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Wednesday, May 3, 2023

Serbia school shooting: boy kills nine in Belgrade classroom - Reuters

Summary
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Boy targets teacher first, then others
Nine killed, teacher and six pupils in hospital
Attacker had recently joined class, considered good pupil
Police investigating motive

BELGRADE, May 3 (Reuters) - A 14-year-old boy shot dead eight fellow pupils and a security guard and wounded his teacher and six other students when he opened fire in his Belgrade classroom on Wednesday morning, Serbia's interior ministry said.

Milan Milosevic, the father of one of the pupils at the Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school in the Serbian capital, said his daughter was in the class where the gun was fired.

"She managed to escape. (The boy) ...first shot the teacher and then he started shooting randomly," Milosevic told broadcaster N1.

Milan Nedeljkovic, mayor of the central Vracar district where the school is located, said doctors were fighting to save the teacher's life.

The interior ministry statement said eight children and a security guard had been killed and six children had been hospitalised along with the teacher.

Police said a seventh-grade student had been arrested in the schoolyard.

"I saw the security guard lying under the table. I saw two girls with blood on their shirts. They say he (the shooter) was quiet and a good pupil. He recently joined their class," added Milosevic, who had rushed to the school after the shooting.

Officers in helmets and bulletproof vests cordoned off the area around the school.

"I saw kids running out from the school, screaming. Parents came, they were in panic. Later I heard three shots," a girl who attends a high school adjacent to Vladislav Ribnikar told state TV RTS.

Casualties are being treated and an investigation into the motives behind shooting is under way, a police statement said.

Sinisa Ducic, the acting director of a paediatric clinic in Belgrade treating three of the victims said one, a girl, had a head injury and was undergoing surgery.

"She has a serious injury," Ducic told reporters.

Mass shootings are comparatively rare in Serbia, which has very strict gun laws and has issued several amnesties for owners to hand in or register illegal guns.

But the western Balkans are awash with hundreds of thousands of illegal weapons following wars and unrest in the 1990s.

In the deadliest shooting in Serbia since then, Ljubisa Bogdanovic killed 14 people the central village of Velika Ivanca in 2013, while Nikola Radosavljevic killed nine and wounded five in the eastern village of Jabukovac on July 27 2007.

Rade Sefer killed six guests at his son's wedding in the northern town of Senta in 2015 and a year later, Sinisa Zlatic killed five people and wounded twenty-two with an assault rifle in a cafe in the town of Zitiste, also in the north.

All those assailants were adults.

Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic; editing by John Stonestreet

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Aleksandar Vasovic

Thomson Reuters

Reports on the Western Balkans and Ukraine. Previously worked with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network as editor-trainer. While serving as a correspondent for the Associated Press covered the war in Kosovo in 1998-1999, the 1999 NATO bombing of Serbia and Montenegro, insurgencies in North Macedonia and the Presevo Valley, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the 2004 Orange Revolution in Ukraine. During the 1990s worked as an editor and correspondent at-large for Belgrade's Radio B92 covering wars in Croatia and Bosnia and peace processes between Israel and the Palestinian territories and in Northern Ireland. Awarded with APME Deadline Reporting Award in 2004 for the capture of Saddam.

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Huge fires at oil depots in Russia and Ukraine as sides press drone war - Reuters

Summary

Drones strike oil depots near Crimea, in central Ukraine
Ukraine says shot down 21 of 26 Iranian-made drones
Strikes intensify as Ukraine's counteroffensive nears

May 3 (Reuters) - Oil depots were ablaze in both Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday as both sides escalated a drone war targeting infrastructure ahead of Kyiv's planned spring counter-offensive to try to end Moscow's all-out invasion.

Scores of firefighters battled a huge fire that Russian authorities blamed on a Ukrainian drone crashing into an oil terminal on Russia's side of the bridge it built to occupied Crimea.

In Ukraine, a fuel depot was also on fire after a suspected Russian drone strike on the central city of Kropyvnytskyi.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, an administrative building in the southern Dnipropetrovsk region was hit by a drone and set on fire. Ukraine said it had shot down 21 of 26 Iranian-made drones.

The two sides have been launching long-range strikes since last week in apparent anticipation of Ukraine's upcoming counteroffensive, expected to be one of the most decisive phases of the war.

After a lull of nearly two months, Russia fired a wave of missiles before dawn last Friday, including one that killed 23 civilians while they slept in an apartment building in the city of Uman hundreds of miles from the front.

On Saturday, a suspected Ukrainian drone strike caused a fire at a Russian oil terminal in occupied Crimea. On Monday, Russia hit dozens of homes and an industrial enterprise in Dnipropetrovsk region that Kyiv did not identify. And blasts have derailed freight trains in Russia's Bryansk region adjacent to Ukraine for the past two days in a row.

Moscow says its long range attacks have struck military targets, though it has produced no evidence to support this.

Kyiv does not comment on incidents in Russia or occupied Crimea but says destroying infrastructure supporting the Russian military in Ukraine is part of preparation for its planned ground assault, ready to begin at any time.

FIRE OF HIGHEST RANK

Flames and black smoke billowed over large tanks emblazoned with red warnings of "Flammable" in videos posted on Russian social media of the burning fuel depot near the Crimea bridge.

"The fire has been classified as the highest rank of difficulty," Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of the Krasnodar region said on the Telegram messaging app, adding that there were no casualties.

He said 188 firefighters were battling the blaze, attacking it with foam. He called for people to remain calm and said there was no need to order the evacuation of the nearby village of Volna.

Russia's TASS news agency, citing emergency services, said the fire was caused by a drone falling on the facility. Moscow had also blamed a drone for a huge fire on Saturday in Crimea, in Sevastopol, naval base of Russia's Black Sea Fleet.

In Ukraine, the governor of the central Kirovohrad region said three Russian drones had tried to hit an oil facility in the region's main city Kropyvnytskyi. Prosecutors said a huge fire had broken out.

Ukraine says its air defences have mostly neutralised the latest attacks, especially around the capital Kyiv.

"All enemy targets were identified and shot down in the airspace around the capital," Kyiv's military administration said on Wednesday morning.

Air raid sirens blared for several hours in Kyiv, the surrounding region and most of eastern Ukraine, with the skies only clearing towards dawn.

Over the past five months, Ukrainian ground forces have kept mostly to the defensive, while Russia launched a huge, largely failed winter assault, capturing little new ground despite the bloodiest infantry combat in Europe since World War Two.

For its planned counterattack, Kyiv has been building up a force with thousands of fresh troops trained at Western bases and armed with hundreds of new Western-supplied tanks and armoured vehicles. Russia has dug in heavy fortifications along the length of the front line.

Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Clarence Fernandez

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Belarusian dissident Roman Protasevich sentenced to eight years - BBC

By Antoinette Radford

BBC News

A Belarusian opposition activist arrested after his Ryanair flight was forced to land in Minsk has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

Roman Protasevich was hauled off his flight and arrested on charges of inciting unrest in May 2021.

On Thursday, the Minsk regional court found him guilty of a series of offences relating to his work as an editor at an opposition media outlet.

Belarusian state media, Belta, said he would serve the time in a penal colony.

Among the charges Mr Protasevich was tried for were organising mass riots, calling for sanctions against Belarus, creating or leading an extremist group, and conspiring to seize power.

Mr Protasevich had been flying from Greece to Lithuania in May 2021 when Belarusian air traffic control suddenly diverted the flight to Minsk, claiming there was a bomb threat.

He was hauled from the plane and arrested, alongside his girlfriend, Russian citizen Sofia Sapega.

The arrests caused international outcry and led to the EU imposing sanctions against the Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.

Western countries accused Belarus of hijacking the Ryanair plane under the pretext of the bomb threat.

In May 2022 Sofia Sapega was sentenced to six years in jail for inciting discord.

Who is Roman Protasevich?

Until November 2020, Mr Protasevich worked as editor of the opposition Nexta channel on the Telegram messaging app.

The channel was founded by a fellow dissident, Stepan Putilo, who was sentenced in absentia to 20 years in prison on Thursday. Mr Putilo is currently in exile in Poland.

Nexta and Nexta Live were used to mobilise protests across Belarus in 2020 - which were the biggest in the country's history.

After Mr Protasevich's arrest, his family said he was forced into making fake confessions and issuing apologetic statements on state television.

In one appearance, he praised the Belarusian leader and admitted to attempting to topple him. His public criticism of the Belarusian opposition has fuelled speculation that he has come under intense pressure from authorities.

Belarus has been ruled by the same leader, Mr Lukashenko, since 1994. He defied months of protests in 2020 as opposition politicians and activists were arrested and held in prison.

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Man arrested outside Buckingham Palace - BBC

By Rachel Russell

BBC News

A controlled explosion was held and a man was arrested outside Buckingham Palace after throwing suspected shotgun cartridges into palace grounds, police have said.

A cordon was put in place after the man was detained at around 19:00 BST on Tuesday after approaching the gates of the palace, Scotland Yard said.

He was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon.

There are no reports of shots fired or injuries to officers or the public.

Police said they are not treating the matter as terror-related.

It is understood it is being treated as an isolated mental health incident.

Police later said the man was searched and a knife was found, but he was not carrying a gun.

The arrest comes just four days before the King's Coronation celebrations - which will be attended by world leaders and other royals from around the world.

The man was also found to be in possession of a suspicious bag, the Metropolitan Police said.

A controlled explosion was carried out as a precaution after an assessment from specialists.

The King and the Queen Consort were not at Buckingham Palace at the time of the arrest.

Chief Superintendent Joseph McDonald said: "Officers worked immediately to detain the man and he has been taken into police custody.

"There have been no reports of any shots fired, or any injuries to officers or members of the public.

"Officers remain at the scene and further enquiries are ongoing."

The BBC's royal producer Sarah Parrish was in the broadcast compound outside Buckingham Palace when she was told to leave and wait outside.

She told the BBC News Channel that those who were evacuated "heard the controlled explosion and then we were allowed back in again."

The suspected shotgun cartridges have been recovered and will be examined by specialists.

Roads have now reopened and the cordons have been lifted.

Buckingham Palace has declined to comment.

A ring of steel is expected in the capital for the Coronation at Westminster Abbey on Saturday.

Policing minister Chris Philp has described it as a "huge policing operation".

'FIGHT IS CONTINUING'

"Our fight is continuing and the enemy will realise once again that its crimes will not pass without a response," Islamic Jihad, which preaches Israel's destruction, said in a statement.

Three rockets were launched from Gaza toward Israeli border communities, falling in open areas but setting off sirens which sent residents rushing to shelters, Israel's military said

Israel said it was cancelling a military drill that had been planned for the Gaza Strip periphery on Tuesday "pursuant to a situational assessment". In the West Bank, Israeli authorities said a man was wounded in a shooting near a Jewish settlement.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the Gaza rockets reported by Israel or the West Bank incident. Israel and Islamic Jihad fought a brief war across Gaza's border in August.

According to the Palestinian Prisoners Association, Adnan had been arrested by Israel 12 times, spending around eight years in prison, mostly under so-called "administrative detention" - or detention without charges.

Israel says such detentions are required when evidence cannot be revealed in court due to the need to keep intelligence sources secret. The Palestinians says they deny due process of the law.

This time, Adnan was arrested and indicted in an Israeli military court on charges that included links to an outlawed group and incitement to violence, the Prisons Service said.

Reporting by Emily Rose, Nidal Al Mughrabi; Editing by Kim Coghill

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Nidal Al-Mughrabi

Thomson Reuters

A senior correspondent with nearly 25 years’ experience covering the Palestinian-Israeli conflict including several wars and the signing of the first historic peace accord between the two sides.

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Russia's war in Ukraine: Live updates - CNN

A destroyed Russian tank remains on the side of the road near the frontline town of Kreminna in Luhansk region, Ukraine on March 24. (Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters)

Russia has suffered more than 100,000 casualties since December and the "stunning" number is a key signal that Moscow's winter offensive has “backfired,” according to new estimated figures announced by the Biden administration on Monday.

White House official John Kirby told reporters Russia has "exhausted its military stockpiles and its armed forces" and the US estimates more than 20,000 of its troops have been killed in action in recent months.

The US is defining the term “casualty” as both wounded and killed.

Kirby, who serves as National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, noted that “nearly half” of those casualties were fighters with the Russian private company Wagner — whom CNN has reported have experienced horrific experiences on the battlefield following minimal training and little leadership.

Kirby lambasted a recent assertion from Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who said Sunday that his group had only suffered 94 casualties. Kirby called Prigozhin's comments “just a ludicrous claim.”

Pressed on the source of the new 100,000 figure, Kirby said it was “based on some downgraded intelligence that we’ve been able to collect.” He declined to provide information on Ukrainian casualties, noting that the US has “never” provided such information and would defer to Ukraine on the matter.

Kirby added that the Ukrainians “are the victims here, Russia is the aggressor, and I'm simply not going to put information in the public domain that's going to, again, make it any harder for the Ukrainians."

The official noted that it's ultimately Ukraine's decision to declassify the information and make their casualty figures public. "I don't need to abide by that same sense of courtesy for the Russians — haven't done it and I ain't going to start now," he said.

With regards to fighting on the ground, Kirby said “most” of Russia’s efforts have “stalled and failed” as the battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut continues. He added that Russia has made “incremental” gains in the town that has “very little strategic value.”

“The bottom line is that Russia's attempted offensive has backfired. After months of fighting and extraordinary losses, Russia continues to be focused on a single Ukrainian city with limited strategic value," the official said.

Kirby said any decision about a spring counteroffensive from Ukraine would be “for President (Volodymyr) Zelensky to make,” but the US will continue to provide military aid and support.

The US official also told reporters a future package for Ukraine would be unveiled "very soon."

"What we want to stay focused on is making sure that we're helping them be as ready as they can be for whenever they choose to step off. And that means, obviously, in material support,” he told reporters.

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Monday, May 1, 2023

Biden looks to strengthen ties with Philippines as Marcos visits White House - CNN

CNN —

President Joe Biden welcomed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines to the White House on Monday as part of continued efforts to strengthen security and economic relations in the region amid concerns over an increasingly assertive China.

Sitting in the Oval Office at the start of their talks, Biden said the US “remains ironclad in our commitment to the defense of the Philippines, including the South China Sea.”

“We’re going to continue to support the Philippines military’s modernization goals,” Biden told the visiting leader, pledging the two nations “not only share a strong partnership – we share a deep friendship, one that has been enriched by millions of Filipino Americans in the communities all across the United States.”

Speaking afterward, Marcos told Biden their two countries must “find ways to strengthen our alliances and partnership,” saying ongoing tensions in Asia make for the world’s most complicated geopolitical situation.

The meeting was a show of solidarity meant as a message to China that America remains committed to its allies in the neighborhood. A 1951 mutual defense treaty between the US and the Philippines – the oldest such US pact in the Asia-Pacific – stipulates both sides would help defend each other if either were attacked by a third party.

The invitation to the White House was also a sign of Biden’s intent on reestablishing strong ties with Manila after they had frayed under former President Rodrigo Duterte, who sought closer relations with China.

Ahead of the talks, senior administration officials described new steps and initiatives that would be announced this week, including a new set of bilateral defense guidelines to strengthen the alliance and the transfer of US hardware – including three C-130 aircraft and additional patrol vessels – to support efforts to modernize Manila’s armed forces.

Other initiatives expected to be announced include a US trade mission to the Philippines later this year and $3 billion in public and private financing to buttress infrastructure for critical minerals, according to the officials.

Marcos’ visit will cap a busy month in bilateral engagements as defense ties between the two nations have expanded, raising alarms in Beijing. Thousands of American and Filipino troops have taken part in joint exercises over the past three weeks. And the US recently hosted two top diplomats from the Philippines for talks during which both sides agreed to complete a roadmap for Washington to provide security assistance to its regional ally over the next five to 10 years.

Last year, the US granted $100 million to boost the Southeast Asian country’s defense capabilities and military modernization. It also plans to allocate $100 million for the improvement of military bases to which the US has access under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, or EDCA.

In February, the Philippines granted new rights to the US military to add four bases to the five originally covered under the EDCA. The new facilities include three on the main island of Luzon, close to Taiwan, and one in Palawan province in the South China Sea.

China, which remains one of the Philippines’ top trading partners, has grown increasingly outspoken about the burgeoning US-Filipino defense ties.

Beijing’s ambassador in Manila, Huang Xilian, accused the Philippines last month of “stoking the fire” of regional tensions by offering expanded military base access to the US, saying that the goal was to interfere in China’s affairs with Taiwan.

China’s ruling Communist Party has never controlled Taiwan but claims the self-ruled island democracy as its own and has repeatedly refused to rule out taking it by force – a threat that Manila perceives as reason to ramp up its guard with help from Washington.

A spokesperson for Marcos’ National Security Council responded to Huang’s remarks by saying that “the Philippines has no intention of interfering in the Taiwan issue.”

Marcos, who is known almost universally in the Philippines by the nickname Bongbong, is the son of longtime dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., whose regime was supported by the United States. As senator, Biden was outspoken in opposition to the American backing of Marcos Sr.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Shawna Mizelle contributed to this report.

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Wednesday, May 3, 2023

Serbia school shooting: boy kills nine in Belgrade classroom - Reuters

Huge fires at oil depots in Russia and Ukraine as sides press drone war - Reuters

FIRE OF HIGHEST RANK

Belarusian dissident Roman Protasevich sentenced to eight years - BBC

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Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Man arrested outside Buckingham Palace - BBC

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Palestinian repeat hunger striker Khader Adnan dies in Israeli custody - Reuters

'FIGHT IS CONTINUING'

Russia's war in Ukraine: Live updates - CNN

Monday, May 1, 2023

Biden looks to strengthen ties with Philippines as Marcos visits White House - CNN

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