Ukraine’s retreat from Kursk appears to mark end of audacious operation

Some say incursion achieved many goals while others wonder if it cost Ukrainian lives for no tangible gain

Under constant attack from drones attached to fibre optic cables, the soldiers scrambled in groups of two or three along hidden tracks or through fields, often walking miles to reach Ukrainian territory.

The Ukrainian retreat from the Kursk region, carried out in stages over the past two weeks, appears to mark the end of one of the most audacious and surprising operations of the conflict, and strips Ukraine of one of its few solid bargaining chips in possible peace negotiations with Russia.

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Lawyer says Philippines’ Duterte was ‘abducted’, too ill to testify at ICC – Reuters

  1. Lawyer says Philippines' Duterte was 'abducted', too ill to testify at ICC  Reuters
  2. Former Philippines leader Duterte appears in Hague courtroom via video link on ‘war on drugs’ charges  CNN
  3. Access Asia - Philippine ex-President Duterte faces charges for war on drugs  FRANCE 24 English
  4. Philippines Duterte's first night in ICC custody is a pivotal moment for the court  BBC.com
  5. The senator, the priest, the forensic pathologist: the people who brought ex-president Duterte to justice  The Guardian
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‘Germany is back’: Merz secures Greens’ support for defence spend boost

Backing of Greens is tantamount to approval of chancellor-in-waiting’s proposal to relax debt brake

Germany’s conservative chancellor-in-waiting, Friedrich Merz, has said he has secured the support of the Green party for his radical plan to increase spending on defence and infrastructure after marathon talks that went through the night, paving the way for its approval in parliament.

“Germany is back,” Merz said in Berlin on Friday. “Germany is making its large contribution to the defence of freedom and peace in Europe.”

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AP Exclusive: US and Israel look to Africa for moving Palestinians uprooted from Gaza – The Associated Press

  1. AP Exclusive: US and Israel look to Africa for moving Palestinians uprooted from Gaza  The Associated Press
  2. Somalia rejects any plan to use its territory to resettle Palestinians, minister says  The Times of Israel
  3. Sudan rejects US request to discuss taking in Palestinians under Trump’s Gaza plan  The Guardian US
  4. US and Israel look to Africa for resettling Palestinians uprooted from Gaza - report  The Jerusalem Post
  5. Somalia and Somaliland say no talks on resettling Palestinians from Gaza  Reuters
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Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte a no-show for first court hearing in The Hague – NBC News

  1. Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte a no-show for first court hearing in The Hague  NBC News
  2. Former Philippine President Duterte appears before international court judges in The Hague by video  PBS NewsHour
  3. Rodrigo Roa Duterte makes first appearance before the ICC: confirmation of charges hearing scheduled for 23 September 2025  the International Criminal Court
  4. Arrested Philippine ex-President Duterte to face legacy of thousands killed in drug crackdown  The Associated Press
  5. Philippines Duterte's first night in ICC custody is a pivotal moment for the court  BBC.com
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The new reality dawning in Australia: it can no longer rely on the US

For all the fraternal rhetoric, the alliance has always been asymmetric. It seems Washington under Trump sees it as immaterial

It’s not really about the tariffs.

Not for Australia the brutal humiliation meted out on camera to Ukraine in the Oval Office. Nor Canada’s escalating war of invective and retaliatory sanctions.

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Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte appears by video link in Hague accused of crimes against humanity – as it happened

Duterte faces charges over his years-long campaign against drug users and dealers that rights groups say killed tens of thousands. This live blog is closed

Philippine ex-president Rodrigo Duterte is appearing by video link before judges at the international criminal court.

Duterte would follow the proceedings through a video link, a court spokesperson said.

To some Duterte’s arrest this week came as a sudden shock. But for years many brave Filipinos, from priests, politicians, pathologists, to relatives of the victims and journalists, have worked tirelessly, in and out of the spotlight, to expose the horrors of the deadly campaign and collect enough evidence to hold Duterte to account.

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Russian mercenary sentenced to life by Finnish court for war crimes in Ukraine – BBC.com

  1. Russian mercenary sentenced to life by Finnish court for war crimes in Ukraine  BBC.com
  2. Finland Court Finds Russian Mercenary Guilty of War Crimes in Ukraine  The New York Times
  3. Court in Finland sentences Rusich group commander to life imprisonment for war crimes in Ukraine  Ukrainska Pravda
  4. Finland sentences Russian neo-Nazi mercenary Yan Petrovsky to life for war crimes in Ukraine  Kyiv Independent
  5. Russian jailed for life in Finland for Ukraine war crimes  Reuters
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G7 ministers unite to back Ukraine and warn Russia of sanctions – Reuters

  1. G7 ministers unite to back Ukraine and warn Russia of sanctions  Reuters
  2. Canada Finds Solidarity at G-7 in Push Against Trump’s 51st State Idea  The Wall Street Journal
  3. Allies preserve unity even as Trump’s tariffs and Canada taunts overshadow G7 meeting  The Seattle Times
  4. Top diplomats from G7 countries meet in Canada as Trump threatens more tariffs on US allies  The Associated Press
  5. Allies Wrap up a G7 Meeting Overshadowed by Trump's Tariffs and Canada Taunts  U.S. News & World Report
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Hamas says it agreed to release American hostage, return four others’ bodies – Axios

  1. Hamas says it agreed to release American hostage, return four others' bodies  Axios
  2. Hamas says it is prepared to release American-Israeli hostage and bodies of four dual nationals  CNN
  3. Hamas says it will release Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage  The Washington Post
  4. Israel slams Hamas ‘manipulation’ after it says it will free 1 living, 4 slain hostages  The Times of Israel
  5. LIVE: Hamas agrees to free Israeli-American captive to move Gaza truce  Al Jazeera English
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