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☆ Heavy rains forecast for cyclone-hit areas of New Zealand
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Lewis Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A view of flood damage in the the aftermath of cyclone Gabrielle in HawkeÕs Bay, New Zealand, in this picture released on February 15, 2023. New Zealand Defence Force/Handout via REUTERSFeb 21 (Reuters) - Parts of cyclone-stricken New Zealand could see heavy rains from Thursday as relief and recovery efforts continue and tens of thousands remain without power after Cyclone Gabrielle tore across the country's North Island last week. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has called Gabrielle New Zealand's biggest natural disaster this century. Hard-hit regions across the north east, where 13,000 remain without power and 1,300 are in emergency shelters, are set for heavy rain from Thursday. ($1 = 1.6028 New Zealand dollars)Reporting by Lewis Jackson in Sydney; Editing by Lincoln Feast.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military shot down a "high altitude object" in American airspace off the coast of Alaska on Friday, the White House announced, less than a week after a similar object was shot down off the coast of South Carolina. "We're calling this an object because that's the best description we have right now," said White House spokesman John Kirby, adding "we don't know what entity owns this object." The spy balloon shot down this past weekend was approximately the size of three school buses, according to Pentagon officials. The latest incident differed significantly from the previous high-altitude balloon in that this object was shot down within hours of its detection. The larger, previous balloon was permitted to float across the United States for a week.

☆ Japan's Daikin picks Manchester, UK as test bed for green tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] The logos of Daikin Industries Ltd are seen at the company's office in Tokyo August 29, 2012. Demand for heat pumps - which rely on electricity to transfer heat - has been booming in Europe amid soaring natural gas prices, with consumers in many countries waiting months for heat pump installations. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said the partnership with Daikin symbolised the city's industrial ambitions. Heat pumps, sometimes described as reverse air conditioners, use electricity to concentrate heat potential and are comparatively more energy efficient than gas boilers. Daikin, headquartered in Osaka, last year said it would build a heat pump factory in Poland as part of its expansion plans.

☆ UK car production is at its weakest since 1956. And the industry is losing the EV race
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

London CNN —UK car manufacturing hit a 66-year low in 2022, as the closure of two plants, a global shortage of semiconductors and the effect of Covid lockdowns in China on auto supply chains crippled output. “The relationship between the UK and the EU, especially as you electrify, is still fundamental to the success of UK car manufacturing,” he said. UK factories made a record 234,066 electric vehicles in 2022, almost a third of all UK car production. Aston Martin and Jaguar Land Rover, owned by India’s Tata Motors (TTM), are also positive about the prospects for electric vehicle manufacturing in the United Kingdom. “Our continued investment in our UK facilities … will herald an exciting new era of electric car production in the UK,” the company said.

☆ Turkey cancels Swedish defence minister visit after protest permit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Andy Commins/Pool via REUTERSISTANBUL, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday that a planned visit by his Swedish counterpart to Ankara has been cancelled after Swedish authorities granted permission for protests in Stockholm. "At this point, the visit of Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson to Turkey on January 27 has become meaningless. So we cancelled the visit," Akar said. Swedish Defence Minister Jonson had planned to travel next week to Ankara at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart as the Nordic country hopes to nudge Turkey to ratify its bid to join NATO. The necessary things needed to be done, measures should have been taken," Akar said according to a statement by Turkish defence ministry.

☆ One of the UK's largest unions announces 10 more days of strikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

COVENTRY, U.K. - Dec. 21, 2022: Unite union general secretary Sharon Graham (centre), joins ambulance workers on the picket line outside ambulance headquarters in Coventry. On Friday, Jan. 20, Unite announced a further 10 days of strikes as a dispute between the government and ambulance escalated. Jacob King/PA Images via Getty ImagesLONDON — One of the U.K.'s largest unions on Friday announced 10 further days of strike action over the coming weeks, as a standoff between the government and ambulance workers intensifies. More than 2,600 ambulance workers in Wales and the West Midlands, North West, North East and East Midlands of England are already set to walk out on Monday as part of an ongoing dispute over pay and staffing. The newly announced strikes will affect the North West (Feb. 6, 22 and March 20), North East (Feb. 6, 20 and March 6, 20), East Midlands (Feb. 6, 20 and March 6, 20), West Midlands (Feb. 6, 17 and March 6, 20), Wales (Feb. 6, 20 and March 6, 20) and Northern Ireland (Jan. 26 and Feb. 16, 17, 23 and 24).

☆ Amazon plans to shut three UK warehouses, impacting 1,200 jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Amazon (AMZN.O) plans to shut three warehouses in Britain in a move that will impact 1,200 jobs, but workers will be given the chance to transfer to other units, the online retail giant said on Tuesday. Those employees will be given the chance to move jobs internally, said Amazon, with those from the first two sites moving to other warehouses nearby. Amazon says it operates 30 large warehouses across the United Kingdom. Amazon said it planned to open two new warehouses in central and north east England over the next three years, a move it said will create 2,500 new jobs. The planned closing of the British warehouses are not part of the wider restructuring which mainly covers non-warehouse roles in e-commerce and human resources.

☆ Police officer killed during protests in Jordan over high fuel prices
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AMMAN, Dec 16 (Reuters) - One senior police officer was killed on Thursday in clashes with demonstrators in the southern Jordanian city of Maan during protests over high fuel prices that spread to several cities across the kingdom, police and witnesses said. A police source had earlier said the officer was shot by unknown assailants during clashes in the Husseiniya area of Maan. Witnesses said a long convoy of armoured vehicles was seen entering Maan as reinforcements were sent to the neighbourhood where the police officer was killed. Tensions have been mounting in Maan and several cities in southern Jordan after days of sporadic strikes by lorry drivers protesting high fuel prices. Some activist strikers have threatened to stage street protests in provincial cities on Friday.

☆ Spanish prisoners craft Christmas 'pooper' figures of world leaders
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FIGUERES, Spain, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Inmates at a prison north of Barcelona have produced thousands of clay figurines of world leaders and celebrities with their pants down and defecating, in keeping with a tradition from the north eastern Catalonia region of Spain. [1/7] Catalan traditional figurines "caganers" representing Putin and Zelenski are displayed in a shop, which symbolise defecation and fertilisation of the earth, and are believed to bring prosperity and luck for the coming year, in a shop in Barcelona, Spain, December 14, 2022. REUTERS/ Albert Gea 1 2 3 4 5Originally the "caganer" (pooper) figures were shepherds hidden among nativity scenes, to be spotted by family and friends, but the tradition has expanded to include famous figures in the headlines over the past year. The Puig les Basses prison taught inmates how to make the statuettes in collaboration with a private family business, Caganer.com, which this year added Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to its collection of more than 600 models, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, the late Queen Elizabeth II and her son and successor King Charles III. Reporting by Horaci Garcia; writing by Charlie Devereux; editing by Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ South Africa President Ramaphosa is facing the threat of impeachment over 'Farmgate' scandal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa could face impeachment after an independent panel found that he may have violated anti-corruption law during the investigation of a robbery at his farm. In what has become known as the "Farmgate" scandal, Ramaphosa is alleged to have covered up a $4 million theft from his Phala Phala farm in the north east of the country in 2020. Ramaphosa staunchly denies the allegations and has not been charged with any crimes. Ramaphosa delayed a planned parliamentary appearance on Thursday to consider the panel's findings, while his spokesman Vincent Magwenya also canceled a scheduled media briefing. "I categorically deny that I have violated this oath in any way, and I similarly deny that I am guilty of any of the allegations made against me."

However, the patterns suggest that sexual violence “maybe even more frequent” in territories that were occupied for longer periods, he added, without providing evidence. Widespread or systematic sexual violence could amount to crimes against humanity, which are generally seen as more serious, legal specialists said. Moscow, which has said it is conducting a “special military operation" in Ukraine, has denied committing war crimes or targeting civilians. Evidence that sexual violence was planned could indicate it was part of a systematic attack or that some level of command was aware, said Kim Thuy Seelinger, an advisor to the ICC on sexual violence in conflict and a research associate professor at Washington University in St. Louis. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s office said it has opened dozens of criminal cases involving sexual violence by members of the Russian armed forces against women, children and men.

☆ Attackers injure pro-Russia judge who sentenced foreigners to death in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 5 (Reuters) - Ukrainian attackers shot and seriously injured a judge in an eastern Russian-controlled region of Ukraine who sentenced three foreigners to death in June, a pro-Moscow official said on Saturday. "The Ukrainian regime continues to display its vile terrorist methods," Pushilin wrote on Telegram. In June, Nikulin passed death sentences on two Britons and a Moroccan who were captured while fighting for Ukraine, ruling they had tried to overthrow local authorities. The three men, who Pushilin described as "Nazi war criminals", were released in September as part of a major prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia. A number of Russian-installed officials have been killed and injured in recent months in apparent assassination attempts.

"When you run a business, if you keep hearing on the news that gas supplies are at risk, you've got to do something. It's not like you can start screaming and stamping your foot when they actually do halt flows for two hours a day," Checchi told Reuters. Higher prices contributed to the 16.2% rise in manufacturing turnover Italy reported in July on a calendar adjusted basis, but volumes also increased by 1.7%. "We invested 10 million euros to build two cogeneration plants and save 4 million euros this year," he said, adding Italcer saved another million by reducing the tiles' thickness to 8.5 from 10 millimetres. Italian business lobby Confindustria has warned of an "economic earthquake", saying the new government will struggle to offset the hit from energy prices on firms like Draghi managed to do without hurting Italy's fragile public finances.

☆ Meet Matt Krause, the man who critics say helped make Texas a national leader in book bans
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-18 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Texas now has the highest number of book bans in the US. Texas is now a leader in book bans, and one influential politician — along with pressure from the GOP — may have been the driving force, a Houston Chronicle investigation found. By April 2022, a PEN America analysis found that Texas had 713 bans, nearly half of all book bans in the US. Some politicians and parent groups disagreed with the inquiryKrause denies any political motivations behind the book list, but critics disagree. For Foote, the book bans represent GOP political motivations, citing school board officials and lawmakers who have begun their own book challenges.

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