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LONDON/WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - A global ransomware outbreak has scrambled servers belonging to Florida's Supreme Court and several universities in the United States and Central Europe, according to a Reuters analysis of ransom notes posted online to stricken servers. Florida Supreme Court spokesman Paul Flemming told Reuters that the affected infrastructure had been used to administer other elements of the Florida state court system, and that it was segregated from the Supreme Court's main network. "Florida Supreme Court's network and data are secure," he said, adding that the rest of the state court system's integrity also was not affected. Because internet-facing servers were affected, researchers and tracking services like Ransomwhere or Onyphe could easily follow the criminals' trail. Digital safety officials in Italy said on Monday that there was no evidence pointing to "aggression by a state or hostile state-like entity."

The gathering of the 27 national EU leaders was called after Austria and the Netherlands led a growing choir of complaints about increasing arrivals. In a call ahead of the summit with his Polish, Belgian, Finnish, Maltese and Bulgarian counterparts, Orban called for EU financing for such projects, saying that "fences protect all of Europe", according to his press chief quoted by state news agency MTI. In a joint letter ahead of the summit, the leaders of Malta, Denmark, Greece, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Austria and Slovakia said the EU's "current asylum system is broken." "Irregular migration has once again become one of the most pressing issues in the EU," they said. "Without renewed and successful efforts ... irregular migration to Europe can only be expected to continue and increase in the coming years."

LONDON/WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - A global ransomware outbreak has scrambled servers belonging to Florida's Supreme Court and several universities in the U.S. and Central Europe, according to a Reuters analysis of ransom notes posted online to stricken servers. The Florida Supreme Court didn't respond to messages. Reuters contacted the hackers via an account advertised on their ransom notes but only received a payment demand in return. Because internet-facing servers were affected, researchers and tracking services like Ransomwhere or Onyphe could easily follow the criminals' trail. Reporting by James Pearson in London and Raphael Satter in Washington; Editing by Anna DriverOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU says over 10 search and rescue teams mobilised to Turkey after earthquake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 6 (Reuters) - More than 10 search and rescue teams from the EU have been mobilised in the wake of the major earthquake that has hit Turkey, a spokesperson for the European Commission told reporters on Monday. "Urban Search and Rescue teams have been quickly mobilised from Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, France, Greece, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania to support the first responders on the ground," the European Commission said in a statement. Italy, Spain and Slovakia have offered their rescue teams to Turkey as well. The EU said it was also ready to support those affected in Syria, but said it had not yet received a request from the country to activate the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism, which coordinates assistance from EU and other European countries. Reporting by Bart H. Meijer, Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A Swedish-made fighter jet could tip the scales against Russia in Ukraine, but it might not get there any time soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Sebastien Roblin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Ukraine's air force remains in the fight almost a year after Russia's shambolic invasion. Sooner or later, Ukraine must induct new jet fighters into service — and they sure aren't buying them from Russia. JAS-39 Gripen: background and capabilitiesA Swedish JAS 39 Gripen at Bobo, Norway in October 2018. A Hungarian Air Force JAS-39 Gripen in August 2010. JAS-39 Gripen vs. F-16A US Air Force F-16 takes off from Aviano Air Base in Italy in June 2020.

☆ U.S. grabs 2-0 lead in Davis Cup at Uzbekistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

February 4 - The United States moved to the brink of advancing out of its Davis Cup qualifying series by winning both singles matches against host Uzbekistan on Friday in Tashkent. Mackenzie McDonald beat Sergey Fomin 6-4, 6-1 before Tommy Paul, fresh off reaching the Australian Open semifinals, defeated Khumoyun Sultanov 6-1, 7-6 (6). In other Friday action, Germany and Switzerland split their first two singles matches in Trier, Germany. Switzerland's Marc-Andrea Huesler rallied past Oscar Otte 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 before Germany's Alexander Zverev downed Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-1. Serbia holds a 2-0 lead on host Norway in Oslo, and host Sweden is up 2-0 on Bosnia and Herzegovina in Stockholm.

☆ Czechs and Slovaks see storms disrupt traffic and cut power
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 4 (Reuters) - Gale-force winds and snow storms cut power supplies to thousands of Czech households on Saturday and closed the main east-west highway in Slovakia, officials and local media said. In Slovakia's Zilina region, authorities called on people to stay indoors and avoid non-essential travel, especially to the north of the country, as winds reached more than 120 km per hour in the Tatra mountains. A section of the D1 highway near the Tatra mountains was closed for several hours after around 30 cars were caught in an accident due to heavy snowfall, local media reported. In the Czech Republic, 15,000 households were still without electricity in the afternoon - down from around 90,000 in the morning - after strong winds brought down trees and disrupted the grid, while dozens of train services were canceled, CTK news agency reported. Reporting by Robert Muller; Editing by David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ ECB set to raise rates again in May, policymakers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

While neither would specify where rate hikes could end, Simkus said the ECB could be approaching a peak. "I think that we are already moving towards that terminal rate." Indeed, analysts polled by the ECB expect the euro zone central bank to eventually conquer inflation - but not for another two years. Markets currently price the terminal rate at 3.35%, suggesting that some investors see just a 25-bp move after the already signalled March move, while others see 50. Companies surveyed by the central bank were planning to raise prices at a slower pace and with less conviction.

☆ France leads push for EU to boost nuclear-produced hydrogen
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ministers from France, Poland, the Czech Republic and six other EU countries wrote to the European Commission this week urging it to open up EU renewable energy targets to include hydrogen produced from nuclear energy. EU countries and lawmakers have been preparing for negotiations next week on the law, which will guide the pace of Europe's renewable energy expansion this decade. Hydrogen can also be produced from electricity, so the EU wants to set sectoral targets for hydrogen made from renewable electricity. The nine countries' letter, seen by Reuters, said the EU should include nuclear energy - which is low-carbon, but not renewable. At least nine EU countries oppose the idea, among them Germany, Denmark, Austria and Luxembourg, officials said.

☆ Four of six accused get lengthy sentences over Vienna jihadist attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VIENNA, Feb 2 (Reuters) - A Vienna court on Thursday handed lengthy sentences, including life in prison, to four of six men accused of helping a jihadist prepare a deadly shooting rampage in 2020. While police said the gunman, Kujtim Fejzulai, who held Austrian and North Macedonian nationality, carried out the attack alone, the six defendants were accused of providing help beforehand. Two others received sentences of 20 and 19 years, the court said in a statement. The second defendant sentenced to life was Heydayatollah Z, 28, who lived with the attacker for weeks before the attack. The two defendants with the mildest sentences accepted the ruling, the court said, Of the remaining four, three plan to appeal and the other is considering it, added.

This would take the rate the ECB pays on bank deposits to the highest level since November 2008, after a steady climb from a record low of -0.5% in July. Reuters GraphicsThe ECB said in December that rates would be increased "at a steady pace" until it is happy inflation is heading back down to its 2% target. BNP Paribas also thought the ECB might take out the reference to a "steady pace" of rate hikes or offset it so that a 50-basis-point increase would be "not predetermined (but) still a possible outcome". And an ECB survey showed banks were tightening access to credit by the most since the 2011 debt crisis - usually the harbinger of lower growth and slowing inflation. To some observers, this meant the ECB would be wise not to commit to any future policy move.

☆ Seven EU countries oppose new EU funding as response to U.S. subsidy plan - letter
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Jan Strupczewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Plans by the European Commission to create new European Union funding for the green industry are facing mounting opposition in the 27-nation bloc, as seven EU countries openly rejected the idea in a letter to the EU executive. The letter, seen by Reuters and dated Jan. 26, was signed by the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Austria, Ireland, Estonia and Slovakia and addressed to the European Commission vice president responsible for trade, Valdis Dombrovskis. All 10 countries say the EU should be using funds already approved instead of seeking more money. But in their letter, the seven countries said the EU should first spend the money it had already agreed to raise through the 800 billion euro post-pandemic recovery and resilience fund (RRF) of grants and cheap loans. "We have to ensure that the economy can better absorb the already agreed EU funding," the seven countries wrote.

[1/9] Czech presidential candidate Petr Pavel and his wife Eva Pavlova react at his headquarters, after results are announced for the country's presidential election, in Prague, Czech Republic January 28, 2023. Pavel, a 61-year-old retired general running for office for the first time, won 58.3% of the vote with all voting districts reporting final results, defeating billionaire ex-premier Andrej Babis, a dominant but polarising force in Czech politics for a decade. Pavel has also fully backed continued support for Ukraine in its defence against Russia's invasion. Babis, 68, a combative business magnate who heads the biggest opposition party in parliament, had attacked Pavel as the government's candidate. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy congratulated Pavel on his election on Twitter and said he looked forward to close cooperation.

☆ Hundreds of armored vehicles are now heading to Ukraine to help fight off a looming Russian 'onslaught,' US officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Christopher Woody | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The US, UK, and Germany have agreed to provide their tanks to Ukraine, as have some other countries. Those tanks now join hundreds of other armored vehicles delivered or promised to Kyiv. The 31 Abrams tanks the US will send to Ukraine likely won't arrive for months or longer, but the US and European countries have already committed to sending Ukraine several different types of armored vehicles. (On Wednesday, US officials said M88 recovery vehicles would be delivered with the Abrams tanks.) The US and Germany have agreed to send M1 Abrams and Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

☆ Explainer: Why has Ukraine sought Leopard 2 battle tanks?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Kyiv has been pushing for the Leopard 2 tank in particular because it has several advantages over the alternatives, such as Britain's Challenger 2 and the U.S. M1 Abrams tanks. With some 20 nations operating the Leopard 2, several nations could each chip in a small portion of their tanks to support Ukraine. Germany has about 350 Leopard 2 tanks today, compared to some 4,000 battle main tanks at the height of the Cold War, according to German military expert Carl Schulze. At the same time, it is all but impossible to buy a large amount of Leopard 2 tanks quickly. However, unlike the Leopard 2, it is not widely used, which limits how many can be made available for Ukraine.

☆ Germany agrees to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine, allies to follow
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Andreas Rinke | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Germany's decision paves the way for other countries such as Poland, Spain, Finland, the Netherlands and Norway to supply some of their Leopard tanks to Ukraine, going some way towards delivering the hundreds of tanks that Ukraine says it needs. "Germany will always be at the forefront when it comes to supporting Ukraine," Scholz told German parliament to applause. Germany aims to quickly establish two battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine and initially provide 14 Leopard 2 tanks from its own inventory. A battalion normally comprises three or four companies with around 14 tanks each. Poland has also pledged 14 tanks and Britain has promised 14 of its own Challengers.

☆ Germany to send Leopard tanks to Kyiv, allow others to do so - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Germany delivers its first Leopard tanks to Slovakia as part of a deal after Slovakia donated fighting vehicles to Ukraine, in Bratislava, Slovakia, December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Radovan StoklasaBERLIN, Jan 24 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has decided to send Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine and allow other countries such as Poland to do so while the United States may supply Abrams tanks, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. A government spokesperson, the foreign ministry and the defence ministry declined to comment. Other allies, in Scandinavia for example, intend to go along with Germany in supplying their Leopard tanks to Kyiv, the magazine reported. U.S. officials told Reuters that Washington may soon drop its opposition to sending Abrams tanks to Ukraine, in a move intended to encourage Germany to follow.

"Germany will always be at the forefront when it comes to supporting Ukraine," Chancellor Olaf Scholz told the German parliament, to applause. "At a critical moment in Russia's war, these tanks can help Ukraine defend itself, win and stand as an independent nation," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. [1/13] Germany delivers its first Leopard tanks to Slovakia as part of a deal after Slovakia donated fighting vehicles to Ukraine, in Bratislava, Slovakia, December 19, 2022. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said any U.S. tanks sent to Ukraine would "burn like all the rest". Ukraine defeated Russia's troops on the outskirts of Kyiv last year and later drove them out of swathes of occupied land.

☆ Archaeologists found 38 skeletons in a 7,000-year-old mass grave. All but one had been decapitated.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyArchaeologists have discovered a 7,000-year-old mass grave in Slovakia containing 38 skeletons, with all but one decapitated. A ditch, where the mass grave was found, ran around the village over the length of approximately a mile. An unexpected discoveryA picture shows the mass grave found in Vráble-Ve`lke Lehemby in Slovakia. Prof. Dr. Martin Furholt, Institute for Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology/Kiel UniversityThese weren't the first headless bodies found in the ditch. That's why the discovery of such a huge mass of headless bodies came as a complete surprise, Fuchs said.

LONDON, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Global aluminium production rose by a marginal 2.0% last year, a rate of growth that was down from 2.7% in 2021 and the slowest since 2019, according to the International Aluminium Institute (IAI). Global aluminium production by region change versus 2021EUROPE POWERS DOWNWestern European aluminium output was running at an annualised 2.73 million tonnes in December, down by 540,000 tonnes on December 2021 and the lowest production rate this century. Latin America was the fastest-growing aluminium production region last year with output up 10.7% year on year. As ever more smelters switch to green energy sources, global aluminium production is ever more dependent on seasonally variable power availability. Such regional adjustments are now part and parcel of the global aluminium production landscape but they have injected a new degree of volatility into aluminium's previously slow-changing supply side.

☆ Referendum in Slovakia fails to bring early vote closer
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 22 (Reuters) - A referendum in Slovakia failed to open a path to early elections after most voters avoided the polling stations on Saturday, quashing the opposition's plan to bring the contest forward. Only one popular vote - on joining the European Union - has passed the threshold since Slovakia's independence in 1993. An early election can be held in Slovakia if the constitution is changed to permit parliament's four-year term to be shortened. Such a change of constitution would need approval by a referendum or by at least 90 votes in the 150-seat parliament. Political parties are due to hold another round of talks on Sunday evening, where they will discuss prospects for holding early elections which could take place before the summer or in autumn.

☆ Factbox: Ukraine's military supplies: What ground vehicles are Kyiv's allies sending?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

THE UNITED STATES:Bradley Fighting Vehicle: a tracked, armoured vehicle with a turret-mounted 25-mm gun that can carry up to seven soldiers in addition to three crew. M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzer: a tracked, armoured vehicle with a 155 mm gun. Stryker armoured personnel carrier: a wheeled armoured vehicle that can be configured to handle anything from carrying infantry to medical evacuations. M1117 armoured security vehicle: a wheeled vehicle with a mine-resistant hull. SWEDENArcher Artillery System: a wheeled, self-propelled gun.

Andrew Tate once called his sexually explicit webcam business a “total scam” and boasted on his website that he lured women in by getting them to fall in love with him. Romanian authorities arrested him, his brother and two women on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organized crime group, according to Reuters. The webcam business that Tate ran and openly spoke about is central to these charges, according to Romanian Authorities. Some of the allegations by Romanian authorities echo what Andrew Tate has said publicly about his webcam business. Earlier this month, Vice reported that Tate was arrested in 2015 in the U.K. on suspicion of sexual assault and physical abuse, citing statements from U.K. authorities and Tate himself.

☆ Factbox: European states in Estonia pledge weapons for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Ints KalninsJan 19 (Reuters) - A group of 11 European states have pledged to deliver more arms to Ukraine in its war with Russia, saying they would send main battle tanks, heavy artillery, air defence, ammunition and infantry fighting vehicles. The 11 nations were Estonia, Britain, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Spain. Weapons donations and military support will continue in close cooperation with allies and in accordance with Ukrainian needs. Estonia will continue to provide both basic and specialist training to hundreds of Ukrainian Armed Forces members in 2023. Poland has already donated 42 infantry fighting vehicles along with training package for two mechanised battalions.

☆ EU tourist stays neared pre-pandemic levels in 2022 - Eurostat
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 18 (Reuters) - The number of nights spent in tourist accommodation in the European Union in 2022 approached pre-pandemic levels, the bloc's statistics office Eurostat said on Wednesday, confirming the sector's recovery path after the COVID-19 pandemic. The 27-nation bloc recorded 2.72 billion nights spent in tourist accommodation last year, down by only 5.6% from 2019 levels, before COVID-19 inflicted heavy losses on the tourism industry due to border closures and lockdowns. This number is an increase of 91.1% and 48.3% from 2020 and 2021 levels, respectively. Domestic travel saw the strongest recovery, already exceeding pre-pandemic levels by 0.7% to 1.53 billion nights, while international tourism was still 12.6% below at 1.19 billion nights. Latvia and Slovakia were among the slowest recovering countries in terms of tourist night numbers in 2022, only recovering to slightly above 70% of 2019 levels.

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