MOSCOW, July 12, 2023 (AFP) – Russia announced Wednesday that its army had received more than 2,000 pieces of military hardware, including tanks, from Wagner, following the mercenary group’s short-lived insurrection last month. The armed group, which played a key role in the Ukraine offensive, sought to topple Russia’s military leadership during the brief rebellion, before backing down. “More than 2,000 pieces of equipment and weapons have been transferred,” the defence ministry said in a […]
International
Israeli fire wounds Hezbollah members near Lebanon-Israel border: security source
BEIRUT, July 12, 2023 (AFP) – Israeli fire wounded three members of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah movement Wednesday in an incident near the border with Israel, a security source in southern Lebanon said. “Three Hezbollah members were wounded by Israeli fire near the border,” the source told AFP, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media. Three other sources with knowledge of the incident also said Hezbollah members had been wounded. One […]
G7 powers promise Ukraine support, but NATO must wait
VILNIUS, July 12, 2023 (AFP) – The leaders of the G7 powers promised Wednesday to support Ukraine for as long as it takes to defeat Russia’s invasion, after dashing Kyiv’s hopes for a quick invitation to NATO. President Volodymyr Zelensky put a brave face on the setback, insisting that the Western leaders’ promises amounted to a “signficant security victory” that he could take home to Kyiv after the NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. […]
Thai FM says met Myanmar’s Suu Kyi in first foreign envoy talks since coup
JAKARTA, July 12, 2023 (AFP) – Thailand’s foreign minister said Wednesday he met with ousted Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi last week and she was in good health in her first known meeting with a foreign envoy since she was detained following a 2021 coup. Suu Kyi has been seen only once since she was held after the February 1, 2021, putsch — in grainy state media photos from a bare courtroom in […]
Thai election body recommends PM frontrunner’s suspension
BANGKOK, July 12, 2023 (AFP) – Thai election chiefs on Wednesday asked the country’s top court to suspend Pita Limjaroenrat, the frontrunner in the race to become prime minister, over allegations he broke campaign rules as an MP. The recommendation is the latest hurdle thrown into the path of the progressive candidate, whose Move Forward Party (MFP) scored the most votes in May’s election by tapping into Thais’ appetite for change. The Election Commission’s referral […]
Long-term aid plan for Ukraine shows Russia time ‘not on its side:’ US
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AFP) — A plan to secure long-term military aid for Ukraine from the G7 countries Wednesday will show Russia that “time is not on its side,” a top US official said. “It signals a joint long-term commitment to building a powerful defensive insurance force for Ukraine,” lead White House advisor for European affairs Amanda Sloat told reporters. “This multilateral declaration will send a significant signal to Russia that time is not on its […]
Nigeria’s new leader pushes regional role and domestic reform
By Patrick MARKEY Agence France-Presse LAGOS, Nigeria (AFP) — Just a month in power, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has already received foreign entrepreneurs and investors at his villa, telling them Nigeria is open for business after a flurry of surprise economic reforms. The former Lagos governor added a diplomatic step this week, becoming chairman of the West Africa bloc ECOWAS, with a call for more democracy and cooperation in the region wracked by coups and […]
Paraguay’s president-elect vows to be ‘on the side’ of Taiwan
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Paraguay’s incoming president Santiago Pena said Wednesday the country would stand by Taiwan’s side for the duration of his five-year term, reaffirming it as Taipei’s lone diplomatic ally in South America. Asuncion is one of the few remaining capitals in the wider Latin American region to still recognize Taiwan, after Beijing — which claims the island as its territory — spent decades convincing Taipei’s allies to switch sides. Pena’s trip to […]
Australia fears China’s latest Pacific deal could stoke tensions
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia has urged China to release the details of a new policing pact with Solomon Islands, saying Beijing’s latest push for influence threatens to inflame tensions in the South Pacific. Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare inked a raft of deals during a trip to Beijing this week, including an agreement allowing China to maintain a police presence in the developing Pacific nation until 2025. China has lavished attention on Solomon […]
Allies disappoint Zelensky’s plea for NATO membership timetable
By Dave CLARK Agence France-Presse VILNIUS, Lithuania (AFP) — NATO leaders on Tuesday dashed Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky’s hopes for a clear timeline to join the alliance, saying they would offer an invite to become a member only when “conditions are met”. At a summit in Vilnius of the 31 NATO nations, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg insisted the alliance had never used “stronger language” to back Ukraine in its bitter fight to defeat the Russian […]
Rescuers search for migrant boats off Canary Isles
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain’s coastguard was on Tuesday searching for three migrant boats reported lost at sea by an NGO a day after rescuing scores of people from another vessel near the Canary Islands. A spokeswoman for Salvamento Maritimo told AFP a rescue plane had been deployed to the area but “did not find anything”. The coastguard has also requested other ships in the area to be on the lookout, she added. During their […]
Three Argentine police jailed for life for race-hate killing
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP) — Three police officers in Argentina were sentenced to life in prison Tuesday for the racially motivated killing of a 17-year-old boy, and six others received sentences of four to eight years for covering up the crime. In a case that became emblematic of institutional violence in Argentina, three officers were convicted of the 2021 killing of Lucas Gonzalez, a teen from a poor area on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. […]





