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Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant repairs begin in Ukraine as ceasefire zones set

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Following a four-week outage, the UN nuclear watchdog has confirmed that repair work has begun on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant’s damaged off-site power lines.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi stated in a post on social media platform X on Saturday that the work began after local ceasefire zones between Ukrainian and Russian forces were established to allow the work to begin.

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For nuclear safety and security, Grossi said, “It is crucial to restore off-site power.”

“Both sides worked with the IAEA in a constructive way to make progress on the complex repair plan.”

The maintenance work was made possible thanks to “close cooperation” between the IAEA and Rosatom, the Russian-appointed management of the occupied plant, which is located in one of the country’s most tense points in southeast Ukraine.

The Russian Defense Ministry will be crucial in ensuring the repair work’s safety, the plant announced on Saturday via its Telegram channel.

The plant is located in a region that has been under Russian control since Russia’s initial full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, it requires reliable power to cool its six shutdown reactors and use spent fuel to prevent catastrophic nuclear accidents.

Since September 23, when its last external power line was severed in attacks that each side blamed on the other, it has been running on diesel generators. The largest nuclear plant in Europe has attracted a number of IAEA warnings on a number of occasions.

According to a European diplomat informed by Grossi that the IAEA is proposing to restore external power to the plant in two phases, the Associated Press reported earlier this week. Some details of the plan were confirmed by a Russian diplomat.

Because they were not permitted to discuss the secret negotiations in public, the two diplomats spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.

The main power line to the plant that has been damaged in an area under Russian control, the Dniprovska 750-kilovolt line, would be repaired during the first phase.

A second, comparable ceasefire zone would be established to repair the area under Ukraine’s control’s Ferosplavna-1 330-kilovolt backup line.

Last month, Grossi spoke with both Moscow and Kyiv. Following meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 25 and Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev on September 26, he and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha met at the Warsaw Security Forum on September 29.

If diesel generators fail, the IAEA warned, “it could lead to a complete blackout and possibly causing an accident with the fuel melting and a potential radiation release into the environment, if power couldn’t be restored in time.”

The station’s external power line was intentionally cut, according to the foreign minister of Ukraine, on Sunday, accusing Russia of doing so to link it to Moscow’s power grid.

Standard-Antwerp abandoned after cup hits referee

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Images courtesy of Getty
Paul Battison

Journalist for BBC Sport

After a fan hit the referee with a cup, Standard Liege’s Belgian Pro League match against Royal Antwerp was called off in the 87th minute.

When the cup struck the referee Lothar D’hondt, who then blew his whistle to end the game at Stade Maurice Dufrasne on Friday, Standard were leading 1-0.

The final minutes of play will be recorded on Monday at 14:00 BST, according to the league, which will allow the game to resume behind closed doors.

The alleged thrower of the cup was identified, according to Standard Liege.

Cups were thrown onto the pitch for the third time during the game during the incident.

D’hondt told the stadium announcer to urge fans to stop after 10 minutes of first-half play before halting play.

Instead of a team forfeiting if their supporters are to blame, matches that have been abandoned due to fan behavior must be concluded at a later date in Belgium.

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Rivers LG Commission To Eliminate Ghost Workers Through Biometric Verification

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Through a thorough biometric verification exercise, the Rivers State Local Government Service Commission has made more efforts to rid the state’s local government system of ghost employees.

Dr. Israel Amadi, the commission’s chairman, made this known to journalists in Port Harcourt during an interview. He cited the ongoing verification as a way to ensure that only legitimate and legitimate employees are employed on government payroll.

Amadi emphasized that the exercise is a part of the Commission’s wider plan to improve service delivery, promote accountability, and sanitize the system.

He assured that all necessary security measures have been in place to ensure a smooth and transparent procedure.

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Amadi thanked Governor Siminalayi Fubara for his support and confidence, and he claimed the initiative would help ensure that local government workers’ moral character and efficiency were used when implementing grassroots development.

He further explained that teams are deployed to verify employees’ biometric data and cross-check their records against existing records while the verification process is being carried out simultaneously across all 23 local government areas.

He added that the exercise is intended to aid in the identification of instances of multiple employment and salary duplication, which have been a persistent issue for the local government system.

Amadi urged all local government employees to work closely with the verification officers by ensuring them that the procedure is not harsh but aims to improve efficiency and transparency.

Dozens injured, heavy security in Kenya as Odinga mourned before burial

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As a result of the large crowds that gathered to view the body of revered former prime minister Raila Odinga at a memorial event in Kenya’s western city of Kisumu, hundreds of people were reported as a result of local media reports.

Despite authorities using military vehicles, police, and aerial surveillance to stop a recurrence of deadly and chaotic incidents that marked earlier memorial proceedings on Thursday and Friday, the injuries happened on Saturday at Jomo Kenyata International Stadium.

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As the crowds swarmed inside the facility, Kenya Red Cross teams treated those who had exhausted and were in agony and managed to avoid casualties.

Zealots of people from all over the area gathered to pay their respects on Sunday as Odinga’s body was transported through Kisumu to his ancestral home in nearby Bondo for burial.

At least five people were killed by violence and chaos during the 80-year-old opposition leader and statesman’s memorial procession on Wednesday in Kerala, India.

Raila Odinga was praised by Kisumu Governor Anyang ‘ Nyong’o for his lifelong service to Kenyans, noting that thousands of people “thronged” Jomo Kenyatta Stadium-Mamboleo in his honor.

As the arrangements for transporting Odinga’s body to his ancestral home in Bondo, which is located 40 kilometers west of Kisumu, where the most recent disruptions had occurred, were in progress, Siaya County Governor James Orengo urged restraint.

Orengo told local media, “I really ask that the public and the community as a whole keep the peace during this time.”

At least three people were killed at a Nairobi stadium when security forces shot tear gas and weapons at crowds heading towards the pavilion where Odinga’s coffin had been placed on Thursday, causing at least three to die.

A day later, panic set in as mourners departed from Friday’s state funeral service in a different capital location, causing a crowd-crush that claimed the lives of two more victims and treated 163 patients.

Since Odinga’s body returned home on Thursday, a sizable turnout has persisted throughout the duration of the mourning process, with supporters escorting his remains nearly 30 kilometers (20 miles) from Nairobi’s airport.

Tens of thousands of people gathered for the state ceremony on Friday to honor the reverend known as “Baba,” the Swahili word for father, who sang, danced, and waved handkerchiefs.

Odinga’s relatives pleaded for peaceful conduct at the service, which included Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and President William Ruto.

Raila should not be left to cry when she passes away, his brother Oburu said in a statement to the crowd. When he was still alive, he had enough teargass.

In a post on X, former US President Barack Obama honored Odinga as “a true champion of democracy” who “enhanced decades of struggle and sacrifice for the greater cause of freedom and self-governance in Kenya.”

Obama noted that Odinga “was willing to choose the path of peaceful reconciliation without downplaying his core beliefs.”

Odinga served five unsuccessful presidential campaigns that spanned three decades, but she had a greater impact on Kenya’s democratic development than many others. This has caused a wave of grief both nationally and internationally.

Cummins will play ‘major part’ in Ashes

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Timothy Abraham

Journalist for BBC Sport
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According to chair of selectors George Bailey, Australia captain Pat Cummins will play a “major part” in the Ashes series against England this winter.

The 32-year-old was reportedly preparing to miss the series due to a back stress issue that hadn’t yet recovered.

The five-test series will begin in Perth on November 21 and there has already been no call for Cummins’ participation, according to Australia’s camp.

Cummins is “building up,” according to Bailey, and he is “optimistic” about his chances.

“We know that time is running out, and there are permutations around it, not just in the back, but also in other ways,” Bailey said.

After scans revealed lumbar bone stress in his back, Cummins was ruled out of Australia’s limited-overs series against New Zealand and India last month.

He has a history of back injuries, which caused him to miss three Australian summers in four years due to flareups in 2012-13, 2013-14, and 2015-16.

He declared that he would “take risks” and “aggressively” in his recovery in order to compete in the Ashes.

Bailey claimed that Cummins’ continued bowling as part of his rehabilitation was “getting tight” for him to be fit for the first Test.

Former captain Steve Smith will lead the team if Cummins is unable to recover in time for the opener against Perth.

Due to soreness on his side, Australia’s all-rounder Cameron Green was recently withdrawn from his squad for their one-day international series against India.

Green will be “in a good place to be ready to bowl,” according to Bailey, who described it as a “minor” injury and said it would be “in a good place to be ready to bowl.”

Bailey said, “We spent a lot of time and effort in developing the plan for him to be an all-rounder for the first Test.”

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Pride of Britain’s Carol Vorderman’s fresh health scare as she admits to being ‘very poorly’

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Carol Vorderman quit her radio presenting position at LBC last year, and she now opens up about how she’s been feeling and why the world needs to “watch out.”

After suffering a “health scare,” Carol Vorderman announced in shock that she would leave her LBC Sunday radio show in October 2024. Twelve months later, she exclusively reveals that she has been experiencing “very poorly” for the past year but has finally managed to overcome it.

The former Countdown star claimed last year that she needed to redress her work-life balance but felt “fed up” when asked to step down. speaking with OK! Carol, the host of the annual Pride of Britain Awards, said: “This year has been a little hellish health-wise.

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She continued, “I’ve been very poorly, not related to the burnout but something entirely different. I’m on the right medications now, but it’s only in the last month or so that I felt I’ve got my mojo back. So watch out, world!”

The twice-married and-divorced mum of two also said she’d been relying on a circle of good friends to lift her spirits and help her enjoy her new time off. “I’ve had lots of mini-breaks and holidays with friends — gay friends, female friends I’ve had for 50 years, or some I’ve known for 10. I’ve been back to horse racing, I’ve travelled to the States, to France, to everywhere, actually!,” she said.

“It’s wonderful to go back and see old friends. Additionally, the appropriate friends. I believe I’ve been able to get rid of all the bad ones. How much do your former friends love you is easy to forget. I’ve received messages saying, “Oh, come and stay in our villa” or, “Come and visit us on our boat.” Really, it’s lovely to be loved so much.

She also revealed that she supports her choice to stick with a somewhat unconventional approach to dating, favoring a number of “special friends” over a monogamous relationship.

She initially shared her fresh outlook on relationships while chatting to Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby during an appearance on This Morning a few years ago, and says she has no regrets about doing so.

She claims that it actually made a few headlines and that I had been practicing it for ten years. “I’ve been single for 15 years, and I’ve loved it and had some fantastic adventures.”

The Pride of Britain host explained in more detail why she wouldn’t want to be someone’s girlfriend and why she didn’t want to be someone else’s girlfriend.

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“My mind never stops, and I’m incredibly adventurous. Therefore, I never want to requise someone else’s permission to do something. Simply put, it’s not in my nature. I’ve had wonderful children and have been married to a wonderful person.

I have people who will accompany me on adventures and people who I have loved so much. I get a few phone calls from the International Space Station because one of my friends visits each year. It is wonderful! And I’m not making any mistakes because I’m single.