International

Russia warns France about ‘unacceptable’ arms deliveries to Ukraine

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko in a Tuesday meeting with France’s ambassador to Moscow Pierre Levy warned Paris against the “unacceptable” delivery of weapons to Ukraine. “Attention was focussed on the unacceptability of further pumping Ukraine with Western, including French, weapons that the Kyiv regime uses to shell civilian and infrastructure facilities,” Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement. The two also discussed “the progress of the implementation of the […]

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Biden nominates new ambassador to Russia

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden nominated veteran diplomat Lynne Tracy Tuesday to serve as ambassador to Russia, after the retirement of current envoy John Sullivan. Formerly the number two diplomat in the US mission in Russia, Tracy is currently the US ambassador to Armenia, and her appointment to the Moscow post is contingent on approval by the US Senate. She majored in Russian studies at the University of Georgia and […]

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Israeli, Turkish leaders meet as tensions ease

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday met for the first time in more than a decade with an Israeli prime minister, with Yair Lapid seeking his help on citizens held by Palestinian militants Hamas. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, a month after the countries announced the restoration of diplomatic ties following years of tensions. Lapid “brought up the issue of […]

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Fiona batters Turks and Caicos as Category 3 hurricane

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AFP) — Hurricane Fiona battered the Turks and Caicos islands as a powerful Category 3 storm on Tuesday after leaving a trail of destruction in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The top US disaster management official was headed to Puerto Rico meanwhile to assess the damage in the US territory still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria five years ago. Fiona has left at least two people dead as it […]

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Zelensky hails Western support against Russia annexation referendums

KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday hailed Western allies for their condemnation of plans by authorities in pro-Moscow regions of Ukraine to hold referendums on joining Russia. “I thank all the friends and partners of Ukraine for their massive and firm condemnation of Russia’s intentions to organize yet more pseudo-referendums,” he said in his daily address. Zelensky played down the importance of the plans by pro-Russian authorities in the regions of […]

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UN Summit returns in divided world

by Shaun TANDON Agence France Presse The United Nations’ massive annual summit returns in person Tuesday to a world divided by multiple crises starting with Ukraine. After two years of pandemic restrictions and video addresses, the UN General Assembly is again asking leaders to come in person if they wish to speak — with a sole exception made for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. But the death of Queen Elizabeth II disrupted the summit anew. President […]

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Hong Kong to decide on further Covid relaxation ‘soon’: city leader

HONG KONG, China (AFP) – Hong Kong’s leader on Tuesday said he will soon make a decision on further relaxing coronavirus restrictions, as residents and businesses decry quarantine rules that have kept the finance hub cut off for more than two years. “We will make a decision soon and announce to the public,” chief executive John Lee told reporters. “We want to be connected with the different places in the world. We would like to […]

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One person dying of hunger every four seconds: NGOs

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) – One person is estimated to be dying of hunger every four seconds, over 200 NGOs warned Tuesday, urging decisive international action to “end the spiraling global hunger crisis”. In an open letter addressing world leaders gathering in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, 238 organizations from 75 countries, including Oxfam, Save the Children and Plan International expressed outrage at skyrocketing hunger levels. “A staggering 345 million people are now […]

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Four feared dead after typhoon hits Japan

  TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Two people were confirmed dead and another two were found “without vital signs” after Typhoon Nanmadol slammed into Japan over the weekend, a government spokesman said Tuesday. The storm system made landfall by the southwestern city of Kagoshima on Sunday night, and dumped heavy rain across the Kyushu region before moving along the west coast. By Tuesday morning, it was downgraded to an extratropical cyclone as it crossed to the […]

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Tonga volcano erupts eight times in two days

NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga (AFP) — A volcano north of Tonga’s main island has erupted eight times in the past 48 hours, according to the Pacific nation’s geological service, which has warned mariners to keep their distance Tuesday. The Home Reef volcano has been erupting for the past 10 days, oozing molten lava and shooting steam and ash at least three kilometers (almost two miles) into the air. Home Reef’s eruption currently poses a low risk to […]

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Drought decimates Texas’ key cotton crop

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – On Sutton Page’s ravaged cotton fields, there is almost nothing left to pick. The Texas farmer managed to salvage maybe a fifth of his crop, but the rest was lost to the severe drought that has taken a steep toll across the region. This year, his harvest is “not well,” he says, but in reality, the drought in northern Texas has proven to be a disaster, with most of Page’s […]

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Major quake hits Mexico on anniversary of deadly tremors

  Mexico City, Mexico (AFP) by Sofia Miselem and Daniel Rook A powerful earthquake struck western Mexico on Monday, leaving at least one person dead and sparking panic hundreds of kilometers away in Mexico City on the anniversary of two devastating tremors. The quake — magnitude 7.7 according to the national seismological agency — shook buildings and sent people rushing out into the streets of the capital. “I thought I would have a heart attack!” […]

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