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q80 2024

2025-01-13
A project which uses birdsong as a key to unlocking the secrets of wildlife has been launched in a collaboration between the UK Agri-Tech Centre and Chirrup.ai. Chirrup.ai launched the technology to help make nature monitoring an affordable solution for measuring and managing biodiversity. The project, ‘ChirrupNano’, with funding from Innovate UK, uses birdsong to monitor wildlife previously unseen in nature reserves and back garden bird counts. Hayley Gerry, project manager at the UK Agri-Tech Centre, said: “The expanse of knowledge we can gain about biodiversity in an area using the bioacoustics of bird song is extremely impressive. “To enable sustainable farming, we need to encourage multi-species habitats to enrich the areas, which in turn makes the farming of livestock and arable products sustainable. “In order to do this we need to be able to measure the baseline of the current situation, and that is where this project comes in.” The project will be put to the test in the spring of 2025 across the UK.Three long days of counting in the General Election finished late on Monday night when the final two seats were declared in the constituency of Cavan-Monaghan. Fianna Fail was the clear winner of the election, securing 48 of the Dail parliament’s 174 seats. Sinn Fein took 39 and Fine Gael 38. Labour and the Social Democrats both won 11 seats; People Before Profit-Solidarity took three; Aontu secured two; and the Green Party retained only one of its 12 seats. Independents and others accounted for 21 seats. The return of a Fianna Fail/Fine Gael-led coalition is now highly likely. However, their combined seat total of 86 leaves them just short of the 88 needed for a majority in the Dail. While the two centrist parties that have dominated Irish politics for a century could look to strike a deal with one of the Dail’s smaller centre-left parties, such as the Social Democrats or Labour, a more straightforward route to a majority could be achieved by securing the support of several independent TDs. For Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin and current taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris, wooing like-minded independents would be likely to involve fewer policy concessions, and financial commitments, than would be required to convince another party to join the government benches. Longford-Westmeath independent TD Kevin “Boxer” Moran, who served in a Fine Gael-led minority government between 2017 and 2020, expressed his willingness to listen to offers to join the new coalition in Dublin. “Look, my door’s open,” he told RTE. “Someone knocks, I’m always there to open it.” Marian Harkin, an independent TD for Sligo-Leitrim, expressed her desire to participate in government as she noted that Fianna Fail and Fine Gael were within “shouting distance” of an overall majority. “That means they will be looking for support, and I certainly will be one of those people who will be speaking to them and talking to them and negotiating with them, and I’m looking forward to doing that, because that was the reason that I ran in the first place,” she said. Meanwhile, the Social Democrats and Irish Labour Party both appear cautious about the prospect of an alliance with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. They will no doubt be mindful of the experience of the Green Party, the junior partner in the last mandate. The Greens experienced near wipeout in the election, retaining only one of their 12 seats. Sinn Fein appears to currently have no realistic route to government, given Fianna Fail and Fine Gael’s ongoing refusal to share power with the party. Despite the odds being stacked against her party, Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald contacted the leaders of the Social Democrats and Labour on Monday to discuss options. Earlier, Fianna Fail deputy leader and outgoing Finance Minister Jack Chambers predicted that a new coalition government would not be in place before Christmas. Mr Chambers said planned talks about forming an administration required “time and space” to ensure that any new government will be “coherent and stable”. After an inconclusive outcome to the 2020 election, it took five months for Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Greens to strike the last coalition deal. Mr Chambers said he did not believe it would take that long this time, as he noted the Covid-19 pandemic was a factor in 2020, but he also made clear it would not be a swift process. He said he agreed with analysis that there was no prospect of a deal before Christmas. “I don’t expect a government to be formed in mid-December, when the Dail is due to meet on December 18, probably a Ceann Comhairle (speaker) can be elected, and there’ll have to be time and space taken to make sure we can form a coherent, stable government,” he told RTE. “I don’t think it should take five months like it did the last time – Covid obviously complicated that. But I think all political parties need to take the time to see what’s possible and try and form a stable government for the Irish people.” Fine Gael minister of state Peter Burke said members of his parliamentary party would have to meet to consider their options before giving Mr Harris a mandate to negotiate a new programme for government with Fianna Fail. “It’s important that we have a strong, stable, viable government, whatever form that may be, to ensure that we can meet the challenges of our society, meet the challenges in terms of the economic changes that are potentially going to happen,” he told RTE. Despite being set to emerge with the most seats, it has not been all good news for Fianna Fail. The party’s outgoing Health Minister Stephen Donnelly became one of the biggest casualties of the election when he lost his seat in Wicklow in the early hours of Monday morning. Mr Donnelly was always predicted to face a fight in the constituency after boundary changes saw it reduced from five to four seats. If it is to be a reprise of the Fianna Fail/Fine Gael governing partnership of the last mandate, one of the major questions is around the position of taoiseach and whether the parties will once again take turns to hold the Irish premiership during the lifetime of the new government. The outcome in 2020 saw the parties enter a coalition on the basis that the holder of the premier position would be exchanged midway through the term. Fianna Fail leader Mr Martin took the role for the first half of the mandate, with Leo Varadkar taking over in December 2022. Current Fine Gael leader Mr Harris succeeded Mr Varadkar as taoiseach when he resigned from the role earlier this year. However, this time Fianna Fail has significantly increased its seat lead over Fine Gael, compared with the last election when there were only three seats between the parties. The size of the disparity in party numbers is likely to draw focus on the rotating taoiseach arrangement, raising questions as to whether it will be re-run in the next coalition and, if it is, on what terms. On Sunday, Simon Coveney, a former deputy leader of Fine Gael, said a coalition that did not repeat the rotating taoiseach arrangement in some fashion would be a “difficult proposition” for his party. Meanwhile, Fine Gael minister Paschal Donohoe said he would be making the case for Mr Harris to have another opportunity to serve as taoiseach. On Monday, Mr Chambers said while his party would expect to lead the government it would approach the issue of rotating the taoiseach’s role on the basis of “mutual respect” with Fine Gael. “I think the context of discussions and negotiations will be driven by mutual respect, and that’s the glue that will drive a programme for government and that’s the context in which we’ll engage,” he said. On Monday, Labour leader Ivana Bacik reiterated her party’s determination to forge an alliance with fellow centre-left parties with the intention of having a unified approach to the prospect of entering government. Asked if Labour was prepared to go into government with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael on its own, she told RTE: “No, not at this stage. We are absolutely not willing to do that. “We want to ensure there’s the largest number of TDs who share our vision and our values who want to deliver change on the same basis that we do.” The Social Democrats have been non-committal about any potential arrangement with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, and have restated a series of red lines they would need to achieve before considering taking a place in government. Leader Holly Cairns, who gave birth to a daughter on polling day on Friday, said in a statement: “The party is in a very strong position to play an important role in the next Dail. In what position, government or opposition, remains to be seen.” Fianna Fail secured the most first preference votes in Friday’s proportional representation election, taking 21.9% to Fine Gael’s 20.8%. Sinn Fein came in third on 19%. While Sinn Fein’s vote share represented a marked improvement on its disappointing showing in June’s local elections in Ireland, it is still significantly down on the 24.5% poll-topping share it secured in the 2020 general election. The final breakdown of first preferences also flipped the result of Friday night’s exit poll, which suggested Sinn Fein was in front on 21.1%, with Fine Gael on 21% and Fianna Fail on 19.5%.q80 2024

Baramati, Nov 23 (PTI) Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister and NCP president Ajit Pawar on Saturday won from his traditional Baramati assembly constituency by defeating his nephew and NCP (SP) candidate Yugendra Pawar by more than one lakh votes. The 65-year-old politician, thus, settled the score with his uncle Sharad Pawar (83), inflicting on him the first-ever defeat in this family bastion. Though Sharad Pawar himself was not in the fray, the high-stakes contest was being seen as a battle between him and Ajit. Ajit Pawar, who parted ways with his uncle last year and was seeking an eighth term from this seat in Pune district, polled 1,81,132 votes while Yugendra Pawar polled 80,233 votes. He, thus, defeated his younger brother Shriniwas’ son by 1,00,899 votes. Five months ago, Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) had triumphed in Baramati in the Lok Sabha elections, with incumbent MP and Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule defeating Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra by a margin of 1.5 lakh votes. Both the NCP factions did not leave a single stone unturned during the assembly campaign, and even Sharad Pawar’s wife Pratibha Pawar and Sule’s daughter Revati were seen campaigning for Yugendra, while Ajit Pawar brought his mother on stage during his concluding rally in Baramati. While Sharad Pawar told the people of Baramati that they needed a new leadership, alluding to Yugendra Pawar whom he described as a highly-educated candidate, Ajit cautioned people not to fall prey to the “emotional pitch” by the senior Pawar. The deputy chief minister also highlighted his development record in the area, and vowed to make Baramati “the number one tehsil in the country”. After Saturday’s results, Ajit Pawar, who along with several other NCP legislators sided with the BJP-Shiv Sena government in 2023, could claim to be the real political heir of his estranged uncle who founded the NCP in 1999. Sunetra Pawar, now a Rajya Sabha member, thanked the people of Baramati for reposing their faith once again in `Dada’ (elder brother in Marathi, as Ajit is fondly called). Sharad Pawar, 83, started his political career in Baramati where he contested his first assembly election in 1967, and so far, he or a candidate backed by him had never tasted defeat in the constituency. Following the split in the NCP in 2023, Ajit Pawar managed to get the party name and symbol from the Election Commission of India, forcing the Sharad Pawar faction to rename itself as NCP(SP) with a new symbol — ‘Man Blowing Turha’. With his party winning 37 seats (out of the 59 it contested) so far and leading on four seats, Ajit in a post on X on Saturday evening said, “Our victory today makes our shoulders heavy with the huge responsibilities the people of Maharashtra have bestowed upon us for the next 5 years. We shall spend every moment working to fulfil their aspirations. We shall not spend a single moment speaking against anyone, we will speak only and only for the development of Maharashtra and the welfare of its people.” PTI SPK KRK This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content. var ytflag = 0;var myListener = function() {document.removeEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);lazyloadmyframes();};document.addEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);window.addEventListener('scroll', function() {if (ytflag == 0) {lazyloadmyframes();ytflag = 1;}});function lazyloadmyframes() {var ytv = document.getElementsByClassName("klazyiframe");for (var i = 0; i < ytv.length; i++) {ytv[i].src = ytv[i].getAttribute('data-src');}} Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );LOS ANGELES , Nov. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Appotronics, the inventor of the ALPD® laser display technology, recently participated in the Laser Illuminated Projector Association (LIPA) Annual General Meeting held in Los Angeles , United States . During the event, the company showcased its optics solutions designed for both the interior and exterior of vehicles, emphasizing their versatility in functions such as illumination, entertainment, and V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication. Meng Han , senior director of Appotronics, addressed the attendees, which included laser illumination and display technology experts, market analysts, and trend observers. He emphasized that the automotive industry is undergoing a transformation from internal combustion engines to autonomous electric vehicles, creating ample opportunities for laser projectors. This shift typically results in more internal space for entertainment features, such as in-car theaters and laser display-enabled human-vehicle communication both inside and outside the vehicle. "We have done the study, finding many people like it, " said Han, citing the example of Appotronics' rollable giant laser display screen, which is equipped on the Seres AITO M9, a top-selling SUV priced above RMB 500,000 in China . The SUV has received over 170,000 orders since its debut late last year, indicating a strong market demand for such innovative features. Han further pointed out that more laser display technology will be applied within the cabin as a supplement to the current LCD panels, transforming the cabin into an immersive and comfortable third living space. "As for the long future, the future isn't more screens—or even screens at all." Han cited Alfonso Albaisa , Design Chief of Nissan, emphasizing that laser display offers numerous advantages, such as easy modeling, free-form surfaces, design flexibility, safety, and sustainability and can be utilized for projections inside the cabin, on the sunroof, side windows, or even on the windshield. Afterwards, Xin Yu , vice president of Appotronics, introduced the company's intelligent digital colorful laser headlight as an example of immersive exterior display . This innovative light is equipped on the newly-released Smart #5 vehicle, enabling car users to enjoy movies while camping. Yu announced that the product is currently available in China and will soon be launched in Europe and Australia . Yu also demonstrated the company's All-in-One laser headlamp, which fulfills multiple functions, including intelligent signaling displays (ISD), adaptive driving beam (ADB) systems, V2X communications, and entertainment. He revealed that the multi-functional headlamp will soon enter mass production and will be showcased at CES 2025, which is scheduled to be held in Las Vegas between January 7 and January 10 . Other automotive optics solutions from Appotronics will also be displayed at the event. "So hopefully in the future, we have more friends together in this industry to make more interesting applications and build up more markets for laser innovation." Yu concluded, adding that he expects more "concepts" of laser technology to turn into "reality" in the automotive sector, just as laser technology has revolutionized the cinema industry. In addition to Appotronics' updates, representatives from Texas Instruments, Epson, Panasonic, Seibersdorf Labs, OMDIA, PMA Research, Nordisk Cinema, Nichia America Corporation, Barco, Oxford University , LUMAfestival.com , and RSL Fiber Systems also shared insights on current laser-related regulations, technological advancements, and future trends at the annual meeting. View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/appotronics-highlights-role-of-laser-technology-in-automotive-industry-at-prestigious-us-trade-conference-302315609.html SOURCE Appotronics Corporation Ltd. Best trending stories from the week. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. You may occasionally receive promotions exclusive discounted subscription offers from the Roswell Daily Record. Feel free to cancel any time via the unsubscribe link in the newsletter you received. You can also control your newsletter options via your user dashboard by signing in.Trudeau told Trump Americans would also suffer if tariffs are imposed, a Canadian minister says

I worked at Ralph Lauren during college breaks and the one thing I still regret after all these years (besides never talking to J.Lo, who shopped in our store) is that I didn’t stock up on workwear. That’s why I’m especially excited for Ralph Lauren’s Cyber Monday sales this year. The site is 40% off just about everything (meaning they have some of the best Cyber Monday clothing deals out there, and you can also find stellar Ralph Lauren finds at Bloomie’s and Nordstrom , FWIW). When I was employed at RL 20 years ago, my hack was to buy cashmere from the kids’ section (much cheaper) and size way up. It stayed in great shape for over a decade, but now that some options are $100 off, I may just splurge (though I still have my eye on that boys’ Polo Bear sweater). While my discount was slightly better at the time, these deals come close to as good as they get. The best Ralph Lauren Cyber Monday deals, at a glance 25% off: Best Polo Sweater : Ralph Lauren Cable Knit Cashmere Sweater , $ 498 $374 30% off: Best Gift for Men : Ralph Lauren Arctic Holiday Bear Assorted 3-Pack Cotton Blend Crew Socks Gift Box , $46 $32 40% off: Best Gift for Women : Ralph Lauren Cable Knit Pop Top Mittens , $ 48 $28 25% off: Best Kids’ Deal : Ralph Lauren Polo Bear Crewneck Sweater , $ 175 $131 40% off: Best Men’s Jacket : Ralph Lauren The Colden Packable Jacket , $245 $149 20% off: Best Women’s Coat : Ralph Lauren Plaid Wool Blend Reefer Coat , $ 250 $200 40% off: Best Dress : Ralph Lauren Cotton-Blend Polo Dress , $ 145 $87 Need a stylish present for him ? The plaid pullover below is giving cozy Cotswold fantasy vibes. Just add scotch, and you’ve got yourself quite a gift set. I’m also enamored with those cute socks (the two-pack is marked down to $24, and as insane as this sounds, that’s actually a steal for anything with that cute teddy face on it). Plus, those gloves are a total no-brainer, and I’m treating myself to that hat. If you’re looking for a solid Cyber Monday deal on coats, the wool topper below is the one I’m personally considering investing in. You also can’t go wrong with the iconic polo shirts . The price doesn’t get lower. Without further ado, here are the most timeless pieces to pick up from the Ralph Lauren Cyber Monday sale.

We unleash Grad missiles at Russian troops from a pick-up truck. Our mission can last ten minutes, max. On the eleventh, the drones will find us and that will be that... Richard Pendlebury and photographer Jamie Wiseman report from Ukraine's Pokrovsk front By RICHARD PENDLEBURY and PHOTOGRAPHER JAMIE WISEMAN Published: 22:19, 6 December 2024 | Updated: 22:40, 6 December 2024 e-mail View comments We’re in a secret workshop near the critical frontline city of Pokrovsk. Here, hundreds of Grad rockets are being prepared for use by the embattled and under-resourced Ukrainian army a little up the road. Some of the ammunition was locally produced, the rest ‘battlefield trophies’ – captured from the Russians. But the most striking detail is where these artillery rockets were manufactured. What lies around us in this nondescript shed is hard evidence of the globalisation of the Ukraine conflict, if not a slide towards a full-blown Third World War. A stack of missiles with red stripes around the warheads were made in Russia , we are told. Another smaller stockpile came from the arsenal of the former Warsaw Pact satellite, now Nato member, the Czech Republic. Over there are the rockets captured from Russia but made by two supposedly non-aligned countries, Pakistan and Iraq . Next to them is a quantity of Grads from Iran , one of Russia’s key allies and weapon suppliers. ‘And these,’ says an army engineer, pointing to a number of rockets with distinctive black warheads, ‘were supplied by North Korea .’ It’s that Asian dictatorship’s direct intervention in this European conflict which has brought us closer to the brink of a global or even – President Putin threatens – nuclear war . The arrival in Russia this autumn of 10,000 North Korean troops to fight Ukraine in the Kursk region was the ‘escalation’ which prompted US President Joe Biden to finally drop one of his so-called red lines. Ukraine would henceforth be allowed to use American-supplied long-range weapons against targets inside Russia. The UK has also permitted Storm Shadow cruise missiles to be similarly used. Escalation followed escalation with alarming rapidity. We’re in a secret workshop near the critical frontline city of Pokrovsk, writes Richard Pendlebury ‘Fire!’ a soldier shouts and the first ranging rocket goes with an astounding noise. The backblast sends a rolling cloud of black dust across the setting sun We stop in the cover of a wood to don our body armour. The soldiers produce the electronic ‘situational’ map, writes Richard Pendlebury Putin responded by changing Russia’s engagement protocols to permit the use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine. To drive home the point, Russia aimed an Oreshnik ballistic missile against the Ukrainian city of Dnipro – the first use of such a Doomsday weapon in the history of warfare. Thankfully it was not carrying its usual payload of nuclear warheads. But the warning was clear. Against this backdrop, the clock continues to tick down to January 20, 2025, when Donald Trump – an admirer of Putin and vocal critic of America’s multi-billion-dollar support for Ukraine – returns to the White House. Here in Donbas, the war is going badly for Ukraine. There is no other way of putting it. The Russians are advancing faster than at any time since 2022. In the face of overwhelming odds, huge infantry losses and ‘red lines’ against using Western weaponry, the Ukrainian defence lines are bending, creaking and breaking. The focus of this Kremlin push is the Pokrovsk district, where we are now. It’s the logistics hub for the Ukrainian military’s defence of Donbas. Read More Putin mouthpiece Sergei Lavrov renews threats of WW3 in interview with Tucker Carlson Three days after our visit to the workshop, six of these rockets will be launched by a special army unit, against a concentration of Russian troops and vehicles preparing to assault Pokrovsk. Mail cameraman Jamie Wiseman and I have been given exclusive access to the preparation and execution of this mission. The 122mm calibre Grads are not ballistic missiles. But Ukraine, which gave up its nuclear stockpile in the 1990s in order to secure its separation from the Soviet empire, has to fight with what it’s got, as the war enters a critical stage. Another beautiful morning in the Donbas. But the clear blue skies mean the Russian kamikaze drone threat is high. Today we are to accompany a reconnaissance of the Pokrovsk district with the team that will carry out the rocket attack. A military pick-up equipped with an electronic warfare set leads our small convoy. We’re told to keep within 100 yards of our leader in order to benefit from its drone-jamming umbrella. A stack of missiles with red stripes around the warheads were made in Russia, we are told, writes Richard Pendlebury Another smaller stockpile came from the arsenal of the former Warsaw Pact satellite, now Nato member, the Czech Republic writes Richard Pendlebury Some of the ammunition was locally produced, the rest ‘battlefield trophies’ – captured from the Russians, writes Richard Pendlebury This is easier said than done. The convoy drives at high speed, often leaving the Tarmac roads to go across country. The Highway Code no longer applies here. Our first destination is the small city of Kurakhove. When we last visited, in January, the Russians were a 20-minute drive away. We stop in the cover of a wood to don our body armour. The soldiers produce the electronic ‘situational’ map. ‘The frontline is only two and a half miles from the centre of Kurakhove this morning and it could have moved closer since then,’ says the squad leader. ‘That means we are in range of and could be targeted by anything from mortars to FVPs (kamikaze drones). We won’t be stopping.’ Read More Russia 'could target Gibraltar or Cyprus in retaliation for Ukraine using Shadow Storm missiles' We pass a huge roadside billboard of the Virgin Mary: ‘Dear Mother of God please save Ukraine,’ it reads. Shortly afterwards, we reach the outskirts of Kurakhove. Or what is left of it. In January Kurakhove was full of dread. Rockets were falling on the edge of town as we arrived. Now it feels doomed. Since our first visit, the row of shops at the junction where the main highway to Donetsk city meets Victory Street has been devastated by artillery fire. The cafe on the corner where we once ate barbecue chicken and drank chai is shuttered. The drunk who was directing traffic in the snow is gone, although we see a single female civilian striding defiantly along the roadside with a shopping bag. We spin about and speed westwards again. In a village a few miles down the road, we stop at a cafe that is still open. A young woman is serving hot drinks and snacks to a clientele of soldiers, within artillery range of the Russian advance. Yes, she expects to have to evacuate, she says, but not yet. Would we like chocolate on our cappuccinos? The resilience of ordinary Ukrainians in the ‘red zones’ is always impressive. North, now, to Pokrovsk city. The Russians are five miles from its centre. We approach the city through a flat agricultural landscape punctuated by spoil heaps and pitheads. Smoke is rising all along the horizon to our right, where the Russians are attempting a breakthrough. We are warned that Russian kamikaze drones are operating along a major boulevard in the city centre. It’s eerily quiet. The last evacuation train has left and the daily curfew extends from 3pm to 11am. In the main square, the municipal rose beds need deadheading, the grass verges mowing. But for that to happen, the constant artillery soundtrack needs silencing. We visit the ruins of Corleone’s cafe and pizza restaurant, where we used to meet contacts before a Russian missile closed it down. Today we are to accompany a reconnaissance of the Pokrovsk district with the team that will carry out the rocket attack It’s that Asian dictatorship’s direct intervention in this European conflict which has brought us closer to the brink of a global or even – President Putin threatens – nuclear war, writes Richard Pendlebury The authorities have even evacuated a statue of a local worthy, which is not a vote of confidence in Pokrovsk’s ability to hold out. The following morning finds us in a maple grove beside a sunflower field, a few miles behind the front. The rocket squad is here to conduct its final practice. They have arrived with their launch vehicle, a Mitsubishi pick-up, which has been adapted to carry four Grad tubes on the flatbed. This exercise is about marginal gains. On the fire mission, every second will count, both for hitting the target and getting away alive, in a location thick with enemy drones and within range of Russian counter-battery fire. Certainly, the men shout and run as if it’s for real. All the time, their leader is bent over his iPhone stopwatch, like a 19th-century frigate captain practising broadsides. Meanwhile the war continues around us. The constant beeping of the unit’s drone detector warns that a Russian Lancet (kamikaze drone) is hunting nearby. A trio of Mi-8 helicopters pass across our front, at tree-top height to avoid Russian air defence systems. Distant artillery sounds like a huge door being slammed. The practice reaches its climax with the imaginary launch of a volley of Grads. Read More Vladimir Putin will tell Donald Trump to 'screw himself', Kremlin hardliner warns ‘Fire!’ shouts one soldier. ‘Bang!’ shouts another. And so on, four times. Then the controlled chaos of packing up and the getaway. The stopwatch is stopped. ‘Eight minutes and one second,’ the leader announces. He is not happy. It should have been faster. The real operation will take longer. ‘On the frontline, our missions can last ten minutes, maximum. Because on the eleventh minute we will certainly [be located] and that will be that.’ The day of the mission starts with yet another air-raid alert. One gets to recognise the distinct tones of individual sirens. The one here in Kramatorsk does not have the mournful stirring start of others, but goes straight into its monotone shriek. The local birds seem to hate the sound as much as we do. The wind is blowing hard today and that will impact the mission. Kamikaze drones struggle with a windspeed of more than ten metres per second, we are told. Today the wind is double that, which is good for our safety. But it will also affect the accuracy of the Grad missiles. The rockets to be used today were made in Pakistan. The men paint messages on their casing, screw in detonators and then load the tubes. writes Richard Pendlebury As we watch, I chat to the deputy commander. His wife and children are refugees in Lincolnshire which, he says, is ‘very beautiful’. He shows me a family photograph. How surreal all this seems, writes Richard Pendlebury Temperature and coordinates are measured. Everything has to be right. One of the men carries the unit’s ‘drone gun’ – a pump- action shotgun – with a belt of bright brass-ended cartridges, writes Richard Pendlebury We set off in convoy, again, behind the electronic warfare truck and the launch vehicle, which is disguised with camouflage netting. Eventually, we turn off the highway on to a military track along a ploughed field. The weather has been hot recently and our vehicles throw up billows of dust that can be seen for miles. But it’s still very blowy, so the drones will struggle to track us. We hope. We stop in a clearing on the edge of a wood beside a field of black earth. Waiting for us is the ammunition van carrying the Grads. The squad leader explains the mission: ‘Two sighting rockets, then four more shots in a volley and we leave as fast as we can. If there is something in the air [Russian artillery] you lie flat or jump into a hole, if you can. You do not ever run for the vehicles.’ The rockets to be used today were made in Pakistan. The men paint messages on their casing, screw in detonators and then load the tubes. Nearby, a Starlink set – a satellite communication device manufactured by Elon Musk’s SpaceX – is being used. The operator is talking to the drone unit. Temperature and coordinates are measured. Everything has to be right. One of the men carries the unit’s ‘drone gun’ – a pump- action shotgun – with a belt of bright brass-ended cartridges. The weapon of last resort. The soldiers enjoy a final cigarette, then we leave for the launch site. This final leg of the journey has a Mad Max quality to it, as the vehicles race each other, wreathed in dust clouds, across vast rolling fields. Even the enormous slag heap in the distance looks like Ayers Rock. A soldier leaps on to the launcher to make an adjustment. The tube is reloaded. Then there’s another hellish roar and the second sighting rocket shoots into the sky We drive into treeline on a ridge overlooking a wooded valley. A lonely soldier is already standing in the middle of a field with an artillery-aiming compass on a tripod. The wind is blowing hard and the sun has sunk below the treeline as the soldiers set up the launcher and begin to call out coordinates and adjustments. A soldier climbs a tree to cut down a branch that is blocking the line of fire. As we watch, I chat to the deputy commander. His wife and children are refugees in Lincolnshire which, he says, is ‘very beautiful’. He shows me a family photograph. How surreal all this seems. The wind drops. ‘Get ready,’ says the unit commander. ‘Remember what I told you.’ We crouch in the undergrowth. ‘Fire!’ a soldier shouts and the first ranging rocket goes with an astounding noise. The backblast sends a rolling cloud of black dust across the setting sun. Jamie feels the dragon’s breath on his arm. A soldier leaps on to the launcher to make an adjustment. The tube is reloaded. Then there’s another hellish roar and the second sighting rocket shoots into the sky. Now a tense pause as the drone operator who has been watching the fall of the first two Grads calls in aiming corrections. More reloading. The big moment has come. ‘Volley fire!’ is the order – and four missiles are launched in quick, deafening succession. The last has barely left the launcher when the escape begins. Controlled panic. The launcher reverses at speed out of the treeline and the driver, pumping his fist out of the window, accelerates away. We must follow, but Jamie has lost a camera in the undergrowth and I’m screaming at him to leave it. Within one minute of the launch all of us are speeding into a Walt Disney sunset. ‘Volley fire!’ is the order – and four missiles are launched in quick, deafening succession, writes Richard Pendlebury No counter battery fire and the drone images will show two of the rockets scoring direct hits on enemy troops and light armoured vehicles No counter battery fire and the drone images will show two of the rockets scoring direct hits on enemy troops and light armoured vehicles. The rocket squad is on target and lives to fight another day. And each day is more dangerous – for Ukraine and the world. The globalisation of the war took another step forward this month when the Ukrainian defence minister was hosted in Seoul by the South Korean president. They discussed South Korea becoming a new weapon supply source. Notwithstanding the Asian democracy’s own political turmoil, that will be a major development. The Ukraine war will have come to both sides of the Korean peninsula. Meanwhile, major attacks continue. Almost two weeks ago, Russia launched its biggest drone strike on targets across Ukraine since the full-scale invasion. Later, one million Ukrainians were left without power after a concentrated attack on the country’s electricity grid. Punishment for the use of Western weapons inside Russia. Set against these figures, those six Grads we saw fired might seem inconsequential. But not as symbols of Ukraine’s continued defiance. Additional reporting: Oleksandr Kostiuchenko Russia Ukraine Share or comment on this article: We unleash Grad missiles at Russian troops from a pick-up truck. Our mission can last ten minutes, max. On the eleventh, the drones will find us and that will be that... Richard Pendlebury and photographer Jamie Wiseman report from Ukraine's Pokrovsk front e-mail Add commentIn a significant move to address youth unemployment, AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) Obuasi Mine has donated essential tools and equipment to 10 Mastercraft persons—including beauticians and hairdressers—who will train 19 youth apprentices from the Sanso community in the Obuasi Municipality. This initiative is part of the company’s broader commitment to youth empowerment, aligned with its 10-year Socio-Economic Development Plan (SEDP). The project, dubbed the Sanso Apprenticeship to Entrepreneurship (A2E) Project, aims to equip the unemployed youth of Sanso with both the practical skills and the entrepreneurial knowledge needed to secure sustainable livelihoods. Over a period of 8 to 12 months, apprentices will receive hands-on training from Mastercraft persons, who themselves will undergo technical and entrepreneurship training to further enhance their teaching capabilities. The beneficiaries of the project will not only acquire vocational skills but also gain valuable entrepreneurship training, ultimately preparing them for the NVTI certification exam. This dual approach is designed to give the youth both the technical expertise and business acumen to thrive in their chosen trades. Daniel Arthur-Bentum, the Economic Development Superintendent of AngloGold Ashanti’s Obuasi Mine, explained that the project was born out of a series of consultations with the people of Sanso. AGA’s engagement revealed a strong desire among the youth to pursue vocational training, but many lacked the financial means to enroll in such programs. Through the A2E initiative, the company seeks to bridge that gap and ensure that young people in the community have the tools, knowledge, and resources to build successful careers. Arthur-Bentum further emphasized that the project is designed with a well-thought-out exit strategy, ensuring that once the apprentices complete their training, AGA will provide them with startup kits to help them launch their businesses. This commitment aims to ensure that the initiative leaves a lasting impact on the community by fostering long-term economic self-sufficiency. Justice Ofori Amanfo, the Assembly Member for the Sanso electoral area, commended AGA for its proactive efforts in tackling youth unemployment in the area. He noted that by providing the youth with valuable employable skills, the company is playing a crucial role in uplifting the community and promoting economic development. For Alice Twumasi, a local hairdresser, the A2E project represents a step in the right direction for tackling youth unemployment in the region. She urged the beneficiaries to fully capitalize on the opportunity, emphasizing that the project is a pathway to economic independence and long-term success. The Sanso Apprenticeship to Entrepreneurship (A2E) Project is one of several youth-focused initiatives under AGA’s 10-year Social and Economic Development Plan, which aims to build resilient and self-sustaining communities in Obuasi. By focusing on skills development and entrepreneurship, the program is poised to significantly improve the livelihoods of youth in Sanso, creating not only jobs but also opportunities for lasting economic growth in the region.

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