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☆ Belgian PM Backs EU Bonds to Boost Defence Spending
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Andrew GrayBRUSSELS (Reuters) - Joint European Union borrowing could help fund higher defence spending but governments would still have to make tough political choices to sustain it, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said. To succeed, proponents will need to convince those traditionally sceptical of EU joint borrowing such as Germany, the Netherlands and Nordic nations. European defence spending has been on an upward curve since Russia first invaded Ukraine and seized Crimea in 2014. NATO said on Wednesday it expected defence spending by its European members would grow by $33 billion this year to $380 billion. Last year, NATO estimated Belgium would spend 1.13 % of GDP on defence in 2023, second lowest among NATO members.

Persons: Andrew Gray BRUSSELS, Alexander De Croo, Donald Trump, Kaja Kallas, Emmanuel Macron, Charles Michel, De Croo, Croo, Thierry Breton, Andrew Gray, John Irish, Alex Richardson Organizations: European Union, Belgian, NATO, Estonian, European, Reuters, Munich Security Conference, Nordic, European Defence Fund, EU Locations: European, Ukraine, Munich, Germany, Netherlands, EU, Russia, Crimea, Belgium, Europe, France, Paris

☆ EU to 'Spare No Effort' to Hold Russia Accountable for Navalny's Death, Commission Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

(Reuters) - The EU will do whatever it can to hold Russia accountable for the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Vice President Josep Borrell said on Friday. "He was slowly murdered by President Putin and his regime, who fear nothing more than dissent from their own people", von der Leyen and Borrell said. "We will spare no efforts to hold the Russian political leadership and authorities to account." The EU commission leaders demanded Russia established all facts around Navalny's death and "immediately release all other political prisoners". The Latest Photos From Ukraine View All 91 ImagesPhotos You Should See View All 33 Images(Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Alex Richardson)

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Ursula von der Leyen, Josep Borrell, Putin, von der Leyen, Borrell, Bart Meijer, Alex Richardson Organizations: Reuters, EU Locations: EU, Russia

☆ Hezbollah Chief Says Shelling on Israel Will Stop Only When 'Aggression' on Gaza Ends
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The head of Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Tuesday that his armed group's cross-border shelling into Israel would only end when Israel's "aggression" on the Gaza Strip stops, saying diplomatic efforts so far to bring a halt to hostilities along Lebanon's border seemed to only benefit Israel. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said his group would only stop its exchanges of fire if a full ceasefire was reached for Gaza. War in Israel and Gaza View All 206 Images"On that day, when the shooting stops in Gaza, we will stop the shooting in the south," he said in a televised address. The cross-border shelling has already killed around 200 people in Lebanon, including more than 170 Hezbollah fighters, as well as 10 Israeli troops and five Israeli civilians. Nasrallah said residents of northern Israel "will not return" to their homes, and threatened that even more would be displaced.

Persons: Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, Laila Bassam, Gebeily, Alex Richardson, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Gaza, Hamas, Reuters Locations: BEIRUT, Israel, Iran, Gaza, Beirut, Lebanon, France, Britain

☆ Three Killed, Nine Injured in Construction Collapse at Idaho Airport
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Federal and local investigators on Thursday were working to determine what caused an airport hangar under construction to collapse in Boise, Idaho, killing three people and injuring nine others. "There was a large-scale collapse of the building, the framework of the building," Hummel said. Local authorities and U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials were investigating the cause the collapse, Hummel said. A crane at the construction site also fell during the incident, Hummel said. Airport operations were not impacted by the incident, the Boise Fire Department said in a post on X.

Persons: Aaron Hummel, Hummel, Brendan O'Brien, Alex Richardson Organizations: Reuters, Boise Airport, Boise Fire Department Division Chief, Local, U.S . Occupational Safety, Health Administration, Jackson Jet Center, Boise Fire Department Locations: Boise , Idaho, Boise, U.S, Chicago

☆ Man Killed in Istanbul Church Shooting Was Out for a Walk, Relative Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Murat Cihan, the victim's cousin, said his relative had no political or religious connections and lived "in his own world". CCTV footage verified by Reuters shows the two gunmen waiting briefly in an entrance hall at the church, before following a man inside. Another angle shows the attackers shooting the man walking in ahead of them. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said the Polish consul general was also inside the church with his family during the attack. Footage from inside the church on Monday showed bullet holes on the side of a pew, as well as another in a wall.

Persons: Mehmet Emin Caliskan, Tuncer Murat Cihan, Murat Cihan, Sukru Genc, Ekrem Imamoglu, Tayyip Erdogan, Tuncer, Alex Richardson Organizations: Islamic, Authorities, Italian Santa Maria Catholic Church, Reuters, Islamic State Locations: Mehmet Emin Caliskan ISTANBUL, Istanbul, Italian, Sariyer, Tajikistan, Russia, Sariyer's, Polish

☆ Italy's Meloni Opens Africa Summit, Promises New Partnership
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

The summit, being held in Italy's ornate Senate, will last all day, with Italian ministers due to outline an array of initiatives, from energy and infrastructure to health and education, that Meloni says will be mutually beneficial. "We believe it is possible to envision and write a new chapter in the history of our relationship, a cooperation among equals, far from any predatory imposition or charitable stance towards Africa," Meloni said in an opening speech. Eni, Italy's largest importer of natural gas, has already countered lower Russian supplies by shipping increased volumes from Africa, where it has had a presence for decades. The company has said Algeria, Egypt and Libya will be Italy's main gas suppliers for the next few years. Most had departed from North African countries such as Tunisia and Libya, many fleeing poverty and conflict in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.

Persons: Crispian Balmer, Angelo Amante ROME, Giorgia Meloni, Meloni, Enrico Mattei, Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel, Mattei, Alex Richardson Organizations: Italian, Eni, European Union, European, Energy, EU Locations: Rome, Africa, Italy, China, Russia, Gulf, Tunisia, Senegal, Kenya, Republic of Congo, Somalia, Ukraine, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Europe, North, Saharan Africa

☆ French Farmers Damage Overseas Goods as Protests Continue
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS (Reuters) - French farmers damaged food products coming in on trucks from outside France, BFM TV reported on Thursday, as their nationwide protests to demand better pay and living conditions showed no signs of abating. BFM TV showed images of what it said was fruit that had come from Spain lying damaged by the side of the A7 motorway in southern France. Many French farmers complain they are being hit by unfair competition from overseas. Another group of farmers set off in a convoy of tractors on Thursday morning on the RN12 major road artery near Paris, as demonstrators maintained their threat of converging on the capital en masse. (Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Alex Richardson)

Persons: Sudip Kar, Alex Richardson Organizations: PARIS Locations: France, Spain, Paris, masse

☆ With Government Relocated, Egypt Set to Unveil Overhaul of Downtown Cairo
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

The area, modelled on Paris in the 1860s, is filled with elegant but crumbling buildings constructed over the subsequent seven decades. The Sovereign Fund has already taken control of three prime properties in central Cairo, and received ownership of 11 former ministry buildings in a decree published this week in the official gazette. "Some of the buildings are already evacuated, but there is a mobilisation plan for relocating into concentrated locations for whoever is staying and not moving to the new capital," Soliman said. Work on the ground would begin "probably within the first half of this year," Soliman said. It would include a three-star Moxy hotel by Marriott, the first in Egypt, Soliman said.

Persons: Patrick Werr CAIRO, Ayman Soliman, Soliman, We're, Patrick Werr, Aidan Lewis, Alex Richardson Organizations: Sovereign Fund, Misr Insurance, Reuters, European Bank for Reconstruction, National Democratic Party, NDP, Marriott Locations: Paris, Cairo, Egypt

☆ More Than 40 Killed in Artisanal Mine Collapse in Southwest Mali - Mines Ministry
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BAMAKO (Reuters) - More than 40 artisanal gold miners were killed in southwest Mali last week after the shaft they were working in collapsed, Mali's mines ministry said on Wednesday. Deadly accidents are frequent as artisanal miners often use old-fashioned and unregulated methods of digging. The incident in Mali occurred on Friday on a site in the Kangaba Cercle in the south-western Koulikoro Region, the mines ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that did not specify the number of deaths. A spokesperson for the ministry, Baye Coulibaly, said via telephone on Wednesday that the death toll was still provisional. According to mines ministry data, an estimated six tonnes of gold was produced in artisanal mines in Mali in 2023.

Persons: Baye Coulibaly, Coulibaly, Tiemoko Diallo, Anait Miridzhanian, Sofia Christensen, Alex Richardson Locations: BAMAKO, Mali, West Africa, Kangaba, Koulikoro Region

☆ Eight Bodies Wash Ashore in Southern Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

ANKARA (Reuters) - Eight bodies washed ashore in southern Turkey in the past six days and most of them may be from a lost migrant ship sailing toward Cyprus from the Lebanese-Syrian coast, according to broadcaster Haberturk and the local governor's office. Two other bodies were found at a hotel beach in the Serik region on Monday, it said, bringing the total to eight. In a statement on Sunday, prior to the discovery of the last two bodies, the Antalya governor's office said one of the bodies belonged to a Turkish national who had previously gone missing, pending forensics. The other five bodies could be from the ship heading towards Cyprus, it said, adding that meteorological records over the past week indicated the ship may have sunk with the bodies washing north toward Turkey due to prevailing winds and waves. "It has been identified that the production location of the shoes and clothes of the other five bodies are Syria."

Persons: Haberturk, Jonathan Spicer, Alex Richardson Organizations: Turkish, Lebanese Embassy, Lebanese Locations: ANKARA, Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanese, Syrian, Antalya, Alanya, Serik, Ankara, Lebanon, Syria

☆ NATO Accession Looks to Be 'Not a Priority' for Sweden, Hungary Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Sweden has not done anything to boost confidence in its suitability for NATO membership, and has given the impression that joining the alliance is not a priority for the country, an aide to Hungary's prime minister said on Thursday. Sweden applied to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in May 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine but the accession process, which requires the approval of all existing members, has been held up by Turkey and Hungary. Gulyas suggested that Sweden's foreign minister or prime minister should "get in touch and ask what concerns the Hungarian parliament has" about Sweden's NATO accession. Replying to a reporter's question, he said Hungary wanted to avoid being the last country to ratify Sweden's NATO accession, but "we will probably not manage to do so without Sweden's help. The Turkish parliament's general assembly may debate Sweden's NATO membership bid in the coming weeks, the ruling AK Party's parliamentary group chairman said last week.

Persons: Viktor Orban's, Gulyas, Gergely Szakacs, Anita Komuves, Marie, Alex Richardson Organizations: NATO, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Nordic, Turkish, AK, Marie Mannes Locations: BUDAPEST, Sweden, Ukraine, Turkey, Hungary, Swedish, Moscow, Budapest, Stockholm

☆ U.S. Visitors Push Portugal's Foreign Tourism to Record in November
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

LISBON (Reuters) - Almost 140,000 visitors from the United States brought the number of foreign tourists in Portugal to a record high last November, the National Statistics Institute (INE) said on Monday. Overall, 1.1 million foreigners travelled to Portugal in November, a record number for that month. Spaniards and Britons came second and third, with 131,000 and 124,000 travellers respectively, INE said in its monthly report. The number of U.S. tourists has grown significantly in recent years as they increasingly find the southern European country cheap, sunny and safe. Tourism, a key driver of Portugal's economy, accounted for almost 15% of gross domestic product before the pandemic.

Persons: Patrícia Vicente Rua, Inti Landauro, Alex Richardson Organizations: National Statistics Institute, Britons Locations: LISBON, United States, Portugal, Tourism

☆ Jordan's King Abdullah says world should condemn any attempt to forcibly expel Palestinians
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Royal Hashemite Court/Handout via Reuters Acquire Licensing RightsAMMAN, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Jordan's King Abdullah said on Tuesday the world should condemn any attempt by Israel to create conditions that would forcibly displace Palestinians within the war-devastated Gaza Strip or outside its borders. UNRWA officials say only a trickle of the aid the enclave needs is getting through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt which NGOs and officials say can only handle a fraction of the needs. King Abdullah told Christodoulides there would be dangerous consequences from any attempt to forcibly push Palestinians en masse from their land while it maintained security control, officials said. It could create circumstances that could encourage Israel to forcibly push tens of thousands of Palestians across the Jordan River. Officials say the forcible expulsion of Palestinians would amount to a declaration of war and prompt Jordan to suspend its peace treaty with Israel.

Persons: King Abdullah II, Crown Prince Hussein, Nikos Christodoulides, King Abdullah, Abdullah, Israel, Christodoulides, Jordan, Amman, Israel's, Sufain Qudah, Suleiman Al, Khalidi, Alex Richardson, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Crown, Cyprus, Royal Hashemite, Reuters Acquire, Rights, Cypriot, Western, West Bank, Foreign Ministry, Thomson Locations: Amman, Jordan, Israel, Gaza, Rafah, Egypt, East Jerusalem

☆ A decade after Mandela's death, his pro-Palestinian legacy lives on
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Former South African president Nelson Mandela (R) and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat (L) address the media after holding talks on the crisis in the Middle East May 3, 2001. It was a gesture as controversial then as South Africa's support for the Palestinian cause is today, but Mandela brushed off criticism. Last month, the ruling ANC backed a motion in South Africa's parliament to suspend diplomatic ties with Israel until it agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza. Israel has disputed the comparison with apartheid as a lie motivated by antisemitism, but many South Africans follow Mandela's lead. Some in South Africa's Jewish community criticise the ANC's stance, pointing out that Mandela himself eventually tried to build bridges with Israel.

Persons: Nelson Mandela, Yasser Arafat, Mandela, Arafat, S.Africa, Carien du Plessis, Mandla Mandela, Obed Bapela, Lebogang Mashile, David Saks, Ehud Barak, Ezer Weisman, Saks, Shafiek, Tim Cocks, Alex Richardson Organizations: South, Arafat ANC, ANC, Palestine Liberation Organisation, Hamas, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza, Shafiek, JOHANNESBURG, Palestine, Johannesburg, South Africa's, South Africa, South

☆ Qatar emir calls on U.N. to force Israel into talks to end Hamas war
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Buildings lie in ruin in Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, as seen from southern Israel, December 4, 2023. Qatar, where several political leaders of Hamas are based, has been leading negotiations between the Palestinian militant group and Israel. Those talks led to a truce that ultimately lasted for seven days before hostilities resumed on Friday. During the truce, Hamas released dozens of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, and Israel allowed humanitarian aid to flow into the coastal strip. Sheikh Tamim said Qatar was working with both sides to repair the deal.

Persons: Athit, Israel, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, Thani, Sheikh Tamim, Aziz El Yaakoubi, Nayera Abdallah, Andrew Mills, Alex Richardson, Miral Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Rights DOHA, . Security Council, Qatari, Doha, UN, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Qatar

REUTERS/Russell Cheyne/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies Saudi Arabia's PIF buys into Rocco Forte hotel groupPlans to help expand luxury hotel groupItalian investor CDPE checks out of chainDec 4 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's PIF sovereign wealth fund will buy a 49% stake in luxury hotel group Rocco Forte Hotels and help to support its expansion, the owner of Britain's Balmoral hotel said on Monday. A spokesperson for Rocco Forte Hotels declined to confirm the size of PIF's stake. Rocco Forte Hotels, founded in 1996, operates across Italy, Britain, Germany, Belgium and Russia and has 20 private villas in addition to its hotels. CDPE, which owned a 23% stake in Rocco Forte Hotels, is owned by Italy's state-backed fund CDP. Rocco Forte, which was advised by Rothschild, reported revenues of around 300 million pounds last fiscal year, with a core profit of around 60 million pounds, according to a source.

Persons: Russell Cheyne, Companies Saudi Arabia's PIF, Rocco Forte, CDPE, Olga Polizzi, Forte, Rocco Forte Hotels, Al Nowaiser, PIF, Rothschild, Yadarisa, Elisa Anzolin, Keith Weir, Dhanya Ann Thoppil, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Companies Saudi Arabia's, Saudi Arabia's, Rocco Forte Hotels, Financial Times, Granada, Thomson Locations: Balmoral, Scotland, Edinburgh, Britain, Saudi, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Russia, Milan, Sardinia, Italy's, SAUDI ARABIA, Saudi Arabia, Bengaluru, London

☆ Israeli men's basketball team in limbo as worried foreign players stay abroad
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

As a result, Hapoel, which plays in the 13-team premier league, will be without its foreign players for both of its domestic games this week. None of Hapoel's foreign players have asked to leave permanently. Cohen said many foreign players who signed to play in Israel this season have already left. Another team, Hapoel Holon, said this week that French power forward Amine Noua had left the team for security reasons. Maccabi Tel Aviv said none of its foreign players had left, but the team plays a heavy slate of EuroLeague games.

Persons: Levi Randolph, Aleksandar Dzikic, Roi Cohen, Joe Alexander, Storm Warren, Arad, Cohen, Steven Scheer, Howard Goller, Mark Heinrich, Alex Richardson Organizations: Hapoel, Security, European Basketball Champions, Maccabi Tel Aviv, University of Alabama, Storm, Maccabi Tel, Thomson Locations: Hapoel Jerusalem, Palestinian, Israel, Gaza, Belgrade, Serbian, Jerusalem, Hapoel Holon, Maccabi Tel Aviv

☆ Turkey's Erdogan says Israel's Netanyahu 'will be tried as war criminal'
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ISTANBUL, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would eventually be tried as a war criminal over Israel's ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip, while slamming Western countries supporting Israel. Turkey, which supports a two-state solution to the decades-old conflict, has sharply criticised Israel over its campaign in Gaza, launched in response to militant group Hamas' rampage on Oct. 7. In a speech to an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) committee meeting in Istanbul, Erdogan said the Western nations supporting Israel were giving it "unconditional support to kill babies" and were complicit in its crimes. "Beyond being a war criminal, Netanyahu, who is the butcher of Gaza right now, will be tried as the butcher of Gaza, just as Milosevic was tried," Erdogan said, in reference to Yugoslav ex-President Slobodan Milosevic who was tried for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes at a tribunal in The Hague. "We must absolutely evaluate the United Nations Human Rights Council and the International Criminal Court (ICC) within this framework," he said, adding Israel's nuclear arsenal must not be forgotten.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Erdogan, Netanyahu, Milosevic, Slobodan Milosevic, U.N, Antonio, Guterres, Daren Butler, Jonathan Spicer, Alex Richardson Organizations: Hamas, Islamic Cooperation, NATO, OIC, Arab League, United Nations Human Rights Council, Criminal Court, ICC, United Nations Security Council, Security Council, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL, Gaza, Israel, Turkey, Istanbul, Yugoslav, The Hague, Western, United States, Russia, China, Britain, France

☆ Court hears suit to stop Netherlands exporting F-35 parts to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Stephanie Van Den Berg Tosterling | Stephanie Van Den Berg | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] A district court hears a case against the Dutch state launched by human rights organisations, who say the export of F35 fighter jet parts to Israel makes the Netherlands complicit in alleged war crimes in Gaza, in The Hague, Netherlands, December 4, 2023. The Netherlands houses one of several regional warehouses of U.S.-owned F-35 parts which are then distributed to countries that request them, including Israel. Preventing that was more important than the Netherlands fulfilling its commercial or political obligations to allied countries, they argued. "The (Dutch) state must immediately stop its deliveries of F-35 parts to Israel," lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld said in summary proceeding at the Hague District Court. Lawyer for the Dutch state Reimer Veldhuis said it was "legitimate" to wonder whether Israel's reaction to Hamas had gone too far.

Persons: de Wouw, Israel, Liesbeth Zegveld, Zegveld, Reimer Veldhuis, Stephanie van den Berg, David Holmes, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, HAGUE, Oxfam Novib, Hague, Thomson Locations: Israel, Netherlands, Gaza, The Hague, U.S, Geneva

It will see suspended payments repaid from 2027 to 2029 after a grace period from 2025 to 2026, the Paris Club said in a statement, noting that the deal was reached on Nov. 23. If Ethiopia does not get an IMF staff-level agreement by March 31, the official creditor committee "reserves the right to declare the suspension null and void", the Paris Club said. The Paris Club said 10 of its members were on Ethiopia's official creditor committee, which is co-chaired by France and non-Paris Club member China. Other non-Paris Club committee members are India, Kuwait, Poland, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. "We welcome the recent announcement of an interim standstill agreement with official creditors," the IMF spokesperson added.

Persons: Tellimer, Patrick Curran, Rachel Savage, Rodrigo Campos, Alex Richardson, Toby Chopra, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Paris Club, French Treasury, Ethiopian, IMF, Club, OCC, China, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, China, Addis Ababa, Tigray, Ethiopia, France, India, Kuwait, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Turkey

☆ New party to face old guard in Bhutan's fourth free vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Gopal Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The People's Democratic Party (PDP) received the highest number of votes in the preliminary round of the election held on Thursday, followed by the Bhutan Tendrel Party (BTP), the ECB said. Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT), the party headed by outgoing Prime Minister Lotay Tshering, finished fourth, the ECB vote counts showed. PDP, headed by former Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, is a liberal group founded in 2007, which had formed the government in Bhutan between 2013 and 2018. They also share similar views on several other issues such as the development of hydroelectric power, agricultural growth, and unemployment. Majority-Buddhist Bhutan, which is roughly the size of Switzerland, has deep economic and trade relations with its southern neighbour, India, which is its biggest donor.

Persons: Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, Jetsun Pema, Britain's King Charles, Henry Nicholls, Nyamrup, Lotay Tshering, Tshering Tobgay, Pema Chewang, Gopal Sharma, Alex Richardson Organizations: Buckingham, REUTERS, Bhutan, Democratic Party, Bhutan Tendrel Party, ECB, Buddhist, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, China, India, Bhutan, Buddhist Bhutan, Switzerland

☆ Nigeria naira hits record low near unofficial market rate
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

ABUJA, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Nigeria's naira dropped to a record low against the dollar on Friday on the official market, close to the rate at which it trades on the unofficial parallel market. The currency of Africa's biggest economy fell as low as 1,160 naira to the dollar, LSEG data showed, before recovering to around 800 naira. The naira's official exchange rate has been drifting towards the parallel market level as the central bank is yet to clear outstanding foreign-currency amounts owed in forward deals. Last week, central bank Governor Olayemi Cardoso said he would allow market forces to determine exchange rates while setting clear, transparent and harmonised rules governing market operations. The currency sold at around 1,165 naira on the parallel market on Friday.

Persons: naira, Olayemi Cardoso, Chijioke Ohuocha, Alex Richardson Organizations: Thomson Locations: ABUJA

☆ World Court orders Venezuela to refrain from action in border dispute with Guyana
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The court did not expressly forbid Venezuela to hold a planned Dec. 3 referendum over its rights to the region around the Esequibo river, the subject of the long-running border dispute, as Guyana has requested. However, judges at the International Court of Justice - as the World Court is formally known - made clear that any concrete action to alter the status quo should be stopped. "The court observes that the situation that currently prevails in the territory in dispute is that Guyana administers and exercises control over that area," presiding judge Joan Donoghue said. "Venezuela must refrain from taking any action which would modify that situation," she added. Venezuela reactivated its claim over the area in recent years after the discovery of offshore oil and gas.

Persons: Joan Donoghue, Nicolas Maduro, Irfaan Ali, Stephanie van den Berg, Bart Meijer, Kiana Wilburg, Alex Richardson Organizations: HAGUE, International Court of Justice, Thomson Locations: Essequibo, Esequiba, Guyana, Caracas, Venezuela, Georgetown

☆ King Charles raises eyebrows with his tie choice amid UK-Greece dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sunak deepened a diplomatic row with Athens on Wednesday by accusing Mitsotakis of "grandstanding" during a recent trip to London over ownership of the Parthenon Sculptures. Sunak cancelled a planned meeting with Mitsotakis earlier in the week. A Buckingham Palace source said on Friday that Charles also wore the same tie last week, before the escalation of the dispute. British media noted that, as well as the blue and white tie featuring the same white cross design as the Greek flag, Charles sported a blue and white handkerchief protruding from his jacket pocket. The museum has said it would consider a loan to Greece only if Athens acknowledges the museum's ownership of the sculptures.

Persons: Britain's King Charles, Rishi Sunak, Kyriakos, Charles, Sunak, Prince Philip, Mitsotakis, … King Charles, Chris Ship, Lord Elgin, Alistair Smout, Michael Holden, William Schomberg, Alex Richardson Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Greek, ITV television's, British Museum, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, COP28, Corfu, Sunak, Athens, London, Buckingham, Dubai, Greece, LONDON

☆ Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket to launch June 15-July 31, 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Christophe Ena/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket will stage an inaugural flight between June 15 and July 31 in 2024, the European Space Agency said on Thursday. The keenly awaited window for the first test flight came after a test model of the new rocket passed a key long-firing engine test in French Guiana last week. The maiden flight will carry some smaller satellites, including two from NASA, but since it is still considered a test flight, it will not carry "a major payload", ESA added. The ESA will carry out a few additional tests before the launch to make sure the design is "fault tolerant". Aschbacher said last month he hoped to be able to announce a launch window for an inaugural flight to be held in 2024, depending on the results of the engine test.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Christophe Ena, Josef Aschbacher, Safran, Vega, Aschbacher, Tim Hepher, Piotr Lipinski, Alex Richardson, Bernadette Baum, Christina Fincher Organizations: Ariane, Rights, European Space Agency, ESA, NASA, ArianeGroup, Airbus, U.S, SpaceX, Soyuz, Thomson Locations: Vernon, France, Guiana, Europe, Russia, Ukraine

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