суббота, 12 ноября 2022 г.

No water, power or internet – only euphoria in newly liberated Kherson

No water, power or internet – only euphoria in newly liberated Kherson

By Nic Robertson, Amy Woodyatt, Kareem Khadder, Clayton Nagel and Kosta Gak, CNN

Updated 9:25 AM EST, Sat November 12, 2022

 

Kherson, Ukraine (CNN) — For eight months, residents of the Ukrainian city of Kherson have been living under brutal Russian occupation. But on Friday, Ukrainian forces swept into the city and Russian troops retreated to the east. The residents have no water, no internet connection and little power. But as a CNN crew entered the city on Saturday, the mood was euphoric.

 

As the crew filmed live in Kherson’s central square, some in the crowd of locals sang the national anthem while others shouted “Slava Ukrayini!” – glory to Ukraine, a patriotic greeting. “We feel free, we are not slaves, we are Ukrainians,” resident Olga told CNN.

Locals have also been climbing onto the tops of the buildings, including the cinema, in the square to erect Ukrainian flags. Soldiers driving through are greeted with cheers and asked to sign autographs on flags.

Back when Russian troops rolled in at the beginning of the war, this was a city that tried to resist: people were taken away, tortured, disappeared, residents said. “We were terrified by [the] Russian army, we were terrified by soldiers that can come any moment in our house, in our home – just open the door, like they are living here, and steal, kidnap, torture,” Olga said.

But now, people flock to the central square in the newly liberated city, wrapped in Ukrainian flags, singing and chanting “Freedom for Ukraine.” “Everyone here is out celebrating in the square here. People are wearing the Ukrainian flag, they’re hugging the soldiers, they’ve come out to see what it’s like to have freedom,” Robertson said.

A Ukrainian Special Forces soldier, who gave his name only as Daniel, told CNN how his unit was the first to arrive in Kherson. “My commander put the flag on the top of the building,” he said.

“It was a real blast for us, finally. Before the 11th [of November], it was five days of hard work, real hard work. Ukrainian soldiers, as always, just confirmed again that they are stronger than the Russians.”

The CNN team appeared to be the first international journalists to reach Kherson city center since it changed hands in the past 48 hours.

On Friday, Russia announced it had withdrawn from the west bank of the Dnipro River in the strategic southern region of Kherson, leaving the regional capital of the same name and surrounding areas to the Ukrainians.

The retreat represents a major blow for Putin’s war effort in Ukraine. Kherson was the only Ukrainian regional capital that Russian forces had captured since February’s invasion. Their withdrawal east across the Dnipro cedes large swathes of land that Russia has occupied since the early days of the war, and that Putin had formally declared as Russian territory just five weeks ago.

Speaking Saturday on the next steps for the Ukrainian military, CNN military analyst Cedric Leighton said: “This is going to be a major urban operation. What you are going to see is a methodical operation to clear buildings of potential booby traps and mines.

On Friday evening, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a nighttime video of celebrations in the city, where a crowd was waving flags and chanting “ZSU,” the Ukrainian acronym for the armed forces.

Earlier that day, the Ukrainian military’s southern operational command said Russian forces had been “urgently loading into boats that seem suitable for crossing and trying to escape” across the river.

It was unclear whether all Russian troops had left Kherson and the wider region. Serhiy Khlan, a member of Ukraine’s Kherson regional council, said the city was “almost under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine” but cautioned that some Russian troops might have remained behind in civilian clothing.

1. Read the article "Biden again says US would defend Taiwan if China attacks"
2. Write out words in bold and translate them in written form.
3. Make up 5 questions to the article.

4. Go through the link and watch the video. Be ready to comment on it.  https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/12/europe/kherson-city-ukraine-russia-intl/index.html

вторник, 1 ноября 2022 г.

Sunak’s wealth and right-wing politics mean he is far from representative, British Asians say

Go through thre link to watch the video

 Who is Britain's next prime minister?

Sunak’s wealth and right-wing politics mean he is far from representative, British Asians say

By Sana Noor Haq, CNN

Updated 11:04 AM EDT, Fri October 28, 2022

London CNN —  Orange and pink fireworks colored the skies over south London on Monday, as members of the local South Asian community celebrated Diwali.

This year, the holiday aligned with Rishi Sunak, 42, becoming Britain’s first prime minister of Indian descent, as Hindus like him celebrated the festival of lights.

Sunak’s rise to power has split opinion among South Asians in the UK. Some believe his historic appointment is a moment of pride and sign of social progress in Britain, while others point to his immense wealth, privately educated background and adoption of hard right-wing policies.

Evidence of this wide range of views was clear when CNN spoke to South Asians in the London neighborhood of Tooting – home to a bustling migrant community within the British capital.

Flamboyant fabric shops, places of worship and food vendors offering syrupy Indian desserts alongside fresh fruits and vegetables line the streets, with family-run convenience stores dotting nearly every corner.

The London suburb is steeped in the richly diverse heritage of its residents, where people of color comprise over half of the population, according to the 2011 UK census.

The same data found that nearly 30% of people in Tooting identify as “Asian” or “Asian British,” and after English, Urdu and Gujarati are among the most common languages spoken.

 “It is a sign of progress, but only at the top. Rishi Sunak comes from a very privileged background,” the 58-year-old solicitor said, his glasses tucked behind his bright orange turban.

Singh said he believed Sunak’s ascent is a sign that only South Asian politicians with immense social and economic privilege can “break the glass ceiling.”

Earlier this year, Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty, the daughter of an Indian billionaire, appeared on the Sunday Times Rich List of the UK’s 250 wealthiest people. The newspaper estimated their joint net worth at £730 million ($826 million).

Outside the capital, Sanjay Chandarana, who heads a Hindu temple in Southampton, southern England, co-founded by Sunak’s grandparents in 1971, told CNN that Sunak’s elevation was “a Barack Obama moment” for the UK, in a nod to America’s first Black president.

“I think it’s something of importance to the South Asian community … seeing that he is the first South Asian prime minister of the UK. It’s something that I think all South Asians should be proud of,” Irtaza Nasir, a 24-year-old restaurant director in Tooting, said. “I never thought this day would come.”

Sunak’s premiership has sparked a debate among many British Asians that lies at the intersection of race, class and politics.

The new prime minister has entered Downing Street as one of its richest ever occupants, yet he has the task of leading a country where marginalized communities are falling deeper into poverty in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

During his time as chancellor of the exchequer, Sunak was criticized for proposing a negligible 1% pay rise to staff for Britain’s National Health Service, despite the institution crumbling under government cuts and staff shortages.

Sunak may be the first British prime minister with Indian heritage, but his race alone does not qualify him to represent the diverse and nuanced views of the 4.2 million people with South Asian heritage who live in Britain today.

“Seeing someone brown becoming prime minister is something to be proud of, and yet it is also possible to vehemently disagree with the politics or the individual,” Jasvir Singh, a barrister and co-founder of South Asian Heritage Month, wrote by email.

“Politics is much, much more than just about color and race.”

Do the tasks below

1. Read the article "Biden again says US would defend Taiwan if China attacks"
2. Write out words in bold and translate them in written form.
3. Make up 5 questions to the article.