Ukrainian former politician shot dead outside school in Madrid
DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY, Andriy Portnov was previously a senior aide to removed former President Viktor Yanukovych and had been the subject of US sanctions. A Ukrainian former politician has been shot dead by an unknown assailant outside a school in Madrid, Spain, authorities said. The man was identified by Spain’s Ministry of Interior as Andriy Portnov, who was previously a senior aide to Ukraine’s former President Viktor Yanukovych. The attack on Wednesday morning took place outside the gates of the American School in the Spanish capital’s upscale neighbourhood of Pozuelo de Alarcon. Police were called at about 9:15am (07:15 GMT) and notified that a man had been shot in the street. Witnesses quoted by the police said he was shot “several times” in the head and body by more than one assailant. The attackers fled on foot, police said. Radio station Cadena SER reported that Portnov was taking his children to school when he was attacked. Portnov had been closely tied to Ukraine’s pro-Russian former leader Yanukovych, having served as deputy head of the presidential office from 2010 to 2014. During Yanukovych’s time in power, Portnov was involved in drafting legislation aimed at persecuting participants of the 2014 revolution in Ukraine. He was later placed on several sanctions lists, including by the US Treasury in 2021. Advertisement This is a developing story. More to come… Adblock test (Why?)
Uganda confirms military trials for civilians despite Supreme Court ruling
President Yoweri Museveni’s government has frequently defended military trials, citing national security concerns. Uganda’s parliament has passed a controversial bill authorising military tribunals for civilians, drawing condemnation from opposition figures and rights groups, who accuse the government of trying to silence opponents, which it denies. The practice has long been used in Uganda, but was struck down by the country’s top court in January. The Supreme Court had ruled that the military tribunals lacked legal competence to try civilians and failed to meet fair trial standards. Despite that ruling, lawmakers moved ahead Tuesday with the legislation, which permits civilians to be tried in military courts. “Today, you proved you are fearless patriots! Uganda will remember your courage and commitment,” said General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, head of the military and son of President Yoweri Museveni, in a post on X. Earlier this month, Kainerugaba said that he was holding a missing opposition activist in his basement and threatened violence against him, after the man’s party said he was abducted. Museveni’s government has frequently defended military trials as necessary for national security amid concerns about armed opposition and alleged threats to state stability. Advertisement Military spokesperson Chris Magezi said the legislation would “deal decisively with armed violent criminals, deter the formation of militant political groups that seek to subvert democratic processes, and ensure national security is bound on a firm foundational base”. But critics say the move is part of a broader pattern of repression. “There’s no legal basis to provide for the trial of civilians in the military court,” opposition MP Jonathan Odur told parliament during debate on the bill. He described the legislation as “shallow, unreasonable and unconstitutional”. Uganda has for years used military courts to prosecute opposition politicians and government critics. In 2018, pop star-turned-opposition-leader Bobi Wine was charged in a military court with illegal possession of firearms. The charges were later dropped. Kizza Besigye, a veteran opposition figure who has challenged Museveni in multiple elections, was arrested in Kenya last year and returned to Uganda to face a military tribunal. Following the Supreme Court’s January ruling, his trial was moved to a civilian court. His party, the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), has denounced the charges as politically motivated. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has previously criticised Uganda’s military courts for failing to meet international standards of judicial independence and fairness. Oryem Nyeko, senior Africa researcher at HRW, said earlier this year: “The Ugandan authorities have for years misused military courts to crack down on opponents and critics”. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
EU to sustain Radio Free Europe with emergency funding after Trump cuts
Outlet is one of several media services whose funding was cut by the Trump administration amid an aggressive downsizing effort. The European Union plans to step in to help save longtime media outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) after United States President Donald Trump’s administration abruptly stopped funding it. The bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, told reporters after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Tuesday that 5.5 million euros ($6.2m) will be provided to “support the vital work of Radio Free Europe”. “It’s short-term emergency funding designed as a safety net for the independent journalism,” she added. Trump suspended all funding for RFE/RL in March along with other US broadcasters, including Voice of America, to slash government spending. Critics of the administration said the cuts are also politically motivated and part of a push to control and curb news media that do not hew to its outlook. Trump earlier this month signed an executive order slashing federal subsidies to two US public broadcasters, PBS and NPR , accusing them of biased reporting and spreading “left-wing” propaganda. Advertisement Lawyers for RFE/RL, which has been operating for 75 years, secured an order last month from a US federal judge for the Trump administration to restore $12m that was appropriated by Congress. The money has not been sent so far as lawyers said the service will have to shut down in June without the funding. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty headquarters in Prague, Czech Republic [File: David W Cerny/Reuters] Kallas said on Tuesday that the EU funding would not cover the work of the outlet across the globe but would focus on interests closer to the agenda of the bloc. “So our focus should be really to help Radio Free Europe to work and function in those countries that are in our neighbourhood and that are very much dependent on news coming from outside,” she said. The EU’s top diplomat said she hoped the 27 EU member countries would also provide more funds to help Radio Free Europe longer term. Kallas said the bloc has been looking for “strategic areas” where it can help as Washington cuts life-saving foreign aid. The outlet’s corporate headquarters are in Washington, DC, and its journalistic headquarters are based in the Czech Republic. The service has aired programmes in 27 languages in 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East and has more than 1,700 staff. The outlet has been heavily criticised and banned by Russia for its coverage of the war in Ukraine. Radio Free Europe began broadcasting in 1950 in the early years of the Cold War to several Eastern European nations that had become Soviet Union satellites. Radio Liberty began broadcasting to Russia a few years later. Both were initially funded by the US Congress through the Central Intelligence Agency. Adblock test (Why?)
Why is Donald Trump fixated on South Africa?
How did the US right become fixated on a debunked conspiracy theory of ‘white genocide’ in South Africa? The administration of US President Donald Trump has granted refugee status to 49 white Afrikaners, echoing a debunked conspiracy theory about “white genocide” in South Africa. The move comes after Trump cut aid to the nation and threatened to boycott meetings with its government. What’s behind Trump’s fixation on South Africa? Adblock test (Why?)
Video: UK, France, Canada threaten action against Israel over Gaza
NewsFeed Leaders from Canada, France and the UK threaten to impose sanctions on Israel if it continues its offensive in Gaza. Hamdah Salhut has more from the Jordanian capital Amman. She’s there because the Israeli government has banned Al Jazeera from reporting inside Israel. Published On 20 May 202520 May 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Pregnant woman among victims of Israeli strike on Gaza school shelter
NewsFeed An Israeli air strike on the Musa bin Nusair School in Gaza City has killed at least a dozen Palestinians, including children and a pregnant woman. The school had been sheltering forcibly displaced families. Published On 20 May 202520 May 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Detained student Mahmoud Khalil honoured at alternative graduation
NewsFeed Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil was honoured at an alternative graduation ceremony in New York, where his wife and baby accepted a diploma on his behalf while he remains detained at an immigration facility in Louisiana. Published On 20 May 202520 May 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Trump tries to jump start peace talks with calls to Zelenskyy, Putin
[unable to retrieve full-text content] US President Donald Trump spoke with the leaders of both Ukraine and Russia in back-to-back calls.
Eyewitness video shows Israeli airstrike on Khan Younis
NewsFeed Eyewitness video captured an Israeli airstrike hitting west Khan Younis in Gaza as people flee tents amid gunfire. Israel had warned of an “unprecedented attack” and ordered evacuations. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has vowed to control all of Gaza, despite global pressure and famine fears. Published On 19 May 202519 May 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
El Salvador arrests prominent human rights lawyer who defends deportees
Ruth Eleonora López has defended Venezuelan immigrants deported to El Salvador by US President Trump’s administration. A prominent human rights lawyer known for defending immigrants deported amid United States President Donald Trump’s hardline anti-immigration policies has been arrested in El Salvador. Ruth Eleonora López, 47, a senior figure at the rights group Cristosal and a vocal critic of El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, a Trump ally, was detained late on Sunday. The arrest was confirmed by the country’s attorney general’s office, which in an online post accused López of embezzling state funds during her time at El Salvador’s electoral court more than a decade ago. “Neither her family nor her legal team has managed to find out her whereabouts,” Cristosal said in a statement, calling the refusal to disclose her location or allow access to lawyers “a blatant violation of due process”. The group said her arrest “raises serious concerns about the increasing risks faced by human rights defenders in El Salvador”. López has publicly criticised the government’s mass incarceration of alleged gang members, many of whom have not been charged. Advertisement Cristosal, one of the most prominent human rights groups in Latin America, has assisted Salvadoran families caught in Bukele’s security policies, as well as more than 250 Venezuelan immigrants who have been deported to El Salvador under Trump’s administration. Bukele, who has called himself “the world’s coolest dictator” and has cultivated close ties with Trump, said earlier this year that El Salvador is ready to house US prisoners in a sprawling mega-prison opened last year. In March, Trump used rarely invoked wartime powers to send dozens of Venezuelans to El Salvador without trial, alleging ties to the Tren de Aragua gang – a charge their families and lawyers deny. The US Supreme Court on Friday barred the Trump administration from quickly resuming swift deportations of Venezuelans under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. In April, Cristosal reported that police had entered its offices during a news conference to film and photograph journalists and staff members – part of what observers say is a broader campaign of harassment and intimidation against civil society organisations and independent media. López was recognised by the BBC as one of the world’s 100 most inspiring and influential women for her commitment to justice and the rule of law. A joint statement signed by more than a dozen rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, demanded her immediate release. “El Salvador’s state of exception has not only been used to address gang-related violence but also as a tool to silence critical voices,” the statement said. Advertisement “Authoritarianism has increased in recent years as President Nayib Bukele has undermined institutions and the rule of law, and persecuted civil society organizations and independent journalists,” it added. Adblock test (Why?)