Good morning.
Russian forces carried out fresh airstrikes on Ukrainian energy facilities on Tuesday, causing several explosions in an area of northern Kyiv where there is a thermal power station.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the presidential office, said there had been three Russian strikes on an unspecified energy facility. Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said the attack was on “critical infrastructure” in the north of the city, where witnesses said they saw thick smoke rising into the sky.
Neither official said whether the thermal power station had been hit. They also gave no casualty details.
Meanwhile, a Russian military jet has crashed into a residential building shortly after taking off near the border with Ukraine, sparking a major fire that has reportedly left at least 13 people dead, according to Russian news agency Interfax, citing a senior official.
What else is happening? A prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine resulted in more than 100 Ukrainian women being freed yesterday, including dozens who were captured during the Azovstal steelworks siege in Mariupol in May.
Why pro-Israel lobby group Aipac is backing election deniers and extremist Republicans
The US’s largest pro-Israel lobby group is backing dozens of racists, homophobes and election deniers running for Congress next month because they have pledged to defend Israel against stiffening criticism of its oppression of the Palestinians, writes Chris McGreal.
The powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) has justified endorsing Republicans with extremist views, including members of Congress with ties to white supremacist groups and representatives who attempted to block Joe Biden’s election victory, on the grounds that the singular issue of support for Israel trumps other considerations.
But Aipac’s support for rightwing politicians has privately embarrassed some Democrats also endorsed by the powerful group and drawn accusations from more moderate pro-Israel organisations that it is attempting to stifle legitimate criticism of hardline Israeli policies.
Logan Bayroff, a spokesperson for J Street, a group campaigning for Washington to take a stronger stand to end the occupation of Palestinian territories, accused Aipac of attempting to impose a narrow definition of what it is to be pro-Israel amid shifting views in Democratic ranks.
What did Bayroff say? “Their actions have made clear that they view pro-Israel, pro-peace progressive Democrats as threats – and Trumpist Republicans as allies. That worldview could not be more out of touch with the vast majority of American Jews,” he said.
Fears for Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi after she competed in Seoul without a hijab
There are growing fears for an Iranian climber who competed in an international tournament in South Korea without a hijab after friends told the BBC’s Persian service that they have been unable to contact her since Sunday.
The BBC also quoted “well-informed sources” as saying Elnaz Rekabi’s passport and mobile phone had been confiscated.
The BBC World Service presenter Rana Rahimpour tweeted on Tuesday morning that Rekabi was on a plane bound for Tehran and that “there are concerns about her safety”.
Rekabi was competing in the Asian Championships. Its organisers, the International Federation of Sport Climbing, have been contacted for comment.
What has the Iranian embassy in Seoul said? “The embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in South Korea strongly denies all the fake, false news and disinformation regarding Ms Elnaz REKABI,” a tweet read.
What else is happening in Iran? Iran has been gripped by deadly protests after Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody last month. The 22-year-old had been detained by the country’s morality police for not wearing a hijab properly. Another schoolgirl has reportedly been killed by the Iranian security services after she was beaten in her classroom for refusing to sing a pro-regime song.
In other news …
In an interview with the Guardian, Dr Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious disease expert urged US Congress to avoid complacency and resume funding to combat coronavirus as well as long Covid, a chronic and prolonged illness that continues to elude scientists and healthcare providers.
China’s government is pursuing its plans to annex Taiwan on a “much faster timeline” under Xi Jinping, the US secretary of state has said. The comments by Antony Blinken came as China’s ruling Communist party meets for its congress.
Dismembered bodies found in the Deep Fork River in Oklahoma have been identified as those of four men reported missing last week, the local police chief said on Monday, adding: “This is now a murder investigation.” The victims died from gunshot wounds before they were cut up and dumped into the river.
Milwaukee police say they are investigating a viral social media video depicting a white man with one of his hands around the neck of a young frightened Black man while calling 911 about a neighbor’s stolen bicycle. Black community activist Vaun Mayes described the restrained victim as having special needs.
Stat of the day: Secret Service made to pay up to $1,185 a night for Trump hotel stays, files show
The US Secret Service was made to pay as much as $1,185 a night to stay at properties belonging to former president Donald Trump, a congressional committee said yesterday as it released documents that appeared to show the former president profiting from his protection details in and out of office. The Secret Service, which is mandated by law to protect the president and his family, spent $1.4m at Trump-owned properties in the US, according to records obtained by a House committee investigating Trump conflicts of interest.
Don’t miss this: I was given a house for free – but it already belonged to someone else
In 2016, I was given a house by Write a House, a short-lived Detroit-based organization founded in 2011 to award homes to low-income scribes, writes Anne Elizabeth Moore. It was, on paper, a great idea. But the house I was given already belonged to someone: Tomeka Langford. I didn’t know it at the time. Neither did Tomeka. This is a story of a Black woman losing her home to municipal greed, and a white woman benefiting from her loss. It’s a story about the racial wealth gap. But it’s also a story about what we do next: how we calculate damage, and what we might do to repair it.
… or this: How we met – ‘I turned up to a party dressed as a pirate. But I was the only one in costume’
“My co-worker had a housewarming party just before Halloween,” Tim says. “I assumed it was a costume party so I turned up dressed as a pirate,” he says. “When I got there, I was the only one in costume.” He spotted Tumi, who was a friend of his colleague, and they got chatting properly for the first time. “I thought: ‘There’s strange, sexy Tim,’” she says. “I found it hilarious that he was dressed up. I had this shiny coat on, so told him I’d be his ‘piece of eight’.”
Climate check: US Atlantic coast a breeding ground for supercharged hurricanes – study
The US Atlantic coast has become a breeding ground for supercharged hurricanes that are likely to batter coastal communities even harder if the world remains hooked on fossil fuels, says a new study. Global heating caused by greenhouse gas emissions from burning oil, gas and coal is the main factor contributing to increasingly severe storms and flooding affecting the American east coast over the past four decades. Rapid intensification has led to storms gathering strength so quickly it has become increasingly difficult to provide timely warnings and evacuation orders to residents.
Last Thing: Japan’s oldest toilet damaged as driver backed up
Japan’s oldest existing toilet, dating back hundreds of years, has been damaged after it was accidentally rammed by a car. A 30-year-old man, who works for the Kyoto Heritage Preservation Association, damaged the communal toilet, located inside Tofukuji temple in Kyoto, after he mistakenly accelerated while the vehicle was in reverse, crashing into the building’s wooden door. The “tosu” restroom, an important cultural property, was built during the Muromachi period about 500 years ago for use by trainee monks, according to the public broadcaster NHK.
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