Overnight reports: Japanese destroyer navigates Taiwan strait, China's tensions rise

It happened while you were sleeping. Here is what the world agencies reported on the night from Wednesday to Thursday.

• A Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer sailed through the Taiwan Strait for the first time - local media reported on Thursday, noting that this voyage emphasises the right to navigation. This manoeuvre may provoke an angry response from China, which considers the strait to be its internal maritime waters. The destroyer Sazanami and Australian and New Zealand units sailed from north to south through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday to participate in multilateral manoeuvres in the South China Sea, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK. The Japanese Ministry of Defence has not yet confirmed the information. On Thursday, the daily "Yomiuri Shimbun" quoted anonymous government sources stating that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ordered the voyage through the Taiwan Strait out of concern that inaction following the recent intrusion of Chinese units into Japanese territory could encourage Beijing to take more aggressive actions.

• US President Joe Biden and leaders of 30 other countries signed a joint G7 and EU declaration on Wednesday regarding the reconstruction of Ukraine, confirming, among other things, their commitments to freezing Russian assets until Russia pays reparations.

• Biden and Kamala allowed this to happen by feeding Zelenskyy money and munitions like no country has ever seen before - former US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday during a rally in North Carolina. Due to US support for Kyiv, the candidate stated, "What deal can we make? It’s demolished. The people are dead. The country is in rubble."

• Australia has called on about 15,000 of its citizens residing in Lebanon to leave the country, signalling the risk of the Beirut airport closing and difficulties evacuating a large number of people if the situation worsens. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government has developed contingency plans that may include evacuation by sea but refused to provide details. According to the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, about 15,000 Australians live in Lebanon. "Given the large numbers we are talking about, this situation will be difficult to resolve," Albanese said.

• The dispute between Ethiopia and Egypt, which is supporting Somalia in its conflict with Ethiopia, is intensifying. The situation may escalate into a direct armed conflict. Currently, there are approximately 1,000 Egyptian commandos in Somalia, and Cairo has announced the possibility of sending up to 10,000 soldiers there in the coming months. At the same time, several thousand Ethiopian troops are in Mogadishu as part of the same mission.

• In France, politicians spoke out after the murder of a 19-year-old student in Paris; the alleged perpetrator is a Moroccan citizen arrested in Geneva, previously convicted but not deported despite orders. The interior minister has promised decisive actions; the far right is pressuring the government.