Questions marks surrounded the arrival of Arne Slot at Liverpool with many wondering how the players would take to him after so much joy with Jurgen Klopp.
Well, three and a half months into his tenure at Anfield and Slot finds himself top of the Premier League, the Champions League, a fanbase who’ll believe he can end Manchester City’s quest for a fifth successive league title and a happy camp all round.
With the likes of senior players Mo Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk still yet to put pen to paper on a new deal at the club, the former admitted he is loving life under his fellow compatriot.
In an interview in his homeland with Voetbal International, Van Dijk said: “With the new trainer Arne Slot, slightly different things are being asked. Not just from me, but also from the other players. I have a very prominent role in that, and I like that. And I think the trainer is also very happy with that.”
The Reds have lost just one game under Slot which came in front of a stunned home crowd when Nottingham Forest beat them 1-0.
Since then though, the Dutchman’s hasn’t put a foot wrong, and he may have learnt a lot of his side in defeat.
Van Dijk continued: “I am in a position where, for example, you see how the opponent is putting pressure. With one or two or three strikers. Are the opponent’s backs high or not, do they play with one or two controlling midfielders? They are different options every time.”
“I have been talking to the trainer about this since day one. We sat down with images. The development after that has only been good. I am really enjoying this.”
At 33, there’s no doubt Van Dijk still has bags of quality to bring to the Liverpool side. Should he find himself wanting a move away from Merseyside, expect to see him at one of Europe’s top clubs. His comments however, could hint to a possible career in coaching as he nears towards an age where most footballers retire.
Compared to Klopp, Slot is a much calmer figure, which reflects in the difference in their playing styles. Liverpool often sit off teams when taking the lead, rather than possess a heavy metal pressing style to the opposition, which Klopp was renown for.
On the differences between the duo, Van Dijk said: “Slot handles things in his own way and where I can help him I do so. The trainer has inherited a very good team. Slot is a very good manager.
Four different artificial intelligence systems – GPT-4, Gemini Pro, Llama 3, and Claude 3.5 – presented their lists of the most melodious Ukrainian names. Each system offered its own list of female and male names with explanations.
These names have a good sound and deep Ukrainian roots. These names are often considered pleasant to the ear and popular in Ukraine. They combine tradition and modernity. This is how Claude 3.5 artificial intelligence describes the Ukrainian names that this neural network considers the most euphonious.
UNN asked various AI's which Ukrainian names they consider the most euphonious. Read what they answered.
For boys: Maxim, Alexander, Daniel, Artem, Timur, Nazar, Vladislav, Egor, Dmitry, Svyatoslav.
These names are popular in Ukraine and are usually associated with positive traits and traditions
– GPT believes.
Gemini Pro
Women:
* Sofia, Sofiyka: gentle, associated with wisdom.
* Anna, Anna, Anyutka: classic, affectionate.
* Maria, Masha: traditional, associated with tenderness and motherhood.
* Elena, Alyonka: light, associated with beauty.
* Ekaterina, Katya: majestic, but at the same time gentle.
– Yaroslava, Yasya: strong and melodic.
* Melania, Melanie: rare, gentle, associated with music.
Men's:
– Artem, Artemko: strong, courageous.
* Dmitry, Dima: energetic, determined.
* Alexander, Sasha: classic, masculine.
* * Maxim, Maksimko: popular, associated with success.
– Andriy, Andriyko: strong, traditional.
* Marco, Marjan: rare, associated with power.
* Luka: short but euphonious.
Лама 3
In Ukrainian culture, names are often a combination of Slavic and Christian traditions
– explained the artificial intelligence.
Lama not only suggested names, but also provided information about the meaning of each name (however, we noticed that the meaning of some names provided by AI does not coincide with the generally accepted one).
For girls:
– Oksana means “voice” or “song”;
– Maria is a classic and timeless name, meaning “bitter” or “desired child”;
For children: Bogdan, Taras, Nazar, Yaroslav, Ostap, Lubomir, Svyatoslav, Dmitry, Daniil, Maxim.
These names have a good sound and deep Ukrainian roots. Of course, the perception of euphony can be subjective, but these names are often considered pleasant to the ear and popular in Ukraine. They combine tradition and modernity, and often have a beautiful meaning
– believes artificial intelligence.
Zlata, Zhyva, Mark, and Abel: the most common and rare names for babies in Ukraine last yearFeb 8 2024, 09:32 AM • 28224 views
Russian forces claim to have taken the front-line village of Novoselydivka in Donetsk Oblast on Nov. 19.
Ukraine has not commented on the claims, which could not be independently verified.
Novoselydivka lies some 7 kilometers (4 miles) north of Kurakhove, an important stronghold of Ukrainian forces in the area that has seen increasingly heavy Russian assaults in the past months.
If confirmed, this will be the latest village that the Russian forces took in their attempt to encircle Kurakhove by driving their forces towards Konstiantynopil with a north-south pincer movement.
The estimated Russian advance in Novoselydivka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, as of Nov. 18, 2024, according to the DeepState monitoring service (DeepState/OpenStreetMaps)
With the best Ukrainian brigades holding Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Russian troops move forward along the Donetsk front line at a rate not seen since the early weeks of the war.
The victory of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in early November adds further uncertainty to Kyiv’s military prospects to hold its defenses across the 1,200-kilometer-long (750 miles) front line as doubt over Washington’s future military aid looms.
Outgoing President Joe Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to use Western-supplied ATACMS to strike targets deep inside Russia may help in the short run but will not change the general course of the war, observers said.
A search and rescue operation has been completed in Hlukhiv after an enemy shelling of a dormitory. 12 people were killed, including an 8-year-old boy, and 11 people were wounded, including two teenagers.
In Hlukhiv, law enforcement officers have completed a search and rescue operation at the site of an enemy hit, UNN reports, citing the National Police.
Details
According to law enforcement officials, as of 15.50, 12 people have been killed, including a boy who would have turned 8 years old the other day. Eleven people were injured, including children aged 13 and 14.
In the deployed mobile units, work with victims is carried out to select statements, interrogate victims and provide psychological assistance.
Recall
The Russian attack on the night of November 19 partially destroyed a dormitory building of one of the educational institutions.
Ukraine will begin its first negotiations for joining the European Union in early 2025. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the screening of Ukrainian legislation is already in its final stage.
Source: European Pravda, citing Zelenskyy’s presentation of the Resilience Plan for Ukraine to the Ukrainian Parliament
Details: Zelenskyy said Ukraine has reached the highest level of closeness with the EU and NATO in its history. He highlighted that the necessary framework for negotiations with the EU is now in place.
Quote: "We must move faster, progress dynamically, and we are close to completing the screening of Ukraine's legislation. By early 2025, we aim to open negotiations on the first cluster. The second and all subsequent clusters will follow without delay," he said.
The president also emphasised that Ukraine should become the fastest country to join the EU.
Background:
The European Union officially began accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova in June 2024. In the European Commission’s autumn 2024 enlargement report, they expressed readiness to open the first negotiation clusters with Ukraine next year.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced that during Poland's presidency of the European Union Council in the first half of 2025, Ukraine plans to open two negotiation clusters for EU accession.
EU accession talks are divided into 35 chapters, which are grouped into 6 clusters, which are opened progressively.
The European Commission's report recommended that the opening of these clusters should happen swiftly, ideally in early 2025.
In response, the Ukrainian government is preparing detailed roadmaps for each specific negotiation chapter.
The French president said that support for Ukraine will not weaken in the face of Russian aggression. Macron emphasized that the West stands firmly with Ukraine for freedom, peace and justice.
French President Emmanuel Macron assures that support for Ukraine "will not weaken" in the face of Russia's "imperialist cruel plan," UNN reports.
Details
"A thousand days of Ukraine's courageous resistance to illegal and unjustified military aggression. A thousand days during which Russia continues its imperial brutal plan, attacking civilians and violating the fundamental principles of the UN Charter. A thousand days in which we stand resolutely with Ukraine and its people to ensure the victory of freedom, peace and justice. Our support will not weaken," Macron wrote in the X in Ukrainian.
Macron: US made a “good decision” to lift limits on Ukraine missile useNov 19 2024, 07:45 AM • 14572 views
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in the Israeli investigative outlet Shomrim. The Kyiv Independent is republishing it with permission.
After Israeli officials earlier ignored Ukrainian warnings and offers to help counter the threat of Iranian drones, the tides appear to be turning as Israel faces increased drone attacks amid escalating tensions in the region.
After talking with dozens of officials and key individuals in the defense technology sector, Israeli investigative outlet Shomrim has found that contacts and early signs of collaboration are emerging in this field. Israeli defense tech companies are seeking proven solutions that have been tested in real combat situations.
Shomrim and N12 revealed earlier this year that long before the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, Ukrainian officials had reached out to their counterparts in Israel to share their experience countering the threat of Iranian-made drones since Russia began using the weapon against Ukraine in 2022.
A former senior Ukrainian official said that at least one Ukrainian company developing anti-drone technology sent representatives to Israel before the outbreak of the war in Gaza — but could not find a single counterpart from the defense sector in Israel willing to meet with them.
“Not a single company agreed to meet with them at their office,” said the former official, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversations. “Someone did agree to meet with them at a fast-food restaurant and I believe that was the only meeting. It was a humiliating experience.”
Both current and former Israeli and Ukrainian officials said that Israel paid a heavy price for dismissing those warnings.
The Iranian-made drones that are being launched at Israel from Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, and Iran itself have led to casualties, destruction, fires, and panic and are now the main challenge currently facing Israel’s aerial defense systems.
The extent of the threat was underscored by the drone that hit and damaged the private residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Caesarea.
The Ukrainian companies, for their part, are hoping to grow and profit from the Israeli companies’ international contacts. Ukraine gained experience from almost three years of war, with over 7,000 drones launched from Russia into Ukraine since the beginning of 2024, including about 2,000 in October alone.
People look at Ukrainian firefighters working to put out a fire in a high-rise residential building after being reportedly hit by a drone in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Oct. 25, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Oleksii Filippov / AFP via Getty Images)Ukrainian firefighters work to extinguish a fire at the site of a drone attack on industrial facilities in Kharkiv, Ukraine on May 4, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Sergey Bobok / AFP via Getty Images)
For comparison, the Israeli army recently reported that since Oct. 7, 2023, about 1,300 drones have been launched against Israel from all fronts combined: Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Iran.
The war against Russia, together with large investments from both the private and public sectors, has turned Ukraine into a hotbed of global innovation when it comes to the defense tech sector, with a proliferation of companies offering groundbreaking solutions to identify and intercept drones.
The industry has attracted the attention of Western nations, including private companies. Some firms have opened business offices in Ukraine, while others have forged close ties with Ukrainian companies.
A network of acoustic sensors to detect drones
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 led to an exponential and fast-paced development of the Ukrainian defense industry, said Olena Bilousova, a senior researcher at the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE).
When Ukraine first started dealing with the challenge posed by drones from Russia, it set up a dedicated national industry, spearheaded by its Digital Transformation Ministry, to find a solution. There are now more than 200 Ukrainian companies working in the field.
“As far as military companies are concerned, there is nowhere in the world like Ukraine, since it offers them an opportunity to test their products on the battlefield against an enemy as mighty as Russia, which also has advanced technologies,” said Bilousova.
Zvook, a ground-breaking Ukrainian start-up in the field of AI-powered acoustic detection of incoming drones, missiles, and other aerial threats, is among the companies establishing ties with Israeli partners.
There is nowhere in the world like Ukraine, since it offers them an opportunity to test their products on the battlefield against an enemy as mighty as Russia, which also has advanced technologies.
Maryan Sulym, head of Zvook and a Ukrainian military air defense sergeant, said that his company relies on small acoustic sensors the size of a small box placed on cellphone towers and in hidden locations along the front line. Each sensor can detect Iranian Shahed drones within a range of three to five kilometers and cruise missiles within five to seven kilometers.
Today, Sulym said, Zvook’s network covers about 5% of the territory of Ukraine — an area larger than the whole of Israel. The data collected from the sensors is impressively accurate, with false positive rates of only 2.5%.
According to Sergeant Sulym, Zvook’s innovative approach has attracted attention from international actors, including NATO countries. U.S. Air Force General James Hecker, commander of U.S. air operations in Europe, recently commended Ukraine's acoustic detection systems, highlighting how these low-cost devices — about a thousand dollars per sensor — can accurately gauge the speed, direction, and velocity of incoming drones.
Zvook has also attracted interest in Israel and has been approached by at least three Israeli defense technology firms. One of the inquiries was made in recent weeks, shortly after a drone crashed into the Israeli Prime Minister's residence. Representatives of this Israeli company are set to visit Ukraine in the near future, in order to closely examine Zvook’s acoustic technology.
Another meeting was held last month online, between a Ukrainian company specializing in first-person-view drones and robotics and a group of Israeli entrepreneurs in the security field.
It is not yet known whether the meeting will lead to actual contracts, but one of the participants in the call said that there was a definite interest in the transfer of knowledge and that the Israelis asked the Ukrainian entrepreneur numerous questions concerning, among other things, Ukrainian efforts to intercept Iranian Shahed drones, according to the paricipant, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity to freely discuss the call.
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Inflated expectations in Israel
Vladimir Davidoff, founder and CEO of Dronex Israel, which manufactures reusable interceptor drones, cautions that the technologies developed by Ukrainian companies are not necessarily suitable for Israel's needs.
“In Ukraine, response time from detection to action can be hours, whereas here in Israel, we have minutes or even seconds,” he said, due to the vast size difference between the two countries.
The Ukrainian experience can still prove meaningful, according to Davidoff. The lack of direct encounters with drones in real combat situations has proven detrimental to the Israeli Defense Force’s readiness against drones, Davidoff said.
“You can only be certain your system works after it is tested in real combat conditions," said Davidoff. "In Israel, our expectations (about how well it was protected from drones) were somewhat inflated, and we need more solutions specifically tailored to the complexities of drone threats.”
Davidoff is well acquainted with the war zones in both Israel and Ukraine. He worked in Ukraine after the start of the Russian full-scale invasion and redirected his company's activities to the defense sector.
He recently relocated his activity in Israel, and has been working alongside MAFAT — the IDF’s Directorate of Defense, Research, and Development — while relying on his experience in Ukraine and the knowledge he acquired there.
Iranian defense missiles and unmanned air vehicles are displayed at an event marking the 44th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Tehran, Iran, on Feb.11, 2023. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
One of his companies, which operates in Europe, recently concluded an agreement and bought samples from a Ukrainian manufacturer of acoustic sensors that operates from another nearby country in Europe. He did not name the country, citing security concerns.
"If the sensors pass tests in Israel, we can produce them together in Israel," he said, in an example of direct cooperation between Ukrainian and Israeli defense companies.
The cooperation between Davidoff’s firm and his Ukrainian counterpart illustrates a type of circumvention that Ukrainian companies are currently employing given Ukraine's ban on military exports since the outbreak of the war. Ukraine adopted this ban to ensure that all available Ukrainian weaponry would be used against the Russian invasion.
According to Bilousova of KSE, more and more Ukrainian companies are already circumventing the export ban by transferring production to other countries and opening their headquarters in countries close to Ukraine, such as Poland and Estonia.
The Ukrainian government has recently indicated that it may be willing to overturn the ban and allow arms exports, including anti-drone systems. This could pave the way for broader cooperation between Ukrainian companies and Israel.
‘The cooperation should have started long ago’
Yevhen Korniychuk, Ukraine’s ambassador in Israel, confirmed the ongoing cooperation between Israel and Ukrainian companies but declined to go into details, citing the sensitivity of the subject.
“Israeli private companies and state defense firms are quite actively communicating with their Ukrainian counterparts right now,” he said.
In this context, Elbit, one of Israel’s largest military companies, was mentioned by Korniychuk. Ukraine’s ambassador helped introduce Elbit representatives to officials from the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.
Another Israeli company is R2, which has developed a product for identifying and locating drones and is taking part in exercises with NATO. R2 is currently in touch with Brave1, a Ukrainian government platform whose purpose is to test and develop advanced military technology.
Western governments usually tend to encourage and support such collaborations between private defense companies in their countries and Brave1, but the CEO of the Israeli company noted that the connection to the Ukrainian platform has been made independently and without the involvement of the IDF or the Defense Ministry.
The Ukrainian ambassador describes the cooperation between Ukrainian and Israeli firms as a force multiplier, emphasizing that this synergy should have been initiated long ago.
“One plus one—Israel plus Ukraine—equals three or four, not two. Israel brings technological knowledge as well as access to American technologies. We have vast combat experience. We need to combine all of that, of course. This cooperation should have taken place long ago,” the ambassador said.
Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski announced the readiness of the largest EU countries to provide military and financial support to Ukraine. This could happen if the US cuts aid to Ukraine.
The largest European countries are ready to help Ukraine if Washington cuts aid, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on Tuesday, UNN reports citing Le Monde.
Details
“I am pleased to note that the main countries of the European Union are ready to take on the burden of military and financial support for Ukraine in the context of a possible reduction in the United States' commitments,” Sikorsky said following a meeting with his French, German, Italian, Spanish, and British counterparts in Warsaw.
European ministers gather in Warsaw to discuss Ukraine, Trump and securityNov 19 2024, 06:32 AM • 12605 views
The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on a number of individuals involved in the forced deportation and "re-education" of Ukrainian children by Russia from the temporarily-occupied territories.
Source: the UK government’s press office, as reported by European Pravda
Details: A group of 10 individuals connected to the implementation of Russia's policy of forcibly deporting and re-educating Ukrainian children from the occupied oblasts have been targeted by the sanctions. The package was timed to mark the 1,000th day of the full-scale war.
The statement highlighted that over 19,500 Ukrainian minors have been forcibly taken to Russia or deeper into the occupied territories and about 6,000 of them have gone through "re-education" institutions.
Quote: "Russian authorities expose Ukrainian children to a curriculum that rewrites Russian and Ukrainian history, glorifies Russian military actions, and promotes allegiance to Russia – and in some cases involves military training."
"No child should ever be used as a pawn in war, yet President [sic] Putin’s targeting of Ukrainian children shows the depths he will go to in his mission to erase Ukraine and its people from the map," Foreign Secretary David Lammy said.
Sanctions have been imposed on the Yunarmia organisation, Nikita Nagorny, Igor Kazarezov, Andrey Sabinov, Serafim Ivanov, the Avangard organisation, Valentina Lavrik; Tetyana Zavalska, who is the appointed head of an orphanage in Kherson, where 46 children were taken to Russia for adoption; and Vitaliy Suk, the appointed head of an institution for children with disabilities in Oleshky.
Background:
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Kremlin ruler Putin and Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova in March 2023. They are suspected of committing war crimes during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Similar charges may potentially be brought against Belarus' self-proclaimed president Alexander Lukashenko.
At the end of October, a conference was held in Canada focusing on the Peace Formula section regarding the release of prisoners of war and the release of Ukrainians deported to Russia.
Radu Dragusin has often been viewed as a backup centre-back by Ange Postecoglou since the defender arrived at Tottenham in January this year.
The north London club paid a fee of around £26m to secure the Romanian’s services from Serie A side Genoa, having made just 13 appearances since with Cristian Romero and Micky Van de Van forming a strong partnership at the heart of the backline.
With Dragusin’s minutes being limited, reports in Italy have seen him linked with a move to both Juventus and Napoli, with the former desperately in need of cover in defence due to an anterior cruciate ligament tear to Gleison Bremer.
Bremer is expected to miss the entirety of this season, so a move for a centre-back could be on the cards with Dragusin seen as a potential option with the 22-year-old coming through the ranks in Turin, while making one first team appearance. He is someone who understands Italian football well.
Despite the speculation though, Dragusin’s agent Florin Manea spoke to Telecapri regarding his clients current status at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
“It is an honour for Radu to be wanted by teams like Napoli and Juve, but right now they are just rumours,” said Manea.
He continued: “We are focused on Tottenham. He still has five years left on his contract. It is not easy to go to a top club and impose yourself right away, he is still 22-years-old.”
Manea added: “If he never plays this season it is normal that other evaluations will be made: in January he won’t move, in June he will be evaluated.”
In the Premier League this season, Dragusin has played just 279 minutes, though he has featured heavily in the cup competitions when Postecoglou tends to rotate his squad.
Earlier this month, the Spurs boss publicly backed Dragusin. He said: “What I believe brings out the best in people is competition. I certainly didn’t bring Radu into be an understudy. I brought him in to be competition for Cuti [Romero] and Micky [Van de Van] and himself.”
Postecoglou continued: “If he went to Bayern Munich he wouldn’t be guaranteed football either. He was leaving where he was, where he was playing regularly for that challenge and I think that’s how it has to be. If he keeps improving his performances I hope that will push Romero along and Van de Ven along.”
The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Denisova
