Russian Soldiers Take Part in Tactical Exercises Near Ukranian Border

INTERNATIONAL: Russian soldiers took part in tactical exercises in the Rostov region near the Ukrainian border on Monday, 17 January.

They have conducted exercises on engineering exploration, fortification and mining in Kamensk-Shakhtinsky.

Russia has perturbed the West by building up troops near Ukraine and demanded that Washington pledge not to let Ukraine join NATO or expand the military alliance eastward, a stipulation that the United States refuses to accept.

Washington has urged Moscow to reverse its build-up of an estimated 100,000 troops near the border with Ukraine, which has prompted Ukrainian and Western concerns about a possible new invasion eight years after Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine.

Talks between Moscow and the United States have produced no breakthrough so far.

Peru Beaches Turns Black

Golden sand has turned black in Peru on Sunday after an oil spill affected kilometres of shoreline, with some blaming the recent explosion near Tonga for the spill.

Peru's Environment Minister Ruben Ramirez has said the oil spill has occurred while a ship was supplying the La Pampilla refinery, affecting at least two kilometres of the country's central coast in Ventanilla.

The Peruvian Agency for Environmental Assessment and Enforcement (OEFA has said it has initiated an investigation to determine responsibility, but some are blaming recent high tides for the spill.

The high tides triggered by the recent volcanic explosion near Tonga have been felt as far away as Peru.

High tides spread across the Pacific after the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano has erupted on Saturday, triggering a tsunami warning on the shores of Tonga.

Protesters Rally to Presidential Palace in Sudan

Thousands of protesters against military rule in Sudan have marched towards the presidential palace in the capital Khartoum again on Monday, 17 January, drawing volleys of tear gas from security forces.

The protesters, who gathered some two kilometres from the palace, have blocked a main road in the Al Diyum neighbourhood and burned tires before starting their march.

Huge crowds have regularly taken to the streets demanding a return to civilian rule since the military coup on October 25 ended a power-sharing arrangement that began after Islamist autocrat Omar al-Bashir fell to a popular uprising in 2019.

Military leaders have said their coup saved Sudan from chaos and that they will protect people's right to peaceful protest. They reinstated Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok in an attempt to safeguard reforms, but he has resigned earlier this month.

Medics have aligned with the protest movement say at least 63 people have died in clashes with security forces. A protester and a police officer were killed during demonstrations on Thursday, 13 January.