Putin vows victory in Ukraine and targets NATO at Moscow’s scaled-back parade

-
Russian President Vladimir Putin has voiced confidence of victory in Ukraine as he oversaw a military parade on Red Square commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War. Speaking in front of hundreds of military personnel and flanked by a few world leaders, the Russian president said he was fighting a “just” war as he identified Ukraine an “aggressive force” that is being “armed and supported by the whole bloc of NATO”. Security was tight in Moscow as Mr Putin and several foreign leaders attended the parade, even as a US-brokered three-day ceasefire eased concerns about possible Ukrainian attempts to disrupt the festivities. Mr Putin, in power for more than a quarter of a century, has used Victory Day, Russia’s most important secular holiday, to showcase the country’s military might and rally support for his military action in Ukraine. Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, Lao President Thongloun Sisouli...
Post a Comment

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of ex-Libyan leader, reportedly shot dead

-

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of late Libyan dictator Moamer Gaddafi, was killed on Tuesday, his political office has said.

Saif al-Islam was killed in a “treacherous and cowardly” act, in which four masked men stormed his residence in the western Libyan city of Zintan, the office said.

His lawyer Khaled al-Zaidi confirmed to dpa that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was “assassinated at his home.”

The al-Arabiya news channel reported that the 53-year-old was shot dead in the garden of his residence in Zintan, citing sources close to the Gaddafi family.

Saif al-Islam was the second-eldest son of the long-time Libyan leader, who ruled the North African country for more than four decades.

Before his father’s overthrow and death in 2011, al-Islam led a reform project aimed at modernizing the country politically and bringing it closer to the West. Many of these efforts were soon reversed in order not to upset the balance of power in his father’s government.

Gaddafi’s death followed months of mass protests in 2011. Saif al-Islam supported the brutal crackdown of the uprising.

While attempting to flee to Niger, he was captured by a militia and imprisoned in Zintan. According to his own account, he spent several years there with little contact with the outside world.

The International Criminal Court has been seeking Saif al-Islam’s extradition since 2014 in order to try him for crimes against humanity during the uprisings in Libya.

In 2015, he was sentenced to death in absentia by a court in Libya’s capital, Tripoli. The rulers in Zintan neither transferred him to Tripoli nor extradited him.

In 2021, he reappeared unexpectedly after a long absence and submitted his candidacy for the planned presidential election in Libya.

The election never took place due to a conflict over the constitutional basis and the eligible candidates. The country is now effectively divided between two hostile governments in the east and west.

SOURCE: DPA and agencies



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/xrkLgmU

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Myanmar earthquake death toll rises as fresh tremors further complicate rescue efforts

-
Image
A5.1-magnitude earthquake struck near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, on Sunday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The tremor was part of a series of aftershocks following Friday’s devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake, which resulted in the collapse of numerous buildings and significant infrastructure damage. The death toll has risen to over 1,600, with more than 3,400 individuals reported missing; these numbers are expected to increase as rescue operations continue. Foreign rescue teams and supplies arrived in Myanmar on Sunday to help the impoverished country cope with an earthquake that killed over 1,600 and left many near the epicentre scrambling for help without proper equipment. The 7.7-magnitude quake, one of Myanmar’s strongest in a century, jolted the Southeast Asian nation on Friday, leaving 1,644 people dead, 3,408 injured and 139 missing, the military government said. India, China and Thailand are among Myanmar’s neighbours that have sent relief ...
Read more

Israel says situation on Lebanon border ‘not sustainable’

-
By James Mackenzie Reuters  Israeli officials and media reacted with satisfaction on Monday after a  long-expected missile attack  by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement appeared to have been largely thwarted by pre-emptive Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon. Both Hezbollah and Israel seemed content to let Sunday’s attack, in retaliation for the  killing of a senior Hezbollah commander  in Beirut last month, count as settled for the moment. Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said Hezbollah had suffered a “crushing blow” from the Israeli strikes but that a longer lasting solution was still needed. “The current situation is not sustainable,” he told a briefing, referring to the tens of thousands evacuated from their homes in northern Israel, a situation mirrored on the other side of the border in southern Lebanon. “Israel will do its duty and return its population to our sovereign territory.” Hopes that children might return for the start of the ...
Read more