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Russia

Bolshoi Dancer Confesses To Acid Attack

CHANNEL ONE, KOMMERSANT (Russia), BBC NEWS (UK)

Worldcrunch

MOSCOW – One of Moscow’s Bolshoi ballet leading soloists has confessed to being the mastermind behind an acid attack that nearly blinded the company's director, Sergei Filin in January.

According to a statement released by the Moscow police, Pavel Dmitrichenko, 28, was arrested together with two accomplices: Yuri Zarutsky, suspected of throwing sulphuric acid in Filin’s face; and Andrey Lipatov who is thought to be the driver of the getaway vehicle, Russian daily Kommersant reports.

"Yes, I organized this attack, but not to the extent that it occurred," Dmitrichenko, said Wednesday in a brief interview on Channel One, a state-run television station.

Pavel Dmitrichenko looking haggard after confessing to masterminding the Jan. 17 attack - Channel expand=1] One screenshot

Although Dmitrichenko – who performed the lead role in Sergei Prokofiev"s Ivan The Terrible – provided no further explanation as to his motives, the attack is thought to be related to Dmitrichenko's girlfriend, ballerina Angelina Vorontsova, who had clashed professionally with the ballet's director.

Sergei Filin’s face was left badly burned, and his eyesight severely damaged after a masked attacker threw sulphuric acid in his face on January 17 – opening a window into bitter infighting and rivalries inside the Bolshoi theatre, BBC News recalls.

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FOCUS: Israel-Palestine War

Why The U.S. Lost Its Leverage In The Middle East — And May Never Get It Back

In the Israel-Hamas war, Qatar now plays the key role in negotiations, while the United States appears increasingly disengaged. Shifts in the region and beyond require that Washington move quickly or risk ceding influence to China and others for the long term.

Photograph of U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken  shaking hands with sraeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

November 30, 2023, Tel Aviv, Israel: U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Chuck Kennedy/U.S State/ZUMA
Sébastien Boussois

-Analysis-

PARIS — Upon assuming office in 2008, then-President Barack Obama declared that United States would gradually begin withdrawing from various conflict zones across the globe, initiating a complex process that has had a major impact on the international landscape ever since.

This started with the American departure from Iraq in 2010, and was followed by Donald Trump's presidency, during which the "Make America Great Again" policy redirected attention to America's domestic interests.

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The withdrawal trend resumed under Joe Biden, who ordered the exit of U.S. forces from Afghanistan in 2021. To maintain a foothold in all intricate regions to the east, America requires secure and stable partnerships. The recent struggle in addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict demonstrates that Washington increasingly relies on the allied Gulf states for any enduring influence.

Since the collapse of the Camp David Accords in 1999 during Bill Clinton's tenure, Washington has consistently supported Israel without pursuing renewed peace talks that could have led to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

While President Joe Biden's recent challenges in pushing for a Gaza ceasefire met with resistance from an unyielding Benjamin Netanyahu, they also stem from the United States' overall disengagement from the issue over the past two decades. Biden now is seeking to re-engage in the Israel-Palestine matter, yet it is Qatar that is the primary broker for significant negotiations such as the release of hostages in exchange for a ceasefire —a situation the United States lacks the leverage to enforce.

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