UKRAINE SHOOTS DOWN ‘29 OF 30 MISSILES’ LAUNCHED BY RUSSIA

Russia launched cruise missiles at Ukraine’s capital and the Odesa region early on Thursday, officials said, in an escalation ahead of a much-anticipated counteroffensive.

Ukraine said it shot down 29 of 30 missiles launched by Russia, and that one death was reported from the overnight attacks.

Black smoke filled the sky over Kyiv during the ninth attack on the capital this month. Falling debris from missiles hit by air defences set off fires in eastern parts of Kyiv, causing minor damage but no casualties in the capital, officials said.

Ukraine’s military said the barrage included cruise missiles fired from the sea, air and land, and that two Iranian-made Shahed attack drones and two reconnaissance drones had been knocked out.

“All targets over Kyiv were shot down,” General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, said in a statement posted on Telegram messaging app.

“Most of the enemy’s missiles were shot down over the sea by the Air Defence Forces,” Bratchuk said.

Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said on Thursday the Patriot system was still being used by Kyiv. “Therefore, I ask everyone to remain calm. The air defence is working and will continue to offer protection,” he told Ukrainian television.

Meanwhile, The Ukrainian military and Russia’s Wagner private army both reported further Russian retreats on the outskirts of Bakhmut on Thursday, as Kyiv pressed on with its biggest advance for 6 months ahead of a planned counteroffensive. Ukraine’s gains have been accompanied by a deepening public split within Russia's forces between Wagner, which has led the Bakhmut campaign, and the regular Russian military. Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin says his forces inside Bakhmut itself are still advancing, on the cusp of pushing Ukrainian troops out of their last foothold in the built-up area on the city’s Western outskirts. But he accuses commanders of Russia’s regular forces of abandoning vital ground.

PAK. POLICE BESIEGE IMRAN’S HOME AS DEADLINE EXPIRES

Pakistani police kept up their siege around the home of Imran Khan as a 24-hour deadline given to the former premier to hand over suspects allegedly sheltered inside expired on Thursday.

The siege and the authorities' demand for the suspects, wanted in violent protests over Khan's recent detention, have angered the former prime minister's many followers and raised fears of renewed clashes between them and security forces.

Last week, Khan's supporters attacked public property and military installations after he was dragged out of a courtroom and arrested in a graft case. At least 10 people were killed in clashes with police across the country in the days that followed. The violence subsided only when Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered Khan's release.

On Tuesday, Khan demanded a probe into the violence, but denied his supporters were behind it. Khan accused Pakistan's ruling party of trying to foment trouble between his supporters and the army, without offering any evidence of his claim. He was speaking at a media conference held at his house, despite police surrounding it.

The popular opposition leader was freed from custody over the weekend and returned to his home in an upscale district of Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city and the capital of the Punjab region. Dozens of his supporters have been staying there with him, along with private guards. Police surrounded the residence on Wednesday, saying they want 40 suspects handed over.

The ultimatum for Khan ended at 2 p.m. local time, but there were no immediate signs of unusual movement by police. Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, invited reporters to the house to witness any police raid.

Hours after the expiry of the ultimatum, Hassan Javed, a senior police official, told reporters that officers were waiting for a signal from the government to launch the raid. He said police captured at least eight suspects after they left Khan's house and tried to escape via a nearby canal.

Typically between 200 to 300 of Khan's supporters, holding sticks, guard his residence around the clock, but most disappeared overnight. Police have barricaded a key road leading to the house and asked residents to use an alternate route.

US TO UNVEIL NEW RUSSIA SANCTIONS AT G7 SUMMIT

The G7 leaders are holding their annual meeting in Hiroshima, Japan. Ukraine is top of the agenda as the US flags increasing sanctions on Russia and the UK bans Russian diamonds. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend the summit in person, say media reports. Tensions with China also loom large - the G7 leaders want to ensure a "free and open Indo-Pacific". There will also be discussions on climate change, food security, health, and nuclear disarmament

The G7 comprises the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.

Eight other nations invited this year

The G7 this year is perhaps more accurately a G15 summit.

Host country Japan has expanded the invite list to include Australia, India, Brazil, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Comoros (representing the African Union) and the Cook Islands (representing the Pacific Islands Forum).

Among Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's goals for the summit are showing a "united front" on Russia's invasion of Ukraine and responding to China's increasing show of military force in the Indo Pacific.

But the additional guests could make achieving those more difficult - many of the countries have complex political and economic ties to both Russia and China.

G7 to discuss diamond trade with Russia

Leaders of the G7 nations will discuss how to trace Russian diamond trade at a summit this week with the aim of imposing restrictions at a later stage, an EU official said on Thursday. “You can expect this to be mentioned in the G7 communique,” an EU official said. The official said there would not be a deal at this stage, but he was confident that talks between leaders in Hiroshima, Japan, between May 19-21 would open the door to putting a tracing mechanism in place before restrictions were implemented. Poland in April presented a proposal for a new set of curbs on Russia for waging war against Ukraine, including oil and diamond imports, but the debate over the precious gems has been complex in the EU. While some states have called for sanctions, Belgium — home to the world's biggest diamond trading hub in Antwerp — has rejected restrictions. The Antwerp World Diamond Centre has said curns would take away some 30% of its business and benefit rival trade hubs, adding clients should be allowed to decide themselves if they wanted Russian gems.

KILICDAROGLU HARDENS STANCE AGAINST ERDOGAN

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main challenger in Turkey’s presidential race shifted gear and adopted a more nationalist and hard-line stance on Thursday, vowing to send back millions of refugees if he is elected.

Voters in Turkey will head back to the polls on May 28 for a run-off election after neither Mr. Erdogan nor Kemal Kilicdaroglu won more than 50% of the votes in first round.

AMID G7, CHINA HOSTS SUMMIT OF ITS OWN WITH CENTRAL ASIA

Xian, China : Central Asian heads of state converged in China’s historic city of Xian on Thursday for one-on-ones with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to seal pledges of “enduring” friendship, paving the way for a summit expected to result in a regional pact with Beijing.

The bilaterals set the stage for a group huddle on Friday, the first in-person gathering of the six leaders, where Xi will deliver an “important” speech, according to China’s foreign ministry. An “important” political document will also besigned. Notably, Xi’s summit was scheduled on the eve of the annual G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, which begins Friday

Across the city of Xian, from where the ancient Silk Road linked imperial China with civilisations to its west over a millennium ago, banners, billboards and even taxi signs were set up to promote the summit.

China is intensifying its economic and political engagement with the former Soviet states as Russia channels what remaining resources it has into the war in Ukraine. Some Central Asian states are increasingly stand up to Moscow, with Kazakhstan not recognising Russian-controlled regions in eastern Ukraine to Tajikistan demanding more “respect” from the Kremlin.

The first head of state to arrive in Xian was President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan — China’s largest trading partner in Central Asia. When Tokayev met Xi on Wednesday, the Chinese leader greeted him warmly and wished him a happy 70th birthday.

“We have a common goal — to intensify bilateral relations,” Tokayev toldXi. “We are also united by the desire to strengthen regional and international security andcooperation. ”

FORMER U.K. PM JOHNSON ABUSED FRANCE’S MACRON, CLAIMS AIDE

LONDON: Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson called French President Emmanuel Macron a four-letter obscenity that begins with C and “Putin’s lickspittle” as tempers frayed over the war in Ukraine, according to a former aide of Mr. Johnson. A spokesperson for Mr. Johnson’s office declined to comment on the issue.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA TO SIGN SECURITY PACT WITH U.S.: PM

Papua New Guinea will sign a security pact with the United States that gives American troops access to the Pacific nation’s ports and airports, its leader said on Thursday.

U.S. President Joe Biden has placed more importance on the Pacific over concerns about an increasingly assertive China, which is trying to woo nations with an array of diplomatic and financial incentives in return for strategic support.

Prime Minister James Marape said two agreements focusing on defence cooperation and maritime surveillance had been agreed with Washington and would be formally signed at the earliest opportunity after parliamentary approval.

The agreements, which can be renewed every 15 years, will give the United States vital movement in Papua New Guinea’s waters near sea routes to Australia and Japan, in return for access to U.S. satellite surveillance, he said.

SYRIA’S ASSAD ARRIVES IN SAUDI ARABIA FOR ARAB LEAGUE SUMMIT

JEDDAH: Syrian President Bashar Assad arrived on Thursday in Saudi Arabia to attend a regional summit that is expected to seal Syria’s return to the Arab fold, marking his first visit since 2011. He was greeted by Prince Badr bin Sultan, Deputy Governor of Mecca. Mr. Assad’s attendance is a major step in normalising relations.

S’PORE HANGS 2ND CITIZEN IN 3 WEEKS FOR TRAFFICKING POT

Kuala Lumpur : Singapore on Wednesday hanged another citizen for trafficking cannabis, the second in three weeks, as it clung firmly to the death penalty despite growing calls for the city-state to halt drug-related executions. The 37-year-old man was executed after his last-ditch bid to reopen his case was dismissed by the court on Tuesday without a hearing, said activist Kokila Annamalai of the Transformative Justice Collective, which advocates for abolishing death penalty. The man, who wasn’t named, had been imprisoned for seven years and convicted in 2019 for trafficking 1. 5kg of cannabis.