"Global Tensions Rise: Ukraine's Drone Defense, Asia's Diplomatic Disputes, and Congo's Coup Attempt"

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Welcome to LanguaTalk news. Our first story comes from Ukraine. The country's air force has reportedly shot down twenty-eight out of twenty-nine drones. These were used by Russian forces in an overnight attack on seven regions. The drone attacks damaged private residences, trucks, and buses in the city of Kharkiv. As a result, five people were injured. Later on, a missile attack injured two more people. Two drones were brought down in the Dnipropetrovsk region. This caused damage but thankfully, there were no reported injuries. In the Kherson and Odesa regions, seventeen drones were shot down. The remaining drones targeted the Mykolaiv, Cherkasy, and Kirovohrad regions. Russia has increased drone and missile attacks on Ukraine this spring. This has caused significant damage to the country's energy infrastructure.Still in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has expressed his concerns to partners in the West. He believes that they are taking too long to decide on military support for his country. In a recent interview, he said he was encouraging these partners to get more directly involved in the conflict. This could be by helping to intercept Russian missiles over Ukraine. Alternatively, they could allow Kyiv to use Western weapons against enemy military equipment near the border. President Zelenskiy's call for faster aid and more engagement in the conflict shows the growing pressure on Ukraine's forces. He describes the situation on the battlefield as "one of the most difficult" he has known since Russia's full-scale invasion in February twenty twenty two. He reaffirmed his call for quicker military aid from the United States and other partners. Despite already receiving some weapons and ammunition from the US, he believes the delivery was delayed by internal political issues.Moving onto Asia, where there has been criticism from China of South Korean and Japanese lawmakers. They attended Taiwan's "so-called inauguration ceremony of the leader". Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te, who won an election in January, was officially sworn in on Monday. China strongly opposes these visits and has voiced its complaint to both South Korea and Japan. China has urged South Korea to take actions to protect their mutual interests. It has also asked Japan to stop the "provocative political manipulation" of the Taiwan issue. Japan, which congratulated Ching-te on his inauguration, was also reminded by China to avoid causing further damage to peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits and to their bilateral relations. The three countries are due to have a summit next week in Seoul. Tensions between these countries have been compounded by disputes over maritime claims in the East China Sea and South China Sea.Our final story today is from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a coup attempt took place on Sunday. Top officials' homes were targeted and the president's office was briefly occupied. A group of about fifty armed men attacked the homes of the prime minister, the defence minister, and a senior politician.Next, they went to the Palais de la Nation, where the office of President Felix Tshisekedi is located. The security forces were able to stop the coup, killing the leader, Christian Malanga, and arresting about forty others. Malanga, a Congolese politician based in the United States, had declared himself as the "President of New Zaire". After the incident, the US ambassador said that they will fully cooperate with the Congolese authorities. They will hold accountable any US citizens involved. This event has raised concerns about the security arrangements in the capital.Thanks for listening to LanguaTalk news!