WORLD BRIEFING: September 16, 2023
North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, inspected nuclear-capable strategic bombers in Russia on Saturday, according to Russian state media, as he continued a trip that has raised fears of the two nations deepening their military ties against a common enemy, the United States.Mr. Kim arrived in Primorsky Krai, in Russia’s Far East, on Saturday morning traveling via his armored train. There, Sergei K. Shoigu, the defense minister, and other top Russian military officers showed him Russia’s hypersonic Kinzhal missile mounted on a MIG-31 jet, as well as three other key elements of Russia’s nuclear force: the Tu-95MS turboprop strategic bomber and Tu-160 and Tu-22M3 supersonic bombers, according to RIA Novosti, a Russian news outlet - NYT
China’s Defence Minister, Li Shangfu, who has been missing from public view for more than two weeks, has been placed under investigation by Chinese authorities, according to 10 people familiar with the matter. The investigation into Li relates to procurement of military equipment, according to sources - Reuters
Five days on, figures vary for the number of dead from the catastrophic flooding that hit Derna. Libya's Red Crescent organization estimated Thursday that 11,300 people have died. The city's mayor said the death toll could reach 20,000. Aid teams are arriving in the city, but their efforts have often been thwarted by damaged infrastructure and lack of access to power, water and fuel. United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths called the scale of the flood "appalling" and said it was a "massive reminder" of the challenges posed by climate change - NPR
Hundreds gathered in central London on September 16 to mark the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in police custody in Iran last year, sparking worldwide protests against the country's conservative Islamic theocracy. Chanting "Woman! Life! Freedom!'' the crowds held her portrait and rallied around the memory of a young woman who died after she was arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s mandatory headscarf law. Similar protests took place in Rome and Berlin - RFE/RL
Two cargo vessels were headed to Ukrainian ports on September 16, the first to use a temporary corridor to sail into Black Sea ports and load grain for African and Asian markets, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov told Reuters. Last month Ukraine announced a "humanitarian corridor" in the Black Sea to release ships trapped in its ports since the start of the war in February 2022 and circumvent a de facto blockade after Russia abandoned a deal to let Kyiv export grain. Five vessels have so far left the port of Odesa, using the corridor which hugs the western Black Sea coast near Romania and Bulgaria - RFE/RL
Explosions reported in Kharkiv. Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov said via his official Telegram channel that Russian forces are targeting the city. Numerous explosions were reported in Kharkiv in the early hours of Sept. 17 - Kyiv Independent
This week saw spectacular Ukrainian attacks on the Crimean Peninsula, hitting Russian warships and missiles. Estimates of the damage done ran into billions of pounds and raised the question: is Ukraine getting ready to retake Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014? Crimea is a Russian fortress, so it is important not to get carried away. "The strategy has two main goals," says Oleksandr Musiienko, from Kyiv's Centre for Military and Legal Studies. "To establish dominance in the north-western Black Sea and to weaken Russian logistical opportunities for their defence lines in the south, near Tokmak and Melitopol." - BBC