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☆ Food Aid From Cyprus Reaches Starving People in Northern Gaza, Says Charity
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( March | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

NICOSIA (Reuters) - A U.S.-based charity said a consignment of almost 200 tons of food aid had reached starving people in northern Gaza on Tuesday, a week after being despatched via a maritime route from the Cypriot port of Larnaca. World Central Kitchen (WCK), working with the United Arab Emirates and Spanish charity Open Arms, sent the food via the 200-mile (322-km) sea route from Larnaca to a makeshift jetty off Gaza. War in Israel and Gaza View All 222 ImagesA U.N.-backed report said on Monday that famine was "imminent" in the northern Gaza Strip, where some 300,000 people are trapped by fighting. Across the whole Gaza Strip, the number of people facing "catastrophic hunger" has risen to 1.1 million - half the population. "WCK is ready to send tonnes of food weekly to Gaza with support from the international community," WCK said in a statement.

Persons: WCK, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, Michele Kambas, Gareth Jones Organizations: United Arab, Spanish, Food Programme Locations: NICOSIA, U.S, Gaza, Cypriot, Larnaca, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Cyprus

☆ Turkish Opposition Disarray Lifts Erdogan's Hopes of Winning Back Istanbul
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( March | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

The alliance that helped propel Imamoglu to victory in Istanbul has since collapsed, and his nationalist and pro-Kurdish allies are fielding their own candidates this month. FRAGMENTED OPPOSITIONBut Imamoglu's hopes in Istanbul have been dented by the decision of the pro-Kurdish DEM Party and the Turkish nationalist IYI Party, whose voters supported him in 2019, to field their own candidates. Metropoll's latest survey showed support for Imamoglu among Kurdish voters had declined to 32% last month from 35% in January. Support among IYI party voters fell to 45% from 64%. Imamoglu has accused central government of hampering his delivery of services in Istanbul since 2019.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan's, Ekrem Imamoglu, Erdogan, Imamoglu, pollsters MAK, Murat Kurum, pollster Murat Gezici, Kurum, Sencar, pollsters Metropoll, Imamoglu's, Ertan Aksoy, Canan Sevgili, Daren Butler, Gareth Jones Organizations: Birsen Altayli, AK Party, CHP, AKP, DEM Party, Turkish, IYI Party, Aksoy Research Locations: Birsen, Birsen Altayli ISTANBUL, Istanbul, Turkey's, Israel, Gaza, Ankara, Turkish, Imamoglu's, Turkey

☆ Russian Prison Service Statement About Navalny's Death
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is dead, the prison service of the Yamalo-Nenets region where he had been serving his sentence said on Friday. Below is a text of the statement released by the prison service. "On Feb. 16, 2024, in penal colony number 3, convict Alexei Navalny felt unwell after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness. The Latest Photos From Ukraine View All 91 ImagesAll necessary resuscitation measures were carried out, which did not yield positive results. Photos You Should See View All 33 ImagesThe causes of death are being established."

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Gareth Jones Organizations: Reuters Locations: MOSCOW, Russian

☆ Yemen Houthi Leader: No Ships Linked to Israel Passed During Last Week
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

"The Americans and the British failed to secure the passage of any ship heading to Israel. They can no longer protect even American-British ships, and this is a real and major victory for us," Abdul Malik al-Houthi said in a televised speech. Houthi militants, who control Yemen's most populous regions, have repeatedly fired on international commercial ships since mid-November. Their targets have been vessels with commercial ties to the United States, Britain or Israel, according to shipping and insurance sources. Houthi operations in the Red Sea, he said, were "legitimate (ones) to help support the people of Gaza and lift the siege being imposed on them."

Persons: Yemen's, Houthis, Abdul Malik al, Houthi, Mohamed Ghabori, Adam Makary, Gareth Jones, Mark Heinrich Organizations: British Locations: CAIRO, Yemen's Iran, Aden, Israel, British, United States, Britain, Gaza, Red, Yemen

☆ Russia Uses Zircon Hypersonic Missile in Ukraine for First Time, Researchers Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - A preliminary analysis concluded that Russia hit Kyiv last week with the hypersonic Zircon missile, its first use in the nearly two-year-old war, the head of a Kyiv research institute said on Monday, presenting a new challenge to Ukraine's air defences. Oleksandr Ruvin, director of the Kyiv Scientific-Research Institute for Forensic Examinations, said on his Telegram channel that his institute completed a preliminary analysis of missile fragments from a Russian attack on Feb. 7. "In this case, we see elements that are characteristic of the 3M22 Zircon missile. Photos You Should See View All 22 ImagesRussia previously said it completed testing of the Zircon missile in June 2022, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the Zircon as part of a new generation of unrivalled arms systems. Russia conducts regular air strikes on Ukraine using an array of different long-range missiles and drones.

Persons: Oleksandr Ruvin, Vladimir Putin, Yuliia Dysa, Gareth Jones, Tom Balmforth, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Reuters, Kyiv Scientific, Research Institute, Forensic, Military Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine

☆ Undercover Israeli Killings in West Bank Hospital May Be War Crimes: UN Experts
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA (Reuters) - The killing of three Palestinian men in a hospital in the occupied West Bank last month by Israeli commandos disguised as medical workers and Muslim women may amount to war crimes, a group of U.N. experts said on Friday. The experts concerned are special rapporteurs engaged by the United Nations to examine a specific human rights issue. War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 ImagesIsrael’s military was not immediately available for comment on their statement. The West Bank has seen an explosion of violence since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and the subsequent invasion of Gaza by Israel. (Reporting by Emma Farge in Geneva; Additional reporting by Emily Rose in Jerusalem; Editing by Gareth Jones)

Persons: Ibn Sina, prima facie, Emma Farge, Emily Rose, Gareth Jones Organizations: West Bank, Shin, Basel Al, United, Hamas, Jenin Brigade, Islamic, The West Bank Locations: GENEVA, Jenin, Basel, Israel, United Nations, Gaza, headscarves, Palestinian, Geneva, Jerusalem

☆ UN Calls for Mental Health Support for Children Impacted by Gaza War
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA (Reuters) - A United Nations committee appealed on Thursday for "massive psychosocial support" for children traumatised by violence in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Israel and said it would review Israel's treatment of children later this year. Children and women make up the bulk of the nearly 28,000 people killed during the offensive, according to the authorities in Gaza. War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 ImagesThe Israeli diplomatic mission in Geneva said it would issue a statement on the U.N. committee's comments shortly. UNICEF said last week that nearly all children in Gaza were thought to require mental health support. Israel's military has said it operates against suspected militants in the West Bank.

Persons: Ann Skelton, Skelton, Israel, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Gareth Jones Organizations: United Nations, West Bank, UNICEF, Israel, The West Bank Locations: GENEVA, Gaza, Israel, Geneva

☆ Siemens CEO Hits Out Against Extremism in Germany
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Siemens Chief Executive Roland Busch on Thursday criticised the rise of extremism in Germany, the latest business leader to voice concerns about sharpening political divisions in the country. "I'd like to state loud and clear: extremism of any kind hurts this country," Busch said in a speech to shareholders at Siemens's annual general meeting in Munich. "And this naturally includes all those who come to Germany and want to contribute themselves and their skills." Siemens Energy supervisory board chairman Joe Kaeser last month warned of a resurgence of right-wing extremism in Germany, saying a policy of mass deportation was "absolutely disgusting". Siemens currently employs around 88,000 people in Germany, its second biggest market after the United States, and is investing $1 billion in a new high tech production and research centre in Erlangen, near Nuremberg.

Persons: Roland Busch, Busch, Joe Kaeser, Peter Boehringer, John Revill, Gareth Jones Organizations: Reuters, Siemens, Siemens Energy Locations: Germany, Munich, United States, Erlangen, Nuremberg

☆ Analysis-Russia's GDP Boost on Military Spending Belies Wider Economic Woes
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

Other economists say Russia is pumping the economy with one-time, unproductive investments that yield limited future benefit. 'NOT ALL GROWTH IS GOOD'The International Monetary Fund expects Russia's economy to grow faster than all G7 economies this year but less than emerging European economies. Military expenditure has supported economic growth of countries at war throughout history. According to Rosstat, Russia's labour productivity index, one of Putin's key national development goals, fell 3.6% year-on-year in 2022, its steepest annual fall since the aftermath of the global financial crisis in 2009. "I don't see current economic growth as lasting or qualitative," said Nadorshin.

Persons: Darya Korsunskaya, Alexander Marrow, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Khestanov, Alexandra Suslina, CAMAC, Rosstat, Anton Kotyakov, Yevgeny Nadorshin, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Darya, Gareth Jones Organizations: Statistics, Reuters, Soviet Union, International Monetary Fund, IMF, Labour, PF, Central Bank Governor Locations: Russia, Ukraine

☆ Israel's Netanyahu Says Victory in Gaza Is Within Reach
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday total victory in Gaza was within reach as he rejected the latest offer from Hamas for a ceasefire to ensure the return of hostages still held in the besieged enclave. Netanyahu renewed a pledge to destroy the Islamist movement, saying there was no alternative for Israel but causing the collapse of Hamas. "The day after is the day after Hamas. All of Hamas," he told a news conference. (Reporting by Henriette Chacar; Editing by James Mackenzie and Gareth Jones)Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Henriette Chacar, James Mackenzie, Gareth Jones, Thomson Organizations: Thomson Reuters Locations: JERUSALEM, Gaza, Israel

☆ Christians in Turkey Pray for Return to the Ruins of Ancient Antioch
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Burcu Karakas and Ceyda CaglayanANTAKYA, Turkey (Reuters) - The Antioch Greek Orthodox Church brought Christians together in Turkey's Antakya for centuries until last year, when an earthquake killed dozens of them and sent hundreds more fleeing. Though it now lies in ruins, many pray it will again bring them back. The deadliest disaster in modern Turkey's history, the quake killed more than 53,000 people in Turkey and nearly 6,000 in Syria, and left millions homeless. 'PLEASE COME BACK'Some 370 Greek Orthodox families were living in Antakya before the 2023 quake but only 20 remain today, he told Reuters. David Cagan, 53, another member of the local Greek Orthodox community, said it was essential to rebuild the churches.

Persons: Burcu Karakas, Caglayan, Hurigil, Larina Balikcioglu, Antakya, David Cagan, Ali Kucukgocmen, Jonathan Spicer, Gareth Jones Organizations: Church, Orthodox Church Foundation of Antakya, Christian, Hatay Archeology Museum, Antioch Greek, Reuters Locations: Caglayan ANTAKYA, Turkey, Antioch, Antakya, Syria, Israel, Gaza, Ottoman Turks, Hatay, Russian, Hurigil, Mersin province

☆ Six US-Backed Kurdish Fighters Killed in Drone Attack on US Base in Syria
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

AMMAN (Reuters) - U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces said on Monday that six of their fighters had been killed in an explosive drone attack by Iran-backed armed groups that came from areas of Syria's Deir al Zor under the control of the Syrian government. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq - an umbrella group of several Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups - on Monday claimed responsibility for a drone attack on Al-Omar field, saying it launched the attack on Feb. 4. Washington blames the group for a drone attack on a U.S. outpost in Jordan earlier this month that killed three U.S. forces. The U.S. launched dozens of strikes over the weekend against Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria, killing about 40 people, the vast majority reported to be militants. Iran-backed groups declaring support for the Palestinians have entered the fray across the region as the war between Israel and the militant Hamas group has intensified.

Persons: Syria's Deir al, Farhad Shami, Omar, Suleiman Al, Khalidi, Timour, Gareth Jones, William Maclean Organizations: Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF, Commando, Washington, Hamas, Lebanese Locations: AMMAN, Kurdish, Iran, Syria's Deir, Syria's Deir al Zor, U.S, Al, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Israel, Gaza, Red

☆ Malta PM Turns up at Farmers’ Protest to Hear Complaints
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

VALLETTA (Reuters) - Farmers in Malta staging a demonstration on Friday against EU agricultural policies as part of Europe-wide protests were surprised when Prime Minister Robert Abela turned up in person to hear their complaints. The farmers drove tractors and trucks from a vegetable market in the centre of the tiny Mediterranean island to Floriana, a town near the capital Valletta, waving banners and placards that accused the EU of "killing its own farmers". "No farmers, no food, no future," read one placard attached to a tractor. Farmers have also protested in several European capitals and blocked streets in Brussels on Thursday while EU leaders were holding a meeting there. On Friday farmers blocked the Dutch-Belgian border and occupied roads in Greece, though French farmers started lifting their blockades after the government in Paris made concessions.

Persons: Robert Abela, Christopher Scicluna, Gareth Jones Organizations: Reuters, Farmers, European Union Locations: VALLETTA, Malta, Europe, Floriana, Valletta, Brussels, Belgian, Greece, Paris

☆ London Police Launch Manhunt After Chemical Attack Leaves Several Injured
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON (Reuters) - British police have launched a manhunt for a suspect who injured several people by throwing a corrosive chemical on them, with political attention focusing on his status as someone who had been granted asylum after a conviction for sexual assault. Three other women and one man who came to their aid suffered minor burns injuries and five police officers who responded were also injured. "Wednesday's attack on a mother and her two children in Clapham was appalling," Britain's interior minister James Cleverly said in a statement on Friday. A source familiar with the case told Reuters that Ezedi had been granted asylum in Britain and had a previous conviction for sexual assault. Police said it was reported that Ezedi had thrown a child to the ground and that the chemical used in the attack was alkaline.

Persons: Abdul Shokoor Ezedi, James, Ezedi, Rishi Sunak, David Johnston, Robert Jenrick, Sachin Ravikumar, Andrew MacAskill, Gareth Jones Organizations: British, London's Metropolitan Police, Reuters, Police, BBC, Sunak's Conservative Party Locations: Clapham, London, Britain, Afghanistan, Rwanda

☆ Russia Has No Plans to Deploy Nuclear Arms Beyond Belarus, Says Deputy Minister
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Dmitry Antonov and Guy FaulconbridgeMOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will not deploy nuclear weapons abroad except in its ally Belarus but will find ways to counter any deployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in Britain, the deputy minister in charge of arms control said on Thursday. President Vladimir Putin said last year that Moscow had transferred some tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, blaming what he casts as a hostile and aggressive West for the decision. Asked by reporters if Russia would deploy nuclear weapons beyond Belarus, for example in South America, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said: "No, it is not planned." Separately, Ryabkov told Russia Today in an interview that U.S. plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Britain would not deter Moscow. Neither Britain nor the United States have confirmed reports of the planned deployment of tactical nuclear weapons.

Persons: Dmitry Antonov, Guy Faulconbridge MOSCOW, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Ryabkov, Ryabkov, Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy's, Guy Faulconbridge, Gareth Jones Organizations: Federation of American Scientists, North Atlantic Alliance, NATO, Russia Today Locations: Russia, Belarus, Britain, Moscow, South America, Israel, Gaza, United States, Suffolk, England, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, Ukraine, China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Kyiv

☆ Hamas Studies Ceasefire Proposal After Deadly Israeli Hospital Raid in West Bank
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

By Raneen SawaftaWEST BANK/GAZA/DOHA (Reuters) -Hamas said on Tuesday it would study a new ceasefire proposal in the war with Israel in Gaza, hours after Israeli commandos killed three Palestinian militants in a raid on a hospital in the occupied West Bank. The raid underscored the risk of the Gaza war spreading to other fronts, while Israeli forces fought new battles with Hamas fighters in the Palestinian enclave. The Israeli undercover squad broke into the hospital, headed to the third floor and killed them using silenced pistols, hospital sources said. Since then, 26,751 Palestinians have been killed and 65,636 wounded by Israeli actions in Gaza, the Gaza health ministry said. TANKS IN ACTIONIsrael mounted a new push in northern Gaza after earlier reporting successes against Palestinian militants there.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, William Burns, Qatar's, Islamic Jihad, Ibn Sina, Mohammad, Najy Nazzal, Mai Alkaila, Mohammed Jalamneh, Israel, Christian Lindmeier, Alkaila, Al Shifa, Khan Younis, Crescent, Ari Rabinovitch, Daniel Williams, Nidal Al Mughrabi, Ali Sawafta, Emma Farge, Angus MacSwan, Timothy Heritage, Gareth Jones Organizations: BANK, Reuters, West Bank, CIA, Islamic, Hamas, Basel Al, Palestinian Health, United Nations, World Health Organization, WHO, Nasser, Health, Palestinian, Residents, Deir Al, Al, Amal Locations: GAZA, DOHA, Israel, Gaza, Paris, Cairo, Ibn Sina, Jenin, Basel, Geneva, Beach, Al, Israeli, Kuwaiti, Gaza City, Deir, Jerusalem, Doha, Ramallah, Clauda, Dubai

☆ Factbox-Key Takeaways From the World Court Decision in Israeli Genocide Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

The top United Nations court for handling disputes between states was ruling in a case brought by South Africa. The court ordered Israel to refrain from any acts that could fall under the Genocide Convention and to ensure its troops commit no genocidal acts in Gaza. WHAT HAS BEEN THE REACTION TO THE ICJ RULING? "The ICJ judges assessed the facts and the law, they ruled in favour of humanity and international law," Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said. Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the ruling helped to isolate Israel on the world stage.

Persons: Israel, Joan Donoghue, Judge Julia Sebutinde, Aharon Barak, Barak, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Friday's, Riyad al, Maliki, Sami Abu Zuhri, Cyril Ramaphosa, Anthony Deutsch, Stephanie van den Berg, Gareth Jones, Angus MacSwan Organizations: HAGUE, Reuters, Court of Justice, United Nations, ICJ, National, Palestinian Locations: Israel, Gaza, South Africa, United States, Uganda, Nazi

☆ Erdogan, Eyeing More Trade With Iran, Says Turkey Weighing Opening New Border Crossings
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey is considering opening new border crossings with eastern neighbour Iran, President Tayyip Erdogan said late on Wednesday after talks with his Iranian counterpart, as they seek to revive sagging economic relations. Trade between Turkey and Iran peaked in 2012 at nearly $22 billion but has since fallen. Efforts to establish trade centres in border (areas) to increasing the economic development of our border provinces continue," he said. Turkey, a NATO ally, and Iran currently have four border crossings between them. Turkey, which has also been hit with U.S. sanctions for acquiring Russian defence systems, opposes what it calls unilateral economic sanctions as a policy.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Ebrahim Raisi, Omer Bolat, Daren Butler, Gareth Jones Organizations: Turkish Trade Locations: ANKARA, Turkey, Iran, Tehran, NATO, Ankara

☆ UK Offers Cruise-Missile Swap to Germany to Aid Ukraine -Handelsblatt
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN (Reuters) - Britain has offered Germany a swap of cruise missiles that could allow the German government a way to overcome concerns over a suggested delivery of missiles to Ukraine, Germen newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Wednesday. The paper cited government and diplomatic sources as saying that the British government has proposed to Berlin several weeks ago that it could export Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine and, in turn, receive the German Taurus missiles. The office of German chancellor Olaf Scholz has been analysing this proposal, the report added. A person familiar with the negotiations said that the proposed swap could potentially find support in Berlin. The German government has repeatedly said it will only act in concert with Washington on arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Persons: Handelsblatt, Olaf Scholz, Riham Alkousaa, Gareth Jones, Bill Berkrot Organizations: BERLIN, Taurus Locations: Britain, Germany, Ukraine, Germen, Berlin, Washington

☆ Russia Is Acting to Thwart Ukrainian Attacks on Civilians, Infrastructure -Kremlin
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

They are striking people, civilians," he said, branding Sunday's attack on the city of Donetsk a "heinous act of terrorism". Thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been killed or injured by Russian air strikes and shelling since President Vladimir Putin sent tens of thousands of soldiers into Ukraine nearly two years ago. Moscow said Sunday's incident was the second serious Ukrainian attack on civilians in less than a month. In December, Russia said 25 people, including five children, were killed during a Ukrainian missile and drone attack on the western Russian city of Belgorod. Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of waging an unprovoked war of aggression aimed at seizing land.

Persons: Kyiv's, Novatek, Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Andrew Osborn, Gareth Jones Organizations: Kremlin, Sunday, Ministry of Defence, Reuters Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Moscow, Russian, Ukraine, Baltic, Donetsk, Ukrainian, Belgorod, Kyiv

☆ Taiwan Reports First Major Chinese Military Activity After Election
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Ben Blanchard and Michael MartinaTAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan's defence ministry said it detected 18 Chinese air force planes operating around Taiwan and carrying out "joint combat readiness patrols" with Chinese warships on Wednesday, the first large-scale military activity after the Taiwanese election. Taiwan's defence ministry said that starting around 7:50 p.m. (1150 GMT) on Wednesday it had detected 18 aircraft including Su-30 fighters operating off northern and central Taiwan and to the island's southwest. Eleven of those aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line, or areas close by, working with Chinese warships to carry out "joint combat readiness patrols", the ministry added. Taiwan sent its own forces to monitor, its defence ministry said. There was no immediate response from China's defence ministry.

Persons: Ben Blanchard, Michael Martina TAIPEI, Democratic Progressive Party's, Lai Ching, Biden, Lai, Vincent Chao, Xi Jinping, Chao, We're, David Brunnstrom, Michael Martina, Gareth Jones, Mark Potter, Jamie Freed Organizations: Taiwan, Democratic Progressive, China's Taiwan Affairs Office, U.S . State Department, U.S . Institute of Peace, U.S Locations: Taiwan, China, Taipei, Beijing, Taiwan Strait, U.S, United States, Washington

☆ Polish Lawmaker Who Extinguished Hanukkah Candles Loses Immunity
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's parliament has voted to remove the immunity from prosecution of a lawmaker who used a fire extinguisher to put out Jewish Hanukkah candles in the country's parliament in December, an incident that caused international outrage. The vote opens the way for prosecutors to press charges against Grzegorz Braun from the far-right Confederation party for seven acts committed during 2022 and 2023, including the incident involving the candles. The largest opposition party, the nationalist law and Justice (PiS), also voted in favour of removing Braun's immunity. After extinguishing the candles in the parliament on Dec. 12, Braun took to the podium where he described Hanukkah as "satanic" and said he was restoring "normality". Asked later if he was ashamed of his action, he said: "Those who take part in acts of satanic worship should be ashamed."

Persons: Grzegorz Braun, Agnieszka Pomaska, Mariusz Dubowski, Braun, Alan Charlish, Gareth Jones Organizations: Civic Coalition, Warsaw, European Union Locations: WARSAW, Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a ceremony to receive diplomatic credentials from newly appointed foreign ambassadors at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia, December 4, 2023. MOSCOW, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Oil output cuts agreed by the OPEC+ group will take time to kick in, the Kremlin said on Tuesday, as it confirmed that President Vladimir Putin would visit the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Putin will also host Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Moscow the following day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Oil prices fell 2% last week after the OPEC+ announcement, but Brent crude futures were firmer on Tuesday. The visit comes after OPEC+ agreed last Thursday to voluntary supply cuts totalling about 2.2 million barrels a day, included an extension of existing Saudi and Russian voluntary cuts of 1.3 million bpd.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Pavel Bednyakov, Putin, Ebrahim Raisi, Dmitry Peskov, Brent, Peskov, Iran's Raisi, Dmitry Antonov, Vladimir Soldatkin, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Sputnik, Kremlin, United Arab, Palestinian, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, MOSCOW, OPEC, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, United States, Gaza, Israel, Iran

[1/5] Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the "Russia" forum and exhibition celebrating the country's major achievements in Moscow, Russia, December 4, 2023. Putin was given an explanation of a Soviet nuclear bomb design and shown a mock control panel for launching a nuclear test, before observing images of a blast and mushroom cloud through a viewing window. Since the start of the Ukraine war, Putin has frequently reminded the West of the size and capabilities of Russia's nuclear arsenal, saying anyone who tried to launch a nuclear attack against it would be wiped from the face of the earth. Supporters of Putin dismiss that analysis, pointing to independent polling which shows he enjoys approval ratings of above 80%. They say that Putin has restored order and some of the clout Russia lost during the chaos of the Soviet collapse.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Voskresensky, Putin, Oleg Saitov, Boris Yeltsin, Josef Stalin, Catherine the Great, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Kremlin, State, Thomson Locations: Russia, Moscow, Soviet, Ukraine, Belarus, Soviet Union, Putin's Russia, London

☆ Deputy Russian army corps commander is killed in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Commander of Russia's Kantemirovskaya Tank Division Vladimir Zavadsky delivers a speech during a ceremony marking the anniversary of the unit's foundation in Naro-Fominsk in the Moscow region, Russia, June 28, 2020. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Major General Vladimir Zavadsky, deputy commander of Russia's 14th Army Corps, has been killed in Ukraine, a top regional official said on Monday. "Special military operation" is the term that Russia uses to describe the war in Ukraine, now approaching the end of its second year. Deaths of senior Russian officers, which military analysts have attributed in some cases to Ukrainian success in intercepting lax communications, have become rarer as the war has progressed. Zavadsky was a much-decorated officer and a former tank commander, said Gusev, adding that his death was a heavy loss that caused "transfixing pain".

Persons: Russia's, Vladimir Zavadsky, Alexander Gusev, Zavadsky, iStories, Gusev, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Russian Defence Ministry, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, 14th Army Corps, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Naro, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Russia's Voronezh

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