Russia ends civilian pull-out before Kherson battle
Russian officials say they have completed an operation to move civilians out of the occupied southern city of Kherson ahead of an expected battle with advancing Ukrainian forces.
At least 70,000 civilians are said to have crossed to the left (eastern) bank of the Dnipro river, in what Ukraine has called forced deportations.
"We're preparing Kherson for defence," one Russian militia commander said.
Meanwhile, Russia said it had mobilised the required 300,000 reservists.
Iran unrest intensifies as three killed following protester’s funeral
Iran appears to have entered a cycle of deadly violence after three more people were killed by security officers overnight during a protest rally held after the funeral for another protester killed on Wednesday.
Funerals for protesters have become flash points in the weeks-long unrest that has gripped the clerical state since the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini on 16 September.
Hengaw, a Norway-based human rights group, said security forces shot dead at least three protesters in the city of Mahabad near Iran’s western border with Iraq on Thursday night.
Turkey deepens its defense diplomacy in Africa
Turkey is stepping up its security footprint in Africa after more than a decade of strategically expanding its economic and cultural influence on the continent. It's recently inked a number of security agreements, particularly in West Africa, and its arms exports to Africa have exploded.
Turkey's defense and aerospace exports to the continent grew more than fivefold to $460.6 million (€463 million) in 2021 — up from $82.9 million in 2020.
Turkey's share of Africa's arms market is still tiny at 0.5%. But the rapid growth of its defense sales to Africa is "striking," according to a 2022 study on Turkey's security diplomacy in Africa by the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP).
Japan in the market for U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
October 28, 2022 at 19:00 JST
The Japanese government is considering purchasing Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States to beef up the nation's capabilities of attacking enemy military bases in counterstrikes, government sources said.
It aims to reinforce Japan’s defense capabilities until domestically produced missiles, currently being improved, can be fully deployed in fiscal 2026 or later.
The Tomahawk missiles have proven to be effective and can be launched from the ground or the sea. The cruise missiles were employed by the U.S. military during the Gulf War in 1991 and in the Syrian civil war in 2018.
What happened to China’s former leader Hu Jintao?
It is a moment that for many observers has come to define strongman leader Xi Jinping’s tightening grip on China: his visibly frail predecessor, Hu Jintao, being escorted out of a key Communist Party meeting during a five-yearly leadership reshuffle – apparently at Xi’s behest.
Images of two men ushering the 79-year-old from his seat and toward the exit were beamed across the world as the party’s National Congress came to a close Saturday, leading to days of speculation over whether Hu was the victim of a deliberately public power play.
This week, those rumors have only grown – despite a claim by Chinese state media on Twitter that Hu left due to ill-health – and the intrigue is likely to grow further still with the release of footage showing the 90 seconds leading up to his sudden removal.
Elon Musk Takes Twitter, and Tech Deals, to Another Level
Forget about the endless drama, the bots, the abrupt reversals, the spectacle, the alleged risk to the Republic and all we hold dear. Here is the most important thing about Elon Musk’s buying Twitter: The moguls have been unleashed.
In the old days, when a tech tycoon wanted to buy something big, he needed a company to do it. Steve Case used AOL to buy Time Warner. Jeff Bezos bought Whole Foods for Amazon. Mark Zuckerberg used Facebook to buy Instagram and WhatsApp and Oculus and on and on. These were corporate deals done for the bottom line, even if they might never have happened without a famous and forceful proprietor.
Mr. Musk’s $44 billion takeover of Twitter, which finally became a reality on Thursday, six months after he agreed to the deal, is different. It is an individual buying something for himself that 240 million people around the world use regularly. While he has other investors, Mr. Musk will have absolute control over the fate of the short-message social media platform.
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