Section: Independent Online (South Africa)
Belarus protest leader Maria Kolesnikova threatened with expulsion ‘alive or in bits’
Moscow – Belarus opposition politician Maria Kolesnikova said security officers put a bag over her head and threatened to kill her when they tried to forcibly deport her to Ukraine earlier this week, according to a statement filed by her lawyer on Thursday.Kolesnikova, one of the most prominent leaders of month-long protests against the...
Another prominent opposition leader detained in Belarus
By Yuras KaramanauKyiv, Ukraine – Belarusian authorities on Wednesday detained one of the last leading members of an opposition council who remained free, moving methodically to end a month of protests against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko.Lawyer Maxim Znak, a member of the Coordination Council created by the opposition to...
Belarus protest leader detained at border as Lukashenko rejects dialogue
By Pavel PolityukKyiv – Prominent opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova was detained by Belarusian authorities, a border official said, after thwarting what a Ukrainian government minister described as an attempt to expel her from Belarus.The Interfax Ukraine news agency said the activist had deliberately ripped up her passport so that...
Black boxes from downed Ukraine jet show missiles hit 25 seconds apart, says Iran authorities
Dubai – Analysis from the black boxes of a downed Ukrainian passenger plane shows it was hit by two missiles 25 seconds apart and that passengers were still alive for some time after the impact of the first blast, Iran said on Sunday.The announcement by the head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization marks the first official report on...
FACT BOX – The latest on the worldwide spread of the coronavirus
India reported a record daily jump of coronavirus infections on Saturday, bringing the total of cases near 3 million and piling pressure on authorities to curb huge gatherings as a major religious festival began.EUROPE* Around 1 500 volunteers equipped with face masks, hand disinfectant and tracking gadgets attended an indoor concert in Germany...
EU set to tighten sanctions on Belarus as anti-government protests continue
Paris – European Union leaders are set to tighten sanctions against Belarus at an emergency video conference on the crisis on Wednesday, EU Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton said.”It is clear that (the outcome of the Belarus presidential election) is not in line with the wish of the people, there has been unacceptable violence, and...
EU prepares sanctions as anti-government protests continue in Belarus
By Peter Spinella and Leonie KijewskiBrussels/Moscow – The EU is preparing a list of sanctions against Belarusian individuals after a bloody post-election crackdown on protesters by police, diplomats told dpa.The individuals to be sanctioned include those responsible for police violence and election fraud, the EU sources said.The decision...
Armed man takes 20 people hostage on bus in Ukraine
Lutsk, Ukraine – An armed man seized a bus and took some 20 people hostage in northwestern Ukraine on Tuesday, Ukrainian police said. Police sealed off the center of Lutsk, a city 400 kilometers (250 miles) west of Kyiv. The assailant is armed and carrying explosives, they said in a Facebook statement. Police officers are trying to get in...
Sweden: Iran to compensate Ukraine plane crash victims
STOCKHOLM — Iran has agreed to compensate the families’ of the foreign victims of a Ukrainian passenger plane that was shot down by Iranian forces outside Tehran in January, Sweden’s foreign minister said on Thursday. “We have signed an agreement of mutual understanding that we will now negotiate together with Iran about amends,...
Trump denies briefing about reported bounties on US troops
WASHINGTON — The White House said Monday that President Donald Trump wasn’t briefed on US intelligence assessments earlier this year that Russia secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing American troops in Afghanistan because the information had not been “verified.” Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany asserted...
