Pentagon announces new $275M aid package for Ukraine

• In the southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the mineral-rich region of Katanga, a mountainside collapsed, revealing massive deposits of copper ore beneath the rocks. Despite this enormous mineral wealth, 70% of DRC residents live in poverty, a situation further exacerbated by over a decade of war with numerous rebel groups fighting over land and resources.

• The Brazilian Federal Police arrested members of a criminal group, primarily consisting of military personnel, on Tuesday. They reportedly planned an attack on Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after his victory in the late 2022 elections over the far-right politician and former military officer Jair Bolsonaro. The Secretary-General of the Office of the President of Brazil, Marcio Macedo, stated in an interview with journalists covering the G-20 summit in Rio de Janeiro: "There will be no tolerance for those who attempted to undermine the democratic rule of law."

• The Pentagon is expected to soon announce another military aid package for Ukraine worth at least $275 million, according to the AP agency, which cited an anonymous Pentagon official. The new package will include, among other items, new missiles for the HIMARS air defense system, 155 mm and 105 mm artillery ammunition, and Javelin anti-tank missiles.

• Cuban authorities reported on Tuesday that hundreds of thousands of Cuban residents have been without electricity and water since Sunday due to a failure of the national energy system. The most difficult situation was in the western agglomeration of Havana, the country's capital, and in the province of Santiago de Cuba, in the eastern part of the island.

• Four soldiers of the UNIFIL mission were wounded on Tuesday after a rocket struck their outpost in southern Lebanon. UNIFIL reported that the missile was launched by a "non-state entity." The Israeli army stated that it was a Hezbollah rocket.

Source: PAP, Reuters, AP