Factbox-Crimea Bridge: why is it important and what happened to it

(Reuters) – Traffic on the road-and-rail bridge linking Russia and the Crimean peninsula was stopped early on Monday due to an “emergency situation,” the Russian-backed head of Crimea’s administration, Sergei Aksyonov said. The RBC-Ukraine news agency reported that explosions were heard on the bridge, with Russian military bloggers reporting two strikes. The bridge is a…

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Progressive US Democrat Jayapal apologizes for calling Israel ‘racist’

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Representative Pramila Jayapal, who heads a large group of progressive Democrats in the U.S. Congress, on Sunday apologized for calling Israel a racist state as Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives pushed back against her initial declaration. “I do not believe the idea of Israel as a nation is racist,” Jayapal…

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‘Heat storm’ stretches into southern Europe, health alerts issued

By Crispian Balmer ROME (Reuters) -Italy issued hot weather red alerts for 16 cities on Sunday, with meteorologists warning that temperatures will hit record highs across southern Europe in the coming days. Spain, Italy and Greece have been experiencing scorching temperatures for several days already, damaging agriculture and leaving tourists scurrying for shade. But a…

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China’s Xiaomi bets bigger on India retail stores amid Samsung rivalry

By Aditya Kalra NEW DELHI (Reuters) -China’s Xiaomi will focus on boosting its India sales from retail outlets after years of big bets on e-commerce, its India president said, as the company seeks to revive smartphone sales after falling behind South Korea’s Samsung. E-commerce sales in India via Amazon and Walmart’s Flipkart have surged in…

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