Tag: NEWSERIES

Russian missile strike on restaurant kills 12 in Ukraine

KRAMATORSK, Ukraine, June 29, 2023 (AFP) — The toll from a Russian missile strike on a restaurant in eastern Ukraine rose to 12 dead and at least 60 wounded on Thursday morning, including children, as the Kremlin insisted Russian forces only hit military-linked targets. The latest tragedy came as US President Joe Biden denounced Vladimir Putin as a “pariah” while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the Russian president had been weakened by mercenary group Wagner’s […]

Fresh unrest in France as anger simmers over police shooting

By Laetitia DREVET and Sylvie MALIGORNE Agence France-Presse PARIS, June 29, 2023 (AFP) — Unrest erupted in France for a second night in a row as balaclava-clad protesters burning rubbish and shooting fireworks clashed with security forces in violent demonstrations over the fatal shooting of a teenager by police. Nahel M., 17, was shot in the chest at point-blank range on Tuesday morning in an incident that has reignited debate in France about police tactics […]

First judge votes to bar Bolsonaro from office in Brazil trial

By Marcelo SILVA DE SOUSA Agence France-Presse BRASÍLIA, June 28, 2023 (AFP) – One of seven judges in Jair Bolsonaro’s abuse of power trial voted on Tuesday to bar the former Brazilian president from running in the 2026 elections, as the country held its breath for other judges to deliver their rulings later this week. The Superior Electoral Tribunal is trying the far-right former leader over a televised meeting he held with foreign diplomats in […]

Ruble drops, stocks mostly retreat after aborted uprising in Russia

NEW YORK, June 26, 2023 (AFP) — The ruble reached a 14-month low against the dollar on Monday while US and European markets mostly retreated after a short-lived mutiny in Russia stoked concerns about the nuclear-armed country’s stability. While the advance by the Wagner mercenary force led by Yevgeny Prigozhin was called off before it reached Moscow, analysts said the rebellion showed President Vladimir Putin’s grip on power was more fragile than previously thought. While […]

Wagner ends revolt but Putin’s grip questioned

MOSCOW, June 26, 2023 (AFP) — Wagner mercenaries headed back to their base on Sunday after Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to allow their leader to avoid treason charges and accept exile in neighboring Belarus. The agreement halted an extraordinary crisis — a private army led by Putin’s former close ally Yevgeny Prigozhin trying to storm Moscow — but analysts said Wagner’s revolt had exposed Putin’s rule as more fragile than previously thought. Security measures […]

Biden, Modi salute ‘defining partnership’ as US bets big on India

By Shaun Tandon and Aurelia End Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, (AFP) — US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Thursday that the two democracies’ partnership would define the next century, as Washington eyes a counterweight to China and brushes off allegations of growing authoritarianism in New Delhi. The two nations reached major deals on engines for fighter-jets, semiconductor investment and space cooperation as Biden rolled out the red carpet to Modi for […]

Four shot dead near West Bank settlement

By Ahmad GHARABLI Agence France-Presse AL-LUBBAN ASH-SHARQIYA, Palestinian Territories, June 21, 2023 (AFP) — Four people were shot and killed Tuesday near a settlement in the occupied West Bank, Israeli officials said, a day after an army raid in the territory left six Palestinians dead. The deaths are the latest in a surge of violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which before Tuesday’s shooting had killed at least 166 Palestinians, 21 Israelis, a Ukrainian and […]

Six dead, eight wounded in Ecuador gang shooting

GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador, June 20, 2023 (AFP) — Six people were killed and eight wounded Monday in an apparent gang shootout in Guayaquil, a port city in Ecuador terrorized by a wave of violence blamed on a spiraling drug war, authorities said. Police Colonel Marcelo Castillo told AFP that six people had died in Guayaquil’s second mass shooting this month, which appeared to have been a settling of scores between rival gangs. The prosecutor’s office later […]

Six dead, eight wounded in Ecuador gang shooting

GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador, June 20, 2023 (AFP) — Six people were killed and eight wounded Monday in an apparent gang shootout in Guayaquil, a port city in Ecuador terrorized by a wave of violence blamed on a spiraling drug war, authorities said. Police Colonel Marcelo Castillo told AFP that six people had died in Guayaquil’s second mass shooting this month, which appeared to have been a settling of scores between rival gangs. The prosecutor’s office later […]

$1.5 bn pledged to curb Sudan’s slide into ‘death and destruction’: UN

By Robin MILLARD Agence France-Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Donors at a UN conference on Monday pledged close to $1.5 billion to combat the humanitarian crisis in Sudan and help its neighbors host refugees fleeing the fighting. Sudan is descending into death and destruction at unprecedented speed, UN chief Antonio Guterres warned as he urged donors to step in and curb the unfolding catastrophe. The conference comes midway through a three-day ceasefire which appeared to […]

Cyclone leaves 13 dead in Brazil

NOVO HAMBURGO, Brazil, June 19, 2023 (AFP) — A cyclone which tore through southern Brazil has killed at least 13 people and forced thousands from their homes, authorities said Sunday. Torrential rain and strong winds on Thursday and Friday caused damage in dozens of towns in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, including its capital Porto Alegre — the latest in a string of weather-related disasters to hit South America’s biggest country. Two more […]

Sudan donors to meet in Geneva as 72-hour truce enters second day

  KHARTOUM, June 19, 2023 (AFP) – An international donors’ conference for Sudan was set to kick off in Geneva on Monday, one day into a 72-hour ceasefire between the country’s warring generals aimed at allowing for the delivery of desperately needed aid. The army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has since April 15 been battling paramilitary forces commanded by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, after the two fell out in a bitter power […]