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☆ Ukraine's ex-president says he was blocked from leaving country
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Gleb Garanich/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Ukraine's ex-President Petro Poroshenko said he had been stopped from leaving the country on Friday morning in what he described as a politically motivated bid to disrupt his work. The Ukrainian parliament's deputy speaker, Oleksandr Korniyenko, later confirmed he had cancelled Poroshenko's permission to leave the country. Poroshenko said he had planned to travel to Poland to help negotiate an end to a truckers' blockade and then to the United States to build support for Ukraine's war effort. "This is an anti-Ukrainian diversion," Poroshenko wrote. "It is not just the hampering of my entire team's diplomatic work, but unfortunately a blow to Ukraine's defence capabilities."

Persons: Petro Poroshenko, Gleb Garanich, Poroshenko, Oleksandr Korniyenko, Korniyenko, Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Zelenskiy, Reportig, Dan Peleschuk, Max Hunder, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Solidarity, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Poland, Ukrainian, Russian, United States

☆ Shane MacGowan, hard-drinking poet of The Pogues, dies at 65
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Conor Humphries | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Shane MacGowan, former lead singer of The Pogues, performs during the Montreux Jazz festival in the [Miles Davis] Hall late July 15, 1995. MacGowan and his band The Popes were part of the 'Irish Night' during the festival. MacGowan brought Irish traditional music to a huge new audience in the late 1980s by splicing it with punk, and achieved mainstream success with his bittersweet, expletive-strewn 1987 Christmas anthem "Fairytale of New York". Irish President Michael D. Higgins, also a poet, described MacGowan on Thursday as one of music's greatest lyricists. Following a decade with a new band, the Popes, MacGowan and the Pogues reunited and toured regularly until 2014.

Persons: Shane MacGowan, Miles Davis, MacGowan, Stringer, Pogues, Nick Cave, Victoria Mary Clarke, Jesus, Mary, Therese, Pogue Mahone, Elvis Costello, Joe Strummer, Michael D, Higgins, Kirsty MacColl, Bono, Sinead O'Connor, Glen Matlock, Johnny Depp, Cave, Muvija M, Graham Fahy, Conor Humphries, Padraic Halpin, Alex Richardson, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Montreux Jazz, Hall, Guardian, Westminster School, Pogues, Sex, Thomson Locations: Kent, Ireland, DUBLIN, London, Irish, York, English, Soho, Siam, New Zealand, Japan

[1/2] Former UK finance minister (Chancellor of the Exchequer), Alistair Darling, poses for a photograph in Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain, Aug 31, 2018. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Former British finance minister Alistair Darling, who steered the country's economy and banking system through the shock of the global financial crisis in 2007-08, has died aged 70 after undergoing treatment for cancer, his family said on Thursday. Darling was named chancellor of the exchequer by former prime minister Gordon Brown in June 2007, just as the crisis was brewing at leading financial institutions. "I never met anyone who didn't like him," Brown's predecessor as prime minister, Tony Blair, said. "Darling's passing is a huge loss to us all," said Britain's present prime minister Rishi Sunak, from the centre-right Conservative party.

Persons: Alistair Darling, Russell Cheyne, Darling, Gordon Brown, Brown, Margaret, Calum, Anna, Tony Blair, Lehman, Rishi Sunak, Muvija, Kate Holton, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds TSB, Labour Party, Treasury, Western General Hospital, Loretto School, Aberdeen University, The Guardian, Lehman Brothers, Conservative, Thomson Locations: Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain, British, United Kingdom

☆ Four Palestinians, including two children, killed by Israeli forces in West Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Palestinians check damage following a raid in Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, November 29, 2023. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta Acquire Licensing RightsDUBAI, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Four Palestinians, including two children, were killed on Wednesday by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, Palestinian official news agency WAFA said. Hours later, WAFA said another two Palestinians, Muhammad Jamal Zubaidi and Wissam Ziad Hanoun from Jenin camp, were killed by the Israeli forces, adding that "the occupation forces took their bodies". The Israeli army said in a statement Zubeidi and Hanoun were killed "During joint IDF, ISA, and Israel Border Police counterterrorism activity conducted in the Jenin Camp". Reporting by Ali Sawafta, Writing by Clauda Tanios, Editing by Andrew Heavens, Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Raneen, WAFA, Adam Samer Al, Basil Suleiman Abu Al, Muhammad Jamal Zubaidi, Wissam Ziad Hanoun, Hanoun, Zubeidi, Ali Sawafta, Clauda Tanios, Andrew Heavens, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: West Bank, REUTERS, Rights, West, ISA, Israel Border Police, Islamic Jihad, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Jenin, Rights DUBAI, West Bank, Palestinian

☆ Russia attacks Ukraine with 21 drones, three missiles - Ukraine air force
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 29 (Reuters) - Russia launched 21 drones and three cruise missiles at Ukraine overnight, but all the drones and two of the missiles were destroyed before reaching their targets, Ukraine's air force said on Wednesday. The third missile was not destroyed but did not reach its target, the air force said without going into further detail. The Iranian-made Shahed drones were headed towards the western region of Khmelnytskyi, the air force said. The target was not identified, but the region is home to a large air base. The air force said the missiles were shot down over the southern region of Mykolaiv, while the drones were downed in seven provinces all over Ukraine.

Persons: Lidia Kelly, Clarence Fernandez, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Reuters, Fleet, Moscow, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Khmelnytskyi, Mykolaiv, Russian, Kherson, Melbourne

☆ Turkey Expects to Ratify Sweden Accession to NATO 'Within Weeks', Swedish Minister Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Turkey has said it expects to ratify Sweden's long-delayed accession to NATO within weeks, Sweden's foreign minister told journalists on Wednesday. But Tayyip Erdogan, president of NATO member Turkey, raised objections over what he said was the countries' protection of groups that Ankara deems terrorists. Some in the Western defence bloc had hoped Sweden's ratification would be completed by now for an accession ceremony to take place on the sidelines of the Brussels meeting. "The Turkish foreign minister (Hakan Fidan) didn't present a date but said 'within weeks'. He expected the ratification of Sweden's NATO protocol to be made within weeks.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Finland's, Tobias Billstrom, Hakan Fidan, Billstrom, Ingrid Melander, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Andrew Heavens Organizations: NATO, Kurdistan Workers, European Union Locations: BRUSSELS, Turkey, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, Ankara, United States, Stockholm, Brussels, Turkish

☆ Turkey expects to ratify Sweden accession to NATO 'within weeks', Swedish minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks with Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom ahead of the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, November 28, 2023. SAUL LOEB/Pool via REUTERS/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Turkey has said it expects to ratify Sweden's long-delayed accession to NATO within weeks, Sweden's foreign minister told journalists on Wednesday. Some in the Western defence bloc had hoped Sweden's ratification would be completed by now for an accession ceremony to take place on the sidelines of the Brussels meeting. "The Turkish foreign minister (Hakan Fidan) didn't present a date but said 'within weeks'. He expected the ratification of Sweden's NATO protocol to be made within weeks.

Persons: Hakan Fidan, Tobias Billstrom, SAUL LOEB, Tayyip Erdogan, Finland's, Billstrom, Ingrid Melander, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Turkish, Swedish, NATO, NATO Headquarters, Rights, Kurdistan Workers, European Union, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Rights BRUSSELS, Turkey, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, Ankara, United States, Stockholm, Turkish

☆ ECB should not set policy based on profit concerns: de Guindos
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

European Central Bank (ECB) Vice-President Luis de Guindos arrives at the Presidential Palace for a meeting with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia, Cyprus, October 4, 2023. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsFRANKFURT, Nov 29 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank should not set policy based on consideration about its own profitability or the profits earned by banks, ECB Vice President Luis de Guindos said in a newspaper interview, weighing in on a disagreement between policymakers. Some ECB governors are keen to increase unremunerated minimum reserve requirements for lenders in part to lower the losses the central bank is set to make on having to pay record high rates on excess liquidity. "I understand that remuneration of reserves is important for some banks, but monetary policy shouldn’t be driven by the financial position of banks or the profits of the central banks," de Guindos told Belgian newspapers De Standaard and La Libre Belgique in an interview. Reporting by Balazs Koranyi; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Luis de Guindos, Nikos Christodoulides, Yiannis, de Guindos, Balazs Koranyi, Andrew Heavens Organizations: European Central Bank, Cyprus, REUTERS, Rights, ECB, La Libre Belgique, Thomson Locations: Nicosia, Cyprus, Belgian, La

☆ Pakistan court overturns ex-PM Nawaz Sharif's graft conviction - lawyer
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addresses supporters upon his arrival from a self-imposed exile in London, ahead of the 2024 Pakistani general election, in Lahore, Pakistan October 21, 2023. REUTERS/Mohsin Raza/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsISLAMABAD, Nov 29 (Reuters) - A Pakistan court overturned the conviction of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a corruption case on Wednesday, his lawyer said. The Islamabad High Court announced its decision after the national anti-graft body did not contest Sharif's appeal for his acquittal, lawyer Azam Nazeer Tarar said. "I had left it to the mercy of God," the former premier said in comments broadcast live on local TV after he left the court. Sharif had been out on bail pending the appeal and had always denied any wrongdoing, saying the charges were politically motivated.

Persons: Nawaz Sharif, Mohsin Raza, Sharif, Azam Nazeer Tarar, Asif Shahzad, Shivam Patel, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Islamabad High Court, Thomson Locations: London, Lahore, Pakistan, Rights ISLAMABAD, Islamabad

☆ Thais give digital spin to ancient 'floating basket' festival
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Over the centuries, people have sent 'krathongs' - small, baskets made from plants and loaded with flowers, candles and bamboo - down waterways to make wishes and pay their respects to water spirits. The beautiful 'floating basket' or Loy Krathong festival lights up Bangkok's canals and rivers at night - but often leaves organisers scrabbling to clear canals clogged up with hundreds of thousands of soggy vessels the next morning. This will help reduce waste," said 11-year-old Jirayada Surapant, showing off her design by a Bangkok canal on Monday evening. Across the capital, monks set out in row boats to scoop up the physical krathongs and recycle them into animal feed. Reporting by Napat Wesshasartar, Artorn Pookasook and Thomas Suen; Writing by Chayut Setboonsarng, Edited by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Loy Krathong, Loy, scrabbling, Mathee Vatchara Prachatorn, Napat Wesshasartar, Artorn Pookasook, Thomas Suen, Chayut Setboonsarng, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Thomson Locations: Samut Songkram, Thailand, BANGKOK, Bangkok

☆ Ten people die in Ukraine snowstorms
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/7] Ukrainian service members release a car which is stuck in snow following a heavy snowstorm in Odesa region, Ukraine, in this handout picture released November 28, 2023. Southern Ukraine was the worst affected, particularly the Black Sea region of Odesa. Cars and buses slid off frozen roads into fields and police battled high winds to tow the vehicles out. "As a result of worsening weather conditions, 10 people died in Odesa, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Kyiv regions," Klymenko wrote on the Telegram app. Oleh Kiper, governor of the Odesa region where five people died due to the weather, said nearly 2,500 people had been rescued after becoming trapped by the snow.

Persons: Ihor Klymenko, Klymenko, Oleh Kiper, Kiper, Max Hunder, Andrew Heavens, Ed Osmond Organizations: Press Service, Operation Command, Ukrainian Armed Forces, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Telegram, Thomson Locations: Odesa region, Ukraine, snowstorms, Southern Ukraine, Odesa, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Kyiv

☆ U.S. to launch joint remote sensing satellite with India early next year
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

NASA and Indian Space Research Organization logos are seen in this illustration taken May 1, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/ File photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 28 (Reuters) - The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the NASA plan to launch a joint remote sensing satellite for Earth observation in the first quarter of next year, deputy minister for science and technology Jitendra Singh said in a statement on Tuesday. Singh met a NASA delegation led by its administrator Bill Nelson in New Delhi, the statement said. Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Jitendra Singh, Singh, Bill Nelson, Kanjyik Ghosh, Andrew Heavens Organizations: NASA, Indian Space Research, REUTERS, Indian Space Research Organization, ISRO, Thomson Locations: New Delhi

☆ Collapsed Indian tunnel had no safety exit, was built through geological fault - panel member
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Manoj Kumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Rahul Grover Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 24 (Reuters) - A tunnel which collapsed, trapping 41 workers in the Indian Himalayas this month, did not have an emergency exit and was built through a geological fault, a member of a panel of experts investigating the disaster said on Friday. Rescuers are still struggling to reach the construction workers 12 days after the 4.5-km (3-mile) tunnel caved in. Preliminary findings indicated the collapse may have been caused by a geological fault, known as a "shear zone", a member of the panel told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to talk to the media. "Once the rescue operations are over, we will conduct detailed investigations to find out loopholes in the construction," the panel member said. The tunnel was being built by the state-run National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation which is under India's Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Persons: Rahul Grover, Vishal Chauhan, Narendra Modi's, Hemant Dhyani, Manoj Kumar, YP Rajesh, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Media, REUTERS, Highways, Infrastructure Development Corporation, India's Ministry of Road Transport, National Highways Authority of India, Supreme, Reuters, YP, Thomson Locations: Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India, DELHI

[1/4] Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius leaves court after appearing for the 2013 killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/Files Acquire Licensing RightsJOHANNESBURG, Nov 24 (Reuters) - South African former Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius, jailed nine years ago for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, was granted parole on Friday effective from Jan. 5. His total sentence was lengthened to six years in 2016, less than half the 15-year minimum term sought by prosecutors. In 2017, the Supreme Court more than doubled his total sentence to 13 years and five months, saying the six-year jail term was "shockingly lenient". Pistorius was denied parole in March after it was ruled that he had not completed the minimum detention period required to be considered for parole.

Persons: Oscar Pistorius, Reeva Steenkamp, Siphiwe, Pistorius, Steenkamp, Mr Pistorius, Rob Matthews, I'm, Oscar, Matthews, Bhargav Acharya, Tannur Anders, Nick Macfie, Toby Chopra, Andrew Heavens Organizations: North, North Gauteng High Court, REUTERS, Rights, Paralympic, Appeal, Department of Correctional Services, Pistorius, Rehabilitation, Constitutional, Thomson Locations: North Gauteng, Pretoria, South Africa, Rights JOHANNESBURG

☆ Mixed emotions as first group of Israeli hostages return from Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Ari Rabinovitch | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"But I stress to you, the families, and to you, citizens of Israel: We are committed to bringing back all our hostages." As well as the Israeli hostages, 10 Thais and one Filipino, who were taken captive at the same time, were also freed under a separate agreement, Qatari mediators said. The military said the released hostages had undergone initial medical checks inside Israel and would be taken to hospitals where they would be reunited with their families. The rest of a group of at least 50 Israeli hostages due to be exchanged under a Qatari-brokered agreement are expected to be freed in the coming days and more hostages could be added if the truce deal is extended. The military campaign has killed around 14,000 Palestinians, according to medical authorities in Hamas-ruled Gaza and reduced much of Gaza to rubble.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Corinne Moshe, Adina Moshe, Al Qahera, Kibbutz Nir Oz, Israel's Kan, Erez, Shelly Shem Tov, Omer Shem Tov, Omer, Ari Rabinovitch, Henriette Chacar, Andrew Heavens, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Qatari, Reuters, Israel's, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Egypt

"We all hope that this truce will lead to a chance to start a wider work to achieve a permanent truce." A U.S. State Department official called the truce a "hopeful moment" but said work would continue to free all the hostages. Israel had received an initial list of hostages to be freed and was in touch with families, the prime minister's office said. Hamas said 30 people had been killed in an Israeli strike on a school affiliated with the UNRWA in Jabalia. Israel says Hamas fighters use residential and other civilian buildings, including hospitals, as cover.

Persons: Majed Al, Ansari, Joe Biden, Abu Ubaida, Daniel Hagari, Israel, U.N, Philippe Lazzarini, Abu Mustafa, Neighbour Khaled Hamad, Gilad Korngold, Khan Younis, Nasser, Al Shifa, Muhammad Abu Salamiya, Peter Graff, Andrew Heavens, Deepa Babington, William Maclean, Mark Heinrich, Jonathan Oatis, Diane Craft Organizations: Gaza Hamas, UNRWA, Hamas, Qatari, Doha, U.S . State Department, West Bank, UNRWA's, REUTERS, Gaza, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Palestinian, Gaza, DOHA, GAZA, Israel, Qatar, Gaza City, Massachusetts, Nantucket, U.S, Rafah, Jabalia, Indonesian, Gaza's

☆ Jewish groups criticize Pope on 'terrorism' remark, seek clarification
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Pope Francis speaks during the weekly general audience, at the Vatican, November 22, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsVATICAN CITY, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Jewish groups have criticised Pope Francis and demanded clarifications over his comments that they saw as accusing both Hamas and Israel of "terrorism". Francis made the comments on Wednesday after meeting separately with Jewish relatives of hostages held by Hamas and with Palestinians with family in Gaza. In a toughly worded statement on Thursday, the Council of the Assembly of Italian Rabbis (ARI) accused the pope of "publicly accusing both sides of terrorism". But the AJC added: "Later in the day, he described the Israel-Hamas war as 'beyond war' as 'terrorism.'

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis, Simon Wiesenthal, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Philip Pullella, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, CITY, Hamas, Gunmen, Twitter, American Jewish Committee, Simon, Simon Wiesenthal Center, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza, St, Hamas, U.S, Nazi Germany, Ukraine

☆ Mediator Qatar says truce in Gaza to start on Friday
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Andrew Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Smoke rises after an Israeli air strike in north Gaza, as seen from southern Israel, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, November 23, 2023. Israel has said the truce could last beyond the initial four days, as long as the militants free at least 10 hostages per day. Ansari did not give details on how many Palestinian women and children will be released from Israeli jails on Friday or when this would take place. Qatar hopes to negotiate a subsequent agreement to release additional hostages from Gaza by the fourth day of the truce. "We all hope that this truce will lead to a chance to start a wider work to achieve a permanent truce," he said.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Majed Al, Ansari, Cross, Andrew Mills, Aziz El Yaakoubi, Alex Richardson, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, REUTERS, Rights DOHA, Doha, International Committee, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Doha, Qatar

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON/NEW DELHI, Nov 22 (Reuters) - The United States is treating a reported plot to kill a Sikh separatist on American soil with utmost seriousness and has raised the issue with the Indian government "at the senior-most levels," the White House said on Wednesday. The Financial Times reported, citing unnamed sources, that U.S. authorities thwarted a plot to kill a Sikh separatist in the United States and issued a warning to India over concerns the government in New Delhi was involved. It stated he threatened in video messages to not let Air India operate anywhere in the world. The case comes against the historical backdrop of a bombing in 1985 of an Air India aircraft flying from Canada to India that killed 329, and for which Sikh militants were blamed. Pannun told Reuters on Tuesday that his message was to "boycott Air India not bomb."

Persons: Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Evelyn Hockstein, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Pannun, Adrienne Watson, Biden, Arindam Bagchi, Bagchi, Hardeep Singh, Shivam Patel, Krishn Kaushik, Jeff Mason, David Brunnstrom, Andrew Goudsward, Andrew Heavens, Alex Richardson, Alistair Bell Organizations: India's, White, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Financial Times, Air India, Indian, Washington, FBI, U.S . Justice, India's National Investigation Agency, Sikh, Reuters, Air, Justice, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, DELHI, United States, India, New Delhi, Canada, Vancouver, U.S, New York, Air India

☆ Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah Militia Says 5 Killed by US Strikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah militia said five of its members were killed in its stronghold of Jurf al-Sakhar south of Baghdad in U.S. strikes that Washington said came in response to attacks by Iran-aligned militias against their forces in the region. The attacks began on Oct. 17 and have been linked by Iraqi militia groups to U.S. support for Israel in its bombardment of Gaza following attacks by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel. The strike by fighter aircraft targeted and destroyed a Kataeb Hezbollah operations centre and a Kataeb Hezbollah Command and Control node near Al Anbar and Jurf Al-Sakhar, south of Baghdad, a U.S. defense official said. An Iraqi military official said at least three Kataeb Hezbollah members had been killed and seven wounded in the overnight U.S. strikes. (Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed and Timour Azhari in Baghdad; Editing by Jacqueline Wong asnd Andrew Heavens)

Persons: Washington, Jurf, Mohammed Shia Al, Sudani, Ahmed Rasheed, Timour, Jacqueline Wong asnd Andrew Heavens Organizations: Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah Command Locations: BAGHDAD, Jurf, Baghdad, U.S, Iran, The U.S, Iraq, Israel, Gaza, Al Anbar, Iraqi, United States

☆ Another Israel-Hamas prisoner swap will take place this month - Palestinian official
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Samia Nakhoul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, Nov 22 (Reuters) - The Israel-Hamas deal agreed on Wednesday for the freeing of 50 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners will be repeated later this month, a Palestinian official told Reuters. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that would mean a total release of 100 of the around 240 people Hamas seized during its Oct. 7 killing spree in southern Israel. In return, Israel would free a total of 300 Palestinian prisoners in the two exchanges - a number corresponding to a list of women and teenaged male inmates it published on Wednesday as candidates. They would need four or five days to organise it will involve 50 Israeli (hostages) in return for 150 Palestinian (prisoners)," the Palestinian official said. He said the prisoners would include elderly, women and children and the conditions will be the same.

Persons: Israel, Samia Nakhoul, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Reuters, Palestinian, Hamas, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Israel, Gaza

☆ U.S. thwarts plot to kill Sikh separatist, issues warning to India - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Nov 22 (Reuters) - U.S. authorities thwarted a plot to kill a Sikh separatist in the United States and issued a warning to India over concerns the government in New Delhi was involved, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources. The Financial Times said that the sources did not say if the protest to India resulted in the plot being abandoned by the plotters, or if it was foiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Apart from the diplomatic warning to India, U.S. federal prosecutors have also filed a sealed indictment against at least one suspect in a New York district court, the FT report said. Pannun, like Nijjar, is a proponent of a decades-long, but now a fringe demand to carve out an independent Sikh homeland from India named Khalistan. The Financial Times report mentioned that the U.S. shared details of the thwarted plot with a wider group of allies after Canada's public accusation.

Persons: Joe Biden, Narendra Modi, Evelyn Hockstein, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Pannun, Shivam Patel, Krishn Kaushik, Andrew Heavens, Alex Richardson Organizations: India's, White, REUTERS, Financial Times, U.S, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Indian, Khalistan, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, DELHI, United States, India, New Delhi, Canada, Vancouver suburb, U.S, New York, Canadian

[1/5] Mourners carry the coffins of Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah fighters who were killed by US airstrike in Jurf al-Sakhar, south of Baghdad during a funeral in Baghdad, Iraq November 22, 2023. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani Acquire Licensing RightsBAGHDAD, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Iraq's government condemned overnight U.S. airstrikes south of Baghdad that killed eight members of Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah, saying they were a "dangerous escalation" not coordinated with authorities. The U.S. has carried out two series of strikes in Iraq since Tuesday, in response to more than 60 attacks by Iran-aligned militias against forces in the region, and destroyed a Kataib Hezbollah operations centre and a command and control node. Kataib Hezbollah said the strikes in Iraq killed eight of its members in its stronghold of Jurf al-Sakhar, south of Baghdad. In a statement, it threatened to attack a wider array of targets if U.S. strikes continued.

Persons: Iraq's, Thaier, Kataib, Mohammed Shia Al, Sudani, Ahmed Rasheed, Timour, Timour Azhari, Andrew Heavens, Alex Richardson, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Israel, Hamas, Iraq's, Islamic State, Popular, Forces, Islamic, United, Thomson Locations: Jurf, Baghdad, Iraq, Rights BAGHDAD, Iran, U.S, United States, Gaza, Syria, Israel, Ain, Asad, Iranian, Islamic State, Iraqi, State

☆ Civilian death toll in Ukraine tops 10,000 - U.N. Human Rights Office
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A worker inspects a site in a residential area damaged during a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine September 21, 2023. REUERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsGENEVA, Nov 21 (Reuters) - More than 10,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022, with about half of recent deaths occurring far behind the front lines, the U.N. Human Rights Office said on Tuesday. The U.N. human rights mission in Ukraine, which has dozens of monitors in the country, said it expects the real toll to be "significantly higher" than the official tally since corroboration work is ongoing. "Ten thousand civilian deaths is a grim milestone for Ukraine," said Danielle Bell, who heads the monitoring mission. Older people who may be unable or unwilling to relocate to safer places make up a disproportionate fraction of those killed in Ukraine, the U.N. data showed.

Persons: Valentyn, Danielle Bell, Emma Farge, Andrew Heavens, Bernadette Baum, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Rights, Human Rights, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, Moscow

☆ Qatar economic growth has normalised in 2023 following World Cup boom - IMF
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas Acquire Licensing RightsDUBAI, Nov 21 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Tuesday that Qatar’s economic growth has normalised in 2023 following the World Cup-driven boom. The IMF added that the economy of the world's top LNG exporter had a favourable medium-term outlook supported by LNG production expansion and intensifying reform efforts. "Broad fiscal discipline amid hydrocarbon windfalls in 2022-23 resulted in sizeable surpluses and rapid central government debt reduction," IMF said. Reporting by Nayera Abdallah; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yuri Gripas, Nayera Abdallah, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Monetary Fund, REUTERS, Rights, IMF, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Rights DUBAI

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