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Biden approves more military aid as Zelensky visits Washington

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US President Joe Biden pledged to his visiting Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to offer military aid, mentioning in particular the Patriot surface-to-air missile battery he just approved for Ukraine in a new tranche of security assistance totaling $1.85 billion.

The weapons package approved by Biden, according to a list from the Pentagon, also included “precision aerial munitions”, which it didn’t explain in detail regarding the type and quantity, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to US media reports, they might be the so-called “Joint Direct Attack Munitions,” which would transform the unguided “dumb” bombs into “smart” bombs by the addition of fins and a precision guidance system.

Arriving in the US Wednesday for a visit, his first trip abroad since Russia launched its ongoing invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Zelensky told Biden he wished to “come earlier” but was unable to because of the once difficult situation in his war-torn nation that has now been under control.

Although Zelensky was effusive in his praise for Biden, he didn’t mince words when it came to the Patriot battery — the most advanced weapon system the US has offered and something Zelensky has long asked for.

He told his counterpart that just one such item is not enough for Ukraine.

“We would like to get more Patriots,” Zelensky said to laughter from Biden, who stood next to him during a joint press conference held after their bilateral meeting.

Biden stressed that the US is committed to ensuring that Ukraine continues to have the ability to defend itself “as long as it takes” during the press conference.

Zelensky told reporters that he floated to Biden the idea of a “global formula for a peace summit” and offered “very specific steps what America can do to help us implement them”. He didn’t elaborate further.

The Ukrainian leader said later while delivering a speech at a joint session of Congress that the peace plan he proposed contains “10 points”, that the summit “can be held”, and that “President Biden supported our peace initiative today”.

However, John Kirby, the National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communication, told CNN during a live coverage prior to Zelensky’s congressional speech that while Biden “obviously wants to seek a just peace in accordance with what Ukrainian President Zelensky desires”, as regards the peace summit, the administration will have to “study that a little bit more”.

In his address to lawmakers, Zelensky requested for more weapons from the US, saying: “We have artillery, yes, thank you. Is it enough? Honestly, not really.”

On Tuesday morning, the House Appropriations Committee released the “Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023”, which will provide Ukraine with $45 billion in emergency assistance.

It is contained in a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill to fund the federal government through fiscal year 2023.

That $45 billion sum represents the biggest infusion of Washington’s aid to Kiev, surpassing even the White House’s request made to Congress last month to ask for a $37 billion appropriation aimed at helping Ukraine in the ongoing conflict.

Kevin McCarthy, Republican member of the House who is expected to become the next Speaker, said after attending the joint session that Zelensky gave a “good speech,” but “my position has never changed. I support Ukraine, but I never support a blank check”.

International News

Thailand, Cambodia Clash With Jets, Rockets, Artillery In Deadly Border Row

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Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodian military targets on Thursday as Cambodia fired rockets and artillery, killing a civilian, in a dramatic escalation of a long-running border row between the two neighbours.

The neighbours are locked in a bitter spat over an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos meet, and which is home to several ancient temples.

The squabble has dragged on for decades, flaring into bloody military clashes more than 15 years ago and again in May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a firefight.

The conflict blazed up on Thursday, with Cambodia firing rockets and artillery shells into Thailand and the Thai military scrambling F-16 jets to carry out air strikes.

Six jets were deployed from Ubon Ratchathani province, hitting two “Cambodian military targets on the ground”, according to Thai military deputy spokesperson Ritcha Suksuwanon. 

The Thai prime minister’s office said a Cambodian artillery shell hit a house over the border, killing one civilian and wounding three others, including a five-year-old child.

Both sides blamed the other for starting the fighting, which erupted near two temples on the border between the Thai province of Surin and Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey.

“The Thai military violated the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Cambodia by launching an armed assault on Cambodian forces stationed to defend the nation’s sovereign territory,” defence ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said in a statement.

“In response, the Cambodian armed forces exercised their legitimate right to self-defence, in full accordance with international law, to repel the Thai incursion and protect Cambodia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

The Thai military blamed Cambodian soldiers for firing first, and later accused them of a “targeted attack on civilians”, saying two BM-21 rockets had hit a community in Surin’s Kap Choeng district, wounding three people.

According to the Thai military, the clashes began around 7:35 am (0035 GMT) when a unit guarding Ta Muen temple heard a Cambodian drone overhead.

Later, six armed Cambodian soldiers, including one carrying a rocket-propelled grenade, approached a barbed-wired fence in front of the Thai post, the army said.

Thai soldiers shouted to warn them, the army said, but around 8:20 am, Cambodian forces opened fire toward the eastern side of the temple, about 200 metres from the Thai base. 

Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said “the situation requires careful handling, and we must act in accordance with international law”.

“We will do our best to protect our sovereignty,” he said.

Thailand’s embassy in Phnom Penh urged its nationals to leave Cambodia “as soon as possible” unless they had urgent reasons to remain, in a Facebook post.

Long-Running Row 

The violence came hours after Thailand expelled the Cambodian ambassador and recalled its own envoy in protest after five members of a Thai military patrol were wounded by a landmine. 

Wechayachai said an investigation by the Thai military found evidence that Cambodia had laid new landmines in the disputed border area — a claim denied by Phnom Penh.

On Thursday morning, Cambodia announced it was downgrading ties to “the lowest level”, pulling out all but one of its diplomats and expelling their Thai equivalents from Phnom Penh.

Recent weeks have seen a series of tit-for-tat swipes by both sides, with Thailand restricting border crossings and Cambodia halting certain imports.

The border row also kicked off a domestic political crisis in Thailand, where prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended from office pending an ethics probe over her conduct.

A diplomatic call between Paetongtarn and Hun Sen, Cambodia’s former longtime ruler and father of Prime Minister Hun Manet, was leaked from the Cambodian side, sparking a judicial investigation.

Last week, Hun Manet announced that Cambodia would start conscripting civilians next year, activating a long-dormant mandatory draft law.

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International News

Mumbai Police Reach Kapil Sharma’s House After Kap’s Cafe Firing In Canada

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Hours after shots were fired at comedian Kapil Sharma’s eatery, Kap’s Cafe, in Canada, the Mumbai Police on Friday reached his house in Mumbai to question him about the incident. Around 1 am on July 9 (Canada time), several rounds were fired at the cafe, located in Surrey.

Khalistani terrorist Harjeet Singh Laddi claimed the responsibility for the attack, and demanded an apology from Kapil for his alleged objectionable remarks.

the attackers felt that Nihang Sikhs were insulted on Kapil’s show. The report also mentioned that the attackers said the comedian ignored their calls seeking an apology, and that shots were fired at his eatery to warn him.

Kap’s Cafe team issues statement

Kapil is yet to issue an official statement on the incident.

The management of the eatery, however, took to their social media handles and wrote, “We opened Kap’s Cafe with hopes of bringing warmth, community, and joy through delicious coffee and friendly conversation. To have violence intersect with that dream is heartbreaking. We are processing this shock but we are not giving up (sic).”

It further stated, “Your kind words, prayers, and memories shared via DM mean more than you know. This cafe exists because of your belief in what we’re building together. Let’s stand firm against violence and ensure Kap’s Cafe remains a place of warmth and community. From all of us at Kap’s Cafe, thank you and see you soon, under better skies (sic).”

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Iran warns it will target Israel’s ‘secret nuclear sites’ if attacked

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Tehran, June 10: Iran’s top security body warned that its armed forces would immediately target Israel’s “secret nuclear facilities” if the Islamic Republic comes under military attack, following claims it has obtained “sensitive Israeli intelligence.”

The Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) issued the statement days after Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib said Iran had acquired a “significant cache” of Israeli documents through intelligence operations, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the council, months of intelligence gathering had enabled Iran’s armed forces to identify high-value Israeli targets for potential retaliatory strikes, should Israel initiate military action against Iranian interests.

“This forms part of a broader strategic initiative aimed at countering disinformation by hostile actors and reinforcing Iran’s deterrent capabilities,” the SNSC said.

Tehran’s access to Israeli intelligence would allow it to swiftly target “concealed nuclear sites” in the event of an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear infrastructure, the council said, adding that the information also supports proportionate retaliation against attacks on Iran’s economic or military assets.

Israel is believed by many to possess nuclear weapons, though it has never officially confirmed or denied this, maintaining a longstanding policy of strategic ambiguity.

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