International

Kremlin says Putin and Trump to meet Friday in Hamburg: news agencies

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to hold a first meeting with United States leader Donald Trump on Friday, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, the Kremlin said Tuesday. “It has been agreed for July 7,” top Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies, without giving further details. The much-hyped maiden encounter between the two leaders comes as Trump’s camp is under intense […]

Featured video: North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un excitedly watches latest missile test

North Korea says it has successfully tested its first intercontinental ballistic missile — a watershed moment in its push to develop a nuclear weapon capable of hitting the mainland United States. The video also shows photos of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un excitedly cheering while watching the missile test. North Korean state TV  declared the ICBM test-firing a success. A news presenter announced, “Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasong-14 test firing, success!” as the Korean Central […]

US-backed forces breach IS defences in heart of Syria’s Raqa

  by Layal Abou Rahal with Ahmad Mousa in Mosul Agence France Presse BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — United States-backed forces have penetrated the heavily fortified heart of jihadist bastion Raqa for the first time, in a key milestone in the war against the Islamic State group in Syria. Air strikes by the US-led coalition battling IS punched two holes in the mediaeval wall surrounding the Old City of Raqa, allowing fighters of the Syrian Democratic […]

Airstrikes appear to target Damascus suburbs

(Reuters) — Videos uploaded to social media websites on Monday (July 3) appeared to show air strikes targeting neighborhoods close to the Syrian capital, Damascus. The videos showed smoke rising from explosions in what was said to be the the outer suburbs of Erbin and Jobar, located to the north-east of Damacus. In one of the videos a warplane is briefly seen flying overhead before a large explosion in the distance. The Syrian Observatory for […]

AirAsia flight grounded after apparent bird strike damages engine

BRISBANE, Australia (Reuters) — Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia X said on Tuesday (July 4) a flight from Australia to Malaysia was diverted and forced to land in Brisbane because an engine was damaged during take-off by what was thought to be a bird strike. AirAsia X Flight D7207 was carrying 345 passengers and 14 crew when it took off from the Gold Coast tourist hub in northern Queensland state en route to Kuala Lumpur late […]

N. Korea fires ballistic missile that ‘could reach Alaska’

by Sebastien Berger Agence France Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea launched a ballistic missile Tuesday as the United States prepared to mark its Independence Day, triggering a Twitter outburst from President Donald Trump who urged China to “end this nonsense once and for all.” Analysts said the rocket could bring Alaska within range of the North’s devices. The launch was the latest in a series of provocations that have ratcheted up tensions […]

Trump urges China to get ‘heavy’ with North Korea

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — United States President Donald Trump urged China to take decisive action against North Korea Monday after its latest ballistic missile launch, urging Beijing to “end this nonsense once and for all.” “Does this guy have anything better to do with his life?” Trump said of his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-Un after South Korea’s military reported that a ballistic missile had come down in the Sea of Japan. The US […]

N. Korea fires ballistic missile: South’s military

  SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea launched a ballistic missile Tuesday, the South’s military said, just days after Seoul’s new leader Moon Jae-In and United States President Donald Trump focused on the threat from Pyongyang in their first summit. The launch, which comes as the US prepares to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday, was the latest in a series of provocations that have ratcheted up tensions over the nuclear-armed North’s weapons ambitions. The […]

Russia’s Putin and China’s Xi meet in Kremlin

MOSCOW, Russia (Reuters) — Chinese President Xi Jinping, in Russia for an official visit,  met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Monday (July 3). The two leaders are expected to hold talks on Tuesday (July 4) before Xi heads for Germany where he will take part in G20 summit in Hamburg. Xi arrived in Moscow on Monday, embarking on his second state visit to Russia since taking office in 2013. In a […]

Trump talks with German, Italian leaders ahead of G20 summit: White House

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump spoke Monday with Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italy’s Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni about the upcoming G20 summit in Hamburg, the White House said. Trump and Merkel “addressed climate issues, the Women’s Entrepreneurship Financing Initiative and trade, including global steel overcapacity,” the White House said in a statement following their “extensive discussion.” “The president said that he looks forward to helping Chancellor Merkel make the summit a […]

16 dead, 10 missing after flood hits Guangxi

GUANGXI ZHUANG, China (CCTV) — Rain-triggered floods have killed 16 people and left 10 missing in southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, local authorities said Monday. Heavy rain started to pound parts of Guangxi on Saturday, forcing the relocation of 91,600 residents as of 14:30 Monday, according to the regional civil affairs department. The disaster wreaked havoc on the lives of 1.05 million people, inflicting direct economic losses worth nearly 2.9 billion yuan (428 million […]

US warship in Med wary of ‘tensions’ with Syria’s allies

Agence France Presse A senior officer aboard a United States Navy supercarrier deployed in the eastern Mediterranean said Monday his forces were wary of “tensions” with allies of Syria’s regime but were ready to defend US-backed forces. The USS George H.W. Bush has been a leading part of the US bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria, primarily against the Islamic State group but on occasion targeting Syrian government forces and their allies fighting US-backed groups. […]