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Ukraine

RUSSIA’S parliament will consider asking President Vladimir Putin to recognise breakaway statelets in Ukraine, against the backdrop of tensions between Moscow and the West over Ukraine. Communist MPs this week tabled legislation in the lower house calling on Putin to recognise the self-proclaimed Lugansk and Donetsk people’s republics in eastern Ukraine. The regions bordering Russia, known as Donbass, have been locked in conflict with Kiev’s army since a Kremlin-backed insurgency in 2014. Party leaders will discuss the communists’ initiative before putting it to the vote. More than 600 000 people in Donbass hold Russian passports. | AFP

Iraq

ELEVEN Iraqi soldiers were killed in an overnight attack by the Islamic State group against their base in the eastern province of Diyala, authorities said on on Friday, in the jihadists’ deadliest operation this year. The IS group took over large swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014, declaring itself a new “caliphate” for Muslims, before Baghdad defeated it in 2017. But a low-level insurgency by the extremist Sunni group has persisted, flaring up at various points, Diyala province governor Muthanna al-Tamimi hit out at the Iraqi army, saying they were caught unprepared. | AFP

Italy

ITALY’S parliament begins voting for a new president tomorrow, with Prime Minister Mario Draghi tipped for election which threatens the survival of the government. The brashest campaigner has been billionaire and former premier Silvio Berlusconi, 85, whose charm offensive has included bragging about his raunchy parties. It is difficult to predict who will win the secret ballot for the seven-year post. The disparate parties who share power in Draghi’s government are already in battle mode ahead of next year’s elections, and chaos could put much-needed EU recovery funds at risk. | AFP

Australia

AUSTRALIA will remain a divided nation, with the vast mining state of Western Australia cancelling plans to reopen its borders on February 5, citing health risks from a surge in the Omicron Covid-19 variant in eastern states. The country reported 86 deaths from the virus on Friday, its deadliest day since the start of the pandemic. All states and territories, except Western Australia, have reopened their internal borders under a policy of living with Covid-19, despite a record surge in cases. Western Australia was to follow suit next month. | Reuters

WORLD

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2022-01-23T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-23T08:00:00.0000000Z

http://capeargus.pressreader.com/article/281981790967201

African News Agency