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TIME
Succession Was Never Really About Logan Roy
Spoiler alert: This article discusses the events of Succession season 4, episode 3. Succession was never really Logan Roy’s story, even though he was at the center of the conflict that gave the show its name. A protagonist has to be vulnerable and mutable and at least occasionally surprising. Logan, as masterfully portrayed by Brian Cox, was none of these things. Failing health aside, he was never going to voluntarily show weakness. Which also essentially guaranteed that, whether he’d admitted it to himself or not, he was never going to name a successor, because that would’ve meant ceding much of the power he wielded over not just his affection-starved children, but also his employees, lovers, American politics, and the public.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]
So it makes perfect sense that Logan’s long-awaited death, in Sunday’s excellent episode, unfolded almost entirely offscreen, as the ridiculous characters who had spent three seasons vying for his favor scrambled to figure out what was happening and how they should respond. Of course, he wouldn’t have died surrounded solely by sycophants like Karl (David Rasche), Frank (Peter Friedman), Tom (Matthew Macfadyen), and Logan’s self-described “friend, assistant, and adviser” Kerry (Zoë Winters) if he hadn’t been traveling across continents to see Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) while the rest of the family was attending his oft-forgotten eldest son Connor’s (Alan Ruck) wedding. It’s a fitting demise, because it captures the whole point of Logan as a character: he makes monstrous decisions from on high and then leaves everyone around him to cope with the consequences.
https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/jeremy-strong-sarah-snook.jpg?w=560&w=560 <figcaptionMacall B. Polay—HBOSarah Snook and Jeremy Strong in SuccessionSeason 4, Episode 3: “Connor’s Wedding”
The overarching symbolism of Logan’s death is spot-on, but “Connor’s Wedding,” written by creator Jesse Armstrong, also excels in detailing how each of the show’s true main characters receive and react to the news. It’s Roman (Kieran Culkin) who gets the mid-flight call from Tom after Logan collapses in the bathroom of his private jet, as flight attendants are performing chest compressions. This is significant in part because Roman has already secretly returned to the Waystar Royco fold—he has just, at the wedding, awkwardly fired his mentor/harassee Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron) on Logan’s orders—and in part because, well, Tom phoned his estranged wife, Shiv (Sarah Snook), first, but she didn’t pick up. It’s hard to tell if Shiv is more upset about her father’s death or how long it took for her brothers to alert her that it was happening.
At least they eventually thought to get her on the phone to bid farewell to their probably-already-unconscious dad. Minutes away from wedding a woman who’s been openly questioning her own choice to hold her nose and marry him for his money, Connor doesn’t even get that courtesy. It’s impossible not to think of his sad karaoke monologue from episode 2: “The good thing about having a family that doesn’t love you is that you learn to live without it… You’re needy love sponges, and I’m a plant that grows on rocks and lives off insects that die inside of me.” This is true of his relationships with Logan and the half-siblings he thanklessly helped raise. They’re too wrapped up in their own internecine power struggles to worry about Con.
https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/alan-ruck-justine-lupe.jpg?w=560&w=560 <figcaptionMacall B. Polay—HBOAlan Ruck and Justine Lupe in SuccessionSeason 4, Episode 3: “Connor’s Wedding”
There are other sharp callbacks to previous episodes, like there always are on Succession. Remember the standout season 3 episode “Retired Janitors of Idaho,” in which a UTI-afflicted Logan blows up a crucial truce with Sandy (Larry Pine) and [...]
ore recent assessments.
The two officials said the military and intelligence agencies were looking at their processes for how widely some of the intelligence is shared internally.
Officials are looking at what motivations a U.S. official or a group of officials would have in leaking such sensitive information, said one of the officials who spoke to Reuters.
The official said investigators were looking at four or five theories, from a disgruntled employee to an insider threat who actively wanted to undermine U.S. national security interests.
Voice of America
Show Stopper: Singalong Fans Ejected, 'Bodyguard' Halted
A British performance of "The Bodyguard" musical ended in unrequited love for some audience members who couldn't refrain from singing along to the anthemic finale.
The show at the Palace Theatre in Manchester screeched to a halt Friday when two unruly patrons were ejected for joining the lead in singing "I Will Always Love You," the soaring, emotional ballad made famous by Whitney Houston.
It was not supposed to be a singalong. Ushers carried signs saying, "Please refrain from singing" and announcements were made in advance that patrons would have a chance to join along at the end but not to sing during the show, said Tash Kenyon, an audience member.
During the closing number, somebody shouted, "Does this mean we can start singing now?" Kenyon said. A tone-deaf voice projected from the balcony and competed with the vocals of Melody Thornton, a former member of The Pussycat Dolls.
Laughter then turned to anger and confusion, Karl Bradley told the Manchester Evening News.
"The stage then just went black again and that's when it really started to kick off on the higher tier, you could really hear screams and audible gasps," Bradley said. "Everyone starting standing up and looking over. There was chants of 'out, out, out' to get them gone."
When the lights came up, the unwanted backup singers were being hauled out of their seats by theater security and audience members began cheering.
But the music and show were over.
A spokesperson for the theater said the show was canceled because disruptive fans who refused to stay seated had spoiled the performance.
Thornton posted a video on Instagram thanking respectful fans and apologizing for those who weren't.
Greater Manchester Police said it spoke with the two people who were removed by security and would review evidence before taking any action.
Voice of America
US Searches for Source of Highly Classified Intel Leak
Highly classified military and intelligence documents that appeared online, with details ranging from Ukraine's air defenses to Israel's Mossad spy agency, have U.S. officials scrambling to identify the leak's source, with some Western security experts and U.S. officials saying they suspected it could be someone from the United States.
Officials say the breadth of topics addressed in the documents, which touch on the war in Ukraine, China, the Middle East and Africa, suggest they may have been leaked by an American rather than an ally.
"The focus now is on this being a U.S. leak, as many of the documents were only in U.S. hands," Michael Mulroy, a former senior Pentagon official, told Reuters in an interview.
U.S. officials said the investigation is in its early stages and those running it have not ruled out the possibility that pro-Russian elements were behind the leak, which is seen as one of the most serious security breaches since more than 700,000 documents, videos and diplomatic cables appeared on the WikiLeaks website in 2013.
The Russian embassy in Washington and the Kremlin did not respond to requests for comment.
Following disclosure of the leak, Reuters has reviewed more than 50 documents labeled "Secret" and "Top Secret" that first appeared last month on social media websites, beginning with Discord and 4Chan. While some of the documents were posted weeks ago, their existence was first reported on Friday by The New York Times.
Reuters has not independently verified the authenticity of the documents. Some giving battlefield casualty estimates from Ukraine appeared to have been altered to minimize Russian losses. It is not clear why at least one is marked unclassified but includes top secret information. Some documents are marked "NOFORN," meaning they cannot be released to foreign nationals.
The White House referred questions to the Pentagon.
In a statement on Sunday, the Pentagon said it was reviewing the validity of the photographed documents that "appear to contain sensitive and highly classified material."
The Pentagon has referred the issue to the Department of Justice, which has opened a criminal investigation.
One of the documents, dated Feb. 23 and marked "Secret," outlines in detail how Ukraine's S-300 air defense systems would be depleted by May 2 at the current usage rate.
Such closely guarded information could be of great use to Russian forces, and Ukraine said its president and top security officials met on Friday to discuss ways to prevent leaks.
Watching allies
Another document, marked "Top Secret" and from a CIA Intel update from March 1, says the Mossad intelligence agency was encouraging protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to tighten controls on the Supreme Court.
The document said the U.S. learned this through signals intelligence, suggesting the United States had been spying on one of its most important allies in the Middle East.
In a statement on Sunday, Netanyahu's office described the assertion as "mendacious and without any foundation whatsoever."
Another document gave details of internal discussions among senior South Korean officials about U.S. pressure on Seoul to help supply weapons to Ukraine, and its policy of not doing so.
A South Korean presidential official said on Sunday the country was aware of news reports about the leaked documents and it plans to discuss "issues raised" with Washington.
The Pentagon has not addressed the contents of any specific documents, including the apparent surveillance of allies.
Two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that while there was concern about the leak at the Pentagon and intelligence agencies, the documents showed a snapshot in time from more than a month ago, rather than m[...]
hey can definitely ruin the peace and stability of India,” Vats told VOA.
The Hindu nationalist BJP is using Ram “to further its politics of Hindu supremacy,” Delhi University professor Apoorvanand, who uses one name, told VOA.
“The strategy is to evoke a feeling of supremacy and power among Hindus by forcibly carrying out processions, which are supposedly religious, but are in actuality an instrument for abusing and threatening Muslims. Armed processions are deliberately driven through Muslim-dominated localities; mosques are targeted, and violence is provoked,” Apoorvanand said. “This process widens the divide between Hindus and Muslims, implicates Hindu youth in violent acts and criminalizes the Hindu society.”
Zafarul-Islam Khan, former chairman of the Delhi Minorities Commission, said that Ram Navami processions are used by the BJP to polarize the society on communal lines, in a desperate attempt to win elections.
“They demonize Muslims by actively spreading hate and lies through social media. Their leaders deliver hate speeches aiming to whip up anti-Muslim passion in society. Also, they launch violent attacks against Muslims as they are during Ram Navami. All this is aimed to polarize Hindu votes,” Khan told VOA.
“In a Hindu-majority country, communal polarization always helps the Hindu nationalist BJP garner more Hindu votes and win elections.”
HRW’s Ganguly told VOA that India is looking to be an influential voice in world affairs, “one that speaks for the perspective of the global south.”
“To be effective in that role, the Indian government should set an example of upholding rights and celebrating diversity. Inciting and indulging attacks on religious minorities, particularly Muslims, bias in a justice system that unfairly targets minorities and government critics, is not just wrong, but also damages India’s reputation,” she said.
“If India seeks to be a true world leader, putting an end to human rights abuses in the country needs to be a priority,” she added.
Voice of America
Islamic Body, Rights Group Denounce Anti-Muslim Violence at Hindu Festival
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation or OIC, a Saudi Arabia-based global Islamic body, has denounced violence that targeted Muslims in different Indian states during the annual Hindu festival of Ram Navami last week and called on the Indian government to take action against the perpetrators.
Human Rights Watch expressed concerns, too, noting in an April 5 statement that “India’s Hindu festivals are increasingly being used by the ruling Hindu majoritarian Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to rally voters,” leading to an increase in anti-Muslim violence across the country. The rights group also noted the festival coincided with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The Indian government has condemned the OIC and said that its statement showed its “communal mindset” and “anti-India agenda.”
Ram Navami is an annual Hindu festival to celebrate the birth of Ram, a Hindu deity. During the day of Ram Navami, Hindus traditionally participate in processions in which the Hindu epic Ramayana— the tale of Prince Ram’s quest to save his wife — is recited.
In recent years, however, following the rise of Hindu right-wing forces across India, the Ram Navami processions often see large numbers of people brandishing sticks, swords, machetes and even guns.
As the processions pass through minority Muslim neighborhoods, they sometimes play anti-Muslim songs with hate-spewing lyrics — commonly known as “Hindutva pop” — on the music system, and chant abusive slogans targeting Muslims.
Last week, anti-Muslim violence broke out in several places across the country after armed revelers from Ram Navami processions violently attacked Muslims. In Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bihar, West Bengal and other states, communal tension and violence clashes broke out during Ram Navami processions.
In Bihar’s Sharif town, men from the Ram Navami procession physically attacked Muslims, forcing some of them to chant “Jai Shri Ram,” meaning Hail Lord Ram, in Hindi, and beat them up before vandalizing and setting fire to a madrasa and an attached 113-year-old Islamic library. A madrasa is a religious school.
In last week's statement, HRW South Asia Director Meenakshi Ganguly noted that the Hindu mobs attacking Muslims are “emboldened by a sense of political patronage that affords them impunity.”
“The record shows that it is usually Muslims who are unfairly targeted by the authorities… The BJP governments at every level have adopted discriminatory laws and policies targeting religious minorities, and its leaders and affiliates make frequent anti-minority remarks, including inciting violence,” the HRW statement said.
The OIC called last week’s violent attacks on Muslims in India “provocative acts of violence and vandalism.”
While taking note of the burning of the madrasa and library in Bihar, in its April 4 statement, the 57-member organization said that the violence marked a “vivid manifestation of mounting Islamophobia and systemic targeting of the Muslim community in India.”
In other comments aimed at the OIC, Indian authorities said, “We strongly condemn the statement issued by [the] OIC Secretariat today regarding India. The OIC only does its reputation damage by being consistently manipulated by anti-India forces,” Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a Twitter statement.
New Delhi-based senior BJP leader Alok Vats said he agreed that some unruly young people were infiltrating the Hindu religious rallies and giving a bad name to the community.
“It is true that of late some chauvinistic and divisive forces are trying to rip apart the social fabric of India. The states and the police forces under them are failing to restrain their nefarious designs. If not controlled with an iron hand, t[...]
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Newsweek
Zelensky Blasts 'Terrorist' Russia After Easter Missile Strike Kills Child
"Russia puts itself in even greater isolation from the world, from humanity," Zelensky said.
Punch Newspapers
South American searching Nigerian father arrested with cocaine
Punch Newspapers
Smart tips for teaching your children personal finance
Punch Newspapers
LASG joins global urban sanitation initiative
The Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission, Mrs Funke Adepoju, has been nominated as a member of the eight-man task force of the International Water Association. According to a statement issued by the Lagos State Government, Adepoju’s inclusion was in recognition of LASWARCO’s laudable achievement under her leadership. The task force is
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Punch Newspapers
Contributory pension assets gain N1.68tn in one year – PenCom
The assets under the Contributory Pension Scheme rose by N1.68tn from N13.76tn as of the end of February 2022 to N15.45tn as of the end of February 2023. PenCom disclosed this in its unaudited report on the pension funds industry portfolio for the period ended February 28, 2023. The data provided information on the approved
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Punch Newspapers
Tinubu, Dare, Nigerians hail Adesanya
President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Sunday Dare, Minister of Youth and Sports Development, have congratulated mixed martial artist, Israel Adesanya, after he reclaimed his middleweight belt against Brazilian Alex Pereira in the Ultimate Fighting Championship 287. Adesanya knocked out Pereira in the second round of their fight early on Sunday to win back the belt he lost to the
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Newsweek
Ukraine Touts Success in Bakhmut Amid Russian Onslaught
Ukrainian military leaders said on Sunday their forces have managed to "stabilize the situation" in the Donetsk city as Russian offenses stall.
Stewy (Arian Moayed) over their insistence that the Roys give up their private jets? Maybe he should’ve listened to his board. How about the metaphor Tom chooses in congratulating his father-in-law on the Matsson deal, in the season 4 premiere? “You landed the plane, Logan.” Guess he spoke too soon.
More than anything, though, what I admire about “Connor’s Wedding” is the way it brings all of the Roys and their closest associates together in their fundamental confusion about how to feel and how to act in the aftermath of Logan’s death. For a while, on the plane as well as on Connor’s nuptial boat, there’s also confusion over whether Logan is definitively dead. Shiv, Ken, and particularly Roman’s initial refusal to believe that he’s gone is strangely moving; denial is, after all, the first stage of actual human grief. The specific variety of magical thinking with which they approach the situation, e.g. Ken frantically trying to source high-end doctors, is certainly unique to their super-rich upbringing. But the emotional turmoil Culkin, Snook, and Strong convey in those moments is universal.
https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/j-smith-cameron-kieran-culkin.jpg?w=560&w=560 <figcaptionMacall B. Polay—HBO
Throughout the episode, we see grief and tears mixed with corporate pragmatism and ruthless jockeying for position. In one call to Greg, a red-eyed Tom manages to instruct his errand boy to destroy evidence of malfeasance on his computer, express how harrowing an ordeal Logan’s death was, and declare that “people should know that I was with him.” The Roy children keep bristling at Logan’s underlings for drafting statements and gaming out how to play the morbid turn of events with Matsson, but they can’t stop fixating on that stuff, either. “We are highly liable to misinterpretation,” Ken cautions his siblings. “What we do today will always be what we did the day our father died. So let’s grieve, and whatever, but not do anything that restricts our future freedom of movement.”
Are they monsters trying to behave like humans or humans trying to convince themselves they’re tough enough to be monsters? I think they’re both at once. You can see it in the scene where Roman and Gerri are alone together, after he’s fired her and his father has died (which renders that final whim of Logan’s moot). “I’m pretty sad,” he tells her, obviously angling for sympathy. “Yeah, well, the room’s all yours,” she stiffly replies, and makes her exit. Both are wounded, for different reasons, and neither wants to acknowledge the other’s pain. Let the obituary writers trot out words like titan and mogul. It’s this fundamental confusion over the meaning of personal relationships, over whether he or anyone else in his kids’ lives can ever be separated from their market value, that defines Logan’s legacy. “What are people?” indeed.
Voice of America
Boat With 400 Migrants Adrift Between Greece, Malta
A vessel with around 400 people on board is adrift between Greece and Malta and is taking on water, support service Alarm Phone said Sunday, after a sharp rise of migrant boats crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa.
Alarm Phone said on Twitter they had received a call from the boat, which departed from Tobruk, in Libya, overnight and that they had informed authorities. But authorities had not launched a rescue operation so far, they added.
Alarm Phone said the boat was now in the Maltese Search and Rescue area (SAR).
German NGO Sea-Watch International said on its Twitter account it had found the boat with two merchant ships nearby.
It said the Maltese authorities had ordered the ships not to carry out a rescue and that one of them was just asked to supply it with fuel.
It was not immediately possible to reach Maltese authorities for comment.
Alarm Phone said people on board were panicking, with several of them requiring medical attention. The vessel was out of fuel and its lower deck was full of water, while the captain had left and there was nobody who could steer the boat, they said.
Another NGO, Germany's RESQSHIP, said Sunday at least 23 migrants died overnight in the Mediterranean in a separate shipwreck.
It said on Twitter the NGO found 25 people in the water during a rescue operation, and its staff were able to recover 22 survivors and two bodies, although it was told about 20 other people that had already drowned.
Last week 440 migrants were rescued off Malta after a complex 11-hour operation in stormy seas by the Geo Barents vessel of the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity.
At least 23 African migrants were missing and four died Saturday after their two boats sank off Tunisia as they tried to reach Italy.
Voice of America
Jon Rahm Rallies to Win the Masters
Jon Rahm turned the longest day into his sweetest victory, starting Sunday with a four-shot deficit in the morning chill and finishing in fading sunlight as the fourth Spaniard to become a Masters champion.
Rahm closed with a 3-under 69 to pull away from mistake-prone Brooks Koepka. He won by four shots over Koepka and 52-year-old Phil Mickelson, who turned in a tournament-best 65. He is the oldest runner-up in Masters history.
It was Mickelson who declared Rahm would be among golf's biggest stars even before the Spaniard turned pro in 2016. Rahm now has a green jacket to go along with his U.S. Open title he won in 2021 at Torrey Pines.
Rahm made up two shots on Koepka over the final 12 holes of the rain-delayed third round and started the final round two shots behind. He seized on Koepka's collapse and then surged so far ahead that Mickelson's amazing closing round — the best final round ever at Augusta National for the three-time Masters champion — was never going to be enough.
Nothing was more satisfying than an uphill climb to the 18th green to claim the green jacket on a day when Spanish stars aligned. Sunday is the birthdate of his idol, the late Seve Ballesteros, and this is the 40-year anniversary of Ballesteros winning his second Masters title.
Rahm embraced his wife and two children, and as he walked toward the scoring room, there was two-time Masters champion José María Olazábal in his green jacket for the strongest hug of all.
Rahm won for the fourth time this year — just as Scottie Scheffler did a year ago when he won the Masters — and reclaimed the No. 1 world ranking from Scheffler.
This Masters had a little bit of everything — hot and humid at the start, a cold front with wind that toppled three trees on Friday, putting surfaces saturated from rain on Saturday and a marathon finish Sunday as Rahm and Koepka went 30 holes.
Koepka helped to pave the way with one miscue after another, losing the lead for the first time since Thursday afternoon when he chipped 20 feet past the hole from behind the par-3 sixth and made his second bogey. There would be more to come.
Worse yet, Koepka went 22 consecutive holes Sunday without a birdie — from the par-5 eighth hole in the morning of the third round until the par-5 13th in final round. By then, he was three shots behind and Rahm all but sealed it with his next shot.
He hit a low cut around a tree from right of the 14th fairway and it caught a slope just right on the 14th green and fed down to 3 feet for a birdie. When Koepka three-putted for bogey, it was a matter of finishing.
Rahm hooked his tee shot into the trees on the final hole and didn't reach the fairway. No matter. He played up the fairway, hit wedge to 3 feet and tapped in for the victory.
The leaderboard was littered with major champions and a tinge of Saudi-funded LIV Golf. Mickelson and Koepka both are part of the rival circuit. Former Masters champion Patrick Reed, another player who defected to LIV, closed with a 68 and tied for fourth with Jordan Spieth (66) and Russell Henley.
Voice of America
Home-Based Workers in US Became Younger, More Diverse in Pandemic
People working from home became younger, more diverse, better educated and more likely to move during the worst part of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
In many respects, the demographic makeup of people working from home from 2019 to 2021 became more like workers who were commuting, while the share of the U.S. labor force working from home went from 5.7% in 2019 to 17.9% in 2021, as restrictions were implemented to help slow the spread of the virus, according to a report released last week based on American Community Survey data.
"The increase in homebased workers corresponded with a decline in drivers, carpoolers, transit riders, and most other types of commuters," the report said.
The share of people working from home between ages 25 and 34 jumped from 16% to 23% from 2019 to 2021. The share of home-based workers who are Black went from 7.8% to 9.5%, and it went from 5.7% to 9.6% for Asian workers. It remained flat for Hispanic workers, the report said.
The share of home-based workers with a college degree also jumped from just over half to more than two-thirds, and people working from home were more likely to have moved in the past year than commuters.
The two industry groups that saw the greatest jumps in people working from home were in information, where it went from 10.4% to 42%, and finance, insurance and real estate, going from 10.8% to 38.4%. Professional and administrative services also went from 12.6% to 36.5%.
The smallest gains were in agriculture and mining; entertainment and food services; and armed forces.
While every income level saw jumps in people working from home, those in the highest income bracket were most likely to work from home. While it doubled from 2019 to 2021 for workers in the lowest income bracket, it tripled for those in the highest, the report said.
Home-based work also varied by region. By 2021, it was more prevalent in the West and Northeast, making up about a fifth of the workforce, compared to 16.2% in the South and 15.8% in the Midwest. The variation may have been caused by the availability of Internet access, the cluster of information technology jobs on the coasts and the way people commute, whether by car or public transportation, the report said.
The tech-heavy San Francisco and San Jose metro areas had more than a third of their labor force working from home in 2021 — the largest share among metros with more than 1 million residents.
Since most pandemic restrictions have been lifted since the 2021 survey was taken, it is unknown at this point if the growth in work-from-home is permanent.
"If only temporarily, the COVID-19 pandemic generated a massive shift in the way people in the United States related to their workplace location," the report said. "With the centrality of work and commuting in American life, the widespread adoption of home-based work was a defining feature of the pandemic era."
Voice of America
Haiti Gang Ambushes, Kills 3 Policemen as Violence Soars
A gang near Haiti's capital ambushed and killed three police officers on Sunday in the latest attack against an under-resourced and underfunded police department that has reported nearly two dozen officers slain so far this year, according to authorities.
The killings occurred in Thomassin, a largely upper-class neighborhood just south of the capital of Port-au-Prince that is controlled by a gang called "Ti Makak," which translates to "Little Macaques."
The details of the killings were provided by an officer who survived the attack, according to the National Union of Haitian Police Officers, which said it was saddened by the news.
Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry condemned the killings and extended his condolences.
"Our police brothers have today, once again, fallen under the murderous bullets of lawless thugs. We deplore these barbaric acts," he tweeted.
He added that his government is doing everything possible to create a climate of security and stability "in a country too bruised and bereaved."
At least 21 police officers have been killed so far this year as gangs continue to fight over territory and grow more powerful since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
The Ti Makak gang also was blamed for killing another three officers in September in nearby Laboule. In addition, two journalists were fatally shot and set on fire in that area last year, as well as a former senator and his nephew.
In October, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry and other top officials requested the immediate deployment of foreign troops to help fight relentless gangs, but so far, the U.N. Security Council, along with the U.S. and Canada, have opted to impose sanctions. The international community also has provided equipment, training and other resources for Haiti's National Police.
As of mid-March, gangs were blamed for killing at least 531 people and kidnapping 277 others in the capital of Port-au-Prince and nearby areas. Another 160,000 people in the country of more than 11 million people have been displaced by violence, according to the U.N.
"Chronic instability and gang violence have contributed to surging prices and food insecurity. Half of the population does not have enough to eat," the U.N.'s Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner warned last month. "We are gravely concerned that extreme violence continues to spiral out of control in Haiti."
The U.N. estimates that gangs now control up to 80% of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas.
Voice of America
Official: Afghan Special Forces Kill 2 IS Fighters in Raid
Afghanistan's special forces killed two Islamic State fighters and arrested a third during an operation in the country's west on Sunday, a regional official said.
The raid on the hideout in the district of Sayed Abad in Nimroz province sparked a clash lasting 30 minutes, said Mufti Habibullah Ilham, the province's information and culture director.
Ilham said there were no casualties among the troops or civilians and that some military equipment was seized.
The regional affiliate of the IS group — known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province — has been the key rival of the ruling Taliban since the religious group's takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021.
IS has increased its attacks in Afghanistan, targeting both Taliban patrols and members of Afghanistan's Shiite minority. On Friday, security forces killed an IS fighter during an operation in northern Parwan province. They also arrested three women and seven children, said Hikmatullah Shamim, a spokesman for the Parwan governor.
Deputy Afghan government spokesman Bilal Karimi said authorities were serious about Afghanistan's boundaries and sovereignty.
"The Islamic State has no place in the country or among the people, nor does the Islamic emirate allow it," he told The Associated Press. "The number of (IS) fighters killed or arrested so far is in the hundreds, but there is no exact number."
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a number of high-profile attacks in Afghanistan. It said one of its members was behind a deadly bombing near a checkpoint in January at Kabul's military airport, the same man who took part in an assault on a hotel in the capital last December, and a gun attack on the Pakistani embassy.
Voice of America
Bittersweet Easter for Turkish City's Dwindling Armenian Community
The aroma of corek, a spiced bun the Armenian community makes for Easter, is once again wafting through the streets of Diyarbakir in southeast Turkey.
For the first time in eight years, Armenians were able to celebrate Easter Sunday Mass at their church in the city after it was badly damaged during clashes between the Turkish army and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in 2015-16.
The small community was left without a place to meet. But the Surp Giragos Armenian Church has recently been restored and is now open again.
"We haven't had this chance for a long time. Today we are happy as a community," said Gaffur Ohannes Turkay, a member of the foundation that runs the church.
But it was also a "bitter celebration."
"Nothing is the same as before," he said.
However, earlier restoration of the church in 2011 had helped rebuild the city's Armenian community that many feared lost after the massacres of 1915, followed by discrimination and violence into the 1980s that saw many move to Istanbul or migrate to Europe.
Ankara refuses to recognize the 1915-16 killings of more than a million Armenians as genocide.
Named the unfaithful quarter by Muslims after the once majority Christian population, Sur was known for modest means, narrow streets and old homes built of basalt, the black volcanic rock on which much of the city was constructed.
Much of Sur, too, had been left in ruins by the fighting but was quickly rebuilt. Today, broad avenues run through the district, lined with villas and swanky new shops, adjacent to the remains of what was once the old town.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has for years supported the construction sector as a pillar of his economic policy to strengthen Turkey, with gentrification often sidelining cultural heritage.
Once an integral part of the Ottoman Empire's multifaceted society, only 60,000 ethnic Armenians are still believed to live in modern Turkey.
"Today there are 50 to 60 people who are officially in Diyarbakir's Armenian community," said Turkay. "But many more people come to the festivals and services because there are a lot of Islamized Armenians in this region."
He himself is from a family that converted to Islam to survive the genocide.
The church has now taken on a new role as a rare place where people can rediscover traces of the old Diyarbakir.
While the locals snub the reconstructed areas in the old town, the church garden, which also boasts a cafe, is always full.
"In this quarter, I only come here. I refuse to go any further, it's painful to see the place like this," said Irfan, a regular at the garden cafe.
"We boycott the other places. But here it's different," added Hikmet, another cafegoer.
"The church represents a link to the lost Diyarbakir and that goes for all the inhabitants, Christians or Muslims," said Silva Ozyerli, an Armenian from Diyarbakir who traveled from Istanbul to celebrate Easter.
"We can breathe here," she said, admitting: "I avoid the reconstructed areas because I want to preserve the memory of the quarter where I spent my childhood."
Few expect that even a change in president at the May 14 election could lead to the quarter undergoing a renovation true to its cultural heritage.
"Easter means resurrection, rebirth. I want to hold on to hope, but getting back the old quarter seems impossible," said Ozyerli. "Today I thank God for at least preserving our church."
Voice of America
US Assessing Apparent Leak of Classified Documents
The U.S. Defense Department said Sunday that multiple agencies are working to assess the national security impacts from a leak of highly classified documents.
“The Department of Defense continues to review and assess the validity of the photographed documents that are circulating on social media sites and that appear to contain sensitive and highly classified material,” Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said in a statement.
Singh said national security is the Pentagon’s highest priority and that U.S. officials have “engaged with Allies and partners and have informed relevant congressional committees of jurisdiction about the disclosure.”
The U.S. Justice Department said Friday it had opened an investigation into the matter.
The information, which includes apparent military assessments about Russia’s war in Ukraine and of U.S. allies, appeared on multiple social media sites.
Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
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