Author: Freddie Lloyd

Frankfurt, Paris (18/8 – 62.50) Ukraine has scored a series of victories in more than a week since launching a lightning offensive into Russian territory. Now the stakes are rising as its forces prepare to defend their gains and Russia begins to regain its footing. Last week, Ukraine deployed thousands of troops to the Kursk region in western Russia, removing Russian flags from captured towns and taking the initiative from Moscow for the first time in months. On Wednesday, officials in Kyiv said Ukraine would use seized Russian territory as a “buffer zone” to shield its north from Russian strikes.…

Washington/Paris/Berlin (12/8 – 28.57). Today is the twenty-anniversary of the sinking of the Kursk. A painful experience. A true shocker. All hands are lost, the shortcomings of the Russian system fully exposed. But today is another experience. Kursk, the region. After ceremonial pageantry by the military commander, it is clear the great Red Army was ambushed. Hoodwinked by the Ukrainians who pulled off a surprise attack, a classic attack which has all the elements of a successful deception operation. Overwhelming strength, speed and first and foremost silence. Deception played a role keeping the Russian pre-occupied. Daily the news a filled…

Sanjiva Weerawarana is a Sri Lankan success story. He founded enterprise software firm WSO2 in 2005, got it close to $100 million in ARR as its CEO, then sold it to private equity firm EQT for $600 million in May. He sometimes drives for Uber, too. Sri Lanka isn’t renowned for its startup ecosystem, but one company has been something of an outlier in the South Asian island nation these past two decades. WSO2, an open source enterprise software provider with customers such as Samsung, Axa, and AT&T, recently agreed to be acquired by private equity giant EQT, at a valuation TechCrunch reported at the time…

The European Union announced on Friday that it will begin accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova to join the 27-member political and economic bloc starting next week. All 27 members agreed to the Ukraine and Moldova joining the European Union. Negotiations will begin for both countries on Tuesday in Luxembourg, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union said on X. The move comes at a critical time for both nations with Ukraine in the middle of an invasion by Russia and Moldova facing a Russian-led insurgence by a breakaway state. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the European Union for its “robust political…

U.S. President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in a joint statement Monday they have recently talked about how to manage the illegal migration dilemma effectively and efficiently at the U.S.-Mexico border. The two leaders had a telephone conversation Sunday about “their continued commitment to strengthening bilateral and regional cooperation that will benefit” the people of both countries. While the statement said the two presidents “discussed how to effectively manage hemispheric migration,” and “strengthen operational efficiency on our shared border,” it did not reveal what specific steps they are taking. Biden and Lopez Obrador have “ordered…

BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbia’s new government will include a former intelligence chief who has fostered close ties with Russia and is sanctioned by the United States, the country’s prime minister-designate said Tuesday. Aleksandar Vulin will serve as one of several vice-premiers, said Milos Vucevic as he announced the composition of his future Cabinet, which is expected to be voted into office in the coming days in Serbia’s parliament. Serbia is formally seeking European Union membership but has maintained friendly relations with Russia and refused to join Western sanctions against Moscow over its war in Ukraine. The inclusion of Vulin into the new…

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The White House declared on Sunday that the US is taking the attack over the weekend on a facility in Iraq that is home to US personnel, which was carried out by Iran, ‘extremely seriously.’ The US military reported late on Saturday that militants supported by Iran fired multiple ballistic missiles at the Ain Al-Asad air base in western Iraq, perhaps injuring one Iraqi and maybe one American. The White House Deputy National Security Advisor, Jon Finer, said on Sunday that the attack constituted a real danger as the strike was extremely serious. According to Finer and…

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, once the leading Republican rival to Donald Trump, ended his election campaign on Sunday and threw his support behind the former president. DeSantis’s withdrawal, after months of weakening support, leaves only low-polling Nikki Haley standing between Trump and nomination as the Republican Party’s candidate for the US presidential election in November. In a video message, DeSantis said that following his second place finish last week in the Iowa caucuses he could not ask “supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources if we don’t have a clear path to victory. Accordingly, I am today suspending my campaign.” The decision…

ELECTRIC vehicle (EV) maker Rivian Automotive plans to borrow as much as US$15 billion of taxable bonds to help finance a manufacturing plant in Georgia. The bonds will be issued through the Joint Development Authority of Jasper, Morgan, Newton & Walton Counties, a municipal agency, according to a Nov 9 agreement, disclosed in a securities filing. The bonds will be backed by rental payments made by Rivian as part of an incentive package to woo the carmaker. Rivian will purchase the bonds as they are issued, according to the filing. A representative for Rivian did not immediately respond to a…

For 2024, New York Festivals Health Awards will once again hold live, face-to-face Executive Jury sessions in New York City with two separate Executive Juries who will judge Health & Wellness and Pharma. At the helm of the juries, Susan Perlbachs, chief creative officer for EVERSANA INTOUCH, will lead the Health & Wellness Jury, and Bruno Abner, former chief creative officer for McCann Health New Jersey, will head the Pharma Jury. “NYF Health is honored that these esteemed healthcare industry leaders will lead the 2024 Executive Jury panels,” said Scott Rose, president, New York Festivals Advertising Awards Competitions. “With their…