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☆ Russia's defense ministry is now helmed by an economist, showing Putin's 'nerds' are performing better than his 'jocks': analyst
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin's top economic officials are outshining those in his military, wrote an analyst. In contrast, Russia and Ukraine are fighting a war of attrition when Putin had expected a quick victory. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementRussia's President Vladimir Putin on Sunday appointed Andrei Belousov, a civilian economist with no military experience, as the country's defence minister. It shows Russia's wartime economy is here to stay and that Putin expects the country's military-industrial complex to be a key pillar of the economy.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, Andrei Belousov, brawns Organizations: Service, Sunday Locations: Ukraine, Russia

☆ War, reforms and a possible successor? Here's what we could see from 6 more years of Putin
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Analysts share their views on what we can expect now that Putin has strengthened his grip on power, with the Ukraine war, domestic economic reforms and a possible government reshuffle key factors to watch. Having cleared more of a procedural hurdle than a real test of his policies and popularity in the election, Putin will have more freedom to advance contentious reforms at home, analysts note. Russian President Vladimir Putin delivering an annual address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, at Moscow's Gostiny Dvor, in Moscow on Feb. 29, 2024. MOSCOW, RUSSIA - JANUARY 8: (RUSSIA OUT) A woman eats hot corn while walking along the Red Square near the Kremlin, as air temperatures dropped to -18 degrees Celcius, January,8 2024, in Moscow, Russia. However, with the dynamics of the war now shifting in Russia's favor, Putin might feel more confident with the reshuffle.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Natalia Kolesnikova, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, embolden Putin, Liam Peach, Jose Colon, Anton Siluanov, Tursa, Adeline Van Houtte, Donald Trump, Dmitry Peskov, Peach, he's, Sergei Shoigu, Sergei Lavrov, Mikhail Mishustin, Dmitry Medvedev, Gavriil Organizations: Afp, Getty, Kremlin, Commission, Analysts, U.S, Capital Economics, Anadolu, Anadolu Agency, Economist Intelligence Unit, Federal Assembly, Russian Federation, New, Putin, Security Council, Sputnik Locations: Crimea, Red, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Central, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, Eastern Europe, Europe, U.S, Russia's, MOSCOW, RUSSIA

☆ S.Korea Defence Minister Heads to Middle East for Talks, Arms Expo
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's defence minister Shin Won-sik departs on Thursday for a seven-day trip to the Middle East to hold ministerial talks and attend an arms exhibition in Saudi Arabia, the ministry said. He will also travel to Saudi Arabia on Saturday for the World Defense Show in Riyadh before heading to Qatar to meet Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah, the country's defence minister. South Korea has emerged in recent years as one of the world's biggest arms exporters with sales jumping to $17 billion in 2022 from $7.25 billion the year before, data from the defence ministry showed. The country's arms exports to the Middle East grew nearly tenfold between 2013 and 2022, according to the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 ImagesExperts say arms sales have been buoyed by South Korea's price competitiveness and ability to ensure speedy delivery.

Persons: Shin Won, sik, Shin, Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah, Hyunsu Yim, Ed Davies Organizations: United Arab Emirates, South, Akh Unit, World Defense, Korea Chamber of Commerce, Industry Locations: SEOUL, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Qatar, Korea, Israel, Gaza

☆ North Korea notifies Japan of satellite launch plan between Nov 22 and Dec 1
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Chang-Ran Kim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TOKYO, Nov 21 (Reuters) - North Korea has notified Japan it plans to launch a rocket carrying a space satellite between Nov. 22 and Dec. 1 in the direction of the Yellow Sea and East China Sea, Japan's Coast Guard said on Tuesday. If carried out, it would likely mark a third attempt by the nuclear-armed state this year to put a spy satellite into orbit. Japan will work with the United States, South Korea and others to "strongly urge" North Korea not to go ahead with the launch, Kishida said. North Korea has not made a formal announcement of the plan on official media. The North considers its space and military rocket programmes a sovereign right, and analysts say spy satellites are crucial to improving the effectiveness of its weapons.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Kishida, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, military's Vandenberg, Chang, Ran Kim, Jack Kim, Christina Fincher, David Gregorio, Sandra Maler Organizations: Japan's Coast Guard, Aegis, United Nations, South, Japan, International Maritime Organization, North, U.S, SpaceX, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, North Korea, Japan, East China, United States, South Korea, Pyongyang, Korea, Tokyo, Seoul

TOKYO, Nov 10 (Reuters) - The U.S. military's top general expressed optimism on Friday for a potential improvement in military-to-military ties with China and sent an introductory letter to his Chinese counterpart saying he was open to meeting. Air Force General Charles Q. But China's General Liu Zhenli is the Chief of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the military body responsible for China's combat operations and planning. Brown said he sent a standard introductory letter that explained, "I'm in the position and willing to open a line of communication." "I also believe that taking Taiwan by force and doing a major amphibious operation is not an easy feat."

Persons: Charles Q, Brown, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Xi, Liu Zhenli, William Burns, People's, Liu, General Li Shangfu, Li, Nancy Pelosi, Phil Stewart, Gerry Doyle, Jon Boyle Organizations: Air Force, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Pentagon, Joint Staff Department of, Central Military Commission, Beijing, U.S, CIA, U.S . Air Force, People's Liberation Army, PLA, People's Liberation Army Air, Reuters, Russia, ., CMC, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, China, Taiwan, Japan, U.S, Beijing, Tokyo, TAIWAN Washington, South China, Asia, Pacific, Seoul, Taipei

☆ North Korea Protests to US Over Minuteman III Missile Test
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Hyunsu YimSEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea vowed to continue military action while criticizing the United States over a recent intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test, state media KCNA said on Friday. A South Korean delegation visited the base and observed the ICBM launch in the first such a visit since 2016, according to the country's defence ministry. The article also criticized military moves by the U.S. and South Korea including the deployment of what it described as U.S. nuclear strategic bombers in South Korea. The U.S. and South Korea also held major air exercises involving 130 warplanes from both countries to simulate 24-hour wartime operations last month. North Korea has routinely denounced joint military exercises by Seoul and Washington as rehearsals for war.

Persons: Hyunsu Yim, KCNA Organizations: Democratic People's, Vandenberg Space Force, U.S . Air Force, U.S Locations: Hyunsu Yim SEOUL, North Korea, United States, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, California, Korean, South Korea, Japan, U.S, Seoul, Washington, Korea

☆ China and Russia take aim at US at Chinese military forum
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Yew Lun Tian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BEIJING, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Chinese and Russian military chiefs targeted the United States for criticism at a security forum in Beijing on Monday, even as China's second-most-senior military commander vowed to boost defence ties with Washington. Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu warned the West that its involvement in the Ukraine war created grave danger. China's defence minister delivered the keynote speech in previous years. China and the U.S. have had no high-level military-to-military communications since the Washington-sanctioned former Chinese defence minister, Li Shangfu, was appointed in March. It is not yet known whether the U.S. team will meet separately with Chinese military officials.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Zhang Youxia, Xi Jinping, Zhang, Li Shangfu, Li, Cynthia Xanthi, Joe Biden, Wang Yi, Biden, Yew Lun Tian, Lidia Kelly, Laurie Chen, Greg Torode, Gerry Doyle, Tom Hogue Organizations: Washington, Beijing Xiangshan, Russia's, TASS, China's, Military Commission, Communist, U.S, Reuters, Defense, U.S ., Thomson Locations: BEIJING, United States, Beijing, Ukraine, Russia, China, Taiwan, South China, Washington, U.S, Cynthia Xanthi Carras, Singapore, Laos, Mongolia, Belarus, East Timor, Myanmar, Sydney

☆ Exclusive: Combat veteran is likely replacement for China's missing defence minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

China's defence ministry and State Council information office did not respond to requests for comment. If his departure is confirmed, Li will be the second senior minister to lose his job in recent months. Qin Gang was removed as foreign minister in July, one month after he was last seen in public. U.S. defence officials have long wanted to reestablish routine communications with counterparts directly involved in command decisions. Qin was made foreign minister in Dec. 2022 and Li became defence minister in March.

Persons: Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Liu Zhenli, Liu, Li Shangfu, Li, Qin Gang, Qin, Nancy Pelosi, Xi Jinping, Xi, James Char, Lloyd Austin, Alexander Neill, Willy Lam, Chang Dingqiu, Katerina Ang, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Political Consultative, REUTERS, Rights, Defence, Reuters, Russia, Joint Staff Department of, Central Military Commission, State, U.S . Department of Defense, ., CMC, Xiangshan, National, Committee, Communist Party's, U.S, Pentagon, People's, Army, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, Washington, PUBLIC, National Defence, Joint Staff Department, Pacific Forum, Jamestown Foundation, Xinhua, Air Force, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, United States, U.S, Taipei, ., Singapore, Honolulu, Vietnam

☆ Slovakia's Fico strikes deal on coalition after election win
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Jan Lopatka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A Fico-led government would move Slovakia closer to Hungary at a time when the European Union and other Western countries have tried to keep unity on support for Ukraine. The memorandum did not specify any foreign policy details. He has not been specific on commercial supplies from the country's defence industry which include ammunition and heavy equipment makers. Prior to the election, also said he wanted to re-negotiate a defence cooperation treaty with Washington. Reporting by Jan Lopatka and Jason Hovet in Prague; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Robert Fico, Zuzana Caputova, Radovan Stoklasa, Fico, Viktor Orban, Jan Lopatka, Jason Hovet, Emelia Sithole Organizations: REUTERS, EU's, Ukraine Coalition, Ukraine, Democracy, European Union, Justice, SNS, NATO, Washington, EU, Hungarian, Diplomats, Thomson Locations: Bratislava, Slovakia, Ukraine, Russia, Hungary, Slovak Republic, Prague

☆ UK Aims to Offer Military Training Inside Ukraine, Minister Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

To date, Britain and its allies have avoided a formal military presence in Ukraine to reduce the risk of a direct conflict with Russia. Britain has provided five-week military training courses to around 20,000 Ukrainians over the past year, and intends to train a similar number going forward. In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph newspaper, Shapps said there was scope to offer military training within Ukraine after a discussion on Friday with British military chiefs. Shapps added that he hoped British defence companies such as BAE Systems would proceed with plans to set up arms factories in Ukraine. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made Shapps defence minister on Sept. 1, after the resignation of his predecessor Ben Wallace.

Persons: Grant Shapps, Shapps, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Rishi Sunak, Ben Wallace, David Milliken, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Sunday Telegraph, BAE Systems, Ukraine's, Russia Locations: Ukraine, Britain, Russia, British

☆ UK aims to offer military training inside Ukraine, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomes British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps before a meeting, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, in this handout picture released September 28, 2023. Britain has provided five-week military training courses to around 20,000 Ukrainians over the past year, and intends to train a similar number going forward. In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph newspaper, Shapps said there was scope to offer military training within Ukraine after a discussion on Friday with British military chiefs. Shapps added that he hoped British defence companies such as BAE Systems (BAES.L) would proceed with plans to set up arms factories in Ukraine. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made Shapps defence minister on Sept. 1, after the resignation of his predecessor Ben Wallace.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Grant Shapps, Shapps, Rishi Sunak, Ben Wallace, David Milliken, Daniel Wallis Organizations: British, Presidential Press Service, REUTERS, Sunday Telegraph, BAE Systems, Ukraine's, Russia, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Britain, Russia, British

☆ Austria taps Embraer's C-390 aircraft to replace retiring C-130 fleet
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsVIENNA/SAO PAULO, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Austria plans to replace its retiring C-130 Hercules fleet with Embraer's (EMBR3.SA) C-390 Millenium military transport aircraft, the country's Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner said on Wednesday. Austria is aiming to buy about four aircrafts and is negotiating with the Netherlands on a potential joint order, Tanner told a news conference. Aside from an order for 19 C-390 aircrafts from the Brazilian Air Force, Portugal has ordered five and Hungary has requested two. Analysts at JPMorgan calculated that including the prospective orders from Austria and The Netherlands, the aircraft's potential lifetime sales stand at 35 units, 28 of which are still to be delivered. Shares in Embraer rose 2.85% in early trading on the Brazilian stock exchange, outperforming the Bovespa stock index (.BVSP), which rose 0.8%.

Persons: Klaudia Tanner, Johanna Geron, Tanner, JPMorgan, Francois Murphy, Peter Frontini, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Austria's Defence, Foreign Affairs, Defence, REUTERS, Rights, SAO PAULO, country's Defence, Embraer, Brazilian Air Force, KC, JPMorgan, Sao Paulo, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Brussels, Belgium, Rights VIENNA, Austria, Netherlands, Portugal, Hungary, Czech Republic, South Korea, India, Sweden, The Netherlands, Vienna, Sao

☆ North Korea leader Kim Jong Un gives field guidance at major arms factories
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Jack Kim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives field guidance at a major weapon factory in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on August 6, 2023. KCNA via REUTERSSEOUL, Aug 6 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gave field guidance at major weapons factories between Thursday and Saturday including production lines of engines for strategic cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, KCNA state news agency said on Sunday. Kim also inspected factories producing shells for super large-calibre multiple rocket launchers and transporter-erector-launchers, which are normally used to fire ballistic missiles, KCNA reported. North Korea has tested rocket launchers for larger calibre shells, advanced cruise missiles and, last month, its newest ballistic missiles including solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Both Russia and North Korea have denied those claims.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Kim, KCNA, Kim's, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Jack Kim, Jonathan Oatis, Daniel Wallis Organizations: North, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS, Russia's, United, Russian, Wagner, Thomson Locations: REUTERS SEOUL, North Korea, Beijing, Moscow, United States, Russia, Ukraine

New Zealand's Defence Minister Andrew Little poses for a picture in Wellington, New Zealand, March 30, 2023. Launching the country's first national security strategy, Defence Minister Andrew Little said New Zealand faced more geostrategic challenges than it had in decades. The inaugural security strategy underscores how China's rise is upending old norms and behaviours even 9,000 kilometres (5,592 miles) away in Wellington. Chinese state-sponsored actors had exploited cyber vulnerabilities in ways that undermined New Zealand's security, said another document that did not provide further details. "The changes in the domestic and international security environment mean our response and preparedness must change too," Little said.

Persons: Andrew Little, Lucy Craymer, Little, Kevin Short, Lewis Jackson, Simon Cameron, Moore, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Zealand's, REUTERS, Defence, Zealand, New, Labour, New Zealand Defence Force, Thomson Locations: Wellington , New Zealand, New Zealand, Wellington, China, New, Australia, U.S, Vietnam

☆ Russia launches criminal probe into death of journalist in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The committee said on its website that "armed Ukrainian formations targeted and deliberately fired at a group of Russian journalists" working near Pyatikhatka, in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia region. It did not specify the type of weapons or munitions used, but said Rostislav Zhuravlev, a journalist for RIA state news agency, was killed. It said his RIA colleague and journalist Konstantin Mikhalchevsky, and two employees of Izvestia newspaper, Roman Polshakov and Dmitry Shikov, were injured. Ukraine, which received supplies of cluster munitions from the United States this month, has vowed to use them only to dislodge concentrations of enemy soldiers. Both sides have used cluster munitions during Russia's 17-month invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: Rostislav Zhuravlev, Konstantin Mikhalchevsky, Polshakov, Dmitry Shikov, Zhuravlev, Elaine Monaghan, Chris Reese Organizations: Russia's, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Pyatikhatka, Ukraine's, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, United States

☆ North Korea threatens nuclear retaliation over US displays of military force
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] U.S. and North Korean national flags are seen at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore June 12, 2018. The comments raise the stakes as each side steps up displays of military force in a standoff over the isolated country's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes. The KCNA report came after a U.S. soldier crossed the border into North Korea on Tuesday at a time of heightened tension between the two Koreas and the United States. North Korea has yet to comment on the incident involving the U.S. soldier. Last year, the reclusive state codified a new, expansive nuclear law declaring its status as a nuclear-armed state "irreversible".

Persons: Jonathan Ernst, Kang Sun Nam, Ankit, Panda, Hyunsu Yim, Josh Smith, Bernadette Baum, Mike Harrison, Tom Hogue Organizations: North Korean, Capella, REUTERS, U.S, Nuclear Consultative, DPRK, Democratic People's, South Korea's Ministry of National Defense, USS, Korean, U.S ., Carnegie Endowment, International, South, Thomson Locations: Sentosa, Singapore, SEOUL, North Korea, South Korea, United States, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Ohio, Busan, USS Kentucky, Korea, U.S, Washington

"Today there are security guarantees for Ukraine on the way to NATO," he said. "The Ukraine delegation is bringing home a significant security victory for Ukraine." Speaking earlier alongside Zelenskiy, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine was closer to the alliance than ever before, and brushed aside new warnings from Russia about the consequences of supporting Ukraine. The security assurances for Ukraine had to be "credible", he said, in order to deter Russia from future attacks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was "potentially very dangerous" for the West to give Ukraine security guarantees.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Joe Biden, we're, Biden, Zelenskiy, Jens Stoltenberg, Rishi Sunak, Yves Herman, Stoltenberg, Dmitry Peskov, Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin, John Irish, Steve Holland, Justyna Pawlak, Sabine Siebold, Andrew Gray, Max Hunder, Gabriela Baczynska, Matthias Williams, Alex Richardson, William Maclean Organizations: Ukraine Ukrainian, Ukraine, NATO, Kyiv, U.S, British, REUTERS, Zelenskiy, Twitter, Thomson Locations: United States, Ukraine, U.S, VILNIUS, Russia, Russian, Germany, Japan, France, Canada, Italy, Britain, Zelenskiy, Vilnius, Lithuania, Budapest, Moscow, Netherlands, NATO, Kyiv, Soviet Union, Washington, Berlin, Europe

☆ France conducts maiden test of hypersonic glider
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The agency said a sounding rocket carrying a VMAX hypersonic glider launched on Monday from the Biscarosse missile test site on the Bay of Biscay, southwestern France. In 2019, France contracted aerospace company ArianeGroup to manage the VMAX program, aimed at developing a hypersonic glider demonstrator. Hypersonic gliders — unpowered, manoeuvring vehicles flying at speeds greater than Mach 5 (6,000km/h) — have been under study by major nuclear powers for several years. Hypersonic gliders are being designed to carry a nuclear or conventional warhead. Unlike ballistic missiles whose trajectories are fixed at launch, hypersonic gliders can change direction at high speed.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Stephanie, Read, Dominique Vidalon, Richard Lough, Christina Fincher Organizations: EU, International Paris Air, des, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, PARIS, Biscay

☆ Putin expresses confidence on Ukraine in interview recorded before revolt
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 25 (Reuters) - Russian state television on Sunday showed Russian President Vladimir Putin expressing confidence in plans for Ukraine in an interview that appeared to have been recorded before Saturday's aborted revolt by the Wagner group of mercenaries. "This also applies to the country's defence, it applies to the special military operation, it applies to the economy as a whole and its individual areas." The comments in an interview with Kremlin correspondent Pavel Zarubin were broadcast by Rossiya state television. The short report did not mention Saturday's revolt, in which Wagner mercenaries took a southern city before heading toward Moscow. Asked in the interview how much time he dedicates to what Russia calls its special military operation, Putin said: "Of course, this is paramount, every day starts and ends with this."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Saturday's, Wagner, Putin, Pavel Zarubin, Zarubin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Marrow, Maxim Rodionov, Conor Humphries, David Goodman, Frances Kerry Organizations: Kremlin, Defence Ministry, Russia, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Moscow

The Hiroshima summit comes as G7 members are faced with the immense challenges posed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and tensions with China. The G7 nations are looking to "de-risk, not decouple" from China, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters in Hiroshima. In a draft of the final communique seen by Reuters, G7 leaders agreed that China's status as the world's second-largest economy meant they had to continue to cooperate. U.S. President Joe Biden told G7 leaders on Friday that Washington supports joint allied training programmes for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, in a significant endorsement for Kyiv. Reporting by Reuters G7 team in Hiroshima; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ G-7 aims to rein in risks from China, awaits Zelenskyy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to arrive in Hiroshima on Saturday to drum up support for his country's defence effort. The G7 nations are looking to "de-risk, not decouple" from China, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters in Hiroshima. In a draft of the final communique seen by Reuters, G7 leaders agreed that China's status as the world's second-largest economy meant they had to continue to cooperate. "We do not seek to thwart China's economic progress and development," the leaders said in the draft, which is subject to change. China has voiced concern that the summit would turn into a "political show" against Beijing.

The seizure was to "thwart the activity" of Islamic State and "impair its ability to further its goals," the NBCTF said on its website. The NBCTF document, which has not been previously reported, did not give any details on the value of the crypto seized, nor how the accounts were connected to Islamic State. Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange by trading volumes, did not respond to Reuters' calls and emails seeking comment. The U.S. Treasury said in a report last year that Islamic State had received crypto donations it later converted to cash, accessing funds via crypto trading platforms. The owner of the two Islamic State-linked Binance accounts seized by Israel was a 28-year old Palestinian called Osama Abuobayda, the NBCTF document shows.

☆ Denmark to make $250 mln donation to Ukraine for military use
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

COPENHAGEN, May 2 (Reuters) - Denmark will donate military equipment and financial support to Ukraine worth 1.7 billion Danish crowns ($250 million), the Nordic country's Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on Tuesday. The minister also said Denmark will reduce its military presence in Iraq starting in early-2024 and instead focus on the Baltic countries, offering NATO a battalion to defend the region. The rest of the year, the troops will remain in Denmark, ready to be deployed to the Baltic states in case of a crisis, the ministry of defence said. "We must be prepared for the Danish presence in the Baltics to be long-term, and there is a need for balancing between having soldiers on the ground and being ready to deploy them from Denmark," Poulsen said. ($1 = 6.8051 Danish crowns)Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen, editing by Terje SolsvikOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine servicemen accused of treason over unauthorised mission
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, April 20 (Reuters) - A number of Ukrainian servicemen have been accused of treason for giving away information during an unauthorised mission that enabled Russia to attack a military airfield, Ukraine's SBU security agency said on Thursday. The SBU said in a statement that the servicemen had attempted, "without coordination with the relevant state authorities", to seize a Russian plane last July after its pilot said he would defect. The SBU did not say how many service personnel were involved, or identify them, but said they were accused of treason and abuse of their position. "These actions of individual servicemen, which led to serious consequences, death and injury of Ukraine's defenders and harmed the country's defence capabilities, require an appropriate legal assessment." Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February last year, did not comment on the SBU statement.

☆ Philippines tells China sites for U.S. military pact not for 'offensive action'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MANILA, April 10 (Reuters) - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr assured China on Monday that military bases accessible to the United States would not be used in any offensive action, stressing the arrangement with Washington was designed to boost his country's defences. China's foreign ministry last week said the United States strengthening military deployment in the Philippines would only lead to more tension in the region, after Manila allowed Washington access to more of its bases. "The Philippines will not allow the bases to be used in any offensive action," he said. The Philippines identified last week four more of its bases the United States will get access to, almost doubling the number included in its Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). Marcos' remarks also come ahead of the largest ever joint military exercises between the Philippines and the United States, which will feature for the first time live fire exercises at sea.

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