While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, April 13
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Ukrainian officials retrieve the body of a dead Russian soldier in Ukraine's Kharkiv region.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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‘Direct ticket to Bakhmut’: Russians fear digital draft
With no debate and at lightning speed, Russian parliament this week backed a Bill that will allow authorities to call up men with a simple click as Moscow’s Ukraine offensive grinds on.
The Bill, rushed through both chambers of the Russian parliament, creates a digital conscription notice system that could bar men from leaving the country and make dodging the draft nearly impossible.
Widely expected to be signed into law by President Vladimir Putin, the legislation has stirred new fears as Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine stretches into a second year.
The Kremlin insists there is nothing unusual about the proposed changes and claims that the authorities are simply digitalising an archaic enlistment system. But many Russians who do not want to fight in Ukraine are afraid.
France favours ‘status quo’ on Taiwan, says Macron
AFP
President Emmanuel Macron said France’s position on Taiwan had not changed and that he favoured the current “status quo” in respect of the island, after he was asked to clarify comments that prompted a backlash in the United States and Europe.
In an interview with news outlet Politico and daily Les Echos, Mr Macron had cautioned against being drawn into a crisis over Taiwan driven by an “American rhythm and a Chinese overreaction.”
That brought criticism from some politicians and commentators in Europe and the United States, with former US president Donald Trump accusing him of “kissing a**” to Beijing.
Harry, but no Meghan, at King Charles’ coronation
REUTERS
Britain’s Prince Harry will attend the coronation of his father King Charles in May but his wife Meghan will remain in California with the couple’s young children.
The announcement ends speculation as to whether the King’s younger son would attend, following his high-profile and stinging criticism of the royal family since he stepped back from royal duties in 2020.
Charles will be crowned in May in a ceremony full of pomp, pageantry and traditions that date back 1,000 years, following the 70-year reign of his mother Queen Elizabeth who died in September.
Thousands evacuated as fire rages at US plastics facility
Thousands of people were evacuated after a fire broke out at a plastic recycling facility in the US state of Indiana, sending a towering plume of what officials said was “definitely toxic” smoke into the air.
The fire in the city of Richmond was under control but still burning on Wednesday, officials told a news conference, a day after it first ignited at the facility.
Officials from the Environmental Protection Agency said they had found no toxins so far but stressed that they were not testing inside the evacuation zone for safety reasons and suggested that the heat of the fire may be keeping any toxins high in the air.
Sane, Mane clash in Bayern dressing room, say reports
Bayern Munich’s Sadio Mane and Leroy Sane clashed in the dressing room after the German club’s Champions league quarter-final first leg defeat to Manchester City, according to reports in Germany on Wednesday.
Bild and Sky Sports Germany reported Sane had suffered a cut lip in the altercation and the two, who were also seen arguing on the pitch late in the game, had to be separated by team mates.
Bild said Senegal international Mane, a two times African footballer of the year, had complained about the way Germany winger Sane spoke to him after the 3-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium.
