KYIV: Russian forces struck a cafe in a key front-line area in northeastern Ukraine Saturday, killing two civilians and wounding a third, regional officials said.
The shelling near the city of Kupiansk came as UK officials said that Russia may try to retake the area, which was captured by Kyiv in a lightning counteroffensive last September after more than six months of Russian occupation. Fierce fighting there earlier this month prompted mandatory evacuations and fears of a second Russian takeover.
Russian shells on Saturday morning struck the cafe in Podoly, an eastern suburb of Kupiansk, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said in a Telegram post. He added that rescue teams were working at the site.
UK military intelligence on Saturday assessed that Russia may “increase the intensity of its offensive efforts” around Kupiansk and nearby Lyman in an attempt to take pressure off its forces near Bakhmut and in the Zaporizhzhia region, where a Ukrainian counteroffensive has reportedly made gradual gains. Earlier this month, Ukrainian authorities ordered a mandatory evacuation of nearly 12,000 civilians from 37 towns and villages around Kupiansk, citing a concerted effort by Russian troops to punch through the front line.
After the Russian occupiers left Kupiansk last year, Ukrainian authorities said they found torture chambers and mass graves in the region.
Ukrainian officials have so far reported limited advances in Kyiv’s large-scale counteroffensive launched in early June, including in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and on the outskirts of Bakhmut, the eastern city that became the site of the war’s longest and bloodiest battle before falling to Moscow in May.
A Washington-based think tank said late Friday that Ukrainian forces were pushing forward in Zaporizhzhia after taking the village of Robotyne earlier this week. The Institute for the Study of War in its latest assessment cited pro-Kremlin military bloggers expressing concern over a lack of reinforcements and troop locations in the area, while the Ukrainian General Staff that same day claimed unspecified successes south and southeast of Robotyne.
On Saturday morning, the Ukrainian regional administration of Zaporizhzhia reported that Russian shelling the previous day of Mala Tokmachka, one of the villages near which Kyiv’s troops were reportedly advancing, killed one resident and wounded another.
Also on Saturday, a new drone attack on Moscow forced an early-morning temporary shutdown of all three major airports serving the city, Russian state media reported. Officials blamed Ukraine for what appeared to be the latest of near-daily strikes on the Russian capital and the surrounding region.
Kyiv has since early this year sought to take the 18-month-war into the heart of Russia, also saying recently that it was behind strikes on Russian military assets far behind the front lines.
Russia’s defense ministry and Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said that a drone was shot down over the Istra district of the Moscow region, some 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Red Square. Sobyanin said in a Telegram post that there were no immediate reports of any casualties or damage.
According to Russia’s state Tass agency, the Sheremetevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports all suspended flights for over an hour early on Saturday.
Russian Telegram channels on Saturday posted videos, some of them apparently from home security cameras, of what they claimed was Russian air defense downing the drone. One video shows a car parked outside what appears to be suburban home, its alarm beginning to blare seconds after two loud blasts sound in the distance.
Russia’s defense ministry that same day blamed Ukraine for the attack. As of Saturday morning, Ukrainian authorities had not said whether Kyiv had any involvement.
Russia and Ukraine traded multiple drone attacks earlier this week, with Kyiv apparently targeting Moscow and the Kremlin’s forces launching another bombardment of Ukrainian grain storage depots in what have recently become signature tactics.
Also this week, Kyiv claimed it had destroyed a key Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile defense system in occupied Crimea. Ukrainian media also claimed that Ukrainian saboteurs coordinated by Kyiv’s military intelligence services carried out a pair of recent drone attacks that destroyed and damaged bomber aircraft at air bases deep inside Russia.
Later on Saturday, Russia’s defense ministry said in a separate statement that another drone was brought down as it approached the Russian city of Belgorod, some 45 kilometers (27 miles) from the Ukrainian border. It did not mention any casualties or damage.
Belgorod regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov accused Ukrainian forces of shelling a border village using cluster munitions, wounding six civilians. Gladkov did not provide visual evidence for the use of the controversial and widely banned weapons, which contain dozens of small bomblets that scatter shrapnel over a wide area.
Kyiv last month began receiving cluster bombs from the US, but has pledged to use them only to dislodge groups of enemy soldiers. Ukrainian officials have regularly accused Moscow of firing cluster munitions at residential areas, while Russian regional authorities have reported on Ukrainian cross-border attacks in which civilians were hurt.
Ukraine’s air force, meanwhile, reported early on Saturday that two Iranian-made “Shahed” drones fired by Russian troops were shot down during the night over the country’s northeast.
In Ukraine’s front-line Kherson region in the south, local Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin reported that an 83-year-old woman died in the hospital after suffering burn wounds as Russian forces overnight shelled the riverside village of Olhivka. Also on Saturday, the Kherson regional administration reported that Russian shelling damaged a hospital in the province’s namesake capital, blowing out doors and windows but causing no casualties.
Shelling kills civilians in Ukraine’s northeast as fears grow of a second Russian takeover
https://arab.news/gyy6d
Shelling kills civilians in Ukraine’s northeast as fears grow of a second Russian takeover
- Fierce fighting there earlier this month prompted mandatory evacuations and fears of a second Russian takeover
- UK military intelligence on Saturday assessed that Russia may “increase the intensity of its offensive efforts” around Kupiansk
Republican veepstakes: who will complete the Trump ticket?
- All eyes are on White House hopeful Donald Trump as he considers potential running mates
- A shrewd vice presidential pick could help the Republican tycoon broaden his support base
WASHINGTON: It could be a loyal lieutenant, an ex-rival or perhaps a political newcomer, but one thing is certain: all eyes are on White House hopeful Donald Trump as he considers potential running mates.
A shrewd vice presidential pick could help the Republican tycoon broaden his support base, and a handful of names have emerged as most likely to appear at Trump’s side as he limbers for a second showdown with Joe Biden in November.
Here are the most commonly-cited runners and riders.
It is no secret that Trump likes what Scott’s profile says about the staunchly conservative, deeply religious African American US senator from South Carolina — and what it would say about the Republican ticket.
The former president is constantly praising the 50-year-old, his one-time rival for the Republican nomination, for his loyalty.
“You’re a much better candidate for me than you were for yourself,” Trump told Scott at a recent rally.
With Scott as his right-hand man, Trump would hope to make inroads with Black voters, who largely preferred Biden in 2020.
But detractors criticize the senator for lacking the presence required to assert himself, particularly during debates.
Stefanik, 39, was a considered a moderate when she entered Congress, but her lurch to the right during a meteoric rise to the Republican leadership can be explained in two words: Donald Trump.
The New York congresswoman has embraced all of the billionaire’s causes, winning his approval and appreciation in return.
A Trump campaign with Stefanik on the ticket could win back some of the women that have turned away from Trump since his 2016 victory.
But the fervent Trump loyalist could also turn off more moderate voters.
Vance hasn’t always been a fan of Trump, something the former president enjoys bringing up from time to time.
But count the 39-year-old former military officer out at your peril.
Known for a best-selling memoir on the travails of poor, white America, Vance entered politics relatively recently.
The first-term senator from Ohio has already made plenty of allies in Republican circles, not least because of his ability to raise large sums of money for his party.
In a country where election victories can cost billions of dollars, big fundraisers are rarely short of friends.
Trump and Marco Rubio have history.
The Florida senator was pitted against the real estate tycoon in the 2016 Republican primary, during which Rubio openly mocked his more popular rival over his complexion, and for having small hands.
But the former adversaries seem to have buried the hatchet.
Trump will weigh the potential for an electoral boost among Hispanic voters with the selection of the 52-year-old son of Cuban immigrants, who takes a keen interest in foreign policy.
A section of the hard right, however, has never forgiven Rubio for pushing immigration reforms more than 10 years ago that they saw as too liberal.
Trump’s last rival in the Republican primaries would be a surprising pick indeed. But a Vice President Nikki Haley isn’t out of the question.
The 52-year-old has yet to endorse the man who, during the final months of the primary campaign, referred to her as “birdbrain.”
But the former South Carolina governor is popular with the moderates and independents that Biden is keen to wrest from the Republicans — and that Trump would do well to court.
North Dakota governor Doug Burgum and Florida senator Rick Scott have also been mentioned as possibilities, although — as fellow rich, white men — they would offer little contrast from Trump.
Vivek Ramaswamy — the upstart newcomer who shook up the first Republican primary debate — is also on the fringes of the conversation, alongside Congressman Byron Donalds, another Floridian, and firebrand former TV presenter Kari Lake.
Long seen as a credible contender, South Dakota governor Kristi Noem has seen her political stock plummet since she recounted having shot dead a pet dog she was unable to bring to heel.
AFP reached out to the Trump team for a hint on the kind of candidate that might turn the candidate’s head. A campaign aide demurred.
“Anyone claiming to know who or when President Trump will choose his VP is lying, unless the person is named Donald J. Trump,” he said.
Chinese companies hit with US trade restrictions over spy balloon incident
- Sanctions show the Biden administration is continuing to punish Beijing over the spy balloon, which drifted over the US in February 2023
- The trade restriction list has been used aggressively by the US to stem the flow of technology to China amid concerns Beijing could use it to bolster its military capabilities
WASHINGTON: The Biden administration added 37 Chinese entities to a trade restriction list on Thursday, including some for allegedly supporting the spy balloon that flew over the United States last year, heightening tensions between Beijing and Washington.
The Commerce Department also said it was adding some units of China Electronics Technology Group to the list for allegedly trying to obtain American technology to support China’s quantum technology capabilities, “which has serious ramifications for US national security” due to their military applications.
Media have said state-owned China Electronics Technology Group is a top military equipment supplier.
China Electronics Technology Group could not immediately be reached for comment.
The Chinese embassy in Washington called the move “blatant economic coercion and bullying in the field of technology,” and said China would resolutely safeguard the lawful rights of Chinese firms and institutions.
The announcement shows the Biden administration is continuing to punish Beijing over the spy balloon, which drifted over the United States in February 2023, fueling political outrage in Washington and prompting Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a trip to China.
That month, the Commerce Department added five companies and one research institute to the entity list for supporting “China’s military modernization efforts, specifically the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) aerospace programs including airships and balloons.”
China’s foreign ministry had said it was a weather balloon that had blown off course and accused the United States of overreacting.
The trade restriction list, known as the entity list, has been used aggressively by the United States to stem the flow of technology to China amid concerns Beijing could use it to bolster its military capabilities.
Being added to the list makes it harder for US suppliers to ship to the targeted entities.
The Biden administration on Thursday also added a handful of Chinese entities to the list for trying to obtain American items for making drones to be used by the Chinese military and others for shipping controlled items to Russia.
Thwarted by US, Palestinians look to UN General Assembly
- Observers say a resolution at the UNGA calling for full UN membership of Palestinians is likely to win broad majority support
- To succeed, the initiative needs a Security Council green light and then a two-thirds majority vote in the General Assembly
UNITED NATIONS: After a US veto foiled the Palestinians’ drive for full UN membership, the General Assembly is expected on Friday to grant them some additional rights in the global body — a symbolic win that has already irked Israel.
With the war in Gaza raging, the Palestinians in April relaunched a request dating back to 2011 to become full members of the United Nations, where their current status is a “non-member observer state.”
To succeed, the initiative needed a Security Council green light and then a two-thirds majority vote in the General Assembly.
But the United States — one of five veto-holding members on the Security Council and Israel’s closest ally — blocked it on April 18.
Now the Palestinians are turning to the General Assembly, where diplomats and observers say a resolution calling for their full UN membership is likely to win broad majority support.
The draft resolution, introduced by the United Arab Emirates, says “the State of Palestine is qualified for membership in the United Nations in accordance with article 4 of the Charter and should therefore be admitted.”
It calls on the Security Council to “reconsider the matter favorably.”
That is unlikely to occur, as the United States opposes any recognition of statehood outside of a bilateral accord between the Palestinians and Israel, whose current right-wing government is adamantly opposed to a two-state solution.
“You could have a sort of diplomatic doom loop, with the Assembly repeatedly calling for the Council to grant Palestine membership and the US vetoing it,” said Richard Gowan, an analyst with the International Crisis Group.
The draft resolution nonetheless gives the Palestinians certain “additional rights and privileges” starting in the next session of the General Assembly, in September.
The text explicitly rules out letting them be chosen to sit on the Security Council or to vote in the General Assembly.
But it would let the Palestinians submit proposals and amendments directly, without having to go through another country, as is the case now.
It would also give them the right to be seated among member states in alphabetical order.
“When you build a building, you build it one brick at a time. If some think it’s symbolic, for us it’s important as we are moving forward toward our natural and legal right to be a full member of the UN,” Palestinian ambassador Riyad Mansour told reporters Thursday.
“The symbolism is what matters,” said Gowan. “This resolution is a very clear signal to Israel and the US that it is time to take Palestinian statehood seriously.”
Israel has criticized the initiative, with ambassador Gilad Erdan saying it will “grant the Palestinian Authority the rights of a state de facto” and violates the UN Charter by “bypassing the Security Council.”
The United States also expressed reservations.
“We’re concerned about the precedent it sets,” said deputy US ambassador Robert Wood.
An earlier draft of the resolution was more vague, granting “the State of Palestine the rights and privileges” necessary to take part in the work of the assembly “on equal footing with Members States” but without specifying what rights.
The new version is in line with the UN charter, said Samuel Zbogar, the ambassador of Slovenia, which currently sits on the Security Council.
“It makes clear what additional rights will Palestine get as observer but it doesn’t touch on those elements that belong only the members,” he added.
As Israel presses on with its war in Gaza against Hamas in response to the October 7 attack, the UN vote will allow the Palestinians to see which countries support them.
It may also show that — were it not for the US veto — the Palestinians would have enough votes in the assembly for full UN membership.
In December, 153 countries out of 193 backed a call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza war. Ten voted against, including the United States, while 23 abstained.
Chad’s military ruler declared winner of presidential election, while opposition disputes the result
Chad’s military ruler declared winner of presidential election, while opposition disputes the result
- Election body says Mahamat Deby Itno won with over 61 percent of the vote and runner-up Succès Masra got over 18.5 percent
- Deby Itno seized power after his father, who spent three decades in power, was killed fighting rebels in 2021
N’DJAMENA: Chad’s military leader, Mahamat Deby Itno, was declared the winner of this week’s presidential election, according to provisional results released Thursday. The results were contested by his main rival, Prime Minister Succès Masra.
The national agency that manages Chad’s election released results of Monday’s vote weeks earlier than planned. The figures showed Deby Itno won with just over 61 percent of the vote, with the runner-up Masra falling far behind with over 18.5 percent of the vote. Gunfire erupted in the capital following the announcement.
Preliminary results were initially expected on May 21.
Chad held its long delayed presidential election following three years of military rule, a vote that analysts widely expected the incumbent to win. Deby Itno, also known as Mahamat Idriss Deby, seized power after his father, who spent three decades in power, was killed fighting rebels in 2021.
The oil-exporting country of nearly 18 million people hasn’t had a free-and-fair transfer of power since it became independent in 1960 after decades of French colonial rule.
Hours ahead of Thursday’s announcement, Masra published a speech on Facebook accusing the authorities of planning to manipulate the outcome.
During the 11 minute speech, Masra appeared in a blue suit at a podium with the national flag in the background and claimed victory, saying the incumbent was planning to reverse the outcome of the vote. He called on Chad’s military, police and other security forces to stop following Deby Itno’s orders.
“These orders will lead you to side with the wrong side of Chad’s history, these orders will lead you to fight your brothers and sisters, these orders will lead you to commit the irreparable and unforgivable,” he said in the speech. “Refuse to obey these unjust orders!”
There was no immediate response from the president’s office.
Masra, president of The Transformers opposition party, fled Chad in October 2022. The country’s military government at the time suspended his party and six others in a clampdown on protests against Deby Itno’s decision to extend his time in power by two more years. More than 60 people were killed in the protests, which the government condemned as “an attempted coup.”
An agreement between the country’s minister of reconciliation and Masra’s political party late last year allowed the exiled politician and other opposition figures to return to Chad. He was later appointed prime minister.
Chad is seen by the US and France as one of the last remaining stable allies in the vast Sahel region following military coups in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger in recent years. The ruling juntas in all three nations have expelled French forces and turned to Russia’s mercenary units for security assistance instead.
Anti-aircraft units intercept drone south of Moscow, no damage or injuries, mayor says
Russian anti-aircraft units intercepted a drone south of Moscow and there were no injuries or damage from falling debris, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said early on Friday.
Sobyanin, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the drone, headed for Moscow, was downed in Podolsk district, just south of the capital. Emergency crews and specialists were on the scene.
The governor of Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, said anti-aircraft units had downed three Ukrainian drones overnight with no damage or injuries.
And in Belgorod region, also on the border, two Ukrainian drones were downed, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on oil processing facilities in different regions of Russia since the start of the year, disrupting 15 percent of Russia’s oil refining capacity, according to an estimate by a NATO official at the beginning of April.
One such strike on Thursday hit a major oil processing plant in Bashkortostan region some 1,500 km (930 miles) away, a Kyiv intelligence source said, the longest-range such attack since the start of the war in February 2022.
Drone attacks targeting Moscow are rarer occurrences.
