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☆ ATP roundup: Jack Draper pulls off massive upset at Sofia Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNovember 9 - Great Britain's Jack Draper pulled off a 7-5, 6-2 upset of No. 1 seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy on Wednesday in the second round of the Sofia Open in Sofia, Bulgaria. Fognini, a wild card, rallied for a 4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (5) victory against fifth-seeded Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan, while No. 6 Sonego swept Jordanian qualifier Abdullah Shelbayh 6-3, 7-5. Other winners included Frenchmen Luca Van Assche and wild card Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Russia's Alexander Shevchenko.

Persons: Jack Draper of, Andrey Rublev, USTA Billie Jean King, Danielle Parhizkaran, Jack Draper, Lorenzo Musetti, Draper, Russian Pavel Kotov, Cem Ilkel, Kotov, Sebastian Baez, Ilkel, Max Purcell, Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, Spain's Albert Ramos, Lennard Struff, Billy Harris, Austria's Sebastian Ofner, Hungary's Marton Fucsovics, Hungarian Fabian Marozsan, Fabio Fognini, Lorenzo Sonego, Alexander Bublik, Sonego, Abdullah Shelbayh, Fognini, Luca Van Assche, Pierre, Hugues Herbert, Russia's Alexander Shevchenko Organizations: USTA Billie, USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Sofia, Turkish, Argentine, British, Bublik, Thomson Locations: Flushing , NY, USA, Jack Draper of Great Britain, Italy, Sofia, Bulgaria, Russian, Hungarian, Moselle, Metz, France, Kazakhstan

☆ ATP roundup: Alexander Shevchenko advances to Metz semifinals
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Shevchenko overcame a 10-3 disadvantage in aces by converting two of three break points, to 0-for-3 for Khachanov. Shevchenko advanced to the semifinals Friday against wild card Pierre-Hugues Herbert, who outlasted fellow Frenchman Luca Van Assche 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 on Thursday. Sofia OpenSecond seed Adrian Mannarino and third seed Jan-Lennard Struff avoided upsets with three-set victories Thursday in the quarterfinals in Bulgaria. Mannarino of France eliminated seventh seed Sebastian Ofner of Austria 6-7 (7), 6-4, 6-3. Mannarino advanced to the semifinals Friday against Russia's Pavel Kotov, who defeated eighth seed Marton Fucsovics of Hungary 6-3, 7-6 (3).

Persons: Russia's Alexander Shevchenko, Canada's Felix Auger Aliassime, Pierre Albouy, Alexander Shevchenko, Karen Khachanov, Shevchenko, Pierre, Hugues Herbert, Frenchman Luca Van Assche, Ugo Humbert, Frenchman Harold Mayot, Lorenzo Sonego, Fabio Fognini, Adrian Mannarino, Lennard Struff, France, Sebastian Ofner, Germany's Struff, Hungary's Fabian Marozsan, Struff, Great, Jack Draper, Lorenzo Musetti, Cem Ilkel, Mannarino, Russia's Pavel Kotov, Marton Organizations: Swiss, Basel, Canada's Felix Auger Aliassime REUTERS, Khachanov, Sofia, Thomson Locations: Jakobshalle, Basel, Switzerland, Metz, France, Italy, Bulgaria, Mannarino, Austria, Turkey, Marton Fucsovics, Hungary

Extreme heat fueled destructive rainfall because a warmer atmosphere holds more water vapor, which lets storms release more precipitation. Storm Daniel became Africa’s deadliest storm with an estimated death toll that ranges between 4,000 and 11,000, according to officials and aid agencies. In India, 1.2 billion people, or 86% of the population, experienced at least 30 days of elevated temperatures, made at least three times more likely by climate change. One of every 200 people in Canada evacuated their home due to wildfires, which burn longer and more intensely after long periods of heat dry out the land. On average, Jamaica experienced high temperatures made four times more likely by climate change during the last 12 months, making it the country where climate change was most powerfully at work.

Persons: Storm Daniel Organizations: Storm Locations: Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Storm, India, Maui, Canada, North America, Jamaica

☆ Serbia's police detain over 4,500 migrants, seize weapons
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Detained migrants sit on their knees with cuffed hands, at their makeshift camp close to the Serbia-Hungary border, near the city of Subotica, Serbia September 12, 2023. It said that eight smugglers and 119 people have been arrested on charges including human trafficking and illegal possession of weapons and drugs. Many migrants cross borders with the help of elaborate networks of smugglers who are sometimes armed, and shootouts between criminal groups are frequent. Last month three migrants died in a shootout near Serbia's border with Hungary, a route increasingly used by people smugglers for entering the European Union. Belgrade has pledged to align its visa policies with those of the EU to help stem the flow of illegal migrants westward.

Persons: Marko Djurica, Djurovic, Aleksandar Vasovic, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights BELGRADE, Serbian, Serbian Ministry of Interior, Internal, European Union, Center for Protection, Asylum, RTV TV, Thomson Locations: Serbia, Hungary, Subotica, Sombor, Kikinda, Hungarian, Pirot, Bulgaria, East, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Africa, Turkey, North Macedonia, Serbia's, Austria, Belgrade

☆ Sri Lanka, Argentina top list of most vulnerable economies -study
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka and Argentina remain very vulnerable amid a worsening in global financial conditions while China has suffered a sharp deterioration in financial resilience since pre-COVID times, a think-tank study found on Wednesday. The study also showed that debt sustainability has declined over the last four years across emerging market economies. "In 2019, only Tunisia, Pakistan, Argentina, and Sri Lanka had ratios of external financing needs above 100%. The study calculated external financing needs by measuring short-term external debt plus current account deficits as a proportion of international reserves. Bolivia, Egypt, Turkey and El Salvador are also on the list of vulnerable countries, while the study shows that Indonesia, Peru and Bulgaria are the most resilient countries in the group.

Persons: Liliana Rojas, Suarez, Rojas, Jorgelina, Karin Strohecker Organizations: Washington -, Global Development, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, U.S, Thomson Locations: Sri Lanka, Argentina, China, Washington, Ukraine, Lanka, Britain, Tunisia, Pakistan, Bolivia, Egypt, Turkey, El Salvador, Indonesia, Peru, Bulgaria, Rosario, Lincoln

☆ U.S., NATO to Suspend Participation in Landmark Cold War Arms Treaty
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Michael R. Gordon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Bulgarian troops during a NATO exercise. Suspending participation will give the U.S. more flexibility to deploy forces in Romania and Bulgaria, near Ukraine. Photo: nikolay doychinov/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesWASHINGTON—The U.S. and its NATO allies served notice Tuesday that they will formally suspend their participation in a 1990 treaty limiting conventional forces in Europe, marking the demise of another landmark arms control agreement. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s move follows Russia’s formal withdrawal from the accord on Tuesday and longstanding Western complaints that Moscow wasn’t honoring the terms of the treaty.

Persons: nikolay doychinov Organizations: Agence France, Getty, WASHINGTON, NATO, Atlantic Treaty Locations: NATO, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, The U.S, Europe, Atlantic, Moscow

☆ Djokovic eases past Dimitrov to win record-extending Paris title
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/6] Tennis - ATP Masters 1000 - Paris Masters - AccorHotels Arena, Paris, France - November 5, 2023 Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates with the trophy after winning his men's singles final match against Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Nov 5 (Reuters) - World number one Novak Djokovic cruised to a record-extending seventh Paris Masters title on Sunday when the top-seeded Serbian outclassed Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-4 6-3 in the final. In a clash featuring the two oldest players in the world's top 20, the 36-year-old Djokovic drew first blood, breaking the 17th-ranked Dimitrov for a 4-3 lead in the opening set, and he closed it out comfortably in 51 minutes. The unseeded Dimitrov's only victory over Djokovic in 12 previous meetings came a decade ago and although the 32-year-old put up more of a fight in the second set, he could not prevent Djokovic from taking his 40th ATP Masters 1000 title. Victory was sealed when Dimitrov sent a backhand wide, extended Djokovic's winning run to 18 matches since his defeat by Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon title clash in July. Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; editing by Clare FallonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Serbia's Novak Djokovic, Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov, Stephanie Lecocq, Novak Djokovic, Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, Djokovic, Dimitrov, Dimitrov's, Carlos Alcaraz, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Clare Fallon Organizations: Paris, Rights, Bulgarian, Djokovic, ATP, Wimbledon, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Bengaluru

☆ Opinion | Two Ways of Looking at the West’s Population Dilemma
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +11 min

That means the dilemma of the 21st century isn’t how Earth will feed an ever-growing population, but how the world will deal with a potential mass rebalancing of population via migration, an altered wealth-and-people equilibrium, in a world where technology is making the movement of peoples easier than ever. Clearly, the richest countries will be able to replenish their populations with immigration across the 21st century — if they choose. (A 25 percent ratio means there are four workers for every retiree; a 50 percent ratio, just two.) I don’t think you need to be especially pessimistic to regard that kind of transformation as incompatible with stable democratic governance. It’s among the reasons you already have the rightward shift in European politics and why immigration restriction will be a winning issue for the foreseeable future in many European countries.

Persons: Declan Walsh, Africa’s “, Hannah Reyes Morales, Walsh, it’s, Paul Morland, Philip Pilkington, —, hasn’t, don’t, ’, Morland, Pilkington, Biden, Trump, “, Gilbert Meilaender, Blake Smith, Yuan Yi Zhu, Valerie Stivers, Tim Miller, John Gallagher, — Sarah Neville Organizations: Financial Times Locations: Israel, Gaza, Europe, Africa, East Asia, Latin America, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Germany, Sweden, Nigeria, Morocco, Americas, America, United States, Palestine, Denmark, Britain, South Korea, Japan, Asia, Poland, ”, London, North America

Israel said Hamas killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and took more than 200 hostages. The Gaza health ministry says at least 8,796 Palestinians in the narrow coastal enclave, including 3,648 children, have been killed by Israeli strikes since Oct. 7. TWO HAMAS COMMANDERS KILLED, SAYS ISRAELIsrael said its strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday killed two Hamas military leaders in Jabalia, Gaza's biggest refugee camp. U.N. human rights officials said strikes on the camp could be a war crime. [1/5]Palestinians search for casualties a day after Israeli strikes on houses in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, November 1, 2023.

Persons: Jordan, Gazans, Israel, ISRAEL Israel, Mohammed Al, Masri, Fathi Abu, Hassan, Ashraf Al, Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken, Wednesday Jordan, Joe Biden, Nidal al, Emily Rose, Cynthia Osterman, Stephen Coates, Grant McCool, Robert Birsel Organizations: Friday, Hamas, Palestinian, Gaza's Hamas, Human Rights, REUTERS, Hospitals, Indonesian Hospital, FOR, Wednesday, U.S . House, Democratic, White, Israel, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza, Friday GAZA, JERUSALEM, Egypt, Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Jordan, United Kingdom, United States, Quds, Gaza City, Jabalia, Gaza's, U.S, Tel Aviv, Qatar, Ukraine

☆ Medvedev denies obscene gesture after Paris Masters loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Tennis - ATP Masters 1000 - Paris Masters - AccorHotels Arena, Paris, France - November 1, 2023 Russia's Daniil Medvedev in action during his round of 32 match against Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq Acquire Licensing RightsNov 1 (Reuters) - Russian Daniil Medvedev denied making an obscene gesture towards the crowd after losing 6-3 6-7(4) 7-6(2) to Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the Paris Masters second round on Wednesday. World number three Medvedev walked off court at the end of the match examining his hand before pointing his middle finger at the stands. "No, I didn't (give my middle finger to the crowd), I just checked my nails," Medvedev told reporters. I played much better here without the crowd," added Medvedev, who won in Paris in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. World number 17 Bulgarian Dimitrov hit 48 winners and needed seven match points to reach the third round in Paris, a week after Medvedev beat him in the second round of the Vienna Open.

Persons: Russia's Daniil Medvedev, Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov, Stephanie Lecocq, Russian Daniil Medvedev, Grigor Dimitrov, Medvedev, Bulgarian Dimitrov, Janina Nuno Rios, Ed Osmond Organizations: Paris, U.S, Bulgarian, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Russian, Mexico City

☆ Lonely Planet’s top places to go in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Maureen Ohare | Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Get your wishlist fired up, Lonely Planet just revealed its 50 top travel destinations for the year ahead. The travel publishing empire turns 50 this year, and its bumper Best in Travel 2024 list is expanded across five categories: top countries, regions, cities, sustainable travel destinations and best-value locations. The “wild beauty” of South Africa also gets a nod, with Lonely Planet recommending visitors check out the country’s “impressive crop of ecolodges” committed to protecting Earth’s biodiversity. The underrated American Midwest is the top tip here: in cities such as Chicago, Milwaukee and Detroit, “you’ll find old warehouses transformed into art studios, new eco design hotels and many Michelin-starred restaurants,” says Lonely Planet. Says Lonely Planet, “Here you’ll find the highest sea cliffs in Europe and miles of unspoilt coastal hiking trails.”Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2024India: A big country with a whole lot to love, including Gadisar lake in Rajasthan.

Persons: CNN —, Lucia, Torres del, ecolodges ”, Babanango, “, ”, you’ll, Ilan Shacham, Ireland País Vasco, Português, daniel Organizations: CNN, Lonely, Lonely Planet, Kenyan, Michelin, Getty, Mongolia India Morocco Chile Benin Mexico Uzbekistan Pakistan Croatia St, Regions, CNN Cities Nairobia, Chile Greenland, Lithuania Eco, France Egypt Ikaria, Greece Algeria Southern Lakes, Central Otago , New Zealand Locations: Mongolia, Mexico, Croatia, St, Benin, Uzbekistan, City, Nairobi, Paris, Prague, Czech, “, Patagonia, Torres del Paine, Spain, Valencia, Barcelona, South Africa, South, KwaZulu Natal, Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Algeria, Northern Africa, Europe, Balkans, Slovenia, Bosnia, Hercegovina, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, Adriatic, Donegal, Ireland’s, India, Rajasthan, Mongolia India Morocco Chile Benin Mexico Uzbekistan Pakistan Croatia, Lucia Macedonia, South Australia Donegal, Ireland, Spain Southern Thailand Swahili, Tanzania Montana, USA, Austria, Kenya Paris, France Montreal, Canada Mostar, Herzegovina Philadelphia , Pennsylvania Manaus, Brazil Jakarta, Indonesia Prague, Czech Republic Izmir, Turkey Kansas City , Missouri, Spain Patagonia, Argentina, Chile, Chile Greenland Wales, Santiago Palau Hokkaido, Japan Ecuador Baltic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, South Africa Poland, USA Poland Nicaragua Danube Limes, Bulgaria Normandy, France Egypt, Greece Algeria Southern, Central Otago , New

☆ EU to Help Western Balkans Reforms With 6 Billion Euro Package - Von Der Leyen
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SARAJEVO (Reuters) - The European Union plans to help the countries of the Western Balkans to pursue reforms needed for integration with the wealthy bloc with 6 billion euros investment, the EU executive's president Ursula von der Leyen said in Skopje on Monday. North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina all need to seize the "window of opportunity" for the enlargement of the EU and work to align their standards to those in the bloc, von der Leyen said. Von der Leyen said the EU's new growth plan for the region would include the opening of its common market to the Western Balkan countries in areas such as free movement of goods and services, transport and energy. "These reforms will come with investment," von der Leyen said during a news conference with North Macedonia's Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski at the start of her Western Balkans tour. "We have proposed a 6 billion euro ($6.34 billion) package for Western Balkan partners," she said.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, von der Leyen, Von der Leyen, Dimitar Kovacevski, Daria Sito, Alison Williams, Ed Osmond Organizations: European Union, EU, ., North Macedonia's, Western Balkan, Brussels Locations: SARAJEVO, Balkans, Skopje, Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Bulgaria, EU, North Macedonia

☆ EU to help Western Balkans reforms with 6 billion euro package - von der Leyen
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SARAJEVO, Oct 30 (Reuters) - The European Union plans to help the countries of the Western Balkans pursue reforms needed for integration with the wealthy bloc with an investment of 6 billion euros ($6.4 billion), the EU executive's president, Ursula von der Leyen, said in Skopje on Monday. North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina all need to seize the "window of opportunity" for the enlargement of the EU and work to align their standards to those in the bloc, von der Leyen said. Von der Leyen said the EU's new growth plan for the region would include the opening of its common market to the Western Balkan countries in areas such as free movement of goods and services, transport and energy. It also urged the countries to open a common regional market, and pursue it with necessary reforms. "These reforms will come with investment," von der Leyen said during a press conference with North Macedonia Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski at the start of her Western Balkans tour.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, von der Leyen, Von der Leyen, Dimitar Kovacevski, Daria Sito, Fatos Bytyci, Alison Williams, Ed Osmond, Mark Porter Organizations: European Union, EU, ., North Macedonia, Brussels, Thomson Locations: SARAJEVO, Balkans, Skopje, Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Bulgaria, EU, North Macedonia, Pristina

☆ ATP roundup: Andrey Rublev wins in Vienna, lands Finals spot
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rublev had 21 winners against six unforced errors while reaching the Finals for the fourth straight year. Arnaldi had 19 winners and 11 unforced errors. Croatian wild card Borna Gojo had 22 winners and five unforced errors while upsetting sixth-seeded Tommy Paul 6-3, 6-4. Shevchenko, from Russia, had 40 winners and just eight unforced errors while outlasting third-seeded Taylor Fritz 6-7 (7), 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5). Griekspoor of the Netherlands need just 84 minutes to complete a 6-4, 6-3 win over Australia's Alex de Minaur, the No.

Persons: Andrey Rublev, Russia's Daniil Medvedev, Brendan Mcdermid, Italy's Matteo Arnaldi, Rublev, Arnaldi, Daniil Medvedev, Medvedev, Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov, Sinner, Lorenzo Sonego, Gojo, Tommy Paul, Tsitsipas, Tomas Machac, Frances Tiafoe, France's Gael Monfils, Basel Dominic Stricker, Alexander Shevchenko, Tallon Griekspoor, Ugo Humbert, Casper Ruud of Norway, Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur, France's Humbert, Nicolas Jarry of, Holger Rune, Argentina's Sebastian Baez, Felix Auger, Botic van de Zandschulp Organizations: Russia's, Russia's Daniil Medvedev REUTERS, Erste Bank, France's Gael, Swiss, Basel, Shevchenko, Denmark, Thomson Locations: Flushing Meadows , New York, United States, Vienna, Croatian, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Stricker, Russia, Netherlands, Nicolas Jarry of Chile, Canada

That fell to 21-22 million tonnes by 2021, and after Russia invaded last year, output hit 6.3 million in 2022. But even with consumption nearly doubling to 2.6 million tonnes between January and September, that is not enough to sustain a sector that used to export four fifths of its output. Zaporizhstal expects to export two thirds of its 2.4-2.5 million tonnes of iron ore and rolled steel production in 2023. Before the invasion, output was 4.2 million tonnes a year. "We can say that blackouts last winter (reduced) steel production by two to three times," Zinchenko said, citing production data for the months when blackouts were most regular.

Persons: Oleksandr Ratushniak, ZAPORIZHZHIA, Roman Slobodianiuk, Ukraine's, Oleksandr Kalenkov, Slobodianiuk, Stanislav Zinchenko, Medkov, Oleksandr Yasunas, Zinchenko, Mike Collett, White, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Steel, REUTERS, Staff, Reuters, GMK, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia, Russia, Soviet, Ukrainian, Mariupol, Europe, Odesa, Kyiv, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Russian

☆ ATP roundup: Top seed Holger Rune rallies in Basel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

1 seed Holger Rune of Denmark bounced back from a rough first set to beat Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 in first-round action at the Swiss Indoors Basel on Tuesday. Rune overcame four double faults and 15 unforced errors by winning 30 of his 43 first-service points (69.8 percent). 4 seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland beat Serbia's Dusan Lajovic 7-6 (2), 6-3, while fifth seed Alex de Minaur of Australia beat Diego Schwartzman of Argentina 6-4, 6-4. 4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece beat home-country favorite Dominic Thiem 7-6 (5), 6-4 in the first round in Vienna, Austria. 3 seed Andrey Rublev of Russia defeated Australia's Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (5), 6-4, and American sixth seed Tommy Paul took care of Frenchman Alexandre Muller 6-3, 6-1.

Persons: Holger Rune, Brandon Nakashima, Aly, Denmark, Serbia's, Rune, Hubert Hurkacz, Serbia's Dusan Lajovic, Alex de Minaur, Diego Schwartzman, Nicolas Jarry of, Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, Tallon Griekspoor, Russian Alexander Shevchenko, Dominic Stricker, Dominic Thiem, Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, Australia's Alexei Popyrin, Tommy Paul, Frenchman Alexandre Muller, Frances Tiafoe, Daniel Evans of Great, Grigor Dimitrov of, Tomas Machac, Lorenzo Sonego Organizations: Shanghai, Sports City Arena, U.S, REUTERS, Swiss, Basel, Australia, Erste Bank, Russia, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Poland, Argentina, Nicolas Jarry of Chile, Netherlands, Russian, Swiss, Greece, Vienna, Austria, American, U.S, Daniel Evans of Great Britain, Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, Czech

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria on Wednesday decided to expand the country’s nuclear power generation as an alternative to fossil fuels by launching the construction of two additional reactors at its only nuclear power plant. The two new reactors, which will provide a total of 2,300 megawatts, will use Westinghouse’s technology, the government said in a statement. Earlier this year, U.S.-based nuclear equipment manufacturer Westinghouse Electric Co. signed an agreement with the Kozloduy plant for a proposed deployment of one or two AP1000 pressurized water reactor units. Bulgaria currently operates two Russian-designed VVER-1000 reactors of 1000 MW each at the nuclear facility in Kozloduy that generate about a third of the country’s electricity. As part of its energy diversification efforts, Bulgaria signed agreements last year with France’s Framatome and Westinghouse Electric to receive fresh nuclear fuel for its operating reactors.

Persons: Nikolay Denkov, France’s Organizations: —, Wednesday, Westinghouse Electric Co, European Union, Westinghouse Electric Locations: SOFIA, Bulgaria, — Bulgaria, Kozloduy, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ Israel's Holocaust survivors struggle with Gaza war as trauma deepens
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Jonathan Saul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/4] People look up at the damage caused when a rocket, fired from Gaza towards Israel, at a Holocaust museum at a Kibbutz near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel, October 24, 2023. Blumenfeld, 89, is one of tens of thousands of elderly survivors of the Nazi Holocaust who live in Israel and are once again facing up to the reality of war, with more than 220 Israelis taken hostage in Gaza. "I went through the Holocaust and all the wars, but it is not like before, the noise is deafening. According to the latest study published in April by the government's Holocaust Survivors' Rights Authority, there were 147,199 survivors in Israel, with an average age of 85, including 462 who were over 100. "To say that it's worse than the Nazis, I think that's the worst trigger for a Holocaust survivor."

Persons: Violeta Santos Moura, Sarina Blumenfeld, Blumenfeld, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Rivkah, Neot Mordechai, Israel, Har Arieh, Shelly Feigenblat, Jonathan Saul, Rami Amichai, Amar Awad, Crispian Balmer, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Islamists, Nazi Holocaust, Reuters, Hamas, Hezbollah, Gaza's Health, ' Rights Authority, Foundation for, Welfare of Holocaust, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Israel's, Israel New Gaza, ASHDOD, Ashdod, Europe, Neot, Lebanese, Bulgaria, Tel Aviv

☆ US decision to send long-range missiles to Kyiv a grave mistake - Russia's envoy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Armoured vehicles move during "Noble Blueprint 2023" military exercise at Novo Selo military grounds, Bulgaria, September 26, 2023. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy also confirmed his forces used the ATACMS after his military reported on Tuesday striking two air bases in Ukrainian territory now controlled by Russia. Ukraine had repeatedly asked the U.S. administration for the ATACMS and pledged not to use inside Russia's territory. The Kremlin has said U.S. supplies of ATACMS missiles and Abrams tanks to Ukraine would not change the situation on the battlefield. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Anatoly Antonov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Antonov, Lidia Kelly, Christopher Cushing Organizations: NATO, Army Tactical Missile Systems, White House, Ukrainian Special Forces, Thomson Locations: Novo Selo, Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Turkey, Albania, U.S, Ukraine, ATACMS, Russia, Luhansk, Ukraine's, Berdiansk, Azov, Washington, United States, Melbourne, Lincoln

☆ Russia says it deserves a seat on the UN Human Rights Council. It may have a shot
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Richard Roth | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Russia is campaigning for a return to the United Nations’ Human Rights Council – after being suspended just last year for invading Ukraine. Russia’s war in Ukraine war is still grinding on, and several UN human rights investigations have accused Moscow of committing human rights abuses. The Human Rights Council is made up of 47 member states, distributed by geographic region and elected by fellow nations. Russia joined the Human Rights Council in January 2021. “Every day Russia and China remind us by committing abuses on a massive scale that they should not be members of the UN Human Rights Council,” Human Rights Watch UN director Louis Charbonneau said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Russia –, –, Louis Charbonneau, ”, Cuba –, Vassily Nebenzia, ” Jason Evans Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Human Rights, Ukraine wanes, Human, UN, Assembly, Security Council, Eastern European, Albania, UN Human Rights, Rights Watch UN, ” Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, New York, North Korea, UN, Gabon, Bulgaria, Libya, China, Cuba, Iran, Syria, Vietnam, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Burundi, Russian, Kharkiv, Hroza

☆ What is the UN Human Rights Council and what does it do?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Here is that the U.N. Human Rights Council does:- The United Nations Human Rights Council has 47 voting members from five regional groups. - It replaced the Human Rights Commission which was dissolved partly due to a controversy over membership. - New rules were created on eligibility meant to prevent major abusers getting voting rights. - It meets three times a year at the U.N. in Geneva in sessions attended by diplomats, ministers, presidents, civil society and human rights victims and activists. - It also holds regular peer review sessions where countries scrutinise each other's human rights records.

Persons: Melanie Joly, Yevheniia Filipenko, Sergei Lavrov, Donald Trump, Emma Farge, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Foreign Affairs of Canada, Human, Russian, United Nations, General, United Nations Human Rights, Human Rights, United, Israel, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Geneva, Switzerland, GENEVA, Russia, Albania, Bulgaria, New York, U.S, Ukraine, United States, Russian, Iran, Palestinian Territory, Israel

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia faces a tough fight to regain a seat in the U.N.’s premiere human rights body in Tuesday’s election in the General Assembly, which voted last year to suspend Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine. The 193-member assembly will be electing 15 members to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, with candidates put forward by the U.N.’s five regional groups. Human Rights Watch said last week that Russia and China are unfit to serve on the Human Rights Council. The New York-based watchdog said China’s rights record should also disqualify it from the Human Rights Council. The Geneva-based Human Rights Council was created in 2006 to replace a commission discredited because of some members’ poor rights records.

Persons: ’, Moscow’s U.N, Vassily Nebenzia, ” Nebenzia, Felice Gaer, Jacob, Russia’s, Ferit Hoxha, Robert Wood, ”, Louis Charbonneau, U.N, Vladimir Putin Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, General Assembly, Rights, Albania, East European, Human Rights, Russia, Jacob Blaustein Institute, Advancement of Human, Human Rights Council, Security Council, United Nations, General, Rights Watch, Human Rights Watch, International, Court, The Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Geneva, Bulgaria, United States, Russian, Ukrainian, U.S, America, Caribbean, Cuba, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Peru, China, Japan, Kuwait, Indonesia, Burundi, Malawi, Ghana, Ivory Coast, France, Netherlands, “, The New York, Xinjiang, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, South Korea, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Sudan

☆ Which airlines have suspended Israel flights after Hamas attacks?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Here are airlines that have temporarily halted flights to and from Israel:AFRICARoyal Air Maroc cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv on Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday, United Airlines (UAL.O) and American Airlines (AAL.O) suspended direct flights to Tel Aviv. EUROPEAll airlines owned by Germany's Lufthansa (LHAG.DE), including Austrian Airlines, Swiss International Airlines and Brussels Airlines, cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv through Saturday. Norwegian Air (NAS.OL) cancelled flights from Copenhagen and Stockholm to Tel Aviv and return flights through Sunday. Portugal's TAP suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv without providing a time frame.

Persons: Amir Cohen, Britain's, Vueling, Alessandro Parodi, Joao Manuel Mauricio, Milla Nissi, Bernadette Baum 私 Organizations: Gaza, REUTERS, AFRICA Royal Air Maroc, Delta Air Lines, Sunday, United Airlines, American Airlines, Tel Aviv . United, Air Canada, ASIA Hainan Airlines, Cathay, HK, Korean, Germany's Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Swiss International Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Saturday, Ryanair, Air France KLM, Norwegian, TAP, Sunday . British Airways, IAG, Air Europa, Italy's ITA, Aegean Airlines, Bulgaria Air, Air Malta, Virgin Atlantic, EAST Etihad Airways, . Gulf Air Locations: Sderot, Israel, Tel Aviv, AFRICA, ASIA, China, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Incheon, EUROPE, Europe's, France, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Hungarian, Iberia, Spanish, London Heathrow, Abu Dhabi, Gdansk

A senior Russian official accused the United States of deploying unmatched efforts to ensure Russia remained out of the Human Rights Council. The empty seat for the representative of Russia is pictured during the Human Rights Council special session on the human rights situation in Ukraine, at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, May 12, 2022. China and Cuba were also among the winners of Tuesday's vote, drawing objections from human rights defenders. "Crimes against humanity and genocide apparently (are) not disqualifying actions for UN's top human rights body," the Uyghur Human Rights Project, which advocates against what rights campaigners say are China's grave human rights abuses against the mainly Muslim ethnic minority, wrote on messaging platform X.Juan Pappier, deputy director for the Americas at Human Rights Watch, wrote on X in the run-up to the vote that Cuba was unfit to be a member of the Council. "Its record of systematic human rights violations speaks for itself," he wrote.

Persons: doesn't, Louis Charbonneau, Vladimir Putin, Maria Lvova, Denis Balibouse, Maria Zabolotskaya, Richard Gowan, Juan Pappier, Emma Farge, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Deepa Babington Organizations: Russia, GENEVA, United Nations, General Assembly, Rights Council, UN, United, Human Rights Watch, Children's, Kremlin, Human Rights, Human, REUTERS, Representative, Crisis, Thomson Locations: Bulgaria, Albania, Russia, Ukraine, Cuba, China, Moscow, Europe, Geneva, United Nations, U.S, Russian, United States, Switzerland, Russia's

Aslan Bzhania, the self-styled president of Russian-backed Abkhazia, said an agreement had been signed for a permanent naval base in the Ochamchira region. Three of the Black Sea littoral states are NATO members - Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania. The news of the Russian base at Ochamchira, where the Soviet Union had a naval base, could indicate Russia is seeking alternatives to Sevastopol while also expanding its military presence down the Black Sea coast towards Turkey. The Wall Street Journal reported that Russia had withdrawn the bulk of its Black Sea Fleet from its main base in annexed Crimea due to Ukrainian attacks. At his meeting with Bzhania on Wednesday, Putin did not say anything about a naval base.

Persons: Izvestiya Putin, Vladimir Putin, Aslan Bzhania, Bzhania, Izvestiya, Putin, Guy Faulconbridge, Gareth Jones Organizations: Abkhazia Abkhaz, Ukrainian, Russian Navy, NATO, Soviet, Street Journal, Thomson Locations: Abkhazia, Russia, Sevastopol MOSCOW, Georgian, Sevastopol, Moscow, Ukraine, Ochamchira, South Ossetia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru, Syria, Soviet Union, Crimea

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