World

Russian journalist who fled house arrest says she is innocent

A woman who says to be the employee of Russia's state TV Channel One, Marina Ovsyannikova, speaks in a statement recorded before holding up an anti-war sign live on air, in this still grab taken from a video uploaded March 14, 2022. 

Oct 5 (Reuters) – Russian TV journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, accused of spreading fake news after staging a series of lone protests against the war in Ukraine, said on Wednesday she had fled house arrest because she had no case to answer. A woman who says to be the employee of Russia’s state TV Channel One, Marina Ovsyannikova, speaks in a …

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Uganda president fires son from military role over threatening tweets about invading Kenya

Son of Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, Lt. Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, right, speaks to Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka, left, at a "Thanksgiving" ceremony in Entebbe, Uganda, on May 7, 2022.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni fired his son as commander of the nation’s infantry forces Tuesday after the son tweeted an unprovoked threat to capture the capital of neighboring Kenya, drawing widespread concern in East Africa. Lt. Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, dubbed ‘the tweeting general’ of Uganda, in recent months had sparked anger among some Ugandans who see his frequent posts on …

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Russia champions Elon Musk’s ‘peace’ proposal, Ukraine rejects Musk as two-faced

Konstantin Ivashchenko (L), former CEO of the Azovmash plant and appointed pro-Russian mayor of Mariupol, visits a polling station as people vote in a referendum in Mariupol on Sept. 27, 2022. 

The Kremlin on Wednesday applauded Telsa CEO Elon Musk’s suggestion that Ukraine should capitulate its territory illegally seized by Russia to end the war. “It is very positive that somebody like Elon Musk is looking for a peaceful way out of this situation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters according to Reuters. “Compared to many professional diplomats, Musk is still …

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Putin’s military mobilization could prove to be major blunder, expert says

Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a “partial mobilization” that will compel citizens to join the fight in Ukraine could backfire on the authoritarian leader, causing unrest that risks weakening his grip on Russia’s population. “There’s a growing discontent among the Russian people with Putin’s policies,” Rebekah Koffler, a former DIA intelligence officer and the author of ”Putin’s Playbook: Russia’s Secret Plan …

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Northern Kenya faces hunger crisis amid worst drought in 40 years

Millions of people across the Horn of Africa are facing severe hunger as the worst drought in 40 years devastates the region. Pictured: Kids drink from a tap in Loiyangalani, northern Kenya, on July 13, 2022. 

In a dry river bed in Kenya’s arid northwest, pastoralists dig ever-deeper pits in an anxious search for water, as the region suffers its worst drought in 40 years, which has wiped out livestock and crops, deepening a hunger crisis. For the last four rainy seasons the annual rains have failed across Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia and forced 1.5 million …

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10 mountaineers dead after avalanche in northern India

A sunrise is seen above the mountains on the way to Gaumukh from Gangotri, Garhwal Himalayas, Uttarakhand, India. 

At least 10 trainee mountaineers died Tuesday after being swept away by an avalanche in the Himalayas in northern India, media reports said, as rescuers searched for 11 others missing. A group of 29 people was hit by an avalanche on a mountain peak located in the Gangotri range of the Garhwal Himalayas on Tuesday morning, said Uttarakhand state police …

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Who is Brazil’s socialist, ex-con candidate for president?

Campaign poster for presidential candidate Lula da Silva in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

BRASILIA, Brazil — Despite Brazil’s pollsters largely predicting a first-round victory for former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro fared much better than expected, forcing his leftist opponent into a runoff election at the end of the month. Yet, for many international observers, it may seem curious that Lula is even in the running, considering his …

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