Alexei Navalny: Russian opposition leader found guilty of embezzlement
Retrial conviction prevents anti-corruption activist and critic of Vladimir Putin from running in 2018 presidential election
Alec Luhn in Moscow
A court has found Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny guilty of embezzlement in a retrial, barring him from running in the 2018 presidential election.
As the judge read out the sentence on Wednesday, Navalny’s lawyer Olga Mikhailova told journalists the conviction would prevent him from taking part in the election, which he registered for in November.
Vladimir Putin, who has been in power since the end of 1999, is widely expected to run for president again, and his approval ratings remain well above 80%.
A day with Bana, the Syrian girl who gave a voice to Aleppo
By Jomana Karadsheh and Kareem Khadder, CNN
Walking through a quiet Ankara park on a cold February afternoon, it was hard to miss the giggles and playful screams of 7-year-old Bana al-Abed and her two brothers.
As they bounced on a trampoline, the bloody war in their Syrian homeland seemed like a very distant memory.
But Bana, along with her family, only fled the besieged eastern portion of Aleppo in December. Her story had begun to resonate globally when, with the help of her mother Fatemah, she started tweeting about the plight of people living in the war-torn city.
Colombia to open ELN negotiations, another step toward lasting peace
Colombia's 50-year conflict has been far more complex than a struggle between government forces and the FARC. By opening peace talks with the second-largest rebel group, the country takes a step closer to lasting peace.
On Feb. 7, two months after signing a peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas, the Colombian government is to begin formal negotiations with the country’s second-largest guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army, or ELN.
The group remains active, recruiting FARC deserters and co-opting areas relinquished by the FARC, including the Chocó, Santander, and Arauca departments. Though the ELN has weakened over the past decade, it is still estimated to have around 1,300 soldiers – compared with the roughly 6,500 the FARC were able to muster at last count.
A successful agreement with the ELN, which is more a clandestine political organization than a FARC-esque military body, is a necessary next step in ending the country’s 50-year civil war.
How Mosul’s young people are leading a clean-up effort after the departure of IS
Life is slowly getting back to normal for people living in the eastern part of Mosul after the zone was liberated from the clutches of the Islamic State group, the Iraqi army and its allies on January 18. In the days since liberation, our Observer has rolled up his sleeves and got to work cleaning up the rubble-littered streets and erasing signs of the occupation. He also wants to rebuild tolerance in his community by raising awareness about what he considers to be the “true” Islam — a religion much more moderate than the bloody, hateful extremism preached by the IS group.
More than two million people were living in Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, when it fell to the IS group in June 2014. Last month, the Iraqi army managed to recapture all of the neighbourhoods in east Mosul. However, the IS group still controls the neighbourhoods to the west of the Tigris River, which divides the city in two. So, in recent days, the river has become the frontline of the battle between the IS group and the Iraqi army.
More than two million people were living in Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, when it fell to the IS group in June 2014. Last month, the Iraqi army managed to recapture all of the neighbourhoods in east Mosul. However, the IS group still controls the neighbourhoods to the west of the Tigris River, which divides the city in two. So, in recent days, the river has become the frontline of the battle between the IS group and the Iraqi army.
DP calls for Kaneda to resign over attempt to gag media on anti-conspiracy bill
BY TOMOHIRO OSAKI
STAFF WRITER
Opposition lawmakers on Wednesday ratcheted up calls for beleaguered Justice Minister Katsutoshi Kaneda to step down amid allegations he sought to stifle Diet debates on a contentious anti-conspiracy bill by manipulating media.
At the heart of the furor is an unprecedented statement distributed to Japanese media at the urging of Kaneda on Monday suggesting that any Diet debate on the proposed legal revision to make conspiracy to commit terrorism a criminal offense should be withheld until the amendment is officially submitted to the current legislative session.
Lawmakers from the main opposition Democratic Party denounced the statement as an attempt to “manipulate” the perception of the amendment and called for Kaneda’s resignation, citing his lack of qualification for the post.
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