WORLD BRIEFING: September 7, 2023
Today marks 561 days since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine
Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Wednesday it is important to avoid a "new Cold War" when dealing with conflicts between countries as world leaders gathered in Indonesia amid sharpening geopolitical rivalries across the Indo-Pacific region. Speaking at an annual summit involving members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China, Japan and South Korea, Li said countries needed to "appropriately handle differences and disputes…At present, it is very important to oppose taking sides, bloc confrontation and a new Cold War," Li told the meeting - Reuters
President Joe Biden heads to the G20 summit in India with big goals and high hopes that the Group of 20 leading rich and developing nations can work together on major global issues, the White House said Tuesday. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said the administration will be focused on issues like climate change, debt restructuring and the war in Ukraine. The gathering starts Saturday in the Indian capital. “We hope this G20 summit will show that the world's major economies can work together even in challenging times," Sullivan said. "So as we head into New Delhi, our focus is going to be on delivering for developing countries, making progress on key priorities for the American people from climate to technology, and showing our commitment to the G20 as a forum that can actually – as I said before – deliver” - VOA
There’s been another wave of drone attacks overnight on Ukrainian ports along the River Danube. Some 24 Russian drones were sent to the Odesa region; civil and port infrastructure facilities, an elevator and an administrative building were damaged; the driver of a truck was injured, officials said.
The US has announced it will send controversial weapons to Ukraine as part of more than $1bn (£800m) in military and humanitarian aid. Russia condemned the move to equip US Abrams tanks with shells strong enough to pierce conventional tank armour. They are made of depleted uranium - naturally occurring uranium stripped of much of its radioactive material. The announcement of a new security package for Ukraine came during top US diplomat Antony Blinken's visit to Kyiv. The 120mm uranium tank rounds - included in $175 million of US military equipment for Ukraine - are for M1 Abrams tanks due to be delivered to Ukraine later this year. The rounds are made of depleted uranium, which is naturally occurring uranium that has been stripped of much - but not all - of its radioactive matter - BBC