Author: Willard Adam Webster

The terrorist attack on Moscow’s Crocus City Hall in March 2024, which left 140 people dead, has sparked a crackdown on central Asian workers living in Russia, and put the relationship between the region and Russia under increasing strain. The four suspected gunmen under arrest are all citizens of Tajikistan, a central Asian nation that was once part of the Soviet Union. Following the Crocus City attack, Russian police started rounding up and deporting workers who are originally from Tajikistan, as well as from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The attack, which Russia has blamed on Ukraine, also sparked massive police raids, document checks of migrants…

Two loudspeakers, as big as the men carrying them, are brought to the rocky hilltop. Some 800m below, in the town of Hpasang, lies a sprawling Myanmar army base. It’s a blisteringly hot day – above 40C – and behind, on bamboo poles, more young resistance fighters carry a large, heavy battery pack and amplifier. Leading the ascent is Nay Myo Zin, a former army captain who, after 12 years in the military, defected to the resistance. With his dark green camouflage jacket draped over one shoulder, he has the air of a performer about to take the stage. He…

India’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, joined Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe virtually on Monday to launch the construction of 1,300 houses. This marks the first phase of a larger project to build 10,000 houses in Sri Lanka’s plantation areas, funded by an Indian grant. The High Commission of India in Colombo shared photos from the event on X (formerly Twitter). The initial 1,300 houses will be constructed across 45 estates in 10 districts. India’s commitment to housing development in Sri Lanka now exceeds 60,000 houses, the High Commission stated. Prime Minister Narendra Modi first announced the 10,000-house…

The United States and the Philippines were conducting joint air and maritime patrols in the South China Sea, which come as the two countries step up cooperation in the face of growingly aggressive Chinese activity in the area. The Philippine Air Force said on Wednesday its aircraft had taken part in joint patrols on Tuesday in the vicinity of Batanes, the northernmost province of the Philippines, which is only about 200 kilometers from Taiwan, a self-governed island that China claims as its own. The patrols run through Thursday and include both the U.S. and Philippine navies. They come only days…

After “fighting for months” for access to the footage, the family of a Black man who died after being tased by an Alabama police officer in July was finally able to view body camera video from the incident Wednesday. “This is one of the worst videos of a police killing that I have ever witnessed,” family attorney Harry Daniels told reporters at a news conference following the viewing. “And I’ll put it right up there with George Floyd – other cases across the nation.” Last week, a grand jury declined to indict the two police officers who struggled with Dallas before his death, WPMI reported. The case come as police use of force, especially against people of color, remains a critical issue nationwide more than three years after Floyd’s murder at the hands of a…

Sexual assault survivor advocates are pushing for an extension or a more permanent way to seek legal accountability for abusers after more than 2,500 lawsuits were filed under the New York Adult Survivors Act before its one-year window to sue closed Thursday. The law, which Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul signed in May 2022, created the one-year window for people who were 18 years or older at the time of an alleged offense to file a lawsuit against their alleged abusers and the institutions that enabled them, regardless of statutes of limitations. In the days leading up to the lookback window closing, a…

Using a travel agent to buy a plane ticket or a stockbroker to trade equities seem like relics of the past. And yet, every day, people across America hire a real estate agent to help them sell a home. It’s one of the few industries that has been able to largely avoid the disruption that has helped consumers cut costs in the Internet age. And that is largely because of the power of the National Association of Realtors, the largest professional organization in America and a significant lobbying group for the real estate industry. But the verdict handed down in a…

The Kremlin said on Tuesday there was “no proof” North Korea was sending supplies of weapons to Russia, after Washington released images purportedly showing arms shipments from Pyongyang. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia last month and met President Vladimir Putin, sparking speculation among Western countries over the possibility of a potential arms deal. “They report this all the time, without providing any proof,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies when asked about the reported arms shipments. The White House said on Friday that North Korea had already delivered over 1,000 containers of military equipment…

NEW YORK – Authorities are searching for a third suspect wanted in connection with the apparent fentanyl-related death of a 1-year-old at a Bronx daycare. Investigators are looking for the Divino Nino day care owner’s husband, who police said vanished right after the tragedy. Monday morning, candles, flowers and a small toy truck were part of a memorial outside the Divino Nino day care in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx. Four children were exposed to fentanyl there Friday. One of them – 1-year-old Nicholas Dominici – died. “Never run a drug operation out of your day care. If you’re trying to use…

Nine inmates who escaped from a Pennsylvania juvenile detention facility were taken into custody on Monday following a manhunt, authorities said. The inmates, all of who were male, fled the facility on Sunday wearing white and gray shirts and shorts, the Robeson Township Police Department in Berks County. The escape happened following a riot at the academy, according to another local police agency in Berks County. State and local law enforcement regained control of the detention center, authorities said, but some of the offenders escaped. Authorities said they believed they were able to escape the youth detention facility after overtaking…