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Serbians rally against violence after two mass shootings

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:27 GMT

Days after two mass shootings that killed 17, tens of thousands Serbians demonstrated on Monday (8 May) demanding better security and a ban of violent TV content. They also demanded the resignation of ministers.The Balkan nation has not seen such large crowds for many years. They marched solemnly through the heart of Belgrade, behind a banner that read "Serbia Against Violence".Borivoje Plcevic, from Belgrade, said: "We are here to pay our respects and to make sure that this does not happen again anywhere."A student who brought two guns to school killed eight students and a guard on Wednesday. Six students and a teacher also sustained injuries.A 21-year old man wielding a pistol and an assault rifle killed eight people and injured 14 others a day later.Both shooters surrendered themselves to police.Protesters, opposition supporters and others demanded the shutdown of tabloids and TV stations that they claim promote violent and vulgar content.Some rights groups and opposition parties...

Russia holds Victory Day parade amid tight security after drone attacks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:27 GMT

Russia celebrated on Tuesday (9 May) the anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two with a parade in Red Square amid tight security following a series of drone attacks, including on the Kremlin citadel itself, that Moscow has blamed on Ukraine.Victory Day is one of the most important public holidays in Russia, when people commemorate the huge sacrifices made by the Soviet Union during what is called the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, in which around 27 million citizens perished.This anniversary is even more emotionally charged as Russia mourns thousands of soldiers killed in the nearly 15-month war in Ukraine which shows no sign of ending.Russia is also reeling from drone attacks, including one on the Kremlin on May 3 which it said was an attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine, which is expected shortly to launch a counteroffensive to retake land, denies involvement.Putin has repeatedly likened the Ukraine war - which he casts as a battle against "N...

Video captures father fighting off burglar in West Los Angeles

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:27 GMT

Surveillance footage captured the moment a father fought off a burglar at his home in the Pico-Robertson area, but only after the thief made off with thousands of dollars in recording equipment. Video of the burglary shows the thief, his face covered, wiping his fingerprints off Daniel Lobell’s school bus turned mobile recording studio.  “I haven’t been able to sleep in days and every little noise, I jump up to protect my family,” Lobell told KTLA.  A comedian, Lobell owns the bus, which he parks behind his home. The bus is his office where he records his popular podcast “Modern Day Philosophers,” a show that features comics talking about philosophy. The mobile recording studio, which he also uses for other productions, is his livelihood.  Video captures fatal South L.A. hit-and-run; suspect remains at large “I worked my ass off to build this business so that I could stand on my own two feet and do something, a business that I know I'm good at, that I know I can hel...

Knife-wielding man arrested after standoff in South Los Angeles

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:27 GMT

A knife-wielding suspect was arrested after standing off with authorities following a pursuit in South Los Angeles on Tuesday.The pursuit started around 8 p.m. and the driver eventually stopped near Marbrisa Avenue and Walnut Terrace where authorities surrounded his vehicle.The suspect was previously arrested for murder and is currently wanted for a parole violation, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.Sky5 images showed the man barricading himself inside a white van and refusing to come out.A man stands off with Los Angeles County deputies in South L.A. on May 9, 2023. (KTLA)A driver stands off with Los Angeles County deputies in South L.A. on May 9, 2023. (KTLA)A man stands off with Los Angeles County deputies in South L.A. on May 9, 2023. (KTLA)A man stands off with Los Angeles County deputies in South L.A. on May 9, 2023. (KTLA)A man stands off with Los Angeles County deputies in South L.A. on May 9, 2023. (KTLA)A man stands off with Los Angeles County deput...

Turkey’s closely watched vote may set country on new course

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:27 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — In the year in which the Turkish republic marks its centenary, the country is being closely watched to see if a united opposition can succeed in unseating an increasingly authoritarian leader in the NATO-member country. Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary elections, taking place on Sunday, could stretch President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rule into a third decade — or they could set the country on a new course.Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the secular, center-left Republican People’s Party, or CHP, is the main challenger trying to dislodge Erdogan after 20 years in office. The 74-year-old is the joint candidate of a six-party alliance that has vowed to dismantle an executive presidential system that Erdogan installed and return the country to a parliamentary democracy with checks and balances. As well as the opposition alliance, Kilicdaroglu has clinched the support of the country’s pro-Kurdish party, which garners around 10% of the votes. And polls have g...

Japón y la OTAN mantienen conversaciones para abrir la primera oficina de enlace en Asia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:27 GMT

(CNN) — Japón y la OTAN están negociando la apertura de una oficina de enlace en Japón, según declaró el ministro de Asuntos Exteriores de Japón, Yoshimasa Hayashi, en una entrevista exclusiva concedida este miércoles a CNN.Sería la primera oficina de enlace de la Organización del Tratado del Atlántico Norte (OTAN) en Asia.Hayashi señaló la guerra en Ucrania y la agresión rusa como una de las razones por las que “la cooperación entre “Asia Oriental y la OTAN [es] cada vez más importante” y que la creciente inestabilidad en todo el mundo ha hecho que esto sea necesario.“La razón por la que estamos discutiendo esto es que desde la agresión de Rusia a Ucrania, el mundo se ha vuelto más inestable, y sentí que lo que está sucediendo en Europa del Este no se limita sólo a la cuestión en Europa del Este y que afecta directamente a la situación aquí en el Pacífico”, dijo Hayashi a CNN.ANÁLISIS | Corea del Sur y Japón no se llevan bien. Y eso es un problem...

French journalist killed in Ukraine by rocket attack near Bakhmut

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:27 GMT

Arman Soldin, a 32-year-old video coordinator in Ukraine for French newswire Agence France-Presse, died Tuesday afternoon in a Grad rocket attack, according to AFP journalists who accompanied him.The shelling took place in the vicinity of Chasiv Yar, near Bakhmut, which is targeted daily by Russian forces, and has seen some of the fiercest fighting since the beginning of the war.French President Emmanuel Macron said: “With courage, from the first hours of the conflict he was at the front to establish the facts. To inform us. We share the pain of his loved ones and all his colleagues.”“The whole agency is devastated by the loss of Arman,” AFP Chairman Fabrice Fries said. “Arman’s brilliant work encapsulated everything that has made us so proud of AFP’s journalism in Ukraine,” AFP’s Global News Director Phil Chetwynd said.Soldin is the 15th journalist who has been killed covering the war in Ukraine, according to press freedom NGO Committee to Protect...

EU’s Mariya Gabriel nominated to be Bulgaria’s new prime minister

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:27 GMT

Former Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov announced Wednesday that his center-right GERB party would nominate European Commissioner for Innovation Mariya Gabriel to be the country’s new PM.Reports began circulating in Bulgarian media Tuesday night that the former MEP and two-time commissioner would be GERB’s choice to break the political deadlock which has snarled the country, after five consecutive elections failed to produce a majority winner. Bulgaria’s centrist anti-corruption parties are expected to support Gabriel’s nomination.Following Borissov’s announcement in Sofia’s parliament, Manfred Weber, president of the European People’s Party, said the group “warmly” welcomes Gabriel’s nomination as prime minister-designate of Bulgaria. “She has the experience and international authority to overcome the political stalemate in Sofia. Full support for our sister party GERB-Udf for putting the interests of the country first,” Weber said.GERB ca...

Pakistan braces for turmoil as ex-PM Khan due in court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:27 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan braced for more turmoil a day after former Prime Minister Imran Khan was dragged from court in Islamabad and his supporters clashed with police across the country. The 70-year-old opposition leader is expected in court later Wednesday for a hearing in which a judge will asked to approve keeping him in custody for up to 14 days.Khan, who lost power last year but remains the country’s most popular opposition figure, is the seventh former prime minister to be arrested in Pakistan. The arrest deepened political turmoil and sparked violent demonstrations. At least one person was killed in the southwestern city of Quetta, and dozens were wounded in various parts of the country. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party called for demonstrators to remain peaceful hours after mobs angered over the dramatic arrest set fire to the residence of a top army general in the eastern city of Lahore.Khan was appearing in court on multiple graft charges brought by Isl...

ASEAN leaders condemn attack on aid convoy in Myanmar

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:27 GMT

LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia (AP) — Southeast Asian leaders condemned an attack on an aid convoy that the regional group had arranged for displaced people in Myanmar, calling Wednesday for an immediate stop to violence and for the military government to comply with a peace plan.Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations convened in the picturesque harbor town of Labuan Bajo in southern Indonesia at the start of a two-day summit. Their host, President Joko Widodo, called for unity amid global economic headwinds and major-power rivalry that’s lashing the region.The 10-nation bloc has come under international pressure to effectively address the crisis in Myanmar. But ASEAN members appeared to be divided on how to proceed, with some recommending to ease punitive actions aimed at isolating Myanmar’s generals and invite its top diplomat and officials back to the high-profile summit meetings. “The time for isolation has served its purpose,” said an internal ASEAN report ob...