Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smaiylov on August 19 blamed the owners of a coal mine for a deadly fire that took the lives of four miners this week in Shakhtinsk, a city about 60 kilometers from Temirtau, central Kazakhstan. Smaiylov said the company’s noncompliance with the rules of the industry was the main cause of the fire.
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China will skip G20 summit in India
Chinese President Xi Jinping is apparently skipping this week’s Group of 20 summit in India as bilateral relations remain icy. Instead, Premier Li Qiang will represent China at the September 9-10 gathering.
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Russia has launched extensive missile raids across Ukraine
Russia has launched extensive missile raids across Ukraine and is building up troops near the northeastern city of Kupyansk to test Ukrainian defenses, just as Kyiv is warning that Moscow is gearing up to launch a new offensive.
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Russia Claims Crimean Bridge Attacks Thwarted
Russia forces thwarted three sea drone attacks on the strategic Crimean Bridge linking Ukraine’s occupied Crimean Peninsula to the Russian mainland, as Ukraine’s military said it was continuing its push toward the southeastern city of Melitopol in an effort to cut off the land bridge to Crimea.
