Your Monday Briefing: The G7 Wraps

World
By Harry
Your Monday Briefing: The G7 Wraps

The G7 summit concluded in Japan yesterday with the leaders of the world’s major economies welcoming President Volodymyr Zelensky as a guest of honor and reaffirming their support for Ukraine. But Russia claimed victory in Bakhmut, despite Ukraine saying it still has a few blocks of the city in ruins.

Even as Moscow is trumpeting a “mission accomplished” moment, Ukraine still sees an opportunity to seize the initiative on the outskirts of the city if Russian forces no longer press into the city center.

Bakhmut’s capture by Russia would be a powerful symbolic success. But controlling it would not necessarily help Russia achieve its broader stated goal of conquering the eastern Donbas region. Indeed, some analysts say Russia’s ability to contain a broader counteroffensive could be jeopardized if it continues to send reinforcements to defend Bakhmut.

Comparison: Zelensky recognized that there was little left of Bakhmut. He said that he saw echoes of Ukraine’s pain. in images of the 1945 devastation in Hiroshimawhere the summit was held.

Other G7 updates:

  • F-16: President Biden reversed course, agreeing to allow Ukrainians to be trained on the US-made planes. He told allies that he is prepared to approve other countries to transfer the planes to Ukraine.

  • Porcelain: The G7 countries said they would focus on “derisking, not disengaging” from Beijing.

  • Japan: Critics say the US ambassador to Tokyo, Rahm Emanuel, is pushing too hard for gay rights.

Pita Limjaroenrat recently stunned Thailand’s political establishment by leading her progressive Move Forward Party to a momentous victory in last week’s election. He seems poised to become the next prime minister, unless the military blocks him.

Pita needs 376 votes out of the 500-member House of Representatives to outpace the military-appointed Senate. So far, he only has 314.

Several senators have said they would not support a candidate like Pita, who threatens the status quo. Now Thais are waiting to see if their election will be allowed to lead or blocked, an outcome that could plunge the country into political chaos.

Pita’s Policies: He has vowed to shake off military control over Thai politics and revise a law criminalizing criticism of the monarchy. He is pushing for a return to democracy after nine years of military rule that was preceded by a coup. He also wants to take a strong stance on foreign policy.

A complaint: The Electoral Commission said Pita did not disclose that he owned shares in a now-defunct media company that he inherited from his father. Pita said that he reported the actions.

Some had been associated with the West for years. They were lawyers, human rights defenders or members of the Afghan government. During their trips to the United States, almost all of them are robbed or extorted, while some are kidnapped or imprisoned.

“I helped these Americans,” said a former Afghan Air Force intelligence officer from a detention center in Texas, sometimes on the verge of tears. “I don’t understand why they don’t help me.”

A dangerous journey: Since the beginning of 2022, some 3,600 Afghans have crossed the treacherous Darien Gap, which connects North and South America, according to data from Panama.

Reports: My companions traveled with a group of 54 Afghans through the Darien Gap.

Zibo, a once obscure city in China’s Shandong province, is suddenly overrun with tourists. They came after hearing about his distinctive style of barbecue on social media.

lives lived: Martin Amis’s grim comic novels changed British fiction. He died at 73.

He Architecture Biennale which opened on Saturday in Venice explores how the cultures of Africa can shape the buildings of the future.

For the first time, the exhibition will feature an Afro-descendant curator, Lesley Lokko, and more than half of the 89 Biennial participants are from Africa or the African diaspora.

He work of Sechaba Maape, which is inspired by South Africa’s First Nations and their connection to nature, is displayed in that country’s national pavilion. Worldwide, architecture has begun to tend towards biomimicry, in which the built environment emulates 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, she said.

“Architecture should be what, instead of cutting us off from our home, Earth, should help us feel more mediated, more connected,” Maape told Lynsey Chutel, our Briefings writer in Johannesburg.

TO rob roySwapping the rye for Scotch, it’s a musky version of a classic Manhattan.

In “White Building,” a richly observed Cambodian coming-of-age story, the story of an apartment complex reflects the country’s fraught recent history.

Listen to new songs from Bad Bunny, Sparks, Anohni and others in our weekly playlist.

Spend 36 hours in Buenos Aires.

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