While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Aug 25
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Mr Prigozhin (left) led a mutiny against Russia’s army leadership in June, a act of rebellion that angered President Putin.
PHOTOS: REUTERS, AFP
DeeperDive is a beta AI feature. Refer to full articles for the facts.
Putin delivers mixed tribute to Wagner boss Prigozhin
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences to the family of Yevgeny Prigozhin on Thursday, breaking his silence after the mercenary leader’s plane crashed with no survivors two months after he led a mutiny against army chiefs.
Mr Putin’s comments, which suggested he harboured decidedly mixed feelings about Wagner’s mercenary boss, were the most definitive yet on Mr Prigozhin’s fate. Before he spoke, the only official statement had come from the aviation authority which said Mr Prigozhin had been on board the downed plane.
Russian investigators have opened a probe into what happened, but have not yet said what they suspect caused the plane to suddenly fall from the sky north-west of Moscow on Wednesday evening.
Nor have they officially confirmed the identities of the 10 bodies recovered from the wreckage.
Ukraine says forces flew country’s flag in occupied Crimea
Ukraine said on Thursday its forces had flown the country’s flag in Russian-annexed Crimea during a “special operation” to mark its second wartime Independence Day, as Norway announced fighter jets for Kyiv.
Kyiv has repeatedly said it aims to take back Crimea, which is recognised internationally as part of Ukraine but has been controlled by Russia since 2014, when Moscow’s forces seized the peninsula.
Ukraine’s GUR intelligence agency said its special forces had landed overnight on Crimea’s western shore near the towns of Olenivka and Mayak, where they had “engaged in combat”. “As a result, the enemy suffered losses among personnel. Enemy equipment was destroyed,” it said, adding that the “state flag flew again in the Ukrainian Crimea”.
Ex-Trump aide Mark Meadows surrenders in Georgia
Donald Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows surrendered to Atlanta authorities on charges that he conspired to keep his ex-boss in office after he lost the 2020 presidential election.
Meadows, who was at Trump’s side for weeks as he took steps to reverse his defeat by Joe Biden, was booked at the Fulton County Jail on Thursday, hours after he agreed to a US$100,000 (S$130,000) bond to remain free pending trial.
Meadows is the latest of the 19 defendants to surrender following the Aug 14 indictment, which was brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis after a two-year probe.
Heat stress could threaten health of one billion cows
EPA-EFE
By the end of century, more than one billion cows worldwide could suffer from heat stress if global warming continues unabated, threatening their fertility, milk production and lives, according to research published on Thursday.
Nearly eight out of 10 cows across the planet are already experiencing excessively high body temperatures, spiked respiration rates, bowed heads and open-mouthed panting – all symptoms associated with severe heat stress, the study said.
In tropical climates, 20 per cent of cattle endure those symptoms year-round.
No final berth for Shanti Pereira in history-making week
PHOTO: REUTERS
Shanti Pereira did not progress from her 200m semi-finals at the World Athletics Championships on Thursday, but the reigning Asian champion will take heart from a week in which she sealed qualification to the Paris Olympics and became the first Singaporean to reach this stage of a world meet.
At the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, she clocked 22.79 seconds to finish sixth in the third semi-final. Reigning 200m world champion Shericka Jackson of Jamaica was fastest in 22.00 sec, followed by American Sha’Carri Richardson (22.20sec), who won the 100m on Monday.
The top two from each of the three semi-finals moved into the final, along with the next two fastest runners.
