Sixty feared dead in Ukraine school bombed by Russia, governor says

Emergency crew tend to a fire near a burning debris, after a school building was hit as a result of shelling, in the village of Bilohorivka, Luhansk, Ukraine, May 8, 2022. (Reuters)
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Updated 08 May 2022
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Sixty feared dead in Ukraine school bombed by Russia, governor says

  • Governor said Russian forces dropped a bomb on Saturday afternoon on the school in Bilohorivka
  • About 90 people were sheltering in the school, bomb caused a fire that engulfed the building

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine: As many as 60 people were feared to have been killed in the Russian bombing of a village school in the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk, the regional governor said on Sunday.
Governor Serhiy Gaidai said Russian forces dropped a bomb on Saturday afternoon on the school in Bilohorivka where about 90 people were sheltering, causing a fire that engulfed the building.
“The fire was extinguished after nearly four hours, then the rubble was cleared, and, unfortunately, the bodies of two people were found,” Gaidai wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
“Thirty people were evacuated from the rubble, seven of whom were injured. Sixty people were likely to have died under the rubble of buildings.”
Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Russian forces of targeting civilians in the war, which Moscow denies.
In the ruined southeastern port city of Mariupol, scores of civilians have been evacuated from a sprawling steel plant in a week-long operation brokered by the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an address late on Saturday that more than 300 civilians had been rescued from the Azovstal steelworks and authorities would now focus on trying to evacuate the wounded and medics. Other Ukrainian sources have cited different figures.
The Azovstal plant is a last hold-out for Ukrainian forces in a city now largely controlled by Russia, and many civilians had also taken refuges in its underground shelters. It has become a symbol of resistance to the Russian effort to capture swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine.
Russian-backed separatists said on Sunday a total of 182 civilians evacuated from the plant had arrived at a temporary accommodation point in Bezimenne, in the area they control. Those who wished to go to areas controlled by Ukraine were handed over to UN and ICRC representatives, they said.
In the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia, about 230 km (140 miles) northwest of Mariupol, dozens of people who had fled the port city and nearby occupied areas on their own or with the help of volunteers waited to be registered in a car park set up to welcome evacuees.
“There’s lots of people still in Mariupol, who want to leave but can’t,” said history teacher Viktoria Andreyeva, 46, who said she had only just reached Zaporizhzhia after leaving her bombed home in Mariupol with her family in mid-April.
“The air feels different here, free,” she said in a tent where volunteers offered food, basic supplies and toys to the new arrivals, many of whom were traveling with small children.

Victory Day 
In an emotional address on Sunday for Victory Day, when Europe commemorates the formal surrender of Germany to the Allies in World War Two, Zelensky said that evil had returned to Ukraine with the Russian invasion, but his country would prevail.
Russian President Vladimir Putin calls the invasion he launched on Feb. 24 a “special military operation” to disarm Ukraine and rid it of anti-Russian nationalism fomented by the West. Ukraine and its allies say Russia launched an unprovoked war.
Mariupol is key to Moscow’s efforts to link the Crimean Peninsula, seized by Russia in 2014, and parts of the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk that have been controlled by Russia-backed separatists since that same year.
Putin sent Victory Day messages to separatist leaders in Luhansk and Donetsk, saying Russia was fighting shoulder to shoulder with them and likening their joint efforts to the war against Nazi Germany. “Victory will be ours,” Putin said, according to a Kremlin press release on Sunday.
US President Joe Biden and other G7 leaders were to hold a video call with Zelensky on Sunday in a show of unity ahead of Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on Monday.
Underlining Western support for Ukraine, Britain pledged to provide a further 1.3 billion pounds ($1.6 billion) in military support and aid, double its previous spending commitments.
Putin will preside on Monday over a parade in Moscow’s Red Square of troops, tanks, rockets and intercontinental ballistic missiles, making a speech that could offer clues on the future of the war. Russia’s efforts have been stymied by logistical and equipment problems and high casualties in the face of fierce resistance.
US Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns said on Saturday that Putin was convinced “doubling down” on the conflict would improve the outcome for Russia.
“He’s in a frame of mind in which he doesn’t believe he can afford to lose,” Burns told a Financial Times event in Washington on Saturday.

Fighting continues 
Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday its forces had destroyed a Ukrainian navy ship near Odesa with a missile strike overnight, and had destroyed four Ukrainian warplanes, four helicopters and an assault boat in the past 24 hours.
Ukraine said its forces had repulsed nine Russian attacks in Donetsk and Luhansk, destroying 19 tanks and 20 combat vehicles.
The Luhansk governor said Ukrainian forces had retreated from the city of Popasna, which has been the focus of intense fighting. “Everything was destroyed there. Our troops retreated to more fortified positions,” he told Ukrainian television.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Russia’s republic of Chechnya, said earlier his soldiers had taken control of most of Popasna.
Reuters could not independently verify the claims made by any of the parties to the fighting.


US envoy leaves Russia as detente faltering

Updated 3 sec ago
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US envoy leaves Russia as detente faltering

  • Moscow earlier this week accused Washington of not being ‘ready’ to take steps to restore the normal functioning of their embassies
MOSCOW: The US ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, is departing Moscow, leaving Washington without a top envoy in the country as a rapprochement being pushed by US President Donald Trump falters.
Moscow earlier this week accused Washington of not being “ready” to take steps to restore the normal functioning of their embassies, hobbled by years of tit-for-tat restrictions and expulsions of diplomats.
Trump has not yet nominated a successor to Tracy, the first woman to hold the post and who was appointed by ex-President Joe Biden and is leaving after two-and-a-half years in the role.
Trump has overhauled Biden’s policy of isolating Vladimir Putin over his Ukraine offensive, holding several calls with the Kremlin chief and raising the prospect of boosting bilateral ties.
“I am proud to have represented my country in Moscow during such a challenging time,” Tracy said in a message posted by the embassy on social media.
She also quoted lines from a poem by Alexander Pushkin, Russia’s famed national poet.
Diplomats from the two countries have held several rounds of negotiations under Trump on issues ranging from the Ukraine conflict and prisoner exchanges to normalizing embassy operations.
But on Wednesday the Kremlin accused Washington of being “not yet ready” to remove barriers to the work of their respective diplomatic missions.
Trump has shown increasing frustration with Putin over his refusal to end Moscow’s three-year offensive on Ukraine.
Since the Republican returned to the White House, Putin has repeatedly rejected calls for an unconditional ceasefire, demanded Kyiv cede more territory, urged his troops to keep advancing and escalated deadly missile and drone attacks on Ukraine.

Fusion between culture and modernity as children dance in Kenyan refugee camp

Updated 10 min 46 sec ago
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Fusion between culture and modernity as children dance in Kenyan refugee camp

  • The Acholi people, mostly from Uganda and South Sudan, are among refugees who live in Kakuma camp, which was established in 1992 as a safe haven for people fleeing conflict from dozens of east African countries

KALOBEYEI: Beads of sweat drip from the faces of young girls and boys as they dance to the rhythm of traditional drums and open calabashes, while their peers watch them in awe.
These are refugee children, some who were born in one of Africa’s largest camps — Kakuma, located in northern Kenya, where more than 300,000 refugees’ livelihoods have been affected by funding cuts that have halved monthly food rations.
The children use the Acholi traditional dance as a distraction from hunger and have perfected a survival skill to skip lunches as they stretch their monthly food rations that are currently at 30 percent of the UN nutritional recommendation per person.
The Acholi people, mostly from Uganda and South Sudan, are among refugees who live in Kakuma camp, which was established in 1992 as a safe haven for people fleeing conflict from dozens of east African countries.
For a moment, the melodious sound of one of the refugee mothers stops the playground buzz of activity as dozens of children sit down to enjoy the traditional dance performance.
The colorful swings doting the community center at Kakuma’s Kalobeyei Refugee Settlement were donated by a Swiss organization, Terre des hommes, which still manages the playground aptly named “Furaha” — Swahili for Happiness.
But the happiness of these children isn’t guaranteed now as funding cuts have affected operations here. Fewer resources and staff are available to engage the children and ensure their safety.
One of the dancers, Gladis Amwony, has lived in Kakuma for 8 years now. In recent years, she has started taking part in the Acholi traditional dances to keep her Ugandan roots alive.
The now 20-year-old doesn’t imagine ever going back to Uganda and has no recollection of life in her home village.
“I’m happiest when I dance, I feel connected to my ancestors,” the soft-spoken Amwony says after her dance session.
While Amwony and her friends are looking for a cultural connection, just about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from their village in neighboring Kalobeyei Village 3, some boys are in touch with modernity.
The five boys have been practicing a one-of-a-kind dance where they mimic robots, complete with face masks that hide their human faces.
They make their sharp synchronized moves that they have been perfecting for months.
The boys will be part of performances that will be showcased during this year’s World Refugee Day, as an example of the talent and resilience that exists among the refugee community.
This younger generation of dancers make precision moves in a small hall with play and learning items stored in a cabinet that is branded with an American flag, an indication that it was donated by the USgovernment.
Such donations are now scarce, with the United States having cut down on funding in March.
These cuts have affected operations here, with the future stardom hopes for these children dimming by the day.
The center, which previously featured daily programs such as taekwondo and ballet, may not be operational in a few months if the funding landscape remains as is.
“We are now reducing some of the activities because we are few. The staff are few and even per day we only have one staff remaining in the center and it is really hard for him/her to conduct 500 children,” said John Papa, a community officer for Terre des hommes in Kalobeyei Village 3.
These programs do more than entertain the children — they keep them away from issues such as child labor, abuse and crime which as a major concern for humanitarian organizations in Kakuma.
And as the children dance and play beneath the sweltering sun, the only hope is that these child friendly spaces remain operational for years.


Germany charges Syrian national in connection with Taylor Swift concert plot

Updated 16 min 8 sec ago
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Germany charges Syrian national in connection with Taylor Swift concert plot

  • Germany charges Syrian national in connection with Taylor Swift concert plot

BERLIN: Germany has charged a Syrian national with supporting a foreign terrorist organization for helping to plan a foiled attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna last year, the prosecutor general said in a statement on Friday.
Identified as Mohammad A, the suspect helped the would-be attacker by translating Arabic bomb-building instructions and putting him in contact with a member of the Islamic State militia online, according to the charges against him.


Norway to extradite Rwanda genocide suspect

Updated 20 min 51 sec ago
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Norway to extradite Rwanda genocide suspect

OSLO: Norway will extradite a man sought by Rwanda for his suspected role in the country’s 1994 genocide, police said Friday.
In 1994, an estimated 800,000 Rwandan Tutsis and moderate Hutus died in 100 days of slaughter triggered by the assassination of the country’s president, Juvenal Habyarimana.
The man, whose identity has not been disclosed, was detained in October 2022 by Norway’s criminal police Kripos. He was wanted by Rwanda for “committing a murder during the 1994 genocide,” Kripos said in a statement.
The Oslo district court ruled in September 2023 that the conditions were met for the man’s extradition, a decision confirmed by an appeals court in April 2024.
The suspect then lodged an appeal with Norway’s Supreme Court which was rejected in June 2024.
With the man’s legal options exhausted, the justice ministry decided in February that the extradition could go ahead, a ruling ultimately confirmed by the government’s Council of State.
“The accused is now to be extradited to Rwanda, where he will stand trial for participating in the genocide,” police attorney Thea Elize Kjaeraas said in a statement.
Norway has seen a string of extradition requests for genocide suspects in recent years, and is among half a dozen Western countries where courts have handed down convictions since 2009.


China purges senior military official Miao Hua from top ruling body

Updated 25 min 28 sec ago
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China purges senior military official Miao Hua from top ruling body

  • Miao was put under investigation for ‘serious violations of discipline’ in November
  • Former political ideology chief of the People’s Liberation Army was also suspended from his post

BEIJING: China’s top legislature has voted to remove senior military official Miao Hua from the Central Military Commission, its highest-level military command body, according to a statement published on Friday by state news agency Xinhua.

Miao, 69, was put under investigation for “serious violations of discipline” in November. The former political ideology chief of the People’s Liberation Army was also suspended from his post.

The Xinhua statement did not contain any other details, but the move marks another stage in President Xi Jinping’s ongoing anti-corruption purge of China’s military, in which over a dozen PLA generals and a handful of defense industry executives have been implicated.

Miao’s photo had been removed from the senior leadership page of the Chinese defense ministry’s website in recent weeks. He was also removed from China’s national legislature for “serious violations of discipline and law,” according to a communique released by the legislature last month.

“The Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission held a military representative conference on March 14 this year and decided to remove Miao Hua from his position as a representative of the 14th National People’s Congress,” the statement said.

Miao was stationed in the coastal province of Fujian when Xi worked there as a local official, according to his official biography. Xi personally elevated Miao to the Central Military Commission.

Another Central Military Commission member and China’s second-ranking general, He Weidong, has not been seen in public since the March 11 closing ceremony of the annual parliamentary sessions in Beijing. Since then, he has not appeared at a series of high-level Politburo and military public engagements.

He is the third-most powerful commander of the People’s Liberation Army and is considered a close associate of President Xi Jinping, the army’s commander-in-chief.

China’s defense ministry said in March it was “unaware” of reports he had been detained. His photo remains on the defense ministry’s website.

Two former Chinese defense ministers have been removed from the Communist Party for corruption. One of them, Li Shangfu, was suspected of corruption in military procurement, Reuters has reported.

Last year, the defense ministry denied reports that Defense Minister Dong Jun was being probed on suspicion of corruption. Dong has continued to appear at public events, attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization defense ministers’ meeting in Qingdao this week.