AUSTRALIA
UK vows submarine support
The UK on Friday promised wide-ranging support in developing and maintaining a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. British Secretary of State for International Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan said AUKUS, a defense pact between Australia, the UK and the US, is a “deep strategic partnership” that reflected mutual trust and long-time cooperation. The partnership includes a pledge to provide next-generation submarines powered by US nuclear technology to Canberra. “I am personally committed to ensuring that the whole ecosystem, which we have in the UK to build, upskill and maintain our own UK submarine enterprise, will be right alongside you and our Australian friends and allies as you start on this complex and technically demanding defense commitment,” Trevelyan told an event in Adelaide.
MYANMAR
Junta touts Russia trip
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is to travel to Russia next week for economic talks, state media reported yesterday. The junta leader’s visit comes as both governments face diplomatic isolation — Moscow for its February invasion of Ukraine and Naypyidaw for a military coup last year. Min Aung Hlaing is to attend the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said. Representatives from China, India, Japan and Kazakhstan are also to attend. The general is to hold talks with Russian officials to “further cement the cooperation” and friendly ties between the two countries, the report said.
AFGHANISTAN
Over 1,500 die in disasters
At least 1,570 people have been killed and almost 6,000 injured in floods and earthquakes in the past two months, a Taliban spokesperson said yesterday. Suhail Shaheen said flash floods have occurred in more than 20 provinces, washing away more than 250,000 hectares of agricultural land and completely or partly destroying more than 35,000 homes, he said. Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan Muttaqi on Thursday pleaded for international assistance at a fundraising event in Kabul. The calamities exacerbate an already dire situation, with the UN reporting that almost 23 million people, or half of the population, are facing acute hunger.
UNITED KINGDOM
Activists block speaker seat
Environmental advocate group Extinction Rebellion on Friday said members had superglued themselves to one another in parliament, forming a chain around the chair of the House of Commons speaker. A picture posted on Twitter showed three people hand in hand in front of the seat while two others held up signs. One sign read: “Let the people decide” and the other said: “Citizens’ assembly now.” The protest came as the Conservative Party wraps up a seven-week vote to choose a new leader.
UNITED STATES
Eight drown at border
At least eight migrants were found dead in the Rio Grande after dozens attempted a hazardous crossing near Eagle Pass, Texas, officials said on Friday. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Mexican officials made the discovery on Thursday while responding to a large group of people crossing the river following days of heavy rains that had resulted in particularly swift currents. US officials recovered six bodies, while Mexican teams recovered two others, CBP said in a statement. The agency said US crews rescued 37 others from the river and detained 16 more, while Mexico took 39 migrants into custody.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is constructing a new counter-stealth radar system on a disputed reef in the South China Sea that would significantly expand its surveillance capabilities in the region, satellite imagery suggests. Analysis by London-based think tank Chatham House suggests China is upgrading its outpost on Triton Island (Jhongjian Island, 中建島) on the southwest corner of the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島), building what might be a launching point for an anti-ship missile battery and sophisticated radar system. “By constraining the US ability to operate stealth aircraft, and threaten stealth aircraft, these capabilities in the South China Sea send
HAVANA: Repeated blackouts have left residents of the Cuban capital concerned about food, water supply and the nation’s future, but so far, there have been few protests Maria Elena Cardenas, 76, lives in a municipal shelter on Amargura Street in Havana’s colonial old town. The building has an elegant past, but for the last few days Maria has been cooking with sticks she had found on the street. “You know, we Cubans manage the best we can,” she said. She lives in the shelter because her home collapsed, a regular occurrence in the poorest, oldest parts of the beautiful city. Cuba’s government has spent the last days attempting to get the island’s national grid functioning after repeated island-wide blackouts. Without power, sleep becomes difficult in the heat, food
Botswana is this week holding a presidential election energized by a campaign by one previous head-of-state to unseat his handpicked successor whose first term has seen rising discontent amid a downturn in the diamond-dependent economy. The charismatic Ian Khama dramatically returned from self-exile six weeks ago determined to undo what he has called a “mistake” in handing over in 2018 to Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi, who seeks re-election tomorrow. While he cannot run as president again having served two terms, Khama has worked his influence and standing to support the opposition in the southern African country of 2.6 million people. “The return of
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has rejected a plan for the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to visit Kyiv due to Guterres’ attendance at this week’s BRICS summit in Russia, a Ukrainian official said on Friday. Kyiv was enraged by Guterres’ appearance at the event in the city of Kazan on Thursday and his handshake with its host, Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose forces invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Guterres, who called for a “just peace” in Ukraine at the BRICS event and has repeatedly condemned the invasion, discussed a visit to Ukraine with Zelenskiy when they met in New York