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☆ Wagner Group leader and ex-convict Prigozhin has lost the respect of Russian prisoners who now think he's a 'traitor,' activist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian prisoners have now turned on the Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, an activist said. Prigozhin, an ex-convict, was once popular among prisoners and recruited thousands to fight in Ukraine. SOme prisoners rioted in support of his short-lived mutiny and were disappointed he called it off. Olga Romanova, the head of the Russia Behind Bars prisoners' rights group, said that prisoners feel "depressed" and "apathetic" and view Yevgeny Prigozhin as a traitor. The Wagner Group recruited thousands of prisoners to fight in Ukraine in exchange for freedom after completing their service.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Olga Romanova, Romanova, Wagner, mutinying Wagner Organizations: Wagner Group, Service, Russian, Reuters, Russian Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Defense Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Moscow, Belarus, Rostov, Leningrad

MUMBAI, July 7 (Reuters) - India's federal police have arrested three railway employees on Friday in connection with the country's deadliest train crash in two decades that killed 292 people last month, the crime agency said in a statement. It is India's worst train crash in more than two decades. The accident happened when a passenger train hit a stationary freight train, jumped off the tracks and hit another passenger train coming from the opposite direction. Reuters reported earlier this week that workers repairing a rail-road barrier had made faulty connections in the automated signalling system on the network. The malfunctioning system directed the passenger train onto the path of the freight train, it said.

Persons: Narendra Modi's, Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Krishn Kaushik, Jatindra, Shivam Patel, YP Rajesh, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Central Bureau of Investigation, CBI, Reuters, of Railway Safety, CRS, Local, Indian Railways, Railway Board, Railways Ministry, YP, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, Bahanaga Bazar, Odisha

☆ Women’s World Cup: Plane carrying Brazil team to Australia for tournament emblazoned with tribute to Iran protesters
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The plane carrying Brazil’s Women’s World Cup squad arrived in Australia for the 2023 tournament emblazoned with a tribute to Iranian human rights protestors. “CBF chartered the private plane, whose messages are the responsibility of the aircraft owner,” the CBF said. “It was not an institutional message.” CNN has reached out to the CBF and world governing body FIFA for comment. Brazil is in Group F for the 2023 Women’s World Cup alongside France, Jamaica and Panama. Last week, world soccer governing body FIFA announced that captains of teams of Women’s World Cup teams would be allowed to wear an armband around eight different social causes, including gender equality, inclusion and peace.

Persons: Amir Nasr, Mahsa Amini, ”, Enrique Piñeyro, Nasr, Azadani, Asadullah Jafari, Baghi Organizations: CNN, Sydney Morning Herald, Brazilian Football Confederation, CBF, ” CNN, FIFA, SBS, Nationwide, France Locations: Australia, Brisbane, Iran, Argentine, Isfahan, Brazil, Jamaica, Panama, Adelaide

Prigozhin had reportedly traveled to Belarus as part of a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin following the failed uprising, but Lukashenko told CNN’s Matthew Chance that the Wagner leader is now in Russia. Prigozhin has not been seen in public since June 24 when he left Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia. “I don’t think that Wagner will rise up somewhere and turn its guns against the Belarusian authorities and the Belarusian state,” Lukashenko said. Until recently, Russian state television lionized Wagner’s operations in Ukraine, but the outlets now appear to be vilifying the founder of the private military company following the failed uprising. Russian state television often airs dramatic footage of what are described as raids by security services and foiled terrorist plots.

Persons: Belarus CNN — Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko, CNN’s Matthew Chance, Wagner, ” Lukashenko, ”, Prigozhin’s, Were Wagner Organizations: Belarus CNN, CNN, Weapons, “, Kremlin Locations: Minsk, Belarus, Belarusian, Russia, Rostov, Vesti, St . Petersburg, Moscow, Ukraine

LONDON, July 6 (Reuters) - European Union (EU) countries have added aluminium to the list of minerals and metals covered by the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA). Western European primary aluminium production is the lowest this centuryFALLING OUTPUTAs things stand, Europe is going to struggle to lift primary production at all over that time-frame. European aluminium imports by countryIMPORT DEPENDENCYEuropean aluminium consumption averaged just over 5.0 million metric tons per year over the 2016-2020 period, according to the EU. However, the key difference is where Europe sources its bauxite and primary aluminium. POWER PROBLEMSGetting aluminium onto Europe's critical raw materials list is an important win for the region's aluminium sector.

Persons: didn't, it's, David Evans Organizations: Union, Federation of Aluminium Consumers, International Aluminium Institute, IAI, EU, Rusal, Thomson, Reuters Locations: United States, China, Europe, EU, Ukraine, Guinea, Brazil, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Iceland, Britain, Russia

☆ Prominent female Russian journalist and lawyer brutally attacked in Chechnya
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Yelena Milashina, a well-known journalist for the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, was travelling to the Chechen capital Grozny from the local airport with Alexander Nemov, a lawyer, when they were attacked. There was no immediate comment from Ramzan Kadyrov, a close ally of Putin who rules Chechnya, a mainly Muslim southern region. But Soltayev, the Chechen rights official, was cited by the RIA news agency as calling the attack "a provocation" against the Chechen authorities. DEATH THREATSSome Russian lawmakers and officials in Moscow condemned the attack and demanded an investigation. Kadyrov denies rights abuses, saying such allegations are fabricated by ill-wishers trying to discredit Chechnya and its authorities.

Persons: Yelena Milashina, Alexander Nemov, Milashina, Mansur Soltayev, Nemov, Vladimir Putin, Ramzan Kadyrov, Putin, Mokhmad, Kadyrov, Zarema, Musayeva, Dmitry Muratov, Muratov, Andrew Osborn, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Novaya Gazeta, Kremlin, RIA, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Russian, Chechnya, Grozny, Moscow, Russia, Soviet, Milashina, Chechen

☆ Russian ex-arms dealer freed for Brittney Griner to run for far-right party in local vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 2 (Reuters) - A Russian arms dealer freed last December in a prisoner swap for U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner has been chosen as the candidate of a far-right party for a seat in a Russian regional legislature, state news agency RIA reported on Sunday. RIA cited an official in Russia's ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR)'s local organisation as saying that Bout had been nominated as a candidate for the legislative assembly of the Ulyanovsk region in central Russia. Bout publicly joined the LDPR following his return to Russia. Despite its name, the LDPR holds far-right, ultra-nationalist views and strongly supports President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Lugovoi has served as an LDPR member of Russia's national parliament since 2007.

Persons: Brittney Griner, Viktor Bout, RIA, Bout, Griner, Vladimir Putin's, Andrei Lugovoi, Alexander Litvinenko, Lugovoi, Felix Light, Gareth Jones Organizations: U.S, Liberal Democratic Party, U.S . Department of Justice, Thomson Locations: Russian, United States, Ulyanovsk, Russia, Thailand, Washington, Ukraine, Britain

☆ In These Corners of Kabul, Western Influences Live On
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Christina Goldbaum | Jim Huylebroek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

There’s a glimmer of the old Kabul hiding in the new one — if you know where to look. It’s there in the crowded snooker halls where young men in jeans hover around velvet tables and yell “nice shot” in English. It’s in coffee shops where women sip on cappuccinos, their robe-like abayas concealing skinny jeans, as a Taylor Swift tune softly radiates from the speakers. Since the Taliban toppled the Western-backed government nearly two years ago, the group has erased most obvious vestiges of the American nation-building project in Afghanistan. Religious scholars and strict interpretations of Shariah law replaced judges and state penal codes.

Persons: Taylor Swift Organizations: FIFA Locations: Kabul, American, Afghanistan

Wagner fighters took control of the southern port and logistical hub for Russia's war in Ukraine on Saturday morning. Facial recognition software linked him to an account on VKontakte, Russia’s Facebook equivalent, created in the name of Dmitry Chekov. Russian media reported last September that Prigozhin had visited prisones in Rostov region, recruiting more than 1,000 convicts for Wagner. The man was identified by facial recognition software as 33-year-old Sergei Shirshov, a native of the Volga River city of Saratov. A third Wagner fighter pictured in Rostov was identified by facial recognition software as Roman Yamalutdinov, a native of Krasnoyarsk in Siberia.

Persons: Wagner, Prigozhin Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Prigozhin, Putin, Alexander Lukashenko, Dmitry Chekov, Chekov's, Sergei Shirshov, Shirshov, Yamalutdinov, Olga Romanova, Felix Light, Filipp Lebedev, Guy Faulconbridge, Mike Collett, White, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Wagner Group, Don, Reuters, Belarusian, Facebook, TASS, Local, Penal, Thomson Locations: TBILISI, Russian, Rostov, Ukraine, Moscow, Bakhmut, Belarus, Volga, Saratov, Saratov region's, Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Tbilisi

☆ After Wagner mutiny, jailed Kremlin critic Navalny asks who is the real extremist?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

In tweets posted by his aides, Navalny said he had been allowed no radio or conversations in his penal colony since June 1. "Instead the prosecutor came in and we continued the trial in which I stand accused of forming an organization to overthrow President (Vladimir) Putin by violent means," Navalny said. He blamed Putin squarely for the mutiny by the Wagner mercenary force that was allowed to recruit hardened convicts in exchange for promises of pardon and that the president allowed to become powerful. Navalny is serving 11-1/2 years for fraud and contempt of court on charges that he says were trumped up to silence him. He is now on trial on charges including creation of an extremist organisation and making public appeals to commit extremist activity.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Navalny, Read, Alexey Navalny, Wagner, Vladimir, Putin, Vladimir Putin's, Sergei, Shoigu, Kevin Liffey, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Court, ACF, Corruption, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia

☆ Russian Supreme Court rejects Navalny challenge to prison conditions, Mediazona reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 22 (Reuters) - Russia's Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a challenge by the jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny to prison officials' refusal to give him writing equipment, the Russian independent news site Mediazona reported. He is also on trial for a host of further offences that could keep him in prison for decades more. "In order to have them fetch a can of coffee out of my things and bring it to the cell, I have to write an application." Navalny's complaint had made it through a series of lower courts before being definitively thrown out by the Supreme Court. Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Kevin Liffey and David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Navalny, I’m, Mediazona, Kevin Liffey, David Gregorio Our Organizations: IK, Supreme, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Melekhovo, Moscow

☆ Honduras hands prison control to military police, expands emergency powers after deadly riot
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TEGUCIGALPA, June 21 (Reuters) - Honduras will return control of most of the country's penal system to the military police for the next year, the Central American country's presidential office said late on Wednesday, a day after a prison riot claimed nearly 50 lives. Honduras will also turn islands hundreds of kilometers off the coast into a penal colony for "highly dangerous" gang leaders, the presidental office said. Castro had promised "drastic measures" to address the deaths at a women's prison, which she attributed to an organized attack by gang members conducted with guards' knowledge. Tuesday's riot likely began in retaliation to recent government measures cracking down on corruption and gang control from within prison walls, authorities said. It also returned control of 21 of the country's 26 prisons to the military police.

Persons: Castro, Mara Salvatrucha, Castro's, Gustavo Palencia, Kylie Madry, Lincoln Organizations: Central American, Police, Thomson Locations: TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, United States, El Salvador

☆ The Africans fighting on Russia’s front line in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +18 min

In journeying to Russia, Tarimo was following the route of many young Africans, including future heads of state, since the 1960s. Tarimo also ended up treading the path of a handful of other Africans who took up arms for Wagner in Ukraine. The presidents of South Africa and Zambia are now among a group of African leaders seeking to mediate between Russia and Ukraine. In November last year, his family learned he too had died in Ukraine fighting for Wagner. He said that, like Tarimo, Nyirenda cast his desire to join Wagner as repayment for Soviet and Russian support of African anti-colonial movements.

Persons: Russian Wagner, Nemes, Wagner, ”, Tarimo, “ Nemes, Rehema Kigobe, – Tarimo, Aboya, Claire Amuhaya, Nemes Tarimo, Rehema, “, Vladimir Putin, Chadema, Alexander Shilkin, ” Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Kristian Malundama, Malundama, Tarimo’s, Prigozhin, Lemekani, Christian, didn’t, Will, Nyirenda, Ronald Kalifungwa, Zikonde, –, …, “ I’m, Christopher Kangwa, Tionge, ” Nyirenda, ” Kangwa, Fabrice Organizations: Moscow’s Pushkin Institute, Russian Technological University, Reuters, Friendship University, Soviet Union, National Congress, European Union, United Nations General Assembly, Wagner Group, Central African Republic, Officials, Dar es Salaam, Democratic, Tanzanian, Zambian, Instagram, Research Nuclear University, Baptist, YouTube, ” Reuters, Ivorian Locations: Russian, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Dar es, Tanzania’s, Odradivka, Moscow, IT, Russia, Ukraine, Zambian, Ivory Coast, Soviet, Kenyan, Africa, United States, South Africa, Zambia, Mali, Libya, Central, Tanzania, kwa, Sochi, Tanzanian, Tarimo’s, Yaroslavl region’s, Rybinsk, Democratic Republic of Congo, Yaroslavl, Ukraine’s, Lusaka’s Northmead, China, Lemekani, Tver region’s, Tver’s, Russia’s, Mordovia, Yopougon, Abidjan, Ivory Coast’s, Cocody

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, June 21 (Reuters) - The death toll from a riot at a women's prison in Honduras rose to 46, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday, as anxious relatives demanded information about the fate of incarcerated family members. Relatives of inmates gathered at the Centro Femenino de Adaptacion Social, the 900-person women's penitentiary around 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the capital city Tegucigalpa, where gang violence erupted a day earlier. Identifying victims is a challenge, as many of which were "charred or reduced" to ash, according to Yuri Mora, spokesperson for the public prosecutor's office. The riot had been planned by gang members with guards' knowledge, Honduran President Xiomara Castro said on Twitter on Tuesday, saying she would take "drastic measures" to address the deaths. [1/5]Security forces operate outside the Centro Femenino de Adaptacion Social (CEFAS) women prison following a deadly riot in Tamara, on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 20, 2023.

Persons: Yuri Mora, Xiomara Castro, Angel Garcia, Fredy Rodriguez, Garcia, Mara Salvatrucha, Miguel Martinez, Julissa Villanueva, El, Gustavo Palencia, Brendan O'Boyle, Valentine Hillaire, Daina Beth Solomon, Alistair Bell Organizations: Centro Femenino de, Twitter, Security, REUTERS, Central America, Thomson Locations: TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, Tegucigalpa, Tamara, Los Angeles, Central, El Salvador

☆ 41 Dead After Riot Erupts in Honduran Women’s Prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Emiliano Rodríguez Mega | Joan Suazo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

At least 41 inmates were killed on Tuesday morning in central Honduras after a riot broke out at the country’s only prison for women, one of the deadliest outbreaks of violence in the country’s long-troubled prison system. Most of the victims had been burned, while others had been shot, said Yuri Mora, a spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office, who added that the death toll was expected to rise as investigators combed through the detention facility in Támara, near Tegucigalpa, the capital. While the cause of the violence was not clear, the prison has been the scene of ongoing conflict between feuding gangs. “We are dismayed by the loss of human lives,” Julissa Villanueva, vice minister of security and head of the Honduran penitentiary system, said in a news conference. The country’s penal system, she said, had been “hijacked” by organized crime.

Persons: Yuri Mora, ” Julissa Villanueva Locations: Honduras, Támara, Tegucigalpa, Honduran

CNN —Jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny appeared before a Russian court Monday to defend himself against fresh charges of extremism, in a trial that could extend his prison term by decades. In comments posted to his Twitter account, Navalny said the “absurd” charges could lead to him serving a further 30 years behind bars. Navalny’s team challenged judge Andrey Suvorov, and asked him to recuse himself, according to the team’s Telegram posts. Also present at the hearing is Daniel Kholodny, the former technical director of the Navalny Live YouTube channel, accused in the same extremism case. Putin himself said in December 2020 that if Russian security services had wanted to kill Navalny, they “would have finished” the job.

Persons: CNN —, Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Navalny, Navalny’s, Vadim Kobzev, Olga Mikhailova, Svetlana Davyodva, Andrey Suvorov, Vladimir, ”, Daniel Kholodny, Evgenia Novozhenina, Lilia Chanysheva, Chanysheva, “, Novichok, Putin Organizations: CNN, TASS, IK, Journalists, Russian Security Service Locations: Melekhovo, Moscow, Russian, Ufa, Russia, Germany, Soviet, Berlin, Siberian, Omsk, Siberia

☆ Russia's Navalny defends himself in court against new extremism charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MELEKHOVO, Russia, June 19 (Reuters) - Jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny appeared before a Russian court on Monday to defend himself against new charges of extremism that could extend his prison term by decades. His supporters accuse Moscow of trying to break him to silence his criticism of President Vladimir Putin, something the Kremlin denies. In a tweet posted on his account by his supporters last month, Navalny responded with typical irony to the new charges. In April, investigators formally linked Navalny supporters to the murder of Vladlen Tatarsky, a popular military blogger and supporter of Russia's military campaign in Ukraine who was killed by a bomb in St Petersburg. Russia's National Anti-terrorism Committee (NAC) said Ukrainian intelligence had organised the bombing with help from Navalny's supporters.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Navalny, Alexei, I've, Vladlen, Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey Organizations: IK, Moscow, Kremlin, Journalists, General's, Ukraine, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, MELEKHOVO, Melekhovo, Moscow, Germany, Soviet, St Petersburg

☆ Navalny appears in a Russian court to face new charges of extremism.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Neil Macfarquhar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A new trial of Aleksei A. Navalny, Russia’s jailed opposition leader, began on Monday, with several extremism charges potentially adding decades to the prison sentences that he is already serving. Although the charges were filed in a Moscow district court, the trial was held about 150 miles east of the capital in the penal colony where Mr. Navalny has been held since 2021. Journalists monitoring proceedings from another room were able to watch the start of the hearing via video feed, with Mr. Navalny barely visible or audible, according to a reporter for the Mediazona news outlet. The new charges from Basmanny District Court included inciting and financing extremism, as well as “rehabilitating Nazism.” Mr. Navalny said earlier that he was barely given time to study the materials filed in the case, included in some 200 volumes or nearly 4,000 pages. If Mr. Navalny is convicted — and acquittals are extremely rare in Russian courts, especially against opposition figures — the case could add another 30 years to his jail term.

Persons: Aleksei A, Russia’s, Navalny, ” Mr, — Organizations: Journalists Locations: Moscow, Basmanny

☆ American prisoners at Russia's 'Fashion Colony' work in a factory assembling pants and coats for a Russian clothing company
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's IK-17 penal colony is known as a "Fashion Colony" in part for its brightly-painted exterior. IK-17 — known as "Fashion Colony" for its brightly-painted exterior meant to fool onlookers — is about 300 miles east of Moscow, in the Mordovia region of Russia, according to the Wall Street Journal. The United States has classified both Gershkovich and Whelan as wrongfully detained, according to the Wall Street Journal. Inmates also have no access to doctors or dental care, leaving inmates without access to necessary medicine, Wilgus told the outlet. Similarly, Whelan's brother, David, told the Wall Street Journal that dental problems are solved by extractions only.

Persons: Evan Gershkovich, —, Jimmy Wilgus, Thomas Stwalley, Paul Whelan, Whelan, Wilgus, Whelan's, David, extractions, Gershkovich Organizations: Russia's IK, Service, Street, IK, Wall Street, United, Wall Street Journal, U.S . House, U.S, Senators Locations: Moscow, Mordovia, Russia, United States

☆ Navalny campaigner jailed for 7.5 years for 'extremism' by Russian court
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, June 14 (Reuters) - A former campaign leader for jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison on Wednesday for "creating an extremist organisation", rights group OVD-Info said. Navalny supporters reacted with outrage to the sentence against Liliya Chanysheva, the former campaign chief for Navalny in the Urals city of Ufa. Navalny aide Lyubov Sobol called it a political verdict, saying President Vladimir Putin had "put one more hostage in a penal colony". Human rights groups and Western governments view Navalny as a political prisoner. Reporting by Reuters, Writing by Mark Trevelyan; editing by Guy FaulconbridgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Navalny, Liliya Chanysheva, Lyubov Sobol, Vladimir Putin, Putin's, Mark Trevelyan, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Navalny, Kremlin, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ufa, Navalny

☆ Russia arrests U.S. citizen on drug dealing charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MOSCOW, June 11 (Reuters) - A U.S. musician and former paratrooper has been arrested in Moscow on drug dealing charges and his court appearance, locked in a metal cage, has been shown on state television. "The former paratrooper and a musician, who is accused of running a drug dealing business involving young people, will remain in custody until Aug. 6, 2023." The spokesperson did not say if U.S. officials had yet had consular access to Leake. When Leake initially came to Moscow, he worked as an English teacher and helped translate songs for Russian bands. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen, was arrested in March on espionage charges that he, the Journal and Washington deny.

Persons: Michael Travis Leake, REN, Leake, Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan, Washington, Evan Gershkovich, Guy Faulconbridge, Lidia Kelly, Edmund Klamann, Frances Kerry Organizations: Moscow's, Reuters, REN TV, State Department, U.S ., Street, Washington, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, U.S, Moscow, Russian, Moscow's Khamovniki, Leake, Russia's, Ukraine, United States, Russia, Washington, Melbourne

☆ Senegal: Death toll from deadly protests rises to 16 amid internet cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Many protesters also sustained injuries amid clashes for a third day with security forces, following Sonko’s sentencing. Security forces look at supporters of Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko during clashes after Sonko was sentenced to prison, in Dakar, Senegal, June 3, 2023. ArrestsMore than 500 people have been arrested, Senegalese Director of Public Security, Ibrahima Diop, in said a televised address late Sunday. People walk past a bus shelter shattered during clashes between supporters of Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and security forces, after Sonko was sentenced to prison in Dakar, Senegal June 3, 2023. Supporters of Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko clash with security forces after Sonko was sentenced to prison in Dakar, Senegal June 2, 2023.

Persons: Ousmane Sonko, Sonko, Zohra Bensemra, Reuters Sonko, Macky, Ibrahima Diop, “, ” Diop, Antoine Felix Abdoulaye Diome, Netblocks, Edward McAllister Organizations: CNN, Reuters, Public Security, Patriots, Senegalese, Amnesty Locations: Senegal, Dakar, Senegalese

"When you are in a punishment cell and don't have much entertainment, you can always amuse yourself by corresponding with the prison administration," Navalny said. The letters showed that Navalny asked for an eclectic range of items, including, variously, a bottle of moonshine, a balalaika, a staff, two pouches of cheap tobacco, a kimono and a black belt. "The question of awarding eastern martial arts qualifications is not handled by the administration," the prison wrote back on April 28. In response to Navalny's request for a permit to keep a kangaroo, the prison wrote: "The animal identified in your request relates to the double crested-marsupial... The prison wrote coldly that massage chairs were not provided.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Navalny, Nikolai Gogol, Guy Faulconbridge, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: IK, Karate, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Melekhovo, Moscow

[1/5] People put out burning barricades that were set on fire by supporters of Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, after Sonko was sentenced to prison in Dakar, Senegal June 1, 2023. Nine people were killed in clashes between riot police and Sonko supporters on Thursday after he was sentenced to two years for corrupting youth. The opposition says the verdict, which could prevent Sonko from running in elections next year, was politically motivated. Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar was the epicentre of Thursday's violence, with protesters setting buses alight and throwing rocks at riot police, who responded by firing tear gas. One student, Alioune Ndiaye, said he planned to travel hundreds of miles to his home in eastern Senegal to escape the violence.

Persons: Ousmane Sonko, Sonko, Abdou Karim Fofana, Cheikh, Alioune Ndiaye, Macky Sall, Sall, Mouhamad Diouf, Diouf, Adji Sarr, Cheikh Hann, Bate Felix, Cooper Inveen, Sofia Christensen, Anait, Edward McAllister, Angus MacSwan, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Army, Security, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Senegal, Dakar, DAKAR, Senegalese, West, Ouakam

☆ Alexei Navalny is amusing himself by demanding a kangaroo, nunchucks, and a bottle of moonshine from his penal colony wardens
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Kelly Mclaughlin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Alexey Navalny said he's amusing himself in prison by making demands to his penal colony wardens. Navalny said he has asked for moonshine, a kangaroo, a megaphone, and more. Navalny, who is serving 11-and-a-half years in a penal colony in Russia, said all of his requests have been denied so far. As for knowing the service dogs' names, Navalny said penal colony staff told him that if he learned their names, he could befriend them and "use that for an escape." As for his request for a kangaroo, Navalny said officials told him double-crested marsupials are "prohibited by the SHIZO."

Persons: Alexey Navalny, Navalny, Vladimir Putin, — Organizations: Service Locations: Russia

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