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Six lions and six tigers came face to face with Russian tanks during a two-day trip to a Polish zoo after being rescued from a sanctuary near Kyiv.
The lorries containing the animals skirted battle front lines, a zoo spokesman said.
The big cats, along with two caracals and a wild dog, travelled about 1,000 kilometres to the Polish border while avoiding the Zhytomyr region, which Russian forces have bombarded, said Poznan zoo spokeswoman Malgorzata Chodyla.
“They had to go a long way around to avoid Zhytomyr and other bombardment zones. They had to turn back many times, because all the roads were blown up, full of holes, impossible to pass with such cargo, which is why it took so long,” she said. “But here they are, and we just can't believe it.”
Ms Chodyla said all the animals, including tiger cubs, survived the long journey and arrived safely on Thursday. However, the zoo was worried about a 17-year-old female tiger who looked very tired.
At one point, the lorry had to stop overnight opposite Russian tanks.
The driver rested under his vehicle while the owner of the Ukrainian shelter fed the animals because the transport crew did not know how to, the spokeswoman said.
At the border, the animals were transferred to a Polish lorry while the Ukrainian driver returned home to his children.
For now, the animals will be cared for at the Poznan zoo. After the animals have had some rest in Poznan, they may travel further west.
A Belgian sanctuary declared it would take in the six lions and the African wild dog, Ms Chodyla said.
Zoo director Ewa Zgrabczynska, who helped arrange the rescue, said she is already in contact with several western organisations that want to take in the animals.
She also launched a fund-raising drive as the city of Poznan, which runs the zoo, lacks a budget to take care of the animals.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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EU Russia
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Picture of Joumblatt and Hariri breaking bread sets Twitter alight
Mr Joumblatt’s pessimism regarding the Lebanese political situation didn’t stop him from enjoying a cheerful dinner on Tuesday with several politicians including Mr Hariri.
Caretaker Culture Minister Ghattas Khoury tweeted a picture of the group sitting around a table at a discrete fish restaurant in Beirut’s upscale Sodeco area.
Mr Joumblatt told The National that the fish served at Kelly’s Fish lounge had been very good.
“They really enjoyed their time”, remembers the restaurant owner. “Mr Hariri was taking selfies with everybody”.
Mr Hariri and Mr Joumblatt often have dinner together to discuss recent political developments.
Mr Joumblatt was a close ally of Mr Hariri’s assassinated father, former prime minister Rafik Hariri. The pair were leading figures in the political grouping against the 15-year Syrian occupation of Lebanon that ended after mass protests in 2005 in the wake of Rafik Hariri’s murder. After the younger Hariri took over his father’s mantle in 2004, the relationship with Mr Joumblatt endured.
However, the pair have not always been so close. In the run-up to the election last year, Messrs Hariri and Joumblatt went months without speaking over an argument regarding the new proportional electoral law to be used for the first time. Mr Joumblatt worried that a proportional system, which Mr Hariri backed, would see the influence of his small sect diminished.
With so much of Lebanese politics agreed in late-night meetings behind closed doors, the media and pundits put significant weight on how regularly, where and with who senior politicians meet.
In the picture, alongside Messrs Khoury and Hariri were Mr Joumbatt and his wife Nora, PSP politician Wael Abou Faour and Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon Nazih el Nagari.
The picture of the dinner led to a flurry of excitement on Twitter that it signified an imminent government formation. “God willing, white smoke will rise soon and Walid Beik [a nickname for Walid Joumblatt] will accept to give up the minister of industry”, one user replied to the tweet. “Blessings to you…We would like you to form a cabinet”, wrote another.
The next few days will be crucial in determining whether these wishes come true.
