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Russian defence minister visits troops after Wagner mutiny

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:15:52 GMT

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu visited Russian troops involved in the military operation in Ukraine, the RIA news agency reported on Monday (26 June), his first public appearance since the weekend mutiny by the Wagner paramilitary group.RIA's report, which cited Russia's defence ministry, made it clear Shoigu remained in charge, but provided no details on when and where he met the troops and commanders of the Western military district.Mutineers led by Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin advanced on Moscow to remove what they called Russia's corrupt and incompetent military leadership, before suddenly heading back to a Russia-held area of eastern Ukraine after a deal with the Kremlin brokered by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.The deal included immunity for the mutineers in exchange for their return to camps, but it remains unclear whether Putin also agreed to reshuffle the top military leadership or make any other concessions.

TDRC Archbishop Muteba accuses European NGOs of trying to pit Congolese civil societies against the DRC Government

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:15:52 GMT

A co-founder of the civil society coalition Congo Is Not For Sale (Le Congo N’est Pas à Vendre, or CNPAV), Archbishop Florimond Muteba, has announced his departure from the coalition, DRC publication ZoomEco reported. In a resignation letter, he has blamed the Belgian NGO 11.11.11, who describe themselves as seeking to achieve "fair world without exploitation" and provides financing to the coalition, for applying pressure on the national DRC NGOs to campaign against the Israeli businessman Dan Gertler, in what he described as “unacceptable blackmail”."One of the main reasons why I left the CNPAV was not only because of the differences in approach to implementing civil oversight, but also because of a kind of visceral relentlessness against one person, Mr Dan Gertler, as if that were the only essential reason for the platform's existence. I found it abnormal that they only released large sums of money if organisations agree to campaign against him, while giving no funds for other, eq...

Ask Amy: I’m unhappily single, and I’m hurt by what my co-workers say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:15:52 GMT

Dear Amy: I am a single woman in my mid-30s.I’ve grown increasingly sad and frustrated with not being able to find a relationship, despite going on dates. I’m sad not to have a husband and family at this point, both of which I very much want.Related ArticlesAdvice | Ask Amy: When she called him, he denied even having a daughter Advice | Ask Amy: I can’t stop thinking about the wonderful life that I lost Advice | Ask Amy: This is the update that I found most moving Advice | Ask Amy: I took the online advice to dump my boyfriend, and here’s what happened then Advice | Ask Amy: Wife’s sarcasm takes center stage during evening with Martha and George However, I am trying hard to make the best of my life right now.My problem is this: I often contend with remarks from married or engaged coworkers along the lines of I am “able to do more with work” because I “don’t have to get home for anyone” ...

Harriette Cole: She had no right to approach my ex without my consent

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:15:52 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: I went to a bar with a couple of friends and ran into my ex. It was my first time seeing him since we stopped talking completely, and I was anxious about it.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: Should I tell my hometown friend why I’m annoyed at her? Advice | Harriette Cole: It was a completely innocent message, but he unfollowed me Advice | Harriette Cole: I’ve started to worry about my girlfriend’s ethics Advice | Harriette Cole: She drinks to have fun, and then the rest of us can’t Advice | Harriette Cole: How do I tell her there’s no way she could wear those clothes? One of my friends knew everything that had happened between us but did not know what my ex looked like. I told her that I would let her know which one he was when we were about to leave. We were all tipsy and I did not want to have to talk to him.As we were about to leave, she guessed whi...

Fishing for Secrets in the Nord Stream Abyss

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:15:52 GMT

The skies over the Baltic Sea are a clear blue with just faint ribbons of clouds. It’s May 24 and Erik Andersson eats a bowl of yogurt for breakfast on the deck of the Swedish diving vessel Baltic Explorer. Between bites, the 62-year-old retired engineer and entrepreneur discusses the previous day’s work on his investigation into one of the most significant international crimes in recent history: the bombing of the Nord Stream pipelines.“Well, we arrived at the site, it was the southern site, you know, the first bomb that exploded at 2:03 in the morning local time 26th of September, and we started by making sonar scans with the sonar sensors that are attached to the boat,” he says to the camera held by his daughter Agnes, who has joined him on the expedition to document his journey. “We’re scanning back and forth over the explosion site and by doing that, we got a three-dimensional depth profile. And we could map out, we could see immediately that that was the trench, 100 by 60 mete...

England wins toss and opts to bowl first against Australia in 2nd Ashes test at Lord’s

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:15:52 GMT

LONDON (AP) — England chose to bowl first against Australia on a green strip under cloudy skies at Lord’s in the second Ashes test on Wednesday.“The overheads have played a massive part in this,” England captain Ben Stokes said. “The wicket looks like it’s got plenty of grass on it so hopefully we can exploit that this morning.”Australia chose fast bowler Mitchell Starc ahead of Scott Boland in the only change to the side which won the first test by two wickets at Edgbaston.Starc played in the world test championship final win against India at the Oval this month but lost out to Boland at Edgbaston when Josh Hazlewood returned from injury.The cloud cover at Lord’s was expected to tip the scales in favor of the accurate Boland again but Starc’s pace and bounce was preferred.“We just wanted some variety,” Australia captain Pat Cummins said. “We’re really happy with how Scott has been going. Unfortunately he is the one to miss out this week but we’re...

What is a Therme? Massive spa resort considering DC site aims to be ‘antithesis to the metaverse’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:15:52 GMT

Last month, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced D.C. had inked a deal with a company seeking to build a massive $500 million complex in the District. No, it’s not for a new Commander’s stadium or swanky hotel.The agreement is with an Austrian-based company that hopes to build an indoor spa and water park the size of 10 baseball fields somewhere in the nation’s capital.The exclusive deal Bowser announced called for a one-year period in which the Therme Group would only consider locations in D.C. — not anywhere else in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia or Pennsylvania — for its next “Therme” spa.D.C. officials hail the potential project as a key part of D.C.’s “comeback” from post-pandemic economic uncertainty and the idea has support from some local business leaders.But, a month into the exclusive agreement, WTOP’s DMV Download podcast digs into the deal: Just what is a Therme? Where is there space to build o...

DC United’s Benteke, Miller selected to MLS All-Star roster that will face Arsenal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:15:52 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Reigning league MVP Hany Mukhtar and teammate Walker Zimmerman from Nashville, LAFC scoring leader Dénis Bouanga and top newcomer Giorgos Giakoumakis highlight the 26-player roster for the Major League Soccer All-Star Game.The MLS All-Stars announced Tuesday will face Premier League powerhouse Arsenal on July 19 in Washington.The 26-player roster consists of 12 players voted into the game by a combination of fans, players and media, 12 selected by D.C. United and All-Star head coach Wayne Rooney and two commissioners’ selections.FC Cincinnati, currently leading the Supporters’ Shield standings with 43 points, has the most selections of any club with three — midfielder Luciano Acosta and defenders Álvaro Barreal and Matt Miazga.A total of 17 different clubs will be represented in the All-Star Game and 19 of the 26 players are first-time selections.After winning his first MVP last season, Mukhtar leads the league with 13 goals in 20 matches played for Nashville. HeR...

Bayern Munich and Qatar end sponsorship deal which riled fans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:15:52 GMT

MUNICH (AP) — Bayern Munich and Qatar Airways said Wednesday they are ending a sponsorship deal which caused tension between the German soccer champion and its fans.Bayern and the Qatari state-owned airline said in a joint statement that the sponsorship “ends by mutual agreement on 30 June 2023 after five very exciting years together.” Bayern’s players wore the Qatar Airways logo on their sleeves and regularly traveled to Qatar for winter training camps, including one in January this year.Fan groups critical of the human rights record of the 2022 World Cup host nation had campaigned not to renew the deal when it expired at the end of the season.Bayern fans booed the club’s directors at the club’s 2021 annual general meeting when officials refused to allow a vote on the sponsorship deal. Bayern management defended the sponsorship by saying that it had helped to bring positive change to Qatar, which was heavily criticized ahead of the World Cup for the conditions of migran...

Some Dutch people seeking euthanasia cite autism or intellectual disabilities, researchers say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:15:52 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Several people with autism and intellectual disabilities have been legally euthanized in the Netherlands in recent years because they said they could not lead normal lives, researchers have found. The cases included five people younger than 30 who cited autism as either the only reason or a major contributing factor for euthanasia, setting an uneasy precedent that some experts say stretches the limits of what the law originally intended. In 2002, the Netherlands became the first country to allow doctors to kill patients at their request if they met strict requirements, including having an incurable illness causing “unbearable” physical or mental suffering. Between 2012 and 2021, nearly 60,000 people were killed at their own request, according to the Dutch government’s euthanasia review committee. To show how the rules are being applied and interpreted, the committee has released documents related to more than 900 of those people, most of whom were older and had c...