CAPE Florida’s Cape Coral — This weekend, a very powerful solar storm approaching Earth may cause communications outages and cause the northern lights to appear in the United States.

For the first time in almost 20 years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a rare geomagnetic storm watch. The entire weekend is under scrutiny, beginning on Friday.

VOR News Image

Strong Solar Storm Could Disrupt Communications And Produce Northern Lights In US

According to NOAA, the sun started to create powerful solar flares on Wednesday, which led to five plasma explosions that might have disrupted Earth’s power infrastructures and satellites in orbit. A coronal mass ejection, or eruption, can produce billions of tons of solar plasma.

The flares appear to be connected to a sunspot that is 16 times the diameter of Earth, which is why NOAA is classifying this as an uncommon occurrence. In 2003, a strong geomagnetic storm destroyed power transformers in South Africa and knocked out power in Sweden.

VOR News Image

Strong Solar Storm Could Disrupt Communications And Produce Northern Lights In US

According to NOAA, the most recent storm may cause northern lights as far south as Alabama and Northern California in the United States.

An amazing natural occurrence is the aurora borealis, sometimes known as the northern lights. The night sky in Earth’s polar regions is home to these vibrant, dancing lights. When charged solar particles clash with atmospheric gasses, these lights are created. 

VOR News Image

Strong Solar Storm Could Disrupt Communications And Produce Northern Lights In US

Though the lights are usually observed in green, pink, and violet hues, they can occasionally be seen in other colors as well. Countless people travel to locations like Alaska, Canada, and Scandinavia every year to see this amazing show in person since it is such a stunning sight.

SOURCE – (AP)

Afghanistan’s KABUL —On Thursday, the Taliban warned academics and journalists not to collaborate with Afghanistan International TV, claiming that doing so would be illegal. They have never before advised people not to work with a certain channel.

Afghanistan International TV can be accessed via social media, cable, and satellite. Its headquarters are located in London.

VOR News Image

The Taliban Warn Journalists And Experts Against Cooperating With Afghanistan International TV

A representative for the Ministry of Information and Culture, which is under the control of the Taliban, claimed that the station was going beyond the law and moral and professional standards.

Ministry spokesman Habib Ghofran stated that the Media Violations Commission requested that all journalists and experts in Afghanistan stop working with the station.

“It was decided at the commission meeting yesterday (Wednesday) that it is not permitted to participate in discussions or facilitate the broadcast of this media outlet in public places,” Ghofran continued.

Zia ul Haq Haqmal, the deputy minister of broadcasting, claimed cooperating with the station would be criminal activity.

He listed ten reasons—the purported information manipulation, falsification, and opposition to the government—why one should not collaborate with Afghanistan International TV.

According to Haqmal, it is the responsibility of the court to punish someone who refuses to comply for any of the ten reasons listed above.

VOR News Image

The Taliban Warn Journalists And Experts Against Cooperating With Afghanistan International TV

Harun Najafizada, the director of Afghanistan International TV, stated that the channel had no employees or independent contractors in the nation, so the commission’s ruling would not impact it.

Najafizada stated, “We rely on the reporting of Afghan citizens and don’t have anyone on the ground.” That is a greater challenge, but our verification is rigorous. It puts pressure on us to compromise our professional standards and poses a threat to other media outlets and free media. It is not going to succeed.

Afghanistan performs appallingly in terms of journalistic freedom. In Reporters Without Borders’ most recent index, the nation was ranked 178 out of 180. Last year, it was rated 152.

According to the group, three radio journalists were detained in April for playing music during shows and answering calls from female listeners. Local authorities could not confirm the arrests.

The Taliban suspended two TV stations earlier this month for failing to “consider national and Islamic values.”

The director of Barya TV, one of the stations shut down, refuted the Taliban’s claims. The radio station remains down.

According to Latif Sadiq, the station was not notified of the suspension. On Thursday, Sadiq declared, “The reports that they repeatedly warned (Barya) are absolute lies.” “They said the case will go to court and decided on their own that (Barya) television is off, broadcasting is off.”

AP – VOR News Image

The Taliban Warn Journalists And Experts Against Cooperating With Afghanistan International TV

Following the Taliban takeover in 2021, several journalists lost their employment as media institutions closed due to financial difficulties or employee departure. Travel limitations and prohibitions on work present extra challenges for women journalists.

The majority of radio, television, and newspapers were outlawed by the Taliban in the late 1990s when they were in power.

SOURCE – (AP)

At a glamorous Kremlin inauguration on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin took office for a fifth term, extending his six-year reign as head of state after crushing his political rivals, starting a catastrophic war in Ukraine, and consolidating all power in his own hands.

In front of an assembled group of specially chosen guests, Putin touched the Russian Constitution at the ceremony held in the opulent Grand Kremlin Palace and swore to protect it.

After taking the oath of office, Putin declared, “We are a united and great people and together we will overcome all obstacles, realize all our plans, and together we will win.”

AP News – VOR News Image

Putin Begins His Fifth Term As President, More In Control Of Russia Than Ever

Following President Boris Yeltsin’s death in the final hours of 1999, Putin turned Russia from a nation rising from economic ruin to a pariah state that poses a threat to international security. Russia is seeking assistance from other regimes such as China, Iran, and North Korea in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which has turned into the largest conflict in Europe since World War II. Russia has been subject to severe sanctions from the West.

Putin has been in power for almost 25 years, making him the longest-serving head of state since Josef Stalin. His current term will not end until 2030 when he will be allowed to compete for office again under the constitution.

In a highly staged performance, Putin was seen going through his files in his office before making his way down the lengthy halls of the Kremlin and stopping occasionally to admire an artwork en route to his inauguration.

Putin’s guard of honor waited for hours in the rain and sleet, at temperatures just above freezing, as his Auras limousine made the short trip to the Grand Kremlin Palace.

Putin angrily denounced the West and thanked the “heroes” of his battle in Ukraine in the opening minutes of his fifth term.

He declared that Russia “does not refuse dialogue with Western states.” Instead, he declared, “the choice is theirs: do they intend to look for a path to cooperation and peace, or do they intend to continue trying to contain Russia, continue the policy of aggression, and continuous pressure on our country for years.”

He was met with cheers when he arrived in the hall with over 2,500 invited guests. Among them were prominent figures from the Russian government, such as American actor Steven Seagal.

German, British, and American diplomats were not present. According to the US Embassy, Ambassador Lynne Tracy was on “prescheduled, personal travel” when she left the nation.

A few representatives from the European Union attended the inauguration, even though top EU diplomat Josep Borrell claimed to have advised them that “the right thing to do is not to attend this inauguration” because Putin is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court, which holds him accountable for the kidnappings of Ukrainian children.

According to a French official who spoke anonymously because they were not permitted to talk publicly, the French ambassador was among those present.

A 30-gun salute followed Putin’s speech. In the drizzle on Cathedral Square in front of the Kremlin, Putin inspected the presidential regiment before going nearby to Annunciation Cathedral to receive a blessing from Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.

During the brief ceremony, Kirill compared Putin to Prince Alexander Nevsky, the medieval tyrant who “courageously defended their people on the battlefield.”

Recalling that the head of state occasionally “has to take fateful and formidable decisions” that can result in victims, he reminded Putin that the church has backed the conflict in Ukraine that has resulted in several casualties.

AP News – VOR News Image

Putin Begins His Fifth Term As President, More In Control Of Russia Than Ever

The current question is what the 71-year-old Putin will do in the Kremlin during the next six years, both domestically and internationally.

Using scorched-earth tactics, Russian forces are consolidating their position in Ukraine while Kyiv struggles with a manpower and ammunition shortfall.

By using drones and missiles, Ukraine has moved the war to Russian territory, particularly in border areas. Putin promised to carry out Moscow’s objectives in Ukraine and take all necessary steps to “defend our sovereignty and security of our citizens” in a speech given in February.

Putin announced he wanted to create a buffer zone in Ukraine to safeguard his nation from cross-border attacks shortly after his planned reelection in March. He also hinted that a conflict between NATO and Russia would occur.

The Russian government has been dissolved so that Putin can choose a new prime minister and Cabinet.

A crucial domain to monitor is the Defense Ministry.

Amidst allegations of widespread corruption, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s protege, Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, was arrested last month on bribery accusations. Given that the war is ongoing, it would be risky for some commentators to claim that Shoigu may fall victim to the cabinet upheaval.

Putin’s popularity at home is strongly correlated with rising living levels for common Russians.

Putin assured Russians on Tuesday that their country would grow in the future, but many have seen their standard of living increase since the invasion of Ukraine.

Putin pledged at the start of his term in 2018 that Russia’s economy would be “modern and dynamic” and that it would rank among the top five in the world. Rather, Russia’s government is spending unprecedented sums on defense, and the country’s economy has shifted to a war footing.

Now that Putin has secured a further six years in office, analysts predict the government may decide to implement controversial measures like tax increases to finance the war and increased pressure on men to enlist in the military.

Authorities have clamped down on any dissent in the years after the invasion with an intensity not seen since the Soviet era.

Putin hinted on Tuesday that he would keep critics quiet.

AP News – VOR News Image

Putin Begins His Fifth Term As President, More In Control Of Russia Than Ever

Recalling the “tragic cost of internal turmoil and upheaval,” he advised the audience gathered in the Grand Kremlin Palace that Russia “must be strong and absolutely resistant to any challenges and threats.”

Putin faces essentially no domestic opposition as he begins his fifth term in office.

Laws that threaten lengthy prison terms have been passed for anyone who discredits the armed forces. In addition, the Kremlin attacks rights organizations, independent media, LGBTQ+ activists, and other groups that deviate from what Putin has described as Russia’s “traditional family values.”

Opposition leader and worst political enemy, Alexei Navalny, passed away in a prison camp in the Arctic in February. Several well-known detractors have either left the nation or been imprisoned, and several of his opponents overseas are afraid for their safety.

Before the inauguration, Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Navalny, declared in a video that Putin’s pledges “are not only empty, they are false.”

She declared that “a liar, a thief, and a murderer” rules Russia.

SOURCE – (AP)