Category: World

The powerful storm Bert brought a month's worth of rainfall to the British Isles in 48 hours. The storm caused flooding, loss of life and left 60,000 customers in Ireland without power.

About 400 areas are at risk of flooding due to Storm Bert, which brought heavy rain and wind to the UK. Several rail lines, bridges and roads have been closed. Several deaths have been reported. UNN writes about this with reference to The Independent.

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Storm Bert brought nearly a month's worth of rainfall in less than 48 hours. Strong winds, melting snow and heavy rains caused chaos and flooding in the UK, Scotland and Ireland.

In some parts of the north of the UK, snow covered the roads and blocked cars.

A 60-year-old man died in southern England after a tree fell on his car. Another body was found in the Conwy River near the town of Llanwrst in Wales.

The runway at Newcastle Airport in northeastern England was covered with snow, which briefly interrupted flights. In Scotland, some rail services were suspended due to the weather. The bridge connecting Wales with England was closed due to strong winds.

The storm also hit Ireland. Roads in the west of the country were flooded, and tens of thousands of consumers lost power.

The Irish Meteorological Service has issued a "red" – the highest level – rain warning for the counties of Cork and Galway.

In South Wales, flood water could be seen rising to the top of parked cars.

ESB Networks, the energy company that provides power to the whole of Ireland, reported that strong winds caused power outages in 60,000 homes, farms and businesses overnight, mostly in the west and northwest.

Recall

Catalonia is recovering from heavy rains in Barcelona and Tarragona that caused flooding, road closures and suspension of rail lines. Searches are still ongoing in Albacete and the Valencian Community; at least 215 people have been confirmed dead.

A hurricane is recorded for the first time in Finland: more than 17 thousand homes are without electricityNov 2 2024, 01:17 PM • 21679 views

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasises that the world possesses air defence systems capable of countering missiles like the one used by Russia this week to strike Dnipro. He underscores the need for global efforts to force Russia to seek genuine peace.

Source: Zelenskyy's evening address

Quote: "And no matter how much Russia tries to blackmail everyone it can, we must not lose our resolve, we must keep pushing, and only in this way will real peace become closer.

Today, Ukraine’s Security Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs presented media agencies with fragments of the Russian missile that struck Dnipro. Experts are currently analysing the evidence and working with our partners to establish all the details and specifications of this missile, and to find a response together to this latest Russian escalation.

The world has air defence systems capable of countering such threats. Everyone must focus on this. Russia must feel that every step it takes to expand the war has consequences for it."

Details: Zelenskyy stressed that the world must not allow Russian leader Vladimir Putin to be "given a single week to adapt or find countermeasures".

"We must consistently do everything to force Russia into seeking peace – true peace. This can only be achieved through two things: helping Ukraine and pressuring Russia," he said.

Background:

• Ukraine’s Air Force noted that during the latest missile attack on the city of Dnipro, Russia used an intercontinental ballistic missile. Ukrainska Pravda sources reported that it could have been a Rubezh missile, a potential carrier of nuclear warheads.
• In his Thursday address, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin indirectly confirmed US reports, stating that during the morning attack on Dnipro on 21 November, Russia used the Oreshnik medium-range missile.
• On 22 November, Defence Intelligence of Ukraine announced that Russia had struck the territory of Ukraine on 21 November, using a ballistic missile, probably launched from the Kedr missile system.
• On 24 November, the AP agency published the photos of the remains of the Oreshnik missile that hit the city of Dnipro on 21 November.

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Unidentified UAVs were spotted over the British air bases Lakenheath, Mildenhall and Feltwell, which are used by the US Air Force. The incidents occurred on November 20-22, and the military is monitoring the situation.

Unidentified drones were spotted in the UK over three air bases used by the US Air Force. This was reported by The Guardian, writes UNN.

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"The "small unmanned aerial vehicles" were spotted between November 20 and 22 over the Royal Air Force bases of Lakenheath, Mildenhall and Feltwell.

The US Air Force, which uses the bases, said it was unclear at this stage whether the drones should be considered hostile. They also declined to comment on whether any defensive mechanisms had been employed, but said they reserved the "right to defend" the facilities.

A representative of the U.S. Air Force in Europe said that the number of UAVs fluctuated, and they were of different sizes and configurations.

The UAVs were actively monitored, and facility managers determined that none of the intrusions affected base residents or critical infrastructure. To protect operational security, we do not discuss our specific force protection measures, but we reserve the right to defend the facility

– emphasized the representative of the US Air Force in Europe.

Also, according to him, the US Air Force continues to monitor the airspace and is working with host country authorities and mission partners to ensure the safety of personnel, facilities and property at the base.

Recall

At the NATO airbase in Geilenkirchen in the summer , a case of possible contamination of drinking water was investigated . Earlier, a similar incident occurred at the German Air Force barracks near Cologne, where water could have been poisoned. However, an examination showedthat the water at the German military base in Cologne was not contaminated.

After that, the air base in Geilenkirchen raised its security level due to new intelligence about a possible threat. This was the second security upgrade in a short time.

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On Sunday 24 November, a Russian missile strike on Chernihiv Oblast injured a civilian man, also destroying houses and outbuildings.

Source: Viacheslav Chaus, Head of Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram; Ukraine's Air Force on Telegram

Quote: "The enemy launched a missile strike on Chernihiv Oblast.

There were two explosions in the Koriukivka district. Outbuildings were damaged. Sadly, a man, 28, was hurt and brought to one of the local hospitals.

(The Russians hit) a hromada in the Chernihiv district [a hromada is an administrative unit designating a town, village or several villages and their adjacent territories – ed.]. There are damaged houses."

Details: Chaus noted that information on the consequences of the attack is being specified.

At 16:18, the Air Force warned of missiles moving in the direction of Chernihiv.
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The Women's National Association of Finland is organizing a course on survival in the face of the threat from Russia. Participants aged 18 to 70 learn the basics of survival, cybersecurity, and psychological resilience.

The Women's National Association of Finland is conducting courses on survival in crisis situations due to the threat from Russia. This was reported by The Guardian ,and UNN.

Details

The training takes place in a camp located near the town of Kokkola. The youngest of the women is 18 years old, and the oldest is 70. The group is learning, among other things, how to survive in crisis situations, including how to make and extinguish fires, cook outdoors, and provide first aid.

"I didn't think Russia would attack us," says 42-year-old Sari, who works in sales. But then, she adds: "They attacked Ukraine. I realized that maybe we are next.

The training course, known as "Nasta," is one of 40 that the Women's National Association for Emergency Preparedness is running across Finland. Other courses include cybersecurity, psychological resilience, wilderness skills, snowmobile driving, and information influence. After the invasion of Ukraine, the number of applications for the courses increased dramatically.

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Despite the lack of official military cooperation between the two neighbors, Finnish intelligence services call Russia the main threat to Finland's national security and have little doubt that a hybrid war is underway in the country.

Last week, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen issued a joint statement with her German counterpart expressing "deep concern" over the alleged sabotage – one of two in the Baltic – of a submarine cable between Finland and Germany.

Helsinki also accuses Russia of using proxies, including asylum seekers, to exacerbate the situation in its neighbor; suspicious hacks of water treatment plants and problems with GPS jamming have been noted.

Submarine cable between Finland and Germany damaged: what is knownNov 18 2024, 12:19 PM • 14877 views

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has urged foreign partners to improve the Ukrainian air defence with weapons capable of intercepting Russian medium-range ballistic missiles.

Source: Sybiha on Twitter (X), as reported by European Pravda

Details: The minister emphasised that Russia's use of a medium-range ballistic missile is typical blackmail, as Putin is attempting to scare everyone away from helping Ukraine.

Quote: "Ukraine’s partners should do the exact opposite: reject blackmail, increase support, and strengthen Ukraine’s air shield with systems capable of intercepting such missiles," he stressed.

Background:

• On 22 November, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Kyiv had requested assistance from allies in strengthening air defence to protect against ballistic missiles such as the one fired at the city of Dnipro the previous day.
• The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces previously informed reporters that Ukraine is working with its US partners to obtain a THAAD anti-ballistic missile defence system or upgrade the Patriot in the wake of Russia's attack with a new experimental missile type.

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The European Commission has announced the 15th package of sanctions against Russia, which is expected to be presented next week. The package will not contain economic restrictions, but will expand the blacklist of individuals and companies.

Next week, the European Commission is to unveil the draft 15th package of sanctions against Russia. It will not contain economic sanctions. This was written by Polish Radio, reported by UNN.

As noted, the European Commission has changed its mind and will not wait until the Polish presidency begins in January. However, the draft that Brussels will present under the Hungarian presidency will not contain any economic sanctions.

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The latest package will be an expansion of the EU blacklist. More people will be added who are banned from entering the EU and whose assets are blocked in Europe. Currently, there are reportedly more than 2,300 people on the blacklist.

The list will also include more companies that violate EU sanctions. This was confirmed on Friday by European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis. “We are talking about combating the circumvention of restrictions. The sanctions will apply to ships of the so-called shadow fleet,” he added. These are vessels that transport Russian oil in excess of the established prices, thus increasing revenues to the Russian budget.

The 15th package will not be large, says Polish Radio.

And since there will be no proposal for economic restrictions, it is expected that the agreement will not take long to come into force by the end of the year. However, next year, when Poland takes over the EU presidency, the European Commission will propose more ambitious proposals with export and import restrictions, according to Polish Radio. It is also noted that duties on agri-food products and nitrogen fertilizers are expected to increase.

Borrell: EU needs to strengthen measures to counter Russian sanctions circumventionNov 9 2024, 03:42 PM • 24753 views

Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) has rejected Russian propaganda claims that embassy staff from several countries left Ukraine in November 2024.

Source: NSDC

Details: Russian propaganda has recently started disseminating claims that the staff of the US, UK, French and German embassies have left Ukraine.

According to the propagandists, most of the embassy staff reportedly left for Poland, while others returned to their home countries.

Quote from the NSDC: "The information that the staff of the US, UK, French and German embassies, as well as representatives of Belgium, the Netherlands and Scandinavian countries, have left Ukraine is false."

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Pat McFadden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, will speak at a NATO conference about the threat of Russian cyberattacks on Britain's critical infrastructure. Russia has already carried out at least nine cyberattacks on NATO countries through hacker groups.

Russia is ready to carry out cyberattacks on the UK and other allies to weaken Western support for Ukraine, according to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden. He will make this statement at a NATO conference next week, BBC reports, UNN reports.

Details

Pat McFadden, whose position includes responsibility for national security, is going to tell a NATO meeting that the Kremlin could attack British businesses and leave “millions of people without electricity.

According to him, Russia is capable of attacking British companies “to achieve its harmful goals.

Given the scale of this hostility, my message to the Security Council today is clear: no one should underestimate the Russian cyber threat to NATO. The threat is real

– he said.

According to the BBC, he will say that hacker groups linked to Russia are responsible for at least nine separate cyberattacks on NATO countries, including unprovoked attacks on critical national infrastructure.

The group is believed to be behind the poisoning of a former Russian double agent and his daughter in Salisbury in 2018.

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In the United Kingdom, a series of cyberattacks on several councils have been carried out in recent weeks, in some cases claimed by the pro-Russian hacker group Unit 29155.

In September, a joint defense briefing by Western intelligence agencies accused “unit 29155” of conducting attacks aimed at disrupting efforts to help Ukraine resist a full-scale Russian invasion.

In his speech, McFadden will tell the conference participants that many of these attacks are carried out by gangs of “unofficial hacktivists” with ties to the Kremlin, but they are allowed to “operate with impunity as long as they do not work against Putin's interests,” the BBC writes.

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