Military

MOSCOW (AP) — Kazakhstan's influential former leader released a short video on Tuesday in which he talked about the violent unrest that engulfed the ex-Soviet nation earlier this month and rejected reports alleging that he fled the country amid tensions with the current president. It was the first time that Nursultan Nazarbayev, who ran Kazakhstan for 29 years after it gained independence and kept an influential post after stepping down as president in 2019, spoke publicly about the protests and the bloodshed they descended into. Nazarbayev also denied that there were tensions between him and his hand-picked successor, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Some speculated that a rift between the two could have played a role in exacerbating the unrest. Protests in Kazakhstan, an oil and gas-rich nation of 19 million in Central Asia, began on Jan. 2 in a small western town over the near-doubling of fuel prices. But they quickly spread across the vast country, growing into a general … [Read more...] about Kazakhstan’s ex-leader rejects reports that he fled abroad

Ukrainian servicemen walk past a minefield warning sign on the front line with Russia-backed separatists near Luganske in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. Photo: Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images Over the past few months, Russia has amassed tens of thousands of soldiers, along with tanks, artillery, and other materiel near its border with Ukraine in what U.S. intelligence (and much of the world) has interpreted as a buildup in preparation for an invasion. At the same time, online propaganda and disinformation activity has increased , as have cyberattacks on Ukrainian targets, including one that took down several government websites on Friday. It is no coincidence that these ominous activities look strikingly similar to the lead-up to Russia’s 2014 invasion of its weaker neighbor, in which it annexed Crimea and launched the still-ongoing insurgency by Moscow-backed separatists in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Indeed, if Russia does send troops into Ukraine in the … [Read more...] about Is Another Russian Invasion of Ukraine Inevitable?

0 Restaurants & Bars Starbucks will offer free coffee for all front-line workers through the end of 2020. Samantha Mercado , Patch Staff Posted Reply WELLESLEY, MA — Front-line workers can get free coffee throughout December from Starbucks locations throughout the United States, including the two in Wellesley. Starbucks' locations in Wellesley are listed below: Downtown Wellesley: 68A Central Street Wellesley, MA 02482 Wellesley, Linden Square: 101 Linden Street Wellesley, MA 02482 In a statement, Starbucks said it will offer front-line workers a free tall brewed coffee , hot or iced, throughout the month as a way "to recognize the significant efforts of the front-line responder and health care community" during the COVID-19 pandemic. "It has been an extraordinarily difficult year, especially for the front-line responders who are serving our communities," Starbucks Vice President Virginia Tenpenny said in … [Read more...] about Free Coffee For Front-Line Workers At Starbucks In Wellesley

The U.S.’s watchdog for Afghanistan predicted the collapse of Afghanistan’s air force months before U.S. troops withdrew. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) revealed its findings in a report that it first issued to the Department of Defense in January 2021 but was not publicly released until last Wednesday. According to that report, the Afghan Air Force continued to struggle with a host of issues, including leadership challenges, aircraft misuse, and a dependence on contractors for support. ADVERTISEMENT “The U.S. and Afghans’ lack of focus on the non-combat support activities of the [Special Mission Wing] and [Afghan Air Force] risks the development of independent, self-sustained Afghan aviation capability,” reads the report. “Further, the potential absence of both military advisors and contractors before the AAF and SMW are able to staff, manage, fund, or maintain their forces puts at risk the entire U.S. investment in the Afghan air … [Read more...] about Watchdog predicted collapse of Afghan air force months before US withdrawal

Some employees and their families left the Russian Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, earlier this month amid fraught tensions between the two countries, The New York Times reported , citing a senior Ukrainian security official. The Ukrainian security official told the newspaper that mostly the wives and children of employees from the Russian Embassy began leaving on Jan. 5. A total of 18 people left the embassy. Over the next couple of days, roughly another 30 staff members and relatives from the Russia's consulate in Lviv and the embassy in Kyiv also left. ADVERTISEMENT A U.S. official said in a statement to the Times regarding the matter that “we have information that indicates the Russian government was preparing to evacuate their family members from the Russian Embassy in Ukraine in late December and early January.” However, the newspaper noted that it remains unclear exactly what Russia is trying to communicate by such a move to empty out its diplomatic facilities in … [Read more...] about Russia removing staff from Kyiv embassy: report

The long-simmering tensions between former President Trump Donald Trump Sanders calls out Manchin, Sinema ahead of filibuster showdown Laura Ingraham 'not saying' if she'd support Trump in 2024 The Hill's 12:30 Report: Djokovic may not compete in French Open over vaccine requirement MORE and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Ron DeSantis The Hill's 12:30 Report: Djokovic may not compete in French Open over vaccine requirement 'Morning Joe' hosts mock Trump Conservative pundit Ann Coulter says Trump 'is done' MORE (R) are reaching a boiling point ahead of a potential 2024 primary clash. Trump has griped behind the scenes for months about DeSantis’s rapid political rise, including chatter about a future White House bid. But the complaints from the former president have only grown louder, raising concerns among some Republicans about a looming brawl between two GOP heavyweights. “President Trump is the one clearly picking a fight here, and it’s a … [Read more...] about Trump-DeSantis tensions ratchet up