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GAZA, July 3 (Reuters) - Walaa Hammad has found a niche repairing mobile phones from her home, offering services to other women in the conservative Palestinian enclave of Gaza who fear allowing male technicians access to their photos and social media accounts. "There is privacy for women to come and repair their mobile phones. Even men can come and ask me to fix the phones of their wives and sisters because they fear for their privacy and the photos," said Hammad. Egypt also restricts movement in and out of Gaza on its border. Those restrictions have devastated Gaza's economy and left many of its women, like Hammad, struggling to find work after graduating from college.

Persons: Walaa Hammad, Hammad, Wafaa Abu, Nidal, Gareth Jones Organizations: Creativity, Gaza, Thomson Locations: GAZA, Gaza, Israel, Egypt

☆ Spain's conservative PP party, ally Vox lose ground, still ahead as election looms - polls
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The conservative People's Party (PP) and the far-right party Vox, a potential coalition ally, would still win enough seats for an absolute majority in the 350-member lower house, two polls released on Monday showed. All polls have found the PP would need support from Vox to form a government. The PP would win between 150 and 154 seats, according to a GAD3 poll for ABC newspaper carried out on June 29-30. An earlier GAD3 poll conducted between June 5 and June 8 had given the PP between 150 and 153 seats. A third poll by 40DB, hired by El Pais newspaper, showed PP and Vox falling short of the 176 seats required for an absolute majority.

Persons: Vox, Pedro Sanchez, Podemos, GAD3, El, 40DB, Inti Landauro, Charlie Devereux, Gareth Jones Organizations: Socialists, PSOE, People's Party, Vox, Sumar, ABC, IMOP, El Pais, Thomson Locations: MADRID, 40DB's

☆ Russian ex-arms dealer freed for Brittney Griner to run for far-right party in local vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 2 (Reuters) - A Russian arms dealer freed last December in a prisoner swap for U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner has been chosen as the candidate of a far-right party for a seat in a Russian regional legislature, state news agency RIA reported on Sunday. RIA cited an official in Russia's ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR)'s local organisation as saying that Bout had been nominated as a candidate for the legislative assembly of the Ulyanovsk region in central Russia. Bout publicly joined the LDPR following his return to Russia. Despite its name, the LDPR holds far-right, ultra-nationalist views and strongly supports President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Lugovoi has served as an LDPR member of Russia's national parliament since 2007.

Persons: Brittney Griner, Viktor Bout, RIA, Bout, Griner, Vladimir Putin's, Andrei Lugovoi, Alexander Litvinenko, Lugovoi, Felix Light, Gareth Jones Organizations: U.S, Liberal Democratic Party, U.S . Department of Justice, Thomson Locations: Russian, United States, Ulyanovsk, Russia, Thailand, Washington, Ukraine, Britain

☆ Prigozhin-controlled Russian media group shuts amid mutiny fallout
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 2 (Reuters) - Yevgeny Prigozhin's media holding group is to shut down, the director of one of its outlets said, highlighting the mercenary chief's worsening fortunes a week after the collapse of a brief mutiny staged by his Wagner Group fighters. Patriot Media, whose most prominent outlet was the RIA FAN news site, had taken a strongly nationalist, pro-Kremlin editorial line, while also providing positive coverage of Prigozhin and his Wagner Group. Russian newspaper Kommersant reported on Friday that the country's communications watchdog Roskomnadzor had blocked media outlets linked to Prigozhin, without elaborating. Despite the abortive mutiny, Russian authorities have not officially outlawed the Wagner Group, but Putin said on Tuesday the finances of Prigozhin's catering firm would be investigated. Under Prigozhin's leadership, the group has grown into a sprawling international business with mining interests and fighters in Africa and the Middle East.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin's, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Zubarev, Zubarev, Roskomnadzor, Prigozhin, Putin, Alexei Navalny, Felix Light, Gareth Jones Organizations: Wagner Group, Patriot Media, Kremlin, Russian, Kommersant, Patriot, Wagner, Russia, Thomson Locations: Belarus, United States, Russia, Ukraine, Africa, Ukraine's Crimea, Donbas

☆ Ancient Greek altar unearthed at archaeological site in Sicily
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] An ancient Greek altar for family worship dating back at least 2,000 years is pictured after it was found in the Sicilian archaeological site of Segesta, Italy, June 29, 2023. Flavio Leone Sisilab CoopCulture Sicilia/Handout via REUTERSROME, June 30 (Reuters) - An ancient Greek altar for family worship dating back more than 2,000 years has been found in the archaeological site of Segesta on the Italian island of Sicily, local authorities said on Friday. It had been buried for centuries by a few centimetres of earth and vegetation in the area of the Southern Acropolis at the Segesta site, which is in the western part of the island. "The Segesta site never ceases to amaze us," said Sicily's regional culture minister Francesco Paolo Scarpinato. Segesta, renowned for its 5th-century-BC temple, was an ancient Greek city nestled between mountains.

Persons: Flavio Leone Sisilab CoopCulture, Francesco Paolo Scarpinato, Segesta, Federica Urso, Gavin Jones, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Southern Acropolis, Thomson Locations: Segesta, Italy, Flavio Leone Sisilab CoopCulture Sicilia, Handout, REUTERS ROME, Sicily, , Southern

☆ Wagner merch soars in price after abortive mutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/File PhotoMOSCOW, June 29 (Reuters) - Online prices for merchandise bearing the insignia of Russia's Wagner group - a human skull against a black and red backdrop - have shot up since its abortive armed mutiny, with buyers posting five-star reviews and support for the mercenaries. A deal brokered by the leader of Belarus abruptly halted the mutiny late on Saturday. E-commerce leader Wildberries' weekly price breakdowns showed how costs have risen. On a review of a Wagner flag on Wildberries, one buyer, Vladimir, said: "The Wagner Private Military Company is the best. Under Saturday's deal that ended the mutiny, fighters of the Wagner group were allowed to join their leader Prigozhin in exile in Belarus, to be integrated into Russia's regular armed forces or to return to their families.

Persons: Wagner, Evgenia, Russia's Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wildberries, Tatiana, Vladimir, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Ramzan Kadyrov, Alexey Navalny, Prigozhin, Alexander Marrow, Gareth Jones, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Mercenary, Private Military Company, Don, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Yefremov, Tula region, Russia, MOSCOW, Moscow, Belarus, Ukraine, Rostov, Russian, St Petersburg

☆ Russia's Prigozhin was told he would no longer fight in Ukraine -lawmaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, June 29 (Reuters) - Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was told that his Wagner group would no longer fight in Ukraine as he had refused to sign contracts to bring his mercenaries under the sway of the defence ministry, a senior lawmaker said on Thursday. "As you know, a few days before the attempted mutiny, the defence ministry said that all formations performing combat tasks must sign contracts with the defence ministry," said Kartapolov. Prigozhin said on June 11 that his Wagner fighters would not sign any contract with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, adding that Shoigu was unable to manage military units. Kartapolov said that after Prigozhin's refusal to sign the contracts he had been told that his mercenaries would no longer fight in Ukraine and thus would not receive state money. As a result, the lawmaker said, Prigozhin, committed treason due to "exorbitant ambitions", money and what he cast as an "excited state".

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Andrei Kartapolov, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Kartapolov, Alexander Marrow, Gareth Jones Organizations: Defence, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukraine

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov referred questions about Surovikin to the defence ministry, which has so far made no statement about him. Asked by reporters if the Kremlin could clarify the situation with Surovikin, Peskov said: "No, unfortunately not. "So I recommend that you contact the defence ministry; this is its prerogative." Questions about "structural units within the ministry," Peskov said, should be addressed to the defence ministry. The Kremlin said Putin also chaired a meeting about the development of tourism in the region.

Persons: Wagner, Prigozhin, Sergei Surovikin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Surovikin, Dmitry, Peskov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Mikhail Gorbachev, Russia's, PUTIN, Alexander Lukashenko, Andrei Kartapolov, Kartapolov, Guy Faulconbridge, Alexander Marrow, Andrew Osborn, Gareth Jones, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: General Staff, Kremlin, Reuters, Thomson Locations: St Petersburg MOSCOW, Ukraine, Russian, Soviet, Kala, Moscow, St Petersburg, Russia, Belarus, Concord

☆ Russia's Lavrov says Moscow is in contact with U.S. about embassies
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 28 (Reuters) - White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan has been in touch with Moscow to discuss the respective Russian and U.S. embassies, and the two sides are in talks on the subject, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday. On Wednesday, in the text of an interview with Russian television published by Russia's foreign ministry, Lavrov hinted at some of these. Despite the deep freeze in relations, there have been some signs that contact is being maintained. Ambassador Lynne Tracy had spoken to Russian representatives and given "signals" that the United States was not involved in the weekend mutiny by Wagner mercenaries, and hoped that Russia's nuclear arsenal would be kept safe. Lavrov also quoted Tracy as saying the mutiny was Russia's internal affair.

Persons: Jake Sullivan, Sergei Lavrov, Moscow's, Evan Gershkovich, Vladimir Putin, Lavrov, counterbalances, Brittney Griner, Viktor Bout, Lynne Tracy, Wagner, Tracy, Kevin Liffey, Alison Williams, Gareth Jones Organizations: White House, Wall Street, Thomson Locations: Moscow, U.S, Russia, Crimea, Ukraine, American, United States

☆ Putin ally says Wagner advanced so fast as focus was on defending Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, June 27 (Reuters) - One of President Vladimir Putin's allies said on Tuesday that mutineers from the Wagner mercenary group were able to advance so fast towards Moscow because forces loyal to the state had focused on bolstering the defences of the capital. But Viktor Zolotov, a close Putin ally and director of the National Guard, gave a different interpretation. Zolotov, 69, said he had been in constant contact with Putin on Friday and Saturday. The guards, he said, will in future be equipped with heavy weaponry and tanks after having to prepare to defend Russia's capital against the Wagner fighters. The National Guard, a force of more than 340,000, was set up in 2016 to ensure order and security alongside the police and security services.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Viktor Zolotov, Putin, Zolotov, Boris Yeltsin, Mikhail Gorbachev, Guy Faulconbridge, Gareth Jones Organizations: Renegade, National Guard, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Zolotov

☆ Kremlin releases first video statement by Putin since Wagner mutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin gives an emergency televised address in Moscow, Russia, June 24, 2023. Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Kremlin via REUTERS/File photoMOSCOW, June 26 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday issued via the Kremlin website his first statement since an armed mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group, congratulating participants of an industrial forum. It was not immediately clear when or where Putin's statement was recorded. Putin made a national address to the Russian people on Saturday condemning the mutiny by Wagner mercenaries as a "stab in the back" and vowing to crush it. Reporting by Reuters Editing by Andrew Osborn and Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Andrew Osborn, Gareth Jones Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, Kremlin, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, MOSCOW, Belarus

☆ Russian PM urges citizens to rally behind Putin after aborted mutiny
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, June 26 (Reuters) - Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on Monday that the country had faced "a challenge to its stability" and must remain united behind President Vladimir Putin following Saturday's abortive mutiny by heavily armed mercenary fighters. "The main thing in these conditions is to ensure the sovereignty and independence of our country, the security and well-being of citizens," said Mishustin, a technocrat who was appointed prime minister in 2020. Mishustin, a former head of Russia's federal tax service, also took a swipe at the West. "As the president noted, virtually the entire military, economic, information machine of the West is directed against us," he said. Putin said on Saturday that the rebellion by the Wagner mercenary force had threatened Russia's very existence under threat and vowed to crush it.

Persons: Mikhail Mishustin, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Mishustin, Putin, Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Gareth Jones, Kevin Liffey Organizations: Russian, Kremlin, Wagner Group, Belarusian, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Belarus, Russian, Russia

☆ Squatting Russian diplomat leaves contested site after Australian court ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, June 26 (Reuters) - A Russian diplomat squatting on land set aside for a future Russian embassy in Australia has left after a court ruled that Moscow had no claim to the site near the national parliament in Canberra. A Russian diplomat subsequently moved into a temporary building on the site and police were unable to arrest him because he had diplomatic immunity, local media reported. [1/2]A demountable shack is seen on the site of the former Russian embassy site in Canberra, Australia June 26, 2023. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas via REUTERSThe High Court on Monday rejected Moscow's appeal to hold onto the site and shortly afterwards the squatter left the site, SBS News reported. Relations between Moscow and Canberra have deteriorated sharply since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

Persons: Mick Tsikas, Anthony Albanese, Lewis Jackson, Gareth Jones Organizations: SYDNEY, SBS News, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: Russian, Australia, Moscow, Canberra, Ukraine, Russia

☆ Russia's mutiny case against Prigozhin remains open - Russian media
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, June 26 (Reuters) - A Russian criminal case against mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin for mutiny remains open and is still being investigated, the Kommersant newspaper and Russia's three main news agencies reported on Monday, citing unidentified sources. Under a deal mediated by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko that defused the crisis late on Saturday, the Kremlin said a criminal case against Prigozhin would be dropped and he would move to Belarus. However, Russia's Kommersant newspaper reported on Monday that the criminal case remained open and that the Federal Security Service (FSB) was continuing its investigation as part of the case. Russia's three main news agencies - TASS, RIA and Interfax - also reported that the criminal case against Prigozhin remained open and that the investigation was continuing. "The criminal case against Prigozhin has not stopped," TASS cited a source close to the prosecutor's office as saying.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, Wagner, Alexander Lukashenko, Putin, Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Liffey, Gareth Jones Organizations: Kommersant, Wagner Group, Kremlin, Russia's Kommersant, Federal Security Service, TASS, RIA, Rostov, Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Rostov, Moscow, Russian, Belarus, Ukraine

☆ Mercenaries return to bases after challenge to Putin's authority
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Ending their short-lived mutiny, fighters of the Wagner group began heading back to their bases late on Saturday in return for guarantees for their safety. Their commander, Yevgeny Prigozhin, will move to Belarus under the deal mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Peskov said Lukashenko had offered to mediate, with Putin's approval, because he had known Prigozhin personally for around 20 years. She said the swift ending of the turmoil indicated that Putin's rule would not be undermined by it alone. Russia's ministry of digital affairs recommended that IT, telecoms and media companies give employees the day off on Monday.

Persons: Belarus Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Antony Blinken, Putin, Lukashenko, Prigozhin, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Joe Biden, Justin Trudeau, Biden, Trudeau, Zelenskiy, State Anthony Blinken, NBC's, Anton Vaganov, Dmitry, Oleg, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Marina Miron, Antonio Tajani, Messaggero, Brian Taylor, Russia's, Gareth Jones, Philippa Fletcher, Frank Jack Daniel, Jane Merriman, Chris Reese Organizations: Kremlin, U.S, Russia's Security, Canadian, Twitter, State, Press, Rostov, Reuters, Sunday, Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics, Defence Ministry, King's College London's Defense Studies Department, Syracuse University, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Rostov, ROSTOV, VORONEZH, Russia, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, China, Bolshevik, Africa

☆ Greece boat tragedy: At least 209 Pakistanis were on board, data suggests
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A undated handout photo provided by the Hellenic Coast Guard shows migrants onboard a boat during a rescue operation, before their boat capsized on the open sea, off Greece, June 14, 2023. The FIA has been tasked by the Pakistan government with handling investigations into the tragedy. Pakistan is yet to officially confirm how many of its citizens were on the boat, but kick-started a DNA sampling effort to help Greece identify those who died. The data shared by the FIA showed that 181 people were from Pakistan and 28 from Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The FIA said 29 suspected human smugglers had been arrested in Pakistan so far over the case.

Persons: Rana Abdul Jabbar, Gibran Naiyyar, Sudipto Ganguly, Gareth Jones Organizations: Hellenic Coast Guard, REUTERS, Reuters, Federal Investigation Agency, FIA, FIA Islamabad, Officials, Thomson Locations: Greece, KARACHI, Pakistan, Pakistani, Libya, Kashmir, Pylos

☆ Ukraine hits bridge linking Crimea to mainland
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

It solves nothing as far as the special military operation is concerned," he said, vowing to repair the bridge and restore traffic. He threatened to retaliate by targeting a bridge linking neighbouring Moldova to NATO-member Romania: "A very serious response is coming very soon." The Chonhar bridge hit overnight is one of just a handful of access roads to Crimea, which is linked to the Ukrainian mainland by a narrow isthmus. Russian investigators said four missiles had been fired by Ukrainian forces at the bridge, the RIA news agency reported. He also described fierce fighting in the east, where Ukraine says it has been holding off Russian attacks.

Persons: Vladimir Saldo, Yuriy Sobolevsky, Andriy Kovaliov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Peter Graff, Gareth Jones Organizations: Russian, NATO, Kyiv, Troops, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine's Kherson, Ukrainian, Kherson, Crimea Russian, Crimea, Ukraine, Kyiv, London, Moldova, Romania, Russia, France, Rivnopil, Moscow

☆ One person still missing after Paris blast - newspaper cites police
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesPARIS, June 22 (Reuters) - One person is still believed missing in the rubble after a blast ripped through a street near Paris' historic Latin Quarter, Le Parisien newspaper reported on Thursday, citing the Paris police department. The Paris prosecutor's office has said it is too early to establish the cause of Wednesday afternoon's blast, which destroyed the facade of a building housing the Paris American Academy design school popular with foreign students. At least 37 people were injured in the explosion, four of whom are fighting for their lives in hospital. Paris police and the Paris city council did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment. Florence Berthout, mayor of the Paris district where the blast occurred, said the 12 students who should have been in the design school's classrooms when the blast occurred had fortunately gone to visit an exhibition with their teacher.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes PARIS, Le Parisien, Rue Saint Jacques, Sorbonne University . Florence Berthout, Berthout, BFM, Bertrand Boucey, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Tassilo Hummel, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Le Parisien, Paris, Paris American Academy, Paris police, Rue Saint, Notre, Dame de Paris Cathedral, Sorbonne University . Florence, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Le

☆ Euro holds ground on world stage despite Russia slashing use -ECB
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The euro kept or even increased its share of the world's foreign exchange reserves (20.5%), international debt (22%) and loans (27.6%), as well as foreign exchange turnover last year, the report said. But the rouble's usage on the SWIFT system collapsed after Russian banks were disconnected from that network, the world's largest. It cited evidence from Europe itself, where the euro has replaced the dollar as an invoicing currency in countries neighbouring the euro zone since it was launched in 1999. "International currency status should not be taken for granted," ECB President Christine Lagarde said in a statement accompanying the report. The report also showed London remained the main venue for foreign exchange trading in euros and that Britain's importance for international financial activities in euros had not changed materially since Brexit.

Persons: renminbi, SWIFT, Christine Lagarde, Fabio Panetta, Francesco Canepa, Gareth Jones, Catherine Evans Organizations: European Central Bank, U.S ., European Union, London, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, Russia, China, India, Brazil, Ukraine, Europe

☆ Poland's Kaczynski rejoins government ahead of tough election
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW, June 21 (Reuters) - Poland's ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski returned to the cabinet as deputy prime minister on Wednesday, taking up a more prominent role ahead of a closely fought election expected in October or November. The other deputy prime ministers resigned and will continue as ministers. Kaczynski previously served as deputy prime minister from October 2020 till June 2022, and also headed Poland's security committee. Although PiS is ahead in most opinion polls, a question mark remains over whether it can secure a parliamentary majority. Divisons in the ruling coalition have also re-emerged over Poland's relations with Brussels, after the EU withheld funding over rule of law concerns.

Persons: Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Kaczynski, Andrzej Duda, PiS, Pawel Florkiewicz, Karol Badohal, Alan Charlish, Gareth Jones, Emma Rumney Organizations: WARSAW, Law, Justice, European Union, PiS, Thomson Locations: Republic, Warsaw, Brussels

☆ Putin says Russia's new Sarmat nuclear missiles soon ready for deployment
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, June 21 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia's new generation of Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles, which are capable of carrying 10 or more nuclear warheads, would soon be deployed for combat duty. In a speech to new graduates of military academies, Putin stressed the importance of Russia's "triad" of nuclear forces that can be launched from land, sea or air. "The most important task here is the development of the nuclear triad, which is a key guarantee of Russia's military security and global stability," he said. Putin has repeatedly said since the start of the Ukraine conflict that Russia is ready to use all means, including nuclear weapons, to defend its "territorial integrity". The new Sarmat missile is designed to carry out nuclear strikes on targets thousands of missiles away in the United States or Europe.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Dmitry Rogozin, Rogozin, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Strategic Missile Forces, Defence, George's, Russia, Ukrainian, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukraine, Russia, United States, Europe, Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Moscow, Soviet

☆ Time has come for Turkey to ratify Sweden's NATO bid - Swedish minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

STOCKHOLM, June 21 (Reuters) - Turkey's parliament should begin to ratify Sweden's bid to join NATO because Stockholm has now met its obligations under an accord with Ankara on joining the Western military alliance, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said on Wednesday. Last year Sweden and Finland both reversed decades of military non-alignment and applied to join NATO following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Finland joined NATO in April but Turkey continues to block Sweden's membership citing security concerns. This month Ankara said Sweden must crack down on anti-Turkey protests in Stockholm before it can receive the green light to join NATO. Hungary has also still to ratify Sweden's NATO bid.

Persons: Tobias Billstrom, Billstrom, Tayyip Erdogan, Niklas Pollard, Simon Johnson, Gareth Jones Organizations: NATO, Western, Reuters, Kurdistan Workers Party, Sweden's NATO, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Stockholm, Ankara, Swedish, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine, Turkey, Vilnius, Madrid, Hungary

☆ Countries back weakened EU nature law, seek more biodiversity funding
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Germany, Lithuania and Romania were among countries that had raised concerns over funding. POLITICAL PUSHBACKEU climate chief Frans Timmermans told reporters he was not worried by countries' tweaks to make the law more flexible. But he criticised lawmakers in the European Parliament who are trying to block the law and are refusing to negotiate. EU countries and the European Parliament must both approve the final bill. A motion by EU lawmakers to reject the entire proposal last week failed by a razor-thin margin, ahead of a full EU Parliament vote in July.

Persons: Eamon Ryan, Christianne van der Wal, Frans Timmermans, Timmermans, Kate Abnett, Jonathan Oatis, Gareth Jones Organizations: Sierra, EU, Union, European Commission, Reuters, EU Parliament's, Thomson Locations: Andalusia, Nieves, Brussels, LUXEMBOURG, Germany, Lithuania, Romania, Ireland, Netherlands

☆ Montenegro court jails 'cryptocurrency king' Do Kwon for four months -media
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A South Korean national, Kwon is the former CEO of South Korea-based Terraform Labs, the company behind the stablecoin TerraUSD that collapsed in May 2022, roiling cryptocurrency markets. Police said after arresting them they had found doctored Costa Rican passports, a separate set of Belgian passports, laptop computers and other devices in their luggage. The sentence follows a court hearing last week at which Do Kwon dropped his request for checking authenticity of the Costa Rican passports after Interpol's confirmation they were fake. South Korean and U.S. authorities have sought the extradition of Kwon and Han and the handover of the computers. Following Kwon's arrest, the U.S. District Court in Manhattan made public an eight-count indictment against him for securities fraud, wire fraud, commodities fraud and conspiracy.

Persons: Do Kwon, Kwon, Han Chang, joon, Han, Daria Sito, Gareth Jones, Jason Neely Organizations: Korean, Labs, Police, Costa, U.S, Thomson Locations: SARAJEVO, Montenegro, U.S, South Korea, Dubai, Podgorica, Montenegro's, Rican, Costa Rican, Manhattan

☆ Qatar and UAE embassies resume work on Monday -Qatar foreign ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DOHA, June 19 (Reuters) - Qatar and the United Arab Emirates' respective embassies reopened on Monday to resume work after the two Gulf states agreed to restore diplomatic ties, Qatar's foreign ministry said. The restoration of ties comes amid a broader regional push for reconciliation and more than two years after Arab states ended a boycott of Doha that had shattered the Western-allied Gulf Arab bloc. The Qatari ministry said in a statement that the two foreign ministers, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, had held a phone call as the two embassies reopened on Monday. Reuters reported in April that the two Gulf states were in the process of restoring diplomatic relations. Reporting by Nayera Abdallah and Andrew Mills, writing by Aziz El Yaakoubi; Editing by David Goodman and Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Nayera Abdallah, Andrew Mills, Aziz El Yaakoubi, David Goodman, Gareth Jones Organizations: DOHA, United Arab Emirates, Reuters, Doha, Thomson Locations: Qatar, Doha, Arab, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al, Thani, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Islam, Iran, Riyadh, Cairo, Saudi, Yemen

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