Hello and good morning.
The UN nuclear guard is investigating Ukrainian claims that Russian soldiers abandoned the Chernobyl nuclear power plant after receiving high doses of radiation.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it could not confirm the claims made by Ukraine’s state-owned energy company Energoatom and was seeking an independent assessment. In the next few days, it will send its first “aid and support mission” to Chernobyl in northern Ukraine.
Energoatom said the Russians had dug trenches in the forest inside the exclusion zone at the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986 and that troops “panicked at the first sign of illness” that “came up very quickly” and began to fight back to prepare for withdrawal.
Meanwhile, Energoatom also said the Russian side had officially agreed to hand back responsibility for protecting Chernobyl to Ukraine. It shared a scan of a document signed by people it identified as senior Chernobyl workers and a Russian military official tasked with guarding Chernobyl.
What is Chernobyl? The facility is the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident in 1986. Personnel continue to oversee the safe storage of spent nuclear fuel and monitor the concrete-encased remains of the exploded reactor.
When did Russia take control of Chernobyl? Russian troops seized the nuclear power plant shortly after the February 24 invasion. Over the past month there have been concerns about power outages and fighting making it difficult for staff to change shifts.
What allegations is the UN agency likely to investigate? Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk claimed that Russian troops dug trenches in the forest and were exposed to radiation. Some reports suggest soldiers are being sent to a special medical facility in Belarus after driving tanks through the “dead zone” around the nuclear power plant, kicking up radioactive dust. (These claims are unconfirmed.)
Mariupol officials say the Russians are blocking aid reaching the besieged Ukrainian city
People walk past a destroyed apartment building in Mariupol. Photo: Alexander Ermochenko/ReutersAn aide to the Mariupol mayor said the besieged southern Ukrainian city remains closed to anyone trying to enter and is “very dangerous” to anyone trying to exit.
Petro Andryushchenko said Russian forces prevented even the smallest amount of humanitarian supplies from reaching the trapped residents.
A convoy of buses bound for Mariupol failed to reach the city, Ukrainian officials said last night. Russia had promised a limited ceasefire along the route from Mariupol to the Ukrainian-held city of Zaporizhia.
Repeated efforts to set up humanitarian corridors to evacuate up to 170,000 people left behind in Mariupol, which has suffered four weeks of bombing and dwindling supplies, have failed. Ukraine has accused Russian forces of allegedly shelling safe routes away from multiple combat hotspots, claims Moscow denies.
Meanwhile, British intelligence insiders are divided on GCHQ chief Jeremy Fleming’s strategy for leaking information, my colleague Dan Sabbagh reports. Fleming revealed details such as Russian forces “accidentally shooting down their own planes,” sparking debate among spy insiders about the strategy.
Trump could face trial thanks to reggae singer Eddy Grant’s lawsuit
Guyanese-British reggae musician Eddy Grant alleges copyright infringement and seeks $300,000 in damages. Photo: Jean-Christophe Bott/APReggae singer Eddy Grant may succeed where the New York State Attorney General and other powerful figures have struggled – by forcing Donald Trump to answer questions under oath at a court hearing.
Grant sued the former president and his campaign for using his song Electric Avenue in a 2020 ad.
In the ad, Grant’s song plays over an animation of Joe Biden riding slowly in a handcar after a Trump campaign train passed at high speed. Statements by Biden can also be heard. Trump failed to get the lawsuit dismissed, claiming it was fair use under a satire exception.
Who is Eddy Grant? A 74-year-old Guyanese-British reggae musician. The song Electric Avenue was released in 1982.
How much in damages is Grant asking for? $300,000 for copyright infringement.
How many times has the video been viewed? More than 13.7 million times, the lawsuit claims.
In other news…
Amazon Labor Union members Mitch Israel and Angelika Maldonado hug after gathering to watch the NLRB vote count for organizing Amazon workers in Brooklyn. Photo: Caitlin Ochs/ReutersA Palestinian baby has died after his treatment was delayed by Israel’s blockade of Gaza. Fatima al-Masri, a 19-month-old woman with a hole in her heart, waited five months for Israel to issue her a travel permit for medical treatment.
Amazon workers in New York are poised to vote to form a union today. It represents a major win for union activists who have failed in previous efforts to organize at the tech giant, which is the second largest private employer in the US. “Workers here have shown what is possible,” said one activist.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reversed his about-face on banning LGBT conversion therapy. Reports on Thursday said Johnson intended to block proposed legislation banning LGBT conversion therapy. But he relented after an angry reaction and decided to go ahead and ban the practices.
H&M has pledged to end sexual violence at its workshop in India after a garment worker was murdered by her boss. The company signed a legally binding agreement with a major Indian apparel supplier. Last January, Jeyasre Kathiravel was found dead after her shift, her boss is said to have confessed to the murder and is awaiting a lead.
LA police have offered to arrest actor Will Smith for punching presenter Chris Rock at the Academy Awards, said the ceremony’s producer, Will Packer. However, authorities took no action as Rock declined to press charges.
Statistics of the day: In 2021, more than 9,500 tribal peoples were reported missing
Meskee Yatsayte of Gallup (left) and Vangie Randall-Shorty of Farmington hold signs to raise awareness of missing and murdered Native Americans October 11, 2021 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Photo: Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Journal/Albuquerque Journal/ZUMA /REX/ShutterstockIn 2021, the National Crime Information Center listed more than 9,500 tribal peoples as missing, of whom 1,554 were still active by the end of the year. A year after the Interior Department announced it would create a new investigative unit to prioritize the missing and murdered Native American crisis, at least nine Indigenous families have observed jurisdictional issues and misunderstandings hampering the unit’s efforts to investigate the cases of their relatives. or encountered months of silence.
Don’t miss this: “I Hugged 500,000 People Around the World”
David Sylvester gives a high five to a passerby in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he lives. Photo: Kyle Kielinski/Kyle & Linette Kielinski“I wear a clicker to count the number of people I’ve hugged — my record is 1,300 in one day at a retail trade show in Las Vegas — and select cities where I hope to be welcomed,” says David sylvester “On September 12, 2001, I learned that one of my closest childhood friends had died at the World Trade Center. The grief was so terrible that I was determined to channel it into something meaningful.”
Climate check: Global UN-affiliated seabed regulator faces charges of ‘reckless’ failures in deep-sea mining
An Ocean Rebellion protest in Rotterdam against the exploitation of the seabed, with the deep-sea mining ship Hidden Gem in the background. Photo: SIPA US/AlamyThe International Seabed Authority, the UN member agency that oversees the controversial new deep-sea mining industry, has been accused of a lack of transparency after an independent body responsible for reporting on negotiations was sacked. Scientists have warned that the damage to ecosystems from mining nickel, cobalt and other metals on the deep sea floor would be “irreversible” and “reckless”.
Last Thing: Do Feeders Induce Aggression in Birds?
Male siskin and goldfinch on a seed feeder. Photo: SoopySue/Getty ImagesPhil Gates writes in his country diary that siskins, greenfinches and tree sparrows sometimes get into heated arguments over a perch at the bird feeder. Perhaps that’s what providing unlimited luxury food in a single place does to bird behavior: It encourages competition and conflict. A siskin needs to collect about 10,000 alder seeds to equal its body weight. It could spend most daylight hours foraging for natural food. Or it could spend an hour jostling at the sunflower feeding station.
register
Sign up for the morning US briefing
First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you are not already registered, subscribe now.
Get in touch
If you have questions or comments about any of our newsletters, please email [email protected]