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☆ Djokovic labours to victory over Machac on return to action in Dubai
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 28 (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic won on his return to the ATP Tour following his Australian Open triumph but he had to work hard to beat Czech qualifier Tomas Machac 6-3 3-6 7-6(1) in his Dubai Tennis Championships opener on Tuesday. Machac blinked first in the tiebreak and Djokovic did not need another invitation as he finally quelled the world number 130 to extend his 2023 winning streak to 13 matches. "Tomas didn't play like a world number 130. He was giving me all kinds of trouble but when it mattered most I found another gear," Djokovic said. Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

During the session, which opens on Monday and runs until April 4, many states will seek to extend the mandate of a U.N investigation body set up to probe atrocities in Ukraine. Kyiv and its allies are disgruntled by the participation of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who will address the council on Thursday. Filipenko said Ukraine did not welcome Russia's presence and would "act accordingly," without giving details. The Geneva-based U.N. human rights council is the only body made up of governments to protect human rights worldwide. Countries also will closely watch how Volker Turk, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights since October, refers to China after his predecessor Michelle Bachelet was accused by some rights groups of being too soft on Beijing.

European demand is deepening a shortage of agave, the prickly plant native to Mexico's Jalisco region that's used to make tequila. Tequila prices have leapt. Compounding matters, the flow to Europe of high-quality 100% agave tequila - which has to be bottled in Mexico - has also been constrained by the supply-chain chaos from COVID-19. Michael Merolli, head of Pernod Ricard's tequila business, which includes Olmeca, said there were far fewer tequila brands in Europe than the United States, where the market was more mature and competitive, with new brands emerging every week. U.S. A-listers like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Kendall Jenner and Kevin Hart have all launched tequila brands in recent years.

☆ Murray saves five match points to reach Doha final
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Murray beat his Czech opponent 6-0 3-6 7-6(6), fighting back from 5-3 down in the decider. "If I kept working hard and kept improving just a little bit, then those matches would change. You know how you need to try and play and it becomes a little bit of a habit," Murray said. "Maybe it's a little bit in the back of the opponent's mind, as well. Wild card Murray will face either Canada's second-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime or Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev in the final.

☆ ATP roundup: Jiri Lehecka upsets Doha top seed Andrey Rublev
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

1 seed Andrey Rublev 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Thursday in Doha. Lehecka will face Great Britain's Andy Murray in the semifinals after Murray rallied past French qualifier Alexandre Muller 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. 7 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-4, 7-6 (5) on Thursday while Medvedev battled past Christopher O'Connell of Australia 6-2, 4-6, 7-5. 1 seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland dropped his first set before rallying past Switzerland's Leandro Riedi 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in second-round action at Marseille, France. Third seed Alex de Minaur of Australia beat Swiss qualifier Alexander Ritschard 6-3, 6-3, while fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria was a 6-3, 6-2 winner over Dutch qualifier Gijs Brouwer.

☆ Brazil Suspends Beef Exports to China After Finding Mad-Cow Disease
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Samantha Pearson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A municipal slaughterhouse in São Félix do Xingu, in the Brazilian state of Pará . SÃO PAULO—Brazil, the world’s largest beef exporter, halted shipments of meat to China after confirming a case of mad-cow disease, raising concerns among farmers over a drawn-out beef ban from the country’s biggest trading partner. Brazil’s agricultural ministry said late Wednesday it had notified the World Organization for Animal Health and sent samples for testing in Canada after detecting a case of the disease, bovine spongiform encephalitis, at a small farm in the Amazonian state of Pará.

☆ ATP roundup: Andrey Rublev escapes for win in Doha
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

February 23 - Top-seeded Andrey Rublev of Russia staved off three match points while rallying for a 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (6) win over the Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor in the second round of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Wednesday in Doha. Rublev knocked off three match points and broke serve. In the decisive tiebreaker, Rublev needed three match points of his own to advance to the quarterfinals. Third-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev topped British qualifier Liam Broady 6-4, 6-3. In the tournament's final two first-round matches, French wild-card entrant Arthur Fils topped Russia's Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-3, and Sweden's Mikael Ymer handled Moldova's Radu Albot 6-3, 7-6 (5).

☆ Putin's address to Russia's parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Here are highlights from his speech, which was delivered to members of both houses of parliament, state officials, military commanders and soldiers. CULTURE WARS"They distort historical facts, constantly attack our culture, the Russian Orthodox Church, and other traditional religions of our country. Millions of people in the West understand they are being led to a real spiritual catastrophe. Russia is not withdrawing from the treaty but is suspending its participation..."The United States is developing new types of nuclear weapons... In this situation, the Russian Ministry of Defense and Rosatom must ensure readiness for testing Russian nuclear weapons.

☆ Meta allowed a Kremlin-linked oligarch to run Facebook ads calling for uprisings against pro-Western government in Moldova
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Meta allowed a Moldovan oligarch, sanctioned by the US, to run paid Facebook ads, per AP. Meta removed the ads, but only after they reached an audience of millions. The paid Facebook ads featured oligarch Ilan Shor, who now lives in Israel after being convicted of massive financial fraud. In one ad, Shor, who heads the pro-Russia Shor Party, can be heard accusing Sandu's government of corruption. Moldova was rocked by mass protests late last year, which were organized by the Shor Party, the largest of which took place shortly after the ads were placed.

☆ This biotech hedge fund has elite clients like Yale’s endowment, Tisch. Here are its top bets
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Baker Bros. Advisors, a secretive hedge fund that counts Yale University's endowment and the Tisch family as its clients, held onto a slew of its favorite biotech names last quarter. Its portfolio has grown to be the 15th-biggest among U.S. hedge funds through 2022, according to FactSet, despite its lack of notoriety. The hedge fund specializes in biotech investing as the founders, now in their 50s, take advantage of their educational background in immunology, riding on the explosive growth in the sector over the past decade. Meanwhile, Yale's charitable foundation has invested in 667 LP — a Baker Bros. vehicle — since at least 2009. The hedge fund slightly increased its exposure to Madrigal Pharmaceuticals and Rhythm Pharmaceuticals last quarter, the filing showed.

☆ Rugby-England women's players to receive maternity cover
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The issue of maternity leave for professional athletes has gradually come into sharper focus in recent years. In 2019, sportswear giant Nike introduced a new maternity policy for all its sponsored athletes, guaranteeing pay and bonuses for 18 months around pregnancy. World soccer governing body FIFA introduced 14 weeks of maternity leave in 2020, the same year that the Women’s National Basketball Association announced fully paid maternity leave as part of its collective bargaining agreement for the first time. Rugby Players’ Association general secretary Christian Day described the new policy as a “significant step forward” for the women’s game in England. “This new policy ensures that our women’s players will be better supported through parenthood when representing England,” Day said.

☆ Chelsea's new signings starting to settle despite poor results - Havertz
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 16 (Reuters) - Chelsea forward Kai Havertz said he was encouraged by the way the club's new signings are gelling with the team despite the side recording only one win in 2023. Since manager Graham Potter took over in September Chelsea have scored only 25 goals in 24 games and managed only three in their last eight. Last month's 1-0 Premier League win over Crystal Palace remains their only victory in nine games this year. "I don't think we should be too unhappy with our performance because we created the opportunities, but it's just frustrating that we couldn't take any of them," Havertz said. Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter RutherfordOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nigeria's Buhari grants 60-day extension to turn in old banknotes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Felix Onuah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nigeria's central bank decided last year to start circulating newly designed 1,000 ($2.17) 500 and 200 naira notes. The deadline to turn in old notes has already been extended once to Feb. 10, after which they would no longer have been legal tender. Buhari said in a television broadcast that old 200 notes would continue to circulate in the economy alongside new 1,000, 500 and 200 notes until April 10. But the old 1,000 and 500 notes could only be swapped at the central bank and "designated points", he said. The comments contrasted with last week's Supreme Court interim ruling that said all old notes remain legal tender until it hears a challenge brought by some state governments.

☆ Leaders Arsenal held at home by Brentford, sorry Spurs thrashed at Leicester
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Peter Hall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Brighton, who have not lost this year, were held to a 1-1 draw by Crystal Palace. An eight-point advantage in the table beckoned for Mikel Arteta's side but they never looked comfortable against an enterprising Brentford who should have been ahead by halftime. The visitors got their deserved point through Ivan Toney, who pounced in the 72nd minute to head in Christian Norgaard's cross. Only Harry Kane has netted more away goals in the Premier League this season than the Brentford striker. SORRY SPURSWith manager Antonio Conte back in the dugout after missing their win against Manchester City last Sunday following gallbladder surgery, Spurs made a good start at Leicester.

☆ Equatorial Guinea quarantines 200 after unknown hemorrhagic fever deaths
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Amindeh Blaise Atabong | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] People wait to cross the border into Equatorial Guinea by car and by foot in Kye-Ossi, Cameroon, May 23, 2015. Authorities have restricted movement around the two villages that are directly linked, he said, and contact tracing was ongoing. Equatorial Guinea's neighbour Cameroon on Friday restricted movement along its border after the "unexplained deaths", its Health Minister Malachie Manaouda said in a statement. Equatorial Guinea said on Wednesday that it had registered the "unusual epidemiological situation" over the past weeks in Kie-Ntem province's Nsok Nsomo district that caused nine deaths in two adjacent communities over a short period. A Cameroon district health official near the border area said around 20 deaths had been recorded on Wednesday in villages in Kie-Ntem province, which borders Cameroon's Olamze district.

☆ Spain offers freed Nicaraguans citizenship after move to make them stateless
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueMADRID/MANAGUA, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The Spanish government offered citizenship to more than 200 Nicaraguan political prisoners who were freed and flown to the United States on Thursday, Spain's top diplomat said on Friday. Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares made the announcement to Servimedia news agency, following the surprise release of 222 Nicaraguan prisoners later expelled to the United States. After their release, lawmakers loyal to authoritarian President Daniel Ortega voted to strip them of their Nicaraguan citizenship, which could thwart plans to return home someday. He added that Spain stood ready to receive others, noting that Madrid's decision had been made "after news reports that proceedings had begun to declare them stateless." Spanish authorities will reach out to the prisoners, who were allowed into the United States under a temporary humanitarian visa, so they can formally apply for citizenship.

☆ Not told until the runway: freed Nicaraguan prisoner recounts journey to U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Daina Beth Solomon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"It was at that moment (as the bus turned into the airport) that I realized - we all realized - that we were not going to the Modelo prison, but outside the country," Chamorro told an online news conference. "We were not told until we got to the runway." Ortega has described the release as a push to expel criminal provocateurs who sought to undermine Nicaragua. He added he was not ready to discuss what prison was like inside El Chipote, but said, "No human should be in these conditions." Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Stephen Eisenhammer and David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Who was freed in Nicaragua's surprise political prisoners release?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Cristiana Chamorro and Pedro Joaquin ChamorroCristiana Chamorro was placed under house arrest in 2021, just as she was leading Ortega in polls to unseat him as president at elections. Her brother Pedro Joaquin Chamorro was also arrested and jailed the same month, according to newspaper La Prensa. Arturo CruzAn academic who was Nicaragua's ambassador to the United States between 2007 and 2009, Cruz was arrested in 2021 after returning to Managua from Washington. Like Mairena, he was arrested in 2021 over accusations of crimes during the 2018 protests. On Thursday, he declined to board the plane to Washington, preferring to stay home instead, one of only two prisoners to do so.

[1/5] A few of the more than 200 freed political prisoners from Nicaragua disembark from a bus after they arrived in the United States at Dulles International Airport in Virginia near Washington, U.S., February 9, 2023. A Nicaraguan judge denounced the 222 prisoners released as "traitors" in a televised statement, and said they had been "deported." The released prisoners will be allowed to enter the United States on emergency humanitarian grounds, the administration of President Joe Biden said in a note to Congress. She added: "This sovereign decision of the Nicaraguan state has been taken in the supreme interest of our country, to live in harmony." In addition to the 222 individuals who went to the United States, two others were freed but chose not to travel, the State Department said.

☆ Putin waves a sarcastic goodbye to foreign business departing Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 9 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin waved a sarcastic farewell on Thursday to foreign businesses which have left Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, saying their departure would benefit Russian companies. Our companies and entrepreneurs are picking up these enterprises, and even entire sectors, and continue this work very successfully," Putin added. Scores of Western companies - from energy producers to food and clothing chains - have left Russia in the last year, amid unprecedented sanctions imposed by Western countries after Russia deployed tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine. Putin also said on Thursday that Russia should build a system for developing drones and aim to become a "source of technology and competence". Russian forces have made extensive use of drones, including those purchased from Iran, during their ongoing military campaign in Ukraine.

☆ Over 200 Nicaraguan prisoners, including top Ortega critics, freed and sent to U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Ismael Lopez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MANAGUA, Feb 9 (Reuters) - More than 200 political prisoners in Nicaragua were released and flown to the United States on Thursday, including leading critics of President Daniel Ortega, in what Washington described as a "constructive step" towards improving human rights. The mass release "opens the door to further dialogue between the United States and Nicaragua regarding issues of concern," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. A Nicaraguan judge denounced the 222 prisoners as "traitors" in a televised statement, and said they had been "deported." The released prisoners will go through the humanitarian parole process, the Biden administration said in a note to Congress. It added that the Nicaraguan government had made "its own decision" to release the prisoners, and urged further steps to ensure human rights in Nicaragua.

☆ Do Blue-Light Glasses Actually Help Your Sleep? Here Are 8 Pairs to Try
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Kimberly Goad | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +8 min

And while the verdict is only partially in as to whether they actually reduce eye strain, there is research to suggest that certain blue-light-blocking glasses may help with sleep. That’s where blue light glasses come in. A study published in 2022 looked at 50 pairs of blue-light-blocking glasses (some of which are featured in our picks below). On the other hand, the lighter color means they don’t distort your color perception the way some blue glasses do. The blue-light-blocking glasses that actually filter out blue light do so by absorbing the blue wavelength light to stop it from ever reaching your eyes.

Persons: Kimberly Goad, ”, Michael Grandner, Grandner, they’re, Grandner’s, Cathy Goldstein M.D, Felix Gray, Goldstein, Warby Parker, Matte, Alvin, Warby Parker —, you’ll, Ashley Brissette Organizations: “, Health Research, University of Arizona College of Medicine, University of Michigan Sleep Disorders, Ophthalmology, American Academy of Ophthalmology, Weill Cornell Medicine Locations: University of Arizona College of Medicine Tucson, New York City

☆ Ukraine ready to repel possible Russian offensive this month, defence minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A view shows a building of the National University of Urban Economy heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in central Kharkiv, Ukraine February 5, 2023. REUTERS/Vitalii HnidyiKYIV, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Ukraine expects a possible major Russian offensive this month, but Kyiv has the reserves to hold back Moscow's forces even though the latest Western military supplies will not all arrive in time, Ukraine's defence minister said on Sunday. "Despite everything, we expect a possible Russian offensive in February. This is only from the point of view of symbolism; it's not logical from a military view. Because not all of their resources are ready.

☆ Ukraine says it will not strike Russian territory with new missiles
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

KYIV, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Ukraine will not use longer-range weapons pledged by the United States to hit Russian territory and will only target Russian units in occupied Ukrainian territory, Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Sunday. The United States confirmed on Friday that a new rocket that would double Ukraine's strike range was included in a $2.175 billion U.S. military aid package to help Kyiv fight back Russian forces. "We always tell our partners officially that we will not use weapons supplied by foreign partners to fire on Russian territory. We only fire on Russian units on temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory," Reznikov told reporters at a news conference. Reporting by Pavel Polityuk and Felix Hoske; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Frank Jack DanielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nigeria asks social media giants to curb fake news ahead of election
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Felix Onuah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Arnd WiegmannABUJA, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Nigeria has asked Google (GOOGL.O) and Meta (META.O) to control the spread of fake news on their platforms ahead of a presidential election this month, Information Minister Lai Mohammed said on Friday. Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, has been exploring ways to regulate social media usage. The country is home to millions of internet users and platforms like YouTube, Twitter , Facebook and Tiktok are popular. Mohammed's request comes after he asked Google last year to block the use of YouTube channels and livestreams by secessionist and Islamist militant groups in the country. "These actions, if executed, will go a long way in checking the proliferation of fake news and disinformation on social media ahead of, during and after the elections," Mohammed said.

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