Amid fears of further protests against France, Pakistan on Friday blocked access to all social media platform.

In a brief statement, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority announced “complete access to social media platforms [Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, and Telegram] may be blocked from 1100hrs to 1500 hrs [local time] on 16 April across the country.”
Many users from Pakistan complained that they could not normally access social media and were using it through proxy networks.
The step was taken in view of nationwide protests against France a few days ago. There are fears protests may resume following congregational Friday prayers.
The protestors had demanded the French ambassador be expelled from the country over Islamophobic moves by the French government.
However, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government refused to accept the demand and instead banned the frontline protesting organization – the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan.

Moves comes amid fears of protests against France following Friday prayers

Many users from Pakistan complained that they could not normally access social media and were using it through proxy networks

Pakistan blocks social media amid fears of protests

At least 41 people have perished in a shipwreck off the coast of Sidi Mansour in southeastern Tunisia, UN refugee and migration agencies said on Friday.

The bodies of 41 people, including at least one child, have so far been retrieved from the sinking on Thursday evening, said the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The Tunisian National Coast Guard rescued three survivors, the UNHCR and IOM teams said.
The search effort was still underway on Friday.
Based on initial information, all those who perished were from Sub-Saharan Africa, according the UN agencies.
-This tragic loss of life underscores once again the need to enhance and expand State-led search and rescue operations across the Central Mediterranean, where some 290 people have lost their lives so far this year- said the UNHCR and the IOM in their statement.
-Solidarity across the region and support to national authorities in their efforts to prevent loss of life and prosecute smugglers and traffickers should be a priority.-Before Thursday's tragedy, 39 refugees and migrants had perished off the coast near the Tunisian city of Sfax in early March.
This year, sea departures from Tunisia to Europe have more than tripled compared to the same period in 2020.
The UNHCR and the IOM said they continue to monitor developments closely and are ready to work with the national authorities to assist and support the survivors and the family members of those lost.

UN Refugee Agency and International Organization for Migration say 41 bodies retrieved after shipwreck off Tunisian coast

This year, sea departures from Tunisia to Europe have more than tripled compared to the same period in 2020.

At least 40 people drown in shipwreck off Tunisia

The Brazilian Health Ministry on Friday asked women, 'if possible', to postpone the decision to become pregnant.

The statement was made by the Ministry’s Primary Health Care secretary, Raphael Parente, amid a worsening of the COVID-19 pandemic.
-If possible, [postpone] the pregnancy a little bit, until a better moment, when you can have your pregnancy more calmly- Parente said. -We know that at the time of Zika, during one or two years there was a decrease in pregnancies in Brazil, and then it increased back again.-In the midst of a severe Zika outbreak in Brazil between 2015 and 2016, women considering having children in the period postponed plans for fear that babies would be born with microcephaly.
In 2016, Brazil had the lowest number of births in 21 years. The number only grew again three years later, in 2019.
-It is obvious that we cannot say this to someone who is 42, 43 years old- Parente said, -but for a young woman, who can choose her moment of pregnancy, the best thing now is for you to wait a little bit until the situation gets a little calmer.-The ministry official justified his request by explaining that, by definition, pregnancy poses a risk for the formation of blood clots, or thrombosis.
COVID-19 also favors the occurrence of thrombosis, which can make the disease even more dangerous in pregnancy.
Last year, the US CDC had already warned that pregnant women are at greater risk of developing serious forms of COVID-19.
The recommendation resonates badly for its delay, coming at a time in which Brazil has been registering a moving average of above 3,000 daily COVID-19 deaths.
Brazil has now more than 366,000 deaths. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases tops 13.8 million. Vaccination in the country is still slow, with only 5.3% of the population fully immunized, with two doses, and about 16% with only one dose.

Ministry of Health official asked for decision to be postponed until pandemic improves

The statement was made by the Ministry’s Primary Health Care secretary, Raphael Parente, amid a worsening of the COVID-19 pandemic

Brazil asks women to postpone pregnancy 'if possible'

Google may face a massive fine in Australia after a court found the tech giant engaged in “misleading or deceptive” conduct, local media reported on Friday.

According to ABC News, the Federal Court said the company misled some mobile and tablet users about how it collects location data.
-I am satisfied that Google’s conduct assessed as a whole was misleading or deceptive of, or likely to mislead or deceive, ordinary members within the class identified by the ACCC [Australian Competition and Consumer Commission], acting reasonably- Justice Thomas Thawley said in his judgment.
-I conclude that Google’s conduct assessed as a whole conveyed a representation that having ‘web &amp; app activity’ turned ‘on’ would not allow Google to obtain, retain and use personal data about the user's location.-The case against Google was filed by the ACCC “over on-screen representations it made on Android devices in 2017 and 2018.”
The watchdog claimed that users were misled about two specific Google settings related to collection of location data; “location history” and “web &amp; app activity.”
It said the company continued to collect and use location data when “location history” was disabled but the other setting was left on, according to ABC News.
The court will decide the penalty later as it must determine “what it considers a breach and how many occurred,” the report said.
Google may face a fine of $1.1 million per breach, with Rod Simms, head of the ACCC, making it clear that the watchdog will seek a penalty in the “many millions.”
Simms hailed the court’s verdict and said “it was the first ruling in the world in relation to location data issues.”
A Google spokesperson said in a statement that the tech giant is “currently reviewing options, including a possible appeal.”
-We provide robust controls for location data and are always looking to do more – for example we recently introduced auto delete options for location history, making it even easier to control your data- read the statement.

Tech giant may pay millions in penalty as court says it misled mobile, tablet users about collection of location data

The case against Google was filed by the ACCC “over on-screen representations it made on Android devices in 2017 and 2018.”

Google faces fine for 'deceptive' conduct

NATO supports the latest round of US sanctions on Russia, the military bloc’s main political body announced on Thursday.

-NATO Allies support and stand in solidarity with the United States, following its 15 April announcement of actions to respond to Russia’s destabilizing activities- the North Atlantic Council – the alliance’s main political decision-making body composed of NATO ambassadors – said in a statement.
-Russia continues to demonstrate a sustained pattern of destabilising behaviour, including its violations of Ukraine’s and Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and continued violation, non-implementation, and circumvention of numerous international obligations and commitments- the statement said.
Citing reports, it said Russia also encouraged attacks on NATO and US forces in Afghanistan.
-The United States and other Allies assess that all available evidence points to the responsibility of the Russian Federation for the SolarWinds hack- the statement said, referring to hacking of at least nine US government agencies’, including Homeland Security, and several companies’ networks.​​​​​​​
Earlier, US President Joe Biden announced new sanctions on 32 Russian individuals and entities, including the expulsion of 10 diplomats, for interference in the presidential election and cyberattacks.
The new order blacklisted six Russian technology companies for providing support to the Russian intelligence services’ cyber programs.
The decision also prohibited US financial institutions from buying new Russian sovereign debt after June 14.

NATO’s political body calls on Russia to stop ‘destabilizing activities’

NATO Allies support and stand in solidarity with the United States, following its 15 April announcement of actions to respond to Russia’s destabilizing activities

NATO backs US sanctions on Russia

The United States on Thursday imposed a broad array of sanctions on Russia to punish it for alleged interference in the 2020 U.S. election, cyber-hacking, bullying Ukraine and other “malign” acts.

The measures blacklisted Russian companies, expelled Russian diplomats and placed limits on the Russian sovereign debt market. More penalties could come, although Washington did not want to escalate matters, the Biden administration said.
Moscow reacted angrily, saying this dangerously raised the temperature between the two countries. It summoned the U.S. ambassador for what it said would be a tough conversation.
Among the actions, President Joe Biden issue an executive order authorizing the U.S. government to sanction any sector of the Russian economy and used it to restrict Russia's ability to issue sovereign debt to punish Moscow for interfering in the 2020 U.S. election, an allegation Russia denies.
Biden barred U.S. financial institutions from taking part in the primary market for rouble-denominated Russian sovereign bonds from June 14. U.S. banks have been barred from taking part in the primary market for non-rouble sovereign bonds since 2019.
The U.S. Treasury also blacklisted 32 entities and individuals which it said had carried out Russian government-directed attempts to influence the 2020 U.S. presidential election and other "acts of disinformation and interference".
In concert with the European Union, Britain, Australia and Canada, the Treasury also sanctioned eight individuals associated with Russia's ongoing occupation and repression in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman said Moscow would respond to the sanctions in the near future.

Russia denies meddling in U.S. elections and orchestrating a cyber hack that used U.S. tech company SolarWinds Corp SWI.N to penetrate U.S. government networks. It also denies using a nerve agent to poison Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
It has brushed off allegations that it put bounties on U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.
-We have repeatedly warned the United States about the consequences of their hostile steps which dangerously raise the temperature of confrontation between our two countries- Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters. read more
She said that although Biden had spoken to President Vladimir Putin about his interest in normalizing relations, his administration's actions testified to the opposite.
The ministry had summoned the U.S. ambassador, she said, adding: "It's not going to be a pleasant meeting for him."
The White House said it was expelling 10 Russian diplomats in Washington D.C., including representatives of the Russian intelligence services and for the first time, formally named the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) as the perpetrator of the SolarWinds Corp (SWI.N) hack.

The U.S. government plans a new executive order to help strengthen its cybersecurity, a U.S. official told reporters, suggesting it could include such elements as encryption and multifactor authentication.

U.S. intelligence agencies have "low to moderate" confidence in their assessment that Russia offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, a senior U.S. official told reporters in a conference call.
-Given the sensitivity of this matter, which involves the safety and well-being of our forces, it is being handled through diplomatic, military and intelligence channels- the White House said. U.S. officials some of their response to Russian actions would be "unseen," a hint they would involve U.S. spy agencies.
Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, described the sanctions as "proportionate measures to defend American interests in response to harmful Russian actions".
-His (Biden's) goal is to provide a significant and credible response but not to escalate the situation- Sullivan told CNN.Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner said the sanctions were a "good first step" to showing that such actions were not acceptable.
-The scale and scope of this hack are beyond any that we’ve seen before, and (the sanctions) should make clear that we will hold Russia and other adversaries accountable for committing this kind of malicious cyber activity against American targets- he said in a statement.
The actions initially sent the Russian rouble down more than 2% against the dollar and to a more than five-month low against the euro before clawing back some losses.
Timothy Ash of Bluebay Asset Management said the rouble looked like it was enjoying a relief rally.
-Market rallying as they are realizing this is pretty soft in reality. No oligarchs. U.S. institutions cannot buy Russian sovereign debt in primary issuance but can get their Russian bank friends to buy it for them in primary, give them a fee, and then buy it in the secondary- he said.

The measures blacklisted Russian companies, expelled Russian diplomats and placed limits on the Russian sovereign debt market

President Joe Biden issue an executive order authorizing the U.S. government to sanction any sector of the Russian economy and used it to restrict Russia's ability to issue sovereign debt to punish Moscow for interfering in the 2020 U.S. election

U.S. imposes wide array of sanctions on Russia for ‘malign’ actions

The French embassy in Pakistan on Thursday advised all French nationals and companies to temporarily leave the country, after violent anti-France protests paralysed large parts of the country this week. 

-Due to the serious threats to French interests in Pakistan, French nationals and French companies are advised to temporarily leave the country- the embassy said in an email to French citizens. 
-The departures will be carried out by existing commercial airlines.-Anti-French sentiment has been simmering for months in Pakistan since the government of President Emmanuel Macron expressed support for a magazine's right to republish cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed -- deemed blasphemous by many Muslims.
On Wednesday, the Pakistani government moved to ban an extremist political party whose leader had called for the expulsion of the French ambassador. 
Saad Rizvi, leader of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), was detained hours after making his demands, bringing thousands of his supporters to the streets in cities across Pakistan. 
Two police officers died in the clashes, which saw water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets used to hold back crowds.
TLP supporters brought the capital Islamabad to a standstill in November last year for three days with a series of anti-France rallies.
Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in conservative Pakistan, where laws allow for the death penalty to be used on anyone deemed to have insulted Islam or Islamic figures.

Anti-French sentiment has been simmering for months in Pakistan since the government of President Emmanuel Macron expressed support for a magazine's right to republish cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed

Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) supporters in Lahore on April 13, 2021 protest the arrest of their leader as he called for the expulsion of the French ambassador in Pakistan

French embassy advises citizens to leave Pakistan

The UN on Wednesday sent 54 truckloads of humanitarian aid to Syria’s northwestern Idlib province.

The trucks crossed into Idlib through the Cilvegozu border gate in Turkey’s southern Hatay province.
The aid will be distributed among the needy people in Idlib and its surrounding areas.
Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN estimates.
Idlib falls within a de-escalation zone forged under an agreement between Turkey and Russia. The area has been the subject of multiple cease-fire understandings, which have frequently been violated by the Assad regime and its allies.

Humanitarian aid to be distributed among needy people in Idlib, surrounding areas

The trucks crossed into Idlib through the Cilvegozu border gate in Turkey’s southern Hatay province

UN sends 54 truckloads of aid to Syria

President Joe Biden sent an unofficial delegation of former US officials to Taiwan on Wednesday in a signal of support for the democratic island as it faces increasingly hostile moves by China.

Former senator Christopher Dodd and former deputy secretaries of state Richard Armitage and James Steinberg touched down in Taipei on Wednesday afternoon, live television images showed.
They are expected to meet President Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday.
-Once again this visit demonstrates the firm relationship between Taiwan and the United States- said presidential office spokesman Xavier Chang.
-It is strong as a rock.-Taiwan's 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion by authoritarian Beijing, which claims the island as its own and has vowed to one day seize it.
It uses diplomatic, economic and military pressure to keep Taiwan isolated on the world stage and bristles whenever countries send delegations or maintain contacts with Taiwan.
Over the past year, Beijing's sabre-rattling has increased considerably with Chinese fighter jets and nuclear-capable bombers breaching Taiwan's air defence zone on a near-daily basis.
A record 25 Chinese military jets and bombers breached Taiwan's defence zone on Monday.
Washington has diplomatically recognised Beijing over Taiwan since 1979.
But it maintains relations with Taipei and is bound by an act of Congress to sell the island defensive weapons. It also opposes any attempt by China to change Taiwan's future by force.
This week's delegation comes on the 42nd anniversary of that legislation -- the Taiwan Relations Act -- which Biden signed when he was a young senator.
It also comes after the State Department said on Friday it was issuing new guidelines allowing US officials to meet more easily with Taiwanese counterparts.
Biden's predecessor Donald Trump ramped up contacts and visits to Taiwan by US officials as relations between Washington and Beijing plunged over a host of issues.
Biden has made clear he wishes to cooperate with China on common causes such as climate change. 
But concerns about China under President Xi Jinping have become a rare bipartisan issue in Washington and Biden has maintained a tough line with Beijing over its human rights record and threats towards Taiwan.
US climate envoy John Kerry will visit China later this week in the first trip there by the Biden administration, seeking to raise global ambitions despite soaring tensions with Beijing on other fronts.
-We have big disagreements with China on some key issues, absolutely. But climate has to stand alone- Kerry told CNN.

This is a signal of support for the democratic island as it faces increasingly hostile moves by China

Flags of Taiwan and U.S. are placed for a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan March 27, 2018.

Biden sends unofficial US delegation to Taiwan

NATO will likely join the United States in withdrawing all troops from Afghanistan in September, German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said Wednesday.

-We always said: we'll go in together, we'll leave together- she told ARD public television. -I am for an orderly withdrawal and that is why I assume that we (NATO) will agree to that today.-NATO defence and foreign ministers will hold a video conference Wednesday after the US said it was planning to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan by the 20th anniversary of the September 11 suicide hijackings this year.
A US official said on Tuesday that President Joe Biden had reached the conclusion to end Washington's two-decade involvement in Afghanistan by late this year. 
The US has some 2,500 troops in Afghanistan as part of a 9,600-strong NATO mission in the country.
NATO allies including Germany had been waiting for Biden to decide whether the US would stick to a May 1 deadline to withdraw under a deal struck between the administration of former US leader Donald Trump and the Taliban. 
Kramp-Karrenbauer said it was now important "for us in NATO to synchronise our planning with the US planning". She did not give a precise date when German troops would withdrawal from the strife-racked country.

Kramp-Karrenbauer: I am for an orderly withdrawal and that is why I assume that we (NATO) will agree to that today

German Bundeswehr soldiers are seen at a camp in Afghanistan, March 25, 2018.

NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan likely in September

Airlines could check new European Union COVID certificates before allowing onboard passengers going on summer holidays, a senior official said on Tuesday as the bloc seeks to restart a travel sector ravaged by the pandemic.

The EU’s proposed COVID travel certificate would contain information on vaccination, tests or recovery, and would be valid until the World Health Organisation declares the pandemic over, EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders told lawmakers.
-What we want is to give to citizens and member states a tool that provides the necessary trust and confidence. A tool that competent authorities can rely on wherever needed to facilitate free movement- he said.
-Similarly, an airline company could... verify the validity of the certificate in a simple way at the check-in- Reynders told an EU parliament committee. “Long discussions at the gate should be avoided.”
Europe is in the midst of its third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic but southern EU countries that rely on tourism are already pushing for an instrument to help their hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions this summer. They face off against more sceptical Belgium, France or Germany.
Reynders stressed the certificate did not amount to a “vaccination passport” since having been inoculated could not on its own give people the right to travel freely as that would discriminate against those who cannot or would not get the jab.
Under the proposal, the 27 countries in the bloc would have to honour EU-approved vaccinations but could also chose to recognise others, such as Russia’s Sputnik V, he said. But he also added it was unclear how long immunity lasts.
EU lawmakers raised data privacy issues and practicalities of checking such certificates for millions of people crossing borders in cars and trucks every day in what is normally the bloc’s open travel zone, now criss-crossed by often disjointed health and public safety restrictions on movement.

The EU’s proposed COVID travel certificate would contain information on vaccination, tests or recovery, and would be valid until the World Health Organisation declares the pandemic over

Passengers wearing protective face masks walk at Fiumicino Airport on the day EU governments agreed a "safe list" of 14 countries for which they will allow non-essential travel starting from July, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Rome, Italy, June 30, 2020.

Airlines could use new EU COVID pass this summer

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia on Tuesday to withdraw troops that the alliance says Moscow is massing on Ukraine’s borders, ahead of an emergency meeting of allied foreign and defence ministers.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba flew to Brussels for talks with Stoltenberg a day after Kyiv accused the Kremlin of ignoring its request for talks between the two countries’ presidents over a build-up of Russian troops near its border.
-In recent weeks Russia has moved thousands of combat-ready troops to Ukraine’s borders, the largest massing of Russian troops since the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014- Stoltenberg said.
-Russia must end this military build-up in and around Ukraine, stop its provocations and deescalate immediately- he said at a news conference with Kuleba. Kuleba said Kyiv wanted a diplomatic solution.
Kyiv and Moscow have traded blame over the worsening situation in the eastern Donbass region, where Ukrainian troops have battled Russian-backed forces in a conflict Kyiv says has killed 14,000 people since 2014.
The West has expressed concern in recent weeks over a huge build-up of Russian forces close to Ukraine’s eastern border and in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Kyiv in 2014.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Brussels on Tuesday and is due to hold talks later on Tuesday with Kuleba. Kuleba called for further economic sanctions against Moscow and more military help to Kyiv.
-At the operational level, we need measures which will deter Russia and which will contain its aggressive intentions. This could be ... a new round of sanctions which would raise the price of Russian aggression- Kuleba told a news conference.
Separately, two allied diplomats said Stoltenberg would chair an emergency video conference with allied defence and foreign ministers on Wednesday. Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are expected to be present at NATO headquarters in Brussels to brief the other 29 allies on Ukraine, as well as on Afghanistan, the diplomats said.

The West has expressed concern in recent weeks over a huge build-up of Russian forces close to Ukraine’s eastern border and in Crimea

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a media conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, April 13, 2021.

Russia must end Ukraine military build-up, NATO says

Secretary of State Antony Blinken wished all Muslims in the US and around the world a "blessed Ramadan" on Monday as the faithful prepare to observe the holy month "of spiritual renewal."

Blinken noted that this year many Muslims, regardless of where they live, will again be celebrating Ramadan virtually when it begins on Tuesday due to the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
-While we have seen the tremendous loss this past year, we have also seen stories of hope and resilience in the face of this adversity- he said in a video message posted to Twitter. -From essential workers to healthcare professionals, Muslims have been on the frontline, united in service, faith and shared humanity.--For all those who have sacrificied so much and continue to do so, we are in our debt- he added.
Muslims observing Ramadan are required to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during the daylight hours of their holy month, which will end May 12.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today I wish all Muslims in the United States and around the world a blessed Ramadan. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RamadanKareem?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RamadanKareem</a> <a href="https://t.co/e3gSiZCG14">pic.twitter.com/e3gSiZCG14</a>— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecBlinken/status/1381603531115876354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Secretary of state says 'Muslims have been on the frontline, united in service, faith and shared humanity' during pandemic

Blinken: For all those who have sacrificied so much and continue to do so, we are in our debt

US top diplomat wishes Muslims 'blessed Ramadan'

U.N. prosecutors told judges Monday that two former Serbian security officials who served under Slobodan Milošević helped train and equip ethnic Serbs to conduct brutal ethnic cleansing campaigns against non-Serbs in the 1990s Yugoslav conflict.

The re-trial of Jovica Stanišić, former head of Serbia’s state security service, and his subordinate Franko “Frenki” Simatović is the last major case at the U.N. war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.
Both men have pleaded not guilty to crimes including murder and persecution as crimes against humanity. They are on provisional release in Serbia and did not attend the closing arguments in person.
In closing, prosecutors stressed that separatist Serb forces in Bosnia and in Croatia were totally dependent on Serbia under then-strongman President Milošević.
-This campaign was carried out by a variety of Serb and military, police and volunteer units that were trained and equipped by these accused- prosecutor Douglas Stringer said.
The prosecution is seeking a life sentence for both ex-associates of Milosevic, who stood trial for genocide and crimes against humanity in the Yugoslav conflict but died in his tribunal cell in 2006 before the verdict.
Stanišić and Simatović’s defence is due to respond later this week. Both men were acquitted in 2013, but appeals judges ordered a re-trial in 2015.
Stringer said the two men were vital cogs in a criminal enterprise led by Milosevic and the Serbian state, together with Serb forces in Bosnia and Croatia, to expel Croats and Bosniaks from Serb-claimed lands as Yugoslavia fell apart in the 1990s.
Judges have not set a date for the Stanišić and Simatović verdict.

Both men have pleaded not guilty to crimes including murder and persecution as crimes against humanity

Jovica Stanišić (L) and Franko Simatović appear in court for their re-trial at the United Nations tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, June 13, 2017.

Two ex-Milošević aides played pivotal role in 1990s Balkan wars: U.N. prosecutors

Russian prison officials are threatening to start force-feeding jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, his team said Monday, after he lost eight kilograms (18 pounds) since starting a hunger strike.

-Seeing the seriousness of the hunger strike, the administration is threatening every day to start force-feeding- Navalny's team said in a post on his Twitter account.
It reported that Navalny, who last week said he had a cough and fever, had been transferred back to the prison barracks from its infirmary.
-They are still not allowing a doctor to see him- it said.
The 44-year-old opposition politician now weighed just 77 kilograms (169 pounds), it said, down from 85 kilograms (187 pounds) when he started the hunger strike on March 31.
Navalny, who is 189 centimetres (six feet two inches) tall, had already lost significant weight in prison before launching the hunger strike. He weighed 93 kilograms (205 pounds) when he entered the facility in February. 
The anti-corruption campaigner, who barely survived a poisoning with nerve agent Novichok last August, began refusing food in protest at what he said was a lack of proper medical treatment in prison for severe back pain and numbness in his legs. 
President Vladimir Putin's best-known opponent, Navalny was arrested in mid-January when he returned to Russia from Germany, where he had been treated for the poisoning, and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison on old embezzlement charges in February.
Members of his defence team, who visited him in his penal colony in the town of Pokrov 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of Moscow last week, said he was also losing sensation in his hands.

Lawyer Olga Mikhailova said that an MRT scan had shown that Navalny has two herniated discs in his back, as well as a bulging disc.

On Monday, Russians across the country were celebrating the 60th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's historic first spaceflight, and Navalny's team urged Russians not to forget the opposition politician's plight despite the large-scale commemorations.
-Yes, Cosmonautics Day is cool, of course- ally Lyubov Sobol tweeted. -But an innocent man is being tortured in front of the whole country right now.-Navalny's lawyers and allies are demanding that he be transferred to a regular hospital. The Kremlin has said that Navalny is not entitled to any special treatment.
Navalny has been a thorn in the Kremlin's side for a decade by probing corruption among officials and leading large protests throughout Russia supported by a regional network.
His team has launched a new campaign seeking his release and announced plans to stage what they said would be "modern Russia's biggest protest."
The team said they would set a date for the protest once 500,000 supporters had registered with a website. As of Monday, nearly 420,000 people had signed up.
The team, which faces regular searches and arrests by law enforcement, also opened a new office in the North Caucasus republic of Dagestan on Sunday. 
But on Monday, the head of the regional network, Leonid Volkov, wrote on Twitter that "both of its employees have gone missing".

It reported that Navalny, who last week said he had a cough and fever, had been transferred back to the prison barracks from its infirmary

The 44-year-old opposition politician now weighed just 77 kilograms (169 pounds), it said, down from 85 kilograms (187 pounds) when he started the hunger strike on March 31

Russian prison threatens to force-feed Navalny

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to Brussels on Monday for his second trip within weeks to consult NATO allies as a decision looms on the war in Afghanistan.

Blinken is also expected to discuss intensifying EU-backed diplomacy on reviving the Iran nuclear accord and rising tensions with Russia as it builds up its military near Ukraine.
He will start talks Tuesday in Brussels and be joined by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is also visiting key European ally Germany as well as Israel, which is critical of the diplomacy with Iran.
-I look forward to productive conversations with allies on a wide range of shared priorities. We are stronger when we work together- Blinken tweeted as the State Department announced the trip.
Under an agreement reached by former president Donald Trump with Taliban insurgents, the United States promised to remove all troops from Afghanistan by May 1.
President Joe Biden has promised to go ahead and end America's longest war within the year but has said that the May 1 deadline is not realistic.
The Biden administration is seeking progress on a political agreement that can improve the chances of stability in Afghanistan once US troops leave.
Blinken traveled to Brussels last month for similar discussions. Amid coronavirus restrictions on international travel, he has only taken one other international trip -- to Japan and South Korea alongside Austin, part of Biden's emphasis on coordinating with allies.

He is  also expected to discuss intensifying EU-backed diplomacy on reviving the Iran nuclear accord and rising tensions with Russia as it builds up its military near Ukraine

This is his second trip within weeks to consult NATO allies as a decision looms on the war in Afghanistan

Pakistan blocks social media amid fears of protests

At least 40 people drown in shipwreck off Tunisia

Brazil asks women to postpone pregnancy 'if possible'

Google faces fine for 'deceptive' conduct

NATO backs US sanctions on Russia

U.S. imposes wide array of sanctions on Russia for ‘malign’ actions

French embassy advises citizens to leave Pakistan

UN sends 54 truckloads of aid to Syria

Biden sends unofficial US delegation to Taiwan

NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan likely in September

Airlines could use new EU COVID pass this summer

Russia must end Ukraine military build-up, NATO says

US top diplomat wishes Muslims 'blessed Ramadan'

Two ex-Milošević aides played pivotal role in 1990s Balkan wars: U.N. prosecutors

Russian prison threatens to force-feed Navalny

Blinken heads back to Brussels as Afghanistan decision looms

World

Pakistan blocks social media amid fears of protests

At least 40 people drown in shipwreck off Tunisia

Brazil asks women to postpone pregnancy 'if possible'

Google faces fine for 'deceptive' conduct

NATO backs US sanctions on Russia

U.S. imposes wide array of sanctions on Russia for ‘malign’ actions

French embassy advises citizens to leave Pakistan

UN sends 54 truckloads of aid to Syria

Biden sends unofficial US delegation to Taiwan

NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan likely in September

Airlines could use new EU COVID pass this summer

Russia must end Ukraine military build-up, NATO says

US top diplomat wishes Muslims 'blessed Ramadan'

Two ex-Milošević aides played pivotal role in 1990s Balkan wars: U.N. prosecutors

Russian prison threatens to force-feed Navalny

Blinken heads back to Brussels as Afghanistan decision looms