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30th January
Russia rules out talks with Japan on fishing near disputed islands
(Reuters) – Russia said on Sunday it will not hold annual talks with Japan on renewing a pact that allows Japanese fishermen to operate near disputed islands, saying Japan has taken anti-Russian measures. The islands,...
Peru bus plunges off cliff, killing at least 24
(Reuters) – At least 24 people died in northern Peru after a bus carrying 60 passengers plunged off a cliff in early on Saturday, police told local media. Peru’s transportation supervisory agency (SUTRAN) confirmed the crash in a statement, without providing a number of fatalities or injuries. The tragedy, involving a bus for the company...
Ukraine imposes sanctions on 182 Russian, Belarusian firms, 3 people
(Reuters) – Ukraine imposed sanctions against 182 Russian and Belarusian companies, and three individuals, in the latest of a series of steps by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to block Moscow’s and Minsk’s connections to his country. “Their assets in Ukraine are blocked, their properties will be used for our defence,” Zelenskiy said in a video address....
Tens of thousands of teachers march in Lisbon to demand better pay and conditions
By Sergio Goncalves and Miguel Pereira LISBON (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of public school teachers and other staff marched in Lisbon on Saturday to demand higher wages and better working conditions, putting further pressure on the Portuguese government as it grapples with a cost of living crisis. Shouting slogans like “for the banks there...
29th January
Italy’s Eni signs $8 billion Libya gas deal as PM Meloni visits Tripoli
By Gavin Jones ROME/TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Italian energy company Eni and Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) signed an $8 billion gas production deal on Saturday aimed at boosting energy supplies to Europe despite the insecurity and political chaos in the North African country. The deal, signed during a visit to Tripoli by Italy’s Prime Minister...
Afghan female students not allowed to sit university entrance exam – Taliban ministry
KABUL (Reuters) – The Taliban-run Ministry of Higher Education ordered private universities in Afghanistan not to allow female students to sit university entrance exams next month, underscoring its policy to restrict women from tertiary education. A letter from the ministry was addressed to institutions in Afghanistan’s northern provinces, including Kabul, where exams are due to...
U.S. four-star general warns of war with China in 2025
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A four-star U.S. Air Force general said in a memo that his gut told him the United States would fight China in the next two years, comments that Pentagon officials said were not consistent with American military assessments. “I hope I am wrong,” General Mike Minihan, who heads the Air Mobility Command,...
Eritrea troops still on Ethiopian soil – U.S
NAIROBI (Reuters) – A senior U.S. official said on Saturday that Eritrean troops are still in Ethiopia although they have moved back the border, contradicting Ethiopian authorities who say the Eritreans have already left. Eritrean troops fought alongside the Ethiopian military and allied militias in the two-year conflict that pitted the Ethiopian government against rebellious...
Sweden tells citizens to avoid crowds in Turkey after Koran burning
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Sweden’s foreign ministry on Saturday warned Swedes in Turkey to avoid crowds and demonstrations following protests there over the burning of the Koran by a far-right politician in Stockholm last week. Last week Turkey suspended talks with Sweden and Finland on their applications to join NATO after the protest at which Rasmus...
Sri Lanka economy could shrink by -3.5% to -4%, president says
COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lanka’s economy could contract by -3.5 or -4.0% in 2023 after shrinking -11% last year, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Saturday. “From 2024, we will take this economy to positive growth. We are creating a strong country that does not bow down to anyone and is debt-free,” he said. Speaking at...
Congo revivalist churches draw in Catholics
BENI, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – Congolese event organiser Deo Malela was born to Roman Catholic parents and identifies as such. But like more and more Catholics in the central African nation, 28-year-old Malele also regularly attends an evangelical church where he says he finds solutions to everyday problems. “There are illnesses where you...
Russian Antarctic vessel docks in South Africa as green groups protest
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – A Russian research vessel which has been prospecting for oil and natural gas in the Antarctic docked in South Africa on Saturday following protests by green campaigners who say its operations in the region violate a treaty banning mineral exploration. Several members of the Extinction Rebellion environmental group held banners reading “Hands...
France extends mandatory COVID tests for Chinese travellers until Feb 15
PARIS (Reuters) – France has extended mandatory COVID tests for travellers from China until Feb. 15, a government decree published on Saturday showed. While Chinese officials have said infections have peaked, some global experts have warned about the possibility of a rise in cases in rural areas less equipped to deal with them as millions...
Twitter says users will be able to appeal account suspension
(Reuters) – Twitter users will be able to appeal account suspensions and be evaluated under the social media platform’s new criteria for reinstatement, starting Feb. 1, the company said on Friday. Under the new criteria, which follow billionaire Elon Musk’s purchase of the company in October, Twitter accounts will only be suspended for severe or...
Virtual reality brings Holocaust history to future generations
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – For those who survived the Holocaust, the memories can never be erased, but their generation is dying out. Educators and historians are looking for new ways to keep their experience alive and connect to younger people. With the film “Triumph of the Spirit”, seen through a virtual reality headset, viewers find themselves...
Film academy reviewing Oscar campaigns after surprise nomination
By Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Hollywood’s film academy said on Friday it was reviewing this year’s campaigns for Oscar nominations, a day after a media report raised questions about the surprise nod for British actress Andrea Riseborough. On Tuesday, Riseborough was nominated for best actress for playing an alcoholic single mother in little-seen...
Events in the Memphis police beating death of Tyre Nichols
(Reuters) – The city of Memphis on Friday released video of the police traffic stop and beating of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man. Five police officers have been fired and charged with second-degree murder in his death. Here is a timeline of events. Jan. 7: Officers pull over Nichols on suspicion of reckless driving...
28th January
Visa, Mastercard pin hopes on China reopening as travel boom fades
By Niket Nishant (Reuters) – Mastercard Inc and Visa Inc will rely on China reopening to give travel spending a boost, Wall Street analysts said, as the pace of growth in other parts of the world eases from a post-pandemic boom. Executives at the payments companies on Thursday pointed to further room for travel recovery...
Australia regulator to probe social media influencers for false endorsements
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s competition regulator said on Friday it would check whether influencers on social media platforms had failed to disclose their affiliation with the brands they were promoting. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said it would look at more than 100 influencers after several consumers informed the regulator about some endorsements...
Auckland, New Zealand starts clean-up after torrential rains, flash floods
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Authorities in New Zealand’s biggest city Auckland began mopping up on Saturday, a day after torrential rains brought flooding and evacuations, shutting airports and forcing organisers to cancel a scheduled concert by Elton John. A state of emergency remained in place in the city of around 1.6 million people on New Zealand’s...
U.S. lawmakers ask Kerry to urge UAE to replace oil boss as COP28 president
By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Over two dozen U.S. representatives on Friday called on top U.S. climate envoy John Kerry to urge the United Arab Emirates to withdraw its appointment of the head of its state oil company as president of the COP28 climate summit it will host this year. The 27 Democratic members...
Czech retired general aims to beat tycoon ex-PM in presidential race
By Jason Hovet PRAGUE (Reuters) – Former Czech army chief Petr Pavel, a pro-Western candidate who backs aid for Ukraine, aimed to turn a poll lead into an election win over billionaire ex-premier Andrej Babis on Saturday as Czechs wrapped up voting for a new president. Voting in the run-off started on Friday and is...
Haitian children are vulnerable in capital’s violence, UNICEF says
By Brian Ellsworth (Reuters) – More than one million Haitian children are under constant threat of violence in the area of the capital Port-au-Prince because of chronic lawlessness, the regional director of children’s agency UNICEF said on Friday. UNICEF last year warned that Haitian children are threatened by malnutrition, armed violence, and an outbreak of...
‘Everything Everywhere’ resonates with a diversity of audiences
By Rollo Ross and Danielle Broadway LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – When “Everything Everywhere All at Once” was released in March 2022, co-director Daniel Kwan wasn’t sure if audiences would connect with the film and its multiverse premise, but they did. “We tried to make a movie that everyone can relate with, but we thought we’d...
North Korea slams United States for pledging tanks to Ukraine
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea on Saturday denounced U.S. pledges of battle tanks to Ukraine, claiming Washington was “further crossing the red line” to win hegemony by proxy war, state media KCNA reported. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, made the remarks in a statement carried by KCNA, saying that...
Auckland Airport still closed, no flights until at least noon
Auckland International Airport remains closed due to flooding, after heavy rain hit the super city on Friday night. There will be no flights into or out of Auckland until noon on Saturday at the earliest, the airport said in a statement overnight. The Auckland region is under a state of local emergency. Information on when...
Spain’s hunting dogs law exposes rural and urban divisions
MADRID (Reuters) -A draft law aimed at strengthening animal rights in Spain is exposing divisions within the ruling Socialist Party’s electoral base amid warnings it risks outlawing hunting with dogs. The proposed law would overhaul the treatment of domesticated and wild animals in captivity, with plans to ban the sale of pets in shops, convert...
China’s Xi says ties with Australia moving in “right direction” – state media
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday relations with Australia were moving in the right direction in the latest sign of an improvement in ties between the major trading partners. Xi made his comments in a congratulatory message for Australia Day to Australian Governor-General David Hurley, the Xinhua state-run news agency reported....
Five Chinese citizens killed in California shooting – consulate
BEIJING (Reuters) – Five Chinese citizens were among the victims in a shooting in the California town of Half Moon Bay, the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco said. The Half Moon Bay shooting on Monday, in which seven people died, was the second of two gun rampages in California in recent days in which...
Haiti police block streets, break into airport to protest officer killings
PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) -Haitian police officers on Thursday blocked streets and forced their way into the country’s main airport to protest the recent killing of officers by armed gangs expanding their grip on the Caribbean nation. Protesters in civilian clothes who identified themselves as police first attacked Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s official residence, according to a...
