Three Killed in Kyiv as Russia Unleashes Drone Strikes Across Ukraine |
A fresh round of Russian drone strikes today targeted Ukraine’s capital (NBC), Kyiv, the cities of Odesa and Mykolaiv, and the regions of Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy, Ukrainian officials said. In Kyiv, a strike on a residential building killed at least three people. The drones carried explosives and appeared to be made by Iran, Ukrainian officials said. Tehran has denied sending drones to Moscow.
Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukrainian cities after suffering territorial losses in recent weeks. The new strikes came as the European Union (EU) approved a two-year military training mission (AP) for Ukrainian troops. Several North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and EU countries already have such missions. |
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“Russia’s failing war against Ukraine has, in the view of many observers, strengthened hard-line critics of President Vladimir Putin. These so-called war hawks are said to favor sharp military escalation and might even aim to bring Putin down if he does differently,” CFR’s Stephen Sestanovich writes.
“Putin’s behavior, intended to show resolve, reveals his awareness that the war is going poorly and his options are shrinking. The months ahead are likely to be volatile, especially if—or when—Russia’s gambits fail,” the RAND Corporation’s Dara Massicot writes for the New York Times. |
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China’s Xi Again Refuses to Rule Out Forced Unification With Taiwan |
At the Chinese Communist Party congress yesterday, Chinese President Xi Jinping repeated the party line that China aims for peaceful unification with Taiwan but will not rule out (Nikkei) the possibility of using force.
On The President’s Inbox podcast, CFR’s Ian Johnson discusses China’s twentieth party congress.
Japan: Prime Minister Kishida Fumio pledged to open a probe (Kyodo) into the controversial Unification Church. The man who killed former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo believed Abe supported the church. Kishida had hesitated to investigate it until now, arguing that doing so would violate religious freedoms. |
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Indian Opposition Party Begins Vote for New Leader |
For the first time in over two decades, the Indian National Congress party is set to elect (PTI) a leader who does not come from the Gandhi political dynasty.
Pakistan: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party won six of eight seats (Dawn) available in by-elections yesterday. |
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Middle East and North Africa |
Eight Dead in Fire at Notorious Iranian Prison |
Iranian state television said the fire at Tehran’s Evin prison, known for human rights abuses and holding political prisoners, began after an escape attempt (Al Jazeera) prompted fighting. Gunfire and explosions were heard around the facility.
Tunisia: Amid anti-government protests, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Tunisian government reached a preliminary agreement (AFP) on a $1.9 billion loan for the country.
CFR’s Elliott Abrams discusses Tunisian President Kais Saied’s consolidation of power. |
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Flooding in Nigeria Kills at Least Six Hundred People |
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New British Finance Minister Reneges on Predecessor’s Tax Cuts |
After he was appointed on Friday, finance minister Jeremy Hunt scrapped (FT) tax cuts and downsized an energy price support package announced by his predecessor Kwasi Kwarteng. |
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U.S., Canada Deliver Vehicles to Haitian Police |
Saturday’s delivery came after (Reuters) interim Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry appealed for an international military intervention to address gang violence.
Mexico: Gunmen killed twelve people (CNN) at a bar in the central state of Guanajuato. It is Guanajuato’s second mass shooting in a month. |
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Arkansas Begins Trial Over Ban on Transgender Health Care for Children |
The trial is the country’s first (AP) on such a ban. Arkansas last year blocked doctors from providing gender-confirming hormone treatments, puberty blockers, or surgeries to anyone under the age of eighteen. |
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Council on Foreign Relations |
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