Zelensky says Ukraine drones hit oil refinery in Russia’s Tyumen, now have 3,000km range

⁠Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said ⁠on Saturday that Ukrainian drones had struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Tyumen Region in western Siberia, more than 2,000km (1,200 miles) from Ukraine.

He also said Ukraine had ‌developed new long-range drones capable of operating over more than 3,000 km.

Speaking in his nightly video address, Zelensky offered thanks to the Ukrainian military’s special operations which “have reached Tyumen Region in Russia, including an

Smoke billows behind an Orthodox church following a reported Ukrainian drone attack in Moscow on Thursday. Photo: EPA

Trump blames reflecting pool woes on vandalism, but offers no proof

World United States & Canada

The paint is peeling off the US president’s US$14 million renovation project, following attempts to get rid of clouds of algae in the water

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A US National Park Service employee works to remove algae in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

The paint is peeling from Washington’s reflecting pool after the renovation ordered by President Donald Trump, and he is now alleging that someone damaged it intentionally.

“We’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful

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Ubisoft co-founder Claude Guillemot dies in plane crash in France

Claude Guillemot, who ⁠co-founded French video-game ⁠publisher Ubisoft with ⁠his brothers in 1986, has died, the company said on Saturday.

“Ubisoft was deeply saddened to learn of the death of ‌Claude Guillemot, co-founder of the group and chairman of Guillemot Corp, in an accident,” the statement said.

“Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time. No further statements ⁠will be made at this time,” it added.

Forensic technicians on Saturday examine the wreckage of the Cessna 421 that crashed the previous day in La Baule, western France. Photo: AP

Russia frees 24 Filipinos after Marcos speaks with Putin

The Philippine leader raised the issue with the Russian president during their meeting on the sidelines of a summit in Kazan

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hilippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kazan, Russia, on Wednesday. Photo: Sputnik via AP

Russia has freed 24 Filipinos who have been detained for months without charges in a Siberian city, after Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr raised concerns about them in a meeting with President Vladimir Putin , Philippine officials said on Saturday.

The 24 were scheduled to arrive in Manila on two flights early on

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Iceland resumes whale hunt amid protest

It is one of the only three countries – alongside Japan and Norway – that still openly permit whaling

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Two whaling ships are docked in the harbour in Reykjavik, Iceland, in August 2019. Photo: dpa

One of Iceland’s two remaining whaling ships set out this week to hunt the giant mammals after a two-year hiatus, local media and campaigners reported on Saturday.

Iceland is one of only three countries that still openly permit whaling, alongside Norway and Japan – despite international opprobrium from the public and


Man suspected of 3 burglaries in Hong Kong arrested at airport

Two of the alleged break-ins occurred at the Sausalito estate in Ma On Shan. Photo: Google Maps

Hong Kong police have arrested a man in connection with three burglaries in Ma On Shan involving losses of more than HK$700,000 (US$89,750).

Police said on Saturday that they received three burglary reports between April 26 and June 3, concerning two flats at the Sausalito private residential estate

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Tehran closes Strait of Hormuz ahead of US-Iran talks in Switzerland

Iran dealt two quick blows to the interim agreement with the US on Saturday, angered by Israel’s continued attacks in Lebanon, saying it had closed the Strait of Hormuz and announcing that while its negotiators were going to Switzerland for talks, not much was likely to happen there.

Key mediator Pakistan, meanwhile, said the technical-level talks would begin on Sunday in Burgenstock, Switzerland, with Qatari mediators also taking part.

In Tehran’s first salvo, Iran’s joint military command said the strait had been

Journalists set up near an access to the Burgenstock luxury hotel complex above Lake Lucerne on Friday, where talks following up on a deal to end the Middle East conflict were scheduled to begin. Photo: AFP

MTR Corp investigates after woman injured by falling ceiling panel at plaza

Telford Plaza closed the entrance and is carrying out repairs. Photo: Threads / jjune.889

Hong Kong’s rail giant has launched an investigation after a woman was injured when a ceiling panel fell and hit her leg at Telford Plaza in Kowloon Bay.

The MTR Corporation , which also manages the shopping centre, said on Saturday that a section of the ceiling near an entrance to Phase One had become loose and fallen shortly before midnight on June 1
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As the US dismantles its global hegemony, will China step up?

As the US voluntarily dismantles its global hegemony , China has neither the will nor the capacity to fill the role, a prominent Chinese foreign policy expert has argued.

Beijing was forging an alternative path rooted in sovereign equality and multilateralism, rather than a quest for global dominance, said Da Wei, director of Tsinghua University’s Centre for International Security and Strategy.

“I believe America’s global institutional hegemony is coming to an end,” Da told a public seminar at Renmin University of China in Beijing on Wednesday,

The US became the world’s largest economy in the late 19th century but it took over 50 years to assume global leadership, Da Wei says. Photo: AP

Trump escalates spat with Italy’s Meloni over G7 photo claim

The clash has opened an unusually personal rift between Trump and one of Europe’s most prominent right-wing leaders

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US President Donald Trump speaks with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the G7 summit in Evian, eastern France, on Tuesday. Photo: TNS

US President Donald Trump escalated a diplomatic row with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Saturday, accusing her of repeatedly seeking a photograph with him and linking the dispute to tensions over Iran and Nato .

The clash has opened an unusually personal rift between Trump and one of Europe’s most prominent right

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