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☆ EU tries to push Azerbaijan-Armenia peace as Russia offers more talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Armenia says the proposed peace treaty should provide special rights for them and guarantee their security. As a matter of priority, violence and harsh rhetoric should stop in order to provide the proper environment for peace and normalisation talks," Michel said. He told reporters: "The population on the ground needs reassurances, first and foremost regarding their rights and security." Besides the EU, the United States has also been pushing the sides to reach a peace deal. This could be followed up with a Moscow summit to sign a peace treaty, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Persons: Charles Michel, Ilham Aliyev, Nikol Pashinyan, Jeyhun Bayramov, normalisation, Michel, Aliyev, Pashinyan, Nailia Bagirova, Philip Blenkinsop, Mark Trevelyan, Frances Kerry Organizations: European Union, EU, Armenian, Azberbaijani, Reuters, Foreign Ministry, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia, Brussels, Soviet Union, Nagorno, Karabakh, United States, Ukraine, Moscow

Those export controls, which "were imposed for important reasons," remain in place, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office said in statement. "The Prime Minister discussed Sweden's accession to NATO with our partners in Vilnius, including with President Erdogan," the statement said. Ahead of the NATO summit, Turkey, already seeking assurances over the F-16s in talks with Washington, asked that Canada's export controls also be rolled in to the final discussion, the person familiar with the talks said. At Vilnius, Canada outlined its position to Turkey on rules regarding uses of any exported technologies, and was awaiting a response. This means the talks on export controls are no longer frozen, a move that helped play a role sealing Erdogan's pledge over Sweden, the person said.

Persons: Erdogan, Tayyip Erdogan's greenlight, Justin Trudeau's, Joe Biden, Devlet Bahceli, We've, Huseyin Hayatsever, Jonathan Spicer, Steve Scherer, John Irish, Tom Perry, Jamie Freed Organizations: NATO, Atlantic, Organization, Canada, Canadian, Washington, U.S, Kurdistan Workers Party, European Union, Nationalist Movement Party, Erdogan's, Thomson Locations: Turkey, Erdogan, ANKARA, Canada, Ankara, Sweden, Stockholm, Vilnius, Washington, United States, Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Finland, Turkish, Ukraine, Turkey's, Helsinki, European, Istanbul, Ottawa

☆ Dynamo Kyiv criticise Fenerbahce for pre-season games in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 9 (Reuters) - Ukrainian club Dynamo Kyiv said Fenerbahce were a club "without honour and conscience" in a strongly-worded statement after the Turkish side travelled to Russia to play in a pre-season tournament. "The bloody money of (Russian energy giant) Gazprom has eclipsed everything for you, left you without honour and conscience," Dynamo said in a statement. Dynamo accused the Turkish club of accepting "bloody handouts from the sponsors of terrorism," and added: "Nothing can justify this step. Last year, Fenerbahce were given a one-game partial stadium closure, suspended for two years, after their fans chanted Russian President Vladimir Putin's name in a game against Dynamo Kyiv. UEFA's Appeals Body had fined Fenerbahce 50,000 euros ($54,835) and ordered the partial closure of their stadium.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Body, Rohith Nair, Clare Fallon Organizations: Dynamo Kyiv, Fenerbahce, Zenit St, Red Star Belgrade, Neftci, Pari, Gazprom Arena, FIFA, UEFA, Gazprom, Dynamo, Turkish, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Turkish, Russia, Zenit St Petersburg, Red, Azerbaijan, St Petersburg, Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, Bengaluru

☆ The US Army is looking for help from AI to predict what its enemies will do minutes or even hours before they do it
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The US Army wants help with "continuous, real-time predictive visualization" of enemy actions. The project is spurred by fears that human analysts won't be able to keep up with complex warfare. The Army wants the project to "take advantage" of emerging AI and/or machine-learning technologies. Military intelligence can't "assume an enemy whose behavior can be modeled via a doctrinal template," the Army RFI says. US Army military intelligence soldiers train at Camp Bullis in Texas in March 2019.

Persons: —, Daniel Schroeder, Melissa N, Lessard, ChatGPT, Michael Peck Organizations: US Army, Army, Service, Lewis, McChord, Army RFI, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, US Defense Department, RFI, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Washington, Nagorno, Karabakh, Ukraine, Russia, Bullis, Texas, Forbes

☆ OPEC chief says the search is on for new members of the oil producers' group
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Haitham al-Ghais, secretary-general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), speaking at the Energy Asia Summit on June 26, 2023. The secretary-general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Country signaled that the influential producers' alliance is actively open to recruiting new members. Asked if he is trying to expand the OPEC coalition, the organization's Secretary-General Haitham al-Ghais told reporters on Wednesday: "I am, yes." OPEC members coordinate the amount of oil they output in an effort to influence prices. He mentioned recent visits paid to oil-producing countries, however, including allies that currently implement a joint production strategy with OPEC countries, in a group known as OPEC+.

Persons: Haitham, Ghais Organizations: Organization of Petroleum Exporting, Energy Asia Summit, OPEC, Ecuadorian Locations: East, North, West Africa, South America, Ecuador, Ecuadorian, OPEC, Malaysia, Brunei, Azerbaijan, Mexico

☆ Verstappen takes his fourth pole in a row
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

June 30 (Reuters) - Red Bull's Formula One leader Max Verstappen took pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix on Friday while team mate and closest title rival Sergio Perez qualified only 15th after having a lap deleted. The pole was Verstappen's fourth in a row, while Mexican Perez, 69 points behind Verstappen after eight races all won by Red Bull, failed to make the top 10 for the fourth race in succession. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc qualified second with team mate Carlos Sainz third. Drivers will have another qualifying on Saturday for a standalone 100 km sprint race that no longer determines Sunday's grid under a new format introduced this season and first used in Azerbaijan in April. Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Perez, Verstappen, Red Bull, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Alan Baldwin, Louise Heavens Organizations: Austrian, Drivers, Thomson Locations: Azerbaijan, London

☆ Reading the Tea Leaves on the End of the War in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Thomas E. Ricks | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in February last year has led to the biggest war in Europe in many generations. Within a month of the war’s onset, it had already become “a [foul]-up of historic proportions,” as one veteran Ukraine correspondent recently put it. Five weeks after the invasion, Putin’s spokesman claimed that Ukraine’s military was “largely destroyed.”But a war intended to undercut Ukraine’s leaders and NATO has instead strengthened both. Less noticed in the West is how Russia’s war has also alienated former Soviet nations such as Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. Just before the war, the Scottish American historian Niall Ferguson wrote that Ukraine would receive “no significant military support from the West” and speculated on the location of Putin’s victory parade.

Persons: —, Don, Vladimir Putin, Izvestia, Niall Ferguson Organizations: Wagner, NATO, Scottish, West Locations: Ukraine, Europe, Russian, Rostov, mull, Bulgaria, Romania, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Scottish American, Ukrainian

☆ Inflation is finally cooling — but the Wagner Group's attempted mutiny in Russia may send it back up, analysts warn
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Oil prices spiked more than 1% on Sunday after the Wagner Group's attempted mutiny. Analysts say oil prices could continue to gain on the geopolitical risks in energy giant Russia. Following the aborted coup over the weekend, benchmark crude oil US West Texas Intermediate and Brent crude oil futures both jumped over 1% on Sunday. As of Monday, oil prices have come off — but analysts say oil futures could continue posting gains due to the geopolitical risk in energy giant Russia. Benchmark US WTI crude oil futures were up 0.2% at $69.29 a barrel at 1:29 a.m. EDT on Monday.

Persons: Wagner Group's, Rystad Energy's Jorge Leon, —, Vladimir Putin's, Jorge Leon, Leon, Paul Sheldon Organizations: Service, West Texas Intermediate, Brent, Rystad Energy, P, Commodity Locations: Russia, Kuwait, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan

☆ A failed US Navy experiment during World War II hinted at how exploding drones would change the battlefield 80 years later
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Loitering munitions have become a staple on modern battlefields, especially in Ukraine. The technology is not new, and a US Navy experiment during World War II hinted at its utility. Loitering munitions and armed UAVs in general are often regarded as a 21st-century development, but they have a long history. During World War II, the US Navy was behind some of the first such drone strikes during an experiment that was ultimately scrapped but hinted at what was to come. Russian forces have used domestically made Lancet loitering munitions against Ukraine's military and employed Iranian-made Shahed-136 and 131 loitering munitions in attacks on military and civilian targets.

Persons: —, it's, Oleksii Organizations: US Navy, Service, Heritage Command, US, Interstate Aircraft, Company, Schwinn Bicycle Company, Navy, Interstate, Task Air, US Naval Heritage, Command, Getty Locations: Ukraine, Solomon Islands, Banika, Cape Esperance, Guadalcanal, Marcus, South Pacific, Bougainville, Solomons, Russian, Kyiv, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Soviet

☆ Erdogan sees swift steps from new finance minister but says his own monetary views unchanged
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Some of our friends should not be mistaken, such as (asking) 'Is our president going for a serious change in interest rate policies?'" "But upon the thinking of our treasury and finance minister, we have accepted that he will take steps swiftly, comfortably with the central bank," Erdogan said. Analysts at leading investment banks now expect Turkey's central bank to start ramping up rates at its monetary policy committee meeting on June 22. Erdogan said he told the new central bank governor about his expectations. "God willing, neither our finance minister nor our central bank governor will embarrass us and I think we will hopefully obtain positive results."

Persons: Erdogan, Tayyip Erdogan, Mehmet Simsek, Hafize Gaye Erkan, Simsek, Orhan Coskun, Nevzat Devranoglu, Huseyin Hayatsever, Ali Kucukgocmen, Daren Butler, Peter Graff Organizations: stoke, Authorities, Wall Street, Toksabay, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, Azerbaijan, Turkish, Ankara

☆ Formula One statistics for the Canadian Grand Prix
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Formula One F1 - Canadian Grand Prix - Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal, Canada - June 19, 2022 Red Bull's Max Verstappen in action during the race REUTERS/Chris Helgren/File PhotoJune 14 (Reuters) - Statistics for Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, race eight of the 22-round Formula One season:Lap distance: 4.361km. Start time: 1800GMT (1400 local)CANADAThis weekend will be the 52nd Canadian Grand Prix, and 42nd in Montreal. Hamilton has won seven times in Montreal (in 2007, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019), including the first of his career. The rain-hit Canadian Grand Prix of 2011 was Formula One's longest race, lasting four hours, four minutes and 39.537 seconds. MILESTONEAlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda is starting his 50th grand prix.

Persons: Gilles Villeneuve, Max Verstappen, Chris Helgren, Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Red Bull, Valtteri, Montreal . Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, McLaren, Aston, Lance, Jacques Villeneuve, Verstappen, Ayrton Senna, Bull, Hamilton, Aston Martin's Alonso, Leclerc, Sergio Perez, Aston Martin, Mercedes, Perez, Romeo's, Zhou, George Russell, Yuki Tsunoda, Alfa, Alan Baldwin, Toby Davis Organizations: Prix, Sunday's, Montreal's Circuit, Ferrari, One's, WINS, Bull, Formula One, Spanish, Aston, Alfa Romeo, Thomson Locations: Montreal, Canada, Netherlands, Finland, Montreal ., Canadian, Barcelona, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, London

Erdogan spoke as officials from Turkey, Sweden, Finland and NATO met on Wednesday in Ankara for talks to try to overcome Turkish objections holding up Sweden's NATO membership bid. The parties agreed to continue working on the "prospective concrete steps" for Sweden's NATO membership, the statement said. In justifying its objections to Swedish membership, Turkey has accused Stockholm of harbouring members of Kurdish militant groups it considers to be terrorists. While he was having talks with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg earlier this month, a similar protest was held in Stockholm, Erdogan said. He added that he also told Stoltenberg Sweden should prevent such actions to secure Turkey's approval for its NATO membership.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Umit, Erdogan, Oscar Stenstrom, Stenstrom, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Huseyin Hayatsever, Simon Johnson, Johan Ahlander, Niklas Pollard, Daren Butler, Nick Macfie, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, NATO, Wednesday, Turkish, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Kurdistan Workers Party, European Union, Ece Toksabay, Thomson Locations: Ankara, Turkey, ANKARA, Sweden, Stockholm, Azerbaijan, Finland, Madrid, Ukraine, Hungary, extraditions, Stoltenberg Sweden, Vilnius

☆ Turkey won't back Swedish NATO bid unless it stops anti-Turkish protests -Erdogan
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Erdogan made his comments before officials from Turkey, Sweden, Finland and NATO met on Wednesday in Ankara for talks to try to overcome Turkish objections that have delayed Sweden's NATO membership bid. In justifying its objections to Swedish membership, Turkey has accused Stockholm of harbouring members of Kurdish militant groups it considers to be terrorists. On the day he was having talks with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg earlier this month, a similar protest was held in Stockholm, Erdogan said. He added that he also told Stoltenberg Sweden should prevent such actions to secure Turkey's approval for its NATO membership. After meeting Erdogan, Stoltenberg said a deal on Sweden joining the alliance could be reached before the NATO summit in Vilnius next month.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Huseyin Hayatsever, Daren Butler, Nick Macfie, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: NATO, Wednesday, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Kurdistan Workers Party, European Union, Ece Toksabay, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, Sweden, Ankara, Turkey, Stockholm, Azerbaijan, Finland, Hungary, Madrid, extraditions, Stoltenberg Sweden, Vilnius

☆ These economies benefited from Russia's isolation — but they now risk Western retaliation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Changing trade patterns in the region are an opportunity, but also a risk. Georgian public support for EU membership has resurged over recent months, with four-fifths (81%) of the population currently in favor joining the bloc, according to a recent poll from U.S.-founded non-profit the National Democratic Institute. Armenia, meanwhile, has never submitted an application for either membership, and other Central Asian countries would not be eligible to join the EU. The geopolitical context with which we [Georgia] are now thought of is with other Central Asia countries. But they don't have EU membership as a target — we do," Kukava said.

Persons: Armenia's, haven't, Mikheil Kukava, Subir Lall, —, Kukava, they're, Ursula von der Leyen, Armen Nurbekyan, Nurbekyan Organizations: Anadolu Agency, Getty, International Monetary Fund, Institute for Development of, CNBC, Russia Western, European Bank for Reconstruction, Development, European Union, Georgia's National Statistics Office, European Commission, of Seven, Central Bank of, EU, NATO, of Information, U.S, National Democratic Institute, Central Locations: Tbilisi, Russian, Moscow, Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine, Russia, Soviet, Russia's, Caucasus, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, East, Central Bank of Armenia, Armenia's, U.S, of Information Georgia

☆ Dommaraju Gukesh beats Nodirbek Abdusattorov in battle of the teenaged chess prodigies
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Dommaraju Gukesh beat Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the battle of the teenaged chess prodigies at the Norway Chess tournament on Sunday. Seventeen-year-old Gukesh and 18-year-old Abdusattorov could not be separated during the classical portion of the match with it ending in a draw. Gukesh faces Dutch grandmaster Anish Giri in round six on Monday, while Abdusattorov faces the US’ Fabiano Caruana. Gukesh surveys the board during his round nine game against the Azerbaijan team at the 44th Chess Olympiad on August 7, 2022. “It was very similar to the Gukesh game [Nakamura won 3-0],” he said afterwards.

Persons: Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Gukesh, Magnus Carlsen, –, ” “, ”, chess.com, White, Abdusattorov, Anish Giri, ’ Fabiano Caruana, Arun Sankar, Hikaru Nakamura, Nakamura, Caruana, “, he’d, Tari, Wesley So, ” Carlsen, Giri, Carlsen, Tarjei J Organizations: CNN, Norway, Azerbaijan, Getty, Tari Locations: Catalan, Stavanger, Norway, American

☆ A member of Putin's NATO equivalent said it is 'not Russia's ally' in the fight against Ukraine, further splintering the alliance
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Armenia, a member of the CSTO, said it is "not Russia's ally in the war with Ukraine." The CSTO is Russia's equivalent of NATO, but members have snubbed Putin since its invasion of Ukraine. Experts say the alliance is crumbling as Russia's invasion exacerbated existing tensions. "We are not Russia's ally in the war with Ukraine. Some of those snubs directly related to the Ukraine war, including Kazakhstan denying Russia's request to send troops when the invasion began.

Persons: Putin, —, Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, Vladimir Putin, it's, Dmitry Peskov Organizations: NATO, Service, CNN Prima, Security, Organization, Reuters Locations: Armenia, Ukraine, Czech, Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Soviet Union, Azerbaijan, Moscow

NATO Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) surveillance aircraft will watch the skies over the summit venue through Friday, the alliance said in a statement. Missile debris from the war in Ukraine has been found in Moldova several times since Russia invaded 15 months ago. "NATO AWACS can detect aircraft, missiles and drones hundreds of kilometres away, making them an important early warning capability," NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said. The summit will also touch on a range of strategic issues, ranging from energy to cybersecurity and migration. Reporting by John Irish, Andrew Gray and Alexander Tanas; writing by John Irish; editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Josep Borrell, Nicu Popescu, Ana Revenco, Oana Lungescu, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Maia Sandu, Ursula von der, Albin Kurti, Aleksandar Vucic, ” Borrell, Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, John Irish, Andrew Gray, Alexander Tanas, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: High Representative, European Union for Foreign Affairs, Moldova's, Russia, NATO, Kyiv, Control Systems, European, Kosovo, EU, Thomson Locations: Chisinau, Moldova, Ukraine, Kosovo, Moldovan, Romania, Russia, Ursula von der Leyen, KOSOVO, Slovakia, defusing, Serbian, Europe, Azerbaijan, Armenia

The upcoming national strategic fund for "Made in Italy" products will have an initial endowment of 1 billion euros ($1.10 billion) in state cash, the statement said, adding it would also aim to boost procurement of "critical raw materials." A draft seen by Reuters showed that the new vehicle was also entitled to invest in domestic, listed firms not operating in the financial sector. The scheme will aim to raise at least an additional 500 million euros from private investors, according to the document. Run by the state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), the Patrimonio Rilancio fund was originally intended to provide some 40 billion euros of financing, but has so far invested just around 1 billion. Once the bill is approved by parliament, the government will issue a decree defining how the fund will work.

Persons: Rome, Giorgia Meloni, Adolfo Urso's, Italy's, Alison Williams, Deepa Babington Organizations: Reuters, United Arab, Industry, Patrimonio, InfraVia Capital Partners, Paris, Equity, Thomson Locations: ROME, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan, Norway, France

☆ Turkey election 2023: What's at stake in the runoff?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The election takes place three months after earthquakes in southeast Turkey killed more than 50,000 people. WHAT'S AT STAKE FOR TURKEY ... [1/2] People walk next to posters of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, ahead of the May 28 presidential runoff vote, in Istanbul, Turkey, May 25, 2023. Seeking a runoff boost from nationalist voters, Kilicdaroglu has in the last two weeks sharpened his anti-immigrant tone and promised to repatriate migrants. Pollsters later pointed to an unexpected surge in nationalist support at the ballot box to explain the result.

☆ India's Russian oil buying hits record high, slashes Mideast, Africa share
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Nidhi Verma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Asia's third-largest economy imported about 1.9 million barrels per day (bpd) of Russian oil in April, about 4.4% higher than the previous month, the data showed. Higher imports from Russian raised the share of oil from the C.I.S. India's oil imports from various regionsRussia remained the top oil supplier to India for the sixth-straight month in April, followed by Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Oil imports from Russia also rose as Indian Oil Corp (IOC.NS), the country's top refiner, raised the size of its annual import deal with Rosneft (ROSN.MM). Lower purchases of oil from the Middle East dragged OPEC's share of India oil imports to a record low of 46%, the data showed.

☆ Russia's Putin and Iran's Raisi oversee railway deal signing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MOSCOW, May 17 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi on Wednesday oversaw, via video-link, the signing of a deal on financing and construction of an Iranian railway line to facilitate regional trade. The Rasht-Astara railway is seen as an important link in the broader international North–South Transport Corridor, connecting India, Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan and other countries via railways and sea. Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Kevin LiffeyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Can the UK afford to host Ukraine’s Eurovision? It can’t afford not to
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

watch nowThe U.K. will host the 67th Eurovision Song Contest on May 13. What is the Eurovision Song Contest? The U.K. is hosting the 67th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023, as the war remains ongoing in Ukraine, 2022's winners. For one, the competition can be a great advert for the host city — and country — which can endure well after the party is over. Electro-pop duo Tvorchi is representing Ukraine in the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.

Under the terms of the agreement, up to $4 billion in Turkish energy payments to Russia may be postponed until next year, both sources told Reuters under condition of anonymity. Turkey, which is preparing for elections on Sunday, depends heavily on energy imports and Russia is its largest supplier. The source said Turkey could push back further such payments in the coming months depending on the course of energy prices. The Russian and Turkish energy ministries, and their respective energy companies Gazprom and Botas, have not responded to requests for comment on the issue. Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said last week that Turkey and Moscow agreed a deal allowing Ankara to defer energy payments up to a certain amount, but did not give details.

☆ Factbox: Who qualified in the first Eurovision semi-final?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LIVERPOOL, England, May 9 (Reuters) - The first semi-final of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest was held in Liverpool, northern England, on Tuesday. Ten of the 15 countries performing went through to Saturday's Grand Final. They will join 10 qualifiers from Thursday's second semi-final, last year's winner Ukraine, and the "big five" - Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain - in the Grand Final. WHICH COUNTRIES QUALIFIED? Malta, Latvia, Ireland, Azerbaijan and the NetherlandsReporting by Paul Sandle, Editing by Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: When are the Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals and final?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LIVERPOOL, England, May 9 (Reuters) - Eurovision 2023 has kicked off in Liverpool, northern England, where acts from 37 countries are competing to win the 67th edition of the song contest. There are 37 countries taking part with 31 competing in two semi-finals and 10 going through to the Grand Final. Ukraine, as the previous winner, automatically progresses to the Grand Final, along with the "big five", comprising the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy. Semi-final 1: viewers in the 15 countries taking part are eligible to vote, alongside France, Germany, and Italy. Semi-final 2: Viewers in the 16 countries taking part are eligible to vote, alongside Spain, Ukraine, and the UK.

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