Ukraine sees first major anti-government protests since start of war
Hundreds took to the streets after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a new law limiting the autonomy of anti-corruption agencies in his government.
01:03 - Source: CNN
Small Irish town confronts its dark past
Excavations of the remains of nearly 800 babies have begun at a former so-called mother and baby home in Tuam, Ireland. At least 9,000 infants and children died in more than a dozen of these institutions over the course of eight decades.
02:11 - Source: CNN
Fire tornado rips through Turkish forest
Turkey's forestry ministry has released video of a fire tornado tearing through the country's woodland. Hundreds of wildfires have gripped Turkey this summer, as well as Greece and other Mediterranean countries.
00:33 - Source: CNN
Concerns grow over Australia's toxic algae bloom
A harmful algae bloom off the coast of South Australia, caused by high sea temperatures and runoff from flooding, is poisoning marine life and depleting oxygen in the water. The Australian government has stated that there is little that can be done to reverse the rapid rate of the climate crisis.
01:10 - Source: CNN
International visitors to US will pay new fee
CNN's Richard Quest explains how the Trump administration enacted a bill that will require international visitors to pay a new 'visa integrity fee' of $250 dollars. The fee will apply to all visitors who are required to obtain nonimmigrant visas to enter the US.
01:36 - Source: CNN
Mexico City residents furious over gentrification
Mexico City saw its second anti-gentrification protest in less than a month on Sunday with demonstrators furious over rising prices in the city and the record number of foreigners applying for a resident visa. The main nationality of those foreigners seeking to move legally to the nation's capital? The United States of America.
01:11 - Source: CNN
Child flees Israeli strike on Gaza refugee camp
Video shows a child running away as Israeli munitions struck near a UNRWA school in Bureij Refugee Camp behind her.
00:36 - Source: CNN
China cracks down on fake "Lafufu" Labubus
Fake Labubu plush toys, dubbed "Lafufu," have gained popularity due to shortages of the original dolls made by China's Pop Mart.
02:05 - Source: CNN
Jair Bolsonaro denies coup charges as police raid home
Police in Brazil raided the home of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and enforced a ruling from the country's Supreme Court that Bolsonaro wear an electronic ankle tag. Bolsonaro is being accused of plotting to overturn the results of the 2022 presidential election.
01:17 - Source: CNN
Taiwan conducts 10-day military drill
The Taiwanese government is preparing for a war they hope will never happen. For the first time this year, Taiwan combined two major civil defense exercises, with the drills lasting ten days. These drills have included urban combat, mass casualty simulations, emergency supply drops and cyber defense that could be enacted if an invasion was to occur. CNN's Senior International Correspondent, Will Ripley, reports.
01:44 - Source: CNN
Deadly flooding grips South Korea for days
South Korea has been ravaged for days by intense flooding that's left more than a dozen people dead. Reuters reported more than 16 inches of rain fell in one area in just 24 hours, citing the country's Interior and Safety Ministry.
00:48 - Source: CNN
Brazil's Lula tells Christiane Amanpour: Trump 'Was not elected to be emperor of the world'
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva tells CNN's Christiane Amanpour in an exclusive interview it was 'a surprise' to see President Donald Trump's letter posted to Truth Social, threatening Brazil with a crippling tariff of 50% starting August 1st. Lula says that he initially thought the letter was 'fake news.' Watch the full 'Amanpour' interview on CNN.
01:33 - Source: CNN
Gaza's only Catholic church hit by Israeli strike
Gaza's only Catholic church was struck by an Israeli tank, killing three and injuring many more, church officials said. It became internationally recognized after reports emerged that the late Pope Francis used to call the church daily. CNN's Nada Bashir reports
00:53 - Source: CNN
Prince Harry recreates his mother's historic landmine walk
Following in his mother's footsteps, Prince Harry visited Angola's minefields just as Princess Diana did 28 years ago. The Duke of Sussex was in Angola with The Halo Trust as part of the group's efforts to clear landmines.
00:39 - Source: CNN
Massive fire destroys Tomorrowland's main stage
Tomorrowland's main stage went up in flames just days ahead of the festival's opening in Boom, Belgium.
00:38 - Source: CNN
How Trump's image is changing inside Russia
Once hailed as a pro-Kremlin figure, President Donald Trump's image is changing inside Russia. It comes after Trump vowed further sanctions on the country if a peace agreement with Ukraine is not reached in 50 days. CNN's Chief Global Affairs Correspondent is on the ground in Moscow with the analysis.
01:41 - Source: CNN
Who are the armed groups clashing in Syria?
Dozens were killed in Syria this week after clashes between government loyalists and Druze militias in the southern city of Suwayda, prompting Syrian forces to intervene. That, in turn, triggered renewed Israeli airstrikes.
01:57 - Source: CNN
Syrian anchor takes cover from airstrike live on TV
An airstrike on the Syrian Ministry of Defense was captured live on Syria TV, forcing the anchor to take cover. Israel has been carrying out airstrikes on Syria as part of its commitment to protect the Druze, an Arab minority at the center of clashes with government loyalists.
00:30 - Source: CNN
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Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
EU urges Ukraine to uphold independent anti-corruption bodies; Zelenskiy signals swift action
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Sunday for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to uphold independent anti-corruption bodies, with the Ukrainian leader signaling that supporting legislation could be adopted within days. "Ukraine has already achieved a lot on its European path. It must build on these solid foundations and preserve independent anti-corruption bodies, which are cornerstones of Ukraine's rule of law," von der Leyen said in a post on X after a call with Zelenskiy. After a rare outburst of public criticism, Zelenskiy on Thursday submitted draft legislation to restore the independence of Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies - reversing course of an earlier bill aimed at stripping their autonomy. "I thanked the European Commission for the provided expertise," Zelenskiy said in a post on X after his Sunday call with von der Leyen. "We share the same vision: it is important that the bill is adopted without delay, as early as next week." Von der Leyen also promised continued support for Ukraine on its path to EU membership. "Ukraine can count on our support to deliver progress on its European path," she added.
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Russian Strikes On Nuclear Plants May Presage Tactics In War With NATO
A fire rips through Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant after it was captured by invading ... More Russian troops, who have also surrounded the site with explosive mines. This image of the ultra-hazardous fire is a screen grab from a video released by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (Photo by Ukrainian Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images) Russia's ongoing attacks on nuclear power plants in Ukraine might foreshadow similar battle tactics in a future war with NATO, says a British expert who has written about the Kremlin's defense strategies. Invading Russian troops seized two Ukrainian nuclear power outposts in the early days of the war—the first time ever that an extreme-risk atomic station has been captured by armed force—and they continue dangerous military maneuvers, including drone strikes, around both. The invaders, who still forcibly control the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, might booby trap the site to transform it into the world's most colossal 'dirty bomb,' says Simon Bennett, a scholar at the University of Leicester, in England. Dr. Bennett, author of the book Atomic Blackmail? The Weaponization of Nuclear Facilities During the Russia-Ukraine War, tells me in an interview that if Russian leader Vladimir Putin one day faced defeat in his bid to conquer Ukraine, he could surround each of the Zaporizhzhia plant's six reactors with mines, and remotely detonate the devices, creating clouds of nuclear fallout that speed across Europe. Nuclear experts at the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration, which have jointly set up a Ukraine Task Force, say: 'Russian personnel have occupied and controlled Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) since Russian forces seized the site on March 4, 2022.' While remotely monitoring the site, these American experts state in a report that: 'Russia's placement of military equipment and explosive mines around ZNPP has jeopardized the safety and security of the plant, the lives of Ukrainian staff who operate the plant, and the security of the surrounding area.' 'Multiple mines have exploded around ZNPP,' they warn, 'some set off by animals, contributing to a dangerous atmosphere at the site.' Guards of honor stand sentinel in front of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant to commemorate the ... More staff who died during explosion and meltdown of one of the site's nuclear reactors back in 1986. Nuclear watchdogs are now warning of the risk of a new disaster as Russia pelts two of Ukraine's atomic stations in drone attacks. (Photo by Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP) (Photo by SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images) Russia's armed occupation of the nuclear outpost, Bennett says, enables the Kremlin to engage in 'atomic blackmail'—against not only Ukraine, but all of Europe—with just the threat of weaponizing the uranium-rich complex. He points out that a massive explosion and meltdown of one reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear outpost a generation ago generated radioactive clouds that swiftly crisscrossed national borders. 'As demonstrated by the 1986 Chernobyl meltdown and radionuclide release,' he tells me, 'plumes of radioactive debris can travel many hundreds of miles.' 'Chernobyl's plume reached Cumbria in England, where it contaminated farmland.' That means Putin and his defense chiefs would be courting extreme peril—including to Russia—if they were to sabotage the Ukrainian power plant and trigger the meltdown of even one of its reactors. 'Should any of Ukraine's nuclear power plants be hit—even the plants in the far west of the country—there is a real possibility that, if there were a persistent westerly wind, the plume would reach Russia's heartlands,' Bennett says. Ironically, he adds, Russia's current advances in its missile blitzes against Ukraine, and its glacial battlefield gains, could prevent Putin from transforming Zaporizhzhya into a super-size radiological bomb. Moscow has been blitzing Ukraine with its missiles, even as the Kremlin stages drone attacks on ... More Ukrainian nuclear power complexes. (Photo by NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA / AFP) (Photo by NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images) Yet if the tides of war change, Bennett predicts, and Moscow's military forces ultimately face being routed from Ukraine, the Kremlin commander-in-chief might opt to cover the democratic enclave in radioactive plumes created by the destruction of its atomic power stations. 'If cornered and facing unrest at home (raising the prospect of him being forced from office), he [Putin] may decide to do what Hitler did in 1945 when he [the Nazi leader] issued his infamous Nero Decree – destroy everything, including his own people, in a final act of machismo and spite,' Bennett says. The Kremlin is playing with nuclear fire by continuing to pelt the Zaporizhzhya and Chernobyl nuclear complexes in drone assaults, even as Putin sporadically shoots off threats to deploy his arsenal of nuclear warheads against any NATO nation that directly intervenes to help Ukraine repel the Russian invaders. On Valentine's Day this year, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that a drone attack 'caused a fire on the building confining the remains of the reactor destroyed in the 1986 Chernobyl accident.' IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said the strike 'underlines the persistent risks to nuclear safety during the military conflict.' The attack on Chernobyl, which pierced the high-tech shield positioned over the reactor that had exploded in the world's worst nuclear disaster ever, so far has not triggered a new release of radiation, Grossi said. The twin-shelled shield cost more than $1.6 billion—contributed by a coalition of nations aiming to protect Ukraine and the European Union from a renewed spread of radiation, The New York Times reported. The shield appeared to be deliberately targeted, perhaps as a run-up to more intense Russian strikes on the site in the future. Grossi said the aerial assault 'once again demonstrated that nuclear safety remains under constant threat for as long as the conflict continues.' Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to deploy his nuclear warheads against any Western ... More power directly intervening to halt his invasion of Ukraine, even as he steps up "atomic blackmail" against Europe by occupying a Ukrainian nuclear power complex and surrounding it with mines. (Photo by Gavriil GRIGOROV / SPUTNIK / AFP) (Photo by GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images) 'There were no reports of casualties,' he said, yet added: 'The IAEA remains on high alert.' Just weeks ago, Grossi said the IAEA team stationed at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya plant, where the nuclear safety guardians remain despite the escalating wartime dangers, reported hearing hundreds of rounds of small arms gunfire that ripped through the night. The crossfire followed 'a clear escalation in drone strikes during this war, also affecting Ukraine's nuclear power plants and potentially putting them in further danger,' added Grossi, a longtime diplomat and disarmament scholar with a doctorate in international relations from the University of Geneva. Dr. Bennett, meanwhile, predicts the Kremlin's quest to extend Russia's borders will not stop at Ukraine, and that Putin's dream of recreating the Soviet Union could escalate to spark a new global war. 'The Russian president has been determined to recover Russia's lost glory,' Bennett says. 'He has made it his life's work. It's a personal crusade.' 'Russia has been preparing the ground for a confrontation with the West since Putin became Russia's president.' Bennett's prophecy of an ever-expanding war that begins racing across Europe like a wildfire in some ways echos and amplifies a warning issued by NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte in the run-up to the NATO summit in June. 'There is great worry in many circles of NATO,' Rutte said. 'We have heard the Chief of Defense in Germany, a couple of weeks ago, and many other senior military leaders speaking about this, and also senior intelligence community people speaking about, that between 3, 5, 7 years from now, Russia will be able to successfully attack us.' NATO chief Mark Rutte has warned that Russia could attack a NATO state within the next three to ... More seven years (Photo by) As the Kremlin counts down toward its confrontation with the Western Allies, Bennett muses, it is likely already creating its masterplan for victory. Moscow's attacks on Ukraine's atomic stations, he says, could be mere precursors, testing varying battle stratagems to lay the groundwork for the destruction of nuclear stations positioned in NATO nations in the future. Could Moscow already be mapping out pre-emptive missile strikes on British and French nuclear reactors that in turn contaminate the continent and its citizenry with mortal doses of radiation? Bennett says it's 'more likely that Russia would seek to sabotage critical national infrastructure, including nuclear power plants, from within using sleepers,' or Kremlin intelligence agents who have adopted new identities, complete with foreign passports and elaborate cover stories, across Western nations. 'Russia has had over a decade (the origins of the current war can be traced back to Russia's 2014 invasion of Crimea) to insert sleepers into critical national infrastructure installations such as nuclear power plants, gas-powered stations, airports, ports, communications hubs.' 'I think it likely that Russia has in place sleepers across any state it considers hostile,' Bennett adds, 'which, of course, would include NATO member states.' 'Which means that Russia has a head start on us.' 'It is easier to infiltrate liberal democracies than it is to infiltrate authoritarian states like Russia.' 'The former are open,' he says. 'The latter closed.' 'The UK's National Security Act is a belated response to this threat which, as I said, has been building.' This act, Bennett adds, aims to counter 'threats to national security from espionage, sabotage and persons acting for foreign powers,' including the sleepers deployed by Putin, a onetime KGB espionage operative. Putin was stationed in East Berlin when he watched—in agony—as pro-democracy demonstrators pulled down the machine gun-guarded Berlin Wall and freed the millions of East Germans who had been captured behind the shoot-to-kill barricade. Tanks approaching a checkpoint area of the Berlin Wall. Vladimir Putin, a KGB agent stationed in ... More East Berlin until the fall of the Berlin Wall, now dreams of recreating the Soviet Union and its satellite states (Photo by) As this democracy movement ricocheted across Eastern Europe, and communist rulers were toppled like dominoes, these satellites of the Soviets crossed into new orbits around NATO, after the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics itself crumbled. Putin's fever-pitch passion since then has been to turn back time and revive the Soviet empire, even if that means Russian tanks and troops reinvade Eastern Europe and other post-Soviet realms. Peering into the storm-cloud future, Bennett predicts the next world war will erupt within the next decade, even as Putin's sleepers are activated to sabotage atomic stations and 'agencies such as the police service, the fire and rescue service … [and] defense contractors.' Elena Grossfeld, an expert on Russia's intelligence and defense operations at prestigious King's College London, points out that Putin, a world master of espionage and sabotage, like his Soviet forebears Lenin and Stalin, has already had more than two decades in power, ample time to despatch sleeper agents across the West. And the top-echelon sleepers turned out in Putin's 'illegals program,' she tells me in an interview, form just one class of spies. Other agents include Russians recruited during the mass exodus of intellectuals and technocrats since Putin's rise to power and foreigners lavishly bribed to join the Kremlin's intelligence corps. 'With multiple sabotage operations in Europe, Russian intelligence has been using a variety of agents.' Yet the size of Putin's shadow army of spies across Europe and the U.S. is difficult to estimate, she says. If even a handful succeed in infiltrating European or American nuclear power outposts, the potential could arise for this fifth column to sabotage the plants with the outbreak of a war. 'Damaging adversary infrastructure is aligned with Russian military and intelligence approaches,' Grossfeld says. And, whether in Ukraine now or in some future target of Moscow's aggression, she adds, 'The potential destruction of a nuclear power plant could be used to benefit Russia's military plans - as in, creating a denied territory, or some other purpose.'
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Monday Briefing: Ukraine's Other War
Why Ukrainians protested in the middle of a war Thousands of people took to the streets this past week to protest the Ukrainian government's efforts to hamstring two anticorruption agencies. President Volodymyr Zelensky was forced to back down and restore their independence. The protesters, for now, have won. This public display of discontent broke a taboo against criticizing the government and undermining wartime unity that has held since Russia invaded. But as I learned from speaking to my colleague Marc Santora, for these protesters, the fight to preserve Ukraine's democratic institutions can't wait for peace. Because those institutions are at the heart of why Ukraine is battling Russia in the first place. Ukraine is fighting two wars, one against Russia and one against corruption. But in some ways, they're the same war: A war for democracy. Some of the anger stems from the feeling that Zelensky committed a betrayal. He won in 2019 on an anticorruption campaign. Then, last week, he signed a bill that would have brought two independent agencies fighting graft under government control, just as they were investigating lawmakers from his party and members of his own cabinet. (Zelensky himself is not under investigation.) But some of the anger stems from the potency of corruption as a political issue. For Ukrainians, it's loaded with implications about the country's history and its future. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
