August 16, 2023

*) Russia says shot down Ukraine drones southwest of Moscow Russia's defence ministry has said it shot down three Ukrainian drones southwest of Moscow, the latest in a surge of aerial attacks near the capital. Ukraine launched the attack at 0200 GMT (5:00 am local time) using "three unmanned aerial vehicles on objects in the Kaluga region", the ministry said on Telegram. Kaluga's governor Vladislav Shapsha said there was no damage or injury to people or infrastructure. The air attack is at least the fifth this month over the Kaluga region that Russia says it has thwarted. *) Azerbaijan finds new mass grave in area liberated from Armenia Azerbaijan has discovered a new mass grave site in the city of Shusha in the Karabakh region, local media reported. According to state news agency Azertac, the remains of 17 people were uncovered in the territory of Shusha prison during excavations conducted between August 1-15 by Azerbaijan’s State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons. In June, Azertac reported the discovery of a mass grave in the Saricali village of Agdam district, where the remains of four people were found. The Karabakh region has been the site of mass killings and burials since the First Karabakh War in the early 1990s during the Armenian occupation. *) UN says Taliban's restrictions on Afghan women 'crime against humanity' The United Nations has said that the International Criminal Court should recognise gender discrimination in Afghanistan as a crime against humanity. UN Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown has said 54 of 80 edicts issued by the Taliban explicitly target women and girls and deprive them of their rights. The international community continues to grapple with how, and if, to engage with the Taliban authorities, with restrictions on women's rights being a key obstacle. *) Deadly clashes between rival militias in Libya leave 27 dead, authorities say Deadly clashes between rival militias in Libya's capital have killed at least 27 people and left r