BEIJING (Xinhua) - China has lodged solemn representations with Italy and the European Union over a visit by Taiwan politician Hsiao Bi-khim to Italy, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Friday. Mao told a regular news briefing that the Democratic Progressive Party authorities and certain politicians are seeking attention around the world and pursuing external support for their “independence” agenda under the guise of democracy and freedom. “Such conduct is disgraceful and ultimately futile,” Mao said. There is only one China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, Mao said, reiterating Beijing’s firm opposition to any form of official interaction between countries that have diplomatic relations with China and the Taiwan region.

 

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SYDNEY (Reuters) - A shortage of air traffic controllers caused flight cancellations and major delays at Sydney Airport on Friday morning, the federal agency responsible for managing Australia’s air traffic said. Airservices Australia said it imposed measures to manage air traffic flows “to safely manage aviation demand” because of the staffing shortage. That led to around 14 cancellations of inbound flights, and delays of more than one hour. The disruption is the latest to hit the nation’s busiest airport as Airservices Australia grapples with staff shortages, and comes amid probes into several recent near-misses at the airport. The air traffic measures were lifted at 8:15 a.m. (2215 GMT on Thursday) after conditions improved. Some minor delays continued for the rest of the morning, with flights back on schedule in the afternoon.

 

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BUKAVU, Congo (AP) — A fire swept through two adjacent schools Thursday in the city of Bukavu in eastern Congo, killing at least 26 students and injuring dozens, the provincial government said. The South Kivu provincial government said in a press release that 19 girls and seven boys were killed, adding that the death toll could rise. The spokesperson for rebel M23 group that controls the city, Lawrence Kanyuka, said earlier that 24 students were killed and 29 people were being treated at local medical facilities. The fire started at a house before spreading to the two adjoining schools, local neighborhood administrator Moïse Lubala told The Associated Press.

 

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AMSTERDAM (Anadolu) - Nine new cases of West Nile virus have been reported in the Netherlands since last Thursday, bringing the total number of infections contracted in the country this year to 18, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) said, according to broadcaster NOS. Three people have died from the virus in the Netherlands this year, up from one death reported last week, according to the institute. The infections have been recorded in the provinces of Utrecht, North Brabant, North Holland, South Holland, Overijssel and Gelderland, the RIVM said.

 

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Berlin (DW) - A new German opinion poll augurs yet more bad news for Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s beleaguered conservatives, showing their approval slip further, ahead of elections in ten days’ time in the North-Eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The survey, conducted by polling institute Insa for the Nordkurier daily, indicates that support for the Christian Democrats (CDU) has slumped from 10% to 7% in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - dangerously close to the 5% threshold needed to enter the state parliament. The survey was conducted between September 1 and 8, largely ahead of Sunday’s election in Saxony-Anhalt which saw the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) crush the CDU with 43.8% of the vote, compared to just 17.2% for Merz’s party.