Month: May 2023

US Lawmakers Advance Legislation to Prosecute Russian War Crimes in Ukraine

U.S. lawmakers are set to advance legislation Tuesday urging President Joe Biden to create a special tribunal that would prosecute Russia for crimes of aggression against Ukraine. The House Foreign Affairs Committee vote would clear the way for the legislation to come up for a full vote on the House floor and is part of a broader bipartisan congressional effort to see Russia held accountable by the international community. Earlier this year, a group of senators led by Democrat Dick Durbin and Republican Lindsey Graham urged Biden to support the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s investigation into Russian war crimes in …

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Salman Rushdie Warns Free Expression Under Threat in Rare Public Address After Attack 

Writer Salman Rushdie has made a public speech, nine months after being stabbed and seriously injured onstage, warning that freedom of expression in the West is under its most severe threat in his lifetime. Rushdie delivered a video message to the British Book Awards, where he was awarded the Freedom to Publish award on Monday evening. Organizers said the honor “acknowledges the determination of authors, publishers and booksellers who take a stand against intolerance, despite the ongoing threats they face.”   Rushdie, 75, looked thinner than before the attack and wore glasses with one tinted lens. He was blinded in …

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Буданов заявив, що депутат Шевченко допомагав розвідці в комунікації з Лукашенком

Керівник Головного управління розвідки Міністерства оборони України Кирило Буданов заявив, що народний депутат Євген Шевченко він був задіяний для комунікації з Олександром Лукашенком. «Ми задіяли всі наші можливі шляхи комунікації (з Лукашенком – ред.), усі можливості, які в нас були. Навіть задіяли народного депутата одного. Це теж правда. Заради того, щоб не допустити втягування Білорусі, як країни, у цю війну. Це перша мета. Друге – коли відбулося витіснення і втеча російської армії, щоб не допустити повторних спроб заходу з території Білорусі в Україну або спроб завдання ударів. Як показав час, станом на зараз вдалося цього досягти», – сказав Буданов в …

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South Africa Military Delegation in Russia to Discuss Combat Readiness

South Africa’s main opposition party is demanding to know why there is a high-level defense delegation in Moscow discussing increased cooperation and combat readiness. The news comes just days after the U.S. ambassador accused South Africa of selling weapons to Russia in violation of its claims of non-alignment in Moscow’s war on Ukraine.  The Democratic Alliance’s spokesperson on defense and lawmaker Kobus Marais, says the visit led by the chief of the South African army, Lieutenant General Lawrence Mbatha was unannounced. “This once again demonstrates the ANC government’s insensitivity to our diplomatic and trade dilemma,” said Marais. “The visit is …

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Death Toll Climbs in Serbia Shootings, Wounded Schoolgirl Dies

A girl who was gravely wounded in a mass shooting in a school in Belgrade earlier this month has died, bringing the death toll to 10, authorities said Monday. The girl died Monday morning at a children’s clinic in Belgrade, Serbia’s health ministry said, according to official media. The girl had been in critical condition with head injuries following the May 3 attack, said a statement. The shooting happened in the Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school in central Belgrade when a 13-year-old boy took his father’s gun and opened fire, initially killing eight children and a school guard, and wounding six …

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Belarus on High Alert After 4 Russian Aircraft Reportedly Shot Down

Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko on Monday said forces had been put on high alert, adding that four aircraft had reportedly been shot out of the sky in southern Russia. Lukashenko, 68, visited the ex-Soviet country’s air force central command, reappearing in public after nearly a weeklong absence following reports alleging ill-health. He wore a military uniform, looked grim and had a bandage on his hand. Lukashenko said Belarus put forces on alert for three days following the incident in a southern Russian region on the border with Ukraine.  “Three days have passed after the events near us, I mean in …

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