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64% of SMEs are concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on their employees, with 57% being concerned about their productivity, figures from Sage’s SME Sentiment Index found. Among the surveyed sectors, it found that media, motor, technology and beauty sectors are the most likely to have made staff redundancies since reopening. 64% say that a second spike would have a severely negative impact or spell the end of their company, whilst only 20% say it would have minimal impact....

The decision comes two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of the rebel-controlled Donetsk and Luhansk regions and sent troops into both places. The state of emergency declaration reflects growing concern in Ukraine that a full-scale Russian invasion could come at any moment. The state of emergency will last 30 days, starting Thursday, and will allow the government to limit movement and rallies, as well as banning political parties and organizations, according to the Associated Press....

“Characteristics of the so-called ‘young replenishments’: protective equipment, Soviet-style helmets and AK-12 [assault rifles], which have a very negative [user] experience,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in an operational update on Wednesday. According to the translated post, the AK-12 has been used in Ukraine during the war, but it had not met expectations and that after some time the Russian military switched to an older model of the rifle....

The latest map, produced by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank and the Critical Threats project, has since gone viral on Twitter with more than 140,000 views. The graphic shows land being taken back by Ukrainian forces in the city of Lyman from September 29 to October 2. “Today’s map updates from @Criticalthreats and @TheStudyofWar show that Ukraine has pushed Russian forces out of Lyman, Donetsk Oblast, and back to Kreminna, Luhansk Oblast,” Brady Africk of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) wrote as a caption....

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called for a boycott of the companies, accusing them of “funding genocide” by maintaining operations in Russia, according to a tweet by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. “International companies which remain working in Russia are directly funding Russian war crimes and genocide of Ukrainians,” Kuleba said. “I reiterate my call on their customers and partners to boycott these brands until they stop making blood profits and pull out of Russia....

Ihor Zhovka, the Ukrainian president’s deputy chief of staff, told CNN on Thursday that Biden should show that he is “brave” by meeting Zelensky face to face in Ukraine, as other world leaders have. Biden is due to travel to Brussels to meet with NATO leaders to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the war now entering its third week. When CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked Zhovka whether Zelensky will try to meet Biden in person while he is in Europe, he replied: “Well, just this week, three prime ministers of three friendly nations—Poland, Czech Republic and Slovenia—visited personally, so why not President Biden comes to Ukraine to meet my president?...

Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Major General Kyrylo Budanov, suggested during an appearance on Ukrainian TV channel “Groshi” that in several appearances Putin has made recently, his habits, appearance, and even height have changed. “The picture, let’s say, of the ears, is different. And it’s like a fingerprint, each person’s ear picture is unique. It cannot be repeated,” he said, without offering concrete evidence to back up his claims. Budanov was cited by Ukrainian news outlet TSN as saying that he believes the Russian president is seriously ill, and that this is no big secret....

The comments by Dmytro Kuleba on Friday came as Russia’s defense ministry said troops who had been conducting drills near the border with Ukraine, had started to return to their bases. “We need to remember that this step would not put an end neither to the current escalation, nor to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia in general,” Kuleba said in a statement to Newsweek, which was shared with news agencies....

Ukraine’s defense forces tweeted on Friday that the Russian tugboat Spasatel Vasily Bekh had been “successfully demilitarized” by the Ukrainian Navy. “The ship was transporting personnel, weapons and ammunition to the occupied Snake Island,” the tweet said next to an image of the vessel with a red cross apparently drawn on it. Military analyst Rob Lee shared video from the Telegram channel of media outlet Dvish which shows what he says is drone footage of “two missile strikes” on the rescue ship “carrying a Tor-M2KM air defense system that was headed to Snake Island....

Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia resumed Friday. Russia says Ukrainian helicopters hit an oil depot in Belgorod in Russian territory. Kyiv has not claimed responsibility. Ukrainian and Russian authorities have backed a plan for further evacuations from Mariupol, the southern port city under siege. But the Red Cross said conditions around the city made it impossible to evacuate civilians Friday. Russian forces are leaving the Chernihiv region in the north, but have not withdrawn entirely, according to the local governor....

Since Russia’s invasion, the Ukrainian military has not been shy about sharing gory details about Russian troops they’ve captured and killed. The latest news of a military medic’s directive to castrate Russian soldiers has backfired. Gennadiy Druzenko, 49, the owner of a war zone mobile hospital in Eastern Ukraine, said he instructed his medical staff to “castrate captured Russian soldiers” because they are “cockroaches, not people,” Russian news agency RT reports....

Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukrainian ambassador to the United Nations (UN), said that Russia was participating in Nazi “cosplay,” or “costume play,” while addressing his Russian counterpart Vasily Nebenzya during a UN Security Council meeting on Thursday. Russia has faced multiple accusations of war crimes involving the targeting of civilians since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last month. “Over these weeks, the international community has wrestled with the question, why?” Kyslytsya said during the meeting....

It’s estimated that as of 2016, 451,776 adults in the United States live with ulcerative colitis. Between 2007 and 2016, the prevalence of ulcerative colitis increased by about 125%. This article will highlight facts and statistics about ulcerative colitis in people living in the United States. Ulcerative Colitis Overview Ulcerative colitis is an immune-mediated condition that affects the large intestine and the rectum. It causes inflammation, leading to ulcers (sores) forming on the colon’s lining....

Digital Spy has an excerpt from a recent interview they conducted with The Ultimate Warrior. Warrior discussed how the Survivor Series used to be held on Thanksgiving, and noted that WWE took care of their talent on that day. He also revealed his favorite Survivor Series team. “If I had to pick a Survivor Series – 1990 was a really neat Survivor Series because I teamed with The Legion of Doom [Hawk and Animal] and Kerry Von Erich – at the time The Texas Tornado,” Warrior said....

Naturally, the 68-year-old was booed by the majority Chicago crowd as the White Sox placed a graphic on their scoreboard honoring the occasion. MORE: Breaking down what’s next for trading card sales at Target, Walmart and elsewhere West got his photo taken with his crew before the game started, then posed with managers Tony La Russa and Mike Shildt of the White Sox and Cardinals, respectively. Sometimes called “Cowboy Joe” and “Country Joe” for his affinity for country singing and songwriting, West was honored when country music star Garth Brooks offered congratulations for the achievement....

Junior guard Marcus Paige underwent surgery to remove bone spurs from his right ankle, UNC announced on Monday. The school says he’s expected to resume basketball activities this summer. MORE: Baylor’s offseason workouts look fun | Hoiberg dominating recovery Paige entered his junior season as a Sporting News Preseason All-American, but never quite lived up to that billing. His scoring dropped from 17.5 to 14.1 points per game, as he also played through plantar fasciitis in his right foot....

The Tar Heels will face off against UCLA on Friday, March 25, after the Saint Peter’s-Purdue matchup at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The game will be on CBS and tip at approximately 9:30 p.m. ET. UNC (26-9) made it into the 2022 NCAA Tournament as the No. 8 seed after winning 11 of their last 14 games. It was on a six-game winning streak to close the season before losing to Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament semifinals....

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection includes both Uncharted 4, which sees Nathan Drake’s final adventure as the series’ protagonist, and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, which lets players take on the role of Chloe Frazer as she steps into Drake’s shoes. Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection had previously released for PS5, giving the latest games in the franchise some graphical and performance upgrades, so fans are expecting these updates to stick with the PC version, alongside some dedicated features such as FOV sliders....

During the show, the crowd support was vehement. According to American Kickboxing Academy’s (AKA) lead trainer Javier Mendez, the fans at the event were the craziest and most passionate ones he has ever seen in his life. In the latest episode of the JavierMendezAKAPodcast, Mendez spoke about his experience during the EFC event. The AKA head coach also opened up on an interesting incident that took place during the event....

He hasn’t been all too impressed with Reyes either, but it seems as though he finds Anderson to be a bit of an underwhelming challenge. Corey Anderson, on the other hand, has been demanding a title shot and following a win over the much-hyped Johnny Walker, feels that he has earned the right to face Jones, even going as far as to tell the UFC that if they don’t give him a title shot next, they might as well release him....