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☆ China blasts US for forcing it to accept South China Sea ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Filipino activists gather outside the Chinese consular office to commemorate the anniversary of the Philippines' victory against China in the UN arbitral ruling on the South China Sea, in Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 12, 2023. The ruling, handed down by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague seven years ago, concluded that Beijing's claim to almost the entire South China Sea was groundless. China, whose actions in the South China Sea have been the subject of hundreds of diplomatic protests filed by the Philippines, also maintained that it does not accept any claim or action based on the ruling. "We firmly reject attempts to deliberately diminish or undermine the Award's definitive legal effects in international law," Philippines Foreign Ministry undersecretary Theresa Lazaro told a forum on the South China Sea. About $3 trillion worth of sea-borne goods pass through the South China Sea every year.

Persons: Eloisa Lopez, Wang Wenbing, Matthew Miller, Theresa Lazaro, Karen Lema, Bernard Orr, Raissa Kasolowsky, Mark Porter Organizations: China, UN, REUTERS, Foreign Ministry, U.S . State Department, Wednesday, Beijing, Philippines Foreign, Thomson Locations: Philippines, China, Makati City, Metro Manila, Eloisa Lopez BEIJING, United States, South China, Washington, Beijing, The Hague, U.S, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Manila

[1/4] Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto's 'Venus of the Rags' is displayed in Piazza Municipio before being destroyed in a fire, in Naples, Italy July 1, 2023. REUTERS/Ciro De LucaROME, July 12 (Reuters) - An open-air installation of "Venus of the Rags", one of the most famous works by Italian contemporary artist Michelangelo Pistoletto, was destroyed by an arson attack in Naples, Mayor Gaetano Manfredi said on Wednesday. The "Venus of the Rags", a symbol of the Arte Povera movement which counts Pistoletto among its leading members, shows the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility standing next to a pile of rags. The installation, first created in 1967, is meant to convey the juxtaposition between eternal beauty, represented by the goddess Venus, and modern society's social degradation and consumerism. Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Michelangelo Pistoletto's, Ciro De Luca ROME, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Gaetano Manfredi, Manfredi, Venus, Adnkronos, Pistoletto, Raissa Kasolowsky Organizations: REUTERS, Arte, Thomson Locations: Italian, Piazza Municipio, Naples, Italy, Piazza del

☆ Christopher Nolan returns with latest blockbuster 'Oppenheimer'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Alicia Powell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] 71st Cannes Film Festival - Screening of the new print of the film "2001: A Space Odyssey" presented as part of Cinema Classic - Red Carpet Arrivals - Cannes, France, May 13, 2018 - Director Christopher Nolan poses. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File PhotoNEW YORK, July 7 (Reuters) - Acclaimed film director Christopher Nolan turns his attention to J. Robert Oppenheimer for his new blockbuster movie, taking audiences back to when the American theoretical physicist oversaw the creation of the atomic bomb during World War II. He oversaw the first atomic bomb detonation in the New Mexico desert, code-named "Trinity", before the weapons were used in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Nolan is known for conceptual narratives and visual style in films like "Inception" "Tenet" and an instalment of the Batman film franchise. 'Oppenheimer' is kind of the amalgam of every Chris Nolan movie ever, all of which have been leading to a statement as kind of profound as this but it's still edge of your seat entertainment," Downey Jr. said.

Persons: Christopher Nolan, Stephane Mahe, J, Robert Oppenheimer, Kai Bird, Martin J, Sherwin, Oppenheimer, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr, Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Nolan, Murphy, ” Oppenheimer, Franklin D, Roosevelt, Tenet, Chris Nolan, Downey, Alicia Powell, Rollo Ross, Raissa Organizations: Cannes, Reuters, Los, Los Alamos Laboratory, Manhattan Project, Thomson Locations: Cannes, France, American, Los Alamos, New Mexico, Hiroshima, Nagasaki

☆ A Scrapbook Offers a Material Glimpse of Another World
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Raissa Bretaña | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Strasdin manages to deftly flesh out her narrative by drawing upon newspaper articles, censuses, ship manifests, etiquette guides, surviving letters and contemporary literature. More impressive still is the fact that she conducted the bulk of her research remotely during the pandemic, which limited her to online sources. Strasdin’s detailed explication of Victorian-era dress is sure to delight the fashion history enthusiast, but “The Dress Diary” has much wider appeal. It is a work of sociology, and a testament to fashion history as an inherently interdisciplinary field inextricably combining industry and aesthetics, technology and trade. This diary serves as a record of their very existence, and provides a glimpse into the ephemeral world inhabited by the unsung “participants in everyday life.”

Persons: Hannah Coubrough, Strasdin, “ Bridget Anne Peacock ”, Kate Strasdin, Anne Sykes, ”

☆ UK military have evacuated diplomatic staff from Sudan, Sunak says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 23 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Sunday the country's armed forces evacuated diplomatic staff and their family members from Sudan. Sunak paid tribute to what he called a "complex and rapid" evacuation after he said there had been a significant escalation in violence and threats to embassy staff. But British nationals living in Sudan were not rescued. "We are continuing to pursue every avenue to end the bloodshed in Sudan and ensure the safety of British nationals remaining in the country." The foreign minister James Cleverly said a top priority remained the safety of British nationals.

☆ UK's Labour suspends Diane Abbott for saying Jews experience prejudice, not racism
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The equalities watchdog found in 2020 Labour had serious failings in the party’s handling of persistent antisemitism complaints. Abbott, 69, was responding to a writer's claims that Irish, Jewish and Traveller people suffered racism. This is similar to racism and the two words are often used as if they are interchangeable," she wrote. A spokesperson for Labour party said she had been suspended pending an investigation. Britain's equalities watchdog said earlier this year the Labour Party had made sufficient changes over the last two years to tackle antisemitism.

☆ Son of Vladimir Putin's spokesman says he served with Wagner in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MOSCOW, April 23 (Reuters) - The son of Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said in an interview published on Saturday that he had served in Ukraine under an assumed name as an artilleryman in the Wagner mercenary force, the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper reported. Nikolai Peskov, the 33-year-old son of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, told the privately-owned newspaper that he had served in Ukraine, a rare, public example of the son of a senior Russian official fighting in the war. "It was on my initiative," Peskov, whose father has served as Putin's spokesman since 2008, said in an interview. Wagner's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said Dmitry Peskov had approached him and asked him to take his son on as an artilleryman. Peskov told him that he would not be going anywhere and would solve the situation at a different level, according to a recording of the call posted online.

☆ Russia expands war recruitment drive with video ad calling for 'real' men
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] A man studies a leaflet given by a campaign member promoting Russian army service in Moscow, Russia April 12, 2023. Russia, which says it is prosecuting what it calls "a special military operation," does not disclose full casualty figures. Next in the video, a man is walking through the fog with other soldiers on what looks like a battlefield. the video asks, before cutting to a taxi driver taking a client's fare who then transforms into a soldier on the battlefield. Posters seeking professional soldiers have sprung up in the Russian capital in recent weeks declaring that "Our Profession is to defend the Motherland."

☆ Harry Styles, Kate Bush among nominees for Ivor songwriting awards
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 19 (Reuters) - Singers Harry Styles and Kate Bush are among the nominees at next month's Ivors, the annual awards honouring songwriters and screen composers. Styles has three nominations overall, including best song musically and lyrically for "As It Was" and songwriter of the year alongside his collaborator Kid Harpoon. Tom Odell’s "Best Day of My Life", Katie Gregson-Macleod’s "complex", Sault's "Stronger" and Florence + the Machine’s "King" complete the Best Song Musically and Lyrically category. Box office hit "Avatar: The Way of Water" and psychological drama "Don't Worry Darling" are among the nominees for best original film score. Named after the early 20th century Welsh composer, actor and entertainer Ivor Novello, the Ivor Awards were first handed out in 1956.

☆ Morning Bid: Crowded bonds unnerved
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

This has some wondering if the recent dash for cash and top-rated bonds has become a bit crowded and how much more tightening central banks have to do. As we move into the weeds of the first-quarter U.S. earnings season, it's been a mixed bag so far. That clearly unnerved UK government bonds - where 10 year yields jumped 10bps - but it also jarred sovereign bonds around the world. Elsewhere, further signs of healing were evident in the global bank funding market. Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316.T) sold $1 billion of additional tier-1 debt, the first major global bank to sell the risky securities since similar bonds issued by Credit Suisse were wiped out last month.

☆ Japan's Kishida says ChatGPT will be on G7 summit agenda -Kyodo
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, April 19 (Reuters) - Leaders from the Group of Seven advanced economies will discuss generative artificial intelligence ChatGPT when they gather in Hiroshima next month for a summit, Kyodo news agency quoted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida as saying on Wednesday. "International rules need to be created," Kyodo quoted Kishida as saying in a meeting with executives of regional newspapers. His comment comes when calls are growing for regulating advanced AI systems as use of ChatGPT and other programmes becomes widespread. EU lawmakers this week urged world leaders to hold a summit to find ways to control the development of such systems, while U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said last week he had launched an effort to establish rules on AI to address national security and education concerns. Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka Editing by Raissa KasolowskyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

US inflation, Fed rates and marketsU.S. stocks ended sharply higher on optimism the Fed could be nearing the end of its aggressive rate hiking cycle. The yield on two-year Treasuries , which reflect the outlook on interest rates, rose 0.5 basis point to 3.977% and 3.3 basis points to 3.454% on 10-year notes . "That's why we do not have those dramatic moves in U.S. Treasuries on the back of better-than-expected inflation data." The dollar index fell 0.5% to its lowest level in more than two months, while the yen strengthened 0.29% to 132.74 per dollar. The Aussie dollar rose 1.0% on the back of surprise surges in both Chinese exports, which rose 14.8% compared with last March, and domestic Australian jobs.

[1/2] The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, March 10, 2023. Futures also showed expectations rose of the Fed cutting rates noticeably in September, and more deeper by December. "The way we've been trading over the last sessions indicates that the market is more positively positioned with regards to their exposure to Treasuries," Skiba said. The dollar index fell 0.48%, at its lowest in two months, while the yen strengthened 0.55% at 132.41 per dollar. The Aussie dollar rose 1.0% on the back of surprise surges in both Chinese exports, which rose 14.8% compared with last March, and domestic Australian jobs.

The most surprising appointment was that of the new Enel chief Flavio Cattaneo, a seasoned corporate manager who leaves his role as vice president of high-speed train operator Italo to lead the country's biggest utility. He leap-frogged Stefano Donnarumma, the current chief executive of power grid Terna (TRN.MI), widely seen as Meloni's first choice. Enel shares were down 4% on Thursday, with investors fretting over Cattaneo's lack of expertise in the renewable energy sector. Leading politicians in Meloni's right-wing coalition said this issue was a major stumbling block for Donnarumma, along with pressure from League chief Salvini, a strong supporter of Cattaneo. Besides concessions on Enel, Meloni kept a tight grip on the rest of the main appointments.

[1/5] A Palestinian Christian man Ehab Ayyad offers dates and water to Muslims held up in traffic or getting late for home to break their fast during Ramadan, in Gaza City April 12, 2023. For those unlucky enough to miss breaking the fast altogether as they stand in solid traffic, Ehab Ayyad is a welcome sight. The Christian man from Gaza offers dates and water to Muslims held up in traffic or late home to break their fast, in keeping with the Prophet's tradition. Five years ago, Ayyad began by offering neighbours dates and water, the first thing Muslims normally eat when they end their fast at sunset, and decided to make the offer general. "On our holidays, our Muslim neighbours come to visit and congratulate us, and we do the same on their holidays," Ayyad said.

☆ Marketmind: Dollar skids, China revs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The dollar's DXY index - the Swiss franc hit its strongest level in more than two years. Taking in all the information, futures markets still show a near 75% chance of another quarter point rate rise to the 5.0-5.25% range in May, but more than 60 basis points of cuts from there to yearend. Two-year Treasury yields were stuck at 4%, with producer price inflation and weekly jobless up next on Thursday's data calendar. European markets were further pepped by reports the European Central Bank was minded to downsize its rate hikes to a quarter point in May after six successive half point moves. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Swinging Sixties fashion designer Mary Quant dies aged 93
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Farouq Suleiman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 13 (Reuters) - Fashion designer Mary Quant, often credited with popularising the miniskirt that helped define Britain's "Swinging Sixties" era, has died aged 93. Born and brought up in Blackheath, south east London, Quant helped pioneer bold new styles during the 1960s - a decade in which fashion, music and art subculture challenged and forever changed Britain's post-war national identity. "It’s impossible to overstate Quant's contribution to fashion," the Victoria and Albert Museum, which held a 2019 exhibition focused on her work, said in a statement. "She represented the joyful freedom of 1960s fashion, and provided a new role model for young women. A self-taught designer, Quant opened a west London boutique called Bazaar in the 1950s alongside her fashion entrepreneur husband Alexander Plunket Greene and their business partner.

☆ Dollar, stocks slip after Fed minutes spur recession fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Herbert Lash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Fed staff assessing the potential fallout of banking stress projected a "mild recession" later this year. But the minutes showed policymakers ultimately agreed to higher interest rates as data at the time showed few signs of inflation pressures abating. Money markets initially trimmed expectations for a Fed rate hike in May, pricing in a 65.2% chance of a 25-basis-point move, CME Group's FedWatch Tool showed. MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe (.MIWD00000PUS) closed down 0.08%, while the pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) rose 0.13%. The dollar fell with an index measuring the U.S. currency against six peers down 0.558%.

The inflation data came on the heels of last Friday's employment report, which showed a solid pace of job growth in March and the unemployment rate falling back to 3.5%. In Europe, stock markets rose after the U.S. data and the broad STOXX 600 index was last up 0.5% (.STOXX) and holding near one-month highs. BONDS UP, DOLLAR DOWNU.S. bonds yields fell after the CPI numbers. Rate-sensitive two-year Treasury yields were last down 12 basis points at 3.93% , while U.S. 10-year yields fell 6 bps to 3.37%. The dollar fell with an index measuring the U.S. currency against six rivals down 0.4% at 101.72.

☆ Kyiv denies Wagner Bakhmut claim, Russia says forces advancing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The claim by Russian entrepreneur Yevgeny Prigozhin that his Wagner mercenary group had seized more than 80% of Bakhmut was untrue, it said. And Russian forces, it said, had struck Ukrainian army reserves trying to break through. Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukraine's eastern military command, dismissed Prigozhin's latest 80% claim in a comment to Reuters. Analyst Konrad Muzyka, director of the Rochan military consultancy in Poland, said his calculations bore out the Russian claim of 80%. Russian forces, it said, had tried unsuccessfully to move on two villages to the northwest.

☆ Factbox: Where is Al Aqsa mosque and why is it so important in Islam?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 5 (Reuters) - A Israeli police raid on Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque on Wednesday has triggered a furious reaction from Palestinians across the occupied West Bank and the wider Arab and Muslim world. WHERE AND WHAT IS THE AL-AQSA MOSQUE? The Al-Aqsa compound has long been a flashpoint for deadly violence over matters of sovereignty and religion in Jerusalem. Under the longstanding "status quo" arrangement governing the area, which Israel says it maintains, non-Muslims can visit but only Muslims are allowed to worship in the mosque compound. Palestinians protested, and there were violent clashes that quickly escalated into the second Palestinian uprising, also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada.

☆ Cuba wins ruling in UK court battle with creditors over unpaid loans
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 4 (Reuters) - The Cuban government won a ruling on Tuesday that London's High Court has no jurisdiction to hear a lawsuit brought by a creditor over unpaid loans, though the case can continue against Cuba's former central bank. Havana argued at a hearing in January that the High Court had no jurisdiction to hear the case brought by CRF, a Cayman Island-registered company. Judge Sara Cockerill ruled on Tuesday that the High Court had no jurisdiction to hear the case against Cuba, but did in relation to the case against BNC. The case will be keenly watched by other creditors who have struggled to recoup around $7 billion of sovereign debt from Cuba. Charters added: "BNC was the central bank of Cuba and remains responsible for managing these unpaid Cuban debts.

☆ Pope Francis attends Palm Sunday service after hospital stay
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, April 2 (Reuters) - Pope Francis attended a Palm Sunday service in St Peter's Square, a day after he was discharged from hospital following successful treatment for a severe bout of bronchitis. He was driven into the huge esplanade, sitting in the back of an open-topped vehicle as it passed through the crowds, before descending and starting the service from his position beneath an ancient Egyptian obelisk. The pope, 86, was taken to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Wednesday after complaining of breathing difficulties, but recovered quickly following an infusion of antibiotics and returned to his Vatican residence on Saturday. Palm Sunday marks the start of Holy Week leading up to Easter Sunday on April 9 this year. Reporting by Crispian Balmer Editing by Raissa KasolowskyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Rahul Gandhi to appeal jail sentence
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, April 2 (Reuters) - Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi will appeal a two-year jail sentence in a defamation case brought against him by lawmaker from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), local media reported on Sunday. A lower court sentenced Gandhi on March 23 for two years in jail on charges of defamation. The opposition critics accuse Modi government of giving undue favours to a business group led by billionaire tycoon Adani. Shares of Adani group companies plunged after Hindenburg Research on Jan. 24 alleged that the Indian company had engaged in stock manipulation and used tax havens. A day after Gandhi's conviction, 14 political parties jointly petitioned the Supreme Court, saying opposition groups were being selectively targeted by federal investigative agencies.

☆ Burkina Faso expels two French journalists
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The two are "journalists of perfect integrity, who worked in Burkina Faso legally, with valid visas and accreditations ... We strongly protest against these absolutely unjustified expulsions," Liberation said in an editorial statement on its website. There was no statement from the authorities in Burkina Faso and it was not immediately possible to reach them for comment. The French foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The junta has since ordered French troops to withdraw from the country and suspended broadcasts by France's RFI radio and television channel France 24. Frustrations over authorities' failure to restore security has spurred anti-French sentiment and helped bring about two military takeovers in Burkina Faso and two in Mali since 2020.

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