WORLD BRIEFING: September 24, 2023
After a week at the UN General Assembly dominated by discussion of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Moscow struck back on Saturday, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addressing delegates first in a speech to the General Assembly hall, then turning to the international press in a wide-ranging briefing full of recriminations against the West – which he described as an “empire of lies.” The Russian Foreign Minister also shut down the possibility of Russia returning to the Black Sea grain deal, saying the Kremlin felt it had been deceived - CNN
Emmanuel Macron has said France will withdraw its ambassador and end all military cooperation with Niger following a coup. "France has decided to withdraw its ambassador. In the next hours our ambassador and several diplomats will return to France," the president said. He added that military cooperation was "over" and French troops would leave in "the months to come". A military junta seized Niger on July 26, deposing President Mohamed Bazoum. The decision follows months of animosity and protests against the French presence in the country, with regular demonstrations in the capital Niamy. - BBC
Security forces have surrounded at least 30 armed gunmen hours after a police officer was shot dead in Kosovo, the country's prime minister says. Albin Kurti said the group was in a monastery in the northern village of Banjska and urged them to surrender. Mr Kurti has accused Serbia of backing what he called a "terrorist attack" that also injured another officer. The Nato-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo says it has troops in the area and is ready to respond if required. Tensions have run high in Kosovo, after violent clashes followed a disputed local election in May. - BBC
British Columbia Premier David Eby says he "strongly" suspects the federal government is holding back information that could help the province protect its residents with connections to India from foreign interference. Eby says Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc has reached out, saying Ottawa wants to make sure the province has the details it needs to keep its residents safe, "but there has not been good information sharing." Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed Monday that Canadian intelligence services were investigating "a potential link" between the Indian government and the murder of Sikh advocate Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., in June - CBC
UNESCO has confirmed the extent of damage inflicted upon 290 cultural sites in Ukraine, as revealed by Chiara Bardeschi, the Head of the UNESCO Office in Ukraine, during the “Ukrainian Cultural Heritage: Act for Heritage” forum. Bardeschi noted, “UNESCO maintains a platform dedicated to monitoring damages, and we have been able to authenticate 290 instances of harm to various cultural treasures scattered throughout the country. Nevertheless, it’s crucial to understand that this represents only a fraction of the actual toll, as numerous other incidents remain undocumented.” Emphasizing the fundamental right of all individuals to access culture and the profound responsibility of passing it down to future generations, Bardeschi underscored that cultural heritage remains under dire threat during times of war. She lamented, “Culture, tragically, becomes an unwitting casualty of war.” - Ukrinform