IAEA announces localized ceasefire around Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant for repairs

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said an IAEA-brokered localized ceasefire took effect Saturday to enable repairs to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP)’s sole power line.

The agency noted in a statement on its official website that due to military activity on the northern side of the Dnipro River, the plant lost the connection to its sole remaining power line, the 330 kilovolt Ferosplavna-1, on August 20. Since then, the ZNPP has depended on emergency diesel generators to cool its six reactors and spent fuel pools.

IAEA announces localized ceasefire around Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant for repairs

The European Union’s border agency on Friday announced that it has dispatched a patrol vessel to the English Channel for the first time to support French search and rescue operations related to small, overcrowded boats at sea.

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) also said it plans to deploy additional vessels to join French patrols in the coming months.

In recent years, a large number of irregular migrants have attempted to cross the English Channel from France to the United Kingdom. The smuggling boats are often dangerously overcrowded and operate under hazardous conditions.

As of early August, 15 people had died this year while attempting to cross the Channel. On August 4, a total of 173 people were rescued by French and British maritime rescue services from a smuggling boat that caught fire in the English Channel.

EU deploys patrol vessel to English Channel to tackle migration crisis