Ukraine claims to have retaken land in its counter-offensive against Russia that pro-Kremlin forces had held since 2014.
The capture of territory near Krasnohorivka was announced by Ukrainian brigadier general Oleksandr Tarnavskyi.
Ukrainian defence chiefs said Russia had shelled the area amid fighting in the eastern Donetsk region.
The area is close to the “line of control” that used to separate Kyiv’s forces from pro-Russian separatists who entered Ukraine in 2014.
Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 moved the battle lines, but Ukraine is aiming to retake land beyond what it held at that time.
In a regular intelligence briefing, Britain’s Defence Ministry supported the claim that Ukrainian forces had made “small advances” near Krasnohorivka.
The ministry said it was “one of the first instances” that Ukrainian forces had “highly likely recaptured an area of territory occupied by Russia since 2014”.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an overnight address that his troops had “advanced in all directions”.
“This is a happy day,” he said after visiting troops near the front line.
Senior Ukrainian officials have said the recent political crisis in Russia could give Kyiv’s forces an opening on the battlefield.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said “devastating consequences” had been avoided after a mutiny by Wagner mercenaries was called off before it reached Moscow.
But he confirmed that Russian pilots had been killed during the aborted mutiny led by Wagner chief and former Kremlin confidant Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has agreed to withdraw to Belarus.
Speaking publicly again later on Tuesday, for the third time in 24 hours, Mr Putin thanked the FSB and his troops for their efforts during the "mutiny".
He said: "We understood what was happening and what would have happened had you not averted this mutiny."
He said "always and everywhere" following armed uprisings "complete chaos and civil war" ensues.
"So that's what you averted. That's what you prevented. That was your role," he said, adding, for that "I owe you a debt of gratitude".
Mr Prigozhin, in his first public comments since the mutiny, said he had led his fighters into Russia “as a demonstration of protest, not to overthrow the government of the country”.
The audio message did not reveal his whereabouts and the White House said it could not confirm whether Mr Prigozhin was in Belarus.
Reports on Tuesday suggested an aircraft linked to Mr Prigozhin had left Russia for Belarus but it was not clear whether he was on board.
Russia on Monday released footage of Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu meeting troops, appearing to confirm that he was still in charge despite being a focus of Mr Prigozhin’s anger with the leadership in Moscow.
Wagner forces boosted Russia’s manpower in the brutal fight for Ukraine’s Bakhmut, but Mr Prigozhin accused Moscow repeatedly and in increasingly vociferous terms of failing to equip his men.
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
Breast cancer in men: the facts
1) Breast cancer is men is rare but can develop rapidly. It usually occurs in those over the ages of 60, but can occasionally affect younger men.
2) Symptoms can include a lump, discharge, swollen glands or a rash.
3) People with a history of cancer in the family can be more susceptible.
4) Treatments include surgery and chemotherapy but early diagnosis is the key.
5) Anyone concerned is urged to contact their doctor
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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