DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

LONDON (AP) — Boris Johnson, the former British prime minister, struggled to come to grips with much of the science during the coronavirus pandemic, his chief scientific advisor said Monday. In keenly awaited testimony to the country’s public inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic, Patrick Vallance said he and others faced repeated problems getting Johnson to understand the science. “I think I’m right in saying that the prime minister gave up science at 15," he said. During the pandemic, Vallance was a highly visible presence in the U.K. The inquiry is set to hear from current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who was Johnson's Treasury chief at the time.

Persons: — Boris Johnson, Patrick Vallance, Johnson, “, Vallance, Chris Whitty, Johnson's, –, ”, Heather Hallett, Rishi Sunak, Sunak Organizations: British, Downing, Treasury Locations: British, Europe

☆ Gaza strikes kill family members of journalist targeted by death threats
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko Acquire Licensing RightsNov 20 (Reuters) - Deadly strikes hit the Gaza home of a news photographer days after an Israeli media advocacy group questioned his coverage of Hamas' Oct. 7, prompting death threats against him on social media. Yasser Qudih, who survived the strikes on the night of Nov. 13, said four projectiles hit the rear of his house, killing eight family members. Qudih had provided photos to Reuters during the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas gunmen although he was not a Reuters staff photographer. Reuters could not verify who was responsible for the strikes, why Qudih's home in southern Gaza was targeted or whether the strikes were linked to HonestReporting's Nov. 8 report. In a statement, Reuters said it was "deeply saddened "to learn of the deaths of Qudih's family members.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Yasser Qudih, Qudih, Israel, HonestReporting, Benny Gantz, Danny Danon, Gil Hoffman, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Mark Bendeich, Timothy Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, REUTERS, Gaza, Reuters, Israel Defence Forces, IDF, United Nations, Likud, Nasser Hospital, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Israeli, HonestReporting

☆ U.S., Israel and Hamas reach tentative deal to pause conflict and free dozens of hostages- WaPo
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, as seen from southern Israel, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, November 18, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 18 (Reuters) - Israel, the United States and Hamas have reached a tentative agreement to free dozens of women and children held hostage in Gaza in exchange for a five-day pause in fighting, the Washington Post reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the deal. Hamas took about 240 hostages during its Oct. 7 rampage inside Israel that killed 1,200 people. There was no immediate comment from the White House or the Israeli prime minister's office on the Post report. Reporting by Akanksha Khushi in Bengaluru and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Editing by Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Akanksha, Chizu Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, REUTERS, Washington Post, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, United States, Bengaluru, Doina, Washington

☆ Biggest protest in Spain against Catalan amnesty law draws 170,000
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Raul Cadenas Susana Vera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The amnesty will cover about 400 people involved in the independence bid that came to a head in 2017, including separatists but also police involved in clashes with activists. The independence referendum was declared illegal by the courts and resulted in Spain's worst political crisis for decades. The amnesty will be the largest in Spain since the 1977 blanket amnesty for crimes committed during the Francisco Franco dictatorship, and the first amnesty law approved in the European Union since 1991, according to Spain's CSIC research council. Protesters, including neo-Nazi groups, have held rowdy demonstrations outside the Socialist headquarters in Madrid for 15 nights consecutively since the deal was announced. In a survey by Metroscopia in mid-September, around 70% of respondents - 59% of them Socialist supporters – said they were against the idea of an amnesty.

Persons: Catalonia's, Pedro Sanchez, Sanchez, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Santiago Abascal, Francisco Franco, Metroscopia, –, Graham Keeley, Susana Vera, Raul Cadenas, Silvio Castellanos, Clelia Oziel, Mike Harrison Organizations: Spain's Socialists, Spain's Socialist, Authorities, People's Party, Vox, European Union, Socialist, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, MADRID, Catalan, Basque, Catalonia

Keir Starmer, leader of Britain's Labour Party, speaks during the Prime Minister's Questions, at the House of Commons in London, Britain November 15, 2023. But the backing of so many Labour lawmakers showed the levels of disquiet in the party over the Middle East conflict. Eight members of Starmer's 'shadow' ministerial team left their roles in order to defy the party position. But I wanted to be clear about where I stood, and where I will stand," Starmer said after the vote. A large protest by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign outside parliament demanding lawmakers back a ceasefire took place while the vote was going on.

Persons: Keir Starmer, Maria Unger, Handout, Rishi Sunak, Jess Phillips, Starmer, Elizabeth Piper, Kylie MacLellan, Deepa Babington Organizations: Britain's Labour Party, REUTERS Acquire, Labour, Scottish National Party, European Union, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Israel, United States, Gaza, Britain's, Palestine

☆ Russia: Armenia Skipping CSTO Summit Is Latest Anti-Russian Move Orchestrated by West
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Wednesday that Armenian Prime Minister's Nikol Pashinyan's decision to stay away from a summit of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) was the latest anti-Russian move by Armenia orchestrated by the West. Relations between Russia and Armenia, which are formally allies, have soured in recent months, with Yerevan publicly questioning the value of its partnership with Russia and trying to deepen ties with the West. Some Armenians blamed Russia for failing to stop what Baku called an anti-terrorist operation, an allegation that Moscow has rejected. Russian Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters that Russia saw Pashinyan's refusal to attend the CSTO summit as the latest in a "chain" of events. The West, whose plans in Ukraine have failed, is now gripping Armenia, trying to tear it away from Russia," she said.

Persons: Minister's Nikol, Maria Zakharova, Armenpress, Dmitry Antonov, Felix Light, Andrew Osborn Organizations: Security, Organisation, West . Relations, West, Russian Foreign, Russia Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Armenia, Yerevan, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Baku, Moscow, Russian, Ukraine

The conflict is also testing the limits of the regional coalition whose members - which include the Syrian government, Hezbollah, Hamas and other militant groups from Iraq to Yemen - have differing priorities and domestic challenges. On Oct. 7, Hamas' military commander Mohammed Deif called on its axis allies to join the struggle. Yet, like its backer Iran, Hezbollah has avoided an all-out confrontation. Iran does not recognise Israel's existence, while Israel has long threatened military action against Iran if diplomacy fails to curb its disputed nuclear activity. "Iran has shown a four-decade commitment to fighting America and Israel without entering into direct conflict.

Persons: Ali Khamenei, Ismail Haniyeh, wouldn't, Yemen's Houthis, Mohanad Hage Ali, Israel, Mohammed Deif, Khaled Meshaal, Dennis Ross, Hamas didn't, didn't, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Joe Biden, Lloyd Austin, Yoav Gallant, Israel didn't, Karim Sadjadpour, Parisa Hafezi, Laila Bassam, Arshad Mohammed, Tom Perry, Jonathan Saul, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, Pravin Organizations: Israel, Reuters, Hezbollah, Carnegie Middle East Center, Hamas, Washington Institute for Near, Iran, AMERICA, United, U.S, Pentagon ., . Defense, NORTH Austin, Carnegie Endowment, International, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Tehran, Israel, Iran, Palestinian, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Beirut, Gaza, Lebanon, Palestine, United States, U.S, East, Iranian, Afghanistan, Seoul, ISRAEL, America, Dubai, Saint Paul, Jerusalem, Washington

[1/2] Evgenia Kara-Murza, wife of jailed Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza, addresses the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy in Geneva, Switzerland May 17, 2023. Kara-Murza, 42, has a condition called polyneuropathy that takes away the sensation in his limbs unless controlled by medicines and exercise. His wife Evgenia Kara-Murza said exercise was now impossible for him in a cell measuring just 3 x 1.5 metres (9.8 x 4.9 feet), furnished with only a bed and a backless stool, where he has been held since September in a maximum-security penal colony in the city of Omsk. The fact that they've isolated him to the maximum of course makes me very concerned for his life," Evgenia Kara-Murza said. "The politically motivated conviction of Vladimir Kara-Murza is deplorable.

Persons: Evgenia Kara, Murza, Vladimir Kara, Denis Balibouse, Kara, Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin, Vladimir, Mr Kara, wryly, Mark Trevelyan, Mark Heinrich, Gareth Jones Organizations: Geneva, Human Rights, Democracy, REUTERS, Britain's, Reuters, Russian, Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth, Development, Liberal International, Thomson Locations: Geneva, Switzerland, Moscow, Omsk, Ukraine, Russia, Britain

Sunak said he was working on a new treaty with Rwanda that would address the points made by the court, would pass an emergency law to designate Rwanda a safe country, and was "prepared to do what is necessary" to stop any foreign court blocking deportation flights. 10 Downing Street ahead of Prime Minister's Questions at the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain, November 15, 2023. The Bar Council, which represents barristers, said it had "grave concern" about the prospect of parliament passing legislation intended to deem Rwanda a safe country and therefore upend the Supreme Court's finding. That meant Sunak needed to go further and faster, right-wing critics in his party said. However, another Conservative politician in the moderate wing of the faction-ridden party was pessimistic about the plan's future.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Neil O'Brien, James, Gavin Phillipson, Alan Greene, Peter Nicholls, Nick Vineall, Phillipson, Sam Tobin, Sachin Ravikumar, Alex Richardson Organizations: LONDON, British, Sunak's Conservative Party, University of Bristol, Constitutional, Rights, Birmingham Law School, Britain's, REUTERS, of Human Rights, Bar Council, Conservative Party, Labour Party, New Conservatives, Conservative, Thomson Locations: Rwanda, Britain, London, Downing

☆ Tesla to double its components imports from India - Trade Minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Tesla Inc FollowBENGALURU, Nov 14 (Reuters) - U.S. electric car maker Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) is planning to double the number of components it imports from India, Indian trade minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday through a post on social media platform X. "Proud to see the growing importance of Auto component suppliers from India in the Tesla EV supply chain. It is on its way to double its components imports from India," Goyal posted on X, earlier called Twitter, after visiting Tesla's manufacturing facility at Fremont, California. He was, however, unable to meet Tesla chief Elon Musk during his visit to the plant, Goyal added. He said in September Tesla was aiming to source components worth between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion from India this year, having bought $1 billion of components last year.

Persons: Mike Blake, Piyush Goyal, Goyal, Elon Musk, Tesla, Ashna Teresa Britto, Rashmi Aich Organizations: Tesla Inc, REUTERS, Tesla, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Costa Mesa , California, U.S, India, Fremont , California, Bengaluru

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — China, Iran and a multitude of Arab nations condemned an Israeli minister’s statement that a nuclear bomb on the Gaza Strip was an option in the Israel-Hamas war, calling it a threat to the world. It is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, and a former employee at its nuclear reactor served 18 years in Israeli prison for leaking details and pictures of Israel’s alleged nuclear arsenal program to a British newspaper in 1986. He urged Israel to stop “such rhetoric or posturing” and join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear weapon state. Ambassador Amir Iravani told the conference the nuclear threats directed toward Palestinians by high-ranking Israeli officials highlight Israel’s “pride” in having these weapons in its hands. “The secrecy surrounding Israel’s nuclear capabilities poses a significant threat to regional stability,” he said.

Persons: Amihai Eliyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, U.N, Geng Shuang, Geng, Izumi Nakamitsu, ” Nakamitsu, Mohamed Al, Hassan, Gaza “, ”, d’Affaires Hadi Hachem, Amir Iravani, “, ” Israel, Netanyahu, Mikhail Ulyanov, “ there’s Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, Israel’s Heritage, British, Gulf Cooperation, U.N Security, IAEA, Nuclear Locations: China, Iran, Gaza, Israel, Beijing, Saudi Arabia, Vienna, Moscow, United States, United Kingdom

☆ Japan PM to sack deputy finance minister over tax scandal - NHK
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Fumio Kishida, Japan's prime minister, speaks during a news conference at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, November 2, 2023. Kiyoshi Ota/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has decided to sack a deputy finance minister, public broadcaster NHK reported on Monday, after the official last week admitted to media reports that he had been delinquent on tax payments in the past. State Minister of Finance Kenji Kanda, who is in charge of government bonds and monetary policy, would be the third to leave a ministerial post in just two months since Kishida reshuffled his cabinet to improve tumbling public approval ratings. The report of Kanda's firing comes as the latest poll by broadcaster FNN showed the approval rating for Kishida's cabinet reaching a record low of 27.8%, sliding 7.8 points from last month. Reporting by Kantaro Komiya and Satoshi Sugiyama Editing by Chang-Ran KimOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Fumio, Kiyoshi Ota, Fumio Kishida, of Finance Kenji Kanda, Kishida, FNN, Kantaro Komiya, Satoshi Sugiyama, Chang, Ran Kim Organizations: Rights, NHK, of Finance, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ Portuguese Judge Orders Release of Those Detained in Corruption Probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

LISBON (Reuters) - A Lisbon judge ordered on Monday that all five people detained last week for alleged corruption and influence-peddling, including the outgoing Portuguese prime minister's former chief of staff, be released from custody, the court said. They remain suspects in the investigation into alleged illegalities in the government's handling of lithium and hydrogen projects, as well as a large-scale data centre. The probe has led to the resignation of Prime Minister Antonio Costa, who is the target of a related investigation, and a snap election being called for March 10. Lacerda Machado was released on a 150,000-euro ($160,305) bail, while no bail was demanded for Escaria, who will be barred from travelling abroad, the court said. Others were named formal suspects in the investigation but were not detained, including Infrastructure Minister Joao Galamba, and head the environment agency APA, Nuno Lacasta.

Persons: Antonio Costa, Prosecutors, Vitor Escaria, Diogo Lacerda Machado, Costa's, Lacerda Machado, Joao Galamba, Nuno Lacasta, Costa, Catarina Demony, Andrei Khalip, Aislinn Laing Organizations: Escaria, Infrastructure Locations: LISBON, Lisbon

☆ Cameron returns to UK government as foreign secretary, Braverman sacked
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Elizabeth Piper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

It was the latest reset for a prime minister whose party is badly lagging the Labour Party before an election expected next year. The return of Cameron suggested Sunak wanted to bring in a more centrist, experienced hand rather than appease the right of his party which supported Braverman. It also reawakens divisive debate over Brexit: Cameron held the referendum on European Union membership in 2016 and was hated by many on the right of the party after he campaigned to remain. BREXIT RETURNS[1/5]Britain's former Prime Minister and newly appointed Foreign Secretary David Cameron walks outside 10 Downing Street in London, Britain November 13, 2023. Now, opposition lawmakers said his decision to appoint Cameron was an act of desperation.

Persons: Braverman, Rishi Sunak, David Cameron, Suella Braverman, Cameron, Sunak, BREXIT, Suzanne Plunkett, Theresa May, James, Pat McFadden, Elizabeth Piper, Andrew MacAskill, Alistair Smout, Sachin Ravikumar, Kylie MacLellan, Sarah Young, Kate Holton, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: London, British, Labour Party, European Union, Britain, Conservative Party, REUTERS, Conservative, Conservatives, Labour, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, England, Labour's

☆ HonestReporting accepts news groups had no prior warning of Oct. 7 Hamas attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

HonestReporting's Gil Hoffman told Reuters his organisation had not claimed to know that there had been any prior knowledge by the news groups of the Hamas attack. "I was so relieved when all four of the media organisations said they didn't have prior knowledge," Hoffman said in an interview by telephone about the article. "I still very much think that the questions were legitimate and the answers were adequate from the media organisations themselves." Reacting to the HonestReporting article posted on X, the Israeli Foreign Ministry had described the use of the various images by the four news groups as "a serious violation of journalistic ethics." Despite HonestReporting's suggestions that the Palestinian photojournalists had secured their images in coordination with Hamas, he said he was "happy" their pictures had been published.

Persons: Esa Alexander, HonestReporting, HonestReporting's Gil Hoffman, Hoffman, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Danny Danon, photojournalists, Crispian Balmer, Edmund Blair Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Associated Press, CNN, The New York Times, Palestinian, Israeli Foreign Ministry, Likud, United Nations, AP, Jerusalem Post, HonestReporting, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Beirut, Lebanon, Israeli

On Wednesday, Brazil arrested two people on terrorism charges as part of an operation to take down a suspected Hezbollah cell planning attacks on Brazilian soil. Later that day, Mossad publicly thanked Brazil's police and said, "Given the backdrop of the war in Gaza," Hezbollah was continuing to attack Israeli, Jewish and Western targets. A spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, which oversees the Mossad, had no immediate comment. Brazil's Foreign Ministry told Israel this week that the diplomatic relationship would become unsustainable if any harm were to befall the trapped Brazilians, the sources said. The Iranian government and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group in Lebanon, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Persons: Brazil's, Flavio Dino, Israel, Dino, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Eli Cohen, Mauro Vieira, Vieira, Daniel Zonshine, Jair Bolsonaro, Lula, Zonshine, Andrei Rodrigues, Rodrigues, Gabriel Stargardter, Maytaal Angel, Jonathan Saul, Andrew Heavens, Brad Haynes, David Gregorio, Leslie Adler Organizations: RIO DE, Brazilian Federal Police, Prime, Office, Mossad, Foreign Ministry, Reuters, O Globo, Wednesday's Federal Police, Federal Police, Hezbollah, Thomson Locations: RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Israel, Gaza, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Iran, Lebanon

☆ Gaza Activist on Speaking Tour in France Faces Deportation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS (Reuters) - A French court has approved the deportation of Palestinian activist Mariam Abudaqa, who came to France for a speaking tour in September and was put under house arrest after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants. More than 10,000 people have been killed in Gaza by Israel's retaliatory assault on the enclave. "We are supposed to die without even saying ouch, without expressing pain," said Abudaqa of her arrest and speaking ban on Tuesday before the court decision came. The Conseil d'Etat, France's highest administrative court, based its ruling on Abudaqa's membership of the PFLP, stating that she occupies a "leadership" position. The court ruling does not specify by what date Abudaqa must leave and where she must go.

Persons: Mariam Abudaqa, overturns, Liberation of, Abudaqa, Pierre Stambul, hadn't, Layli Foroudi, Antonia Cimini, Christina Fincher Organizations: PARIS, Hamas, Popular Front, Liberation, Liberation of Palestine, Palestine, PFLP, Palestinian Liberation Organisation, PLO, UN, EU, Union of Locations: France, Israel, Palestine, Gaza, Union of French, Peace, Egypt

☆ Russia is turning increasingly hostile toward Israel as it picks sides in the Middle East
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL - JANUARY 23: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) attend their meeting at Prime Minister's Office on January 23, 2020 in Jerusalem, Israel. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi greets Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 19, 2022. Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad during a meeting in Sochi on November 20, 2017. Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares to greet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their meeting on Jan. 23, 2020, in Jerusalem. Russia's President Vladimir Putin with senior Saudi officials in 2014.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mikhail Svetlov, Russia's, Petroleum Javad, Putin, Erdogan, Ebrahim Raisi, John Drennan, Sergei Savostyanov, Mark Galeotti, Israel, Israel Russia's, Sergei Lavrov, Bashar al, Assad, UN Vasily Nebenzya, Tatiana Stanovaya, Stanovaya, Rob Griffith Organizations: Israeli, Minister's Office, Getty, Israel's, Petroleum, Turkish, Israel, U.S . Institute of Peace, AFP, Ministry, Russian Foreign Affairs, Russian, UN, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Kremlin, America, Saudi, Afp Locations: JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, Jerusalem, Israel, Russia, Gaza, East, Tehran, Iran, Ukraine, Syria, Moscow, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Arabia, Sochi, Tel Aviv

[1/8] Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shake hands at the prime minister's official residence Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, in Tokyo, Japan. "Our commitment to continue strict sanctions against Russia and strong support for Ukraine has not wavered at all, even as the situation in the Middle East intensifies," Japan's foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa told a press conference. The G7 is due to hold an online meeting with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Wednesday. Since the war erupted, the G7 has issued just one joint statement on the conflict, amounting to a few sentences. G7 foreign ministers are preparing "some sort of statement" to be issued following the Tokyo talks, Kamikawa said declining to comment on its contents.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Antony Blinken, Eugene Hoshiko, Yoko Kamikawa, Kamikawa, Dmytro Kuleba, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Minoru Kihara, Blinken, Sakura Murakami, Tim Kelly, John Geddie, Tom Hogue, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Japan's, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Ukraine, Kyiv, The, European Union, Russia, Ukraine's Foreign, Mitsui & Co, Health, Japanese, British, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Russia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, United States, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Moscow, Hiroshima, May, ISRAEL, GAZA, Iran

☆ Rescuers Struggle to Find Nepal Quake Survivors, Deaths at 137
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

"The number of injured could be in the hundreds and the deaths could go up as well," Jajarkot district official Harish Chandra Sharma told Reuters by phone. Officials said 99 people were killed in Jajarkot and 38 in neighbouring Rukum West district, both in Karnali province. At least 85 people were injured in Rukum West and 55 in Jajarkot, an official in the prime minister's office said. Thousands of residents spent the entire night in cold, open grounds because they were too scared to go in into the cracked houses as aftershocks struck," Sharma said. Local TV channels showed rescuers digging through the rubble with their bare hands looking for survivors in the debris of collapsed houses.

Persons: Gopal Sharma, Harish Chandra Sharma, Sharma, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Krishna Bhandari, Narendra Modi, Saurabh Sharma, YP Rajesh, William Mallard Organizations: Seismological, German Research Centre, Geosciences, U.S . Geological, Reuters, Authorities, Indian, YP Locations: Gopal Sharma KATHMANDU, Nepal, New Delhi, Kathmandu, Jajarkot, Rukum West, Karnali province, Ramidanda, Surkhet, Chaurjahari, Rukum, India, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, LUCKNOW

☆ Philippines military remains loyal to the president - national security adviser
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano arrives to meet Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Japan, June 15, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMANILA, Nov 4 (Reuters) - The Philippines' National Security Adviser on Saturday rejected talk of a plot to destabilise the government of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, saying the military and entire security sector were loyal to the commander-in-chief. "Yes, there were healthy and passionate exchanges (and) debates among some retired or former military officers and even some criticism against certain policies of the current administration, but they are within the bounds of our democratic space," National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said. "The security sector shall remain vigilant and ready to take immediate action against any sinister group that will undermine our national security," Ano said. The Philippines has seen more than a dozen coup attempts since the overthrow of President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.

Persons: Eduardo Ano, Fumio Kishida, Kim Kyung, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Eduardo Año, Año, Año's, Romeo Brawner, Brawner, Ano, Marcos, Ferdinand Marcos, Karen Lema, Michael Perry Organizations: Philippine National Security, REUTERS, Rights, National Security, Philippine, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Rights MANILA, Philippines

☆ Rescuers struggle to find Nepal quake survivors, deaths at 137
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Gopal Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] A damaged building is seen after an earthquake in Jajarkot, Nepal, November 4, 2023. Officials said 99 people were killed in Jajarkot and 38 in neighbouring Rukum West district, both in Karnali province. At least 85 people were injured in Rukum West and 55 in Jajarkot, an official in the prime minister's office said. Thousands of residents spent the entire night in cold, open grounds because they were too scared to go in into the cracked houses as aftershocks struck," Sharma said. Local TV channels showed rescuers digging through the rubble with their bare hands looking for survivors in the debris of collapsed houses.

Persons: Harish Chandra Sharma, Sharma, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Krishna Bhandari, Narendra Modi, Gopal Sharma, Saurabh Sharma, YP Rajesh, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Seismological, German Research Centre, Geosciences, U.S . Geological, Reuters, Authorities, Indian, YP, Thomson Locations: Jajarkot, Nepal, New Delhi, Kathmandu, Rukum West, Karnali province, Ramidanda, Surkhet, Chaurjahari, Rukum, India, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, LUCKNOW

☆ Australia's Albanese to highlight trade on China visit as ties warm
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A quarter of Australia's export earnings come from China, more than the next three trade partners, the United States, South Korea and Japan combined, Albanese said on Tuesday. "Trade as an anchor provides stability and certainty to allow greater engagement while we navigate uncertain currents and obstacles that lie beneath," said Australia China Business Council president David Olsson. Chairman of the Business Council of Australia's global engagement committee, Warwick Smith, said Albanese would highlight the complementary nature of bilateral trade in a speech on Sunday to 500 business people. DIFFICULT TOPICSChina has lauded the visit's timing, on the 50th anniversary of the first to China by an Australian leader, then Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. Although the Albanese government has put dialogue at the centre of its approach to China, most policy remains the same, he said.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Albanese, Xi Jinping, Richard Marles, David Olsson, Li Qiang, Fortescue, " Olsson, Warwick Smith, Gough Whitlam, Penny Wong, Xiao Qian, Richard Maude, Thomas, Maude, Kirsty Needham, Robert Birsel Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia China Business, Fortescue Metals, Rio Tinto, BHP, Business Council, Asia Society Australia, America, Thomson Locations: China, Shanghai, South, Beijing, Australia, United States, Canberra, Britain, Washington, South Korea, Japan, Rio, CIIE, Philippines, Taiwan

☆ Japan's Kishida announces $113-bln package to combat inflation pain
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Yoshifumi Takemoto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida poses during a photo session with his new cabinet members at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, September 13, 2023. To fund part of the spending, the government will compile a supplementary budget for the current fiscal year of 13.1 trillion yen, Kishida told reporters. Reuters reported on Wednesday the government is considering spending over 17 trillion yen for the package, which will include temporary cuts to income and residential taxes as well as subsidies to curb gasoline and utility bills. The rising cost of living is partly blamed for pushing down Kishida's approval ratings, piling pressure on the prime minister to take steps to ease the pain on households. ($1 = 150.5100 yen)Reporting by Yoshifumi Takemoto, writing by Leika Kihara; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Zhang Xiaoyu, Kishida, Yoshifumi Takemoto, Leika Kihara, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, COVID

☆ The UK AI summit's narrow focus on safety and existential risk means the real issues are being ignored, an AI ethicist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The UK's AI safety summit kicks off on Wednesday. Several groups have criticized the UK government's focus on the existential risks of AI. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe UK's AI safety summit kicked off on Wednesday, but the event is already surrounded by criticism. Hickok is not the only one to raise concerns about the current rhetoric around AI safety. "The UK should not let the AI safety agenda displace the AI fairness agenda," she said.

Persons: —, Merve Hickok, AGI, Hickok, Rishi Sunak Organizations: Service, Center, AI, Policy

Search resuls for: "minister's"

25 mentions found