Wednesday morning news: October 12, 2022

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

Ukraine - NATO/UN/G7 » NATO Secretary General Jens Stotlenberg says Vladimir Putin is failing in Ukraine. He told reporters Tuesday that recent desperate maneuvers prove that his war isn’t going as planned.

STOLTENBERG: His attempted annexations, partial mobilization, and reckless nuclear rhetoric represents the most significant escalation since the start of the war.

And the United Nations and the G7 are condemning Russia’s recent missile attacks on Ukraine as possible war crimes.

Russian forces rained down more missiles and munition-carrying drones Tuesday, hitting more civilian targets. That after widespread strikes killed at least 19 people.

The U.N. human rights office described those attacks as “particularly shocking.” and amounting to potential war crimes.

Ukraine air defenses » After days of deadly Russian missile attacks in Ukraine, the United States is edging closer to sending more advanced air-defense systems to Ukraine.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby …

KIRBY: We’re working hard to get them the first two of those NASAMs, and we think that we’re on track to get the first two of those over there in the very near future.

NASAMS are widely considered one of the world’s most advanced surface-to-air missile systems.

Germany just delivered the first of four air defense systems. Chancelor Olaf Schulz said the systems can defend "an entire major city from Russian air attacks."

And NATO members are meeting this week to discuss sending more similar systems.

Biden reevaluating US-Saudi relationship amid Democrat anger » John Kirby also said Tuesday that President Biden is rethinking America’s relationship with Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi-led OPEC+ alliance recently moved to cut oil production even as Biden asked to ramp up supplies. And with that in mind…

KIRBY: He does believe that this is a good time to reevaluate and see what that relationship ought to look like going forward.

Democratic lawmakers have been calling for a freeze on cooperation with the Saudis.

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal Congresswoman Ro Khanna on Tuesday introduced legislation that would immediately pause all U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia for one year.

Israel Deal » The United States negotiated a draft energy deal between Israel and Lebanon today. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER, REPORTER: Israel and Lebanon have been at war since 1948. But this deal would put their oil rigs right beside each other on the Mediterranean Sea.

If the deal is approved, it would split the contested portion of the sea in half. Lebanon will still be allowed to produce gas from Israel’s side as long as it pays royalties.

The Lebanese negotiator said both sides were satisfied, but the deal could still face opposition from the Israeli parliament.

The two countries would make separate deals with the U.S. But both governments still have to approve it, which could take weeks.

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

NASA astroid » NASA says it successfully knocked a small asteroid off course millions of miles from earth. It was part of a test to see if the space agency could deflect an asteroid heading toward our planet in the future.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

NELSON: The team has confirmed that the spacecraft’s impact altered the amorphous orbit around it and altered it by 32 minutes and therefore successfully moved its trajectory.

The test was part of the so-called “DART” mission. Now, scientists are working on perfecting their early warning system to detect astroid threats.

Angela Lansbury » MUSIC: Murder She Wrote theme]

Many television viewers of the 1980s and 90s will recognize that music. And those who do will instantly picture the star of Murder She Wrote, the late Angela Lansbury.

Lansbury died Monday at the age of 96.

Younger viewers might remember her as the voice of Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast.

She won five Tony Awards and an honorary Oscar at the age of 88.

She was married to Peter Shaw, her second husband, for 53 years before he died in 2003.

I’m Kent Covington. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org. 

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