WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The Polish government announced Wednesday that it is planning to deploy an additional 2,000 troops to its border with Belarus, twice the number the Border Guard agency had requested, as fears of illegal migration rise.

In an interview with state news agency PAP, a deputy interior minister, Maciej Wasik announced the decision and accused the Belarusian authorities of organizing illegal migration.

He said migration pressure on the Polish-Belarusian border area is growing, although it cannot compare to the situation two years ago.

TOKYO/SEOUL, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Flights were cancelled and trains halted on Wednesday as heavy rain from Typhoon Khanun pounded southern regions of Japan and South Korea, just as another storm approached from the east to threaten Tokyo ahead of Japan's peak summer holiday season.

Khanun could make landfall at the southeastern South Korean port city of Tongyeong on Thursday, before tracking up the Korean peninsula, authorities said.

ISLAMABAD, Aug 09 (APP): Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Saudi Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Eng. Waleed Abdulkarim El Khereji on Wednesday discussed investment opportunities in energy, agriculture, desalination, IT and mining sectors. 

On his Twitter handle, the foreign minister said that he was pleased to receive the Saudi minister leading a high level delegation to Pakistan.

He further said “There is a huge potential to unlock for enhanced cooperation also in infrastructure development including through public private partnerships.”

PARIS (AP) — A fire ripped through a vacation home for adults with disabilities in eastern France on Wednesday, killing at least nine people, the head of rescue operations said.

Lt. Col. Philippe Hauwiller, who was leading the rescue work of firefighters, said crews were searching for the bodies of two others who were feared dead in the fire. Authorities said 17 people were evacuated, including one who was sent to a hospital with serious injuries.

MOSCOW, August 9. /TASS/: EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell is simply twisting the facts, putting forward unfounded, untenable arguments in his statements concerning the Black Sea grain deal and Russia, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.

08 August 2023; MEMO: Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant today warned Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah not to "make any mistake," threatening to return Lebanon "to the Stone Age in the event of an escalation or conflict," according to Hebrew media.

During a tour on the border with Lebanon, Gallant addressing Nasrallah saying: "I made mistakes in the past and paid a very heavy price. If an escalation or conflict develops here, we will take Lebanon back to the Stone Age."

JERUSALEM, Aug 9 (NNN-WAFA) – Israeli forces, yesterday, demolished the home of a Palestinian gunman, who killed two Israeli brothers in the occupied West Bank in Feb.

Abd el-Fatah Kharousha, 49, carried out a drive-by shooting attack near the Palestinian town of Hawara on Feb 26, killing Hallel Yaniv, 21, and Yagel Yaniv, 19, from the Israeli settlement of Har Bracha.

TAIPEI, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Ten Chinese air force aircraft entered Taiwan's air defence zone on Wednesday accompanying five Chinese warships engaged in "combat readiness" patrols, the island's defence ministry said, the second such incursion this week.

Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, has repeatedly complained of Chinese military activity near it over the past three years, as Beijing steps up pressure to try to force the island to accept its sovereignty.

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 09 (APP): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for countries to recommit to eliminating nuclear weapons in his message to mark the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the Japanese city of Nagasaki, observed on Wednesday.

“We mourn those killed, whose memory will never fade. We remember the terrible destruction wrought upon this city and Hiroshima. We honour the unrelenting strength and resilience of the people of Nagasaki to rebuild,” he said.

MOSCOW, August 9. /TASS/: The dollar surpassed 98 rubles on the Moscow Exchange for the first time since March 25, 2022.

The dollar grew by 0.95% to 98.03 rubles and later slowed down to 98.01 rubles (+0.94%). At the same time, the euro rose by 1.21% to 107.75 rubles, the yuan - by 1.04% to 13.56 rubles.

The MOEX index added 0.99% and reached 3,115.99 points, the RTS index was at the level of 1,001.64 points (+0.18%).

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Slovenia on Wednesday and promised EU help to the small member state which was ravaged by recent floods that killed at least six people and caused extensive damage.

Von der Leyen said after meeting with Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob that they discussed a package of “three components” designed to provide immediate financial aid but also mid and long-term support for reconstruction.

DUBAI, Aug 9 (NNN-WAM) – President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, yesterday met with visiting U.S. National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, to discuss bilateral, regional, and international issues.

During the meeting, held in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi, the two sides “discussed the close, strategic ties between the UAE and the U.S., and expressed their shared interest in further strengthening these bonds,” said the report.