World
‘We will fight. We are unbreakable’: Mariupol survivor tells her story
When Kateryna Polishchuk started her research to develop into an opera singer, she might have by no means imagined that at some point she can be performing surgical procedure with out anaesthesia on a wounded soldier whereas hiding away in a bombed-out metal plant.
However Russia’s battle in Ukraine made the unthinkable attainable.
“The hell I went by means of in Azovstal – it can’t be dreamed by anyone or proven in any motion movie,” Polishchuk instructed Euronews. “Not even (Quentin) Tarantino would know how you can make such a movie.”
The 21-year-ago paramedic was among the many Ukrainian contingent that defended the Azovstal plant throughout the three-month siege of Mariupol. The commercial web site was the final stronghold within the ravaged metropolis and shortly become a global image of Ukrainian resistance.
“We resisted the Russian military with a totally calm understanding of the way it might finish. We understood that we’d all die. However we didn’t hand over,” Polishchuk mentioned, talking by means of a translator.
“From the very first days, once we have been surrounded, we had no provides, we had no medicines, meals, water or ammunition. We had no correct tools, and no air defence means.”
“Sadly,” she went on, “we had very tough circumstances to battle, however we had fighters who wished to defend their residence, who wished to indicate the entire world that Russia cannot take neither Ukraine nor Europe.”
In her interview with Euronews, Polishchuk recalled the intense circumstances that Ukrainian troopers have been pressured to endure all through the relentless Russian assault. Some troopers, she mentioned, spent “three to 4 days” in a row with out sleeping or consuming, because the shelling lasted by means of the night time – solely to proceed within the morning.
After 82 days of gruelling combating, Mariupol fell to Russia and the remaining troopers surrendered. Town, razed to the bottom, was left practically unrecognisable.
“The worst factor was to give up and quit as a result of we understood that so long as Azovstal was standing, so long as they (Russia) spent most of their navy power on Mariupol, it was simpler for our brothers to battle throughout Ukraine,” Polishchuk mentioned.
Polishchuk spent virtually 5 months in Russian captivity, till her launch in late September as a part of a prisoner swap. She now travels throughout Europe to rally help for these on the frontline.
In Brussels, the 21-year-old attended a particular exhibition of photographers taken by Dmytro “Orest” Kozatskyi, a soldier-photographer who was additionally holed up in Azovstal.
The photographs, which went viral after Kozatskyi posted them on social media, depict the resistance, despair and solitude of the Ukrainian troopers throughout the brutal siege.
“These images evoke feelings of satisfaction for the military with which I stood shoulder to shoulder, for the fellows who held on it doesn’t matter what,” Polishchuk defined.
“These images evoke recollections of the heroic battle of heroic folks, a few of whom are in captivity, a few of whom are sadly not with us.”
As a survivor of the Mariupol siege, Polishchuk says she feels a specific duty to talk on behalf of the women and men combating for his or her nation in order that “nobody is silenced.”
Throughout her keep in Brussels, she urged the European Union to stay by Ukraine’s facet till the very finish, arguing the nation’s destiny will decide the bloc’s personal future.
Though she dismissed her opera expertise as rusty, Polishchuk’s voice shone by means of the room, agency and mournful, when she stoop as much as signal the Ukrainian nationwide anthem.
“We are going to battle. We’re courageous, we’re brave, we’re unbreakable. We’re highly effective and we are going to cease this enemy,” Polishchuk mentioned.
“However we’d like help and assist as a result of if we don’t stand, Europe won’t stand.”
World
Justin Baldoni Sued by Former Publicist Amid Blake Lively Scandal
Justin Baldoni‘s former publicist sued him, his company and his current publicity team on Tuesday, amid a spiraling scandal over an alleged smear campaign against Baldoni’s “It Ends With Us” co-star Blake Lively.
Steph Jones, who owns Jonesworks, accused Baldoni of breaching their contract, which required him to pay her $25,000 per month. Baldoni dropped the firm in August, a few months into a year-long deal, after his Jonesworks publicist, Jennifer Abel, left the company to start her own publicity firm.
Jones also sued Abel and publicist Melissa Nathan, accusing them of implementing the smear campaign against Lively behind her back and without her knowledge. She alleges that they are now trying to blame her for the ensuing meltdown.
“To this day, Abel and Nathan continue to point the finger falsely at Jones now that their own misconduct is coming to light, and to defame and attack Jones in the industry,” the lawsuit states.
Lively filed a complaint on Saturday with the California Civil Rights Department, accusing Baldoni and his publicists of orchestrating negative coverage about her in retaliation for her complaints of sexual harassment on set.
In the complaint, Lively accused Baldoni of a catalog of sexually inappropriate comments and behavior that allegedly took place on set in 2023. According to the complaint, she raised these issues through her attorneys before filming, which had been suspended during the Hollywood strikes, resumed earlier this year.
The rift between Baldoni and Lively became apparent during the publicity tour for the film last summer. Baldoni feared that Lively or her team would public accuse him of sexual misconduct, and sought ways to combat that. The complaint quoted extensively from text messages among Baldoni’s publicity team, in which they plotted to “bury” Lively.
In an unusual move, Lively’s attorneys obtained the messages by sending a pre-litigation subpoena to Jones.
Abel, Nathan, and Baldoni are represented by attorney Bryan Freedman. On Monday, Freedman threatened to sue Jones for releasing the contents of Abel’s phone to Lively’s legal team. Freedman, Abel and Nathan did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Jones’ suit.
In her lawsuit, Jones relates that she “forensically preserved” Abel’s company phone after Abel was fired.
“Abel and Nathan’s covert take down and smear campaigns were revealed in black and white on Abel’s company-issued phone following her termination, which Jonesworks forensically preserved and examined in detail after receiving a subpoena for the phone’s contents,” Jones’ suit states. “Jones discovered the breadth and intensity of Abel and Nathan’s duplicity from these records, including that Abel was actively encouraging other Jonesworks clients and employees to leave Jonesworks while Abel was still employed there.”
Jones’ suit alleges that Abel conspired for months to leave her company and to “steal” her clients and trash her reputation in the industry. She accuses Nathan of encouraging Abel to leave, because Nathan would then have greater access to those clients.
“This scheme ultimately inflicted serious damage on Jones and Jonesworks,” states the lawsuit, which was filed in state court in New York.
Among other things, the suit alleges that Abel and Nathan planted negative stories about Jones in the press, including an article in Business Insider that was published last summer.
The suit alleges breach of contract, tortious interference with contract, breach of fiduciary duty and defamation.
World
Police officer dressed as the 'Grinch' steals Christmas spirit during drug bust
A Peruvian police officer dressed as the Grinch, the cantankerous and green-furred villain, busted suspected drug traffickers in the South American country’s capital days before Christmas.
The operation in San Bartolo in Lima resulted in the arrest of three suspects, according to a video posted online by the Peruvian National Police.
“In an ingenious operation, agents of the Green Squad arrested the aliases La Reina del Sur, La Coneja and Pote, alleged members of the La Mafia de San Bartolo gang, dedicated to drug dealing,” a police post on X states. “Various narcotics were seized.”
FLORIDA MAN WHO WAS HALF-NAKED, ‘HIGH ON METH’ BREAKS INTO HOME, GRABS CARPET CLEANER
Using what appeared to be a sledgehammer, the officer walked down the street dressed as the infamous Christmas villain with a small heart before breaking down the front door of a home and entering, according to the video footage.
The suspects were arrested, and the “Grinch” is seen rummaging through various items in the home before finding what authorities said were illegal drugs and other items related to drug trafficking.
MORE THAN $31M OF METH CONCEALED IN SHIPMENT OF PEPPERS SEIZED AT TEXAS-MEXICO BORDER
Peru is the second-largest producer of cocaine and cultivator of coca in the world, according to the State Department.
“The majority of cocaine produced in Peru is transported to South American countries for domestic consumption, or for onward shipment to Europe, the United States, East Asia, and Mexico,” the State Department website said.
Peru’s national police force has carried out similar operations in the past.
On Halloween 2023, officers disguised as horror favorites Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees and Tiffany Valentine, the murderous doll in the “Child’s Play” series, also broke into the home of alleged drug dealers.
World
Are your Christmas gifts ready? Here are where EU toys come from
While the EU saw a drop in toy exports, China was the EU’s biggest supplier, providing 80% of these imports, valued at €5.2 billion.
In 2023, the EU imported €6.5 billion worth of toys from countries outside the bloc, a €2 billion decrease compared to 2022.
According to the latest Eurostat figures, China was the EU’s biggest supplier, providing 80% of these imports, valued at €5.2 billion.
Vietnam followed with 6% and the United Kingdom with 2%.
Around a fifth of the EU’s toy imports ended up in Germany, while France and the Netherlands received 16% and 14%, respectively.
At the same time, the EU exported €2.3 billion worth of toys in 2023.
This figure represents a slight decrease of €0.2 billion from the previous year.
More than half of the toys exported from the EU came from the Czech Republic, Germany and Belgium.
The UK was the top destination for EU toy exports, receiving 30% of the total, followed by Switzerland at 13% and the United States at 10%.
Concerns over toy safety
A recent Toy Industries of Europe study revealed that 80% of toys purchased from third-party sellers on online marketplaces failed to meet EU safety standards.
The research tested over 100 toys from various platforms, uncovering serious health risks such as choking hazards and toxic chemicals.
At the beginning of September, the European Parliament backed a proposal to improve the safety of toys available on the EU market.
The proposal focused particularly on decreasing the number of unsafe toys in the EU market and better protecting children from toy-related risks, including banning harmful chemicals in toys.
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