UKRAINE – The Indian foreign ministry said it had urged the Russian authorities to repatriate the bodies of the two deceased. Dozens of Indians have reportedly been duped by agents into fighting for Russian forces with the lure of money and a Russian passport. The BBC has spoken to some of them.

We regret to state that two Indian nationals who had been recruited by the Russian Army have recently been killed in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine,” the foreign ministry statement said, without naming the victims.The ministry also urged Indian nationals to “exercise caution while seeking employment opportunities in Russia”.

In May Indian police arrested four people allegedly linked to a network of human traffickers on suspicion of luring young men to Russia with the promise of jobs or education, only to force them to fight in Ukraine. Despite urging Russia to return Indian nationals serving in the Russian army, India has refused to condemn the Kremlin over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, urging the two sides to seek peace through dialogue and diplomacy.Meanwhile Nepal and Sri Lanka have warned their citizens not to be lured in by the false promises of human traffickers in recent months, after it emerged that hundreds of their nationals were taking part in the war as mercenaries. Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry raised the issue with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Monday, the ministry said.  (BBC) …[+]

Joel Martinus alias Bordo, who was once one of the most influential figures with political connections in Suriname, has lost the support of all of his political friends. Ronnie Brunswijk, chairman of the ABOP and vice president of Suriname, re entry made it clear that he would have wanted to see Bordo stand trial in Suriname instead of fleeing to a foreign country where he was eventually arrested. Brunswijk pointed out that he understands why Bordo who is a selfproclaimed multimillionaire chose to flee. He condemned the violent raids in the hisue and other buildings that belong to Bordo. After he was arrested in Brazil Bordo begged the authorities not to extradite him to Suriname because he feared for his life. “The police kicked and broke everything in the houses. That man feared for his life,” said Brunswijk. Despite the fact that Brunswijk has his doubts about the public prosecutor’s charges against Bordo, he has distanced himself from this case. Other top figures of ABOP have also distanced themselves from Bordo as they do not seem it wise to be associated with Bordo who has been extradited to France where he was found guilty of drug trafficking…[+]

US – Donald Trump has returned to Capitol Hill to meet Republicans in his first visit to the area since the 6 January riot of 2021.

The presumptive Republican nominee in November’s presidential election was expected to discuss his agenda for a second term in office. Later in the day, the former president was also scheduled to meet an association of 200 corporate leaders. Nancy Pelosi, the former Democratic House Speaker, said in a statement that Trump was the “instigator of an insurrection… returning to the scene of the crime”.

The visit comes weeks after Trump’s criminal conviction for falsifying business records in his hush-money trial in New York. He arrived at a Republican office building near the US Capitol building yesterday morning, passing a small crowd of protesters holding signs with slogans including “failed coup” and “Democracy Forever, Trump Never”.

Officials from his campaign said that his meetings were also intended to promote unity among the Republican party. “President Trump brought an extraordinary amount of energy and enthusiasm this morning,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said. “That is what we’re seeing in the party throughout the country.” “We believe we are going to win back the White House, and the Senate, and grow the House majority.”

Republican Senator Thom Tillis said gaining a majority in the Senate was “intrinsically linked” to Trump winning the presidential election. “We’re like one team, one vision,” Mr Tillis was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. “I think that’ll be largely what we talk about.” Before the visit, Politico reported that Trump called Mr Johnson to urge him to help reverse his 31 May conviction on 34 counts of falsifying documents in New York.

“We have to overturn this,” Trump reportedly said in an expletive-laden call. More than three years ago, Trump urged supporters to “fight like hell” just hours before a mob stormed the US Capitol on 6 January, 2021, in a failed bid to prevent the certification of the election. Mrs Pelosi said in her statement: “Donald Trump comes to Capitol Hill today with the same mission of dismantling our democracy. “Make no mistake – Trump has already cemented his legacy of shame in our hallowed halls.” (BBC)…[+]

Acting President Ronnie Brunswijk on Wednesday resolved the issue between the workers of the Energy Company Suriname (EBS) and management. The workers in Wednesday assembled in force outside of the Office of the Acting President, to seek a solution to their problems. The Acting President assured them that Marciano Hellings who had been fired, would be reinstated. He also made it clear that no disciplinary measures must be taken against the workers who had joined the protest. Marciano Hellings who is the chairman of the union that represents the workers at the EBS and the CEO of the EBS had to apologize for controversial statements that they had made. After his meeting with the Acting President, Hellings informed the union members and the nation that a solution had been found at a previous meeting.
He also announced that there was no longer any bad blood between him and CEO Leo Brunswijk. The collective labor agreement was also addressed. Both parties had to tone down their demands to find a solution. Hellings assured the union members that the details of the meeting would be discussed with them and that he was glad that the talks were going in the right direction. He also thanked the Union of Assertive Associations (UvAV) for its support14