UPDATE – Niger:

- Coup leaders ignored a deadline by West African regional bloc to reinstate the ousted president.

- Country has shut its airspace and deployed troops to strategic areas, including border regions.

- Niger's rulers say armed forces and the population are 'ready to defend the integrity' of the country.

- Rulers in Burkina Faso and Mali have promised to come to the aid of Niger in case of a military intervention.

- French minister says there is an 'extraordinary alignment' between Western and African nations to condemn what has happened in Niger.

🔗 Spectator Index

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JAPAN – On August 4th to 5th, the JMSDF confirmed that one Russian Navy Vishnya-class intelligence ship sailed west through the Tsugaru Strait.

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JAPAN – Type 87 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, of the 7th anti-aircraft special regiment of the 7th division of the JGSDF.

In addition; it is equipped with a Type 81 short-range surface-to-air missile.

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More than 1000 km from Chinese coast, Chinese coast guard continues illegal harassment of Philippine vessels near Ayungin atoll. Both countries lay claim to shoal, which ICJ defines as a “low-tide elevation” that can’t be claimed under international law.

🔗 Hans Kristensen

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Yesterday, the US Navy destroyer USS Roosevelt DDG80 arrived on a visit
to the port of of Riga, Latvia.

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BREAKING – Burkina Faso: 26 people were killed in an attack by Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin

JNIM attacked a group of civilian commercial vehicles on a road near Nohao in south-eastern Burkina Faso. They looted the cargo of the vehicles & set them on fire.

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MALI – Malians oppose the war in Niger and challenge the Malian junta on the growing insecurity in the center of the country where jihadists have besieged several villages in recent days.

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Lockheed Martin validated designs for all elements of US Missile Defense Agency's Ground-Based Missile Defense system Next Generation Interceptor. The first Next Generation Interceptor is forecast for delivery as early as FY2027.

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BREAKING – Syria: ISIS takes control of a town in the countryside of Raqqa, after battles in which 10 Syrian army soldiers
were killed

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MAP – Armed violence involving jihadist groups in Mali, Niger and Nigeria

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URGENT – US, UK, Australia, Japan, Canada, Germany, EU, France, NZ, South Korea have all issued statements denouncing dangerous actions of the China Coast Guard in the South China Sea or expressing their concerns. Noticeably missing, however, are statements from the ASEAN member states!

🔗 Duan Dang

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JUST IN – Niger: The junta informed ECOWAS by an official letter that it could not receive the ECOWAS delegation for the moment, for "security" reasons.

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NIGER CRISIS – Algeria has nothing to fear from the destabilization of the Sahel.

They will throw the migrants on the desert as always. Those who will be affected are the coastal countries, Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, which are hosting thousands of refugees.

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South China Sea - China, Philippines' dispute over grounded warship heats up

China again ask Philippines to tow away a grounded warship-a World War Two-era vessel now used as a military outpost - from a disputed shoal after Manila rejected Beijing's earlier demand.

🔗 DD India

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