International news brief: Taiwan starts artillery drill to counter China

Fenggang, Aug 09: Taiwan's military began a live-fire artillery drill Tuesday simulating a defence of the island against an attack after days of massive Chinese military exercises, an AFP journalist at the site of the exercise said.

Lou Woei-jye, spokesman for Taiwan's Eighth Army Corps, confirmed that the drills had started in the southern county of Pingtung shortly after 0040 GMT with the firing of target flares and artillery.
The drill will end at around 0130 GMT, he added.

Russia, Ukraine trade accusations over nuclear plant attacks

Russia and Ukraine traded accusations Monday that each side is shelling Europe's biggest nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. Russia claimed that Ukrainian shelling caused a power surge and fire and forced staff to lower output from two reactors, while Ukraine has blamed Russian troops for storing weapons there. Nuclear experts have warned that more shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, which was captured by Russia early in the war, is fraught with danger. The Kremlin echoed that Monday, claiming that Kyiv was attacking the plant and urging Western powers to force a stop to that.

Rains in S. Korea turn Seoul's roads to rivers, and leave 7 dead

Heavy rains drenched South Korea's capital region, turning the streets of Seoul's affluent Gangnam district into a river, leaving submerged vehicles and overwhelming public transport systems. At least seven people were killed and six others were missing. Commuters were slowly returning to work Tuesday morning after emergency crews worked overnight to clean up much of the mess. But there were concerns about further damage as torrential rain was forecast for the second day in a row.

Trump says FBI conducting search of Mar-a-Lago estate

Former US President Donald Trump on Monday said the FBI was conducting a search of his Mar-a-Lago estate and their agents had broken open his safe, asserting that such an "assault" would only take place in broken, third-world countries. The 45th US President released a lengthy statement on Monday, where he declared his Florida home was "under siege". "These are dark times for our nation, as my beautiful home, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents.

US-based Indian organisation endorses Rishi Sunak for UK PM

A US-based Indian organisation that caters to the interests of the Hindu-American community on Monday endorsed former UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak to become Britain's first Indian-origin Prime Minister. The race to elect a new Conservative Party leader, who will take charge as British Prime Minister early next month, heated up on Monday as the two finalists -Sunak and Liz Truss - clashed over their proposals to tackle the soaring cost-of-living crisis in the country. The Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC), an organisation in the US that was founded in 2015 to be the unique bridge between the Hindu-American community and Republican policymakers and leaders," said it supports Sunak to be the next British Prime Minister as he embraces their values and principles.

with agency inputs