022 and especially in the province of Kharkiv by the Ukrainians in September”.

“The positions of both sides, especially the Russian side, are currently much stronger than they were at the time,” he adds.

Source: EuroNews

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“Our position is clear, no 12 miles, we will not allow for territorial waters to be expanded by even a mile in the Aegean,” Çavuşoğlu said during an end-of-year press briefing in Ankara, commenting on reports that Athens plans to extend territorial waters around the island of Crete.

“Don’t get into sham heroism by trusting those who might have your back. Don’t seek adventurism,” he added. “It won’t end well for you!”

International maritime law allows Greece to extend its territorial waters up to 12 nautical miles. But in a parliamentary declaration from 1995, Turkey said such an extension in the Aegean would be seen as a cause of war, because much of its coast would be deprived of access to the sea. The threat is still in effect, Çavuşoğlu said.

“The Greek government conducts itself with international law and its national interest as its only determinants,” Greek government spokesperson Giannis Oikonomou said in a statement.

Despite being NATO allies, Athens and Ankara have been at odds for decades over a number of bilateral disputes, including maritime boundaries, overlapping claims to their continental shelves, and the long-running Cyprus dispute.

Turkey has stepped up its rhetoric against Greece in recent months, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan even warning that a missile could hit the Greek capital unless “you stay calm.” Both countries will hold national elections by next summer.

Back in October, Greek foreign ministry officials told POLITICO that the technical work needed to extend territorial waters to 12 nautical miles south and east of Crete could be ready within weeks. This means Athens could pull the trigger on the decision before its legislative election in July.

Source: POLITICO

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Whether you’re new to the Panegyri or a frequent flyer, we thought it might be fun to reach out to the festival organizers for some lesser-known facts about one of the largest Greek festivals in the country.

Here’s what we learned:

:10 epic music festivals worth the drive from Cincinnati

What does panegyri mean?

Panegyri, literally translated, means “all around.” The root is gyro, as in gyroscope. (We’ll talk about gyro the sandwich in a moment.) The word is used to describe large gatherings or festivals. In Greece, a panegyri often is held at a church on the feast day of its patron saint. It’s pronounced pan-ehh-YEE-ree. Extra points if you can roll the “r” at the end.

Everyone loves baklava, the syrup-soaked filo-dough pastry layered with walnuts. How many walnuts do you go through?

The Panegyri features baklava and other classic Greek pastries, all handmade by parishioners. Not only does this keep the pastries fresh and authentic, but it also provides the opportunity for the yiayias (grandmothers) of the community to pass the tradition of pastry baking down to the younger generations. 

For this year’s festival, 400 pounds of walnuts were used to make approximately 10,000 pieces of baklava.

Pro tip: Don’t wait until the last day to get your baklava – it sells out quickly.

:Church festivals happening around town this weekend

Tell us about the music – what gives it that unique sound?

The bouzouki – a long-necked stringed instrument in the same family as the lute and mandolin – is what gives Greek folk music its distinctive sound. It has steel strings (usually eight coupled in pairs, like a 12-string guitar) and originates from instruments brought from Turkey and the Balkans during the Greco-Turkish War in the early 1900s. The word bouzouki comes from the Turkish buzuk, meaning “broken” or “modified.”

OK, so once and for all, how do you pronounce gyro?

The Panegyri goes through more than 3,200 pounds of gyro meat, a lamb-beef blend cooked on a rotisserie and sliced thin. So how do you pronounce this most famous of Greek street food? 

First of all, the Greeks are known for their over-the-top hospitality (philoxenia – literally, love of strangers), so no one is going to roll their eyes if you pronounce it “ji-ro,” as in “gyroscope.” But if you want to sound like you just arrived from Athens, say, “YEE-ro,” and be sure to roll that “r.” 

The challenge of pronouncing gyro was the topic of this Tonight Show video (below) featuring Jimmy Fallon and country singer Luke Bryan.

Anything new this year?

Yes! If you want to attend multiple days, you can now get a weekend pass for $5 (daily admission is $3 for adults and free for children 12 and under). A portion of admission proceeds will be donated to the Freestore Foodbank and the church’s Good Shepherd Food Pantry.

And, back by popular demand, the Panegyri will be serving its famous Ouzo Lemonade.

Bonus fact: How many people does it take to stage the Panegyri?

When you tally up the festival volunteers, including the dancers who have been practicing for months, the number tops 500. Many of the volunteers will be wearing blue “Panegyri volunteer” T-shirts – they can’t wait to welcome you.  

The Panegyri Greek Festival runs 5-11 p.m. Friday, June 23; 3-11 p.m. Saturday, June 24; and 1-8 p.m. Sunday, June 25, on the grounds of Holy Trinity-St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 7000 Winton Road, Finneytown. Free parking with shuttle service is available at St. Xavier High School. For more information, go to Panegyri.com.

Source: Cincinnati.com

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