Taiwan now biggest importer of Russian naphtha despite being Ukraine ally

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Island imported $1.3bn of crude oil product in first half of 2025 despite joining sanctions against Moscow, report finds

Taiwan has become the world’s biggest importer of Russian naphtha, a petroleum derivative used to make chemicals needed for the semiconductor industry, despite the fact that it has joined other sanctions against Russia and considers itself an ally of Ukraine.

In the first half of 2025, Taiwan imported $1.3bn worth of Russian naphtha, and average monthly imports reached a level nearly six times higher than the 2022 average, according to a report published on Wednesday. Compared to the first half of 2024, Taiwan’s naphtha imports this year increased by 44%.

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Philippines earthquake death toll rises to at least 69 as Cebu hospitals struggle

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More than 700 aftershocks recorded while rescuers search for casualties in coastal city of Bogo

Rescuers in the Philippines combed through rubble and mud after the deadliest earthquake in more than a decade killed at least 69 people, with patients overwhelming hospitals on the island of Cebu.

Outside the Cebu provincial hospital, injured children cried and adults screamed on Wednesday as they were treated on beds beneath blue tents. They had been wheeled outside as a precaution against waves of aftershocks.

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Gaza flotilla rebuffs calls to stop, as Israel readies for complex interception – The Times of Israel

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  1. Gaza flotilla rebuffs calls to stop, as Israel readies for complex interception  The Times of Israel
  2. Gaza Sumud flotilla: How Israel breaks international maritime law  Al Jazeera
  3. Italy to end support for Gaza flotilla as Israeli action looms  Reuters
  4. Gaza aid flotilla man 'undeterred by drone threat'  BBC
  5. Israel, Gaza Aid Flotilla Brace for a Confrontation at Sea  The Wall Street Journal
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Taliban internet shutdown paralyzes Afghanistan – The Washington Post

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  1. Taliban internet shutdown paralyzes Afghanistan  The Washington Post
  2. Afghan women lose their 'last hope' as Taliban shut down internet  BBC
  3. Afghanistan: Internet Shutdowns Imperil Rights  Human Rights Watch
  4. Taliban kills internet across Afghanistan, citing morality concerns as UN protests  Fox News
  5. Afghanistan imposes internet blackout: What has the effect been so far?  Al Jazeera
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Morocco’s youth protests turn violent on fourth day – Reuters

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  1. Morocco's youth protests turn violent on fourth day  Reuters
  2. Morocco squashes youth-led protesters over health, education  Reuters
  3. Young Moroccans clash with police while protesting stadium spending and health system decline  The Washington Post
  4. Gen Z Moroccans denounce government priorities in some of the largest protests in years  CNN
  5. Gen Z protesters rally across Morocco demanding health, education reforms  Al Jazeera
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Zelenskyy sounds alarm over unprecedented power outage at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant – The Guardian

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  1. Zelenskyy sounds alarm over unprecedented power outage at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant  The Guardian
  2. Ukraine warns of critical situation at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant  Reuters
  3. Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says situation ‘critical’ at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant  Al Jazeera
  4. Update 317 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine  International Atomic Energy Agency
  5. Ukraine and Russia Blame Each Other for Power Cut at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant  The New York Times
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Zelenskyy sounds alarm over unprecedented power outage at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

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Ukrainian president says Russian shelling is preventing work to restore links to grid and that one of the plant’s diesel generators has failed

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday said the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has been off the grid for seven straight days, warning of the potential threat of a “critical” situation.

It is the longest outage at Zaporizhzhia since Russia invaded and seized the nuclear plant, Europe’s largest.

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Indonesia school collapse: 91 missing and three dead as rescuers search rubble for second day

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Desperate search for more than 90 missing after building collapses while students held prayers at school in Sidoarjo

Parents and rescuers in Indonesia were desperately searching for dozens of teenage boys believed to be trapped, a day after the collapse of an Islamic boarding school which has already left three dead, authorities said.

Authorities said 91 people were listed as missing after the Al Khoziny school building collapsed while pupils held late afternoon prayers in a mosque housed on a lower floor of a building whose upper floors were under construction.

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People’s Republic of China National Day – U.S. Department of State (.gov)

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  1. People’s Republic of China National Day  U.S. Department of State (.gov)
  2. Envoy: China and US should be partners helping each other succeed  chinadailyasia.com
  3. Flag-raising ceremony held at Tian'anmen Square to mark 76th founding anniversary of PRC  Xinhua
  4. Chinese Ambassador to Samoa Fei Mingxing Visits Chinese Institutions in Samoa  fmprc.gov.cn
  5. Secretary-General of ASEAN delivers congratulatory remarks at Reception of the 76th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China  ASEAN Main Portal
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Italy to end support for international Gaza flotilla as it nears destination

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The Global Sumud Flotilla, with over 500 people including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, aims to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza

Italy has said it will stop tracking an international flotilla attempting to deliver aid to Gaza with a military vessel, as activists on board announced they were on “high alert” as they moved closed to their destination.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, consisting of more than 40 civilian boats with over 500 people including parliamentarians, lawyers and Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, aims to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza.

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South Africa’s ambassador to France found dead in Paris – DW

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  1. South Africa's ambassador to France found dead in Paris  DW
  2. South African Ambassador to France Is Found Dead in Paris  The New York Times
  3. Nathi Mthethwa: South Africa's top diplomat in France found dead near Paris hotel  BBC
  4. South Africa's ambassador to France Nkosinathi Emmanuel "Nathi" Mthethwa found dead outside Paris hotel  CBS News
  5. South Africa’s ambassador to France, found dead at Paris hotel, told wife he intended ‘to end his life’: official  CNN
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UN authorizes a much larger force to fight gangs in Haiti with new power to arrest gang members – AP News

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  1. UN authorizes a much larger force to fight gangs in Haiti with new power to arrest gang members  AP News
  2. U.N. approves militarized force to take on Haiti’s gangs  The Washington Post
  3. UN Security Council approves ‘Gang Suppression Force’ for Haiti  Al Jazeera
  4. UN security council approves new military force to fight Haiti gangs  The Guardian
  5. The Trump administration’s Haiti win  Politico
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Congo military court sentences former President Kabila to death for treason – AP News

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  1. Congo military court sentences former President Kabila to death for treason  AP News
  2. Joseph Kabila: Former Congolese president sentenced to death for war crimes  BBC
  3. Congo’s Former President Sentenced to Death in Absentia  The New York Times
  4. Former DRC president Joseph Kabila sentenced to death in absentia  The Guardian
  5. DR Congo’s ex-President Joseph Kabila sentenced to death in absentia  Al Jazeera
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