By AFP 20 July 2023 | 12:20 pm Russia said Thursday it had started joint naval drills with China in the Sea of Japan as the two allies seek to deepen their military cooperation. Ties between Moscow and Beijing have grown closer since Russia launched its Ukraine offensive last year, a move China has not condemned. The Russian defence ministry said the main… This handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Emergency Service on July 20, 2023 shows the rescuers carrying a wounded woman from a destroyed residential building after a missile strike in the centre of Mykolaiv, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Handout / Ukraine Emergency Service / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO / ” – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS – RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO / ” – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS / Russia said Thursday it had started joint naval drills with China in the Sea of Japan as the two allies seek to deepen their military cooperation. Ties between Moscow and Beijing have grown closer since Russia launched its Ukraine offensive last year, a move China has not condemned. The Russian defence ministry said the main goal of the exercises that will run until Sunday is to “strengthen naval cooperation” between the two countries and “maintain stability and peace in the Asia-Pacific region”. The drills will include “anti-submarine missions and naval combat” and the sea and air escort of ships, the ministry said, adding there are also plans “to carry out joint artillery fire”. The Russian navy is represented by two anti-submarine ships, two corvettes as well as auxiliary ships, the ministry said. Beijing said on Sunday it was sending five warships, including a guided-missile destroyer. More than 30 navy aircraft are involved in the drills from both sides, including anti-submarine aircraft, helicopters and interceptors, the Russian ministry said. China and Russia carried out a joint air patrol over the Seas of Japan and East China last month, which prompted South Korea to deploy fighter jets as a precaution. It was the sixth such China-Russia patrol in the area since 2019. Latest NOW Eleven members of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) were on Thursday, brought before an Amawbia Chief Magistrates’ Court in Awka, for the alleged conspiracy, impersonation and forgery. The defendants are; Chidi Orakwue, Alagwu Odife, Kenechi Ezeibe, Chidi Nzekwe, Ifeanyi Nworah, Victormary Anuna, Ifeanyi Okam, Chukwunonso Okaka, Patrick Nwalutu, Ugochukwu Igbokwe, and Onyebuchi… 7 mins ago The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has assured stakeholders that a platform will be created to help resolve issues at the ports. The acting Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, also pledged its willingness to work with stakeholders, terminal operators and port authority to improve economic development. Adeniyi said this in a statement on Thursday in Lagos.… 10 mins ago The Russian high-explosive bombs started falling around the frontline Ukrainian chemical plant about three months ago. Sergiy Dmytrenko trundled out to survey the newest craters outside his pockmarked facility’s walls wearing body armour and a puzzled frown. The 34-year-old plant director said workers had pulled out the most hazardous materials from the plant south of… 10 mins ago Russian prosecutors requested a jail term of 20 years for the already imprisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny as he faces charges of “extremism”, his allies said on Thursday. They said the court will announce its verdict on August 4 following a closed-door trial that was held in the maximum-security prison where Navalny is serving a… 21 mins ago The Lagos State Government has confirmed the arrest of three fake enforcement personnel in different parts of the Agege and Okota areas. The government confirmed their arrest in a statement issued by one of its spokespersons, Bolanle Ogunlola. Ogunlola said the arrest was in line with the Lagos State Government’s efforts to sanitize the transport…
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