World News News - Page 3

The head of the United Nations (UN) International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned of the "completely out of control" situation in Ukraine.

Europe's largest nuclear power plant (NPP), the Zaporizhzhia NPP, is located in Ukraine and has been the site of numerous battles since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24th, 2022. Rafael Grossi, the Director-General of the IAEA, has pleaded with Russia and Ukraine to allow experts to visit the complex and contain any potential for a nuclear accident.

The plant has suffered shelling attacks and weapons fire on its premises, potentially compromising its physical integrity. Paradoxically, the plant is currently under Russian control, though Ukrainian staff continue to come and go from the plant to continue operating it. The IAEA claim to have contact with some of the staff, however, they are "faulty" and "patchy" according to Grossi.

Russian lawmakers have accused Ukraine of using "mutant soldiers" on the battlefield that were reportedly created in a biolab.

The Daily Beast has reported that Russian lawmakers are accusing Ukraine of using "mutant soldiers" created in a US-operated biological laboratory, but according to a retired US general, the claims from the Kremlin have no basis and are whimsical. According to retired US General William Enyart, who spoke to NewsNation's Rush Hour last Tuesday, "I think those Russian legislators must have been watching too many old cartoon reruns. You remember the old cartoon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? My kids used to watch it."

Notably, the former US general went on to explain that Russia has been making "mutant soldier" claims since 2015 and that there is "no truth to this ancient rumor at all". Furthermore, Enyart believes that Russia is pushing out this story to derail attention from the nation's failing attempt at invading Ukraine and the myriad of logistical problems that are plaguing its invasion. Lastly, Enyart says that Russian soldiers are unable to perform even the "basic functions of modern military" and, as a result, are attempting to blame a "boogeyman and the US".

Jimmy Donaldson, better known as "MrBeast," has given a substantial amount of aid to struggling Ukrainian refugees.

Donaldson posted a new video to his "Beast Philanthropy" YouTube channel that explains that there are more than 12 million Ukrainian refugees currently struggling to figure out where they are going to live, being forced out of their homes by Russia's invasion. Donaldson explains that the Beast Philanthropy team "had to help" and got into contact with several refugee centers across Eastern Europe to gather a long shopping list of supplies that people need.

The shopping list included various items such as food, toilet paper, water, medical supplies, cleaning supplies, and more. The long shopping list stacked up to a staggering $3 million, then Donaldson reached out to his local community in North Carolina to help him pack all of the purchased items to be made ready for transportation. Donaldson explained that he established his own global logistical transportation chain through Flexport.

The United States government is seizing a $350 million business jet that is one of the most luxurious private jets in the world.

The US Department of Transportation is seizing what is the world's most expensive private jet, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner which was owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. The ownership of the business jet was covered up through a "series of shell companies", according to an FBI spokesperson. The seizure of the luxurious jet comes after a slew of sanctions imposed on Russian's most wealthy individuals in an effort to hogtie the Russia economically and prevent it furthering its invasion in Ukraine.

The private jet is rare as its body was designed for commercial flights and was later converted into a Dreamliner business plane. There are other Dreamliner planes out there but not many that are like the Boeing 787-8. The jet measures in at 2,400 square feet and is able to travel over 17 hours. Before it was owned by Abramovich and was available commercially it was charging $74,000 an hour. The plane was considered as a "seven-star" experience that features areas such as a galley, rest areas, and more.

A $300 million superyacht known as the Amadea has been spotted cruising into Hawaii flying the American flag after being seized by US authorities.

US authorities seized the Amadea after a month-long legal battle in Fiji over its ownership, where the US claimed that sanctioned Russian oligarch Suleyman Kerimov was the true owner of the vessel. Kerimov, a Russian billionaire, oligarch, and politician, has close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has following the nation's invasion of Ukraine, Kerimov and many other Russian oligarchs were slapped with sanctions from the United States and other countries that followed.

As a result of the sanctions, assets such as the Amadea are being seized by US authorities. In Kerimov's instance, his sanctions stretch back to 2018 over his involvement in Russia's invasion of Crimea. Joe Biden's national security advisor was recorded saying on Thursday this week that when a vessel like this is seized, the federal government are the ones paying for its upkeep, which means that some people are being paid to maintain the luxurious Russian superyachts "on behalf of the United States government".

A project focused on recording the activities of North Korea has found that the nation is preparing for a nuclear test.

Beyond Parallel, partnered with the Center for Strategic and International Security (CSIS), has released a batch of new satellite images of North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear test site. The images were taken from Airbus Pleiades neo satellites on June 14, 2022, and show work being completed on Tunnel No.3, which Beyond Parallel state means the nation is "ready for an oft-speculated seventh nuclear test."

Notably, one of the images in the batch show construction being done on a new tunnel - Tunnel No.4. The authors note that the construction of the new tunnel suggests that North Korea is making a large effort to increase its nuclear testing capabilities and is an "effort to reenable it for potential future testing". The authors of the report write, "The timing of a seventh nuclear test now rests solely within the hands of Kim Jong-un."

Russian President Vladimir Putin's bodyguards not only have to protect the Russian president from potential assassins, but they also have to collect his feces.

Reports of Putin's feces being collected by his bodyguards and sent back to Russia were first revealed by a French news magazine called Paris Match, which cited two veteran Russian reporters who described the duties of Federal Protection agents that surround Putin. These agents reportedly collect Putin's poop and place them in specialized packets that are then transferred to a briefcase which is then sent back to Russia.

Notably, former BBC reporter Farida Rustamova tweeted that she was informed that Putin has been taking a portable toilet with him on foreign relations trips since the beginning of his rule. Rustamova also states that sometimes all of Putin's feces are destroyed immediately. These reports of Putin's feces being destroyed/sent back to Moscow illustrate the seemingly never-ending efforts made by Russia to keep Putin safe in any way possible from foreign intelligence.

North Korea tensions have spiked since the nation decided to fire several ballistic missiles prompting a response from South Korea and the United States.

North Korea fired eight short-range ballistic missiles from its capital Pyongyang into the ocean off the coast of the Korean peninsula. According to South Korea's national security chief Kim Sung-han, a meeting will be held with the National Security Council to discuss North Korea's recent missile launch. Notably, the most recent launch is reportedly the largest single test North Korea has carried out and marks the nation's 17th missile test in 2022.

South Korean military responded to the show of force with its own launch, as South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said allies fired eight short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Monday, and according to JCS, the demonstration was to show "the capability and readiness to launch immediate precision strikes on the origins of provocations and their command and support forces".

Elon Musk has recently posted to his Twitter account, sharing a video of him discussing what he believes the biggest threat to civilization is.

The SpaceX and Tesla CEO took to his Twitter account share data from the Wall Street Journal that indicates the birthrate across the United States has been below "sustainable" levels for more than 50 years. Musk then shared a video of him on stage saying that the biggest problem the world will face in 20 years will be population collapse, where birthrates slow down and the rate at which deaths occur speeds up.

Musk was met by several individuals online that criticized his perspective of the population problem, with many of them saying that people simply cannot afford to have children. Musk replied to these comments by asking, "Then why is it that the richer someone is, the fewer kids they have?", which was backed up by an image from a 1944 American Sociological Review report that found as families' income grew, there was a reduction in the number of children born into that family.

Russia's government has bragged that its using new laser weapons in its invasion of Ukraine, according to top officials.

A new report from Reuters revealed that the Russian government is using its invasion of Ukraine as an opportunity to test out new laser weapon prototypes that its military has been developing. Notably, Russia's deputy prime minister Yury Borisov stated that the laser weapons that are being used can incinerate drones. Supposedly, one test demonstrated the weapon was capable of taking down Ukrainian drones from 3.1 miles away in just five seconds.

Furthermore, the Russian military is also using its Peresvet laser technology to blind satellites, which is reportedly capable of blocking satellites up to 932 miles above Earth. Additionally, Borisov said that many of these Peresvet systems have been deployed, and that in the future, he can see laser weaponry, with more developments, eventually replacing traditional weapons systems.