International

Ukraine says strengthening defenses in battered frontline town

KYIV, Ukraine, April 14, 2024 (AFP) – Ukrainian troops defending the frontline town of Chasiv Yar under relentless Russian attack have received additional drones and weaponry, the commander-in-chief of Kyiv’s armed forces, Oleksandr Syrsky, said Sunday. Syrsky wrote on Facebook after visiting troops defending the battered town that “measures were taken to significantly strengthen the brigades with ammunition, drones, and electronic warfare equipment”. Russia is “concentrating its efforts to break through our defences west of […]

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19 dead, two missing after Indonesia landslide

JAKARTA, April 14, 2024 (AFP) – At least 19 people have been found dead and two more are missing after a landslide in central Indonesia, local authorities said on Sunday. The dead and two survivors were evacuated from two landslide-hit villages in Tana Toraja regency, South Sulawesi province on Saturday evening, said local disaster agency head Sulaiman Malia. “There have been 19 fatalities, with 4 deaths in South Makale and 15 others in Makale villages,” […]

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Dying mother handed over baby in Sydney mall stabbing rampage

By David WILLIAMS SYDNEY, April 14, 2024 (AFP) – In the midst of a Sydney mall stabbing rampage, witnesses say a fatally wounded mother handed over her injured nine-month-old baby to a stranger to save the infant’s life. Stories of courage are still emerging from Saturday’s attack, in which a 40-year-old knifeman with mental illness roamed the packed shopping centre, killing six people and seriously wounding a dozen others. Lone senior police officer Amy Scott […]

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About 2,000 foreign troops to help France secure Paris Olympics

PARIS (AFP) – Some 2,000 foreign troops and police will be sent to Paris to bolster security for this summer’s Olympic Games as France remains on high alert following attack threats, the French armed forces minister said Friday. “We have something like 2,000 foreign police officers, gendarmes and troops who will be joining the protection system for the Olympic Games,” Sebastien Lecornu told all-news television station LCI. France, which will host the games from July […]

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Race for AI isn’t zero-sum, says Amazon cloud boss

By Julie JAMMOT SAN FRANCISCO, April 14, 2024 (AFP) – As Google races with Microsoft and OpenAI to create world-changing generative artificial intelligence, some critics see Amazon as lagging behind. “I respectfully disagree” with that viewpoint, said Adam Selipsky, Amazon’s cloud chief, in an interview with AFP. Tech giants like Microsoft, Google and Meta have made headlines talking about their own foundational models, or those of their close partners, that are key to AI and […]

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Iron Dome: Israel’s key anti-missile shield

JERUSALEM, April 14, 2024 (AFP) – Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system has intercepted thousands of rockets since it first went into operation in 2011, providing the country with crucial cover during times of conflict. It has been heavily relied upon to protect military and civilian sites from frequent barrages of rockets fired from Gaza and Lebanon in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Israel’s air defences were also in operation on Saturday night, […]

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Israel says Iran attack ‘foiled’ amid fears of wider conflict

By Jay Deshmukh and Louis Baudoin-Laarman JERUSALEM, April 14, 2024 (AFP) – Iran’s unprecedented overnight attack on Israel has been “foiled”, the Israeli military said Sunday, with hundreds of missiles and drones intercepted with the help of the United States and allies. The attack which began late Saturday marks a major escalation of the long-running covert war between the regional foes, and comes against the backdrop of the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian militant […]

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Iran says retaliation ‘concluded,’ warns Israel not to respond

By Jérôme RIVET, Ramin KHANIZADEH TEHRAN, April 14, 2024 (AFP) – Iran on Sunday urged Israel not to retaliate militarily to an unprecedented attack overnight, which Tehran presented as a justified response to a strike that destroyed its consulate building in Damascus earlier this month. “The matter can be deemed concluded,” Iran’s mission to the United Nations said in a post on X just a few hours after the start of the operation late Saturday. […]

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President Biden says US helped Israel down nearly all Iran attacks

By Danny Kemp and W.G. Dunlop WASHINGTON, April 14, 2024 (AFP) – President Joe Biden said US forces helped Israel shoot down nearly all the drones and missiles fired by Iran Saturday, but appeared to guide the key US ally away from retaliating against Tehran by saying Israel had now shown its strength. Biden added that he was convening fellow G7 leaders on Sunday to coordinate a diplomatic response against Tehran, in another sign that […]

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Israel airspace reopened since 0430 GMT: airport authority

JERUSALEM, April 14, 2024 (AFP) – Israel’s airspace reopened Sunday at 7:30 am (0430 GMT) after it was closed following Iran’s attack on Israel, the Israeli airports authority said in a statement. “As of 07:30 in the morning, Israel’s airspace is reopening and Ben Gurion Airport is returning to operations”, the statement said, adding that domestic airports would reopen throughout the day. The airspace had been closed since 12:30 am (2130 GMT on Saturday).

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One man injured in rare Kuala Lumpur shooting at airport

KUALA LUMPUR, April 14, 2024 (AFP) – A man attempting to shoot his wife at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Sunday instead left her personal bodyguard in critical condition, Malaysian authorities said. Police were investigating the rare shooting in connection to a domestic dispute and said it was not related to terrorism. The shooter, who was thought to be targeting his wife in the arrivals hall, hit her bodyguard and then fled the scene, […]

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Passengers rescued from fatal Turkey cable car accident after 23 hours

ISTANBUL, April 13, 2024 (AFP) – Rescue workers finished evacuating dozens of passengers trapped for 23 hours mid-air Saturday after a cable car accident in southern Turkey that killed one person. Ten people were injured in the accident, which happened late Friday afternoon in the resort city of Antalya when a supporting pylon collapsed. One cable car in the Sarisu-Tunektepe system plummeted into a rocky area, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. A total of 174 […]

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