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And it has also helped to placate Tuareg-led rebels in northern Mali who halted their separatist uprising with the 2015 Algiers Accord. Mali, Russia and Wagner deny wrongdoing in Moura or targeting civilians anywhere in Mali. RESTRICTIONSMINUSMA launched in 2013 after the separatist rebels and al Qaeda-linked insurgents occupied northern Mali. Bamako and the Kremlin say Russian troops, not Wagner mercenaries, are present in Mali but only to train the army and supply equipment. As a result, MINUSMA has struggled to counter a tide of anti-U.N. posts online, losing the battle for public opinion in Mali.

Persons: Wagner, Ahmedou Ould, Abdallah, MINUSMA, General Antonio Guterres, Abdoulaye Diop, U.N, Fatoumata Sinkoun Kaba, Souleymane Dembelé, Ulf Laessing, Konrad Adenauer, Ould Mohamed Ramdane, Ramdane, Yvan Guichaoua, Friedrich, Ebert, Edward McAllister, David Lewis, Tiemoko Diallo, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Wagner Group, Islamic, CMA, Malian Foreign, Security, Reuters, El, Kremlin, French, Department of Peace, UN, U.S, Thomson Locations: DAKAR, NAIROBI, Russian, West Africa, Gao, Timbuktu, Mali, Algiers, Bamako, Islamic State, al Qaeda, Mauritanian, Sahel, Moura, Russia, U.N, Burkina Faso, Niger, Central African Republic, United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, France, Egypt, Brussels, U.S, Dakar, Nairobi

☆ Biden’s New Iran Nuclear Courtship
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Walter Russell Mead, Israel, Mark Kelly Organizations: AP, AFP, Getty Locations: Iran

☆ Mali asks United Nations to withdraw peacekeeping force
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

NEW YORK, June 16 (Reuters) - Mali's interim military authorities on Friday asked for a United Nations peacekeeping force to leave "without delay", citing a "crisis of confidence" between Malian authorities and the decade-long U.N. mission known as MINUSMA. MINUSMA was deployed by the U.N. Security Council in 2013 to support foreign and local efforts to restore stability. "This situation is begetting mistrust among the Malian population and also causing a crisis of confidence between Malian authorities and MINUSMA," he said. Security Council members must adopt a resolution to extend MINUSMA's mandate by June 30. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recommended this month that the Security Council extend MINUSMA's mandate for a year, maintaining the current authorized strength of some 15,000 troops and police.

Persons: MINUSMA, Abdoulaye Diop, Wagner, Russia's U.N, Vassily Nebenzia, Nebenzia, Nicolas de Riviere, de Riviere, U.N, Antonio Guterres, Michelle Nichols, Bate Felix, Alessandra Prenticel, Frank Jack Daniel, Grant McCool Organizations: YORK, United Nations, West, . Security, Foreign, Security, UN, Thomson Locations: France, MINUSMA, Russia, China, United States, Britain, Mali, al Qaeda, State, Sahel, El

☆ South Africa's Ramaphosa arrives in Ukraine on African peace mission
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, June 16 (Reuters) - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in Ukraine on Friday as part of an African peace mission, the South African presidency said on Twitter. Ramaphosa is expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday and then travel to Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Saturday. The South African presidency posted footage of Ramaphosa arriving by train in the Bucha area near Kyiv after travelling via Poland. Along with Senegal President Macky Sall, Ramaphosa is heading a delegation including leaders from Zambia, the Comoros, and Egypt's prime minister. The peace mission could propose a series of "confidence building measures" during initial efforts at mediation, according to a draft framework document seen by Reuters.

Persons: Cyril Ramaphosa, Ramaphosa, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Vladimir Putin, Macky Sall, Putin, Pavel Polityuk, Timothy Organizations: Twitter, Ukrainian, Reuters, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, St Petersburg, Bucha, Kyiv, Poland, Russian, Senegal, Zambia, Comoros, Belarus

☆ U.S., Japan, Philippines discuss South China sea, North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, June 16 (Reuters) - The national security advisers of the United States, Japan and the Philippines on Friday discussed regional security issues and ways to strengthen the trilateral alliance, they said in a joint statement. It was the first meeting between White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and his counterparts, Akiba Takeo of Japan and Eduardo Ano of the Philippines. "The three (advisers) discussed a wide range of regional security challenges, including with respect to the South China Sea and the East China Sea, as well as North Korea. In addition, they reiterated the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," the joint statement said. Reporting by Susan Heavey and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Andrew CawthorneOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jake Sullivan, Akiba Takeo, Eduardo Ano, Susan Heavey, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: White House, Thomson Locations: United States, Japan, Philippines, South, East China, North Korea, Taiwan Strait

☆ Exclusive: African leaders to propose 'confidence building measures' to Russia, Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Summary African leaders travel to Ukraine and Russia Friday and SaturdayAiming to begin "diplomacy-led" process to resolve conflictAfrica hit hard by economic fallout of warJOHANNESBURG, June 15 (Reuters) - African leaders could propose a series of "confidence building measures" during their initial efforts to mediate in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, according to a draft framework document seen by Reuters on Thursday. "The conflict, as well as the sanctions placed on Russia by major trading partners of the (African) Continent, have had an adverse effect on African economies and livelihoods," it said. The document lists a number of measures that could be proposed by the African leaders as part of the first stage of their engagement with the warring parties. The African peace effort is just one of several competing initiatives aimed at ending the fighting. Among the measures that could be proposed by the African leaders in the first stage of their engagement was an "unconditional grain and fertiliser deal".

Persons: Macky Sall, Cyril Ramaphosa, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Antonio Guterres, Ramaphosa, It's, Guterres, Zelenskiy, Michelle Nichols, Tom Balmforth, Joe Bavier, Olivia Kumwenda, Mark Potter, Nick Macfie Organizations: Reuters, Ukrainian, Global, NATO, United, Johannesburg, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Africa, JOHANNESBURG, Senegal, Zambia, Comoros, Kyiv, St, Petersburg, Russian, Belarus, China, Moscow, United Nations, Turkey

☆ Many culprits stole food aid in north Ethiopia, investigation finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Giulia Paravicini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NAIROBI, June 15 (Reuters) - Regional and federal government officials as well as Eritrean soldiers were involved in the theft of food aid in northern Ethiopia's Tigray region, the head of an investigation by the Tigrayan authorities said on Thursday. The U.N. World Food Programme and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) paused food distribution last month in war-scarred Tigray because they said significant amounts of aid had been stolen. The two agencies then suspended food aid across all of Ethiopia last week for the same reason. An internal humanitarian memo said USAID believes food has been diverted to Ethiopian military units as part of a scheme orchestrated by federal and regional government entities. Ethiopia's army has denied its forces benefited from any stolen food aid.

Persons: General Fiseha Kidanu, Tigrai, Giulia Paravicini, Aaron Ross, Alex Richardson Organizations: Food, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, Ethiopian, WFP, Thomson Locations: NAIROBI, Ethiopia's Tigray, Tigray, Ethiopia

U.S. officials said Blinken would push to establish open communication channels to ensure competition with the Chinese does not spiral into conflict. Chinese state media said Blinken would visit on June 18 and 19. Kritenbrink said Blinken would hold a series of meetings with senior Chinese officials. The two sides did not say which officials Blinken would meet. "I believe Secretary Blinken will advocate strongly that these lines of communication are necessary.

Persons: Antony Blinken's, Qin Gang, Joe Biden, Blinken, We're, Daniel Kritenbrink, Kritenbrink, Xi Jinping, Matthew Miller, Xi, Kurt Campbell, Blinken's, Janet Yellen, Gina Raimondo, Campbell, Biden, Qin, Humeyra Pamuk, David Brunnstrom, Simon Lewis, Doina Chiacu, Chizu Nomiyama, William Maclean Organizations: Wednesday, U.S, Blinken, State, U.S . State Department, Washington, Treasury, Thomson Locations: United States, China, Beijing, U.S, East Asia, Taiwan, Ukraine, Blinken's, Bali, North Korea

☆ Germany to unveil first-ever National Security Strategy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BERLIN, June 13 (Reuters) - Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government is set to unveil Germany's first National Security Strategy on Wednesday which aims to provide an overview of the country's foreign policy and ensure a cohesive cross-ministry approach to security. Germany has had policy documents in the past addressing security but Scholz's three-way coalition agreed it wanted a more comprehensive strategy in its pact in November 2021. Scholz said Germany from now on would invest more than 2% of economic output on defence up from around 1.5% currently, after years of resisting pleas from NATO allies to do so - a pledge expected to be included in the National Security Strategy. The document is unlikely to go into Germany's policy on China at length, however, as the government is expected to publish a separate China strategy later this year. One of the most contentious issues was the idea of a National Security Council, which the government eventually abandoned due to disagreements over where it should be housed.

Persons: Olaf Scholz's, Germany's, Scholz, Nils Schmid, Mikko Huotari, Thorsten Benner, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Lincoln Organizations: Security, National Security, Scholz's Social, Mercator Institute for China Studies, Greens, National Security Council, Global Public Policy Institute, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Germany, Ukraine, Russia, China

Blinken's long-delayed visit is aimed at stabilizing relations between the world's two largest economies and strategic rivals. Chinese state media said Blinken would visit on June 18 and 19. Kritenbrink said Blinken would hold a series of meetings with senior Chinese officials. The two sides did not say which officials Blinken would meet. "I believe Secretary Blinken will advocate strongly that these lines of communication are necessary.

Persons: Antony Blinken's, Qin Gang, Joe Biden, Blinken, We're, Daniel Kritenbrink, Kritenbrink, Xi Jinping, Matthew Miller, Antony Blinken, Faisal Bin Farhan, Ahmed Yosri, Xi, Kurt Campbell, Blinken's, Janet Yellen, Gina Raimondo, Campbell, Biden, Qin, Humeyra Pamuk, David Brunnstrom, Simon Lewis, Doina Chiacu, Chizu Nomiyama, William Maclean Organizations: Wednesday, U.S, Blinken, State, U.S . State Department, Saudi Foreign, Intercontinental, REUTERS, Washington, Treasury, Thomson Locations: United States, China, Beijing, U.S, East Asia, Taiwan, Ukraine, Blinken's, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Bali, North Korea

☆ Germany Adopts a More Muscular Security Plan. Critics Call It ‘Weak.’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Steven Erlanger | Christopher F. Schuetze | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Haunted by its responsibility for World War II and Nazi tyranny, Germany embraced the pursuit of peace with the fervor of a convert. But on Wednesday, its government took an important step toward shedding that legacy as war once again transforms the European continent. For the first time since the world war ended, the government unveiled a comprehensive national security strategy meant to confront Germany’s vulnerability to new military, economic and geopolitical threats, including climate change. With the war in Ukraine in its 16th month, Chancellor Olaf Scholz touted the security plan as “a big, big change in the way we deal with security issues.” The goal, he said, is to combine foreign, domestic and economic priorities, and to increase spending on the military. The strategy was announced as a key part of the coalition agreement of the government when it took office in December 2021‌.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Scholz’s Locations: Germany, Ukraine, 2021‌

☆ Colombia and ELN guerrillas agree to six-month ceasefire
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Bogota, Colombia CNN —The Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) – one of the oldest and largest guerrilla groups still operating in the country – have agreed to implement a bilateral, six-month ceasefire starting on August 3. Cuba, Mexico, Norway, and Venezuela have acted as “guarantors” for the peace talks, as well as the United Nations and the Colombian Catholic church. The third round of peace negotiations between the Colombia's and the ELN in Havana on May 2, 2023. The ELN is still present in large swathes of the Colombian countryside and operates a military force of several thousand men according to military analysts and the Colombian military forces. Last week, Petro’s chief of staff Laura Sarabia and the Colombian ambassador to Venezuela, Armando Benedetti, both resigned amid mutual accusations of wiretapping.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, Miguel Diaz, guerre ‘ Antonio García, ”, Yamil Lage, ‘ Pablo Beltrán, ’, Ivan Duque, Petro, Laura Sarabia, Armando Benedetti Organizations: Colombia CNN, Colombian, National Liberation Army, Cuban, United Nations, Colombian Catholic, Getty, Revolutionary Armed Forces, FARC, European Union Locations: Bogota, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, Havana, Norway, AFP, Colombian, United States

☆ Iran Exploits Biden’s Fecklessness
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( John Bolton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

In an interview with 'Global View' columnist Walter Russell Mead, the Prime Minister of Israel pointed to developments in Iran, then queried what might happen should it become the first nuclear power run by radical Islam. The answer, he says, is to "expand the circle of peace." Images: Reuters/AP/AFP via Getty Images Composite: Mark KellyIran is steadily eviscerating the political and economic constraints the U.S. has marshalled against it. Tehran’s unprecedented coordination with the Beijing-Moscow axis has converged with President Biden’s apparent disdain for key Middle East allies, his obsession with reviving the 2015 nuclear deal and his lax sanctions enforcement. We now face geostrategic realignment and instability in the region as well as more terrorism and nuclear proliferation around the world.

Persons: Walter Russell Mead, Israel, Mark Kelly Iran, Biden’s Organizations: AP, AFP, Getty Locations: Iran, Beijing, Moscow

☆ Hundreds of activists packed Atlanta's City Hall to protest 'Cop City', but lawmakers approved $67 million in funding for it anyway
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( R.J. Rico | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Hundreds of activists packed Atlanta's City Hall to protest the funding of "Cop City." But the City Council approved $67 million in funding for the police training center anyway. Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via APThe training center was approved by the City Council in September 2021 but required an additional vote for more funding. Though more than 220 people spoke publicly against the training center, a small handful voiced support, saying they trusted Dickens' judgment. Protestors gather in the atrium of Atlanta City Hall to protest the proposed police training center on Monday, June 5, 2023.

Persons: —, Andre Dickens, Dickens, Jason Getz, Manuel Paez Terán, Matthew Johnson, Johnson, Arvin Temkar, Councilmembers, Natrice Miller, Sen, Raphael Warnock, Devin Franklin, Franklin, Sara McClintock, councilmembers, McClintock, It's Organizations: Council, Service, ATLANTA, Atlanta City Council, City Council, Atlanta Police Foundation's, Atlanta, Beloved Community, Protesters, Hall, Atlanta Police Foundation, Atlanta City Hall, AP, Atlanta Solidarity Fund, Prosecutors, Democratic, Civil Rights Movement, Southern, For Human, City Hall, Emory University Locations: Atlanta, DeKalb County, City

☆ Brazenly defending a Chinese warship buzzing an American destroyer in the Taiwan Strait, China's new defense minister tells the US: 'Mind your own business'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( David Rising | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

A Chinese warship overtook an American destroyer and sailed across its bow on Saturday. China's defense minister Gen. Li Shangfu said, "In China we always say, 'Mind your own business.'" Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu delivers his speech on the last day of the 20th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's annual defense and security forum, in Singapore, Sunday, June 4, 2023. He accused the US and others of "meddling in China's internal affairs" by providing Taiwan with defense support and training, and conducting high-level diplomatic visits. The sanctions, which broadly prevent Li from doing business in the United States, do not prevent him from holding official talks, American defense officials have said.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, Li Shangfu, —, Vincent Thian Li, Li, Austin, Roslan Rahman, Li scoffed, Vincent Thian Organizations: US, Service, Privacy Policy SINGAPORE, Washington, Pacific Command, US Air Force, Chinese Defense, 20th International, for Strategic Studies, AP, Getty, Russia, US Defense Department Locations: American, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Taiwan Strait, South, Canadian, Beijing, Chinese, South China, Austin, East, Ukraine, Moscow, United States, — China

[1/2] An Italian member of the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) looks on while standing guard in Leposavic, Kosovo, June 1, 2023. REUTERS/Ognen TeofilovskiBULBOACA, Moldova, June 1 (Reuters) - The presidents of Serbia and Kosovo insisted on Thursday they want to defuse a violent crisis in northern Kosovo but showed little sign of backing down from their opposing positions. Violence flared on Monday after Kosovo authorities, backed by special police units, installed ethnic Albanian mayors in offices in northern municipalities. But he said Kosovo authorities should withdraw "alleged mayors" from the north and declared the Kosovo special police units were there illegally. Vucic said he did not even know who was coming to the summit from Kosovo.

Persons: Serbia's Aleksandar Vucic, Vjosa Osmani, Osmani, Vucic, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Albin Kurti, Macron, Scholz, Jens Stoltenberg, Andrew Gray, Fatos Bytyci, Ivana Sekularac, Sabine Siebold, John Irish, Daria Sito, Edmund Blair Organizations: NATO, Kosovo Force, REUTERS, Kosovo, European, Political, Thomson Locations: Italian, Leposavic, Kosovo, BULBOACA, Moldova, Serbia, Belgrade, Moldovan, European Union, United States, Oslo

OSLO, June 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. will open its northernmost diplomatic station in the Norwegian Arctic town of Tromsoe, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday, at a time when cooperation among the Arctic nations has been hit by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "For us, the presence post in Tromsoe is really an ability to have a diplomatic footprint above the Arctic Circle," he said. It comprises the eight Arctic states of Russia, the United States, Canada, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Sweden and Denmark. Cooperation between the Western Arctic states and Moscow on the Arctic body is frozen since the invasion of Ukraine. "Our entire approach is to make sure that the Arctic remains an area of peaceful cooperation," he said.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Gwladys Fouche, Terje Solsvik, Sriraj Kalluvila, Mark Potter Organizations: Arctic Council, Cooperation, Thomson Locations: OSLO, U.S, Norwegian, Tromsoe, Ukraine, United States, American, Oslo, Norway, Russia, Canada, Finland, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Moscow

☆ Drone attacks that shook Moscow showed Russians they can no longer trust Putin to protect them, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Drones hit residential buildings in Moscow for the first time in its war with Ukraine. An expert said it "brought the war to the streets" for Russians and may shake their faith in Putin. People shelter inside a subway station during an air raid alert, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, May 29, 2023. Other recent attacks on Russian soil — which Ukraine has also said were not its responsibility — have been closer to Ukrainian territory. Moscow is the capital of Russia, which perceives itself as a great country, rightly or wrongly."

[1/2] An ambulance and firefighting vehicles are parked outside a multi-storey apartment block following a reported drone attack in Moscow, Russia, May 30, 2023. Drone attacks deep inside Russia have intensified in recent weeks, with strikes on oil pipeline installations and even the Kremlin earlier this month that Moscow has blamed on Ukraine. Some filmed a drone being shot down and a plume of smoke rising over the Moscow skyline. MOSCOW UNDER ATTACKIt was unclear how President Vladimir Putin will react to the attack on Moscow, which brings the war in Ukraine to the capital of the world's biggest nuclear power. Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the Moscow region, said on the Telegram channel that several drones were shot down on their approach to Moscow.

☆ Kosovo tensions: Why did ethnic Serbs attack NATO peacekeepers?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Dozens of NATO peacekeepers were injured after they were attacked by ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo, during protests over the installation of ethnically Albanian mayors. More than a decade on, these municipalities have not been created, leaving disputes over the degree of autonomy for Kosovo’s Serbs to fester. Valdrin Xhemaj/ReutersFearing potential violence, Kosovo’s central election commission changed plans to put voting booths in local schools, instead setting up mobile huts patrolled by NATO peacekeepers. Of these, more than 16,000 are ethnic Serbs – with only around 500 ethnic Albanians. The peacekeeping mission said that it had increased its presence in northern Kosovo after the newly elected ethnically Albanian mayors took office in majority Kosovo Serb areas.

☆ Ukraine peace plan is only way to end Russia's war, says Zelenskiy aide
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

He pushed back on a flurry of peace initiatives from China, Brazil, the Vatican and South Africa in recent months. "There cannot be a Brazilian peace plan, a Chinese peace plan, a South African peace plan when you are talking about the war in Ukraine," Zhovkva said in an interview late on Friday. Zelenskiy made a major push to court the Global South this month in response to peace moves from some of its members. Moscow has bolstered ties with Global South powers during the war in Ukraine, including by selling more of its energy to India and China. 'PEACE SUMMIT'Zhovkva said the reaction to Ukraine's 10-point peace plan had been extremely positive at the G7 summit.

☆ Analysis: China says it wants peace in Ukraine, but is it only on Russia's terms?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But Li’s trip has also laid bare the divisions between China and Europe when it comes to how peace can be reached — and served to underline Beijing’s close alignment with Moscow. As such, that’s “not on the table for China,” Tsang said. That stance has horrified much of Europe, and Li’s tour comes as China has been attempting to repair relations there. “No one will do anything against us behind Ukraine’s back, because we have built trusting relationships with all our key partners,” he added. “The crucial question is what message from Europe — Kyiv, Warsaw, Berlin, Paris, and Brussels — Li will deliver in Moscow and Beijing,” he said.

☆ China says it will make efforts for political solution to Ukraine crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, May 27 (Reuters) - China will make concrete efforts for a political solution to the Ukraine crisis, the Chinese foreign ministry quoted special envoy Li Hui as saying on Saturday. China has always adhered to an objective and fair position on Ukraine, argued for peace and promoted talks, Li was quoted as telling Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Li's visit to Russia was the final stop in a multi-country tour that Beijing said was aimed at discussing a "political settlement" to the Ukraine crisis. Li said China will strengthen exchanges and dialogues with all parties, including Russia, according to the readout from the foreign ministry. Reporting by Ella Cao and Bernard Orr; Editing by Kim Coghill and Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Colombia’s Peace-Whisperer Makes Plenty of Enemies
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Silvana Paternostro | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

CARTAGENA, Colombia — For a champion of peace, Leyner Palacios faces a lot death threats. The latest menacing message came in February, when Mr. Palacios, 47, was warned he had 12 hours to leave the region where he was born on Colombia’s Pacific Coast, and to “never come back.”The last time he had received a similar warning, in March 2020, one of his bodyguards was killed. So Mr. Palacios, who served on Colombia’s Truth Commission, announced on Twitter he was going into hiding for a while. “I do not want them to see my coffin full of my unjustly murdered body,” he wrote. “I have understood that the threat is the door to the cemetery.”The 11-member commission spent four years investigating every aspect of Colombia’s conflict, which was fought between government forces, left-wing guerrillas and right-wing paramilitary groups from 1958 to 2016.

☆ Opinion | Eric Adams and the Migrants in New York
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For a country that welcomed us, embraced us (literally and figuratively) and displayed such warmth and hospitality to each of us, it is heartbreaking and painful to read this piece. The Afghan people gave to each of us far more than we ever could have ever imagined. Jonathan GreenburgNorth Caldwell, N.J.To the Editor:I understand the impulse to pin the human tragedy for many Afghans on the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. I’m so sorry that Taiba and her family, featured in your article, and so many other Afghans are paying the terrible human cost. How about if next year the U.S. government owns up to its mistakes and welcomes 250,000 Afghans?

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