DESPITE LEGAL WOES, TRUMP SHARES IOWA STAGE WITH DESANTIS

DES MOINES—Former US president Donald Trump -- who has pledged to pursue his White House bid if convicted and sentenced in one of the cases engulfing his comeback bid -- on Friday shared a stage with his Republican rivals for the first time in Iowa.

Trump’s appearance at the party’s Lincoln Dinner fundraiser came as he faced new charges over his handling of classified government documents -- and a possible fresh indictment over his alleged efforts to overturn the result of the 2020 election.

The format of the Lincoln Dinner -- 10 minutes for each candidate -- kept the fireworks to a minimum, but the frontrunner did not shy away from telling the attendees what he thought of his main challenger, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

“I wouldn’t take a chance on that one,” Trump said after offering a barrage of poll data suggesting he would easily defeat incumbent President Joe Biden while DeSantis would lose against the veteran Democrat.

Trump offered a rapid-fire summary of his achievements while in office, from appointing three conservative-leaning Supreme Court justices to withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan, and only briefly alluded to his legal woes. AFP told reporters, hailing the initiative as a boost to his country’s defence and industrial base.

“We are really pleased with the steps that we are taking in respect of establishing a guided weapons and explosive ordnance enterprise in this country,” he added.

The project will see Australia develop guided multiple launch rocket systems, or GMLRS.

Austin said the plan would help the United States “sharpen our technological edge and strengthen our defence industrial base”.

Washington will now work to help Australia build a fledgling domestic missile industry almost from scratch, with an eye to securing a reliable pipeline for its own armed forces down the track.

The war in Ukraine has exposed weaknesses in many Western military supply chains and has steadily depleted stocks of missiles and other munitions.

Australia is currently embarking on its own armed forces overhaul, pivoting towards longrange strike capabilities in an effort to keep wouldbe foes such as China at arm’s length.

Increased tempo

The two-day Australia-US meeting that ended on Saturday was heavily focused on regional security and military cooperation, as the longtime allies work to curb China’s growing power in the Pacific region.

The talks were partially overshadowed when an Australian MRH-90 Taipan military helicopter crashed in subtropical waters off the coast of Queensland late Friday, prompting the suspension of a major military exercise between the two countries.

The four crew members are still missing and concern is growing for their wellbeing. AFP

ARMY GENERAL NAMES SELF NIGER’S LEADER

NIAMEY, Niger—The Niger general who staged a coup on Friday declared himself the new leader of the jihadist-hit African nation and warned that any foreign military intervention would lead to chaos.

General Abdourahamane Tchiani, head of the Presidential Guard since 2011, appeared on state television, saying he was the “president of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland”.

The general, who is in his 50s and had previously kept out of public life, presented the coup as a response to “the degradation of the security situation” linked to jihadist bloodshed.

He questioned “the sense and scope of a security approach to the fight against terrorism which excludes any real collaboration with Burkina Faso and Mali” -- neighbours which face similar threats.

But the putschists, who have faced international condemnation for taking power from a democratically elected president, also warned of “the consequences that will flow from any foreign military intervention”. AFP

UKRAINE: 9 WOUNDED IN NEW DNIPRO STRIKE

KYIV—A Russian missile struck an apartment block in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Friday, Kyiv officials said, injuring at least nine people including two children. “Dnipro. Another terrorist attack,” said Sergiy Kruk, head of the Ukrainian State Emergency Service, on Telegram.

“Currently, we know of 9 injured, including two children. Work continues.”

Internal Affairs Minister Igor Klymenko earlier reported “a Russian strike on a multistorey building in Dnipro”, saying five people had been injured.

Videos posted on social media showed smoke billowing from the top floors of a residential building that had been badly damaged.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Dnipro. Friday evening. A highrise building and the Security Service of Ukraine’s building were hit. Russian missile terror again”. AFP