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☆ Saudi soccer clubs to play in Iran for the first time in seven years
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Mostafa Salem | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Iranian and Saudi soccer clubs will be facing off on a home-and-away basis for the first time since 2016, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said in a statement Monday. Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr is set to play Iranian giant Persepolis FC in Tehran on September 19. Riyadh severed ties with Tehran in 2016 after Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in the Iranian capital following the execution of a Shi’ite cleric in Saudi Arabia. But both countries agreed to reestablish diplomatic ties in March after seven years of hostility, in a landmark deal mediated by China. Saudi Arabia has been investing heavily in sport in recent times, with teams in the Saudi Pro League – the professional men’s league in the country – signing a slew of global stars.

Persons: Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Ronaldo’s, Benzema’s Al, Neymar’s Al, Hilal, It’s Organizations: CNN, Asian Football Confederation, AFC, Asian Champions League, Persepolis FC, Sepahan SC, football, Saudi Arabian Football Federation, Football Federation Islamic, Saudi, Saudi Pro League Locations: Saudi, Iran, Tehran, Ittihad, Isfahan, Mazandaran, Saudi Arabia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Asia, Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran, Riyadh, China

☆ First Saudi ambassador arrives in Tehran after rapprochement
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A view of the flags of Iran and Saudi Arabia before the meeting between Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, in Tehran, Iran June 17, 2023. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCAIRO, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's first ambassador to Iran since the resumption of diplomatic relations arrived in Tehran on Tuesday to start his new mission there, the Saudi state news agency said. The agency quoted Ambassador Abdullah bin Saud al-Anzi as saying the Saudi leadership stresses the importance of strengthening relations with Iran with more communication and meetings between the two countries. Last March, China brokered a rapprochement between Riyadh and Tehran, leading to a resumption of full diplomatic relations. Saudi Arabia broke off relations in 2016 when protesters attacked its embassy in Tehran over Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric.

Persons: Hossein Amir, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Majid Asgaripour, Abdullah bin Saud, Omar Abdel, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Iranian, Saudi Arabia's Foreign, West Asia News Agency, REUTERS, Rights, Saudi Arabia's, Thomson Locations: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Tehran, Rights CAIRO, China, Riyadh

NEW DELHI/BEIJING, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping's decision to skip the G20 summit is being seen in host India as a snub to New Delhi and a new setback to the already frozen relations between the nuclear-armed Asian giants. Asked if Xi's decision reflects China-India tensions, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that Beijing had supported India's hosting of the summit. China did not refer to any agreement and said Xi stressed improving ties helps both countries and global peace and stability. Shyam Saran, formerly India's top diplomat, said Xi's decision to skip the summit was "unusual". Happymon Jacob, who teaches international relations at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University, said Xi skipping the G20 summit "doesn't bode well" for India-China relations.

Persons: Xi Jinping's, Xi, Li Qiang, Mao Ning, Mao, Narendra Modi's, Baijayant Jay Panda, ”, China nosedived, Modi, Shi Yinhong, Shi, Shyam Saran, Saran, Happymon Jacob, bode, Jacob, Liz Lee Organizations: NEW, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, riling, China's Renmin University, Reuters, New, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Thomson Locations: NEW DELHI, BEIJING, India, New Delhi, China, Beijing, Johannesburg, Delhi, United States, riling Beijing, Japan, Australia, South China

☆ Iraqi security forces deploy in Kirkuk after four protesters killed in ethnic clashes
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A view of the city of Kirkuk shows a flame from an oilfield in the distance, October 25, 2010. Four protesters were shot dead on Saturday in clashes between ethnic groups in Kirkuk that broke out after days of tensions. But security forces had deployed additional troops on the streets to "prevent violence and protect civilians", he said. Military helicopters flew over the city on Sunday, according to four Kirkuk residents who spoke to Reuters by phone. Arab residents and minority groups, who say they suffered under Kurdish rule, have protested the KDP's return to the city.

Persons: Saad Shalash, Amir Shwani, Shwani, Ahmed Rasheed, Ros Russell, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, Security, SULAIMANIYA, Police, Kurdistan Democratic Party, KDP, Military, Reuters, Sunday, Iraq's Shi'ite, Thomson Locations: Kirkuk, Iraq

☆ Protester killed, dozen wounded in clashes in Iraq city of Kirkuk, police say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BAGHDAD, Sept 2 (Reuters) - A protester was shot dead and a dozen wounded on Saturday during clashes between ethnic groups in the northern Iraqi oil city of Kirkuk that broke out after days of tensions, security forces and police said. Security officials and police in the city say they were investigating the circumstances of how a protester - a Kurd - was killed, and who opened fire. People from both protest groups were wounded as stones were thrown and metal bars used to attack, said Kirkuk police. Kurdish forces controlled Kirkuk city after driving Islamic State out in 2014 but were ejected by the Iraqi army in 2017, bringing the city back under Baghdad's control. But Arab residents and minority groups who said they suffered under Kurdish rule, such as the Turkmen, have protested the KDP's return.

Persons: Mohammed al, Sudani, Ahmed Rasheed, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Kurdistan Democratic Party, Security, Iraq's Shi'ite, Thomson Locations: BAGHDAD, Kirkuk, Iraq, State, Iraqi

☆ Bahrain political prisoners reject government offer, extend hunger strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Aziz El Yaakoubi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Rights groups and families of detainees say some 800 prisoners are on hunger strike at the capital's Jau prison over what they call harsh conditions there, and they said on Thursday that the prisoners had rejected government concessions. GOVERNMENT DISPUTES NUMBER ON HUNGER STRIKEThe interior ministry said on Monday that it planned to double the daily outdoor time to two hours, increase the duration of family visits and review rates for phone calls after the hunger strike began on Aug. 7. Bahraini authorities deny targeting the political opposition and say they are protecting national security. The government disputes that 800 prisoners have joined the hunger strike, with the General Directorate of Reform and Rehabilitation (GDRR) saying in an emailed statement to Reuters that the number of detainees who have reported being on hunger strike "is 121 and at no point was it over 124". Ahmed Jaafar, another prisoner, was put in isolation after he started the hunger strike and was hospitalised on Aug. 27, his family said in a statement.

Persons: Al Khalifa, Sayed Alwadaei, Alwadaei, Maryam al, Khawaja, Abdulhadi, Ahmed Jaafar, GDRR, Aziz El Yaakoubi, Angus McDowall, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Government, Ministry, Bahrain Institute for Rights, Democracy, of, Rehabilitation, Reuters, United Nations, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Bahrain, Saudi, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Bahraini

A record 38 QDII funds had been launched this year until August 17, outpacing the 31 funds launched in 2022, Morningstar data shows. Tianhong, which is planning new QDII products, obtained a $120 million fresh QDII quota in July, less than it had hoped for. Rather than foreign capital selling China equities, this time it's Chinese investors’ outbound investment,” Liu said. HUGE DEMANDThe QDII program, launched in 2006, remains a key outbound investment channel for mainland Chinese investors, alongside the Qualified Domestic Limited Partnership (QDLP) programme. Tracy Liu, an individual investor working in the information technology industry, invested in an India-focused QDII fund in March.

Persons: Aly, Ivan Shi, Liu Dong, Becky Liu, Liu, ” Liu, Desiree Wang, Tracy Liu, Summer Zhen, Samuel Shen, Jason Xue, Vidya Ranganathan Organizations: REUTERS, Morningstar, Domestic Institutional, Nasdaq, Ben Advisors, Connect, Bond, U.S, Dow Jones, State Administration of Foreign Exchange, Tianhong, Management, Ant Financial, Standard Chartered Bank, Reuters, Qualified Domestic Limited, Asset Management Association of China, Guangfa NASDAQ, Technology, Morgan Asset Management, Morgan Asset Management China, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, Shenzhen, China, U.S, HONG KONG, SHANGHAI, Hong Kong, Vietnam, India, outflows, Japan, Russia

☆ China's big internet names have mostly beat. Here's where analysts think the stocks are headed
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

All three stocks have double-digit gains ahead of them, if the average FactSet analyst price target holds true. Still, the average price target rose by 2.4% to $118.90 a share, according to FactSet. KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF (KWEB) gained nearly 19% last month. "We expect the stock will remain volatile in the near term along with China internet peers on macro uncertainty," the report said. Loop has a $210 price target on Baidu, more than 50% above where shares closed on Friday.

Persons: Tencent, –, Louis, Vincent, Jiong Shao, Nomura, Jialong Shi, Morgan Stanley, Alex Poon, NetEase, Rob Sanderson, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Baidu, UBS, Hong, Barclays, China Internet, CSI China Internet Locations: U.S, Europe, China, Hong Kong, Barclays China, Tencent

☆ In Warning to Taiwan, China Announces Military Patrols
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Amy Chang Chien | More About Amy Chang Chien | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

China’s military said it would stage “joint combat readiness” patrols around Taiwan on Saturday, sending a warning gesture to the island democracy soon after a leading candidate in Taiwan’s presidential election finished an overseas trip that Beijing had denounced. Vice President Lai Ching-te, the candidate, had flown to Paraguay — one of 13 states that keeps diplomatic relations with Taipei, and not Beijing — making stops in the United States on his way there and back. The Chinese government is trying to curtail the international activities of Taiwan, which it claims as its own territory. It especially objects to Taiwanese leaders’ visits to the United States, the island’s most important political and military supporter. He is the presidential candidate of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which favors asserting Taiwan’s distinctive identity and sovereignty — a position that Beijing condemns as threatening its claim to the island.

Persons: Lai Ching, ’, Lai’s, Taiwan’s, Lai, Shi Yi Organizations: Democratic Progressive Party, Eastern Theater, People’s Liberation Army Locations: Taiwan, Beijing, Paraguay, Taipei, United States

Shi said the exercises would test the armed forces’ “ability to fight in real combat conditions.”“The patrols and exercises serve as a stern warning to the collusion of ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists with foreign elements and their provocations,” Shi added. China’s ruling Communist Party claims the self-governing, democratic island of Taiwan – despite never having controlled it. The move also comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and China. US President Joe Biden has been hosting the leaders of Japan and South Korea at a trilateral summit undergirded by the three countries’ mutual concern over China. On Tuesday, US-sanctioned defense minister Li Shangfu warned against “playing with fire” when it comes to Taiwan in a veiled jab at the United States when he addressed a security conference in Russia.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Shi Yi, Shi, ’, China’s, Taiwan –, William Lai, Lai, Joe Biden, Li Shangfu, “ Organizations: CNN, Eastern Theater Command, Xinhua, Communist Party, Paraguay – Locations: Taiwan, Beijing, Paraguay, South America, ”, United States, China, Japan, South Korea, Russia

☆ Saudi crown prince meets Iran's foreign minister as relations thaw
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Footage of the meeting on Iranian state media showed MbS and Amirabdollahian smiling as they spoke, while Prince Faisal and the Iranian delegation looked on. Saudi state news agency SPA said they discussed international and regional developments. [1/3]Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia August 18, 2023. Prince Faisal visited Tehran in June and said he hoped Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi would visit the kingdom at the "appropriate time". Saudi Arabia had meanwhile lost confidence in U.S. commitment to shared regional security concerns and wanted to bolster ties with China, which has retained good relations with Iran.

Persons: Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Amirabdollahian, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Mohammed bin Salman, Prince Faisal, Saudi Crown Prince, Hossein Amir, Ebrahim Raisi, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, General Antony Blinken, Angus McDowall, Mark Potter, Conor Humphries Organizations: Saudi Arabian Crown, Saudi, MbS, Saudi Crown, Iranian, Iran's Foreign, West Asia News Agency, REUTERS Acquire, Iran's, U.S, Dubai Newsroom, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Saudi, Jeddah, United States, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Bahrain, Abdollahian, Saudi Arabia, China, Tehran, Iran, Ukraine, Beijing, East

☆ Factbox: Lebanon's Hezbollah rises from shadows into regional force
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Governments including the United States deem it a terrorist organisation. ORIGINSIran's Revolutionary Guards founded Hezbollah in 1982 to export its Islamic Revolution and fight Israeli forces that had invaded Lebanon. The United States estimates Iran has allocated it hundreds of millions of dollars annually in recent years. Hezbollah fighters took over parts of Beirut after the government vowed to take action against the group's military communications network. TERRORIST DESIGNATIONSWestern countries including the United States designate Hezbollah a terrorist organisation.

Persons: Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Aziz Taher, Imad Moughniyah, Bashar al, Assad, Nasrallah, Critics, Saudi Arabia spiralled, Syria, Rafik al, Hariri, Michel Aoun, Tom Perry, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Guards, Islamic, United, Marine, U.S ., POWER Hezbollah, West, European Union, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Houla, Israel, Rights BEIRUT, Lebanese, United States, Syria, Beirut, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, LEBANON, Saudi, U.S, Arab, Argentina, Buenos Aires

☆ This biotech stock is a cancer-fighting 'powerhouse' with nearly 50% upside, says Jefferies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Investors should keep an eye on biotech company BeiGene as it scales up its global revenue streams, according to Jefferies. Analyst Kelly Shi initiated coverage of the stock with a buy rating and assigned a price target of $287, suggesting shares stand to gain 49.2% in the next 12 months. The stock has lost 12% so far this year but has had a more uplifting quarter with gains of about 8%. According to the analyst, BeiGene's product pipeline could expand beyond oncology, as it currently includes early autoimmune candidates. BeiGene's tislelizumab drug is another major growth driver for the company, Shi said, highlighting the drug's position as China's top-selling PD-1 drug with about 40% market share.

Persons: Kelly Shi, Shi, BeiGene, BGNE, Amgen, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Jefferies, pharma, Novartis Locations: Cambridge , Massachusetts, Beijing, China, BeiGene

☆ China's livestreaming attracts young hopefuls as competition grows
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Casey Hall | Thomson Reuters | Casey Has Reported On China'S Consumer Culture Her Base In Shanghai For More Than A Decade | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A day in the life of a livestreaming host like Zhang can include more than six hours of talking almost non-stop to camera, time spent on hair, make-up, and on post-broadcast debriefs. I can pick up my phone and I'm livestreaming," Zhang said. The livestreaming industry employed 1.23 million hosts as of 2020, according to iResearch, and a pandemic era boom in livestream sales helped the industry to generate $480 billion in business in China last year. To facilitate an increasingly professional and competitive livestreaming landscape, agencies have sprung up to train stables of young hosts and connect suitable anchors with brands. Indeed, the way brands approach livestreaming in China has also quickly evolved.

Persons: Zhang Jinyu, Zhang, Bytedance's, Shining Li, Shi Jianing, Hugo Boss, Casey Hall, Robert Birsel Organizations: Romomo, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, China, Shanghai

☆ U.S.-led naval group warns ships to avoid Iranian waters to avoid seizure
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Attendees hold flags from Iran and the United States as Iranian Americans from across California converge in Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 11, 2020. REUTERS/ Patrick T. Fallon/ File PhotoDUBAI, Aug 13 (Reuters) - A U.S.-led naval coalition in the Gulf has warned ships in the region to stay away from Iranian waters to avoid possible seizure, the U.S. Navy said. "The International Maritime Security Construct is notifying regional mariners of appropriate precautions to minimise the risk of seizure based on current regional tensions, which we seek to de-escalate," Commander Timothy Hawkins, spokesman for the Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet, said late on Saturday. "Vessels are being advised to transit as far away from Iranian territorial waters as possible." The United States would release some Iranians from U.S. prisons as part of the deal, Iran's mission to the United Nations has said.

Persons: Patrick T, Timothy Hawkins, Yousef Saba, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Navy, Fifth Fleet, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Iran, United States, California, Los Angeles , California, U.S, DUBAI, Hormuz, Washington, Tehran, South Korea, Bahrain, Oman, United

☆ Attack on Iran's shrine kills at least one, injures several people - official
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Rescuers transport an injured person after an attack in Shah Cheragh Shrine in Shiraz, Iran August 13, 2023. Iranian state media earlier reported that at least four people had been killed in the attack. "It happened around 19:00 local time (15:30 GMT) ... an armed terrorist entered the Shrine area and started shooting ... he was arrested," said Mohammad Hadi Imaniyeh, the governor of Fars province. State TV said the shrine area had been cordoned off by security forces. Videos on Iranian state media showed panicked worshippers running to find their relatives and bloodied clothes left in the aftermath of the attack.

Persons: Mohammadreza, Mohammad Hadi Imaniyeh, Shah, IRNA, Ruhollah Khomeini, Parisa Hafezi, Nick Macfie, Ros Russell Organizations: Rescuers, West Asia News Agency, REUTERS, State TV, Islamic, Dubai Newsroom, Thomson Locations: Shah Cheragh, Shiraz, Iran, REUTERS DUBAI, Iran's, Fars province

☆ Attack on Iran's shrine kills at least one, injures several people, official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"The move by Iran of the American hostages from Evin Prison to an expected house arrest is an important development," Genser said in a statement. A second source familiar with the indirect U.S.-Iranian talks said it could be weeks before the U.S. citizens could leave Iran, saying September was a possible time frame. Namazi, who in 2016 was convicted of espionage-related charges the United States has rejected as baseless, has been detained by Iran for more than seven years. His father, Baquer, was allowed to leave Iran in October for medical treatment after being detained on similar charges also rejected by Washington. Tahbaz was arrested in 2018 and sentenced to 10 years in prison for "assembly and collusion against Iran's national security" and working for the United States as a spy.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Tehran's, Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi, Morad Tahbaz, Jared Genser, Genser, Adrienne Watson, Joe Biden, Baquer, Tahbaz, Shargi, Arshad Mohammed, Parisa Hafezi, Humeyra Pamuk, Jeff Mason, Jasper Ward, Dan Whitcomb, Mark Porter, Lisa Shumaker, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, WASHINGTON, U.S, Iranian, Security, eventual, Democrat, Washington, Iran's, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Iran, South Korea, United States, U.S, Washington, Tehran, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, Dubai

"The move by Iran of the American hostages from Evin Prison ... is an important development," Genser said in a statement. Iran's mission to the United Nations, however, told Iranian state media the release of the dual nationals from prison was part of a U.S.-Iranian prisoner exchange deal. The five Americans will be allowed to leave Iran after $6 billion of Iranian funds in South Korea are unfrozen, a source told Reuters. Karim Sadjadpour, a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace analyst, said Iranian Americans should still avoid travel to Iran. "This deal will reinforce the view of (Iran's) Revolutionary Guards that hostage taking is a lucrative practice with minimal costs," he said.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Tehran's, Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi, Morad Tahbaz, Jared Genser, Genser, Adrienne Watson, Joe Biden, Henry Rome, Donald Trump, Karim Sadjadpour, Namazi, Tahbaz, Shargi, Arshad Mohammed, Parisa Hafezi, Humeyra Pamuk, Jeff Mason, Jasper Ward, Dan Whitcomb, Mark Porter, Lisa Shumaker, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, WASHINGTON, U.S, Iranian, National Security, United Nations, Reuters, South, Democrat, Washington Institute for Near East, Republican, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Guards, Iran's, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Iran, South Korea, United States, U.S, Washington, Tehran, Qatar, IRAN, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, Rome, Dubai

☆ Iraq bans media from using term ‘homosexuality,’ says they must use ‘sexual deviance’
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Reuters —Iraq’s official media regulator on Tuesday ordered all media and social media companies operating in the Arab state not to use the term “homosexuality” and instead to say “sexual deviance,” a government spokesperson said and a document from the regulator shows. The Iraqi Communications and Media Commission (CMC) document said the use of the term “gender” was also banned. It prohibited all phone and internet companies licensed by it from using the terms in any of their mobile applications. The regulator “directs media organizations … not to use the term ‘homosexuality’ and to use the correct term ‘sexual deviance,’” the Arabic-language statement said. More than 60 countries criminalize gay sex, while same-sex sexual acts are legal in more than 130 countries, according to Our World in Data.

Persons: Reuters —, ”, …, ’ Organizations: Reuters, Iraqi Communications and Media Commission Locations: Iraq, Sweden, Denmark

☆ Lebanon moves to ban 'Barbie' film for 'promoting homosexuality'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Lebanon's culture minister moved to ban the film "Barbie" from cinemas on Wednesday, saying it "promotes homosexuality" and contradicts religious values. Mortada's decision said the film was found to "promote homosexuality and sexual transformation" and "contradicts values of faith and morality" by diminishing the importance of the family unit. Lebanon was the first Arab country to hold a gay pride week in 2017 and has generally been seen as a safe haven for the LGBT community in the broadly conservative Middle East. Mawlawi last year took a decision to ban events "promoting sexual perversion" in Lebanon, understood to refer to LGBT-friendly gatherings. In a speech last month, Nasrallah called on Lebanese authorities to take action against materials he deemed to be promoting homosexuality, including by "banning" them.

Persons: Mohammad Mortada, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Mortada's, Bassam Mawlawi, Mawlawi, Nasrallah, Lebanon's, Bechara Boutros, Rai, Ayman Mhanna, Samir Kassir, Mhanna, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Barbie, Ken, Mattel, Laila Bassam, Gebeily, Toby Chopra, Nick Macfie Organizations: Hezbollah, Reuters, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, Lebanon

☆ Two dead in clashes between Lebanon's Hezbollah, residents of Christian town -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Lebanese army members gather near the area where a lorry was overturned in the town of Kahaleh, Lebanon August 9, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed AzakirBEIRUT, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Two people were killed on Wednesday in clashes between members of Shi'ite armed group Hezbollah and residents of a Christian town after residents surrounded an overturned lorry, two security sources told Reuters. The truck overturned on a downhill turn near the mountain town of Kahaleh on Wednesday evening and residents swiftly shut down the road around it, the sources said. One of the security sources said the truck belonged to Hezbollah and that one of the dead was a member of the group while the second was a Christian resident of the town. Hezbollah is a powerful party that retained its weapons following Lebanon's civil war and has deployed in neighbouring Syria.

Persons: Mohamed Azakir, Amal, Maya Gebeily, Laila Bassam, Chris Reese, Leslie Adler Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Al, MTV Lebanon, Hezbollah, Thomson Locations: Kahaleh, Lebanon, Mohamed Azakir BEIRUT, Syria, Beirut

☆ Long before whales, pioneering marine reptile was a filter-feeder
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Artist's reconstruction shows the Triassic Period marine reptile Hupehsuchus nanchangensis, based on fossils unearthed in China's Hubei Province. Hupehsuchus is believed to have been a filter-feeder, akin to some of today's baleen whales. "Baleen whales are mammals and Hupehsuchus are reptiles. Marine reptiles asserted themselves. Two other ancient marine reptiles - Paludidraco, which lived about 230 million years ago, and Morturneria, which lived about 70 million years ago - appear to have used some type of filter-feeding.

Persons: Shi Shunyi, Long Cheng, Handout, Hupehsuchus, Mike Benton, Cheng, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, University of Bristol, BMC, Wuhan Center, China Geological Survey, Hupehsuchus, Thomson Locations: Hubei Province, Hupehsuchus, England, Siberia, Washington

☆ Iraq bans media from using term ‘homosexuality’, says they must use ‘sexual deviance’
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An Iraqi national flag is seen near Iraqi embassy ahead of a demonstration in Stockholm, Sweden July 20, 2023. TT News Agency/Caisa Rasmussen via REUTERS/File PhotoAug 8 (Reuters) - Iraq's official media regulator on Tuesday ordered all media and social media companies operating in the Arab state not to use the term "homosexuality" and instead to say "sexual deviance," the regulator said. The Iraqi Communications and Media Commission (CMC) said in a statement that the use of the term "gender" was also banned. It prohibited all phone and internet companies licensed by it from using the terms in any of their mobile applications. The regulator "directs media organisations ... not to use the term 'homosexuality' and to use the correct term 'sexual deviance'," the Arabic-language statement said.

Persons: Caisa Rasmussen, Timour Azhari, Omar Abdel, Angus MacSwan Organizations: TT News Agency, REUTERS, Iraqi Communications and Media Commission, Thomson Locations: Iraqi, Stockholm, Sweden, Iraq, Denmark, Razek, Cairo

☆ Archaeologists are too scared to open the tomb of China's first emperor because they fear booby traps
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Archaeologists worry that the tomb of China's first emperor contains deadly booby traps. An ancient Chinese historian wrote that the tomb is filled with mercury and crossbows ready to fire. A 2020 study found that mercury concentrations around the tomb are higher than to be expected. Ancient Chinese historian Sima Qian wrote an account around 100 years after the emperor's death about possible booby traps inside the tomb. The terracotta army and Qin Shi Huang's tomb complex are designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites and remain some of the most significant archaeological discoveries in history.

Persons: China's, Qin Shi Huang, Sima Qian, Craftsmen, Qin Shi Organizations: Service, UNESCO, Heritage Locations: Wall, Silicon, Lintong District, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China

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