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  • Greenland says findings on genocide allegation not final

    Greenland says findings on genocide allegation not final

    Nearly five decades after a coercive birth control programme targeting Inuit women in Greenland concluded, newly released conflicting expert reports have reopened one of the darkest chapters of Danish colonial rule, leaving the Greenlandic government unable to formally confirm whether the policy amounted to genocide. Between 1966 and 1970, a Danish-administered initiative inserted intrauterine devices (IUDs) into more than 4,500 Greenlandic women and girls — some as young as 13 — to curb rapid population growth driven by post-war improvements in healthcare and living standards. In recent years, hundreds of survivors have come forward to reveal they received the contraceptive device without their informed consent, with many suffering long-term health complications that left them permanently infertile.

    The release of the two reports on 29 August 2026 comes exactly one year after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issued a formal public apology for the “systematic discrimination” inflicted on Inuit women and their families under the scheme. Denmark has already approved a compensation package that will award 300,000 Danish kroner (approximately $46,800) to every confirmed surviving victim of the policy. Greenland, which was a formal Danish colony until 1953 and gained full home rule only in 1979, retained Danish oversight of its healthcare system until 1990, leaving the legacy of colonial policy embedded in public health practices for decades after formal decolonization.

    To resolve longstanding calls for accountability, the Greenlandic government appointed a four-person independent expert panel to determine whether human rights violations committed under the programme qualified as genocide under the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which explicitly lists “imposing measures intended to prevent births” within an ethnic or national group as an act of genocide. The panel fractured sharply before the report’s release, with two members resigning to publish an independent minority report, resulting in two conflicting conclusions released simultaneously on Friday.

    The majority report, authored by Alaska-based Inuit rights lawyer Dalee Sambo Dorough and University of Copenhagen law professor Miriam Cullen, confirmed that the forced non-consensual insertion of IUDs represented clear violations of the fundamental human rights of the affected Inuit women. However, the pair stopped short of confirming genocide, concluding that “on the basis of contraceptive practices alone” they could not meet the legal threshold for the crime. They noted that genocidal intent on the part of Danish authorities could still be proven by a court through additional evidence outside the panel’s scope, including the historical record of forced removal of Inuit children to foster homes in Denmark, a separate colonial policy that also targeted Inuit cultural and demographic survival.

    The dissenting minority report, written by former Danish Institute for Human Rights head Jonas Christoffersen and Greenland-based psychologist Jensine Nedergaard, went further, finding no evidence that any Danish authority or participating medical professional ever held an explicit intention to destroy the Inuit population as a group. The report acknowledged that individual women were wronged but said the panel could not confirm the full scope of abuse.

    Addressing reporters following the release of the reports, Greenlandic Justice Minister Marianne Paviasen said the sharp division between the two analyses meant the government could not issue an official conclusion on whether genocide occurred. “We cannot say, on behalf of the government, whether there was genocide,” Paviasen stated. “This is a conversation that we will continue to have as we work toward reconciliation.”

    Survivors of the programme have already criticized the entire expert process, pointing to the lack of Inuit representation on the panel as a fatal flaw that skewed conclusions from the start. Henriette Berthelsen, a survivor who spoke to AFP ahead of the reports’ release, said the process replicated the same colonial power dynamic that created the policy in the first place. “For me, this is not just about history or politics. It’s my body, my life and my right to self-determination,” she said. “And once again, I see that it is others who will investigate and define what was done to me and to other Inuit women.”

    Inger Platou, a 70-year-old survivor who spoke to Reuters, recalled waking up from what she was told was a minor procedure only to learn an IUD had been inserted without her consent. Complications from the device left her permanently unable to conceive, leading her to adopt two children from Colombia. “It turns out we were treated like animals,” Platou said. “Without consent, they just wanted to stop women from giving birth or having children. It was a very inhumane act. We are very deferential to authority because we are colonial children.”

    In response to the reports, both governments have laid out next steps for reconciliation. Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen announced plans to establish a formal national reconciliation commission to continue addressing the legacy of the programme, while Danish PM Mette Frederiksen reaffirmed that Denmark would work alongside Greenlandic authorities to navigate the next phase of accountability. “We will handle the political process together with the government of Greenland,” Frederiksen said. “The most important thing for me is that we find the right path together.”

    Historical data shows the coercive campaign achieved its stated goal of curbing population growth: between the programme’s 1966 launch and 1974, when the practice was scaled back, Greenland’s average fertility rate plummeted from seven children per woman to just 2.3, severely stalling decades of demographic growth for the Inuit community. Former Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute B Egede first labeled the practice genocide in 2024, sparking the renewed push for official investigations and accountability that led to Friday’s release of the expert reports.

  • Russia ramps up rhetoric but wants to avoid war with Nato, Western officials say

    Russia ramps up rhetoric but wants to avoid war with Nato, Western officials say

    Senior anonymous Western officials have shared their latest assessment of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s strategic intentions amid soaring tensions over the Ukraine conflict, concluding that Putin’s primary goal remains avoiding direct military confrontation with the NATO alliance — even as his government ramps up aggressive rhetoric targeting the United Kingdom and other Western backers of Kyiv.

    Recent public speculation has framed this week’s high-profile visit of CIA Director John Ratcliffe to Moscow as a mission centered on delivering a stark warning: that any attack on a NATO member state would trigger severe consequences. But Western officials push back on that framing, noting that recent threatening statements from Moscow — including hints that British military personnel and weapons manufacturing facilities could become legitimate targets — are far from unprecedented. Instead, they argue, these verbal barrages align perfectly with long-standing Russian military doctrine designed to test Western unity and erode public support for continued aid to Ukraine.

    Beyond external pressure tactics, officials say the heated rhetoric also mirrors growing domestic strains on Putin’s regime. Months of grinding, costly progress in Ukraine, paired with increasingly frequent Ukrainian long-range strikes that hit targets deep inside Russian territory, have piled unrelenting pressure on the Kremlin leader.

    Putin and his senior aides have repeatedly dismissed claims that Russia plans to attack NATO members as baseless fearmongering, a framing that has found acceptance from U.S. President Donald Trump, who stated publicly this week that he is convinced Putin will never launch an attack on NATO sovereign territory. This stands in sharp contrast to the period just before Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, when Putin repeatedly gave public assurances he had no plans to attack his neighbor even as U.S. intelligence documented large-scale military preparations underway along the border.

    While direct military confrontation is not seen as imminent, Western officials warn that Russia will continue to ramp up so-called hybrid activities that fall below the threshold of open war. These tactics include cyberattacks against critical infrastructure, covert sabotage operations, and targeted assassination attempts on European soil, all designed to fracture Western resolve and force a reduction in military and political support for Kyiv. Officials also emphasize a key underrecognized risk: this gradual escalation of hybrid action increases the chance of a strategic miscalculation that could accidentally spiral into full-scale military conflict between Russia and NATO.

    In recent weeks, a series of unexplained drone incidents across multiple NATO member states have deepened these concerns. Earlier this month, an explosive-laden drone crashed on the runway of Leipzig Airport in Germany, a critical logistics hub that handles much of the Western military equipment bound for Ukraine. While no conclusive evidence has linked the incident directly to the Kremlin, and Russia has repeatedly denied any involvement, this event is only the latest in a string of drone sightings over European military bases and major airports stretching back to 2024 — all of which Western intelligence agencies suspect are tied to Russian operatives.

    The Leipzig incident prompted the head of France’s domestic intelligence agency to issue a stark warning, urging European governments to prepare for the possibility of more frequent, more violent direct hostile actions on European national soil. Despite these risks, one senior Western official stressed that NATO allies must maintain a measured posture: remaining alert to emerging threats without giving in to panic, while also avoiding the complacency that could leave vulnerabilities open to exploitation. The UK government has already reaffirmed its commitment to Ukraine, stating that recent Russian threats will not alter its policy of military and political support for Kyiv.

    Western officials’ assessment also paints a detailed picture of the current state of the war in Ukraine, noting that the conflict has escalated noticeably in 2025, with both Russian and Ukrainian forces expanding their long-range strike campaigns against each other’s territory. Contrary to some speculation, officials say Putin has not softened his maximalist territorial goals for Ukraine, even as mounting frustrations build within Russian domestic circles.

    The report notes that growing petrol shortages across Russia have started to erode public backing for the war, putting increasing political pressure on Putin. Still, officials emphasize that this pressure does not currently amount to an existential challenge to his hold on power. On the battlefield, Russia continues to make incremental territorial gains in the eastern Donbas region, but the advance comes at a devastating cost: Western intelligence estimates Russia is sustaining 6,000 more killed and wounded soldiers per month than it is able to recruit through existing enlistment channels. Despite this severe manpower shortage, officials say there is currently no indication that Putin will order a new wave of mass mobilization to replenish ranks, a move that could spark further domestic unrest.

  • Norway’s ‘grandfather’: Late King Harald remembered as son Haakon takes the throne

    Norway’s ‘grandfather’: Late King Harald remembered as son Haakon takes the throne

    The Scandinavian nation of Norway entered a period of national mourning this week following the passing of its long-reigning, widely adored King Harald V, who breathed his last on Friday morning. Across the country, Norwegians from all walks of life have turned out to lay flowers at palace gates, light candles in public squares, and share personal tributes to the monarch, who many affectionately referred to as the nation’s “grandfather” for his gentle, approachable demeanor and decades of steady service.

    Harald V, who led Norway through decades of social change and global upheaval, earned a reputation as a unifying figure who connected closely with ordinary citizens, often stepping out of formal royal protocols to engage with communities across the nation. In the wake of his death, a smooth constitutional transition of power is now underway, with his son Haakon formally ascending to the Norwegian throne. Political leaders and royal officials have reaffirmed that the transition follows Norway’s long-established constitutional framework, with no disruption to state functions as the nation processes its loss.

    As tributes continue to pour in from across the globe and within Norway’s borders, Haakon has already begun stepping into his new role, receiving the condolences of international leaders and addressing the nation to honor his father’s legacy.

  • Reports split over whether forced contraception of Greenlandic women and girls constituted genocide

    Reports split over whether forced contraception of Greenlandic women and girls constituted genocide

    NUUK, Greenland — A decades-long dark chapter of colonial-era medical abuse against Indigenous Inuit women in Greenland is back in the global spotlight, after two commissioned investigative reports released Friday delivered conflicting conclusions on whether the systematic forced contraception program carried out by Danish health authorities qualifies as an act of genocide under international law.

    The inquiry, commissioned by the self-governing Greenlandic government, was tasked with evaluating the program against the United Nations’ 1948 Genocide Convention, which explicitly classifies imposing measures designed to prevent births within a protected group as an act of genocide. Over the decades of the program running from the 1960s through the early 1990s, an estimated 4,000 Greenlandic women and girls — half of all fertile women on the Arctic island at the time — were fitted with non-consensual intrauterine devices (IUDs), or given unwanted hormonal birth control injections. Survivors who testified to investigators, more than 350 in total, include girls as young as 12 years old, many of whom had no information about the procedure before it was performed and never gave legal or informed consent.

    Public exposure of the abuse, dubbed the “spiral case” after the coiled shape of common IUDs, has triggered widespread outrage in both Denmark and Greenland over the past several years. The program was openly designed to curb rapid population growth among Greenland’s Indigenous population at the time, when improvements to living conditions and basic healthcare led to a natural population increase. Greenland did not take control of its own healthcare system from Denmark until January 1, 1992, when the program officially ended.

    In recent years, Danish officials have taken formal steps toward accountability: last year, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issued a formal national apology to survivors, and this week the Danish government approved a 300,000 Danish kroner (approximately $46,500) compensation payout to every confirmed victim of the program. Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen announced Friday that a national reconciliation commission will be established to continue addressing the harm of the program, a move Frederiksen publicly endorsed.

    The four-person investigative panel split into two factions months before the public release, producing two separate reports with opposing core findings. The Greenlandic government only accepted one of the two reports Friday, noting that the second report — which issued a definitive finding that no genocide occurred — failed to meet established international scientific and investigative standards. The rejected report, led by a former director of the Danish Institute for Human Rights, argued that there was no empirical evidence proving any Danish or Greenlandic authority or medical professional intended to destroy the Greenlandic population as a group, and thus concluded “there was no genocide.”

    In contrast, the accepted report declined to issue a definitive ruling on genocide. Its authors wrote that they were unable to confirm genocidal intent based solely on an investigation of the forced contraception program, and called for further inquiry that would also examine other harmful Danish colonial policies targeting Greenlandic children and families during the same era. Unlike the opposing faction, the accepted report did not rule out the finding of genocide, noting: “It is difficult to imagine circumstances in which an attempt to substantially reduce the population of a single ethnic group could not constitute an intent to destroy, in part, that ethnicity.”

    In its public announcement of the split findings, the Greenlandic government cited “professional disagreements amongst the members and, to some extent, concerns about the geopolitical situation” as the core causes of the panel’s division. The government did not elaborate on what specific geopolitical concerns the dissenting authors referenced. The release of the conflicting reports comes amid a fresh period of geopolitical attention on the Arctic island, after former U.S. President Donald Trump publicly pushed to acquire full U.S. control over Greenland, a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Both Greenlandic and Danish leaders rejected the proposal, affirming that only the people of Greenland can determine their own political future.

  • Violence breaks out in Ceuta as migrant crisis continues

    Violence breaks out in Ceuta as migrant crisis continues

    One month after a historic mass migration event that saw over 72,000 people cross into Ceuta — Spain’s North African exclave bordering Morocco — the tense standoff between long-term local residents and the remaining stranded migrants has boiled over into open violence, exposing deep rifts in Spanish national politics and reigniting a long-running territorial dispute between Madrid and Rabat.

    On 30 and 31 July, tens of thousands of migrants, most of whom swam around a reinforced border fence to enter Ceuta from Moroccan territory, staged the largest single mass crossing at the Spanish-Moroccan border in modern history. Ceuta’s mayor confirms that at least 100 migrants lost their lives during the dangerous crossing. While the vast majority of arrivals returned to Morocco within hours of entering the exclave, several thousand — including a large number of unaccompanied children — have remained in Ceuta, sleeping rough on public beaches and city streets with limited access to basic services.

    Anti-migrant demonstrations that began earlier this month initially stayed largely peaceful, but growing frustration over public safety strains and pressure on local public services has pushed protests toward increasing violence. On Thursday, dozens of local residents blocked Red Cross aid workers from distributing food and clean water to the stranded migrants. Following the blockade, a group of demonstrators set fire to informal migrant encampments on Trampolín Beach, the primary site where migrants have been sheltering, and violent clashes broke out between protesters and local police.

    The Thursday violence came just hours after Spanish authorities arrested 12 migrants on charges of stone-throwing against a Spanish military vehicle. The attack shattered the vehicle’s windows and left all four military personnel inside injured. That same morning, local media received multiple reports of civilian vigilante groups patrolling city streets to hunt down and chase migrants. Multiple journalists and media crews covering the unrest have also reported being threatened by demonstrators.

    The crisis has put the national Socialist-led government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez under intense fire from opposition parties, who accuse the administration of failing to manage the emergency effectively. Ceuta’s conservative mayor Juan Jesús Vivas, a member of the center-right opposition People’s Party (PP), framed the unrest as a consequence of unaddressed pressure on the exclave’s residents, telling Spanish broadcaster Antena 3 that “this is a city which has been under pressure, which has the right to normality,” adding that “the dignity of Spain is a stake right now in Ceuta.”

    Sánchez’s government has hit back at opposition criticism, blaming right-wing parties for stoking public division and anti-migrant sentiment to score political points. In a statement to a congressional committee, Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska noted that “we have heard during these weeks rhetoric and comments that contribute to the stigmatisation of immigrants and which feed social division at a moment when what we need is responsibility and statesmanship.”

    A far-right Vox Party lawmaker, José María Figaredo, is currently under investigation for a potential hate crime following comments he made shortly after the mass crossing, when he called for migrants to be “hunted down, one by one.” PP congressmember Javier Celaya, who represents Ceuta, doubled down on opposition rhetoric Friday, arguing that “the [government] treats the invaders as victims when the real victims are us, the people of Ceuta.”

    Local frustrations have been amplified by the national government’s recent plan to relocate stranded migrants from beach encampments into underused public buildings, including local sports centers, to process asylum claims in an orderly fashion and return those ineligible for protection to Morocco. Vivas and many local residents oppose the plan, citing concerns that relocation would move migrants into densely populated residential areas, worsening perceived public safety risks.

    Earlier this week, the national government took over central management of the crisis from local authorities, after widespread criticism of its initial slow response to the emergency. Defense Minister Margarita Robles issued a public apology to Ceuta residents who “may have felt, or who even still feel, abandoned or not sufficiently cared,” as the administration unveiled plans to overhaul Spain’s outdated national immigration laws. On Friday, all political parties represented in Ceuta’s local assembly signed a joint statement condemning the recent wave of violence.

    Beyond the domestic unrest, the crisis has also reignited longstanding geopolitical tensions between Spain and Morocco. Right-wing and far-left politicians in Spain have accused Morocco of orchestrating the mass crossing to exert political pressure on Madrid, pointing to past instances where Morocco has adjusted border enforcement to advance its political claims. Prime Minister Sánchez and his Socialist Party reject that accusation, framing Morocco as a reliable diplomatic partner that facilitated the immediate return of most migrants after the crossing.

    Morocco has reaffirmed its longstanding territorial claim to both Ceuta and its sister autonomous exclave Melilla, drawing a sharp rebuke from the Spanish government. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told congressional leaders that he “roundly rejected” Morocco’s claims, stating clearly: “I don’t speak about, nor have I spoken about, nor are we going to speak about Spain’s territorial integrity with Morocco or with anyone else.”

  • Norway mourns King Harald as Haakon VIII ascends throne

    Norway mourns King Harald as Haakon VIII ascends throne

    Norway has entered a period of national mourning following the peaceful death of its long-reigning and widely adored King Harald V at the age of 89, who passed away early Friday morning at Oslo’s Rikshospitalet while receiving treatment for a rare blood disorder he had been suffering from for a week. Within hours of the official announcement of his death, thousands of mourners streamed to the gates of the Royal Palace in Oslo, laying bouquets of flowers, national flags, and handwritten tributes, including a lit candle inscribed with the simple word “thanks” that captured the collective gratitude of the nation. Many in the crowd openly wept, sharing personal stories of connection to the monarch who was widely known as the “people’s king” for his approachable, empathetic leadership.

    Immediately after the official confirmation of his father’s passing, 53-year-old Haakon VIII convened an extraordinary meeting of the Council of State with senior government ministers. Following the gathering, the new monarch confirmed he would retain the Norwegian royal family’s centuries-old motto “All for Norway” during his reign. Haakon’s wife Mette-Marit is now formally recognized as Queen, while his 22-year-old daughter Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra stands next in the line of succession, a position secured by a 1990 change to Norway’s succession laws that granted equal inheritance rights to firstborn female heirs. Ingrid Alexandra stood beside her father during Friday’s official meeting, marking her first public appearance in her new formal role as heir apparent.

    Tributes to King Harald V have poured in from across Norway and the globe. European royal houses, including Britain’s King Charles III – who shares a second-cousin familial tie with Harald through his mother Queen Elizabeth II – joined heads of state, political leaders, and public figures in honoring his decades of service. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who laid a floral tribute at the palace and signed the official book of condolences after meeting the new king, emphasized that the entire country was “united in grief and gratitude.” In a televised national address, Støre noted that Harald’s legacy of steady, inclusive leadership would endure, extending particular sympathy to Queen Sonja, who was set to celebrate her 58th wedding anniversary with Harald on the day after his death.

    Public figures across Norwegian society have also shared their remembrances. Star national footballer Erling Haaland, who met Harald at the palace earlier this summer following Norway’s performance at the FIFA World Cup, posted a public tribute on Instagram thanking the late king for “everything you meant to Norway.” For many Norwegians, including new residents and immigrants, Harald’s ability to make all members of society feel welcome defined his legacy. “He made us feel at home and he made us feel loved. So he was like a grandfather that I never had,” Biteya Terfassa, an Ethiopian-born Oslo resident, told reporters outside the palace Friday.

    In a formal military tribute to the late king, the Norwegian Armed Forces fired a 21-gun salute at noon from Akershus Fortress in central Oslo. Later on Friday, a formal procession carried Harald’s remains from Rikshospitalet’s chapel to the Royal Palace, ahead of a formal funeral that has not yet been scheduled. Norway’s official period of national mourning will remain in place until the day of the funeral, with all flags across the country flying at half-mast, public portraits of the king displayed, and moments of silence held at all official and professional events. All non-essential work-related social gatherings have been canceled or postponed, including the planned wedding of Oslo Mayor Anne Lindboe, who rescheduled her own ceremony to honor the mourning period.

    Haakon VIII assumes the throne at an unusually challenging juncture for the Norwegian royal family, which has faced a series of high-profile scandals and health crises over the past year. Earlier this year, Queen Mette-Marit faced intense public scrutiny after revelations emerged of a three-year friendship with disgraced convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, for which she issued a public apology. Later in 2026, she underwent a life-saving lung transplant to treat pulmonary fibrosis, a condition she has lived with since 2018. Medical officials have stated she will not be deemed medically stable until 2027, meaning the new king must balance his demanding new official duties with ongoing care and support for his wife.

    Additional controversy has come from Marius Borg Høiby, Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship, who was raised as part of the royal family after Haakon married Mette-Marit. In June, Høiby was convicted of rape and multiple related offenses, and sentenced to four years in prison, a ruling he is currently appealing. Though Høiby holds no formal royal title, his high profile within the royal household has drawn sustained negative attention to the family.

    Despite King Harald V retaining high personal approval ratings until his death, polling published earlier this year by Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten found public support for the monarchy itself has fallen from 72% in 2024 to 54% currently. Still, royal analysts interviewed by the BBC noted that Haakon VIII is widely viewed as a respected, hard-working public figure, and expressed confidence that he can steady the institution and navigate the current challenges facing his family and reign.

  • Serbia’s president criticizes UN court for not releasing war criminal Mladic to die at home

    Serbia’s president criticizes UN court for not releasing war criminal Mladic to die at home

    One week after a United Nations court rejected a final humanitarian appeal to release the convicted former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic, the 84-year-old war criminal died in his Dutch prison cell while serving a full life sentence for genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the 1990s Balkan Wars.

    Mladic’s passing on Thursday has reignited bitter divides across the former Yugoslavia, with Serbian leaders lambasting the UN tribunal for its refusal to grant early release, while families of his thousands of victims say his death in custody closes one chapter of long-sought justice.

    Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic issued a harsh rebuke of the court’s decision on Friday, framing the rejection of Mladic’s early release as an unethical, unprecedented act. Multiple requests for compassionate release had been submitted by Mladic’s family and the Serbian government over recent years, centered on claims that Mladic’s advanced age and severe declining health justified releasing him to end his life in his home region.

    “That was uncivilized behavior, unprecedented and without excuse,” Vucic told reporters in Belgrade. “We can now see that they wanted Mladic to die behind bars.”

    Mladic, one of the most notorious figures of the 1992–1995 Bosnian War that killed over 100,000 people and displaced more than 1 million, was captured by Serbian authorities in 2011 after 16 years as a fugitive. In 2017, the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia sentenced him to life imprisonment for orchestrating the 1995 Srebrenica massacre – Europe’s first formally recognized genocide since World War II – which saw more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys systematically executed after Mladic’s forces overran a UN-declared safe haven. Mladic’s troops also led the 44-month siege of Sarajevo, the longest siege of a capital city in modern European warfare, established concentration camps for non-Serb civilians, and carried out widespread ethnic cleansing campaigns across Bosnia.

    In its August 20 ruling rejecting Mladic’s final release request, Mechanism President Judge Graciela Gatti Santana explained the decision by noting that the convict received comprehensive, high-quality compassionate medical care in detention, and was granted an expanded family visitation program that allowed for consistent, meaningful contact with loved ones. The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, which inherited the cases of the now-closed Yugoslav war crimes court, opened an official inquiry into Mladic’s death this week, with the lead judge visiting the Dutch detention center on Friday to investigate the circumstances of his passing. The tribunal has not yet released any additional public comment on the death.

    Public reactions to Mladic’s passing have mirrored decades of division over the Balkan wars and his legacy. In Mladic’s hometown of Kalinovik, Bosnia, and in majority-Serb communities across the region, residents held candlelight vigils this week, honoring Mladic as a national hero who defended Serb interests. Many residents insist the convictions against him are fabricated propaganda. “He could not have been a better man. Everything else is just a bunch of lies. He would not touch anyone, child, no one. It’s all lies,” said Stojanka Visnjevac, a Kalinovik local.

    For survivors and families of Mladic’s victims, however, his death while in custody brings a long-awaited measure of closure. Fazila Efendic, a Srebrenica survivor who lost multiple family members in the 1995 massacre, said that for victims, the outcome is a confirmation of justice. “We, the victims, are satisfied, when we know that he was convicted to life in prison,” she said. “For us, it is important that he is convicted and that he served his sentence until he died.”

    Discussions around Mladic’s burial have already sparked new regional tensions. Vucic confirmed Friday that Mladic’s family will choose the final resting place, and that the Serbian government will support a dignified burial if the family requests interment on Serbian territory. He declined to confirm or deny earlier unconfirmed reports that Mladic would receive a state funeral – a prospect that triggered widespread outrage from leaders and victim groups across Bosnia and the wider Balkans. As of Friday, the Serbian government had not received official confirmation of when Mladic’s remains will be transferred from the Netherlands to his family.

  • Damage being assessed after ‘significant’ Killarney flash floods

    Damage being assessed after ‘significant’ Killarney flash floods

    A sudden, intense flash flooding event has hit the popular town of Killarney in County Kerry, Republic of Ireland, after extreme rainfall overwhelmed local drainage systems on Thursday evening. Over just four hours, the area recorded a total of 57 millimeters of rain, with a staggering 30 millimeters falling within a single hour – a volume that overwhelmed local infrastructure quickly. According to local authorities, this extreme downpour triggered widespread surface flooding across most of the town’s road network, leaving many routes completely impassable to motorists and pedestrians for several hours.

    Emergency response teams were mobilized rapidly to the affected area, with crews from Kerry County Council, Kerry Fire Service and Kerry Civil Defence all arriving on scene by approximately 7:00 PM local time. Fire service crews deployed high-capacity pumps to clear standing water from critical road corridors, working through the evening to reopen blocked routes. In the aftermath of the flooding, Kerry County Council teams have begun systematic assessments of damage across the town, while also coordinating directly with residential and commercial properties that have been impacted by floodwater. The local authority has confirmed it will offer all necessary support to affected property owners as they begin recovery efforts.

    One major local facility, the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre, has already announced an extended closure in response to the flood damage. The centre will remain shut for the entire weekend and until further notice, as engineers carry out a full structural and safety assessment to address flood-related damage before it can reopen to the public.

  • Celine Dion is back in Paris, but her first song remains ‘a big secret’

    Celine Dion is back in Paris, but her first song remains ‘a big secret’

    Global pop icon Celine Dion has returned to Paris to kick off her highly anticipated comeback run of live shows, marking her first full concert series since publicly revealing her diagnosis of rare neurological condition stiff-person syndrome. The Grammy-winning artist received a rapturous welcome from adoring fans and assembled media on Friday as she arrived at her central Paris hotel, blowing kisses and forming a heart shape with her hands to greet the cheering crowd. Supporters packed the sidewalk outside the venue, shouting messages of love and excitement including declarations that they were overjoyed to see her back in public.

    Dion is currently preparing for a 16-show residency at Plenitude Arena, located in Paris’ western suburbs, with opening night scheduled for September 12. The residency will run across September and October 2024, followed by an additional 10 shows scheduled for May 2025, all under the official tour banner “Celine Dion Paris 2026-2027”. Speaking to French broadcaster BFMTV, the 58-year-old Quebec-born singer opened up about her emotions ahead of the landmark shows. “I am ready and I’m a bit uptight of course because it’s been a long time,” Dion explained, noting that Paris has long felt like a second home to her. “I have always felt supported from the first day and because it’s a story that continues. It’s true that this is my second home.” When asked to reveal which track would open the first show, Dion playfully kept fans guessing: “I can’t say, it’s a big secret!”

    This concert run stands as a major milestone in Dion’s career, coming after nearly three years away from full-scale touring. The singer first announced her stiff-person syndrome diagnosis in 2022, and later canceled her planned Courage World Tour as her symptoms progressed, leading her to step back from regular public performances. She made a celebrated, brief return to the global stage earlier this summer during the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony, where she delivered a haunting performance of *Hymne à l’amour* from the top of the Eiffel Tower, singing through a rainstorm to an audience of millions that spread widely across social media and news outlets.

    One of the most commercially successful and acclaimed artists in modern pop music history, Dion has sold nearly 260 million albums worldwide across her decades-long career. She is globally renowned for signature hits including *My Heart Will Go On* and *Because You Loved Me*, and the upcoming Paris residency will draw from her extensive catalog of chart-topping tracks in both English and French. Plenitude Arena, the venue for the shows, is a 40,000-capacity facility that also served as one of the competition venues during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

  • Oslo mayor cancels own wedding after death of Norway’s king

    Oslo mayor cancels own wedding after death of Norway’s king

    Norway has entered a period of national mourning following the passing of King Harald V, who died earlier this month at Oslo’s national hospital at the age of 87 after receiving treatment for a rare blood disorder. After 35 years on the Norwegian throne, the beloved, reform-focused monarch’s death triggered an immediate wave of tributes from across the country and around the world — including a fateful cancellation of a long-planned wedding from Oslo’s top local leader.

    Oslo Mayor Anne Lindboe had been set to marry her fiancé Pål Sandvid on Friday, the same day the king passed away, following a five-year relationship and a public engagement announcement earlier this June. In an immediate confirmation to the BBC, Lindboe’s political adviser confirmed that the mayor had chosen to cancel the wedding, with no new date set for the celebration as of yet.

    Lindboe, who met the late king during an official engagement in March 2025, shared a heartfelt public tribute to King Harald on her Instagram page following the announcement of his death. “It’s hard to imagine an Oslo and a Norway without you. You didn’t need a crowd to be King,” she wrote, adding that “Even the majority of Norwegians who never met you in person still felt like they knew you.”

    King Harald’s reign was defined by breaking long-held royal traditions and unifying the Norwegian people through decades of social and political change. He made history when he married Queen Sonja, a commoner, a choice that upended centuries of unwritten royal custom in Norway. Over his 35 years as monarch, he oversaw a gradual modernization of the Norwegian monarchy, transforming it into a more accessible, approachable institution that retained broad public support across the country.

    Notably, King Harald’s death came just one day before he and Queen Sonja were set to celebrate their 58th wedding anniversary. Immediately after his death, the throne passed smoothly to his son, who was sworn in as King Haakon VIII later that same day, continuing the uninterrupted line of the Norwegian royal family.

    Members of the public have begun leaving floral tributes at a makeshift memorial outside the Royal Palace in central Oslo, as the nation processes the loss of its long-serving head of state. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre delivered a national televised address to mark the king’s passing, telling the country that Norwegians were “united in grief and gratitude” for King Harald’s decades of service, adding that the late monarch’s enduring “legacy lives on.”

    International tributes also poured in from other European royal houses. Britain’s King Charles III released a statement saying he was mourning the loss of his “dear cousin”; King Harald was a second cousin to Charles’ mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, and Haakon VIII is a direct great-great-great grandson of Britain’s Queen Victoria, tying the two royal families together across generations.