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☆ Investigators Search Ruins of Philadelphia House Fire for at Least Six People
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Investigators on Thursday sifted through the charred ruins of a house in a Philadelphia suburb for the remains of at least six people, including at least one child, after the home was set ablaze by a suspect who shot and wounded two responding police officers. When police arrived, the suspect opened fire from inside the home, striking two officers, and set fire to the two-story, wood-frame home. "I think today might be a grim day," he told Fox 29 in Philadelphia, adding the shooter is expected to be among the dead inside the home. The fire burned too intensely for firefighters to enter as flames and smoke billowed out of the home, Stollsteimer told reporters on Wednesday. "We got the thumbs up from them," said Stollsteimer, the chief prosecutor for the county, which has a population of about 575,000.

Persons: Jack Stollsteimer, Stollsteimer, Brendan O'Brien, Christina Fincher Organizations: Reuters, Fox News, Fox Locations: Philadelphia, East Lansdowne, Delaware County, Chicago

☆ Palestinian Authority to Pay Reduced Salaries as Israel Blocks Funds
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Ali SawaftaRAMALLAH (Reuters) - The Palestinian Authority said on Tuesday it will pay public sector workers 60% of their December salaries this week as it grapples with the longrunning fallout of Israel's refusal to transfer tax funds earmarked for Gaza. Funding to the Palestinian Authority, the body which exercises limited governance in the occupied West Bank, has been severely restricted by the months-long dispute over transferring tax revenues Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinians. Although Gaza is controlled by Hamas, the Palestinian Authority continues to fund essential areas of the blockaded enclave's budget including paying the salaries of health workers. The dispute over the Palestinian Authority budget coincides with a separate dispute over funding to UNWRA, the United Nations agency which pays for emergency relief for Palestinians. Much of the UNWRA budget has been cut off since Israel accused 12 of the agency's 13,000 Gaza workers of involvement in the Oct. 7 attack.

Persons: Ali Sawafta, Mohammad Shtayyeh, Bezalel Smotrich, Smotrich, Shtayyeh, Antony Blinken, James Mackenzie, Christina Fincher Organizations: Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Palestinian, Israeli, Hamas, U.S, United Nations, Israel, International Court of Justice Locations: Ali Sawafta RAMALLAH, Gaza, Israel

☆ Italy's Junior Culture Minister Quits After Stolen Painting Scandal
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

ROME (Reuters) - Italian junior culture minister and art critic Vittorio Sgarbi, under investigation over possession of a stolen painting, said on Friday he was quitting because Rome's antitrust body was trying to curb his unofficial duties. Sgarbi, 71, is a long-serving parliamentarian and outspoken TV personality who was close to former primer minister Silvio Berlusconi who died last year. Sgarbi said the antitrust authority, which is investigating him over a possible conflict of interest, had informed him he should not attend an art conference. "According to the antitrust notice, I should not talk about art, I should not deal with art. I should be a junior minister dealing with administrative duties, and limited ones," he said.

Persons: Vittorio Sgarbi, Sgarbi, Silvio Berlusconi, Michelangelo, Gennaro Sangiuliano, Alessandro Parodi, Christina Fincher Organizations: Prosecutors Locations: ROME, Milan, Turin

☆ Lawyer for Russian Dissident Navalny Put on Wanted List - RIA
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

(Reuters) - Russia's interior ministry has put a lawyer for jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on its wanted list after charging her in absentia with extremism, the RIA news agency reportedThe lawyer, Olga Mikhailova, said last month she had already left Russia at the time when the charges were announced. Three other Navalny lawyers were arrested in October on suspicion of belonging to an "extremist group". Navalny's supporters say the authorities are going after his lawyers in order to deepen his isolation in jail, where he is serving sentences totalling more than 30 years. Navalny himself was moved to a penal colony north of the Arctic Circle located in Kharp in the Yamal-Nenets region about 1,900 km (1200 miles) northeast of Moscow. (Reporting by Reuters; Editing by John Davison and Christina Fincher)

Persons: Alexei Navalny, Olga Mikhailova, Navalny's, Navalny, John Davison, Christina Fincher Organizations: Reuters Locations: Russia, Kharp, Moscow

☆ UKMTO Says Merchant Vessel Approached by 'Three Small Craft' West of Yemen's Al-Mukha
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) -The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) organisation said on Monday a merchant vessel was suspiciously approached by three small craft, 44 nautical miles west of Yemen's Al-Mukha. "Master reports merchant vessel was approached on its starboard bow by 3 small craft, the 3 small craft regrouped astern with a closest point of approach of 1NM," UKMTO said in an advisory note. The merchant vessel's security team fired warning shots to deter the small craft, and the vessel then proceeded safely to the next port of call, the organisation added. The Iran-aligned Houthi militants have launched waves of exploding drones and missiles at vessels since Nov. 19 in response to Israel's military operations in Gaza. U.S. and British warplanes, ships and submarines have responded to the Houthi attacks with dozens of retaliatory strikes across Yemen against Houthi forces.

Persons: UKMTO, Hatem Maher, Christina Fincher Organizations: Reuters, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, British, Houthi Locations: Yemen's, Iran, Gaza . U.S, Yemen

☆ Albania’s Highest Court Rules in Favour of Migrant Deal With Italy
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

TIRANA (Reuters) - Albania's constitutional court ruled on Monday in favour of a deal with Italy that will allow the Italian government to set up reception centres to host migrants trying to come ashore. The Albanian parliament has still to ratify the deal before it enters into force. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni agreed with her Albanian counterpart Edi Rama in November to set up centres that would initially host some 3,000 people as Italy tries to bring down numbers of migrants that nearly doubled last year. (Reporting by Florion Goga, writing by Fatos Bytyci, editing by Christina Fincher)

Persons: Giorgia Meloni, Florion Goga, Fatos Bytyci, Christina Fincher Organizations: Albanian Locations: TIRANA, Italy, Italian

☆ Turkish Parliament to Debate Sweden's NATO Bid on Tuesday -Sources
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Huseyin HayatseverANKARA (Reuters) - The Turkish parliament's general assembly is set to debate Sweden's NATO membership bid on Tuesday, three sources from parliament said. But NATO member Turkey raised objections over what it said was the two countries' protection of groups that Ankara deems terrorists. Erdogan sent Sweden's bid to parliament in October, but has also linked its ratification with U.S. approval of sales of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey. After talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he expected Turkey to ratify Sweden's NATO membership bid "in coming weeks." The parliament's foreign affairs commission approved the bid last month in the first step of the ratification process.

Persons: Huseyin Hayatsever, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Sweden's, Hakan Fidan, Antony Blinken, Christina Fincher Organizations: Turkish, NATO, Finland's, Kurdistan Workers ' Party, European Union, White House, U.S, Congress, Erdogan's AK Party, CHP Locations: Huseyin Hayatsever ANKARA, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, Turkey, Ankara, Hungary, United States, Stockholm, Canada, Netherlands

☆ Switzerland Says Israeli President Subject of Criminal Complaints at Davos
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

GENEVA (Reuters) - Swiss prosecutors on Friday confirmed that Israeli President Isaac Herzog had been the subject of criminal complaints during his visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos, as Israel finds itself accused of committing war crimes in Gaza. "The criminal complaints will be examined according to the usual procedure," the Office of the Swiss Attorney General said, adding that it would contact the Swiss foreign ministry to examine the question of immunity of the individual concerned. The Office of the Swiss Attorney General would not disclose details on who had lodged the complaints. Spokespeople for Israel's government and foreign ministry did not immediately reply to requests for comment. (Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber in Geneva and Henriette Chacar in Jerusalem; Editing by Christina Fincher)

Persons: Isaac Herzog, General, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Henriette Chacar, Christina Fincher Organizations: Economic, Swiss Locations: GENEVA, Davos, Israel, Gaza, Swiss, Geneva, Jerusalem

☆ Netherlands Summons Iran Ambassador Over Child Killed in Iraq Attack - Foreign Minister
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch government on Friday summoned the Iranian ambassador to the Netherlands following the death of a Dutch baby in an attack by Iran on Erbil, Iraq. The attack killed at least four people, including a prominent Kurdish businessman and his infant child. A Dutch child of less than one year old had died in attacks by Iran on Erbil, Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot said in a statement. She added she had asked her Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, for clarification and had summoned the Iranian ambassador. (Reporting by Bart Meijer and Charlotte Van Campenhout, additional reporting by Dubai newsroom; editing by Christina Fincher and Philippa Fletcher)

Persons: Hossein Amirabdollahian, Amirabdollahian, Bart Meijer, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Christina Fincher, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Monday, Bruins, Dubai Locations: AMSTERDAM, Iranian, Netherlands, Iran, Erbil, Iraq, Iraq's, Kurdistan, Iraqi, Kurdish, Dutch, Gaza

☆ Sweden Says Swedish National Arrested in Iran
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - A Swedish man in his twenties was arrested in Iran earlier this month and is being held in custody, the Swedish foreign ministry said on Monday. However, relations between Sweden and Iran have been tense since 2019 when Sweden arrested a former Iranian official for his part in the mass execution and torture of political prisoners in the 1980s. The Foreign Ministry is in contact with relatives in Sweden," the ministry told Reuters in an email. Iran, in late December, said it would keep seeking the release of the former Iranian official sentenced to life in prison in Sweden. Earlier in December, Iran began the trial of a Swedish national, Johan Floderus, a European Union employee who has been imprisoned since April 2022.

Persons: Johan Floderus, Ulf Kristersson, Johannes Birkebaek, Christina Fincher Organizations: Reuters, Foreign, Iranian, European Union, Swedish Locations: Iran, Swedish, Sweden, Tehran, Israel

☆ Agencies Consider New Aid Route Into Sudan as Humanitarian Crisis Worsens
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Aidan Lewis(Reuters) - Aid agencies are looking at delivering aid to Sudan on a new route from South Sudan as they struggle to access much of the country, a senior U.N. official said on Monday, nine months into a war that has caused a major humanitarian crisis. More than 7.5 million people have fled their homes, making Sudan the biggest displacement crisis globally, and hunger is rising. Aid agencies lost access to Wad Madani, a former aid hub in the important El Gezira agricultural region southeast of Khartoum, after the RSF seized it from the army last month. Diplomats and aid workers say that the army and officials aligned with it have hampered humanitarian access as both sides pursue their military campaigns. They say the RSF does little to protect aid supplies and workers, and that its troops have been implicated in cases of looting.

Persons: Aidan Lewis, Rick Brennan, Madani, Brennan, We've, Martin Griffiths, Christina Fincher Organizations: Reuters, Rapid Support Forces, World Health Organization, WHO, ., Diplomats Locations: Sudan, South Sudan, Port Sudan, Cairo, Khartoum, El Gezira, South Kordofan, Chad, Darfur, Kordofan

☆ Hamas Armed-Wing Spokesman: Fate of Many Hostages Unknown
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

CAIRO (Reuters) - Hamas armed wing spokesman Abu Ubaida said on Sunday that the fate of many Israeli hostages has become unknown. In his first televised appearance for several weeks, marking the 100th day since the outbreak of the war, Abu Ubaida said many of the hostages "may have been killed", blaming their fate on Israel. The assailants seized 240 hostages and took them to Gaza. Abu Ubaida said that during the war, fighters of the Hamas armed wing attacked and took out of service about 1,000 Israeli vehicles. (Reporting by Muhammad Al Gebaly, Ahmed Tolba, and Nidal Al Mughrabi, Writing by Muhammad Al Gebaly, Editing by Christina Fincher)

Persons: Abu Ubaida, Muhammad Al Gebaly, Ahmed Tolba, Nidal Al Mughrabi, Christina Fincher Organizations: Hamas Locations: CAIRO, Israel, Gaza

[1/4] Ukrainian servicemen take part in anti-sabotage drills, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Chernihiv region, Ukraine December 5, 2023. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON/KYIV, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff said on Tuesday that the postponement of U.S. assistance for Kyiv being debated in Congress would create a "big risk" of Ukraine losing the war with Russia. If the aid is postponed, "it gives the big risk that we can be in the same position to which we're located now," he said, addressing the audience in English. "And of course, it makes this very high possibility impossible to continually liberate and give the big risk to lose this war." On Monday, White House officials said the U.S. was running out of time and money to help Ukraine fight its war against Russia.

Persons: Valentyn, Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Andriy Yermak, Joe Biden's, Yermak, Jonathan Landay, Tom Balmforth, Christina Fincher, Angus MacSwan, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, White, Russia, Kyiv, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Chernihiv region, WASHINGTON, KYIV, Russia, U.S, Israel, Washington

☆ Swiss Banque Pictet pays $123 mln for helping clients evade US taxes
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

According to prosecutors, U.S. taxpayers with Pictet accounts in Switzerland and elsewhere evaded about $50.6 million in taxes between 2008 and 2014. As part of the agreement, Banque Pictet agreed to pay $122.9 million to the U.S. Treasury. As part of the agreement, Pictet, which oversees 632 billion Swiss francs ($724 billion) in client assets, will implement remedial measures and cooperate with the authorities' investigation. U.S. authorities have long accused Swiss banks of helping wealthy Americans evade taxes, and Pictet signalled it had been in contact with the U.S. for more than a decade. Credit Suisse in 2014 agreed to pay a $2.5 billion fine for helping Americans evade taxes in a conspiracy that spanned decades.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Banque Pictet, Jim Lee, Pictet, Julius Baer, Renaud de Planta, Marc Pictet, Luc Cohen, Noele, Jan Harvey, Bill Berkrot, Christina Fincher Organizations: Internal Revenue Service, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, Banque Pictet, Justice Department, Banque, U.S . Treasury, U.S, Credit Suisse, UBS, Prosecutors, Noele Illien, Thomson Locations: Washington ,, Swiss, Switzerland, Pictet, New York, Zurich

☆ Who are Yemen's Houthis? Iran-allied group threatens Red Sea shipping
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The Galaxy Leader cargo ship is escorted by Houthi boats in the Red Sea in this photo released November 20, 2023. The U.S. military said on Sunday three commercial vessels came under attack in international waters in the southern Red Sea. On Oct. 31, the Houthis military spokesperson said the group had a "large number" of ballistic missiles and drones towards Israel. The Houthis fired these missiles at Saudi Arabia dozens of times during the Yemen war. In September, the Houthis displayed anti-aircraft Barq-2 missiles, naval missiles, a Mig-29 fighter jet and helicopters for the first time.

Persons: Houthis, Sanaa, Israel, Aziz El Yaakoubi, Maha, Tom Perry, Christina Fincher Organizations: Galaxy Leader, Houthi Military, REUTERS Acquire, U.S . Central Command, ARSENAL, Saudi, United Arab, Thomson Locations: Red, Iran, Israel, U.S, Houthi, Yemen, Islam, Saudi Arabia, YEMEN, Shi'ite Iran, Saudi, Aden, Sanaa, America, IRAN, Iranian, United Arab Emirates

☆ Gunfire Breaks Out in Guinea-Bissau Capital Overnight - Reuters Reporter
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

BISSAU (Reuters) -Gun shots were fired overnight in Guinea-Bissau's capital Bissau and continued into Friday morning, a Reuters reporter said. There have been at least 10 coups or attempted coups in Guinea Bissau since independence from Portugal in 1974. Only one democratically elected president has completed a full term in the West African nation south of Senegal. At least six people were killed during a failed attempt to overthrow President Umaro Sissoco Embalo in February last year. (Reporting by Alberto DaboWriting by Sofia ChristensenEditing by Christina Fincher)

Persons: Umaro Sissoco Embalo, Alberto DaboWriting, Sofia ChristensenEditing, Christina Fincher Locations: BISSAU, Guinea, Bissau, Guinea Bissau, Portugal, West African, Senegal

☆ China's Xi tells coast guard to enforce maritime law
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

China's President Xi Jinping attends the Leaders Retreat at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 17, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Dec 1 (Reuters) - China's President Xi Jinping has said the country's coast guard must enforce maritime law and crack down on "criminal activities" to defend China's territorial sovereignty, state media reported on Friday. Xi made the comments as he inspected the China Coast Guard's command office for the East China Sea area and the performance of the coast guard's ships by video, Xinhua news agency reported. "It is necessary to establish and improve the coordination and cooperation mechanism of maritime law enforcement, severely crack down on illegal and criminal activities at sea," Xi said. The Chinese coast guard has had several confrontations with vessels from the Philippines in disputed territorial waters in the South China Sea.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Carlos Barria, Xi, Ella Cao, Bernard Orr, Christina Fincher, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, Rights, East, Thomson Locations: Asia, San Francisco , California, U.S, Rights BEIJING, East China, Xinhua, Philippines, South China

Summary Heavy gunfire reported overnight in Guinea-Bissau's capitalArmed national guard soldiers free opposition ministerHead of national guard arrestedCalm appears to have been restored by late morningBISSAU, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Fighting broke out overnight between two factions of Guinea-Bissau's army in the capital and continued early on Friday after armed soldiers from the national guard freed a minister who had been detained for suspected misuse of public funds. The head of the national guard has since been arrested, a military source said. Gunshots started at around 2300 GMT on Thursday about two kilometres away from the presidential palace in the capital Bissau. A police source said the shooting on Thursday started after heavily armed members of the national guard stormed a police station to free Finance Minister Suleimane Seidi, arrested earlier that night. The national guard reports to parliament, while the military reports to the president.

Persons: Umaro Sissoco Embalo, Embalo, Suleimane Seidi, Antonio Monteiro, Sierra Leone's, Alberto Dabo, Samba, Sofia Christensen, Christina Fincher Organizations: United Nations, Change, PAIGC, Freetown, CFA, Thomson Locations: Guinea, BISSAU, Bissau, Antula, Dubai, Guinea Bissau, West African, Senegal, Portugal, West, Central Africa

☆ Toyota partially halts output at Tianjin plant in China - Jiji
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Japan's Toyota Motor (7203.T) is partially suspending production at its plant in Tianjin, China, the Jiji news service reported on Friday, as global automakers face strong sales competition in the world's top auto market. A spokesperson for Toyota China did not immediately comment on the report. A representative for FAW (SASACJ.UL), Toyota's joint venture (JV) in the Tianjin plant, said he was not immediately able to comment. Reuters reported last month that Toyota has told dealers it will extend a plan to reduce output at its JV with FAW in China. Its sales and production in China over that period slipped compared to 2022 amid the rising competition.

Persons: Johanna Geron, Jiji, Daniel Leussink, Rocky Swift, Brenda Goh, Edmund Klamann, Christina Fincher Organizations: Toyota, REUTERS, Rights, Toyota China, FAW, Reuters, JV, Lexus, China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, Thomson Locations: Zaventem, Belgium, Tianjin, China, Europe, North America, Tokyo, Shanghai

☆ 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

☆ Italy's competition watchdog stops Intesa moving clients to mobile bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Intesa Sanpaolo bank logo and stock graph are seen displayed in this illustration taken, May 3, 2022. Italy's AGCM antitrust authority opened a probe earlier this month into the way Intesa was transferring clients to Isybank after a raft of complaints which the watchdog said had now reached 5,000. It wants Intesa to only move clients who explicitly give their consent. Isybank targets 4 million Intesa customers under 65 who only access their banking services remotely. The group migrated the first 300,000 Intesa account holders in October and plans to shift another 2 million in March.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Intesa, AGCM, Carlo Messina, Antonio Valitutti, Isybank, Valentina Za, Giulia Segreti, Christina Fincher, Jane Merriman, Susan Fenton Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of Italy, European Central Bank, Thomson Locations: Italy

☆ Police Evict Squatters From Barcelona Buildings
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BARCELONA (Reuters) - Riot police on Thursday evicted a group of squatters from two buildings in Barcelona that had been occupied for several years, following a court order in a case that has triggered significant attention in Spain. In the raid, that started before dawn, police officers approached the adjacent buildings walking inside a metal cage to protect themselves from rocks, smoke guns and fire flares thrown by the squatters. Officers cut the gates to eventually enter the buildings and remove its occupants, including one person who was hanging on a cord along the facade of one of the buildings. The buildings are located in a wealthy Barcelona neighbourhood. (Reporting by Albert Gea, Joan Faus and Jesus Aguado; Writing by Joan Faus; Editing by Christina Fincher)

Persons: Albert Gea, Joan Faus, Jesus Aguado, Christina Fincher Organizations: Riot Locations: BARCELONA, Barcelona, Spain

☆ Goldilocks meets Santa as global stocks power to best month in three years
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Naomi Rovnick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

MSCI's world stock index (.MIWO00000PUS) is set to close the month up around 9%, its best performance since November 2020, when markets cheered the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines. Global bond prices have soared, with an ICE BofA index of global investment-grade bonds in major markets set to return 3.4% in November, the best month on record going back to 1997. Global growth stocks in high-tech sectors are up 11% (.dMIWO0000GNUS) while value stocks, which are mainly in cyclical industries and offer high dividends, have gained 6.5% (.dMIWO0000VNUS). And a cloudier outlook for stocks suggests a divergence could open up between again between stocks and bonds. The broader global index is set to return 1.6% for the year.

Persons: Joshua Roberts, That's, bode, Altaf Kassam, Wall, We've, Guy Miller, Joost Van Leenders, Van Lanschot Kempen, Van Leenders, Kassam, Naomi Rovnick, Yoruk Bahceli, Dhara Ranasinghe, Christina Fincher Organizations: Federal Reserve, REUTERS, U.S . Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, State Street Global Advisors, Traders, Fed, Insurance Group, Equity, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, COVID, U.S

☆ Exclusive: World's top MDBs to launch debt-for-nature swap 'task force' - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The task force creation is the most significant step so far in showing that the global club of multilateral lenders, which between them have trillions of dollars worth of firepower, will significantly ramp up their support for these deals. Four sources involved in the plans, which are expected to be announced at the COP summit's 'finance day' on Monday, say the group will formally be called the "Task Force on Sustainability-linked Sovereign Financing for Nature and Climate". It will initially be chaired by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and U.S. government's Development Finance Institution (DFC), said three of the sources with direct knowledge of the matter. Both lenders have been involved in all the recent swaps which have also included Barbados and Gabon. At their simplest, the swaps work by buying up a country's bonds, often at a discount, and then replacing them with cheaper eco-labelled ones that come with the special MDB guarantees.

Persons: Chico Mendes, Amanda Perobelli, MDBs, Marc Jones, Christina Fincher Organizations: Chico, Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation, Institute for, Environment, Resources, REUTERS, Reuters, Force, Sustainability, Nature, Inter, American Development Bank, government's Development Finance, World Bank, European Investment Bank, Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, ADB, Infrastructure Development Bank, Reuters Graphics, Conservancy, Thomson Locations: Pocone, Mato Grosso, Brazil, Belize, Barbados, Gabon, Beijing, U.S, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, Colombia, Ecuador

☆ Global growth to slow but avoid a hard landing -OECD
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Leigh Thomas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Growth in advanced economies that make up the OECD's 38 members was seen headed for a soft landing, with the United States holding up better than expected so far. "Our central projections are for a soft landing, but that cannot be taken for granted," OECD chief economist Clare Lombardelli told a news conference. "Monetary policy needs careful calibration to bring inflation to targets while minimising the impact on growth. The OECD forecast U.S. growth would slow from 2.4% this year to 1.5% next year, revising up its estimates from September when it predicted U.S. growth of 2.2% in 2023 and 1.3% in 2024. Its growth was seen easing from 5.2% this year to 4.7% in 2024 - both marginally higher than expected in September - before slowing further in 2025 to 4.2%, the OECD forecast.

Persons: Vincent Alban, Clare Lombardelli, Lombardelli, Leigh Thomas, Christina Fincher, Catherine Evans Organizations: Shoppers, REUTERS, Rights, Organisation for Economic Cooperation, Development, OECD, Thomson Locations: Chicago , Illinois, U.S, Paris, United States, Germany, Japan

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