RUSSIA: Moscow today pledged its “complete support” for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who is on an official trip to North Korea, thanked the country for its support in Ukraine.

His ongoing trip sets the stage for a possible visit to the country by President Vladimir Putin.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: The prosecutor at the International Criminal Court today dropped all charges against Maxime Mokom, who has been in the court’s custody since March last year.

He was accused of several crimes including directing attacks against civilians, murder and rape while being part of the anti-Balaka militant movement in the Central African Republic between 2013 and 2014.

He had denied the charges and said he joined the group for the sake of peace not war.

ITALY: Authorities on Wednesday announced it will suspend an open-border agreement with neighbouring Slovenia, citing an increased threat of terrorism in Europe due to violence in the Middle East.

Far-right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government said authorities in the north-eastern border region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia had identified 16,000 people so far this year who the authorities claim had entered Italy illegally across the Slovenian border.

Some 140,000 migrants have also arrived in Italy by sea — an increase of 85 per cent since 2022.

PAKISTAN: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday sought protection from arrest from a court in Islamabad ahead of his planned return to the country, his attorney and officials said.

Mr Sharif is currently a fugitive from justice, having failed to appear before a court in 2019.