After winning its first pair of matches in over two years, the Summit High School boys rugby team went into another weekend of games eager to keep its streak alive.

The Summit Tigers traveled to Fort Collins on Saturday, April 9, to play two matches at Preston Middle School against Brighton-Fort Collins, a combined high school team, and North High School.

Brighton-Fort Collins was the second team Summit beat last weekend. They won that game 29-12.

Last week, Brighton-Fort Collins scored the majority of its points with help from three major players, so going into this matchup, Summit put a plan in place to make sure Brighton-Fort Collins most talented players were kept at bay.

Summits plan worked tremendously as Brighton-Fort Collins was not able to score in the first half while Summit attacked on offense to produce 19 points.

At halftime, the Tigers had a lot to feel good about, but that does not mean the team was error free. Despite the teams first half success, Summit, at times, tried to do too much and rushed its offensive rhythm, which resulted in about five turnovers that could have produced additional scores heading into halftime.

They are scoring easy, they are running them over, they are having a big day but then they just got a little too anxious, head coach Lance French said. Youve got to know tempo, when to slow it down, when to control it and when you are going too quick. They learned a big lesson there.

Summit was more attentive and patient in the second half, which led to 20 more points for the team in its 39-7 rout of Brighton-Fort Collins.

The second half was highlighted by Caleb Artherholt, who scored his first try in his first match ever played. Artherholts try marked the first by a Summit forward all season, which helped him win the title of Man of the Match, an award bestowed upon members of the team by French.

An hour later, the team faced North High School for the first time this season. Much like Summits match against Brighton-Fort Collins, the team played tough defense against North High School.

The Tigers had two tries in the first half from Jared Marcer, who displayed his ability to run into open space with ease.

Sam Daly also played well in the first half against North High School. He executed on kicks, registering a total of 29 kicking points between the two matches.

In the second half, the Tigers were very successful in running their new John Wayne play, despite the majority of the team not knowing who John Wayne was.

The offense executed on the new play as Summit drove the ball straight through the heart of the North High School defense to several scores.

The Tigers also had three more forwards score by the end of the game in Jake Boyle, John Weldon and Ryan Perkins.

Weldon and Boyle rushed through the North High School defense using strong, stiff arms to reach the Tigers goal line.

The Tigers shutout North High School, 45-0, to combine for a total of 84 points for the weekend. Summits pair of wins moves the team to 4-1 on the season as it prepares to face Brighton at Regis University on Saturday, April 16, at 4 p.m.

The chemistry is unbelievable, French said. These guys are taking care of each other and supportive of each other. The team chemistry couldnt be any better. Our culture is developing. Its in place, and its key.

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Summit boys rugby team uses chemistry as leverage in weekend full of dominating wins - Summit Daily

Immediately after Sacramentos 132-119 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kings point guard DeAaron Fox spotted then newly acquired big man Domantas Sabonis and wrapped his arms around him in a heartfelt embrace.

The emotion was palpable for everyone in the arena and watching on TV, but especially for Fox, who, in his five years in Sacramento, appeared to have the running mate he needed to help him end the franchises historic playoff draught.

Sabonis finished that game with 22 points, 14 rebounds and five assists while Fox added 27 points and eight boards in the duos first outing following the blockbuster trade at the deadline.

Fox gushed about his new teammate to the media afterwards, likening Sabonis strength to that of an Ox, immediately sparking a new nickname for the dynamic duo.

The Fox and the Ox followed that performance up with another 13-point win this time over the Washington Wizards that saw Sabonis record a near triple-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists and Fox put up 26 points and four dimes.

It was just the sixth time this past season that the Kings won back-to-back games, and the team appeared to finally have the foundation to build something special in Sacramento.

Unfortunately, the duo was only able to log 11 more games together before injuries marred both their seasons, thus sinking Sacramentos hopes of snapping its playoff drought.

But it was clear in the just 13 games total they played together, that both players benefitted from the ability to play off the other. In the 11 games following the wins over Washington and Minnesota, Fox put up some of his best numbers of the season, averaging 28.1 points on 52% shooting to go with 6.8 assists.

Obviously, a guy like that, he takes a lot of pressure off of you because hes such a dynamic roller, a guy that can post up, Fox told the media in his end-of-season press conference. Ive always talked about how Im seeing the best defenders every night. But we talked about how he screens, the way he passes. He opens up a lot more opportunity.

I think I score pretty well off the dribble, but just being able to just have him out there and guys that know how to play and move, something we obviously need to do more of, but it just opens up and gives a wider range of opportunities to make plays and to score.

Sabonis was a walking double-double before he arrived in Sacramento and continued that trend in a Kings jersey. He put up 17.4 points, 12.8 rebounds and nearly six assists per game in his 13 outings with Fox.

And while their seasons were cut short, both players understand the magnitude of their pairing heading into next year.

I love playing with him. Those [13] games were great. We didnt get as much as we wanted to play together but were going to have a long offseason, see if we can get together and get some workouts in, have training camp. Im just excited for next year. Were going to go through the whole, normal process not getting traded in the middle of the season. So, Im excited for that.

This offseason will be pivotal for the development of Fox and Sabonis as the foundation of Sacramentos future, but even more so for a team that added six new players at the last years trade deadline.

Fox and Sabonis are the foundation, but two players cant do it alone. Theyll need continued support from Harrison Barnes and new additions Donte DiVincenzo and Trey Lyles, who both proved to be valuable over the second half of the season, as well as ever-improving rookie Davion Mitchell and up-and-coming role players Damian Jones and Chimezie Metu.

Its difficult to build that chemistry in-season though, so Fox has already started brainstorming ways to get the team together this summer so they can hit the ground running come October.

Probably half the NBA spends the offseason in LA. I think a guys will make their way there just to try to get some weeks in together, working out, Fox said. Just being around each other, I think thats what builds chemistry. Thats already [something] weve talked about from GMs down and players just trying to be around each other this summer. So those things are definitely in the works.

Sabonis, who has been a member of four playoff teams during his six-year NBA career, echoed the same sentiment as Fox when it comes to putting in the work to build chemistry on the court.

It still takes time to play off one another and we had six new players out there playing with everybody. Thats why Im excited for the summer, Sabonis said. Were going to get together as a group and try and build on things early before training camp even starts, and I think thats going to help a lot.

The more we play with one another, the more we get a feel for each other. We have a lot of time out there and everybody has that fire and passion that wants to play, so thats half of the job done. So, we just have to make it work together.

The Kings will undoubtedly be a different team when they step on the court for the 2022-23 season simply based off the fact theyll have a full Training Camp to set offensive and defensive principles.

But its clear this team will only go as far as Fox and Sabonis take them. That starts with the teams two best players developing chemistry and building a bond that brings out the best in one another on the court.

He already had the role of leader on this team but he kind of stepped up and had the ball more in his hands, Sabonis said. I was out there to help him get open and attract more attention and he just took advantage of it.

He was great at making shots, anytime we needed a bucket he was there to do it. Pushing the pace, talking on defense he really showed a side I didnt know he had and that makes me really excited for next year.

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The word used by multiple U.S. officials whove been involved in contingency planning for such an attack for at least a month is proportional, meaning America and its allies intend to respond in a manner befitting the potential war crime.

Instead, some suggested America and its allies could impose further sanctions on Moscow or further bolster Ukraines defenses with advanced weaponry. Biden aides have also speculated that the use of chemical weapons may be the final impetus for European nations to stop importing Russian energy, funds for which have fueled Putins war machine and filled his countrys coffers.

Before doing any of that, the first step is to confirm a Ukrainian military groups charge that Russia on Monday deployed a chemical substance in Mariupol. The Azov regiment, a frontline fighting unit that has fought Russia in the Donbas since 2014 and has been tied to neo-Nazi groups and white supremacists, said Russian troops dropped a chemical weapon from a drone and poisoned at least three people, though the group said the affected soldiers are not facing disastrous health effects. If true, thatd be the first known use of chemical weapons in the war since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

U.S. and European officials have yet to substantiate the accusation. Experts say a preliminary assessment could be made using photos or videos, if they exist, while U.S. or Western officials on the ground collect samples for more conclusive verification. Ukraine could also invite the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, a global watchdog headquartered in the Netherlands, to send a rapid-response team to the site for investigation.

Officials cautioned Tuesday that such a determination may not be imminent. It may take some time to assess if chemical weapons were used, just as it did during the conflict in Syria back in 2013.

Theres no independent verification in that area, so its likely to be a long time, a European official told POLITICO. There are a host of difficulties in verifying the claims, a senior U.S. defense official told reporters Tuesday. These are difficult things to prove even when you are more proximate, and we are not.

Additionally, U.S. officials raised questions about the credibility of the Azov regiment, noting that the far-right group might be eager to provoke a larger confrontation. They also noted that Ukrainian officials, who have been quick to accuse Russia of atrocities, have not definitively declared that illicit weapons were used.

To that point, during his Monday address Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not confirm chemical weapons had been deployed, but did say he took the recent threat of their use in Mariupol by Russian-backed separatists as seriously as possible. But Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the minister of Internal Affairs in Ukraine, hours beforehand tweeted that Chemical weapons are used in Mariupol.

Ned Price, the State Department spokesperson, told CNN hours later that the U.S. is working with Ukraine to try and determine what exactly has transpired here. British foreign minister Liz Truss added on Twitter that, Any use of such weapons would be a callous escalation in this conflict and we will hold Putin and his regime to account.

The U.S. has long warned that Russia might launch chemical weapons in Ukraine, prompting Biden to tell reporters in Europe last month that his administration would act swiftly if Putins troops went that far. The nature of the response would depend on the nature of the use, he said, adding it would trigger a response in kind.

Its unclear as of now what the administration deems a proportional response to the alleged chemical weapons use in Mariupol. Publicly, Western officials condemn the use of all chemical weapons. But privately they acknowledge that there is a wide-range of lethality in such weapons in other words, that theres a big difference between a canister of chlorine and a sarin bomb dropped on a school. More severe consequences, they note, would be doled out in response to the potential use of more dangerous weapons.

What is clear, though, is that some response seems imminent were the international community to verify the Azov regiments accusation. Any confirmed use of prohibited chemical weapons would trigger severe consequences for Russia, said Andrew Weber, formerly the Pentagons top nuclear, biological and chemical weapons official during the Obama years.

The current moment echoes former-President Barack Obamas red line in Syria, in which he pledged that chemical weapons use by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would trigger a U.S. response.

A year after Obamas infamous remark, Assads forces killed more than 1,400 people with sarin gas. In response, then-Vice President Biden promised a crowd at the American Legion that those who use chemical weapons against defenseless men, women and children should and must be held accountable.

Ultimately, the Obama administration struck a deal with Russia to remove 600 metric tons of Syrias chemical stockpile. Biden praised that decision at the time, crediting the White House for moving the world to act in the face of a fundamental violation of human rights. But the merits of the deal were soon thrown into doubt when Syrian forces oversaw additional chemical attacks in 2017 and 2018.

In response to those assaults, then president Donald Trump authorized strikes on Syrian targets.

We cannot allow atrocities like that, he said ahead of the second response.

Those strikes were largely symbolic responses. In the first instance, the Trump administration fired missiles at a Syrian air base from which planes had dropped the chemical weapons but gave advance notice to Russia to keep assets away from the targets. In so doing, it didnt ignite a larger global conflict, but it also didnt destroy the entirety of Syrias chemical weapons program.

Current administration officials insist that the situation is dramatically different now and that Biden has made no such red-line declaration either.

Striking Russia would be far more dangerous than hitting Syrian government targets. Moscow, armed with the worlds largest nuclear arsenal and advanced cyber capabilities, could respond in a way that escalates the conflict outside of Ukraines borders. As such, what is being considered now as a response to a confirmed chemical weapons attack are new sanctions, more weapons shipments to Ukraine or even a cyberattack.

We will select the form and nature of our response based on the nature of the action Russia takes, and well do so in coordination with our allies. And weve communicated to the Russians that there will be a severe price if Russia uses chemical weapons, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters in March, backing Bidens comments.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated the name of Anton Gerashchenko.

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Team Biden scrambles to respond to claims of Russia chemical weapon use - POLITICO

The No. 6 Michigan mens tennis team continued its streak of dominance with a 4-0 win over Purdue on Saturday. But within the excellence that led to yet another shutout match, something stood out. Something new.

Two players who previously hadnt played much freshmen Patorn Hanchaikul and Will Cooksey both shined. Cooksey was paired with graduate student Nick Beaty, and the duo secured a doubles win in a dominant 6-1 fashion. And while Hanchaikuls match was called off after the first set due to the Wolverines having already secured the victory, he showed tenacity and promise in his season debut.

And throughout these strong showings from the freshmen, those on the team not playing made their voices heard as they cheered for and with their teammates on the court.

Im sure theyre tired of hearing it from me, but (playing for each other), thats our identity, Michigan coach Adam Steinberg said. So thats what we emphasize on a daily basis.

That support continued into the singles matches. On court six, Hanchaikul battled in his first appearance of the season. After dropping the first two games, he fought back, forcing the set into a tiebreaker and ultimately winning. Hanchaikul didnt get to finish his match as the Wolverines secured the win before his second set began. But throughout his comeback, the support of his teammates was abundant.

When somebody goes in who hasnt played much like Patorn as a freshman it helps them so much to be around that team environment, Steinberg said. And you can tell the guys really helped him through the tiebreaker.

Its not just the young players that feel the support of their team its the leaders, too.

Playing singles on the court adjacent to Hanchaikul, senior Andrew Fenty got off to a slow start. But he too powered back, winning his first set in a tiebreaker as well.

Everyone was winning. And I was like I gotta win, Fenty said. Just not letting my teammates down, just keep competing, just trying to help us out.

Michigan is a team that plays for each other, and as it showed Saturday, it does so well.

As Hanchaikul battled, his teammates led cheers based around his name and cheered louder than they did for any other matchup.

But thats just part of the teams culture. Steinbergs expectation is that seniors will guide their younger teammates the same way their own former teammates guided them.

And when a team plays for each other and underclassmen follow suit, successes like the Wolverines current 12-game win streak emerge.

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Chemistry propels Michigan men's tennis over Purdue - The Michigan Daily

Industry 4.0 technologies facilitate a wide variety of innovations in technological transitions, cyber-physical system (CPS) improvement, and commercialization. Industry 4.0's objective is to create intelligent goods through smartmethodologies and procedures. How has the chemical industry adapted to the 'fourth industrial revolution' and implemented Industry 4.0 technologies?

Image Credit:metamorworks/Shutterstock.com

Organizations driven by business processes can employ Industry 4.0 technology exclusively to increase productivity while reducing risk, whereas those engaged in development can implementIndustry 4.0 principlesto produce additional revenue ornovel sources of income.

Industry 4.0 has emerged as a prominent subject in the worldwide economic debate in recent decades. Human demands, commodities, operations, technical processes, and business practices are all being profoundly altered. The application of Sector 4.0 to the chemical industry, dubbed Chemical 4.0 or Chemistry 4.0 (a larger domain), has transformed chemical processes and methodologies. It hasexpediatedthe industry's growth and propels it to anadvancedstage of digitization and manufacturing.

It may be seen as a sectoral idea for capitalizing on the potential presented by emerging technology in the chemical sector. This idea examines the issues of cloud innovation in chemical manufacturing, the use of CPS, andsupply management restructuringby chemical enterprises.

Chemical production is playing an increasingly important role in Industry 4.0 since it is a crucial provider of innovative substances for digitized and intelligent technology. The modernization of chemical production calls for the continuous adoption of three strategiesmainly thetransformation of existing systems, a data-driven operating framework, and a digitized corporate structure.

Industry 4.0 technologies can be utilized by companiesto optimizebusiness operations by digitizing, optimizing manufacturing processes, energy and raw material flow,strengthening position in the marketplace by designing and marketing intelligent systems, implementing collaborative skillsets, and Internet of Things (IoT) strategic implementation,value chain partnership, and exploringnovelways to grow companies with different substances, smart chemicals, and new service capabilities.

Image Credit:Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock.com

Industry 4.0allowschemical firms to enhance process controls, venture through knowledge and resourcemanagement, and shorten manufacturingcycles. It ultimately boosts organizational productivity and efficiency. It considerably decreases total quality expenses while maintaining optimum resource usage.

Advanced analytics capabilities are also included in Industry 4.0, which assist chemical firms in tracking trends and encourageinnovative approaches to quality control, decreasing outages as well asnonconformances. With intelligent detection methods enabled by IoT, you can achieve high-quality fabricationin batch or continuous processing.

Furthermore, Industry 4.0 technologies are evolving for better process administration, giving operators greater freedom to monitor instrument data and facility activities. Thismakes it easier for the chemical industry, which is an asset-intensive sector, to continually monitor proper equipment such as rotors, compressors, and extruders in order to determine and forecast any breakdowns. In a nutshell, Industry 4.0 forces chemical makers to swiftly transition from reactive to predictive maintenance.

Although Industry 4.0 implementation has widespread benefits, several challenges and limitations still exist. The implementation challenges of Industry 4.0 technologies may be broadly divided into four categories, including resources and mentorship needs, cyber security issues, physical aspects of the production processes, and software interface standards.

The modeling and transcribing of complex chemical industrial systems, as well as the coupling of modern monitoring and informationsystems with such complex systems, have proven to be technically difficult. Additionally, further limitationsinclude durability and confidentiality of digital IoT systems, forecasting of chemicalmixture characteristics, and conceptual frameworks for modeling sustainable and varying chemical processes with rapidly changing stoichiometric parameters.

The fourth industrial revolution is revealing the hidden opportunities for advances and profitability inherent in the vast array of data streams commonly accessible for processing and analysis, particularly in the Chemical Process Industries (CPI). The use of modern computing systems and networkingled tothe establishment of Process Systems Engineering (PSE) as a distinct subject within the field of chemical engineering.

More from AZoM: Using AI to Reduce IoT Vulnerability

PSE hasthe majority of its activities centered on the use of computational techniques and IoT-based data analytics integrated softwareto advance chemical engineering and chemical facilities. Information obtained from advanced chemical industries, on the other hand, presents a series of obstacles, the majority of which are not commonly encountered in other application areas, necessitating the emergence of new alternatives by the PSE community to provide coherent and robust alternatives to the specialized CPI evaluation objectives.

Shevtsova et. al., in their article published on the IEEE forum, have revealed that the majority of the global top 50 chemical industrial companies have implemented Industry 4.0 for specific purposes. According to the findings of the research, leading European, North American, and Japanese corporations spearheaded the emergenceof innovative solutions, sophisticated materials, and chemicals as part of the Chemicals 4.0 concept's application.

Simultaneously, the great majority of the world's chemical firms did not invent breakthrough technology, but rather improved the current systems. Chemicals 4.0 has highlighted five product development categories that are currently being explored by the chemical industry. 3D printing, precision farming, smart cars, biotechnology, and advanced materials are examples of these.

These focus areas illustrate the exterior aspect of Chemicals 4.0 and provide vivid instances of chemical manufacturing's meaningful impact on the Fourth Industrial Revolution's creative technical breakthroughs. Additionally, the companies have also been able to tackle the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the implementation of Industry 4.0 principles.

To summarize, chemical industries can organize their Industry 4.0 trajectory and determine ways to connect their cyber and physicalassets throughout various levels of the value chain, provided they have a strong grasp of their core strategies. The associated companies must devise ways to integrate these novel advancements in their manufacturing and planning as quickly as possible.

Bellini, Pierfrancesco, et al. 2022. High level control of chemical plant by industry 4.0 solutions.Journal of Industrial Information Integration. 100276. Available at:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452414X2100073X?via%3Dihub

A&D, INDUSTR, 2022. INDUSTRY 4.0 IN CHEMICAL INDUSTRY - CATALYSING OPERATIONS IMPROVEMENT & BUSINESS GROWTH. [Online]Available at: https://www.industr.com/en/industry-in-chemical-industry-catalysing-operations-improvement-2539568

Shevtsova, H., Shvets, N., & Kasatkina, M. 2020. How Leading Global Chemical Companies Contribute to Industry 4.0. In2020 61st International Scientific Conference on Information Technology and Management Science of Riga Technical University (ITMS). 1-6. IEEE. Available at: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9259317

Chemical Industry Journal, How Industry 4.0 is revolutionising the chemicals industry. [Online]Available at: https://www.chemicalindustryjournal.co.uk/industry-4-0-revolutionising-chemicals-industry

Santos A. et. al. 2021. Difficulties and Critical Success
Factors for Implementing Industry 4.0 Technologies in the Continuous Process Chemical Industry.International Journal of Scientific Research and Management. 9(7). 22932311. Available at: https://ijsrm.in/index.php/ijsrm/article/view/3277

Peleg, L. A., 2021. Digital Transformation & Industry 4.0 in the Chemical Industry. [Online]Available at: https://www.precog.co/blog/digital-transformation-industry-4-0-in-the-chemical-industry/

Qualityze, 2022. Will Industry 4.0 Streamline the Chemical Industry Operations?. [Online]Available at: https://qualityze.com/will-industry-4-0-streamline-chemical-industry-operations/

Reis, Marco S., and Pedro M. Saraiva. 2019. DataCentric Process Systems Engineering for the Chemical Industry 4.0.Systems Engineering in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 137-159. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781119513957.ch6

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the author expressed in their private capacity and do not necessarily represent the views of AZoM.com Limited T/A AZoNetwork the owner and operator of this website. This disclaimer forms part of the Terms and conditions of use of this website.

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LVIV, Ukraine, April 12 (Reuters) - Ukraine on Tuesday said it arrested the Kremlin's most prominent ally in the country as Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his strongest signal yet the war will grind on, warning peace talks were at a dead end.

In February, Ukraine said Viktor Medvedchuk, the leader of the Opposition Platform - For Life party, escaped from house arrest after the authorities opened a treason case against him.

The pro-Russian figure, who says Putin is godfather to his daughter, has denied wrongdoing. On Tuesday a spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

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"Pro-Russian traitors and agents of the Russian intelligence services, remember - your crimes have no statute of limitations," Ukraine's security service posted on Facebook alongside a photo of Medvedchuk in handcuffs.

Operatives "conducted this lightning-fast and dangerous multi-level special operation", the head of the organisation Ivan Bakanov said.

A Kremlin spokesman was cited by the Tass news agency as saying he had seen the photo and could not say whether it was genuine.

Hours earlier Putin used his first public comments on the conflict in more than a week to insist Russia will "rhythmically and calmly" continue its operation, citing the need to achieve goals on security.

"That Blitzkrieg on which our foes were counting did not work," he said, batting aside the impact of sanctions and warning that on-and-off peace talks were in a "dead-end situation." read more

But he frequently seemed to ramble or stammer. Only occasionally did he adopt the icy, confident demeanour that has been his trademark in public appearances over more than 22 years as Russia's leader.

Putin, who had been ubiquitous on Russian television in the early days of the war, had largely retreated from public view since Russia's withdrawal from northern Ukraine two weeks ago.

On Monday he met the visiting chancellor of Austria.

But the meeting was held at a country residence outside Moscow and no images were released, a contrast from talks with Western leaders on the eve of the war, when they were pictured seated at opposite ends of a huge table in the ornate Kremlin palace.

MARIUPOL DENOUEMENT

Moscow's nearly seven-week long incursion, the biggest attack on a European state since 1945, has seen more than 4.6 million people flee abroad, killed or injured thousands and led to Russia's near total isolation on the world stage.

Russia says it launched what it calls a "special military operation" on Feb. 24 to demilitarise and "denazify" Ukraine. Kyiv and its Western allies reject that as a false pretext.

Russian tanks pulled out of northern Ukraine after failing in what the West believes was a mission to swiftly capture the capital Kyiv.

Rescuers search for bodies under the rubble of a building destroyed by Russian shelling, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Borodyanka, Kyiv region, Ukraine April 11, 2022. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra

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Many of the towns they left behind were littered with the bodies of civilians killed in what Kyiv says was a campaign of murder, torture and rape.

Moscow denies targeting civilians or carrying out war crimes.

Russia says its campaign now aims to capture more territory on behalf of separatists in two eastern provinces, a region known as the Donbas. It includes Mariupol port, which has been reduced to a wasteland under Russian siege.

Ukraine says tens of thousands of civilians have been trapped inside that city with no way to bring in food or water, and accuses Russia of blocking aid convoys.

The battle for Mariupol appeared on Tuesday to be reaching a decisive phase, with Ukrainian marines holed up in the Azovstal industrial district. Reuters journalists accompanying Russian-backed separatists saw flames billowing from the Azovstal district.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of the eastern Donetsk region, which includes Mariupol, said he had seen incident reports on possible chemical weapons use in the city but could not confirm them.

"We know that last night around midnight a drone dropped some so-far unknown explosive device, and the people that were in and around the Mariupol metal plant, there were three people, they began to feel unwell," he told CNN.

They were taken to hospital and their lives were not in danger, he said.

Late on Tuesday, Ukraine said its forces in the east had beaten off six Russian attacks, destroying two vehicles and three artillery systems as well as shooting down a helicopter and two drones. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.

NEW ASSAULT

Zelenskiy had said on Monday that Russia may resort to chemical weapons as it massed troops for a new assault. He did not say if they actually had been used. The United States and Britain said they were trying to verify the reports.

Chemical weapons production, use and stockpiling is banned under the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention.

Russia's defence ministry has not responded to a Reuters request for comment. Russian-backed separatist forces in the east denied using chemical weapons in Mariupol, the Interfax news agency reported.

After their troops got bogged down in the face of Ukrainian resistance, the Russians abandoned their bid to capture the capital Kyiv. But they are redoubling efforts in the east, including Donetsk and the neighbouring Luhansk region, where Governor Serhiy Gaidai urged residents to evacuate.

"It's far more scary to remain and burn in your sleep from a Russian shell," he wrote on social media. "Evacuate, with every day the situation is getting worse. Take your essential items and head to the pickup point."

Zelenskiy pleaded overnight for more weapons from the West to help it end the siege of Mariupol and fend off the expected eastern offensive.

"Unfortunately we are not getting as much as we need to end this war faster ... in particular, to lift the blockade of Mariupol," he said.

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Reporting by Reuters bureausWriting by Peter Graff and Costas PitasEditing by Andrew Cawthorne and Grant McCool

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Putin's top ally in Ukraine arrested, say authorities - Reuters

Putin and Lukashenko have a new false narrative about the atrocities in Bucha

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko during their meeting in Sochi on February 22, 2021.

ALEXEI DRUZHININ | AFP | Getty Images

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his closest ally, President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, are promoting a new false narrative about who's to blame for the murders, rapes and torture of hundreds of civilians in Bucha, Ukraine.

They insist it was not Russian soldiers who went on a month-long rampage of looting and killing, even as witnesses, satellite imagery and forensic evidence have suggested otherwise.

The real culprits are British operatives who conducted a "psychological special operation" in the leafy suburb of Kyiv, Lukashenko claims without evidence.

Lukashenko and Putin spoke at a space launch facility in Vostochny, in Russia's Far East. It was Putin's first public appearance outside of Moscow since Russia launched its brutal Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.

The British Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Chelsea Ong

A "trade rupture" between Germany and Russia could set off a macro financial shock, S&P Global's chief economist said.

German manufacturing one of three global manufacturing centers besides the U.S. and China could be dented as a result of the rupture, Paul Gruenwald told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia."

"Looking at a downside scenario there's kind of several different ways to play that but we think the one that would really move the macro needle is some sort of trade rupture between Russia and Europe,"

"That would feed through to ... lower GDP, lower employment, lower confidence and then we would get a kind of a macro financial shock out of that. So that's the sort of scenario we're worried about that could move the needle," he warned.

Weizhen Tan

U.S. President Joe Biden boards Air Force One on travel to Iowa at the Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, April 12, 2022.

Alexander Drago | Reuters

President Joe Biden says the mounting evidence of atrocities committed by Russian soldiers in Ukraine is starting to look to him like something worse than isolated war crimes. It looks like genocide, the president said.

"I called it genocide because it has become clearer and clearer that Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of even being able to be Ukrainian," Biden said late Tuesday evening.

"The evidence is mounting. It looks different than last week. More evidence is coming out literally of the horrible things that the Russians have done in Ukraine," he said.

Hours earlier, Biden had shocked the world by calling Putin's war a "genocide" for the first time.

Speaking at an event about inflation in Iowa, Biden said to the audience, "Your family budget, your ability to fill up your tank, none of it should hinge on whether a dictator declares war and commits genocide a half a world away."

A White House adviser quickly went on TV to clarify that Biden's words did not reflect a change in U.S. policy towards Ukraine.

Biden acknowledged that the legal definition of "genocide" was separate from his impression of what's going on in Ukraine.

Nonetheless, the president did not revise his initial assessment. "We're going to only learn more and more about the devastation, and we'll let the lawyers decide internationally whether or not it qualifies" as a genocide under international law. "But it sure seems that way to me," said Biden.

The statement drew immediate praise from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who tweeted at Biden moments after he spoke on the tarmac.

Christina Wilkie

U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the North Americas Building Trades Unions (NABTU) Legislative Conference in Washington, U.S., Aprl 6, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Kevin Lamarque | Reuters

PresidentJoe Bidenon Tuesday called Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions inUkraine"genocide."

In remarks in Iowa, the president blamed Putin for recentprice hikesat the pump. "Your family budget, your ability to fill up your tank, none of it should hinge on whether a dictator declares war and commits genocide half a world away," said Biden.

The president had stopped short on April 5 of calling the atrocities in Bucha a genocide, when asked by reporters whether Russian actions there fit that definition. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said then that the killings documented so far in Ukraine did not rise to the level of "genocide" as defined by the U.S. government.

The State Department has a lengthy internal process for determining if mass killing amounts to genocide, including collecting evidence over a period of time.

NBC News

Russian soldiers patrol the Mariupol Drama Theatre, which was hit by an airstrike on March 16.

Editor's note: These pictures was taken during a trip organized by the Russian military.

A Russian soldier patrols the Mariupol Drama Theatre, which was hit March 16 by an airstrike, on April 12, 2022 in Mariupol, as Russian troops intensify a campaign to take the strategic port city, part of an anticipated massive onslaught across eastern Ukraine. Editor's note: This picture was taken during a trip organized by the Russian military.

Alexander Nemenov | AFP | Getty Images

A Russian soldier patrols the Mariupol Drama Theatre, which was hit March 16 by an airstrike, on April 12, 2022 in Mariupol. Editor's note: This picture was taken during a trip organized by the Russian military.

Alexander Nemenov | AFP | Getty Images

A Russian soldier collects weapons found while patrolling at the Mariupol drama theatre, hit last March 16 by an airstrike, on April 12, 2022 in Mariupol. Editor's note: This picture was taken during a trip organized by the Russian military.

Alexander Nemenov | AFP | Getty Images

A Russian soldier patrols the Mariupol drama theatre, hit March 16 by an airstrike, on April 12, 2022 in Mariupol, as Russian troops intensify a campaign to take the strategic port city. Editor's note: This picture was taken during a trip organized by the Russian military.

Alexander Nemenov | AFP | Getty Images

The Russian flag displayed on a laptop screen with binary code code overlaying.

Nurphoto | Getty Images

Russian military hackers tried and failed to attack Ukraine's energy infrastructure last week, the country's government and a major cybersecurity company said Tuesday.

The attack was designed to infiltrate computers connected to multiple substations, then delete all files, which would shut that infrastructure down, according to Ukraine'ssummaryof the incident.

ESET, a Slovakia-based cybersecurity company working to help secure Ukrainian infrastructure, said in asummary of the attackthat it was conducted by the same arm of Russia's military intelligence agency, GRU, that had previously successfully executed similar attacks in 2014 and 2015.

In both of those incidents, some residents of Kyivtemporarily lost power.

NBC News

President Zelenskyy posted on social media a photo of Viktor Medvedchuk with "A special operation was carried out thanks to the SBU. Well done! Details later. Glory to Ukraine!" Written underneath.

Courtesy: Office of Presidency of Ukraine

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the apparent capture of Viktor Medvedchuk, a pro-Kremlin politician who was living in Ukraine under house arrest on treason charges but allegedly escaped shortly after Russia launched its invasion.

"A special operation was carried out thanks to the SBU," Zelenskyy wrote in Russian on his verified account on the social media platform Telegram, referencing Ukraine's Security Service. "Well done! Details later. Glory to Ukraine!"

Above that caption, Zelenskyy posted a photo showing a disheveled Medvedchuk seated by a radiator with his hands clasped in handcuffs.

Medvedchuk was the
leader of a pro-Russian opposition party in Ukraine and a staunch opponent of Kyiv's appeals to join NATO.

Kevin Breuninger

A satellite image shows armoured vehicles at the northern end of a military convoy moving south through the Ukrainian town of Velykyi Burluk, Ukraine, April 8, 2022.

Maxar Technologies | Reuters

A senior U.S. Defense official told reporters on a call that a new convoy of Russian vehicles is approximately 37 miles north of Izyum, in eastern Ukraine.

The town of Izyum lies on a major road between Kharkiv and the Russian-separatists areas of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to share new details from U.S. intelligence reports, said the Pentagon believes the miles-longconvoy is working to resupply Russian forces.

Satellite images of the convoy emerged as the Kremlin appears to reorient its war in Ukraine to the east after failing to seize Kyiv.

A satellite image shows armoured vehicles and trucks at the southern end of a military convoy moving south through the Ukrainian town of Velykyi Burluk, Ukraine, April 8, 2022. Picture taken April 8, 2022.

Maxar Technologies | Reuters

"We do assess that it's moving but not at breakneck speed," the official said, adding that it was not clear how many vehicles are in the convoy and how fast it is traveling.

The official added that is not entirely clear where the convoy is going but reiterated that Western intelligence reports assess Russia will soon intensify its military campaign in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Amanda Macias

A Russian national flag flies by destroyed buildings in Mariupol on April 12, 2022, as Russian troops intensify a campaign to take the strategic port city, part of an anticipated massive onslaught across eastern Ukraine, while Russia's President makes a defiant case for the war on Russia's neighbour. - *EDITOR'S NOTE: This picture was taken during a trip organized by the Russian military.*

Alexander Nemenov | AFP | Getty Images

The coastal Ukrainian city of Mariupol is taking the brunt of Russia's ongoing siege as Western security officials warn thatthe Kremlin will soon intensify its military campaign there.

"It's obvious that the Russians want Mariupol because of its strategic location," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said, noting that it's a major port city that gives them "unfettered and unhindered land access between the Donbas and Crimea." The two territories are held by Russia and Russian-back separatists.

Kirby said the Pentagon has observed Russian forces focus a lot of their strikes on Mariupol and on the Donbas area.

"I don't have perfect knowledge of every missile or long-range fire that the Russians are firing into Mariupol. It continues to be under attack from airstrikes," Kirby added. Earlier in the day, a senior U.S. Defense official told reporters on a call that since the Kremlin's Feb. 24 invasion, Russian forces have launched more than 1,540 missiles into Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials claimed on Monday that Russian forces have used chemical weapons in Mariupol.

Amanda Macias

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson shake hands before a meeting, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine April 9, 2022.

Ukrainian Presidential Press Service | Reuters

President Joe Biden held a secure 45-minute call with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson this morning, just days after Johnson returned from a surprise trip to Ukraine.

Johnson told Biden he was "humbled" by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's "strength and resolve" after meeting the unlikely war hero in Kyiv, according to a Downing Street spokesman.

Johnson also updated the president on Britain's latest package of weapons for Ukraine, which includes the Harpoon anti-ship missile that experts say Ukraine could use to break Russia's blockade of its Black Sea ports.

A White House statement on the call said Biden and Johnson, "welcomed ongoing cooperation with allies and partners to impose severe costs on Russia for its unprovoked and unjustified war."

--- Christina Wilkie

Residential buildings that were damaged during the Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, on April 3, 2022.

Pavel Klimov | Reuters

The Pentagon is not yet able to confirm reports of Russian forces using chemical weapons in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

"We are not on the ground. We don't have perfect visibility. And so we're doing the best we can to try to get get to some better conclusion. We are still actively looking at this," a senior U.S. Defense official said on a call with reporters.

"We know that the Russians have a history of using chemical agents and they have shown a propensity in the past and so we're taking it seriously," the official said, referencing Russian use of chemical weapons in Syria.

On Monday, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby described the reports of a potential chemical munition in Mariupol as "deeply concerning."

"These reports, if true, are deeply concerning and reflective of concerns that we have had about Russia's potential to use a variety of riot control agents, including tear gas mixed with chemical agents, in Ukraine," Kirby wrote in a statement.

Amanda Macias

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, asked about comments by Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier on Tuesday that peace talks between the two countries were at a dead-end, said negotiations were very hard but they were continuing.

Podolyak also told Reuters that Russia was trying to put pressure on the talks with its public statements and that negotiations were continuing at the level of working sub-groups.

Reuters

Vehicles of the US army are seen at a temporary base installed close to the Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport, south eastern Poland, February 16, 2022.

Wojtek Radwanski | AFP | Getty Images

The $800 million U.S. weapons package approved by the Biden administration last month for the fight in Ukraine is nearly complete, a senior U.S. Defense official confirmed.

"We're very close to finishing it out. We believe we'll be done by the middle of the month and that should, that should close it out. We're also working on the next one, which you know is $100 million for the Javelins," the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said on a call with reporters.

AeroVironment Switchblade 600 Drone

Courtesy: AeroVironment

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Biden calls Putin's actions in Ukraine 'genocide'; Putin warns Russia cannot be isolated from the West - CNBC

DUNEDIN, Fla. From the opposing dugout last year, Matt Chapman saw something special in the Blue Jays.

I noticed that they had a lot of fun together. It seemed like all of them really pulled for each other, said Chapman, now standing outside the Blue Jays clubhouse at TD Ballpark as a member of the team. You see guys that are really talented and have a lot of individual success.

At the same time, rooting just as hard for their teammates and theyre watching their at-bats, theyre paying attention, theyre excited for their teammates. I picked up on that, I picked up on their energy.

From the West Coast, Yusei Kikuchi, while suiting up for the Seattle Mariners, noticed the Blue Jays unique celebrations. The thing that they had with the suit after the home runs, that looked like a lot of fun, he said through his translator Kevin Ando after finishing a spring training start.

Even after just being around the team for a few weeks, Kevin Gausman picked up on how the Blue Jays carried themselves. Theyre all pretty close and nobody takes themselves too seriously, he said while at his locker in the Blue Jays spring training complex. It makes for a fun environment.

Across the industry, fun is the word often used to describe these Blue Jays. Its understandable why.

See the original post here:
How the Blue Jays created their good vibes and good chemistry: 'We're just going to keep balling' - The Athletic

(Adds separatists' denial, Mariupol city council)

KYIV, April 12 (Reuters) - Ukraine is checking unverified information that Russia may have used chemical weapons while besieging the southern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said on Tuesday.

"There is a theory that these could be phosphorous munitions," Malyar said in televised comments, adding: "Official information will come later."

Russia's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Russia-backed separatist forces trying to wrest complete control of Mariupol denied using chemical weapons in comments carried by Russian news agency Interfax.

Mariupol's city council wrote on the Telegram messaging service that it was not yet possible to examine the area where the poisonous substance had allegedly been used because of enemy fire. It added that the city's civilian population had minimal contact with the unspecified poison but that Ukrainian soldiers had come into closer contact with it and were now being observed for possible symptoms.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned on Monday that Russia could use chemical weapons in Ukraine.

Britain and the United States have said they are aware of reports that Russia may have already used chemical agents in Mariupol. Britain said it was working with partners to verify the reports.

Russia has previously accused Ukraine of preparing to use chemical weapons, without providing evidence.

Last month the Kremlin said U.S. talk of Russia using such weapons was a tactic to divert attention away from awkward questions for Washington.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands and displaced millions. Moscow calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" to destroy Ukraine's military capabilities and capture what it views as dangerous nationalists, but Ukraine and the West say Russia launched an unprovoked war of aggression.

(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv and Guy Faulconbridge in London Writing by Alexander Winning Editing by Gareth Jones)

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UPDATE 1-Ukraine says checking unverified information that Russia used chemical weapons in Mariupol - Yahoo Finance