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☆ US faces pushback on plan to bolster IMF funding without shareholding changes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. Doing so, Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said on Thursday, would "increase the voice and agency of member countries who are the most vulnerable" at the Fund. Martin Muhleisen, a former IMF strategy chief, said the plan "puts the Chinese on the spot to agree". A delay would be a major disappointment for the IMF after contentious 2019 negotiations left quota resources and shareholding untouched. "The Fund's not tight," said Mark Plant, a former IMF official now with the Center for Global Development.

Persons: Yuri Gripas, Joe Biden, Janet Yellen, Alassane Ouattara, Mark Sobel, Martin Muhleisen, Mark Plant, David Lawder, Andrea Shalal, Marcela Ayres, Peter Graff Organizations: Monetary Fund, REUTERS, Rights, International Monetary Fund, IMF, World Bank, Reuters, U.S . Congress, U.S, Treasury, U.S . Treasury, Brazilian, Center for Global Development, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, China, India, Brazil, Marrakech, Morocco, Ukraine, Saharan Africa, Coast, Washington, Beijing, Brasilia

☆ Factbox-Narges Mohammadi, Imprisoned Iranian Nobel Peace Prize Winner
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian women's rights advocate serving 12 years in jail, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in a decision likely to anger Tehran's theocratic government. Who is Narges Mohammadi and why is she in prison? ACTIVISMMohammadi, 51, is now the deputy head of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, a non-governmental organisation led by Shirin Ebadi, the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. She has been in Evin prison three times since 2012, she wrote in the New York Times op-ed last month. PREVIOUS ARRESTSMohammadi has been arrested by Iranian authorities 13 times and sentenced to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes, according to the Nobel Peace Prize website.

Persons: Shirin Ebadi, Mohammadi, Taghi Rahmani, Peter Graff Organizations: Reuters, of Human Rights, New York Times, Defenders Locations: Iranian, Iran, Evin

Perkins Coie, a more than 1,200-lawyer firm founded in Seattle, on Friday said it had expanded the applicant pool for its diversity fellowship program to all law students, not just members of "historically underrepresented" groups. It did so after a group founded by affirmative action foe Edward Blum filed lawsuits against it and another large law firm, Morrison & Foerster, alleging their diversity fellowships unlawfully excluded certain people based on their race. The paid fellowships were designed in part to help support the recruitment of people of color, which major law firms have struggled for years to add to their partnership ranks. In the lawsuit against Perkins Coie, Blum's American Alliance for Equal Rights took aim at a diversity fellowship the firm created in 1991 to support law students from groups "historically underrepresented in the legal profession." Those accepted can receive stipends of $15,000 and paid positions as summer associates, a position that at major law firms can lead to full-time jobs.

Persons: Edward Blum, Perkins, Perkins Coie, Morrison, Foerster, Blum, Fellows, Nate Raymond, Alexia Garamfalvi, Peter Graff Organizations: U.S, Supreme, Harvard University, University of North, Harvard, Saturday, American Alliance for Equal Rights, Thomson Locations: University of North Carolina, Washington , U.S, Seattle, Dallas , Texas, Boston

A steepening yield curve is when the spread between long- and short-term bond yields widens. Either the long-term yield rises faster than the short-term yield - a bear steepener - or the short-term yield is falling more - a bull steepener. Bear steepenings of the benchmark two-year/10-year U.S. Treasury yield curve, when the curve is inverted, are rare. In some ways, a positive-sloping yield curve is the natural order of things. Graff reckons the bear steepening is almost over and the curve will struggle to get past -20 bps.

Persons: Warren Pies, Dario Perkins, Lombard's Perkins, Bond, Bill Gross, Goldman Sachs, Tom Graff, Graff, Jamie McGeever, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Treasury, 3Fourteen Research, TS Lombard, Federal Reserve, Reuters, Thomson Locations: ORLANDO, Florida, London reckons

☆ Ukraine strikes Russian air defence complex near Belgorod with drones - Kyiv source
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 4 (Reuters) - Ukraine carried out a drone attack on the western Russian region of Belgorod overnight and hit an S-400 air defence complex and its radar, a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told Reuters on Wednesday. Russia's defence ministry said earlier on Wednesday that it had downed 31 drones launched by Kyiv overnight over the regions of Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk, but reported no casualties or damage. The SBU source pointed to videos posted online by Russian nationals showing what he said were 20 explosions at the location of the air defence system and its radar near the city of Belgorod. Ukraine has tried to step up its attacks on Russian air defences in recent months. The source said it was the second time the SBU had struck a "Triumf" air defence system since Sept. 14.

Persons: Tom Balmforth, Timothy Heritage, Peter Graff Organizations: Security Service of Ukraine, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Russia, Crimea, Kyiv

☆ FTX cofounder Gary Wang is set to testify against his childhood friend Sam Bankman-Fried. Here's what we know.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

FTX cofounder Gary Wang was a critical player during the rise and fall of SBF's crypto empire . AdvertisementAdvertisementWhen Bankman-Fried cofounded Alameda Research in 2017, Wang reportedly left his role at Google. The tight group of executives reportedly included Wang, Bankman-Fried, Caroline Ellison, who was formerly Alameda's CEO, and Nishad Singh, FTX's former director of engineering. But at FTX, Wang was a somewhat reclusive figure, per reports. "All of the sudden that snapped into he was leaving that day, back to the US and implicitly mostly stopped working," Bankman-Fried told the news outlet.

Persons: Gary Wang, Wang, Sam Bankman, —, Bankman, MIT Wang, Wang's, Cherry Hill, Hector, Fried, Caroline Ellison, Nishad Singh, FTX's, Nishad, Gary, Singh, FTX, Ellison, Damian Williams, Ilan Graff, Sundar Organizations: Service, MIT, Bloomberg, Eastside, Epsilon Theta, Google, Forbes, Alameda Research, Court, District of, Sydney Morning Herald, Street Journal, Southern, of New York, Securities and Exchange Commission Locations: Oregon, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, China, Bahamas, Alameda, District of Delaware, FTX

☆ Kyiv brushes off US, Slovakia wobbles as EU ministers come to town
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Olena Harmash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell shake hands before EU-Ukraine foreign ministers meeting, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 2, 2023. Monday's meeting in Kyiv was touted by Borrell as an historic first, and provided striking photo opportunities for a succession of ministers in front of EU flags in the war-time capital. Several high profile right-wing Trump supporters in Congress have called for a halt to Ukraine aid. President Joe Biden's administration says it expects the House to pass a measure to keep aid to Ukraine flowing. In Europe, pro-Russian former prime minister Fico won the most votes in an election in Slovakia on Sunday and will get a first chance to form a government.

Persons: Dmytro Kuleba, Josep Borrell, Robert Fico, Kuleba, Annalena Baerbock, Dmitry Peskov, Donald Trump, Kevin McCarthy, Joe Biden's, Biden, Fico, Russia's Peskov, Peter Graff, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Ukrainian Foreign, Union Foreign, EU, Press, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of, REUTERS Acquire, Russian, U.S . Congress, U.S, Congressional, Borrell, Kyiv, German, Republican, Trump, Congress, Republicans, Democrats, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Handout, Germany, Russia, KYIV, Slovakia, United States, Russian Slovakian, Moscow, Washington, America, Europe, Russian, NATO

☆ Taco Bell, Chipotle, and other chains pay managers as much as $180,000. Here's what it takes to land a high-earning fast-food job.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Since the pandemic, fast-food workers have fled the sector, leaving restaurant chains struggling to find help. But how have fast-food general managers, whose duties range from dealing with fussy customers to inventory management, fared over the years? "While Taco Bell Corporate cannot mandate salaries and wages of franchisees, we offer competitive pay rates and encourage franchisees to do the same," Taco Bell said. The chain said 54% of Taco Bell general managers started as restaurant-level workers. Taco Bell President and Chief Operating Officer Mike Grams began his career as an assistant general manager in Detroit, Michigan.

Persons: —, That's, Taco Bell, Burger, Lynsi Snyder, Nancy Luna, Snyder, Harry, Esther Snyder, Matt Marton, Taco, Mike Grams, Chipotle, Scott Boatwright, Edison Graff, Danny Meyer, Angela Campbell, Campbell, Nordstrom, Jersey Mike's, Sweetgreen, John Wooden Organizations: Service, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Taco Bell, Bell, Taco Bell President, LinkedIn, Shake, GMs, The, Shack, Jersey Mike's, Restaurant Business, UCLA Locations: McDonald's, Irvine , California, Taco, Detroit , Michigan, Chipotle, Newport Beach , California, Canada, France, Germany, Las Vegas , Nevada, Las Vegas, Campbell, The New York, Jersey, Charlotte , North Carolina, Charlotte, Seattle, Arlington , Virginia

☆ Slovaks choose between pro-Russian ex-PM Fico and pro-Western liberals
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Jan Lopatka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRATISLAVA, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Slovaks were voting on Saturday in a parliamentary election closely fought between former leftist prime minister Robert Fico, who has pledged to end military aid for neighbouring Ukraine, and pro-Western liberals. He has kept his options open but said this week his party was closer to Fico. Fico has ridden on dissatisfaction with a bickering centre-right coalition whose government collapsed last year, triggering this election a half-year early. Fico has pledged to end military supplies to Ukraine, and to strive for peace talks. But Fico was also a pragmatic leader in the past, which foreign diplomats and analysts say could tame his foreign policy turn.

Persons: Robert Fico, Fico, Fico's, Michal Simecka, Peter Pellegrini, Michal Vasecka, Viktor Orban, Jan Lopatka, David W, Cerny, Peter Graff Organizations: Ukraine, Democracy, European, Thomson Locations: BRATISLAVA, Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary, European, Poland, Progressive Slovakia, Russia, Brussels, Prague, Bratislava

☆ Tough issues to clear before EU membership talks with Ukraine -Hungary's Orban
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BUDAPEST, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday that "very difficult questions" would need to be answered before the European Union could even start membership talks with Ukraine. EU countries are due to decide in December whether to allow Ukraine to begin accession negotiations, which would require the unanimous backing of all 27 members. "So I think we need to answer very long and difficult questions until we get to actually deciding about the start of accession talks," he said. Commenting on Orban's remarks, Ukraine's foreign ministry said it was positive "that the Hungarian Prime Minister is concerned about Ukraine's accession to the European Union". "We would like to inform that Ukraine has not changed its territory within its internationally recognised borders," the ministry added.

Persons: Viktor Orban, Orban, Krisztina, Yuliia Dysa, Mark Potter, Susan Fenton, Peter Graff Organizations: European Union, Ukraine, Diplomats, Hungarian, European, NATO, Thomson Locations: BUDAPEST, Hungarian, European, Ukraine, Hungary, Brussels, Moscow

☆ Ukrainian village's sole resident, 76, unafraid after 4,000 km odyssey home
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Vitalii Hnydyi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But Vira Chernukha, 76 and now the sole resident of a northeastern Ukrainian village bombed and depopulated by Russian invaders, has no intention of ever leaving Dementiivka again. Nowadays, she keeps busy fixing the damage to her yard and tending to a monument to Ukrainian soldiers who died defending the village. When she woke up, she was in a hospital room in Belgorod, a city just over the Russian border. "We travelled via Latvia, Lithuania and Poland to Lviv and then Vinnitsya," she said, referring to two western Ukrainian cities. Ukrainian forces retook much of the country's northeast last year in a lightning counteroffensive that caught Russian troops off guard.

Persons: Vira Chernukha, Dementiivka, I'm, I've, Chernukha, Ron Popeski, Tom Balmforth, Peter Graff Organizations: Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Dementiivka, Kharkiv, Ukrainian, Russian, Belgorod, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Lviv

☆ UN refugee agency readying for up to 120,000 refugees in Armenia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Kavita Belani, UNHCR representative in Armenia, told a U.N. press briefing by video link that huge crowds of tired and frightened people were gathering at registration centres. "And when they come in, they're full of anxiety, they're scared, they're frightened and they want answers." It's very hard to predict how many will come at this juncture," she added in response to a question about refugee numbers. People gather near an aid center for refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region in the border village of Kornidzor, Armenia, September 29, 2023. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies representative Hicham Diab said there was a massive need for mental health support for refugees.

Persons: Kavita Belani, they've, Irakli, Regina De Dominicis, Hicham Diab, Carlos Morazzani, Emma Farge, Miranda Murray, Peter Graff Organizations: UNHCR, REUTERS, UNICEF, International Federation of Red, Red Crescent Societies, International Committee, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Kornidzor

☆ Deaths in shooting at Rotterdam university hospital, home -police
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Piroschka Van De Wouw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Ambulances are seen after Dutch police arrested a suspect after a shooting in Rotterdam, Netherlands, September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw Acquire Licensing RightsROTTERDAM, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Several people were killed on Thursday by a gunman who opened fire in a classroom at a university in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam and nearby house, police said. A 32-year-old suspect was arrested after police said on social media that shots had been fired at the Rotterdam Medical Centre and a home. Videos posted online showed police instructing students, some wearing medical gowns, to run outside as heavily armed arrest teams arrived at the scene. Two hours later police said there had been multiple deaths and that victims' family members were being informed.

Persons: de Wouw, Bart Meijer, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Toby Sterling, Anthony Deutsch, Peter Graff, Hugh Lawson, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Rotterdam Medical, Police, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Rotterdam, Netherlands

☆ US to announce disaster response team for South Caucasus amid Karabakh crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Daphne Psaledakis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 28 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday will announce it has deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team in the South Caucasus region to coordinate the U.S. humanitarian response to the crisis after Azerbaijan took back control of Nagorno-Karabakh last week. "The United States is deeply concerned about the safety of vulnerable populations in Nagorno-Karabakh and the more than 50,000 people who have fled to Armenia," Power said in the statement. Power traveled to Armenia and Azerbaijan this week following Azerbaijan's defeat of the breakaway region's fighters in a conflict dating from the Soviet era. The Armenians are not accepting Azerbaijan's promise to guarantee their rights as the region is integrated. "Azerbaijan must protect civilians, uphold its obligations to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all individuals in its country, and ensure its forces comply with international humanitarian law," Power said.

Persons: Samantha Power, Irakli, Power, Ilham Aliyev, Daphne Psaledakis, Peter Graff Organizations: Agency for International Development, USAID, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, U.S . Agency for International Development, Karabakh, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Kornidzor, Armenia, United States, South Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Soviet, Washington, Soviet Union

A Comac C919, China's first large passenger jet, flies away on its first commercial flight from the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport in Shanghai, China May 28, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Sept 28 (Reuters) - China Eastern Airlines (600115.SS) said on Thursday it will buy another 100 C919 airplanes in a deal worth $10 billion at list prices, in what would be the largest ever order for the jet made by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC). The list price for the C919 is $99 million but aircraft can be sold at discounts of up to 50%, especially for new models. Next, the plane manufacturer will cooperate with China Eastern more closely, to show other potential users the reliability and performance of C919." China Eastern will get delivery of five aircraft in 2024, while ten are to be delivered each year from 2025 to 2027.

Persons: Aly, Li Hanming, Li, COMAC, COMAC's, Sophie Yu, Brenda Goh, Neil Fullick, Peter Graff, Miral Organizations: Shanghai Hongqiao International, REUTERS, Rights, China Eastern Airlines, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Airbus, Boeing, China Eastern, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights BEIJING, Beijing, Washington, Brunei

☆ Greece to tap into undocumented migrants to curb labour squeeze
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A migrant stands in the Mavrovouni camp on the island of Lesbos, Greece, November 25, 2021. The new proposal would look at allowing the 300,000 migrants estimated already to be living illegally in Greece to work in some sectors, Migration Minister Dimitris Kairidis told state broadcaster ERT. "We need to see what to do with the population that is already in our country, without creating further magnets for others to come illegally," Kairidis said. Kairidis is expected to formally outline the initiative at a cabinet meeting next month, a migration ministry official told Reuters. Agriculture Minister Lefteris Avgenakis said he was in talks with the migration ministry to tackle this problem.

Persons: Louiza, Dimitris Kairidis, Kairidis, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Lefteris Avgenakis, Avgenakis, Karolina Tagaris, Angeliki, Peter Graff 私 Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Migration, ERT, Reuters, Agriculture Locations: Lesbos, Greece, East, Asia, Eastern Europe, Albania, Bangladesh, India, Egypt

☆ 'State of war': residents, police describe heavy battle in northern Kosovo
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"In the main road that you came through, it was the place where my officer was killed, shot and killed. Banjska resident Radoslav Markovic, a grey-haired Serb, told Reuters that while the fighting was under way, residents had taken it "seriously, as a state of war". Serbia, which has not recognised its former province's independence, blames Kosovo for precipitating violence by mistreating ethnic Serb residents. Serbia and the main Serb political group in Kosovo have proclaimed public mourning for the Serbs killed in the battle. Heavily armed Kosovo police carrying rifles manned positions alongside armoured vehicles.

Persons: Elshani, Banjska, Radoslav Markovic, Albin Kurti, Aleksandar, Vucic, Branko Filipovic, Fatos, Ivana Sekularac, Peter Graff Organizations: Reuters, NATO, Kosovo, Thomson Locations: BANJSKA, Kosovo, Banjska, Serbian, Serbia, Pristina, Belgrade, Raska

☆ Libya says Derna mayor, other officials detained after flood
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A part of Al Sahaba Mosque is seen amid destroyed buildings in the aftermath of the deadly storm that hit Libya, in Derna, Libya September 21, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra Acquire Licensing RightsBENGHAZI, Sept 25 (Reuters) - The mayor of Libya's eastern city of Derna was detained along with other officials on suspicion of mismanagement and negligence over the collapse of dams that flooded the city two weeks ago, Libya's attorney general's office said on Monday. Those detained included the mayor and an official in charge of water resources, it said, without identifying them. Derna was controlled until 2019 by fighters from a series of groups including Islamic State. Reporting by Ayman al-Warfali Writing by Tarek Amara Editing by Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Zohra, Muammar Gaddafi, Derna, Abdulmenam, Ayman al, Tarek Amara, Peter Graff Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, NATO, Islamic, International, Thomson Locations: Al Sahaba, Libya, Derna, Rights BENGHAZI, Libya's, Tripoli, Islamic State

☆ Molotov cocktails thrown at Cuban embassy in Washington, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sept 25 (Reuters) - An assailant attacked the Cuban embassy in Washington with two Molotov cocktails on Sunday night, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said on messaging platform X, adding that nobody was hurt. The Cuban flag flutters in the wind after being raised at the Cuban Embassy reopening ceremony in Washington July 20, 2015. "We are in contact with Cuban embassy officials and law enforcement authorities to ensure an appropriate and timely investigation as well as to offer our support for future protective efforts," he said in a statement. Earlier this month, U.S. and Cuban officials made progress on a range of issues during high-level talks in Washington. Reporting by Natalia Siniawski and Costas Pitas; Editing by Peter Graff and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, Miguel Díaz, Canel, Rodriguez, Gary Cameron, Jake Sullivan, Natalia Siniawski, Costas Pitas, Peter Graff, Jamie Freed Organizations: Cuban Foreign, United Nations, Cuban, Twitter, REUTERS, White House, Service, Biden, Thomson Locations: Cuban, Washington, New York, Cuba, United States

☆ Russia tortured some Ukrainian victims to death, UN inquiry says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Denis Balibouse Acquire Licensing RightsGENEVA, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Russia's torture methods in parts of Ukraine it occupied have been so brutal that it tortured some of its victims to death, the head of a U.N.-mandated investigative body said on Monday. "In some cases, torture was inflicted with such brutality that it caused the death of the victim," he said. Møse's commission visited parts of Ukraine formerly held by Russian forces such as in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. The commission has previously said that violations committed by Russian forces in Ukraine, including the use of torture, may constitute crimes against humanity. Russia was given an opportunity to respond to the allegations at the council hearing but no Russian representative attended.

Persons: Jasminka Dzumhur, Erik Mose, Pablo de Greiff, Denis Balibouse, Erik Møse, Møse's, Emma Farge, Peter Graff Organizations: Independent International Commission of, United Nations, REUTERS, Rights, Human Rights, Russian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Geneva, Switzerland, Russian, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Russia

☆ Ukraine's Zelenskiy says he met top businessmen during U.S. visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday he met leading American entrepreneurs and financiers during a visit this week to the United States, where investment opportunities in Ukraine were discussed. Zelenskiy said the businessmen, who included Michael Bloomberg, Larry Fink and Bill Ackman, were prepared to make major investments in rebuilding Ukraine after its war with Russia. "We are working for the victory and reconstruction of Ukraine." On a trip to the U.S. and Canada this week, Zelenskiy sought continued military and financial support for Kyiv's effort to fend off Russia's 19-month-old invasion. Reporting by Dan Peleschuk Editing by Peter Graff and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Michael Bloomberg, Larry Fink, Bill Ackman, Dan Peleschuk, Peter Graff, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Thomson Locations: United States, Ukraine, Russia, Canada

☆ Armenian PM blames Russia for failing to ensure security
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gives a televised address to citizens on the national independence day, in Yerevan, Armenia, in this picture released September 21, 2023. The Office to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Sunday the likelihood was rising that ethnic Armenians would flee the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh and blamed Russia for failing to ensure Armenian security. He added that the Armenian-Russian strategic partnership was "not enough to ensure the external security of Armenia". Last week, Azerbaijan scored a victory over ethnic Armenians who have controlled the Karabakh region since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. An adviser to the leader of the Karabakh Armenians told Reuters earlier on Sunday that the population would leave because they feel unsafe under Azerbaijani rule.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, Guy Faulconbridge, Peter Graff Organizations: Armenian, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Armenia's, Reuters, stoke, Thomson Locations: Yerevan, Armenia, Republic of Armenia, Handout, Nagorno, Karabakh, Russia, Azerbaijan, Russian, Soviet Union, Moscow, Turkey, Iran, Georgia

☆ Iran says it defused 30 bombs in Tehran, detained 28 people, Tasnim reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Authorities in Iran have neutralised 30 bombs meant to go off simultaneously in Tehran and detained 28 terrorists linked to Islamic State, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday, citing the intelligence ministry. "Some of the members are of Islamic State (IS) and the perpetrators have a history of being affiliated with Takfiri groups in Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Kurdistan region of Iraq," Iran's intelligence ministry added in a statement. The militant group has claimed several attacks in Iran, including deadly twin bombings in 2017 that targeted Iran's parliament and the tomb of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. More recently, IS claimed responsibility for an attack on a Shia shrine last October, where 15 people were killed in the southwestern city of Shiraz. Reporting by Dubai Newsroom Editing by Peter Graff and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ruhollah Khomeini, Peter Graff, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Islamic, Islamic State, Dubai, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Iran, Tehran, Islamic State, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kurdistan, Iraq, Shiraz

☆ Iran's Raisi Says Israeli 'Normalization' Deals Will Fail
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi said in a U.S. television interview on Sunday that U.S.-sponsored efforts to normalize Israeli relations with Gulf Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, "will see no success". In an interview with CNN, Raisi also said Iran had not said it does not want nuclear inspectors from the United Nations' nuclear watchdog in the country. Raisi has said Iran has no issue with the U.N. nuclear watchdog's inspection of its nuclear sites, days after Tehran barred multiple inspectors assigned to the country. Israel has moved closer to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco following a U.S.-driven diplomatic initiative in 2020 which pushed for normalization of relations. Commenting on Iran's nuclear programme, Raisi said:"We have announced time and time again that the use of nuclear weapons, the use of weapons of mass destruction in general, do not have a place.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Raisi, Islamic Republic of Iran hasn't, Rami Ayyub, Peter Graff, David Holmes Organizations: WASHINGTON, CNN, United Nations, United Arab, Israel, Islamic Locations: U.S, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Tehran, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco, Islamic Republic of Iran

[1/6] A person holds a placard that reads "No to amnesty" during a rally against a possible amnesty for Catalan separatist leaders in Madrid, Spain, September 24, 2023. Waving Spanish flags, supporters of the opposition conservative People's Party (PP) travelled from across Spain to attend the rally in Madrid. Puigdemont, wanted in Spain for attempting the region's secession, has demanded that legal action be dropped against fellow separatists as a condition for his support. Withdrawing criminal cases against the separatists would amount to granting an amnesty to "coup plotters", he told supporters at the Madrid rally. He did not mention an amnesty but said the Socialists wanted to heal social divisions over the Catalan crisis.

Persons: Susana Vera, Pedro Sanchez, Sanchez, Carles Puigdemont, Puigdemont, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Gregorio Casteneda, Feijoo, Graham Keeley, Silvio Castellanos, Michael Gore, Peter Graff Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Sunday, People's Party, Authorities, Reuters, Socialists, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, Rights MADRID, Catalonia, Catalunya, Santander, Spain's, Gava, Catalonia's, Barcelona

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