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☆ Russian soldiers are convinced that getting injured is the only way they can go home to their families, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Russian soldiers want to get injured as they see it as the only way to go home, Ukraine said. "Therefore, the invaders dream of being injured," Ukraine's National Resistance Center said. AdvertisementRussian soldiers fighting in Ukraine now see getting injured as their only chance to leave the front lines and go home to see their families, according to Ukraine. Ukraine's National Resistance Center said that many Russian soldiers have lost hope that they will be given time away from the front, as Russia doesn't have enough soldiers there. "Therefore, the invaders dream of being injured," it said.

Persons: — Organizations: Resistance Center, Service, Ukraine's, Business Locations: Ukraine, Russia

☆ Venezuelans approve takeover of oil-rich region of Guyana in referendum
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( David Shortell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Venezuelans voted by a wide margin Sunday to approve the takeover of an oil-rich region in neighboring Guyana – the latest escalation in a long-running territorial dispute between the two countries, fueled by the recent discovery of vast offshore energy resources. The area in question, the densely forested Essequibo region, amounts to about two-thirds of Guyana’s national territory and is roughly the size of Florida. Venezuela has long claimed the land, which it argues was within its borders during the Spanish colonial period. It dismisses an 1899 ruling by international arbitrators that set the current boundaries when Guyana was still a British colony, and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has cast the referendum in anti-imperialist sentiment on social media. Still, the escalating rhetoric has prompted troop movements in the region and saber-rattling in both countries, drawing comparisons from Guyanese leaders to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: Nicolas Maduro, Irfaan Ali, Robert Persaud, Maria Corina Machado, Maduro, ”, Phil Gunson Organizations: CNN, Guyana –, Venezuelan, Electoral Council, Guyanese, Court of Justice, International Crisis Locations: Guyana, Essequibo, Florida, Venezuelan, Venezuela, British, The Hague, Ukraine, Guyanese, Caracas

☆ A Venezuelan vote on an oil-rich region of Guyana raises concerns of a South American military conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( David Shortell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The area in question, the densely forested Essequibo region, amounts to about two-thirds of Guyana’s national territory and is roughly the size of Florida. The recent discovery of vast offshore oil fields in the region has heightened the stakes of the dispute. Venezuelans in Caracas take part in a rally during the closing of the campaign for the Essequibo referendum, on December 1. It owns the congress of Guyana,” Maduro told supporters last week. Matias Delacroix/APOn Wednesday, Brazil announced that it was increasing its military presence with “defensive actions” along its northern border with Venezuela and Guyana.

Persons: Nicolas Maduro, Miguel Gutierrez, Shutterstock, Robert Persaud, Venezuela doesn’t, Matias Delacroix, ” Maduro, Maria Corina Machado, Maduro, ”, Phil Gunson, Irfaan Ali, Paul J, Angelo, Wazim Mowla, Adrienne Arsht, Vladmir Putin’s, Bharrat Jagdeo, “, ” Jagdeo, ” Gunson Organizations: CNN, Quarterly, Court of Justice, UN, International Court of Justice, ExxonMobil, AP, International Crisis, Venezuelan, Foreign Relations, Caribbean Initiative, Atlantic, America, Crisis Locations: Guyana, Essequibo, Florida, Venezuela, British, Venezuelan, Caracas, Ukraine, Guyanese, The Hague, Guyana's, Paris, Guiana, Georgetown, AP Venezuela, ”, Demerara, Brazil, Crimea, that’s

☆ No current talks with Taliban, Afghanistan's Massoud says, promising guerrilla warfare
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Massoud, who operates from overseas, said the NRF had been forced to change tactics because it could not fight the well-equipped Taliban conventionally. Massoud dismissed any suggestion of returning to Afghanistan as part of a Taliban reintegration scheme of former officials. "Those people who left Afghanistan, they left for more than just house or a car. "If the Taliban announced that they accept elections, today we all can return because this is what we want." The most recent elections in Afghanistan were held under the U.S.-backed administration which Taliban deposed in August 2021 when Western troops withdrew.

Persons: Ahmad Massoud, Ahmad Shah Massoud, Massoud, John Irish, Michael Perry Organizations: National Resistance, of, Taliban, U.S, Western, Thomson Locations: of Afghanistan, Soviet, Paris, France, PARIS, Afghan, Afghanistan, Panjshir, Kabul, Ukraine

☆ Afghanistan women's volleyball team fumes at training conditions in Hangzhou
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HANGZHOU, China, Sept 24 (Reuters) - The Afghanistan women's volleyball team has lamented training conditions at the Asian Games and are concerned they will not be ready for an event where they are participating in defiance of the country's Taliban rulers. I don't know why they can't have training for an hour or two when they have all these facilities. Malakzai said they had been allocated one training session two days before the women's competition starts on Saturday. Hangzhou Games organisers and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) did not immediately respond to requests for comment. With the backing of the OCA and the International Olympic Committee, Afghanistan's exiled national Olympic committee has sent 17 women to compete in athletics, cycling and volleyball at Hangzhou.

Persons: Khushal Malakzai, Malakzai, Afghanistan's, Ian Ransom, Hugh Lawson Organizations: volleyball, Asian Games, Reuters, Hangzhou Games, Olympic Council of Asia, OCA, International Olympic Committee, Olympic, Thomson Locations: HANGZHOU, China, Afghanistan, Hangzhou

☆ Ukraine's drones rain leaflets on occupied territory telling its citizens to boycott Putin's 'election farce'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Resistance efforts have included blowing up a polling station and mass distributing leaflets via drones calling on people to ignore the elections. Russia is holding elections this weekend in occupied Ukrainian territories, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Crimea, The Guardian reports. Interventions to sabotage the elections have included Ukraine's Security Service blowing up a polling station in Zaporizhzhia with drones. AdvertisementAdvertisement"Elections here ended prematurely," a Security Service of Ukraine source told the Kyiv Post. AdvertisementAdvertisementAt least 3,000 Ukrainians in the Zaporizhzhia region are said to be implicated in helping Russians with the pseudo-elections, The Kyiv Post cites from authorities.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Andriy Yusov Organizations: of Europe, Service, Kyiv, Guardian, Kyiv Independent, Ukraine's Security Service, Security Service, Armed Forces, National Resistance Center of, of, Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UN Charter, National Resistance Center, Main Intelligence Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Crimea, Russian, Kyiv, National Resistance Center of Ukraine, Tokmak, of Europe

“They just come and say ‘vote.’ So people vote,” Baska told CNN. “Here, when you buy a SIM card for your phone, you immediately get an SMS from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and United Russia Party,” Baska said. The text messages carry pro-Kremlin messaging, informing voters that “about 90% of voters are ready to vote for Yedianaya Rossiya (United Russia),” or that “United Russia is helping Zaporizhzhia region,” she added. Guerrilla activity by Ukrainian partisans has taken place but is more difficult to achieve now, Baska told CNN. ‘Nothing to do with democracy’Few residents in Melitopol are interested in the bogus elections taking place, Baska told CNN.

Persons: ”, Alexander Ermochenko, ” Baska, Yedianaya Rossiya, ’, Vladimir Putin’s, “, Jens Stoltenberg, Baska, Melitopol, …, Republic Denis Pushilin, Yuriy Sobolevskyi, ” Sobolevskyi Organizations: CNN, Communist, National Resistance Center, Ministry of Internal Affairs, United Russia Party, Kremlin, “, NRC, Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, of, NATO, Yale Humanitarian Research, United Russia, Russian, Russian Guard Locations: Melitopol, Ukrainian, Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, United Russia, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Luhansk, Kyiv, of Europe, ”, Mariupol, Crimea, Republic

☆ A Ukrainian group says it's wreaking havoc on Russian occupiers, from directing missile strikes to trolling them with the national anthem
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A secretive Ukrainian group detailed its acts of sabotage against Russian occupiers in Ukraine. The National Resistance Center aims to inflict psychological pressure on Russian troops. The group, the National Resistance Center, is run by Ukraine's special forces. Per Ostap, NRC members tipped off the Ukrainian military about the gathering, enabling them to launch an attack with the US-provided HIMARS missile system. The NRC spokesperson said their aim is to inflict psychological pressure on the Russian military.

Persons: Ostap Organizations: National Resistance Center, Service, Kyiv Post, NRC, Nazi, Allies, CNN Locations: Ukrainian, Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Kyiv

Ukraine’s National Resistance Center — an official body — claimed Tuesday that the construction of another camp to host Wagner Group fighters has begun in the Zyabrovka Air Base in Belarus. “On the border with Ukraine, in the village of Zyabrovka in the Republic of Belarus, a new camp for 'Wagner' PMC mercenaries is being built,” the center said on its website. Zyabrovka is located near Gomel in southeastern Belarus, about 40 kilometers from the border with Ukraine's Chernihiv region. The camp can house around 1,000 personnel, the center said, and it looks like a tent city. Moscow used Belarusian territory to facilitate its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, strengthening ties between President Vladimir Putin and Lukashenko.

Persons: —, Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Wagner’s, Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko, ” Organizations: Resistance Center, Wagner Group, Zyabrovka, Base, PMC, “, CNN, Ukraine, NATO Locations: Belarus, “, Ukraine, Zyabrovka, Republic of Belarus, Chernihiv, Gomel, Ukraine's Chernihiv, Russia, Moscow, Poland, Europe, Warsaw, Belarusian

☆ Ukraine released footage of a HIMARS strike on Russians gathering out in the open on a beach, saying it took out 200 troops
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine on Tuesday published footage of a HIMARS strike on Russian units deployed to a sandbank. The clip appears to show soldiers stretching and exercising, as well as lining up in the open. Ukraine said it caused 200 casualties at Dzharylhach island, which is reported to be a training ground. The outlet reported that 200 Russian soldiers "were lost," though it's unclear how many died or were injured. On July 23, US-based defense think tank The Institute for Study of War wrote that Russian forces had "recently established training grounds on Dzharylhach Island."

Persons: Ukraine's Organizations: Service, Resistance Center, Facebook, EuroMaidan Press, Study, Ukrainian, Russian, HIMARS, Washington, National Resistance Center, Russia's Defense Ministry Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Kherson, Russian

☆ A large group of Russian troops violated 'military operations 101' and paid the price in a deadly Ukrainian HIMARS strike, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukraine said it launched a deadly HIMARS attack on five Russian units gathered on a beach. Russia seriously misjudged its soldiers' proximity to Ukrainian HIMARS, two experts told Insider. Ukraine on Tuesday said it launched a HIMARS attack on five Russian units gathered on a beach resulting in 200 casualties and destroyed equipment. A Ukrainian official in June confirmed reports from a Russian military blogger that Russian soldiers were hit by Ukrainian HIMARS while standing still for two hours for a commander's speech, rendering them sitting ducks. "At a basic tactical level, we can see the Russian military is learning from its mistakes," Miles said.

Persons: Simon Miles, Miles, Mark Cancian, Cancian Organizations: Service, The Institute, Resistance Center, Ukrainian Army, Facebook, Duke University's Sanford School of Public, Soviet Union, US Marine Corps, Center for Strategic, Studies, Artillery Rocket Systems, Ukrainian National Resistance Center, Russian, Resistance Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Wall, Silicon, Russian, Kherson, Soviet, Moscow

☆ Israeli minister says protests may affect judicial overhaul drive
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] People demonstrate on the 'Day of National Resistance' in protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his nationalist coalition government's judicial overhaul, in Tel Aviv, Israel July 18, 2023. REUTERS/Nir EliasJERUSALEM, July 19 (Reuters) - The Israeli government could rethink its polarising drive to overhaul the judiciary if there is a major escalation in protests, a cabinet minister said on Wednesday, in a signal of pliability as Washington tries to close ranks with its ally. Netanyahu confidant Culture Minister Miki Zohar offered rare acknowledgement of the impact of six-month-old demonstrations, which surged in March after the premier fired Israel's defence minister for openly voicing worry at the impact on the military. He declared those fruitless last month, and revived the bill limiting Supreme Court powers to void some government decisions. Proponents of the change pursued by Netanyahu's religious-nationalist coalition say the Supreme Court has become too interventionist and that the change will facilitate effective governance.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Nir Elias JERUSALEM, Joe Biden, Tzachi Hanegbi, Netanyahu, Miki Zohar, Yoav Gallant's, Zohar, Kan, Israel Hayom, Ari Rabinovitch, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: of, Israeli, REUTERS, Washington, U.S, National Security, Netanyahu's, Ben Gurion, Israel, Defence Ministry, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel

☆ Thousands rally, block highways as final vote on Israeli judicial bill looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Thousands poured onto the streets in rallies across the country, many waving Israeli flags, and police reported at least a half-dozen highways had been blocked. Dozens entered the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, tossing fake banknotes as symbols of corruption. [1/3]People demonstrate on the 'Day of National Resistance' in protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his nationalist coalition government's judicial overhaul, in Tel Aviv, Israel July 18, 2023. A group describing itself as military reservists opposed to the judicial overhaul attempted to block the entrance to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in Tel Aviv. Still, the coalition looked set to bring the bill to the plenum on Sunday for final votes before the July 30 recess.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu's, Netanyahu, Jonathan Eran Kali, Kali, Bezalel Smotrich, Benjamin Netanyahu, Corinna Kern, Herzi Halevi, Halevi, Noam Sohlberg, Dan Williams, Conor Humphries Organizations: Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, Reuters, Finance, of, Israeli, REUTERS, Israel Defence Forces, Thomson Locations: TEL AVIV, Tel Aviv, Israel

☆ Russia is withholding meds, including insulin, from Ukrainians in occupied territories if they refuse to get a Russian passport
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainians in occupied Zaporizhzhia are unable to get basic subsidized meds without a Russian passport, Ukraine says. This follows the alleged blocking of medical care in several other occupied towns. Last June, Russian passports were handed out in Melitopol and Kherson, which were among the first cities to be captured in Russia's full-scale invasion. Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the move "a gross violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity." This was followed by a widely-condemned series of referenda on Russianizing the occupied regions, leading up to Putin's declaration, last September, that there were "four new regions of Russia."

Persons: Putin, Hanna Maliar Organizations: Service, Russian, National Resistance Center, Russia's Ministry of Defense, Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UK's Ministry of Defense, Geneva Convention Locations: Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Melitopol, Kherson, Russia's, Ukraine's, Russian, Geneva

☆ Wagner mercenaries entering Belarus as Minsk announces 'road map' for joint military drills
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

A fighter from Russian Wagner mercenary group conducts training for Belarusian soldiers on a range near the town of Osipovichi, Belarus July 14, 2023 in this still image taken from handout video. Separately, a spokesperson for Ukraine's State Border Guard Service said Saturday that the force also had observed "some groups" of Wagner fighters crossing from Russia into Belarus. The Belarusian Defense Ministry said in an online statement late Friday that it had developed a "road map" with Wagner's management for joint training exercises drills by the nation's military personnel and the private mercenaries. Earlier Friday, the Defense Ministry said that Wagner fighters had begun training Belarusian soldiers. Prigozhin had accused the senior Russian military leadership for months of bungling the war in Ukraine and starving his troops of ammunition.

Persons: Russian Wagner, Wagner, Belaruski Hajun, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, couldn't, Andriy Demchenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, Putin, denigrate Prigozhin Organizations: country's Defense Ministry, Russian, The Associated Press, Lukashenko, AP, Ukraine's, for National Resistance, State Border Guard Service, Ukrainska Pravda, Belarusian Defense Ministry, Defense Ministry, General Staff, Russia's Kommersant Locations: Russian, Osipovichi, Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Minsk, Moscow, Rostov, Prigozhin

☆ Analysis: Mutiny lays bare prospect for Putin of 'forever war' in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

But current and former officials in Kyiv say the mutiny offered a startling glimpse into the strain the Russian political system is under. It revealed that Russian reserve forces were so thin they struggled to respond to the threat. A war stretching many more months and possibly years would inevitably mean more deaths and wounded on each side. U.S. officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said much remained unclear, including why Russian forces did not do more to halt Wagner's advance. A senior Central European diplomat said they saw "no immediate effect on the war" from Prigozhin's aborted mutiny.

Persons: Wagner, Stringer, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner, Andriy Zagorodniuk, Putin, Prigozhin's Wagner, Zagorodniuk, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Dmytro Kuleba, Mykhailo Podolyak, Voldomyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Pavel Polityuk, Andrew Gray, Phil Stewart, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Southern Military District, REUTERS, Reuters, Central, National Resistance Centre, Airborne Assault Division, Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, KYIV, Ukraine, Belarus, Kyiv, Moscow, Russia's, Russian, hurtling, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Brussels, Washington

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Ukraine says children abducted by Russia; 'unprecedented' security measures taken for Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Ukraine's National Resistance Center said 150 children were taken on June 8 from the Russian-occupied Luhansk region of Ukraine to facilities on Russian territory, where 750 Ukrainian children were expected to arrive this month. Kyiv says nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children have been abducted by Russia, something that Washington has warned constitutes a war crime. NBC has not been able to verify the situation on the ground. Russia is ramping up security for an annual economic forum in St. Petersburg where President Vladimir Putin is set to speak on Friday. Meanwhile, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has arrived in Kyiv with an African peace mission to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Cyril Ramaphosa, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Resistance Center, NBC, South Locations: Russian, Luhansk, Ukraine, Russia, Washington, St . Petersburg, Kyiv

☆ Russia is forcing Ukrainian mechanics to fix its busted military gear because Russians don't know how to, Ukraine officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia is forcing Ukrainians to fix outdated and broken military equipment, Ukraine claims. Russia lacks mechanics who have the skills necessary to fix the equipment up, officials said. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry's National Resistance Center said in a statement that Russian forces are bringing aged military equipment back into service, but "lack mechanics who can repair damaged or outdated vehicles." President Vladimir Putin admitted Tuesday that his forces don't have enough "high-precision ammunition, communications equipment, aircraft, drones, and so on." In its statement, the National Resistence Center urged Ukrainians living under Russian occupation not to comply with any repair orders from Russian forces.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Bradley Organizations: Service, Russian, Ukrainian Defense Ministry's National Resistance Center, National Resistence Center Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian

☆ Museveni says Uganda won't be swayed after anti-LGBTQ law triggers aid cut threats
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

His comments were the first since he signed the bill into law, triggering widespread Western criticism including threats by U.S. President Joe Biden and others to cut aid to Uganda and impose other sanctions. If you try to recruit people into a disorientation, then we go for you. And that one I totally support, and I will support.”The law also imposes a life sentence for same-sex intercourse and a 20-year sentence for promotion of homosexuality. Firms including media and non-governmental organisations that knowingly promote LGBTQ activity will also incur harsh fines, the law says. Homosexuality was already illegal in the conservative and highly religious East African country, and homosexuals faced ostracism and harassment by security forces.

Persons: Pres Museveni, Yoweri Museveni, Joe Biden, Museveni, George Obulutsa, Hugh Lawson Organizations: U.S, Resistance Movement, Thomson Locations: Uganda KAMPALA, Uganda

☆ Eyeball to eyeball: Estonia stares down Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Jill Dougherty | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

It sits high on the western bank of the Narva River, its 13th-century castle proudly flying the blue, black and white flag of Estonia. We think we know roughly what makes them tick.”Like parts of Ukraine, Estonia was illegally annexed and occupied by the Soviet Union. Estonians at the conference were adamant: Unless Russia is utterly defeated in Ukraine, there is no reason to expect Putin will change his strategic objective. Jill Dougherty/CNNSeveral Russians at the conference said they feel personally responsible for the horrors Russia is unleashing on Ukraine. What’s more, Vladimir Putin is winning support for the war from so-called “swing states” and nations in the Global South.

CNN —Uganda’s parliament has passed an amended version of the controversial Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 on Tuesday. Under the new proposed bill, homosexual conduct will still be illegal, but identifying as homosexual without conducting in homosexual acts will not be outlawed. The new bill has made amendments to distinguish between those who identify or appear to be LGBTQ+ and those who actually engage in homosexual acts. Sign it or veto itThe bill will now be returned to President Museveni who will decide whether to sign it into law or veto it. Scientists and academics had urged Museveni to veto the bill, which has been widely condemned by Western nations and human rights organizations.

☆ Russia Tightens Restrictions in Occupied Regions of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Marc Santora | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Residents waiting for buses in Russian-controlled Mariupol, Ukraine, in December. Russian counterintelligence operatives are restricting travel in occupied areas of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials. KYIV, Ukraine — As Ukrainian forces step up their assaults behind enemy lines ahead of an expected counteroffensive, Russia is imposing stricter measures on civilians in occupied areas of Ukraine, Ukrainian officials say. The Ukrainian General Staff, which is responsible for the country’s overall military strategy, said “the violent abduction of pro-Ukrainian civilians” in occupied areas was continuing and that there were signs more civilians could be detained. In a reflection of the dangers facing Russian occupiers themselves, both Ukrainian and Russian officials reported an assassination attempt on the Kremlin-appointed deputy head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on Tuesday.

☆ Uganda's president sends anti-LGBTQ bill back to parliament for 'strengthening'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni speaks during a Reuters interview at his farm in Kisozi settlement of Gomba district, in the Central Region of Uganda, January 16, 2022. REUTERS/Abubaker LubowaKAMPALA, April 20 (Reuters) - Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni supports a bill containing some of the world's harshest anti-LGBTQ legislation but will send it back to parliament for "strengthening", the ruling party's chief whip said. A group of lawmakers from Museveni's National Resistance Movement (NRM) discussed the bill with the president and agreed in principle to make it law, chief whip Denis Hamson Obua said. Obua said Museveni would hold a meeting on Tuesday with parliament's legal and parliamentary affairs committee to draft the amendments. Western governments suspended aid, imposed visa restrictions and curtailed security cooperation in response to the law Museveni signed in 2014.

☆ 'I screamed so loud, I blacked out': Afghans tell of the Taliban's return to their old torture playbook
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Zahid Mahmood | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

"There were about 12 Taliban members surrounding me, they tied me to a chair and started beating me from all sides," Zafri told CNN. He added: "I screamed so loud, I blacked out because of the trauma." Fereshta Abbasi, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, told CNN that, since the Taliban's comeback, a local journalist told her how bleak the media landscape is, threatening free speech. "Freedom of speech and media in Afghanistan was one of the country's biggest achievements, which has now unfortunately gone." Meanwhile, Zafri remains stuck in Afghanistan despite repeated attempts to leave following his detention and torture by the Taliban.

☆ US-trained Afghan commandos are fighting in Ukraine. Some are there for the pay. Others are there for revenge.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Antonio Giustozzi | World Politics Review | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Afghan commandos who fled the Taliban are being recruited to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine. Former Afghan commandos in Iran that I spoke to largely confirm the rumors, though I found less evidence to support the claim of Wagner's role. After the Taliban takeover, only about 1,000 Afghan commandos were evacuated to the US, while a few others made it to Europe and Turkey. Afghan special forces in Kunduz City. A US Special Forces soldier patrols with Afghan Commandos.

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