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☆ Major Russian assault in Vuhledar unlikely to yield breakthrough, UK says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 31 (Reuters) - A major new Russian assault on the Ukrainian-held bastion of Vuhledar could make local gains but is unlikely to lead to an operational breakthrough, Britain's Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday. However, it is unlikely that Russia has sufficient uncommitted troops in the area to achieve an operationally significant breakthrough." Vuhledar lies at the southern-most end of the eastern front in Ukraine, overlooking railway lines that supply Russian forces on the adjacent southern front. Ukraine has repelled several Russian attacks on the town since the start of the war. The administrator of Russian-held territory in the Donetsk region has claimed that Russian forces have secured a foothold inside Vuhledar since launching their latest assault there.

☆ UAE museum unveils Torah scroll that survived the Holocaust in tolerance push
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Bushra Shakhshir | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Visitors attend an event commemorating the Holocaust, in which a 16th century Torah scroll that survived the Holocaust was officially unveiled, at Crossroad of Civilizations Museum, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, January 28, 2023. Ahmed Obaid Al Mansoori, founder of the Crossroads of Civilizations Museum in Dubai's historic district, said the display, unveiled for International Holocaust Remembrance Day would help combat "big denial" of the Holocaust in the region. The scroll is on permanent loan to the museum from the Memorial Scrolls Trust, which looks after more than 1,000 Czech scrolls saved from the Holocaust and later sent to London. "I lived in the Arab world when I was young, and the term Holocaust does not exist ... Reporting by Bushra Shakhshir and Abdel Hadi Ramahi; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous Editing by Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Travel companies are ‘greenwashing’ — here are 3 ways to find ones that aren't
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

But finding companies that are serious about sustainability isn't easy, said James Thornton, CEO of tour company Intrepid Travel. "You see hotels saying they're sustainable, and then you're using these little travel bottles for shampoos and shower gels," he said. "The honest truth is that every travel company is ultimately contributing towards the climate crisis," he said. "So the best thing any travel company can start to do is measure the greenhouse gas emissions it creates." Other companies with B Corp status include Seventh Generation, Ben & Jerry's, Aesop — and Patagonia, which Thornton called "arguably the most famous B Corp in the world."

☆ White House and European Commission to launch first-of-its-kind AI agreement
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Suzanne Smalley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A senior U.S. administration official, discussing the initiative shortly before the official announcement, called it the first sweeping AI agreement between the United States and Europe. "The magic here is in building joint models [while] leaving data where it is," the senior administration official said. "The U.S. data stays in the U.S. and European data stays there, but we can build a model that talks to the European and the U.S. data because the more data and the more diverse data, the better the model." The partnership is currently between just the White House and the European Commission, the executive arm of the 27-member European Union. The senior administration official said other countries will be invited to join in the coming months.

Jan 27 (Reuters) - Rick Astley has sued the rapper Yung Gravy over a song that borrowed heavily from the British singer's signature "Never Gonna Give You Up," claiming that the new song illegally used an impersonator who imitated Astley's distinctive baritone. "In an effort to capitalize off of the immense popularity and goodwill of Mr. Astley, defendants ... conspired to include a deliberate and nearly indistinguishable imitation of Mr. Astley's voice," the complaint said. Among the defendants are Yung Gravy, whose real name is Matthew Hauri, and his record label, Universal Music Group's (UMG.AS) Republic Records. Universal and a representative for Yung Gravy did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The song saw resurgent popularity about two decades later through the "Rickroll" internet meme, where it unexpectedly interrupts unrelated content.

☆ Hiring might be slowing in the UK — but these 10 jobs are growing, LinkedIn says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

But some jobs are actually growing, data from LinkedIn shows. The top three jobs all require an average of just over four years of job experience, according to LinkedIn. Enterprise account executives, which are the sixth fastest growing job, had the most opportunities to work remotely. Sustainability-related jobs have surged across the continent and are in the top five fastest-growing roles in Germany and France as well as the U.K., according to LinkedIn. While the figures around job vacancies declining suggest that hiring is slowing down in the U.K., the labor market remains strong.

"Germany will always be at the forefront when it comes to supporting Ukraine," Chancellor Olaf Scholz told the German parliament, to applause. "At a critical moment in Russia's war, these tanks can help Ukraine defend itself, win and stand as an independent nation," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. [1/13] Germany delivers its first Leopard tanks to Slovakia as part of a deal after Slovakia donated fighting vehicles to Ukraine, in Bratislava, Slovakia, December 19, 2022. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said any U.S. tanks sent to Ukraine would "burn like all the rest". Ukraine defeated Russia's troops on the outskirts of Kyiv last year and later drove them out of swathes of occupied land.

☆ EU says it cannot brand Iran's Guards as terror group before court ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Jan 23 (Reuters) - The European Union cannot list Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist entity until an EU court has determined that they are, the European Union's foreign policy chief said on Monday. The European Parliament has called on the EU to list the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist entity, blaming it for the repression of domestic protests and the supply of drones to Russia. "It is something that cannot be decided without a court, a court decision first. He said the court of an EU member had to issue a concrete legal condemnation before the EU itself could act. The Iranian regime, the Revolutionary Guards terrorise their own population day after day," Baerbock said.

Separately, a newspaper investigation published on Saturday accused the Defence Ministry of overpaying suppliers for food for its soldiers. If the humane approach doesn't work, we'll do it in line with martial law," he said. Before last year's invasion, fighting corruption was the principal theme for Zelenskiy, a political novice swept into power in a landslide in 2019 on a promise to clean up Ukraine's notoriously crooked institutions. In his nightly video address, Zelenskiy said measures would be announced this week. Several Ukrainian media outlets have reported that a number of cabinet ministers and senior officials could be sacked imminently as Zelenskiy tries to make the government more effective and streamlined.

☆ DAVOS 2023: WTO sticks with 1% projection for growth in global trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Brenda Goh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Davos, SWITZERLAND Jan 20 (Reuters) - The head of the World Trade Organization (WTO) said on Friday it was sticking with its 1% projection for global trade growth in 2023 - for now. Director general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the WTO was not revising down its projection. World trade is thought likely to have lost momentum in the second half of 2022 and to remain subdued in 2023 as multiple shocks weigh on the global economy. In October, WTO economists predicted a 1% increase in global merchandise trade volumes for 2023, down sharply from the previous estimate of 3.4%. Editing by Leela de Kretser and Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Davos 2023 BOJ's Kuroda vows to keep ultra-loose policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said on Friday the central bank will continue its current "extremely accommodative" monetary policy to achieve its 2% inflation target in a stable, sustainable manner. "Our hope is that wages will start to rise, and that could make our 2% inflation target met in a stable and sustainable manner. Kuroda said the BOJ's decision to widen the band around its 10-year bond yield target was "perfectly right," brushing aside criticism that the move failed to iron out market distortions, and instead fueled speculation of additional tweaks to its yield curve control (YCC) policy. "All in all, the government's policy, coupled with the BOJ's extremely accommodative policy, have been successful in changing Japan's economic structure and growth prospects," he said. "But our 2% inflation target has not been achieved in a sustainable, stable manner," he said.

☆ Finland promises 400 million euros of aid to Ukraine, could add Leopards
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The new donation would triple the total value of Finland's defence aid to Ukraine, bringing the total so far to 590 million euros, the Defence Ministry said in a statement. "I can only say that this package does not include Leopard tanks. Finland had earlier indicated it could send the German-made Leopard tanks if there were agreement among allies. The defence ministers of Finland and Sweden are to sign a Statement of Intent (SoI) on support for Ukraine in Ramstein later today, the Finnish ministry said. Under that agreement "Finland supplies defence materiel to Ukraine, and Sweden expresses its readiness to support Finland as necessary," it said.

☆ Kazakh ex-leader Nazarbayev undergoes successful heart surgery - spokesman
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ALMATY, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has undergone a successful heart surgery and his life is not in danger, his spokesman Aidos Ukibay said on Friday. Ukibay's tweet followed reports by Kazakh media that Nazarbayev, 82, who ran the oil-rich country for three decades, was hospitalised. Nazarbayev resigned as president in 2019 and lost his remaining positions of power last year after falling out with his successor Kassym-Jomart Tokayev amid violent unrest. This month, the Kazakh parliament repealed a law that had given Nazarbayev the title of Yelbasy, or the leader of the nation, and granted legal immunity to his immediate family members. Nazarbayev himself still enjoys immunity from prosecution given to him by the constitution.

GENEVA, Jan 11 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization said it is working with China to manage the risks of COVID-19 surging again as people travel for Lunar New Year celebrations but the country's response continues to be challenged by a lack of data. COVID-19 is spreading unchecked in China after the country lifted its zero-COVID policy in December, but the WHO said it still does not have enough information from China to make a full assessment of the dangers of the surge. That is also an issue in working with China on how to mitigate the risks of travel ahead of the Lunar New Year public holiday, which officially runs from Jan. 21, the WHO said. The WHO also said China is still heavily underreporting deaths from COVID-19, although it is now providing more information on its outbreak. "There are some very important information gaps that we are working with China to fill," said COVID-19 technical lead, Maria Van Kerkhove.

☆ Poland plans to give Ukraine Leopard tanks as part of coalition
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Poland's President Andrzej Duda attend a joint news briefing with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Lviv, Ukraine, January 11, 2023. Duda said that he hoped that the Polish tanks, together with tanks from other countries, would soon travel to Ukraine. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Saturday that Poland did not intend to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine without the formation of a broader coalition. Any re-export of Leopard tanks requires approval by the government in Berlin. However, a German government spokesman said on Wednesday that it was not aware of any requests from its allies to send Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine.

☆ Africa should not be arena for international competition, says Chinese foreign minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Dawit Endeshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang addresses delegates at the inauguration of the new Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters, which China is building and equipping in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, January 11, 2023. REUTERS/Tiksa NegeriADDIS ABABA, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Africa should not be an arena for competition between world powers, China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Wednesday, opening a new headquarters for a pan-African health body at the start of five-country Africa tour. "Africa should be a big stage for the international cooperation, not an arena for major countries competition," Qin said at a news conference with AU Commission chair Moussa Faki. A trusted aide of President Xi Jinping and former ambassador to the United States, Qin was appointed foreign minister last month. Paul Nantulya, a research associate at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, said the choice of countries reflected China's diversity of interests in Africa.

☆ A Minute With: R&B singer H.E.R. inspired to see women grab guitars
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Hanna Rantala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

attends a premiere event for Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration in Los Angeles, California, U.S., December 13, 2022. already has five Grammy Awards, a best song Oscar, and nearly two decades of experience performing - despite being only 25. : "I think a lot of women, especially young Black women, young Filipino women, don't really think that these kinds of things are possible and I barely thought it was possible. It's crazy how music can do that, but it's also crazy that I can do that and I feel really grateful." : "I'm so grateful that that was technically like my first debut, officially working with Oprah and Spielberg is involved.

☆ Los Angeles County to pay Black family $20 million to buy back wrongly seized beach
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Brendan O'Brien | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 4 (Reuters) - Los Angeles County will spend $20 million to purchase a prime beachfront property from the heirs of an African-American couple who were given the land back a century after local officials unjustly stripped it from them. The Bruce family has informed county officials that they have decided to sell Bruce's Beach to the county for the estimated value of the Manhattan Beach property, Janice Hahn, chairperson of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, said in a tweet on Tuesday. Before it was taken by the county, the property had been a rare resort where Black people could gather and enjoy the beach in segregated and discriminatory Los Angeles County of the early 20th century. When it was returned, the Bruce family had agreed to lease it to the county for $413,000 per year, while the county retained the right to buy it. Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago Editing by Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Iran police detain top-tier football players in raid at party
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Iranian police briefly detained several unidentified top-tier football players in a raid on a party on New Year's Eve where alcohol was served in violation of an Islamic ban, Iranian media reported. Mingling between sexes outside marriage and drinking alcohol are banned under Iran's Islamic laws. The semi-official news agency Tasnim said several current players and former members of an unidentified top Tehran soccer club had been detained at the party east of the capital. "Some of the players were in an abnormal state due to alcohol consumption," Tasnim reported, without giving further details. The YJC news agency said the gathering was a birthday party, and added that all those detained had been released except one person, who is not a soccer player.

☆ Historic new year for Croatia as it joins euro, Schengen area
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A police member stands guard while the border opens as Croatia enters the EU's control-free Schengen area, in Bregana, Croatia, January 1, 2023. "Today Croatia joins the Schengen Area and the eurozone, two immense achievements for the youngest member state of the European Union and both reached on the very same day. Plenkovic and von der Leyen later toured the capital Zagreb where they bought coffee in a cafe using euros, which replaced Croatia's kuna currency. After a server brought their coffees to an outdoor table, Plenkovic paid with a handful of euro notes, while von der Leyen, seated next to him, applauded. It becomes the 27th country to join the Schengen area, and the 20th to adopt the euro currency.

That was on top of 31 missile attacks and 12 air strikes across the country in the past 24 hours. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink said on Twitter: "Russia coldly and cowardly attacked Ukraine in the early hours of the new year. But Putin still does not seem to understand that Ukrainians are made of iron." Russian media also reported multiple Ukrainian attacks on the Moscow-controlled parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, with local officials saying at least nine people were wounded. There was no immediate response from Kyiv, which rarely comments on attacks inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territories in Ukraine.

☆ Flights to and from Philippine capital suspended due to technical issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A total of 282 flights were either delayed, cancelled or diverted to other regional airports, affecting around 56,000 passengers at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the airport operator said on Sunday. As of 0800 GMT, "the system has been partially restored thereby allowing limited flight operations," the Manila International Airport Authority said in a statement. It offered passengers due to fly on Sunday free rebooking or the option to convert tickets to vouchers. Philippine Airlines (PAL.PS) said a number of flights were diverted, cancelled and delayed, and travellers should check the status of their journey before proceeding to the airport. Reporting by Enrico Dela Cruz; Editing by Neil Fullick and Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The Vintage Gala, as 23-year old founders Prince Quist and James Edem Doe Dartey dubbed it, brought together a movement of young vintage enthusiasts pushing back against the global fast fashion industry by encouraging their peers to shop secondhand. "The idea is just to inspire everybody to thrift vintage, because secondhand goods aren't second class stuff," Dartey added. Ghana receives around 15 million items of used clothing each week from Western countries and China, offloaded in bulk, often at negligible prices and questionable quality. Much of it passes through Accra's Kantamanto, one of the largest garment markets on the continent, where bales of used clothes are sold based on the expected quality of the garments wrapped up inside. "Remove the whole notion that you only wear vintage when you are poor, or you only wear thrifted stuff when you don't have money," said creative Myra Davis outside the Vintage Gala event.

☆ Latam M&A expected to recover in 2023, IPOs may take longer
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Tatiana Bautzer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SAO PAULO, Dec 27 (Reuters) - After a sharp drop in Latin American deals in 2022, bankers expect a slow recovery next year, led by M&A. The volume of M&A deals in Latin America fell 35% this year, to $86 billion, according to Refinitiv data. Bankers predict M&A volumes will grow up to 20% in the region next year as Latin America becomes more relevant among emerging markets. Latin America has a great opportunity to increase its share among emerging markets, said Latam M&A co-head at Citigroup Nicolas Roca. Share offerings fell 61% in Latin America this year to $13.4 billion, according to Refinitiv data through December 26.

☆ Simone Tebet seen accepting Lula's offer of Brazil planning minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has invited centrist Senator Simone Tebet to be his planning minister, a close Lula aide said on Tuesday, and she is expected to accept. Tebet backed Lula over far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro after ditching her own presidential bid when she failed to make the run-off. Her support was seen as crucial for leftist Lula's election, helping him secure moderate votes in the second round. The planning minister job was first offered to economist Andre Lara Resende, a member of Lula's transition team, but he declined. On Monday, incoming Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said there would be no problems working with Tebet, whom he called "very qualified" and "someone who knows how to work in a team."

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