International
Dagustan, a powder gag in the North Caucasus
The terrorist attacks that this Sunday claimed about twenty deaths in Dagestan, the most explosive republic in the Russian North Caucasus, once again put Russia’s security forces in strain, embraced in a exhausting military campaign in Ukraine.
And the recent history of Dagestan, a Muslim republic bathed by the Caspian and bordering Georgia and Azerbaijan, is dotted with terrorist actions, some of great magnitude such as the incursion led by the Chechen Shamil Basayev, which broke out the second war in Chechnya (1999-2009).
More than 96 percent of the inhabitants of Dagestan, a name that means “land of mountains”, are Muslims.
With just over 50,000 square kilometers and 3.2 million inhabitants, it is the most populous republic in the North Caucasus and its population is made up of a multitude of ethnic groups, as evidenced by its 15 official languages, including Russian.
The neighborhood with Chechnya, which in 1991 proclaimed its independence from Russia, granted Dagestan a key role in the two wars fought in the neighboring region.
Precisely in the Daguestani city of Jasaviurt, bordering Chechnya, Russia signed in 1996 the ceasefire agreement with the Chechen independence fighters, which the following year materialized in a peace treaty.
Dagestan was also the territory chosen by Basayev in 1999 to launch an armed incursion and proclaim, with the support of the Islamic State, the creation of a caliphate in the Caucasus.
Although in Chechnia, where Russia after almost ten years of war managed to impose its order, Islamist attacks were considerably reduced, the same has not happened in Dagestan.
On May 3, 2012, thirteen people died and more than 120 were injured in a double car bomb attack on a police post in Majachkalá, the Republican capital.
Sunday’s attacks against two Orthodox churches and two synagogues were not the first perpetrated against temples in Dagestan: on February 18, 2018, a man armed with a knife and a hunting shotgun killed five women in an Orthodox church in the city of Kiszliar, an attack claimed by the Islamic State.
In addition, in October 2023, a mob broke into the airport of the Dagestan capital and surrounded a hotel in search of Israeli citizens in protest against the bombing of the Gaza Strip
International
Florida officials warn against raw milk after dozens sickened
Unprocessed milk from a farm in Florida has sickened at least 21 people, prompting state authorities to issue a public health alert, U.S. media reported Monday.
The 21 cases include six children under the age of 10, all diagnosed with infections caused by E. coli and Campylobacterbacteria linked to raw milk from the farm in the southeastern U.S. state. Local authorities have also warned about the dangers of drinking unpasteurized milk.
Seven people have been hospitalized, two of whom have suffered complications, according to multiple reports.
The Florida Department of Health has urged the public to avoid raw milk consumption and blamed the outbreak on the farm involved—without naming it directly—citing poor sanitary practices.
Florida law prohibits the sale of unprocessed milk for human consumption, although it can be sold if labeled for pets. Pasteurization, which involves heating milk to kill harmful bacteria, is required under U.S. federal regulations for any dairy products sold across states.
Despite these regulations, sales of raw milk have been increasing in recent years, fueled by online promotion from wellness influencers and advocates of unprocessed foods.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warn that raw milk can contain potentially deadly bacteria such as E. coli, Campylobacter, Listeria, or Salmonella, which can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea, vomiting, and indigestion to severe complications like kidney failure.
International
Massive wildfire in Southern France kills one, injures nine
Hundreds of firefighters battled on Wednesday to contain a massive wildfire in southern France that has left one person dead and nine others injured.
The blaze, which broke out Tuesday in the Aude department, is the largest recorded in France during the current summer season. Authorities have deployed 1,800 firefighters in an effort to bring it under control.
An elderly woman died in her home in the town of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, while two others were injured—one in serious condition due to burns—according to the local prefecture. Seven firefighters suffered smoke inhalation injuries, and one person remains missing. The wildfire has already scorched an estimated 12,000 hectares of land.
“The fire is spreading very quickly due to unfavorable weather conditions. This is one of the driest areas of the department, and strong winds are fueling the flames,” said Lucie Roesch, secretary general of the Aude prefecture. Rémi Recio, subprefect for the city of Narbonne, added, “The fire is still spreading and is far from being contained or under control.”
The A9 motorway, which runs along the Mediterranean coast between France and Spain, has been closed in both directions between Narbonne and Perpignan, along with numerous secondary roads.
In Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, the smell of smoke lingers over the charred hectares. A helicopter was seen drawing water from the river below the village and dropping it several kilometers away, AFP reporters observed.
A campsite and at least one village were partially evacuated, with 25 houses and around 35 vehicles damaged, according to a preliminary assessment.
French Prime Minister François Bayrou announced he will visit the affected area on Wednesday.
International
Japan marks 80 years since Hiroshima bombing with call for nuclear disarmament
Japan observed a minute of silence on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, a solemn reminder to the world of the horror it unleashed, amid heightened tensions between nuclear powers the United States and Russia.
At exactly 8:15 a.m. local time (23:15 GMT), the moment when the U.S. bomber Enola Gay dropped the “Little Boy” atomic bomb on August 6, 1945, the city paused to remember.
The bombing claimed an estimated 140,000 lives, not only from the devastating blast and fireball but also from the deadly radiation that followed. Three days later, another bomb dropped on Nagasaki killed 74,000 more. Japan’s surrender on August 15 marked the end of World War II.
On a sweltering morning, hundreds of students, survivors, and officials dressed in black laid flowers at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. The city’s mayor, Kazumi Matsui, warned of “an accelerating trend toward military buildup worldwide,” citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stated that Japan has a mission “to take the lead toward a world without nuclear weapons.”
Today, Hiroshima is a thriving metropolis of 1.2 million people, yet the skeletal remains of one building still stand at its center as a powerful reminder of the tragedy.
Wednesday’s ceremony was attended by representatives from around 120 countries and regions, including delegates from Taiwan and Palestine for the first time.
Among the attendees was 96-year-old Yoshie Yokoyama, who arrived in a wheelchair accompanied by her grandson. She told reporters that her parents and grandparents were victims of the bombing.
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