Uganda has returned almost 100 Congolese police officers who fled across the border to escape fighting between M23 rebels and Congo’s military, a Ugandan military spokesperson said Friday.
Major Kiconco Tabaro said the officers’ national identities were confirmed before they were handed over to Congolese authorities, along with their weapons, ammunition and other arms.
The police had entered Uganda’s Kanungu district in the southwest, seeking refuge from the ongoing violence in eastern Congo. Tabaro said Uganda allowed them entry “as an act of humanity and in line with international law.”
The M23 rebel group has been waging a renewed insurgency in Congo’s militia-plagued east since 2022. In June, they seized the strategically important town of Kanyabayonga in North Kivu province.
Congo’s military has intensified efforts to push back the rebels over the past year, employing drones and aircraft. Despite these efforts, the M23 has expanded its territory.
The conflict has had a severe humanitarian impact. According to U.N. estimates, fighting in North Kivu has displaced more than 1.7 million people, contributing to a record total of 7.2 million displaced Congolese across the country due to various conflicts.
Tabaro noted that refugees continue to cross into Uganda to escape the violence in eastern Congo, underscoring the ongoing nature of the crisis.
Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye has pardoned journalist Floriane Irangabiye, who was serving a 10-year prison sentence for alleged national security offenses, according to a presidential order issued Wednesday.
Irangabiye, a talk show host for the online Igicaniro Radio, was arrested in August 2022 after traveling to Burundi from Rwanda, where she had been living in exile. She was convicted of undermining national security and collaborating with armed groups, charges her colleagues and human rights organizations consistently contested.
Speaking outside Bubanza Prison after her release Friday, Irangabiye expressed joy and gratitude. “I am very happy and have a lot to say,” she said. “August 16, 2024, will always be a special date in my life, a date that will be part of my history in one way or another.”
The journalist thanked those who advocated for her release and acknowledged the difficult conditions of her imprisonment. “This is not a place you would wish anyone to be, not even your enemies,” Irangabiye said.
Her arrest had highlighted concerns about media repression in Burundi. Reporters Without Borders says journalists in the country face intimidation and fear of attacks or detention, leading to widespread self-censorship.
Colleagues at Igicaniro Radio believe Irangabiye’s arrest was a direct consequence of her reporting. Jeremie Hatangimana, a colleague, called her release “a victory for free press” but added, “This should not have happened in the first place.”
Justine Nkurunziza, a member of the women’s peace advocacy group Inamahoro, expressed relief that Irangabiye would be reunited with her children.
While welcoming Irangabiye’s release, the Burundian rights group Ntabariza called on President Ndayishimiye to extend similar clemency to other individuals they believe have been unjustly imprisoned, including another journalist, Sandra Umuhoza.
The Voice of America has been banned from broadcasting inside Burundi since 2018, further underscoring the challenges faced by media in the country.
Hospitals and clinics across India turned away non-emergency patients Saturday as more than one million doctors joined a 24-hour strike to protest the rape and murder of a colleague in Kolkata, paralysing medical services in the world’s most populous nation.
The shutdown, which began at 6 a.m. local time, was called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) in response to the killing of a 31-year-old trainee doctor inside a medical college in Kolkata last week. The incident has drawn parallels to the notorious 2012 gang rape and murder of a student in New Delhi.
“Junior doctors have all been on strike, so this would mean 90% of doctors are on strike,” said Sanjeev Singh Yadav, an IMA representative in Telangana state.
The strike has cut off access to elective medical procedures and out-patient consultations nationwide. Hospitals reported that faculty staff from medical colleges were handling emergency cases.
Outside the RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata, where the crime occurred, a heavy police presence was observed while the hospital premises were deserted, according to local news agency ANI.
In Kolkata, many private clinics and diagnostic centers remained closed. Dr. Sandip Saha, a private pediatrician in the city, said he would only attend to emergency cases.
Medical staff shout slogans while holding placards during a protest at a hospital in Mumbai, after a nationwide strike was declared by the Indian Medical Association to protest the rape and murder of a trainee medic at a government-run hospital in Kolkata, India, August 17, 2024. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas
The strike’s impact was felt across the country. In Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, major hospitals reported significant disruptions to routine services. Ahmedabad, Gujarat saw most private clinics shut down for the day. Hospitals in Guwahati, Assam turned away non-critical patients. Chennai, Tamil Nadu reported long queues at emergency wards as regular services were suspended.
Many patients were caught unaware by the strike. At SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack, Odisha, an unidentified patient told local television, “I have spent 500 rupees ($6) on travel to come here. I have paralysis and a burning sensation in my feet, head and other parts of my body. We were not aware of the strike. What can we do? We have to return home.”
The government, in a statement issued Saturday after meeting with medical association representatives, urged doctors to return to duty in the public interest. It also announced the formation of a committee to suggest measures to improve protection for healthcare professionals.
India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is investigating the Kolkata incident. The agency has summoned several medical students from RG Kar college and questioned the hospital’s principal, according to a Kolkata police source. One suspect is reportedly in CBI custody.
The IMA has called for harsher legal measures to protect healthcare workers from violence and demanded swift investigation of the Kolkata crime.
“Women form the majority of our profession in this country. Time and again, we have asked for safety for them,” IMA President R.V. Asokan said Friday.
The strike highlights ongoing concerns about violence against women in India, despite tougher laws introduced after the 2012 Delhi gang-rape case. Women’s rights activists and legal experts are calling for faster investigations and harsher punishments to deter such crimes.
As the strike continues, hospitals across India are struggling to maintain essential services, with the healthcare system facing one of its largest shutdowns in recent memory.
Leaders from 16 southern African nations gather in Zimbabwe on Saturday for a summit that may address the continent’s mpox outbreaks amid international concerns over the host country’s human rights record.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) meeting follows the World Health Organization’s declaration of mpox outbreaks in Africa as a global health emergency. The Democratic Republic of Congo, an SADC member, accounts for over 90% of mpox cases on the continent.
Scientists have identified a potentially more infectious form of mpox in Congo, raising fears of cross-border spread. Sweden recently reported its first case of this new variant.
South Africa’s Democratic Alliance party has urged its country’s delegates to raise the mpox issue at the summit, noting the disease’s potential for rapid spread.
As leaders arrived in Harare, the United Nations and human rights groups criticized Zimbabwe’s government for an alleged political crackdown. Over 160 activists and opposition members have been arrested in recent months.
The U.N.’s human rights office on Thursday called for the release of dozens of jailed activists and opposition members. It reported that three recently arrested activists were “subjected to enforced disappearance, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including waterboarding.”
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have reported that many of those arrested, including a mother and her 1-year-old baby, have been held in pretrial detention for weeks.
Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa is set to assume SADC’s rotating leadership. Despite the allegations of human rights abuses, there has been little pressure from neighboring SADC countries on his administration.
In preparation for the summit, Zimbabwe has made cosmetic improvements to Harare, including road repairs and promises of uninterrupted utilities for delegates, despite frequent blackouts and water cuts for residents.
Political analysts expect regional leaders to avoid confronting Zimbabwe over its rights record during the summit.
Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif returned to her hometown in Algeria on Friday, greeted by hundreds of cheering fans and local officials.
Khelif, who won gold in boxing at the recent Olympics, praised Algeria for supporting its athletes. “This proves that the government and the people are all behind sports,” she told reporters at a local government office in Tiaret, a largely rural region in central Algeria.
The boxer and track star Djamel Sedjati were honored by local leaders and paraded through the streets atop a city bus as residents snapped photos.
Khelif’s Olympic journey was marked by controversy after she failed unspecified eligibility tests for women’s competition from the International Boxing Association in 2023. This led to international speculation and debate about her sex, despite her being born and raised as a woman.
Many Algerians vigorously defended Khelif, seeing the controversy as an attack on their nation.
“We hope authorities will support her in moments of victory like this as well as throughout the whole year. She has suffered enormously and started from scratch,” said Mohamed Hamou, a Tiaret resident.
Earlier this week, Khelif filed a criminal complaint for cyber-harassment in France. Her lawyer alleged a “misogynist, racist and sexist campaign” throughout the Olympics.
Addressing the controversy on El Bilad, a private Algerian television channel, Khelif said Wednesday, “Why was there such an outcry all over the world? I was afraid, but thank God, I was able to overcome it.”
The boxer added that nobody had the right to question her sex and that she wasn’t someone who enjoyed mixing politics and sports.
Khelif’s success has inspired many in Algeria. Nadjia Fehma, another Tiaret resident, said, “She’s made us really proud, especially given her career path and the way she’s ended up succeeding.”
The athlete’s homecoming highlights Algeria’s growing presence in international sports and the challenges faced by some athletes in the global spotlight.
An Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon early Saturday killed at least 10 Syrian nationals, including a woman and her two children, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said.
The strike hit Wadi al-Kfour in Nabatieh province, marking one of the deadliest attacks in Lebanon since Hezbollah and Israel began exchanging fire on Oct. 8, a day after Hamas attacked southern Israel.
Five others were wounded, two critically, the ministry reported.
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the strike targeted a Hezbollah weapons depot. However, local businessman Mohammad Shoaib described the area as an “industrial and civilian area” with factories and a dairy farm.
Hussein Shahoud, uncle of three victims, said they were factory workers in their housing accommodation when hit. He denied the presence of weapons at the facility.
Hezbollah announced retaliatory rocket fire at Ayelet HaShahar in northern Israel, claiming all 10 Lebanese victims were civilians. The group typically issues death notices for its members.
Israel’s army reported 55 projectiles from Lebanon, with some falling in open areas. No injuries were reported, but the strikes caused multiple fires. Earlier, two Israeli soldiers were injured, one seriously, by a strike near Misgav Am.
The exchange comes amid heightened regional tensions. Last month, an Israeli strike in southern Beirut killed a top Hezbollah commander, while an explosion in Tehran, widely attributed to Israel, killed Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Hezbollah and Israel fought a six-week war in 2006 that ended in a stalemate. Since Oct. 8, Israeli strikes have killed over 500 people in Lebanon, mostly militants but including about 100 civilians. In northern Israel, 22 soldiers and 24 civilians have died from Lebanese attacks.
Tens of thousands have been displaced on both sides of the border as diplomatic efforts continue to prevent further escalation.
An Israeli airstrike killed 18 members of a single family in central Gaza on Saturday, even as international mediators said they were hopeful a cease-fire could be reached soon in the Israel-Hamas war.
The strike in the Zawaida area killed a man, his two wives and 11 of their children, ranging from 2 to 22 years old, as well as the children’s grandmother and three other relatives, according to hospital records.
The attack came just days after health authorities in Hamas-run Gaza said the death toll in the territory passed 40,000 in nearly five months of war.
Hours earlier, the U.S., Egypt and Qatar said they were making progress on a deal for a cease-fire of several weeks and the release of some of the hostages held by Hamas.
The mediators, meeting in Paris, said in a statement they had developed a proposal for a truce and were working to narrow the gaps between Israel and Hamas. They said they would continue their efforts in the coming days.
An official from the U.S., speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations, said the three countries were “hopeful” about the latest proposal.
The Israeli military said it was looking into the report of the deadly airstrike. It said troops were operating in central Gaza, targeting militants and rocket-launching infrastructure.
The military has ordered Palestinians to evacuate much of central Gaza in recent days as it expands its offensive. The U.N. says some 84% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million have already fled their homes, with many now living in overcrowded shelters or tents in the southern part of the territory.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostage. More than 100 captives were released during a weeklong cease-fire in November in exchange for 240 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
Israel responded to the Oct. 7 attack by launching one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns in recent history.
Despite international pressure for a cease-fire, Israel has vowed to continue the offensive until it destroys Hamas’ military capabilities and returns all hostages. Hamas has said it will not release all the captives until Israel ends its offensive and withdraws from Gaza.
The Biden administration has been working with Egypt and Qatar to try to broker another cease-fire agreement. The proposal would reportedly include a pause in fighting for several weeks and the release of some of the hostages.
Hamas has said no agreement can be reached without a permanent cease-fire and full Israeli withdrawal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected those demands.
The fighting has raised tensions across the region, with Lebanon’s Hezbollah trading fire with Israel along the border and Iran-backed groups targeting U.S. forces in Syria and Iraq.
On Saturday, an Israeli airstrike on a house in southern Lebanon killed at least 10 civilians, including a woman and her two children, Lebanese state media reported. Israel said it struck Hezbollah targets in response to rocket fire.
As diplomatic efforts continue, Gaza’s civilians bear the brunt of the ongoing conflict. Aid groups warn of a worsening humanitarian crisis, with food, clean water, and medical supplies in short supply.
In a dramatic turn of events, international pop culture icon Paris Hilton faced an unexpected crisis during the filming of her latest music video in downtown Los Angeles. The set of “Bad Bitch Academy,” Hilton’s newest single, became the scene of a dangerous blaze that consumed her personal makeup trailer, leaving behind a trail of destruction and valuable losses.
Our team gained exclusive access to footage showcasing the aftermath of the fire, revealing a once-luxurious trailer reduced to a charred shell. The interior, previously a haven of glamour and preparation, now stands as a stark reminder of the incident’s severity.
According to sources close to the production, the trailer housed an impressive collection of high-value items, all of which fell victim to the flames. Designer clothes, custom Swarovski outfits, sunglasses, purses, jewelry, computers, and numerous personal belongings were among the casualties, representing a significant material loss for the star.
Despite the setback, the star-studded music video shoot perseveres. Notable celebrities including Heidi Klum, Lance Bass, Meghan Trainor, Chris Olsen, and Lele Pons were on set to make cameo appearances and remain committed to the project, continuing to film in the wake of the shocking event.
“Bad Bitch Academy” is slated to feature on Hilton’s highly anticipated album, “INFINITE ICON,” set for release on September 6th. As of now, it remains unclear whether this unforeseen incident will impact the album’s launch date or the production timeline of the music video.
The Los Angeles Fire Department promptly responded to the emergency, and an investigation into the cause of the fire is currently underway. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, as Hilton and other cast members were safely away from the trailer when the blaze erupted.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable nature of on-set production, even for the biggest names in the entertainment industry. As Paris Hilton and her team navigate this challenge, fans eagerly await the release of “Bad Bitch Academy” and the upcoming “INFINITE ICON” album, curious to see how this event might influence the final product.
Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah has unveiled a vast underground network of tunnels and roads designed for storing and transporting missiles, in what appears to be a direct threat to Israel.
The revelation came through a chilling video released by the group on August 18, 2024, showcasing their extensive hidden infrastructure.
The video displays large underground roads capable of accommodating trucks transporting heavy weaponry. Posters of Hezbollah leaders and soldiers adorn the walls of the tunnels, while footage shows armed men on motorcycles navigating through what the group calls a “missile city.”
Trucks loaded with enormous missiles are seen traversing the dark underground passages. Drone footage reveals the extensive nature of the tunnel network, which also appears to house military technology and computer systems.
In the video, a narrator ominously states: “These targets are in our possession and its coordinates are in our hands. These missiles are placed, deployed, and focused on targets and in perfect secrecy.” The narrator further threatens that if Israel imposes war on Lebanon, it will “face a destiny and reality it didn’t expect any day.”
This revelation comes amid escalating tensions in the region. It follows recent Israeli airstrikes that killed Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut and a Hamas leader in Tehran, prompting vows of retaliation from both groups.
The situation has raised alarm internationally, with the U.S. advising its citizens in Lebanon to leave on the first available flight. British troops are reportedly positioned in the region for potential military-grade evacuation operations.
This development is part of a broader pattern of underground military infrastructure in the region. In January, Israeli forces claimed to have discovered Hamas rocket factories beneath civilian evacuation routes in Gaza.
The reveal of Hezbollah’s tunnel network significantly escalates tensions in an already volatile region. It demonstrates the group’s advanced military capabilities and raises concerns about the potential for a wider conflict involving Israel, Lebanon, and potentially other regional actors.
As the situation continues to evolve, international observers and regional stakeholders will be closely monitoring developments, with particular focus on potential Israeli responses and the broader implications for Middle Eastern stability.
Russian-appointed officials reported on Friday, August 18, 2024, that a crowded shopping mall in the occupied Ukrainian city of Donetsk caught fire following alleged Ukrainian shelling. Denis Pushilin, the Kremlin-appointed governor of the Donetsk region, accused Ukrainian forces of wounding at least seven civilians in what he described as “targeted massive strikes” on southwestern Donetsk.
According to Pushilin, the attacks damaged a local hospital and set the Galaktika shopping mall ablaze, affecting an area of 10,000 square meters. “Extinguishing the fire is complicated by the operational environment that’s forcing the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry workers to move to a safe distance,” Pushilin stated on social media.
Eyewitness videos shared on social media platforms showed flames and thick black smoke engulfing a large two-story structure in front of an empty parking lot. Russia’s state-run news agency RIA Novosti later released footage of the destroyed front of the commercial building with smoke continuing to rise from the rear.
The TASS news agency, citing local emergency services, reported that two people may have been killed in the Galaktika shopping mall attack. However, this information has not been independently verified.
As of this report, Ukraine has not commented on whether its forces were responsible for the strike.
The incident occurred in territory that Russia claims to have annexed in late 2022, along with three other Ukrainian regions, despite ongoing fighting for control of these areas. This attack highlights the continuing conflict in eastern Ukraine and the impact on civilian infrastructure in occupied territories.
The situation remains fluid, and further updates are expected as more information becomes available.
