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  President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian officials say the mayor of Melitopol in southern Ukraine was kidnapped on Friday by Russian military occupying the city. "The mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, was kidnapped by a group of ten occupants," Ukraine's parliament announced on Twitter. It went on to say, "He refused to cooperate with the enemy." The mayor was apprehended while dealing with supply concerns at the city's crisis center, according to the report. Late Friday, Zelensky confirmed the kidnapping in a video message, calling Fedorov "a mayor who heroically defends Ukraine and the members of his community." "This is clearly an evidence of the invaders' weakness... They've progressed to a new level of horror, attempting to physically destroy representatives of genuine local Ukrainian authority "he stated "The kidnapping of Melitopol's mayor is thus a crime committed not only against a single person, but also aga...

The Ukrainian government claims that Russia's troops bombarded a mosque in Mariupol, which was sheltering more than 80 people.  LVIV (Ukraine) – Russian military attacked a mosque sheltering more than 80 people, including children, in Mariupol, the Ukrainian authorities said Saturday. On the fringes of Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, fighting raged while Russia's growing invasion razed other resistant cities. There was no early news on the number of people killed or injured as a result of the bombardment of Mariupol's exquisite city-center mosque. Unrelenting barrages have thwarted numerous attempts to bring in food and water, evacuate besieged populations, and bury all of the dead in the ringed city of 446,000 people. An Associated Press correspondent was with a group of hospital workers who came under sniper fire on Friday and observed tanks firing on a 9-story residential building in the city. Although a worker who was shot in the hip survived, the hospital's conditions...

 In the early hours of Saturday morning, CNN teams in Kyiv reported hearing explosions, with chief international reporter Clarissa Ward describing "a constant salvo... of just heavy booms in the distance" that lasted several minutes. She claimed it's unclear whether the explosions were caused by Russian or Ukrainian strikes. Fighting has continued on the outskirts of Kyiv, with the city's government claiming that the areas to the north are the most dangerous, including the Bucha, Irpin, and Hostomel neighborhoods, as well as the district of Vyshorod farther north. Fighting has also erupted in Brovary, which is located east of the city and is located across the Dnieper River. "The danger becomes... that the aim is to entirely surround the city, starve the city, bombard the city, and then try to overthrow (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky's government," Ward warned as Russian forces pressed in from many directions. Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyi...

 Negotiations in Vienna aimed at restoring the Iran nuclear deal were called off indefinitely Tuesday after a last-minute demand by Russia threw the talks into disarray. In a tweet, Josep Borrell, the European Union's foreign affairs leader, announced the decision to "halt" the discussions, citing "external forces" as the reason for the break. After President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the agreement in 2018, negotiators from the seven countries involved have spent the past year hunkered in Vienna trying to find methods to resurrect the 2015 nuclear accord. According to diplomats, Borrell was referring to Russia's demand for US sanctions relief to be applied to its future commercial dealings with Iran as a condition for participating in a revived deal, which was first made last Saturday. A final text for a new agreement is "basically ready and on the table," according to Borrell, who added that he and his staff would keep in...

  After the social network modified its hate speech policies to allow users to urge for violence against Russians in the context of the war with Ukraine, Russia initiated a criminal lawsuit against Facebook's parent company Meta Platforms and tried to designate it as a "extremist organization" on Friday. "A criminal case has been opened... in connection with illegal calls for murder and violence against Russian Federation residents by employees of the American firm Meta, which owns the social media platforms Facebook and Instagram," Russia's Investigative Committee said. President Vladimir Putin receives direct updates from the committee. The legal ramifications of the criminal case were not immediately obvious. In response to a request from Reuters, Meta had no immediate comment. A Meta representative claimed on Thursday that, two weeks into Russia's war in Ukraine, the firm had temporarily relaxed its restrictions for political expression, allowing mes...

  New York (CNN Business) – It was a big thing when McDonald's first opened its doors in Moscow. Even though it was the dead of winter – January 31, 1990 — crowds flocked in droves. Grainy Lines stretching out the door and crowds of people inside trying Big Macs for the first time, according to CNN footage. The venue at Pushkin Square was enormous, with seating for hundreds of people. At the time, it was the world's largest McDonald's restaurant. The fast food business was hopping on the inside. In many aspects, it resembled any other McDonald's from the time period. Under the golden arches, however, there was a hammer-and-sickle flag and an international theme inside, with a model of London's Big Ben. Bright-eyed Customer orders were taken by McDonald's personnel wearing maroon branded visors and large smiles. According to a Washington Post report from 1990, about 630 employees were picked from a pool of 27,000 candidates. Before the store opened for business, ...

  There are people who proclaim loudly at the start of practically every war, including the current one in Ukraine, that it will be finished soon and that business can resume as usual. They are almost never correct. While no one can predict the outcome of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the economic battle that is taking place in the background is extremely likely to destabilize the current global trade system. It was just a little more than a century ago when a global commerce system was destroyed. The dominance of the British fleet on the high seas and the reach of the British Empire from the late 1800s to the advent of World War I established an era of stability and connectedness that was very favorable to global trade. Then came World War I, which shattered such stability and connectedness. Later, the Great Depression triggered a global trade war that wiped out the international trading system's vestiges. The world did not establish a free-flowing economic system until the conc...

LONDON, March 11 (Reuters) - On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the deployment of up to 16,000 Middle Eastern volunteers in Ukraine to fight alongside Russian-backed rebels, doubling down on an invasion that the West fears is losing steam. Russia may now deploy battle-hardened mercenaries from battlefields like Syria without risking more Russian military casualties just over two weeks after Putin ordered the assault. "If you see that these individuals want to come to Donbass on their own choice, not for money," Putin said from the Kremlin, "then we need to give them what they want and help them go to the fighting zone." Shoigu also urged for Donbass forces to be handed over. Javelin and Stinger produced in the United States "Please do this," he instructed Shoigu. The exchange was carried on Russian state television. Putin said the "special military operation" in Ukraine is necessary to maintain Russia's security after the US...

 (CNN)Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska, wrote an open letter to the world's media on Tuesday, documenting what she called "mass murder of Ukrainian civilians." Zelenska has been using social media to highlight the problems of her country in recent weeks, but none has been as blunt as her most recent post, which closes with the rallying cry: "We will triumph. Because of our comradeship. Love for Ukraine can only be achieved via unity. Ukraine is to be praised!" As her husband, President Volodymyr Zelensky, has emerged as the face of Ukrainian defiance against Russia's invasion, Zelenska has grown more vocal online in order to support him and raise international awareness of their country's situation. On February 24, when Russia invaded Ukraine for the first time, Zelensky declared For security reasons, the whereabouts of his wife and two children remain unknown. Nonetheless, Zelenska has been active on social media, motivating her people and suppo...

 Reuters, March 10 - On Thursday, the Kremlin claimed Russia's economy was undergoing a shock and that measures were being made to mitigate the impact of what it called a "absolutely unprecedented" economic war being fought against Moscow. The West has slapped Russia with a slew of sanctions in response to its invasion of Ukraine. On a conference call with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, "Our economy is currently experiencing a shock impact, and while there are negative implications, they will be minimized." He described the situation as tumultuous, but added that steps were already being done to calm and stabilize it. "This is completely unheard of. There has never been an economic war like the one that has begun against our country. As a result, predicting anything is extremely difficult." Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge

LONDON, March 10 (Reuters) - On Thursday, Russia's stance on the bombing of a Ukrainian hospital in Mariupol changed, with a mix of remarks ranging from vehement denials to a plea for the gathering of actual evidence. Ukraine's president accused Russia of genocide on Wednesday, despite a ceasefire agreement allowing civilians to flee the besieged city. Russian bombers attacked the hospital, officials alleged, burying patients in rubble.  When pressed for comment in the incident, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Reuters: "Russian forces do not fire on civilian targets." He indicated on Thursday that the Kremlin would investigate the matter. "We will surely ask our military," Peskov told reporters, "since you and I don't have precise information about what transpired there." "And it's extremely likely that the military will release some information." On Thursday, other Russian officials took a tougher stance, dismissing the h...

 Reuters, LVIV, Ukraine, March 9 - The US criticized the bombing of a children's hospital in Ukraine on Wednesday, saying that despite a ceasefire agreement allowing residents to leave the besieged city of Mariupol, a Russian air attack buried patients under rubble. The bombing, which injured women in labor and left toddlers in the ruins, is the latest tragic incident of the 14-day invasion, which has been described as the largest assault on a European state since 1945. Despite a Russian promise to stop firing so that at least some trapped residents might flee the city, where hundreds of thousands have been without water or power for more than a week, the destruction occurred. When contacted for response by Reuters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov replied, "Russian military do not fire on civilian targets." Russia describes its assault as a "special operation" aimed at disarming its neighbor and removing "neo-Nazi" leaders. The Ukrainian foreign min...

  The first person to receive a heart transplant from a pig has died, the Maryland hospital that performed the surgery reported on Wednesday, two months after the pioneering procedure. On Tuesday, 57-year-old David Bennett died at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Doctors did not specify the reason of death, just stating that his condition had been deteriorating for several days. Bennett's son expressed gratitude to the hospital for offering the last-ditch trial, noting that the family hoped it would aid future efforts to alleviate the organ scarcity. "We are grateful for every innovative moment, every wild dream, and every sleepless night that went into this historic effort," University of Maryland School of Medicine Dean David Bennett Jr said in a statement. "We hope that this story is only the beginning of a new era of hope, rather than the end." For decades, doctors have hoped to employ animal organs in life-saving transplants. Bennett, a handyman f...

 "game changer" for the global economy.  The invasion of Ukraine by Russia, as well as the financial sanctions imposed in reaction, demonstrate  that the triumphal globalization drive that began more than 30 years ago has come to an end. Economists predict that the fallout from the Ukraine conflict will eat into the global economic recovery this year, with Europe bearing the brunt of the impact. A rise in oil prices to over $110 per barrel, as well as new supply chain disruptions — including new troubles for the auto industry — are likely to exacerbate US inflation, which is already at a four-decade high. However, the war's long-term implications may be even more serious. Years of deteriorating US-China relations and failed global trade talks have blocked the tighter integration of finance and trade flows that had been envisaged during globalization's heyday, even before Russian President Vladimir Putin sent tanks and missiles flying toward Ukraine. What follows is u...

Poland's intention to transfer US jets to Ukraine isn't "tenable," according to the Pentagon.   (CNN)The Pentagon on Tuesday evening rebuffed Poland's proposal to transfer its MiG-29 fighter jets to the US for delivery to Ukraine, which had been made just hours before. Just hours after Polish officials said the government was ready to deploy all of its MiG-29 fighter jets the US Air Force's Rammstein Air Base in Germany so they could be provided to Ukraine in its fight against Russia, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement that the Pentagon did not believe Poland's proposal was "tenable." Kirby stated, "It is simply not clear to us that there is a substantive rationale for it." "We will continue to confer with Poland and other NATO members on this problem and the tremendous logistical challenges it poses, but we do not believe Poland's proposal is viable." Kirby said the decision to transfer Polish-owned p...

  Ukrainians flee their country for fear of death Despite consistently breaking earlier agreements, the Russian Defense Ministry claims it would cease firing at 10 a.m. local time Monday (2 a.m. ET) to allow people to evacuate their homes in the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Mariupol . The ministry stated in a statement Monday that the decision was made "at the personal request" of French President Emmanuel Macron, and that the relevant facts had been shared with international agencies such as the UN Civilians killed during evacuation: According to the city's mayor, a Russian military attack hit an evacuation crossing point in a Kyiv suburb on Sunday, killing a family with two children as well as numerous more civilians fleeing their houses . The checkpoint in the suburb of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, was hit by two mortar or artillery projectiles, according to Ukrainian authorities. A shell landed as a stream of civilians passed through the checkpoint,...

  Ukraine accuses Russia of attempting to'manipulate' a cease-fire agreement, while oil prices hit 13-year highs.   Ukraine claims that Moscow is attempting to manipulate the cease-fire agreement by allowing only Ukrainian citizens to flee to Russia and Belarus.   On Monday, Moscow said it will halt attacks in four Ukrainian towns, including Kyiv, to allow residents to flee. Several evacuation attempts were halted over the weekend after Russian forces were accused of violating cease-fires.   Meanwhile, the potential of a Russian oil and gas ban has sent energy markets into a tailspin, with oil prices hitting 13-year highs. According to reports, Russia claims that military activity against Ukraine may be halted 'in a flash' if Ukraine satisfies certain requirements. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, is claimed to have suggested that Russia is willing to suspend its military activity in Ukraine if Kyiv accepts a number of very problematic criteria. Accordin...

(Reuters) – WASHINGTON, March 7 (Reuters) – According to US Secretary of State Antony    Blinken, the US and its European allies are considering blocking Russian oil imports, and the White House is working with key Congressional committees on their own prohibition.Europe relies on Russia for crude oil and natural gas, but in the last 24 hours, a source involved with the talks told Reuters that Europe has become more open to the concept of blocking Russian products.  Meanwhile, in a Sunday letter, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the house is "exploring" legislation to prohibit Russian oil imports and that Congress plans to pass $10 billion in aid for Ukraine this week in reaction to Moscow's armed assault of its neighbor.  The White House is also discussing a potential ban with the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee, according to the source. Nonetheless, Blinken stressed the importance of ensuring a steady supply of oil around t...