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☆ Austria taps Embraer's C-390 aircraft to replace retiring C-130 fleet
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsVIENNA/SAO PAULO, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Austria plans to replace its retiring C-130 Hercules fleet with Embraer's (EMBR3.SA) C-390 Millenium military transport aircraft, the country's Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner said on Wednesday. Austria is aiming to buy about four aircrafts and is negotiating with the Netherlands on a potential joint order, Tanner told a news conference. Aside from an order for 19 C-390 aircrafts from the Brazilian Air Force, Portugal has ordered five and Hungary has requested two. Analysts at JPMorgan calculated that including the prospective orders from Austria and The Netherlands, the aircraft's potential lifetime sales stand at 35 units, 28 of which are still to be delivered. Shares in Embraer rose 2.85% in early trading on the Brazilian stock exchange, outperforming the Bovespa stock index (.BVSP), which rose 0.8%.

Persons: Klaudia Tanner, Johanna Geron, Tanner, JPMorgan, Francois Murphy, Peter Frontini, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Austria's Defence, Foreign Affairs, Defence, REUTERS, Rights, SAO PAULO, country's Defence, Embraer, Brazilian Air Force, KC, JPMorgan, Sao Paulo, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Brussels, Belgium, Rights VIENNA, Austria, Netherlands, Portugal, Hungary, Czech Republic, South Korea, India, Sweden, The Netherlands, Vienna, Sao

☆ Hyundai Motor's South Korea union accepts 12% wage hike deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Heekyong Yang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of Hyundai Motor Company is pictured at the New York International Auto Show, in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., April 13, 2022. Workers at Hyundai Motor, the No.3 global automaker by sales with its affiliate Kia Corp (000270.KS), last went on strike in 2018. The United Auto Workers (UAW) last week went on strike against all three Detroit automakers - General Motors Co (GM.N), Ford Motor Co (F.N) and Stellantis (STLAM.MI) - at once for the first time. Hyundai Motor Group, which houses Hyundai Motor, Kia, luxury brand Genesis, operates U.S. production sites in Alabama and Georgia. “The labour risks have been there all along, especially in the auto sector, but this UAW strike is unprecedented.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, ”, Lee Jae, Heekyong Yang, Andrew Heavens, Jan Harvey, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Hyundai Motor, New York, REUTERS, Rights, Hyundai, Workers, Kia Corp, United Auto Workers, UAW, Detroit, General Motors Co, Ford Motor, Hyundai Motor Group, Kia, Eugene Investment, Securities, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S, Rights SEOUL, South Korea, Alabama, Georgia, United States

☆ China and EU hold talks on AI, cross-border data flow amid renewed tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An attendant walks past EU and China flags ahead of the EU-China High-level Economic Dialogue at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China June 25, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Sept 18 (Reuters) - China and the European Union held talks on topics including artificial intelligence and cross-border data flows on Monday in Beijing, amid disputes over an EU probe into China's electric vehicle (EV) subsidies. The meeting comes as tensions between China and the EU are heightened after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced an investigation into whether to impose punitive tariffs on Chinese EVs to protect EU producers. The talks on Monday covered key issues including platforms and data regulation, AI, and cross-border flow of industrial data, China and the EU said. The European Commission conveyed concerns about "difficulties faced by EU companies in China to make use of their industrial data, as a result of the application of recent legislation."

Persons: Jason Lee, Zhang Guoqing, Vera Jourova, Ursula von der Leyen, Zhang, Ethan Wang, Ryan Woo, Meg Shen, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, European Union, EU, China's, European Commission, Values, European, Xinhua, Thomson Locations: China, EU, Beijing, Rights BEIJING, Europe, Hong Kong

☆ UK police receive sex assault allegation following Russell Brand reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Michael Holden | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Sept 18 (Reuters) - London police said on Monday they had received an allegation of a sexual assault dating back 20 years following media reports about comedian and actor Russell Brand. "Officers are in contact with the woman and will be providing her with support," the Metropolitan Police statement said. The Times and Dispatches said one woman had made an allegation of rape, while another said Brand assaulted her when she was 16 and still at school. The reports of the allegations about Brand, once one of the country's most high-profile comedians and broadcasters, has dominated British media since they appeared. Reporting by Michael Holden and Muvija M; Editing by Kate Holton and Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Russell Brand, Brand, Katy Perry, Rishi Sunak, Michael Holden, Muvija, Kate Holton, Andrew Heavens Organizations: London, Sunday Times, Police, Metropolitan Police, Theatre Royal Windsor, BBC, Met Police, British, Thomson Locations: Soho, London, Los Angeles, British

Britain's Charles, Prince of Wales, greets France's President Emmanuel Macron ahead of their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain November 1, 2021. Charles had meant to make France his first royal visit after his coronation, but the March trip was abruptly cancelled by violent French protests over pension reforms, much to Macron's embarrassment. Charles and his wife Queen Camilla are scheduled to visit Paris before heading southwest to the vineyards of Bordeaux. The day after that, Charles and Camilla will visit the flower market named after Queen Elizabeth on Paris' Ile de la Cité. "The king is always very interested in the president's analysis of major international issues," an Elysee official told Reuters.

Persons: Britain's Charles , Prince of Wales, Emmanuel Macron, Jane Barlow, Charles, Camilla, King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Elizabeth's, Elizabeth, René Coty, Queen Elizabeth, Boris Johnson, torpedoing, Macron seething, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, Prince Charles, Jeff Bezos, Macron, It's Prince Charles, Michel Rose, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Change, Notre, Dame, France, Windsor Castle, of Mirrors, European Union, Canberra, entente, Elysee, Reuters, Amazon, Thomson Locations: Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, France, Versailles, Bordeaux PARIS, Windsor, Paris, Bordeaux, Europe, Buckingham, of Versailles, la, United States, Australia, Ukraine, Africa

☆ UN experts say war crimes committed in Ethiopia despite formal end to conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

GENEVA, Sept 18 (Reuters) - War crimes and crimes against humanity are still being committed in Ethiopia nearly a year after government and regional forces from Tigray agreed to end fighting, U.N. experts said in a report published on Monday. Thousands died in the two-year conflict, which formally came to an end in November last year. "I must admit the worst of this was that perpetrated by Eritrean forces in Tigray. Though, of course, Ethiopian forces were also responsible," she said, adding that Tigrayan forces had also perpetrated sexual violence in Amhara. Authorities from the Ethiopian region of Amhara have also denied that their forces committed atrocities in neighbouring Tigray.

Persons: Thousands, Mohamed Chande Othman, Yemane Ghebremeskel, spokespeople, Radhika Coomaraswamy, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Andrew Heavens, William Maclean Organizations: International Commission of Human, Eritrean Defence Forces, EDF, Ethiopian, Reuters, Eritrean, Ethiopian National Defence Forces, Hereward, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, Ethiopia, Tigray, Eritrea, Amhara, Ethiopian, Geneva, Hereward Holland, Nairobi

☆ China and EU Hold Talks on AI, Cross-Border Data Flow Amid Renewed Tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING (Reuters) - China and the European Union held talks on topics including artificial intelligence and cross-border data flows on Monday in Beijing, amid disputes over an EU probe into China's electric vehicle (EV) subsidies. The meeting comes as tensions between China and the EU are heightened after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced an investigation into whether to impose punitive tariffs on Chinese EVs to protect EU producers. The talks on Monday covered key issues including platforms and data regulation, AI, and cross-border flow of industrial data, China and the EU said. The European Commission conveyed concerns about "difficulties faced by EU companies in China to make use of their industrial data, as a result of the application of recent legislation." Both sides agreed to promote an open, fair and non-discriminatory environment for the development of the digital economy, Xinhua said.

Persons: Zhang Guoqing, Vera Jourova, Ursula von der Leyen, Zhang, Ethan Wang, Ryan Woo, Meg Shen, Andrew Heavens Organizations: European Union, EU, China's, European Commission, Values, European, Xinhua Locations: BEIJING, China, Beijing, EU, Europe, Hong Kong

☆ French ambassador in Niger being held hostage by junta, Macron says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

French President Emmanuel Macron attends a press conference, on the second day of the G20 summit in New Delhi, India, September 10, 2023. REUTERS/Amit Dave/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Sept 15 (Reuters) - France's ambassador in Niger is being held hostage at the French embassy by the military junta which has seized power in the West African nation, President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday. "As we speak, we have an ambassador and diplomatic members which are being literally held hostage at the French embassy, and food is prevented from being delivered. They're eating military rations," Macron told reporters during a visit to Burgundy. Reporting by Michel Rose; editing by Geert de Clercq and Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Amit Dave, Macron, Michel Rose, Geert de Clercq, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, Niger, West African, Burgundy

☆ Britain to ban American XL bully dogs by the end of the year
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An American Bully XXL is pictured at a veterinary clinic in Utrecht, Netherlands June 20, 2023. He said a man was killed on Thursday in central England in an attack involving a suspected XL bully dog. According to campaign group Bully Watch, which advocates for a ban on selling and breeding large XL bully dogs, the breed was responsible for more than half of all fatal dog attacks in Britain last year. XL bully dogs were originally bred from American pit bull terriers and American Staffordshire terriers and first appeared in the UK "around 2014 or 2015", with the numbers growing rapidly in recent years, the campaign group said. Sunak has asked the police and experts to define XL bully dogs, a first step he said before he hopes they can be banned by the end of the year.

Persons: XXL, de Wouw, Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Andrew MacAskill, Michael Holden, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, British, XL, Police, Staffordshire, RSPCA, Thomson Locations: Utrecht, Netherlands, English, Birmingham, England, Britain

LONDON, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Russia said on Thursday it was expelling two U.S. diplomats whom it accused of working with a Russian national charged with collaborating with a foreign state. "The named people conducted illegal activity, maintaining contact with Russian citizen R. Shonov, accused of 'confidential cooperation' with a foreign state," the Russian statement said. In its statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Shonov had been paid to complete tasks aimed at damaging Russia's national security. Relations between Russia and the United States have plunged to their worst point for more than 60 years because of the war in Ukraine. The United States is providing advanced weaponry to Ukraine and has hit Russia with sanctions in response to its invasion in February 2022.

Persons: Lynne Tracy, Jeffrey Sillin, David Bernstein, Shonov, Robert Shonov, Sillin, Bernstein, Tracy, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Foreign Ministry, State Department, U.S . Consulate, United, Russian Foreign Ministry, Thomson Locations: Russia, Russian, U.S, Washington, Vladivostok, Ukraine, United States, Moscow

☆ Isolated Morocco earthquake survivors feel forgotten by state as they await help
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Alexander Cornwell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"We Amazigh feel like foreigners in our country. We feel isolated. The government has said it is doing everything it can to help all earthquake victims. But in the Amazigh villages there was little sign of help from the authorities materialising or of life returning to normal anytime soon. [1/9]People affected by a deadly earthquake stand on a house, in the rural village of Azermoun, Morocco September 14, 2023.

Persons: Hannah McKay, Mohamed Zidane, Zidane, Mohamed Oufkir, Ibrahim Meghashi's, Estelle Shirbon, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Bank, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Marrakech AZERMOUN, Morocco, Amazigh, Azermoun, Marrakech, Morocco's, Aoufour, Anzelfi, Tagsdirt

☆ Kremlin says Karabakh tensions rising, Armenia warns of 'critical' humanitarian situation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Artem Mikryukov/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Sept 14 (Reuters) - The Kremlin expressed concern on Thursday that tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh were increasing, as Armenia's prime minister described the situation in the blockaded territory as "critical". Armenia has in recent weeks repeatedly accused Azerbaijan of massing forces around Karabakh, which Baku has effectively blockaded since December 2022, causing acute hunger. Armenian state news agency Armenpress on Thursday quoted Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as saying the humanitarian situation inside Karabakh was desperate. He said a Russian aid truck which Karabakh authorities allowed to enter the region from Azerbaijan on Tuesday had not alleviated the crisis. Armenpress also quoted Pashinyan as saying that Azerbaijan was continuing to mass troops along the frontlines with Karabakh and Armenia, a charge that Baku has repeatedly denied.

Persons: Artem Mikryukov, Dmitry Peskov, Antony Blinken, Matthew Miller, Armenpress, Nikol Pashinyan, Felix Light, David Ljunggren, Gareth Jones, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Department, Karabakh, Thomson Locations: Taghavard, Nagorno, Karabakh, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Baku, Russia, Yerevan, South Caucasus, Moscow, Russian, Tbilisi, Ottawa

☆ Global companies to hike security spending as threats rise - survey
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Kate Holton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The survey, by the American security and staffing company Allied Universal, found companies were losing high-end goods and intellectual property both internally to staff and externally, with North America badly affected. The World Security Report survey, the first time Allied has collated and published the thinking of so many large companies, questioned executives overseeing a combined $660 billion in security budgets in 2022, or 3.3% of their global revenue. That would add to the growing cost that companies around the world have been grappling with, on everything from wages to energy. It listed economic unrest stemming from high inflation and deteriorating living standards, along with climate change and social unrest as issues that can lead to security breaches. Asked about future spending, 42% of respondents said they intended to invest in artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-powered surveillance to spot threats more quickly.

Persons: Henry Nicholls, Steve Jones, Kate Holton, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Allied Universal, North, Allied, Reuters, Thomson Locations: City, London, Britain, North America

☆ Storm and floods kill at least 150 people in Libya-Red Crescent
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Ayman Werfali | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"People were asleep and woke up and found their homes surrounded by water," he told Reuters. Heavy floods washed away vehicles, footage broadcast by eastern Libya's Almostkbal TV showed. Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani instructed the government to send aid to the affected area in eastern Libya, Qatar's state news agency reported. His administration holds little sway in eastern Libya, but Dbeibah said on Sunday he had directed all state agencies to “immediately deal” with the damage and floods in eastern cities. Dbeibah's government is recognised by the Central Bank of Libya, which disburses funds to government departments across the country.

Persons: Storm Daniel, Al Bayda, Marj, Fhakeri, Saleh, Ahmed Mohamed, Ahmad Mismari, Khalifa, Witnesses, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, Thani, Abdulhamid, Ras Lanuf, Dbeibah, Ayman Werfali, Ahmed Elumami, Moaz Abd, Tarek Amara, Tom Perry, Nick Macfie, Andrew Heavens, William Maclean Organizations: Reuters, Libyan National Army, UNESCO, Authorities, Central Bank of Libya, United Nations, Thomson Locations: BENGHAZI, Libyan, Derna, Benghazi, Sousse, Al, Qatar's, Libya, Tripoli, Zueitina, Brega, Es Sidra, “, Tala, Dubai, Cairo, Tunis, Beirut

☆ Ukraine collects Russian bodies on 'road of death' in retaken southeast
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Anna Voitenko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Ukrainian servicemen check the body of a dead Russian soldier, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the village of Blahodatne in Donetsk Region Ukraine September 8, 2023. REUTERS/Oleksandr Ratushniak/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBLAHODATNE, Ukraine, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Wearing face masks, the Ukrainian soldiers poked sticks into the undergrowth along a deserted country road, searching for the bodies of Russian soldiers they hoped to exchange for their own comrades, living and dead. They called it the "road of death" after the number of Russian soldiers killed there when Ukrainian forces retook the southeastern village of Blahodatne at the start of their counteroffensive in June. Three months on, the frontline had shifted south and it was finally safe enough for the three-man team of Ukrainian soldiers to start their operation in this liberated part of Donetsk region. There was intense fighting for Urozhaine," he said, referring to a nearby village that was later retaken.

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak, Volodymyr, Ron Popeski, Tom Balmforth, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Donetsk Region Ukraine, REUTERS, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Blahodatne, Donetsk Region, Donetsk, Russia, Urozhaine

☆ Mohamed al-Fayed, ex-Harrods owner whose son died with Princess Diana, dead at 94
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, al-Fayed began his career selling fizzy drinks and then worked as a sewing-machine salesman. Al-Fayed died on Wednesday, his family said, a day before the 26th anniversary of Dodi and Diana's death. After a quarter of century of ownership, al-Fayed sold Harrods to Qatar's sovereign wealth fund in 2010. DIANA AND DODIThat summer, al-Fayed's son Dodi began a relationship with Princess Diana, who had divorced Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne. Dodi and Diana were pictured by British tabloids on holiday on a yacht in the south of France.

Persons: Diana's, Mohamed al, Fayed, Princess Diana, –, Diana, Dodi, Prince Philip, Mohamed Al Fayed, Mohamed, sequined, Michael Jackson, Eye, Roland, Tiny, Rowland, al, sleaze, Tony Blair, DIANA, Prince Charles, Mercedes, Blair, Sarah, I'm, Andrew MacAskill, Nilutpal, Giles Elgood, Rosalba O'Brien, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Fulham FC, Ritz, Harrods, Fulham, HARRODS, Department of Trade, Conservatives, Labour, Paris, Thomson Locations: Paris LONDON, Harrods, Egyptian, Alexandria, al, Europe, Fulham, Paris, Britain, France, British, Egypt, Al, Pont, London, Bengaluru

☆ US could help settle Lebanon, Israel border dispute - White House adviser
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Senior White House Advisor for Energy Security Amos Hochstein speaks at the end of his visit to Lebanon, at Beirut international airport, in Beirut, Lebanon, August 31, 2023. REUTERS/Issam Abdallah Acquire Licensing RightsBEIRUT, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The United States is exploring the possibility of resolving the long-standing border dispute between Lebanon and Israel, senior White House adviser Amos Hochstein said on Thursday at the end of a two-day visit to Lebanon. The senior White House adviser said he visited southern Lebanon during his trip "to understand and learn more about what is needed to be able to potentially achieve an outcome". Lebanon's caretaker foreign minister Abdallah Bou Habib said last week that determining the land border could put an end to those tensions. The U.N. peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL, which had its one-year mandate renewed on Thursday, has hosted meetings of Lebanon, Israel and the United Nations on points of contention preventing the delineation of the land border.

Persons: Energy Security Amos Hochstein, Issam Abdallah, Amos Hochstein, Hochstein, Abdallah Bou Habib, Maya Gebeily, Mark Heinrich, Jonathan Oatis, Andrew Heavens Organizations: White, Energy Security, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, United, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Beirut, Rights BEIRUT, United States, Israel, America, United Nations, Lebanese

☆ Canada to change how it counts foreign students, workers amid housing crunch
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOTTAWA, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Canada will change how it counts non-permanent residents, the main statistics agency said on Thursday, after an economist said the current methodology may have overlooked about a million foreign students, workers and others. Statistics Canada said it stood by its figures, but added that it will publish new, more detailed data on non-permanent residents next month using a revised methodology. Statscan's terminology for non-permanent residents covers people living in Canada with work or study permits and asylum seekers. Tal said Statscan's new approach would help to give a better sense of the actual numbers in the country. "A precondition for any policy in general, and housing policy in particular, is to know the size, the magnitude of the shortage," Tal said in a phone interview on Thursday.

Persons: Jennifer Gauthier, Benjamin Tal, Statscan, Tal, Ismail Shakil, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Rights OTTAWA, CIBC Capital, Statistics Canada, Thomson Locations: Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, Ottawa

☆ China's Shenzhen eases mortgage rules for first-home purchases
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BEIJING, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen issued a notice on Wednesday saying it would let people take preferential loans for first-home purchases regardless of their credit record from Aug. 31, the second major city to ease mortgage rules. The move came after Chinese authorities called on cities on Friday to broaden the definition of first-home mortgages to revive the troubled property market. Guangzhou was the first major city to respond and ease mortgage curbs. Reporting by Ella Cao, Liangping Gao and Ryan Woo; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ella Cao, Liangping Gao, Ryan Woo, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Shenzhen, Guangzhou

☆ ABBA's Agnetha to release new single 'Where Do We Go From Here?'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Agnetha Faltskog of the Swedish music band ABBA arrives for the opening performance of the "ABBA Voyage" concert in London, Britain May 26, 2022. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSTOCKHOLM, Aug 30 (Reuters) - ABBA star Agnetha Faltskog said she will release a new single on Thursday, relaunching her solo career at the age of 73. Faltskog, lead singer alongside Anni-Frid Lyngstad of the hugely successful Swedish pop band which formed in 1972, released her last solo album a decade ago. on @bbcradio2 with @zoetheball - tune in on Thursday 31st August from 8:30am (BST)," she said on the social media platform late on Tuesday. ABBA won legions of fans around the world with enduring hits such as "Dancing Queen" and "Fernando" and triumphed at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with their performance of "Waterloo".

Persons: Agnetha Faltskog, ABBA, Henry Nicholls, relaunching, Faltskog, Anni, Frid, Fernando, Anna Ringstrom, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Swedish, London, Britain, Rights STOCKHOLM, Waterloo

The two discussed President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's offer to mediate the conflict during a short meeting in the coastal city of El Alamein, an initiative Burhan said he welcomed, according to an Egyptian presidency statement. In brief comments from El Alamein, Burhan said he wanted to end the war, but did not mention the possibility of talks. "We ask the world to take an objective and correct view of this war. This war was started by a group that wanted to take over power, and in the process it has committed every crime that could come to mind," Burhan said. The RSF has denied the accusations but said that any of its fighters found involved in abuses would be brought to justice.

Persons: Burhan, Sisi, Abdel Fattah al, General Abdel Fattah al, RSF, Khalid Abdelaziz, Nafisa Eltahir, Mohamed Waly, Maggie Michael, Clauda Tanios, Jacqueline Wong, Andrew Heavens, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Rapid Support Forces, United, MSF, Nafisa, Thomson Locations: Egypt, Nyala, Sudan, El Alamein, Saudi Arabia, United States, El, Alamein, El Geneina, West Darfur, Western, Khartoum, South Darfur, Dubai, Cairo

☆ British Museum director quits over stolen treasures
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A sign for the British Museum which houses the Parthenon sculptures is seen in London, Britain, January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - The director of the British Museum said on Friday he would step down after admitting to failings in its investigation into the theft of items from its collection. "It is evident that the British Museum did not respond as comprehensively as it should have," he said in a statement. Fischer said that he withdrew remarks made about the art dealer who first alerted museum bosses to the stolen items. Earlier this week, Fischer said Ittai Gradel, an antiquities dealer, withheld information about the scale of the stolen items when he contacted the museum.

Persons: Toby Melville, Hartwig Fischer, Fischer, Ittai Gradel, George Osborne, Osborne, Andrew MacAskill, Sachin Ravikumar, Angus MacSwan, Andrew Heavens Organizations: British, REUTERS, British Museum, Police, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ Niger junta expels French ambassador
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Niger's junta supporters take part in a demonstration in front of a French army base in Niamey, Niger, August 11, 2023. In a statement, the junta-appointed foreign ministry said the decision to expel the ambassador was a response to actions taken by the French government that were "contrary to the interests of Niger." It said these included the envoy's refusal to respond to an invitation to meet Niger's new foreign minister. The French foreign ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The deterioration in Niger-France relations echoes post-coup developments in Mali and Burkina Faso, which have booted out French forces and severed long-standing ties.

Persons: Mahamadou, Sylvain Itte, Mohamed Bazoum, Niger's, Boureima Balima, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Anait Miridzhanian, Chris Reese, Andrew Heavens, Andy Sullivan Organizations: REUTERS, West, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, NIAMEY, French, Burkina Faso, Mali, France

A tally by state broadcaster ZBC showed ZANU-PF winning 101 parliamentary constituencies and the main opposition party Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) winning 59, out of a total of 210. The result of the presidential vote has not been announced yet. The ERC later posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that 16 of its staff together with Zimbabwe Election Support Network members had been released on $200 bail each by a magistrate. Mnangagwa last week told state media that if he got a second term, it would be his last. As in previous elections, the parliamentary results appeared to show ZANU-PF retaining its rural base, while the CCC captured the urban vote.

Persons: Emmerson Mnangagwa's, Nelson Chamisa, Fabio Massimo Castaldo, Castaldo, Nevers Mumba, Patrick Chinamasa, Mnangagwa, Eldred Masunungure, Robert Mugabe, Nelson Banya, Bhargav Acharya, Nellie Peyton, Alexander Winning, Devika Syamnath, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Emmerson Mnangagwa's ZANU, ZBC, ZANU, Coalition, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, REUTERS, Philimon, Rights Police, Zimbabwe Election, Election, Centre, ERC, Zimbabwe Election Support, Southern African Development Community, National Assembly, University of Zimbabwe, PF, CCC, Thomson Locations: EU, HARARE, Harare, Zimbabwe, Philimon Bulawayo, SADC

One group of seven to eight bodies were found huddled together in what appeared to be a final embrace. Vegetation that was meant to offer protection to evade the Greek police turned into a death trap. The only spot of colour in the area where the bodies were found were two blue medical gloves left behind by investigators. At the morgue, Pavlidis has collected DNA samples from the bodies, the only way they will ever be identified. Fires in the area are still burning and Hatzigeorgiou fears more bodies will be found in the forest.

Persons: Pavlos Pavlidis, George Hatzigeorgiou, Hatzigeorgiou, honked, they'd, We've, I've, Adriana Tidona, Pavlidis, Lefteris Papadimas, Karolina Tagaris, Andrew Heavens Organizations: European Union, United, Turkish, UNHCR, Amnesty International, Thomson Locations: EVROS, Greece, ATHENS, Turkey, Avantas, Europe, Libya, East, Asia, United Nations

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