The world in brief

Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, said his country’s troops had gained complete control of the Russian town of Sudzha, in the Kursk border region. With a pre-evacuation population of around 5,000, it is the largest town to fall during Ukraine’s surprise, ten-day incursion. Earlier Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus’s president, called on Russia and Ukraine to end their “scuffle” in an interview that will be broadcast on Russian state media.

Thailand’s parliament elected Paetongtarn Shinawatra as the country’s new prime minister. At 37 Ms Paetongtarn is Thailand’s youngest-ever premier. She is the daughter of Thaksin Shinawatra, a populist who led the country until he was overthrown in a coup d’état in 2006. On Wednesday a court ordered Srettha Thavisin, Thailand’s previous prime minister, to step down because of an ethics violation.