Moscow warns the US over allowing Ukraine to hit Russian soil

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Kremlin warns that Washington’s decision to let Ukraine strike targets inside Russia with U.S.-supplied longer-range missiles would stoke the war and escalate international tensions. The policy shift adds uncertainty as the war on Tuesday marks 1,000 days since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Ukraine said a Russian missiles struck Sumy in northern Ukraine and Odesa in the south, killing at least 21 people and injuring dozens. U.S. officials say Washington is easing limits on what Ukraine can strike with its American-made Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMs, after months of ruling out such a move over fears of escalating the conflict. A Kremlin spokesman said Washington was “adding fuel to the fire and provoking further escalation of tensions.”

India’s capital chokes as air pollution levels hit 50 times the safe limit

NEW DELHI (AP) — Authorities in India’s capital have shut schools, halted construction and banned non-essential trucks from entering the city after air pollution shot up to its worst level this season. Residents of New Delhi woke up to thick, toxic smog enveloping the city of some 33 million. The deadly haze covered monuments and high-rise buildings in the capital, with visibility so low that airlines warned of delays. In several areas, pollution levels were more than 50 times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended safe limit. Forecasts say the poor air quality will continue into the week. Air pollution in northern India rises every winter as cold air traps smoke from emissions and crop burning.

Typhoon Man-yi leaves 7 dead in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Typhoon Man-yi has left at least seven people dead in a landslide, destroyed houses and displaced large numbers of villagers before blowing away from the northern Philippines, worsening the crisis wreaked by multiple back-to-back storms. Man-yi was one of the strongest of the six major storms to hit the northern Philippines in less than a month. Disaster response officials said Monday they are checking if the reported deaths of two other villagers were directly related to Man-yi’s onslaught in eastern Camarines Norte province. They say a search is underway for a couple and their child after their shanty was swept away in rampaging rivers in northern Nueva Ecija province.

French farmers escalate protests against an EU-Mercosur trade deal

BEAUVAIS, France (AP) — French farmers have escalated their protests against the EU-Mercosur trade agreement under negotiation. They cite fears of unfair competition. They argue the deal would threaten their livelihoods by allowing a surge of South American agricultural imports produced under less stringent environmental standards. Unions oppose provisions such as duty-free imports of beef, poultry and sugar, which they say create unfair competition. There are fears the agreement could be finalized at the G20 summit in Brazil this week. Supporters of the deal say it would boost economic ties between Europe and South America by eliminating tariffs on European exports.