BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China hit back on Wednesday against what it called “irresponsible” comments by the head of the World Health Organization, who described the country’s uncompromising and increasingly painful “zero COVID” policy as “not sustainable.” The policy has placed hundreds of millions of people across dozens of cities under various degrees of movement restrictions, most dramatically in Shanghai, causing significant economic damage in China and beyond and fuelling wide-spread frustration.

 

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 MEXICO CITY/SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador stated he wouldn’t attend the U.S.-hosted Summit of the Americas subsequent month if all nations within the area weren’t invited, whereas Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro can be more likely to skip the assembly, sources advised Reuters. The absence of the leaders of Latin America’s two largest economies can be a blow for the get-together of regional heads of state, which is predicted to sort out points from migration to the surroundings but in addition showcase democracy within the hemisphere.

 

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LONDON (The Independent) - Britain’s armed forces may lack the “modern battle-winning capabilities” they need to meet the demands of future warfare, MPs have warned. The Commons Public Accounts Committee said the Russia-Ukraine  crisis was a reminder of the “risks and responsibilities” which come with the UK’s membership of NATO. But while other countries were developing new capabilities such as hypersonic weapons, the committee said the Ministry of Defence (MoD) was forced to address “capability gaps” in the existing forces.

 

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Many homes near America’s largest wildfire survived the latest barrage of howling winds and erratic flames but New Mexico’s governor said the risk of more destruction is high and that the long-term costs of recovering from the massive blaze will soar. Two more days of strong winds and dangerously bone-dry conditions are in the forecast before some relief is expected Friday. Crews were most concerned Tuesday night about the potential for the massive fire east of Santa Fe to spread farther north toward rural towns and mountain resort communities closer to Taos — about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from its current northern edge.

 

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MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somali police say at least four people have been killed by a suicide explosion that targeted a checkpoint near the airport in the capital, Mogadishu. “I saw four people dead at the scene. Two of them were government soldiers who died immediately after the attack,” said police officer Ali Hassan. A number of wounded people were taken away in an ambulance, according to witness Hamdi Nur. There were no details on the other casualties. The blast happened as presidential candidates were heading into the heavily fortified airport area to address lawmakers ahead of Sunday’s vote for president.

 

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ABUJA (Al-Jazeera) - At least seven soldiers have been killed and two others are missing in Nigeria after they were ambushed by attackers while on patrol in the northeastern state of Taraba, two military sources said. The incident took place on Tuesday night when troops from the 93 Battalion came under heavy fire in the village of Tati in the Takum local government area of the state. A brigadier general and his aide were missing after the attack, the sources said on Wednesday.