Dutch court hands out sentences over 2014 MH17 flight crash

The court sentenced two Russians and a pro-Moscow Ukrainian separatist to life in prison. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Dutch court hands out sentences over 2014 MH17 flight crash [Judges and lawyers view the reconstructed wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, at the Gilze-Rijen military Airbase, southern Netherlands, May 26, 2021.] Credit: Peter Dejong/AP pool/File photo Malaysia A court in the Netherlands has [handed out convictions]( on Thursday over the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine. The court sentenced two Russians and a pro-Moscow Ukrainian separatist in absentia to life in prison for the murders of the 298 passangers and crew members. A third Russian individual was acquitted because of a lack of evidence. Moscow has [long denied responsibility]( for the jetliner’s destruction, refusing to extradite the defendants. Myanmar Myanmar’s military junta is set to [release more than 6,000 prisoners](, including a former British ambassador, an Australian economist and a Japanese journalist. Media reports say that the pardons have been granted on “humanitarian grounds,” following pressure from leaders at the recent ASEAN summit. The junta has been detaining people and cracking down on opposition since it took over power in a [February 2021 coup](. Ukraine A grain export deal from Ukraine’s southern Black Sea ports will be [extended for another four months](. The agreement between Kyiv and Moscow was set to expire on Saturday. The move avoids a shutdown of the pact by Russia, which had pulled out of the deal last month over an attack on its fleets in Crimea, before rejoining. The deal has been brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, and has seen more than [11 million tons of agricultural products]( being shipped out of Ukraine, including corn and wheat. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Global demand for lithium is changing Chile's Atacama Desert]( [Lithium mines occupy more than 30 square miles of Chile’s Atacama Desert.]( Credit: Courtesy of SQM In the past 10 years, the [global demand for lithium has skyrocketed](, and the production increase of electric vehicles is expected to raise this demand by at least 300% in the next 10 years. Chile meets about a third of the lithium demands, and plans to boost its production in the next few years. [At COP27, Lula promises to resume Brazil’s ‘leading role’ as a climate defender]( [Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, speaks at the COP27 UN Climate Summit, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.]( Credit: Nariman El-Mofty/AP Brazil's President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is taking his concerns for the environment to the international stage. As a special guest at COP27 this week in Egypt, he said his administration is going to [tackle deforestation](. Support The World with a monthly gift to keep us going all year long We just learned that a generous donor has offered to match every gift before the end of the year, one-to-one, up to $67,000! Recurring gifts are particularly meaningful, as they help us plan ahead so we can spend more time thinking about the coverage we’d like to bring you next week, next month and even next year. And every single gift will help us get closer to our goal. Will you [support The World with a gift today](? --------------------------------------------------------------- Double take Europeans have been battling the Velutina hornet for about 15 years. Spanish beekeepers have sent out a mayday for help, but so far they’ve been left to defend their hives on their own. They're trying to find innovative ways to deal with the situation. 🐝 [Listen to the story]( by The World's Gerry Hadden. 🎧 [The giant Velutina hornet is about four times bigger than a honey bee.] Credit: Gerry Hadden/The World In case you missed it on The World --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.