The conflict in the South China Sea
Philippines: China stole weapons from Navy ships

China's coast guard is accused of boarding a ship belonging to the Philippine Navy and seizing weapons earlier this week, Bloomberg reports.

Manila is now demanding that Beijing pay for the damage the boat suffered during the confrontation and that the coast guard return all the rifles that were seized.

- They have no right or legal authority to hijack our operations and destroy Philippine ships operating within our economic zone, said Philippine military chief Romeo Brawner during a press conference on Wednesday.

Beijing has maintained that its actions in the South China Sea are legal and that it took "control measures" on the Philippine vessel on Monday.

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Forest fire outside Athens - villages evacuated

A large forest fire is ravaging the outskirts of Athens. Greek authorities have evacuated two nearby villages and have deployed airplanes and helicopters to try to limit the spread, AP reports. However, strong winds have made extinguishing work more difficult.

No personal injuries have been reported so far, but some property damage has been reported.
 

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The climate actions
Climate activists have spray painted Stonehenge

Environmental activists from the Just Stop Oil movement have sprayed orange paint on the prehistoric Stonehenge in southwest England, reports Reuters. Two people have been arrested.

The damage on Wednesday takes place one day before the summer solstice when thousands of people are expected to visit the mythical place, writes TT.

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The Wagner Rebellion
The alleged Wagner defector is sentenced to prison

The alleged Wagner defector Andrej Medvedev has been sentenced to prison in Norway, reports Dagbladet.

Medvedev is sentenced to 120 days in prison for assaulting a woman and attacking a bartender, according to the newspaper. He denies the crime and states through his lawyer that the sentence will be appealed.

Andrej Mevedev came to Norway from Russia last year after a dramatic – but unverified – desertion and escape from the Russian Wagner group. He was denied asylum in Norway in February, but has nevertheless been allowed to stay in the country due to the difficulties in deporting him to Russia.