UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — The United Nations and several countries called Thursday for an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, with little mention of reviving the two countries’ apparently stalled peace talks. “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a violation of its territorial integrity and of the Charter of the United Nations,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at a Security Council meeting organized by the United States. “It must end for the sake […]
International
Russian oligarch’s yacht seized in Fiji on US request
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Authorities in Fiji have seized the $300 million yacht of Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov after the US Justice Department requested the vessel be held for violating sanctions and for alleged ties to corruption, the department said Thursday. The five-year-old, 348-foot (106 meter) “Amadea” was berthed in Lautoka, Fiji in the South Pacific when local authorities took control of it based on a US warrant and a Justice Department request. “The […]
Pentagon denies helping Ukraine ‘target’ Russian generals
by Paul Handley © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Defense Department denied Thursday that it provided intelligence on the locations of Russian generals on the battlefield so that Ukrainian forces could kill them. Reacting to an explosive New York Times report on US support for Ukraine’s military, Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby said it was true that the United States supplies Kyiv’s forces with military intelligence “to help Ukrainians defend […]
Three killed in central Israel attack, police launch manhunt
by Ahmad Gharabli with Ben Simon in Jerusalem © Agence France-Presse ELAD, Israel (AFP) — Three people were killed in an attack in the central Israeli city of Elad, as the Jewish state marked the anniversary of its founding on Thursday, and follows a brief lull in deadly unrest. Police said that a manhunt using helicopters and roadblocks had been launched, with a larger number of officers and army units pursuing “one or two […]
Russian ceasefire to begin at besieged Mariupol steel plant
by Joshua Melvin with David Stout in Kyiv © Agence France-Presse ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AFP) — A Russian-announced ceasefire was due to begin Thursday at the besieged steel plant in the devastated Ukrainian city of Mariupol, to allow civilians to flee even as its defenders vowed to fight to the end. The three-day halt in Russia’s attack on the Azovstal steelworks was announced as EU member states debated a proposed ban on Russian oil, the bloc’s […]
John Lee: the former Hong Kong cop Beijing trusts
by Su Xinqi As a former beat cop who rose to become Hong Kong’s security chief, John Lee is the one person China’s leaders trust to run the city as their loyal lieutenant, analysts and insiders say. Lee, 64, is expected to be anointed Hong Kong’s next chief executive by a small committee on Sunday, the culmination of a choreographed, Beijing-blessed race with no other candidates. His elevation caps a remarkable rise for a man […]
Hong Kong more unequal, less free as Carrie Lam leaves office
by Holmes CHAN Hong Kong has emerged a more unequal city, its freedoms curtailed and international shine dulled after five years with Carrie Lam at the helm, analysts say, as her turbulent leadership draws to an end. Lam, Hong Kong’s first woman leader, took office promising to heal divisions and tackle livelihood issues, especially a housing crisis. Her term was instead dominated by massive democracy protests and Beijing’s subsequent crackdown, as well as a zero-Covid […]
Millions in Beijing urged to work from home to fight Covid outbreak
Millions of people in Beijing returned to work Thursday, many remotely, with scores of subway stations shut after a national holiday muted by the coronavirus curbs. Chinese authorities have pressed on with their zero-Covid policy involving lockdowns and mass testing as they battle the biggest outbreak since the early days of the pandemic, with entire neighbourhoods in the capital sealed over handfuls of infections. Beijing reported 50 local virus cases on Thursday, a day […]
Russia practises nuclear-capable missile strikes: ministry
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia on Wednesday said its forces had practised simulated nuclear-capable missile strikes in the western enclave of Kaliningrad, amid Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine. The announcement came on the 70th day of Moscow’s military action in the pro-Western country, with thousands killed and more than 13 million displaced in the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. After sending troops to Ukraine in late February, Russian President Vladimir […]
OPEC+ eye modest supply boost as demand dented by China Covid rules
by Anne BEADE, with Emeline Burckel in London Agence France Presse VIENNA, Austria (AFP) — OPEC+ members meeting on Thursday are expected to agree a marginal increase in oil production, bolstered by risks to demand amid coronavirus restrictions in China. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has also added to supply concerns, which have increased with Europe’s announced moves on a potential Russian oil embargo. Prices soared on Wednesday, with Brent North Sea crude closing above […]
Russia’s relentless hunt of Chechens decades after Putin’s war
by Blaise Gauquelin © Agence France-Presse VIENNA, Austria (AFP) — Twenty years after Vladimir Putin flattened their capital Grozny in the same way that his forces are now destroying Mariupol, Chechens refugees in Europe still live in fear of Russia’s long arm. Tens of thousands fled the small Muslim-majority republic in the North Caucasus in the aftermath of two bloody wars with Moscow, the last launched by Putin in 1999 to bring the […]
EU eyes Russian oil import ban as Moscow strikes western Ukraine
by Joshua Melvin with Alex Pigman in Brussels Agence France Presse ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AFP) — The European Commission proposed a gradual ban on Russian oil imports Wednesday to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, as Russian forces pounded sites to the east of the country and hit targets in the far west near the EU border. The EU also pledged to “significantly increase” its support for Moldova, Ukraine’s neighbour that has seen a […]





