(NEW YORK) — Since the relaxation of its “zero COVID” restrictions earlier this month in the wake of unprecedented nationwide protests, China is facing its largest outbreak of the pandemic.
At the same time, mass testing has been dropped as Chinese authorities changed their criteria in counting cases and COVID-19 deaths, rendering elusive a clear picture of the state of coronavirus in China.
No longer including asymptomatic cases in their count, cases have been dropping officially in China, with only 2,966 symptomatic infections Wednesday. Cases peaked at some 40,000 daily cases earlier this month, but less than 10 official COVID deaths were reported since the beginning of December.
The congested streets, however, around the busy funeral homes in Beijing don’t seem to match the official toll.
Ambulances, hearses and vans lined the streets outside two of the main crematoriums in Beijing.
Workers at Beijing’s Dongjiao Funeral Parlor in the capital’s eastern suburbs told ABC News that their crematorium is operating around the clock.
The funeral home had run out of freezers to store the bodies, another worker surnamed Li told ABC News’ partners at TVBS News.
“New remains would be cremated right away,” Li said. “And if there are too many they have to be put on the floor to wait.”
Chinese health authorities in recent days clarified that they will now follow a strict criteria in classifying a case as a COVID-19 related death.
“Deaths caused by pneumonia and respiratory failure caused by the novel coronavirus are classified as deaths caused by COVID-19 infection,” Wang Guiqiang, director of the Infectious Diseases Department of Peking University First Hospital, told the media in a government press conference earlier this week. “Deaths caused by other diseases and basic diseases … are not classified as deaths caused by COVID-19.”
Despite the low official count, authorities have conceded that various sub-variants of Omicron are spreading rapidly across China. Shanghai-based medical expert Zhang Wenhong told an online forum over the weekend that the reproductive number around China stands at 16-18, meaning one positive patient can infect up to 18 others.
The streets around Beijing’s Chaoyang Hospital were quiet in below-freezing temperatures Thursday but inside ABC News observed packed halls in the emergency clinic with some patients on makeshift beds in the corridors. The fever clinic at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital in northeastern Beijing has been running 24 hours and ABC News saw the ward at near capacity, the majority of the patients being seniors.
Similar scenes are playing out across the country.
In the western metropolis of Chongqing, a nurse in the pediatric department of one of the city’s three main hospitals told ABC News that her department is at capacity, full of children with high fevers. The nurse, who declined to allow her name to used because she is not authorized to speak, said that parents are taking their children directly to the hospital because they have no fever medicine at home. Like many, they were caught off guard by China’s sudden shift in COVID policies to prepare.
Another doctor in Chongqing, also declining to use his name because of similar sensitivities, told ABC News that the fever clinic and respiratory medicine department at this hospital are inundated with many senior citizens having a “difficult time” and having to wait several hours just to get a numbered ticket to see a doctor. He added that many of the seniors “ have other illness” in addition to COVID.
China’s official vaccination rate is above 90% but the rate for boosted adults is only around 58%. Ahead of the relaxation of zero-COVID, China’s most vulnerable elderly population was already highly under-vaccinated. Over a third of over 80-year-olds were not fully vaccinated and 60% were not boosted.
Beijing has only allowed its population to use its homegrown vaccines which uses traditional vaccine technology and are less effective than the western-made mRNA vaccines like Pfizer’s and Moderna’s in preventing serious illness due to COVID. With Beijing’s mass-vaccination drive being almost two years ago, immunity protective from those vaccines are also waning.
The World Health Organization said Wednesday it was “very concerned” about severe coronavirus cases across China and warned the country’s lagging vaccination rate could result in large numbers of vulnerable people getting infected.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for China to be transparent about the severity of COVID-19 across the country, in particular hospital and intensive care unit admissions, “in order to make a comprehensive risk assessment of the situation on the ground.”
A number of studies done in recent weeks point to an unavoidable toll caused by China’s ‘exit wave’ from zero-COVID. A study released by Hong Kong University last week warned that China would suffer nearly a million deaths if more isn’t done to slow the rapid release of COVID restrictions, the South China Morning Post reported.
Wu Zunyou, the chief epidemiologist for China’s CDC, said they are anticipating three waves over the few months. The current wave — hitting the major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Guangzhou — will peak just before the Lunar New Year around early-to-mid January. These are the cities with the best healthcare and number of ICU beds. The next wave will be seeded by the Lunar New Year travel rush, when hundreds of thousands travel back to their hometowns, deeper into the less prosperous regions of the country. A third wave is expected when people head back to work in late February and early March.
China’s official state media has been focusing on re-opening the economy and stories of the recovered. Buried in the headlines have been an uptick of obituaries of prominent elderly Chinese citizens.
In just the last three days, there were obituaries for the artist who designed the mascots from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, a former politician who served as the deputy director of China’s National Sport Commission in the years leading up to the 2008 Games, a prominent economist, the former head of China Film Archives and a legendary film makeup artist who designed the look of the iconic Monkey King television series that many Chinese grew up with.
None of the obituaries mentioned their cause of death. At most, some mentioned that they were seeking medical treatment.
However, the personal toll for some cannot be obscured.
On Wednesday evening, television actor Wang Jinsong posted a lament on his Weibo saying “This is the time of day I video chat with my mother. My mother has been taken away by the pandemic. That video call will no longer be connected through.”
(NEW YORK) — Brittney Griner late Wednesday posted an open letter thanking fans for their support and urging them to write to Paul Whelan, an American detained in Russia.
“Your letters were also bigger than uplifting me,” Griner said in a handwritten letter, which she posted to Instagram. “They showed me the power of collective hands.”
Griner said that words of hope from fans had kept her spirits up, helping “me not to lost hope at a time where I was full of regret and vulnerable in ways I could have never imagined.”
“Thank you, from the bottom of my heart,” she said. “Because of you I never lost hope.”
The WNBA star had been detained in Russia for about 10 months on charges related to illegal drugs. The U.S. swapped the WNBA star for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout on Dec. 8.
Griner on Wednesday thanked all the families who “supported the We are BG Campaign to bring me home,” adding that now “it’s our turn to support” other Americans wrongly detained in Russia.
Whelan, a former marine, has been held in Russia since 2018, when he was detained in Moscow by Russia’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Security Service.
“I hope you’ll join me in writing to Paul Whelan and continuing to advocate for other Americans to be rescued and returned to their families,” Griner wrote.
She included a mailing address for Whelen, care of the Department of State in Washington.
Griner finished her letter: “Thank you again from the bottom of my heart. I hope your holiday season is full of joy and love.”
(TORONTO) — Eight teenage girls, three just 13 years old, are facing murder charges, accused of fatally stabbing a 59-year-old man in downtown Toronto in what police described as a “swarming” attack.
The teenage suspects were arrested shortly after the victim was found on a street in Canada’s largest city suffering from multiple stab wounds and was later pronounced dead at a hospital, Detective Sgt. Terry Browne said.
“I wouldn’t describe them as a gang at this point, but what they are alleged to have occurred that evening would be consistent with what we traditionally call a swarming, or a swarming-type behavior,” Browne said at a news conference on Tuesday.
A motive for the killing remains under investigation, but Browne said investigators suspect they were involved in another violent altercation just prior to allegedly committing the slaying.
He said the stabbing unfolded just after midnight on Dec. 18 and that the suspects were located and arrested soon after in the same area. He said a number of weapons were recovered from the suspects.
In addition to the three 13-year-olds, Browne said three 14-year-old girls and two 16-year-old suspects were arrested in the grisly crime that has sent shockwaves through the city of nearly three million people.
The names of the suspects were not released due to their age. Browne said they have already made one court appearance and remain in custody. They were ordered to return to court on Dec. 29.
Browne said the young suspects are from various parts of Toronto and that they met through social media.
The sergeant said the group made arrangements to join up in downtown Toronto. He said detectives believe they met in the heart of the city around 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 17, a day before the killing.
Police are investigating whether the group was involved in other physical altercations in the city and Browne asked anyone who encountered the girls or were assaulted by them to contact investigators.
The victim of the fatal stabbing, whose name has not been released, was a resident of Toronto, who has been living in a homeless shelter since the fall, Browne said.
“I wouldn’t necessarily call him homeless, maybe just recently on some hard luck,” said Browne, adding that the victim has supportive family members in the area.
(LONDON) — Actress Taraneh Alidoosti was arrested over the weekend by the Iranian regime for supporting the ongoing protests, becoming the most prominent person in the country to be targeted.
Alidoosti, who starred in the 2016 film “The Salesman,” which won an Academy Award for best foreign language film, had posted a photo of herself without a headscarf to her 8 million Instagram followers. She also held a sign with the revolutionary slogan: “Woman, life freedom.”
“Every international organization who is watching this bloodshed and not taking action is a disgrace to humanity,” she posted on social media, denouncing the execution of protesters in prison.
The protests began after a 22-year-old woman was detained by the country’s morality police for not wearing a headscarf in public. She later died in prison.
Alidoosti’s first request was to allow her family to send her medication to prison. That request, observers say, highlights an underreported aspect of the anti-regime protests and the crackdown: the conditions of those arrested in Iranian jails.
“The regime knew that her arrest could track huge international attention. It is why they did not arrest her sooner,” Masoud Kazemi, an Istanbul-based Iranian journalist who has been incarcerated in Islamic Republic prisons, told ABC News. “The first and only thing Alidoosti requested was her medication; it drags our attention into prisoners’ situation and to what happens inside prisons.”
Denial of medical care
There are believed to be at least 15,000 people in Iranian prisons on charges related to the protests. The denial of medical care has become a common complaint of prisoners’ families, who have posted on social media and talked to various news outlets.
Elham Modaressi, a 32-year-old painter in Karaj, is currently in jail for allegedly taking part in the demonstrations. She has PSC, a genetic liver condition that requires special medical care. Her family is concerned about her situation.
“My sister is under severe risk in Kachouei prison,” Nahid Modaressi, Elham’s sister, told ABC News. “Elham needs immediate hospitalization or her liver gets severely damaged. Her life is in danger.”
Elham was arrested on Nov. 2 in a security forces raid on her flat where she lives with her ailing mother and brother.
Authorities may restrict prisoners’ access to medical care at any time, according to Kazemi.
“As long as they know you won’t die in prison, they decline medical care to force you to cooperate,” Kazemi said.
Amnesty International has previously condemned the denial of medical care in Iranian prisons, but the sheer influx of protesters in the prison system has thrown the issue into sharper focus, with families expressing widespread concern.
“Medical care denial is a passive torture many times accompanied by different forms of physical and psychological tortures,” Shahla, an Iranian activist and protester who did not want to be identified for security reasons, told ABC News. “Tortures reported by prisoners vary from beating and keeping prisoners in extremely cold temperature to humiliation, solitary confinement and incarceration in psychiatric wards.”
Physical and psychological torture
According to Nahid Modarresi, her sister has been tortured in an attempt to make her accept the charges, which include “leading riots.”
“My sister is innocent and is being humiliated, beaten and not being sent to the hospital and is told nothing changes unless she confesses to something she hasn’t done,” she said.
Humiliation happens in different ways, according to Shahla.
“Security officials had made some prisoners stand barefoot on frozen waters in the police station’s yard while being insulted and beaten the whole night,” she said. “Or we repeatedly hear the guards ask prisoners to dance for them in the middle of an interrogation.”
Psychological tortures, she added, can take “dangerous and life-threatening turns.”
Among the reported methods used to demoralize prisoners at the notorious Evin prison, where Alidoosti is being held, is to transfer them from regular prison blocks to the Amin Abad psychiatric ward where they are subjected to “the same treatment as the severely mentally ill.”
“Once a prisoner is sent to a psychiatric ward, no one knows what kind of medication they are forced to receive. They may get chained to the bed and receive injections that mess up with their minds,” Kazemi said.
Melika Qaragozlu, a 22-year-old journalism student, was arrested on July 13 after she posted a photo of herself without a hijab. After months in jail, she was sent to Amin Abad on Nov. 16, her lawyer, Mohammad Ali Kamfirouzi, said in a tweet. Qaragozlu was released on bail Tuesday but Ali Kamfirouzi has now himself been arrested, reportedly for his role in trying to represent incarcerated protesters.
“What is happening in Iranian jails is ‘dehumanizing’ prisoners and they use all tools you might think to ‘break’ you,” Kazemi said.
(NEW YORK) — One of the most vilified pest species on the planet continues to outsmart the ways in which humans attempt to get rid of them.
“Super” mosquitoes have evolved to withstand insecticides, according to new research — and the most “sobering” finding is the high rate in which a species known for carrying disease has developed mutations.
Researchers at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Japan studied mosquitoes in dengue-endemic areas in Vietnam and Cambodia and found that they harbor mutations that endow them with strong resistance to common insecticides, according to a study published in Science Advances on Wednesday.
One of the most concerning mutations appeared in about 78% in collected specimens of Aedes aegypti — one of the most infamous species of mosquito and a major vector of dengue, yellow fever and Zika virus, according to the study.
Developing resistance pyrethroids often occurs when mutations appear in the Vgsc gene, which encodes the molecular target of pyrethroids, the paper states. The researchers discovered 10 new sub-strains of Ae. aegypti and noticed that one Vgsc mutation — called L982W — endowed mosquitoes with high resistance to the pyrethroid insecticide permethrin in the lab.
This mutation appeared with a frequency of more than 79% in mosquitoes collected from Vietnam, and mosquitoes in Cambodia harbored combinations of L982W and other Vgsc mutations that displayed “extreme” levels of pyrethroid resistance, the researchers said.
The L982W mutation has not been detected outside of Vietnam and Cambodia, but the researchers believe that it could be slowly spreading to other parts of the Asia.
The findings could pose a serious threat to infectious disease control and eradication programs, as the mutation is some of the highest insecticide resistance seen in a field population of mosquitoes, the researchers said.
Many health initiatives rely on pyrethroids and other insecticides to control mosquito-borne infections, especially for those that don’t have a vaccine, like dengue.
“It is important to be aware that the insecticides we normally use may not be effective against mosquitoes,” Shinji Kasai, author of the study and senior research scientist of NIID’s Department of Medical Entomology, told ABC News.
It will be necessary to continue to monitor these mutant alleles, especially in southeast Asia, to in order to take appropriate countermeasures before they spread globally, Kasai said. In addition, rotation of different insecticide group is sometimes effective, Kasai added.
“Governmental health officers should chose appropriate, more effective insecticide for controlling mosquitoes,” he said.
Mosquitoes appear to be evolving both physically and instinctively to avoid human attempts to eradicate their presence.
In February, scientists published research that mosquitoes are learning to avoid pesticides used to kill them.
Scientists who studied two species of mosquitoes — Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus — found that the females learned to avoid pesticides after a single non-lethal exposure.
(LONDON) — Brits have been urged to “drink responsibly” and avoid “risky activities” during pre-Christmas celebrations to avoid trips to the emergency room as thousands of ambulance workers take strike action over pay disputes.
“There is no doubt that the NHS is facing extreme pressure and industrial action will add to the already record demand we are seeing on urgent and emergency care,” said NHS Medical Director Professor Stephen Powis.
He added that the public can help in several ways including “drinking responsibly” to ease strain on emergency services.
Speaking on BBC radio, Powis said, “Don’t get so drunk that you end up with an unnecessary visit to A&E.”
Over 10,000 emergency workers and NHS staff across England and Wales are expected to partake in two days of industrial action over an ongoing pay dispute. The strikes are part of Britain’s most significant wave of industrial action in a generation, with mail workers, rail workers, barristers and other public service workers all holding walkouts this winter demanding pay rises in line with inflation.
“On health grounds alone, it is clear we have entered dangerous territory,” says Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation. “There is now deep worry among NHS leaders about the level of harm and risk that could occur to patients tomorrow and beyond.”
Nurses in Scotland also said on Wednesday that they will announce dates for strike action in 2023 after 82% of members of the Royal College of Nursing “overwhelmingly” rejected the Scottish government’s pay offer.
“Critical incidents” have been declared by ambulance and hospital trusts across the country, allowing the services to prioritize those who are most in need.
“Our service is under unprecedented pressure,” said Stephen Segasby, Chief operating officer of the North East Ambulance Service — one of the eight NHS trusts declaring critical incidents. “Declaring a critical incident means we can focus our resources on those patients most in need and communicates the pressures we are under.”
Seagsby added that the trust has been operating at its “highest level of operational alert” since the start of the month.
Speaking at Liaison Committee on Tuesday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defended NHS’ pay offer, saying, “I’ve always been very clear in expressing my gratitude and admiration for our NHS workers and indeed our public sector workers across the board.”
“I’ve acknowledged it is difficult for everybody because inflation is where it is. And the best way to help them and help everyone else in the country is for us to get a grip and reduce inflation as quickly as possible,” Sunak said.
Brits have also been urged to exercise caution partaking in “risky activities” including cycling and contact sports: “If there is activity people are undertaking tomorrow, whether it’s for example contact sport or other things they may want to review that,” said Health Minister Will Quince speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live.
The NHS has also urged the public to use services “wisely” at this time to ensure patients who need care the most get access to healthcare.
“There is no doubt that the NHS is facing extreme pressure and industrial action will add to the already record demand we are seeing on urgent and emergency care,” Powis said.
He added, “NHS staff have worked hard to minimise disruption but it is inevitable as with any industrial action that we will see an impact on services but it is vital if you need lifesaving care, to continue to come forward.”
(NEW YORK) — More than nine months after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion into neighboring Ukraine, the two countries are engaged in a struggle for control of areas throughout eastern and southern Ukraine.
Putin’s forces in November pulled out of key positions, retreating from Kherson as Ukrainian troops led a counteroffensive targeting the city. Russian drones have continued bombarding civilian targets throughout Ukraine, knocking out critical power infrastructure as winter sets in.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Dec 20, 6:17 PM EST
Plans underway for Zelenskyy to visit Capitol Wednesday and address Congress: Sources
Plans are underway for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to visit the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, sources told ABC News.
The speech comes as the U.S. is set to announce a military aid package for Ukraine that includes Patriot air defense systems, U.S. officials told ABC News .
Zelenskyy previously addressed Congress via video on March 16, roughly three weeks into the war with Russia.
Dec 20, 5:57 PM EST
US to announce Patriot defense systems deal in aid package Wednesday: Sources
U.S. officials told ABC News that the next military aid package for Ukraine will be announced Wednesday and that it will include Patriot air defense systems and JDAM precision bomb kits.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Dec 20, 1:22 PM EST
100,000 Russian soldiers killed, defected or missing in war: UK defense chief
More than 100,000 Russian soldiers battling in Ukraine have either been killed, reported missing or defected since the war began in February, according to estimates released Tuesday by British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace.
Marking the 300th day of the war, Wallace provided the update on Russia’s war losses to the House of Commons in London. He also estimated that 4,500 Russian armored vehicles have been destroyed as well as 140 Russian helicopters and fixed wing aircraft.
The estimated losses by Russian forces are similar to what Ukrainian officials have released.
Wallace said the number of missions to Ukraine by the Russian Air Force have drastically declined from 300 a day in March to currently tens of missions per day.
He described Russia’s once powerful Black Sea fleet as “little more than a coastal defense flotilla.”
In March, Russia occupied about 27% of Ukrainian territory, Wallace said. Since then, Ukraine liberated around 54% of the territory that has been taken since February.
He said Russia now controls roughly 18% of internationally recognized areas of Ukraine.
The Kremlin has yet to respond to Wallace’s battlefield estimates.
Russia has failed to achieve any strategic objectives, Wallace said, adding that not one Russian operational commander who was in place at the start of the Russian invasion Feb. 24 remains.
Wallace also spoke about a deal between the Kremlin and Iran to supply Russia with more than 300 kamikaze drones.
“Iran has become one of Russia’s top military backers,” Wallace said.
He said that in exchange, Russia intends to provide Iran with advanced military components, undermining international security, particularly in the Middle East.
“We must expose that deal,” Wallace said.
Dec 20, 7:03 AM EST
Zelenskyy visits frontline in Donetsk
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday made an unannounced trip to Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, posing for pictures with soldiers and handing out awards, as he inspected the frontlines.
Zelenskyy said Monday that Bakhmut remains the “hottest point” out of the entire 1,300-kilometer frontline as Russian forces relentlessly try to break Ukraine’s defenses in the city.
Dec 19, 6:11 PM EST
Zelenskyy calls for more international aid following drone strike
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy provided an update on Monday’s strike by Russian forces, citing that the blasts came from a “new batch” of drones.
Zelenskyy, however, said in a statement that most of the Iranian Shaheds drones “fell short of their intended targets,”
“[Thirty] Shaheds were shot down – not bad,” he said in a statement.
Zelenskyy appealed to the leaders of the Northern European countries with a request to provide more weapons, shells, and new defense capabilities.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Dec 19, 2:10 PM EST
Putin agrees to train Belarus’ pilots to fly nuclear-capable bombers
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko have concluded their talks in Belarus’ capital Minsk, hailing their countries’ close relationship, but giving few details of any agreements they reached.
The two leaders gave a joint press conference following their talks in front of their top officials, including Putin’s defense minister, Sergey Shoigu, and foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov.
Putin and Lukashenko gave little indication they had agreed for Belarus to play a greater role in Russia’s war in Ukraine. But Putin said the two sides had agreed to continue joint military exercises and were developing a shared military doctrine.
Lukashenko and Putin both said they agreed Russia would train Belarusian pilots to fly nuclear-capable bombers. The Kremlin and Lukashenko have previously hinted at the possibility Russia would deploy nuclear weapons to Belarus — an apparent threat to Europe.
“I consider it possible to continue the implementation of the proposal of the President of Belarus to train the crews of combat aircraft of the Belarusian army, which have already been converted for the possible use of air-launched ammunition with a special warhead,” Putin said.
Putin also denied that Russia had any intention of “swallowing” anyone up, referring to speculation that Russia has pressured Lukashenko to sacrifice Belarus’ political and economic independence to Moscow in return for its help in propping up his dictatorship.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Dec 19, 10:22 AM EST
Putin in Belarus to talk ‘military questions’ with Lukashenko: Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Belarus Monday for a meeting with his ally Alexander Lukashenko amid fears Russia is seeking to force Belarus’ army into directly joining the war in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed as “absolutely ridiculous conjecture” speculation Putin will attempt to force Lukashenko into sending troops to fight in Ukraine.
The two leaders are scheduled to meet in the Belarus’ capital, Minsk. Talks will center on “military questions,” Peskov said without providing specifics.
This is the first time Putin has visited Belarus since 2019, and the trip comes amid warnings from Ukrainian commanders that Putin is preparing to launch a fresh offensive against Ukraine in early 2023.
Russia launched an unsuccessful attack on Kyiv in February from Belarus and it has long been believed the Kremlin is pressuring Lukashenko to send Belarusian troops to bolster Russia’s floundering war.
Dec 19, 5:44 AM EST
Viktor Bout visits occupied Ukrainian city following release
A little over a week since he was freed in the prisoner swap for Brittney Griner, the Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout has visited the city of Lugansk in eastern Ukraine, one of the regional capitals of the Donbas that is occupied by Russia.
Bout took part in a ceremony opening the local branch of the far right pro-Kremlin Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), of which he has become a member since his release.
Video of the event showed Bout with a senior MP from the party at the ceremony in a hall. Bout compared Lugansk’s annexation and return to Russia with his own return.
“I closely followed what was happening in Donbas all these 8 years,” Bout said. “And you know, your example for me did a lot for me, it helped me, because you are all heroes … And so big thanks to all of you. And you were also for me an inspiration which allowed me to also return to the motherland, like all of Donbas, to return to Russia. Thank you.”
Bout has expressed his “full” support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and in his first interview after his release said he would have gone to fight if he could.
Lugansk has been under Russian control since 2014, when Moscow used proxy fighters to help set up two breakaway statelets in Donbas. The Lugansk region was one of the four Ukrainian regions Putin annexed in September.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Dec 19, 3:29 AM EST
Russian drones strike Ukrainian capital
Ukraine’s Air Force said it shot down 30 of the 35 Russian drones fired at Ukrainian targets overnight.
Ukrainian authorities said Russia’s earlier drone attack on Kyiv damaged critical infrastructure and injured two people.
At least two explosions were heard Monday morning in the capital.
-ABC News’ Guy Davies
Dec 18, 2:34 PM EST
Zelenskyy’s World Cup address ‘banned’ by FIFA: Ukrainian ambassador
A pre-recorded address from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that was set to be played at the World Cup final Sunday was purportedly cut by the soccer tournament’s governing body, FIFA, according to Ukrainian officials.
The office of the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States told ABC News on Sunday that Zelenskyy’s speech did not air to the audience at the championship match between Argentina and France because “at the very last moment it was banned by FIFA.”
FIFA has not confirmed whether it forbid the airing of Zelenskyy’s speech at the match in Qatar that was won by Argentina.
In the one-minute and 43-second speech sent to ABC News by the ambassador’s office, Zelenskyy praised the World Cup tournament as a “common victory, the celebration of the human spirit.”
“The World Cup proved time and again that different countries and nationalities can decide who is the strongest in fairplay…,” Zelensky said.
He added, “This is the dream of so many people when players compete, making everybody enjoy peace,” he said. “Every father would like to take his son to the football match all over the world. Every mother would like her son to be back from the war.”
Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine has proposed a “peace formula” for ending the war with Russia that he said is “absolutely fair.”
“We offered it because there are no champions in war, there can be no draw,” he said.
He ended the speech by inviting all countries to participate in a global peace summit that he has proposed for this winter.
Dec 16, 3:58 PM EST
3 dead in missile strike on residential building
Three people have been killed and 13 are injured from a Russian missile strike on a residential building in Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine, according to the mayor.
Among those killed is a mom whose child is missing.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Dec 16, 10:33 AM EST
First round of energy aid from US arrives in Ukraine
Following an overnight barrage of strikes from Russia into Ukraine, the White House announced that the first round of $53 million worth of energy-related equipment and technical support has arrived in Ukraine.
“It includes the kinds of equipment that they need to make emergency repairs such as relays and busbars and surge arrestors, disconnectors, circuit breakers,” White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Friday.
Kirby said more aid will be delivered “in coming weeks” to fulfill the full pledge.
“The United States remains committed to helping Ukraine put the put the lights back on and put the heat back on, and try to alleviate some of the suffering of the Ukrainian people that they’re already experiencing in the winter months,” he said.
Dec 16, 3:38 AM EST
Russia launches new wave of missile strikes on Ukraine
Russia has launched another wave of missile strikes on energy infrastructure sites across Ukraine, resulting in severe power outages in large parts of the country.
There have been least three explosions in Kyiv by early Friday morning while other cities, including Kryvi Rih, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Zaporizhe, have also been targeted this morning, ABC News has learned.
According to officials in Kryvi Rih, a residential building has been hit. Details on possible casualties are still emerging.
Officials in Kharkiv say there have been at least three explosions there and reports suggest Ukraine’s second city is completely without power.
There are shortages of running water in Kyiv right now and a large part of the city is without power.
Initial information suggests Russia has fired dozens of missiles and Ukraine’s air defenses have been operating. It’s likely many missiles have been shot down but some have clearly found their targets.
It’s currently unclear if Russia used drones in the waves of strikes this morning.
Dec 15, 1:40 PM EST
Russia responds to possible US Patriot missile supply to Ukraine
Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson offered an angry response to reports that the United States is preparing to send Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine.
During a news conference Thursday, Maria Zakharova said that if media leaks are true, the move by the White House “would be another provocative step.”
“Given the increasing amounts of direct U.S. military assistance, including the presence of U.S. servicemen on the ground, the delivery of equipment of such complexity, the operation of which requires months of training, will signify a broader involvement of U.S. career servicemen in the hostilities with all the ensuing consequences,” Zakharova said.
Two U.S. officials have confirmed to ABC News that the United States has prepared plans to send Patriot air defense missile systems to Ukraine that could be approved by President Joe Biden by the end of this week.
If approved by Biden, the transfer of the advanced air defense systems would meet a long-standing request from Ukraine.
“We strongly recommend that the decision-makers in Washington finally listen […] and draw the right conclusions from our repeated warnings that any weapon systems delivered to Ukraine, including Patriot, and the respective personnel, have been and remain legitimate priority targets of the Russian Armed Forces,” Zakharova said.
Dec 15, 12:48 PM EST
Putin purportedly planning major new year offensive: Report
Ukraine’s defense minister is claiming in a news interview that Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning a major new offensive to launch in the new year.
Oleksii Reznikov told the British newspaper The Guardian that emerging evidence indicates the Kremlin is preparing a broad new offensive possibly in February.
Reznikov said the new offensive is part of a second wave of a mobilization of 300,000 reservists Putin announced in September.
“The second part of the mobilization, 150,000 approximately, started their training courses in different camps,” Reznikov said. “The [draftees] do a minimum of three months to prepare. It means they are trying to start the next wave of the offensive probably in February, like last year. That’s their plan.”
News of the possible offensive comes after a series of setbacks the Russians have had on the battlefield, including a botched attempt in March to the take Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital.
Dec 14, 10:20 AM EST
US Air Force vet released from Russian captivity
A U.S. Air Force veteran from Minnesota was freed Wednesday from Russian-controlled territory and told ABC News he survived being beaten and electrocuted by his captors.
Suedi Murekezi, 35, was freed in a war gray zone just outside Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine. A prearranged two-hour cease-fire was called to allow an exchange of prisoners of war.
Murekezi and other prisoners of war were brought out of Russian-controlled territory as part of the exchange. Following his release, Murekezi was seen clutching a Ukrainian flag given to him by a Ukrainian military intelligence officer.
Murekezi was arrested in June when he was falsely accused by the Russians of being a member of the CIA, he said. He said he was later released; however, he was stuck in Donetsk, a city in Russian-controlled territory, because he was without his U.S. passport.
In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Murekezi said he felt “trapped” in Donetsk and lived under intense uncertainty about his future.
He said he was relieved and happy to be back in Ukrainian-controlled territory, a free man in the country where he has lived for years, working in cryptocurrency.
What he is looking forward to most when he gets back to Minnesota? “A peanut butter sandwich,” Murekezi said.
-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge, Dada Jovanovic, Natalia Kushniir and Kuba Kaminski
Dec 14, 10:28 AM EST
Drone attacks launched on Kyiv
Two waves of drone attacks were launched before dawn on Wednesday in Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that every drone was shot down and urged residents of Ukraine’s capital city not to ignore air raid warning sirens.
“This morning has started with 13 Shahed drones attacking. All 13 were downed by our air defense. Good job. Thank the air defense and please don’t ignore the air raid sirens,” Zelenskyy said in a statement following the drone attacks.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitchko also confirmed the attack and urged residents to take shelter underground.
The latest attack comes as the U.S. is preparing to approve sending Patriot missile defense systems to Ukraine and that these plans could be approved by President Joe Biden as early as this week.
United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also has to sign off on the transfer before it goes to the White House but, if approved by Biden, the transfer of the advanced air defense systems would meet a long-standing request from Ukraine.
A senior Ukrainian Defense official told ABC News on Tuesday that the Patriots “will be a game changer.”
-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge
Dec 13, 3:36 PM EST
US preparing to send Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine
Two U.S. officials confirm that the U.S. has prepared plans to send Patriot air defense missile systems to Ukraine that could be approved by President Joe Biden as early as this week.
If approved by Biden, the transfer of the advanced air defense systems would meet a long-standing request from Ukraine.
The U.S. has stressed the importance of Ukraine getting additional air defense systems in the coming months but has worked with other countries on alternative systems other than the Patriot.
The Patriot missile systems to be given to Ukraine will come from
U.S. inventories under the presidential drawdown authority, according to officials.
Another one of those announcements is expected to be announced on Thursday, though it is unclear if the Patriots will be included as part of that package.
If Biden approves the Patriot systems, then the training of Ukrainian troops will begin in Germany a few weeks later, officials said.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin must sign off on the transfer before it goes to the White House.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Dec 13, 3:17 PM EST
Ukraine to get 30 upgraded Soviet-era tanks from Czech Republic next year
Soviet-era tanks are getting new optics, armor, and more at a Czech facility in Šternberk, thanks partly to the efforts of Ukrainian refugees working there.
Around 150 people have been hired by Excalibur Army in an effort to modernize old military equipment from around the world, which will then be shipped to Ukraine after months of work on upgrades.
According to the company’s commercial director, Richard Kuběna, it is concentrating on a large order to modernize up to 120 T-72 tanks, which the U.S. and the Netherlands governments ordered and paid 2.2 billion crowns for.
The tanks were ordered initially from Šternberk by an African country. However, after negotiating with the U.S., E.U., and Czech Ministry of Defense, they decided to give the tanks to Ukraine, Kuběna said.
“Next week, the first five units of tanks for Ukraine will be received, we would like to deliver 18 units by the end of the year,” noted Kuběna.
Kuběna said he would like to
Dec 13, 6:47 AM EST
Russian withdrawal ‘out of the question’
A Kremlin official said on Tuesday that Russia’s withdrawal from Ukraine was “out of the question.”
A reporter asked Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov for comment on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s proposal that Russia start to pull out forces from Ukraine before Christmas. Peskov was also asked whether Moscow was ready to do so before the end of this year.
“This is out of the question,” Peskov said.
Dec 11, 7:56 PM EST
Biden speaks with Zelenskyy about recent security assistance packages: White House
President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday to discuss continued support for Ukraine’s defense amid Russian attacks on critical infrastructure, according to a White House readout of their call.
“President Biden highlighted how the U.S. is prioritizing efforts to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense through our security assistance, including the December 9 announcement of $275 million in additional ammunition and equipment that included systems to counter the Russian use of unmanned aerial vehicles,” the White House said.
“President Biden also highlighted the November 29 announcement of $53 million to support energy infrastructure to strengthen the stability of Ukraine’s energy grid in the wake of Russia’s targeted attacks,” it added.
-ABC News’ Justin Ryan Gomez
Dec 09, 12:05 PM EST
Treasury sanctions 4 Russians for carrying out human rights abuses
The U.S. Department of Treasury issued sanctions against four Russians accused of forcibly seizing personal data and conducting interrogations and searches against Ukrainian citizens to determine if they have any connections to the Ukrainian government or military.
There are also allegations that deportations, disappearances and torture have also been carried out.
Two of those sanctioned “oversaw the filtration of city government officials and other civilians from Mariupol, Ukraine, including through the filtration center in Manhush, Ukraine. Witnesses have reported insufficient food supplies, overcrowded cells, and beatings at the Manhush filtration center. One witness overheard Russia’s soldiers discussing shooting people who underwent filtration at Manhush,” according to a press release from the Treasury.
The Treasury is also sanctioning members of Russia’s Central Election Commission for overseeing the sham referenda held in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine in September, during which Ukrainians were forced to vote for annexation.
Dec 07, 6:01 PM EST
10 civilians killed in Russian air strike, Zelenskyy says
A Russian airstrike that struck Kurakhov, a city in Donetsk Oblast in southeastern Ukraine, has killed 10 people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Wednesday.
Civilian areas such as a market, gas station, bus station and a residential building were among the targets that were struck, Zelenskyy said.
Dec 07, 1:19 PM EST
Putin says Russia will not be the first to use nuclear weapons in war with Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Wednesday the threat of nuclear war is increasing but Russia will not be the first to use nuclear weapons.
Putin, speaking at Russia’s Human Rights Council, said nuclear weapons should act as a deterrent in conflicts, not provoke them.
“We consider weapons of mass destruction, nuclear weapons, it is all built around the so-called retaliatory strike. When we are struck, we strike back,” Putin said.
“I have already said: we don’t have our own nuclear weapons, including tactical ones, on the territory of other countries, but the Americans do. Both in Turkey and in a number of other European states … we haven’t done anything yet,” Putin said.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Dec 07, 8:56 AM EST
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy named Time’s 2022 ‘Person of the Year’
Time named Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Spirit of Ukraine as the 2022 “Person of the Year.”
More than a dozen Ukrainians who embodied the spirit of Ukraine were also named: Dr. Iryna Kondratova, who helped mothers give birth during shelling in the hospital basement; Oleg Kutkov, an engineer who laid the groundwork for the essential connectivity; Olga Rudenko, editor-in-chief of the Kyiv Independent; and Levgen Klopotenko, a Kyiv chef who converted his restaurant into a relief canteen.
“This year’s choice was the most clear-cut in memory. Whether the battle for Ukraine fills one with hope or with fear, the world marched to Volodymyr Zelensky’s beat in 2022,” Time editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal said in a statement.
Dec 06, 4:22 PM EST
Ukrainian special forces were deep in Russia to guide drone, senior Ukrainian official says
Ukrainian special forces were deep inside Russian territory and helped guide drones to at least one of the bases hit in Monday’s attacks, a senior official from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s inner-circle confirmed to ABC News.
-ABC News’ Marcus Moore
Dec 06, 2:28 PM EST
White House does not have assessment on drone attacks inside Russia
The U.S. does not have an assessment on recent drone attacks deep inside Russia, which a person close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told ABC News Ukraine is responsible for, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday.
“I don’t want to speculate about whether Ukraine is responsible for these attacks,” Jean-Pierre said.
Jean-Pierre also told reporters Russia is to blame for this conflict.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Dec 06, 11:30 AM EST
Russia now out of Iranian-made drones, Western officials say
According to Western officials, Russia has run out of Iranian-made drones. Russia had been using the lethal drones, along with missiles, in a wave of aerial bombardments on Ukrainian infrastructure over a period of several weeks.
But, the drones have been absent in recent Russian attacks. A western official said the Russians “anticipate a resupply.”
In light of Ukraine’s apparent drone attacks on military airbases deep inside Russia, Western officials said Russia will now be undergoing “a significant amount of soul-searching” over their ability to defend significant military assets deep inside Russia’s borders.
The official, who characterized the attacks as “an egregious failure of security” said the Russian military’s potential had been consistently overestimated by the west.
“I no longer think the Russians are ten-feet tall,” the official said.
-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge
Dec 06, 10:17 AM EST
Ukrainian drone crashes into military airfield in Russia
A Ukrainian drone crashed into a military airfield in Russia, setting an oil tanker on fire, according to the governor of Russia’s Kursk region.
There were no casualties at the Kursk base. This comes a day after drone attacks on two Russian airbases where jets used to bomb Ukraine are housed. No one immediately claimed responsibility.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti
Dec 05, 10:36 AM EST
Missiles rain on Ukraine after purported drone strikes in Russia
A new barrage of missiles strikes was launched against Ukraine on Monday, hitting targets across the country, including the capital city of Kyiv, officials said.
Casualties and damage from the attacks were being assessed, Ukrainian officials said.
The majority of the missiles were shot down by air defense forces, Ukrainian officials said.
Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said the Russians launched missiles from the Volgodonsk, Caspian and Black seas.
The strikes damaged two infrastructure objects in the Odesa region, leaving the area without electricity and running water, officials said. One person was hospitalized, according to Ukrainian officials.
Odesa Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov said a missile hit a substation that supplies the city of Belvaevska’s pumping station with electricity.
According to the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, missile strikes in the Zaporizhzhia region killed two people and injured three others, including a toddler, in the village of Novosofiyivka.
Explosion were also heard in Cherkasy, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Kherson and Cherkasy, officials said.
The missile strikes followed reports from Russian media outlets that drones were used to bomb two military air bases in Russia, hundreds of miles from the Ukrainian border.
Ukrainian officials have not claimed responsibility for the drone attacks, but Mykhailo Podolyak, a top adviser to Ukraine’s president, posted a cryptic tweet, saying “if you launch something very often into the airspace of other countries, sooner or later the unknown flying objects will return to the place of departure.”
Dec 02, 2:18 PM EST
No peace talks till Russian soldiers leave, Ukraine says
Ukraine said it would not consider peace talks before the last Russian soldier leaves Ukrainian territory. This comes after President Joe Biden indicating he would be willing to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin if he has legitimate interest in peace negotiations.
Ukraine also said that there must not be any peace negotiations without Ukraine, reiterating that Biden has been clear that there won’t be any talks happening without the participation of U.S. allies and Ukraine.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Dec 02, 2:17 PM EST
IAEA expresses optimism over creation of protection zone around Zaporizhzhia
The International Atomic Energy Agency expressed optimism over possibly creating a safe zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant before the end of the year.
“I know that President Putin is following the process, and I do not rule out another meeting with him soon, as well as with Ukrainian President Zelensky,” IAEA Director General Rafael Rossi said in an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica.
“There is a concrete proposal on securing Zaporizhzhia and important progress has been made. …The two sides now agree on some basic principles. The first is that of protection: it means accepting that you don’t shoot ‘on’ the plant and ‘from’ the plant. The second is the recognition that the IAEA is the only possible way forward: that was the heart of my meeting with President Putin in St. Petersburg on October 11,” Rossi added.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Dec 02, 12:27 PM EST
Bloody packages with animal eyes sent to Ukrainian embassies
Packages believed to be blood-soaked and containing the eyes of animals, were sent to Ukrainian embassies worldwide, including in Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Croatia and Italy, the Ukrainian ministry of foreign affairs said Friday.
The entrance to the ambassador’s residence in the Vatican was also vandalized, according to the Ukrainian ministry of foreign affairs.
The Ukrainian embassy in the U.S. received a letter with a photocopy of a critical article about Ukraine. Like most other envelopes, the letter arrived along with others from the territory of an unnamed European country.
“We have reason to believe that a well-planned campaign of terror and intimidation of Ukrainian embassies and consulates is taking place. Not being able to stop Ukraine on the diplomatic front, they are trying to intimidate us. However, I can immediately say that these attempts are useless. We will continue to work effectively for the victory of Ukraine,” the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba said in a statement.
The Ukrainian embassy in Spain received a letter-bomb on Wednesday which was opened and ignited, resulting in one slight injury.
A similar envelope was sent to the U.S. embassy in Madrid, but it was detected before going off, according to Spanish officials.
All Ukrainian embassies and consulates have been placed under heightened security. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on foreign governments to guarantee maximum protection of Ukraine’s diplomatic institutions.
Dec 01, 3:28 PM EST
Biden ‘prepared to speak with Putin’ if he wants to end war
Speaking at a joint press conference with France’s Emmanuel Macron, President Joe Biden said he would be open to speaking with Vladimir Putin if the Russian leader has legitimate interest in peace negotiations. Biden, however, said he has “no immediate plans to contact Mr. Putin.”
Biden also noted that Putin has “miscalculated every single thing” when it comes to this war.
“So the question is what is his — how does he get himself out of the circumstance he’s in? I’m prepared if he’s willing to talk to find out what he’s willing to do, but I’ll only do it in consultation with my NATO. I’m not going to do it on my own,” Biden said.
Meanwhile, President Macron, who has continued speaking with Putin, said it’s up to Ukraine to come to the negotiating table.
“So it’s only legitimate that President Zelenskyy sets some conditions to talk. We need to work on what could lead to a peace agreement. But it’s for him to tell us when the time comes and what the choices of the Ukrainians are,” Macron said.
-ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky
Dec 01, 1:46 PM EST
Shelling in Kherson damages power lines as energy company works to finish repairs
Electricity was back for 60% of customers in the Ukrainian city of Kherson, but shelling overnight damaged power lines, according to the head of Ukraine’s regional energy company.
Workers are hoping to finish the repairs by the end of Thursday.
In Kyiv, 652,000 residents were subject to power outages throughout Thursday, according to the director of YASNO energy company, Serhiy Kovalenko. Kyiv’s main power grid is operating at less than 70% capacity and 20% of residents are still without power or heat.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Dec 01, 12:20 PM EST
Russia accuses US, NATO of direct involvement in war
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the West of being directly involved in the war in Ukraine by supplying the country with weapons and training its soldiers.
“You are training their military on your territory, on the territories of Britain, Germany, Italy and other countries,” Lavrov said at a press conference Thursday.
Lavrov also claimed that Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities and other key infrastructure were intended to weaken Ukraine’s military potential and derail the shipments of weapons from the West.
Lavrov also said Moscow is open to peace talks to end the conflict.
-ABC News’ Will Gretsky
Nov 29, 11:47 AM EST
US to send $53M in energy aid to help Ukraine through winter
The U.S. will provide Ukraine with more than $53 million to acquire critical electric grid equipment to help its citizens get through the winter, the State Department announced Tuesday.
The announcement comes amid Russia’s continued attacks against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
“This new assistance is in addition to $55 million in emergency energy sector support for generators and other equipment to help restore emergency power and heat to local municipalities impacted by Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s power system,” the State Department said in a release.
-ABC News’ Matt Seyler
Nov 28, 4:36 PM EST
UN lays out ‘dire’ situation in southern Ukraine
Denise Brown, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Ukraine, traveled to the Ukrainian cities of Kherson and Mykolaiv over the weekend to get an update on the humanitarian issues affecting the southern part of the country, according to the U.N.
Although repairs to the area’s water system are finally able to commence, there is still a lot of work to be done to help the people in those cities, the U.N said.
“We continue to be concerned about the plight of civilians in Ukraine especially as winter sets in,” a U.N. spokesperson said in a statement.
Some heating points have already been established in Mykolaiv to help people who cannot heat their homes, according to the U.N.
“Aid workers are providing supplies and generators to make these places functional,” the U.N. said in a statement.
The agency added that donations and funding for humanitarian efforts are critical as the cold weather sets in.
Nov 25, 1:13 PM EST
Power restored in all regions, Ukraine grid operator says
All of Ukraine’s regions are now connected to the European Union’s energy system and all three nuclear power plants located in the Kyiv-controlled area are working, CEO of Ukrenergo grid operator Volodymyr Kudrytskyi announced.
“In one to two days, they will reach their normal planned capacity, and we expect to introduce planned rolling blackouts instead of emergency outages,” Kudrytskyi said.
Power is slowly returning to all Ukrainian cities, but blackouts and emergency shutdowns continue. Power issues are the worst in Kyiv, Kirivigrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Poltava and Lviv, according to Kudrytskyi.
Kyiv’s critical infrastructure receives electricity, the water supply is fully restored and heating is being restored, but 50% of residential houses remain without power. Only one-third of houses currently have heating, according to the mayor.
(NEW YORK) — FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has now signed extradition papers in the Bahamas, where he lived in a multimillion-dollar mansion, after waffling on the decision since his initial court appearance last week.
The disgraced former CEO signed the papers to waive an extradition hearing from the Bahamas and will now be flown to the United States to face prosecution after the collapse of a company that was once valued at $32 billion, according to acting Commissioner of Corrections Doan Cleare.
Bankman-Fried, 30, had been expected in court Tuesday but did not appear, even as his lawyers and U.S. consular officials waited for two hours.
That followed a confusing hearing Monday at which Bankman-Fried declined to waive extradition. The judge sent him back to jail and declared the day’s proceeding a waste of time.
Bankman-Fried is now due back in court Wednesday and, with extradition papers signed, should be clear for transfer to New York, where federal prosecutors have charged him in an eight-count indictment with stealing billions from customers of and investors in FTX.
Bankman-Fried has been held in the medical ward of the island’s Fox Hill prison after an application for bail was denied when a judge determined he was too much of a flight risk.
A U.S. government plane is waiting to fly Bankman-Fried back from the Bahamas, where he lived in a $30 million penthouse while running FTX until it collapsed into bankruptcy in November.
At a court hearing last week, Bankman-Fried declined to waive his right to challenge extradition to the U.S. He was expected to do so on Monday, according to sources, but did not.
Instead, at the court hearing on Monday, Bankman-Fried asked to see a copy of the U.S. indictment and speak to his New York-based attorney. A phone call, in the presence of his Bahamian counsel, was approved by the judge.
Ultimately, Bankman-Fried agreed to waive extradition and clear the path for his transport to the U.S. for prosecution.
In addition to the criminal charges, Bankman-Fried faces related civil lawsuits from the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
(TORONTO) — A 73-year-old man wielding a semiautomatic handgun opened fire Sunday at his luxury condo building in a suburb near Toronto, killing five neighbors, including three members of his condo board, police said Monday.
Another victim was injured in the shooting in Vaughan, a city north of Toronto, according to York Regional Police.
At a news conference Monday afternoon, Chief Jim MacSween of the York Regional Police Department identified the alleged gunman as Francesco Villi, a resident of the 16-story Bellaria condominium tower where the shooting rampage occurred.
He said Villi was fatally shot in an “interaction” with police on the third floor of the condo tower.
MacSween said three men and two women were killed in the shooting. He said three victims were members of the building’s condo board.
He said the victims were found in three separate units of the building. He said a 66-year-old woman was shot and seriously injured in the incident.
The names of the victims were not immediately released, and MacSween said a motive for the shooting remains under investigation.
“We are truly shocked and sorry that such an incident took place in our region,” MacSween said. “We will do anything we can to support the loved ones and anyone else impacted by this heartbreaking incident.”
MacSween declined to confirm reports that Villi was engaged in an ongoing dispute with his condo board.
He said part of the investigation will focus on what relationship Villi had to the victims and “what is his relationship to the board.”
The shooting unfolded around 7:20 p.m. Sunday when police received a call of an active shooter at the condo building, MacSween said. An officer who responded to the scene had an “interaction” with the alleged gunman, who was shot and killed, MacSween said.
“The officer in that interaction is a 24-year veteran of the York Regional Police, and he very likely saved lives by his actions last night,” MacSween said.
The Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit, which joined the probe because it involved police shooting the suspect, said the victims were found on different floors of the building.
“Residents of the building who had been evacuated are now able to return to their homes,” York police said on Twitter. “We thank you for your patience and understanding while we worked to ensure safety and preserve evidence.”
(NEW YORK) — The Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education has sent an order to all private and government-run universities banning women from attending.
The order says all female students in Afghanistan should be prevented from attending universities until further orders, according to a decision made by the Taliban cabinet and senior leadership of the Islamic emirate.
Human Rights Watch immediately came out with a statement criticizing the decision, writing, “The Taliban have banned women from universities. This is a shameful decision that violates the right to education for women and girls in Afghanistan. The Taliban are making it clear every day that they don’t respect the fundamental rights of Afghans, especially women.”
When the Taliban came back to power in August 2021, it made assurances that women would retain many of the rights they gained in the years following the U.S. invasion that expelled Taliban authority.
In August 2021, Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, promised that women in Afghanistan would be allowed to work and study but “within the limits of Islam.”
“Women will be afforded all their rights, whether it is at work or other activities, because women are a key part of society,” Mujahid said. “And we are guaranteeing all their rights within the limits of Islam.”
Many of those rights have been repealed in the year since the Taliban came to power, however.
“It has been a year of increasing disrespect for their right to live free and equal lives, denying them opportunity to livelihoods, access to health care and education and escape from situations of violence,” Sima Bahous, executive director at U.N. Women, said in a report issued this August.
Girls were almost immediately banned from attending secondary school in the wake of the Taliban taking over. Last month, women were banned from going to gyms and parks.
The Taliban has also banned women from traveling alone without a male guardian, which has confined many to their homes, and re-installed the requirement all women cover themselves head to toe in public.
“This suffocating crackdown against Afghanistan’s female population is increasing day by day,” Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard said in a statement earlier this year.
