G7 wraps with support for Ukraine
The G7 summit concluded in Japan yesterday with leaders of the world’s major economies welcoming President Volodymyr Zelensky as an honored guest and reaffirming their support for Ukraine. But Russia claimed victory in Bakhmut, even though Ukraine says it still holds a few blocks of the devastated city.
Although Moscow heralds a “Mission Accomplished” moment, Ukraine still sees an opening to seize the initiative from the outskirts of the city if Russian troops no longer push forward in the city center.
Bakhmut’s conquest by Russia would be a powerful symbolic success. But controlling it would not necessarily help Russia achieve its larger stated goal of conquering the eastern Donbas region. In fact, some analysts say Russia’s ability to repulse a wider counter-offensive could be compromised if it continues to send reinforcements to defend Bakhmut.
Comparison: Zelensky acknowledged that little was left of Bakhmut. He said he saw echoes of Ukraine’s pain in images of the destruction in Hiroshima in 1945, where the summit was held.
Other G7 updates:
F-16s: President Biden reversed course and agreed to allow Ukrainians to train on the American-made jets. He told his allies that he is ready to approve other countries to transfer the jets to Ukraine.
China: The G7 countries said they would focus on “risk reduction, not decoupling” from Beijing.
Japan: Critics say the US ambassador to Tokyo, Rahm Emanuel, is pushing too hard for gay rights.
A political battle is looming in Thailand
Pita Limjaroenrat recently stunned Thailand’s political establishment by leading his progressive Move Forward Party to a memorable victory in last week’s elections. He seems poised to become the next prime minister – unless the military stops him.
Pita needs 376 votes from the 500-member House of Representatives to defeat the military-appointed Senate. So far he only has 314.
Several senators have said they will not support a candidate like Pita who threatens the status quo. Now the Thais wait to see if their choice will be allowed to lead or if he will be blocked, a result that could plunge the country into political chaos.
Pita’s Policy: He has pledged to undo the military’s grip on Thai politics and to review a law criminalizing criticism of the monarchy. He is pushing for a return to democracy after nine years of military rule preceded by a coup. He also wants to take a strong stance on foreign policy.
A complaint: The election commission said Pita failed to disclose that he owned shares in a now-defunct media company he inherited from his father. Pita said he reported the stock.
Some had been working with the West for years. They were lawyers, human rights lawyers or members of the Afghan government. During their travels to the US, almost all are robbed or extorted, while some are kidnapped or imprisoned.
“I helped these Americans,” said a former Afghan Air Force intelligence officer from a Texas detention center, sometimes near tears. “I don’t understand why they don’t help me.”
A dangerous journey: Since early 2022, some 3,600 Afghans have crossed the treacherous Darién Gap, which connects North and South America, according to data from Panama.
report: My colleagues traveled through the Darién Gap with a group of 54 Afghans.
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SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICA
African architecture on the cutting edge
The architecture biennale, which opened in Venice on Saturday, examines how cultures from Africa can shape the buildings of the future.
For the first time, the exhibition has a curator of African descent, Lesley Lokko, and more than half of the Biennale’s 89 participants are from Africa or the African diaspora.
The national pavilion of that country displays the work of Sechaba Maape, inspired by the first nations of South Africa and their connection to nature. Worldwide, architecture is beginning to move towards biomimicry, in which the built environment mimics the natural one. African design, says Maape, has always done this through pattern and form. The response in Venice and on social media has been overwhelming, he said.
“Architecture should be the thing that instead of separating us from our home, the earth, should help us feel more mediated and more connected,” Maape told Lynsey Chutel, our Briefings writer in Johannesburg.
PLAY, WATCH, EAT
What to cook
A Rob Roy, swapping the rye for Scotch, is a more musky take on a classic Manhattan.
What to watch
In ‘White Building’, a well-observed coming-of-age story from Cambodia, the story of an apartment complex reflects the country’s fraught recent history.
What to listen to
Listen to new songs from Bad Bunny, Sparks, Anohni and more in our weekly playlist.
Where to go
Spend 36 hours in Buenos Aires.
