WORLD BRIEFING: August 28, 2023
Today marks 551 days since the start of Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine
Protests broke out in the capital Tripoli and some other cities following news of a meeting between the Libyan foreign minister and an Israeli official. Roads were blocked, tyres burnt and demonstrators waved the Palestinian flag, though the protests appear to have been relatively small - BBC
The Taliban have stopped Afghan women from going abroad to study. The move follows several other restrictions on women and contradicts what Taliban officials pledged when they seized power
Russia struck Ukraine's eastern region of Poltava overnight, causing deaths and damage, regional authorities reported on August 28, as Russia reported more drone attacks on its territory.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that corruption can be equated with treason and he will ask parliament to increase penalties for people found guilty of corruption during wartime.
Two Ukrainian aircraft collided in midair while on a training mission over Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region, killing three pilots, the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) said on August 26.
A second ship has left the port of Odesa after the termination of the grain corridor. On the morning of August 26, the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, Primus, departed - moving in the direction of the Bulgarian port of Varna. During its forced stay in Odesa due to the blockade, the ship's owner changed, as well as its name and nationality. The Primus became the second ship, after the Hong Kong-flagged container ship Joseph Schulte, to leave the port of Odesa after the grain corridor became unusable due to the Russian Federation's hostile actions. The Joseph Schulte used the temporary corridor established by the Ukrainian Navy for civilian vessels and arrived in Turkey on August 18 with more than 30,000 tons of cargo. According to the Ukrainian Sea Ports Administration, as of August 23 six ships with 262,000 tons of freight remained trapped in the ports of Odesa. Meanwhile, the US considers the existing routes for exporting Ukrainian grain "viable" and considers it realistic to restore exports to pre-war levels within the next few months.