WORLD
EU ban on Russian coal imports in force after transition ends
The embargo was part of the fifth sanctions package agreed by the EU in April and will be in full force from Thursday onwards, reports dpa news agency. EU countries had agreed on a transitional period of 120 days to give the industry time to adapt to the import ban. The aim is to weaken the Russian economy amid its invasion of Ukraine.
Ashraf Ghani blames US, others for Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan
In his first televised interview with newly established media outlet Afghan Broadcasting Network (ABN) on Wednesday, Ghani specifically blamed former US envoy for Afghan peace Zalmay Khalilzad as well as a number of prominent Afghan politicians, reports dpa news agency. Ghani seemed to be most angry at Khalilzad, who signed a peace deal with the Taliban in Doha that paved the way for the full withdrawal of foreign forces from the country. He called Khalilzad "corrupt" and "incompetent".
BSF repatriates 2 Pakistan nationals to their country
In a humanitarian gesture, Rabeez Mashih and Kishan Masih, both residents of Narowal district of Pakistan, were handed over to Pak Rangers by the BSF officials late Wednesday night. Both of them had infiltrated India on Wednesday morning. Sources informed that after questioning about their motive, the BSF officials were convinced of their innocence and believed that they had inadvertently entered India in the Gurdaspur sector.
Trump invokes fifth Amendment, refuses to depose before Attorney General in New York
Shortly after questioning began on Wednesday morning, Trump's office released a statement saying he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, explaining that he "declined to answer the questions under the rights and privileges afforded to every citizen under the US Constitution".
China announces $181 million aid for Nepal
The announcement was made by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his meeting with his Nepal counterpar Narayan Khadka in Qingdao on Wednesday. Khadka is on a three-day visit to China at the invitation of Wang, who is also the State Councillor. The trip comes at a time during simmering tensions between China and Taiwan following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the self-governing island last week.
UK Foreign Office summons Chinese envoy over 'aggression' against Taiwan
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she had ordered officials to call in ambassador Zheng Zeguang to explain his country's actions after Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi's visit to the self-governing island last week, reports dpa news agency. China responded to the visit, which it saw as a provocation by the US, with a series of missile launches and incursions into Taiwanese waters and air space by its military.
Taiwan's main oppn party visits China despite recent escalation
The delegation led by Andrew Hsia, vice chairman of Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang (KMT), left for a visit to China on Wednesday, reports dpa news agency. According to the KMT, it was a long-planned trip to meet Taiwanese businessmen and some nationals studying or living in China, primarily in the south-eastern coastal provinces, such as Fujian and Zhejiang, as well as the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong Province. Appointments in Beijing are not planned. In China, the required quarantine period for the delegation led by Hsia ends on August 21, after which they will return to Taiwan on August 27.
G7: Moscow must return control of Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant to Kiev
"Ukrainian personnel responsible for the operation of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant must be able to carry out their duties without threats or pressure," the statement issued on Wednesday said. "It is Russia's continued domination of the nuclear power plant that endangers the region." Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the attacks.
China completes military drills around Taiwan for 'the time being'
Through joint military operations by the armed forces in the sea and air space around the island, the combat capability of the army had been "effectively tested", dpa news agency quoted the PLA as saying on Wednesday evening. However, changes in the situation in the Taiwan Strait would continue to receive close attention and "regular patrols" are planned.
Will Trump show up at New York AG's office for grilling?
Trump is scheduled to sit for his long-delayed, court-ordered deposition on Wednesday morning in the New York Attorney General's inquiry into his Manhattan-based empire of golf resorts and real estate, Business Insider has learned. Trump will be grilled in person in Manhattan on what New York's Attorney General, Letitia James, has alleged is a decade-long pattern of financial misstatements on documents used by the Trump Organisation to win hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks and bank loans.
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