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Defense
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A Texas militia member has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for attacking police officers at the U.S. Capitol, seriously injuring one of them during a mob’s attack on Jan. 6, 2021. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss on Friday sentenced 44-year-old Donald Hazard to four years and nine months in prison followed by three months of supervised release for his role in the riot. Hazard pleaded guilty to an assault charge in February. He was a member of a militia called the Patriot Boys of North Texas. After marching to the Capitol, Hazard grabbed a Capitol police officer and pulled him down a set of concrete steps, knocking him unconscious.
May 19, 2023 The president and government of Austria are at odds over whether the country should offer Ukraine help with civilian demining, with the defense minister and a major opposition party pointing to concerns over the implications for Austrian military neutrality. President Alexander Van der Bellen, who is formally the military’s commander in chief but has no say over day-to-day policy, said he doesn’t understand why the government continues to hesitate on the issue. But the defense minister disagreed, saying that “the situation is currently so unclear that we are not in a position to be able to distinguish between humanitarian and military demining.”
May 18, 2023The leader of the progressive opposition party that won a stunning victory in Thailand’s national election says eight parties have agreed to form a coalition government with him as prime minister. Supporters fear his military-aligned opponents may use the unelected Senate to block them. Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat says the proposed coalition would have a total of 313 seats in the House of Representatives, a solid majority of its 500 members. But under Thailand’s Constitution, drafted under military rule after a 2014 coup, the lower house and the 250-seat Senate must vote together to select a new prime minister. All of the senators were appointed by a military junta after the coup, making it uncertain whether Sunday’s election victor will take power.
May 18, 2023-
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President Joe Biden said Wednesday there’s “work to do” on the global stage as he headed to Japan to consult with allies on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s assertive influence in the Pacific. Biden pledged to remain in “constant contact” with negotiators back in Washington working to head off a federal default. The president departed Washington aboard Air Force One a day after scrapping plans to make a historic stop in Papua New Guinea and for a visit to Australia. He cut short the trip to get back to Washington amid the showdown with House Republicans over raising the debt limit.
May 17, 2023 Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves says he is mobilizing a National Guard unit to help with security at the U.S. border with Mexico. The Republican wrote Wednesday on Twitter that the Mississippi National Guard's 112th Military Police Battalion is supporting Customs and Border Protection along the Southwest border. Mississippi does not share a border with Mexico. Reeves blamed the Biden administration for people and drugs crossing the border. Reeves says he believes “every state has become a border state.” His announcement came a day after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he was sending National Guard soldiers and law enforcement officers to assist with border security.
May 17, 2023Local officials say an airstrike has targeted a militant group in northern Iraq’s Yazidi heartland of Sinjar and they attribute the strike to Turkey. Officials have given conflicting reports regarding the number of casualties. The semi-autonomous Kurdish region’s counter-terrorism service said in a statement that three militants were killed in the attack, and one wounded. A member of the militia-affiliated town council, however, denied that there were any deaths, saying one civilian was lightly injured in the attack. A spokesperson for the Turkish Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
May 16, 2023China's military says it is prepared to “resolutely smash any form of Taiwan independence” as the U.S. prepares to accelerate the sale of defensive weapons to the self-governing island democracy. Defense Ministry spokesperson Col. Tan Kefei says a recent increase in exchanges between the U.S. and Taiwanese militaries is an “extremely wrong and dangerous move." Tan says China's People's Liberation Army “continues to strengthen military training and preparations” to counter pro-independence forces and outside interference, a reference to Taiwan's closest ally, the United States. China claims the island of 23 million people as its own territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary.
May 16, 2023-
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Thailand’s opposition has racked up a stunning majority of the 500 seats at stake in the race for the House of Representatives, dealing a major blow to establishment parties and the former general who has led the Southeast Asian country since seizing power in a 2014 coup. The results of Sunday’s general election are a strong repudiation of conservative politics and reflect the disenchantment particularly of young voters who want to limit the influence of the military in politics and reform the monarchy. But the exact shape of the new government is less clear as post-election coalition talks and behind-the-scene negotiations take center stage.
May 15, 2023 -
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Russia’s top army general and his South African counterpart have discussed “military cooperation” while meeting in Moscow. The Russian Defense Ministry made the announcement hours after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa denied accusations by the United States that his country had sent weapons to help Russia in the war in Ukraine. The Russian ministry said Monday's meeting between Gen. Oleg Salyukov, the commander of Russia’s ground forces, and the chief of South Africa’s army, Lt. Gen. Lawrence Mbatha, "yielded agreements on the further expansion of cooperation between the land forces in various areas.” Ramaphosa used his weekly message to the nation Monday to reaffirm South Africa’s non-aligned stance with regard to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
May 15, 2023 -
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Thailand’s opposition parties, after stunning election win, set plans to enlist allies to take powerThailand’s top two opposition parties are planning for the next stage in their bid to replace the military-dominated government after a stunning election victory in which they captured a majority of seats in the House of Representatives. Businessman Pita Limjaroenrat led his opposition Move Forward Party to a first-place finish on Sunday, surpassing most expectations. It squeaked past the Pheu Thai party, which had been favored to top the polls. Pheu Thai stumbled despite the star power of Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra, the former populist prime minister who was toppled by a 2006 coup. Pita says he's talking to five other parties about forming a coalition government. Some supporters fear the conservatives may attempt to block his path.
May 15, 2023 Slovakia’s President Zuzana Caputova has sworn in a government of technocrats to lead the country to snap elections in September amid a political crisis. Ludovit Odor, the former deputy governor of Slovakia’s central bank and a respected economist, will head the 15-member Cabinet. Odor is not affiliated any political party. Caputova says that in its limited time, the new government should focus on stabilizing the current situation in the country, preparing the budget for the next year and lead Slovakia to the early ballot set by Parliament for Sept 30.
May 15, 2023-
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France has pledged additional military aid, including light tanks, armored vehicles, training for soldiers and other assistance for Ukraine as it gears up for a counteroffensive against Russian forces. The fresh French support followed surprise talks Sunday in Paris between the Ukrainian and French presidents. Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and France’s Emmanuel Macron met for three hours at the presidential Elysee Palace. The encounter was kept under wraps until shortly before the Ukrainian leader's arrival in Paris from Germany on a French government jet, extending a multi-stop European tour. Zelenskyy met earlier Sunday with Germany's chancellor, Olaf Scholz.
May 14, 2023 -
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Thailand’s main opposition parties have easily bested other contenders with virtually all the votes counted from Sunday’s general election. Their victory fulfilled many voters’ hopes that the balloting would serve as an opportunity for change nine years after incumbent Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha first came to power in a 2014 coup. The junior opposition Move Forward Party eked out a victory over the favored Pheu Thai Party for the 500-member House of Representatives, Prayuth's party trailed far behind. He had been blamed for a stuttering economy, shortcomings in addressing the pandemic and thwarting democratic reforms, a particular sore point with younger voters. A joint session of both houses of Parliament selects the new prime minister in July.
May 14, 2023 -
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Israel and the Islamic Jihad militant group in the Gaza Strip have agreed to an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire, ending five days of intense fighting that left 33 Palestinians, including at least 13 civilians dead. Two people in Israel were killed by rocket fire. The cease-fire took effect just after 10 p.m., with a last-minute burst of rocket fire and Israeli airstrikes stretching several minutes past the deadline announced by Egypt. While the tenuous calm brought a sense of relief to the region, the agreement did nothing to address the underlying issues that have fueled numerous rounds of fighting between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip.
May 13, 2023
