Australia PM says ‘frustrated’ over continued detention of Julian Assange

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday he was frustrated for not yet finding a diplomatic fix over the continued detention of Julian Assange and that he remained concerned about the mental health of the WikiLeaks’ founder. “I know it’s frustrating, I share the frustration,” Albanese told ABC television from London…

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Exclusive-Israel seized Binance crypto accounts to ‘thwart’ Islamic State, document shows

By Tom Wilson and Angus Berwick LONDON (Reuters) – Israel has seized around 190 crypto accounts at crypto exchange Binance since 2021, including two it said were linked to Islamic State and dozens of others it said were owned by Palestinian firms connected to the Islamist Hamas group, documents released by the country’s counter-terror authorities…

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Russian ex-deputy defence minister joins Wagner as feud escalates – war bloggers

By Felix Light (Reuters) – Former Russian deputy defence minister Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev has joined the Wagner Group private militia as a deputy commander, Russian pro-war social media channels reported on Thursday. In two videos posted by war correspondent Alexander Simonov on Telegram, Mizintsev – clad in Wagner-branded combat gear – was shown visiting…

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Russia’s Lavrov says Kremlin drone incident was ‘hostile act’

(Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Wednesday’s drone incident at the Kremlin was a “hostile act” and Russia would respond with “concrete actions”. Russia has accused Ukraine of firing drones at the Kremlin in an attempt to kill President Vladimir Putin, and said the United States was behind the purported…

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Surrounded by corpses, Wagner’s Prigozhin blasts Russian defence minister in expletive-laden video

(Reuters) – Standing in a field of corpses, Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin on Friday published an expletive-ridden video personally blaming top defence chiefs for losses suffered by his Wagner Group fighters in Ukraine. Prigozhin’s tirade reignited and escalated a long-running feud with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov, whom…

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Marcos says U.S. access to Philippines bases not meant for ‘offensive action’

By Matt Spetalnick and David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Thursday his agreement this year to grant the United States access to more military bases in his country was not intended for use for “offensive action” against any country. Speaking to a U.S. think-tank in Washington, Marcos said he…

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Indonesia quietly engaging key stakeholders in Myanmar crisis – foreign minister

By Kate Lamb and Ananda Teresia JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia has for months been quietly engaging key stakeholders in Myanmar’s conflict, as well as neighbours India, Thailand and China in an effort to kick-start a peace process as violence intensifies, its foreign minister said on Friday. Retno Marsudi earlier told Reuters exclusively that Indonesia, as…

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Factbox-Old disputes overshadow visit by Japan’s Kishida to S.Korea

(Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will be visiting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday in the latest effort to improve bilateral ties. However, the trip will be overshadowed by historical issues and other disputes between the two countries – in some of which progress has been made, while others remain intractable….

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