Saturday, November 30
US President Joe Biden on December 12 touted a new military aid package worth $200 million for Ukraine. Money is dwindling. But the announcement of more weapons being sent to Kyiv just underscores the complexity of the funding. So has the money run out? Or are there still a few billion dollars floating around? It’s complicated. The US has already sent Ukraine $111 billion in weapons, equipment, humanitarian assistance and other aid since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion more than 21 months ago.
From the Israel-Hamas war to Russia's grinding battles against Ukraine, 2023 has shown the dangers of armed conflicts breaking out into region-wide combat. But behind their long shadows, the world faces strife in countries stretching both the globe and the alphabet from Afghanistan all the way to Yemen. Coups and violence across Africa upended life in nations there. Myanmar faces what some experts describe as a slow-burning civil war. North Korea's atomic arsenal continues to grow. And Iran now enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels.
Israel's defense minister, Yoav Gallant, predicts a months-long war to destroy Hamas, despite increasing international isolation. President Joe Biden expresses unease over civilian casualties and calls for Israel to be more careful, but continues to support Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterates determination to fight until Hamas is eliminated. The war has caused widespread devastation and a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Palestinians call on the US to take a firmer stance against Israel and address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through postwar negotiations for a two-state solution.
In Pakistan, near the northwestern Afghan border a recent attack on the police headquarters resulted in the death of two police officers and killing of 3 assailants. The incident occurred last Friday, three days after a separate suicide blast that claimed the lives of 23 officers. In the recent attack, two assailants died, and a third militant was eliminated by soldiers during an assault on an adjacent army post, according to Police Chief Iftikhar Shah.
The comprehensive report titled 'The Blood Gold Report' released in December 2023 sheds light on the lucrative operations of the Wagner Group in Africa, revealing how these activities fund Russia's war in Ukraine. The report highlights that Wagner, a Kremlin-financed private military company, has evolved into a complex network of contractors and front companies. Wagner's operations also involve securing lucrative contracts for gold extraction. The report estimates that Wagner and Russia have earned over $2.5 billion from the trade of 'blood gold' since the invasion of Ukraine.
Putin's end-of-year news conference in Moscow included questions from ordinary citizens, focusing on key themes such as the fighting in Ukraine, payments to soldiers and their families, and the economy. This year, Putin allowed international journalists to attend, despite his limited interaction with the foreign media since the conflict began. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's recent plea for more U.S. aid and weaponry adds to the significance of Putin's appearance, which is primarily aimed at a domestic audience and aims to reinforce his power ahead of the March election.
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated that Hungary would support in providing long-term financial aid to Ukraine outside of the EU budget. Orban reiterated his opposition to starting accession talks with Ukraine. The EU countries, excluding Hungary, aim to offer Ukraine 50 billion euros in budget support until 2027 and advance its membership bid. Orban mentioned that there is no rush to decide on additional financial aid to Ukraine as short-term support is already secured.
Bangladeshi courts have convicted more than 1,100 opposition officials and activists since September, lawyers said Thursday, a day after scores more of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's opponents were sentenced to prison. "In the past three months at least 1,093 BNP activists and several dozen activists from other opposition parties were convicted in 69 cases," the party's legal affairs chief Kayser Kamal told AFP. That figure includes 127 BNP activists handed prison sentences of up to three years in courts across Dhaka on Wednesday, Ehsanur Rahman, a lawyer for several of the defendants, told AFP.
