May 22, 2023

*) Battle for Bakhmut: Russia claims control but Ukraine says fight not over Although Russia claims it has won control of Ukraine's eastern city of Bakhmut, top Ukrainian military leaders say the battle is not over. Russia’s defence ministry said Wagner mercenaries backed by Russian troops had seized the city, after a grinding nine-month conflict in which tens of thousands of fighters have died. However, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Bakhmut was not being fully occupied. *) Arab countries condemn Israeli minister’s storming of Al Aqsa complex Jordan, Qatar and Egypt have condemned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s storming of Al Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem. The far-right minister had forced his way into the flashpoint site early Sunday under Israeli police protection, in the second such tour since he joined the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late last year. While inside the site, Ben-Gvir claimed Israel's ownership of the complex in a video message from the mosque's courtyard. *) Israel kills three Palestinians in occupied West Bank refugee camp Israeli security forces have killed three Palestinians during a raid in the occupied West Bank early on Monday, the Palestinian health ministry said. Gunfire and loud explosions rocked the Balata refugee camp in Nablus, witnesses said, adding that a house was demolished. The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party, said the three were among the group's fighters. *) US, Papua New Guinea to sign defence pact amid competition with China Papua New Guinea will sign a defence pact with the United States, giving US forces access to its airfields and ports. This comes as Washington vies with China's growing footprint in the Pacific region. The State Department said the new agreement would provide a framework to help improve security cooperation, enhance the capacity of PNG’s defence force and increase regional stability. By signing the securit