Latest edition of global peace index shows violence on world economies rose by $1 trillion to $17.5 trillion
A snapshot of key results from the 2023 IEP report reveals that deaths from global conflict increased by 96 per cent to 238,000 in 2022; new data shows more conflict deaths in Ethiopia than Ukraine, eclipsing the previous global peak during the Syrian war.
Wagner in Africa: Its fighters can be deployed quickly, have sophisticated arms and are ruthless
Overall, Wagner has done nearly nothing to make life better for Africans: its activities have served to entrench dictators and undermine democracies; to extend and deepen civil conflicts; to murder innocent civilians; to exploit natural resources for Russia’s gain; and to vilify the only alternative that Africans have to China for investment.
Russian MP proposes radical military reforms that’ll create 7 million strong national army
When sending troops to Ukraine in February 2022 Putin assumed he would take Kyiv within days, but the war is still far from over, with many weaknesses of the Russian army and internal disputes of how to lead the campaign coming to the fore.
Weak Russian President Putin blasts weekend insurrection organisers and Wagner ‘traitors’
Abbas Gallyamov, a former Kremlin speechwriter turned political analyst, called the address weak. In a Facebook post, he said it was a sign that Putin is “acutely dissatisfied with how he looked in this whole story and is trying to correct the situation.”
Former Putin political strategist calls for an end to mercenary groups in Russia in wake of mutiny
As first deputy chief of the Kremlin administration from 1999 to 2011, Vladislav Surkov helped Putin forge his tightly controlled political system. He then worked in the government and later returned to the Kremlin as an adviser to Putin.
President Biden distances US, Nato from Wagner mutiny, calls it ‘struggle within the Russian system’
A feud between Prigozhin and Russia’s military brass that has festered throughout the war erupted into the mutiny that saw the mercenaries leave Ukraine to seize a military headquarters in a southern Russian city. They rolled for hundreds of kilometres toward Moscow, before turning around on Saturday, in a deal whose terms remain uncertain. Biden’s national security team briefed him hourly as Prigozhin’s forces were on the move, the president said. He had directed them to “prepare for a range of scenarios” as Russia’s crisis unfolded, he said.
Press freedom: It’s 11 years since American journalist Julian Assange began was taken in as a political prisoner
This weekend marks 11 years since Julian Assange entered the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and began his confinement as a political prisoner. The torture that he has endured is not just an attack on his rights to free expression and journalism; it is an assault on your right to be an informed citizen.
Somali terrorist cell Al Shabaab is on the rebound in Kenya and killed 30 people, including police and army officers
Kenya is among countries in the region that have contributed troops to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).
After short-lived insurrection in Russia oil prices are firming up as stocks market remains wobbly
Analysts at RBC Capital Markets said one concern was the possibility of martial law in Russia and its effect on the workforce at ports and production facilities. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the turmoil in Russia could take months to play out, while Italy’s foreign minister said it had shattered the “myth” of Russian unity.
Revolt exposes Russian President Putin fickleness as his friend-turned-foe agrees to go into exile in Belarus
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the weekend’s events as “extraordinary,” recalling that 16 months ago Putin appeared poised to seize the capital of Ukraine and now he has had to defend Moscow from forces led by his onetime protege.
