London — John Pilger, an Australia-born journalist and documentary filmmaker known for his coverage of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, has died, his family said Sunday. He was 84. A statement from his family, posted on X, formerly Twitter, said Pilger died Saturday in London. “His journalism and documentaries were celebrated around the world, but to his family he was simply the most amazing and loved dad, grandad and partner," the statement said. Pilger, who had been based in Britain since 1962... Читать дальше...
Berlin — Three more people were detained Sunday in connection with a reported threat of an attack on the Cologne Cathedral over the holidays, German authorities said. The detentions came only days after a 30-year-old Tajik man was detained in relation to an alleged plot to attack the world-famous cathedral by Islamic extremists in the western German city. The suspects were detained in the western cities of Duisburg, Herne and Dueren in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, and their apartments were also searched there. Читать дальше...
Bamako, Mali — The U.N. mission in Mali ended a decade of deployment in the crisis-wracked country on Sunday, meeting a December 31 deadline agreed after Mali's military leaders ordered it to leave. The U.N. stabilization mission (MINUSMA) had been in place since 2013, and its withdrawal is igniting fears that fighting will intensify between troops and armed factions. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement published Sunday that MINUSMA had completed its agreed withdrawal by December 31, 2023. Читать дальше...
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso — At least four suspected jihadi attacks in Burkina Faso have killed dozens of soldiers and civilians in a week, security and local sources told AFP on Sunday. They said the attacks have targeted military contingents since last Sunday, leaving "dozens dead" mostly in the restive north of the country. One local source said, "a large group of heavily armed terrorists attacked the military base at Nouna" in the northwest Saturday, with the clash leaving "several victims," both military and civilian. Читать дальше...
Los Angeles — Fantasy musical "Wonka" bounced back to the top of the North American box office this New Year's weekend as an otherwise pallid film year came to an end, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday. The Warner Bros. film took in an estimated $24 million for the three-day weekend in the U.S. and Canada, and $31.8 million when New Year's Day is included. It has passed the $140 million mark domestically and taken in $244 million globally. That strong showing came at the end of an off year for Hollywood... Читать дальше...
Beirut, Lebanon — Airstrikes in eastern Syria, "likely" carried out by Israel, killed at least 23 pro-Iran fighters Saturday, a war monitor said, reporting four more dead in the country's north. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, "23 pro-Iranian fighters," including five Syrians, four from Lebanon's Hezbollah group, six Iraqis and eight Iranians, were killed in at least nine pre-dawn airstrikes near the Iraqi border. It said the raids were "likely carried out by Israel," after... Читать дальше...
JERUSALEM — Israeli prosecutors filed criminal charges Sunday against a man accused of impersonating a soldier to join the Gaza war, of stealing munitions and, according to media, of posing for a front-line picture with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel was blindsided by an Oct. 7 cross-border rampage by Hamas militants, with security forces often organizing themselves spontaneously in the field to repel the infiltrators and mount a counteroffensive. According to the indictment brought in Tel Aviv District Court... Читать дальше...
