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☆ Tens of thousands welcome Pope Francis in Democratic Republic of Congo
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Jillian Kumagai | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Pope Francis stands next to Democratic Republic of Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi as he attends the welcoming ceremony at the Palais de la Nation on the first day of his apostolic journey, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, January 31,...more

☆ Jamaica willing to take part in military intervention in Haiti, PM says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 22, 2022. REUTERS/David 'Dee' DelgadoKINGSTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Jamaica would be willing to take part in an international military deployment to Haiti, Prime Minister Andrew Holness told lawmakers on Tuesday, saying the Caribbean island country could also support its neighbor on electoral reforms. Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry has pleaded for foreign military support. The U.N. envoy to Haiti, Helen La Lime, has called for more urgency, saying the police cannot win without outside support. "Jamaica would be willing to participate in a multinational security assistance deployment to Haiti under the appropriate jurisdictional parameters to support a return to a reasonable level of stability and peace," Holness told lawmakers.

☆ Chelsea smash British transfer record to sign Benfica's Fernandez
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Chelsea announced the signing of Enzo Fernandez from Benfica on Wednesday after days of complex negotiations between the clubs to secure the Argentina midfielder for a British transfer record 106.8 million pounds ($131.46 million). Premier League club Chelsea announced the signing on Wednesday 1000 GMT via a video on Twitter, which showed a clip of a clock ticking down, making a reference to race against time to sign the World Cup winner. It takes Chelsea's transfer spending in January alone to close to 300 million pounds and to more than 500 million pounds since last May's takeover by an investment group led by American Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. His fee eclipses the 100 million pounds Manchester City paid Aston Villa for England midfielder Jack Grealish in 2021. On Tuesday, Chelsea sold experienced midfielder Jorginho to Premier League leaders Arsenal for 12 million pounds.

☆ Explainer: What is driving the violence in eastern Congo?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Sonia Rolley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Djaffar SabitiGOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Jan. 31 (Reuters) - A focus of Pope Francis' visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo is a meeting on Wednesday with around 60 victims of the decades of violence in the east of the country who have made the cross-country journey to see him. Millions have been killed, and millions more have been displaced by the violence in the east since the 1990s. WHAT IS DRIVING THE VIOLENCE IN EASTERN CONGOThe conflict in Congo goes back decades, making it difficult to isolate a few causes, said Jason Stearns, director of the Congo Research Group. The name refers to the March 23 date of a 2009 accord that ended a previous Tutsi-led revolt in eastern Congo. Rwanda has accused Congo of using the FDLR a proxy, while Congo has accuse Rwanda of backing the M23.

"Hands off the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Stop choking Africa: it is not a mine to be stripped or a terrain to be plundered," Francis said. [1/9] Pope Francis sits next to Democratic Republic of Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi as he attends the welcoming ceremony at the Palais de la Nation on the first day of his apostolic journey, in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, January 31, 2023. The pope criticised rich countries for ignoring the tragedies unfolding in Congo and elsewhere in Africa. On Wednesday, Francis will celebrate Mass at a Kinshasa airport that is expected to draw more than a million people.

☆ As Deal Making Picks Up, Tech Chiefs Worry About Software Integration
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Angus Loten | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

That is a potentially costly process that can require overhauling existing enterprise tech stacks, or even hiring high-priced experts to manage new IT tools, analysts said. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS How can tech executives smooth the integration of new digital tools when their vendors make acquisitions? Hewlett Packard Enterprise this month said it acquired Pachyderm and would integrate new software tools into its enterprise-tech platform. HPE this month said it acquired Pachyderm, a San Francisco-based software startup, and would integrate the new software tools into its enterprise-tech platform. “Our existing customer base will want to know they won’t be forced to replace an existing technology they already buy,” Mr. Hotard said.

☆ A Russian graveyard reveals Wagner’s prisoner army
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +18 min

The resting places were adorned with simple wooden crosses and brightly coloured wreaths that bore the insignia of Russia’s Wagner Group - a feared and secretive private army. The news agency matched the names of at least 39 of the dead here and at three other nearby cemeteries to Russian court records, publicly available databases and social media accounts. He said gravediggers told him the bodies had come from the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, close to Russia’s border with Donetsk region. According to Russian court documents, Kochas and another man burst into the apartment of an acquaintance while drunk in an attempted robbery. But he refused, so he’s a fool.”A Russian graveyard reveals Wagner’s prisoner army By Felix Light and Filipp Lebedev in Tbilisi and Reade Levinson in London Photo editing: Simon Newman Graphics: Fielding Cage Art direction: Eve Watling Edited by Janet McBride

☆ Tech Chiefs Fear ‘Frankenstein’ Software Integrations
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Angus Loten | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Microsoft Corp. this month said it plans to incorporate AI into all of its enterprise software, while boosting its multibillion-dollar investment in OpenAI, the startup behind chatbot ChatGPT. That is a potentially costly process that can require overhauling existing enterprise tech stacks, or even hiring high-priced experts to manage new IT tools, analysts said. Hewlett Packard Enterprise this month said it acquired Pachyderm and would integrate new software tools into its enterprise-tech platform. HPE this month said it acquired Pachyderm, a San Francisco-based software startup, and would integrate the new software tools into its enterprise-tech platform. “Our existing customer base will want to know they won’t be forced to replace an existing technology they already buy,” Mr. Hotard said.

☆ Spain says it is open to sending Leopard tanks to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Belén Carreño | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Spain's defence minister said on Wednesday Madrid was open to providing Ukraine with German-made Leopard 2 tanks, after Germany agreed to send the tanks and said NATO allies could do the same. Spain has 108 2A4 tanks, according to security and defence researcher Felix Arteaga of the Elcano think-tank. In late 2022, Spain delivered its largest package of defence materiel for Ukraine to date, sending to the logistics hub in Poland heavy weapons, long-range and anti-tank ammunition. Spain has sent four U.S.-made HAWK air defence systems and has committed to sending two more. It is also offering medical treatment to wounded Ukrainian soldiers, and air defence training at its air base in Toledo.

☆ Tsitsipas subdues Lehecka to reach Australian Open semi-final
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the Australian Open semi-finals for the fourth time as the Greek saw off rising Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-3 7-6(2) 6-4 on Tuesday. The third seed dominated the opening set after breaking a nervy Lehecka early on but was pushed hard after that against the 21-year-old who has enjoyed a breakout tournament. Tsitsipas was forced to save three successive break points at 3-3 in the third set as Lehecka threatened to extend the Rod Laver Arena clash. Tsitsipas will face Russian Karen Khachanov in the semi-final when he will again enjoy strong support from the many Greek-origin fans in Melbourne. Lehecka, who enjoyed impressive wins against seeded players Borna Coric, Cameron Norrie and Felix Auger-Aliassime during his run, will rue not taking any of eight break points.

☆ Rwanda shoots at Congolese military jet over alleged airspace violation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A video shared widely on Congolese social media showed a projectile shooting towards an airborne military plane, before exploding in the air near the plane, which continued to fly. Congo denied Rwanda's accusation that the jet had been in Rwandan airspace - the latest dispute between the two countries whose relationship has been strained by a rebel insurgency. Earlier the Rwandan government said Rwandan forces had fired at the jet after it violated Rwandan airspace in Rubavu - the same area as previous alleged violations, "prompting the government to take defensive measures." Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi said last week that the rebels had not fully withdrawn from those areas. In December, Rwanda said another fighter jet from Congo had briefly violated its air space.

☆ Lehecka high on belief after Australian Open heroics
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"I didn't expect that," world number 71 Lehecka, who made his breakthrough last year by reaching the Rotterdam semi-finals as a qualifier, told reporters. Hopefully we'll go one more step, step after step. "To be in those moments and be cool under pressure, play well the right points, serve well to close the match, it's a good sign of a good player," Auger-Aliassime said. "Yeah, I'm sure for those reasons he'll be a good player in the future." Up next for Lehecka is a potential meeting with third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, his conqueror in the Rotterdam semi-finals, if the Greek gets past Jannik Sinner.

☆ Top seed Swiatek crashes out, Gauff exits Australian Open in tears
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"I felt the pressure, and I felt that I don't want to lose instead of I want to win," said Swiatek, who dominated last season with two Grand Slam wins. Rybakina, the 22nd seed, might have expected to face Gauff in the quarter-finals but the much-hyped American teen was upset 7-5 6-3 by Jelena Ostapenko, the forgotten Grand Slam winner of women's tennis. The win secured a first Australian Open quarter-final for hard-hitting Ostapenko, as well as the first at a Grand Slam since her run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2018. Latvia's first - and only - Grand Slam champion stunned the world when she hoisted the trophy at Roland Garros as an unseeded 20-year-old. Third seed Pegula will face the winner of Victoria Azarenka and China's Zhu Lin for a place in the semi-finals.

Between '97 and '02, HBO released TV series like "Sex and the City," "The Wire," and "The Sopranos." Counterprogram, counterprogram, counterprogramFrom its very inception in the early 1970s, HBO executives came to believe that if HBO was to thrive in the long-run, it would have to focus on doing things differently than the big three commercial TV networks: ABC, CBS, and NBC. When HBO executives sent the first episode of "The Sopranos" to a focus group, it scored horribly. The screening was attended by the film's cast, HBO executives, and a collection of Russian dignitaries. Anybody could watch a new TV series from the comfort of their home, and the actors starring in new TV shows were rarely famous.

☆ Canada says Cameroon warring parties agree to enter peace process
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

YAOUNDE, Jan 21 (Reuters) - The government of Cameroon and some separatist factions in the English-speaking regions of the country have agreed to enter into a process aimed at resolving a conflict that has killed over 6,000 people, Canada's foreign ministry said. "Canada welcomes the agreement by the parties to enter a process to reach a comprehensive, peaceful and political resolution of the conflict," foreign minister Mélanie Joly, said in a statement on Friday. The statement said Canada had accepted a mandate to facilitate the process and the parties have agreed to form technical committees to begin work on confidence-building measures. The parties further express the hope that other groups will join the process," the statement said. Spokespersons for the separatist factions could not be reached for comments.

☆ I wasn't in the zone says Medvedev after defeat by Korda
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

I played not at all bad, but just a little bit below what I had to do to win," Medvedev told reporters. He was winning a little bit more..."I think it was a top match where he was just better than me. Even if we take last year, so basically the matches against Nick, Felix, and Stefanos, kind of tough matches. "If we talk point by point, yes, this point I won, that point I won, I won the matches. "Actually, I think on the serve it was bothering me a little bit," Medvedev said.

"The defeat of a nuclear power in a conventional war may trigger a nuclear war," Medvedev, who serves as deputy chairman of Putin's powerful security council, said in a post on Telegram. Russia and the United States, by far the largest nuclear powers, hold around 90% of the world's nuclear warheads. While NATO has conventional military superiority over Russia, when it comes to nuclear weapons, Russia has nuclear superiority over the alliance in Europe. Russia's nuclear doctrine allows for a nuclear strike after "aggression against the Russian Federation with conventional weapons when the very existence of the state is threatened". Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Medvedev has repeatedly raised the threat of nuclear chaos and used insults to describe the West.

"It's important for us to have clear agreement because this is what we have now to finance our development," he said. President Felix Tshisekedi's government has been revisiting a 2007 deal struck by his predecessor Joseph Kabila under which Sinohydro Corp (SINOH.UL) and China Railway Group Limited agreed to build roads and hospitals in exchange for a 68% stake in the Sicomines venture as well as a 2008 contract with CMOC. "We have already a framework, we have some key elements of change that we want to bring in that agreement," Kazadi said of Sicomines, though he declined to provide further details. "In only five days they have managed to burn and export 27 kilograms," Kazadi said, speaking of the joint venture that is owned 55% by the United Arab Emirates with the remainder owned by Kinshasa. Reporting by Karin Strohecker and Jorgelina do Rosario, editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 'It's not rocket science', Auger-Aliassime fights back from the brink
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"It's quite simple, you have to put the ball in the court without missing," Auger-Aliassime laughed, explaining the transformation. So I was just trying to put one more ball in the court and make it simple, make it work." It was quite a contrast with the opening two sets when Auger-Aliassime overcooked his shots on both sides and sprayed 25 unforced errors, with Molcan gleefully taking advantage. "The numbers show it but he was just way more consistent than I was in the first two sets," Auger-Aliassime conceded. A quarter-finalist in Melbourne last year, Auger-Aliassime will next play Argentine 28th seed Francisco Cerundolo or France's Corentin Moutet.

☆ Elon Musk is still a big fan of 'The Battle of Polytopia,' a video game where the goal is world domination
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk and DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis are both fans of "The Battle of Polytopia," per Hassabis. "Polytopia" is a strategy game where players can direct their "tribe" to colonize territory. Some Tesla cars even used to have a feature allowing the game to run during drives. An email to Musk's Tesla email address by Insider didn't immediately receive a response on Tuesday morning. The goal is to compete with other tribes, which can be controlled by bots, to fight for control over territories.

☆ Davos panel expresses optimism over China's planned reopening
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailDavos panel expresses optimism over China's planned reopeningPanelists share their outlook on China's planned reopening. Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Commerce President Felix Sutter, Baker McKenzie Global Chair Milton Cheng, Bain & Company Senior Partner and Regional Managing Partner (APAC) Satish Shankar, and KraneShares founder and CEO Jonathan Krane join CNBC's Silvia Amaro in the discussion.

☆ WEF Davos: China's Reopening
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWEF Davos: China's ReopeningAfter three years of Covid travel restrictions, China reopened its borders on Jan. 8, ending it’s zero-Covid policy. The impact of its reopening is expected to be the biggest economic event of 2023 as demand for Chinese goods, services and commodities rebounds. How quickly will the Chinese economy bounce back? What does it mean for global growth and for energy prices and inflation? Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Commerce President Felix Sutter, Baker McKenzie Global Chair Milton Cheng, Bain & Company Senior Partner and Regional Managing Partner (APAC) Satish Shankar and KraneShares founder and CEO Jonathan Krane join the discussion with CNBC's Silvia Amaro.

☆ Chelsea earn scrappy 1-0 win over Palace to ease pressure
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Clare Lovell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It was only the second league win in 10 matches for the home side who remain in an unaccustomed 10th place half-way through the season. Today we had five young players in the starting 11, they are doing a really good job at the moment." "Today we are happy for the three points," said Potter, who took over from Thomas Tuchel in September. Palace are in 12th place, six points behind Chelsea. Before kickoff, former Chelsea players who had been coached by or appeared alongside Gianluca Vialli joined the teams to pay tribute to the former Italy international and Chelsea player-manager who died 10 days ago.

☆ Nadal launches title defence as Australian Open ushers in new era
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Rafa Nadal will kick off his Australian Open title defence on Monday with a first round test against rising Briton Jack Draper as a new era begins on the blue hardcourts of Melbourne Park. The top seed has had only one win since September's U.S. Open and admitted his title defence was vulnerable to an early shock after two straight defeats in the lead-up. The reigning French and U.S. Open champion opens her campaign against Jule Niemeier in the first evening match at Rod Laver Arena, the German who gave Swiatek a huge scare in the U.S. Open fourth round. With American tennis looking for a new champion in the post-Serena era, Coco Gauff will open the day session at Rod Laver Arena against Czech Katerina Siniakova. Medvedev, the men's seventh seed, will return to the scene of last year's final heartbreak when he faces unseeded American Marcos Giron in the late match at Rod Laver Arena.

☆ Stars flock to Dakar for All-Africa Music Awards
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DAKAR, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Musical heavyweights gathered in Dakar, Senegal on Sunday for the eighth All-Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) that aim to celebrate and promote the continent's best veteran and cutting-edge musicians. Globally recognised stars including Senegalese maestro Youssou Ndour, and Nigerian artists P-Square and Tiwa Savage are among those set to perform during the main awards ceremony at the 15,000-seat Dakar stadium. Companies are cashing in on rising global interest in African music. Last June, Universal Music Group (UMG.AS) launched a label for independent African labels and artists, while music streaming platforms, including Spotify (SPOT.N), have sought to expand their offerings by African artists. Reporting by Bate Felix and Ngouda Dione Writing by Alessandra Prentice Editing by Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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