While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Sept 7
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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) welcomes US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Kyiv.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Blinken hails Kyiv’s pushback against Russia
Ukraine has made important progress in its counteroffensive against Russia’s invasion, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday, during a visit overshadowed by a Russian attack that killed at least 17 people.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack, which hit a crowded market in the city of Kostiantynivka, close to the battlefield.He said a child was among the dead, and officials said at least 32 people were hurt.
“This Russian evil must be defeated as soon as possible,” Mr Zelensky said, describing it as a deliberate attack on a “peaceful city”.
Mr Blinken, the first top US official to visit Kyiv since the counteroffensive began in early June, announced a new package of US wartime assistance worth more than US$1 billion (S$1.3 billion), including support for Ukraine’s air defences.
Escaped killer evades US police in huge manhunt
A convicted murderer evaded a huge manhunt in Pennsylvania for a sixth day on Wednesday, despite being glimpsed on outdoor cameras and at one point breaking into a house to raid the kitchen.
Schools were closed as a precaution and police warned the public in areas west of Philadelphia to be careful in case they run into Brazilian national Danelo Cavalcante, convicted last month of stabbing his girlfriend to death.
Cavalcante escaped from Chester County Prison on Aug 31 after receiving a life sentence the week before for stabbing his girlfriend 38 times in front of her children in 2021.
Ethics watchdog files suit to try to block Trump from ballot
NYT
A Washington-based ethics watchdog filed a lawsuit on Wednesday to try to block Donald Trump from appearing on the ballot in Colorado next year if he wins the Republican presidential nomination, arguing that his actions on Jan 6, 2021, disqualify him from office.
The nonpartisan group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, filed the lawsuit in a Colorado state court on behalf of six Republican and unaffiliated voters including former state, federal, and local officials, it said in a statement.
The untested legal strategy, which relies on a reading of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, faces long odds, according to legal experts.
Armenia to exercise with US troops, frustrated with Russia
Armenia said on Wednesday it would host a joint army exercise with the United States next week, at a time of rising military tension with neighbouring Azerbaijan and open friction in its relationship with Russia.
The Armenian Defence Ministry said the purpose of the Sept 11-20 “Eagle Partner 2023“ exercise was to prepare its forces to take part in international peacekeeping missions. A US military spokesman said 85 US soldiers and 175 Armenians would take part.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has accused Russia, distracted by its war against Ukraine, of failing to protect Armenia against what he called continuing aggression from Azerbaijan.
‘A player is going to die’, says Medvedev after US Open win
REUTERS
Third seed Daniil Medvedev overcame brutal heat and a gritty Andrey Rublev to fight his way into the US Open last four on Wednesday with a 6-4 6-3 6-4 win over his daughter’s godfather, who for the ninth time hit a Grand Slam quarter-final wall.
On another steamy hot day with temperatures as high as 32 deg C, Medvedev was better able to deal with the stifling humidity and heat inside Arthur Ashe Stadium than eighth seed Rublev to make the Flushing Meadows semi-finals for the fourth time in five years.
Despite getting the victory, Medvedev was not happy about playing in such difficult conditions, the 2021 champion complaining into the camera while wiping off sweat in the third set: “You cannot imagine, one player is going to die and then they’re going to see.”
