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Russia is ‘cracking’ after Wagner rebellion, EU’s top diplomat says

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:20:11 GMT

LUXEMBOURG — Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner Group mutiny, which briefly put Russia on the brink of civil war on Saturday, exposed the weaknesses of President Vladimir Putin’s system, the EU’s chief diplomat said Monday.“What has happened during this weekend shows that the war against Ukraine is cracking Russian power and affecting its political system,” Josep Borrell said at a meeting of the bloc’s foreign affairs ministers in Luxembourg.“The monster that Putin created with Wagner is biting him now, the monster is acting against its creator,” Borrell added.Troops from Prigozhin’s Wagner paramilitary group on Saturday rose up against the Russian military establishment, seizing Rostov-on-Don, a major city near the Ukrainian border that is also home to Russia’s Ukraine invasion headquarters.The insurrection ended Saturday evening after a deal was reached between the Kremlin, Minsk and Wagner under which Prigozhin would leave for B...

‘The people are silent’: The main reason the Wagner mutiny bodes ill for Putin

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:20:11 GMT

WASHINGTON — With a deal reportedly worked out by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the Wagner mutiny appears to be over. The commander and owner of the “private military company,” Yevgeny Prigozhin, promised to turn the troops back to the Ukrainian border, while he himself was reportedly going into exile in Belarus.What Prigozhin called the March for Justice is likely to be remembered not so much for the actual military operation as for what it revealed about Russia. Like a powerful searchlight, the 48-hour rebellion illuminated the murky innards of the Putin regime including the military’s divided allegiances, the seeming hollowness of the people’s support for the regime and, by extension, the regime’s shaky legitimacy. The images — of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a famous night owl, addressing the nation in a dark suit and tie early on a Saturday morning; of mangled Russian helicopters felled by Wagner forces; and of residents of Rostov-on-Don jeering local police a...

Two pro-government ethnic militia units in eastern Myanmar shift loyalty to resistance movement

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:20:11 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Units of an ethnic militia in eastern Myanmar’s Kayah state that is nominally part of the military have switched sides, allying themselves with the country’s pro-democracy movement to carry out attacks in recent weeks on army outposts and a police station, members of the area’s resistance movement say.The two Border Guard Forces units in Kayah are believed to be the first military-affiliated militia units to change sides since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.The takeover was met with peaceful nationwide protests, but after security forces cracked down with lethal force many local armed resistance groups formed and have been loosely organized into what is called the People’s Defense Force. They have allied themselves with some major ethnic guerrilla groups in border regions around the country that have carried out armed struggle for decades, seeking greater autonomy.Kayah, which is the smallest of Myanmar’s s...

5 killed in Kenya as concerns grow over increasing terror attacks

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:20:11 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Five people have been killed a Kenyan border village, fueling concerns that such attacks are increasing after a decline. The weekend attack raises the death toll over the last month to more than 30 people — including soldiers, police reservists and civilians.In Saturday’s attack in the coastal Lamu county, four of the victims had their throats slit and one was shot at close range, ((according to local police.))Correct The officials said about 30 attackers also torched houses in the village and stole food.The village borders Witu Forest, where al-Shabab militants have created hideouts and held abductees.Lamu County has been attacked two other times in the last two weeks, with both incidents targeting Kenya Defense Forces running a security operation in the area and leaving four of them dead.In Kenya’s north, Mandera, Wajir and Garissa counties have seen several attacks this month in which more than 10 people – including soldiers, police reservi...

Oil spill from Shell pipeline fouls farms and a river in a long-polluted part of Nigeria

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:20:11 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A new oil spill at a Shell facility in Nigeria has contaminated farmland and a river, upending livelihoods in the fishing and farming communities in part of the Niger Delta, which has long endured environmental pollution caused by the oil industry.The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, or NOSDRA, told The Associated Press that the spill came from the Trans-Niger Pipeline operated by Shell that crosses through communities in the Eleme area of Ogoniland, a region where the London-based energy giant has faced decadeslong local pushback to its oil exploration. The volume of oil spilled has not been determined, but activists have published images of polluted farmland, water surfaces blighted by oil sheens and dead fish mired in sticky crude.While spills are frequent in the region due to vandalism from oil thieves and a lack of maintenance to pipelines, according to the U.N. Environmental Program, activists call this a “major one.”It is “one of the wor...

Stock market today: Asian shares mixed, oil prices gain after armed rebellion quelled in Russia

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:20:11 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares fell Monday after a short-lived armed rebellion in Russia added to uncertainties over the war in Ukraine. Benchmarks declined in Tokyo, Sydney Hong Kong and Shanghai, but rose in Seoul.The rebellion by mercenary soldiers who briefly took over a Russian military headquarters on an ominous march toward Moscow was over. But the brief weakened President Vladimir Putin just as his forces were facing a fierce counteroffensive in Ukraine. Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner troops were some of Russia’s most effective fighters in Ukraine. Their aborted takeover of the capital also left their fate uncertain.Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 lost nearly 0.3% to finish at 32,698.81. South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.5% to 2,582.20. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was down 0.2% to 18,853.18, while the Shanghai Composite, reopening after a holiday, dropped 1.5% to 3,150.62. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.3% to 7,078.70. Wall Street marked its first losing week in the last ...

Trudeau in Iceland and Toronto votes: A look at what’s In The News for today

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:20:11 GMT

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed on what you need to know today.Day two in Iceland for the P.M. Sweden’s bid to join the NATO military alliance will be discussed today at a meeting of Nordic leaders in Iceland, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in attendance.Trudeau is scheduled to meet privately with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on the sidelines of the annual Nordic leaders’ summit, which Canada’s leader is attending as a guest.The two-day event follows a weekend of military chaos in Russia and comes just ahead of the annual NATO leaders’ summit scheduled for mid-July in Lithuania.The Nordic nations have all backed Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s invasion.Toronto votes on next mayorPolls are set to open today as Toronto voters elect the next mayor of Canada’s most populous city, capping a hotly contested byelection campaign to replace scandal-departed John Tory. ItR...

Essentials for the Hajj: From sun hats to shoe bags, a guide to gear for the Muslim pilgrimage

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:20:11 GMT

MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Straw hats, cross-body bags, and collapsible chairs: These are just some of the essentials Muslims bring to the Hajj pilgrimage.Spiritually, the five-day Hajj is awe-inspiring for the faithful, an experience they say brings them closer to God and to the entire Muslim world.Physically, it’s grueling. Pilgrims walk outdoors for hours in broiling heat around holy sites in Mecca and the surrounding desert. They are caught in unimaginable and overwhelming crowds, all trying to get to the same place. Barriers directing the traffic mean that if you miss your turn, you might walk hours more to get where you want to be.So the more than 2 million pilgrims don’t just learn the complicated rules of how to properly perform the rituals, which began Monday. They also pick up helpful hints and tricks of the trade to get by, learned from other hajjis — as those who have completed the pilgrimage are known.Here’s a look at what they say is essential gear.WHAT TO WEARDress fo...

New Zealand leader’s plane so prone to breakdowns he takes a backup on China trip

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:20:11 GMT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The United States has Air Force One, a plane that can refuel in midair and act as a presidential command center. New Zealand has Betty, an aging Boeing 757 that officials on Monday acknowledged was so prone to breakdowns they had sent an empty backup to ensure Prime Minister Chris Hipkins didn’t get stranded in China, where he is leading a trade delegation. Officials were quick to point out they had sent the plane’s twin only as far as Manila, about 80% of the distance from Wellington to Beijing.Back in New Zealand, acting Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni was left to explain.“If we didn’t have a backup plan and something did happen, and of course we hope it won’t, then not only would they be stranded in China, but the cost that that would incur — in terms of accommodation and trying to, at the last minute, organize some kind of plan to get them back — would outweigh having a backup aircraft waiting somewhere just in case,” she said.The twin R...

Lac-Mégantic urges tourists to be respectful ahead of rail disaster anniversary

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 18:20:11 GMT

LAC-MÉGANTIC, QUE — The town of Lac-Mégantic, Que. is urging tourists to be respectful after noting inappropriate behaviours in the run up to the 10-year anniversary of the rail disaster that claimed 47 lives. The municipality has asked a team of social workers to help business owners handle tourists who sometimes ask insensitive questions, and who have even occasionally tried to capture selfies with passing trains.Almost two-thirds of the victims of the 2013 train derailment and explosion were inside the popular Musi-Café restaurant, which has seen an increase in visitors since a pair of TV series about the disaster aired earlier this year.Co-owner Katie Stapels says that while the vast majority of visitors are respectful, a few have lacked judgment. Since February, she’s seen at least three people try to take selfies inside the building while the train passes by outside.Stapels also says some people have asked employees if they know people in the series “Mégantic,̶...