Wagner Boss Prigozhin Sends a Very Weird Audio Message to The Daily Beast
ReutersThe Daily Beast has received a bizarre audio recording from none other than Yevgeny Prigozhin, the notorious head of Russia’s Wagner Group.In the audio clip, sent in response to a comment request for a story related to the private mercenary group, Prigozhin makes it quite clear that he has no interest in hearing from The Daily Beast’s Allison Quinn.“Dear Allison, baby, you are asking too many questions today,” he said in the audio recording on Thursday. “I am busy searching my garden plot
news.yahoo.comFlorida principal says she was forced to resign after parents complained that photos of Michelangelo's David shown to students were 'pornographic,' report says
Social media users quickly noted that the topic was a 1990 'Simpsons' episode in which an angry mob of Springfield parents protested the famous statue.
news.yahoo.comHungary: Criticism makes it hard to cooperate with West
The West’s steady criticism of Hungary on democratic and cultural issues makes the small European country’s right-wing government reluctant to offer support on practical matters, specifically NATO’s buildup against Russia, Hungary’s foreign minister said. In an interview with The Associated Press, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó also said Friday that his country has not voted on whether to allow Finland and Sweden to join NATO because Hungarian lawmakers are sick of those countries' critiques of Hungarian domestic affairs. Lawmakers from the governing party plan to vote Monday in favor of the Finnish request but “serious concerns were raised" about Finland and Sweden in recent months "mostly because of the very disrespectful behavior of the political elites of both countries towards Hungary,” Szijjártó said.
news.yahoo.comElderly Ukrainian helicopters pummel Russians from afar
Each day, they might fly three or four sorties, says the commander, whose two-crew Mi-24 helicopter, built about 40 years ago, is older than he is. The conflict in Ukraine is largely an artillery war, with territory being fought for inch by inch under a barrage of shells and missiles. “The importance of the helicopters is huge,” said the commander, who is part of Ukraine’s 12th Army Aviation Brigade.
news.yahoo.comDrone strike kills US contractor in Syria; US retaliates
A U.S. contractor was killed and five U.S. service members and one other U.S. contractor were wounded when a suspected Iranian drone struck a facility on a coalition base in northeast Syria on Thursday, the Pentagon said. In a statement released late Thursday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said U.S. Central Command forces retaliated with “precision airstrikes” against facilities in eastern Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. The Defense Department said the intelligence community had determined the unmanned aerial vehicle was of Iranian origin.
news.yahoo.com1st US Army garrison on NATO's east flank formed in Poland
Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak and U.S. officials attended a ceremony Tuesday to formally upgrade the U.S. military presence in NATO member Poland amid the war in neighboring Ukraine. There are more than 10,000 American troops stationed in the former communist bloc country.
news.yahoo.comIntel agencies: No sign adversaries behind 'Havana syndrome'
U.S. intelligence agencies say they cannot link a foreign adversary to any of the incidents associated with so-called “Havana syndrome,” the hundreds of cases of brain injuries and other symptoms reported by American personnel around the world.
‘We had to leave all we had’: Family recounts ‘terrifying’ escape from war-torn Ukraine
Ukraine refugees Surkhrab Niyazov, his wife, Inna, and their children visited The Morning Show studios on Saturday to share their story and spread the word about how they were helped by a local organization: Catholic Charities.
Stop Russia now to prevent a wider conflict, Estonia warns
With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearing the one-year mark, Estonia’s military leaders are warning that if Vladimir Putin is not stopped now, he could entangle the region in a much larger conflict, perhaps one with even larger security implications for the U.S. Kristjan Mäe is the head of the Estonian Ministry of Defense’s NATO and EU department.
UN agencies seek $5.6B to help Ukraine, its refugees abroad
The U.N.’s humanitarian aid and refugee agencies say they are seeking $5.6 billion to help millions of people in Ukraine and 10 countries that have taken in fleeing Ukrainians in the wake of Russia’s invasion of their country nearly a year ago.
Brittney Griner makes first statement on Instagram since returning home
Brittney Griner’s return to the United States in a prisoner swap with Russia ended a 10-month saga, with Griner spending time in a Russian jail for having cannabis oil in her luggage. Griner was playing basketball in Russia during the WNBA offseason.
Ukraine war, tensions with China loom over big Bali summit
A showdown between Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin isn’t happening, but the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and growing tensions between China and the West will be at the fore when leaders of the world’s biggest economies gather in tropical Bali this week.
EU pledges $250m to Moldova to tackle acute energy crisis
European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has paid an official visit to Moldova and announced a 250 million-euro (-dollar) support package to help the small nation overcome an acute winter energy crisis amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
US economy returned to growth last quarter, expanding 2.6%
The U.S. economy grew at a 2.6% annual rate from July through September, snapping two straight quarters of contraction and overcoming high inflation and interest rates just as voting begins in midterm elections in which the economy’s health has emerged as a paramount issue.