General NewsHappened overnight: Trump feuds with Zelensky
Happened overnight: Trump feuds with Zelensky
It happened while you were sleeping. Here is what world agencies reported during the night from Wednesday to Thursday.
- The Democratic Republic of the Congo has requested any form of military assistance from Chad to combat the M23 rebels, as reported by the Congolese portal Actualite. On Tuesday, Didier Mazenga, a special representative of DR Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi, traveled to N'Djamena to meet with Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno. Mazenga urgently asked for help to halt the M23 rebels' advance. According to the Chadian portal Alwihdainfo, N'Djamena is "considering this request." Earlier in February, the President of Chad expressed official support for the DR Congo in its fight against the rebels, highlighting the importance of maintaining the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Supported by Rwanda, the M23 forces seized Goma, the capital of North Kivu, in January, and last week, they captured Bukavu, the capital of the neighboring province of South Kivu, continuing their offensive in the eastern territories of the DR Congo.
- On Wednesday, the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina sought prison terms and a ten-year ban on holding public office for Milorad Dodik, President of the Republika Srpska (RS), and Milos Lukić, former acting director of the RS Official Gazette. The prosecutor stated, "The evidence is clear. The defendants acted with full awareness that they were obstructing the decisions of the High Representative, which is a criminal act." The trial continues, and both have been charged with deliberately blocking the execution of decisions by the High Representative of the International Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt. The court has 30 days to issue a verdict. Milorad Dodik, a pro-Russian politician under American sanctions, warned on Wednesday that the court's decision could have "deadly consequences for Bosnia and Herzegovina."
- After years in exile, Syrian Jews visit Damascus. Reuters accompanied one family. For the first time in three decades, Rabbi Joseph Hamra and his son Henry read a Torah scroll in a synagogue in the heart of Syria's capital, Damascus, carefully tracing their thumbs over the handwritten text as if still overwhelmed by the sense of being at home. Father and son fled Syria in the 1990s after then-President Hafez al-Assad lifted the travel ban imposed on the country’s historic Jewish community, which had struggled for decades with restrictions such as bans on owning property and taking jobs. However, in December, Bashar al-Assad, Hafez's son and his successor as president, was overthrown, and the Hamra family, like many others, began planning a once-unthinkable visit to Damascus with the help of the Syrian Task Force for Syrian Emergency Situations, an American humanitarian organization.
- President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that there was a previous agreement based on rare earth metals and other elements, which Ukraine broke two days ago. He once again referred to the Ukrainian President as a "dictator." Trump also mentioned that Zelensky could participate in the USA and Russia talks in Riyadh.
- The Holy See's Press Office released another statement regarding the health of the Holy Father. It reports that his condition is stable, and blood test results showed slight improvement. The Pope is in the hospital due to an infection and bronchitis.
