Latest News
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F-16 escorts aircraft out of the area after airspace violation near Trump's Golf Course
The U.S. military released a statement saying that an F-16 fighter jet intercepted on Saturday a general aviation plane that had violated the temporary restriction placed over the golf club of U.S. president Donald Trump in Bedminster in New Jersey. North American Aerospace Defense Command said that the incident occurred at 2:39 pm (1839 GMT) and marked the fifth unauthorised incursion into the restricted airspace Saturday. The jet's identity was confirmed by a spokesperson. NORAD released a press release stating that the NORAD aircraft performed a headbutt maneuver in order to attract the attention of the civilian pilot. The aircraft was then safely escorted away from the area. The White House did not comment immediately on the incident. NORAD reported several similar incidents over the past few weeks and urges general aviation pilots in that area to review all notifications. (Reporting and editing by Alistair Bell; Reporting by Andrea Shalal)
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Mayor of Moscow: Russian air defences shot down four drones heading for Moscow
The mayor of Moscow said that Russian air defences destroyed four Ukrainian drones heading for Moscow on Saturday. One of the main airports in the capital temporarily stopped outgoing flights. The mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said that emergency services are working on the site of the drones which have fallen but did not give any information about potential damage. In a Telegram report, the Russian Defence Ministry said that air defence units destroyed 48 Ukrainian drones over a five-hour period on Saturday evening. Five drones were in the area surrounding Moscow and two others were heading for the capital. According to the report of the Defence Ministry, the total consisted of 17 drones flying over the Bryansk Region near the Ukrainian border as well as 11 in the adjacent Oryol Region. Belgorod region governor, on the border, said that four Ukrainian drones injured a driver of a bus and a driver of a car. A report from the Defence Ministry stated that 94 drones were destroyed in Russia over night on Saturday, and 45 others within six hours of each other during the day. The Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow reported delays after flights had been temporarily halted. Civil Aviation Authority Rosaviatsiya stated that the measures were taken as a result of "restrictions", over the capital's skyspace, as well as high winds. Rosaviatsiya reported that incoming and departing flights were temporarily halted at airports across Russia, including Pulkovo Airport in St Petersburg, due to safety concerns. (Reporting and editing by Jan Harvey, Diane Craft and Lucy Papachristou)
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Homeland Security reports eight migrants were deported to South Sudan from Djibouti.
The Department of Homeland Security announced on Saturday that the Trump administration deported eight migrants to South Sudan who were held by the U.S. for more than one month at a Djibouti military base. This was after the migrants failed to stop their transfer in a last ditch effort. Two officials at Juba Airport said that an aircraft carrying U.S. citizens deported from the United States arrived in South Sudan Saturday. Unidentified airport staffer said he saw a document that showed the aircraft had "arrived today morning at 6:00am" (0400 GMT). A second immigration official confirmed that the deportees were in the country, but did not provide any further information. He referred all questions to National Security Service. A source from the South Sudanese government said that U.S. officials were at the airport waiting for the arrival of the migrants. The fate of these migrants has become a hot topic in the debate over the legality and effectiveness of Trump's immigration campaign, which involves high-profile deportations of migrants to "third countries", where they claim to be at risk of harm. This issue has been taken to two Supreme Courts. South Sudan is dangerous, even for the locals. U.S. State Department warns Americans not to travel to South Sudan due to violence and armed conflict. The United Nations warned that the African country's current political crisis could rekindle a brutal civil conflict that ended in 2018. Eight men from Cuba, Laos Mexico, Myanmar, Sudan, and Vietnam were deported to South Sudan, according to their attorneys, because it would be a violation of the U.S. Constitution which prohibits cruel or unusual punishment. The Americans had been in custody in Djibouti ever since a Boston federal judge blocked the Trump administration in May from moving them immediately to South Sudan due to concerns about due process. The Supreme Court of Canada on Thursday ruled that additional litigation was necessary following the Supreme Court's ruling. Siding with the Administration Lifting these limits. The courts were closed on July 4th for Independence Day, so two courts heard the emergency requests of the lawyers for migrants on Friday. However, U.S. district judge Brian Murphy said that the Supreme Court's order forced him to deny the request, allowing their deportation. It was not immediately clear where the men were located in South Sudan following their arrival.
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Mayor of Moscow: Russian air defences shot down four drones heading for Moscow
The mayor of Moscow said that Russian air defences destroyed four Ukrainian drones heading for Moscow on Saturday. One of the main airports in the capital temporarily stopped outgoing flights. The mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said that emergency services are working on the site of the drones which have fallen but did not give any information about potential damage. The Defence Ministry reported that 94 drones were destroyed in the air over Russia on Saturday night, and another 45 between 8am MSK (0400 GMT), and 1350 MSK. The Rosaviatsia Aviation Authority in Russia said that Saturday, the outgoing flights from Sheremetyevo Airport were temporarily suspended before being lifted. They cited "restrictions" on the airspace of Moscow as well as high winds. Rosaviatsia reported that incoming and departing flights were temporarily halted at airports across Russia, including Pulkovo Airport in St Petersburg, due to safety concerns. (Reporting and editing by Lucy Papachristou)
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Liverpool players carry red wreaths to Diego Jota funeral
Diogo Jota, a soccer star from Liverpool, died along with his brother, in a car accident on Thursday. On Saturday, his Liverpool teammates, as well as local residents, attended the funeral in a small Portuguese village. Liverpool's captain Virgil Van Dijk and goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, as well as manager Arne slot, were all present and past teammates who attended the Gondomar service for Andre Silva and the striker. The English Premier League players carried into the chapel two floral tributes, one in the form of a shirt and the other in the colour red. Jota's shirt, worn by Van Dijk, has the number 20 in white flowers. One wore the number 30 worn by Jota, whose brother played in Portugal's 2nd division for FC Penafiel. The teammates entered the church silently, dressed in black with their heads down. The only sound that could be heard was the applause of the crowd. Rute Cardoso arrived with her family. She had married her childhood sweetheart Jota just weeks before the tragic accident. Jota was surrounded by hundreds of Gondomar residents, a small village in northern Portugal, where she grew up. Manuel Linda, Bishop of Porto presided over the private service for close family members and friends. Linda's emotional homily to Jota, his parents, his wife, and their three children said that "solidarity of love is stronger than death". The service was also attended by teammates of the Portuguese national squad, including Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes and both who play in the English Premier League. Jota’s death, at age 28, sent shockwaves through the soccer world and beyond. Condolences poured in from leaders across the country as well as the entire sport. After midnight on Thursday, the brothers' Lamborghini was believed to have veered from the road as they drove to a ferry to Britain. The police suspected that a tyre burst. Reporting by Graham Keeley & Sergio Gonclaves. Mark Potter edited the story.
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Japan braces for more quakes, authorities dismiss doomsday hype
The Japanese government warned on Saturday of the possibility of further strong earthquakes occurring in waters southwest from its main islands. However, it urged people not to be misled by unfounded predictions. Authorities evacuated residents on Friday from islands near the epicenter of a 5.5 magnitude quake that struck off the tip the southernmost island of Kyushu. The quake that occurred on Thursday was strong enough to make it difficult to stand. It was one of over 1,000 tremors that have been recorded in Kagoshima Prefecture islands in the last two weeks. This has fueled rumours that were sparked by a comic-book prediction of a disaster that would strike the country in this month. Ayataka Aybita, Director of the Japan Meteorological Agency’s earthquake and tsunami monitor division, said that it was difficult to predict an earthquake's exact location, time or magnitude with the current scientific knowledge. Ebita said at a press briefing that "we ask people to base their understandings on scientific evidence". Some travellers have avoided Japan because of the manga. The manga has been interpreted by some as a prediction of a catastrophe on Saturday. The latest data shows that arrivals from Hong Kong - where the rumours are widely spread - were down 11% from last May. This year, Japan saw record numbers of visitors. April's record-breaking monthly number of 3.9 millions travellers was a record. Ryo Tatsuki is the artist of the manga "The Future I Saw", which was first published in 1999, and then re-released 2021. In a press release issued by her publisher, she said that she "was not a prophet". Japan is one of the most seismically active countries in the world. About one-fifth (or more) of all earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or higher occur in Japan. (Reporting and editing by William Mallard in Tokyo, with Tim Kelly reporting from Tokyo)
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CANADA-CRUDE-Discount on Western Canada Select unchanged
On Friday, the discount between West Texas Intermediate and Western Canada Select futures remained unchanged. WCS for August in Hardisty (Alberta) settled at $10.30 per barrel below the U.S. benchmark WTI according to brokerage CalRock. The price was flat compared to Thursday's trading. Due to the U.S. Independence Day holiday, trading volumes were low. Independence Day is a holiday in the United States. The summer and the return to road construction season is a strong season for Canadian heavy crude. This crude is used by U.S. refiners to make asphalt. * The WCS Discount has increased slightly since last week, when wildfires in Canada’s oil-producing areas led to temporary tightening. The price of Canadian crude oil remains historically high, partly due to the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion that increased the country's ability to export oil to Asian markets. The global oil futures market fell slightly on Friday due to low trading volume, as traders awaited the OPEC+ meeting this weekend and anticipated that the member countries would decide to increase their output. Amanda Stephenson reports from Calgary.
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French President Macron announces 'historic' Airbus/Malaysia Airlines deal
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Friday that Airbus and Malaysia had signed a historic agreement, while Macron was hosting Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Paris. Macron said that such deals showed the importance of trade between France, Asia and Europe as Europe prepares to face possible tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump. "I think of the projects that have been signed in key minerals, rare earths, with Carester, which just opened a new factory in Lacq region, transport, with this historic collaboration between Malaysia Airlines, and Airbus and the energy sector," said Macron. This week, industry sources reported that Airbus is close to winning a Malaysia Aviation Group order for additional A330neo long haul jets. Airbus was our main focus. "AirAsia has another 50, and Malaysian Airlines 20," said Ibrahim. (Reporting and editing by Jean-Stephane Brosse)
Two Spanish nationals apprehended in Venezuela not connected to any plot to destabilise country, states Madrid
2 Spanish nationals arrested in Venezuela had no links to the Spanish secret service and Spain was not associated with any strategy to politically destabilize the South American country, a Spanish foreign ministry source stated on Sunday.
Two Spaniards, 3 U.S. people and a Czech citizen were arrested in Venezuela on suspicion of links to declared plans to destabilize the South American nation, Venezuela's interior minister said on Saturday.
Spain rejects and absolutely turns down any insinuation of being linked in an operation of political destabilization in Venezuela, the Spanish foreign ministry source said.
The government has actually confirmed that the (2 Spanish residents) detained do not form part of the Centre for National Intelligence or any state organisation. Spain safeguards a. democratic and tranquil service to the circumstance in Venezuela.
The arrests are most likely to deepen Venezuela's already tense. relations with Spain and the United States after a disputed. governmental election in July.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello informed a press. conference on Saturday that 2 Spaniards were allegedly connected. to Spain's secret service and were preparing the assassination of. a mayor.
He named the Spaniards as José María Basoa and Andrés. Martínez Adasne. Photos of the males were revealed on state. television.
Cabello likewise accused three U.S. citizens and a Czech of. participation in terrorist acts, including declared plans to. assassinate Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and other. officials.
The U.S. State Department stated on Saturday that any claims. of U.S. involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are. unconditionally false.
The State Department representative likewise confirmed that a. member of the U.S. armed force was being held and kept in mind. unofficial reports of 2 additional U.S. citizens apprehended in. Venezuela.
On Saturday, a Spanish foreign ministry source told Reuters. it was asking Venezuela to learn more.
The Spanish embassy has sent out a verbal note to the. Venezuelan federal government asking for access to the detained residents. in order to confirm their identities and their nationality and in. order to know what they are implicated of precisely, the source. said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Spanish nationals were detained while taking photos. in the town of Puerto Ayacucho, Cabello stated.
Venezuela recalled its ambassador to Spain last week for. assessments and summoned the Spanish ambassador to appear at. the foreign ministry after a Spanish minister accused Maduro of. running a dictatorship, intensifying diplomatic stress. following Venezuela's disputed presidential election.
Caracas was also angered by Spanish Prime. Minister Pedro Sanchez' choice to meet last Thursday with. Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who. went into exile in Spain recently after being threatened with. arrest by Maduro's routine.
Tensions between Venezuela and the United States have also. intensified after Washington acknowledged Gonzalez Urrutia as the. winner of the July 28 election.
(source: Reuters)