Cuba requests U.S. aid after Hurricane Ian knocks out power, Wall Street Journal reports

Cuba's government has made a rare request for emergency assistance from the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden after Hurricane Ian knocked out power to the whole island of 11 million people, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

CUBA STRUCK BY HURRICANE IAN, LEAVES 1 MILLION RESIDENTS WITHOUT POWER AND STREETS FLOODED

Hurricane Ian tore through the island nation on Tuesday, causing country-wide blackouts, flattening homes and destroying agricultural fields. Cubans have staged protests against the government over the power loss, which heightened concerns over ongoing food, fuel and medicine shortages.

Washington has assessed that Cuban authorities would place priorities on hospitals, water pumping facilities, sanitation and other critical infrastructure if the Biden administration were to provide aid, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a review of email communications.

HURRICANE IAN: 20 CUBAN MIGRANTS MISSING OFF FLORIDA COAST AFTER BOAT SINKS IN STORM

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report, nor did Cuba's embassy in Washington.

Biden has promised to re-engage with Cuba after years of tensions between Havana and Washington. But Cuba's crackdown following widespread protests on the island last July led instead to sanctions on Cuban officials.

The Cuban government blamed the protests on meddling by the United States.

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Russia blindfolds, detains Ukraine nuclear plant chief

Russian forces blindfolded and detained the head of Europe’s largest nuclear plant, Ukraine’s nuclear power provider said Saturday, reigniting long-simmering fears over the plant's security.

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The alleged kidnapping on Friday apparently took place shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin escalated his war in Ukraine and pushed it into a new, dangerous phase by annexing four Ukrainian regions that Moscow fully or partially controls and heightening threats of nuclear force.

In a possible attempt to secure Moscow’s hold on the newly annexed territory, Russian forces seized the director-general of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Ihor Murashov, at about 4 p.m. Friday, the Ukrainian state nuclear company Energoatom said.

Putin on Friday signed treaties to absorb the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, including the area around the nuclear plant.

Energoatom said Russian troops stopped Murashov’s car, blindfolded him and then took him to an undisclosed location.

"His detention by (Russia) jeopardizes the safety of Ukraine and Europe’s largest nuclear power plant," said Energoatom President Petro Kotin, demanding the director’s immediate release.

Russia did not immediately acknowledge seizing the plant director.

DECADES OF KREMLIN PREJUDICE IN DAGESTAN FUELS PROTESTS AMID PUTIN'S CONSCRIPTION DECREE

The International Atomic Energy Agency said Saturday that Russia told it that "the director-general of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was temporarily detained to answer questions."

The Vienna-based IAEA said, "in line with its nuclear safety mandate," it "has been actively seeking clarifications and hopes for a prompt and satisfactory resolution of this matter."

The power plant repeatedly has been caught in the crossfire of the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian technicians continued running the power station after Russian troops seized it. Its last reactor was shut down in September as a precautionary measure as constant shelling nearby damaged electric transmission lines to the plant.

The plant is a strategic trophy for Russia and has triggered worldwide concern as the only nuclear plant caught up in modern warfare. Active fighting nearby means it’s unlikely to start producing electricity again soon, even if Russia installs its own management.

It is like a town unto itself, with some 11,000 workers before the war. While many have fled amid the fighting, others have stayed to ensure the safety of its radioactive material and structures.

Energoatom spokespeople told The Associated Press on Saturday that employees of the Zaporizhzhia power plant are being forced to submit applications to report to Rosatom, Russia’s state-run nuclear energy giant that operates Russian nuclear plants.

Murashov was against handing the Zaporizhzhia plant over to Rosatom, but Energoatom's spokespeople couldn't confirm that this was the reason for his kidnapping.

Murashov had access to security codes, coordinated all the work at the plant, made sure protocols were being followed and reported to Kyiv, according to Energoatom’s spokespeople. Ukrainian authorities appointed him to run the plant several days before Russian troops rolled into Ukraine.

Nevertheless, Energoatom said it hasn’t lost connections with the plant and all important parameters of its work are still being reported to Kyiv.

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Civilian convoy in Ukraine attacked, leaving 24 dead including 13 children, 1 pregnant woman

A civilian convoy in eastern Ukraine was found Saturday after allegedly being attacked by Russian forces, resulting in the death of 24 people, including 13 children and one pregnant woman, Ukrainian officials said.

According to the head of the Kharkiv military administration, Oleh Syniehubov, a convoy of at least six cars traveling west from the village of Pischane in the Luhansk region to Kurykivka in the Kharkiv region was brutally attacked on Sept. 25 around 9 a.m., Pravda first reported. 

Several survivors from the attack were able to escape and reported the incident to authorities. 

UKRAINE WAR: RUSSIA WITHDRAWS TROOPS FROM LYMAN, STRATEGIC TOWN IN REGION PUTIN ANNEXED

Victims' identities are being looked into, and another investigation of war crimes has reportedly been opened. 

"The Russians fired on civilians at point-blank range," Syniehubov said.

Images posted to Telegram by Ukraine's Office of Prosecutor General showed at least two burned cars with scorched bodies inside. 

At least another two unmarked civilian vehicles were riddled with bullet holes, with more deceased victims strewn inside. 

The acting head of Ukraine’s Security Service, Vasyl Maliuk, echoed the regional military’s assessment and said," This brutal attack on civilians was carried out by a Russian sabotage and reconnaissance group.

"They used small arms to attack six old light-duty vehicles and one Gazel van, almost point-blank," he added. 

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The attack in eastern Kharkiv came after a major counter-offensive by Ukrainian troops forced Russia to evacuate its men from the region. 

Officials told Fox News Digital this week that just because Ukraine had largely gained control over the region, that did not mean that Russian soldiers had completely left the area. 

Ukraine has continued to advance into the neighboring Donetsk and Luhansk regions in recent days, securing the town of Lyman Saturday in a strategic win for Kyiv.

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Since forcing Russia’s withdrawal from Kharkiv, massive human rights abuses have been uncovered, including another mass grave this week in an area southeast of Izyum. 

Ukraine, the International Criminal Court and several nations, including the U.S., have opened investigations into war crimes against Ukrainian civilians. 

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Iran attack kills 19, including 4 elite Revolutionary Guard members

An attack by armed separatists on a police station in a southeastern city killed 19 people, including four members of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported Saturday.

The assailants in Friday's attack hid among worshippers near a mosque in the city of Zahedan and attacked the nearby police station, according to the report.

IRNA quoted Hossein Modaresi, the provincial governor, as saying 19 people were killed. The outlet said 32 Guard members, including volunteer Basiji forces, were also wounded in the clashes.

It was not immediately clear if the attack was related to nationwide antigovernment protests gripping Iran after the death in police custody of a young Iranian woman.

IRANIAN AUTHORITIES ARREST CELEBRITIES, ARTISTS, FOREIGN NATIONALS, DURING PROTEST CRACKDOWN: REPORT

Sistan and Baluchestan province borders Afghanistan and Pakistan and has seen previous attacks on security forces by ethnic Baluchi separatists, although Saturday's Tasnim report did not identify a separatist group allegedly involved in the attack.

IRNA on Saturday identified the dead as Hamidreza Hashemi, a Revolutionary Guard colonel; Mohammad Amin Azarshokr, a Guard member; Mohamad Amin Arefi, a Basiji, or volunteer force with the IRG; and Saeed Borhan Rigi, also a Basiji.

Tasnim and other state-linked Iranian news outlets reported Friday that the head of the Guard’s intelligence department, Seyyed Ali Mousavi, was shot during the attack and later died.

It is not unusual for IRG members to be present at police bases around the country.

IRAN PROTESTERS INSIST ISLAMIC REGIME ‘DOES NOT REPRESENT’ THE PEOPLE IN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets over the last two weeks to protest the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who had been detained by the morality police in the capital of Tehran for allegedly wearing her mandatory Islamic headscarf too loosely.

The protesters have vented their anger over the treatment of women and wider repression in the Islamic Republic. The nationwide demonstrations rapidly escalated into calls for the overthrow of the clerical establishment that has ruled Iran since its 1979 Islamic revolution.

The protests have drawn supporters from various ethnic groups, including Kurdish opposition movements in the northwest that operate along the border with neighboring Iraq. Amini was an Iranian Kurd and the protests first erupted in Kurdish areas.

Iranian state TV has reported that at least 41 protesters and police have been killed since the demonstrations began Sept. 17. An Associated Press count of official statements by authorities tallied at least 14 dead, with more than 1,500 demonstrators arrested.

IRAQ SUMMONS IRANIAN AMBASSADOR FOLLOWING DEADLY BOMBING CAMPAIGN

Also on Friday, Iran said it had arrested nine foreigners linked to the protests, which authorities have blamed on hostile foreign entities, without providing evidence.

It has been difficult to gauge the extent of the protests, particularly outside of Tehran. Iranian media have only sporadically covered the demonstrations.

Witnesses said scattered protests involving dozens of demonstrators took place Saturday around a university in downtown Tehran. Riot police dispersed the protesters, who chanted "death to dictator." Some witnesses said police fired teargas.

Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, meanwhile, reminded Iran’s armed forces of their duty to people’s lives and rights, the foreign-based opposition Telegram channel Kaleme reported.

Mousavi's Green Movement challenged Iran’s disputed 2009 presidential election in unrest at a level unseen since its 1979 Islamic Revolution before being crushed by authorities.

"Obviously your capability that was awarded to you is for defending people, not suppression people, defending oppressed, not serving powerful people and oppressors," he said.

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Ukraine war: Russia withdraws troops from Lyman, strategic town in region Putin annexed

Russia suffered another setback during Ukraine's counteroffensive, confirming it withdrew troops from the eastern town of Lyman, within the newly annexed Donetsk region.

Ukraine’s armed forces on Saturday said they had "liberated" five settlements in the Donetsk region and encircled thousands of Russian soldiers.

"Due to the risk to be encircled, the allied forces were withdrawn from Krasny Liman to more advantageous frontiers," Russia's Ministry of Defense said Saturday.

"The Russian troops in the area of Lyman are encircled. Yampil, Novoselivka, Shandryholove, Drobysheve, and Stavky settlements are liberated. Stabilization measures are being conducted there," Serhii Cherevatyi, Speaker of the Eastern group of troops, told a Ukrainian news outlet reported Pravda.

The advancement comes one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a land grab for not only Donetsk but the Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions as well. 

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Putin warned that Russia will now treat any attack on the four regions as an attack on mainland Russia, calling the Ukrainians still residing in the war-torn regions "forever" Russians.

But Ukrainian forces have been making advances in western Luhansk and northern Donetsk as they inch toward the strategically important city of Sievierodonetsk, which Russia has occupied since June.

Cherevatyi said that some 5,000 to 5,500 occupiers were in Lyman, but noted it was difficult to estimate the number of troops in the areas surrounding the town due to the fluid movement of troops in combat zones. 

UKRAINE'S SOLDIERS INCH TOWARD SIEVIERODONETSK IN MAJOR COUNTEROFFENSIVE

The spokesman said that some Russian troops tried to unsuccessfully break through Ukraine’s barricade near the city while others had begun to surrender. 

Taking Lyman is a significant strategic win for Ukraine but Cherevatyi said the fight to fully liberate the city was not over. 

Lyman has served as a major logistics and transport hub for Russian forces and its operations in northern Donetsk, reported Reuters.

Securing the city is the biggest battlefield win for Ukraine since it forced Russian troops to withdraw from roughly the entire Kharkiv region in a major counter-offensive last month. 

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Russian consulate in NYC vandalized as Putin annexes Ukrainian territory

The Russian consulate in New York City was vandalized Friday as Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that he would seize four regions in Ukraine.

The consulate did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s questions regarding the incident, but according to video footage, the building appears to have been hit with a large amount of red paint. 

UKRAINE HAS 'ACCELERATED' NATO APPLICATION IN WAKE OF RUSSIA ANNEXING TERRITORIES, ZELENSKYY SAYS

It was unclear if the paint was intended to depict anything in particular or if it was indiscriminately thrown at the consulate’s front walls and entryway. 

New Yorkers passing by stopped to look at the vandalism, with some remarking on their surprise that authorities had not yet cleaned it up. 

A video of the damage to the building’s exterior was posted to social media just moments after Putin took the stage to address top officials at the Georgievsky Hall of the Great Kremlin Palace in Moscow. 

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN ANNOUNCES ANNEXATION OF 4 UKRAINIAN TERRITORIES AFTER 'SHAM' REFERENDUMS

Putin claimed that after a series of referendums that concluded this week — which Western officials and Kyiv have condemned as a "sham" — Moscow had proven it had public support in its quest to illegally annex the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. 

Moscow-instated officials in the regions claimed to have garnered 87% of civilian support in Kherson, 93% in Zaporizhzhia, 98% in Luhansk and 99% in Donetsk.

Putin took aim at the West and Kyiv in an aggressive speech Friday and vowed to use "all available means" if the four regions, which the international community still view as a part of Ukraine, are attacked. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy has said his forces will keep fighting against Russian occupation until all of Ukraine is liberated, including territory that Russia has self-proclaimed as its own. 

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Ukraine says its forces 'encircle' Russian troops in Donetsk

Ukraine’s armed forces on Saturday said they had "liberated" five settlements in the Donetsk region and encircled thousands of Russian soldiers near the eastern town of Lyman.

"The Russian troops in the area of Lyman are encircled. Yampil, Novoselivka, Shandryholove, Drobysheve, and Stavky settlements are liberated. Stabilization measures are being conducted there," Serhii Cherevatyi, Speaker of the Eastern group of troops, told a Ukrainian news outlet reported Pravda.

The advancement comes one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a land grab for not only Donetsk but the Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions as well. 

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Putin warned that Russia will now treat any attack on the four regions as an attack on mainland Russia, calling the Ukrainians still residing in the war-torn regions "forever" Russians.

But Ukrainian forces have been making advances in western Luhansk and northern Donetsk as they inch towards the strategically important city of Sievierodonetsk, which Russia has occupied since June.

Cherevatyi said that some 5,000 to 5,500 occupiers were in Lyman, but noted it was difficult to estimate the number of troops in the areas surrounding the town due to the fluid movement of troops in combat zones. 

UKRAINE'S SOLDIERS INCH TOWARD SIEVIERODONETSK IN MAJOR COUNTEROFFENSIVE

The spokesman said that some Russian troops have tried to unsuccessfully break through Ukraine’s barricade near the city while others had begun to surrender. 

Taking Lyman would be a significant strategic win for Ukraine but Cherevatyi said the fight to fully liberate the city was not over. 

Lyman has served as a major logistics and transport hub for Russian forces and its operations in northern Donetsk, reported Reuters.

Securing the city would be the biggest battlefield win for Ukraine since it forced Russian troops to withdraw from roughly the entire Kharkiv region in a major counter-offensive last month. 

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