by Sean Chang Agence France-Presse NEW TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan (AFP) — Dressed in military camouflage with an assault rifle at the ready, “Prof” Yeh peers from behind a vehicle in a parking lot outside Taipei, scanning his surroundings and waiting for a signal to advance. Yeh actually works in marketing, and his weapon is a replica — but he is spending the weekend attending an urban warfare workshop to prepare for what he sees as […]
Tag: Russia
Evacuations as Russia advances in Ukraine’s Donbas
by Nicolas GARCIA SLOVIANSK, Ukraine (AFP) – The evacuation of desperate civilians from Sloviansk pressed on Wednesday as Russian troops pushed towards the eastern Ukrainian city in their campaign to control the Donbas region. Sloviansk has been hit by heavy bombardment as Russian forces advance westwards on day 133 of the invasion. “Twenty years of work; everything is lost. No more income, no more wealth,” Yevgen Oleksandrovych, 66, told AFP as he surveyed the […]
NATO launches membership process for Sweden, Finland
“Fastest accession process in NATO’s history so far,” says NATO’s Stoltenberg by Marc BURLEIGH and Alex PIGMAN Agence France Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — NATO on Tuesday kicked off momentous accession procedures for Sweden and Finland, aiming to expand the military alliance to 32 countries in reaction to Russia’s war in Ukraine. “This is an historic day, for Finland, for Sweden, for NATO, and for Euro-Atlantic security,” NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said after protocols were […]
Fierce shelling in eastern Ukraine as NATO heralds its ‘historic’ expansion
by Benoit Finck, with Dmytro Gorshkov in Kyiv Agence France-Presse SLOVIANSK, Ukraine (AFP) — Fighting raged on Tuesday in and around Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region as Russian troops tried to maintain a series of battlefield gains, while NATO pressed ahead with Finland and Sweden’s momentous membership bids. Moscow’s forces — buoyed by seizing several cities in the Donbas in recent weeks — continued to press west, pounding their next key target, the city of Sloviansk, […]
Wheat war: Ukraine conflict raises hunger fears
by Sofia Bouderbala Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Russia’s invasion of agricultural power Ukraine has severely disrupted the global wheat market, prompting warnings that the conflict could lead to hunger in some countries. – Why is wheat irreplaceable? – Wheat is milled into flour to make a huge range of foods, from bread to pasta to desserts. “Everyone eats wheat, but not everyone is capable of producing it,” says Bruno Parmentier, an economist and […]
Ukraine retreats from key city in major Russian gain
by Benoit Finck, with Dmytro Gorshkov in Kyiv Agence France-Presse SIVERSK, Ukraine (AFP) — The Ukrainian army retreated from the strategic city of Lysychansk Sunday, as Russia claimed a major victory by seizing control of the entire eastern Lugansk region. The Ukrainian withdrawal followed weeks of fierce fighting and marked a decisive breakthrough for Moscow’s forces more than four months after their invasion and after turning their focus away from the capital Kyiv. Lysychansk had […]
17 dead in southern Ukraine strikes, after Russia quits Snake Island
by Dmytro GORSHKOV with Sebastian SMITH in Madrid Agence France Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — At least 17 people were killed and dozens wounded Friday in missile strikes on Ukraine’s Odessa region, a day after Russian troops abandoned positions on a strategic island in a major setback to the Kremlin’s invasion. The news came after NATO leaders wrapped up a summit in Madrid, with US President Joe Biden announcing $800 million in new weapons […]
Japan warns on ‘interests’ after Russia gas project decree
TOKYO, July 1, 2022 (AFP) – Japan‘s energy “interests must not be undermined”, Tokyo said Friday, after Moscow issued a decree transferring operations of a key oil and gas project to a new Russian company. Japanese trading houses Mitsui and Mitsubishi Corp own 12.5 and 10 percent stakes respectively in the Sakhalin-2 project, but the future of their investments appears uncertain after the Russian decree. It calls for the establishment of a new Russian operator […]
Indonesian president delivers Zelensky’s message to Putin
MOSCOW, June 30, 2022 (AFP) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo said in Moscow on Thursday he delivered a message from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Putin hosted Widodo more than four months into Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine, as Russia seeks to pivot toward Asia and Africa following the onset of unprecedented Western sanctions. Indonesia holds the rotating presidency of the G20 this year and is preparing to host a summit […]
Ukraine begins electricity exports to EU: Zelensky
KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukraine has started exporting electricity to the European Union, via Romania, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, as Russia reduces gas supplies to the bloc which is supporting Kyiv in resisting Moscow’s invasion. Several European countries, including Italy and Germany, are highly reliant upon Russian gas for their energy needs but have been forced to look for alternatives as Moscow slashes deliveries. Speaking Thursday, Zelensky said Ukraine had “launched a significant export […]
Russian ban and Olympic dream prompted Georgia switch before Wimbledon
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Natela Dzalamidze, who switched from representing Russia to playing for Georgia on the eve of Wimbledon, said Thursday she had always intended to change her nationality to boost her dreams of taking part in the Olympics. The 29-year-old has a Georgian father and Russian mother. Both still live in Moscow. She circumvented the ban on Russian players, imposed at the All England Club following the invasion of Ukraine, by her […]
Erdogan warns Turkey may still block Nordic NATO drive
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday told Sweden and Finland that he could still block their drives to join NATO if they fail to implement a new accession deal with Ankara. Erdogan issued his blunt warning at the end of a NATO summit at which the US-led alliance formally invited the Nordic countries to join the 30-nation bloc. The two nations dropped their history of military non-alignment and announced plans […]





