Biden attacks Trump and MAGA Republicans as threat to American democracy

President Joe Biden, in a rare prime-time speech, condemned Donald Trump and his "MAGA Republicans" as he urged the nation to unite against threats to American democracy.

Biden took the stage shortly after 8 p.m. on Thursday at Independence Historical Park in Philadelphia, where several hundred people were sitting in white lawn chairs and Independence Hall's facade was lit up in red and blue.

"This is where the United States Constitution was written and debated," Biden said. "This is where we set in motion the most extraordinary experiment of self government the world has ever known."

"But as I stand here tonight, equality and democracy are under assault," he continued. "We do ourselves no favor to pretend otherwise. So, tonight, I've come to this place where it all began, to speak as plainly as I can to the nation about the threats we face, about the power we have in our hands to meet these threats and about the incredible future that lies in front of us if only we choose it."

President Joe Biden speaks about the soul of the nation, outside of Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Sept. 1, 2022. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

The president mentioned his Oval Office predecessor by name as he assailed Republicans who refuse to accept the 2020 election results, defend those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 or want to strip away abortion rights and other privacy concerns.

"Too much of what's happening in our country today is not normal," he said. "Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic."

Biden made a distinction between the so-called MAGA Republicans and other conservatives, stating "not every Republican embraces that extreme ideology."

"I know, because I've been able to work with these mainstream Republicans," he said. "But there's no question that the Republican party today is dominated, driven, and intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans and that is a threat to this country."

Biden's urgent rhetoric mirrors his 2020 messaging, in which he presented himself as a clear contrast to Trump and the race itself as an inflection point for the nation.

He made that comparison again Thursday, telling the crowd: "Now America must choose to move forward or to move backward, to build a future obsessed about the past, to be a nation of hope, unity, and optimism or a nation of fear, division and of darkness."

Administration officials had teased Biden's speech as an extension of his "soul of the nation" message, which first emerged in 2017 after white supremacists clashed with counter protesters in Charlottesville, West Virginia -- the incident Biden said inspired him to run for president.

Biden on Thursday said all Americans are called by "duty and conscience to confront extremists" and to reject political violence.

"We are still at our core a democracy, and yet, history tells us that blind loyalty to a single leader and a willingness to engage in political violence is fatal to democracy," he said.

President Joe Biden speaks outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Sept. 1, 2022.

Matt Slocum/AP

Biden's appearance in Philadelphia is his second of three stops in the battleground state of Pennsylvania this week alone.

At Wilkes University, where made the case Tuesday for his administration's plan for policing and crime prevention, Biden went after MAGA Republicans for their response to the Jan. 6 attack and the FBI search at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate.

"For God's sake, whose side are you on? Whose side are you on?" a fired-up Biden asked.

The GOP issued a preemptive rebuttal of Biden's remarks, with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy speaking in Scranton (Biden's hometown) just hours before the president took the stage in Philadelphia.

McCarthy criticized Democrats on inflation, crime and the border before demanding Biden "apologize for slandering tens of millions of Americans as fascists" after the president previously described the ideology being adopted by MAGA Republicans as "semi-facism."

"What Joe Biden doesn't understand is that the soul of America is the tens of millions of hard working people, loving families, and law-abiding citizens whom he vilified for simply wanting a stronger, safer, and more prosperous country," McCarthy said.

"The soul of America is not the ruling class in Washington, it is the law-abiding, tax-paying American citizen," McCarthy said. "The soul of America is our determination to get up and go to work everyday, provide for our families, to love our children, be involved in their education and ensure that this nation and its people always come first."

- ABC News' Justin Gomez, Mary Bruce, Sarah Kolinovsky and Molly Nagle contributed to this report.

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US claims it struck Iran-backed militants after rocket attacks in Syria

American forces responded to attacks on two sites in Syria, destroying a couple of vehicles and equipment that was used to launch rockets, says US military's Central Command.

Three US soldiers sustained "minor injuries" after several rockets hit both Conoco and Green Village bases in Syria's eastern Deir Ezzor city. (TRTWorld)

US attack helicopters have struck several targets used by Iran-backed militants to fire rockets at bases housing American troops in northeastern Syria, the US military's Central Command said. "US forces responded today to rocket attacks at two sites in Syria, destroying three vehicles and equipment used to launch some of the rockets," Centcom, which oversees US military operations in the Middle East, said in a statement on Wednesday. Two or three suspected militants responsible for one of the attacks were killed, Centcom added. Three US service members sustained "minor injuries" when several rockets hit both the Conoco and Green Village bases in Deir Ezzor, a strategic, oil-rich province bordering Iraq, on Wednesday. The bases are run by the YPG/PKK-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia, allies of the United States and other coalition partners that are maintaining a mission against the remnants of Daesh. The YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terrorist organisation. In its almost 40-year terror campaign against the NATO ally Turkish state, more than 40,000 people have been killed. Türkiye, the US and the EU recognise the PKK as a terrorist organisation. The latest exchange of fire underscored soaring military tensions even amid diplomatic efforts between Tehran and the West to try to save Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with major powers. READ MORE: US claims targeting Iran-linked groups in Syria strikes 'US seeks no conflict with Iran' The strike comes a day after another US attack targeted facilities Washington said were used by Iran-backed militias in northeast Syria. "The United States does not seek conflict with Iran, but we will continue to take the measures necessary to protect and defend our people," the Centcom statement said. US forces first deployed into Syria during the Obama administration's campaign against Daesh, partnering with YPG/PKK. There are about 900 US troops in Syria, most of them in the east. Iran-backed militias established a foothold in Syria while fighting in support of its regime leader Bashar al Assad during Syria's civil war. READ MORE: Iran reviewing US response to EU plan for nuclear deal Source: TRTWorld and agencies

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Ukraine bans Independence Day celebrations fearing attacks

At least 5,587 civilians have been killed so far and 7,890 others injured In six months of conflict, according to the UN, which said the actual figures could be higher as Russian attacks in Ukraine continue for the 182nd day.

A vendor sells blue and yellow balloons in honour of the country's National Flag Day on August 23, 2022 at Maidan Square in Kiev. (David Goldman / AP)

Wednesday, August 24, 2022 Ukraine bans Independence Day celebrations fearing Russian attacks Ukraine has banned public events celebrating the country's 31st Independence Day fearing renewed Russian attacks. Large gatherings are prohibited in Kiev from August 22 to 25, the city administration said. Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications (StratCom) said on Telegram: “The threat of massive shelling on the territory of Ukraine with S-300 missiles is obvious. Considering the arrival of several trains [from Russia] before August 20, it is clear that the Russians are preparing to attack Ukraine on August 24." Russia, Ukraine spar at UN over nuclear plant dangers Russia and Ukraine have traded accusations over who was endangering the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, as the United Nations urged both sides to insulate the Ukrainian facility from the ongoing conflict. Russia called the meeting at the UN Security Council to discuss the dangers that close shelling and a military presence posed to the power plant in southern Ukraine, amid fears that a damaged reactor could leak radiation across the region. Russian troops have controlled the plant for weeks and allegedly have placed arms and war supplies there, something that Moscow denies.  [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FDLL9kXUrU[/embed] US to give Ukraine $3 billion in military aid for years ahead The Biden administration is expected on Wednesday to announce an additional roughly $3 billion in aid to train and equip Ukrainian forces to fight for years to come, US officials said. The officials told The Associated Press that the package will fund contracts for as many as three types of drones and other weapons, ammunition and equipment that may not see the battlefront for a year or two. The total of the aid package — it is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative — could change, but not likely by much.   For live updates from Tuesday (August 23), click here Source: AP

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Ukraine braces for stepped-up Russian attacks around Independence Day

US warning of new attacks and weekend car bombing killing pro-Kremlin TV commentator Darya Dugina stir fears of Russian violence on the 31st anniversary of Ukraine's independence from Soviet Union.

A woman holds the flag of Ukraine while looking into one of the destroyed Russian military vehicles in Kiev. (David Goldman / AP)

The sense of dread has deepened in Ukraine because of warnings that Russia may try to spoil the country's Independence Day holiday and mark the conflict's six-month point with intensified attacks. The US reinforced the worry with a security alert on Tuesday citing "information that Russia is stepping up efforts to launch strikes against Ukraine's civilian infrastructure and government facilities in the coming days." As it has done previously, it urged American citizens to "depart Ukraine now." Several European countries issued similar warnings. Kiev authorities banned mass gatherings in the capital through Thursday for fear of missile attacks around Independence Day, which, like the six-month mark in the offensive, falls on Wednesday. The holiday celebrates Ukraine's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. "Our country is having a very hard time, and we need to be careful," 26-year-old Vlad Mudrak said in support of the ban. Anxiety also mounted after a weekend car bombing outside Moscow killed the daughter of a leading right-wing Russian political theorist. Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out the attack and the bloodshed stirred fears of Russian retaliation. Pro-Kremlin TV commentator Darya Dugina, 29, the daughter of Alexander Dugin, a writer dubbed "Putin's brain", died when the SUV she was driving blew up on Saturday night as she was returning home from a patriotic festival.  READ MORE: Russia mourns nationalist's daughter killed in car bomb READ MORE: Live blog: Russia, France discuss Ukraine nuclear plant inspections

A vendor sells blue and yellow balloons in honour of the country's National Flag Day on August 23, 2022 at Maidan Square in Kiev, Ukraine, where authorities banned mass gatherings through Thursday. (David Goldman / AP)

Managing expectations of Russian 'cruelty' Over the weekend, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia "may try to do something particularly nasty, something particularly cruel" this week. On Tuesday, however, Zelenskyy stressed defiance rather than worry when he raised the national flag at a memorial one day ahead of Independence Day. "The blue and yellow flag of Ukraine will again fly where it rightfully should be — in all temporarily occupied cities and villages of Ukraine," he said, including the Crimea Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014. He added: "It is necessary to liberate Crimea from occupation. It will end where it had started.” At a separate event, Zelenskyy appeared to downplay the threats this week, indicating that at most, he expected increased intensity rather than new targets. NATO, meanwhile, said Zelenskyy can continue to count on the 30-nation alliance for help in defending itself in what Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called "a grinding war of attrition." The conflict broke out on February 24. "This is a battle of wills and a battle of logistics. Therefore, we must sustain our support for Ukraine for the long term so that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, independent nation," Stoltenberg said at an international conference on Crimea. READ MORE: Erdogan: Return of Crimea to Ukraine a requirement under international law Zaporizhzhia at risk One particular source of foreboding is Europe's largest nuclear power plant, in southeastern Ukraine, where shelling has raised fears of a catastrophe. Shelling close to the Zaporizhzhia plant continued early on Tuesday. Regional Governor Valentyn Reznichenko said Russian forces fired on Marhanets and Nikopol, two towns less than a dozen kilometres from the power station. The UN Security Council is meeting on Tuesday to discuss the danger. In other developments, the US plans to announce on Wednesday an additional $3 billion or so in aid to train and equip Ukrainian forces, according to American officials speaking on condition of anonymity. This would be the largest single security package yet in the six-month-old fighting. READ MORE: One Ukrainian neonatologist's fight to save premature babies amid conflict Source: AP

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Blasts, drone attacks rock Russian-held areas far from Ukraine war front

Russia reported fresh Ukrainian drone attacks on Friday, after explosions erupted near military bases in Russian-held areas of Ukraine. This photo taken on Aug. 16, 2022 shows smoke billowing from a munitions depot in the village of Mayskoye, Crimea. Stringer | AFP | Getty Images

Russia reported fresh Ukrainian drone attacks on Friday evening, a day after explosions erupted near military bases in Russian-held areas of Ukraine and Russia itself, apparent displays of Kyiv's growing ability to pummel Moscow's assets far from front lines. The latest incidents followed huge blasts last week at an air base in Russian-annexed Crimea. In a new assessment, a Western official said that incident had rendered half of Russia's Black Sea naval aviation force useless in a stroke. Russia's RIA and Tass news agencies, citing a local official in Crimea, said it appeared Russian anti-aircraft forces had been in action near the western Crimean port of Yevpatoriya on Friday night. Video posted by a Russian website showed what appeared to be a ground-to-air missile hitting a target. Reuters was unable immediately to confirm the video's veracity. Tass cited a local official as saying Russian anti-aircraft forces knocked down six Ukrainian drones sent to attack the town of Nova Kakhovka, east of the city of Kherson. Ukraine says retaking Kherson is one of its main priorities. Separately, an official in Crimea said defenses there had downed an unspecified number of drones over the city of Sevastopol. "The Ukrainian armed forces treated the Russians to a magical evening," said Seriy Khlan, a member of Kherson's regional council disbanded by Russian occupation forces. The night before, multiple explosions had been reported in Crimea — which Moscow seized in 2014 — including near Sevastopol, headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, as well as at Kerch near a huge bridge to Russia. Inside Russia, two villages had been evacuated after explosions at an ammunition dump in Belgorod province, more than 100 km (60 miles) from territory controlled by Ukrainian forces.

Kyiv coy about incidents in Crimea

Kyiv has been withholding official comment on incidents in Crimea or inside Russia while hinting that it is behind them using long-range weapons or sabotage. A Western official indicated on Friday that at least some of the incidents were Ukrainian attacks, saying Kyiv was consistently achieving "kinetic effects" deep behind Russia's lines. Huge explosions on Aug. 9 at Russia's Saky air base on the Crimean coast had put more than half of the Black Sea Fleet's combat jets out of use, the official said, in what would be one of the costliest attacks of the war. Russia has denied aircraft were damaged in what it called an accident, although satellite pictures showed at least eight burnt-out warplanes and several huge craters.

Moscow dismissed the head of the Black Sea Fleet this week. Ukraine hopes its apparent new-found ability to hit Russian targets behind the front line can turn the tide in the conflict, disrupting supply lines Moscow needs to support its occupation. A senior U.S. defense official said on Friday that U.S. President Joe Biden's administration was preparing another security assistance package for Ukraine valued at $775 million and containing surveillance drones and for the first time mine-resistant vehicles. Since last month, Ukraine has been fielding Western-supplied rockets to strike behind Russian lines. Some explosions reported in Crimea and Belgorod were beyond the range of ammunition Western countries have acknowledged sending so far. A senior Ukrainian official said around half of incidents in Crimea were Ukrainian attacks of some kind, and half accidents caused by Russia's poor operations. He emphasized that attacks were carried out by saboteurs rather than long-range weapons, though he would not say whether Kyiv now had ATACMS, a longer range version of the U.S. HIMARS rockets it began using in June. The official, who declined to be named, said Ukraine had hoped its strikes would have a bigger impact in reducing Russian artillery power but Moscow was adapting.

Concern about nuclear plant

Ukraine also issued dire warnings about a frontline nuclear power station, the Zaporizhzhia complex, where it said it believed Moscow was planning a "large-scale provocation" as justification to decouple the plant from the Ukrainian power grid and connect it to Russia's. "If the Russian blackmail with radiation continues, this summer may go down in the history of various European nations as one of the most tragic of all time. Because no nuclear power station anywhere in the world has a procedure for a terrorist state turning a nuclear power plant into a target," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an address Friday evening. Continuing the mutual blame game, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of shelling the complex, risking a nuclear catastrophe.

Ukraine's nuclear power operator said on Friday it suspected Moscow was planning to switch over the Zaporizhzhia plant to Russia's power grid, a complex operation Kyiv says could cause a disaster. The power station is held by Russian troops on the bank of a reservoir. Ukrainian forces control the opposite bank. Moscow has rejected international calls to demilitarize the plant and Putin on Friday renewed his accusation that Kyiv was shelling it in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, according to the Kremlin's readout. Macron's office said Putin agreed to a mission to Zaporizhzhia by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Thousands of people have been killed and millions forced to flee since Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24, saying it aimed to demilitarize Ukraine and protect Russian speakers on what Putin called historical Russian land.

Ukraine and Western countries view it as a war of conquest aimed at wiping out Ukraine's national identity.

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45 killed in armed attacks on streets of Sweden this year

STOCKHOLM 

Contrary to its reputation as being one of the most peaceful countries in the world, Sweden saw over 250 armed attacks this year, resulting in the killing of at least 45 people, police data shows.

A total of 251 armed attacks were carried out in the first eight months of 2022, in which at least 45 people were killed and 67 injured.

Organized crime has risen in the Scandinavian country over the last few years.

According to the record, in 2019 a total of 360 shootings took place, in which 45 people were killed and 126 others wounded. This figure increased to 379 – 47 people lost lives and 126 wounded – in 2020.

Sweden faced the same problem in 2021 and crime syndicates carried out 344 armed attacks, killing 45 and wounding 115 others.

On June 2, right-wing parties in the Swedish parliament – Riksdag – tabled a no-confidence motion against Justice and Interior Minister Morgan Johansson due to the "inability to prevent the increasing armed conflicts of crime syndicates and gangs in recent years."

In response, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said she would step down if the minister was ousted.

The opposition parties, however, failed to gather majority backing for the motion against Johansson.

Last June, Gothenburg police's Ulf Bostrom sounded the alarm that the problem is gigantic, and that even the police were unable to protect the victims.

As parties in Sweden prepare for the upcoming elections scheduled for next month, the fight against criminal gangs has topped the agenda.

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Thailand's south hit by multiple bomb, arson attacks

Fast News

Convenience stores and a gas station across three provinces in Thailand's south were targeted, lightly injuring at least seven, police and military stated.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks so far. (Twitter/@thestandardth)

Explosions and fires ripped through at least 17 locations in southern Thailand, authorities said, in what appeared to be multiple coordinated attacks that injured seven people.

The bombings and arson attacks happened on Wednesday after midnight and targeted convenience stores and a gas station across three provinces, lightly injuring at least seven, according to police and military statements.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks so far.

Provinces in southern Thailand along the border with Malaysia have seen a decades-long, low-level insurgency, in which the Thai government has battled shadowy groups seeking independence for the provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and parts of Songkhla.

Disrupted peace talks

More than 7,300 people have been killed in the conflict since 2004, according to the Deep South Watch group, which monitors the violence.

Peace talks that began in 2013 have faced repeated disruptions.

Wednesday's attacks came after the Thai government earlier this year restarted discussions with the main insurgent group, the Barisan Revolusi Nasional, after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

The government has said it is ready to talk to all groups.

READ MORE: How Patani-Malay Muslims refuse to be swallowed by Thailand's mainstream

Source: Reuters

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Russia attacks on cities in industrial heartland thwarted – Kiev

Ukraine military reports attempts by Russia to advance on several towns in Donetsk as the conflict enters 173rd day.

A crater left after a Russian rocket attack on Friday night which killed at least three people is seen next to damaged homes in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine on August 13, 2022. (David Goldman / AP)

Monday, August 15, 2022

Ukraine military says repelled Russia attacks in Donbass

The Ukrainian military has said that it had repelled more than a dozen Russian attacks in the country’s east and north, including attempts to advance on key cities in the eastern industrial heartland of Donbass.

In its Facebook update, the military's general staff said Russian troops had attempted to push towards Kramatorsk, one of two major cities in the eastern Donetsk province which has  remained under Ukrainian control, but "they failed completely and chaotically retreated to their previous positions." The military said Russian forces had staged an unsuccessful assault on Bakhmut, a strategic town in Donetsk whose capture would pave the way for Russia to take Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

The Donetsk region is one of two provinces that make up the Donbass, where the fighting has largely been focused in recent months, since Kremlin forces retreated from around the capital, Kiev.

Ukraine, Russia trade blame on Zaporizhzhia

Fresh shelling near Europe's biggest nuclear plant has renewed a blame game between Ukrainian and Russian-installed officials over who is responsible.

The world nuclear watchdog has warned of disaster if the fighting close to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine does not stop. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky has warned Russian soldiers that if they attack the site in the now Russian-controlled city of Enerhodar, or use it as a base to shoot from, then they will become a "special target".

Russia installed officials in Enerhodar said about 25 heavy artillery strikes from US-made M777 howitzers had hit near the plant, adding Ukrainian forces had opened fire, with blasts near the power plant.

But according to the head of the administration of the Nikopol district, which lies across the river from Enerhodar, it was Russian forces who had shelled the city to try to make it appear that Ukraine was attacking it.

Five Europeans go on trial in separatist-controlled Ukraine

Five Europeans captured in eastern Ukraine went on trial in a court administered by Kremlin-backed separatists in the city of Donetsk, Russian media reported.

The five –– Mathias Gustafsson of Sweden, Vjekoslav Prebeg of Croatia, and Britons John Harding, Andrew Hill and Dylan Healy –– all pleaded not guilty to charges of being mercenaries, according to Russian media reports.

They could face the death penalty under the laws of the self-proclaimed, unrecognised Donetsk People's Republic.

The next court hearing in their case is scheduled for October, Russian media reported.

Several dead in Russian shelling in eastern Ukraine

At least three Ukrainian civilians have been killed and nearly 20 others wounded in the latest artillery barrages from the Russian military, Ukrainian officials say.

The eastern region of Donetsk, one of the two provinces making up the country’s industrial heartland of Donbass that has been the focus of a Russian offensive, has faced the most intense shelling.

Regional officials said at least three people died and another 13 were wounded by Russian shelling that hit numerous towns and villages in the Donetsk region during the last 24 hours. 

Ukraine expects to receive $12-16B from Western partners

Ukraine expects to receive another $12 billion to $16 billion from its Western partners by the end of this year, the country’s finance minister has said.

In an interview with RBK-Ukraine, Serhiy Marchenko said Ukraine's external borrowing target since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on February 24 was at around $26 billion, adding that depending on the success of the negotiations the amount may go up to $30 billion.

"We have already received $14 billion and before the end of the year, we can get another $12 to $16 billion," he said.

Russia is partially reopening its bond market for traders following near six-month shutdown sparked by its incursion into Ukraine pic.twitter.com/fgqUU1QSke

— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) August 15, 2022

Ukraine: at least 10 more ships to be loaded with grain by end of August

Six ships are currently being loaded with grain at the Ukrainian ports and at least 10 more ships will be loaded with grain products by the end of this month, the country’s deputy infrastructure minister has said.

Yuriy Vaskov said that 8,000 tonnes of corn will be loaded on Sara ship, which entered the Odesa port on the evening of August 14, and 7,500 tonnes of oil on Efe ship.

"In two weeks of the grain corridor, 16 ships left the Ukrainian ports to deliver about half a million tons of Ukrainian grain products to nine countries of the world," Vaskov said.

On July 22, Türkiye, the United Nations, Russia, and Ukraine signed an Ankara-brokered deal in Istanbul to reopen three Ukrainian Black Sea ports for exporting Ukrainian grain stuck due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which is now in its sixth month.

Putin boasts of Russian weapons prowess

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow was ready to sell advanced weapons to allies globally and cooperate in developing military technology, nearly six months into the Ukraine conflict.

The Kremlin leader, addressing an arms show outside Moscow, insisted Russian weaponry was years ahead of the competition.

Russia cherished its strong ties with Latin America, Asia and Africa, "and is ready to offer partners and allies the most modern types of weapons — from small arms to armoured vehicles and artillery, combat aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles", he said.

UN-chartered ship Brave Commander will depart from Ukraine for Ethiopia in coming days via grain corridor through Black Sea in deal brokered by Türkiye. Our correspondent Melinda Nucifora has the details from Ukraine's Uman pic.twitter.com/lnBOg72CEW

— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) August 15, 2022

Russia to facilitate IAEA visit to Ukrainian nuclear plant 

Russia has said it will do "everything necessary" to allow specialists from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine amid fears over the plant's safety due to shelling.

Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the biggest in Europe, was captured by Russia in March shortly after the start of its attacks on Ukraine. The plant has come under fire in recent days, with Moscow and Kiev blaming each other for the shelling, which they both say risks a nuclear accident.

"In close cooperation with the Agency and its leadership, we will do everything necessary for the IAEA specialists to be at the station and give a truthful assessment of the destructive actions of the Ukrainian side," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement published on Monday.

Ukraine to resume excise tax on fuel to replenish budget

The Ukrainian government has asked parliament to partially restore excise tax on petrol and diesel fuel to boost the state budget, depleted by months of fighting with Russia, Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said.

He said the resumption of excise tax at $101.96 per 1,000 litres could provide the state budget with about $135.54 million each month amid a monthly deficit of about $5 billion.

"The finance ministry is in a challenging situation," Kubrakov told a televised briefing. "Any additional revenues to the budget from taxes that were previously cancelled are essential and matter."

Zelenskyy defends fighting as all eyes are on Zaporizhzhia plant

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has defended fighting against Russian and Moscow-backed forces, including those positioned at Europe’s largest nuclear power station in Zaporizhzhia.

As Ukrainian forces reported heavy Russian shelling and attempts to advance on several towns in the eastern region of Donetsk, they said many of the attacks were repelled. The General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces also reported Russian shelling of more than a dozen towns on the southern front – particularly in Kherson, mainly controlled by Russian forces.

Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine had many times proposed different formats to the Russian leadership for peace talks, without progress.

“So we have to defend ourselves, we have to answer every form of terror, every instance of shelling — the fierce shelling which does not let up for a single day,” he said in video remarks.

For live updates from Sunday (August 14), click here

Source: TRTWorld and agencies

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PM Modi attacks corruption, 'parivaarvaad' in Independence Day speech

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech attacked corruption and 'parivaarvaad' (nepotism) in India and asked the citizens for their support to fight it.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the nation on Independence Day from Red Fort. (Photo from @BJP4India on Twitter)

In his speech addressing the nation on Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India is currently facing two big challenges - corruption and 'parivaarvaad' (nepotism). He also appealed to the citizens for their support in the fight against corruption.

PM Modi addressed the nation from the Red Fort in a speech that lasted for about 83 minutes. Speaking on the topic of corruption in the country, he said, "Corruption is hollowing the country like a termite and we will have to fight it." He added that those who looted India in the past are "paying for their sins now". "We are confiscating their ill-gotten gain," added the prime minister.

ALSO READ | Need for innovation, gender parity: Top quotes from PM Modi's Independence Day speech

He asked for the people's support in fighting corruption and said he is taking on "both corruption and the corrupted".

The prime minister also trained his guns on 'parivaarvaad' (nepotism) and said several institutions in India have been shackled by nepotism. He said, "It is not limited to just politics and it also promotes corruption. We need to free the country from nepotism as it is impeding the growth of the nation."

He said there is a need to raise awareness against nepotism to realise the strength of India's institutions and to take the country forward on the basis of merit.

--- ENDS ---

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Gaza death toll rises to 24 from Israeli attacks

203 Palestinians injured in airstrikes since Aug. 5, says Health Ministry
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Suspected rebel attacks leave at least a dozen civilians dead in DRC

Fast News

Five bodies were brought to a hospital from a village west of Oicha in North Kivu while seven more arrived from another village to the west of the town.

The people were killed by machetes and bullets, head doctor Jerome Munyambete at a hospital in Oicha. (Reuters)

Suspected rebels have killed twelve civilians in recent attacks in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, local officials said.

The head doctor of a hospital in Oicha in North Kivu province on Thursday that he had received five bodies on Wednesday from a village that lies to the west of the town.

Another seven bodies arrived from another village to the west of Oicha on Thursday, head doctor Jerome Munyambete told AFP news agency.

"These people were killed by machetes and bullets," he said.

Darius Kasereka, a civil society representative in Oicha, confirmed the death toll and said in a statement that the twelve civilians had been "brutally slaughtered".

The area surrounding Oicha has been "invaded by ADF rebels," he added, referring to the Allied Democratic Forces group.

The ADF is among the most violent of the more than 120 militias that roam the DRC's troubled east.

READ MORE: More deaths as protests against UN spread in DRC

The group – which Daesh group claims as its central African branch – has been accused of massacring Congolese civilians as well as staging attacks in neighbouring Uganda.

Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi placed North Kivu and neighbouring Ituri province under the administration of security forces last year in a bid to stem the violence.

But the measure has failed to stop attacks against civilians.

READ MORE: Assailants kill at least a dozen patients in eastern DRC clinic

Source: AFP

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Terrorist attacks in Mali leave 66 dead

DOUALA, Cameroon 

At least 66 people were killed in terrorist attacks Wednesday in several towns in Mali, according to security sources.

"The Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) repelled terrorist attacks targeting positions in Savare, Sokolo and Kalumba early this Wednesday, July 27. The response, carried out with energy and professionalism, has enabled the attackers to be routed and pursued," Colonel Souleymane Dembele, the army’s director of information and public relations, said in a statement.

A report on the fighting showed 54 dead, including six soldiers, and 25 soldiers wounded, including five seriously, in Sokolo in the region of Segou in south-central Mali, where a coordinated response was orchestrated against the attackers, who were routed.

The same source also reported 12 dead "on the friendly side," including three civilians from a road construction company, following a "vigorously repelled" terrorist attack in Kalumba in the Nara region near the Mauritanian border.

The sweep and assessment of the attack is still ongoing, according to the military authorities.

"The aerial pursuit made it possible to attack terrorist logistical bases under cover of vegetation in the vicinity, thus reducing the enemy’s potential," Dembele added.

On the central Mopti side, infiltration attempts targeted one of the checkpoints of a military camp as well as air force installations without success as suspicious movements were contained by FAMa.

The attacks are part of a series that have targeted Malian army posts recently.

On July 21, three soldiers and three terrorists were killed in simultaneous complex attacks in several locations.

The following day, one soldier and seven terrorists were killed in a car bomb attack on the facility of the Directorate of Material, Hydrocarbons and Transport of the Armed Forces (DMHTA) in Kati near the capital Bamako.

The attacks confirm the signals and clues previously detected and identified by the competent services and materialize the agony of the armed terrorist groups in Mali, according to military staff.

"These armed groups are actually demonstrating their overall weakening by carrying out desperate actions of kamikaze attacks, actions on civilians, and the planting of improvised explosive devices," Dembele said.

The military communication from the West African country, one of the most plagued by terrorist attacks in the Sahel for years, does not name the attacking terrorist group.

One of the intelligence reports proves that one of the attackers is based in a neighboring country, according to the military body, which intends to "determine the connections and possible complicities" after investigations. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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Terror attacks kill several soldiers, civilians in Mali

Fast News

The Malian army claimed to have killed 48 militants amid fighting while 15 soldiers and three civilians lost their lives in the attacks.

The Malian army said it had thwarted a "terrorist" attack at a town on the outskirts of the capital where a key base used by the ruling military is located. (AFP)

At least 15 soldiers and three civilians were killed in coordinated "terrorist" attacks in Mali, the chronically unstable country's army said, the latest deadly violence to rock the Sahel state.

In Kalumba, near the Mauritanian border, "the death toll on the friendly side is 12, including three civilians from a road construction company", the army said Wednesday in a statement.

The army death toll in Sokolo, in central Mali, was six with 25 others wounded, five of them seriously.

The army claims to have killed 48 attackers and "neutralised three terrorist pick-up trucks 15 kilometres (10 miles) from Sokolo with (an) estimated fifteen fighters and their equipment" destroyed, the statement said.

A third attack, in centrally-located Mopti ended without casualties overnight.

READ MORE: Attack on Mali military base repelled, situation under control: Army

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1rgpd8mrSg[/embed]

Intensified anti-terror operations

Over the weekend, Mali's army said it had thwarted a new attack on a military camp in the centre of the country, two days after a deadly suicide attack in a strategic garrison town near the capital.

It was the first time since 2012 that such coordinated attacks have taken place so close to the capital.

The Malian army has intensified its anti-terror operations in recent months, relying on what it describes as Russian instructors.

READ MORE: Mali to suspend UN peacekeeping mission rotations

Source: AFP

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