Former Bosnia wartime prison camp guard who settled in US facing federal charges
The Toronto Star
23-05-17 21:09
Kemal Mrndzic, a former guard of the Celebici prison camp during the Bosnian War in the 1990s, has been arrested and charged with fraud and other crimes. Mrndzic, who fled the country after the war and was granted refugee status and later US citizenship based on a false claim that he had been captured and abused by Serb forces, was identified by survivors as being involved in beatings and abuses at the prison camp. Other charges against him include using a fraudulently obtained US passport and possessing and using a fraudulently obtained naturalization certificate and Social Security card.
Ukraine's foreign minister has told a high-level Chinese envoy that Kyiv will not accept any proposals to end the ongoing war with Russia that could lead to Ukraine losing territory. Dmytro Kuleba also said that "just peace" could only be restored if "respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine" was observed. Li Hui, China's special representative for Eurasian affairs, was in Kyiv to promote Beijing-led negotiations to resolve the conflict and is now expected to visit Moscow to discuss a possible political solution to the conflict.
George Black's book "The Long Reckoning: A Story of War, Peace, and Redemption in Vietnam" highlights the continuing legacies of the Vietnam War for people in the US, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia through the lens of two American veterans who return to Vietnam in the 1990s to help people recover from injuries caused by leftover explosives and Agent Orange, a dangerous chemical used by the Americans in the war that causes debilitating health problems for generations. The book also highlights the persistent efforts of a small group of American and Vietnamese heroes that broke down opposition to re-establish unofficial and official outreach between the two nations and aid those in need.
Explosions were reported in central and southern Ukraine, including the capital, Kyiv, on Thursday after air raid sirens sounded across the country. Missile attacks in central Vinnytsia and the death of one person in a strike on an industrial facility in Odesa were among other incidents reported. China's special envoy for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, has confirmed there is no remedy to the conflict and called for Kyiv and Moscow to engage in talks to end the war. Meanwhile, Joseph Borrell, the European Union's foreign policy chief, called for the amount allocated for military aid for Ukraine to be raised by $3.85bn.
The G7 will meet in Japan and there are increasing expectations that the group will tighten economic sanctions against Russia. Despite the reality that sanctions have affected Russia with a heavy toll, it is widely believed they have not succeeded in their geopolitical aims. The sanctions have instead driven Russia deeper into the embrace of emerging-market nations such as China, India and Turkey, providing leverage for Russian foreign policy and making a nonsense of western compliance efforts. There is even wider concern related to the potential that sanctions could collapse an already weak global economy. The EU has also recently announced that it was considering penalties for EU firms that help Russia evade western sanctions, such as providing financing, investing in sanctioned sectors, or sharing technologies that could aid the energy sector.
Explosions in Kyiv and Odesa caused by Russian cruise missile attacks have resulted in the loss of four lives and several injuries. Falling debris caused fires in two districts of Kyiv and the Ukrainian military said a fire broke out in Odesa due to the missile attack. Kyiv’s anti-aircraft defenses had engaged the attack, but it marks the ninth time in May that the Russian Federation has targeted the Ukrainian capital with missile attacks. The attacks come ahead of Ukrainian retaliation against Russian-backed separatist rebels in the Donbas region. The Ukrainian retaliation is expected to involve advanced Western weaponry obtained by the country through strategic partnerships such as its acquisition of Patriot missile systems from the US. On Tuesday, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces claimed 18 Russian missiles of various types were shot down in a concentrated attack on Kyiv.
Russian troops continue to fire artillery shells at the Ukrainian city of Nikopol, which is located across the Dnipro River from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station (NPS), it has been reported. Despite the bombardment, residents are opting to stay in the city, close to family and work. The Russian occupiers recently ordered the evacuation of the nearby city of Enerhodar, where the NPS is located, which has increased tensions in Nikopol. In a bid to be prepared for an expected counteroffensive by Ukrainian troops, residents are stockpiling essential goods. Before the war, Nikopol had a population of around 100,000. The local authorities report that since February 2022, throughout the city, almost 3,000 residential buildings have been partially or fully destroyed, and more than 40 people have been killed.
Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will meet privately to discuss a range of issues, including strengthening cooperation between their countries, at the G7 summit cycle, a gathering of major industrialised nations, with Kishida keen to discuss deterrence and response capability for China’s Indo-Pacific assertiveness. With China claiming Taiwan should be under its rule, discussing efforts to respond to nuclear threats from North Korea may pose a diplomatically difficult path of discussion for the Japanese prime minister, who comes from Hiroshima, where the US dropped the first nuclear bomb in 1945.
Shadow of war hangs over G7 summit as Trudeau arrives in Hiroshima
CBC
23-05-18 08:28
Japan's atomic bombings will have particular relevance in the G7 Summit, held in Hiroshima, following Russia's repeated threats to use nuclear weapons during the Ukraine conflict as well as China's rise in importance in the nuclear field. Japan's Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida chose the city as the meeting venue to draw attention to the world's potential confrontation with nuclear arms. The Summit could result in the renegotiation of the nuclear arms control agreements that have recently become increasingly unstable.
China woos Central Asia as Ukraine war weakens Russian influence
CNN
23-05-18 07:21
Leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, are meeting in Xi’an, China, to discuss trade, regional stability and security. It is the first in-person meeting of the Central Asian heads of state together with China since the establishment of diplomatic relations after the fall of the Soviet Union. China hopes to expand its influence over the region, which has long been considered Russia’s sphere of influence. China presents these meetings with the Central Asian leaders as the “first major diplomatic activity” it has hosted this year and an opportunity to draw a “new blueprint” with the post-Soviet states that lie between its western borders, Europe and the Middle East. Beijing and Central Asian nations are expected to sign agreements on economic co-operation, as the region suffers from the knock-on economic effects of Russia's war in Ukraine. The leaders will also discuss security co-operation and ensuring stability in the wake of unrest and militant threats, with China seeking to ensure security but not take up Russia's broader regional security role.
Russian forces recently launched a missile attack on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, using Iranian Shahed loitering drones, Kalibr 'hypersonic' cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, as well as some other weaponry. Although Putin's attack intended to demonstrate force, it proved to expose Russia's weaknesses and military corruption. Moreover, after Ukraine defeated every missile, it showed how their ability to repel the military, resulting in more support from Western countries. Ukrainian forces' bravery is prevalent, but they need significant military aid from the West to continue fighting.
The Group of Seven (G7) leaders meeting in Hiroshima for their annual summit will announce that sanctions against Russia will be tightened for its continued support for separatist militias in eastern Ukraine. US national security adviser Jake Sullivan has said that G7 leaders will look to "shut down evasion networks, closing loopholes in the sanctions so that the impact is amplified and magnified in the months ahead." The leaders are also expected to craft a separate document focussed solely on Ukraine, building on last autumn’s promise to pledge further, financial backing toward reconstruction efforts.
NATO’s upcoming summit in Vilnius in July will outline large-scale defence plans for the first time since the Cold War. The plans reveal the alliance's strategy on how exactly it would respond to a Russian attack. Marking a dramatic shift from recent years, alliance officials now warn that they must have all defence strategies in place well before conflict may arise or escalate with Moscow. The planning will also assist nations in how to upgrade their military forces and logistics.
Ukrainian forces have made significant territorial gains against runners fighters north and south of Bakhmut in what Ukrainian commanders are calling the “first success of offensive operations during the operation for the defence of Bakhmut.” While Ukrainian troops liberated 7.7 square miles from the enemy in the north and south of the suburbs of Bakhmut, Wagner Group mercenaries continued to push through the eastern city itself, claiming much of the last Ukrainian foothold in its western suburbs. Reports circulated about whether Ukraine’s anticipated counteroffensive had begun, which were denied by Ukrainian and Western officials. Ukraine would suffer too many casualties if it launched prematurely, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During the week, Zelenskyy was on a whirlwind tour of European capitals in which he garnered large new promises of weapons. France told Zelenskyy that it would provide dozens more capable of an AMX-10RC light tanks. Ukraine’s UK allies said it would supply Ukraine with long-range attack drones with a range of over 200 kilometres, as well as hundreds of additional air defence missiles. Germany also promised its biggest batch of weapons yet was priced at $3bn.
New polling commissioned by pro-growth campaign Britain Remade has revealed more than half (53 per cent) of Scots believe nuclear power has a role to play in Scotland’s energy mix and less than a third (28 per cent) oppose it. In five years, Scotland’s only remaining operating nuclear power station, Torness, will close for good, and energy from renewable sources may not always be available. Nuclear costs are not fixed and a new wave of small modular reactors could unlock renewable-like cost savings. Rolls-Royce SMR could play a leading role, but planning red tape is preventing progress.
In his book Fatherland, Burkhard Bilger investigates Germany’s post-war silence surrounding the country’s Nazi past, exploring the experience of the “Kriegskinder”, or children of the war. Despite inheriting a country of displacement and ruin, many young Germans avoided discussion of the country’s sinister legacy. Even when the shame became too deep to ignore, it manifested itself in unspoken and subtle ways. Bilger’s work tells the story of his grandfather, Karl Gönner, who was both a teacher and Nazi administrator within occupied Alsace. It asks how much Gönner was knowingly complicit in the Nazi war machine and examines the complexity of his loyalties in a region that changed hands four times from 1862-1945. Ultimately, Bilger accepts his grandfather’s apparent kindness, remembering that “his story belies the idea of irredeemable sin”.
The Chinese view towards the Ukrainian conflict is full of ambivalence and omissions, say Ukrainian observers. Though Xi Jinping has remained the only world leader to maintain ties with Vladimir Putin, he has yet to denounce Russia for its actions in the Ukraine. While he now appears to be trying to add a peacekeeper’s feather to his cap, observers suggest he may be trying to freeze the war on Russia’s terms, allowing the country to replenish its arsenals, train more troops and switch to wartime mode, rather than offering any meaningful peace process. However, with China increasingly relying on Russia for oil, gas, coal and timber exports, and Russia trying to find new markets as sanctions are deployed by the West, the “junior” part in the alliance with Russia is becoming increasingly tough to maintain. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, supplies of Chinese drones and microchips have begun, but there is growing speculation that China may begin to provide Russia with weapon supplies if Ukraine’s President rejects China’s peace offering.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is due to attend an Arab summit in Saudi Arabia, marking the end of his isolation by states whose leaders shunned him during Syria’s civil war. The conflict has claimed the lives of 350,000 people since it began in 2011. Assad’s expected attendance is the latest in a series of events challenging the West’s push for his diplomatic isolation. Key moments include a 2013 gas attack by the Syrian army, which led to US military action, and Russia’s entry into the conflict in 2015 on behalf of the Syrian regime.
Russian soldiers fighting on the front line in Ukraine are suffering, and with rising casualty rates, Putin is paying a high price for his decision to invade. The Russian Army moved into the Crimea in February 2014, and fighting began with Ukrainian forces in the Donbas that April. The casual factors that Putin has been successful in hiding until now are becoming readily apparent, and a peace recessions looks like it would probably result in Putin's forced military collapse. It is thought that the reasons Putin would not want a ceasefire are that it would confirm the values of the international order, which he loathes, and second, would make it difficult for him to expand his military objectives in fighting in Syria, where he supports President Assad.
Paparazzi photographers have said they were not responsible for a “near catastrophic car chase” involving the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in New York. Freelance photographers who were covering the couple’s visit said the couple had not been at any point “in immediate danger”. They suggested the vehicles used by the Sussexes’ security escort may have driven dangerously, potentially “blocking off streets”. Backgrid USA, a celebrity news service, is investigating allegations that the couple’s safety was put at risk by paparazzi. Photographers from the company denied that they had been involved in any near misses, stating that the duchess had been photographed smiling in the back of a taxi following an award ceremony. Meanwhile, the UK Treasury has revealed that the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II cost the government an estimated £161.7m. The event, which took place at London’s Westminster Abbey in September 2022, was preceded by an 11-day period of national mourning.
