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☆ England players adopt stray Qatar cat after World Cup exit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

England came up short against France on Saturday, which clinched a gutsy 2-1 quarterfinal win. The cat, who Stones named Dave, will have to spend four months in quarantine before he can be reunited with the City duo. “Every night he sat there waiting for his food.”With impromptu visits to stadiums, training sessions and press conferences, cats have stolen the limelight at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Meanwhile, Brazil forward Vinicius Jr. was interrupted by a cat when he spoke at a news conference last week. A member of Brazil’s staff was seen stroking the animal, before picking it up and dropping it off the side of a table.

☆ Stray Qatar cat heads to England after being adopted by Walker and Stones
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

England came up short against France on Saturday, who clinched a gutsy 2-1 quarter-final win. The cat, who Stones named Dave, will have to spend four months in quarantine before he can be re-united with the City duo. "He was just there one day, so we’ve just adopted him, me and Stonesy,” Walker told the FA’s official media channel. Some people really don’t like the cat, but I love him." "First day we got there ... Dave pops out,” Stones added.

☆ Quebec ends mandatory oath to King Charles for elected officials
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MONTREAL, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Quebec on Friday passed a law ending a requirement for elected officials to take an oath to Britain's King Charles, agreeing to make such a show of fealty optional. Charles, 73, became king of the United Kingdom and the head of state of 14 other nations, including Canada, when his mother, Queen Elizabeth, died in September. "It's a beautiful moment for Quebec democracy," said PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon on Twitter. The PQ's three elected lawmakers tried unsuccessfully last week to enter the legislature after declining to take the oath. Reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal; editing by John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

REUTERS/Adriano MachadoBRASILIA, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Brazil's leftist President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday picked a trusted ally, former Sao Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad, as his finance minister, ending days of speculation over a key ministerial appointment. Lula is set to take office on Jan. 1 after narrowly defeating far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in October. After the nomination of Haddad, a stalwart of Lula's Workers Party (PT), Brazil's real , fell as much as 1.3% against the dollar before paring losses. As the mayor of Brazil's largest city from 2013 to 2016, Haddad renegotiated its debt with the federal government, reducing it by about 50 billion reais. Since losing his re-election bid as mayor in 2016, Haddad has described himself as a college professor on Twitter.

☆ World Cup quarterfinals: Morocco on the verge of history against Portugal as Kylian Mbappé’s France face England
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Alasdair Howorth | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The Moroccans have become the darlings of the World Cup. At the first “Arab” World Cup, they became the first Arab nation to qualify for the quarterfinals of the World Cup and, as the first African side to qualify for the quarterfinals in over a decade, they represent so much more than just their own nation. Born in Madrid, Achraf Hakimi scored the goal to knock Spain out of the World Cup. No team has scored more than Portugal’s 12 at the World Cup, but will the unstoppable Portugal be able to beat the immovable Morocco? Mbappé has already surpassed Cristiano Ronalo's World Cup goal scoring record and is level with Lionel Messi on nine.

☆ Ukrainian security service accuses Orthodox cleric of supporting Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Ukraine's SBU security service accused a senior Orthodox Christian cleric on Friday of engaging in anti-Ukrainian activity by supporting Russian policies in social media posts. The announcement followed a series of raids of property used by a Ukrainian branch of the Orthodox Church that is historically tied to Russia and has come under increasing pressure since Russia's invasion. The Orthodox Church in Russia has backed Moscow's invasion, and Kyiv says some clerics in Ukraine could be taking orders from Moscow. Orthodox Church officials in Ukraine did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Since the collapse of Soviet rule, tensions have been high between the Moscow-subordinated church and an independent Ukrainian church.

OTTAWA, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The Bank of Canada will study the most recent economic data to gauge whether to raise interest rates further, a deputy governor said on Thursday, adding it would still move forcefully if necessary. "We expect our decisions will be more data-dependent," Deputy Governor Sharon Kozicki said in a speech in Montreal, adding the bank was still prepared to be "forceful" with rates if necessary. "We are moving from how much to raise interest rates to whether to raise interest rates." Asked to clarify if being prepared to be "forceful" meant the bank was still prepared to make oversized rate moves, Kozicki said it was a hypothetical. Deliberations ahead of Wednesday's rate hike centered on how supply challenges are resolving, how higher rates are slowing demand, and how inflation and inflation expectations are evolving, Kozicki said.

DOHA, Dec 8 (Reuters) - All eyes will be on Kylian Mbappe once again as France take on England in a mouthwatering World Cup quarter-final clash but the defending champions must hope their lack of options from the bench will not be exposed on Saturday. WALKER v MBAPPEOne of the strengths that has emerged through the tournament is England’s depth. Their tally of 12 goals – equalling their World Cup best set from three more matches in 2018 – has been achieved via eight players. While the goalscorers grab the headlines, Southgate made sure he complimented his defenders after the last 16 match as his side chalked up a third successive World Cup clean sheet for the first time in 20 years. One thing that should be a given is that England will not be overawed by the occasion after their recent runs to the last four of the 2018 World Cup and final of Euro 2020.

☆ Ukrainians brave return to former frontline village after Russian retreat
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Anna Voitenko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The ones that still have something to save, they save it," said 31-year-old returnee Liudmyla Hupalo. "The ones that have nothing to save and have no place to live, they don't come back," she told Reuters. There is some roof left above my house, but it is still scary to look at." "It was a nice and beautiful village," he later recalled, standing beside the charred remains of his tractor, blown up during the occupation. For his wife Oksana, the stove means progress of a sort, though a return to normality remains a distant prospect.

☆ UK airports face Christmas disruption as border staff to strike
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Border Force workers at several major British airports including the country's busiest, Heathrow, will go on strike for eight days this month in a dispute over pay, threatening disruption to Christmas travel. The PCS trade union said staff employed by Britain's interior ministry in passport booths would take action at London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports and a handful of regional ones, plus the Port of Newhaven. The union's General Secretary Mark Serwotka said around 2,000-3,000 staff would be involved in the walkouts on ever day but one between Dec 23-31. A Heathrow spokesperson said the airport was working with airlines and Border Force on plans to mitigate disruption. Gatwick said it expected flights to operate as normal and it would also make extra airport staff available to help passengers on strike days.

Economists said the reading pointed to elevated labor costs and inflation staying high, adding pressure on the Federal Reserve to keep raising rates. "Slower rate hikes have been the trend globally of late, but the Fed remains a wild card. Overall, it's a fickle, anxious market ahead of next week’s Fed meeting," said Joe Manimbo, senior market analyst at Convera in Washington. Many in the market believe inflation is moderating and bond yields have peaked, allowing the Fed and other central banks to begin slowing rate hikes when policy-makers meet next week. Gold prices rose, helped by a retreat in the dollar and Treasury yields, as investors anticipate the projection of slower rate hikes at the Fed's meeting on Dec. 13-14.

☆ British PM Sunak pledges further action on strikes to 'protect lives'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday he would take more action "to protect the lives and livelihoods" of Britons during months of planned strikes by rail, health and postal workers. His spokesperson said the prime minister was looking at further measures to tackle the strikes. Sunak's choice of words that he wanted to "protect the lives" of Britons suggested he might introduce steps to protect the health service. "The prime minister thinks it's right to look at further ways to curb the impact of this disruption we're seeing," the spokesperson told reporters. "(This) shows the government is not serious right about avoiding these strikes," a spokesperson for Labour said.

When Mark arrived at the Sofra e Ariut (Bear's Table) restaurant he was just a cub, said Scherk Trettin, estimating him to have been born in 1998. "Today I am not feeling good because they are taking the bear away. We have been used to living with (him)," said Misir Maxhuku, whose duties have included caring for Mark for the past four years. Four Paws says inadequate legislation means bears and other wild animals remain at risk of being abused as pets or tourist attractions in Albania, where has rescued 11 other bears. Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; editing by John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

South Africa, Pakistan and India were among countries that made formal requests, during an initial three days of talks that ended on Wednesday, to ensure the process is inclusive. "The advanced countries have the requisite resources and can afford to have it covered and we cannot," he said. In parallel, country teams are discussing setting up a G20 pandemic fund and revamping the WHO's existing health emergency rules. Many poorer countries lack technical specialists to advise on WHO matters within the Geneva diplomatic mission, where the U.N. agency is based. South Africa's Precious Matsoso, co-chair of the pandemic treaty talks, told Reuters countries could hire experts to help, or band together for regional representation.

☆ England cruises past Senegal 3-0 to reach World Cup quarterfinals as Harry Kane makes Three Lions history
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —England reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup for a second tournament in a row thanks to a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Senegal. Kane’s goal was his 11th for England at a major tournament, the most by any Three Lions player in history. The Lions of Teranga stepped it up once again against England and were undoubtedly the best team of the opening half an hour. Carl Recine/ReutersWith the last kick of the half, England doubled its lead and put one foot into the quarterfinals. The result was put beyond any doubt a little over 10 minutes into the second half, as Saka’s cute finish capped off another wonderful England move.

☆ Elated England turn thoughts to fearsome France
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Andrew Cawthorne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AL KHOR, Qatar, Dec 4 (Reuters) - England spent little time celebrating Sunday's 3-0 World Cup win over Senegal before turning their thoughts to an intimidating quarter-final next Saturday against reigning champions France and current tournament top scorer Kylian Mbappe. said England coach Gareth Southgate of Saturday's mouth-watering match between the two European powers who have not met at a World Cup since 1982. England would love a repeat of their last World Cup meeting 40 years ago when they beat France 3-1 with two goals from Bryan Robson. "I was waiting patiently to try and score," said Kane, who is one goal shy of Wayne Rooney's record 53 goals for England. "If you want to win the World Cup you have to play the best sides in the world and France are definitely one of those."

☆ South Africa's Ramaphosa: ANC executive to decide my fate
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 4 (Reuters) - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday it was up to the governing party's National Executive Committee (NEC) to decide his future in the face of allegations of misconduct against him. Ramaphosa has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crimes. The president's allies have rallied around him and on Saturday his spokesman said he would not resign. The governing African National Congress (ANC) party's National Working Committee (NWC) was meeting in Johannesburg on Sunday to discuss the panel's report. "It is up to the National Executive Committee, to which I am accountable, to take whatever decision (it deems fit)."

☆ Right-winger Ciotti wins 1st round of French conservative party leadership vote
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Right-winger Eric Ciotti is in poll position to become the next leader of France's formerly heavyweight conservative Les Republicains (LR) party after winning a first round ballot of party members on Sunday. LR or its predecessors have governed France for much of its post-war history. "I want to be the candidate of hope and of the return of a big political family on the right," Ciotti said in a tweet following Sunday's vote. Both Ciotti, whose home base is the traditionally right-wing Nice region, and Retailleau are politically further to the right than outgoing LR leader Christian Jacob. LR remains a key force in parliament, however, as Macron - who lost his legislative majority in parliament - often relies on the party to get his government's bills voted through.

☆ Sudanese anti-corruption figure freed on eve of political deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Khalid Abdelaziz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The framework deal would, according to a copy seen by Reuters, involve a two-year, civilian-led political transition in which the military's role would be limited to a security and defence council headed by a prime minister. But it sets no time for a final deal and leaves sensitive issues including transitional justice and security sector reform for further talks. Leftist politician Wagdi Salih, who was freed at a police station in the capital Khartoum, was at the forefront of an anti-corruption committee tasked with dismantling Bashir's regime. The FFC had called Salih's arrest in October "purely political". Talks have been facilitated by the United Nations, the United States, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, among others.

☆ Walker back for England v Wales as Southgate rings changes
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Group B - Wales v England - Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar - November 29, 2022 England's Jordan Pickford and Kyle Walker on the pitch before the match REUTERS/Hannah MckayAL RAYYAN, Qatar, Nov 29 (Reuters) - England manager Gareth Southgate rung the changes for his side's final Group B clash against Wales with defender Kyle Walker getting his first taste of action at the tournament. With England all but assured of reaching the last 16 barring a four-goal defeat, Southgate made four changes in all with Walker coming in at right back for Kieran Trippier. The experienced Jordan Henderson replaces Mason Mount in midfield while Marcus Rashford, who came off the bench to score against Iran, will complement Harry Kane up front with Phil Foden also getting his first start in Qatar. Wales, who need to win and hope Iran and the United States draw or beat England by four goals, made two changes with Dan James and Joe Allen coming into the starting lineup in place of Harry Wilson and Connor Roberts. TeamsWales: Danny Ward, Neco Williams, Ben Davies, Chris Mepham, Joe Rodon, Joe Allen, Aaron Ramsey, Gareth Bale, Dan James, Ethan Ampadu, Kieffer MooreEngland: Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Phil FodenReporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kane leads unchanged England, striker Wright in for U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AL KHOR, Qatar, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Captain Harry Kane will lead England in their second match at the World Cup in Qatar against the United States on Friday after he recovered from a minor ankle injury earlier this week in an unchanged lineup for the Three Lions. England manager Gareth Southgate kept the side that beat Iran 6-2 on Monday and retained Harry Maguire - who was substituted after feeling ill in that match - at the centre of defence. U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter made one change from the side which drew 1-1 with Wales in the Americans' opening match, giving a start to striker Haji Wright in place of Josh Sargent who led the attack on Monday. Wright, who plays for Turkish side Antalyaspor and has four caps for the United States, came on as substitute in the Wales game. England: Jordan Pickford, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Kieran Trippier, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Mason Mount, Luke Shaw, Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane, Raheem SterlingUnited States: Matt Turner, Sergino Dest, Walker Zimmerman, Tyler Adams, Antonee Robinson, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic, Tim Ream, Haji Wright, Tim WeahWriting by William Schomberg; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"The softer inflation data took some wind out of the dollar's sails," said Joe Manimbo, senior market analyst at Convera in Washington. "The dollar is steadier because we're having this residual, geopolitical skittishness as well as signs of a fairly sturdy U.S. economic backbone in the forms of U.S. retail sales." Retail sales rose 1.3% in October, more than the 1.0% increase that economists polled by Reuters had forecast. The dollar briefly pared losses on release of the retail sales data, but later fell against the euro to trade little changed against major currencies. Yields fell further on the market's benign inflation outlook.

Consumer prices rose 11.1% in the 12 months to October, the most since October 1981 and a big jump from 10.1% in September, the Office for National Statistics said on Wednesday. Economists in a Reuters poll - many of whom think inflation is probably peaking around now - had forecast inflation would rise to 10.7%. In response to the data, Hunt - who is due to outline a new budget on Thursday - said "tough but necessary" decisions were required to tackle rising prices. Producer price data showed there was still inflation pressure in the pipeline but hinted at a possible slowdown. Manufacturers' costs for raw materials and energy rose at their slowest pace since March but at 19.2% the increase was still huge by historical standards.

☆ Poland missile relief dents dollar; stocks retreat
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationLONDON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Global stocks eased from two-month highs on Wednesday while the safe-haven dollar fell, after Poland's president said a missile that hit his country was probably a stray Ukrainian defence projectile, dispelling fears that it originated from Russia. Data on Wednesday showed U.S. retail sales rose by 1.3% in October, compared with expectations for a 1.0% rise, showing consumers were undeterred by high inflation last month. This gave a bump to the dollar, which cut some of the day's losses and weighed heavily on European shares. The dollar, which acts a safe haven in times of geopolitical or market turmoil, rallied overnight, before falling throughout the European session. Gold rose 0.2% on the day to $1,776 an ounce, supported by a slightly weaker dollar, while Brent crude futures fell 0.6% to $93.33 a barrel, having retreated from an overnight high of $94.79.

[1/4] Police officers walk near the site of an explosion in Przewodow, a village in eastern Poland near the border with Ukraine, November 16, 2022. If this is an a mistake of the Ukrainians, there should be no major consequences, but I'm not an expert here." After a sleepless night, Byra decided to keep her school, situated some 300 metres from the blast site, open on Wednesday. "I told the parents I see no grounds to close the school but kids haven't shown up. "Since the start of the war we keep analysing the danger, it has quieted down recently, but here we are today," she said.

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