08/11/2022
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 02:28 UN Security Council calls for Zaporizhia emergency meeting +++
In view of the fears of a nuclear catastrophe in the Ukrainian Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting today, Thursday. Russia, which is a permanent member of the Security Council alongside China, France, Great Britain and the USA, had requested the meeting. At the emergency meeting, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, will brief the 15 member states on the situation at the nuclear power plant and comment on nuclear safety issues. For days, heavy shelling has been reported from the area around the Russian-occupied nuclear power plant, for which Russia and Ukraine blame each other.
+++ 01:07 Czech Senate almost unanimously in favor of NATO northern expansion +++
In the Czech Republic, the Senate – the upper house of parliament – voted almost unanimously in favor of NATO’s northern expansion. All 66 senators present vote for Sweden’s accession. 64 of the 65 MEPs present are in favor of Finland’s accession. A senator abstained from voting, but then justified this with an error. After the Upper House, the House of Representatives still has to agree, which is expected at the end of August. This is considered a formality. The last step towards ratification in the Czech Republic is the signature of President Milos Zeman.
+++ 00:25 EU coal embargo against Russia in force +++
With immediate effect, the EU countries are no longer allowed to import coal from Russia. At midnight, the transitional period for the coal embargo against Russia, which the EU states had decided on as part of the fifth sanctions package in April, ended. The aim of the import ban is to further weaken the Russian economy. According to the EU Commission in April, the coal embargo could mean a minus of around eight billion euros per year for Russia. Despite the import ban, the Association of Coal Importers (VdKi) does not expect supply bottlenecks in Europe, as coal is available on the world market. The main supplier countries are now the USA, South Africa, Australia, Indonesia and Colombia.
+++ 23:42 Toxic ammonia flows from a burning brewery in Donetsk +++
The territorial defense of the eastern Ukrainian separatist stronghold of Donetsk warns of toxic ammonia leaking from a burning brewery. The fire was caused by Ukrainian artillery fire. The gas is distributed within a radius of two kilometers. The population is asked to stay indoors and keep windows closed. Ammonia – known for its pungent odor – is used as a coolant in beer brewing. Since 2014, the front between Ukrainian troops and Moscow-controlled separatist units has been running just a few kilometers northeast of the largest city in Donbass. There is heavy fighting there these days.
+++ 22:57 Ukraine wants Switzerland as a diplomatic representation in Moscow +++
After Ukraine broke off diplomatic relations with Russia at the beginning of the war, it wants Switzerland to represent it in Moscow. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyiv, the protection of interests has already been bilaterally agreed with Switzerland. According to ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko, Switzerland has “great experience in fulfilling such functions”. Switzerland is already representing Georgia’s interests in Moscow. However, Russia rejects this solution for Ukraine. According to the Foreign Ministry, mediation from a country that has joined sanctions will not be accepted. According to a statement quoted by the newspaper Kommersant, Switzerland’s neutrality has been devalued by its acceptance of EU sanctions.
+++ 22:03 UN expect increasing grain exports +++
Following the grain deal between Moscow and Kyiv, the United Nations expect exports from Ukraine across the Black Sea to increase. A number of ships are currently awaiting permission to travel to Ukrainian ports “and we expect a big uptick in applications for transit,” said UN export coordinator Frederick Kenney in New York. Today there was a new high with a total of five ships contractually inspected.
+++ 21:14 Scholz optimistic despite the gas crisis +++
Despite the problems with the energy supply, Chancellor Scholz is confident that Germany can overcome the gas crisis. “We decided early on. We are preparing for the fact that things can get really bad,” said Scholz at a constituency meeting in Michendorf. With a view to the event that Germany no longer gets gas, Scholz says: “That’s why we made very, very far-reaching decisions that now help it to be hairy and tight, but we have a chance through this difficult situation to get through.”
You can read earlier developments of the Ukraine war here.