Ukraine: fight for their lives
Ukraine's counter-offensive is currently slow and cautious. But this patient approach should soon pay off as long-range strikes prevent Russia rearming frontline units, and low Russian morale provides opportunities for strategic breakthroughs by Ukrainian forces. There are vast stretches of minefields lying ahead of Ukraine's counter-attack. ‘Petals’ - small, green, anti-personnel mines - are being scattered by Russian rockets across fields previously liberated and cleared by Ukraine forces. President Zelensky admitted Ukraine’s counterattack was ‘slower than desired’, partly due to minefields slowing down troop movement. The enemy has no mercy for their own soldiers. They are used as cannon fodder. But Ukraine is trying to move forwards with the minimum of casualties. One soldier said, ‘We are learning to improvise and to invent ways to make quick, safe paths through the minefields. But we are fighting a very vicious enemy.’
Ukraine: nuclear explosion fears
Volodymyr Zelensky sparked concerns globally when he accused Russian troops of placing ‘objects resembling explosives’ on the roof of a cooler at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP). Putin has long flirted with the nuclear spectre since mounting his Ukraine invasion. Zelensky suggested Putin might cause a nuclear incident by turning ZNPP itself into a weapon. As Ukraine attempts to reclaim territory captured by Russia, including the Zaporizhzhya region, Russia could claim any explosion at ZNPP resulted from reckless Ukrainian shelling, not its own explosives. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, ‘The situation at the plant is quite tense. The potential for sabotage by the Kyiv regime is high and could have catastrophic consequences.’
Lithuania: Ukraine expects help at NATO summit
Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda said that while it will not get everything it's hoping for, Ukraine will not be disappointed at the NATO summit on July 11-12. ‘I believe we will find wording that will not disappoint Ukrainians and will state more than we are used to saying’, he said. He added that he could not say whether Ukraine will receive an invitation to join NATO after the war, as dialogue on the subject is ongoing. He also said that individual states will present their own aid packages for Ukraine at the summit.
Australia: psychedelic therapy
Australia's medicines regulator has approved using psychedelics to treat depression and PTSD. This will allow magic mushrooms and ecstasy tablets to be prescribed as medicines at a national level. Ecstasy was developed in 1912 as an appetite suppressant in the USA, but was outlawed in the 1970s. It entered Australia as an illegal party drug in the 1980s, giving increased energy levels, empathy, and pleasure. How Australia rolls out clinical prescriptions for both drugs will be closely watched. Initial access to the drugs will be limited and costly. Many say it’s a landmark moment, but the Medical Association and the College of Psychiatrists have expressed serious concerns about psychedelic treatments. A professor of addiction medicine at the University of Sydney wants larger-scale studies and better research. He warned of known risks of fear, panic and re-traumatisation; and unknown risks of long-term side effects with potentially very limited benefits.
