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Your Friday Briefing: Global Diplomacy in Brussels
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Good morning. We’re masking world summits about Ukraine, a North Korean missile check and a change in Australia’s refugee coverage.
Biden’s robust diplomatic strikes
After a day of intense world diplomacy in Brussels, President Biden mentioned Russia ought to be faraway from the Group of 20 nations. If the opposite member nations don’t conform to the expulsion, he mentioned, then Ukraine ought to be allowed to take part.
Between back-to-back summits with NATO, the Group of seven and the European Union, Biden additionally pledged to soak up 100,000 refugees from Ukraine and donate $1 billion to assist European nations deal with the surge of displaced Ukrainians.
Greater than three million folks have left Ukraine, and a U.N. company estimates that the struggle has pushed greater than half the nation’s youngsters from their properties.
Financial system: The U.S. hit Russia with extra sanctions, concentrating on greater than 300 members of its Parliament and dozens of protection corporations, together with new sanctions from Britain. Russia partly reopened its inventory market after practically a month.
North Korea checks an ICBM
North Korea carried out its boldest weapons check in years and its first intercontinental ballistic missile firing since 2017. The missile on Thursday gave the impression to be the North’s strongest ICBM so far, South Korean officers mentioned.
Coming simply earlier than a NATO assembly over the struggle in Ukraine, the check drastically escalated tensions with the Biden administration. The U.S., Japan and South Korea shortly condemned the launch, which spurred tit-for-tat missile launches by South Korea.
Launch: The missile flew at an especially steep angle, reaching an altitude of 6,000 kilometers — far greater than in previous checks — and masking 1,099 kilometers earlier than it crashed into waters west of Japan 71 minutes after liftoff, Japanese officers mentioned. Questions stay about whether or not the North might hit one other continent.
Background: Right here’s a glance contained in the nation’s arsenal.
Politics: The check comes lower than three weeks after the South elected a president who promised a more durable stance on the North.
New Zealand resettles offshore refugees
After refusing for years, Australia will permit some refugees at present or beforehand held in its broadly criticized offshore detention facilities to resettle in New Zealand.
Australia’s authorities has lengthy steered that the association might encourage extra folks to make harmful sea crossings to attempt to ultimately enter Australia — maybe via New Zealand, the place all refugees are placed on a path to citizenship.
It was not instantly clear why Australia modified its thoughts. One refugee coordinator steered that the size and value of the detentions had turn into burdensome.
Background: New Zealand first supplied the association in 2013, after Australia started holding these arriving by boat on islands, pledging to forestall them from ever settling within the nation.
Particulars: New Zealand will soak up 150 refugees a yr for 3 years, as a part of its whole annual refugee quota of 1,500 folks.
Facilities: Australia has detained greater than 3,000 refugees and asylum seekers on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea and Nauru, a Pacific island nation, the place about 112 folks stay. Human rights teams have deemed the detentions a violation of worldwide legislation, citing the merciless situations wherein the refugees stay.
THE LATEST NEWS
Asia and the Pacific
Alongside a lonely stretch of what was as soon as essentially the most harmful highway in Afghanistan, everybody slows down once they attain Hafiz Qadim’s mud-brick store. It’s not the meals. Or the gasoline. It’s the bomb crater in the midst of the highway, which makes for a handy pit cease.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Key Developments
ARTS AND IDEAS
A movie for boy band followers
“Turning Crimson,” Pixar’s newest coming-of-age movie, follows Meilin Lee, a Chinese language Canadian teenager who transforms into a large pink panda at any time when she feels an intense emotion — a metaphor for the rising pains of puberty.
The pink panda signifies Mei’s journey from a dutiful daughter of Asian immigrants to a younger lady bursting with messy emotions and difficult her household’s expectations. The most important set off of Mei’s panda, to her mom’s dismay, is her ardour for 4*City, a boy band that resembles *NSYNC and BTS. “It’s a aspect of stripling women that you simply by no means get to see,” the movie’s director, Domee Shi, informed The Instances. “We’re simply as awkward and sweaty and lusty and excited as any boy.”
Former and present boy-band followers will see themselves in scenes just like the one wherein Mei introduces every 4*City member with a selected truth (“Tae Younger fosters injured doves!”) or when Mei and her buddies report movies of themselves dancing to the band’s hits (together with “No one Like U,” written by Billie Eilish and Finneas).
Along with her buddies’ assist, Mei learns to regulate her pink panda, even harnessing it to boost cash to see 4*City carry out. They may stroll into that live performance as women, Mei says, and are available out as ladies.
— Ashley Wu, graphics editor
PLAY, WATCH, EAT
What to Prepare dinner
That’s it for right this moment’s briefing. See you subsequent time. — Amelia
P.S. David Wallace-Wells can be becoming a member of The Instances Journal and Instances Opinion, the place he’ll write a weekly e-newsletter masking local weather change, know-how and the way forward for the planet.
The newest episode of “The Each day” is on Russia’s strategy in Ukraine.
You may attain Amelia and the crew at briefing@nytimes.com.
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World
Ex-Kansas Police Chief Will Face Criminal Charge After 2023 Newspaper Raid
World
Ukraine breaches Russian border near major gas transmission hub, defense officials say
![Ukraine breaches Russian border near major gas transmission hub, defense officials say Ukraine breaches Russian border near major gas transmission hub, defense officials say](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/08/Russia-4.png)
- Russian defense officials have reported battles with Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region, marking one of the largest incursions into Russian territory since the war began.
- Ukrainian forces launched a counterattack on Tuesday, with battles continuing into Wednesday near the border town of Sudzha.
- President Vladimir Putin described the Kursk attack as a “major provocation” by the Kyiv regime during a meeting with the Russian government.
Russia said on Wednesday that it was fighting intense battles against Ukrainian forces which had penetrated the Kursk region near a major natural gas transmission hub in one of the largest incursions into Russia since the war began in February 2022.
Russia has advanced this year after the failure of Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive to achieve any major gains, and has taken 162 sq miles of territory from Ukrainian forces since June 14, Russian officials said.
Ukraine struck back on Tuesday – and the battles continued through the night into Wednesday as Ukrainian forces pushed to the northwest of the border town of Sudzha, 330 miles southwest of Moscow, Russia’s defense ministry said.
KYIV’S FORCES ARE UP AGAINST A CONCERTED RUSSIAN PUSH IN EASTERN UKRAINE, A MILITARY OFFICIAL SAYS
“The Kyiv regime has launched another major provocation,” President Vladimir Putin told members of the Russian government about the Kursk attack.
A damaged house is seen following what authorities called a Ukrainian military strike in the town of Sudzha in the Kursk Region, Russia, in this handout image released on Aug. 6, 2024. (Acting Governor of Kursk Region Alexei Smirnov via Telegram/Handout via REUTERS)
Sudzha is the last operational trans-shipping point for Russian natural gas to Europe via Ukraine: the Urengoy–Pomary–Uzhhorod pipeline carried about 14.65 billion cubic meters of gas in 2023, or about half of Russia’s natural gas exports to Europe.
Ukraine’s gas transmission operator said Russian natural gas was transiting to European consumers normally. Just 60 km away to the northeast is Russia’s Kursk nuclear power station.
The battles around Sudzha come at a crucial juncture in the conflict, the biggest land war in Europe since World War Two. Ukraine is losing territory and Kyiv is deeply concerned that U.S. support could drop off if Donald Trump wins the November election in the United States.
![Damaged house](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/08/1200/675/Russia-5.png?ve=1&tl=1)
A damaged house is seen following what authorities called a Ukrainian military strike in the town of Sudzha in the Kursk Region, Russia, in this handout image released on Aug. 6, 2024. (Acting Governor of Kursk Region Alexei Smirnov via Telegram/Handout via REUTERS)
Trump has said he would end the war, so both Russia and Ukraine are keen to gain the strongest possible bargaining position on the battlefield while pinning down Russian forces and showing the West that it can still mount major battles.
KURSK BATTLES
Russian military bloggers reported intense battles, with some suggesting that Ukraine had opened a new front. Ukraine has not commented on the battles. Russia sent reserves to help shore up Russian defenses.
The chief of Russia’s general staff, Valery Gerasimov, told Putin that Russian forces were battling Ukrainian forces near the border and that Russia would push them back to the border.
Russia’s defense ministry said it had already destroyed 50 armored vehicles, including seven tanks, eight armored personnel carriers, three infantry fighting vehicles and 31 armored combat vehicles in the area.
![Putin](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/08/1200/675/Putin-5.png?ve=1&tl=1)
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with Russian Government members at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence, on Aug. 7, 2024. Russia said on Wednesday that it was fighting intense battles against Ukrainian forces which had penetrated the Kursk region near a major natural gas transmission hub in one of the largest incursions into Russia since the war began in February 2022. (SERGEI BOBYLYOV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Putin said Ukrainian forces were firing “indiscriminately” at a range of civilian targets in the region, and said that he would shortly have a meeting with top defense ministry and Federal Security Service officials.
Both Kyiv and Moscow say they do not target civilians in the war, triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly two and a half years ago.
Russian Telegram channels carried unverified footage of shelled houses. Alexei Smirnov, the acting governor of the Kursk region, said there were casualties but gave no exact toll, and called on citizens to donate blood.
Forces describing themselves as voluntary paramilitaries fighting on Ukraine’s side penetrated parts of Belgorod and Kursk regions this year, triggering a major push by Russian troops to carve out a buffer zone in Ukraine’s northeast.
World
Ex-Catalan leader Puigdemont headed back to Spain despite fear of arrest
![Ex-Catalan leader Puigdemont headed back to Spain despite fear of arrest Ex-Catalan leader Puigdemont headed back to Spain despite fear of arrest](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/AP24220352751013-1723034414.jpg?resize=1200%2C630)
Spain’s governing coalition could be at risk if separatist is arrested on return from seven-year exile.
Catalan separatist Carles Puigdemont has announced he is headed back to Spain following seven years in self-imposed exile.
The former leader of the Catalonia region said on Wednesday that he is set to travel to the country. Police have said they are ready to arrest him, which would threaten to spur fresh unrest in Catalonia and potentially destabilise the governing coalition in Madrid.
The 61-year-old Puigdemont, who has been living in Belgium, did not say in his announcement when or how he would arrive in Spain. He faces several charges linked to his role in the region’s 2017 independence bid, which included the organisation of an illegal referendum.
“I have started the return trip from exile,” he said in a video posted on X, adding that he intended to attend Thursday’s parliamentary session in Barcelona at which Socialist Salvador Illa is due to be appointed as the new Catalan president. That will end more than 10 years of separatist governments in the northeastern Spanish region.
The event is likely to attract a significant number of supporters for the hardline separatist.
Although Puigdemont did not disclose how he would travel or where he would enter Spain, Catalonia’s regional police said they intend to obey court orders to arrest him if he appears.
Puigdemont said he recognised that he “cannot attend freely” the scheduled parliamentary session and accused authorities of “a long persecution”.
“This challenge must be answered and confronted,” he said.
Fresh turmoil
Puigdemont’s potential arrest and imprisonment threatens to unleash fresh turmoil in Catalonia.
It could also destabilise the fragile Socialist-led coalition ruling Spain, which relies on Puigdemont’s hardline Junts party to pass legislation.
As a condition set by Junts for its legislative support for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government, Spain’s parliament in May approved an amnesty law aimed at allowing Puigdemont’s return from Belgium by cancelling legal proceedings against hundreds of separatists.
However, the Spainish Supreme Court said last month that amnesty should not apply to a charge of embezzlement against Puigdemont, and upheld the arrest warrant against him.
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