(WASHINGTON) -- A senior U.S. defense official said on Friday the Russian offensive is going much slower than planned in part because of the strength of the Ukrainian resistance.

“We also assess that because of this slow and uneven progress, again, without perfect knowledge of every aspect of the Russian plan, we do believe and assess that they are behind schedule in what they were trying to accomplish in the Donbas,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the U.S. military’s assessment.

He said the U.S. believes the Russians are “at least several days behind where they wanted to be” as they try to encircle Ukrainian troops in the east.

As the troops try to move north out of Mariupol so they can advance on Ukrainian forces from the south, their progress has been “slow and uneven, and certainly not decisive in any, in any event,” the official said.

A climate activist wearing a T-shirt with the message “We have 1028 days left” interrupted the French Open men's semifinal between Marin Cilic and Casper Ruud by attaching herself to the net and kneeling on the court.

Play was delayed for more than 10 minutes during a game with Ruud serving in the third set while leading 3-6, 6-4, 4-1, 15-all.

Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo looked on from near the entrance to the court and both players left while the protester was carried away by four security guards.

Eventually, Ruud and Cilic returned and were given three minutes to warm up before resuming their semifinal.

The winner of the match will face 13-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal in Sunday's final.

There have been other episodes involving people interrupting matches at Court Philippe Chatrier over the years.

During the 2013 men's final, a topless man carrying a fiery flare jumped onto the court. At the 2009 final, a man went up to Roger Federer and tried to put a hat on his head. At the 2003 final, a male streaker hurdled the net.

Day after day, Russia is pounding the Donbas region of Ukraine with relentless artillery and air raids, making slow but steady progress in seizing the industrial heartland of its neighbor.

With the conflict now in its fourth month, it's a high-stakes campaign that could dictate the course of the entire war.

Suppose Russia prevails in the battle of Donbas. In that case, it will mean that Ukraine loses not only land but perhaps the bulk of its most capable military forces, opening the way for Moscow to grab more territory and dictate its terms to Kyiv. A Russian failure could lay the grounds for a Ukrainian counteroffensive — and possibly lead to political upheaval for the Kremlin.

Following botched early attempts in the invasion to capture Kyiv and the second-largest city of Kharkiv without proper planning and coordination, Russia turned its attention to the Donbas, a region of mines and factories where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces since 2014.

Learning from its earlier missteps, Russia is treading more carefully there, relying on longer-range bombardments to soften Ukrainian defenses.

It seems to be working: The better-equipped Russian forces have made gains in both the Luhansk and Donetsk regions that make up the Donbas, controlling over 95% of the former and about half of the latter.

Ukraine is losing between 100 and 200 soldiers a day, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told the BBC, as Russia has “thrown pretty much everything non-nuclear at the front.” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier put the daily death toll at up to 100.

When the war was going badly for Russia, many thought President Vladimir Putin might claim victory after some gains in Donbas and then exit a conflict that had seriously bruised the economy and stretched its resources. But the Kremlin has made clear it expects Ukraine to recognize all the gains Russia has made since the start of the invasion — something Kyiv has ruled out.

Russian forces control the entire Sea of Azov coast, including the strategic port of Mariupol, the Kherson region — a key gateway to Crimea — and a large chunk of the Zaporizhzhia region, which could aid a further push deeper into Ukraine. Few expect that Putin will stop.

Russia has a clear edge in artillery in the battle for Donbas, thanks to a more significant number of heavy howitzers, rocket launchers, and abundant ammunition. The Ukrainians have had to be economical in using their artillery, with the Russians constantly targeting their supply lines.

Moscow's earlier territorial gains in the south, including the Kherson region and a large part of the neighboring Zaporizhzhia region, have prompted Russian officials and their local appointees to ponder plans to fold those areas into Russia or declare them to be independent, like the so-called “people's republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Ukrainian officials and Western analysts voiced concern that Moscow could try to press its offensive into the heavily populated and industrialized Dnipro region farther north, an advance that could potentially slice Ukraine in two and raise a new threat for Kyiv.

Such ambitions all hinge on Moscow's success in the east. A defeat in the Donbas would put Kyiv in a precarious position, with new recruits lacking the skills of battle-hardened soldiers now fighting in the east and supplies of Western weapons insufficient to fend off a potentially deeper Russian push.

Ukrainian officials brushed off such fears, voicing confidence that its military can hold out to stem the Russian advances and even launch a counterattack.

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.

President Vladimir Putin has said at Russia's showpiece investment conference that the country's economy will overcome sanctions that he called "reckless and insane."

Putin began his address Friday to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum with a lengthy denunciation of countries that he contends want to weaken Russia, including the United States. He says the U.S. "declared victory in the Cold War and later came to think of themselves as God's own messengers on planet Earth."

Russia came under a wide array of sanctions after sending troops into Ukraine in February. Putin said trying to damage the Russian economy "didn't work."

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Friday that it's still "absolutely necessary" for some leaders to talk directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin amid efforts to end the war in Ukraine. He told German news agency DPA on Friday that he and France's president will continue to do so.

Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron have held several telephone conversations with Putin, separately and together, since Russia's invasion began in late February. Those contacts have drawn some criticism — including from Poland's president, who said recently that they achieve nothing and serve only to legitimize the Russian leader.

Scholz said some leaders need to talk to Putin "and it is necessary that they are clear."

Dignitaries, heads of state, and others who want to pay their final respects to Queen Elizabeth II are converging on London to pay their final respects.

Each person has their own way of grieving a loss. One woman decided to bring the ashes of her grandmother, who she says "loved the Queen."

"I brought my nan with me today, her ashes. She loved the queen," she said.

The BBC spoke to many people out and about London who laid flowers and shed tears and talked about memories of Queen Elizabeth II over the years.

"So, we brought her with us, yeah she loved the Queen, absolutely loved the Queen," the woman said as she wore a somber, mostly black outfit.

She said, in age, that her grandmother and the Queen were just a year apart.

People from all walks of life and many countries spoke about how they felt the Queen was a unifying spirit and entered their lives with meaning.

Another woman said, "It's the end of an era, 70 years, it'll never happen again. She was the calm amongst the storms, but you always knew she'd be a constant presence."

Production for Netflix's royal drama "The Crown" paused briefly while filming season six of the show as the world paid their final respects to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II after her death.

Season five is still set for release on Nov. 9 and will feature a new actress playing the queen.

Claire Foy played Queen Elizabeth II for the first two seasons of the show. Then for seasons three and four, Olivia Colman took over portraying Her Majesty.

Now for the latest season, Imelda Staunton will take over the role.

Season five is expected to focus on the queen's preparations for the 40th anniversary of her ascension to the throne, Netflix revealed.

"She reflects on a reign that has encompassed nine Prime Ministers, the advent of mass television, and the twilight of the British Empire," the streaming giant said.

The role of then-Prince Charles is portrayed by Dominic West, and Elizabeth Debicki was cast in the role of Princess Diana.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Tuesday with troops in the eastern city of Bakhmut, the scene of some of the most intense combat since Russia invaded the country, praising their "courage, resilience and strength" as artillery boomed in the background.

For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the "courage and self-denial" of his forces in Ukraine — but he did so at a ceremony in an opulent and glittering hall at the Kremlin in Moscow, not on the battlefield.

Both leaders sought to build morale as the stalemated conflict grinds through its 10th month and winter sets in.

Zelenskky met with military personnel in a dimly lit building — possibly a disused factory — in Bakhmut, which he has called "the hottest spot on the entire front line," his office said. The city, about 600 kilometers (380 miles) east of Kyiv, has remained in Ukrainian hands, thwarting Moscow's goal of capturing the rest of Donetsk province and the entire Donbas industrial region.

The Ukrainian leader told the troops he passed through Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and Druzhkivka to reach Bakhmut in an unannounced trip that appeared designed to show Moscow's failure to capture the city and dishearten the Russians trying to surround it.

"Bakhmut Fortress. Our people. Unconquered by the enemy. Who with their bravery prove that we will endure and will not give up what's ours," he wrote on his Telegram channel, thanking the troops for "the courage, resilience and strength shown in repelling the enemy attacks.

"Since May, the occupiers have been trying to break our Bakhmut, but time goes by and Bakhmut is already breaking not only the Russian army, but also the Russian mercenaries who came to replace the wasted army of the occupiers," he said.

Russia's invasion, which began Feb. 24, has lost momentum. The illegally annexed provinces of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia remain fiercely contested. Capturing Bakhmut would sever Ukraine's supply lines and open a route for Russian forces to press on toward cities that are key Ukrainian strongholds in the Donetsk province.

Mercenaries from the Wagner Group, a shadowy Russian military contractor, are reported to be leading the charge in Bakhmut. Before Russia's full-scale invasion, Russia-backed separatists had controlled parts of Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk since 2014. The two provinces together make up the Donbas.

Unverified videos on a popular Russian social media platform showed the Wagner Group's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, standing near an artillery piece and saying he was ready to meet Zelenskyy in Bakhmut. In a statement accompanying the videos, Prigozhin's spokespeople relayed a message to Zelenskyy reading: "If you haven't left Bakhmut yet, I'm ready to meet you. Prigozhin." It wasn't clear from the videos where they were shot or when.

At the Kremlin ceremony, Putin presented awards to the Moscow-appointed heads of the four illegally annexed regions of Ukraine.

"Our country has often faced challenges and defended its sovereignty," Putin said. "Now Russia is again facing such a challenge. Soldiers, officers and volunteers are showing outstanding examples of courage and self-denial on the front line."

In a video address honoring Russia's military and security agencies, he praised the security personnel deployed to the four regions, saying that "people living there, Russian citizens, count on being protected by you."

Putin acknowledged the challenges faced by security personnel deployed there.

"Yes, it's difficult for you," he said, adding that the situation in the regions is "extremely difficult."

The former KGB operative added: "Your duty is to do all that is needed to ensure their safety and protection of rights and freedoms." Putin also promised to reinforce units there with more equipment and personnel. The regions are under pressure from a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Putin also called on counterintelligence officers to step up efforts to "derail activities by foreign spy agencies and quickly track down traitors, spies and saboteurs."

A Russian newspaper, Rossiskaya Gazeta, reported that Putin last week had visited his Ukraine command headquarters. Its location wasn't disclosed, and it wasn't even clear if it was in Ukraine.

British authorities, meanwhile, gave a bleak assessment of how the war is going for Russia.

Some 100,000 Russian troops were "dead, injured or have deserted" in the invasion, U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said. Wallace didn't give a figure for Ukrainian casualties, but a senior U.S. military recently put the estimated number of Ukrainian troops killed and wounded at about 100,000.

Losses in Russia's military command have also taken a toll, as has the destruction of equipment. "Not one single operational commander then in place on Feb. 24 is in charge now," Wallace told lawmakers in the House of Commons. "Russia has lost significant numbers of generals and commanding officers."

"Russian capability has been severely hampered by the destruction of more than 4,500 armored and protected vehicles, as well as more than 140 helicopters and fixed wing aircraft," Wallace said.

Ukraine's counteroffensive has succeeded in recapturing large swaths of land. After 300 days of war, the U.K. Ministry of Defense tweeted, Ukraine has liberated about 54% of the maximum amount of extra territory Russia seized in the invasion. It didn't say what portion of the Ukrainian territory Russia controlled at the peak of its gains.

Russia now controls about 18% of internationally recognized areas of Ukraine, including those parts of the Donbas and Crimea seized earlier, it said.

With battles still raging, Zelenskyy's office said at least five civilians have been killed and eight wounded since Monday, with Russian forces attacking nine southeastern areas.

Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said Russia shelled 19 cities and villages in the region in the past day.

With the fighting in the east at a stalemate, Moscow has used missiles and drones to attack Ukraine's power equipment, hoping to leave people without electricity as freezing weather sets in.

Life in the Ukrainian capital took a minor but welcomed step toward normality with the reopening of two of Kyiv's main subway stations for the first time since the war began. The key hubs of Maidan Nezalezhnosti and Khreschatyk, like the capital's other underground stations, have served as air raid shelters.

"It's the feeling that despite everything, we are returning to a routine that we were used to," said 24-year-old passenger Denys Kapustin. "This is very important."

Three years on since the COVID-19 outbreak turned into a global pandemic and another new coronavirus variant has surfaced.

The omicron subvariant named XBB.1.5 has caused just over 40% of new coronavirus infections in the United States, the CDC says.

About 75% of new coronavirus cases in the Northeastern U.S. are from the XBB.1.5 strain.

Dr. Barbara Mahon, director of the CDC's proposed Coronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division, said, "We're projecting that it's going to be the dominant variant in the Northeast region of the country and that it's going to increase in all regions of the country," CBS News reported.

Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, said, "Probably the worst variant that the world is facing right now is actually XBB," according to Reuters.

Dr. Jay Varma of Cornell Medicine said this is a very "precarious" time for the U.S. health care system and public health experts worry about a possible surge in infections.

Varma also said that Americans shouldn't be overly alarmed as the variant is expected to cause similar issues seen earlier this year, he told PBS.

Experts urge the public to take similar precautions as people were asked to do earlier in the year and last year to slow the spread, including wearing a mask whenever possible, such as when traveling.

The CDC said that at this point, there isn't the belief that "XBB.1.5 is more severe" compared to COVID-19.

Public health officials also haven't reported additional symptoms tied to the XBB.1.5 strain outside of symptoms listed with previous variants and COVID-19.

Axios reported that in October, health officials deemed the XBB.1.5 variant as well suited to evade COVID-19 immunity.

A Wall Street Journal report pointed to health experts who have highlighted studies suggesting that this new variant can evade existing vaccines, antibodies from prior infections along with existing monoclonal antibody treatments.

A study in the journal Nature said, “Such rapid and simultaneous emergence of multiple variants with enormous growth advantages is unprecedented.”

Raquel Welch, an actress of television, film and stage, has died. The well-known model and entertainer was 82.

Welch was known for her roles in films like 1966's "Fantastic Voyage."

Her death was confirmed to Scripps News by one of her representatives who said, "Her career spanned over 50 years starring in over 30 films and 50 television series and appearances. The Golden Globe winner, in more recent years, was involved in a very successful line of wigs."

The representative said, "Raquel Welch, the legendary bombshell actress of film, television and stage, passed away peacefully early this morning after a brief illness."

Born on Sept. 5, 1940 in Chicago she moved to San Diego when she was a young child.

She studied theater arts at San Diego State College in 1958.

She became well-known after another role in 1966 on the film "One Million Years B.C."

She launched businesses selling wigs and a line of deerskin bikinis all turning her into a star of the 1960s and 1970s.

Welch went on to star in other roles like in the film "A House Is Not A Home" and an Elvis Presley musical titled "Roustabout."

A representative for the actress and model said, "Raquel leaves behind her two children, son Damon Welch and her daughter, Tahnee Welch,"

German media reported that at least six people were killed in a shooting in the northern German city of Hamburg, the second-largest city in the country.

The city's fire service confirmed the number of dead, but it was unclear if there were any people taken to area hospitals, the Guardian reported, citing Focus Online.

German news outlet Deutsche Welle cited police information reporting that law enforcement converged on the city's Alsterdorf area. Reports said that police also announced a "large-scale operation" was carried out in the city's Gross Borstel district nearby.

Germany's RTL News reported, citing officials, that the shooting happened at around 9 p.m. local time when a person or multiple people inside a place of worship began firing upon those inside.

DW reported that the location of the shooting was a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses on Hamburg's Deelböge street.

Police asked residents in the area to evacuate, according to reports.

Authorities in Hamburg used cell phone push alerts to warn residents that the suspects were on the run and had fled the scene after the shooting.

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — A new liquefied natural gas project off Africa's western coast may only be 80% complete, but already the prospect of a new energy supplier has drawn visits from the leaders of Poland and Germany.

The initial field near Senegal and Mauritania’s coastlines is expected to contain about 15 trillion cubic feet (425 billion cubic meters) of gas, five times more than what gas-dependent Germany used in all of 2019. But production isn't expected to start until the end of next year.

That won't help solve Europe's energy crisis triggered by Russia's war in Ukraine. Still, Gordon Birrell, an executive for project co-developer BP, says the development “could not be more timely" as Europe seeks to reduce its reliance on Russian natural gas to power factories, generate electricity and heat homes.

“Current world events are demonstrating the vital role that (liquid gas) can play in underpinning the energy security of nations and regions,” he told an energy industry meeting in West Africa last month.

While Africa’s natural gas reserves are vast and North African countries like Algeria have pipelines already linked to Europe, a lack of infrastructure and security challenges have long stymied producers in other parts of the continent from scaling up exports. Established African producers are cutting deals or reducing energy use so they have more to sell to boost their finances, but some leaders warn that hundreds of millions of Africans lack electricity and supplies are needed at home.

Nigeria has Africa’s largest natural gas reserves, said Horatius Egua, a spokesman for the petroleum minister, though it accounts for only 14% of the European Union’s imports of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, that comes by ship. Projects face the risk of energy thefts and high costs. Other promising countries like Mozambique have discovered large gas reserves only to see projects delayed by violence from Islamic militants.

Europe has been scrambling to secure alternative sources as Moscow has reduced natural gas flows to EU countries, triggering soaring energy prices and growing expectations of a recession. The 27-nation EU, whose energy ministers are meeting this week to discuss a gas price cap, is bracing for the possibility of a complete Russian cutoff but has still managed to fill gas reserves to 90%.

European leaders have flocked to countries like Norway, Qatar, Azerbaijan and especially those in North Africa, where Algeria has a pipeline running to Italy and another to Spain.

Italy signed a $4 billion gas deal with Algeria in July, a month after Egypt reached an agreement with the European Union and Israel to boost sales of LNG. Angola also has signed a gas deal with Italy.

While an earlier agreement allowed Italy's biggest energy company to start production at two Algerian gas fields this week, it wasn't clear when flows would start from the July deal because it lacked specifics, analysts said.

African leaders like Senegalese President Macky Sall want their countries to cash in on these projects even as they’re dissuaded from pursuing fossil fuels. They don’t want to export it all either — an estimated 600 million Africans lack access to electricity.

“It is legitimate, fair and equitable that Africa, the continent that pollutes the least and lags furthest behind in the industrialization process should exploit its available resources to provide basic energy, improve the competitiveness of its economy and achieve universal access to electricity,” Sall told the U.N. General Assembly last month.

Algeria is a major supplier — it and Egypt accounted for 60% of the natural gas production in Africa in 2020 — but it can't offset Russian gas to Europe at this stage, said Mahfoud Kaoubi, professor of economics and specialist in energy issues at the University of Algiers.

“Russia has an annual production of 270 billion cubic meters — it’s huge," Kaoubi said. “Algeria is 120 billion cubic meters, of which 70.50% is intended for consumption on the internal market."

This year, Algeria is forecast to have piped exports of 31.8 billion cubic meters, according to Tom Purdie, a Europe, Middle East and Africa gas analyst with S&P Global Commodity Insights.

“The key concern here surrounds the level of production step-up that can be achieved, and the impact domestic demand could have" given how much gas Algeria uses at home, Purdie said.

Cash-strapped Egypt also is looking to export more natural gas to Europe, even regulating air conditioning in shopping malls and lights on streets to save energy and sell it instead.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly says Egypt hopes to bring in an additional $450 million a month in foreign currency by rerouting 15% of its domestic gas usage for export, state media reported.

More than 60% of Egypt’s natural gas consumption still is used by power stations to keep the country running. Most of its LNG goes to Asian markets.

A new, three-party deal will see Israel send more gas to Europe via Egypt, which has facilities to liquefy it for export by sea. The EU says it will help the two countries increase gas production and exploration.

In Nigeria, ambitious plans have yet to yield results despite years of planning. The country exported less than 1% of its vast natural gas reserves last year.

A proposed 4,400-kilometer-long (2,734-mile-long) pipeline that would take Nigerian gas to Algeria through Niger has been stalled since 2009, mainly because of its estimated cost of $13 billion.

Many fear that even if completed, the Trans-Sahara Gas Pipeline would face security risks like Nigeria's oil pipelines, which have come under frequent attacks from militants and vandals.

The same challenges would hinder increased gas exports to Europe, said Olufola Wusu, a Lagos-based oil and gas expert.

“If you look at the realities on ground — issues that have to do with crude oil theft — and others begin to question our ability to supply gas to Europe,” he said.

Wusu urged pursuing LNG, calling it the “most profitable" gas strategy so far.

Even that isn't without issues: In July, the head of Nigeria LNG Limited, the country’s largest natural gas firm, said its plant was producing at just 68% of capacity, mainly because its operations and earnings have been stifled by oil theft.

In the south, Mozambique is slated to become a major exporter of LNG after significant deposits were found along its Indian Ocean coast in 2010. France's TotalEnergies invested $20 billion and started work to extract gas that would be liquefied in a plant it was building in Palma, in the northern Cabo Delgado province.

But Islamic extremist violence forced TotalEnergies to indefinitely scupper the project last year. Mozambican officials have pledged to secure the Palma area to allow work to resume.

Italian firm Eni, meanwhile, pressed ahead with plans to pump and liquefy some of its gas deposits discovered in Mozambique in 2011 and 2014. Eni established a platform in the Indian Ocean 50 miles (80 kilometers) offshore, away from the violence in Cabo Delgado.

It's the first floating LNG facility in the deep waters off Africa, Eni says, with gas liquefaction capacity of 3.4 million tons per year.

The platform liquefied its first gas on Oct. 2, according to Africa Energy, and the first shipment is expected to depart for Europe in mid-October.

Outside Ukraine, there is a raging war of information as Russian propaganda inspires pro-Russian protests in European countries.

Counteracting Russian disinformation is a priority for governments, and it's something the UK has been praised for arranging.

Its Ministry of Defense, or MOD, has been releasing regular intelligence updates used by independent military experts, journalists and analysts to decipher the truth about what's happening on the ground.

"Prior to the invasion, I had no idea whether the information is being released by the West is true or not. But it's turned out that it is true and that's given me a lot more confidence in the information that's now being released," said Sadakat Kadri, a London resident. 

This is a war being fought on two fronts, both on the ground in Ukraine, and outside of Ukraine in information. 

When it comes to counteracting Russian propaganda, the British government has been praised even by those who were once critical of the Ministry of Defense.

"I've been hugely critical of the MOD in the past about being useless at this sort of thing and hopeless at PR, but I think that that they're beginning to crack it," Stuart Crawford said.

Crawford is a military expert and former lieutenant colonel in the British army.

"Russia has tried to interfere in... various other elections around the world, so, I think it's very important that in many ways that the UK and... anybody in government try to keep the moral high ground," Crawford said.

In Russia, the BBC is broadcasting on shortwave radio after the government donated ₤5 million towards a special BBC World Service, as the Russian Federation pumps out falsehoods to its population. 

"They've become experts in disinformation across the internet," said Andrew Bridgen, a UK Parliament member. "They're well known for it. It's got a huge reach. That's how a lot of people receive their news and updates now, and it has to be countered. It's important that we play our part in doing that, getting the truth out to people. At the end of the day, the truth is the truth if no one believes it, and a lie is still a lie if everyone believes it."

Social media companies have scrambled to respond to Russian disinformation. On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reacted to Twitter restrictions on Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saying all it was doing was telling the truth as countries and corporations rushed to respond to false claims and conspiracies.

Newsy is the nation’s only free 24/7 national news network. You can find Newsy using your TV’s digital antenna or stream for free. See all the ways you can watch Newsy here: https://bit.ly/Newsy1

BERLIN — The United Nations’ atomic watchdog says Ukraine has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that staff who have been kept at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant since Russian troops took control of the site a week ago are facing “psychological pressure and moral exhaustion.”

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said Thursday that the staff must be allowed to rest and rotate so their crucial work can be carried out safely and securely.

Grossi received “a joint appeal from the Ukraine Government, regulatory authority and the national operator which added that personnel at the Chornobyl site ‘have limited opportunities to communicate, move and carry out full-fledged maintenance and repair work,’” the IAEA said in a statement.

Reactor No. 4 at the power plant exploded and caught fire in 1986, shattering the building and spewing radioactive material high into the sky. Even 36 years later, radioactivity is still leaking from history’s worst nuclear disaster.

Ukraine has lost regulatory control over all the facilities in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone to the Russians and asked the IAEA to undertake measures “in order to reestablish legal regulation of safety of nuclear facilities and installations” within the site, the statement added.

Grossi has repeatedly stressed that any military or other action that could threaten the safety or security of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants must be avoided.

“I remain gravely concerned about the deteriorating situation in Ukraine, especially about the country’s nuclear power plants, which must be able to continue operating without any safety or security threats,” he said. “Any accident caused as a result of the military conflict could have extremely serious consequences for people and the environment, in Ukraine and beyond.”

A Florida college student who shot to internet fame recently after he began tracking the private jets of billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, is now tracking flight paths of the planes of Russian oligarchs.

19-year-old Jack Sweeney has now started the new automated accounts on Twitter: @RUOligarchJets and @Putinjet, which follow some of Russia's richest people, in their planes.

The accounts gained somewhere around 300,000 followers just days after some of the toughest sanctions since Russia invaded Ukraine had been levied onto Russia's banks and its most powerful.

Sweeney's is able to publish real-time movements by going around data from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration that would allow plane owners to block this kind of tracking, according to Forbes.

The account @Putinjet publicizes the movements of aircraft associated with Russian President Vladimir Putin. As the Wall Street Journal reported, Sweeney said that he made the new automated Twitter bots over the weekend after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Sweeney told Bloomberg in an interview, "The aircrafts these oligarchs have are absolutely crazy."

As CNN noted, some of Russia's richest are traveling on commercial-sized aircraft like the Airbus A319 and Boeing's 737.

"Their planes are huge compared to other jets," Sweeney said.

In January, tech titan Elon Musk offered Sweeney $5,000 to close the automated Twitter account @ElonJet.

"Can you take this down?," Musk wrote. "It's a security risk."

"I don't love the idea of being shot by a nutcase," Musk continued.

As CNN reported, Sweeney countered the offer with $50,000. The deal fell through when Musk said that it didn't feel right to pay to shut down the account.

Masouma Tajik's story is incredible. She was only 2-years-old when the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan cast out the Taliban from their position of power in that country. Then after 20 years of war, the U.S. left, and the Taliban took over again turning an unimaginable additional amount of Afghans into refugees.

Tajik left Afghanistan, with no hope of staying in her country. A Ukrainian Air Force plane took her and others to Kyiv on Aug. 22, she told Foreign Policy. Now she finds herself, unbelievably, stuck in another major conflict, in a country she knows little about. She said she began Googling the tactics of the Russian military to see if they compared to that of the Taliban, to try and gain some understanding of the situation she found herself in.

Another Afghan refugee, Jawed Ahmad Haqmal, left Afghanistan under similar circumstances. Haqmal had worked as a translator for the Canadian military in Afghanistan. He left in August and was evacuated to Ukraine. While waiting for the Canadian government to respond to his asylum claim he now finds himself trapped in Ukraine amid conflict, the CBC reported.

"I can't go forward. I can't go backward. I'm even not able to go back to Afghanistan. There is no way left for me, so I have to accept everything. If all my family dies in front of me, I cannot do anything," he said.

"Just seeing outside like a war zone, the same situation I've seen in Afghanistan when Kabul was falling — just explosions, bullets, people are running, roads are blocked, there are armies on the roads," Haqmal said.

Bilal Dostzada tried to escape Ukraine with his wife and child by car for the Polish border. He made it to the Ukrainian city of Lviv.

“We’ve not slept, we have not eaten since yesterday,” Dostzada told Vice News. “In the news, we’ve read that the border is open to receive us. But ever since I arrived last night, the queues are getting longer, and nobody is letting us enter,” he said. “I left behind a very bad situation in Afghanistan,” said Dostzada

Dostzada escaped Afghanistan in 2019 and says, "Now I’m in a bad situation again.” 

The U.N. plans to seek over $1 billion in donations for humanitarian relief in Ukraine over the next three months, the world body’s humanitarian chief said Friday.

Martin Griffiths said at a news briefing that the exact amount of the appeal is still being decided but will be “well north of $1 billion.”

The U.N. announced Thursday that it was immediately allocating $20 million to expand its humanitarian operations in Ukraine. Even before Russia’s attack this week, the world body estimated about 3 million people were in need of aid after years of fighting between Russian-backed separatists and the Ukrainian government in the country’s east.

Now, “the scale of need in these very, very extraordinary circumstances is going to be of the highest,” Griffiths said.

The U.N. issues multiple appeals each year for international donors, mainly governments, to finance humanitarian efforts in troubled spots around the world. Last month, it requested more than $5 billion for Afghanistan, the largest-ever appeal tied to a single country.

Milan fashion week continued in Italy amid the turmoil caused for Ukrainians in the fashion world and their families back home in Ukraine after Russia invaded the country.

As Agence France-Presse reported, Italian designers like Prada and Moschino, and others like Paris-based MM6 Maison Margiela showed their best looks on the runway. With the grandeur and elegance came mixed energy, as not that far away, a major conflict in Europe is also happening.

AFP spoke to 22-year-old Ukrainian creative director and stylist Anna Mazzhyk who said before the show she was woken up by her parents early in the morning in Ukraine who told her, "Russia is attacking Ukraine right now," she said.

"I was crying before the first show because it's difficult for me," said Mazzhyk. She is from Kyiv. She said, "We're all wearing sunglasses to cover up our puffy eyes."

Louise Robert, a model from Belgium, told AFP, "It was like a bomb -- an emotional bomb."

Ukrainian staff who work booking the models were shaken and upset backstage at the Prada show. And, a French photographer named, "Etienne," said "I think most people are crushed." Going on to say, "But we can't do politics inside here."

A North Carolina man who often teaches in Ukraine, recently received a message from one of his students, asking him to pray for his family.

Sister station WXII spoke with Herbert Burns, Jr. of Winston-Salem, who is a board member for the Triad Success Partners. Before the pandemic began, Burns and several members of the organization would fly to Ukraine to teach people how to run businesses every year.

For the past seven years, he said people from different industries — recreational facilities, agricultural, medical, marketing, faith, etc. — would take part in his leadership and marketing programs in Ukraine.

This week, one of his students messaged him amid the Ukraine and Russia crisis.

"At 3:25 am two days ago, I got a message from Elsey Pronin, saying please pray for us." Burns said. "I was almost in tears. It broke my heart."

Burns, Pronin, and a couple of other good friends gathered on a virtual meeting to pray together.

Burns said he considers Pronin as family.

"I felt like a family member in need. Because he’s like a dear family member. He’s like a brother to me. If you have children, and your children get hurt, you know how you feel for your children. I felt the same way for Elsey and his family," Burns said.

Pronin told Burns that his family and many others were in danger.

"He said there’s going to be thousands of refugees coming from the east and they’re going to need places to stay," Burns said.

However, instead of running away from danger, Pronin traveled toward it.

"He was getting ready to head east into the storm to see how he can help others. He was headed toward the battle to see what he can do to save other people," Burns said.

Burns said he last spoke with Pronin through Facebook messenger on Thursday. However, Pronin responded with "I can't talk."

Burns still keeps in touch with a number of his students in Ukraine, he said, and worries about many of them.

"I can't reach out and physically help him. It just broke my heart. I can't reach out and grab him. Let me hug you. Let me help you. What can I do?" Burns said.

Ukraine's Health Minister Viktor Lyashko says 57 Ukrainians have been killed as a result of the Russian invasion, and 169 more were wounded.

Lyashko added Thursday that Ukraine's authorities are repurposing the country's health care facilities to make room for those who need medical assistance because of the hostilities.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that “innocent people are being killed” in Ukraine and appealed to the Poles to extend every possible assistance to the Ukrainians who have found themselves in need of help.

The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote Friday on a resolution condemning Russia in the strongest terms possible for attacking Ukraine and demanding the immediate withdrawal of all its forces — knowing that Russia will veto the legally binding measure, according to a senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

Russia has extended military drills near Ukraine's northern borders after two days of sustained shelling along the contact line between Ukrainian soldiers and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

According to CBS on Sunday, the U.S. reportedly received intelligence that Russian commanders have been given orders to proceed with an invasion of Ukraine.

And as ABC News reported, U.S. officials said that lower-level Russian tactical commanders were given orders consistent with those to invade Ukraine.

Ukraine's president appealed for a cease-fire. The exercises in Belarus, which borders Ukraine to the north, originally were set to end on Sunday. The joint drills brought a sizable contingent of Russian forces to Belarus, and their presence raised concern that they could sweep down to Ukraine's capital in a Russian invasion.

A top European Union official said, "The big question remains: Does the Kremlin want dialogue?"

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said Sunday in Munich, Germany, “We’re talking about the potential for war in Europe,” she said.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin should choose a place where the two leaders could meet to try to resolve the crisis and on Sunday appealed for a cease-fire on Twitter. Russia has denied plans to invade, but the Kremlin had not responded to his offer by Sunday, and it was Belarus — not Russia — that announced the extension of the drills, the Associated Press reported.

A senior defense official says President Joe Biden has approved the deployment of 3,000 more U.S. troops to Poland.

They will join 1,700 other members of the 82nd Airborne Division who have been heading to Poland in recent days. Combined, the 4,700 soldiers comprise an infantry brigade intended to reassure fellow NATO member Poland of a U.S. defense commitment amid the crisis in neighboring Ukraine.

As CNN reported, a person familiar with the plan said that President Biden will speak with Russia's Vladimir Putin on Saturday. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said the two leaders will speak by phone.

The additional U.S. troop deployment comes as the White House warns that Russian President Vladimir Putin could launch an invasion of Ukraine any day now.

Earlier on Friday President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, warned all American citizens in Ukraine to leave the country as soon as they can. Sullivan issued the public warning saying Russia's President Vladimir Putin could instruct his troops to invade Ukraine at any time.

The announcement that the U.S. would be sending thousands of additional troops came just after that public warning to American citizens.

President Joe Biden has approved the deployment of 3,000 U.S. troops to Poland, Germany and Romania to bolster NATO countries in Eastern Europe.

The deployments, U.S. officials have told CNN, are a show of support to NATO allies feeling threatened by Russia's buildup of troops near Ukraine's border.

To be clear, there is no plan for U.S. troops to engage Russian troops, and the White House and the Pentagon have stressed that American service members will not be entering Ukraine.

"They are moves designed to respond to the current security environment," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Wednesday, adding that these forces "are not going to fight in Ukraine."

While the shuffling of troops marks the most significant sign yet that the U.S. is preparing for the prospect of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, U.S. troop movement is not unusual at all. And there are a number of options under which a president can deploy troops.

Here's what you need to know:

Exercises and basing

The U.S. can, and does, frequently send troops to Europe to participate in exercises with partner nations.

U.S. troops are stationed at bases across the continent, and these exercises and stations are built upon agreements with each nation individually or with a treaty alliance such as NATO.

Bilateral agreements or requests

These deployments are made in consultation with ally nations and with the agreement of both countries. This is the dynamic playing out now, with NATO allies having asked for U.S. troops to bolster their own defenses and to send a stronger message of deterrence to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But while NATO allies are receiving U.S. troops, the deployment is a U.S. deployment done in consultation with these allies -- not a NATO deployment.

NATO

As part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the U.S. also has commitments to come to the assistance of ally countries and to provide for the overall defense of NATO.

Part of that defense entails the NATO Response Force, a multinational, 40,000-strong force. In 2014, partially in response to the Russian invasion of Crimea, NATO created the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, which is part of the Readiness Action Plan for quick responses to a changing security environment.

NATO has not activated the NATO Response Force -- which has also been used in disaster relief -- in regard to Russia's actions on Ukraine's border, but the Pentagon has said that it has 8,500 troops on heightened readiness in case it does. And the U.S. and NATO have tens of thousands of other troops already in Europe to draw on for any additional deployments to Eastern European allies.

Kirby said Wednesday that the troops being deployed were separate from the 8,500 U.S. troops on heightened alert. The Pentagon is "not ruling out the possibility that there will be more" U.S. troop movements in the coming days, Kirby said.

In 2005, aircraft from the NATO Response Force delivered NATO relief supplies to the U.S. in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and last August, the NATO Response Force was activated to support the evacuation of Afghans who had previously worked alongside NATO.

Authorized use of military force

This is the most controversial option on the list, but one that has been used repeatedly to send troops to war since the Sept. 11 attacks. As of now, there has been no move to seek congressional authorization to use force in regard to the Russia-Ukraine tensions.

The 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force comprises only one long sentence. But its 60 broadly written words have helped pave the way for years of military activity. According to official documents, Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump all invoked it during their tenures.

While Republicans and Democrats alike have expressed a desire to update the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, which authorized the global war on terror, and the 2002 authorization for the Iraq War, the consensus has been bogged down amid disputes over how a new authorization would deal with the scope of the mission, time constraints and the use of U.S. ground troops.

The Constitution, meanwhile, states explicitly that only Congress has the authority to declare war, a power that has been invoked five times in U.S. history: The War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Spanish-American War, and World Wars I and II.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tensions remain high around the world as Russia continues to gather troops at its border with Ukraine.

The U.S. says there are now more than 100,00 Russian troops at the border.

But why is Russia so interested in Ukraine?

NEED FOR HISTORY

The eastern European country of Ukraine is home to 44 million people.

The capital of Ukraine and the capital of Russia are separated by about an 11-hour drive.

Tensions between Ukraine and Russia have been high for years. Russia invaded the country in 2014.

“We are just seeing the Russians and Putin, in this case, try and restore Mother Russia,” said Jim Townsend, who is the United States' former deputy secretary of Defense for Europe and NATO.

During the Cold War, Russia was part of the Soviet Union and the Soviet Union consisted of much of Eastern Europe, including Ukraine.

Townsend says its collapse in the 1990s has always upset Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Putin was a creature of the Cold War," Townsend said. "He laid this out in a speech this past summer, saying there isn’t really a country of Ukraine. Ukraine is Russia.”

Many Ukrainians, of course, disagree. That is why leaders there have increased their reliance on the West.

U.S. military equipment has been used in Ukraine for years.

The Florida National Guard is even training Ukrainian troops right now, which upsets Moscow.

“He doesn’t want to see those forces too close to him," Townsend says.

"He equates this to the Cuban missile crisis. 'How would you feel United States if we went back into Cuba,'” Townsend added

IMPACT ON YOU

A conflict, if it happens, could impact American life.

U.S. troops could deploy to the region and gas prices could go up since Russia produces so much of the world’s energy.

As for why now, Townsend says Russia may think conditions are right for them to get away with it.

Germany's longtime leader Angela Merkel just left office, Great Britain has left the EU and President Joe Biden is struggling to convince the world he can heal America's divisions. The messy withdrawal from Afghanistan also didn't help the situation.

“It’s a time when the West is in a bit of disarray," Townsend said.

ROME (AP) — Italy, Spain and other European countries are reinstating or stiffening mask mandates as their hospitals struggle with mounting numbers of COVID-19 patients.

Other nations like the Netherlands are considering introducing masking rules.

The use of more protective FFP2 masks in Italy is also seen as a way to keep businesses running and public services provided.

The Italian government says vaccinated people who had contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus can avoid quarantine as long as they wear an FFP2 mask when in public for 10 days.

On Christmas Eve, the country announced that FFP2 masks must be worn on public transport, including planes, trains, ferries, and subways, the Associated Press reported.

They must also be worn at theaters, cinemas and sports events, indoors or out, and can’t be removed when eating or drinking, the news outlet reported.

These strategies sharply contrast with those of Britain whose government has emphasized vaccination and where mask-wearing dropped off markedly last year.

In Spain, they reinstated its outdoor mask rule on Christmas Eve, the AP reported.

In Portugal, they restored its mask mandate back at the end of November.

In Greece, they brought back its outdoor mask mandate, while also requiring everyone to wear an FFP2 mask on public transport and in indoor public spaces.

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. —

Team U.S. regained the Ryder Cup on Sunday following a dominant performance over Europe at Whistling Straits.

Having been beaten convincingly in 2018 at Le Golf National, France, the hosts were on top from the outset, racing into a 9-3 lead after the first three sessions.

Although the visiting Europeans hinted at a comeback on Saturday afternoon, the U.S. was able to enter Sunday leading 11-5.

And during the Singles matches on Sunday, Collin Morikawa claimed the decisive half point to ensure the U.S. had the required 14.5 points to regain the Ryder Cup and the famous trophy remained in the U.S.

Rory McIlroy set a good opening tone for the Europeans on Sunday, beating 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Xander Schauffele, but after, it was a run of American winners, bringing the victory home for the hosts in impressive fashion.

For Morikawa himself, he's had a breakthrough 13 months, winning two majors at the PGA Championship and the Open. But being the man to clinch the winning half-point at the Ryder Cup means "everything," according to the 24-year-old.

"It means so much, everything, wanting to make that putt, it was a great match against Viktor (Hovland)," he told the media afterward.

"I don't think he really missed too many shots. I had to earn my birdies. But to clinch this and bring the Cup back to home soil, it feels so good."

It's the first time the U.S. has won back-to-back Ryder Cups on home soil since 1979 and 1983 cups.

Strong from the start

The value of experience or the benefit of being unscarred by previous bad experiences?

Those were the options weighed up by team captains Steve Stricker and Padraig Harrington.

The two opted for differing approaches, with Stricker picking six rookies in his team while Harrington turned to the tried-and-tested veterans who have had success in recent years.

And from the opening session of foursomes, Stricker looked vindicated. The pairings he chose won three of the four matches, giving the hosts the perfect start as they aimed to reclaim the Ryder Cup after losing it three years ago.

For Harrington and his team, it only got worse from there.

In Friday's afternoon fourballs and Saturday's morning foursomes, the U.S. went 3-1 in both sessions, building an impressive 9-3 after three sessions.

It was the largest lead for either side after three sessions of the Ryder Cup since the U.S. led by 7 points in 1975.

The Europeans showed some fight Saturday afternoon, splitting the four matches 2-2 but leaving a momentous effort needed to mount a comeback.

McIlroy, who had previously had an unsuccessful time of it, looked back to his best in the opening singles match Sunday, impressively beating Schauffele 3&2 to add to his extensive resume.

But McIlroy needed some help from his teammates, but it wasn't forthcoming against some impressive U.S. golf.

Patrick Cantlay, the FedExCup Playoff winner earlier this month, was unflappable in his victory over Irishman Shane Lowry, and Scottie Scheffler was dominant in beating world No. 1 Jon Rahm.

Unfortunately for the Europeans, the star-studded U.S. team didn't let up, with Bryson DeChambeau also recording an impressive victory.

And that meant it was left to the 24-year-old Morikawa to wrap up the one-sided victory. Playing another Ryder Cup rookie with plenty of potential, Viktor Hovland, he remained nonplussed, losing the last hole to the Norwegian but reaching the required 14.5 points to regain the trophy.

The imperious Dustin Johnson created his own bit of history in beating Paul Casey, becoming just the third player ever to win all five of his matches in one Ryder Cup.

Justin Thomas wrapped up a comfortable victory against Tyrrell Hatton, before Ian Poulter gave the European fans something to cheer for, beating Tony Finau.

For the experienced Poulter, who remains unbeaten in Ryder Cup singles with the victory, it was an emotional moment, as he sunk to his knees immediately afterward.