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[1/2] Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla leave after their visit to the Bolton Town Hall, in Bolton, Britain January 20, 2023. Steinmeier, said it was an important "European gesture" that Charles had chosen France and Germany for his first state visit, even before his coronation in May. Steinmeier said he had extended an invitation to Charles, who has traveled to Germany more than 40 times, at the funeral of his mother last September. However, any warmer relations with Europe brought about by the visit could cool quickly if other post-Brexit issues flare up. Macron has suggested Charles' visit to France could be rescheduled for the summer.

☆ In Egypt's 'Garbage City', a charity teaches children to recycle
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Now 34, she runs a charity that encourages children in the area to make creative and positive use of their environment by exploring the space and recycling. [1/3] Teresa Saeed, 34, founder of charity "Mesaha" known as "Space" in Arabic, works with children to collect materials from rubbish to recycle in Cairo's Zabaleen known as "Garbage City", in Manshiyat Nasser, Cairo, Egypt March 17, 2023. REUTERS/Hana Habib 1 2 3Saeed's charity Mesaha, the Arabic word for space, runs weekly recycling activities for 150-200 children aged 6-15. "These activities help children connect with their environment and think outside the box," Saeed said. "I dream that those children will grow to be leaders of change in their future professions or wherever they go" she said.

☆ Death toll in Pennsylvania chocolate factory blast rises to seven
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A general view shows smoke coming out from a chocolate factory after fire broke out, in West Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S., March 24, 2023 in this picture obtained from social media. Twitter @Based_In410/via REUTERSMarch 27 (Reuters) - The death toll from an explosion at a chocolate factory in Pennsylvania has risen to seven people, with authorities ending a search for those believed to be missing following Friday's blast. Palmer Co in West Reading, a town of 4,500 about 60 miles (97 km) northwest of Philadelphia. Seven other people were taken to local hospitals with injuries, said the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) on Friday. Palmer Company was founded in 1948.

Two of Germany's largest airports, Munich and Frankfurt, suspended flights, while long-distance rail services were cancelled by rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DBN.UL). "Millions of passengers who depend on buses and trains are suffering from this excessive, exaggerated strike," a Deutsche Bahn spokesperson said on Monday. At the same time, in France they go on strike all the time about something," said passenger Lars Boehm. The head of the Bundesbank Joachim Nagel said last week Germany needed to avoid a price-wage spiral. "Despite signs of second-round effects, we have not observed a destabilising price-wage spiral in Germany so far."

☆ Death toll in US strikes on pro-Iran targets in Syria rises to 19 -war monitor
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT, March 25 (Reuters) - The death toll in U.S. air strikes on pro-Iran installations in eastern Syria has risen to 19 fighters, a Syrian war monitor said on Saturday, in one of the deadliest exchanges between the U.S. and Iran-aligned forces in years. The U.S. carried out strikes in eastern Syria in response to a drone attack on Thursday that left one American contractor dead, and another one wounded along with five U.S. troops. The war monitor said air raids killed three Syrian troops, 11 Syrian fighters in pro-government militias and five non-Syrian fighters who were aligned with the government. Another U.S. service member was wounded, according to officials, and local sources said suspected U.S. rocket fire hit more locations in eastern Syria. Tehran's growing entrenchment in Syria has drawn regular Israeli air strikes but American aerial raids are more rare.

☆ Britain to announce plan to house migrants on military bases within weeks -report
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, March 25 (Reuters) - Plans by the British government to move migrants out of hotels and into military bases or even disused ferries are expected to be announced within weeks, Sky News reported on Saturday. Previous suggestions involving the use of holiday camps and student halls were less likely to be brought into action, the report said. The government has signalled it wants to end the use of hotels as asylum seeker accommodation. “We continue to work across government and with local authorities to identify a range of accommodation options." Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made stopping boat arrivals a key priority after the number of migrants arriving on the English south coast soared to 45,000 last year, up 500% in the last two years.

☆ Putin and Erdogan held phone call, discussed grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, March 25 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin said on Saturday. Erdogan thanked Putin for his "positive attitude" in extending the Black Sea grain deal and expressed his "understanding of the Russian side's principled position to achieve the full implementation of the second part of the agreement, removing barriers for Russia's agricultural products," the Kremlin said in a statement. Russia laid out conditions on Monday for agreeing to any further extension of the Black Sea grain deal, and Putin said that Moscow could send free grain to African countries if those conditions were not met. They also discussed the normalisation of Turkish-Syrian relations, it said. Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The U.S. has said Rusesabagina was unlawfully detained, while Rwanda has bristled at the criticism, saying it would not be intimidated. The U.S. allocated more than $147 million in foreign assistance to Rwanda in 2021, making it Rwanda's largest bilateral donor. Blinken met Kagame during a visit to Rwanda in August, where U.S. officials said the case was discussed extensively. Yet Kigali continued to take a hard line, with Kagame suggesting on the sidelines of the December summit that only an invasion of Rwanda could force Rusesabagina's release. He will remain in Rwanda for a couple of days before travelling to Doha and then to the United States, U.S. officials said.

☆ China's attitude towards developing stable, constructive Sino-US relations unchanged
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SHANGHAI, March 25 (Reuters) - China's attitude towards developing a healthy, stable and constructive Sino-U.S. relationship remains unchanged, while it hopes the United States will stop using "unscrupulous means" to contain and suppress China, China's foreign minister Qin Gang said on Saturday. China hopes the two nations will work together to promote bilateral relations to overcome difficulties and return to healthy and stable developments, Qin said as he met U.S.- friendly organizations and business representatives in Beijing. Qin said China will continue to provide a better business environment for global companies, including U.S. firms. Reporting by Shanghai Newsroom Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Thai PM Prayuth to run for re-election in May
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/8] Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, as the PM candidate from the United Thai Nation Party (Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party), gestures with party's members during an event to unveil the party's candidates list and campaing for the upcoming election, in Bangkok, Thailand, March 25, 2023. REUTERS/Athit PerawongmethaBANGKOK, March 25 (Reuters) - Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha was officially nominated for re-election on Saturday as his party's first candidate for the country's next leader in polls set for May 14. Prayuth, 69, is running with the new United Thai Nation Party, and will likely face Pheu Thai party's Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter and niece of two former premiers from the billionaire family. "We volunteer to make everyone as happy as possible," Prayuth said at a party event to introduce its candidates for all 400 constituencies. Party leader Pirapan Salirathavibhaga was nominated as the party's No.

☆ Pessimism persists at big Japanese manufacturers amid global slowdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Tetsushi Kajimoto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Reuters Tankan, designed to closely track the Bank of Japan's key quarterly tankan survey, suggested the central bank's survey due next April 3 will likely show deterioration in business confidence at big manufacturers. The sentiment index for big manufacturers stood at minus 3, slightly up from minus 5 seen in the previous month, according to the survey conducted March 8-17. Compared with three months ago, the manufacturers' index was down 11 points, suggesting worsening of sentiment in the BOJ tankan's headline big manufacturers index. The Reuters Tankan index is expected to rebound to plus 10 over the next three months. The large service-sector firms' index rebounded to plus 21 in March from plus 17 seen in the previous month.

Broadcom (AVGO.O) agreed to buy the cloud computing and virtualisation company last year to diversify into enterprise software. Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Wednesday the deal could dampen innovation and drive up the cost of computer parts and software for servers. "Servers are a vital building block, functioning largely thanks to hardware products made by firms like Broadcom, working in unison with virtualisation software from firms like VMware," said CMA Executive Director David Stewart. The regulator said Broadcom had five working days to address its concerns, after which it would decide within a further five days whether to refer the deal to an in-depth investigation. The EU competition enforcer, which declined to comment on the report, will make a decision by June 21.

☆ Boeing to take charges on KC-46 tanker over quality issue -finance chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 22 (Reuters) - Boeing (BA.N) Co. will take additional charges to the KC-46 tanker program due to a supplier quality issue with the center fuel tank, the company's finance chief said Wednesday. Earlier this month, the company confirmed that deliveries of the Boeing 767 freighter and KC-46 tanker were delayed as a supplier had not completed processes related to cleaning and paint adhesion on the center fuel tanks. "But now we have to go implement the fix both on production airplanes and some airplanes that are in the fleet." Boeing has taken $6.8 billion in charges on the tanker program since it was awarded a $4.9 billion contract by the U.S. Air Force in 2011. Reporting by Valerie Insinna; Editing by Toby Chopra and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Explainer: What is the European Union AI Act?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Apart from uses of AI by companies, it will also look at AI used in public sector and law enforcement. A GPAIS (General Purpose AI System) is a category proposed by lawmakers to account for AI tools with more than one application, such as generative AI models like ChatGPT. The proposals say those found in breach of the AI Act face fines of up to 30 million euros or 6% of global profits, whichever is higher. WHEN WILL THE AI ACT COME INTO FORCE? The Act is being discussed by parliamentarians, and after they reach common ground, there will be a trilogue between representatives of the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission.

☆ Hong Kong heiress sues gallery owner Pearl Lam over Banksy painting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HONG KONG, March 22 (Reuters) - An heiress of the Hong Kong beverage giant Vitasoy International (0345.HK) is suing prominent gallery owner Pearl Lam, saying she has paid 500,000 pounds ($613,000) for a Banksy painting that was never delivered, according to a court writ filed this week. The 2005 painting by the British artist is a "remix" of a masterpiece by Impressionist painter Claude Monet. It was sold at a Sotheby's auction in October 2020 for more than 7.5 million pounds, far above an estimated sale price of 3 million pounds to 5 million pounds. Lam is one of more than 170 gallery owners participating in Art Basel Hong Kong this week. Reporting by Farah Master and Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Spain's top court upholds euthanasia law in blow for far-right party
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, March 22 (Reuters) - Spain's Constitutional Court has dismissed a challenge by far-right party Vox against a euthanasia law approved in 2021, dealing a second blow to Vox on Wednesday as its no-confidence motion against the government failed in parliament. Spain is the fourth country in the European Union to have such a law. Both Vox and the conservative People's Party (PP) had voted against the bill. Euthanasia is strongly opposed by the Catholic Church, whose doctrine views life as a divine gift that should not be prematurely shortened. Reporting by David Latona; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China OKs its first mRNA vaccine, from drugmaker CSPC
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, March 22 (Reuters) - China's CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Limited (1093.HK) said on Wednesday its messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccine had received emergency use authorisation from Chinese health authorities, making it the country's first domestically developed mRNA shot. China has declined to use mRNA vaccines from abroad and vaccines available in China are widely considered less effective than the Moderna (MRNA.O) and Pfizer (PFE.N)-BioNTech (22UAy.DE) mRNA shots. The company said its independently developed mRNA vaccine SYS6006 targets some major Omicron variants and its booster dose showed good neutralization effect against Omicron subvariants BA.5, BF.7, BQ.1.1., XBB.1.5 and CH.1.1. The firm got emergency approval to conduct clinical trials of the mRNA shot in April last year, around the same time as CanSino, another China-based company that is testing an mRNA Omicron booster shot. Shares in the company rose as much as 7.7% after the result and the announcement of the mRNA approval.

☆ Police officer shot during raids in German Reichsbuerger probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Madeline Chambers | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The searches follow raids in December, when German police foiled a plot by members of the Reichsbuerger movement to stage a violent coup and install aristocrat Heinrich XIII Prinz Reuss as national leader. One SEK officer was slightly injured and a suspect Reichsbuerger was arrested in Reutlingen during nation-wide raids in the extreme far-right movement. REUTERS/Markus Ulmer 1 2 3 4 5Germany's domestic intelligence service Verfassungsschutz put the Reichsbuerger movement under observation in 2016. The measure is related to the Reichsbuerger scene. "In an exchange of fire, a police officer was shot in the arm," prosecutors said in a statement.

The draft needs to be thrashed out between EU countries and EU lawmakers, called a trilogue, before the rules can become law. This led to different AI tools being classified according to their perceived risk level: from minimal through to limited, high, and unacceptable. Almost all of the big tech players have stakes in the sector, including Microsoft (MSFT.O), Alphabet (GOOGL.O) and Meta (META.O). BIG TECH, BIG PROBLEMSThe EU discussions have raised concerns for companies -- from small startups to Big Tech -- on how regulations might affect their business and whether they would be at a competitive disadvantage against rivals from other continents. A recent survey by industry body appliedAI showed that 51% of the respondents expect a slowdown of AI development activities as a result of the AI Act.

☆ Lebanese security forces fire tear gas at crowds protesting pound devaluation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Mohamed AzakirBEIRUT, March 22 (Reuters) - Lebanese security forces on Wednesday fired tear gas at hundreds of protesters, mostly retired members of the security forces, who had gathered near government buildings in Beirut in anger at deteriorating economic conditions. Crowds gathered in the streets of downtown Beirut between parliament and the government serail, carrying Lebanon's tricolour or flags bearing the logos of security forces. They were outraged at the deteriorating value of state pensions paid in the local currency. One soldier was seen treating a young boy who was affected by the tear gas. "He's suffering just like me," he told Reuters, clutching two of the tear gas canisters fired just moments earlier.

"We have found widespread bullying, discrimination, institutional homophobia, misogyny and racism," the report said, adding "women and children do not get the protection and support they deserve". [1/4] A Metropolitan Police officer stands on duty in Westminster, London, Britain, October 1, 2021. The review said the biggest barrier was the Met's culture of defensiveness and denial about the scale of its problems. Met Commissioner Mark Rowley, Britain's most senior police officer, told reporters: "We've let Londoners down and we've let our own frontline down ... The 360-page report listed strong leadership, a women's protection service, and a new children's strategy as some of its recommendations.

☆ 'Climate time bomb ticking', emissions must urgently be cut, UN chief says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( David Stanway | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 20 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that the "climate time bomb is ticking" as he urged rich nations on Monday to slash emissions sooner after a new assessment from scientists said there was little time to lose in tackling climate change. "The rate of temperature rise in the last half century is the highest in 2,000 years," he said. The synthesis report summarised findings from three expert assessments published between 2021 and 2022 that looked at the physical science, impacts, and mitigation of climate change. The summary report is designed to provide clarity for policymakers as they consider further action to slash emissions. The document will also serve as a guide for a global climate change "stocktake" set to take place this year, in which countries will assess progress.

☆ Vietnam seizes 7 tonnes ivory in largest wildlife smuggling case in years
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, March 20 (Reuters) - Vietnamese authorities on Monday seized seven tonnes of ivory smuggled from Angola, the largest seizure of wildlife products in years, the government said. Trade in ivory is illegal in Vietnam but wildlife trafficking remains widespread. Other items often found smuggled into the country include pangolin scales, rhino horns and tiger carcasses. This followed the finding of more than 600 kilograms of African ivory last month at the city's Lach Huyen Port. Last month, a court in Vietnam sentenced a man to 13 years in prison for trafficking nearly 10 tonnes of endangered animal parts from Africa, including ivory and rhino horns.

☆ Japan PM Kishida, India's Modi set to strengthen cooperation, Kishida says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida talk before their meeting at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, March 20, 2023. REUTERS/Adnan AbidiNEW DELHI, March 20 (Reuters) - Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Monday he confirmed with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi that they would strengthen cooperation between the two nations. Kishida was speaking to reporters in New Delhi. Reporting by Sakura Murakami, writing by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ South African rand weakens ahead of anti-government protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, March 20 (Reuters) - The South African rand weakened against the dollar on Monday ahead of planned protests by the Marxist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party. At 0743 GMT the rand traded at 18.4350 against the dollar, 0.16% weaker than its previous close. South African security forces on Monday said 87 people had been arrested over the past 12 hours over public violence. The Marxist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party has called for a national shutdown to protest crippling power cuts and demand the resignation of President Cyril Ramaphosa. "This constitutes a risk event for the country and could harm sentiment on South African markets if the outcome is bad," ETM Analytics said in a note.

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