Suspected Islamists in eastern Congo kill more than 80 in a week

The ruins of market stalls smoulder following an attack by suspected Islamist rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), within Masala village in Beni territory of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo June 9, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 10 June 2024
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Suspected Islamists in eastern Congo kill more than 80 in a week

  • “Several dozen civilians have been victims of the ADF in eastern DRC in recent days,” said EU foreign affairs spokeswoman Nabila Massrali

BENI, Democratic Republic of Congo: The death toll has risen to 41 following an attack on Friday by suspected Islamist rebels on villages in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a Congolese army spokesman said, bringing the total toll in the region to more than 80 since Tuesday.
Friday night’s attack, on the villages of Masala, Mapasana and Mahini, had been carried out by members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), said lieutenant-colonel Mak Hazukay, an army spokesman in Congo’s North Kivu province.
The ADF, which is now based in eastern Congo, has pledged allegiance to Islamic State and mounts frequent attacks, further destabilising a region where many militant groups are active.
It originates from neighboring Uganda and is alleged to be behind multiple assaults in the area over the past week, including one in the village of Masawu that killed 17 people, two civil society leaders said.
On Thursday, five bodies were found in the villages of Kabweli and Mamulese, according to Justin Kavalami, a civil society member who helped search for bodies. The same day, six bodies were recovered from a river in the village of Mununze, that village’s chief said.
On Friday, 13 bodies were found in the village of Makobu, a civil society leader and the village chief said, bringing the total number of people killed by suspected ADF militants since Tuesday to 82.
It was not possible to reach the ADF for comment.

‘CHAOS’
During the attacks on Friday evening, armed men used guns and machetes to attack residents of the villages in Beni territory, local official Fabien Kakule told Reuters.
Vusindi Nick Junior, a local civil society leader, said a local health center had been set ablaze and nine people were injured in addition to the 41 killed.
“Several dozen civilians have been victims of the ADF in eastern DRC in recent days,” said EU foreign affairs spokeswoman Nabila Massrali, adding there was an urgent need to accelerate efforts to find a political solution.
“Terrorist groups are taking advantage of the chaos to expand their hold on an already very unstable region,” she said.
Julien Paluku, a former governor of North Kivu, said on X that Congo’s national government needed to do more to address insecurity in the east. The government has not yet made any statement on Friday’s attacks, and a government spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.
“People have the impression, rightly or wrongly, of being abandoned to their sad fate,” he said.


Zelensky urges ‘united’ European defense policy at Davos

Updated 9 sec ago
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Zelensky urges ‘united’ European defense policy at Davos

Zelensky said Europe needed to be ready to stand on its own feet and must work to remain relevant as a “strong global” player
“Europe must be able to guarantee peace and security for itself“

DAVOS: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that Europe should develop a joint defense policy and be willing to increase spending to guarantee its own security from emerging threats.
His comments to the World Economic Forum in Davos came a day after the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, who has demanded NATO members raise their defense spending and boasted he can end the war in Ukraine, without offering a clear roadmap.
Zelensky said Europe needed to be ready to stand on its own feet and must work to remain relevant as a “strong global” player and “indispensable” on the global stage.
“We need a united European security and defense policy, and all European countries must be willing to spend as much on security as is truly needed,” Zelensky argued in his address to the WEF.
“Europe must be able to guarantee peace and security for itself,” he added.
He evoked the Kremlin’s deployment of North Korean troops to western Russia to illustrate what he said were growing threats to European security.
“European leaders should remember this — battles involving North Korean soldiers are now happening in places geographically closer to Davos than to Pyongyang,” he said.
And he pointed to a recent pact between Russia and Iran boosting their economic and military cooperation, saying the accord was an example of a changing landscape that was a threat to Europe.
“Whom do they make such deals against? Against you, against all of us,” he said. “Such threats can only be countered together,” he added.
Zelensky also questioned whether Trump was committed to NATO and European security, claiming that Washington has openly indicated their security priorities lie in the Middle East and in the Asia-Pacific region.
“Will President Trump even notice Europe? Does he see NATO as necessary? And will he respect EU institutions?” Zelensky asked.

‘Canada will respond’ if US imposes tariffs: Trudeau

Updated 6 min 13 sec ago
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‘Canada will respond’ if US imposes tariffs: Trudeau

  • “Canada will respond and everything is on the table,” Trudeau told a news conference

OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday vowed a strong response if Donald Trump slaps 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports, which the US president signaled could come as early as February.
“Canada will respond and everything is on the table,” Trudeau told a news conference, adding that Ottawa’s reaction would be “robust and rapid and measured,” but also match dollar for dollar the US tariffs.


Marco Rubio becomes Secretary of State, emphasizes ‘America First’ agenda

Updated 11 min 29 sec ago
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Marco Rubio becomes Secretary of State, emphasizes ‘America First’ agenda

  • The US Senate unanimously confirmed Rubio, a China hawk and staunch backer of Israel, just hours after Trump took office on Monday
  • “His (Trump’s) primary promise when it comes to foreign policy is that the priority of the United States Department of State will be the United States,” Rubio said

WASHINGTON: US Senator Marco Rubio from Florida became the first of President Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees to be sworn into office on Tuesday, where he emphasized that US foreign policy under Trump will put American needs first.
The US Senate unanimously confirmed Rubio, a China hawk and staunch backer of Israel, just hours after Trump took office on Monday.
“His (Trump’s) primary promise when it comes to foreign policy is that the priority of the United States Department of State will be the United States, it will be furthering the national interest of this country,” Rubio said after he was sworn into office by US Vice President JD Vance.
He added that another foreign policy goal under Trump will be “the promotion of peace. Of course, peace through strength, peace and always without abandoning our values.” Rubio, 53 and a Republican, was a long-term member of the Senate foreign relations and intelligence committees. He is a harsh critic of China and an advocate for Israel. The son of immigrants from Cuba, he has also pushed for tough measures against the Communist-ruled island and its allies, especially the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
During his confirmation hearing, he warned that the US must change course to avoid becoming more reliant on China, and promised a robust foreign policy focused on American interests.
Rubio also said it should be US policy that the war in Ukraine must end. He said reaching an agreement to stop the fighting would involve concessions from both Moscow and Kyiv, and he suggested that Ukraine would have to give up its goal of regaining all the territory Russia has taken in the last decade.
Rubio is the first person of Hispanic origin to serve as the nation’s top diplomat.


Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan home from hospital days after knife attack by intruder

Updated 44 min 55 sec ago
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Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan home from hospital days after knife attack by intruder

  • Khan, 54, was stabbed six times by intruder during attempted burglary at home on Thursday
  • Indian police arrested suspect thought to be Bangladeshi national in connection with attack

MUMBAI: Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan left a hospital in India’s financial capital Mumbai on Tuesday, less than a week after he suffered knife injuries in a scuffle with an intruder at his house, local media reported.
Khan, 54, was stabbed six times by the intruder during an attempted burglary at his home after midnight on Thursday. He had surgery after sustaining stab wounds to his spine, neck and hands, doctors said.
Khan was discharged from hospital on Tuesday afternoon. He smiled at TV cameras from his car and waved his bandaged hand.
On Sunday, police arrested a man, thought to be a citizen of Bangladesh, in connection with the attack and were continuing to investigate the crime.
The suspect, arrested on the outskirts of Mumbai, was using the name Vijay Das, but is believed to be Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad, who was working with a housekeeping agency after having come to the city five or six months ago, Dikshit Gedam, a deputy commissioner of police, told a press conference.
The attack on Khan shocked residents of Mumbai as well as fellow Bollywood actors, especially because it took place in an upscale neighborhood of the city, in an apartment block that is strictly guarded.


Scholz cautiously optimistic on US-German partnership after first Trump talks

Updated 21 January 2025
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Scholz cautiously optimistic on US-German partnership after first Trump talks

  • “The United States is our closest ally outside Europe,” Scholz said
  • Speaking on the first full day of Trump’s new term in office, Scholz said cooperation between Europe and the US was key for peace and security worldwide

DAVOS: Chancellor Olaf Scholz voiced cautious optimism on Tuesday on the potential for German-US relations under President Donald Trump, citing good first talks with his administration, and stressed that cooperation was key for peace and prosperity.
“The United States is our closest ally outside Europe. And I will do everything in my power to ensure that it stays that way,” Scholz said in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“My first good conversations with President Trump and also the contacts between our advisers point in this direction,” he added.
Speaking on the first full day of Trump’s new term in office, Scholz said cooperation between Europe and the United States was key for peace and security worldwide as well as economic progress.
However, the German chancellor added that Europe must become more self-reliant.
Germany’s ambassador to Washington has warned internally of turbulent relations under Trump while German companies have sounded the alarm over threatened tariffs under the new US administration.