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First post - discusses how neighboring countries of Ukraine, specifically Sweden in this article, have helped in their humanitarian crisis with moving Ukraine refugees out of the country. While hiring contracting cruise ships have has temporary put the problem on hold, these contracts will soon expire later in 2023 with only a few cruises getting extensions. It begs the question if there will ever be a permanent solution in helping those in Ukraine.

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Those on board were given access to restaurants, child play facilities, shops, cleaning and communal spaces. They were also given access to healthcare and benefits support services.

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Ukrainian refugees on Glasgow cruise ship to be rehomed

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Those on board were given access to restaurants, child play facilities, shops, cleaning and communal spaces. They were also given access to healthcare and benefits support services.

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Many Ukraine officials were taken out of office due to mis- allocation of military resources for the country to use. Many officials of taken advantage of their aid from other countries for their benefit which led to the corruption crackdown and President Zelensky stating that all government officials are not allowed to take any vacation nor unofficial leave while they are still at war with Russia. While this is all seems well and good, I wonder how much of these resources that were wasted over the year that could have helped not only the military but their civilians in either protecting them or getting them out of the country or asylum.

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— Michael Schwirtz, Maria Varenikova and Cassandra Vinograd

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Russia-Ukraine War: Several Top Officials Fired Amid Corruption Crackdown in Ukraine

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A series of dismissals marks the biggest shake-up of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government since the war began.

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The Red Cross (which I learned is an NGO) has been Ukraine's biggest civil organization in aiding them and are only stepping up their help as the conflict continues to worsen. Such resources include generators to hospitals and increasing their volunteer work force from 400 to 1,500. We've talked about in class how governments generally dislike NGOs due their potential in interfering with politics, but its hard to argue the good NGOs can do and are doing right now for the betterment of not only their country but for others.

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BERLIN, Jan 25 (Reuters) - The Ukrainian Red Cross is preparing for more aid to the civil population in the country's war-plagued zones in light of a possible new Russian offensive, the organization's general secretary said.

"Everyone expects some intensification of the fighting," Maksym Dotsenko told Reuters during a visit to the German capital Berlin.

Since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February last year, around 11 million people have fled their homes, with 7 million internally displaced and four million refugees in neighbouring states.

The Red Cross, Ukraine's biggest civil organization, has no access to Russian-occupied territories in eastern and southern Ukraine, but is operating in the rest of the country.

The organisation has increased its staff to 1,500 employees from 400 before the war and more than doubled the number of volunteer workers, Dotsenko said.

Five of its volunteers have died in the conflict, Dotsenko reported, one of them during Russian shelling of the city of Kherson in the south.

"I cannot say that all the needs are covered. But I can say that in general the situation is under control," Dotsenko said.

The Red Cross, he said, is ready to provide generators to hospitals and other places in case of more Russian attacks on critical infrastructure.

"Of course, we need more financial support," he added, but there was no need for donations of clothing.

Front lines in the war, which stretch more than 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) through eastern and southern Ukraine, have been largely frozen in place for two months despite heavy losses on both sides, but both Russia and Ukraine are widely believed to be planning new offensives.

Reporting by Alexander Ratz Editing by Riham Alkousaa and Mark Heinrich

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Ukraine's Red Cross to step up aid as fighting seen intensifying

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BERLIN, Jan 25 (Reuters) - The Ukrainian Red Cross is preparing for more aid to the civil population in the country's war-plagued zones in light of a possible new Russian offensive, the organization's general secretary said. "Everyone expects some intensification of the fighting," Maksym Dotsenko told Reuters during a visit to the German capital Berlin.

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Ukraine will boycott the Olympics if Russia is allowed to participate. Interesting since the Olympics is only a few of rare events where countries come together in sports and the OIC are stating that all athletes are allowed to compete regardless of what "passport" they have. This all reminds me of the when Nazi Germany held the olympics before WWII and how people say that was a mistake.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says that allowing Russia to compete at the 2024 Olympics in Paris would amount to showing that "terror is somehow acceptable".

He said he had raised the issue with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Moscow must not be allowed to use the Olympics for propaganda, he added.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said Russian and Belarusian athletes could compete as neutrals at the Olympics.

But Ukraine has threatened to boycott Paris 2024 if Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to compete.

Attempts by the IOC "to bring Russian athletes back into the Olympic Games are attempts to tell the whole world that terror is somehow acceptable", Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

Russia must not be allowed to use the Games "or any other sport event as propaganda for its aggression or its state chauvinism", he added.

The IOC said this week that Russian and Belarusian athletes could compete as "neutral athletes", stating that "no athlete should be prevented from competing just because of their passport".

But Mr Zelensky says there can be no neutrality in sport while his country's athletes are dying on the battlefield.

He also drew comparison with the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin when the Nazis were in power.

"There was a major Olympic mistake," he said. "The Olympic movement and terrorist states definitely should not cross paths."

The UK government has also condemned the plan to allow athletes to compete neutrally as a "world away from the reality of war".

Russian forces have been bombarding Kherson all weekend

Mr Zelensky's comments came as Russian forces continued to bombard the Ukrainian region of Kherson into the night, after a day of attacks which left at least three people dead.

Six others were wounded, two of them when a hospital was hit, local officials say.

The Kherson regional administration said the region was shelled almost 40 times on Saturday and was pounded continually on Sunday.

Kherson was the only regional capital to have fallen to Russian forces since the February 2022 invasion, but they were forced into a humiliating retreat in November.

President Zelensky said Russia had also stepped up its attacks in the eastern Donetsk region. He said his forces needed new weapons to confront a "very tough" situation of constant attacks.

"Russia wants the war to drag on and exhaust our forces. So we have to make time our weapon. We have to speed up events, speed up supplies and open up new weapons options for Ukraine," he said.

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Ukraine war: Russian athletes cannot be allowed at Olympics, Zelensky says

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Olympics chiefs say Russian and Belarusian athletes could compete as neutrals, but Ukraine opposes the move.

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Budget 2023: ₹35,000 crore outlay for growth in green energy transition | Latest News India - Hindustan Times

is an Indian English-language daily newpaper based in Delhi (capital)
owned by HT Media (mass media company based in Delhi)
owner is a Indian businesswomen (Shobhana Bhartia)

Discusses that in the 2023 Union Budget (which is always presented on the first day of February) ; focuses on energy transition which is expected to fuel "green growth" in the country in the coming years.

energy transition - process of downshifting fossil fuels and re-developing whole systems to operate on low carbon energy sources.

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Union Budget 2022-23 highlights the government's focus on energy transition, which is expected to fuel "green growth" in the country in the coming years. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman listed "green growth" among four opportunities that can be transformative for India in the run up to 2047, the country's 100th year of independence. The other three are: economic empowerment of women, integrating traditional artisans with the MSME sector, and tourism.

"We are implementing many programmes for green fuel, green energy, green farming, green mobility, green buildings, and green equipment, and policies for efficient use of energy across various economic sectors. These green growth efforts help in reducing carbon intensity of the economy and provides for large-scale green job opportunities," Sitharaman said while introducing the Budget.

The Budget provides ₹35,000 crore for priority capital investments towards net zero transition and energy security by the ministry of petroleum and natural gas, Sitharaman announced. India formally updated its nationally determined contribution (NDC) to fight climate change, confirming to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change last August that it will reduce the emissions intensity of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 45% from 2005 levels by the year 2030, and source about 50% of its energy requirement from non-fossil fuel-based sources the same deadline. India also underlined that its NDC would help achieve the long-term goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2070.

The budget also promised to support through viability gap funding, battery energy storage systems with capacity of 4,000 MWH and formulate a detailed framework for so-called pumped storage projects (those that facilitate storage of hydroelectric power). The main policy to facilitate energy transition however will be the Green Hydrogen Mission which was approved by the Centre on January 4, 2023. The mission, with a target of 5 MMT of green hydrogen production a year by 2030, has an outlay of ₹19,700 crores and "will facilitate transition of the economy to low carbon intensity, reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports, and make the country assume technology and market leadership in this sunrise sector," Sitharaman said.

The budget has also announced the creation of an interstate transmission system for evacuation and grid integration of 13 GW renewable energy from Ladakh with an investment of ₹20,700 crore of which ₹8,300 crore will be provided by the Centre.

"The budget will lead to significant job creation through the green economy. Support to various sectors like green hydrogen, bio-manure, offgrid solar and storage among others will create economic opportunities for entrepreneurs and job seekers. Interestingly, the budget has specifically allocated a significant amount for evacuation and grid integration infrastructure for harnessing the renewable energy potential for Ladakh. We can expect this to spur the economic development of this region ," said Vaibhav Chaturvedi, Fellow, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).

For the ₹35,000 crore to result in meaningful energy transition, for which $30 billion of energy finance is required every year, three measures are a must, explained Ulka Kelkar, economist and director of the climate programme at World Resources Institute India: "Risk guarantees to reduce the cost of capital for low-carbon investments in the country; demand aggregation measures as has been done for LED lighting and electric buses; and viability gap financing for hydrogen electrolysers and offshore wind as has been announced for battery storage."

"I think the budget shows that there is realisation that we must act now. The intent was there but there is more detailing now. We have started putting flesh on the structure. Green Hydrogen is critical but I am also very excited about the bio CNG work and natural farming. The push for natural farming will also make us climate resilient. The convergence of MGNREGS and other funds for mangrove plantation is very interesting. This budget is better than the previous ones," said Sunita Narain, director general, Centre for Science and Environment.

The budget also said a Green Credit Programme will be notified under the Environment (Protection) Act. "This will incentivise environmentally sustainable and responsive actions by companies, individuals and local bodies, and help mobilise additional resources for such activities," Sitharaman announced.

The Centre plans to revamp the compensatory afforestation process mainly due to delays in accessing compensatory afforestation funds to raise plantations; the fact that land made available by project developers for afforestation is often far away from the place where the diversion has taken place; cost over-runs for projects; and the low survival rates of plantations. To address these issues, the green credit system proposes that any agency interested in raising plantations or in ecological restoration can access green credits.

Sitharaman also announced PM PRANAM: Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth, a scheme that will be launched to incentivise states and union territories to promote alternative fertilizers and balanced use of chemical fertilizers. Around 500 new 'waste to wealth' plants will be launched under GOBARdhan (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan) for promoting circular economy. These will include 200 compressed biogas (CBG) plants at total investment of ₹10,000 crore. "In due course, a 5% CBG mandate will be introduced for all organizations marketing natural and bio gas. For collection of bio-mass and distribution of bio-manure, appropriate fiscal support will be provided," Sitharaman said.

The budget also has provisions for the coastline and wetlands. Sitharaman announced MISHTI , Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes' which will focus on mangrove plantation along the coastline and on salt pans through convergence between Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and Compensatory Afforestation funds. And the government will promote conservation techniques of local communities through Amrit Dharohar, a scheme that will be implemented over the next three years to encourage optimal use of wetlands, and enhance bio-diversity, carbon stock, eco-tourism opportunities and income generation for local communities. Coastal shipping will be promoted as an energy efficient mode of transport through PPP mode with viability gap funding.

Some analysts said the budget could have done more.

"Balanced fiscal consolidation in a changing climate scenario should have targeted increasing climate adaptation actions spending, especially to make rural economy climate resilient, said Abinash Mohanty, Sector-Head Climate Change and Sustainability, IPE-Global.

Experts also cautioned that since the other major priority for the government is infrastructure development and ease of doing business, the Centre should critically review impact on environment especially from mega development projects.

"The Union Budget reflects the financial allocations for projects and initiatives framed as green or addressing climate change concerns. While this focus is important, it needs to be located within the understanding that these finances, once allocated will necessarily translate into specific projects including renewables, plantations or green manufacturing or linear infrastructure. Each of these sectoral investments require careful examination on the ecological precautions and the social cost assessments which are elusive in both project design and implementation," cautioned Kanchi Kohli, legal researcher at Centre for Policy Research.

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Budget 2023: ₹35,000 crore outlay for growth in green energy transition

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Union Budget 2022-23 highlights the government's focus on energy transition, which is expected to fuel "green growth" in the country in the coming years. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman listed "green growth" among four opportunities that can be transformative for India in the run up to 2047, the country's 100th year of independence.

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Ohio train derailment: 'We need you to leave now.' Crews scramble to avert a catastrophic explosion | CNN

"Officials beg residents to leave the area around a burning train in Ohio." Threat escalated on Sunday and train was carrying hazardous materials. Those that were refusing to leave would be arrested for "misdemeanor charge of misconduct in an emergency" or "endangering children" for those with kids. Police were very forceful for people to leave for their safety.

Referenced the Ohio Department of Health stating facts how dangerous those burning chemical can inflict on a person.

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Residents of the Ohio village of East Palestine remain unable to return home after a controlled release Monday of a toxic chemical from cars that were part of a train derailment three days ago, Mayor Trent Conaway said during an evening news conference.

An operation to drain vinyl chloride - a chemical that officials said was unstable and could explode - from five Norfolk Southern rail cars began just after 4:30 p.m. ET.

Scott Deutsch of Norfolk Southern had earlier said small, shaped charges would be used to blow a small hole in each rail car. The vinyl chloride would then spill into a trench where flares would ignite and burn it away.

As of 7 p.m., the flames were reduced and a small fire continues in the pit, Deutsch said at the news conference.

It is "still an ongoing event so we just ask everybody to stay out," the mayor said. "We have to wait to the fires die down."

An evacuation zone of 1 mile around the train's crash site remains in place, Conaway said. Authorities will reassess the zone Tuesday morning, he added. "We really don't have a time frame right now" for the return of residents, he said.

A team from the Environmental Protection Agency will monitor the air and water quality in the area, officials said.

The remaining fires will go out on their own and won't be extinguished by crews, Deutsch said.

Prior to the controlled release Monday, officials worried the five derailed cars carrying vinyl chloride might hurl toxic fumes into the air and shoot "deadly shrapnel" as far as a mile away.

One rail car in particular had been a focus of concern because its malfunctioning safety valves had prevented the car from releasing the vinyl chloride inside, a Columbiana County Emergency Management Agency official and a Norfolk Southern spokesperson told CNN earlier Monday.

Ahead of the controlled release, the evacuation zone surrounding the fiery derailment site expanded to two states, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said.

DeWine and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro had ordered evacuations for a 1-mile-by-2-mile area surrounding East Palestine, a village of about 5,000 people near the Pennsylvania border, DeWine said.

This followed evacuations that took place just after the massive inferno began Friday night.

According to East Palestine resident Eric Whiting, police knocked on his door about an hour after the derailment and asked the family to evacuate.

"They told me they didn't know anything yet, but they just needed us to evacuate," Whiting told CNN.

Officials begged residents for several days to leave the area as fears about air and water quality have mounted.

Mayor Conaway said Monday he was "proud of the citizens" as everyone cleared out when officials went door-to-door and there were no arrests.

Here's the latest on the ground:

* Police shift communications hub: The scene was so dangerous by Monday morning that the East Palestine Police Department had evacuated a communications center for safety reasons, a spokesperson told CNN by phone Monday. "911 service will not be affected," the department posted online.

* Schools are closed: The East Palestine City School District will be closed for the rest of the week, citing a local state of emergency.

* A mechanical issue was detected: The crew was alerted by an alarm shortly before the derailment "indicating a mechanical issue," a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member said. An emergency brake was applied, but about 10 cars carrying hazardous materials derailed.

Evacuated family staying in a hotel, awaiting further news

Whiting, the East Palestine resident, said he, his wife and three children took nothing with them when they evacuated Friday.

"We live right by the railroad, so we heard the train come to an abrupt stop. But by the time I got dressed to check out what was happening, I heard emergency vehicles rushing towards us," Whiting told CNN on Monday.

The family returned home Saturday and stayed overnight. But law enforcement officers knocked on the door Sunday morning telling them to leave due to the potential for an explosion.

So, they packed up clothes for a few nights and, along with their dog, headed to a hotel 20 minutes away.

"It's difficult. I'm in a cheap motel because I'm afraid of how much they'll be willing to reimburse me for. It's hard to take my laptop out (to work) and focus when I'm worried about getting food for the family throughout the day," Whiting said.

He's also worried what the environmental impact on East Palestine will be, he said.

Breathing high levels of chemical is potentially fatal

A "drastic change" was detected Sunday related to the vinyl chloride, Fire Chief Keith Drabick said.

Breathing high levels of vinyl chloride can make someone pass out or die if they don't get fresh air, the Ohio Department of Health said.

The man-made chemical used to make PVC burns easily at room temperature; can cause dizziness, sleepiness and headaches; and has been linked to an increased risk of cancer in the liver, brain, lungs and blood.

"If a water supply is contaminated, vinyl chloride can enter household air when the water is used for showering, cooking, or laundry," the National Cancer Institute says.

While air and water quality remained stable Sunday, "things can change at any moment," James Justice of the EPA's Emergency Response warned.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "Vinyl chloride in water or soil evaporates rapidly if it is near the surface. Vinyl chloride in the air breaks down in a few days, resulting in the formation of several other chemicals including hydrochloric acid, formaldehyde, and carbon dioxide."

The agency also warns that liquid vinyl chloride that touches skin will numb it and produce redness and blisters.

Crew got mechanical failure warning before wreck

There was a mechanical failure warning before the crash, NTSB Member Michael Graham said Sunday. About 10 of 20 cars carrying hazardous materials - among more than 100 cars in all - derailed, the agency said.

"The crew did receive an alarm from a wayside defect detector shortly before the derailment, indicating a mechanical issue," Graham said. "Then an emergency brake application initiated."

Investigators also identified the point of derailment and found video showing "preliminary indications of mechanical issues" on one of the railcar axles, Graham said.

NTSB is still investigating when the potential defect happened and the response from the crew, which included an engineer, conductor and conductor trainee, Graham added.

Investigators have also requested records from Norfolk Southern, including track inspection records, locomotive and railcar inspections and maintenance records, train crew records and qualifications, Graham said.

Rail travel is recognized as the safest method of transporting hazardous materials in the US, according to the US Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration.

"The vast majority of hazardous materials shipped by rail tank car every year arrive safely and without incident, and railroads generally have an outstanding record in moving shipments of hazardous materials safely," the administration said.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the potential fallout from five derailed train cars carrying vinyl chloride. Officials said it was a possibility that toxic fumes and deadly shrapnel could be dispersed.

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brand safety-nsf accidents and disasters

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Residents not yet allowed to return to homes near site of fiery train derailment in Ohio | CNN

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Residents of the Ohio village of East Palestine remain unable to return home after a controlled release Monday of a toxic chemical from cars that were part of a train derailment three days ago, Mayor Trent Conaway said during an evening news conference.

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Officials advise evacuation over explosion concerns after train derailment in Ohio | Fox News

Facts of the situation is the same as the CNN article. What does change is how they describe the actions from law enforcements.

Stated that everyone within a 1-mile radius were advised to leave immediately, but more than 500 residents had opted to stay put as of Sunday night. Knocked on door to encourage residents to leave for their safety.

Did mentioned that someone was arrested for going near the site and that additional arrest would happen if people did not stay away.

While dangerous, short-term exposure of the chemicals does not present long-term health risk to residents.

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Officials advise evacuation over explosion concerns after train derailment in Ohio

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Ohio officials are telling people to evacuate immediately after a train carrying hazardous materials derailed on Friday. Officials fear a major explosion could happen.

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Dylan Page is the #1 News Account on Tik Tok. This is where I get a lot of my new topics. Alot of his Tik Toks are high lights of currents events around the world. He even sometimes goes into a greater detail of a specific event such as the Chinese balloon flying over the US. This is where I found out about the derailment train situation in Ohio and looked into it further for my "by US-based (left vs. right)" articles. In Page's latest Tik Tok post, he highlights events such a lightning bolt striking the head of the Jesus the Redemer statue in Brazil, apparent UFO sightings, and recent earthquakes in Turkey.

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My local newspaper is the Herlad-Tribune and is owned by Gannett.

In terms of international news, they do not report anything specific but do provide articles that are from other news sources that highlight international current events. A recent article they mentioned is from USA Today which was about how Poland has helped Ukrainian refugees.

In recent local news in, they highlight a variety of topics such as a people still mourning from a mass shooting last month,
specific parks/trails reopening, and high school sport achievements.

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Sarasota, FL Local News | Sarasota Herald-Tribune

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Local news and headlines for the Sarasota, FL area from Sarasota Herald-Tribune.