Ukraine says Russia is plotting `a provocation'
KYIV, UKRAINE » Ukraine's military intelligence has claimed, without offering evidence, that Russia is plotting a “large-scale provocation” at a nuclear power plant it occupies in the southeast of the country with the aim of disrupting a looming Ukrainian counteroffensive.
A statement released Friday by the intelligence directorate of Ukraine's Defense Ministry claimed that Russian forces would strike the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the biggest in Europe, and then report a radioactive leak in order to trigger an international probe that would pause the hostilities and give the Russian forces the respite they need to regroup ahead of the counteroffensive.
To make that happen, Russia “disrupted the rotation of personnel of the permanent monitoring mission” of the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency that was scheduled for Saturday, the statement said. It didn't offer evidence to back up any of the claims.
Many remain puzzled by Holmes' intentions
SAN JOSE » As Elizabeth Holmes prepares to report to prison this week, the criminal case that laid bare the bloodtesting scam at the heart of her Theranos startup is entering its final phase.
The 11year sentence represents a comeuppance for the woman who became one of Silicon Valley's most celebrated entrepreneurs, only to be exposed as a fraud. Along the way, Holmes became a symbol of the hyperbole that often saturates startup culture.
But questions still linger about her true intentions — so many that even the federal judge who presided over her trial seemed mystified.
At 39, she seems most likely to be remembered as Silicon Valley's Icarus — a high-flying entrepreneur burning with reckless ambition whose odyssey culminated in convictions for fraud and conspiracy.
Thousands head home, fleeing brutal conflict
RENK, SOUTH SUDAN » Tens of thousands of exhausted people are heading home to the world's youngest country as they flee a brutal conflict in neighboring Sudan.
There's a bottleneck of men, women and children camping near the dusty border of Sudan and South Sudan and the international community and the government are worried about a prolonged conflict.
Fighting between Sudan's military and a rival militia killed at least 863 civilians in Sudan before a seven-day cease-fire began Monday night. Many in South Sudan are concerned about what could happen if the fighting next door continues.
Years of fighting between government and opposition forces in South Sudan killed almost 400,000 people and displaced millions until a peace agreement nearly five years ago. But the country has yet to deploy a unified military and create a permanent constitution. Largescale clashes between the main parties have subsided, but there is still fighting in parts of the country.
Knowledge about Uyghur student denied
HONG KONG » Hong Kong on Saturday criticized rights group Amnesty International's accusation that a Uyghur student disappeared after being interrogated at the airport, and said that government records showed that he had not entered or been refused entry to the city.
Amnesty International said Friday that Abuduwaili Abudureheman, who was born in Xinjiang in western China, had traveled to Hong Kong from South Korea to visit a friend on May 10 but has since gone missing after he texted the friend about being interrogated after his arrival. He spent the last seven years studying in Seoul, completing a Ph.D. in sports and leisure in 2022, according to the group.
The United Nations and human rights groups accuse China of detaining a million or more Uyghurs and members of other predominantly Muslim groups in camps where many have said they were tortured, sexually assaulted and forced to abandon their language and religion.
Travelers face system problems, long waits
LONDON » Travelers arriving in the U.K. faced hourslong delays Saturday after a technical problem shut electronic border gates at airports across the country, forcing everyone to have their passports checked manually on what was expected to be one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.
The Home Office, the government agency responsible for immigration and borders, said it was working to correct a “nationwide border system issue,” though it provided no details about what caused the problem.
Airport operators asked for patience and apologized for the delays as frustrated travelers took to social media to post photos of long lines at airports including Manchester in the north of England and London Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport. Travel is expected to be especially busy over the next few days as a three-day weekend coincides with the start of a weeklong holiday for most schools in Britain.
Holmes