International

Gun attacks kill five near Tel Aviv: Israel medics

BNEI BRAK, Israel (AFP) — Five people were killed in gun attacks Tuesday near the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv, emergency responders said, in the third fatal gun or knife spree in the Jewish state in a week. Residents of the ultra-orthodox town of Bnei Brak and the neighboring town of Ramat Gan reported that a man had driven around and opened fire at passers-by, and Israeli police later said that security forces killed […]

Russian, Ukrainian negotiators begin talks in Istanbul

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) – Russian and Ukrainian negotiators began face-to-face talks in Istanbul on Tuesday, the official Turkish news agency said, with host Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urging them to “put an end to this tragedy”. The face-to-face talks at the Dolmabahce palace in Istanbul are aimed at trying to end a war has killed an estimated 20,000 people and forced more than 10 million from their homes. “The two parties have legitimate concerns. […]

Seven EU countries urge their citizens not to join fight in Ukraine

  BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — Seven European Union countries on Monday urged their citizens to refrain from joining the Ukrainian military resistance against Russia’s invading troops. The appeal was issued by the justice ministers of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg and Belgium. The ministers of the seven countries “have unanimously discouraged Europeans from joining” the ranks of voluntary combatants heading to the war in Ukraine, according to a statement published after their meeting […]

Peruvian President Castillo avoids impeachment in Congress vote

by Carlos MANDUJANO / Luis Jaime CISNEROS LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Peru’s President Pedro Castillo avoided impeachment by an opposition-dominated Congress on Monday, bringing to a close the second bid to unseat him since he rose to power eight months ago. Following a parliamentary debate that lasted more than eight hours, 55 legislators voted in favor of Castillo’s impeachment, 54 voted against, and 19 abstained. Eighty-seven votes would have been required to impeach the leftist […]

Regime change, the controversial strategy the US no longer wants

    by Francesco FONTEMAGGI Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States says it is not seeking a “regime change” in Russia, hasty clarification that shows the strategy once popular among neoconservatives has become a hot button issue after negative experiences in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. President Joe Biden caused a stir Saturday when, during an impassioned speech in Warsaw, said his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power.” The […]

Empty shelves and anxiety as Shanghai Covid-19 cases surge

SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — Shanghai recorded a steep climb in Covid-19 cases Tuesday as spreading anxiety in the Chinese city of about 25 million prompted panic-buying at supermarkets. Millions endured a second day of lockdown after authorities effectively split the country’s biggest urban area in two, with residents of the city’s eastern half confined to their homes for four days and subjected to mandatory testing.  China reported 6,886 domestic Covid cases nationwide on Tuesday, with more […]

Shanghai warns against ‘panic’ as Covid cases mount

by Dan Martin SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — Shanghai authorities on Wednesday called for calm as worried citizens swamped online grocery platforms to stock up on food over fears of impending lockdowns in a city struggling to halt a Covid spike. China is experiencing its worst Covid-19 outbreak since the start of the pandemic more than two years ago, with Shanghai posting record-high case counts as the highly transmissible Omicron variant frustrates authorities. China’s biggest city […]

Bolsonaro ousts Petrobras president after fuel increases: official

BRASILIA, Brazil (AFP) — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro decided on Monday to change the president of state-owned Petrobras, Joaquim Silva e Luna, amid strong pressure due to recurrent increases in fuel prices. The information, leaked by the Brazilian press, was confirmed in the evening by the Ministry of Mines and Energy, which proposed economist Adriano Pires, a specialist in the oil and gas field, as the candidate to replace him. The appointment must be approved […]

Ukraine says 5,000 dead in ‘catastrophic’ Mariupol siege

  by Danny KEMP Agence France Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukraine said Monday that at least 5,000 people have died in the “catastrophic” humanitarian crisis gripping pulverized Mariupol, as fighting raged around Kyiv including in a strategic suburb where defenders claim to have driven out Russian invaders. Multiple cities in Ukraine remained under crushing Russian bombardment on the eve of new face-to-face peace negotiations Tuesday in Turkey, as Kyiv — and its allies in […]

Australia’s flood-ravaged east braces for more storms

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Thousands of people across eastern Australia have been told to leave their homes as storms bear down on cities and towns still recovering from record deadly flooding just weeks ago. Multiple evacuation orders were issued for the town of Lismore, which was devastated last month when record-high 14.3-meter (47 feet) floodwaters engulfed homes, swept away cars, and stranded locals on the roofs of their homes. Hundreds of people had to be […]

Russian invasion of Ukraine a ‘repeat’ of Syrian war: Amnesty

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) – Russia’s assault on Ukraine is similar to its actions in the Syrian war, Amnesty International said Tuesday, raising concerns of “war crimes” as the civilian toll grows a month after Moscow’s invasion. “What is happening in Ukraine is a repetition of what we have seen in Syria,” Agnes Callamard, secretary general of the global rights watchdog, told AFP. She was speaking in Johannesburg at the launch of the group’s annual […]

Abramovich, Ukraine negotiators suffer suspected poisoning: report

WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and Ukrainian negotiators were targets of a suspected poison attack, potentially by Moscow hardliners seeking to sabotage peace talks, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday. The billionaire businessman, recently slapped with sanctions by Western nations seeking to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine, has reportedly been shuttling between Kyiv, Moscow and other negotiation sites. A source familiar with the matter confirmed […]