UN, AU and EU urge Somalia to quickly agree on election date
by Edith M. Lederer, The Associated Press
Posted Feb 22, 2021 6:47 pm EDT
Last Updated Feb 22, 2021 at 6:58 pm EDT
CAMEROON, Cameroon The United Nations, African Union and European Union urged the Somali government and opposition on Monday to quickly agree on a date for elections, warning that the delay is fueling violence and impacting the impoverished Horn of Africa nation’s development and security.
Acting U.S. ambassador Richard Mills echoed their appeal to swiftly resolve the political impasse, saying last week’s political violence on the streets of the capital Mogadishu over the failure to hold elections “is the latest indication that if not resolved soon, Somalia risks regressing deeper into instability.”
Belarus dictator Lukashenka seeks to silence the media
Belarusian journalists Katsiaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsova await sentencing in Minsk on February 18. (REUTERS)
A Minsk court sentenced journalists Katsiaryna Andreyeva and Darya Chultsovato two years in prison on February 18 in a case that highlights the war against free speech that is accompanying Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s ruthless crackdown on the country’s six-month pro-democracy uprising.
The two young journalists, who both work for the Polish-backed independent Belarusian TV channel Belsat, were convicted on charges of “organizing a demonstration that grossly violates public order.” However, critics of the verdict maintain the journalists were guilty of nothing more than live streaming a peaceful protest staged to commemorate activist Raman Bandarenka, whose death in November 2020 was widely believed to be the result of regime brutality.
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FILE - This Jan. 15, 2011 file photo, shows a part of Arak heavy water nuclear facilities, near the central city of Arak, 150 miles (250 kilometers) southwest of the capital Tehran, Iran (Mehdi Marizad/Fars News Agency via AP, File)
PARIS, France (AFP) Top diplomats from European powers and the United States will hold talks on Thursday to see how to revive the 2015 deal on Iran’s nuclear drive, days ahead of a deadline set by Tehran that could hinder the efforts by limiting inspections.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will host his German and British counterparts in Paris, with America’s new top diplomat, Antony Blinken, joining via videoconference, the French foreign ministry said Wednesday.
Updated Feb 17, 2021 · 06:22 pm The foreign envoys in Jammu and Kashmir s Budgam on Wednesday. | PTI
A group of 20 foreign diplomats reached Srinagar on Wednesday for a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir to study “the situation on ground” since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government stripped the region of its semi-autonomous status in 2019, reported
The Hindu.
Visuals showed the diplomats being driven in a motorcade amid tight security from the airport. They were later seen meeting locals in Magam block of Budgam district, where the envoys were briefed about various civic matters, reported ANI. There was a shutdown in several parts of Kashmir, NDTV reported.