MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia considers it premature to comment on reports that the United States and Ukraine are discussing a possible halt to aerial attacks as part of efforts to end the war, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said ‌on Sunday. A Ukrainian source told Reuters that Ukrainian and U.S. officials had discussed a proposal for an air ceasefire to present to Russia as part of a new push to revive peace talks aimed at ending the conflict triggered by Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.  

 

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HONG KONG (Reuters) - Typhoon Noul will bring heavy to torrential rain across much of southern China for the next two days, authorities said, after sweeping through Guangdong province and neighboring ‌Hong Kong with gale-force winds following its landfall on Sunday. China issued its highest-level alert for flash floods in several provinces after the year’s strongest typhoon forced the relocation of more than 700,000 people in Guangdong, authorities said. The Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration jointly issued a red warning for flash floods. From Sunday evening through Monday evening, flash floods are expected in parts of Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Gansu and southeastern Xinjiang.

 

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BEIJING (AFP) - Rescuers are searching for 23 missing people after a Vietnamese ship carrying 62 crew members sank in the South China Sea, Chinese state media reported Sunday morning. The cargo vessel Khoi Nguyen 18 encountered trouble near Yongshu Reef, also known as Fiery Cross Reef, with 39 people rescued, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

 

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 WASHINGTON (AFP) - One hundred days before the U.S. midterm elections, President Donald Trump’s Republicans are staring down polling that points to the loss of the House of Representatives and a ferocious battle to retain the Senate. Trump will not appear on the ballot on November 3, but the stakes for his presidency could hardly be higher. A Democratic House would give the party control of powerful committees and subpoena authority, likely subjecting Trump’s administration to two years of investigations and potentially exposing him to a third impeachment drive.  

 

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LONDON(Reuters) - Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu has joined the contest to become the next secretary-general of ‌the United Nations, the seventh contender to succeed Antonio Guterres when he steps down at the end of this year. Otunnu, a former UN under-secretary-general who served as a special representative for children and armed conflict, was nominated by Uganda in a letter on Friday to the presidents of the UN General Assembly and Security Council.At 75, he is the oldest of the current candidates for the role, which Guterres has held for two five-year terms.