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Ukraine's Yermak meets senior Trump advisers, source says

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Ukraine's Yermak meets senior Trump advisers, source says

Ukrainian delegation met on Wednesday with senior representatives of President-elect Donald Trump, a source familiar with the meeting said, as Ukraine seeks support from the incoming team in its war to repel Russian invaders.

The Ukrainian delegation was led by Andriy Yermak, a top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The group met in Washington with Trump’s choice for White House national security adviser, Mike Waltz, and his Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, the source said, without providing details.

The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment about the meeting.

Trump has vowed to bring about a negotiated end to the nearly three-year-old conflict between Ukraine and Russia, but has thus far not provided details.

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Experts believe study of 700-year-old handwriting unveils leading Byzantine painter's true identity

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Experts believe study of 700-year-old handwriting unveils leading Byzantine painter's true identity

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Crime-solving techniques applied to a medieval illuminated manuscript in Paris may have solved a centuries-old puzzle — the true identity of a leading Byzantine painter who injected humanity into the rigid sanctity of Orthodox religious art.

A contemporary of Giotto, considered the father of Western painting, the artist conventionally known as Manuel Panselinos was equally influential in a totally different tradition that’s largely overlooked in the West.

But nothing is known of his life, and scholars now believe Panselinos was just a nickname that eventually supplanted the real name of the man for whom it was coined — likely Ioannis Astrapas, from the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki.

The art of Byzantium, that decorates churches across Greece, Serbia and other Orthodox countries, stands out for the stark formalism of its elongated, glowering saints, quasi-cubist mountains and doe-eyed Madonnas.

Work attributed to Panselinos, from the late 13th and early 14th centuries, is considered the finest produced in an empire that straddled Europe and Asia and endured from the fall of Rome until the capture of the imperial capital Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in 1453.

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Art historians had long suspected that the name — Greek for “full moon” — could have originated as a nickname for some member of the so-called Macedonian School of painting, based in Thessaloniki.

Recent research by a Greek monk and linguistics scholar linked “Panselinos” with Macedonian School painter Astrapas. Now court handwriting expert Christina Sotirakoglou has matched lettering on a manuscript tentatively attributed to Astrapas with characters on a church painting in northern Greece, long seen as Panselinos’ best work.

Father Cosmas Simonopetritis, a former senior administrator in Mount Athos, the semiautonomous monastic community where the Protato church stands, says Sotirakoglou’s and his own research “clearly prove” Panselinos’ real identity.

“Panselinos was a real person, and (the name) was just the nickname by which Ioannis Astrapas became known,” he told The Associated Press.

Constantinos Vafiadis, a professor of Byzantine art in Athens who was not involved in the studies, said he found merit in the nickname theory and Astrapas link, even though it appeared more than one painter had undertaken the Protato project.

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“I agree with attributing part of the paintings to Ioannis Astrapas,” he said. “But again there remains much ground for future research into that person, because other Mount Athos monuments from the same period have not yet been sufficiently published.”

“Panselinos” — a role model for generations of painters — and his contemporaries are associated with a renaissance of kinds in Orthodox art that revived forms and techniques inherited from antiquity. Facial expressions acquired a deeper humanity, and greater attention was paid to proportion and depth of field in composition.

Father Cosmas said Astrapas was an “extremely gifted painter … with vast knowledge who harmonically combined the ancient, classical world with Orthodox Byzantine spirituality.”

“And that … makes his work unique worldwide,” he added.

Artists’ signatures were not common at the time, although some survive from members of the Astrapas family. There are none by “Panselinos.”

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The trail started with earlier research linking Astrapas with the artist and scholar who wrote and illustrated Marcian Codex GR 516, an early 14th century Greek handwritten text treating subjects from astronomy to music theory. Among the painted illustrations was a full moon.

“For me … that was the main proof,” Father Cosmas said.

With a name found for the hand that produced the manuscript, the next step was to check its style against writing on the Protato painting, traditionally linked with “Panselinos.”

“Mrs Sotirakoglou, who is a handwriting expert, filled in that blank,” Father Cosmas said.

There was one problem: Women have for more than 1,000 years been banned from entering Mount Athos.

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“I was forced to study the Protato paintings based on photographs,” Sotirakoglou, who works as a court consultant on identifying or authenticating handwriting in criminal cases, told the AP.

“(The work) was very difficult, because the writing on the wall paintings is in capital letters, and the painters subdued their personal handwriting to conform” with the traditional format, she said — rather like anonymous letter-writers’ attempts to disguise their true style. “The Marcian codex is written in very small lower-case letters.”

The first clue came from the Greek letter Phi, the English F.

“It’s a Phi that stands out, and is similar” in both the manuscript and the Protato painting, she said. “Matches also followed with other letters, T, with its proportions, which is bigger, covering the other letters and is topped with a curve, the proportions of the K.”

“But when the Phi was revealed, the code of the writing was broken and the job became much easier,” she added.

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Father Cosmas said that during his administrative duties on Mount Athos he attended services at the Protato church on a daily basis.

“That’s where my desire was born … to explore the mystery around the name and the identity of Panselinos,” he said, adding that he thinks the artist “has now acquired his true identity.”

___

Paphitis reported from Athens, Greece.

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South Korean president's martial law declaration a 'blunder,' could embolden North Korea, expert says

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South Korean president's martial law declaration a 'blunder,' could embolden North Korea, expert says

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s surprising short-lived move to declare martial law, which drew condemnation from opposition lawmakers, to root out “anti-state” forces was a “blunder” and possibly an attempt to “reassert himself,” an expert says. 

Opposition parties moved Wednesday to impeach the president, which would require the support of two-thirds of the 300-seat parliament and at least six justices of the nine-member constitutional court. A motion to impeach was submitted by the liberal opposition Democratic Party and five smaller opposition parties and could be put to a vote as early as Friday. 

“I think he was trying, even desperately, to reassert himself to tell his domestic foes that he’s the man in charge and there will be consequences for the efforts by the opposition parties to stifle Yoon’s many reform programs,” Sung-Yoon Lee, a global fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington D.C., and author of “The Sister: North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong, the Most Dangerous Woman in the World,” told Fox News Digital. 

WHY DID YOON’S PARTY LOSE IN SOUTH KOREA’S ELECTIONS AND WHAT TROUBLES DOES HE FACE NOW?

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol waves as he arrives to address a joint meeting of Congress, Thursday, April 27, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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“But I think it was a blunder, possibly a legal breach, and certainly, something akin to an own goal politically,” he added, referring to the notion of something that one does thinking it will help him or her but actually causes one harm.

The martial declaration lasted only six hours but sent shockwaves through the country, as it hearkened back to South Korea’s past military-backed governments when authorities occasionally proclaimed martial law and other decrees that allowed them to station soldiers, tanks and armored vehicles on streets or at public places such as schools to prevent anti-government demonstrations.

South Korea protesters after the president declared martial law.

People hold candles during a candlelight vigil against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea after he declared martial law.  (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

The country achieved democracy in the late 1980s. No major violence was reported, and martial law was lifted after lawmakers rejected the move in a 190-0 vote. 

In a speech announcing the declaration, Yoon vowed to eliminate anti-state forces while accusing the opposition of sympathizing with North Korea. The North, a totalitarian-run state, will use what happened in the South to its benefit, Lee said. 

SOUTH KOREA’S PRESIDENT IS PICKING UP GOLF IN HOPES TO IMPRESS TRUMP

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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol

People watch a TV screen showing South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s televised briefing at a bus terminal in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

“I’m sure the North Korean leadership is sharpening its knives right now,” he said. “It would be very atypical, unusual for North Korea just to sit around and allow this kind of sensational, breathtaking crisis in South Korea to go to waste.”

Lee expects the North to issue provacative statements, resort to hostile acts and blame Yoon for its own “belligerence” and argue that the backlash against him is a reaction to his hostility toward his northern neighbor. 

If Yoon is impeached, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who holds the No. 2 position in the South Korean government, would take over presidential responsibilities. Presently, the constitutional court has only six justices following three retirements, meaning all six would have to vote in favor of impeachment to oust Yoon from office. 

Four of the six justices are Yoon appointees. 

North Korea South Korea border crossing

In this photo taken on May 9, 2023, South Korean soldiers walk at the truce village of Panmunjom in the Joint Security Area (JSA) of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea, with a view of North Korea’s Panmon Hall in the background. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images)

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“It remains to be seen whether the constitutional court, if we come to that point, will actually endorse, authorize impeachment and the ouster of President Yoon, but it’s a possibility,” Lee said. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Zelenskyy prepared to sanction Georgian government

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Zelenskyy prepared to sanction Georgian government

It comes as demonstrators took to the streets for the seventh consecutive night to protest the government’s decision to halt EU accession talks.

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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Georgian Dream (GD) of pushing the country towards dependence on Russia, and said he is working with European and other partners to prepare sanctions against the Georgian government.

“This situation in Georgia, of course, is not just the problem of one nation and not just the problem of our region – how the current government in Georgia is pushing the country into clear dependence on Russia. It is truly shameful what actions they are taking against their own people,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address.

It comes as thousands took to the streets again in what marked the seventh night of protests against the government’s decision to suspend negotiations on Georgia joining the European Union (EU).

The Georgian people that gathered in the capital are adament to protest as long as it takes until their demands are met and Georgia is back on track towards EU accession.

Demonstrators, wrapped in Georgian and European flags holding lasers and whistles, gathered in front of the parliament. Unlike previous nights, riot police did not try to disperse the protesters.

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In the past six days, riot police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse demonstrators, who threw fireworks at police officers and built barricades on the central boulevard of Georgia’s capital Tbilisi.

Since Thursday last week, at least 300 protesters have been detained and 100 treated for injuries.

Amid the ongoing demonstrations, police also detained one of the country’s opposition leaders in the capital, in an apparent attempt to suppress the wave of protests.

The Coalition for Change opposition party said that police raided its offices and detained its leader, Nika Gvaramia.

The party shared a video in which several officers are seen dragging Gvaramia into a car, while someone in the background is yelling “How are you dragging him? What are you doing, what are you doing? He is feeling bad. Call the ambulance. He is unconscious.”

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Local media reported that the police also raided offices of several other opposition groups, as well as non-governmental organisations.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of the Georgian Dream party previously accused the opposition of attempting a revolution, and said the raids targeted those who encouraged violence during protests in an attempt to topple his government.

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