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☆ Jailed Former Thai Premier Thaksin to Be Released on Feb 18, PM Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Jailed former Thai Premier Thaksin Shinawatra will be released on Feb. 18, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Saturday. Thaksin has been in hospital detention since August, after making a dramatic homcoming from living abroad for 15 years in self-exile to avoid prison for a conflict of interest. He had his eight-year jail term commuted to a year by the King after his return and has served six months in hospital detention due to an undisclosed health condition. Feb. 18 is the first day of his parole eligibility. (Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um; Editing by Stephen Coates)

Persons: Premier Thaksin, Srettha Thavisin, Thaksin, King, Panu, Stephen Coates Organizations: Premier Locations: BANGKOK

☆ US Urges Timely Election in Senegal, Welcomes Court Ruling Against Delay
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Kanishka SinghWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Friday welcomed a court decision that overturned the postponement of Senegal's presidential election to December, and called for a new "free and fair election" to be held as soon as possible. A bill that pushed back the Feb. 25 poll and plunged the country into electoral uncertainty was overturned on Thursday by Senegal's Constitutional Council. In his Friday statement accepting the council's ruling, Sall said he would initiate the consultations needed to organise the election as soon as possible. CONTEXTThe opposition and foreign powers had urged the authorities to comply with the constitutional council's ruling. Senegal had never previously delayed a presidential vote.

Persons: Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON, Macky Sall, Sall's, Sall, Kanishka Singh, Stephen Coates Organizations: Senegal's Constitutional Council, State Department Locations: United States, Senegal, Washington

☆ Biden Again Tells Netanyahu That Rafah Civilians Must Be Protected
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Jarrett Renshaw(Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday again told Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he should not proceed with military action in Rafah without a credible and executable plan to protect Palestinian civilians, the White House said. The call between the two leaders on Thursday was the second time in less than a week that Biden warned Netanyahu about moving into the southern part of the Gaza Strip without a plan to ensure the safety of some 1 million people sheltering there. Fighting at the hospital comes as Israel faces growing international pressure to show restraint, after vowing to press its offensive into Rafah, the last relatively safe place in Gaza. Earlier this month, Biden said Israel's military response in the Gaza Strip had been "over the top" and expressed grave concern over the rising civilian death toll in the Palestinian enclave. The war began on Oct. 7 when Iran-backed Hamas sent fighters into Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and seizing 253 hostages according to Israeli tallies.

Persons: Jarrett Renshaw, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Netanyahu, Rami Ayyub, Chris Reese, Stephen Coates Organizations: Reuters, Israel's Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, Iran

☆ Russia Suspends Annual Payments to Arctic Council, RIA Agency Reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Russia has suspended annual payments to the Arctic Council until "real work" resumes with the participation of all member countries, Russia's RIA state news agency reported, citing the country's foreign ministry. "At the moment, Russia's payment of annual contributions to the budget of the Arctic Council has been suspended until the resumption of real work in this format with the participation of all member countries," the ministry told RIA. Cooperation between the Western Arctic states of the intergovernmental body and Moscow came to a freeze after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago. The Arctic Council was created in 1996 to discuss issues affecting the polar region, ranging from pollution to local economic development to search-and-rescue missions. For now, Russia does not consider leaving the Council, the foreign ministry told RIA.

Persons: Maria Zakharova, Lidia Kelly, Jacqueline Wong, Stephen Coates Organizations: Reuters, Arctic Council, RIA, Cooperation, Arctic, Council, TASS, Duma, Organization for Security Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, United States, Melbourne

☆ Beijing Calls for 'Positive, Objective, Friendly' China Policy From South Korea
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING (Reuters) - China hopes South Korea will pursue a "positive, objective and friendly" policy towards Beijing, foreign minister Wang Yi said in a phone call with his South Korean counterpart on Tuesday. China and South Korea have close economic ties, and should work together to maintain the stability and smooth flow of industrial and supply chains, China's foreign ministry quoted Wang as saying in a statement. During the phone call, South Korean foreign minister Cho Tae-yul asked China to play a "constructive role" in curbing North Korea's military threats, and to help North Korean defectors not to be sent back home against their will, South Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement. Wang has invited Cho to China and both countries would continue to discuss Cho's visit, the ministry said. (Reporting by Ethan Wang, Ella Cao, Ryan Woo and Ju-min Park; Editing by Alison Williams and Stephen Coates)

Persons: Wang Yi, Wang, Cho Tae, yul, Cho, Ethan Wang, Ella Cao, Ryan Woo, Alison Williams, Stephen Coates Organizations: South Korean Locations: BEIJING, China, South Korea, Beijing, North

☆ Russia Accuses Biden of Seeking Election Boost With Syria, Iraq Strikes
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Michelle NicholsUNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia accused President Joe Biden on Monday of carrying out strikes in Iraq and Syria to boost his image as the presidential election campaign "is heating up" - not in retaliation for a deadly attack on U.S. soldiers. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, at a meeting of the Security Council on the strikes which was requested by Moscow, said there was no justification for the U.S. action. And we are not seeking a direct conflict with Iran. He added that the strikes in Syria and Iraq were a "separate and distinct" operation from U.S. and British strikes against the Iran-aligned Houthi group in Yemen in response to the Houthi targeting of shipping in the Red Sea. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols in New York, Lidia Kelly in Melbourne and Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Stephen Coates)

Persons: Michelle Nichols UNITED, Joe Biden, Washington, Russia's U.N, Vassily Nebenzia, Biden, Robert Wood, Wood, Iran's U.N, Amir Saeid Iravani, U.N, Michelle Nichols, Lidia Kelly, Nandita Bose, Stephen Coates Organizations: Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS, Reuters, United States, Revolutionary Guard, Security, U.S, Pentagon Locations: Russia, Iraq, Syria, U.S, Jordan, Moscow, America, Israel, Gaza, United States, Iran, Yemen, Red, New York, Melbourne, Washington

☆ Russia Says It Downs Seven Ukraine-Launched Drones Over Belgorod Region
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Russia's air defence systems destroyed seven Ukraine-launched drones over the southwestern region of Belgorod, the Russian defence ministry said on Tuesday after the region's governor said that the city of Gubkin was under a drone attack. There were no casualties from the attack on Gubkin but four houses were damaged by drone debris, Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram. Belgorod and other regions bordering Ukraine have often come under attack from Ukrainian forces in the two-year war that started with Russia's full-scale invasion on Ukraine. The Latest Photos From Ukraine View All 91 ImagesKyiv has said that targeting Russia's military and transport infrastructure undermines Moscow's overall war efforts. In January, Moscow accused Ukraine of deliberately shooting down a military plane carrying 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers over the region.

Persons: Vyacheslav Gladkov, Russia's, Lidia Kelly, Stephen Coates Organizations: Reuters, Telegram, Kyiv Locations: Ukraine, Belgorod, Gubkin, Ukrainian, Moscow, Melbourne

☆ Biden Threatens Veto of U.S. House's Standalone Israel Aid Bill
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Patricia Zengerle(Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's admninistration said on Monday he would veto a standalone bill backed by House of Representatives Republicans that would provide aid to Israel, as it backs a broader bill providing assistance to Ukraine and Israel and providing new funds for border security. Officials from the Democratic president's administration have been working for months with Senate Democrats and Republicans on legislation unveiled on Sunday combining billions of dollars in emergency aid for Ukraine, Israel and partners in the Indo-Pacific region, with an overhaul of U.S. immigration policy. Republican House leaders said days before its release on Sunday night that they would reject the bipartisan Senate bill, and instead vote on a bill proiding aid only to Israel. War in Israel and Gaza View All 194 ImagesThe Republican-majority House passed an Israel-only bill in November, but it was never taken up in the Democratic-led Senate, as members worked on Biden's request for Congress to approve the broader emergency security package. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; additional reporting by Eric Beech and Costas Pitas; Editing by Stephen Coates)

Persons: Patricia Zengerle, Joe Biden's admninistration, Eric Beech, Costas Pitas, Stephen Coates Organizations: Republicans, Emergency National Security, Management, Democratic, Democrats, Republican Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Gaza

☆ US Official Urges Papua New Guinea to Reject Chinese Security Deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A senior U.S. state department official urged Papua New Guinea(PNG) to turn down China's offer of a potential security pact, warning the Pacific nation that any security guarantee with Beijing comes with consequences and costs. "We've seen that the Chinese commitment in defence or investment comes with a high cost. That's what we'd say to PNG," United States Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma told the Sydney Morning Herald in an interview published on Monday. Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister Justin Tkachenko told Reuters last week that it was in early talks with China on a potential security deal. PNG has previously said Australia and the U.S. were its security partners, while China was an important economic partner.

Persons: Richard Verma, Justin Tkachenko, Tkachenko, Verma, James Marape, it's, Renju Jose, Stephen Coates Organizations: SYDNEY, Beijing, United States, Sydney Morning Herald, Papua New Guinea, Reuters, Solomon Islands, South Locations: U.S, Papua New Guinea, Papua New, China, Australia, Beijing, Solomon, Sydney

☆ Indonesia's Presidential Contenders Promise Tax Reform to Boost Revenue
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

JAKARTA (Reuters) - The three main candidates contesting Indonesia's presidential elections this month are proposing to bolster government coffers by creating a new tax collection agency, despite scepticism from the tax and business community. Prabowo has set the highest tax-to-GDP target of 18%, or about $100 billion in additional tax revenue, if he wins the presidency, while also promising personal income tax cuts. NEW AGENCY NOT ENOUGHHowever, some economists and the business community say a new tax agency might not lead to higher revenue if other issues like the low tax base are not addressed. "There may be more binding constraints to revenue collection than administrative independence of the tax authority," the multinational lender told Reuters. "Tax officers should be fair ...

Persons: Joko Widodo's, Prabowo Subianto, Ganjar Pranowo, Prabowo, Drajad Wibowo, Jakarta Governor Anies, Wijayanto Samirin, Jahen, Fajry Akbar, Tutum, Stefanno Sulaiman, Stephen Coates Organizations: Jakarta Governor, U.S . Internal Revenue Service, Central Java, University of Indonesia, Bank, Reuters Locations: JAKARTA, Asia's, Indonesia

☆ Some Palestinian Americans Decline Invite to Meet Blinken
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Kanishka Singh and Humeyra PamukWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some members of the Palestinian American community who received an invite to meet U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday declined the invitation over their frustration with Washington's policy toward the conflict and crisis in Gaza. "A meeting of this nature at this moment in time is insulting and performative," a group of Palestinian American community members said in a statement, adding they represented a majority of those invited. Israel launched its offensive in Hamas-governed Gaza following the Palestinian Islamist group's Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200, according to Israeli tallies. We will not be attending this discussion which can only amount to a box-ticking exercise," the Palestinian American group said on Thursday, adding it saw Washington as complicit in Israeli actions. A U.S. State Department spokesperson on Thursday told reporters Blinken met with a "number of leaders" from the Palestinian American community, without specifying how many attended.

Persons: Kanishka Singh, Humeyra Pamuk, Antony Blinken, Israel, Joe Biden, Blinken, Stephen Coates Organizations: Palestinian American, U.S, United Nations, ., U.S . State, White, Biden Locations: Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON, Gaza, Palestinian, United States, Israel, Washington, U.S, New York City, Los Angeles, Michigan

☆ Australian Police Say No Evidence of Offensive Slogan at Pro-Palestinian Protest
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian police said on Friday a forensic analysis did not find evidence pro-Palestinian protesters chanted "gas the Jews" outside the Sydney Opera House last year, but the investigation found some used anti-Semitic slogans. Around 1,000 pro-Palestinian supporters marched through downtown Sydney in October to the city's iconic Opera House, which the government had illuminated in the colours of the Israeli flag following an attack by Hamas. "The phrase chanted during that protest ... was 'Where's the Jews? Lanyon said there was evidence of other "offensive and completely unacceptable" anti-Semitic statements used by protesters. Police will continue to investigate if offences were committed during the protests, Lanyon said.

Persons: Malcolm Lanyon, Lanyon, Israel, Renju Jose, Stephen Coates Organizations: SYDNEY, Sydney Opera House, Opera House, Police, Opera, Hamas, Health Locations: Sydney, New South Wales, Israel, Gaza, Australia, Iran

☆ Ship Carrying 16,000 Sheep and Cattle Stranded off Australia
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

"It's very hard to imagine that that is consistent with the animal welfare standards that Australians expect to be applied to Australian animals." ROUGH WEATHERAustralia is a major exporter of live animals, shipping more than half a million sheep and half a million cattle last year. Most cattle go to Asian markets such as Indonesia and Vietnam but the Middle East is by far the biggest destination for Australian sheep. Israel is a key market, receiving 86,100 sheep worth $6.5 million and 10,848 cattle worth $14 million from Australia in the first three months of last year, trade data show. Australia's Labor government has pledged to outlaw exports of live sheep in coming years but faces angry pushback from farm groups who say this would put people out of work and destroy farming communities.

Persons: Peter Hobson CANBERRA, Yemen's, Josh Wilson, Bassem, Geoff Pearson, Canberra, Peter Hobson, Stephen Coates Organizations: Fremantle, WA Farmers, Reuters, Korkyra Shipping, Labor Locations: Australia, Israel, Africa, Red, Europe, Asia, Indonesia, Vietnam, New Zealand

☆ Heavy Fog Suspends Shipping at Chinese Ports; Shanghai Issues Heightened Advisory
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING (Reuters) - Heavy fog has suspended the operation of ships travelling through the Qiongzhou Strait off the coast of China's Guangdong province and several cities, including Shanghai, have issued warning advisories, Chinese state media reported on Wednesday. China has a three-tier colour-coded warning system for thick fog, with red being the most serious, followed by orange and yellow. CCTV also reported that more than 100 airports across the country issued haze and snow warnings. Heavy snow is also affecting several provinces, including Henan and Hubei, forcing the closure of several roads, CCTV reported. Chinese weather forecasters have warned that snow and freezing rain over the next several days is expected to hamper transportation for millions of Chinese as they travel across the country for the Chinese New Year.

Persons: Bernard Orr, Stephen Coates Organizations: Shanghai Central Meteorological Locations: BEIJING, Qiongzhou, China's Guangdong, Shanghai, Port, Guangxi, China, Henan, Hubei

☆ Exclusive-Hotelier Robert Bigelow Gives Trump $1 Million for Legal Fees
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Alexandra Ulmer(Reuters) -Hotelier Robert Bigelow told Reuters on Tuesday he gave Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump $1 million for his legal fees and agreed to donate another $20 million to a pro-Trump outside group for campaign purposes. "I gave him $1 million towards his legal fees a few weeks ago. Bigelow's donations also highlight the unusual role some political donors are playing as Trump faces four pending criminal cases this year. BILLS AND FINESFor all of Trump's political success, however, his legal costs are rapidly mounting. When asked whether he was considering donating more to help pay Trump's legal fees, Bigelow declined to comment.

Persons: Alexandra Ulmer, Robert Bigelow, Donald Trump, Democrat Joe Biden, Bigelow, Trump, Nikki Haley, Haley, Ron DeSantis, E, Jean Carroll, Jack Queen, Ross Colvin, Stephen Coates Organizations: Reuters, Republican, Trump, America, Democrat, Bigelow Aerospace, The, Department, Trump's Republican, New York, New York Times, Save America PAC Locations: Nevada, Trump, Florida

☆ Second Man Jailed in Moldova's 'Fraud of the Century'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Alexander TanasCHISINAU (Reuters) - A Moldovan court jailed a banker for 10 years on Monday, the second man to be sentenced in connection with the ex-Soviet state's "fraud of the century" in which $1 billion was removed from the banking system and taken out of the country. The country's anti-corruption prosecutor announced the sentence handed down on Viorel Birca in connection with the 2014-2015 fraud on charges of mass fraud and "acting in the interests of a criminal group". Moldova's Constitutional Court subsequently outlawed a political party bearing his name. The fraud case continues to reverberate in Moldova's politics a decade after the events. Moldova's parliament last month dismissed central bank chief Octavian Armasu for failing to act to recover the money lost in the scandal.

Persons: Alexander Tanas CHISINAU, Birca, Ilan Shor, Shor, Maia Sandu's, Vlad Plahotniuc, Octavian Armasu, Alexander Tanas, Ron Popeski, Stephen Coates Organizations: Moldovan, Journalists, Prosecutors, Banca de Economii, Birca Locations: Soviet, Moldova, Israel, Northern Cyprus

☆ Australia Appoints Former Minister to Head Sovereign Wealth Fund
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Lewis JacksonSYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's centre-left Labor government on Monday said it would appoint a former climate change minister to chair the A$212 billion ($139 billion) sovereign wealth fund, the second successive ex-minister to hold the position. Until then, Combet will continue as chair of the Net Zero Economy Agency, which oversees Australia's net zero transition plans, Chalmers said. Future Fund board member Mary Reemst has been appointed acting chair until he begins the role. Started in 2006 by then Treasurer Peter Costello with proceeds from the privatisation of state telco Telstra, the Future Fund today rivals the country's largest pension funds in size. In one of his final speeches last November, he urged government to resist using the fund to support political projects.

Persons: Lewis Jackson SYDNEY, Greg Combet, Jim Chalmers, Combet, Chalmers, Mary Reemst, Mr Combet, Peter Costello, telco, Costello, Lewis Jackson, Stephen Coates Organizations: Labor, IFM, Future Fund, Economy Agency, telco Telstra, Fund, Liberal Party

☆ Mexico Activists Protest Return of Bullfights to Capital
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Animal rights defenders in Mexico City on Sunday marched to protest the return of the centuries-old spectacle of bullfighting to the capital after almost two years. "Torture is not art, it is not culture," demonstrators shouted near the Plaza Mexico bullring. Mexico's capital held its first bullfight in almost two years on Sunday, after the Supreme Court paved the way for the spectacle's return in December. Bullfights have been held in Mexico since the 16th century. While a ruling suspended bullfighting in 2022 as a precautionary measure amid a longer-running case, the Supreme Court struck that decision down.

Persons: Bullfights, Toya Sarno Jordan, Aida Pelaez, Fernandez, Oliver Griffin, Stephen Coates Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Mexico Locations: MEXICO, Mexico City, Mexico

☆ Ukraine Says It Shoots Down 11 of 14 Russian Drones
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

KYIV (Reuters) - Russia launched 14 attack drones and five missiles at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine's air force said on Thursday, with air defence systems destroying 11 of the drones. The air force said on its Telegram messaging channel that Russia targeted mainly southern Ukraine. Odesa regional Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram that two people were injured during the attack on the Black Sea port city. "Despite the effective and fruitful work of air defence to repel enemy attacks, unfortunately, an industrial facility was hit in Odesa, and residential buildings and civilian infrastructure were damaged," Kiper said. (Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Stephen Coates)

Persons: Oleh Kiper, Kiper, Pavel Polityuk, Stephen Coates Organizations: Reuters Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Odesa

☆ Illinois Man Who Shot 8 People to Death Was Family to Most of His Victims
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Steve Gorman(Reuters) - A man who fatally shot eight people in Illinois over the weekend before taking own life as law enforcement closed in on him in Texas was a family relative to most of his victims, but his motives remain a mystery, police said on Tuesday. The suspect, 23-year-old Romeo Nance, shot himself to death on Monday night as U.S. marshals gave chase outside a gasoline station near San Antonio, Texas, ending a manhunt that began 24 hours earlier about 1,200 miles (1,930 km) to the north outside Chicago, police said. Will County sheriff's deputies tied that slaying to the getaway car used in the nearby shooting of another man who survived his attack with a leg wound. Dan Jungles, deputy chief sheriff, said Nance had an "extensive criminal history" but that getting answers to the killings may ultimately confound investigators. "We may never know the truth of the motive behind these senseless killings," he said.

Persons: Steve Gorman, Romeo Nance, Nance, Williams Evans, Evans, Dan, Stephen Coates Organizations: Reuters, Joliet Police Locations: Illinois, Texas, San Antonio , Texas, Chicago, Joliet , Illinois, Nigerian, Will County, Los Angeles

☆ Plan for One-Month Gaza Truce Makes Progress as Israel Hits Khan Younis
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

Meanwhile, in its biggest operation in a month, the Israeli military pressed ahead with encircling Khan Younis where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are sheltering. Israeli forces killed more than 100 militants in western Khan Younis in 24 hours, military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said on Tuesday evening. In southern Gaza, Israel has blockaded hospitals, which Palestinian officials say makes it impossible to rescue the wounded. At the European Hospital, reached by Reuters in southern Khan Younis, Ahed Masmah brought in five corpses, piled on a mattress on his donkey cart. At Khan Younis' main Nasser hospital, the biggest still functioning in the Gaza Strip, bodies were being buried on the grounds because it was unsafe to go to the cemetery.

Persons: Andrew Mills, Arafat Barbakh, Emily Rose DOHA, Khan Younis, Daniel Hagari, Benjamin Netanyahu, Eylon Levy, Antonio Guterres, Israel's, John Kirby, Brett McGurk, Kirby, Ahed Masmah, Nasser, Martin Griffiths, U.N, Younis, Nidal al, Mohamed Ahmed Hassan, Dan Williams, Ari Rabinovitch, Maayan Lubell, Kate Holton, Jonathan Landay, Simon Lewis, Jeff Mason, Cynthia Osterman, Stephen Coates Organizations: Hamas, Palestinian, U.S . State Department, White, Service, Reuters, Palestinian Hamas, United Nations, Security, Middle East, European Hospital Locations: GAZA, JERUSALEM, Israel, Gaza, Gaza's, Khan, Qatar, U.S, Egypt, Rafah, Palestinian, Cairo, Mughrabi, Doha, Bassam, Jerusalem, Washington

☆ Australia Imposes Sanctions on Russian Hacker Over Medibank Breach
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Renju JoseSYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia on Tuesday imposed cyber sanctions on a Russian man for his role in the breach at insurer Medibank, one of the country's biggest data thefts which impacted about 10 million customers. Targeted financial sanctions and a travel ban have been imposed on Russian citizen Aleksandr Ermakov after Australian authorities linked him to the breach at Medibank, Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said during a press briefing. This is the first time Australia has used its cyber sanctions framework since legislating it in 2021. Medibank in 2022 disclosed that a hacker stole the personal information of 9.7 million current and former customers, and released the data on the dark web. Hackers in November hit DP World Australia, one of the country's largest ports operators, forcing it to suspend operations for three days.

Persons: Renju Jose SYDNEY, Aleksandr Ermakov, Clare O'Neil, they're scumbags, we'll, O'Neil, Renju Jose, Jonathan Oatis, Stephen Coates Organizations: Medibank, cybercrime, Home Affairs Locations: Australia, Victoria, Sydney

☆ Australia's Northeast Braces for Second Cyclone in a Month
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Renju JoseSYDNEY (Reuters) - A tropical low in the Coral Sea will likely develop into a cyclone and hit Australia's northeast later this week, the weather bureau said on Tuesday, a month after tropical Cyclone Jasper caused widespread damage across the region. "It is intensifying and will likely reach cyclone strength overnight tonight or during Wednesday ... a coastal crossing is most likely overnight on Thursday," Laura Boekel, forecaster at the Bureau of Meteorology, said during a press briefing. Heavy rain will drench regions that are already wet, significantly raising the risk of flash flooding, Boekel said. "This could be a very widespread as well as a very long-duration event," Boekel said. Cyclone Jasper in December left a trail of destruction in Queensland's northern regions, forcing some residents to flee their homes and cutting off towns.

Persons: Renju Jose SYDNEY, Laura Boekel, Boekel, Renju Jose, Stephen Coates Organizations: Meteorology, Cyclone Locations: Cyclone Jasper, Queensland, Queensland's, Sydney

☆ Haiti's Police Force Shrinks Amid Gang Crisis -Union
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Police need significantly higher incentives to justify the dangers, the report said, amid a shrinking force and lack of equipment, training and infrastructure. Lazarre said the situation was difficult but police had made progress, recovering control of six neighborhoods and coming close to recovering another. Last November, the United Nations estimated some 3,960 had been killed through the year and 2,951 kidnapped. Haiti's government called for international reinforcements in October 2022 and the United Nations ratified sending a force composed of voluntary contributions late last year. Haiti's armed forces were disbanded in 1995 and reinstated in 2017, but the national police remains the main security force.

Persons: Lionel Lazarre, Lazarre, It's, Ariel Henry's, Harold Isaac, Sarah Morland, Stephen Coates Organizations: PORT, Reuters, Police, United Nations Locations: Kenya, Caribbean, Port, Mexico City

☆ Taiwan Says It Spots Six More Chinese Balloons, One Crossed Island
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan's defence ministry said it had detected six more Chinese balloons flying over the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, one of which crossed the island, the latest in a spate of such balloons the ministry says it has seen over the past month-and-a-half. China's defence ministry, which last month declined to comment on the balloons, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, only one crossed Taiwan island, at its southern tip, according to a map the ministry provided. The other five balloons flew to the north of Taiwan but did not fly over land, the ministry said. The Taiwan Strait's median line previously served as an unofficial barrier between Taiwan and China, but Chinese fighter jets, drones and now balloons regularly fly over it.

Persons: Taiwan's Jan, Ben Blanchard, Stephen Coates Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan Strait, China, Taiwan, Taipei, United States

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