Tears for Fears previously topped the Billboard 200 in 1985 with Songs from the Big Chair, while their 1989 album The Seeds of Love also peaked at #8.
The Tipping Point also bowed at #1 on a number of Billboard charts, including the Top Album Sales tally, which is based on traditional album sales. The album sold 29,000 copies during the week ending March 3, according to MRC data. Of that 29,000 figure, 12,000 sales were for CDs and 9,500 were for vinyl LPs.
In addition, The Tipping Point currently is #1 on Billboard‘s Top Rock Albums, Top Alternative Albums, Top Album Sales and Top Current Album Sales charts.
Tears for Fears will launch a U.S. tour in support of The Tipping Point on May 20 in Cincinnati. The trek, which will feature veteran alt-rockers Garbage as the opening act, is mapped out through a June 25 show in Wantagh, New York.
Oscar-nominated Dune director Denis Villeneuve is apparently looking at Academy Award-nominated Little Women star-turned-Marvel movie heroine Florence Pugh for the sci-fi epic’s sequel.
According to Variety, Pugh could play Princess Irulan Corrino, a royal character from Frank Herbert‘s seminal science-fiction novel who forms a relationship with young leader Paul Atreides, who was played by Timothée Chalamet in Villeneuve’s version.
Pugh was recently seen in the Marvel Studios small-screen series Hawkeye, reprising her Black Widow role of assassin Yelena, the adoptive sister of Scarlett Johansson‘s Natasha Romanoff.
Dune: Part 2, which will star original cast members Chalamet, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, Stellan Skarsgård, Javier Bardem, Dave Bautista and Zendaya, is slated for an October 2023 release.
Dune earned more than $400 million worldwide, and has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
(NOTE LANGUAGE) In a recent interview with entertainment interviewer DJ Vlad, actor and comedian D.L. Hughley offered up his thoughts on Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s divorce.
DJ Vlad kicked off the Kanye/Kim portion of the chat by mentioning how he initially found humor in Kanye’s response to the divorce. But Hughley shook his head in disagreement before responding, “It’s never been funny.”
“He is stalking her,” Hughley said. “You can think it’s cute. If it was my daughter, I’d do something about it. I don’t think it’s funny.” He added that the “difference between [Kanye] and a restraining order is about 20 hits and a couple of hundred million dollars.”
R&B singer Keyshia Cole opened up about romantic relationships, past friendships and her late mother’s battle with addiction on Sunday’s premiere episode of TVOne’s #Uncensored. In the hour-long special, the 40-year-old Oakland, California native recounted the events that led to a fallout between her and rapper Eve.
“We’re walking out, and somebody grabbed her bag or something like that and I kind of turned around and slapped the girl,” Cole started to explain. “And Eve is really pissed off about that, like, we stopped hanging out.”
Cole said she was confused, telling Eve, “I slapped somebody for you, what the f*** is this?”
The premiere episode of #Uncensored, directed by TV personality Tami Roman, garnered kudos by fans who commended Cole for her transparency and openness.
Lastly, Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan are set to star in the upcoming I Am Legend sequel, I Am Legend 2. According to Variety, the film is in the works at Warner Bros. and will be produced by Smith’s Westbrook Studios as well as Jordan’s Outlier Society.
ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images; Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images
Many fans know that Stevie Nicks is very close with pop star Harry Styles, but now Harry has tapped one of Stevie’s Fleetwood Mac‘s band mates to star in the new campaign for his beauty and lifestyle brand, Pleasing.
Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood, 74, is starring in the campaign for Pleasing’s new Shroom Bloom line of products, out on March 15. According to Vogue, the line features face and nail products, including four new shades of polish, as well as limited-edition apparel. The campaign was shot at Fleetwood’s home in Maui, Hawaii, and even includes a guest appearance from his pet pig, Tilly.
Mick and Harry first met eight years ago when the drummer took his twin daughters, who were 12 at the time, to see One Direction and then backstage for a meet-and-greet. But since Mick is six-foot-five, he wasn’t exactly fading into the background, and Harry, a huge Fleetwood Mac, noticed him. That’s how their friendship started.
In the photos, Fleetwood is wearing theatrical, colorful outfits and different colors of nail polish. “Oh, I loved that. I kept the varnish on for two weeks!” Mick tells Vogue. “Back in the day in London, I used to wear nail polish and all sorts of stuff, and the attitude was, ‘so what?’ It didn’t have anything to do with sexuality. It’s not about that. It’s about having fun.”
As for why Styles chose Fleetwood for the campaign, he tells Vogue that the drummer “is a magical man,” adding, “Mick is someone who brings me — and countless others — great joy.” He continues, “I felt there couldn’t be a better embodiment of Pleasing, or a person who could so naturally capture the wizardry that we love.”
After a record 59-week climb, Glass Animals have finally topped the Billboard Hot 100 with their song “Heat Waves.” So how did they celebrate? Well, since they were on their tour bus when they got the news, their options were limited.
“We were all in the bus, and our bass player has the bunk above me. And he shouted, “F**KING NO. 1!!” And that’s what woke me up in the morning,” frontman Dave Bayley, who wrote and produced “Heat Waves,” tells Billboard.
“I jumped out of bed…and we were in our underpants, and we gave each other a hug. And we couldn’t believe it. That was how we celebrated,” he continues. “And then we woke up the whole bus, and everyone had a bit of a hug in our pajamas.”
Then, when the tour bus arrived in Portland, Oregon, Dave says, “I went to my favorite deli, [which] is here. So…I got a bagel, and it was awesome. It was the best bagel I ever had in my life.”
Dave says he’s also receiving tons of congratulations from all over. “I’m getting phone calls from people I haven’t spoken to in years,” he reveals. “And other artists, my favorite artists in the world, people I’ve, like, looked up to for decades, are sending messages in.”
When “Heat Waves” hit number one, it knocked out “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” the viral hit from Encanto, which had held the top spot for weeks. So, is Dave a fan?
“It’s a great movie! Lin-Manuel Miranda is brilliant, and I’m a big fan of the film, a big fan of the song,” Dave says. “The music in that movie in general is brilliant. But, uh, sorry Lin-Manuel Miranda.”
Bob Dylan undoubtedly knows a thing or two about writing songs, having composed hundreds during his 60-plus-year career. Now the folk-rock legend will publish a new book later this year in which he examines what he’s learned about the craft.
The Philosophy of Modern Song, which will be released on November 8, will feature Dylan’s musings about various aspects of writing tunes, reflections on various musical genres, and more than 60 essays about songs written by other artists, spanning from Stephen Foster to Elvis Costello.
Topics Dylan touches on in the book include the use of easy rhymes, how adding a syllable can affect an entire tune and much more. The Philosophy of Modern Song also will include more than 150 photos.
The book, which Dylan began writing in 2010, is a follow-up to his best-selling 2004 memoir, Chronicles, Volume One, and is his first book since he became the first songwriter to be honored with the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016.
“The publication of Bob Dylan’s kaleidoscopically brilliant work will be an international celebration of songs by one of the greatest artists of our time,” says Simon & Schuster president and CEO Jonathan Karp. “The Philosophy of Modern Song could only have been written by Bob Dylan. His voice is unique, and his work conveys his deep appreciation and understanding of songs, the people who bring those songs to life, and what songs mean to all of us.”
An audiobook version of the publication will be partly narrated by Dylan, along with a mix of other readers.
The Philosophy of Modern Song can be pre-ordered now. For more information, visit SimonandSchuster.com.
Meanwhile, Dylan recently launched a spring U.S. tour that runs through an April 14 show in Oklahoma City.
(NEW YORK) — Before Russian attacks on Ukraine led to mass displacement, Europe was already grappling with the Syrian refugee crisis – an issue that had bitterly divided European Union nations in recent years over what to do with the 1.1 million Syrians who sought refuge in Europe.
Meanwhile, neighboring European nations have swiftly met the influx of more than 2 million Ukrainian refugees since Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24 with a united show of solidarity.
Although it is unclear if disagreements over burden-sharing will follow, according to those who study migration in Europe, experts say Ukrainian refugees face a more welcoming environment because they are white.
Andrew Geddes, Director of the Migration Policy Centre, told ABC News that there’s a stark contrast between Europe’s “very warm welcome” of Ukrainian refugees, compared to the largely “hostile” response to Syrians and other asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East.
“It’s night and day,” Geddes said.
“I think the strongest contrast is with a bunch of central European countries that were very hostile to Syrian refugees, and are now quite much more favorable to Ukrainian refugees,” Geddes added, referencing Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic — European Union members that were “the most resistant” to welcoming Syrian refugees.
Meanwhile, many nonwhite refugees fleeing Ukraine, including students from Asia and Africa, have reported instances of discrimination on the borders of Ukraine, with some telling ABC News that differential treatment based on race led to difficulties in crossing into countries like Poland. But others from Africans and the Middle East have said they crossed into Poland without any issues.
United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees Filippo Grandi confirmed during a press conference last Tuesday that “there are instances” of differentiation of treatment at the borders based on race, but said he was assured that “these are not state policies.”
Grandi said he met with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau last Wednesday, who “affirmed Poland’s commitment to continue receiving all those fleeing, without distinction.” Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba responded to reports of discrimination last Tuesday, tweeting that “Ukraine’s government spares no effort to solve the problem.” He also added that Ukraine set up an emergency hotline to assist African, Asian and other students seeking to leave Ukraine.
‘Exclusionary’ asylum policies
European countries host over 1 million of the 6.6 million Syrian asylum-seekers and refugees, but the vast majority are hosted by only two countries – 59% in Germany and 11% in Sweden, according to United Nations High Commission on Refugees data.
But according to Kelly Petillo, coordinator of the Middle East and North Africa programme and the European Council on Foreign Relations, this “didn’t come immediately.”
“It came after quite a bit of internal back and forth and lack of disagreement,” Petillo said, adding that the majority of Syrian refugees were allowed to enter Europe in 2016 — four years after the war in Syria began — only after the European Union struck a deal with Turkey, which was facing immense pressure at the time from the surge of migrants and asylum seekers.
The Europe Union provided financial support to Turkey to slow the flow of migrants and asylum seekers crossing into Europe by returning “irregular migrants” attempting to enter Europe through Greece to Turkey, as Turkey works “to prevent new migratory routes from opening,” according to the Migration Policy Centre.
As part of the deal, which was intended to slow migration to Europe, “the European Union agreed to resettle Syrian refugees from Turkey on a one-to-one basis,” per MPC, and the European Union also paid 6 billion euros to aid Turkey’s Syrian migrant communities.
“Since the Syria crisis erupted more than 10 years ago, we’ve seen that there was a high level of reluctancy from Europeans to share the burden amongst themselves,” Petillo said.
Austria, Greece, the Netherlands and France host between 2 to 5% of Syrian refugees in Europe, and other countries host below 2%, according to UNHCR.
Some of the Eastern European countries that largely rejected Syrian refugees have been at the forefront of welcoming Ukrainians, Geddes said, pointing to Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
“For migrants from outside of Europe … it’s a very, very powerful, exclusionary approach,” Geddes said.
“The EU is much more willing to internalize a refugee situation where the people who are being forced to flee are white Europeans, and has been much more reluctant to offer protection for people who are from Africa and the Middle East,” he added.
And that “double standard,” Petillo said, is not only shaped by race, religion and culture, but also by politics.
Poland received 1.2 million of those fleeing Ukraine, according to UNHCR data, and on Friday Polish President Andrzej Duda toured a border crossing facility in Korczowa, where he met with Ukrainian refugees and told reporters that Poland would welcome them with open hearts.
Geddes said that Poland’s handling of the Syrian refugee crisis was the “opposite.”
As Poland continued to push back against pressure from the European Union to take in asylum seekers from Syria, Jarosław Kaczyński, leader of Poland’s rightwing party and current Deputy Prime Minister, argued in 2017 that doing so would be “dangerous” and would “completely change our culture and radically lower the level of safety in our country.”
The European Union’s top court ruled in April 2020 that Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic broke EU law by refusing to host refugees to relieve some of the burden from countries like Turkey and Greece.
And in November 2021, Poland was “involved in a military standoff” with Belarus to prevent asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East from crossing the Polish border, Geddes said.
More than 2,000 people were trapped in a makeshift camp on the Belarusian side as Poland blocked aid. At least 15 died in the cold last year.
And in January, Poland began building a metal wall on the border of Belarus to block migrants.
“When it comes down to it, Ukrainians are seen as European,” Geddes said, saying that there are “very strong” historical and cultural links between Poland and Ukraine — Many refugees from Ukraine have family and friends in Poland who have taken them in.
Meanwhile, asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East “are fundamentally seen as being different, racially, socially, culturally,” he added.
Islamophobia and politics
Those sentiments, which Petillo described as “othering,” were evident over the past week in the rhetoric of several prominent political leaders and various Western media figures, who made controversial statements that went viral on social media.
One journalist described Ukrainians as “civilized” in an attempt to differentiate them from other refugees and others suggested that it’s more difficult to witness the plight of Ukrainians because they “look like us.”
In the wake of the global War on Terror following the 9/11 terror attacks, Petillo said that Islamophobic language that “linked terrorism to Islam” became common in a “dangerous” political discourse regarding refugees from the Middle East.
Geddes said those anti-immigrant sentiments have been weaponized by various leaders of “the radical right” in Europe and “played a part in this exclusionary approach to migration.”
At the height of the refugee crisis in 2015, Czech President Milos Zeman referred to the influx of Syrian and Iraqi refugees seeking asylum in Europe as “an organized invasion.”
Meanwhile, the Czech Republic has so far welcomed tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees, per UNHCR.
In a historic vote, the European Union agreed on Thursday to give Ukrainians immediate temporary protective status that allows them to work and live in EU countries and provides them with access to health care and other social services. This marks the first time that the EU has invoked this protection since it became a part of EU law two decades ago, Geddes said.
Although Germany and Sweden have made some efforts to provide protections for Syrian refugees, many remain “stuck in limbo” without access to employment, education or other social services, Petillo said.
“[They’re] not coming out officially with policies saying we want Syrians to return, but they’re doing anything they can to disincentivize Syrian refugees from staying,” Petillo said, adding that ongoing humanitarian crises have led to an ongoing flow of refugees to Europe.
Since 2014, more than 20,000 asylum seekers from the Middle East, Asia and Africa arriving to the Mediterranean by land or by sea in hopes of crossing into Europe have died – some drowning – or gone missing, per UNHCR data, including 154 so far in 2022.
“It’s great to be back home!” That was the word from multiple Emmy nominee Giancarlo Esposito, who will return to his Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul network AMC with a new series.
The Driver will have Esposito playing a cab driver whose life is turned upside down when he picks up a Zimbabwean gangster who exploits human migrants trafficked into U.S. ports.
In a statement, the acclaimed actor notes of the six-episode series, “I am over the moon excited, enthused, and inspired to be in collaboration with the stellar network and creative team of AMC!,” before adding, “Thanks for believing in me.”
Esposito played fast-food franchise owner and drug kingpin Gus Fring on Breaking Bad and its spinoff, Better Call Saul, earning Outstanding Supporting Actor Emmy nominations for both shows. He also was nominated in the same category for his turn as the calculating Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian.
(NEW YORK) — Russian forces are continuing their attempted push through Ukraine from multiple directions, while Ukrainians, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are putting up “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The attack began Feb. 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation.”
Russian forces moving from neighboring Belarus toward Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, don’t appear to have advanced closer to the city since coming within about 20 miles, although smaller advanced groups have been fighting gun battles with Ukrainian forces inside the capital since at least Friday.
Russia has been met by sanctions from the United States, Canada and countries throughout Europe, targeting the Russian economy as well as Putin himself.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Mar 08, 3:35 pm
Officials ‘deeply concerned’ about staff and potential nuclear risks at Chernobyl
The safety of the hundreds of staff who are still on duty at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is becoming more precarious, according to multiple agencies.
About 210 personnel have on duty since Feb. 24, the day before Russian military forces entered the disaster site, and have not rotated out, according to the agency.
Nuclear material and facilities demand continuous coverage, which requires employees to operate on a rotation, fixed, or modified shifts, according to a publication from the U.S. Department of Energy. There are many psychological and physiological impacts that can affect work performance, safety, and security without an organization, the material states.
Today, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine told the IAEA that it is becoming increasingly urgent and important for the safe management of the site to replace the current personnel.
While the staff has access to food, water and medicine to a limited extent, the situation is worsening, Ukraine’s nuclear regulator told the IAEA.
“I’m deeply concerned about the difficult and stressful situation facing staff at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and the potential risks this entails for nuclear safety. I call on the forces in effective control of the site to urgently facilitate the safe rotation of personnel there,” Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, said in a statement Tuesday.
Ukraine’s nuclear regulator also asked the IAEA to lead the international support needed to prepare a plan for replacing the current team, which will include pausing the handling of nuclear material at the site, which includes decommissioned reactors as well as radioactive waste facilities
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
Mar 08, 3:29 pm
Starbucks suspends operations in Russia ‘immediately’
Starbucks announced Tuesday it will immediately suspend all its operations in Russia, condemning the “horrific attacks on Ukraine by Russia.”
“We continue to watch the tragic events unfold and, today, we have decided to suspend all business activity in Russia, including shipment of all Starbucks products,” the company’s chief executive officer, Kevin Johnson, said in a statement.
The company said its licensed partner agreed to immediately pause store operations and provide support for its nearly 2,000 workers.
“Through this dynamic situation, we will continue to make decisions that are true to our mission and values and communicate with transparency,” Johnson said.
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Mar 08, 3:10 pm
McDonald’s to temporarily close restaurants, pause operations in Russia
McDonald’s announced Tuesday it is temporarily closing its restaurants and pausing operations in Russia, as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.
“The conflict in Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis in Europe has caused unspeakable suffering to innocent people. As a System, we join the world in condemning aggression and violence and praying for peace,” the company’s chief executive officer, Chris Kempczinski, said in a statement.
McDonald’s employs 62,000 people in Russia, operating in 850 communities, the company said. It will continue paying salaries for all its employees in Russia.
“Our values mean we cannot ignore the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine,” said Kempczinski.
Kempczinski said it is impossible to predict when the company will be reopening its restaurants.
“We are experiencing disruptions to our supply chain along with other operational impacts. We will also closely monitor the humanitarian situation,” Kempczinski said.
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Mar 08, 2:51 pm
Poland announces it is ‘ready’ to handover all its MIG-19 fighter jets
The Polish government announced Tuesday it is ready to immediately handover all its MIG-29 fighter jets to the U.S. and deploy them at the Rammstein Air Base in Germany.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked the West and NATO to supply Ukraine with fighter jets.
Poland, in a statement, said it is ready to provide the MIGs free of charge and asked the U.S. to backfill them with used aircrafts with “corresponding capabilities.”
“The Polish Government also requests other NATO Allies – owners of MIG-29 jets – to act in the same vein,” Poland said in a statement.
A senior U.S. defense official said “we have seen the Polish government’s announcement and have nothing to offer at this time.”
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou and Luis Martinez
Mar 08, 2:06 pm
Ukrainian intelligence claims Russian general has been killed in fighting near Kharkiv
Ukrainian intelligence claimed Tuesday that a Russian general was killed in fighting near the eastern city of Kharkiv. If confirmed, this would be the second general Russia has lost in Ukraine in a week, according to reports from Russian media last week.
Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency identified the general as Vitaly Gerasimov, chief of staff of the 41st Army.
Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency also published audio of an alleged intercepted phone call between two officers from Russia’s FSB intelligence agency discussing Gerasimov’s death.
Russia has not confirmed or denied the death.
The executive director of the open source group Bellingcat, Christo Grozev, said he had confirmed Gerasimov’s death with a Russian source. Grosev said Bellingcat had also identified the FSB officer in the alleged recording.
Last week, the 41st Army’s deputy commander, Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, was confirmed by Russian media to have been killed.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Mar 08, 1:37 pm
Zelenskyy asks UK parliament to increase pressure of sanctions, make Ukrainian skies safe
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to the U.K.’s parliament Tuesday, asking it to increase the pressure of sanctions and “make our Ukrainian skies safe.”
Zelenskyy has been asking NATO and the West to enforce a “no-fly” zone over Ukraine, but the U.S. and its allies have declined the request.
The Ukrainian president was greeted with rousing applause from members of the House, who stood before he spoke.
In his speech, Zelenskyy quoted Shakespeare, saying, “We have to be or not to be. This is a Shakespearean question. Not that I have the answer, but…Yes it is to be.”
He also paraphrased the words of Winston Churchill.
“We will not give up. We will continue fighting for our land whatever the costs. We will fight in the fields, in the seas, in the streets. We will fight on the banks of different rivers,” Zelenskyy said.
“We do not want to lose what we have,” Zelenskyy said.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti and Matt Gutman
Mar 08, 12:29 pm
European Commission releases proposal to make EU independent from Russian fossil fuels before 2030
The European Commission on Tuesday released its proposed plan to make the European Union independent from Russian fossil fuels before 2030, starting with gas.
The plan “will seek to diversify gas supplies, speed up the roll-out of renewable gases and replace gas in heating and power generation,” according to the European Commission.
This plan could reduce the EU’s demand for Russian gas by two-thirds before the end of the year, according to the European Commission.
“We must become independent from Russian oil, coal and gas. We simply cannot rely on a supplier who explicitly threatens us,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.
Von der Leyen said she would be discussing the Commission’s proposal with European leaders in Versailles later this week.
“Putin’s war demonstrates the urgency of accelerating our clean energy transition,” the European Commission wrote on Twitter.
Just before the invasion of Ukraine, the EU reported wholesale gas prices were around 200% higher than a year ago. The invasion aggravated the energy crisis even further.
The EU said it is reliant on imports of fossil fuels— gas, oil and coal— to meet its needs.
Last year, Russia provided around 45% of the EU’s total gas imports, 27% of the EU’s total crude oil imports and 46% of the EU’s hard coal imports, according to the European Commission.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
Mar 08, 11:57 am
US announces ban on Russian oil imports, other energy products
The United States will ban imports of Russian oil and other energy products but will not be joined in doing so by European allies, President Joe Biden announced Tuesday.
“Today, I’m announcing the United States is targeting the main artery of Russia’s economy,” Biden told reporters during a press conference from the White House. “We’re banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy.”
Biden said the ban means the U.S. “will deal another powerful blow” to Russian President Vladimir Putin amid his invasion of neighboring Ukraine. The move is also expected to trigger sharply higher gasoline and other energy prices in the U.S. and worldwide.
“There will be cost as well here in the United States,” he added. “Republicans and Democrats understand, alike, understand that.”
The decision was made in “close consultation” with U.S. allies and partners around the world, particularly in Europe, according to Biden.
“Because a united response to Putin’s aggression has been my overriding focus, to keep all NATO and all the EU and our allies totally united,” he said. “We’re moving forward, understanding that many of our European allies and partner may not be in a position to join us.”
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson and Molly Nagle
Mar 08, 11:52 am
UK to phase out Russian oil by end of 2022
The United Kingdom will phase out the import of Russian oil and oil products by the end of the year, as part of its sanctions on Moscow for invading Ukraine, U.K. Buiness Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng announced Tuesday.
“Beyond Russia, the vast majority of our imports come from reliable partners such as the US, Netherlands and the Gulf. We’ll work with them this year to secure further supplies,” Kwarteng said on his official Twitter account.
Kwarteng noted that while the U.K. “is not dependent” on Russian natural gas, as it only makes up 4% of the U.K’s supply, he is exploring options to “end this altogether.”
“The market has already begun to ostracise Russian oil, with nearly 70% of it currently unable to find a buyer,” he added.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti
Mar 08, 11:31 am
Ukrainian morning show host speaks to ABC News from bomb shelter
Yegor Gordeev, host of the Ukrainian television morning show Breaking with 1+1, said he and his coworkers have had to evacuate the studio during broadcast several times as air raid sirens ring out across Kyiv.
“I’m not in studio, I’m in bomb shelter,” Gordeev told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos during an interview Tuesday on Good Morning America.
“In Ukraine, we have no shows now, we have no TV channels now, we have only one big broadcast for controlled information to audience, for communication with audience for everything,” he added.
It was a bloody day in the Ukrainian capital, according to Gordeev. He said the Ukrainian Air Force shot down a Russian aircraft in the center of Kyiv early Tuesday morning, while a Russian rocket destroyed the city’s largest bakery, killing 30 people.
Gordeev said he hopes for peace in his home country but he’s “not sure.”
“In 21st century, it’s barbarian war,” he said in disbelief. “Putin is unstoppable.”
Mar 08, 10:21 am
Russian Defense Ministry claims Kyiv is ‘against’ evacuation of Ukrainians to Russia
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed Tuesday that Ukrainian authorities are “categorically against” evacuating residents of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol to Russia.
“The authorities in Kyiv are continuing to categorically reject all main routes of evacuation from Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Mariupol to the territory of the Russian Federation,” Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Defense Control Center, said at a briefing.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed the Ukrainians only confirmed one of the 10 evacuation routes Russia proposed. The confirmed route is from the city of Sumy, through Poltava and to the border with Poland, Mizintsev said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed more than 2.5 million Ukrainians asked to be evacuated to Russia.
“Following the past day, 2,541,367 appeals from individual Ukrainian citizens, as well as foreigners made via various communication channels requesting to save and evacuate them from 1,917 settlements in Ukraine have already been processed in our database,” Mizintsev said.
The Russian Defense Ministry also claimed checkpoints in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Moldova and Romania “were virtually ill prepared” to receive Ukrainian refugees.
“People are forced to leave their cars and walk on foot carrying their heavy bags. Lines are up to 40 kilometers long, and the crossing time is over two days,” Mizintsev said.
-ABC News’ Anastasia Bagaeva
Mar 08, 10:06 am
Vatican secretary of state speaks with Russia foreign minister
Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, spoke on the phone with the Russian foreign minister to convey Pope Francis’ “deep concern about the ongoing war in Ukraine.”
Parolin reiterated the pope’s “call for an end to armed attacks, for the securing of humanitarian corridors for civilians and rescuers, and for the replacement of gun violence with negotiation.”
The pope announced Sunday that he has dispatched two cardinals to Poland and Hungry. Cardinal Konrad Krajewski traveled to the Polish-Ukraine border to visit refugees and volunteers in shelters and homes, while Cardinal Michael Czerny will arrive in Hungry on Tuesday to visit reception centers for migrants arriving from Ukraine.
-ABC News’ Phoebe Natanson
Mar 08, 10:06 am
Vatican secretary of state speaks with Russia foreign minister
Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, spoke on the phone with the Russian foreign minister to convey Pope Francis’ “deep concern about the ongoing war in Ukraine.”
Parolin reiterated the pope’s “call for an end to armed attacks, for the securing of humanitarian corridors for civilians and rescuers, and for the replacement of gun violence with negotiation.”
The pope announced Sunday that he has dispatched two cardinals to Poland and Hungry. Cardinal Konrad Krajewski traveled to the Polish-Ukraine border to visit refugees and volunteers in shelters and homes, while Cardinal Michael Czerny will arrive in Hungry on Tuesday to visit reception centers for migrants arriving from Ukraine.
-ABC News’ Phoebe Natanson
Mar 08, 9:02 am
US says Russia seems to be observing cease-fire but unclear for how long
While the United States welcomes Russia’s declaration of a temporary cease-fire in several besieged areas of Ukraine, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said Tuesday it remains unclear exactly how long Russian forces will hold fire.
“We think this is obviously a welcome step that the cease-fire seems to be being observed by the Russians. They don’t exactly have a good track record in that regard. So it’s welcome to see people are able to get out,” Kirby told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an interview on Good Morning America.
“But,” Kirby added, “that cease-fire’s going to expire in a number of hours and so it’s yet to be seen how much more violent the shelling and the bombardments are going to get.”
While Ukraine has continued to call on NATO to establish a no-fly zone over the country — something Washington has already ruled out — along with more help from the U.S., Kirby said there are other steps being taken.
“We are accelerating and expediting the shipment of arms and materiel to Ukraine. In fact, another shipments arrived in eastern Europe just overnight and they will be sent in to Ukraine in the coming hours and days, and there’s more coming,” Kirby said. “And it’s not just the United States. Fourteen other nations are also providing security assistance to Ukraine to help them fight.”
But on the potential of the U.S. replacing Polish fighter jets, should Poland send theirs to Ukraine, Kirby said it was a “possibility” but was non-committal.
“We’re not going to stand in the way of another sovereign nation if they want to provide aircraft to the Ukrainian Air Force. Now that’s certainly their decision and we respect that,” he said. “This issue of whether we backfill it with American jets — we’re looking at that as a possibility here, but there’s an awful lot of logistical and financial issues that have to be dealt with on how that would happen. No decision has been made yet.”
When asked about the risk of a wider war if that happens, Kirby said: “That’s a possibility that we’re always looking at.”
“That’s certainly in the back of everybody’s mind, not just the United States but in NATO nations as well. You don’t want to escalate this conflict any bigger and any worse than it already is. You’re talking about Russia, a nuclear armed power. The consequences for escalating this conflict could be devastating, not just for the people of Ukraine but for the European continent,” he said.
Mar 08, 8:40 am
US to ban Russian oil imports, source says
The White House is expected to announce a ban on U.S. imports of Russian oil as soon as Tuesday, a source familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Mar 08, 8:26 am
Child died from dehydration in besieged Mariupol, Zelenskyy says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that a child has died from dehydration in the besieged port city of Mariupol.
“Russia is for sure to blame for the deaths of people from airstrikes and in the blocked cities,” Zelenskyy said in a televised address. “But the responsibility is also on those who during these 13 days can’t make a decision in their offices in the West, an obviously necessary decision. Those who don’t secure Ukrainian sky from Russian murderers, who didn’t save our cities from airstrikes, these bombs and missiles, although they can.”
“We have been hearing promises about support for 13 days that the jets are about to arrive,” he added. “We have heard promises about securing humanitarian corridors. They didn’t work. We don’t have time to wait. People in Mariupol don’t have time to wait.”
Zelenskyy said trucks carrying humanitarian aid have been sent to Mariupol. He accused the International Committee of the Red Cross of “forbidding the use of its emblem on our cars,” but did not give further details. Videos posted to social media on Tuesday purportedly show vehicles heading to Mariupol from other Ukrainian cities bearing signs with a red cross, but it’s not clear who pasted them there.
“The drivers are heroes who understand they can be killed by Russian troops,” Zelenskyy said. “If you kill those people, the whole world will be the witness.”
Mar 08, 7:33 am
One million children among those who have fled Ukraine: UNICEF
Out of the more than two million people who have been forced to flee Ukraine since Russian forces invaded on Feb. 24, half of them are children, according to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder called it a “dark historical first.”
Mar 08, 7:15 am
Shell pledges to stop buying Russian oil and gas
Energy giant Shell announced Tuesday plans to withdraw from its involvement in all Russian hydrocarbons, including crude oil and natural gas, amid Russia’s unprovoked invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
“As an immediate first step, the company will stop all spot purchases of Russian crude oil. It will also shut its service stations, aviation fuels and lubricants operations in Russia,” Shell said in a statement.
Shell will immediately stop buying Russian crude oil on the spot market and not renew term contracts. The company will also change its crude oil supply chain to remove Russian volumes, but said “this could take weeks to complete and will lead to reduced throughput at some of our refineries.”
In addition, Shell will shut its service stations, aviation fuels and lubricants operations in Russia, and will start a phased withdrawal from Russian petroleum products, pipeline gas and liquefied natural gas.
The company apologized for buying Russian oil last week.
“We are acutely aware that our decision last week to purchase a cargo of Russian crude oil to be refined into products like petrol and diesel — despite being made with security of supplies at the forefront of our thinking — was not the right one and we are sorry,” Shell CEO Ben van Beurden said in a statement. “As we have already said, we will commit profits from the limited, remaining amounts of Russian oil we will process to a dedicated fund. We will work with aid partners and humanitarian agencies over the coming days and weeks to determine where the monies from this fund are best placed to alleviate the terrible consequences that this war is having on the people of Ukraine.”
Mar 08, 6:49 am
Two children among at least 21 killed by Russian airstrike in Sumy: Ukrainian officials
At least 21 civilians, including two children, were killed by a Russian airstrike in Ukraine’s northeastern city of Sumy on Monday night, according to the regional prosecutor’s office.
The strike hit a residential area of Sumy, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, which the regional prosecutor’s office said was still on the scene searching for victims Tuesday.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk called on Russian forces to maintain the agreed upon temporary cease-fire in Sumy and four other Ukrainian cities to allow civilians to evacuate Tuesday. She said Russian authorities have confirmed to the International Committee of the Red Cross that one evacuation route out of Sumy will be open, but Ukrainian officials are awaiting confirmation on the other routes they submitted.
Mar 08, 6:19 am
Over two million refugees have fled Ukraine: UNHCR
More than two million people have been forced to flee Ukraine since Russian forces invaded on Feb. 24, according to the latest figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Over 1.2 million of the refugees from Ukraine are in neighboring Poland, UNHCR figures show.
“Today the outflow of refugees from Ukraine reaches two million people. Two million,” U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said Tuesday in a post on his official Twitter account.
Mar 08, 5:36 am
Russia declares temporary cease-fire for humanitarian corridors in five Ukrainian cities
Russia declared Tuesday a temporary cease-fire in five besieged cities of Ukraine, including the capital, to let civilians leave.
“For safe evacuation of civilians from populated areas, a cease-fire is declared and humanitarian corridors are opening from Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Mariupol from 10:00 a.m. today,” Russian Ministry of Defense spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at a press briefing.
All five cities except Kyiv had sustained brutal, indiscriminate bombardment in recent days.
It’s the fourth attempt to hold fire and allow civilians to escape the onslaught since Russian forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have been holding talks in recent days, and the Russian delegation has previously agreed to a temporary cease-fire and opening of humanitarian corridors in parts of Ukraine. But Russia has violated its own cease-fire and shelled evacuation points, while falsely accusing Ukraine of using people as human shields.
The hard-hit cities of Kharkiv and Mariupol were reported to be quiet Tuesday morning, with a local official telling ABC News that the center of Mariupol, a strategic port in the southeast, is not being shelled for the first time in days.
Ukraine said Russia has agreed this time to allow civilians to evacuate not only to Russia but also to other parts of Ukraine. Columns of buses and trucks with humanitarian aid are currently headed to Sumy, Mariupol and possibly other cities.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Russia has confirmed to the International Committee of the Red Cross that one route out of Sumy will be open. Vereshchuk said she hopes Russia will confirm routes for the other cities and also for the eastern city of Volnovakha. She warned Ukraine has information that Russia may have plans to disrupt the evacuations by leading civilians out of the agreed safe routes, in order to claim that Ukraine is not observing the agreement.
Petro Andrushenko, advisor to the mayor of Mariupol, said the city plans to evacuate people as long as Russian forces do not fire. A column of 60 buses and nine trucks of medical aid and food are headed to Mariupol now, and the hope is that at least 4,000 people can be evacuated via the buses plus an unknown number of private cars that will join the convoy, according to Andrushenko.
“If Russia doesn’t break it, we plan to evacuate people,” Andrushenko told ABC News via telephone Tuesday morning.
Mar 08, 2:05 am
World Bank approves $723 million in emergency support for Ukraine
The World Bank said its board approved a package of loans and guarantees for Ukraine totaling $723 million.
The funding will help the Ukrainian government pay for government services, “including wages for hospital workers, pensions for the elderly, and social programs for the vulnerable,” the bank said in a statement on Monday.
The bank said it’s preparing an additional $3 billion in support for Ukraine and neighboring countries, which have taken in more than 1.7 million refugees since the Russian invasion began.
“The World Bank Group is taking quick action to support Ukraine and its people in the face of the violence and extreme disruption caused by the Russian invasion,” World Bank President David Malpass said in a statement. “The World Bank Group stands with the people of Ukraine and the region. This is the first of many steps we are taking to help.”
The funding announced on Monday includes $350 million in supplemental loans, along with guarantees totaling $139 million from the Netherlands and Sweden, the bank said. Grant financing totaling $134 million will come from the United Kingdom, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania and Iceland. Japan is providing $100 million in additional financing, the bank said.
