Month: July 2023

HRW: Mali Forces and Wagner Group Commit Atrocities in Mali 

Human Rights Watch said in a statement Monday that Mali’s armed forces and “apparently” the Wagner Group mercenaries “have summarily executed and forcibly disappeared several dozen civilians in Mali’s cental region since December 2022.” Mali’s forces and the Wagner Group have also “destroyed and looted civilian property and allegedly tortured detainees in an army camp,” according to HRW. The rights group said it has interviewed 40 people who know about the incidents, including “20 witnesses of abuses, three family members of victims, two community leaders, five Malian civil society activists, eight representatives of international organizations, and two Sahel political analysts. …

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Latest in Ukraine: Russia Says Ukrainian Drones Attack Moscow  

Latest developments A previously announced meeting of a new NATO-Ukraine Council, expected to address Black Sea security, has been scheduled for Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.   Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country is capable of replacing Ukrainian grain exports to Africa after Russia left a deal allowing for safe shipments from Ukraine through the Black Sea amid Russia’s invasion.    Russia said Monday that Ukraine attacked Moscow with two drones that were destroyed by Russian air defenses.  Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said two non-residential buildings were damaged, but that there were no reports of …

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Fire Still Blazing on the Greek Island of Rhodes as Dozens More Erupt Across the Country

Firefighters struggled through the night to contain 82 wildfires across Greece, 64 of which started Sunday, the hottest day of the summer so far.  Their efforts were without the help of firefighting planes and helicopters, which do not operate at night.  The most serious fire was on the island of Rhodes. Some 19,000 people had been evacuated from several locations on the island as wildfires burned for a sixth day, Greek authorities said. No further evacuations had been ordered as of Sunday night.  The Ministry of Climate Change and Civil Protection said it was “the largest evacuation from a wildfire …

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Spain’s Election Yields No Clear Winner, Coalition Negotiations Loom

No clear winner emerged in a nail-biting finish to Spain’s election on Sunday as the right failed to fulfill predictions of a victory big enough to push Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez from power.  The two leading parties will seek to negotiate coalition deals in pursuit of a governing majority, but analysts warned the process could end in a hung parliament and another election.  With 100% of votes counted by 1:30 a.m. on Monday (2330 GMT), the opposition center-right People’s Party (PP) had 136 seats in parliament while Sanchez ruling Socialists (PSOE) had 122 seats.  Both were short of the 176 …

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NATO-Ukraine Council to Meet Wednesday, Zelenskyy Says

A previously announced meeting of a new NATO-Ukraine Council, expected to address Black Sea security, has been scheduled for Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address Sunday. NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said Saturday that the meeting, requested by Zelenskyy in a telephone conversation with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, would discuss the situation following Russia’s withdrawal from a year-old deal overseeing grain exports from Ukrainian ports. “In fact, the date was agreed upon immediately after our conversation yesterday,” Zelenskyy said. “The meeting will be held this Wednesday.” He said the meeting was among events Ukraine was preparing for …

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Putin Hosts Belarus Leader, Calls Ukraine’s Counteroffensive a Failure

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine’s counteroffensive “has failed” as he hosted Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, his close ally, for talks in St. Petersburg on Sunday. “There is no counteroffensive,” Russian news agencies quoted Lukashenko as saying. Putin replied: “It exists, but it has failed.” Ukraine began its long-anticipated counteroffensive last month but has so far made only small gains against well entrenched Russian forces who control more than a sixth of its territory after nearly 17 months of war. U.S. General Mark Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday the Ukrainian drive was “far from a …

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UK Band ‘The 1975’ Cancels Indonesia, Taiwan Shows after Malaysia LGBTQ Controversy 

British band The 1975 said on Sunday they have canceled shows in Taiwan and Muslim-majority Indonesia, a day after Malaysia banned them from performing there after their frontman kissed a bandmate on stage and criticized the country’s anti-LGBTQ laws. “Unfortunately, due to current circumstances, it is impossible to proceed with the scheduled shows,” the pop rock group said in a statement, without elaborating. Malaysia’s government halted a music festival in the capital Kuala Lumpur on Saturday and barred The 1975 after what it called “disrespectful actions.” Homosexuality is a crime in Muslim-majority Malaysia. Rights groups have warned of growing intolerance …

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«Ескалація насильства проти культурної спадщини України» – у ЮНЕСКО відреагували на атаку РФ по Одесі

Спеціалізована установа ООН з питань освіти, науки і культури (ЮНЕСКО) у неділю засудила російську атаку на Одесу, назвавши її «зухвалою». ЮНЕСКО глибоко стривожена і найрішучішим чином засуджує зухвалий напад, скоєний російськими військами, внаслідок якого було завдано ударів по кількох культурних об’єктах у центрі Одеси, де розташований об’єкт Світової спадщини «Історичний центр Одеси», – йдеться в заяві організації. Керівниця ЮНЕСКО Одрі Азуле заявила, що напад є «ескалацією насильства проти культурної спадщини України». ЮНЕСКО днями також реагувала на попередні обстріли Одеси, коли було завдано шкоди кільком музеям, включених до фонду Світової спадщини. За попередньою інформацією влади, внаслідок нічної ракетної атаки в Одесі …

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Netherlands Shut Out World Cup Debutants Portugal in 1-0 Win 

The Netherlands kicked off their Group E campaign with a 1-0 win over Women’s World Cup debutants Portugal at Dunedin Stadium on Sunday, thanks to a first-half goal from Stefanie Van der Gragt that was awarded on a VAR review. The Dutch edged Portugal 3-2 a year ago in the European Championship group stage, but this time the Iberian side were no match for the team in their trademark orange and did not have a shot on target until the 82nd minute. The Dutch scored in the 13th minute from a corner when Van der Gragt rose above the defense …

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