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☆ Former Italian president Napolitano dies aged 98
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Former Italian President and senator Giorgio Napolitano speaks following a talk with Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinal Palace in Rome, Italy, April 13, 2018. REUTERS/Tony Gentile/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Former Italian president Giorgio Napolitano, a onetime communist who helped to steer his country through a debt crisis in 2011, died on Friday aged 98. Condolences poured in from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office, other politicians, the Vatican and beyond. Napolitano became president in 2006 and was elected for an unprecedented second seven-year term in 2013. Reporting by Angelo Amante; writing by Keith Weir and Angelo Amante Editing by Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Giorgio Napolitano, Sergio Mattarella, Tony Gentile, Giorgia, Pope Francis, Napolitano's, Clio Bittoni, Napolitano, Pope Benedict XVI, Francis, Mario Monti, Silvio Berlusconi, Enrico Letta, Angelo Amante, Keith Weir, Gareth Jones Organizations: Italian, REUTERS, Rights, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, Italian

[1/2] Vehicles of Russian peacekeepers leaving Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region for Armenia pass an Armenian checkpoint on a road near the village of Kornidzor, Armenia September 22, 2023. Images of fleeing Armenians at Russia's own peacekeeping base at an airport in Nagorno-Karabakh have been harder for them to watch. But its handling of the Karabakh crisis has forced it into a blame game with Armenia and obliged it to defend its foreign policy in the region. It now accuses him of triggering the crisis by saying - after Russian peacekeepers were deployed to Karabakh in 2020 following Armenia's defeat in a 44-day war - that he recognised Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. Baku has long argued that Karabakh falls within its own borders, but Karabakh Armenians wanted Pashinyan to recognise their independence and unify them with Armenia.

Persons: Irakli, Alexander Baunov, Russia's, Sergei Markov, Pashinyan, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, Margarita Simonyan, Andrew Osborn, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Armenian, Soviet, Carnegie, Karabakh, Protesters, Kremlin, Russian, Security Council, NATO, Thomson Locations: Karabakh, Armenia, Kornidzor, Russia, Azerbaijan Moscow, Kabul, U.S, Afghanistan, Nagorno, Turkish, Moscow, Azerbaijan, Soviet Union, Turkey, Iran, Ukraine, South Caucasus, Stepanakert, Russian, America, Baku ., Yerevan, Baku, Pashinyan

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in eastern Hangzhou city, in this handout picture released by Sana on September 22, 2023, Syria. China, the world's second-largest economy, will also support Syria's reconstruction, Chinese state media reported Xi as saying. In Chinese diplomacy, a "strategic partnership" implies closer coordination on regional and international affairs, including in the military sphere. But analysts said there was likely to be a limit to how far Beijing would help Damascus beyond recovering its regional status. "That is not part of China's role identity in the Middle East, which is to try and have a role without taking sides."

Persons: Xi Jinping, Bashar al, Sana, Handout, Syria's Assad, Assad, Xi, Caesar, Matteo Legrenzi, Joe Cash, Ella Cao, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Saudi, Initiative, University of Venice, Thomson Locations: Assad, Hangzhou, Syria, Beijing, China, BEIJING, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Damascus, Ca'Foscari

☆ Ukraine war expected to have bigger impact on European economies - Swiss study
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) building is seen near the Limmat river in Zurich, Switzerland March 23, 2023. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Europe has seen a surge in energy prices, financial market turmoil and a sharp contraction in the economies of both Russia and Ukraine, the report said. "The negative consequences of the war are likely to be far greater in the medium-to-long term, especially with regard to the real economy," the study said. France would have seen inflation 0.3% lower and GDP 0.1% higher without the conflict, while Italian inflation would have been 0.2% lower and GDP 0.3% higher. Swiss GDP would have been 0.3% higher and inflation 0.4% lower without the war, the study added.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, John Revill, Alex Richardson, Gareth Jones Organizations: Swiss National Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Zurich, Switzerland, Ukraine, Russia, Europe, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Swiss

"This shift, towards the courts, prosecutors and law enforcement units, shows that hackers are gathering evidence about Russian war crimes in Ukraine" with a view to following Ukraine's investigations, he added. Russian hackers have prioritised targeting government bodies and trying to gain access to their e-mail servers, Shchyhol said, without elaborating. An attempt by a Russian intelligence hacking group dubbed "Sandworm" to launch a destructive cyberattack against Ukraine's electricity grid was thwarted in April, 2022. Shchyhol said his department saw evidence that Russian hackers were accessing private security cameras within Ukraine to monitor the outcome of long-range missile and drone strikes. "You need to understand that the cyber war will not end even after Ukraine wins on the battlefield," Shchyhol said.

Persons: Ivan Lyubysh, Yurii Shchyhol, There's, Shchyhol, Vladimir Putin, Tom Balmforth, James Pearson, Mike Collett, White, Gareth Jones Organizations: State Service of, Reuters, REUTERS, Ukrainian, State Service of Special Communications, Foreign Ministry, Federal Security Service, Court, ICC, Kremlin, Russia, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, LONDON, Russia, Netherlands, Russian, Ukrainian, London

☆ Polish PM tells Ukraine's Zelenskiy 'never to insult Poles again'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Alan Charlish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Polish President Andrzej Duda commemorate victims of World War II at the Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Lutsk, Ukraine July 9, 2023. REUTERS/Alina Smutko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWARSAW, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Poland's prime minister told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday not to "insult" Poles, maintaining harsh rhetoric towards Kyiv after the Polish president had sought to defuse a simmering row over grain imports. "I... want to tell President Zelenskiy never to insult Poles again, as he did recently during his speech at the U.N.," Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told an election rally. Slovakia, Poland and Hungary imposed national restrictions on Ukrainian grain imports after the European Union executive decided not to extend its ban on imports into those countries and fellow EU members Bulgaria and Romania. "In defence of the Polish farmer I will never hesitate to take such a decision."

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Andrzej Duda, Saint Peter, Paul Cathedral, Alina Smutko, Zelenskiy, Mateusz Morawiecki, PiS, Duda, Zbigniew Rau, Rau, Morawiecki, Alan Charlish, Pawel, Alex Richardson, Jonathan Oatis, Gareth Jones Organizations: Saint, REUTERS, Rights, United Nations General Assembly, Kyiv, Law and Justice, Analysts, Politico, NATO, European Union, EU, Warsaw, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Lutsk, Poland, Russia, New York, Moscow, Kyiv, Polish, Ukrainian, UKRAINE, Warsaw, EU, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania

☆ Two dead, including bystander, in gang-related shooting in Sweden
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Police officers secure the area outside of a restaurant following a shooting in Sandviken, eastern Sweden September 22, 2023. The spokesperson said they were searching for a lone gunman but that no arrests had yet been made in connection with the shooting. Police has said about 30,000 people in Sweden are directly involved with or have ties to gang crime. The violence has also spread from major urban areas to smaller towns where violent crime was previously a rare occurrence. Reporting by Anna Ringstrom amd Johan Ahlander Editing by Peter Graff and Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Henrik Hansson, Ulf Kristersson, Kristersson, Anna Ringstrom, Johan, Peter Graff, Gareth Jones Organizations: Police, TT News Agency, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, TT, Thomson Locations: Sandviken, Sweden, Rights STOCKHOLM, Stockholm

☆ Russia plans huge defence spending hike in 2024, Bloomberg reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, Deputy Defence Minister Alexei Krivoruchko and other officials, attends the Gunsmith Forum in the city of Izhevsk, Russia September 19, 2023. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSept 22 (Reuters) - Russia plans a huge hike in defence spending next year, swelling to 6% of gross domestic product (GDP), up from 3.9% in 2023 and 2.7% in 2021, Bloomberg News reported on Friday. Moscow doubled its target for defence spending in 2023 to more than $100 billion, Reuters reported exclusively in August, as the costs of the war in Ukraine spiral and place growing strain on Moscow's finances. Rising war costs are supporting Russia's modest economic recovery this year with higher industrial production, but have already pushed budget finances to a deficit of around $24 billion - a figure compounded by falling export revenues. Reporting by Urvi Dugar in Bengaluru; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Denis Manturov, Alexei Krivoruchko, Mikhail Metzel, Urvi, Alexander Marrow, Andrew Cawthorne, Gareth Jones Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Bloomberg, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Izhevsk, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Bengaluru

Were he to follow through on his promise, it would represent a sea-change for Slovakia, until now a staunch ally of its eastern neighbour Ukraine in its war against Russia. Bratislava has supplied weapons and offered strong political support to Kyiv within the European Union and NATO. Western diplomats and officials in Kyiv also say a small country like Slovakia can only go so far in upending EU and NATO policy. Disinformation, meanwhile, has spread, undermining public support for Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion of 2022, said Katarina Klingova of think-tank Globsec. The hoax was debunked, but the reaction pointed to the influence that false information surrounding the Ukraine war has among Slovakia's 5.5 million population.

Persons: Robert Fico, Radovan Stoklasa, Robert Fico's, Fico, Eleonora Tanacova, Viktor Orban, Orban, Katarina Klingova, Klingova, Andrew Gray, Thomas Balmforth, Mike Collett, White, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, NATO, EU, European Union, Russia, Moscow, Hungarian, Progressive, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: Banovce nad Bebravou, Slovakia, Russian, Ukraine Brussels, Ukraine, Slovakian, Russia, Bratislava, Kyiv, Crimea, EU, Brussels, Moscow, Donbas, Luhansk, Western, Europe, Hungary, Progressive Slovakia

☆ Turkey says it played no direct role in Karabakh operation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Azerbaijan mounted a lightning offensive to retake control of its breakaway Karabakh region on Tuesday. On Wednesday, NATO ally Turkey publicly threw its support behind Baku's "steps to preserve its territorial integrity" but it had been unclear whether Ankara played any active role in the 24-hour military operation. "It was Azerbaijan army's own operation, there was no direct involvement of Turkey," a Turkish defence ministry official told reporters on Thursday. The move was condemned by Azerbaijan, Turkey and Ukraine. In a phone call with his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev late on Wednesday, Erdogan reiterated Turkey's "heartfelt support" of Azerbaijan, his office said.

Persons: Siranush Sargsyan, Tayyip Erdogan, Baku's, Nikol, Pashinyan, Ilham Aliyev, Erdogan, Turkey's, Huseyin Hayatsever, Gareth Jones, Alex Richardson Organizations: Rights, NATO, United Nations General Assembly, Ece Toksabay, Thomson Locations: Stepanakert, Nagorno, Karabakh, Rights ANKARA, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkish, Ankara, Azerbaijani, Russian, Baku, Yerevan, New York, Ukraine

☆ Everything you need to know about London Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Leah Dolan | Nicole Mowbray | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

London CNN —London Fashion Week kicked off on Friday in the glow of a sweltering UK heatwave, and concluded on Tuesday after biblical showers and thunderstorms. More famous faces piled into the London fashion scene over the course of the week. Dave Benett/Courtesy BurberryHowever, some controversial collections and marketing choices brought London Fashion Week outside of the industry bubble and into the wider cultural conversation. Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty ImagesErdem's collection was partly inspired by the protected stately home, Chatsworth House, in the North of England. Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty ImagesAshish returned to the London Fashion Week runway after 4 years with a show that was suitably high-octane and glamorous.

Persons: JW Anderson, Erdem, Simone Rocha, Findikoglu, Halpern, Nensi, S.S, Daley, Anna Wintour, Sienna Miller, Jodie Turner, Smith, Princess Eugenie, Kate Winslet, Cole Sprouse, Suki Waterhouse, Charli, Ncuti Gatwa, Alexa Chung, Mo Farah, “, Damon Albarn, Rachel Weiss, Jodie Comer, Kylie Minogue, Burna Boy, Barry Keoghan, Dave Benett, Burberry —, Daniel Lee, —, Mowalola, HARRI, Sam Smith, JW, Kwok, Joe Maher, Crocs, Sinéad O’Dwyer, Molly Goddard, Victor Virgile, Gareth Cattermole, David, David Cronenberg, David Lynch, 16Arlington, Isamaya Ffrench, Jeff Spicer, Richard Quinn, ”, Goddard, Matty Bovan —, Bovan, ” Richard Quinn, Matty Bovan, tulle, Susan Fang, David Koma, David Lee’s Burberry, Giovanni Giannoni, Di Petsa, beading, Susan Fang's, Henry Nicholls, Chet Lo's, Wiktor, Chet Lo, Shane Anthony Sinclair, Stuart Wilson, TOVE, Daniel Lee's, Shutterstock Burberry, Ashish, Poppy Delevingne, Anderson, KNWLS — Organizations: London CNN, London, Burberry, Vogue, JW, Highbury, Fashion, Brit, BFC, Getty, National Theatre, National, Publishing, London's Barbican Center, British Locations: couture, London, North London, Saudi, Hong, Kong, Erdem, AFP, Englishness, Chatsworth House, North, England, Noor

☆ Slovakia Struggles With Surge in Illegal Migrants as Election Looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

"They don't want to live or work here, they are in transit, they rush through as they can," said Jozsef Barta, 70. Although he knew of no criminal incidents involving the migrants, he added: "People are scared to walk in the street." The number of illegal migrants detained in Slovakia has increased ninefold from a year ago to more than 27,000 so far this year, the country's interior ministry said. Hungarian police data also showed a jump in illegal migrant crossings on Hungary's southern border with Serbia in the past weeks, from where they head for Slovakia or Austria. Slovak police patrols are helping their Hungarian colleagues to catch the smugglers but that has proven little deterrent.

Persons: Jozsef Barta, Renata Gregusova, Robert Fico, Fico, Marian Cehelnik, Viktor Orban, Krisztina, Jason Hovet, Jan Lopatka, Gareth Jones Organizations: European Union, Europe's, Police, Reuters, EU Locations: CHLABA, Slovakia, IPOLYDAMASD, Hungary, Chlaba, Germany, Hungarian, Slovak, Europe, Czech Republic, East, Afghanistan, Serbia, Austria, EU, Prague

Ford UK Chair Lisa Brankin was scathing: "Our business needs three things from the UK government: ambition, commitment and consistency. Britain was the first major economy to create a legally binding 2050 net zero target and emissions have fallen almost 50% since 1990 as coal power plants closed and offshore wind power took off. The government's own independent adviser on climate action said in June that Britain was not doing enough to hit its mid-century target. Ford said it had spent 430 million pounds ($532 million) on its UK development and manufacturing facilities, with "further funding planned for the 2030 timeframe". His party has trailed the opposition Labour Party in polls for over a year.

Persons: Suella Braverman, Andy Bailey, Handout, Rishi Sunak, Lisa Brankin, Sunak, We're, Ford, Chris Skidmore, Kate Holton, Elizabeth Piper, William James, Susanna Twidale, Muvija, Nick Carey, Sachin Ravikumar, Gareth Jones, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Economic, REUTERS, Sunak's Conservative Party, Ford, Conservative, BET, Times Radio, European Union, BMW, Volkswagen, Labour Party, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Sunak

☆ Azerbaijan pounds Karabakh as Russia and US call for calm
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Ethnic Armenians in Karabakh said Azerbaijan had triggered a new war against the 120,000 people living in an area they consider their homeland. Armenians in Karabakh, known by Armenians as Artsakh, said fighting was continuing with varying intensity. As the Soviet Union crumbled, what is known as the First Karabakh War erupted (1988-1994) between Armenians and their Azeri neighbours. RUSSIAIn 2020, after decades of skirmishes, energy-rich Azerbaijan began a military operation which became the Second Karabakh War, swiftly breaking through Armenian defences. Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, won a resounding victory in the 44-day war, taking back parts of Karabakh.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Karabakh, Antony Blinken, Ilham Aliyev, Pashinyan, Aliyev, Blinken, Antonio Guterres, Baku's, Guy Faulconbridge, Lidia Kelly, Chris Reese, Lincoln, Gareth Jones Organizations: Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defence, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Nagorno, Armenian, U.S, Washington, Residents, United Nations, European Union, TASS, Thomson Locations: Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Russia, U.S, Azerbaijan, YEREVAN, United States, Baku, Yerevan, Turkey, Ukraine, Soviet Union, South Caucasus, Iran, Artsakh, Russian, France, Germany, RUSSIA, Moscow, Melbourne

☆ Israeli-Palestinian violence surges ahead of Netanyahu-Biden meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Gunmen hold weapons during the funeral of Palestinians who were killed in an Israeli raid, in Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank September 20,2023. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta Acquire Licensing RightsJENIN, West Bank, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Israeli troops killed a 19-year-old Palestinian during a raid in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, medics and residents said, as violence surged ahead of a first meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden. The Palestinian killed near the town of Jericho was shot as troops faced off with stone-throwers, according to residents, though his family said he had not taken part. He was the sixth Palestinian killed in confrontations with Israel since Tuesday. Israel's U.S. ally is troubled by his judicial overhaul plans and Jewish settlement of the West Bank.

Persons: Raneen, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Biden, Netanyahu, Dan Williams, Ali, Gareth Jones Organizations: West, REUTERS, West Bank, U.S, Security, General, Thomson Locations: Jenin, JENIN, West, Palestinian, Jericho, Israel, U.S

☆ Analysis-Poland's PiS Faces Far-Right Challenge Over Ukraine Support
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

While Poles' overall attitudes to Ukrainian refugees remain positive and support for Kyiv's war effort is almost unanimous, research shows that critical views are becoming more widespread. SHIFTING VIEWSA survey last month showed that the number of Poles who support allowing refugees from Ukraine in has fallen to 69% from 91% just after the war started. Other research has shown a higher level of aversion to Ukrainian refugees among young women than in other demographics. POLISH PUSHBACKIt is against this political backdrop that PiS decided to extend a ban on Ukrainian grain imports in response to rising anger in the party's rural heartlands. "When it was necessary, we opened our hearts, we opened our homes for refugees from Ukraine," Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.

Persons: Alan Charlish, Marek Strzelecki WARSAW, Slawomir Mentzen, Piotr Muller, CBOS, Anna Brylka, PiS, Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland, Marek Strzelecki, Agnieszka Pikulicka, Justyna, Gareth Jones Organizations: Russia, Justice, Confederation, Reuters, EU, Ukraine Locations: Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Warsaw, heartlands, Kyiv, Western

The deal removes a point of friction between the United States, which brands Tehran a sponsor of terrorism, and Iran, which calls Washington the "Great Satan". 'HUMANITARIAN ACTION'[1/9]Family members embrace freed American Emad Shargi after he and four fellow detainees were released in a prisoner swap deal between U.S and Iran, and arrived at Davison Army Airfield at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who was in New York for the annual U.N. General Assembly, called the swap a humanitarian action. Relations between the United States and Iran have been especially bitter since 2018 when then-President Donald Trump pulled out of a deal aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear ambitions and toughened U.S. sanctions. Washington suspects Iran's nuclear program may be aimed at developing nuclear arms, a charge Iran denies.

Persons: Babak Namazi, Siamak, Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz, American Emad, Jonathan Ernst, Joe Biden, Ebrahim Raisi, Biden, Michael McCaul, Donald Trump, Iran's, Antony Blinken, Henry Rome of, Andrew Mills, Humeyra Pamuk, Parisa, Edmund Blair, Arshad Mohammed, Gareth Jones, Jon Boyle, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Doha DOHA, NEW, Stripes, Qatari, Davison Army, REUTERS, Rights, General Assembly, Democrat, House Foreign, U.S, Washington Institute for Near, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Qatar, Iran, Doha, United States, U.S, Fort Belvoir , Virginia, South Korea, Switzerland, Tehran, Washington, Gulf and U.S, Emad Sharqi, British, American, New York

☆ War crimes tribunal ICC says it has been hacked
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Tosterling Stephanie Van Den Berg | Stephanie Van Den Berg | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

THE HAGUE, Sept 19 (Reuters) - The International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Tuesday its computer system had been hacked, a breach at one of the world's most high-profile international institutions and one that handles highly sensitive information about war crimes. "Immediate measures were adopted to respond to this cybersecurity incident and to mitigate its impact," the ICC said in a short statement. The ICC is the permanent war crimes tribunal in the Dutch city of The Hague, established in 2002 to try war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Dutch intelligence agency (AIVD) said in its 2022 annual report that the ICC was "of interest to Russia because it is investigating possible Russian war crimes in Georgia and Ukraine". In August 2023, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said that cyber attacks could be part of future war crimes investigations.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Dado Ruvic, Marie, Hélène Proulx, Karim Khan, Toby Sterling, Stephanie van den Berg, Anthony Deutsch, Bart Meijer, Gareth Jones, Andrea Ricci, Mark Potter Organizations: HAGUE, Criminal Court, ICC, Prosecutors, Kremlin, REUTERS, Dutch Justice Ministry, Cyber Security, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: Dutch, The Hague, Ukraine, Uganda, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Philippines, Russia, Georgia, Russian

☆ Evidence suggests errant Ukrainian missile caused market deaths - New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Press service of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 19 (Reuters) - Evidence suggests a deadly explosion at a busy market in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka this month was caused by an errant missile fired by Ukraine, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. Ukraine has said the Sept. 6 blast, which killed at least 16 people, was caused by a Russian missile. "Evidence collected and analyzed by The New York Times, including missile fragments, satellite imagery, witness accounts and social media posts, strongly suggests the catastrophic strike was the result of an errant Ukrainian air defense missile fired by a Buk launch system," the newspaper reported. The New York Times quoted a spokesperson for Ukraine's armed forces as saying the country's security service was investigating the incident, and under national law could not comment further. A spokesperson for Ukraine's military command referred Reuters to that comment cited in the New York Times story.

Persons: Anna Pruchnicka, Timothy Heritage, Gareth Jones Organizations: Police, Press, Interior Ministry of, REUTERS, New York Times, The New York Times, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region, Interior Ministry of Ukraine, Handout, Ukrainian, Druzhkivka, Russia

☆ Bulgaria sends team to inspect drone that landed in Black Sea resort
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SOFIA, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's defence ministry said on Monday it had sent a special unit to inspect and deactivate a drone carrying explosives which landed on Sunday evening in the Black Sea town of Tyulenovo. Following inspection the team from NATO-member Bulgaria will decide how to dispose of it, the ministry said in a statement, adding that the team had been sent on the request of the regional government. The tourist resort of Tyulenovo is situated 70 kilometres (43 miles) south of the Romanian border and across the Black Sea from Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula forcibly annexed by Russia in 2014 and now a regular target of Ukrainian drone attacks. He said the drone was found on rocks next to moored boats at Tyulenovo and was an "aircraft with standard ammunition". It was unclear whether the drone had fallen from the air or had been washed in by the sea currents.

Persons: Marian Zhechev, Stoyan Nenov, Ivana Sekularac, Toby Chopra, Gareth Jones Organizations: SOFIA, NATO, Nova TV, Thomson Locations: Black, Tyulenovo, Bulgaria, Romanian, Crimea, Ukrainian, Russia, Shabla, Sofia, Belgrade

☆ Spain sees Ukraine grain ban by some EU states as illegal, France sees solidarity risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Julia Payne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Spain's agriculture minister said on Monday a unilateral ban by any European Union member state on Ukrainian grain imports seemed illegal, while France said European solidarity was at stake. Poland, Slovakia and Hungary announced their own restrictions on Ukrainian grain imports on Friday after the European Commission decided not to extend its ban on imports into Ukraine's five EU eastern European member states. Romania has become the conduit for more than 60% of Ukrainian grain moved by land and its prime minister said on Monday it may also extend the ban if import requests rise. France's agriculture minister Marc Fesneau criticised the moves, saying they called into question European solidarity. "For solidarity there needs to be unity... We must keep hold of the two elements, otherwise the European project is at risk.

Persons: Viacheslav, Spain's Luis Planas Puchades, Marc Fesneau, Fesneau, Luis Planas Puchades, Julia Payne, Sybille de la, Gareth Jones Organizations: Russian, REUTERS, Rights, Union, European Commission, CAP, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Velykomykhailivka, Dnipropetrovsk region, Rights BRUSSELS, France, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Black, Moscow, Romania

☆ Qatar Confirms $6 Billion in Unfrozen Iranian Funds Transferred to Doha Triggering U.S.-Iran Prisoner Swap - Source
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar has confirmed that unfrozen Iranian funds worth $6 billion have been transferred to bank accounts in Doha, a source briefed on details of the matter told Reuters on Monday, triggering a U.S.-Iran prisoner swap. A Qatari aircraft was on standby in Iran on Monday morning to fly five U.S. prisoners and two family members to Doha, the source said. The swap deal, mediated by Qatar and announced broadly on Aug. 10, allows five U.S. citizens detained by Iran to leave in exchange for the transfer of the funds to banks in Qatar and the release of five Iranians held in the United States. (Reporting by Andrew Mills; Editing by Nadine Awadalla and Gareth Jones)

Persons: Andrew Mills, Nadine Awadalla, Gareth Jones Organizations: DOHA, Reuters, Qatari, Doha Locations: Qatar, Doha, U.S, Iran, United States

☆ Qatar confirms $6 bln in unfrozen Iranian funds transferred to Doha triggering U.S.-Iran prisoner swap - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

DOHA, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Qatar has confirmed that unfrozen Iranian funds worth $6 billion have been transferred to bank accounts in Doha, a source briefed on details of the matter told Reuters on Monday, triggering a U.S.-Iran prisoner swap. A Qatari aircraft was on standby in Iran on Monday morning to fly five U.S. prisoners and two family members to Doha, the source said. The swap deal, mediated by Qatar and announced broadly on Aug. 10, allows five U.S. citizens detained by Iran to leave in exchange for the transfer of the funds to banks in Qatar and the release of five Iranians held in the United States. Reporting by Andrew Mills; Editing by Nadine Awadalla and Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andrew Mills, Nadine Awadalla, Gareth Jones Organizations: Reuters, Qatari, Doha, Thomson Locations: DOHA, Qatar, Doha, U.S, Iran, United States

☆ Russia Says It Hit Armoured Vehicle Repair Plant in Ukraine's Kharkiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Russia has carried out a missile strike on a plant in the northeast Ukrainian city of Kharkiv where armoured vehicles for Ukraine's military are repaired, the Russian defence ministry said on Sunday. The ministry did not say when the strike had taken place or provide any other details. Regional governor Oleh Synehubov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said on Sunday that Russia had hit the building of a "civilian enterprise" in Kharkiv with four S300 missiles. The Kharkiv regional administration did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for comment. Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, had a population of more than 1.4 million before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Persons: Oleh Synehubov, Maxim Rodionov, Gareth Jones Organizations: Reuters, S300, Kharkiv Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Kharkiv, Ukraine's, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Bale becomes playable character in golf video game
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Golf - European Tour - BMW PGA Championship - Wentworth, Virginia Water, Britain - September 14, 2023 Former footballer Gareth Bale is seen during the first round Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 16 (Reuters) - Gareth Bale's love for golf has been well-documented and the former Real Madrid and Wales forward has swapped the pitch for the green after becoming a playable character in the PGA Tour 2K23 video game. Bale, 34, made his PGA Tour debut at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February after calling time on his glittering soccer career at the start of the year. The former Wales captain, who featured on the cover of Electronic Arts' FIFA 14 video game alongside Lionel Messi, has now been added to PGA Tour 2K23, which includes a course custom-designed by him. I'm here getting scanned in PGA Tour 2K23," he said in a video shared on social media. Bale's tally of 111 caps and 41 international goals are both records for the Wales men's team.

Persons: Gareth Bale, Paul Childs, Gareth Bale's, Bale, Rory McIlroy, Lionel Messi, I'm Gareth Bale, I'm, Hritika Sharma, Kim Coghill Organizations: BMW, Wentworth, Real, PGA, Wales, Electronic Arts, FIFA, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Wales men's, Thomson Locations: Wentworth , Virginia Water, Britain, Real Madrid, Wales, Madrid, Qatar, Hyderabad

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