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In high-level US visit to Solomon Islands, China looms large
In high-level US visit to Solomon Islands, China looms large
World
by  AFP

A high-ranking US delegation lands in the Solomon Islands Saturday, as Washington wrestles with Beijing for influence in the region months after the Pacific nation signed a secretive security pact with China. China, which has an embassy in the Solomons with close ties to its government, alarmed Western rivals by signing an undisclosed security pact with the island in April.

Amazon to buy Roomba-maker iRobot in $1.7 bn deal
Amazon to buy Roomba-maker iRobot in $1.7 bn deal
Business and Economy
by  AFP

Amazon on Friday announced a $1.7 billion deal to buy the maker of robotic vacuum Roomba in a merger that would play into the tech giant's artificial intelligence and smart home ambitions. US-based iRobot is a global company that builds robots and "intelligent home" innovations, having introduced Roomba self-operating vacuums a decade ago, Amazon said in a release.

Kyiv, Moscow trade blame over nuclear plant
Kyiv, Moscow trade blame over nuclear plant
World
by  AFP

Kyiv and Moscow accused each other of striking Europe's largest nuclear site on Friday, causing a reactor stoppage as three grain ships departed Ukraine under a deal to avert food shortages. Kyiv said another three ships loaded with grain set sail from Ukraine on Friday, heading for Turkey and markets in Ireland and Britain.

'Feels normal' as Bayern rout Frankfurt 6-1 in Bundesliga opener
'Feels normal' as Bayern rout Frankfurt 6-1 in Bundesliga opener
Africa
by  AFP

Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann said he didn't mind if it was beginning to feel "normal" for his team to win the title, after thrashing an overwhelmed Eintracht Frankfurt 6-1 away at Deutsche Bank Park on Friday. Asked after the match if Munich winning the Bundesliga was begnning to feel like "normality", Nagelsmann unsurprisingly said he was happy with the status quo.

State-aligned Cuban TV host cautions against 'repression' of protests
State-aligned Cuban TV host cautions against 'repression' of protests
World
by  AFP

A Cuban TV program, state-run like all others in the communist country, has cautioned against responding to protests on the island with "repression," in a rare deviation from the official media line. In a country where dissent is quashed, the "Con filo" (cutting edge) program urged "public servants" to instead negotiate with Cubans protesting disruptive power cuts.

1968 plane wreckage found on Swiss glacier
1968 plane wreckage found on Swiss glacier
World
by  AFP

Wreckage from a plane that crashed in the Swiss Alps in 1968 has been discovered on a glacier more than 54 years on, police said Friday. Wallis police said the wreckage was discovered on Thursday.

Nicaragua bishop under police siege at home
Nicaragua bishop under police siege at home
World
by  AFP

A Nicaraguan bishop critical of the regime has been confined to his home by police in a fast-worsening standoff between civil society and a government widely accused of authoritarianism. In the first half of 2022, said the EU, Nicaraguan authorities closed down over 1,200 civil society organizations.

Seeking water, Brazil indigenous group finds new home
Seeking water, Brazil indigenous group finds new home
World
by  AFP

Clutching a machete and a cell phone, indigenous leader Vanderlei Weraxunu tours his community's future home, a swathe of tropical forest land north of Rio de Janeiro where his people will finally have water. The project promises to transform the lives of community members, who have been living in a settlement with no access to potable water in Marica county, in Rio de Janeiro state.