Hundreds of thousands evacuated as floods ravage southern China
Hundreds of thousands evacuated as floods ravage southern China
Macron to meet rival parties after losing majority
French President Emmanuel Macron Will Meet Political Opponents On Tuesday After His Coalition Failed To Win A Majority In Parliamentary Elections.
Macron Is Now Under Pressure To Secure Support From Rivals To Fulfil His Government’s Reform Agenda.
But Neither Marine Le Pen’s Far-Right, Nor Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s Left-Green Alliance Are Keen To Work With Him.
Minority Governments Are A Rarity In France, And Macron’s Ensemble Alliance Is 44 Seats Shy Of A Majority.
This Means He Will Need To Find Support From Mainstream Mps From Both The Left And Right Side Of Politics To Help Build A Working Majority.
Party Representatives Will Visit The Élysée Palace Separately For The High-Level Talks On Tuesday And Wednesday.
Assam: India floods destroy millions of homes and dreams
UNPRECEDENTED RAINFALL AND FLOODING HAS LEFT BEHIND A TRAIL OF DESTRUCTION IN ASSAM, A REMOTE VILLAGE IN NORTH-EASTERN INDIA, SUBMERGING VILLAGES, DESTROYING CROPS, AND WRECKING HOMES. AUTHORITIES SAY THAT 32 OF ITS 35 DISTRICTS HAVE BEEN AFFECTED, KILLING AT LEAST 45 PEOPLE AND DISPLACING MORE THAN 4.7 MILLION OVER THE LAST WEEK.
HEAVY RAINS HAVE ALSO LASHED NEIGHBOURING MEGHA-LAYA STATE, WHERE 18 PEOPLE HAVE DIED OVER THE LAST WEEK. IN ASSAM, THE GOVERNMENT HAS OPENED 1,425 RELIEF CAMPS FOR THE DISPLACED, BUT AUTHORITIES SAY THEIR JOB HAS BEEN COMPLICATED BY THE SHEER INTENSITY OF THE DISASTER. EVEN THE RESCUE CAMPS ARE IN A DISMAL STATE.
Ukraine war: Russia becomes China’s biggest oil supplier
RUSSIA HAS BECOME CHINA’S BIGGEST SUPPLIER OF OIL AS THE COUNTRY SOLD DISCOUNTED CRUDE TO BEIJING AMID SANCTIONS OVER THE UKRAINE WAR.
IMPORTS OF RUSSIAN OIL ROSE BY 55% FROM A YEAR EARLIER TO A RECORD LEVEL IN MAY, DISPLACING SAUDI ARABIA AS CHINA’S BIGGEST PROVIDER.
CHINA HAS RAMPED UP PURCHASES OF RUSSIAN OIL DESPITE DEMAND DAMPENED BY COVID CURBS AND A SLOWING ECONOMY.
IN FEBRUARY, CHINA AND RUSSIA DECLARED THEIR FRIENDSHIP HAD “NO LIMITS”.
AND CHINESE COMPANIES, INCLUDING STATE REFINING GIANT SINOPEC AND STATE-RUN ZHENHUA OIL, HAVE INCREASED THEIR PURCHASES OF RUSSIAN CRUDE IN RECENT MONTHS AFTER BEING OFFERED HEAVY DISCOUNTS AS BUYERS IN EUROPE AND THE US SHUNNED RUSSIAN ENERGY IN LINE WITH SANCTIONS OVER ITS WAR ON UKRAINE.
Macron loses majority as French vote fragments
French President, Emmanuel Macron has lost control of the French National Assembly following a strong performance by a left alliance and the far right.
this is less than two months after he was re-elected president,
Reports say He had called on voters to deliver a solid majority. But his centrist coalition lost dozens of seats in an election that has left French politics fragmented.
The prime minister he had only recently appointed, Elisabeth Borne, said the situation was unprecedented.
Mystery Stomach Disease Hits North Korean Province
NORTH KOREA IS RUSHING TO CONTAIN AN OUTBREAK OF A “MALIGNANT” INTESTINAL DISEASE A MONTH AFTER THE COUNTRY ACKNOWLEDGED IT IS DEALING WITH A COVID-19 OUTBREAK.
STATE MEDIA HAVE NOT DISCLOSED THE NAME OF THE INTESTINAL DISEASE BUT SAY NORTH KOREAN LEADER KIM JONG UN HAS SENT MEDICINES TO COMBAT AN “ACUTE ENTERIC EPIDEMIC” IN THE WESTERN PROVINCE OF SOUTH HWANGHAE.
ENTERIC DISEASES ARE OFTEN ACQUIRED BY CONSUMING CONTAMINATED FOOD OR WATER BUT CAN ALSO SPREAD FROM PERSON TO PERSON. THEY CAUSE SYMPTOMS SUCH AS DIARRHEA, FEVER OR CRAMPS AND CAN BE DEADLY IF LEFT UNTREATED.
EUROPEAN TRIO IN KYIV AS UKRAINE PUSHES FOR MORE WEAPONS
THE FRANCE, GERMANY AND ITALY LEADERS ARE IN KYIV FOR HIGH-LEVEL TALKS
EMMANUEL MACRON, OLAF SCHOLZ AND MARIO DRAGHI AIM TO COUNTER CRITICISMS OF THEIR SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE
MACRON SAYS “FRANCE HAS BEEN ALONGSIDE UKRAINE SINCE DAY ONE” SAYING IT “MUST RESIST AND WIN”
SCHOLZ SAYS THE VISIT SHOWS COMMITMENT TO UKRAINE – “FINANCIAL AND HUMANITARIAN, BUT ALSO WHEN IT COMES TO WEAPONS”
THE TRIO INSPECTED WAR DAMAGE ON A VISIT TO THE TOWN OF IRPIN WHICH RUSSIAN TROOPS OCCUPIED AT THE WAR’S START
IT COMES A DAY AFTER THE US PLEDGED ANOTHER $1BN OF WEAPONS AID TO KYIV
MEANWHILE A REGINAL GOVERNOR SAYS, 10,000 CIVILIANS ARE TRAPPED IN THE EMBATTLED EASTERN CITY OF SEVERODONETSK.
New Somali President Appoints Prime Minister
Somalia’s President Sheikh Mohamud has appointed a new prime minister, Hamza Barre, who is a member of parliament for President Sheikh’s party.
The president says he has been considering the selection of a new prime minister for some time, and saw Barre as a potential candidate.
Speaking after his appointment, Barre who is expected to form a government once he is approved by parliament, says he will form a government worthy of rescuing the country, with the priority of working towards a united Somalia.
Tigray forces ‘ready’ for Kenya-mediated peace talks
TIGRAYAN FORCES WHO HAVE BEEN AT WAR WITH THE ETHIOPIAN GOVERNMENT FOR MORE THAN 18 MONTHS SAY THEY ARE READY TO SEND A HIGH LEVEL DELEGATION TO TALKS, MEDIATED BY THE KENYAN GOVERNMENT.
A LETTER SIGNED BY THE HEAD OF THE TIGRAY PEOPLE’S LIBERATION FRONT, DEBRETSION GEBREMICHAEL, DID NOT SET OUT ANY PRECONDITIONS – UNLIKE PREVIOUS STATEMENTS ABOUT POSSIBLE NEGOTIATIONS.
EARLIER ON TUESDAY, ETHIOPIAN PRIME MINISTER ABIY AHMED SAID HIS GOVERNMENT FAVOURED THE IDEA OF PEACE TALKS TO END THE WAR.
THE TWO STATEMENTS HAVE RAISED HOPES THAT THE CONFLICT THAT HAS FORCED MORE THAN TWO MILLION PEOPLE FROM THEIR HOMES CAN BE BROUGHT TO AN END THROUGH DIALOGUE.
Pope Francis Praises ‘Brave’ Ukraine, But War Possible
POPE FRANCIS HAS TAKEN A NEW SERIES OF SWIPES AT RUSSIA FOR ITS ACTIONS IN UKRAINE, SAYING ITS TROOPS ARE BRUTAL, CRUEL AND FEROCIOUS, WHILE PRAISING “BRAVE” UKRAINIANS FOR FIGHTING FOR SURVIVAL.
BUT IN THE TEXT OF A CONVERSATION HE HAD LAST MONTH WITH NEWSMEN AND PUBLISHED ON TUESDAY, HE ALSO SAID THE SITUATION WAS NOT BLACK AND WHITE AND THAT THE WAR WAS “PERHAPS IN SOME WAY PROVOKED”.
ACCORDING TO THE PONTIF WHILE CONDEMNING THE FEROCITY, WE MUST NOT FORGET THE REAL PROBLEMS IF WE WANT THEM TO BE SOLVED WHICH INCLUDE THE FACTORS THAT PROVIDE INCENTIVES FOR WAR.