MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Moscow denied on Tuesday that its aircraft had violated South Korean airspace, saying its jets had carried out planned drills over international waters. “Two Tu-95 strategic bombers of Russia’s aerospace forces carried out a planned flight in the airspace above the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan,” the defence ministry said in a statement. It also denied that the South Korean planes fired warning shots. Moscow said two South Korean […]
International
South Korea says it fired warning shots at Russian military jet
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korean fighter jets fired over 400 warning shots and Japan complained to Moscow on Tuesday after a Russian military plane violated airspace claimed by both Seoul and Tokyo. Seoul said a Russian A-50 warplane twice entered South Korean airspace near the disputed Dokdo islets — which Japan calls Takeshima. South Korea officials said they responded by scrambling F-15K and KF-16 fighters, which first issued warnings and fired flares. […]
US tech CEOs support Trump on Huawei restrictions: W. House
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Chief executives from several US tech companies met with President Donald Trump on Monday and expressed “strong support” for policies restricting the use of products from Chinese telecom giant Huawei. Washington accuses Huawei of working directly with the Chinese government and its intelligence services, which it says could pose security risks — claims the company denies. In May, Trump hit Huawei with an executive order that effectively banned it from […]
Britain plans European-led Gulf force after tanker seizure
by Alice RITCHIE LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain on Monday said it was planning a European-led protection force for shipping in the Gulf after Iranian authorities seized a British-flagged tanker in a dramatic escalation of tensions in the region. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt condemned Iran’s actions as “state piracy” while at the same time emphasizing that Britain did not want confrontation. “We will seek to establish this mission as quickly as possible,” Hunt said, […]
Firefighters struggle against Portugal wildfires as winds pick up
by Bruno Cravo with Daniel Silva in Lisbon MACAO, PORTUGAL (AFP) — Portugal requested the loan of two water-bombing planes on Monday as winds revived massive wildfires in a central region where dozens of people were killed in huge blazes in 2017. Portugal’s civil protection agency had said on Monday morning the wildfires were “90 percent controlled” but officials said they were fanned back into life when winds picked up in the afternoon. Later in […]
Monsoon toll tops 650 as rains unleash flood fury in South Asia
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Severe floods and lightning have claimed the lives of more than 650 people across India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, officials said Monday as the annual monsoon took its toll on the rainfed region. More than 10 million people in the South Asian countries have been affected by the deluge, which has also forced tens of thousands to flee their homes. In India, heavy rains since the start of July have […]
Puerto Ricans launch massive protest against governor
by Nelson del Castillo with Leila Macor in Miami SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AFP) — Hundreds of thousands of angry protesters blocked the main road in Puerto Rico’s capital on Monday in the largest in a wave of demonstrations seeking the resignation of the US territory’s embattled governor. The demonstrators were joined by some of Puerto Rico’s most famous singers, including Ricky Martin. The huge crowds sang, chanted, and danced in the streets while carrying […]
Iran announces arrests, death sentences as CIA spy ring busted
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iranian authorities said on Monday that security agencies had arrested 17 suspects and sentenced some of them to death after dismantling a CIA spy ring in a case announced last month. The agencies “successfully dismantled a (CIA) spy network on July 18,” the head of counter-intelligence at the Iranian intelligence ministry, whose identity was not revealed, told reporters in Tehran. “Some were sentenced to death and some to long-term imprisonment.” © […]
Anger soars over vicious mob attack on Hong Kong protesters
by Jerome TAYLOR / Elaine YU HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Anger soared in Hong Kong on Monday over a vicious assault against pro-democracy protesters by a mob of suspected triad gangsters that left dozens wounded, one critically, in a dramatic escalation of the political violence plaguing the financial hub. The city’s roiling unrest took a dark turn late Sunday when gangs of men — most wearing white t-shirts and carrying bats, sticks and metal […]
1,700 firefighters battle Portugal wildfires
by Patricia de Melo Moreira, with Bruno Cravo in Lisbon AMENDOA, Portugal (AFP) — Planes and helicopters joined nearly 2,000 firefighters in central Portugal Sunday to battle huge wildfires in a mountainous region where more than 100 people died in huge blazes in 2017. Some 1,700 firefighters and 400 vehicles were deployed in one of the biggest mobilizations ever seen in the area to fight the blazes in the heavily forested Castelo Branco region, 200 […]
Japan’s Abe claims victory in upper house election
by Shingo ITO Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe claimed victory Sunday for his ruling coalition in the upper house election but appeared to fail to secure a “supermajority” in the chamber in support of his dream to amend the nation’s pacifist constitution. With the results, the 64-year-old Abe, who is on course to become Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, aims to shore up his mandate ahead of a crucial consumption tax hike later this year, along […]
Iran probes seized UK-flagged tanker, Britain to hold emergency meeting
by Amir Havasi TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran warned Sunday that the fate of a UK-flagged tanker it seized in the Gulf depends on an investigation, as Britain prepared for an emergency security meeting on Tehran’s action. Iranian authorities impounded the Stena Impero with 23 crew members aboard off the port of Bandar Abbas after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized it Friday in the highly sensitive Strait of Hormuz. Video footage released by Iran […]
