List of All Articles with Tag 'world'

By Elizabeth Howcroft, Anton Bridge and Medha Singh LONDON/TOKYO/BENGALURU People around the world are getting their eyeballs scanned

Thousands of Wagner mercenaries have arrived in Belarus since the group’s failed mutiny against Moscow led by its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin – leading to Nato member Poland reinforcing its eastern border against the “potential threat” they pose. Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko welcomed Wagner forces into the country after brokering a deal between the Kremlin and Mr Prigozhin, which stopped the mercenaries’ march on Moscow about 125 miles from the capital. He and Russian president Vladimir Putin have spoken about the mercenaries on a number of occasions, including during two days of talks over the weekend and into Monday, the Kremlin said on Tuesday. The Wagner chief called the mutiny a “march of justice” to oust the top military leaders. The mercenaries faced little resistance and downed at least six military helicopters and a command-post aircraft, killing a number of Russian troops. The revolt posed the most serious threat to President Putin during his 23-year rule, eroding his authority and exposing the cracks in the military, and changing the direction of the Kremlin’s 16-month invasion of Ukraine. Here’s a look at where we are now: How many Wagner fighters are in Belarus, and where are they? Between 3,450 and 3,650 soldiers have travelled to a camp close to Asipovichy, a town about 140 miles (230km) north of the Ukrainian border, according to Belaruski Hajun, an activist group that tracks troop movements within the country. Satellite images show that about 700 vehicles, along with construction equipment, have also arrived in Wagner convoys to Belarus, Belaruski Hajun said. Mr Prigozhin also registered a “real estate management company” in Belarus last week under the name Concord Management and Consulting in Belarus. Documents analysed by independent Belarusian media outlets showed that the company’s registered address was in the same village as the Wagner mercenary camp. Why is Poland so concerned? The bigger issue for Poland is that the Belarusian Defence Ministry has made clear over the last week or so that the mercenaries are providing training for Belarusian soldiers, including at training grounds close to the Polish border. “Wagner fighters who have really been in the heat of combat are passing on valuable information and experience to our servicemen,” the Belarusian Defense Ministry said in a statement. One of the ranges is in Brest, about three miles (5km) from Poland’s eastern border. Warsaw said it was ready for “various scenarios as the situation develops”, having started moving around 1,000 of its own troops towards the border earlier this month. According to claims made in a post by a senior Wagner commander, known by his nom de guerre “Marx”, which was republished by Wagner’s Telegram channel, up to 10,000 fighters “have gone, or will go” to Belarus – although the accuracy of that statement is difficult to verify. Poland’s Defence Ministry said the country’s borders were secure. In response to Warsaw reinforcing its border, the Kremlin tried to paint it as an “aggressive” move – despite Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine being the ultimate genesis of it. The Belarusian interior minister, Ivan Kubrakov, met Wagner commanders at a training centre to draw up a “clear plan of action”, a statement said. “In view of the difficult situation near the republic’s borders, it is especially important to be ready to respond to potential challenges and threats,” Mr Kubrakov said. He was quoted as hailing the mercenaries’ “practical experience” following their months-long experience of combat in eastern Ukraine, notably in bloody battles such as those that have taken place around the eastern city of Bakhmut. Would Wagner troops try to invade Poland? It would be foolish. With Poland being a Nato member, crossing the border could bring Article 5 of the alliance’s treaty into play. It states that an attack on one member state is considered an attack on all members. Given Mr Putin’s talk about military action against Belarus being on a par with attacking Russia, Wagner forces heading into Poland is the last thing either Mr Putin or Nato needs. However, that has not stopped the Belarusian leader, Mr Lukashenko, from stirring the pot. In a meeting with the Russian president on Sunday, Mr Lukashenko said that Wagner troops were “stressing [him] out” by calling for “an excursion” into Poland. He said that his government in Minsk was “controlling” the situation by keeping the group in the centre of the country. “They are asking to go west ... to go on a trip to Warsaw ...” Mr Lukashenko told Mr Putin. “But of course, I am keeping them in central Belarus, like we agreed.” It suits both Mr Putin and Mr Lukashenko to have Europe worry about its borders. It allows both men to keep talking tough on the international stage – and play to voters at home. The remarks have largely been dismissed by experts, with the American Institute for the Study of War – which monitors the fighting in Ukraine – saying that Wagner troops there could not threaten Ukraine and Poland. “There is no indication that Wagner fighters in Belarus have the heavy weaponry necessary to mount a serious offensive against Ukraine or Poland without significant rearmament,” the think tank said in a statement. The deputy head of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate, Vadym Skibitsky, also said that there was no “direct threat” from Russian mercenaries in Belarus, but that Kyiv would be keeping a close eye on the Wagner fighters. “Our assessment is very simple: today there is no direct threat [from Belarus], but we are ready. We are monitoring everything related to the so-called Wagner missile defence system,” he told journalists, according to the directorate’s Telegram channel. Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary Extremist attacks wounded Paris. Here's why the city turned to the 2024 Olympics to heal Mali's army and suspected Russia-linked mercenaries committed 'new atrocities,' rights group says Monitoring group says thousands of Wagner mercenaries have arrived in Belarus since failed uprising

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Vladimir Putin has signed a new controversial legislation banning surgical gender reassignment in Russia in yet another blow to the country’s LGBT+ population. Crackdowns against the LGBT+ community and gender minorities in the country have only gathered pace ever since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year as the Russian president seeks popularity among citizens. The latest move by Mr Putin on Monday marks Russia’s final step in rendering gender-affirming procedures illegal and depriving its transgender population of their right to access gender-reassignment services. The bill, cleared unanimously by both houses of the Russian parliament and signed by Mr Putin, now bans any “medical interventions aimed at changing the sex of a person” along with changing one’s gender in official documents and public records. Under the bill, exceptions will only be made for a permissible list of medical interventions “related to the treatment of congenital physiological anomalies in children”. The list of these “anomalies in children” will be drawn up by the Kremlin. Couples who transitioned to their new genders after they adopted children will have their marriages annulled. The law thus bans them from becoming foster parents. The regressive legislation has stemmed from the Kremlin’s crusade to protect what it calls are the country’s “traditional values” and according to Russian lawmakers, it is meant as a safeguard against “Western anti-family ideology”. Some lawmakers have dubbed gender transitioning “pure satanism”. State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said the decision to pass the bill “will protect our citizens and our children” after it was set to undergo its third reading. The bill described gender reassignment as “the path leading to the degeneration of the nation”. The future remains bleak for Russia’s transgender population, which earlier had access to gender-reassignment surgeries and treatments like hormone replacement therapy. A transgender man in Russia, identified as Alexei, said he always had plans to change the gender label on his passport, but is now enduring “hell”. The 23-year-old told The Moscow Times that he is in panic, while stating that the process of his gender transition was already lagging as he was living on his own since he turned 18. He also told the newspaper that he did not have enough money, but will now have to start urgently. Russia ranked 46 out of 49 European nations in advocacy group Rainbow Europe’s annual LGBT+ rights rankings. The country’s politicians are “harming transgender and intersex people by continuing to deploy cynical ‘family values’,” according to Human Rights Watch. Read More Russian president signs legislation marking the final step outlawing gender-affirming procedures The upper house of Russian parliament approves a ban on gender changes Russian lawmakers pass a bill outlawing gender-affirming procedures to protect 'traditional values' Parents take on struggle for trans rights for their kids and others in conservative Poland Spain votes in general election that could see it become latest EU country to veer to the right

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Jill Biden met France’s first lady Brigitte Macron on Tuesday, 25 July, as she visited Paris to mark the United States’ official re-entry into United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco). The US First Lady will attend a flag-raising ceremony to celebrate the re-entry into the agency after a five-year hiatus. She is expected to make a speech about the importance of American leadership in preserving cultural heritage. Under Donald Trump’s administration, the US pulled out of Unesco because of an alleged anti-Israel bias and a need for “fundamental reform” in the agency. It was the second time the US returned to Unesco after withdrawing, after previously leaving under Ronald Reagan’s administration in 1984 citing alleged advancement of Soviet interests, mismanagement, and corruption. The nation announced its intention to rejoin the agency in June 2023 before the agency’s 193 member states approved re-entry. Today’s ceremony will feature a speecy by Unesco’s director general Audrey Azoulay. Read More First Lady Jill Biden to mark US reentry into UNESCO with flag-raising ceremony in Paris Oui, oui: Jill Biden heads to Paris to help mark US return to UN educational and scientific agency Jill Biden welcomes proposal for Medicare to pay for navigation services for cancer patients

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Russia launched a fresh wave of drone strikes on Kyiv and other parts of the country early on Tuesday morning, Ukraine has said. The Kremlin used Iranian-made Shahed drones to attack Kyiv for the sixth time this month, but all were shot down, Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv military administration, said. Air raid sirens wailed across the capital and attacks were also reported in the north and centre of Ukraine but none in the south. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage to buildings. Air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said air defences had been engaged in three regions in the north of the country. “About 10 drones were recorded, the information is being clarified,” he told Ukrainian television, adding that up to five were destroyed. Earlier, thousands of Wagner group mercenaries have arrived in Belarus since the group’s short-lived rebellion, a military monitoring group said. Between 3,450 and 3,650 soldiers have travelled to a camp close to Asipovichy, a town 230 kilometres (140 miles) north of the Ukrainian border, according to Belaruski Hajun, an activist group that tracks troop movements within the country. Read More Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin? The Wagner Group mercenary chief who rebelled against Putin Monitoring group says thousands of Wagner mercenaries have arrived in Belarus since failed uprising Wagner mercenaries training Belarus special forces just miles from border with Nato-member Poland