By James Edgar and Oliver Hotham BEIJING, Oct 14, 2023 (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin heads to China next week to meet his “dear friend” Xi Jinping, forging even closer ties in a key strategic relationship in which experts say Moscow is increasingly the junior partner. Beijing is hosting representatives of 130 countries on October 17-18 to mark a decade of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) — a key geopolitical project of President […]
International
One week into war, thousands on the run in Gaza fearing Israel ground offensive
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories, Oct 14, 2023 (AFP) – Palestinians sought refuge Saturday after Israel warned them to evacuate the northern Gaza Strip before an expected ground offensive against Hamas, one week after the deadliest attack in Israel’s history. Israeli ground forces massed near Gaza have made “localised” raids into the enclave “to cleanse the area of terrorists and weaponry” and try to find “missing persons”, the army said. Hamas militants in their October 7 […]
Saudi Arabia halts normalization talks with Israel amid escalating conflict
RIYADH, Oct 14, 2023 (AFP) – Saudi Arabia has suspended talks on potentially normalising ties with Israel, a source told AFP on Saturday, amid the war raging between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel on October 7 which killed 1,300 people, sparking a retaliatory bombing campaign that has killed at least 1,900 in the Gaza Strip ahead of a potential Israeli ground invasion of the territory. “Saudi […]
Interview: Israel’s Ambassador to the Philippines, H.E. Ilan Fluss, discusses the bold Hamas attack on Israel, Israeli response, citizen resilience, and hostage rescue efforts
US astronaut gets used to Earth after record-setting 371 days in space
HOUSTON, Oct 14, 2023 (AFP) – After spending more than a year in space, Frank Rubio now has to get used to that pesky thing Earthlings call gravity. “Walking hurts a little bit the first few days, the soles of your feet and lower back,” he said at a news conference Friday at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. “I think there is a certain level of pain that comes with the fact […]
France on top alert, deploys 7,000 soldiers after teacher’s murder
ARRAS, France, Oct 14, 2023 (AFP) – France on Saturday said it will deploy 7,000 soldiers after declaring a top-level alert following the fatal stabbing of a teacher by a Chechen-origin man, who also severely wounded three others at a school. The attack took place in the northeastern town of Arras, home to large Jewish and Muslim populations. Police arrested the suspected attacker, Mohammed Moguchkov, who had cried the Arabic phrase “Allahu akbar!” (God is […]
Thousands flee north Gaza after Israel evacuation warning
By Adel Zaanoun, with Amit Meyer in Jerusalem GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories, Oct 14, 2023 (AFP) – Thousands of Palestinians fled Saturday to southern Gaza seeking refuge after Israel warned them to evacuate before an expected ground offensive against Hamas in retaliation for the deadliest attack in Israel’s history. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that nearly a week of fierce bombardment was “just the beginning” as Israel seeks to retaliate against Hamas after their fighters […]
US extends China chip waiver for Taiwan’s TSMC: minister
TAIPEI, Taiwan, Oct 13, 2023 (AFP) – The United States has extended a waiver to Taiwanese semiconductor giant TSMC to supply US chip-making equipment to its factories in China, the island’s economic affairs minister said Friday. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the world’s largest contract producer of computer chips, was among the firms that received waivers last year when Washington imposed sweeping export restrictions to prevent China from getting advanced semiconductor technology. The United States says […]
Israel calls for northern Gaza to be emptied within 24 hours
By Adel Zaanoun with Amelie Bottollier-Depois at the United Nations GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories, Oct 13, 2023 (AFP) – Israel has called for the immediate relocation of 1.1 million people in Gaza amid its massive bombardment in retaliation for Hamas’s attacks, with the United Nations warning of “devastating” consequences. The UN said the mass relocation of the entire population in northern Gaza to the south of the enclave was “impossible” and urgently appealed for the […]
5.2-Magnitude earthquake rattles Manila, prompting concerns of damage and aftershocks
MANILA, Oct 13, 2023 (AFP) – A magnitude 5.2 earthquake shook buildings in the Philippine capital on Friday, the US Geological Survey said, with local authorities warning of possible damage and aftershocks. The shallow quake struck about 100 kilometres (62 miles) south of Manila at 8:24 am (0024 GMT) and sent students and office workers fleeing from their buildings. “So far everything’s okay. No casualties although this is the epicentre,” said Rafael Cuevas, a disaster […]
Taiwan’s defense minister warns of increased ‘military intimidation’ by China
TAIPEI, Oct 12, 2023 (AFP) – Taiwan’s defence minister said Thursday China has stepped up “military intimidation” this year by flying an increased number of warplanes around the island as well as accelerating the deployment of ballistic missiles. China claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory to be seized one day — by force if necessary — and has ramped up pressure on the island in recent years, staging at least two rounds of […]
Pres. Biden slams Trump for calling Hezbollah ‘smart’
WASHINGTON, Oct 13, 2023 (AFP) – US President Joe Biden condemned Donald Trump on Thursday for describing Hezbollah as “very smart” even as the Lebanese militant group exchanges fire with Israel following the Hamas attack on the US ally. During a campaign speech in Florida, Trump also falsely accused the Biden administration of bankrolling the Hamas assault as a result of a prisoner exchange deal with Iran, which has historically funded Hamas and Hezbollah. Biden […]





