
Zelenskyy faces backlash as Ukrainians protest new anti-corruption law
Thousands of people gathered in the capital and other cities across Ukraine on Tuesday evening to urge President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to veto a controversial bill passed by Ukraine's Parliament earlier that day. After Zelenskyy approved it, activists called on social media for another demonstration in the center of Kyiv at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

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Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
Croatia holds military parade as it marks 30 years since a key war victory
ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Thousands watched a military parade in Croatia's capital on Thursday marking 30 years since a key war victory as the country looks to further boost its forces with a possible loan from a new European Union defense fund. A flyover in Zagreb by French-made Rafale jets was a highlight of the show that included 3,400 army personnel along with police units, emergency service teams and war veterans. Navy battle ships sailed simultaneously by the Adriatic Sea port of Split.


Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Southern Baptist policy head resigns after 4 years of navigating internal conflicts
The head of the Southern Baptist Convention's policy arm has resigned after nearly four years leading the staunchly conservative agency, which in recent years has fended off critics within the nation's largest Protestant denomination seeking to push it even further to the right. The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission on Thursday accepted the resignation of its president, Brent Leatherwood, the agency confirmed. The ERLC has advocated against abortion and transgender rights while promoting a strongly pro-Israel stance, a longtime evangelical priority, and an expansive view of religious liberty in the public square similar to how it's been defined in recent U.S. Supreme Court cases. Church representatives at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in June voted decisively to retain the commission — effectively a vote of confidence against efforts to abolish it. Some critics within the convention wanted it to take a harder-line stance on immigration and to endorse criminal penalties for women seeking abortions. 'In all of our advocacy work, we have sought to strike a balance of conviction and kindness, one that is rooted in Scripture and reflective of our Baptist beliefs,' Leatherwood said in a statement. 'That has meant standing for truth, without equivocation, yet never failing to honor the God-given dignity of each person.' Scott Foshie, chair of the commission's trustees, credited Leatherwood for demonstrating 'loving courage in the face of a divisive and increasingly polarizing culture in America.' Commission Vice President Miles Mullin was named acting president. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. Leatherwood has led the agency for four years, first as acting president and then as president. A year ago, the agency issued an embarrassing retraction of an announcement of Leatherwood's firing after he complimented then-President Joe Biden — deeply unpopular among conservatives — for ending his reelection campaign. It turned out that the chairman who announced Leatherwood's firing had acted without a required vote of the board's executive committee. The commission's board subsequently gave Leatherwood a strong vote of confidence but cautioned against stirring unnecessary controversy. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.


Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Croatia holds military parade as it marks 30 years since a key war victory
ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Thousands watched a military parade in Croatia's capital on Thursday marking 30 years since a key war victory as the country looks to further boost its forces with a possible loan from a new European Union defense fund. A flyover in Zagreb by French-made Rafale jets was a highlight of the show that included 3,400 army personnel along with police units, emergency service teams and war veterans. Navy battle ships sailed simultaneously by the Adriatic Sea port of Split. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said that 'we have passed a big process of transition from eastern to western technology in order to be compatible with the capabilities of those armies who are our partners and allies.' Croatia joined the EU in 2013, four years after becoming a member of NATO. Back in August 1995, Croatia recaptured lands that had been held by minority Serbs since their rebellion in 1991 against the country's independence from the former Communist-run Yugoslavia. The Operation Storm offensive presented a turning point in the war and also triggered a mass exodus of ethnic Serbs from Croatia. Tensions persist in relations with Balkan rival Serbia, which backed the ethnic Serb rebellion in the 1990s'. Serbia plans to hold a commemoration ceremony for the Serb victims of the offensive, and Belgrade has cautioned Serbian citizens against traveling to Croatia in early August. A military parade in Belgrade is planned for September. Political analyst Zarko Puhovski said he believed the military parade was designed both to garner popular support for further defense spending amid security concerns in Europe fueled by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and as a message of strength in the region. 'It's just putting on a show, to put military equipment on display,' Puhovski told The Associated Press. 'This will be presented as Croatia's effort to join the overall trend of increased militarization in Europe.' Croatia is among eighteen EU countries that have applied for billions of euros from the bloc's program of cheap loans aimed at helping Europe provide for its own security. Plenkovic has said that Croatia could seek 1.8 billion euros ($2 billion) from the fund. The 150-billion-euro ($173 billion) Security Action for Europe (SAFE) program was launched after the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump signalled that Europe is no longer a U.S. security priority. Some U.S. allies in Europe worry that President Vladimir Putin could target one of them if Russia wins its war on Ukraine.