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☆ Thunderclaps, first tee charging and fancy dress: Fans bring noise and color to the Ryder Cup
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

It looked more like the start of a city marathon than fans heading into a golf tournament, but such is the Ryder Cup’s unique brand of appeal. Fans from both sides of the Atlantic have come in their droves, bringing noise and color to the 44th edition of the event at Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome, Italy. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns alongside England’s Tyrrell Hatton, the Masters champion admitted to having butterflies long before tee off. “It increasingly got higher until we hit that tee shot on the first hole. US golfer Collin Morikawa passes a group of Team USA fans dressed as Evel Knievel.

Persons: Ryder, Marco Simone Golf, whoops, Jon Rahm, Nicolas Colsaerts, ”, Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland, Max Homa, Brian Harman, “, Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, Sam Burns, England’s Tyrrell Hatton, ” Rahm, Alex Burstow, Europe’s, Rahm’s “ Rambo, Collin Morikawa, Evel Knievel, Paul Ellis, Michael Jordan, Novak Djokovic, Gareth Bale, Carlos Sainz, Djokovic Organizations: CNN, Marco Simone Golf Club, Reuters, Iceland men’s soccer, UEFA European Football, European, Team Europe, Team USA, Getty, Ryder, Ferrari Locations: Rome, Italy, Iceland, Belgian, Swedish, Ireland, Sweden, AFP

☆ Novak Djokovic drives from tee to green in Ryder Cup All-Star match
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

1 Kipp Popert against Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz and recent G4D winner Tomasso Perrino, it saw Djokovic swap racket for club – eventually. Sainz could not match the feat, the Spaniard wincing as his opening effort skewed towards the rough. That trend followed over the contest’s course, the highlight coming at the par four 16th when Djokovic boomed a laser-like drive 260 yards from tee to green. “I’m really happy they did because I wanted to go safe.”Djokovic reacts as spectators cheer his tee shot on the 16th hole during the All-Star Match on September 27. Jamie Squire/Getty ImagesAfter sailing to a 3-1 victory, Djokovic was full of praise for Poppert, who clinched his third consecutive G4D victory – and eighth overall – at the BMW PGA Championship earlier this month.

Persons: Novak Djokovic, Colin Montgomerie’s, Corey Pavin’s, Marco Simone Golf, Carlos Sainz, Tomasso Perrino, Sainz, wincing, Cristiano, Siu, ” Djokovic, “ I’m, Jamie Squire, Djokovic, Poppert, –, It’s, ” Poppert, “, Novak, I’ve, ” Sainz, Brendan Moran, Sportsfile, Bale, Scotland’s Montgomerie, Gareth Bale, Andriy Shevchenko, Monty’s Garret Hilbert –, Leonardo Fioravanti, Kathryn Newton, Victor Cruz, Montgomerie, Team Monty, ” Organizations: CNN, Formula, Ryder, Marco Simone Golf Club, Ferrari, –, BMW PGA, Pavin, Europe, Tottenham Hotspur, Real, Ukrainian, Hollywood, Super Bowl, Team Locations: Rome, Serbian, Wales, Real Madrid

Refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh region ride in a truck upon their arrival at the border village of Kornidzor, Armenia, September 27, 2023. Earlier, Ethnic Armenian authorities in Karabakh said they were dissolving the breakaway statelet they had defended against Azerbaijan for three decades. Many of those leaving have said they fear persecution and ethnic cleansing at the hands of Azerbaijan. Suleymanov, who issued a call on social media appealing to ethnic Armenians to stay and be part of a multi-ethnic Azerbaijan, said he understood why many civilians were frightened, but that those who chose to stay would benefit from planned rebuilding and infrastructure projects. HISTORIC MONUMENTSKarabakh Armenians will enjoy the same rights and protections as other citizens of Azerbaijan, he said.

Persons: Irakli, there's, Elin Suleymanov, Suleymanov, we're, Andrew Osborn, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Azerbaijan, Reuters, Baku, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Kornidzor, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Britain, Baku, Nakhchivan, Iran, Turkey

☆ Azerbaijan arrests former top Karabakh minister as exodus tops 50,000
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Karabakh is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but populated mostly by ethnic Armenians who broke away in the 1990s in the first of two wars there since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Karabakh authorities said more than 50,000 had left so far, out of an estimated ethnic Armenian population of 120,000. Azerbaijan rejects Armenian accusations of ethnic cleansing, but images of tens of thousands of desperate people on the move have provoked widespread international alarm. Germany added its voice to U.S. calls for Azerbaijan to allow international observers into Karabakh. Karabakh authorities said they lost at least 200 people in Azerbaijan's offensive last week.

Persons: Ruben Vardanyan, Veronika Zonabend, Morris Tidball, Binz, Annalena Baerbock, Matthew Miller, Washington, Irakli, Ilham Aliyev, Zonabend, Miller, Vera Petrosyan, Daphne Psaledakis, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones, Philippa Fletcher, Alison Williams Organizations: Twitter, U.S . State Department, REUTERS, Reuters, Local, Russian, Russia, State, Washington, Thomson Locations: Azerbaijan Karabakh, Germany, GORIS, Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Baku, Soviet Union, Kornidzor, Russia, Ukraine, Caucasus, Turkey, Iran, United States, Washington

☆ WSL set for most competitive season after influx of new talent
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Christian Radnedge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The WSL had almost 100 players representing their nations at the recent World Cup, the most of any league in the world. Former Germany forward Pauline Bremer was the first of 10 new signings for Brighton & Hove Albion, who scraped survival last season. Former Arsenal midfielder Jill Roord returns to the WSL but this time at Manchester City as the only signing for Gareth Taylor's side. The Lionesses' triumph at Euro 2022 resulted in a 170% increase in attendances last season, the FA said. They are hoping for another bounce this year after England reached the World Cup final in Australia and New Zealand, as the WSL targets becoming the first billion-pound women's league in the world.

Persons: Chelsea's Magdalena Eriksson, John Sibley, Emma Hayes's, Carla Ward, Adriana Leon, Daphne van Domselaar, Ward, Pauline Bremer, Willie Kirk, Rose, Lize, we've, Hannah Cain, Robert Vilahamn, Captain Beth England, Martha Thomas, Jonas Eidevall's, Alessia Russo, Jill Roord, Gareth Taylor's, They've, Taylor, Russo, Mary Earps, Marc Skinner's, King Power, Christian, Toby Davis Organizations: Soccer, League, Reading, Chelsea, Madejski, Super League, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, WSL, Manchester United, Everton, Liverpool, West Ham United, Champions League, Brighton & Hove Albion, Leicester City, Tottenham, Sweden's BK Hacken, Spurs, Arsenal, England, Paris FC, Former Arsenal, Manchester City, Emirates, Bristol City, Ashton, Thomson Locations: Reading, Britain, Netherlands, Germany, Leicester, Sweden's, American, Scotland, ., Australia, New Zealand

☆ Kremlin reminds Hillary Clinton of her own gaffe in response to Putin jab
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivers remarks during the unveiling of her portrait, at the State Department in Washington, U.S., September 26, 2023. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Sept 27 (Reuters) - After Hillary Clinton sought to needle President Vladimir Putin over NATO enlargement, the Kremlin on Wednesday hit back by reminding her of her gaffe when she sought to "reset" relations with Russia with a button mislabelled as "overload". Returning to the State Department for the unveiling of her official portrait, Clinton said of NATO enlargement: "Too bad, Vladimir. "It is probably necessary to remind Mrs Clinton of the numerous waves of NATO expansion and the approach of the alliance's military infrastructure to our borders," Peskov said. Putin's actions spurred Finland, which shares a long border with Russia, to join NATO.

Persons: Hillary Rodham Clinton, Ken Cedeno, Hillary Clinton, Vladimir Putin, Clinton, Vladimir, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Sergei Lavrov, Mrs Clinton, Putin, Guy Faulconbridge, Gareth Jones Organizations: U.S, State Department, REUTERS, Rights, NATO, Union, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Russia, States, Soviet Union, Soviet, Warsaw, Ukraine, Crimea, Finland, Sweden

☆ Djokovic swaps racket for driver for Ryder Cup round
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"It's such an honour, a golden opportunity for a once in a lifetime experience," the nervous-looking 36-year-old said on the first tee surrounded by an enormous grandstand. "Thanks to all the fans for coming and putting a bit of extra pressure on us on the first tee. With hundreds of fans in the stands and many more lining the fairway, Djokovic initially walked out to address his ball with a tennis racket, before switching to a driver. Djokovic and England's Popert were up against Spain's F1 driver Carlos Sainz who recently won the Singapore Grand Prix and Italian G4D golfer Tommaso Perrino. Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Pritha SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ryder, Marco Simone Golf, Monty's Novak Djokovic, Phil Noble, Novak Djokovic, Kipp Popert, Colin Montgomerie's, Gareth Bale, England's Popert, Carlos Sainz, Tommaso Perrino, Martyn Herman, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: Country Club, Star, REUTERS, Rights, Rome, Ryder, Serbian, U.S, Spain's, Singapore, Prix, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, Italian

☆ U.S. astronaut Rubio and two Russian cosmonauts land in Kazakhstan
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] A view shows the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft (L) carrying Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitry Petelin and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, who get prepared to leave the International Space Station and head for a parachute-assisted landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan, September 27, 2023. "The crew have returned to earth after a year on the ISS," Russia's Roscosmos, Russia's space corporation, said after the landing on time at 1117 GMT. Rubio, who is 47 and on his first space voyage, travelled back to Earth with Russian cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev, 48, and Dmitry Petelin, 40. That gave the two Russians and Rubio an unexpectedly extended mission of 371 days in orbit. On Sept. 11, Rubio surpassed the previous NASA record of 355 consecutive days in space set by now-retired U.S. astronaut Mark Vande Hei.

Persons: Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitry Petelin, Frank Rubio, Konstantin, Rubio, he's, Prokopyev, Mark Vande Hei, Russia's Valeri Polyakov, Polyakov, Roscosmos, Guy Faulconbridge, Steve Gorman, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: NASA, Space Station, U.S, Space, Soyuz, Army, Blackhawk, Thomson Locations: Kazakhstan, ALMATY, Zhezqazghan, Moscow, Los Angeles, Miami, U.S, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq

☆ Armenian priest fears for Karabakh's Christian heritage amid mass exodus
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Azerbaijan launched a lightning offensive last week to retake the whole region, prompting a mass Armenian exodus. More than 50,000 people had crossed the border into Armenia by early Wednesday afternoon, nearly half of Karabakh's estimated 120,000 ethnic Armenians. Prior to last week's offensive, the Karabakh Armenians had lived under an effective 10-month Azerbaijani blockade which had led to chronic shortages of food, fuel and medicines. ANCIENT CHRISTIAN LANDConflict in the region between Armenians and Azeris goes back more than a century. There are churches in Azerbaijan which the authorities say are Caucasian Albanian rather than Armenians, something Armenians strongly dispute.

Persons: David, Irakli, Priest, Father David, Gareth Jones, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Christianity, Thomson Locations: Goris, Nagorno, Karabakh, Kornidzor, Armenia, KORNIDZOR, Azerbaijan, Republic of Artsakh, Soviet Union, Baku, Shusha, Moscow, Russian, Armenia's, Albania, Albanian, Turkey, Iran, Ottoman Turks

☆ Armenians in Russia Return Home to Help Karabakh Refugees
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Felix LightKORNIDZOR, Armenia (Reuters) - When Azerbaijan overran the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, David Harapetyan drove 1,000 km (620 miles) from his home in the Russian city of Stavropol to this Armenian border village to help fleeing Karabakh Armenians. I came to help my people however I can," said Harapetyan, who was born in this southern corner of Armenia but holds only Russian citizenship. Armenia’s government said on Wednesday that more than 50,000 Karabakh refugees so far had crossed the border, out of a total estimated Karabakh Armenian population of 120,000. The sudden influx has strained resources in Goris, the border town where Armenian authorities have booked out hotels for refugees with nowhere to go. Harapetyan said he and a group of 10 Stavropol Armenians he had arrived with were helping new arrivals with accommodation.

Persons: Felix Light KORNIDZOR, David Harapetyan, Harapetyan, Karen Martirosyan’s KAMAZ, Karabakh’s, Gareth Jones, William Maclean Organizations: Stavropol Armenians Locations: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Russian, Stavropol, Russia, United States, France, Goris, Badara, Stepanakert

☆ Kremlin says U.S. Abrams tanks, ATACMS missiles for Ukraine can't change battlefield situation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Cezary Aszkielowicz/ Agencja Wyborcza.pl via REUTERS/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Tuesday that U.S. supplies of long-range ATACMS missiles and Abrams tanks to Ukraine would not change the situation on the battlefield. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that U.S.-made Abrams tanks had arrived in his country. The jet-powered tanks were a top demand of Kyiv until Washington finally offered more than 30 of them in January. "Abrams tanks are serious weapons, but remember what the president said about other tanks made in another country," Peskov said, referring to other Western tanks supplied to Kyiv, which include German-made Leopards and British Challengers. Last Friday, NBC News, citing U.S. officials, reported that President Joe Biden had informed Zelenskiy that Washington would also provide Kyiv with ATACMS long-range missiles.

Persons: Cezary, Wyborcza.pl, Dmitry Peskov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Abrams, Peskov, Biden, Joe Biden, Zelenskiy, ATACMS, Gareth Jones Organizations: Abrams, REUTERS, Rights, Leopards, Kyiv, Army Tactical Missile Systems, NBC, U.S, Pentagon, Thomson Locations: U.S, Szczecin, Poland, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, Kyiv, Washington, British

☆ Russian Black Sea Commander Shown on Video Call After Ukraine Said It Killed Him
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Admiral Viktor Sokolov, the commander of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, was shown on Russian state television on Tuesday attending a defence leaders' meeting remotely, a day after Ukrainian special forces said they had killed him. In response to the Russian video, the Ukraine special forces said on Telegram: "Since the Russians were urgently forced to publish a response with Sokolov allegedly alive, our units are clarifying the information." Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, interviewed by CNN, neither confirmed nor denied Sokolov's death, but said his demise could only be a good thing for all concerned. In the video, Shoigu said more than 17,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in September and that more than 2,700 weapons, including seven American Bradley fighting vehicles, had been destroyed. Kyiv's counteroffensive has yet to seize much territory from Russian forces, which control about 17.5% of Ukraine's internationally recognised territory.

Persons: Viktor Sokolov, Sokolov, Sergei Shoigu, Dmitry Peskov, Rustem Umerov, Umerov, Shoigu, Bradley, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones, Alex Richardson, Ron Popeski, Timothy Gardner Organizations: Fleet, Ukrainian Defence, CNN, Reuters, Ukrainian, Belfer, Harvard's Kennedy School Locations: MOSCOW, Sevastopol, Crimea, Ukraine, Ukrainian, United States, Russian, Russia

☆ Russian Black Sea commander shown working after Ukraine said it killed him
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Viktor Sokolov, the commander of Russia's Black Sea Fleet and one of Russia's most senior navy officers, was shown on Tuesday attending a video conference, a day after Ukrainian special forces said they had killed him. In video and photographs released by the Russian defence ministry, Sokolov was shown apparently taking part in a video conference with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and other top admirals and army chiefs. The video was shown on Russian state television. Ukraine's counter-offensive has yet to yield significant territorial gains against Russian forces, which control about 17.5% of the internationally recognised territory of Ukraine. According to a Sept. 19 scorecard by the Belfer Center at Harvard's Kennedy School, Russia has gained 35 square miles of territory from Ukraine in the past month while Ukrainian forces have taken 16 square miles from Russian forces.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, Viktor Sokolov, Sokolov, Dmitry Peskov, Shoigu, Bradley, Ukraine's, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Russian Defence, Armed Forces, Russian Defence Ministry, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Fleet, Defence, Russian, Belfer, Harvard's Kennedy School, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Moscow's, Crimea, Sevastopol, Ukrainian, United States, Ukraine

☆ Kremlin says Canadian recognition of veteran from Nazi unit is 'outrageous'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Yaroslav Hunka, 98, received two standing ovations from Canadian lawmakers during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the episode showed a careless disregard for historical truth, and that the memory of Nazi crimes must be preserved. "Many Western countries, including Canada, have raised a young generation that does not know who fought whom or what happened during the Second World War. Canadian parliament speaker Anthony Rota introduced Hunka as "a Ukrainian Canadian war veteran from the Second World War who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians" and "a Ukrainian hero and a Canadian hero." During World War Two, when Ukraine was a part of the Soviet Union, some Ukrainian nationalists joined Nazi units because they saw the Germans as liberators from Soviet oppression.

Persons: Adolf Hitler's Waffen, Yaroslav Hunka, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Anthony Rota, Hunka, Simon Wiesenthal, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Adolf Hitler's Waffen SS, Ukrainian, Nazi, Waffen Grenadier Division, Simon Wiesenthal Center, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Ukrainian, Canada, Ukrainian Canadian, Canadian, Ukraine, Soviet Union, Rota, European, Russia, Europe

☆ Russia Tells Armenian PM: You Are Making a Big Mistake by Flirting With West
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

"We are convinced that the Yerevan leadership is making a massive mistake by deliberately trying to destroy Armenia's multi-faceted and centuries-old ties with Russia while making the country hostage to the geopolitical games of the West," it said. Pashinyan's remarks about transforming alliances indicate that he is preparing to pivot away from Armenia's alliance with Moscow towards the West, the Russian foreign ministry said. Moscow denied suggestions that it had any hand in protests in Yerevan and cautioned Pashinyan that while Russia did not stoke revolutions, the West did. "The head of the Armenian government should be well aware that Moscow does not get involved in such things - unlike the West which is pretty adept at organizing 'colour revolutions'," Russia said. Russia blames the United States for stoking so-called colour revolutions in several post-Soviet republics including Ukraine.

Persons: Guy Faulconbridge MOSCOW, Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, Guy Faulconbridge, Gareth Jones Organizations: Armenian, Karabakh, Reuters Locations: Russia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Moscow, Baku, Armenia, Yerevan, Azerbaijan, Russian, United States, Ukraine

☆ Russia lifts export ban on low-quality diesel, marine fuel
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

It also lifted restrictions on the export of fuel already accepted for export by the Russian Railways and Transneft (TRNF_p.MM) before the initial ban had been announced last week. The ban on all types of gasoline and high-quality diesel remains in place. Russia in recent months has suffered shortages of gasoline and diesel. Wholesale fuel prices have spiked, although retail prices are capped to try to curb them in line with official inflation. The crunch has been especially painful in some parts of Russia's southern breadbasket, where fuel is crucial for gathering the harvest.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Vladimir Soldatkin, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Russian, Russian Railways, Kremlin, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, breadbasket

☆ Russia 'closely monitoring' tense situation in Kosovo - Kremlin
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Kosovo police officers stand guard on the road to Banjska monastery, in the aftermath of a shooting incident, near Zvecan, Kosovo September 25, 2023. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Sept 25 (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Monday it was closely monitoring what it called a "potentially dangerous" situation in Kosovo, where ethnic Serb gunmen stormed a village at the weekend, battling police and barricading themselves into a monastery. Russia does not recognise Kosovo, which has a majority ethnic Albanian population, as an independent country and traditionally supports Serbia, with which it has close religious and cultural ties. The situation is very, very tense and potentially dangerous, we are monitoring it very closely," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a regular news briefing. Ethnic Albanians form the vast majority of the 1.8 million population of Kosovo, a former province of Serbia.

Persons: Ognen, Dmitry Peskov, Gareth Jones, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Kosovar, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Banjska, Zvecan, Kosovo, Russia, Serbia, Belgrade, Kosovo Albanian, Serbian

☆ Russia 'closely monitoring' tense situation in Kosovo, blames local authorities
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Kosovo police officers stand guard on the road to Banjska monastery, in the aftermath of a shooting incident, near Zvecan, Kosovo September 25, 2023. Russia does not recognise Kosovo, which has a majority ethnic Albanian population, as an independent country and traditionally supports Serbia, with which it has close religious and cultural ties. The situation is very, very tense and potentially dangerous, we are monitoring it very closely," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a regular news briefing. Ethnic Albanians form the vast majority of the 1.8 million population of Kosovo, a former province of Serbia. The ministry said Kurti was trying to escalate the situation in order to increase pressure on Serbs to recognise Kosovo's independence.

Persons: Ognen, Dmitry Peskov, Albin Kurti, Kurti, Gareth Jones, Maxim Rodionov, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Kosovar, Kosovo, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Banjska, Zvecan, Kosovo, Russia, Serbia, Belgrade, Kosovo Albanian, Serbian, Serbs

☆ Thirty-four years after fleeing Azerbaijan, a Karabakh Armenian is on the move again
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Hasmik Khachatryan/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsGORIS, Armenia, Sept 25 (Reuters) - For the second time in his life, Samvel Alaverdyan is fleeing Azerbaijan. Now he has escaped from Karabakh itself, where Azerbaijan mounted a lightning offensive last week to end three decades of de facto independence for the 120,000 ethnic Armenians who lived there. The 45-year-old ex-policeman, who said he had been working as a civilian on a Karabakh Armenian military base, is one of the first Armenians to escape the Karabakh capital of Stepanakert, which the Azeris call Khankendi. Samvel has previous military experience with Karabakh forces and his son Hayk was serving in the Karabakh Armenian army until last week. Russia will work on ensuring that the rights of ethnic Armenians in Karabakh are respected, Peskov added.

Persons: Hasmik, Samvel Alaverdyan, Alaverdyan, Monika, Hayk, Samvel, “, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Felix Light, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Karabakh, Nissan, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Nagorno, Karabakh, Stepanakert, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Baku, Armenian, Goris, Yerevan, Soviet, Sumgait, I'm, Charentsavan, Azerbaijani, Russia, Moscow, Azeri, Turkish

☆ Russian rouble firms against euro, steady vs dollar
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

At 1452 GMT, the rouble was steady against the dollar at 96.24 and had gained 0.6% to trade at 101.98 versus the euro . The move should lead to extra government revenues - as much as 600 billion roubles ($6.23 billion) per year, according to seven Reuters sources - and could also buttress the rouble. The government said the duty would not apply if the rouble strengthened beyond 80 to the dollar. Otherwise it would range from 4% to 7%, reaching its maximum if the rouble was weaker than 95 per dollar. Russian stock indexes were lower, with the dollar-denominated RTS index (.IRTS) down 0.5% to 995 points and the rouble-based MOEX Russian index (.IMOEX) down 0.4% at 3,036.

Persons: Maxim Shemetov, Russia's, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, European Central Bank, Federal Reserve, Thomson Locations: Russian, Moscow

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gives a televised address to the nation in Yerevan, Armenia, in this picture released September 24, 2023. "We are convinced that the Yerevan leadership is making a massive mistake by deliberately trying to destroy Armenia's multi-faceted and centuries-old ties with Russia while making the country hostage to the geopolitical games of the West," it said. Moscow denied suggestions that it had any hand in protests in Yerevan and cautioned Pashinyan that while Russia did not stoke revolutions, the West did. "The head of the Armenian government should be well aware that Moscow does not get involved in such things - unlike the West which is pretty adept at organizing 'colour revolutions'," Russia said. Russia blames the United States for stoking so-called colour revolutions in several post-Soviet republics including Ukraine.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Pashinyan, Guy Faulconbridge, Gareth Jones Organizations: Armenian, REUTERS, Rights, Karabakh, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Yerevan, Armenia, Handout, Russia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Moscow, Baku, Azerbaijan, Russian, United States, Ukraine

The sources said other senior Russian energy officials would also be in the delegation. Gazprom, the world's biggest natural gas producer, and Rosneft, Russia's biggest oil producer, did not immediately reply to requests for comments. The proposed pipeline would bring gas from the Yamal peninsula fields in western Siberia to China, the world's top energy consumer and a growing gas consumer. China and Russia have yet to agree on the terms of gas deliveries via the route, including pricing. Negotiations are complex, in part because China is not expected to need more gas until after 2030, industry analysts said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Rosneft Igor Sechin, Yuri Trutnev, Alexei Miller, Igor Sechin, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Xi Jinping, Sechin, Xi, Vladimir Soldatkin, Gareth Jones, Guy Faulconbridge, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Zvezda, Gazprom, Reuters, China's, Moscow, Thomson Locations: Bolshoy Kamen, Vladivostok, Russia, Ukraine, MOSCOW, China, Beijing, Moscow, Russian, Asia, Europe, Siberia, Mongolia

☆ Karabakh Armenians say ceasefire being implemented, aid is arriving
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Earlier, the Karabakh Armenians held another round of talks with Azerbaijani officials in the town of Shusha, three days after the ceasefire that followed a lightning 24-hour offensive in which Baku retook control of the mountainous region. Armenians say they fear they will be persecuted if they stay. "Today we were thrown out into the street - they made us vagabonds," Karapetyan told Armenia A1+, a partner of Reuters. Thousands of Karabakh Armenians have massed at the airport seeking the protection of Russian peacekeepers there. "They were shooting on the right, they were shooting on the left - we went out one after another, without taking clothes," she told Armenia A1+.

Persons: Cross, Elshad Hajiyev, Irakli, Gary Peters, We've, Peters, Nikol Pashinyan, Hikmet Hajiyev, Karapetyan, Svetlana Alaverdyan, Guy Faulconbridge, Alexander Marrow, Gareth Jones Organizations: ICRC, Karabakh, International Committee, Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Democrat, Nagorno, Thomson Locations: Russia, Karabakh, KORNIDZOR, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Shusha, Baku, Artsakh, Moscow, Kornidzor, Michigan, Kusapat, Arajadzor

☆ U.S. Senator Peters expresses concern about Nagorno-Karabakh situation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEAR KORNIDZOR, Armenia, Sept 23 (Reuters) - A U.S. senator, leading a congressional delegation to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border on Saturday, said international observers were needed to monitor the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, adding that people were "very fearful" about what was happening there. Gary Peters, a U.S. senator leading a congressional delegation to the Armenia-Azerbaijan frontier to monitor the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, uses binoculars to look at a border-crossing point on a road near the village of Kornidzor, Armenia, September 23, 2023. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze Acquire Licensing Rights"I am certainly very concerned about what’s happening in Nagorno-Karabakh right now, I think there needs to be some visibility," Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan, told reporters on the border. Russia said earlier that Armenian fighters in Karabakh had started to give up arms as some humanitarian aid reached the 120,000 Armenians living there after Azerbaijan defeated their forces. Reporting by Felix Light; Writing by Alexander Marrow Editing by Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gary Peters, Irakli, Felix Light, Alexander Marrow, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Democrat, Azerbaijan, Thomson Locations: KORNIDZOR, Armenia, U.S, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Kornidzor, Michigan, Russia

☆ Russia says Karabakh Armenian fighters start giving up arms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"The armed formations of Karabakh have begun handing over weapons and military equipment under the control of Russian peacekeepers," said Russia, which has around 2,000 peacekeepers in Karabakh. Russia's defence ministry said so far six armoured vehicles, more than 800 guns, about 5,000 units of ammunition were handed over by the fighters. Armenians in Karabakh told Reuters that they were essentially besieged in the region, with little food, electricity or fuel - and called on big powers to help them. Azerbaijan envisages an amnesty for Karabakh Armenian fighters who give up their arms and has said the Armenians can leave the region for Armenia if they want. Thousands of Karabakh Armenians have massed at the airport seeking the protection of Russian peacekeepers there.

Persons: Irakli, Cross, Nikol Pashinyan, Antony Blinken, Karapetyan, Svetlana Alaverdyan, Guy Faulconbridge, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Karabakh, ICRC, Azerbaijan, International Committee, Reuters, Nagorno, United, Thomson Locations: Armenia, Karabakh, Tegh, Russia, KORNIDZOR, Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Baku, United States, Nagorno, Kusapat, Arajadzor

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