Marina Perederii’s home in the small mining city of Vuhledar in eastern Ukraine was her pride and joy. They lovingly renovated the house, painting cherry blossom and doves – symbols of love and well-being – in their bedroom. They built a swimming pool in the garden and a sauna in the basement. Everything was planned with such passion,” she tells the BBC World Service. But the peace wasn’t to last.

In February 2022, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Marina’s husband went to fight while she took their children and ran. Before fleeing, she recorded what she thought could be her last glimpse of their home. My dear house, I don’t know if you will stand or not. I don’t know if we’ll ever return here… or if we’ll even survive at all,” she said in a video. The next time she saw her home was a year later in February 2023, through the eyes of a Russian soldier, in bodycam footage posted on social media. A marine going by the name Fima was in her living room, flicking through photos of Marina and her family. “Beautiful,” he said, looking at one photo. It was a chilling image that made her angry. “I wish I had taken the albums with me,” Marina says. Ukraine spent two and a half years defending Vuhledar, and although Russian forces had launched a major offensive in 2023, they never fully managed to capture the city until the start of October 2024. During the long battle, as the front line shifted, Fima had led a group of soldiers to the suburbs in late January 2023 and got caught in heavy fighting on Sadova Street. He and some others entered Marina’s home. Russian soldier bodycam An image from Fima’s bodycam showing his hands holding an open photo album. Russian soldier bodycam as his bodycam footage went viral back home, Fima was hailed as a hero. Official documents show that he was recalled from the front in February 2023 because of a leg wound.

But what the footage didn’t show was that the Russians were keeping a Ukrainian soldier captive in Marina’s basement, who was starving and in desperate need of medical care. His name was Oleksii. Before the war, Oleksii worked as an IT specialist. When Russia invaded his country, he volunteered to fight and later became a drone operator in Vuhledar. His love of dancing earned him the nickname Dancer. When the Russians broke through Ukrainian lines in late January 2023, Oleksii and his comrades tried to retreat, but some of them, including Oleksii were shot. Wounded, they were taken from house to house by Russian soldiers, with Oleksii eventually ending up in the basement of Marina’s home.  (BBC)

NEW YORK – Man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO has been ordered held without bail after a brief court appearance in Pennsylvania. Police arrested the suspect Monday in the brazen Manhattan, killing of the CEO after a quick-thinking McDonald’s employee in Pennsylvania alerted authorities to a customer who was found with a gun, mask and writings linking him to the ambush. The chance sighting at the restaurant in Altoona led to a dramatic break in a challenging but fast-moving investigation that had captivated the public in the five days, since the shooting that shook the health insurance industry.

The suspect, identified by police as 26-year-old Luigi Nicholas Mangione, had a gun believed to be the one used in last Wednesday’s shooting of Brian Thompson, as well as writings suggesting anger with corporate America, police said. He was charged with weapons, forgery and other charges.

Mangione was sitting at a table in the rear of the McDonald’s wearing a blue medical mask and looking at a laptop computer, documents said. When an officer asked if he’d been to New York recently, he “became quiet and started to shake”. (Jamaica Gleaner)

Photo: McDonald’s restaurant, where an employee alerted authorities to a customer who was found with a weapon and writings linking him to the the brazen Manhattan killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO. (AP)

Guyana has submitted its final written brief on the merits of its case against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the brief, officially entitled Guyana’s Reply to Venezuela’s Counter-Memorial, was personally delivered to the Registrar of the Court by His Excellency Sasenarine Singh, Guyana’s Ambassador in Brussels.

In the merits phase of the case, each party submits two written briefs. Guyana’s Memorial was submitted on 8 April 2023. Venezuela submitted its Counter-Memorial one year later on 8 April 2024. Guyana’s Reply, filed on Monday December 9, 2024 responds to that Venezuelan brief. Venezuela will have the opportunity to respond to Guyana’s Reply with its Rejoinder, due on 8 August 2025. The Court will in due course set a date for oral hearings. Guyana welcomes Venezuela’s engagement in the merits phase of the case.

Guyana began the case in March 2018 following the determination by United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, that he had chosen the International Court of Justice as the means to be used for the solution of the controversy between the two countries. Guyana is seeking the Court’s confirmation that the 1899 Arbitral Award which determined the international boundary with Venezuela is legally valid and remains binding on both States as a matter of international law. Although Venezuela recognized the validity of the Award and accepted the boundary for more than 60 years, it changed position on the eve of Guyana’s independence, rejected the Award and asserted a claim to more than two-thirds of Guyana’s territory in the Essequibo Region.

December 2023, in response to Guyana’s request brought on by Venezuela’s threat to seize and annex Guyana’s territory, the Court ordered the parties to refrain from any actions to disturb Guyana’s administration and control of that territory pending the conclusion of the case. In the release, the Government of Guyana said it is fully confident that it has shown, in its Reply, that Venezuela’s challenges to the Arbitral Award and the international boundary, as set forth in its Counter-Memorial, are entirely without merit, and that the Court will ultimately confirm the validity, finality and legally binding nature of both the Award and the boundary.

(Kaieteur News)

Photo: Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd border case against Venezuela

HANGZHOU – Senior officials from nearly 50 countries and regions, UN experts and officials gathered on Monday in a dialogue held in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, to discuss ways to strengthen the realization of human rights. Participants at the Hernán Santa Cruz Dialogue on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ESCR jointly held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), praised China for its efforts in consistently supporting the international human rights cause. Human rights can guide countries to invest in policies that build trust, prevent tensions, and make societies more resilient,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk in a video speech. While significant progress has been made in both normative and operational aspects of human rights in general, much less attention has been given to the operationalization of economic, social, and cultural rights and the right to development, said Pradeep Wagle, Chief of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Section of OHCHR. After visiting Fengqiao, a township in Zhejiang, which gained fame for its community-level social governance in the 1960s, Natnael Yebio Werke, Senior Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs Officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Eritrea, said, “I’ve heard of this model and have been learning from China’s governance wisdom. In my country, we also take that into our own system.” Recalling his visit to China last year to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Werke said it was impressive and encouraging to see that China was not only taking the lead in promoting ESCR for its people, but also inspiring Global South countries to advance ESCR. “Through this workshop, I have learned China’s significant efforts in promoting and protecting ESCR and its remarkable success in poverty reduction and economic reforms,” said T Kham Seng, director from the International Organizations and Economic Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar. She added that the Chinese philosophy on social equity and collective betterment also prioritizes people-centered development that ensures every citizen benefits from economic growth.   (Xinhua)

UKRAINE – Ukrainain President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the air strike proves Ukraine needs to enhance its air defence system. At least three people were killed and 20 injured, many of whom are in critical condition, after a Russian strike on the city Zaphorizhzhia in Ukraine on Tuesday. According to regional governor Ivan Fedorov, the strike hit a private clinic in the city centre, damaging buildings nearby. “Medics, police and rescuers are currently working at the attack site,” he wrote on Telegram. Among the victims were two doctors and a five-year-old girl. At least 11 were injured in a separate, double ballistic missile attack on the town of Zlatopil in the Kharkiv region. An administrative building and 16 residential buildings were damaged, according to local authorities. In a post on social media platform X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Zaporizhzhia strike proves that Ukraine needs to enhance its air defence systems. He added that Kyiv submitted all the necessary requests to its partners to do so. (Euronews)