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☆ Turmoil in UK government after key minister slams police ahead of pro-Palestinian march on Armistice Day
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

On Saturday, the UK will mark Armistice Day – the date commemorating the de-facto end of World War I. Also on Saturday, pro-Palestinian protesters will march through central London demanding a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict. Every living UK Prime Minister lays a wreath at the monument, along with other senior politicians, visiting dignitaries and members of the royal family. Banning such a protest in the name of those who died for precisely these sorts of freedoms is not the best look on Armistice Day. The Conservative Party’s poll ratings are poor and Sunak is already barely holding together a fragile coalition of parliamentarians.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Suella Braverman, Leon Neal, Banning, Sunak’s, Braverman, ” Braverman, Keir Starmer, Downing, Mark Kerrison, ” Sunak, Brexit, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, – Organizations: London CNN, Getty, London’s Metropolitan Police Service, Conservative, National Conservatism Conference, Emmanuel Centre, Conservative Party Locations: London, Israel, Downing, Times, England, Gaza, Northern Irish, Charing, Westminster

☆ Germany pledges to make its military 'the backbone of defence in Europe'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Sabine Siebold | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay/File... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreBERLIN, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Germany will strengthen its military to make it the backbone of deterrence and collective defence in Europe, its defence minister pledged on Thursday as Berlin issued new defence policy guidelines for the first time in over a decade. The 19-page document details what the "Zeitenwende" - the major shift of policy German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 - means for the workings of the Bundeswehr. "With the Zeitenwende, Germany becomes a grown up country in terms of security policy," Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said as he presented the guidelines, the first since 2011 when Berlin suspended conscription. "As the most populous and an economically strong country at the heart of Europe, Germany must be the backbone of deterrence and collective defence in Europe," Pistorius said. German forces needed to be refocused on their core mission -the credible defence of Germany and its allies - and be "ready to fight a war", he said.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Wolfgang Rattay, Boris Pistorius, Pistorius, Sabine Siebold, Toby Chopra, Ed Osmond Organizations: Patriot, Bonn Air Force, Territorial Command, Bundeswehr, REUTERS, Berlin, Thomson Locations: Cologne, Wahn, Germany, BERLIN, Europe, Ukraine, Berlin, prioritise, Lithuania

☆ Germany to withdraw Patriot air defence units from Poland
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

German Patriot air defence system units are seen at the military base, during German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius' visit, near Zamosc, Poland July 3, 2023. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Germany is set to end the deployment of three Patriot air defence units to Poland after almost a year, the defence ministry in Berlin said on Wednesday, confirming earlier plans. The German soldiers will wrap up their operations on Friday and start redeploying from next week, the ministry said. "I am very happy about the friendly and appreciative reception our soldiers in Zamosc were granted by the Polish military and the people living there," German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said. Reporting by Sabine Siebold Editing by Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Boris Pistorius, Kacper, PiS, Sabine Siebold, Gareth Jones Organizations: Patriot, German, REUTERS, Rights, Patriots, Law and Justice, Thomson Locations: Zamosc, Poland, Germany, Berlin, Polish, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Przewodow, Warsaw

"The decision has been made - he will run," said one of the sources who has knowledge of planning. Three other sources said the decision had been made: Putin will run. A foreign diplomatic source, who also requested anonymity, said Putin made the decision recently and that the announcement would come soon. Peskov said in September that if Putin decided to run, then no one would be able to compete with him. "Russia is facing the combined might of the West so major change would not be expedient," one of the sources said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kuzma Minin, Dmitry Pozharsky, Mikhail Metzel, Putin, Boris Yeltsin, Josef Stalin, Leonid Brezhnev's, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Mikhail Gorbachev grappled, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Alexei Navalny, Oleg Orlov, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Unity, Sputnik, Kremlin, Reuters, Kommersant, West ., KGB, Soviet, Cuban Missile, West, NATO, China, European Union, Thomson Locations: Red, Moscow, Russia, MOSCOW, West . RUSSIA, Soviet Union, Ukraine, United States, European, Soviet Russia, Afghanistan

The meeting was aimed at garnering state leaders' support for such moves and addressing local authorities' complaints that public coffers and infrastructure are overburdened. The leader of the central state of Hesse put the total volume of aid at 3.5 billion euros. "Our shared goal is to push back irregular migration," said Scholz, after describing the agreement as a "historic moment." Some 230,000 people requested asylum in Germany in the first nine months of this year, more than in the full year 2022. His government has also agreed changes to existing rules to enable asylum seekers to enter the labour force more rapidly and to punish human traffickers with longer prison sentences.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Hesse Boris Rhein, Lower Saxony Stephan Weil, Angela Merkel, Scholz, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Miranda Murray, Rachel More, Barbara Lewis, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Lower, REUTERS, European Union, Thomson Locations: Hesse, Lower Saxony, Germany, Berlin, BERLIN, Russia, Scholz's

☆ Amazon founder Bezos plans move to Miami from Seattle
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Billionaire American businessman Jeff Bezos arrives for his meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the UK diplomatic residence in New York City, New York, U.S., September 20, 2021. Michael M. Santiago/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 2 (Reuters) - Amazon (AMZN.O) founder Jeff Bezos said on Thursday he was moving to his childhood home of Miami from Seattle to be near his parents and his space firm Blue Origin's Cape Canaveral operations. Seattle, you will always have a piece of my heart," the billionaire said in an Instagram post on Thursday. Private space company Blue Origin's operations are increasingly shifting to Cape Canaveral, Bezos added. Amazon's rapid growth transformed Seattle's South Lake Union district, replacing warehouses and parking lots with offices towers, highly paid tech workers and expensive eateries.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Boris Johnson, Michael M, Bezos, Abinaya, Lincoln Organizations: Billionaire, British, Thomson Locations: New York City , New York, U.S, Santiago, Miami, Seattle, Canaveral, Amazon's, Cape Canaveral, Lake Union, Bengaluru

☆ Elon Musk Discusses Perils and Benefits of A.I. With Rishi Sunak
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Adam Satariano | More About Adam Satariano | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Mr. Sunak said he believed A.I. While he encounters many voters worried about automation and job losses, Mr. Sunak said he believed A.I. By contrast, Mr. Musk, known for predawn social media posts and deliberately provocative statements, appears to thrive more in a state of improvisation and chaos. Mr. Musk has faced criticism for, among other things, allowing racist, antisemitic and hateful speech to thrive on X since he bought the platform last year. Mr. Musk, whose companies include Tesla and SpaceX, in addition to X, was perhaps the biggest name in attendance.

Persons: Sunak, Goldman Sachs, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Musk, Sunak’s Organizations: Conservative Party, Stanford University, Bletchley, A.I, SpaceX Locations: Silicon Valley, Britain

LONDON (AP) — A former top aide who has accused ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson of being unfit for office is scheduled to testify Tuesday at Britain’s public inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic. Political Cartoons View All 1227 ImagesJohnson is due to testify at the inquiry later in the year. Cummings, a self-styled political disruptor, was hired by Johnson after helping to mastermind the victorious “leave” campaign in Britain’s 2016 European Union membership referendum. The U.K. has one of the highest COVID-19 death tolls in Europe, with the virus recorded as a cause of death for some 227,000 people. Johnson agreed in late 2021 to hold a public inquiry after heavy pressure from bereaved families.

Persons: —, Boris Johnson, Dominic Cummings, Johnson, Martin Reynolds, Imran Shafi, ” Cummings, Cummings, “, ”, Heather Hallett Locations: Britain’s, Downing, England, Europe

☆ Three-Stock Lunch: Caterpillar, JetBlue and Gold Comex
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThree-Stock Lunch: Caterpillar, JetBlue and Gold ComexBoris Schlossberg, BK Asset Management, joins ‘Power Lunch’ to discuss three stocks: Caterpillar, JetBlue and Gold Comex.

Persons: Boris Schlossberg Organizations: Caterpillar, JetBlue, BK Asset Management, Gold

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING/SHANGHAI, Oct 30 (Reuters) - China will send Wu Zhaohui, a Vice Minister of Science and Technology, to a global summit on artificial intelligence this week in Britain, two sources familiar with the matter said. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair visited Beijing earlier this month and met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, as Beijing seeks to boost ties with the Labour party ahead of a general election likely next year. China's science ministry and foreign ministry, as well as the Chinese Academy of Sciences, did not respond immediately to faxed requests for comment. Wu was appointed to his role in the science ministry in December 2022. Like many countries around the world, China has been caught up in a global craze over generative AI following the popularity of OpenAI's ChatGPT last year.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Wu Zhaohui, James, Boris Johnson, Tony Blair, Wang Yi, Wu, Xi Jinping, OpenAI's ChatGPT, Laurie Chen, Brenda Goh, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Science, Technology, Labour, Chinese Academy of Sciences, HK, Foreign, Commonwealth, Development, Thomson Locations: Rights BEIJING, SHANGHAI, China, Britain, Beijing, British, London, Hong Kong, United States, Shanghai

☆ Boris Johnson's response to COVID was 'mad and dangerous’- top official
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's approach to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic was "mad and dangerous" and his constant indecision made it "impossible" to tackle the virus, the government's top civil servant told officials. In the autumn of 2020 when the government was discussing how to suppress the virus, Case said of Johnson: "He cannot lead and we cannot support him under these circumstances. "This is in danger of becoming Trump/Bolsonaro level mad and dangerous," Case told other colleagues. Martin Reynolds, Johnson's former principal private secretary who appeared before the inquiry on Monday, said there was a culture of dysfunctionality and misogyny at the heart of government during the crisis. I think that remains an ongoing cultural issue, which I think we could have done more to address," Reynolds said.

Persons: Boris Johnson's, Simon Case, Case, Johnson, Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro, Martin Reynolds, Johnson's, Reynolds, Andrew MacAskill, Elizabeth Piper, Ed Osmond Organizations: British, Trump, Thomson

Gavin Newsom is the latest to find out that plans for a confident jump shot can turn into a torrent of online potshots. On a trip to China, the two-term Democrat took a detour from his official meetings on climate change to join a group of Beijing schoolkids for a game of basketball. Video circulating online shows Newsom wearing slacks, an open-collared shirt and dress shoes while towering over schoolchildren on the court. The governor playfully twirls a basketball on a fingertip, then executes a spin move as he heads toward the basket. “Newsom destroys kid during basketball game in China,” celebrity website TMZ tweeted.

Persons: —, Gavin Newsom, Newsom, Boris Johnson, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry, ” George W, “, ”, “ Newsom, TMZ, Xi Jinping Organizations: ANGELES, Gov, pats, ” Fox News, America, Santa Clara University, Los Angeles Fox News Locations: China, Beijing, British, London, Japan, Scotland

☆ EU summit turns its eyes away from Ukraine despite a commitment to stay the course with Zelenskyy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

It was a good thing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had his videoconference address to the European Union summit pre-slotted for the opening session. They didn't come back to the issue of Russia's war in Ukraine again before Friday's closing day of the summit. Not only have the geopolitics in general shifted, some of the EU politics in particular are no longer as kind to Zelenskyy. There is also a four-year 20-billion-euro ($21 billion) military and security package in the pipeline. "If we don't help Ukraine, then what is the alternative, really," Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, Mike Johnson, Israel, Robert Fico, Viktor Orbán, Orbán, Anton Siluanov, Boris Pistorius, Fico, Orban, Kaja Kallas, Leo Varadkar, Putin Organizations: European Union, EU, U.S ., Slovak, Ukraine, Russian, U.S . Congress, IRIS, " Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Moscow, Europe, Slovakia, Germany, France, Hungary, Zelenskyy, Russian, United States, Brussels, Estonian, Russia

About 100 wives, mothers, children and relatives of Ukrainian soldiers attended a demonstration in the capital, Kyiv. Even so, U.S. officials say that Russian forces are experiencing morale problems as another winter campaign looms. The latest hot spot draining resources is Avdiivka, a city in the eastern Donetsk region that Russian forces partially occupy. The Washington-based think tank noted that Ukrainian military officials said that around 5,000 Russian soldiers have been killed and wounded, and 400 armored vehicles lost in the area since Oct. 10. Satellite images show the Russian military lost at least 109 military vehicles, mostly armored fighting vehicles and tanks, near Avdiivika between Oct. 10 and 20, the institute said.

Persons: “ Demobilize, ”, “, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Rishi Sunak, ” Zelenskyy, Joe Biden, Mike Johnson, Biden, Viktor Orbán, Vladimir Putin, Robert Fico, videoconference, Zelenskyy, Putin, Boris Pistorius, Hanna Arhirova, Geir Moulson Organizations: Russia, Verkhovna Rada, ” Protesters, Institute for, Kyiv, ”, European Union, Ukraine, Slovak, IRIS, Defense Ministry, Associated Press Locations: KYIV, Ukraine, Ukraine's, Kyiv, Russia, U.S, Donetsk, Avdiivka, Russian, Washington, Avdiivika, Ukrainian, Moscow, North Korea, Iran, ” Ukraine, Hungarian, Brussels, Germany, Israel, Berlin, russia, ukraine

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — They were banned under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin but commonplace under later Kremlin leaders. Now, after less than a century, official attitudes about abortion in Russia are changing once again. Although abortion is still legal and widely available, new restrictions are being considered as President Vladimir Putin takes an increasingly socially conservative turn and seeks to reverse Russia's declining population. In 2012, the number of “social reasons” for allowing abortion between weeks 12 and 22 was cut to just in the case of rape. He also moved to restrict abortion pills, which are approved to be taken to end a pregnancy in the first 10 weeks.

Persons: —, Josef Stalin, Vladimir Putin, ”, Lina Zharin, we’re, Michele Rivkin, natalist ”, Rivkin, Fish, Mikhail Gorbachev's, Boris Yeltsin, Lyubov, ” Rivkin, Tatyana Golikova, Mikhail Murashko Organizations: Kremlin, Orthodox Church, University of North, Abortion, Conservative, Russian Association of Population, Health, Russian Association for Population, Development, Health Ministry Locations: TALLINN, Estonia, Russia, Kaliningrad, University of North Carolina, Chapel, —

BRUSSELS (AP) — It was a good thing Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelenskyy had his videoconference address to the European Union summit pre-slotted for the opening session. They didn't come back to the issue of Russia's war in Ukraine again before Friday's closing day of the summit. With Ukraine funding in jeopardy in the U.S. Congress, Zelenskyy is looking to leave the financial lifeline to Europe open. “If we don’t help Ukraine, then what is the alternative, really,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said. Why do you think that you’re safe then?”Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has the answer.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mike Johnson, Robert Fico, Viktor Orbán, Orbán, ” Orbán, Anton Siluanov, Zelenskyy, “, ”, Boris Pistorius, Kaja Kallas, Leo Varadkar, Putin, ” ___ Geir Moulson, Sylvie Corbet, Justin Spike Organizations: Ukrainian, European Union, EU, U.S ., Ukraine, Russian, U.S . Congress, IRIS, ” Locations: BRUSSELS, Israel, Ukraine, Moscow, Europe, EU, Slovak, Germany, France, Slovakia, neigboring Hungary, Zelenskyy, Kyiv, Russian, United States, Brussels, Estonian, Russia, Berlin, Paris, Budapest, Hungary

☆ Two strangers moved into an apartment in Prague. Then they fell in love
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +21 min

Marcus was studying in his bedroom in the Prague apartment when Mandy’s message popped up on his laptop. “It was a super-nice apartment in one of the coolest neighborhoods in Prague,” Marcus tells CNN Travel. Arriving in PragueMandy moved into Marcus' apartment in Prague's vibrant Vinohrady area. Here's one of Marcus and Mandy's first photos together, taken in their Prague apartment in 2020. “The night before he left, I’m crying and I’m like, ‘Oh, gosh, you’re leaving and I’m so sad,’” recalls Mandy.

Persons: Mandy Sanchez, Mandy, She’d, Marcus Wecksten, Marcus, Boris, ”, “, ” Marcus, ” Marcus –, Prague’s Charles University –, they’re, ’, that’s, you’re, ’ ”, Prague Mandy, Mandy Sanchez Mandy, who’d, ” Mandy, Mandy’s Uber, Uber, Mandy “, ’ ” Mandy, decamped, she’d, Mandy's, couldn’t, Marcus “, they’d, Marcus didn’t, Let’s, Mandy’s hesitations, Mandy couldn’t, Kemal Onur Ozman, coronavirus, They’d, ” Mandy wasn’t, ” Boris, Marcus wasn’t, I’ll, Mandy –, I’ve, I’m, Charles, –, phoning, hadn’t, Mandy’s, Here's Mandy, Marcus ’, – Marcus wouldn’t, “ He’d, ” “ We’ve, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, Texas, M University, Facebook, Prague’s Charles University, CNN Travel, Midway, Uber, Google, Pilsner, ”, Prague Locations: Texas, Prague, Prague ”, Europe, Vinohrady, –, Germany, Finland, Czech Republic, Karlovy Vary, Albania, Helsinki

☆ It's no joke: how Russian comedians try to stay relevant in wartime
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Fellow comedian Boris Zeliger says a politically risky joke "usually doesn’t even get a laugh, but causes a reaction like 'Wow, you daredevil!'". "The comedians who write jokes on the topic of the day from a political point of view - they usually emigrate." According to one of them, Ilya Ovechkin, any reference to Putin in a joke boosts laughs by 70%. You can get punched in the face without telling a single political joke." And that Putin joke?

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Ivan Garkushko, Boris Zeliger, Comigration, Ilya Ovechkin, Putin, Ovechkin, you'll, who's, Ariana Lolaeva, Mark Trevelyan, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Georgia

☆ British PM Sunak suffers crushing by-election defeats
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak leaves 10 Downing Street to attend Prime Minister's Questions at the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain, October 18, 2023. "Winning in these Tory strongholds shows that people overwhelmingly want change and they’re ready to put their faith in our changed Labour Party to deliver it." The contests in Mid-Bedfordshire and Tamworth were caused by the high-profile resignations of politicians close to former prime minister Boris Johnson. The accusations against him contributed to the collapse of former prime minister Boris Johnson's government. Labour won the Mid-Bedfordshire seat with a majority of over 1,100 overturning a Conservative majority of 24,664 at the last general election in 2019.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Clodagh, Rishi Sunak's, Keir Starmer, Sunak, Boris Johnson, Nadine Dorries, Chris Pincher, Boris Johnson's, Sarah Edwards, Andrew MacAskill, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: British, REUTERS, Labour Party overturns, LONDON, Conservatives, Labour Party, Labour, Conservative, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Mid, Bedfordshire, Tamworth, England

☆ UK PM Rishi Sunak suffers two historic by-election defeats as Labour opposition surges
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Labour party candidate Sarah Edwards, centre, after polls closed in the Tamworth by-election on October 20, 2023 in Tamworth, England. LONDON — U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party suffered two historic by-election defeats on Thursday, with the main opposition Labour Party overturning huge majorities to win both seats. Labour overcame a 24,664 majority to win Mid Bedfordshire for the first time since the constituency's inception in 1931 in a 20.5% swing. In the process, it pulled off the largest Conservative numerical majority overturned in the U.K. by the main opposition party since 1945. The opposition party took on what was a 66% Conservative majority at the 2019 General Election.

Persons: Sarah Edwards, Rishi, Keir Starmer, Greg Hands, Chris Pincher, Pincher, Boris Johnson, Nadine Dorries, Johnson's Organizations: Labour, LONDON, Conservative Party, Labour Party, Tamworth, Mid Bedfordshire, Conservative, Conservatives, BBC Locations: Tamworth, England, Mid Bedfordshire, West Midlands, Bedfordshire

☆ German defence minister visits troops at UN force in Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius looks on during a press statement on a visit the German Airforce Base Holzdorf to get informed about the projects of heavy transport helicopters and the anti-ballistic missiles ARROW in Holzdorf, Germany October 16, 2023. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Oct 19 (Reuters) - German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius travelled to Lebanon on Thursday to visit German soldiers serving in a U.N. peacekeeping force in the region in the wake of a major escalation between neighbouring Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. Berlin has deployed some 140 soldiers on a corvette off the Lebanese coast and at the headquarters of the UNIFIL mission in southern Lebanon that was hit by a rocket on Sunday without causing casualties. UNIFIL has operated in Lebanon since 1978 to maintain peace along the border with Israel and was expanded by the U.N. resolution that halted the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war in southern Lebanon. Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Friederike Heine, Editing by Rachel MoreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Boris Pistorius, German Airforce Base Holzdorf, Annegret, Sabine Siebold, Friederike Heine, Rachel More Organizations: German, German Airforce Base, REUTERS, Rights, Hamas, UNIFIL, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Holzdorf, Germany, Lebanon, Israel, Palestinian, Berlin, Gaza

☆ Putin filmed in China accompanied by officers with Russian nuclear briefcase
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MOSCOW, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Rare footage was shown on Wednesday of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing accompanied by officers carrying the so-called nuclear briefcase which can be used to order a nuclear strike. Putin, after a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, was filmed walking to another meeting surrounded by security and followed by two Russian naval officers in uniform each carrying a briefcase. Russia's nuclear briefcase is traditionally carried by a naval officer. The Russian defence minister, currently Sergei Shoigu, also has a nuclear briefcase. One of the nuclear briefcases used by former Russian President Boris Yeltsin is displayed in the Yeltsin Museum in Yekaterinburg.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Xi Jinping, Mount Cheget, RIA, satchel, RUPTLY, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Boris Yeltsin, Guy Faulconbridge, Nick Macfie Organizations: Kremlin, U.S, White, Cuban Missile, Russian, Forum, REUTERS, Acquire, Comprehensive, Russia's Zvezda, Zvezda, Yeltsin, Soviet Union, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Beijing, Putin's, Ukraine, Moscow, Washington, China, United States, Yekaterinburg

☆ Scotland's leader says dream of independence alive despite his party's troubles
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Scotland's First Minister and Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Humza Yousaf speaks during an interview with Reuters ahead of his party's annual conference in Aberdeen, Britain, October 16, 2023. REUTERS/Gerhard May Acquire Licensing RightsABERDEEN, Scotland, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Scotland's leader Humza Yousaf is confident his dream of independence will come true in the next decade despite his governing party haemorrhaging support over the worst crisis in its modern history. The dominant political party in Scotland for almost two decades, the pro-independence Scottish National Party has been damaged by infighting, voter fatigue and scandals, including the arrest of its charismatic former leader Nicola Sturgeon. Even with support for the SNP in decline, opinion polls show Scotland is still roughly split over independence. "Support for independence is rock solid but support for the SNP has dipped," he said.

Persons: Humza Yousaf, Gerhard, Nicola Sturgeon, Yousaf, YouGov, Scots, Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak's, isn't, Andrew MacAskill, Kate Holton, Ed Osmond Organizations: Scotland's, Scottish National Party, Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Labour Party won, Labour, Scotland, England, European Union, Scottish, Westminster, British, Thomson Locations: Aberdeen, Britain, Rights ABERDEEN, Scotland, Europe, European, London

☆ Top economists unanimous on 'higher for longer' rates as inflation threats linger
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Pedestrians walk past a billboard announcing the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund annual meetings, on the side of the International Monetary Fund headquarters in Washington DC on October 5, 2023. Mandel Ngan | Afp | Getty ImagesTop economists and central bankers appear to be in agreement on one thing: interest rates will stay higher for longer, clouding the outlook for global markets. Despite the pause, Fed officials have signaled that rates may have to remain higher for longer than markets had initially expected if inflation is to sustainably return to the central bank's 2% target. The European Central Bank last month issued a 10th consecutive interest rate hike to take its main deposit facility to a record 4% despite signs of a weakening euro zone economy. "We may have more shocks that may drive inflation up, and that's why of course we have to remain very cautious about inflation developments."

Persons: Mandel Ngan, Ajay Banga, Greg Guyett, Guyett, Boris Vujčić, Vujčić, Mārtiņš Kazāks, CNBC's Joumanna Bercetche, Silvia Amaro, Austrian National Bank Governor Robert Holzmann Organizations: World Bank Group, International Monetary Fund, Washington DC, Afp, Getty, U.S . Federal Reserve, World Bank, IMF, Bank, Labor Department, U.S ., HSBC, CNBC, European Central Bank, Council, Croatian National Bank, U.S, Bank of Latvia, ECB, Governing Council, Austrian National Bank Governor Locations: Washington, Central, U.S, Marrakech, Morocco, ECB's, Europe, Marrakech ., Israel

☆ UK Conservative lawmaker Bone faces suspension for misconduct
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Member of the Parliament Peter Bone arrives at a private reception attended by Boris Johnson, leader of the Britain's Conservative Party, in central London, Britain July 23, 2019. The Independent Expert Panel found that Bone committed "many varied acts" of bullying and one act of sexual misconduct against a staff member in 2012 and 2013. The suspension, if backed by parliament, triggers a recall petition in Bone's constituency of Wellingborough in central England. "As I have maintained throughout the proceedings, none of the misconduct allegations against me ever took place," he said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter. The recommendation for Bone's suspension comes after he appealed a previous decision by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards that upheld allegations of bullying and sexual misconduct.

Persons: Peter Bone, Boris Johnson, Henry Nicholls, Rishi Sunak's, Bone, Sunak, Farouq Suleiman, Sachin Ravikumar Organizations: Britain's Conservative Party, REUTERS, Sunak's Conservatives, Labour Party, Conservatives, Labour, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Bone's, Wellingborough, England, Scotland

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