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☆ US-British Forces Strike Houthi Targets in Yemen, Houthi Outlet Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Mohammed GhobariADEN, Yemen (Reuters) -Yemen's port city of Hodeidah and other western coastal areas were hit on Monday by at least 17 airstrikes attributed to a U.S.-British coalition defending ships in the Red Sea, according to Al Masirah, the main Houthi-run television news outlet. The strikes follow the first civilian fatalities and vessel loss since the Iran-aligned Houthis began attacking commercial shipping in November. They also coincide with the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, a period of fasting for Muslims. The Houthis killed three crew of the Barbados-flagged, Greek-operated True Confidence on Wednesday in an attack off the port of Aden. (Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari in Aden, Adam Makary in Cairo; writing by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Sephen Coates)

Persons: Mohammed Ghobari ADEN, Al Masirah, Houthis, Ras Issa, Mohammed Ghobari, Adam Makary, Lisa Baertlein, Kevin Liffey, Sephen Coates Organizations: British, U.S ., Hamas Locations: Yemen, Hodeidah, U.S, Red, Iran, Israel, Gaza, Ras, Barbados, Aden, Africa's, Suez, Cairo, Los Angeles

☆ France and Moldova to Sign Defence and Economic Accords on Thursday, Paris Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( March | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS (Reuters) - Moldova and France will sign defence and economic cooperation accords during a visit by Moldovan President Maia Sandu to Paris on Thursday, the French presidency said in a statement. Western powers are seeking to increase support for Moldova amid what they fear are increasing efforts by Russia to destabilise Moldova. In parallel to Sandu's visit, Western states will hold an audio call hosted by France to discuss increasing support for Ukraine, but also Moldova. To Ukraine's west, fellow former Soviet republic Moldova has a tiny defence budget and has long had tense relations with Moscow. It added that a defence cooperation agreement and a road map for cooperation in the economic field would be signed during the visit.

Persons: Maia Sandu, Macron, Sandu, John Irish, Kevin Liffey Organizations: PARIS, Moldovan, European Locations: Moldova, France, Paris, Russia, destabilise Moldova, Ukraine, Soviet, Moscow, Transdniestria, Republic of Moldova, Moldovan, European Chisinau

☆ UNRWA Could Shut Down by End of February if Funding Does Not Resume
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

DOHA (Reuters) - The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said on Thursday that it will most likely be forced to shut down its operations in the Middle East, including in Gaza, by the end of the month if funding does not resume. A string of countries including the United States, Germany and Britain have paused their funding to the aid agency in the wake of allegations that some UNRWA staff were involved in Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel. "The agency remains the largest aid organization in one of the most severe and complex humanitarian crises in the world," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement. "If the funding remains suspended, we will most likely be forced to shut down our operations by end of February not only in Gaza but also across the region." Israeli authorities have long called for the agency to be dismantled, arguing that its mission is obsolete and fosters anti-Israeli sentiment, something UNRWA has vigorously denied.

Persons: Philippe Lazzarini, defunding, Benjamin Netanyahu, Nidal Al, Jana Choukeir, Clauda Tanios, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Kevin Liffey Organizations: DOHA, Reuters, United Nations Palestinian, World Health Organization, WHO, UNRWA, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, General, West Bank Locations: Gaza, United States, Germany, Britain, Israel

☆ Israeli Tanks Renew Push Towards Biggest Hospital Still Working in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

GAZA/DOHA/TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israeli tanks on Friday mounted a new push into southern Gaza's main city, which is sheltering hundreds of thousands of Palestinians driven there by Israeli bombardment, once more approaching the enclave's biggest functioning hospital. Twelve people were killed in Israeli strikes on a residential building near the largely non-functioning Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City in the north of the enclave, Palestinian health officials said. Israeli forces have made limited withdrawals from northern Gaza this month, saying operations there were largely complete. But Palestinians in the southern Gaza City suburb of Tel Al-Hawa said Israeli tanks pushed back into the neighbourhood, forcing people taking shelter in some schools there to evacuate and head south. The Islamic Jihad militant group said it had fought with Israeli forces in the Al-Bureij and Al-Maghazi refugee camps in central Gaza and in Khan Younis, while Hamas's armed wing said its fighters had clashed with Israeli forces in several areas across Gaza overnight and on Friday morning.

Persons: Khan Younis, Hawa, Benjamin Netanyahu, NETANYAHU, Netanyahu, Matthew Miller, A'Hed's, Hani Bseiso, Bseiso, Nidal al, Ibraheem Abu, Henriette Chacar, Kevin Liffey, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Reuters, Hospital, Nasser Hospital, Shifa, Islamic Jihad, . State Department, UNICEF Locations: GAZA, DOHA, TEL AVIV, Gaza's, Gaza, Gaza City, Tel Al, United States, Israel, Jordan, That's, Tel Aviv, Palestinian, Gaza . Washington, Al, Mughrabi, Doha, Ibraheem, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

☆ S.Korea, US and Japan Nuclear Envoys Condemn North Korea Over Arms Trade With Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL (Reuters) - The nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States, and Japan condemned North Korea for its recent missile tests, arms trade with Russia and increasingly hostile rhetoric at a meeting in Seoul on Thursday. "The United States is also deeply concerned by the recent uptick in hostile rhetoric particularly toward the Republic of Korea from the DPRK (North Korean) regime," Pak said. The three countries have increased joint efforts to deter North Korea in recent years including trilateral meetings and launching a missile warning data sharing system in December. South Korea on Wednesday announced sanctions on two individuals, three entities and 11 ships linked to North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes, days after North Korea fired a new intermediate-range, solid-fuel hypersonic missile. Japan's envoy, Hiroyuki Namazu, condemning Pyongyang's ballistic missile launch and said there must be close monitoring of what Russia might be providing to North Korea in return for armaments.

Persons: Jung Pak, Pak, Kim Jong, Kim Gunn, Hiroyuki Namazu, Hyunsu Yim, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Ukraine, North, DPRK, Wednesday, Korean, Peace, Security Affairs, South Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, United States, Japan, North Korea, Russia, Seoul, North Koreans, U.S, Republic of Korea, Korea, Pyongyang

☆ Putin Says Past U.S. Elections Were Rigged
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin, running for a new six-year term in an election that his opponents say is a parody of democracy, said on Tuesday that past U.S. elections had been rigged by postal voting. "In the United States, previous elections were falsified through postal voting ... they bought ballots for $10, filled them out, and threw them into mailboxes without any supervision from observers, and that's it," Putin said, without providing evidence. Putin's opponents say the March election in Russia is no real contest as the president wields unchallenged power and his main rival, Alexei Navalny, is serving more than 30 years in jail on charges that Navalny says were trumped up. They say the use of electronic voting creates scope for authorities to manipulate the vote in Putin's favour without detection. (Writing by Maxim Rodionov; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Kevin Liffey)

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Alexei Navalny, Navalny, Maxim Rodionov, Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Reuters Locations: United States, Russia

☆ Big Protests Break Out in Yemen After U.S.-British Attacks
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. and Britain carried out dozens of air strikes on Houthi military targets overnight, widening a wave of regional conflict unleashed by Israel's war in Gaza. "Your strikes on Yemen are terrorism," said Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, a member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, referring to the United States. "The United States is the Devil." The groups hold the U.S., Israel's closest ally, partly responsible for the crisis and the scope of Israel's massive response. The United States has no plans to deploy more forces to the region, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said.

Persons: Yemenis, Houthi, Mohammed Ali Al, Houthis, Israel's, Patrick Ryder, Doina Chiacu, Ahmed Rasheed, Michael Georgy, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Reuters, Political, Iraqi, United, Pentagon Locations: DUBAI, Red, U.S, Gaza, Yemen, United States, Israel, Iran, America, Sanaa, Iraq, Syria, Washington

☆ Karabakh refugees in Armenia face uncertainty and poverty in exile
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/5] Elada Sargsyan, 54, a refugee from Nagorno-Karbakh region, poses for a picture in a disused kindergarten, where she now lives temporarily along with dozens of other refugees from Karabakh, in the town of Masis, Armenia November 22, 2023. Born in the Azerbaijani capital Baku, Sargsyan fled her hometown in 1988, aged 19, as the Soviet Union began to fall apart. In 2020, they lost another home, when Azerbaijan - by now closely allied with Armenians' bête noire, Turkey - reconquered much of Karabakh including their village in a second war. Like many refugees, they have struggled to find work in Armenia. Alvina, a grandmother aged 65, has become the family’s main breadwinner, earning a little money selling homemade "jingalov hats" or "green bread", a flatbread stuffed with herbs that is a staple for Karabakh Armenians.

Persons: Elada Sargsyan, Irakli, Sargsyan, I’ve, they’ll, Masis, Alina Harutyunyan, Harutyunyan, I'd, Lilia Abrahamyan, Felix Light, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, Soviet Union, Mount, Karabakh, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Masis, Armenia, Azerbaijan, MASIS, Baku, Soviet, Soviet Armenia, Aknaghbyur, Turkey, Armenia’s, Yerevan, Mount Ararat, Harutyunagomer, Ottoman Turks, Karabakh's, Vanadzor, Alvina

☆ Families of Bedouin hostages wait for news as Gaza fighting resumes
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"We want the release of Yousef and Hamza and all those held hostages, and Samer and Farhan, may God bring them back to their families". Bedouin Arabs make up about 4% of Israel's population, living mainly in the southern Negev desert and in northern Israel. Kamel said the families were urging Hamas to release their hostages. While they wait, like the families of other hostages released during the week-long pause, their emotions are mixed. Reporting by Sishi Siyabonga, Nuha Sharaf; writing by James Mackenzie; Editing by Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yosef Hamis Ziadna, Hamza, Bilal, Aisha, Yosef, Farhan al, Qadi, Samer, Kamel al, Yousef, Farhan, Kamel, Belal, Sishi Siyabonga, Nuha Sharaf, James Mackenzie, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Tel Aviv, SANA, Gaza

☆ Strong Quake in Philippines Triggers Tsunami Warnings and Evacuations
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

Evacuations were continuing in the Philippines, where there were no initial reports of significant wave damage or casualties despite continuing aftershocks. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, Phivolcs, maintained that the risk of a tsunami remained. However, the two provinces are largely rural and not densely populated, unlike other parts of the Philippines. The EMSC said the quake of magnitude 7.5 had struck at a depth of 63 km (39 miles), while the U.S. Geographic Survey put the quake at magnitude 7.6 and a depth of 32 km (20 miles), and said it had struck at 10:37 p.m. (1437 GMT).

Persons: Mikhail Flores MANILA, Phivolcs, Raymark Gentallan, James Soria, Cosme Calejesan, EMSC, Mrinmay Dey, Mikhail Flores, Karen Lema, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Kevin Liffey, Alison Williams, David Holmes, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: U.S ., Philippine Institute of, Japan Meteorological Agency, Seismological, Reuters, Earthquakes, U.S . Geographic Survey Locations: Philippines, Mindanao, Japan, U.S, Tokyo, Surigao Del Sur, Davao Oriental, Hinatuan, Surigao City, Bengaluru, Manila

☆ UAE's Masdar to develop 150 MW solar project in Angola
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, known as Masdar, is planning to develop a 150 megawatt solar power project in Angola to provide renewable energy to 90,000 homes and support economic growth, including jobs, the UAE state news agency WAM said on Saturday. Angola’s Ministry of Energy and Water and Masdar, the Gulf state's clean energy developer, signed a concession agreement to build and operate the ground-mounted solar power project in the Quipungo region of southern Angola, the statement said. The project is part of a wider commitment made by Masdar this year to develop 5 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy projects across Angola, Uganda and Zambia. "Africa has what it takes to become the world’s renewable energy powerhouse," Sultan Al Jaber, COP28 president, said in the statement. Angola wants to increase its national electrification to around 60% by 2025; less than half of the population has access to electricity at present, the statement said.

Persons: WAM, Sultan Al Jaber, Rachna Uppal, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, United, United Arab Emirates, Angola’s Ministry of Energy, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Abu Dhabi, Angola, UAE, United Arab, Quipungo, Uganda, Zambia, Africa

☆ Hamas says no prisoner exchange without Gaza ceasefire
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Relatives and supporters of hostages kidnapped on the deadly October 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, rally for their release, after a temporary truce between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas expired, in Tel Aviv, Israel, December 2, 2023. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha Acquire Licensing RightsDec 2 (Reuters) - Deputy Hamas chief Saleh Al-Arouri told the pan-Arab Al Jazeera TV on Saturday that no more prisoners would be exchanged with Israel until there was a ceasefire in Gaza. Arouri said the hostages still being held captive by Hamas were Israeli soldiers and civilian men who had previously served in the Israeli army. He said they would not be freed unless there was a ceasefire and all Palestinian detainees were also released. Reporting by Ahmed Tolba, Writing by Adam Makary; Editing by Alison Williams and Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Athit, Saleh Al, Arouri, Ahmed Tolba, Adam Makary, Alison Williams, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, REUTERS, Al, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Tel Aviv, Al Jazeera, Gaza

☆ Families of Bedouin Hostages Wait for News as Gaza Fighting Resumes
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Dec. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

TIRABIN AL SANA, Israel (Reuters) - The family members of four Bedouin Arabs taken hostage on Oct. 7 during the assault on southern Israel by Hamas gunmen have welcomed the return of two of the captives but wait for news of the others as fighting resumes in the Gaza Strip. "We want the release of Yousef and Hamza and all those held hostages, and Samer and Farhan, may God bring them back to their families". Bedouin Arabs make up about 4% of Israel's population, living mainly in the southern Negev desert and in northern Israel. Kamel said the families were urging Hamas to release their hostages. While they wait, like the families of other hostages released during the week-long pause, their emotions are mixed.

Persons: TIRABIN, Yosef Hamis Ziadna, Hamza, Bilal, Aisha, Yosef, Farhan al, Qadi, Samer, Kamel al, Yousef, Farhan, Kamel, Belal, Sishi Siyabonga, Nuha Sharaf, James Mackenzie, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Hamas Locations: SANA, Israel, Gaza

☆ Released Israeli hostages call for captives to be freed
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Tens of thousands gathered at a rally in Tel Aviv outside Israel's defence headquarters, where they cheered Yelena Trupanov, 50, standing on a stage just two days after being freed. "I came to thank you because without you I wouldn't be here. Similar pleas from other released hostages were shown on video. A seven-day truce, during which Hamas had released more than 100 hostages, collapsed on Friday. Reporting by Nathan Frandino; Writing by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yelena Trupanov, Irena Tati, Sasha, Israel, Nathan Frandino, Maayan Lubell, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, TEL AVIV, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Qatar

☆ Released Israeli Hostages Call for Captives to Be Freed
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Dec. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israeli hostages released in the past week by Hamas in Gaza called on Saturday for the immediate release of fellow captives left behind, a day after a temporary truce that had allowed scores to come home broke down. Tens of thousands gathered at a rally in Tel Aviv outside Israel's defence headquarters, where they cheered Yelena Trupanov, 50, standing on a stage just two days after being freed. Similar pleas from other released hostages were shown on video. A seven-day truce, during which Hamas had released more than 100 hostages, collapsed on Friday. (Reporting by Nathan Frandino; Writing by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Persons: Yelena Trupanov, Sasha, Israel, Nathan Frandino, Maayan Lubell, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Reuters, Hamas, Palestinian Locations: TEL AVIV, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Qatar, Israel

"Since then, the United States has turned ambition into action." On the sidelines of the conference, the United States also unveiled new measures to curb emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas methane from oil and gas operations. That awkward coincidence underscores one of COP28's most contentious questions: Can the world's response to climate change involve continuing use of fossil fuels? Harris told the conference that the United States supports phasing out of "unabated coal" use, but she did not mention other fossil fuels. "We're in a context in which we need to reduce production of fossil fuels and ... we need to be on a path of lower consumption.

Persons: Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Harris, haven't, aren't, Catherine Abreu, John Podesta, Richard Valdmanis, Valerie Volcovici, Sarah McFarlane, Simon Jessop, Katy Daigle, Kevin Liffey, Diane Craft Organizations: Climate Fund, OPEC, United, UAE, Saturday, Exxon Mobil, Saudi Arabia's Aramco, Oil, Climate Initiative, Reuters, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, United States, Dubai, COP26, America, China, Texas, New Mexico, United Arab Emirates, U.S, Saudi, Ukraine

☆ Earthquake of 7.5 strikes Philippines, tsunami expected in Philippines and Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 2 (Reuters) - An earthquake of at least magnitude 7.5 struck Mindanao in the southern Philippines late on Saturday, triggering evacuation orders for some areas and southwestern Japanese coasts because of warnings of tsunami waves of a metre (3 feet) or more. The Philippine Seismology Agency Phivolcs said the waves could hit the Philippines by midnight (1600 GMT) and continue for hours. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System said there could be waves of up to 3 metres above the tide level along some Philippine coasts. The Japanese broadcaster NHK said tsunami waves of up to a metre were expected to reach Japan's southwestern coast around 30 minutes later - by 1:30 a.m. on Sunday (1630 GMT on Saturday). The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said a quake of magnitude 7.5 had struck at a depth of 63 km (39 miles).

Persons: Agency Phivolcs, Phivolcs, Mrinmay Dey, Mikhail Flores, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Kevin Liffey, Diane Craft, Alison Williams Organizations: Agency, U.S ., NHK, Seismological, U.S . Geographic Survey, Thomson Locations: Mindanao, Philippines, Philippine, U.S, Surigao Del Sur, Davao Oriental, Japanese, Hinatuan, Earthquakes, Bengaluru, Manila, Tokyo

☆ Russia's Kaliningrad digitises hometown philosopher Kant's works
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] A visitor stands next to a copy of German philosopher Immanuel Kant's death mask exhibited in the museum located at the Cathedral, also known as the Koenigsberg Cathedral, in Kaliningrad, Russia, November 26, 2023. "The principal mission of libraries is to preserve books," said Ruslan Aksyonkin, an expert at the culture and education centre at Baltic University in the city of Kaliningrad. Even so, modern-day Kaliningrad remains fond of its most famous German resident, despite the abstruseness of his ideas. The city's university bears his name, and Kant's tomb and a small exhibition on the philosopher have pride of place in the restored German cathedral. "But we do have certain items, and they are Kant's works published during his lifetime."

Persons: Immanuel Kant's, Stringer, Ruslan Aksyonkin, Immanuel Kant, Kant, Little, Germany's, Marina Yadova, They're, Felix Light, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, Baltic University, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Kaliningrad, Russia, KALININGRAD, Poland, Lithuania, Baltic, Prussian, Koenigsberg, Soviet Union

☆ Investigators Find Train in Russian Tunnel Was Blown up in 'Terrorist Act' - Newspaper
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Investigators have concluded that a train that caught fire in Russia's longest tunnel on Wednesday was blown up in a "terrorist act" by unidentified individuals, the Kommersant newspaper reported on Friday. At 9.5 miles (15.3 km) long, the tunnel on the Baikal-Amur Mainline railway is Russia's longest, excluding urban underground railway tunnels. Preliminary findings suggested that explosives had been placed beneath the train, Kommersant cited a source as saying. Reuters could not independently verify whether the rail route is used for military supplies. Russian Railways had said the train was stopped when smoke was spotted coming from a tank containing diesel fuel.

Persons: Andrew Osborn, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Reuters, Kommersant, Security Service of Ukraine, Russian Railways Locations: Russia's, Ukrainian, Siberia, Russia, Buryatia, Mongolia, Amur, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny says he has been handed new criminal charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In comments issued through his associates, he said he had now been charged under Article 214 of the penal code, which covers vandalism. "They really do initiate a new criminal case against me every three months. Rarely does an inmate confined to a solitary cell for over a year have such a vibrant social and political existence." Navalny was convicted in August of new charges relating to alleged extremist activity and sentenced to an additional 19 years on top of the 11-1/2 years he was already serving. He rejects all the charges as politically motivated and designed to silence his criticism of the Kremlin.

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Russia's, Nelson Mandela, Vladimir Putin, Navalny, Kevin Liffey, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Court, IK, Kremlin, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Melekhovo, Vladimir region, Russia, MOSCOW, Ukraine, Germany, Siberia

☆ Investigators find train in Russian tunnel was blown up in 'terrorist act' - newspaper
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 1 (Reuters) - Investigators have concluded that a train that caught fire in Russia's longest tunnel on Wednesday was blown up in a "terrorist act" by unidentified individuals, the Kommersant newspaper reported on Friday. At 9.5 miles (15.3 km) long, the tunnel on the Baikal-Amur Mainline railway is Russia's longest, excluding urban underground railway tunnels. Preliminary findings suggested that explosives had been placed beneath the train, Kommersant cited a source as saying. Reuters could not independently verify whether the rail route is used for military supplies. Russian Railways had said the train was stopped when smoke was spotted coming from a tank containing diesel fuel.

Persons: Andrew Osborn, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Kommersant, Security Service of Ukraine, Reuters, Russian Railways, Thomson Locations: Russia's, Ukrainian, Siberia, Russia, Buryatia, Mongolia, Amur, Ukraine, Moscow

REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Russian conductor Valery Gergiev, no longer welcome in Western concert halls since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, was named on Friday as director of Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre. After performing for decades on the world's biggest classical stages, Gergiev has been shunned in the West since the start of the war in February 2022. The following month he was fired as chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra after the city's mayor said Gergiev had declined to "clearly and unambiguously" distance himself from the invasion. Gergiev, also a former principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, has long been controversial outside Russia because of his support for President Vladimir Putin. He spoke out in favour of Russia's invasion of Crimea in 2014.

Persons: Valery Gergiev, Lisi Niesner, Gergiev, Vladimir Urin, Urin, Vladimir Putin, Putin, we're, we've, Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, REUTERS, Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre, Mariinsky Theatre, Munich, Orchestra, Bolshoi, London Symphony Orchestra, Islamic, Thomson Locations: Russian, Vienna, Austria, Ukraine, St Petersburg, West, Russia, Crimea, Palmyra, Syria, Islamic State, China

☆ Top Russian Court Bans LGBT Movement as 'Extremist'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the "LGBT movement" should be designated as extremist, in a move that representatives of gay and transgender people fear will lead to arrests and prosecutions. A Reuters reporter heard the court announce it had approved a request from the justice ministry to recognise what it called "the international LGBT social movement" as extremist and to ban its activities in Russia. (Reporting by Reuters; writing by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Persons: Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Reuters, LGBT Locations: MOSCOW, Russia

☆ Russia accuses Bulgaria of malice over diplomatic overflight ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Russia accused Bulgaria of malice and stupidity on Thursday for refusing to allow Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's plane to fly through its airspace. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who is under European Union sanctions, said her presence on board the plane was the reason given by Bulgaria's foreign ministry for denying access to its airspace. Zakharova suggested that Russia could apply similar overflight bans to "thousands of NATO functionaries", and accused Bulgaria of creating "a dangerous precedent". Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania declared a boycott of the meeting in Skopje in protest of the Russian delegation's presence. Athens took all the steps required before allowing the overflight, the official added.

Persons: Sergei Lavrov's, Lavrov, Dmitry Peskov, Maria Zakharova, Zakharova, Felix Light, Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Organisation for Security, Cooperation, Kremlin, Russian Foreign Ministry, European Union, Bulgarian, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Bulgaria, Greece, Europe, Skopje, North Macedonia, Russian, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Athens

☆ Top Russian court bans LGBT movement as 'extremist'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MOSCOW, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Russia's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that LGBT activists should be designated as extremists, in a move that representatives of gay and transgender people fear will lead to arrests and prosecutions. A Reuters reporter in court heard it announce that it had approved a request from the justice ministry to recognise what it called "the international LGBT social movement" as extremist and to ban its activities. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters before the court decision was announced that the Kremlin was "not following" the case and had no comment on it. The Supreme Court took around five hours to issue its ruling, after opening its session at 10 a.m. (0700 GMT). More than 100 groups are already banned in Russia as "extremist".

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Alexei Sergeyev, Alexei Navalny, Sergeyev, Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Reuters, LGBT, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, St Petersburg

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