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A newly released United Nations report concludes that all sides involved in the deteriorating conflict in eastern Congo are breaking the terms of a peace agreement and committing serious abuses, according to a document reviewed by the Associated Press on Thursday.

U.N. experts say the Congolese army, the M23 rebel group, and M23’s Rwandan supporters have all failed to follow through on a peace deal reached in December — an agreement that was initiated by the Trump administration with the goal of ending a conflict that has dragged on for decades.

Among the violations cited, the experts noted that the Congolese army has continued to work alongside a Hutu rebel group known by the acronym FDLR. That group includes fighters who took part in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and later fled to Congo. The government in Kinshasa had specifically pledged to end that cooperation as part of the December agreement.

Rwanda has repeatedly sent military forces into eastern Congo, claiming it was necessary to neutralize Hutu fighters and protect its own national security. However, both Congo and the U.S. government have accused Rwanda of using those rebel groups as a cover to gain control over the region’s valuable mineral resources.

The report also found that the Rwandan-backed M23 group — which captured the city of Goma and other eastern cities in a rapid offensive earlier last year — has not pulled back as it agreed to do. Instead, M23 has strategically repositioned its forces and continues to pursue its goal of overthrowing the government in Kinshasa.

M23 now controls large portions of territory in eastern Congo and has been identified as the primary perpetrator of conflict-related sexual violence in the region, the report stated.

Rwanda maintains substantial influence over M23, and by late 2025, Rwandan troops inside Congo were “conservatively estimated at 8,000 to 10,000 elements in South Kivu and 6,000 to 8,000 in North Kivu, with no evidence of significant withdrawals thereafter,” the panel of experts reported — a direct violation of the peace agreement.

The United Nations has described the situation in eastern Congo as “one of the most protracted, complex, serious humanitarian crises on Earth.”

Just last week, Congo announced it had filed a case against Rwanda at the International Court of Justice, accusing its neighbor of bearing legal responsibility for the devastation caused by the ongoing violence.

The U.N. experts also reported that minerals from Rubaya and other mining operations in the Masisi region of eastern Congo are being smuggled into Rwanda by M23, which is building a parallel economy in the areas it controls. That economy is largely dominated by Rwandan-linked companies that export minerals extracted from Congolese soil.

Also last week, the United States imposed sanctions on a gold refinery based in Rwanda, describing it as part of “a network working in coordination” with M23 in eastern Congo. The sanctions against Gasabo Gold Refinery were described as part of broader U.S. and Qatari peace efforts in the region.

European authorities are escalating their efforts against a network of tankers that have been fraudulently flying Cameroon’s flag while secretly hauling Russian oil, with naval forces now boarding vessels at sea and Cameroon removing 39 ships from its official registry in response, according to officials and documents reviewed by Reuters.

On June 8, the European Union expanded the authority of Operation IRINI, its naval mission operating in the Mediterranean Sea, giving it the power to stop, board, detain, and inspect ships suspected of being part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet.” Russia publicly condemned the expanded mission.

These shadow fleet vessels are typically older ships that lack recognized Western insurance or safety certification. Russia has used them to dodge international sanctions by sailing under the flags of various countries, making it difficult to trace their true ownership, cargo, and routes.

According to two European military sources, three tankers recently boarded and inspected by Operation IRINI — the Nelsa, the Oneiroi, and the Sandhya — were found to be carrying fraudulent Cameroonian registration documents.

Beyond those three, nine additional ships have been seized by French, Belgian, British, and Swedish naval forces since the beginning of 2026, with five of those vessels having flown Cameroonian flags.

Cameroon had already raised alarms in recent months about the misuse of its flag registry by tankers moving Russian oil. In a letter dated June 16 sent to the United Nations shipping agency — a copy of which was obtained by Reuters — Cameroon’s government reported that an official investigation found multiple vessels were illegally operating under its flag, and that two fraudulent websites were being used to assign that flag to ships without authorization. The government said it had removed 39 vessels from its registry as a result.

The central African nation has become one of the largest sources of fraudulent shipping registrations in recent years. The situation became serious enough that the United Arab Emirates banned Cameroon-flagged ships from its ports in 2024 unless they could show top-level safety certification.

This week, Cameroon’s transport ministry issued a statement saying the country is “cooperating with international authorities and organisations to enforce maritime rules, protect the credibility of its naval registry, and fight against irregular registrations.” The ministry also noted that Cameroon cannot be held responsible for the actions of any vessel after it has been removed from the registry.

The most recent seizure involved a tanker called the Deliver, which was detained by the French navy on June 25 after being intercepted near Sicily. The vessel was still flying a Cameroonian flag even though it had already been removed from that country’s registry.

The EU is now preparing another round of sanctions expected in mid-July, with the shadow fleet among the primary targets. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas explained the reasoning last month, saying, “The idea is to change the best practices, what different countries are doing with those ships, because it is really posing a danger, and of course also the idea is to curb Russia from the funding of this war.”

The upcoming sanctions package, which could be formally adopted in July, would add 30 more vessels to the shadow fleet sanctions list and broaden the criteria to include ships involved in refueling sanctioned vessels or offloading their cargo, according to European officials.

Officials have also highlighted the broader dangers these ships pose — including threats to the safety of crew members and to the environment if vessels are poorly maintained or fall apart at sea, as happened with two Russian coastal oil tankers in the Black Sea in late 2024.

KYIV — When a Russian missile tore through a nine-story apartment building in Ukraine’s capital on Thursday, a graphic designer named Max was already on the scene before the air-raid alert had even been lifted — helping search for survivors before clocking in for his regular workday.

Max is one of roughly 700 volunteers serving with the Ukrainian Red Cross emergency rescue operation. He described the emotional toll of responding to such scenes, saying, “Mentally, it’s a lot easier now because years have gone by and we’ve adapted a bit. But of course it’s hard.”

Max, 43, identifiable by his close-cut mohawk and bold black wing tattoos on either side of his neck, joined fellow volunteers on team leader Taras Didenko’s crew as they moved through darkened, dust-covered hallways in search of anyone who might still be alive.

Didenko, 46, serves as a deputy unit commander for the Ukrainian Red Cross. He described how his team must think on their feet during chaotic situations. “We’re always planning,” he said. “We see all kinds of situations and have to make decisions on the spot.”

Thursday’s assault was enormous in scale. Russia launched 496 drones and 74 missiles during the overnight attack, which killed at least 21 people and wounded approximately 90 others. It marked the worst destruction in Kyiv this year and the deadliest attack since at least May.

Dispatched by the State Emergency Service, Ukrainian Red Cross teams typically assess multiple locations during large-scale attacks before focusing on wherever the need is greatest. Max explained their approach: “First we do a general check: who needs help, what kind. We go apartment to apartment, because people might be stuck inside, or unconscious.”

Working alongside firefighters and other emergency responders, the volunteers helped carry injured residents — young and old, men and women alike — through piles of rubble, broken glass, and debris. Meanwhile, uninjured building residents anxiously scanned the faces of those being brought out on stretchers, searching for people they knew.

The Ukrainian Red Cross maintains around two dozen volunteer teams like this one stationed throughout the country. Their members come from a wide range of backgrounds, including IT professionals and kindergarten teachers. When they are not responding to air strikes, these teams can be found at car accident scenes or providing support at community events like music festivals.

On Thursday alone, the teams treated 35 people across Kyiv, according to a spokesperson.

Another volunteer, a 21-year-old project manager named Anet, was on the scene wearing a bright red armored vest and a helmet-mounted camera. She noted that every strike site presents its own set of challenges. “Since there’s very serious damage here to a residential building, there’s a lot of work, and it’s difficult,” she said.

As Russian air attacks continue to grow in intensity, volunteer rescue teams like Didenko’s have become increasingly skilled at responding to mass-casualty events — all while many of them hold down regular jobs on the side.

Canada is working toward a major announcement at next week’s NATO summit in Turkey, where it hopes to reveal around 10 founding nations for a newly proposed global defence financing institution, according to the country’s lead negotiator.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has been championing the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank, known as the DSRB, as a cornerstone of his broader push to unite what he describes as “middle powers” in response to what he views as the breakdown of the traditional U.S.-led international order.

“We gave ourselves the NATO summit as a deadline … What we are aiming to announce is the list of founding members,” said Isabelle Hudon, Canada’s chief negotiator for the multilateral initiative and CEO of the Business Development Bank of Canada, in a recent interview.

The proposed bank would support the defense capabilities of allied nations by securing up to £100 billion — roughly $133 billion — in affordable financing.

Hudon indicated that the initial group of founding members would likely consist of Canada and several European nations, though she declined to identify them specifically. She also noted that the announcement was not a certainty, as final talks with potential allies — including discussions about how much capital each country would contribute — were still ongoing. Despite that uncertainty, she said the effort had gained significant momentum.

“My prime minister said we should not aim for perfection before launching this initiative, that we should rally the countries that are ready to be called founding members, and then the membership will stay open,” Hudon said.

The bank’s long-term viability still faces questions, particularly regarding whether it can attract the key national backers needed to achieve a triple-A credit rating.

Hudon noted that the DSRB has held encouraging discussions with South Korea, estimating roughly a 50-50 chance that the country could eventually join — though possibly at a later stage. She added that no other G7 nations appear close to signing on at this time. South Korea’s Finance Ministry has previously confirmed to Reuters that it was evaluating the proposal.

Canada’s Finance Ministry had not responded to a request for comment at the time of reporting.

CATIA LA MAR, Venezuela — Eight days after a series of devastating earthquakes tore through Venezuela, rescue teams held onto a sliver of hope Thursday as smoke from burning wreckage and the odor of decomposing remains hung over the ruins of the northern La Guaira region.

That hope turned into a moment of celebration when rescuers managed to pull a 43-year-old man alive from the debris. Hernán Alberto Gil Flores had been buried beneath the remains of a collapsed shopping mall for nearly eight days, surviving in an air pocket while rescue workers passed him water and food through the rubble.

Teams from across the Americas worked approximately 100 hours to free him. As he was carried out on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance, crowds gathered nearby erupted in cheers — a brief but powerful moment of relief amid the widespread devastation.

For thousands of others, there was no such outcome.

As of Wednesday, Venezuela’s government reported at least 2,295 people had been killed and more than 11,000 injured. Countless others remain missing, and many survivors are sleeping in overcrowded shelters or out in the open as family members continue searching through the wreckage. Medical workers have raised alarms that the crisis could spiral further, with untreated injuries and the spread of infectious diseases threatening an already fragile healthcare system.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez has faced sharp criticism from Venezuelans who say the government’s response has been woefully inadequate. Civilian volunteers and international rescue teams have largely taken the lead, overshadowing the official government effort.

The criticism comes at a particularly sensitive time — just one day before the expiration of Rodríguez’s 180-day mandate as acting leader. She had served as deputy to former President Nicolás Maduro before he was removed by the United States in January, at which point she assumed the interim leadership role with the backing of the Trump administration.

Venezuelan officials have provided little transparency about what will happen once that deadline passes Thursday. Under the country’s constitution, a vice president can fill in temporarily for up to 90 days, with the national assembly able to extend that term by an additional 90 days. The National Assembly, which is controlled by Rodríguez’s party, also has the authority to call a snap election if it formally declares the position permanently vacant.

The United States pushed back against critics on Wednesday, reaffirming its support for Rodríguez’s government and noting that roughly 900 American military personnel are currently on the ground assisting with relief and rescue efforts.

John M. Barrett, the U.S. chargé d’affaires to Venezuela, rejected claims that Rodríguez was using the disaster response for political gain. Speaking on a call with reporters, Barrett said the U.S. effort “does require a high level of coordination with local authorities to be successful.”

“And what I can say with confidence is that the local authorities have fully complied with our requests and have accelerated this massive humanitarian response,” Barrett said.

Gen. Francis Donovan, the head of U.S. Southern Command, also weighed in, saying that “decades of poor investment in the people of Venezuela” had “made this even more challenging for the current government.” He added, “It is a big problem for any leader to deal with a challenge of this magnitude.”

A Canadian court has ordered a near-total blackout on media coverage surrounding an alleged plot by an anti-government militia to seize land near Quebec City, and the move is drawing sharp criticism from press-freedom advocates and legal experts who say citizens deserve to know about threats to their safety.

The Quebec Superior Court issued the publication ban in February, according to court documents reviewed by Reuters. The order came just days after a lower court had released more than a thousand pages of police investigation records related to four men — including two active-duty soldiers — who were arrested last summer. Three of the men face accusations of taking “concrete actions to facilitate terrorist activity,” while the fourth faces weapons charges.

Legal experts say publication bans are sometimes used to shield sensitive investigative details or protect vulnerable victims, but one expert described this particular ban as unusually sweeping.

“Rights, including freedom of the press, are not absolute. But restrictions need to be reasonable,” said Wayne MacKay, emeritus professor of law at Dalhousie University. “The broader the ban and the more sweeping it is, the harder it is to justify.”

The judge’s order offered no explanation for the decision, and a spokeswoman for the Quebec Superior Court said the court and its judges are not permitted to comment on rulings.

Reuters was unable to establish why the ban was put in place. The prosecution and two of the four defense attorneys involved in the cases told Reuters they had not sought to restrict public access to information about the proceedings.

James Turk, director of the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University, said the court’s refusal to explain its reasoning makes it nearly impossible to evaluate whether the ban is appropriate or legally defensible.

“The problem in this case,” he said, “is that we can’t assess whether this ban is legitimate or not without knowing why it was imposed.”

Attorney Maxime Chevalier, who represents defendant Marc-Aurèle Chabot, said the court issued the ban “of its own volition.” Jean-Marc Fradette, the lawyer for defendant Matthew Forbes, said his team not only never requested the ban but had actually been pushing for more court documents to be made available without redactions. The other two defense attorneys did not respond to requests for comment.

Reuters has joined a coalition of media organizations challenging the publication ban at Quebec’s second-highest court. The news organization declined to make further comment. The coalition’s attorney, Marc-André Nadon, also declined to comment. A hearing on the coalition’s request to lift the ban is scheduled for September 23 at the Quebec Superior Court.

Peter Jacobsen, a lawyer with expertise in media, defamation, and constitutional law, warned that the ban puts public safety at risk by keeping citizens uninformed about a far-right militia group facing criminal charges.

“Keeping that information secret means Canadians won’t have a full understanding of how the far right is operating in the country,” he said.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced last July that they had arrested and charged three men — Chabot, Simon Angers-Audet, and Raphaël Lagacé — with terrorism-related offenses connected to an alleged plan to take over land near Quebec City for militia purposes. Authorities alleged the group had stockpiled weapons and “took part in military-style training, as well as shooting, ambush, survival and navigation exercises.” Forbes was separately charged with weapons offenses.

Police said searches carried out in January 2024 turned up a massive arsenal: 16 explosive devices, 83 firearms, roughly 11,000 rounds of ammunition, nearly 130 magazines, four pairs of night-vision goggles, and various military equipment.

Both Chabot and Forbes are members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Chabot is believed to be the first active-duty Canadian military member ever charged with terrorism offenses under the country’s criminal code.

Earlier police press releases and news coverage published before the publication ban took effect remain accessible online. After the charges were announced in July 2025, several Canadian news outlets filed for access to thousands of pages of police documents, which a lower Quebec City court released last August to those who requested them.

Following the release of a second batch of documents earlier this year, Quebec Superior Court Judge François Huot issued an order on February 2 — effective immediately — “prohibiting the media or anyone else from publishing in any form whatsoever, information regarding the facts of this case, regardless of whether or not such information has already been disclosed.”

TIRANA, Albania — Albanian law enforcement officers and demonstrators clashed Thursday when an anti-government protest in the nation’s capital descended into violence, with roots in opposition to a luxury coastal development connected to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Officers deployed tear gas, pepper spray, and a water cannon against demonstrators who were throwing rocks, eggs, and other items at police. Officials reported that 12 officers sustained injuries and 18 protesters were taken into custody.

Thursday’s unrest is part of a series of daily demonstrations that have been ongoing for more than a month. The movement, known as the “flamingo revolution,” began as opposition to a planned upscale resort development along the country’s Adriatic coast that has been linked to Kushner.

Although the protests originated over environmental concerns surrounding the proposed development, they have since expanded into a broader political movement directed against the government and Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama.

In recent weeks, thousands of demonstrators have filled the streets, blowing whistles and carrying cardboard flamingo cutouts — a nod to the protected migratory bird species whose coastal habitats could be threatened by the proposed resort near Narta Lagoon.

The Albanian government has argued the development would be a game-changer for the formerly communist country as it pursues entry into the European Union and works to attract high-end tourism. However, the project — which would span an abandoned island and a nearby section of shoreline — has faced strong pushback from environmental advocates and critics of Rama’s administration.

Several hundred protesters gathered outside the Albanian parliament on Thursday, calling for the prime minister’s resignation and chanting “Rama has to go to jail.” Some demonstrators hurled rocks, eggs, and plastic bottles at officers, and used a piece of metal barrier to shatter the windows of a police vehicle.

One protester, Agustela Thoma, explained the frustration driving the crowd: “The protesters want their voice to be heard inside (the parliament), as the prime minister for so many days has not heard them and has ignored them. But enough is enough.”

Interior Minister Besfort Lamallari condemned what he described as “the acts of vandalism and criminal violence” directed at police officers. “Police officers are public servants, citizens of the Republic, and family members just like everyone else. They serve the law, public order, and the safety of every citizen, without distinction. An attack against them is an attack against the state,” the minister stated.

A Moscow car dealership is struggling to keep pace with a sudden surge in demand for electric vehicles, as Russian drivers look for ways to avoid a growing fuel crisis marked by long lines and rapidly rising prices.

Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure have tightened gasoline and diesel supplies in recent weeks, leading to fuel restrictions across most of the country. Reuters calculations show that retail gasoline prices in some parts of Russia have climbed to among the highest levels found anywhere in Europe.

While Russia’s enormous geography, extreme weather, and sparse network of charging stations have historically slowed EV adoption, the ongoing fuel difficulties are pushing more drivers to consider making the switch.

EN Cars, a dealership specializing in Chinese vehicle brands, has seen its daily EV sales jump from two or three per month to two or three per day in just a matter of weeks. Founder Yevgeniy Zabelin shared those figures with Reuters on Wednesday.

“Since the fuel situation became complicated, demand has grown many times over,” Zabelin said, noting that buyers are showing interest in both affordable and high-end models.

Inside the showroom, potential buyers were browsing electric SUVs produced by Chinese automaker Geely.

The trend was already building before the latest crisis. Fuel prices rose more than 12% year-over-year between January and May, and EV interest was already climbing. According to analytical agency Autostat and Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, about 24,600 new plug-in hybrids were sold in the first five months of the year — a 125% increase compared to the same period last year. Sales of fully electric vehicles rose 19% to 4,460 units.

The pace picked up even more in June as fuel shortages deepened. Autostat chief Sergei Tselikov reported that 1,754 new plug-in hybrids were registered in a single week last week — nearly a third more than the week before and roughly 50% above the average weekly rate seen so far this year.

The country’s charging infrastructure is also expanding. According to digital map service 2GIS, the number of charging stations in Russia grew by 20% in the year leading up to July 2026.

One dealership customer named Vasiliy said he was glad he had already purchased both a hybrid and a fully electric vehicle. “Especially in the current situation, I haven’t had any problems at all,” he said with a laugh, though he was skeptical that the broader wave of interest would hold for long.

“I live in a private house in the countryside. I have installed my own charging station and charge at home. In Moscow it is a real problem, to charge properly,” he added.

Despite the recent growth, EVs and plug-in hybrids combined made up just 4.3% of total car sales in Russia last year, according to Autostat.

PARIS — French lawmakers from the Green party filed a no-confidence motion on Thursday targeting the government’s response to a deadly heatwave that has gripped the country since late June, even as France prepares for a possible third round of extreme heat next week.

The motion has the backing of 32 Green party lawmakers, 25 hard-left France Unbowed lawmakers, and one Socialist lawmaker. A Green party spokesperson at the National Assembly told Reuters the motion is expected to come up for debate on July 6.

Despite the political pressure, the effort to bring down Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s minority government is not expected to succeed. The National Rally party has already announced it will not support the motion, and the Socialists have declined to back any of the no-confidence motions brought against Lecornu since he took office last year.

Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon pushed back on the move even before the motion was formally filed. “There is a government managing the crisis and there are political forces fueling the crisis by introducing the motion,” she said on Wednesday.

While temperatures have begun to ease from their record peaks, much of France is still seeing readings around 30 degrees Celsius — about 86 degrees Fahrenheit — and national weather agency Meteo France has warned that heat will build again over the weekend.

France’s public health agency reported on Sunday that at least 1,000 excess deaths have been linked to the heatwave that has swept across Europe since June 20, cautioning that the actual toll is likely even higher.

During a session at the National Assembly on Tuesday, Green party leader Cyriele Chatelain argued that the government bears some responsibility for the deaths that occurred during the heat emergency.

Some Green lawmakers have gone further, suggesting the death toll could be as high as 10,000. Prime Minister Lecornu sharply rejected that figure, calling it “scandalous” and “undignified.”

DAMASCUS, Syria — A deadly explosion rocked a cafe in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Thursday, leaving at least four people dead, according to Syria’s Interior Ministry.

A Health Ministry official, Dr. Ahmad al-Bakour, spoke to the state-run SANA news agency and confirmed that ten additional people suffered injuries in the blast, which took place near the main courthouse complex in the city.

As of Thursday, no group had stepped forward to take credit for the attack. Security personnel quickly descended on the scene, surrounding the cafe and blocking off the surrounding area while investigators work to determine what happened.

Video footage that spread across social media platforms showed multiple injured individuals on the ground, with law enforcement officers visible nearby.

Syria’s current leadership came to power following a rapid insurgency in December 2024 that ended the Assad dynasty’s long rule. Since taking control, the new government has moved aggressively against militants connected to the extremist Islamic State group, aiming to prevent attacks in and around Damascus.

Reporting from Tallinn, Estonia — A court in Belarus has found journalist Kiryl Pazniak guilty and handed him a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence, the latest move in an ongoing campaign against freedom of the press in that country, according to the Belarusian Association of Journalists, which announced the verdict Thursday.

Pazniak, 49, was well known for hosting a widely followed political program on YouTube. He was convicted on charges of discrediting Belarus and helping to form an extremist organization — charges that human rights observers say are routinely used by Belarusian authorities to silence critics. In addition to the prison term, Pazniak was ordered to pay a fine amounting to approximately $8,500.

He was taken into custody in September 2025. His former wife, Elena, has said that Pazniak became gravely ill while incarcerated, contracting both pneumonia and COVID-19, and that he was transferred to a prison hospital in serious condition. Human rights defenders have classified him as a political prisoner.

Belarus is governed by authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the nation of 9.5 million people with an iron grip for more than three decades. Western countries have repeatedly imposed sanctions on Belarus — both because of its human rights abuses and because Lukashenko allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory when Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Lukashenko’s hold on power was tested following a disputed 2020 presidential election, when hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets to protest what they believed was a rigged vote. Authorities responded with a sweeping crackdown, detaining tens of thousands of people — many of whom were beaten by police. Key opposition leaders either fled the country or were thrown in prison.

Since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, Lukashenko has freed hundreds of political prisoners under American-brokered agreements that resulted in the easing of some U.S. sanctions, as part of the isolated leader’s push to rebuild relationships with Western nations.

Despite those releases, human rights organizations say the Belarusian government has not stopped cracking down on dissent. According to the Viasna human rights center, Belarus still holds 863 political prisoners.

Andrei Bastunets, who leads the Belarusian Association of Journalists, condemned the conviction in strong terms. “Pazniak nearly died behind bars, but was convicted and is forced to continue suffering simply for fulfilling his professional duty,” he said. “Repressions against journalists in Belarus are not abating, and the situation with freedom of speech remains the worst in Europe.”

The Belarusian Association of Journalists says a total of 21 journalists are currently imprisoned in Belarus.

Separately, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported this week that six Belarusian media organizations operating in exile have been repeatedly hit with DDoS attacks — coordinated efforts to flood their websites with traffic and knock them offline.

“While it can be difficult to pinpoint those responsible for DDoS attacks, editors and journalists at the outlets targeted in the recent wave told CPJ they believed Belarusian authorities might have sought to squash reporting on particular political topics, including events linked to Belarus’ exiled opposition,” the Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement published online.

CATIA LA MAR, Venezuela — A 43-year-old security guard was brought out alive from the rubble of a collapsed basement early Thursday morning, bringing an end to an exhausting multi-day rescue effort that captured the world’s attention following the destruction caused by two powerful earthquakes that hit Venezuela eight days ago.

Hernán Alberto Gil Flores had been trapped beneath the debris of the Galerías Playa Grande shopping center in the coastal community of La Guaira since June 24. Rescue teams first made contact with him over the weekend before successfully extracting him Thursday.

As rescuers carried Gil Flores out on a stretcher draped in an orange tarp, crowds cheered and waved flags from countries around the world. He was loaded into a Red Cross ambulance while members of the Costa Rican Red Cross team, dressed in red uniforms, embraced one another in tearful relief.

Gil Flores had been working the night shift at the shopping complex when the first earthquake hit. The concrete structure around him crumbled, but the small security cabin where he was stationed remained intact, protecting him from the falling debris and preserving a pocket of breathable air.

Costa Rican Red Cross rescuer Minyar Collado recalled a striking moment after making contact with the survivor. “When we found him, he asked us not to tell his wife that he was alive, just in case he wouldn’t make it,” Collado told the Associated Press.

The Costa Rican Red Cross team was the first to detect signs of life and establish communication with Gil Flores on Sunday.

His wife, Gusbimar González, described the anguish of the days before rescuers reached him. She told the AP that once she learned he had survived, “I saw a ray of light in the darkness.” The couple shares two children, aged 8 and 10.

The rescue operation was led by an urban search and rescue unit of Chilean firefighters, who worked continuously alongside specialized teams from the United States, Portugal, Mexico, and other nations.

“We (were) never going to leave him here,” Collado said prior to the successful extraction.

Rescue crews faced severe challenges throughout the operation, including unstable structural conditions, heavy rainfall, and ongoing aftershocks. They drilled a narrow shaft to reach Gil Flores, using a telescopic camera to stay in visual contact and passing water and liquid nutrients through the opening to keep him alive during the final three days of the extraction process.

Chilean firefighter María Paz Campos guided Gil Flores through the entire ordeal, helping him stay calm during the most difficult hours of Thursday’s rescue. In video footage released by the Chilean firefighters before the extraction, Gil Flores is seen drawing — apparently to pass the time — while Campos gently instructs him to face the camera and put on protective goggles.

“I need that you keep the goggles on, for the small particles that are falling, to avoid them getting into your eye,” Campos told him.

The shopping center collapsed after two back-to-back earthquakes struck on June 24, registering magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5. The shallow tremors caused widespread destruction across northern Venezuela, damaging or destroying tens of thousands of buildings, killing more than 2,200 people, injuring over 11,000 others, and leaving La Guaira state as the most severely affected area in the country.

More than 17 million people living across nine conflict-torn states in northern Nigeria are now struggling with severe hunger, the United Nations food agency warned on Thursday, saying the situation has deteriorated to its worst point in nearly ten years.

According to the World Food Programme (WFP), the most recent food security analysis revealed that the number of people experiencing crisis-level, emergency-level, or catastrophic hunger has climbed by nearly two million compared to earlier projections.

The alarming figures highlight the growing humanitarian toll in Africa’s most populous nation, where Islamist insurgents operating in the northeast and armed criminal groups in parts of the north have uprooted entire communities, prevented farmers from working their land, and blocked humanitarian organizations from delivering aid.

The situation is being made worse by the timing — the current lean season is a period when families typically run out of food stores before the next harvest comes in.

WFP identified Borno state, the center of a long-standing Islamist insurgency, as one of the hardest-hit areas, with more than 3 million residents facing acute food insecurity. Of those, more than 750,000 are enduring severe hunger conditions.

WFP regional director for West and Central Africa Kinday Samba stressed the broader dangers of the food crisis, saying: “When people lose access to food, the risks of displacement, exploitation and instability increase.” Samba also noted that violence is expanding into new areas, pushing more people off their farmland.

The agency disclosed that it is currently able to assist fewer than half of the 1.3 million people it helped last year in three northeastern states, where 6.2 million residents are now food insecure.

To sustain food assistance, nutrition programs, and logistics operations across northern Nigeria over the next six months, WFP said it requires $89 million in funding.

MOSCOW — Russian authorities have detained a member of the liberal Yabloko party, which stands in opposition to the war in Ukraine, on suspicion of making donations to an organization that has been outlawed in the country, the party announced in a statement.

The detained member, Elena Perepelitsa, 60, was taken into custody just eight days after the party’s deputy leader, Maxim Kruglov, was found guilty of spreading false information about the Russian military and sentenced to seven years behind bars.

The arrests are unfolding as Russia prepares to hold elections for the State Duma — the lower chamber of its parliament — in September. The conflict in Ukraine is now in its fifth year, and drone attacks launched by Ukrainian forces have been increasingly affecting daily life within Russian borders.

Yabloko was once considered a major liberal political force during the post-Soviet era, but today holds only a small number of seats in regional legislatures and has no representation at the national level. While the party is unlikely to secure Duma seats in the upcoming vote given Russia’s tightly controlled political environment, its participation in the election provides a rare public platform for anti-war positions that Russian authorities have been working to suppress.

In a separate matter, the Russian edition of Forbes magazine reported the death of journalist Sergei Mingazov, 57, who had been involved in a lengthy legal battle over charges of spreading false information about the war in Ukraine. Forbes reported that Mingazov died of cancer.

BRUSSELS — Belgium is preparing to make a major investment in its air defense capabilities, with plans to acquire 10 NASAMS surface-to-air missile launchers from Kongsberg and 20 Skyranger short-range air defense systems from Rheinmetall, according to a Belgian official who spoke with Reuters on Thursday.

The combined price tag for both purchases comes to 3.1 billion euros, though the official did not provide a breakdown of how the costs are divided between the two systems.

Before the deal can move forward, it must receive approval from Belgium’s council of ministers, which is expected to take place this week. If approved, an official announcement could be made at an upcoming NATO summit in Ankara next week.

To speed up the procurement process, Belgium intends to use existing Dutch framework contracts for both purchases, the official noted.

MADRID — Spanish government officials announced Thursday that 609,737 undocumented migrants who applied for legal status through the country’s recent amnesty program have been issued temporary work permits, allowing them to enter the formal workforce while their applications are being processed.

The program, which ran from April 16 through June 30, offers a one-year renewable residence permit to undocumented migrants who can show they lived in Spain for at least five months before the close of 2025 and have no criminal history.

Officials from the Secretary of State for Migration and the Secretary of State for Social Security — Pilar Cancela and Borja Suárez, respectively — shared additional details about the program’s results on Thursday.

The total number of applications came in at more than 1.17 million, which is more than double the government’s original projection of 500,000. The majority of those applications came from migrants with roots in Latin American countries.

Of the roughly 610,000 people who have received temporary work authorization so far, approximately 160,000 had already secured jobs in the formal economy as of June 30. Additionally, 11,000 applicants have been fully approved and issued their one-year residence permits.

The Spanish government is also working alongside businesses in the construction, tourism, transportation, and caregiving industries to connect migrants with available job opportunities.

Demographic data released by officials shows that around 81% of the undocumented migrants who applied are under the age of 45, and 57% of all applicants are male.

BERLIN — Germany is working on landmark legislation that would dramatically expand what its intelligence agencies are allowed to do, giving them the ability to hack into foreign systems, spread disinformation, and disrupt hostile operations, according to a draft law reviewed by Reuters.

For decades, German spy agencies have operated under some of the tightest restrictions in the world. In the aftermath of World War Two, the country’s lawmakers deliberately prevented any single security body from accumulating too much power. As a result, the agencies have largely been confined to observing and reporting on threats rather than actively countering them.

The proposed legislation is being driven by what the German government describes as a growing threat environment, particularly from Russia. Officials want their services to be able to do more than simply watch — they want them to be able to act.

The draft law would rewrite the legal foundations governing both the domestic security agency and the foreign intelligence service, establishing a unified framework for covert activities, with a particular focus on operations carried out in cyberspace.

Under the interior ministry’s proposal, threats would be sorted into categories that would determine what level of response is permitted — ranging from basic surveillance all the way up to what the draft describes as “particularly serious” monitoring measures.

Most significantly, the agencies would gain the ability — for the first time — to interfere with the technical infrastructure of those attacking Germany, and to deliberately plant false information to mislead hostile actors.

In the digital realm, and under strict conditions, agents could break into the computer systems of adversaries, copy or erase data, and neutralize tools being used in foreign state-sponsored campaigns — including during large-scale cyber attacks.

The draft also addresses how government spyware may be used for online searches and for intercepting communications at the source. Companies operating in telecommunications, digital platforms, transportation, and financial services would be subject to secret, legally binding orders to hand over information. Failure to comply could result in fines reaching up to €1 million, and firms could face on-site inspections.

The legislation also spells out clearer rules around the use of confidential informants, including provisions that could, in the most serious threat scenarios, allow individuals as young as 16 years old to assist in investigations.

To ensure accountability, the draft proposes the creation of a new independent oversight body called the Independent Control Council. This single watchdog would replace the current patchwork of oversight agencies, combining authority over wiretap approvals and data protection. It would be required to pre-approve the most invasive intelligence activities, including extended undercover operations and surveillance conducted inside private homes.

DUBAI — Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced Thursday that they had killed five members of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, known as the PDKI, a banned organization, in the country’s northwestern region, according to state media reports.

The Guards stated that the group was caught in an ambush after crossing into Iranian territory through mountainous border areas near the city of Piranshahr in West Azerbaijan province. Officials did not provide a specific date for when the operation occurred.

The Norway-based Kurdish rights organization Hengaw reported that the confrontation took place Wednesday evening.

The PDKI has engaged in on-and-off armed conflict with Iran’s Islamic Republic for decades, and Tehran has long considered Kurdish armed factions to be separatist threats to the country’s territorial integrity.

During a recent period of conflict with Tehran, both U.S. and Israeli hopes that Kurdish fighters might serve a ground combat role against Iran quickly fell apart. Mixed signals from Washington and Israel, combined with Iranian military strikes and threats against Kurdish positions in Iraq, discouraged those groups from entering the fighting.

A comparable incident near Piranshahr had already been reported by Iranian state media on Tuesday, when the Revolutionary Guards claimed to have killed six members of what they called an “opposition and separatist group.”

Also on Tuesday, state media reported that two Revolutionary Guards members were killed and two others wounded during a shooting in Kermanshah province in western Iran, which occurred Monday evening. Hengaw reported that a newly formed Kurdish armed group claimed responsibility for that attack, saying it was carried out in retaliation for the Guards’ role in crushing a protest movement that took place between 2022 and 2023.

The head of the Palestinian political movement known as New Path, or Masar Jadid, says that upcoming Palestinian legislative elections could open the door to a major shift in leadership. Samer Sinijlawi announced that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to declare later this month that the elections will take place on November 28. Sinijlawi called the anticipated vote a chance for new political voices to rise “after years of political stagnation.”

According to Sinijlawi, the expected announcement comes after sustained pressure from those who have been pushing for greater Palestinian democratic participation. If held, the vote would be the first Palestinian legislative election in more than two decades.

In mid-June, President Abbas issued an official decree calling for presidential elections in early 2027 and legislative elections later this year, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa. The decree did not indicate whether Abbas himself would seek the presidency again.

Abbas, who is 90 years old, last won a Palestinian presidential election in 2005. That victory came with a four-year mandate, which would have ended in 2009. His term was subsequently extended, and no presidential election has been held since. Abbas has governed through presidential decrees, a practice that has drawn criticism both within Palestinian territories and internationally.

Israelis are set to hold their own government elections no later than October 20, with Palestinian legislative elections anticipated shortly after.

“For the first time in more than two decades, there is a genuine opportunity for a new Palestinian leadership to emerge through the ballot box,” Sinijlawi said.

He projected that the established Fatah party would capture roughly 20% of the vote, with Islamist parties earning a comparable share. He suggested the remaining votes would likely be split among two or three newer parties, including New Path, which he characterized as moderate, democratic, and reform-focused alternatives to the current political establishment.

At the same time, Sinijlawi pointed out that significant hurdles still stand in the way of a truly level playing field. He noted that the Palestinian Authority has yet to pass a Political Parties Law that would ensure equal conditions for all competing political movements. He also accused Palestinian security forces of interfering with the activities of newer political groups.

“In recent days, several leaders of New Path in the West Bank were summoned for questioning by the Palestinian General Intelligence Service in what we view as attempts to intimidate and harass our movement,” he said.

Sinijlawi urged the international community to pay close attention to the situation and to stand behind what he described as the Palestinian people’s right to elections that are free, fair, and genuinely competitive.

“A new Palestinian leadership with democratic legitimacy would serve the interests of both Palestinians and Israelis,” he said.

Sinijlawi wrapped up his remarks by stressing that the outcome of these elections could shape the entire future course of Palestinian politics.

“Change is now within reach. We stand before two clear alternatives: either elections that open the door to a new era of moderation, partnership, and peace, or the continuation of the current reality, which will almost certainly produce another generation of wars and conflict.”

German federal prosecutors have formally charged a former Ukrainian military officer as a co-perpetrator of a war crime in connection with the 2022 explosions that struck the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines. The charges allege he was acting on behalf of Ukrainian government entities.

Prosecutors announced Thursday that charges had been filed against the man, identified only as Serhii K. under German privacy laws, in a regional court in Hamburg. He faces accusations of participating in a war crime by attacking civilian infrastructure, causing an explosion, destroying critical infrastructure, and disrupting public services.

Officials in Kyiv said Thursday they lacked sufficient information about the case to respond in detail to the German prosecutors’ allegations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy noted on Wednesday that he had not yet received the full details of the indictment, which had been formally served that same day. The complete list of charges was made public on Thursday.

“The relevant authorities of our countries will get in touch, and when we receive more details, we will probably be able to respond. For now, it is too early to speak,” Zelenskiy said.

According to prosecutors, the goal of the attack was to permanently cut off gas deliveries through the pipelines and deny Russia the natural gas revenue it was using to fund its military campaign.

Both Russia and Western nations have characterized the September 2022 blasts as deliberate sabotage. The explosions came after Russia had launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine earlier that year. The blasts caused damage to the Nord Stream 1 pipeline — a key conduit for Russian gas flowing into Europe — and also struck the Nord Stream 2 branch, which had not yet begun operating.

At the time of the alleged attack, Russia had already suspended gas deliveries through Nord Stream 1, citing Western sanctions and technical problems. Europe, however, accused Moscow of using energy as a weapon.

The German indictment states that Serhii K. was a Ukrainian army officer in 2022 who, working with other military personnel and acting on behalf of Ukrainian state bodies, helped devise a plan to destroy both pipelines.

Prosecutors allege that Serhii K. led a team that included professional divers, a boat captain, and an explosives specialist. The group entered Germany using forged Ukrainian passports in September 2022 and boarded a yacht rented with falsified identification. They then transported large amounts of military-grade explosives through international waters to a site near the Danish island of Bornholm, where they attached the explosives to the pipelines on the Baltic Sea floor and set timed detonators.

Serhii K. was arrested in Italy in August and transferred to Germany in November. He has denied any involvement in the blasts. His German legal team was not immediately reachable for comment Thursday, but his Italian attorney said he welcomed the indictment.

“We do not fear the indictment — we demand that the facts be established, and in public,” said lawyer Nicola Canestrini in a written statement.

Under German law, a conviction for directing an attack on civilian objects carries a minimum sentence of three years in prison, or one year in less serious circumstances.

German courts have claimed jurisdiction in the case because the damaged pipelines terminate at Lubmin, located in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and their destruction was deemed a threat to Germany’s energy security and internal safety.

German federal prosecutors took a major step Thursday, filing formal charges against a former Ukrainian army officer accused of carrying out the underwater blasts that severely damaged the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines between Russia and Germany nearly four years ago.

Due to local privacy regulations, the suspect has been identified only as Serhii K. He faces a serious list of charges, including deliberately causing an explosion, destruction of property, disruption of public services, and serving as an “accomplice to war crimes” by targeting civilian infrastructure, according to a statement from prosecutors.

The underwater explosions occurred on September 26, 2022, destroying sections of the pipelines that were constructed to transport Russian natural gas beneath the Baltic Sea to Germany.

The blasts intensified already-high tensions surrounding Russia’s war against Ukraine, coming at a time when European nations were working to reduce their reliance on Russian energy following the Kremlin’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

According to prosecutors, the goal of the attack was to permanently cut off the flow of gas through the pipelines and block Russia from using natural gas revenues to fund its military campaign.

Serhii K. was taken into custody last August after authorities raided a bungalow in an Italian village where he had been staying with his family. Police reported he gave himself up without a struggle. He was subsequently extradited to Germany in November.

Investigators say Serhii K. and others allegedly departed from the German port city of Rostock aboard a yacht that had been rented from a German company using falsified identification documents and with assistance from intermediaries.

The explosions tore through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which had served as Russia’s primary route for delivering natural gas to Germany until Moscow halted those deliveries in August 2022. The blasts also caused damage to Nord Stream 2, a pipeline that never became operational after Germany put its certification on hold shortly before Russia launched its invasion.

Russia has repeatedly blamed the United States for orchestrating the explosions, an accusation that Washington has firmly rejected. Both pipelines had long drawn criticism from the U.S. and several of its allies, who argued they made Europe dangerously dependent on Russian energy supplies.