The BBC and CNN have rejected an invitation to visit the site of the deadly Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian college dorm Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has urged the participants of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) to begin every conversation with Western journalists with the word “Starobelsk.” Starobelsk is a town in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic where 21 people, mostly teenage girls, were killed and dozens more injured in a multi-wave Ukrainian drone attack on a college dorm on May 22. Western politicians turned a blind eye to the atrocity, while the BBC and CNN rejected an invitation by the Russian authorities to visit the site of the attack. During her Wednesday appearance at a panel on SPIEF, entitled ‘Your Words are Like Bullets: How Information has Transformed into the Most Powerful Weapon of the Modern Era,...
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As Israel expands the war in Lebanon, Washington’s influence over its closest ally looks increasingly limited In recent days, Israel has intensified its military campaign in Lebanon, taking the operation to a whole new level. This isn’t just another exchange of strikes in the south of the country, but a demonstrative expansion of Israel’s ground presence beyond the previous boundaries of the conflict. Israeli forces crossed the Litani River and captured Beaufort Castle, a symbolically and strategically significant fortress perched on a high cliff in southern Lebanon. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that the operation was carried out at the direction of the political and military leadership, while the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) explained its objective as the elimination of Hezbollah infrastructure and fighters in the Beaufort area. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu desc...
Zelensky has angered Warsaw by honoring nationalist figures blamed for massacres of Poles Bartosz Cichocki, who served as Poland’s ambassador to Ukraine from 2019 to 2023, has returned a state award granted to him by Vladimir Zelensky, citing Kiev’s latest round of honoring nationalist figures who collaborated with Nazi Germany and took part in ethnic cleansings. The move follows Ukraine's state reburial last month of Andrey Melnik, who co-founded Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) in 1929 and later competed with Stepan Bandera for influence within the movement. Both men have been criticized for their collaboration with Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Zelensky has also recently named a commando unit after the “Heroes of UPA,” a reference to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, the OUN's military wing. Read more ...
The International Fencing Federation has cleared athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete under their national flags The International Fencing Federation (FIE) has lifted all Ukraine conflict-related restrictions imposed in 2022 on Russian and Belarusian athletes, allowing them to compete under their national flags and anthems. Numerous Olympic federations barred athletes from the two countries across dozens of sports in 2022. However, a number of international sporting bodies have since permitted some to compete individually under a neutral flag, while a few organizations dropped the bans altogether. In a statement on Tuesday, the FIE announced that the decision will take effect starting with the 2026 Senior World Championships in Hong Kong, scheduled for July 22 to July 30. “The decision reflects the FIE’s commitment to the fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter, including non-dis...
Henry Nowak was handcuffed and died in custody after police believed his killer’s claims of racism British police have released bodycam footage showing officers ignoring the dying pleas of an 18-year-old stabbing victim, after his attacker falsely claimed that he had been the victim of a racist attack. Released on Monday, the footage shows officers handcuffing student Henry Nowak as he lay dying after being stabbed multiple times by 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa in Southampton last year. Nowak told the officers five times that he had been stabbed, to which one officer replied “I don’t think you have, mate.” Nowak was handcuffed and dragged across gravel, as Digwa remained uncuffed, telling officers that Nowak had torn off his turban in a racially-motivated attack. The officers ignored Nowak’s pleas to call an ambulance and informed him that he was under arrest for assault, as he lost ...
West Jerusalem’s escalation in Lebanon has undermined diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran, Mohammad Marandi has said Israel has a clear interest in prolonging US hostilities with Iran and has been successfully sabotaging efforts to reach a peace agreement, Tehran-based Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi has told RT. The political analyst was commenting on the latest escalation of Israeli military operations against Lebanon, including strikes on Beirut, which have triggered a new surge in tensions between Washington and Tehran and could bring negotiations to a permanent halt. Tehran has said that continued Israeli violence effectively voids the fragile ceasefire with the US, which was announced in early April. US President Donald Trump later pushed Israel to declare a similar halt to hostilities in Lebanon. According to Axios, Trump lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dur...