News in Brief
MOSCOW (AFP) -- Russia was the target of almost 25 million cyber-attacks during the World Cup, President Vladimir Putin said, though he did not indicate who may have been behind the attacks.
"During the period of the World Cup, almost 25 million cyber-attacks and other criminal acts on the information structures in Russia, linked in one way or another to the World Cup, were neutralized," Putin said during a meeting on Sunday with security services.
The president, whose comments were reported by the Kremlin on Monday, gave no information on the nature or possible origins of the cyber-attacks.
"Behind this (World Cup) success lies huge preparatory, operational, analytical and information work, we operated at maximum capacity and concentration," said Putin.
Russia, which hosted the World Cup from June 14 to July 15 in 11 cities and 12 stadiums, has been repeatedly accused by Western countries of conducting cyber-attacks.
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PARIS (Dispatches) -- A total 845 cars were torched and 508 people were taken into police custody during the July 14 Bastille Day festivities, the Interior Ministry has revealed.
Police arrested 237 individuals, including 92 minors, in the Paris area alone, with 183 taken into custody.
Two policemen suffered burns in Seine-Saint-Denis after rioters threw Molotov cocktails. All of the attackers have been arrested, French TV channel LCI reported.
In Val-de-Marne, about 30 people tried to crash a firefighters' ball, then launched projectiles at the crowd and injuring four firefighters. Four people have been remanded in custody.
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JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A mob slaughtered nearly 300 crocodiles at a breeding ground in Indonesia's West Papua province in retaliation for the death of a local man, officials said Monday.
A total of 292 crocodiles were killed by hundreds of villagers on Saturday following the funeral of a 48-year-old man who was killed by crocodiles after entering the area around the breeding pond, said Basar Manullang, the head of the local Natural Resources and Conservation Agency.
The man was believed to have entered the sanctuary in the Klamalu neighborhood of Sorong district to cut grass for his cattle.
"Since killing the crocodiles is illegal, we are coordinating with the police for the investigation," Manullang said.
The agency said in a statement that the villagers were armed with machetes, hammers, shovels and other sharp weapons. They killed two large crocodiles of up to 4 meters (13 feet) and many babies measuring 50-150 centimeters (20-60 inches).
Witnesses said about 40 policemen came to the scene but were too outnumbered to stop the mob. Police said about five witnesses have been questioned but no suspects have been named.
Police are encouraging mediation between the victim's family and Mitra Lestari Abadi, the company that operates the sanctuary.
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ADDIS ABABA (AFP) -- Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki reopened his country's embassy in Ethiopia on Monday, more than 20 years after the two countries broke off relations when they went to war.
The embassy inauguration caps Isaias's historic visit to the Ethiopian capital aimed at cementing peace less than a week after Ethiopia and Eritrea declared an end to two decades of conflict.
State-run Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) showed Isaias raising the Eritrean flag at the embassy in downtown Addis Ababa and accepting from Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed keys to the building, filled with dusty furniture that appeared untouched for years.
The embassy visit marked the end of the Eritrean leader's three-day stay in Ethiopia that also included a visit to an industrial park and a Sunday evening dinner and concert attended by thousands of Ethiopians.
"The high-level Eritrean government delegation headed by President Isaias just left Addis Ababa for Asmara," EBC reported after Isaias departed the embassy.
Ethiopia and Eritrea expelled each others' envoys at the start of a 1998-2000 border war that killed around 80,000 people.
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MANAGUA (AFP) -- Nicaraguan pro-government forces launched an operation in the country's south that left at least 10 people dead and around 20 injured on Sunday, a human rights group said.
The dead included six civilians -- among them two children -- and four police, according to the Nicaraguan Association for Human Rights (ANPDH).
The operation by police and paramilitaries targeted the city of Masaya, the nearby Niquinohomo and Catarina communities and the Monimbo neighborhood.
"This is a preliminary report," said ANPDH head Alvaro Leiva, adding that the names and ages of the deceased were still being investigated.
"There are sharpshooters located in different parts of the city. We ask the citizens to take shelter in their homes," said Leiva.
Residents and rights groups had earlier said that troops used mechanical shovels in the early hours of the day to clear barricades in at least three areas.
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BAMAKO (AFP) -- At least 10 civilians have been killed in a possible jihadist attack in Mali's northeast, close to the border with Niger, according to armed Touareg groups and local authorities.
More than 100 people, including numerous civilians, have been killed in recent months in the unstable region, where jihadist groups who have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group operate.
On Sunday, "armed bandits linked to local criminal groups operating on the Mali-Niger border overran Injagalane," a statement by two Touareg armed groups said, referring to the jihadists.
"They opened fire on civilians," the groups said, adding that 12 people were killed and three vehicles set on fire. "They are attacking all communities without exception," the statement added.
"During the period of the World Cup, almost 25 million cyber-attacks and other criminal acts on the information structures in Russia, linked in one way or another to the World Cup, were neutralized," Putin said during a meeting on Sunday with security services.
The president, whose comments were reported by the Kremlin on Monday, gave no information on the nature or possible origins of the cyber-attacks.
"Behind this (World Cup) success lies huge preparatory, operational, analytical and information work, we operated at maximum capacity and concentration," said Putin.
Russia, which hosted the World Cup from June 14 to July 15 in 11 cities and 12 stadiums, has been repeatedly accused by Western countries of conducting cyber-attacks.
***
PARIS (Dispatches) -- A total 845 cars were torched and 508 people were taken into police custody during the July 14 Bastille Day festivities, the Interior Ministry has revealed.
Police arrested 237 individuals, including 92 minors, in the Paris area alone, with 183 taken into custody.
Two policemen suffered burns in Seine-Saint-Denis after rioters threw Molotov cocktails. All of the attackers have been arrested, French TV channel LCI reported.
In Val-de-Marne, about 30 people tried to crash a firefighters' ball, then launched projectiles at the crowd and injuring four firefighters. Four people have been remanded in custody.
***
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A mob slaughtered nearly 300 crocodiles at a breeding ground in Indonesia's West Papua province in retaliation for the death of a local man, officials said Monday.
A total of 292 crocodiles were killed by hundreds of villagers on Saturday following the funeral of a 48-year-old man who was killed by crocodiles after entering the area around the breeding pond, said Basar Manullang, the head of the local Natural Resources and Conservation Agency.
The man was believed to have entered the sanctuary in the Klamalu neighborhood of Sorong district to cut grass for his cattle.
"Since killing the crocodiles is illegal, we are coordinating with the police for the investigation," Manullang said.
The agency said in a statement that the villagers were armed with machetes, hammers, shovels and other sharp weapons. They killed two large crocodiles of up to 4 meters (13 feet) and many babies measuring 50-150 centimeters (20-60 inches).
Witnesses said about 40 policemen came to the scene but were too outnumbered to stop the mob. Police said about five witnesses have been questioned but no suspects have been named.
Police are encouraging mediation between the victim's family and Mitra Lestari Abadi, the company that operates the sanctuary.
***
ADDIS ABABA (AFP) -- Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki reopened his country's embassy in Ethiopia on Monday, more than 20 years after the two countries broke off relations when they went to war.
The embassy inauguration caps Isaias's historic visit to the Ethiopian capital aimed at cementing peace less than a week after Ethiopia and Eritrea declared an end to two decades of conflict.
State-run Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) showed Isaias raising the Eritrean flag at the embassy in downtown Addis Ababa and accepting from Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed keys to the building, filled with dusty furniture that appeared untouched for years.
The embassy visit marked the end of the Eritrean leader's three-day stay in Ethiopia that also included a visit to an industrial park and a Sunday evening dinner and concert attended by thousands of Ethiopians.
"The high-level Eritrean government delegation headed by President Isaias just left Addis Ababa for Asmara," EBC reported after Isaias departed the embassy.
Ethiopia and Eritrea expelled each others' envoys at the start of a 1998-2000 border war that killed around 80,000 people.
***
MANAGUA (AFP) -- Nicaraguan pro-government forces launched an operation in the country's south that left at least 10 people dead and around 20 injured on Sunday, a human rights group said.
The dead included six civilians -- among them two children -- and four police, according to the Nicaraguan Association for Human Rights (ANPDH).
The operation by police and paramilitaries targeted the city of Masaya, the nearby Niquinohomo and Catarina communities and the Monimbo neighborhood.
"This is a preliminary report," said ANPDH head Alvaro Leiva, adding that the names and ages of the deceased were still being investigated.
"There are sharpshooters located in different parts of the city. We ask the citizens to take shelter in their homes," said Leiva.
Residents and rights groups had earlier said that troops used mechanical shovels in the early hours of the day to clear barricades in at least three areas.
***
BAMAKO (AFP) -- At least 10 civilians have been killed in a possible jihadist attack in Mali's northeast, close to the border with Niger, according to armed Touareg groups and local authorities.
More than 100 people, including numerous civilians, have been killed in recent months in the unstable region, where jihadist groups who have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group operate.
On Sunday, "armed bandits linked to local criminal groups operating on the Mali-Niger border overran Injagalane," a statement by two Touareg armed groups said, referring to the jihadists.
"They opened fire on civilians," the groups said, adding that 12 people were killed and three vehicles set on fire. "They are attacking all communities without exception," the statement added.