Nick Kotch obituary: Reuters bureau chief
Clutching the sides of a speedboat bouncing across the Zaire river's choppy brown waters, the reporter Nick Kotch found himself roaring full throttle away from one of the biggest stories of his career: the May 1997 capture of Kinshasa by a rebel movement bent on overthrowing President Mobutu Sese Seko, the long-serving despot.
Kotch and two colleagues from the Reuters news agency had heard they were about to be arrested for conspiracy. Having already spent ten hours in detention at the headquarters of the dreaded SNIP intelligence service — they could hear other 'guests' being tortured down the hall — and time sleeping on the British embassy's floor, a quick escape seemed in order. A friendly DHL representative provided the getaway boat.
Days later, his
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Reuters
6 hours ago
- Reuters
The future of Iran
Follow on Apple or Spotify. Listen on the Reuters app. For decades, Iran was able to project power across the Middle East using its network of proxies. That meant any strikes against it could threaten to trigger a formidable response. But Israel's recent attacks have exposed just how vulnerable Tehran is. In this special episode of Reuters World News, we look at how Iran went from monarchy to Islamic Republic - and what its future could look like. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter here. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast here. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit to opt out of targeted advertising. Further Reading Iran's divided opposition senses its moment but activists remain wary of protests, opens new tab Iran strikes Israeli hospital; Trump to decide on US role in conflict within 'two weeks', opens new tab Israeli scientists scramble to save work after Iranian missile hits labs, opens new tab
The National
a day ago
- The National
Owen Jones: How does opposing Israeli violence make me an extremist?
I'm not referring here to our inability to 'learn the lessons', as the stock phrase goes, of Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and indeed Gaza. Even such phraseology suggests these are policy mistakes, or unfortunate messes, rather than grave crimes. No, what we need to learn is that the real dangerous extremists in society are those who incite mass violence with catastrophic human consequences, and stop letting them get away with it. Iraq really should have finished off the warmongers, and yet here we are, having to listen to diatribes in support of bombing Iran where the so-called 'case' for dropping bombs on fellow human beings is even weaker. Indeed, the US administration this time is even more extreme and clearly deceitful. Nobody thinks Iran has nuclear weapons. Benjamin Netanyahu has been publicly claiming that the country will imminently develop them for the last three decades. Donald Trump's own Director of National Intelligence declared that the US intelligence perspective was that 'Iran is not building a nuclear weapon' just three months ago. Smoke rises after an attack on Iran (Image: Majid Asgaripour, via REUTERS) In a rational world, anyone advocating for British involvement in bombing Iran would be dismissed as a dangerous lunatic. Our media outlets would note that Iraq was plunged into a sectarian bloodbath and a playground for al-Qaeda, before that was supplanted by the even more extreme Daesh. We would recall the hideous war crimes committed by the US there, not least in Fallujah. We would be forced to recall how the triumphalism about Afghanistan gave way to a bloodbath, before the Taliban once again regained power in a stronger position than ever. We would be forced to listen to the hubris that accompanied intervention in Libya, which became regime change in total defiance of the original mandate, and led to the country becoming a violent failed state. Our media outlets would note that the Israeli prime minister is a wanted man evading justice, subject to an arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity issued by the International Criminal Court, an institution our country is a founding member of. They would note the consensus among genocide scholars – including those in Israel itself – that genocide has been committed in Gaza. The heinous crimes in the illegally occupied and colonised West Bank would be noted, as well as the mass slaughter of civilians in Lebanon. That Israel is invading, occupying and attacking Syria as a matter of course would be noted, alongside statements by Israeli ministers openly calling for the establishment of a "Greater Israel" illegally annexing land which does not belong to it. Pressure from the British media – in this context – would go on like this: 'Will the Prime Minister rule out intervening in Iran given the catastrophes in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, the first two causing the needless deaths of hundreds of British service personnel, the wider chaos and destruction aside?' our journalists would demand. 'Will Britain rule out allying with Israel in a war of aggression ruled illegal by experts, given its prime minister is subject to an arrest warrant for war crimes?' they would ask. 'Is the Prime Minister not concerned about Israel's possession of nuclear weapons, given its illegal occupation of land that doesn't belong to it, its openly expansionist commitments, and given it is so credibly accused of grave war crimes and indeed genocide?' But there is no such pressure, at all. Instead, British media outlets simply bang the drum for war, giving credibility to claims Iran will imminently acquire nuclear weapons and that it poses a unique threat. They present Israel as the victim, even though the country launched an unprovoked war of aggression. Those who oppose this insanity are – as before – portrayed as dupes of a foreign tyranny. The real pressure on Starmer is over whether he will join forces with the US to drop bombs on Iran. READ MORE: SNP councillor forces Labour to take action against Israeli arms sales What we've failed to do is to destroy the careers and reputations of genuinely dangerous extremists who have power and influence. If you agitate on behalf of a proscribed organisation such as Hamas, you face being jailed on the grounds you are inciting support for its demonstrable violence. Yet if you use your platform to incite support for what is, in practise, infinitely more lethal violence, you are treated as respectable and indeed mainstream. It is those who oppose Western violence – despite the incontrovertible evidence of bloody disaster – who are instead smeared as dangerous extremists. When are we going to finally have a reckoning which deals with these people? They should become public pariahs, shamed forever for having helped create catastrophes which left millions dead, maimed, displaced, traumatised. READ MORE: JK Rowling called The National 'anti-woman' – here's my response Right now, the British Government is moving to proscribe Palestine Action, essentially making them a terrorist organisation, because they spraypainted planes at an RAF Airbase in protest at British complicity in genocide. This is an example of the world turned on its head: That those who are doing all they can to stop UK involvement with objectively obscene violations of international law are officially treated as the real criminals. Well, history will be a savage judge. We have failed, in the here and now, to crush the extremists responsible for death and destruction on an unimaginable scale. If we want to prevent a future of violent barbarism, that failure has to end.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
African gay men blame President Trump for their recent HIV diagnoses after he cut prevention funding
Gay men in Africa are blaming President Trump's decision to cut funding for HIV /AIDS prevention for their diagnoses of the virus. The administration's sweeping cuts to foreign aid have reduced access to medications like Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, or PrEP, which decreases the risk of contracting HIV by 99 percent. Emmanuel Cherem, 25, a gay men in Nigeria, told Reuters that he tested positive for HIV two months after losing access to the US-supplied drug. 'I blame myself... Taking care of myself is my first duty as a person,' he said. 'I equally blame the Trump administration because, you know, these things were available, and then, without prior notice, these things were cut off.' Echezona, 30, another gay man from Nigeria, told Reuters that he took PrEP pills daily for three years until he was told by a clinic worker that the drug was now only available to pregnant and lactating women. 'I just pray and wish that Trump actually changes his policy and everything comes back to normal so that the spread and transmission of the virus would be reduced,' he said. Trump issued an executive order on his first day in office that paused foreign development assistance for 90 days, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a 'stop work order' to employees of the State Department's Office of Foreign Assistance. The department oversees the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which have seen drastic cuts since Trump took office. The administration has defended its position, arguing that other countries need to shoulder the burden of providing aid. During South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's White House visit, Trump acknowledged that the foreign aid cuts have been 'devastating.' 'Hopefully a lot of people are going to start spending a lot of money,' Trump added. 'I've talked to other nations. We want them to chip in and spend money too, and we've spent a lot,' he continued. 'And it's a big - it's a tremendous problem going on in many countries. A lot of problems going on. The United States always gets the request for money. Nobody else helps.' Russell Vought, the director of the US Office of Management and Budget, echoed Trump's stance during a Congressional committee meeting in early June. He argued that African countries should take on the responsibility of fighting HIV/AIDS, alleviating the financial burden on the US. Vought added that some of the nonprofits facilitating HIV prevention programs 'are not geared toward the viewpoints of the administration.' The director's comments are in line with a waiver issued to PEPFAR programs on February 1 allowing prevention programs to restart only for pregnant mothers. Vulnerable populations, like members of the LGBTQIA+ community, sex workers, or injecting drug users, weren't included in the prevention measures. PEPFAR grants often covered the cost of clinics supplying PrEP at public health centers for these populations, which have suffered closures due to decreased funding. A spokesperson for the State Department told Reuters that PEPFAR-funded programs would continue to be reviewed for 'assessment of programmatic efficiencies and consistency with United States foreign policy.' Public health officials and activists fear that if Trump's hardline policy toward foreign aid stays consistent, HIV infections will continue in the region. Linda-Gail Bekker, an HIV expert at the University of Cape Town, said that African countries may not cover the expense of supplying the drug, leaving a gap for more diagnoses. 'It's as predictable as if you take your eye off a smoldering bushfire and the wind is blowing: a bushfire will come back,' she told Reuters. Countries like Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique were almost entirely dependent on US funding for HIV prevention measures, according to UNAIDS. Other countries, like Ethiopia, responded to the USAID funding cuts by introducing a new payroll tax to pay for HIV medication previously provided by US funding. Medical advancements for HIV prevention and treatment have progressed significantly in recent years. However, UNAIDS projects that gaps created by a lack of funding could see steps backward.
