News Explosion

  Image caption, An image said to be of a Wagner fighter in Libya. The shadowy group has been involved in a number of countries More than a dozen Western allies have condemned what they say is the deployment of Russian mercenaries to Mali. They said it could "further deteriorate the security situation in West Africa", which is battling Jihadist groups. The 15 European nations and Canada accused Russia of providing material support in the deployment of mercenaries from the Wagner group. Russia denies any government links with the shadowy private military company. The EU has recently imposed sanctions on the Wagner group, accusing it of involvement in serious human rights abuses. The notoriously secretive group was first identified in 2014 when it was backing pro-Russian separatists in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Since then, it has been involved in countries including Syria, Mozambique, Sudan, Libya and the Central African Republic. In a statement on Thursday, the Western ...

  George Floyd’s family and supporters said a posthumous pardon for him in Texas would show a commitment to accountability. Doling out pardons is a holiday tradition for Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who around every Christmas grants them to a handful of ordinary citizens, typically for minor offenses committed years or decades ago. But one name stands out on his desk: George Floyd. Mr. Abbott has not said whether he will posthumously pardon Floyd this year for a 2004 drug arrest in Houston by a former officer whose police work is no longer trusted by prosecutors. Texas’ parole board – stacked with Mr. Abbott appointees – unanimously recommended a pardon for Floyd in October. Since then, the two-term Republican Governor, who is up for reelection in 2022, has given no indication of whether he will grant what would be only the second posthumous pardon in Texas history. Floyd, who was Black, spent much of his life in Houston before moving to Minnesota, where his death under the kne...