Ukraine War: Civilians abducted as Russia tries to assert control
By Matt Murphy & Robert Greenall
BBC News
Ukrainians are being arbitrarily detained and subjected to enforced disappearances in Russian-controlled areas, the UN has told the BBC.
At least 36 cases of civilian detentions were verified by the UN, with families often denied any information about the fate of those being held.
Ukrainians say they fear an escalating campaign of kidnappings and intimidation, as Russia struggles to assert control over towns it captures.
Viktoriia Roshchyna, a journalist, was working in occupied areas in the east of the country when she was taken by unidentified men on 15 March.
Taliban U-turn over Afghan girls’ education reveals deep leadership divisions
A lack of teachers and school uniform issues blamed for school closures but confusion is a sign of differences in vision for Afghanistan’s future
Stefanie Glinski in Kabul and Ruchi Kumar
Earlier this week, girls across Afghanistan arrived for lessons on the day secondary schools were due to open for them for the first time since the Taliban seized power. They were told to go home, and informed schools would remain shut indefinitely.
As international outrage grew at the U-turn, the official Taliban response was confused and contradictory. The group blamed a lack of teachers on the closures and said they first needed to create an appropriate environment for girls to study, and decide on appropriate uniforms.
A statement issued by the Taliban’s education ministry then said school openings would be postponed “until further notice when a comprehensive plan, in accordance with Sharia and Afghan culture, is developed”.
‘The same enemy’: Syrians endured Russian bombing for years. Now they tell Ukrainians to expect the worst
Inside the rebel-controlled Idlib province, Syrians speak of their hopes and fears for the Ukraine war, reports Borzou Daragahi from near Saraqib
A network of underground tunnels and earthen berms crisscross the muddy front line between Syrian opposition positions and Russian-backed regime forces just beyond the field to the south near the town of Saraqib.
The battle-weathered Syrian fighters here have been confronting the forces of Vladimir Putin and his local allies for much of the last decade. And along with other Syrians, they have some advice for Ukrainians trying to survive Russian air power and missiles: dig in, prepare for more heartbreak, and take solace in being on the right side of history.
“Ukrainian people, we love you,” exclaims Abu Taim al Mourad, a 45-year-old former nurse from Hama who is now among the fighters manning the front line, and cheerily praising the efforts of Ukrainians in holding back the Russian advance. “The Ukrainians fight like beasts, and we hope they win. We are fighting the same enemy, and if Russians lose there it’s good for us here.”
Chechen and Tatar Muslims take up arms to fight for Ukraine
Chechen warlord and Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov boasted of his soldiers' part in Russia's war in Ukraine. But many Chechen and Tatar Muslims are defending Ukraine and settling scores with the rulers of their homelands.
The number of these fighters deployed to Ukraine is unknown, but their reputation for brutality and ruthlessness in enforcing domestic rule is well-known, and their presence has raised memories of grisly urban combat and guerilla fighting from the Chechen wars in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov, known as one of the most loyal allies of President Vladimir Putin, announced on his Telegram channels that his men would be fighting in the "hottest hotspots in Ukraine."
Tigray rebels commit to ‘cessation of hostilities’ after Ethiopia’s truce announcement
Tigrayan rebels agreed to a “cessation of hostilities” on Friday, a new turning point in the nearly 17-month war in northern Ethiopia following the government's announcement of an indefinite humanitarian truce a day earlier.
The rebels said in a statement sent to AFP early Friday that they were "committed to implementing a cessation of hostilities effective immediately," and urged Ethiopian authorities to hasten delivery of emergency aid into Tigray, where hundreds of thousands face starvation.
Since war broke out in November 2020, thousands have died, and many more have been forced to flee their homes as the conflict has expanded from Tigray to the neighbouring regions of Amhara and Afar.
Hokkaido police ordered to pay hecklers removed from Abe speech
By HARUTO HIRAOKA/ Staff Writer
March 25, 2022 at 18:58 JST
The Sapporo District Court ordered the Hokkaido government to pay 880,000 yen ($7,230) to two residents who were removed by police officers while heckling then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a 2019 election rally here.
“(The authorities) illegally infringed on the plaintiffs’ freedom of expression,” the court said in its ruling on March 25.
A 34-year-old male employee at an organization and a 26-year-old female labor organization worker had separately filed a lawsuit by February 2020, seeking compensation from the Hokkaido government for violating their freedom of expression guaranteed under the Constitution.
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