International

New Australia PM, Indonesia president ride bikes as diplomatic wheels turn

Australia’s new prime minister and Indonesia’s president rode bamboo bicycles together on Monday as they held talks to boost ties, as Canberra embarks on a diplomatic charm offensive aimed at countering China’s growing assertiveness in the region. Anthony Albanese hailed relations with Indonesia and vowed to strengthen them on his first bilateral trip since being elected last month, heading to Southeast Asia’s biggest economy in what has become a traditional tour for new Australian premiers. […]

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China warns Australia risks ‘serious consequences’ after jet interception

  Beijing on Monday warned Australia to “act prudently” or face “serious consequences” after Canberra accused a Chinese fighter jet of dangerously intercepting one of its spy planes over the South China Sea. Australia has argued it is not unusual for it to undertake surveillance flights in the South China Sea — a region Beijing insists comes under its domain despite a 2016 Hague ruling that dismissed its claims. China’s stance has heightened tensions with […]

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S. Korea, US fire ballistic missiles in response to N. Korea tests

South Korea and the United States fired eight ballistic missiles on Monday in response to North Korean weapons tests the previous day, Seoul’s military said. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the allies launched the ground-to-ground Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missile at targets in the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, in the early morning. The 10-minute volley comes a day after North Korea launched eight short-range ballistic missiles following a […]

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Belgian king, in shadow of colonial past, to visit DR Congo

  by Matthieu Demeestere Agence France-Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — Belgium’s King Philippe on Tuesday begins a historic visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, in a region cruelly exploited by his ancestors, as tensions rise in the volatile east. The six-day trip, at the invitation of President Felix Tshisekedi, has strong symbolic significance, coming two years after Philippe expressed to the Congolese leader his “deepest regrets” for the “wounds” of colonization. The visit, the monarch’s […]

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At least 16 killed, 170 injured in Bangladesh depot fire

CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh (AFP) — At least 16 people were killed and 170 others injured after a massive fire tore through a container depot in southern Bangladesh, officials said Sunday. The fire broke out shortly before midnight at a container storage facility in Sitakunda, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the key port of Chittagong, fire service official Jalal Ahmed said. “Sixteen people have been killed in the fire. The number of fatalities is expected to […]

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Ukraine says regained ground from Russia in key eastern city

  by Blaise Gauquelin, with Quentin Tyberghien in the Donbas Agence France-Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — With a see-saw battle for control of the strategically important city of Severodonetsk raging on, a senior Ukrainian official said Sunday that his country’s forces now control “half of the city”. The gains, announced by regional governor Sergiy Gaiday, would represent a significant advance by Ukrainian troops, who earlier had appeared on the verge of being driven out of […]

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Hong Kong police make multiple arrests as Tiananmen gatherings banned

by Holmes CHAN Hong Kong authorities on Saturday detained multiple people as they pounced on any attempt at public commemoration of the 33rd anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown, as China vies to remove all reminders of the deadly event. Discussion of June 4, 1989, when China set troops and tanks on peaceful protestors, is all but forbidden on the mainland. Semi-autonomous Hong Kong had been the one place in China where large-scale remembrance was still […]

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UPDATE: North Korea fires eight ballistic missiles, Seoul says

by Sunghee Hwang North Korea launched eight ballistic missiles from multiple locations Sunday, South Korea‘s military said, a day after Seoul and Washington completed their first joint drills involving a US aircraft carrier in more than four years. Pyongyang has doubled down on upgrading its weapons programme this year, despite facing crippling economic sanctions, with officials and analysts warning that the regime is preparing to carry out a fresh nuclear test. “Our military detected eight […]

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France confirms 51 monkeypox cases

PARIS, France (AFP) — France has detected 51 cases of monkeypox, French health authorities said Friday, as the number of confirmed infections worldwide rises. The European country reported its first cases in May, and its last total was of 33 confirmed cases on Wednesday. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday it was aware of more than 700 global cases of monkeypox, including 21 in the United States. The French national public […]

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INC holds “Neighborhood Appreciation Day” in Heathrow to mark Mental Health awareness month

  By Paul Jacob Erese and Love Ann Sison EBC United Kingdom To mark Mental Health Awareness Month last May, members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ) in Heathrow, United Kingdom, hosted a Neighbourhood Appreciation Day as part of INCGiving socio-civic project. The Church and its members opened their doors to the local neighbourhood and surrounding communities in an effort to bring the community together in an uplifting, fun-filled family event. Many guests […]

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Queen Elizabeth II kicks off historic jubilee celebrations

by Martine PAUWELS / Phil HAZLEWOOD / Valentine GRAVELEAU Agence France Presse    LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday kicked off the first of four days of celebrations marking her record-breaking 70 years on the throne, to cheering crowds of tens of thousands of people. But the 96-year-old sovereign’s appearance at the Platinum Jubilee — a milestone never previously reached by a British monarch — took its toll, forcing her to […]

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Sri Lanka seeks UN help on food shortages

Cash-strapped Sri Lanka is seeking urgent United Nations help to build a stockpile of essential foods, the prime minister’s office said Friday, after authorities warned of looming starvation. Acute shortages of food, fuel and other essential goods, along with record inflation and rolling blackouts, have inflicted widespread misery in the island nation’s unprecedented economic crisis. Scarce supplies of petrol, diesel and fertiliser have made it difficult for farmers to grow crops, while the agricultural sector […]

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