SERIOUS RISK OF A NUCLEAR WAR REAL; NATO USING PROXY, SAYS RUSSIA

Russia accused Nato of creating a serious risk of a nuclear war by arming Ukraine in a proxy battle as Washington and its allies met on Tuesday to pledge the heavy weapons Kyiv needs to achieve victory. US officials have shifted emphasis this week from speaking mainly about helping Ukraine defend itself to bolder talk of a Ukrainian victory delivering a blow to Russia’s ability to threaten its neighbours.

They have approved shipments of hundreds of millions of dollars in arms, including artillery and drones they held back from sending in earlier phases of the war.

“Nations from around the world stand united in our resolve to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s imperial aggression,” Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said, welcoming officials from more than 40 countries to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, headquarters of US air power in Europe. “Ukraine clearly believes that it can win, and so does everyone here.”

In a notable shift, Germany, where the government had come under pressure after refusing Ukrainian pleas for heavy weapons, announced it would now send “Gepard” light tanks with anti-aircraft guns.

In a marked escalation of Russian rhetoric, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was asked on state TV about the prospect of World War Three and whether the current situation was comparable to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis that nearly caused nuclear war.

“The danger is serious, real. And we must not underestimate it,” Lavrov said, according to the ministry’s transcript of the interview. “Nato, in essence, is engaged in a war with Russia through a proxy and is arming that proxy. War means war.”

Britain’s armed forces minister played down comments by Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on the possible use of nuclear weapons in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

“Lavrov’s trademark over the course of 15 years or so that he has been the Russian foreign secretary has been that sort of bravado. I don’t think that right now there is an imminent threat of escalation,” James Heappey told BBC.

UN CHIEF MEETS PUTIN, SHELLING IN MARIUPOL CONTINUES: TOP UPDATES

In diplomatic efforts, top US officials have urged its allies to help Ukraine fight the Russian aggression by sending more weapons. Meanwhile, the UN chief - after holding a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday - will head to Kyiv to hold talks with Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelensky on Thursday. The meetings are aimed at safe evacuation of citizens and pushing for peace talks.

- US tells allies to send more weapons - The US pressed its allies Tuesday to move “heaven and earth” to keep Kyiv well-supplied with weapons.US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin convened a meeting Tuesday of officials from about 40 countries at the US air base at Ramstein, Germany, and said more help is on the way.

- UN Chief meets Putin - Russian President Vladimir Putin met with visiting United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the Kremlin on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Ukraine. Mr. Guterres told reporters that he had held “a very frank discussion” with Mr. Lavrov “and it is clear that there are two different positions on what is happening in Ukraine.” The Secretary-General has proposed establishment of a Humanitarian Contact Group - comprising Russia, Ukraine and the UN - “to look for opportunities for the opening of safe corridors, with local cessations of hostilities, and to guarantee that they are actually effective. “

Before his trip to Moscow, Guterres met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday in the capital Ankara. The UN chief will travel to Ukraine following talks with Putin.

- Russia bombs Azovstal steel plant - Mariupol said Russian forces hit the Azovstal steel plant with 35 airstrikes over the past 24 hours, AP reported. The plant is the last known stronghold of Ukrainian fighters in the city. About 1,000 civilians were said to be taking shelter there with an estimated 2,000 Ukrainian defenders.

- Civilians face war wrath- Beyond Mariupol, local officials said at least nine people were killed and several more wounded in Russian attacks on towns and cities in the east and south. Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of the Donetsk region of the Donbas, said on the Telegram messaging app on Tuesday that Russian forces “continue to deliberately fire at civilians and to destroy critical infrastructure.”

- Germany to send tanks - German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said on Tuesday that Berlin will send Gepard anti-aircraft tanks to Ukraine, marking a major shift by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who had previously urged a more cautious approach faced with nuclear-armed Russia.

- Kyiv pulls down a Soviet-era monument symbolising Russian-Ukrainian friendship- Ukrainian authorities on Tuesday dismantled a huge Soviet-era monument in the centre of Kyiv meant to symbolise friendship between Russia and Ukraine, a response to Moscow's invasion, according to the city's mayor. The eight-metre (27-ft) bronze statue depicted a Ukrainian and Russian worker on a plinth, holding aloft together a Soviet order of friendship. The statue was located underneath a giant titanium 'People's Friendship Arch', erected in 1982 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Soviet Union.

- Poland, Bulgaria face Russian gas cut- Poland has said it "will manage" after what it says are Russian threats to cut gas supplies to the country.

Poland and Bulgaria said Russian energy firm Gazprom told them it would stop supplying gas to "unfriendly" countries that refuse to pay in roubles.

THREE CHINESE AMONG FOUR KILLED IN PAK. BLAST

At least four people, including three Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver, were killed and several others injured on Tuesday when a car exploded on the premises of the University of Karachi, the Pakistan media reported. Initial reports suggest that the blast took place in a van near Confucius Institute in the university.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the attack. It claimed a woman suicide bomber Shari Baloch alias Bramsh carried out the attack. This is the first major attack on Chinese nationals in Pakistan since the bombing of a bus at Dasu in the northwest in July 2021, which killed nine Chinese nationals.

Karachi police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon said the initial investigation suggests it may have been a suicide bomber. He said closed-circuit television footage from the site showed a person dressed in the female burqa head-to-toe covering walking up to the van, followed by an instantaneous explosion.

The three dead Chinese included the director of the Chinese-built Confucius Institute, which offers Chinese language graduate classes, and two teachers. The fourth fatality was the Pakistani driver of the van, the officials said.

COUNTRIES WILL HAVE TO ‘JUSTIFY’ VETO VOTES AT UN

The 193 members of the United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus on Tuesday a resolution requiring the five permanent members of the Security Council to justify their use of the veto.

The push for reform, which was greeted with applause in the chamber, was revived by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The measure is intended to make veto-holders United States, China, Russia, France and Britain “pay a higher political price” when they use the veto to strike down a Security Council resolution, said an ambassador who asked to remain anonymous.

It is unclear if the five permanent members will use the veto less, or more — as they could propose controversial texts they know their rivals will veto only to force them to justify their stance publicly.

First proposed more than two years ago, the measure provides for the General Assembly to be convened within 10 working days after a veto “to hold a debate on the situation as to which the veto was cast”..

TWITTER AFLAME WITH REVOLT OVER ITS TAKEOVER BY MUSK

Twitter is aflutter with revolt and rebellion over its takeover by Tesla’s Elon Musk, the world richest individual. So great is the ferment in the social media firm that it has blocked its developers from making changes to the app amid fears of sabotage by angry staffers. Furious employees who believe Musk’s Twitter grab is dangerous are venting openly, while civil liberties groups are warning that it would put too much power in the hands of one individual even though he is free-speech absolutist.

Alarms about a Musk takeover of Twitter and what could mean for influential social media platform has erupted in different quarters in different forms. There are also questions on what the deal will mean for Twitter’s China content policy as Musk’s Tesla relies heavily on China for production and vehicle sales. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, whom Musk overtook to become the world’s wealthiest man, suggested in a tweet that Twitter could become vulnerable to pressure from Beijing, ostensibly because Tesla has big stakes in China. “Did the Chinese government just gain abit of leverage over the town square?” he asked, before reeling back suspicion in a followup tweet. “My own answer to this question is probably not. The more likely outcome in this regard is complexity in China for Tesla, rather than censorship at Twitter”.

Twitter’s IndianAmerican CEO Parag Agrawal, whose days as the head honcho are numbered by most accounts,

tried to temper the unrest in the company, reportedly telling a staff meeting that “it’s important to acknowledge that all of you have many different feelings about what is happening. ” “Some of you are concerned, some are you are excited, and some of you are waiting to see how this goes. I know this affects all of you personally. It is an emotional day, and I just want to acknowledge it,” he reportedly told staffers, while informing them that their jobs were safe for the next six months as the firm transitions to Musk’s ownership. Ties between Agrawal and Musk are sketchy, with the CEO initially welcoming Musk to Twitter board to avert ahostile takeover bid, but the Tesla co-founder then disdaining the offer and pushing ahead with his acquisition.

MYANMAR COURT SENTENCES AUNG SAN SUU KYI TO 5 YEARS IN JAIL FOR CORRUPTION

Aung San Suu Kyi, the ousted civilian leader of Myanmar and Nobel laureate, was on Wednesday found guilty of corruption and sentenced to five years in jail, news agency AFP reported, citing sources.

A Myanmar junta court accused the 76-year-old leader of accepting a bribe of $600,000 cash and gold bars.

The case was the first of 11 corruption charges against Suu Kyi, each carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Sources quoted by agencies declined to be identified because her trials were being held behind closed doors.

Journalists remained barred from attending the court hearings, while Suu Kyi's lawyers were have been banned from speaking to the media.

The 76-year-old was already sentenced to six years in jail for incitement against the military, breaching Covid-19 rules and breaking a telecommunications law -- although she will remain under house arrest while she fights other charges.