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☆ US, EU Discuss Russia Sanctions Ahead of Ukraine War's Second Anniversary
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

"Many of us are prepared to roll out quite robust anniversary packages," the official told Reuters, but declined to provide details. The new sanctions would come as the U.S. and its allies look to maintain pressure on Russia with U.S. military aid to Ukraine increasingly in doubt. "All delegations expressed their support to the proposed package, except one who requested a bit more time to analyze the content of the proposals," said an EU official, pointing to Hungary. The official said, however, the new EU sanctions would blacklist almost 200 people and entities. "The Russia sanctions program is both an extraordinary success and an extraordinary failure, depending upon one's point of view," said Smith.

Persons: Daphne Psaledakis, Gabriela Baczynska WASHINGTON, Joe Biden's, John Smith, Smith, Gabriela Baczynska, Don Durfee Organizations: Reuters, Kyiv, Republican, Representatives, Washington, EU, Wednesday, Russia, U.S . Treasury Department’s, Foreign Assets Control Locations: BRUSSELS, U.S, Russia, Brussels, Ukraine, Washington, EU, Hungary, Moscow, Lincoln

☆ Aboriginal Group to Inspect Rock Shelters for Potential Rio Tinto Damage
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - An Aboriginal group from Western Australia's iron ore producing region will inspect an important cultural site in the coming days after it received a notice from Rio Tinto of possible damage, the group's chief executive said. "The Robe River Kuruma Aboriginal Corporation was advised by Rio Tinto in late December of the potential impact on a rock shelter at the Mesa C Robe Valley operations," Anthony Galante, Chief Executive Officer of Robe River Kuruma Aboriginal Corporation (RRKAC) told Reuters. Rio Tinto has advised the group that a preliminary investigation found no damage to the shelter but it has not performed an on-ground inspection due to cultural restrictions, RRKAC said. Rio Tinto did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Given that history, the RRKAC has "grave concerns" about Rio Tinto's ability to protect Aboriginal cultural heritage, Galante said.

Persons: Anthony Galante, RRKAC, Rio, Rio Tinto, Muntulgura, Galante, Melanie Burton, Lincoln Organizations: MELBOURNE, Aboriginal Corporation, Rio Tinto, Reuters Locations: Rio Tinto, Rio

☆ Russia Says Death Toll in Ukraine Shelling of Lysychansk Rises to 28
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - The death toll from what Russia said was a Ukrainian attack on Lysychansk - a city in the Moscow-controlled Ukrainian region of Luhansk - has risen to 28, including a child, Russia's emergencies ministry said on Sunday. The ministry said 10 people were rescued from under the rubble following what it said was a Ukrainian attack on a building housing a bakery in Lysychansk. The Russian-controlled Luhansk Information Centre said on its Telegram the shelling by U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) occurred on Saturday afternoon. Russia took control of Lysychansk in July 2022 after months of heavy fighting. Only about a tenth of Lysychansk's pre-war population of 110,000 remain in the city, according to Ukrainian officials.

Persons: Lysychansk's, Lidia Kelly, Lincoln Organizations: Reuters, Luhansk Information, U.S, Mobility Artillery Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Moscow, Luhansk, Lysychansk, Russian, Melbourne

☆ Modi's Party Set to Bring Contentious Common Civil Laws in India Through States
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

Framing a national common law has been one of the three core, decades-old promises of Modi's Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP). The northern state of Uttarakhand, nestled in the Himalayan foothills, is expected to unveil a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bill next week, officials said. A committee set up in Uttarakhand in 2022 to draft the code will submit its work to the state government on Friday. "Several state governments across India are looking at whether a uniform civil code could be implemented," Nalin Kohli, a national BJP spokesperson said. Personal laws can be legislated by both federal and state governments, and other BJP-ruled states have said they could use the Uttarakhand UCC draft as a template.

Persons: Krishn Kaushik, Rupam Jain, Saurabh Sharma, Narendra Modi's, Modi's, Asaduddin Owaisi, Nalin Kohli, Pushkar Singh Dhami, Ram, Biswa Sarma, Keshav Prasad Maurya, Sumit Khanna, Jatindra, Lincoln Organizations: Saurabh Sharma NEW DELHI, Janta Party, BJP, UCC, Kashmir, Uttarakhand UCC, Reuters Locations: Indian, Jammu, Kashmir, Uttarakhand, India, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, New Delhi, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneshwar

☆ Hong Kong Court Convicts Four for Rioting After 2019 Legislature Storming
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Hundreds of protesters stormed Hong Kong's Legislative Council building on July 1, 2019, after a protest march against a proposed extradition bill that would have allowed authorities to send individuals to mainland China for trial. District Court Judge Li Chi-ho found four people including Ho Chun-yin, actor Gregory Wong, Ng Chi-yung and Lam Kam-kwan guilty of rioting. During the trial, Gregory Wong told the court he entered the legislative council solely to deliver two chargers to reporters who were covering the break-in by protesters. Three Hong Kong police officers met him in Shenzhen and said he had to cooperate or else he would not be able to return to Hong Kong. Hong Kong's district court sets a maximum of seven years in prison for rioting.

Persons: Jessie Pang, Edward Cho HONG, Li Chi, Ho Chun, Gregory Wong, Ng Chi, Lam Kam, kwan, Lam, Wong Ka, Ma Kai, Wong, Althea Suen, Ventus Lau, Owen Chow, Edward Cho, Farah Master, Lincoln Organizations: Reuters, Hong, Legislative, Hong Kong, Hong Kong . Police, University of Hong Locations: Edward Cho HONG KONG, Hong Kong, China, Legco, Shenzhen, Hong Kong's

☆ California Braces for Back-To-Back Atmospheric River Storms
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

The first of the back-to-back storms, both products of vast airborne currents of dense moisture called atmospheric rivers, was expected to hit Northern California on Wednesday and sweep over the Southern California coast on Thursday. Some roadways and streams could flood in Southern California on Thursday, though major bouts of inundation are less likely, according to Swain. "Suffice it to say there will be some flooding in Southern California," Swain said. A series of about a dozen atmospheric river storms lashed California in rapid succession last winter, causing mass evacuations, power outages, levee breaches and road closures in a state long preoccupied with drought and wildfires. The latest storms are expected to help improve the state's water supply picture, which is lagging at below-average levels so far this winter.

Persons: Steve Gorman, Daniel Swain, Swain, Lincoln Organizations: ANGELES, Reuters, University of California, National Weather Service Locations: California, Northern California, Southern California, Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay, Central Coast, Swain, Diego, Ventura County

☆ U.S. Needs to Work With Greater Intensity in the Pacific - NZ for Min
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

“Pillar two (of AUKUS) is the examination we're going to look at beginning tonight and tomorrow and going forward," he told Reuters in an interview. New Zealand has had a nuclear free policy since the 1980s and there has been no indication this will change. Peters also said the U.S. had neglected the Pacific since the Second World War, and that had created a vacuum that others had filled. "They've have certainly upped their game, but they need to work with greater intensity on the immediate problems at the ground level of many of the island nations,” he said. Peters did not mention China by name, but jostling between Washington and Beijing for influence in the Pacific has increased in recent years over issues including security, defence, aid and infrastructure.

Persons: Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON, Winston Peters, Peters, ”, Lucy Craymer, Lincoln Organizations: Reuters, Foreign, Pacific Locations: New Zealand, Australia, Britain, U.S, Washington, Wellington, “, China, Beijing

☆ Thousands Protest Australia Day Holiday With 'Invasion Day' Rallies
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Thousand's marked Australia's national day on Friday with "Invasion Day" rallies in support of the country's Indigenous community, many of whom oppose celebrating the day a British fleet sailed into Sydney Harbour in 1788. Australia Day commemorates the day Britain established the state of New South Wales a penal colony, arriving in what is now the state capital Sydney with a "First Fleet" bringing colonists and convicts. Many people celebrate the holiday with barbecues and trips to the beach, and it is also a popular date for immigrants to receive their Australian citizenship. In Sydney, thousands of protesters, many waving Indigenous flags, gathered in the city centre at an "Invasion Day" rally before a march that closed nearby city streets. Two statues of colonial figures were vandalised in Melbourne earlier this week ahead of the contentious national holiday.

Persons: Browne, Anthony Albanese, Albanese, Sam McKeith, Lincoln Organizations: SYDNEY, Sydney Harbour, Australian Broadcasting Corp, Labor Party Locations: British, Sydney, Britain, New South Wales, Victoria's Melbourne, Canberra, Melbourne

☆ Alabama Completes First Execution Using Nitrogen Gas Asphyxiation
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

(Reuters) - Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said prison officials had killed Kenneth Smith, a convicted murderer, on Thursday evening, completing the first execution using asphyxiation by nitrogen gas, which the state is advancing as a simpler alternative to lethal injections. The state has called its new protocol "the most painless and humane method of execution known to man." United Nations human rights experts and lawyers for Smith, who survived Alabama's previous botched attempt to execute him by lethal injection, had sought to prevent it, saying the method was risky and could lead to a torturous death or non-fatal injury. Alabama prison officials and journalists who observed Smith's execution were due to brief reporters shortly. (Reporting by Jonathan Allen; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)

Persons: Kay Ivey, Kenneth Smith, Smith, Jonathan Allen, Lincoln Organizations: Reuters, Alabama, United Nations Locations: Alabama

☆ New Zealand Withdraws Bill Allowing 16-Year-Olds to Vote in Local Body Elections
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Lucy CraymerWELLINGTON (Reuters) - The New Zealand government on Friday withdrew a bill that would have allowed sixteen year olds to vote in local government elections if it had passed. New Zealand's highest court ruled in late 2022 that the country's current voting age of 18 was discriminatory, forcing parliament to discuss whether it should be lowered. The previous Labour government last year ruled out the possibility of lowering the voting age to 16 for national elections, but had sought to legislate a lower voting age for local government elections. "Worrying about how to implement a new voting age regime would be a costly distraction for councils who have enough issues to deal with right now," he said. "Democracy is when voters choose their politicians, not when politicians choose their voters," they said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Persons: Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON, Simeon Brown, Lucy Craymer, Lincoln Organizations: Reuters, New, Friday, Labour, Local, National Party, Twitter Locations: New Zealand

Israel largely captured the northern half of Gaza in November, and since a week-long truce collapsed on Friday they have swiftly pushed deep into the southern half. The Israeli military said the central road out of Khan Younis to the north "constitutes a battlefield" and was now shut. Desperate Gazans in Khan Younis packed their belongings and headed towards Rafah. U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Washington expected Israel to avoid attacking areas identified as "no-strike" zones in Gaza. Israel accuses Hamas of putting civilians in danger by operating from civilian areas, including in tunnels which can only be destroyed by large bombs.

Persons: Amir Cohen, Stephane Dujarric, Khan Younis, Antonio Guterres, Philippe Lazzarini, Lazzarini, Israel, Gazans, Jake Sullivan, Mohammed Salem, Maayan Lubell, Ari Rabinovich, Emily Rose, Maggie Fick, Andrew Mills, Humeyra Pamuk, Stephen Coates, Rosalba O'Brien, Lincoln Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, United Nations, Islamic, State Department, U.S . National, Street, U.S, Thomson Locations: Israeli, Israel, Palestinian, Israel's, Gaza, Khan, Khan Younis GAZA, United States, Gaza's, Rafah, Washington, U.S, Jerusalem, Beirut, Doha

☆ Nepal urges Russia not to recruit its citizens into army; says six killed
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Gopal Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Nepal government said in a statement that six of its nationals, who had been serving the Russian army, were killed, without providing any details. Diplomatic efforts were underway to get one Nepali citizen serving the Russian army and captured by Ukraine released, the statement added. Nepal also urged its citizens not to join the army of any war-torn country. English daily, The Kathmandu Post, quoted Milan Raj Tuladhar, Nepal's ambassador in Moscow, as saying that 150-200 Nepalis were working as mercenaries in the Russian army. Millions of Nepali nationals are employed in civilian work mainly as labourers in industries and construction sites in South Korea, Malaysia and the Middle East.

Persons: Phil Noble, Milan Raj Tuladhar, Gopal Sharma, Sudipto Ganguly Organizations: Brigade, Catterick Garrison, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Richmond, Britain, Nepal, Moscow, India, China, Russia, Ukraine, Kathmandu, Russian, South Korea, Malaysia, Lincoln

Residents, many of whom had moved there to flee earlier attacks in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, said they could hear tank fire and feared a new Israeli ground offensive was building. The Israeli military earlier ordered people to evacuate some areas in and near the city, but made no announcement of any new southern ground assault. "The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) continues to extend its ground operation against Hamas centres in all of the Gaza Strip," spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters in Tel Aviv. GROUND OFFENSIVE FEAREDGaza residents said earlier on Sunday they feared an Israeli ground offensive on the southern areas was imminent. Tanks had cut off the road between Khan Younis and Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, effectively dividing the Gaza Strip into three.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Khan Younis, Daniel Hagari, Eylon Levy, Younis, United States —, —, Kamala Harris, Isaac Herzog, Mahmoud Abbas, Harris, Israel, Osama Hamdan, Deir, Suhaib Salem, Nidal, Mohammed Salem, Maayan Lubell, Ari Rabinovich, Emily Rose, Maggie Fick, Andrew Mills, Nandita Bose, Idrees Ali, Steve Holland, Phil Stewart, David Lawder, Lincoln Organizations: Hamas, Pentagon, Palestinian, IDF, Israel Defence Forces, U.S . Defense Department, Yemen's, Reuters, United, Tanks, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Khan, U.S, Sea, Pentagon Iran, GAZA, CAIRO, Tel Aviv, Gaza City, Yemen's Iran, Hamas, Rafah, Gaza's, Beit Lahiya, United States, Lebanon, Egypt, Cairo, Jerusalem, Beirut, Doha, Dubai, Washington

[1/3] File photo: The flags of the United States and India are displayed on the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House in Washington, U.S., June 21, 2023. Last week, the U.S. Justice Department alleged that an Indian government official directed an unsuccessful plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist on U.S. soil, while it announced charges against a man accused of orchestrating the attempted murder. U.S. officials have named the target of the attempted murder as Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist and dual citizen of the United States and Canada. The Indian government has long complained about the presence of Sikh separatist groups outside India. They also discussed developments in the Middle East, including the Israel-Hamas war, plans for a post-war Gaza and recent attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, the White House said on Monday.

Persons: Elizabeth Frantz, Jon, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Joe Biden, Jake Sullivan, Bill Burns, Antony Blinken, Biden, Ajit Doval, Kanishka Singh, Leslie Adler, Lincoln Organizations: Eisenhower, White, REUTERS, Rights, White House, U.S . Justice Department, Indian, U.S, National, Thomson Locations: United States, India, Washington , U.S, U.S, New Delhi, Canada, Vancouver, China, Israel, Gaza, Red, Washington

A shopkeeper naps as she waits for customers at a traditional market in Seoul, South Korea, April 7, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Dec 5 (Reuters) - South Korea's inflation eased for the first time in four months in November, bringing relief to policymakers worried about persistent inflation risks as they plan to keep their restrictive monetary policy in place for longer. "Compared to core inflation in the U.S. and Europe that seem to be still in the 4% to 5% range, (South Korea's core inflation) seems to be far more stable," said Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho at a policy meeting in Seoul. "Considering this, we see inflation stabilizing in a steady manner going forward, unless we face some additional external shocks." The Bank of Korea kept interest rates steady at 3.50% last week at its final policy meeting of the year and signalled it may need to keep interest rates higher for longer to head off persistent inflation risks.

Persons: naps, Kim Hong, Choo Kyung, BOK, Jihoon Lee, Chris Reese, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters Survey, Bank of, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, U.S, Europe, Bank of Korea

☆ New Zealanders gather across country to protest new policies
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] People take part in a march lead by New Zealand political party Te Pati Maori to demonstrate against the incoming government and its policies, in Wellington, New Zealand, December 5, 2023. The protest action was called for by political party Te Pati Maori and coincides with the opening of New Zealand's 54th parliament. "This is not a protest, this is an activation," Te Pati Maori co-leader Rawiri Waititi told Wellington protesters who marched through the city to the country's distinctive Beehive parliament building. New Zealand police said there had been traffic disruptions but the protests were peaceful and there were no arrests. David Seymour, leader of libertarian party ACT New Zealand, said in a statement the protest was just theatrics when New Zealanders just want their government to get on with fixing the many issues the country is dealing with.

Persons: Te Pati, Lucy Craymer, Rawiri Waititi, Kathy Hughes, Hughes, David Seymour, Britain's King Charles III, Te Pati Maori's, King Charles, Sandra Maler Organizations: New Zealand, REUTERS, Rights, National Party, New Zealand First, ACT New Zealand, Labour Party, Wellington, police, New, Thomson Locations: New, Wellington , New Zealand, New Zealand's, Wellington, Zealanders, Waitangi, Lincoln

☆ One dead, 11 missing in flash floods around Indonesia's Lake Toba
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JAKARTA, Dec 3 (Reuters) - One person died and 11 were missing after flash floods hit near Lake Toba in Indonesia's North Sumatra province, the country's disasters agency BNPB said, with scores of people evacuated and rescue efforts underway. Heavy rain followed by flash floods on Friday evening hit the region located on the shores of the lake, damaging dozens of houses, a church, a school and a hotel, BNPB said in a statement on late Saturday. Lake Toba, the world's biggest volcanic lake, is a popular tourist destination for Indonesians and international visitors. The flash floods dragged large stones, trees and mud down hillsides, leaving some houses buried to the roof, pictures from the agency showed. Around 350 people using heavy equipment were carrying out search and rescue efforts, while about 200 people had been evacuated, the agency said.

Persons: BNPB, Bernadette Christina, Lincoln Organizations: Thomson Locations: JAKARTA, Lake Toba, Indonesia's North Sumatra, Lake

☆ Nine dead after armed men raid Peru's Poderosa mine - ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LIMA, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Nine people were killed and 15 injured after armed men raided Peru's Poderosa mine with explosives and took hostages, the Interior Ministry said late on Saturday. Police have "taken control of the situation", seven people have been arrested and weapons seized, the ministry said in a statement, adding it had ordered special forces to the area to support local police. The attackers entered the mine shaft, using explosive charges, "violently confronting internal security personnel from the company and taking four people hostage", the ministry said. Peru is the world's second-largest producer of copper, and an important silver and gold producer. Reporting by Marco Aquino in Lima and Shivani Tanna in Bengaluru; Editing by Lincoln Feast and William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: LIMA, Peru's, Pedro Castillo, Marco Aquino, Lincoln, William Mallard Organizations: Interior Ministry, Saturday . Police, Thomson Locations: Peru, Lima, Bengaluru

☆ Australia's Greens to investigate supermarket 'price gouging'
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People walk past a Woolworths supermarket following the easing of restrictions implemented to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Sydney, Australia, June 16, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Australia's Greens party said on Sunday it would lead a parliamentary inquiry into "price gouging" by major supermarkets as the country grapples with high costs of living. "It will also assess the rise in essential item prices, the validity of discounts offered, and the inflation of profits during economic hardship," added McKim, accusing supermarkets of "price gouging" during "Australia's cost of living crisis". "Construction costs, energy prices, the cost of logistics and packaging have all risen", the spokesperson said. A Woolworths spokesperson said the company was "working to deliver relief" on grocery bills.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Nick McKim, McKim, Competition Andrew Leigh, Leigh, Sam McKeith, Lincoln Organizations: Woolworths, REUTERS, Rights, Australia's Greens, Greens, Coles, Competition, Labor, Reserve Bank of Australia, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia

These are just a few of the ways that public health has been impacted and compounded by climate change - a focus for the first time ever at the annual U.N. climate summit COP28. Here's how climate change is harming people's health across the world today, and what countries might expect in the future. Floods in Pakistan last year, for example, led to a 400%increase in malaria cases in the country, the report said. MURKY WATERSStorms and flooding wrought by climate change are allowing other infectious water-borne diseases to proliferate as well. Diarrhoea, too, receives a boost from climate change, with increasingly erratic rainfall - resulting in either wet or dry conditions - yielding a higher risk, research has found.

Persons: Alexandros Avramidis, Martin Edlund, Gloria Dickie, Alexander Cornwall, Katy Daigle, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, World Health Organization, WHO, Nature Medicine, American Thoracic Society, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Evros, Greece, West Nile, Brazil, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Africa, United States

"We always said we will win the heartland states," BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda told Reuters. However, a 28-party opposition alliance led by the Congress party has come together to jointly fight BJP, posing a new challenge. But the alliance did not feature in the state polls due to internal rivalries and it was a direct contest between BJP and Congress. Politicians and analysts say state elections do not always influence the outcome of the general elections or accurately indicate national voter mood. Results of the last round of state elections before national elections have been misleading in the past.

Persons: Stringer, Narendra Modi, Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Jagat Prakash Nadda, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Gandhi, Supriya Shrinate, Gurmeet Chadha, Ira Dugal, Lincoln, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, DELHI, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Telangana, Reuters, Developmental, Congress, Thomson Locations: Madhya Pradesh, Indore, India, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Karnataka, Mizoram, Mumbai

☆ Nine Dead After Armed Men Raid Peru's Poderosa Mine - Ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Dec. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

LIMA (Reuters) -Nine people were killed and 15 injured after armed men raided Peru's Poderosa mine with explosives and took hostages, the Interior Ministry said late on Saturday. Police have "taken control of the situation", seven people have been arrested and weapons seized, the ministry said in a statement, adding it had ordered special forces to the area to support local police. The attackers entered the mine shaft, using explosive charges, "violently confronting internal security personnel from the company and taking four people hostage", the ministry said. Peru is the world's second-largest producer of copper, and an important silver and gold producer. (Reporting by Marco Aquino in Lima and Shivani Tanna in Bengaluru; Editing by Lincoln Feast and William Mallard)

Persons: Peru's, Pedro Castillo, Marco Aquino, Lincoln, William Mallard Organizations: Reuters, Interior Ministry, Saturday . Police Locations: LIMA, Peru, Lima, Bengaluru

☆ North Korea begins spy satellite operations -KCNA
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Dec 3 (Reuters) - North Korea has begun reconnaissance satellite operations, state news agency KCNA said on Sunday, after the country launched its first military spy satellite last month in a move that drew new sanctions from the U.S. and its allies. North Korea says it successfully launched its first military spy satellite on Nov. 21, transmitting photos of the White House, the Pentagon, U.S. military bases and "target regions" in South Korea. The move raised regional tensions and sparked fresh sanctions from the U.S., Australia, Japan and South Korea. The article also argued that South Korea's own, first military reconnaissance launch this month proved to be self-contradictory. On Friday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried South Korea's first spy satellite into orbit from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base.

Persons: KCNA, Kim Myung, Jihoon Lee, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Pyongyang General Control Centre, National Aerospace Technology Administration, White, Pentagon, Korea's, Chiefs of Staff, ., SpaceX, Vandenberg Space Force Base, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, U.S, Pyongyang, South Korea, Australia, Japan, Korean, Seoul, Lincoln

☆ China's respiratory illness rise due to known pathogens, official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SHENZHEN, China, Dec 2 (Reuters) - China's surge in respiratory illness is caused by known pathogens and there is no sign of new infectious diseases, a health official said on Saturday as the country faces its first full winter since lifting strict COVID-19 restrictions. The spike in illness in the country where COVID emerged in late 2019 attracted the spotlight when the World Health Organization sought information last week, citing a report on clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children. Chinese authorities will open more paediatric outpatient clinics, seek to ensure more elderly people and children receive flu vaccines and encourage people to wear masks and wash their hands, Mi Feng, an official with China's National Health Commission, told a press conference. Doctors in China and experts abroad have not expressed alarm about China's outbreaks, given that many other countries saw similar increases in respiratory diseases after easing pandemic measures, which China did at the end of last year. Reporting by David Kirton; Editing by Lincoln Feast and William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mi Feng, David Kirton, Lincoln, William Mallard Organizations: World Health Organization, China's National Health Commission, Thomson Locations: SHENZHEN, China

☆ Philippines, France to Level-Up Defence Ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

By Mikhail FloresMANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines and France agreed to level-up defence cooperation between the two countries, Philippine defence minister Gilberto Teodoro said on Saturday. Teodoro met his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu in Manila where he said they are working to get authority from their leaders to begin negotiations for a status of forces agreement. "We intend to take concrete steps to leveling up and making more comprehensive our defense cooperation," Teodoro said in a joint briefingLecornu's Manila visit is the first leg of his trip across the Indo-Pacific which includes stops in Malaysia and the French overseas territory of New Caledonia. France considers itself an Indo-Pacific power, with over 7,000 troops stationed in overseas territories in the Pacific and Indian Ocean. (Reporting by Mikhail Flores; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Edwina Gibbs)

Persons: Mikhail Flores MANILA, Gilberto Teodoro, Teodoro, Sebastien Lecornu, Mikhail Flores, Lincoln, Edwina Gibbs Locations: Philippines, France, Manila, Malaysia, New Caledonia, Pacific, Indian

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