Ukraine said Monday it had lost control of a village adjacent to the eastern industrial city of Severodonetsk, the centre of weeks of fierce fighting with invading Russian troops. “Unfortunately, we do not control Metyolkine anymore. And the enemy continues to build up its reserves,” the Lugansk regional governor Sergiy Gaiday said in a statement on social media. Russia’s capture of the hamlet with a pre-war population of around 1,000 people, is the latest around […]
International
26 more dead in India monsoon fury, waters recede in Bangladesh
At least 26 more people have died in monsoon flooding and lightning strikes in India, as millions remained marooned in the country and neighbouring Bangladesh, authorities said Monday. Floods are a regular menace in India and Bangladesh, but experts say climate change is increasing their frequency, ferocity and unpredictability for the two countries’ 1.6 billion people. In India‘s northeastern state of Assam, three people were killed in landslides while six others died in flood waters, […]
China’s oil imports from Russia jump 55% on-year: customs
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s imports of oil from Russia rose 55 percent in May, customs data showed on Monday, with the West sanctioning fuel imports from Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. The world’s second-biggest economy imported around 8.42 million tonnes of oil from Russia last month, surpassing its shipments from Saudi Arabia, as Beijing refuses to condemn Moscow’s war. Last week, President Xi Jinping assured Vladimir Putin of China’s support on Russian “sovereignty […]
Bankrupt Sri Lanka opens IMF talks, begins shutdown
Sri Lanka closed schools and halted all non-essential government services on Monday, beginning a two-week shutdown to conserve fast-depleting fuel reserves as the International Monetary Fund opened talks with Colombo on a possible bailout. The country of 22 million people is in the grip of its worst economic crisis after running out of dollars to finance even the most essential imports, including fuel. On Monday schools were shut and state offices worked with skeleton staff as […]
China’s mass testing mantra is building a waste mountain
by Matthew Walsh Agence France-Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — Hazmat-suited workers poke plastic swabs down millions of throats in China each day, leaving bins bursting with medical waste that has become the environmental and economic levy of a zero-Covid strategy. China is the last major economy wedded to stamping out infections no matter the cost. Near-daily testing is the most commonly used weapon in an anti-virus arsenal that includes snap lockdowns and forced quarantines when […]
Future king William’s influence grows as he hits 40
by Martine PAUWELS Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Prince William’s 40th birthday this week marks a significant milestone for the future king, who is rapidly stamping his authority on the British royal family by plotting a course between tradition and modernity. William’s wife Catherine celebrated her landmark birthday in January and only Queen Elizabeth II is held in higher regard by the public than the close-knit couple, who are often held […]
Ukraine mechanics turn rally cars into ‘combat buggies’
by Marina Moyseyenko Agence France-Presse ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AFP) — At a workshop in Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine, mechanics are hard at work turning rally cars into vehicles that can be used to fight Russian troops on the frontline. They change mufflers, remove sports tuning and change the interiors to create pared-down vehicles — all under the supervision of businessman Volodymyr Tarkhov. Before the Russian invasion, the 32-year-old produced fiberglass catamarans and kayaks. Since the start […]
Israeli FM to visit Turkey amid threat of Iran attacks
JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will visit Turkey next week, his office said Sunday, days after he urged Israelis to leave that country over threats of attacks by Iranian operatives. Sunday’s announcement came after Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke by telephone with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and “thanked” him “for the efforts to thwart terrorist activities on Turkish soil”, according to a statement from the Israeli presidency. “President Herzog […]
Russia to ‘intensify’ fighting, Zelensky warns as EU decision on Ukraine looms
by Benoit Finck with Anna Malpas in the Donbas Agence France-Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned Sunday that Russia was likely to intensify its “hostile activity” this week, as Kyiv awaits a historic decision from the European Union on its membership application. Nearly three months after Russia launched a bloody invasion of his country, Zelensky said there had been “few such fateful decisions for Ukraine” as the one it expects from […]
Macron loses parliament majority in stunning setback
by Stuart WILLIAMS and Adam PLOWRIGHT Agence France Presse French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday lost his parliamentary majority after major election gains by a newly formed left-wing alliance and the far right, in a stunning blow to his plans for major second-term reform. The result from Sunday’s second round poll threw French politics into turmoil, raising the prospect of a paralysed legislature or messy coalitions with Macron forced to reach out to new […]
Strong quake hits eastern Taiwan: USGS
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck Monday in Taiwan’s east, 38 kilometers south of Hualien city, the US Geological Survey said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The quake had an estimated depth of 10 kilometers, according to USGS, and struck at 09:05 local time (0105 GMT). An AFP reporter in Taipei felt shaking, and local media said the quake was felt across the island. The Taipei Metro stopped briefly […]
US approves Covid vaccines for youngest kids
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US health authorities on Saturday cleared the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines for children aged five and younger, in a move President Joe Biden greeted as a “monumental step” in the fight against the virus. The United States thus became the first country to approve use of the so-called mRNA vaccines for children as young as six months. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had on Friday authorized their […]





