International

Russia says downed 28 drones over Crimea

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian forces have downed 28 Ukrainian drones over Crimea overnight, Moscow’s defense ministry and a local official said on Tuesday. Seventeen drones sent by Ukraine’s forces overnight were “destroyed” and another 11 were “suppressed” by electronic means, Russia’s defense ministry said in a statement. It said there were no casualties or damage. Crimea’s Russian-installed governor Sergei Aksyonov said on Telegram that 28 drones had been downed or destroyed during the night. […]

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Cheers and sneers as Bulgaria unveils EU’s highest flagpole

  By Diana SIMEONOVA Agence France-Presse ROZHEN, Bulgaria (AFP) — A soaring mast in the mountains of southern Bulgaria has made the EU’s poorest country as the home of the bloc’s highest flagpole, filling some with pride and drawing scorn from others. Nationalism and populism are on the rise in the Balkan nation, where many remain strongly Russophile despite Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The immense 1,110-square-metre flag, meant to symbolise Bulgaria’s territory of 111,000 square […]

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Sri Lankan leader seeks to disarm India’s China fears

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AFP) — Sri Lanka’s president arrives in India on Thursday for his first visit to the regional powerhouse, with concerns mounting in New Delhi over China’s increasing influence in the strategically placed but financially bankrupt island. New Sri Lankan leaders usually travel to India within a few weeks of taking office, but Ranil Wickremesinghe’s trip comes exactly a year after he became president following the toppling of his predecessor at the height […]

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Ukraine activates air defenses in Odesa region

KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukraine activated aerial defenses in coastal Odesa early Tuesday, authorities said, hours after Russia refused to extend a deal allowing the safe export of grain from the region. “Odesa. Air defense combat work continues,” said Sergiy Bratchuk, spokesman for the Odessa military region, on Telegram. The Odesa region in southern Ukraine is home to maritime terminals that were key to the expired grain export agreement between Moscow and Kyiv. Russia was […]

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Rescuers recover last body from flooded S. Korean tunnel

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Rescue workers recovered the last body and ended search operations at a flooded underpass in South Korea where more than a dozen people died in an incident that is now the subject of multiple official probes. South Korea is at the peak of its summer monsoon season, and days of torrential rain have caused widespread flooding and landslides, with rivers bursting their banks, and reservoirs and dams overflowing. More rain […]

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Plane crashes into hangar in Poland, killing five

WARSAW, Poland (AFP) — A small plane crashed into a hangar at an airfield near Warsaw on Monday, killing five people, officials said. Rescuers said three people were aboard the plane when it collided with the corrugated iron hangar, where 13 people were sheltering from a storm. “Five people died and eight others were injured, two of them seriously,” said Warsaw police spokesman Sylwester Marczak, adding that the pilot was among the dead. The plane […]

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Mercury hits new highs as heat waves scorch the globe

ATHENS, July 17, 2023 (AFP) – Temperatures reached new highs on Monday as heatwaves and wildfires scorched swathes of the Northern Hemisphere, forcing the evacuation of 1,200 children close to a Greek seaside resort. Health authorities have sounded alarms from North America to Europe and Asia, urging people to stay hydrated and shelter from the burning sun, in a stark reminder of the effects of global warming. Near Athens, a forest fire flared in strong […]

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Ukraine grain deal expires after Russia refuses extension

MOSCOW, July 17, 2023 (AFP) – The deal allowing Ukraine to safely export grain to global markets via the Black Sea expired at midnight in Istanbul (2100 GMT) after Russia refused an extension. The deadline was set when the arrangement, brokered by the UN and Turkey in July 2022 to avoid food shortages in vulnerable countries, was last extended for two months in May. The Kremlin on Monday said it was exiting the deal, having […]

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President Putin vows ‘response’ after Ukraine attack on Crimea bridge

MOSCOW, July 17, 2023 (AFP) – President Vladimir Putin on Monday vowed to retaliate after a Ukrainian attack on a bridge linking Moscow-annexed Crimea to Russia killed two civilians and left their child wounded. “Another terrorist attack was committed on the bridge last night,” Putin said in televised remarks. “Of course, there will be a response from Russia. The defence ministry is preparing relevant proposals,” he added. “From a military point of view, this is […]

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Thousands evacuated as typhoon nears southern China, Vietnam

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Tens of thousands of people were being evacuated in southern China and Vietnam on Monday, and dozens of flights cancelled as a typhoon barreled towards land. Powerful winds, storm surges and lashing rains were forecast to hammer the southern coastline from Guangdong to Hainan provinces when typhoon Talim makes landfall on Monday night, the China Meteorological Administration said. The forecaster has issued an orange alert, the second-highest warning in a four-tier […]

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Ukraine says retook territory near Bakhmut in past week

KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukraine said on Monday its forces had retaken several square kilometres of territory around the eastern city of Bakhmut, which Russian forces seized in May. Kyiv last month began its highly anticipated fightback against entrenched Russian troops after stockpiling Western weapons and building up its offensive forces. “Over the past week, as a result of the improvement of the operational (tactical) position and alignment of the front line in the Bakhmut […]

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Storm clouds loom large over China’s economy

By Sébastien RICCI Agence France-Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s lower-than-expected growth in the second quarter comes as the world’s second largest economy is hit by sluggish consumption, a real estate sector in crisis and worries over deflation. Here is a look at the main storm clouds over China’s economy: – Sluggish consumption – For almost three years Beijing’s strict zero-Covid policies meant repeated lockdowns, the fear of being arbitrarily quarantined and other draconian health […]

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