AFP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Russia was likely to intensify its “hostile activity” this week, as Kyiv awaits a historic decision from the European Union on its bid for candidate status.

Nearly three months after Russia launched a bloody invasion of his country, Zelensky said there had been “few such fateful decisions for Ukraine” as the one it expects from the EU this week.

“Only a positive decision is in the interests of the whole of Europe,” he said in his evening address Sunday.

“Obviously, we expect Russia to intensify hostile activity this week … We are preparing. We are ready,” he continued. 

Moscow’s forces have been pummelling eastern Ukraine for weeks as they try to seize the Donbas region, after being repelled from other parts of the country following their February invasion.

On Friday, Brussels backed Kyiv’s bid for EU candidate status after the heads of the bloc’s biggest members — France, Germany and Italy — paid a visit to the Ukrainian capital.

Ukraine could join the list of countries vying for membership as early as this week, when member state leaders meet at a Brussels summit. 

But officials and leaders in the bloc caution that, even with candidacy status, membership could take years.

NATO’s chief Jens Stoltenberg meanwhile warned that the war could grind on “for years” and urged Western countries to be ready to offer long-term military, political and economic aid.

“We must not weaken in our support of Ukraine, even if the costs are high — not only in terms of military support but also because of rising energy and food prices,” Stoltenberg told German daily newspaper Bild.

Ukraine has repeatedly urged Western countries to step up their deliveries of arms, despite warnings from nuclear-armed Russia that it could trigger wider conflict.

– Energy crisis –

Zelensky made a rare trip outside Kyiv Saturday to the hold-out Black Sea city of Mykolaiv, where he visited troops nearby and in the neighbouring Odessa region for the first time since the invasion.

“We will not give away the south to anyone, we will return everything that’s ours and the sea will be Ukrainian and safe,” he said in a video posted on Telegram as he made his way back to Kyiv.

Russia’s defence ministry said Sunday it launched missile strikes during the past 24 hours, with one attack on a top-level Ukrainian military meeting near the city of Dnipro killing “more than 50 generals and officers”.

It said it also targeted a building housing Western-provided weapons in Mykolaiv, destroying Ukrainian artillery and armoured vehicles.

There was no independent verification of the claims.

Mykolaiv is a key target for Russia as it lies on the route to the strategic port of Odessa.

With Russia maintaining a blockade of Odessa that has trapped grain supplies and threatens a global food crisis, residents have turned their attention to rallying the home front effort.

“Every day, including the weekend, I come to make camouflage netting for the army,” said Natalia Pinchenkova, 49, standing by a large Union flag, a show of thanks to Britain for its support for Ukraine.

The Ukraine war is fuelling not only a global food crisis but an energy crisis too. 

Hit by punishing sanctions, Moscow has turned up the pressure on European economies by sharply reducing gas supplies, which has in turn sent energy prices soaring. 

Germany on Sunday announced emergency measures including increased use of coal to ensure it meets its energy needs after a drop in the supply of Russian gas.

Austria announced it will reopen a mothballed coal power station to combat shortages, and Italian company Eni joined a huge Qatari project to expand production from the world’s biggest natural gas field.

– Attack repelled –

The worst of the fighting is in the industrial Donbas region, with battles raging in villages outside the city of Severodonetsk, under unrelenting Russian fire for weeks.

Regional governor Sergiy Gaiday said the Russians had targeted the settlement of Toshkivka, south of Severodonetsk.

“But our artillery worked, and we can say the attempt to break through was not successful, even though they tried very powerfully to break our defence,” he wrote on Telegram.

Lysychansk, across a river from Severodonetsk, is also under heavy bombardment, with some residents sheltering in basements in dire conditions, with limited supplies of food and water. 

Natalia Khalaimova, 54, urged Russia and Ukraine to negotiate an end to the war. 

“Every war in any country ends — but the sooner, the better,” she told AFP. “So many civilians are killed. Most of them were not involved in the war at all.”

burs-sr/

It’s a dispute that plays out in towns the world over: a new property owner wants to alter a much-loved landmark against the wishes of locals. It’s his money. It’s their community.

So far, so familiar.

But this is Beverly Hills, where the perfectly manicured mansions of celebrities and socialites populate one of the world’s most desirable zip codes. Oh, and the property in question is worth $40 million.

“It is extremely beautiful,” said preservationist Alison Martino, who grew up four blocks away from the North Roxbury Drive house bought in 2020 by Eric Baker, the co-founder of internet-based ticket empire StubHub.

“It’s on a double lot, which makes it very stately and it’s pushed back from the street. It almost looks like a park. It’s the most beloved house in Beverly Hills.”

To the visitor, the whole city looks a little like a park; lavish homes nestle on tree-lined streets that are peopled chiefly by Lululemon joggers and the occasional member of household staff.

– Elvis, Sinatra, Madonna – 

The enclave of Beverly Hills began life a little over a century ago, and soon established itself as byword for luxury; an oasis for the well-heeled who made their money in the newly burgeoning film industry, but found nearby Hollywood a bit tawdry.

Over the years, it has been home to a Who’s Who of entertainment, counting Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Madonna and Jennifer Aniston as residents.

Today, minibuses ferrying star-spotting tourists whizz through the neighborhood, with guides pointing out the present and former homes of the famous.

Roxbury Drive is a particularly rich vein, with lots once owned by Lucille Ball, Peter Faulk, Jack Benny, Jimmy Stewart, and Rosemary Clooney.

“When Lucille Ball moved to Beverly Hills, she wanted that house, but it wasn’t for sale, so she bought the house across the street so she could look at it,” said Martino.

– $39.1 million –

The object of Ball’s desire is a Regency Revival home constructed 80 years ago by Beverly Hills master builder Carleton Burgess.

The 9,000-square-foot spread sits among fabulous lawns and boasts its own full-size tennis court, a pavillion and a swimming pool.

Previous owners annually festooned the house with Christmas decorations, Martino says, welcoming the neighbors over to see.

But in 2020, Baker slapped down $39.1 million for it — almost double its previous sale price — adding a glistening centerpiece to a property portfolio that reportedly already included two swanky Beverly Hills spots.

Now, he appears set on making changes to his North Roxbury Drive pad — despite what the neighbors think.

Last year he applied for a “certificate of ineligibility,” a pass that would allow major work on the house without the need to get a green light from the city’s cultural heritage commission.

His exact plans for the property are not known, and his Los Angeles-based lawyer did not respond to AFP requests for comment, but locals fear he wants to take a wrecking ball to the place.

“They want to tear it down so they can build a bigger, more modern house with the latest architecture,” wrote one commentor on Martino’s Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page.

“The thought of this impeccably well-maintained historical building and grounds being demolished sickens me.”

Others mutter darkly about not wanting something that “looks like an embassy compound” with a building that goes right up to the street.

“Even with all the money in the world, you don’t get to do whatever you want,” said life-long Beverly Hills resident Rebecca Pynoos. “Our cultural heritage shouldn’t be sold to the highest bidder.”

– 2am meeting –

Feelings are running so high that a recent planning meeting went on until 2am.

After seven hours of back-and-forth, much of which hinged on whether or not the house was sufficiently well-known to merit preservation, councillors voted to bring the matter back for further consideration on June 21.

The discussion on Tuesday night looks set to be lengthy — councillors have been presented with a 727-page document that includes a missive from actor Diane Keaton.

“I am pleading with you… This charming and historic home needs to be preserved for us and future generations,” she writes.

For campaigner Jill Tavelman Collins, the argument over the North Roxbury Drive house is emblematic of a larger issue in Beverly Hills.

“We’ve lost Lucille Ball’s house, we’ve lost Jimmy Stewart’s house… there’s so little left on Roxbury that is from that time and I think it’s pulling at everyone’s heartstrings,” she said.

“I think it’s like the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia was likely to intensify its “hostile activity” this week, as Kyiv awaits a historic decision from the European Union on its membership application.

Nearly three months after Russia launched a bloody invasion of his country, Zelensky said there had been “few such fateful decisions for Ukraine” as the one it expects from the EU this week.

“Only a positive decision is in the interests of the whole of Europe,” he said in his evening address Sunday.

“Obviously, we expect Russia to intensify hostile activity this week … We are preparing. We are ready,” he continued. 

Moscow’s forces have been pummelling eastern Ukraine for weeks as they try to seize the Donbas region, after being repelled from other parts of the country following their February invasion.

On Friday, Brussels backed Kyiv’s bid for EU candidate status after the heads of the bloc’s biggest members — France, Germany and Italy — paid a visit to the Ukrainian capital.

Ukraine could join the list of countries vying for membership as early as this week, when member state leaders meet at a Brussels summit. 

NATO’s chief Jens Stoltenberg meanwhile warned that the war could grind on “for years” and urged Western countries to be ready to offer long-term military, political and economic aid.

“We must not weaken in our support of Ukraine, even if the costs are high — not only in terms of military support but also because of rising energy and food prices,” Stoltenberg told German daily newspaper Bild.

Ukraine has repeatedly urged Western countries to step up their deliveries of arms, despite warnings from nuclear-armed Russia that it could trigger wider conflict.

– Residents rally –

Zelensky made a rare trip outside Kyiv Saturday to the hold-out Black Sea city of Mykolaiv, where he visited troops nearby and in the neighbouring Odessa region for the first time since the invasion.

“We will not give away the south to anyone, we will return everything that’s ours and the sea will be Ukrainian and safe,” he said in a video posted on Telegram as he made his way back to Kyiv.

Russia’s defence ministry said Sunday it launched missile strikes during the past 24 hours, with one attack on a top-level Ukrainian military meeting near the city of Dnipro killing “more than 50 generals and officers”.

It said it also targeted a building housing Western-provided weapons in Mykolaiv, destroying Ukrainian artillery and armoured vehicles.

There was no independent verification of the claims.

Mykolaiv is a key target for Russia as it lies on the route to the strategic port of Odessa.

With Russia maintaining a blockade of Odessa that has trapped grain supplies and threatens a global food crisis, residents have turned their attention to rallying the home front effort.

“Every day, including the weekend, I come to make camouflage netting for the army,” said Natalia Pinchenkova, 49, standing by a large Union flag, a show of thanks to Britain for its support for Ukraine.

– ‘So many killed’ –

The Ukraine war is fuelling not only a global food crisis but an energy crisis too. 

Hit by punishing sanctions, Moscow has turned up the pressure on European economies by sharply reducing gas supplies, which has in turn sent energy prices soaring. 

Germany on Sunday announced emergency measures including increased use of coal to ensure it meets its energy needs after a drop in the supply of Russian gas.

Austria announced it will reopen a mothballed coal power station to combat shortages, and Italian company Eni joined a huge Qatari project to expand production from the world’s biggest natural gas field.

The worst of the fighting is in the industrial Donbas region, with battles raging in villages outside the city of Severodonetsk, under unrelenting Russian fire for weeks.

Ukraine’s armed forces said Sunday they had pushed back Russian attacks on villages near Severodonetsk.

Lysychansk, which sits across a river from Severodonetsk, is also under heavy bombardment. 

Some residents have taken shelter in basements in dire conditions, with limited supplies of food and water. 

Natalia Khalaimova, 54, urged Russia and Ukraine to negotiate an end to the war. 

“Every war in any country ends — but the sooner, the better,” she told AFP. “So many civilians are killed. Most of them were not involved in the war at all.”

burs-sr/dhc

The Supreme Court is expected to deliver an opinion by the end of June that could roll back 50 years of abortion rights in the United States.

This is the state of affairs in the country ahead of the much-anticipated ruling by the nation’s highest court:

– Roe v. Wade –

In the absence of any federal laws, it is the 1973 ruling in the landmark Supreme Court case known as Roe v. Wade that guarantees a woman’s right to an abortion in the United States.

A 1992 court decision, in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, protects access to abortion until “viability,” when the fetus can survive outside the womb, typically between 22 and 24 weeks of pregnancy.

States are also not allowed to enact any laws that would impose an “undue burden” on a woman seeking an abortion.

This legal framework could be upended soon.

According to a draft opinion leaked in May, the conservative majority on the nine-member court is prepared to overturn Roe v. Wade.

“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” the author of the opinion, Justice Samuel Alito, wrote. “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”

Anticipating a reversal, lawmakers in 13 Republican-ruled states have already adopted so-called “trigger” laws that would ban abortion if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

– Patchwork –

Conservative states have long tested the limits of the “undue burden” standard to impose laws restricting abortion, forcing many clinics to close their doors.

The states of West Virginia and Mississippi, for example, each have only one abortion clinic, while there are more than 150 in California.

Some states force minors to have parental consent before undergoing an abortion or to listen to the heartbeat of the embryo.

Since September 1, Texas, following a long legal battle, has banned abortions after six weeks, before many women even know they are pregnant.

Money is another factor.

Nearly a dozen states ban private medical insurance plans from reimbursing abortions.

But 15 other states dip into public funds to help low-income women pay for the procedure.

– Poverty and minorities –

 

There were more than 930,000 abortions in the United States in 2020, according to the latest statistics from the Guttmacher Institute, which has noted a recent increase after 30 years of steady decline.

This amounts to 14.4 abortions for every 1,000 women of procreative age, about the same as in most developed countries.

Nearly 50 percent of the women seeking abortions live below the poverty line and Black and Hispanic women are overrepresented as a proportion of the population — 29 percent and 25 percent respectively.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 92.2 percent of abortions in the United States take place in the first trimester.

– Divided opinion – 

More than 60 percent of Americans believe abortion should remain legal in all or most cases, a figure that has remained relatively stable for the past few years, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center.

But there are enormous differences based on political persuasion: 80 percent of Democrats believe abortion should remain legal in all or most cases while just 35 percent of Republicans do.

And the divide is widening. Those figures were 72 percent and 39 percent, respectively, in 2016.

Religious conviction also plays a large role. Seventy-seven percent of white evangelicals believe abortion should be illegal in most cases.

– A conservative offensive –

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Republican Donald Trump managed to attract many voters on the religious right with his promise to name justices to the Supreme Court who shared their values and would notably be prepared to strike down Roe v. Wade.

During his four years in the White House, Trump nominated three justices to the court, giving conservatives a solid 6-3 majority.

Their arrival spurred Republican state lawmakers to pass increasingly restrictive abortion laws, several of which eventually made their way to the nation’s highest court.

“Jurassic World Dominion” again stomped to the top on North American movie screens this weekend, while new release “Lightyear” didn’t quite make it to infinity, or beyond.

Universal’s latest dinosaur frightfest — the sixth in the “Jurassic Park” franchise — took in an estimated $58.7 million for the Friday-through-Sunday period, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported. It stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum.

“Lightyear,” Pixar and Disney’s latest computer-animated offering from the “Toy Story” empire, earned $51 million. David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research called that “a soft opening for a spinoff of one of the most successful animation series of all time.”

Chris Evans voices title character Buzz Lightyear, who battles evil Emperor Zurg while trying to find his way home from a hostile planet. “Lightyear”, which features a same-sex kiss, has been denied release in more than a dozen mainly Muslim countries, a source close to Disney told AFP this week. 

Still soaring in third place was Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick,” with a $44 million take that Variety called “mammoth” for a film in its fourth week. 

With total earnings of $466 million domestically and $419 million overseas, the action adventure sequel to the original 1986 film has become the biggest hit of Tom Cruise’s not-too-shabby career.

Fourth spot went to Disney’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” at $4.2 million. Domestic earnings for the Benedict Cumberbatch sci-fi film are now just north of $400 million.

And in fifth place was “The Bob’s Burgers Movie” from 20th Century. Based on the popular TV series, it took in $1.1 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

“The Bad Guys” ($980,000)

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” ($960,000)

“Downtown Abbey: A New Era” ($830,000)

“Sonic the Hedgehog 2” ($228,000)

“Brian and Charles” ($198,000)

A new round of hearings this week by the congressional committee probing the January 6, 2021 US Capitol riot promises further drama, with one member saying former vice president Mike Pence might be subpoenaed. 

As the House select panel works to focus attention on what it says was an illegal scheme backed by Donald Trump to overturn the results of the 2020 elections, a new poll shows most Americans believe the former president should face charges.

In three earlier hearings, a series of Trump advisers were shown saying they had warned him of the illegality of attempting to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s victory by persuading Pence to block a normally pro forma process.

One committee member, Adam Schiff, told CNN on Sunday that subpoenaing Pence was “certainly a possibility,” adding, “We’re not excluding anyone or anything at this point.”

Pence faced intense pressure from Trump to break with history and refuse on January 6 to formally certify Biden’s victory.

But even after Trump supporters violently stormed the building, with some chanting “Hang Mike Pence,” he refused to leave the complex and returned to the Senate chamber late at night to carry out the certification.

– ‘A hero’ –

The committee would be keenly interested to hear from Pence exactly what pressure Trump placed on him in their private contacts. If Pence is ultimately deposed, however, it could be weeks or months away.

While the conservative Pence was never a favorite of Democrats, “on that day he was a hero for resisting all the pressure campaigns,” Jamie Raskin, a committee member, told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“In a time of absolutely scandalous betrayal of people’s oaths of office and crimes being committed all over the place, somebody who does their job and sticks to the law will stand out as a hero.”

The pressure campaign, Schiff said, “put the vice president’s life in danger.”

The committee, in hearings Tuesday and Thursday, will also explore “how a similar pressure campaign directed against state and local elections officials put their lives in danger.”

Trump, in a taped call, famously called Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, and asked him to “find” enough votes to overturn Biden’s victory in that key Southern state.

Raffensperger, who refused to do so, is to be among the committee’s witnesses this week.

– Divided public –

Raffensperger is among several election officials who have received anonymous death threats for refusing to alter vote outcomes in Trump’s favor.

Adam Kinzinger — one of two Republicans on the House committee, and one of 10 who voted last year to impeach Trump because of the insurrection — said Sunday he had received a menacing message only days ago.

“It threatens to execute me, as well as my wife and 5-month-old child,” he told ABC’s “This Week.” 

Trump remains as divisive a political figure as ever, inspiring furious loyalty among followers and equally passionate disdain from his critics.

The public’s division came through starkly in a new ABC News/Ipsos poll about the committee’s work.

The poll, taken June 17 and 18, found that 58 percent of Americans believed Trump should be charged with a crime for his role in the January 6 events, up from 52 percent in April.

It also found that 60 percent of respondents believed the committee was conducting a fair and impartial inquiry, up substantially from 40 percent in April.

But while nearly all Democrats said Trump bore considerable responsibility for the January 6 riot, only a quarter of Republicans agreed. 

And significantly, only nine percent of Americans said they were following the hearings very closely.