Ethiopian military warns Mekelle civilians ahead of assault on city
‘No mercy’ ultimatum stokes international concerns as conflict enters third week
Ethiopian military officials have warned civilians in Mekelle, the capital of the unsettled Tigray region, to “free themselves” from rebel leaders or be offered “no mercy” in a coming assault on the city.
The Ethiopian military said tanks would be deployed to encircle Mekelle, the highland capital of the northern Tigray region, and that it may also use artillery on the city, state media reported on Sunday.
The ultimatum will deepen international concerns as the conflict goes into its third week without any sign that hostilities will cease soon.
The Perfect BombAnatomy of the Explosion that Rocked Beirut
By Uwe Buse, Christoph Reuter und Thore Schröder
On August 4, sensors in Bermuda registered a violent explosion, with values far higher than civilian detonations normally reach. The ultrasound waves were observed in Tunisia, Kazakhstan and on the Cape Verde islands. Instruments in Germany likewise recorded a change in atmospheric pressure.
The epicenter of the concussion was in the Lebanese capital city of Beirut, in a dilapidated storage depot down at the port. Hangar 12.
Wisconsin officials: Trump observers obstructing recount
MICHAEL TARM
Election officials in Wisconsin’s largest county accused observers for President Donald Trump on Saturday of seeking to obstruct a recount of the presidential results, in some instances by objecting to every ballot tabulators pulled to count.
Trump requested the recount in Milwaukee and Dane counties, both heavily liberal, in hopes of undoing Democrat Joe Biden's victory by about 20,600 votes. With no precedent for a recount reversing such a large margin, Trump's strategy is widely seen as aimed at an eventual court challenge, part of a push in key states to undo his election loss.
Japan faces balancing act over touchy subject of virus clusters among foreign nationals
BY TOMOHIRO OSAKI
STAFF WRITER
Yasutoshi Nishimura — the nation’s COVID-19 point man — paused momentarily at one point during a recent news conference, seemingly debating internally how best to broach discussion of virus clusters among foreign residents, a subject that could be a lightning rod for criticism and claims of xenophobia if handled poorly.
Not all foreign residents, the minister leading the government’s coronavirus response was careful to note, should be blamed for the spread of the virus. No prejudice or discrimination should be tolerated whatsoever, he said.
The caution with which Nishimura brought up the subject at the Nov. 12 briefing spoke volumes about its sensitivity, underlining the delicate balance the government is trying to strike between stopping foreign communities from becoming virus hot spots and preventing discrimination against them.
The loyalty oath keeping Rwandans abroad in check
By Andrew Harding
Africa correspondent, BBC News
Leaked footage of a controversial "oath" ceremony at the Rwandan High Commission in London has fuelled allegations of an aggressive global crackdown on dissent by the authoritarian government of the small East African nation, dubbed the new "North Korea" by its critics.
Members of the Rwandan diaspora have told the BBC that such ceremonies are commonplace and designed to instil fear and obedience.
One man said his relatives back in Rwanda had been abducted and possibly killed to punish him for refusing to co-operate. The Rwandan authorities have dismissed the allegations as false and unsubstantiated.
US formally withdraws from Open Skies Treaty that bolstered European security
Updated 1414 GMT (2214 HKT) November 22, 2020
The US on Sunday formally exited the decades-old Open Skies Treaty, some six months after President Donald Trump first announced the decision, according to the State Department.
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