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☆ Lebanon’s top Christian cleric slams failed attempt to elect a president
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT, June 18 (Reuters) - Lebanon’s top Christian cleric said on Sunday the constitution and democratic system had been violated in "cold blood" during a failed attempt to elect a new president last week, and warned that divisions in the nation had widened. Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai spoke in his first sermon since the Iran-backed Shi'ite group Hezbollah and its closest allies thwarted an attempt by factions including the main Christian parties to elect an IMF official as president. Wednesday's events marked the 12th time parliament failed to elect someone to the post - reserved for a Maronite Christian in Lebanon's sectarian system and vacant since the term of the Hezbollah-allied Michel Aoun ended in October. The Hezbollah-allied Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri ended the session when Hezbollah and its allies withdrew, denying a quorum for a second round when 65 votes are needed to win. Without naming him, Lebanon's Shi'ite mufti accused him of being backed by Israel.

Persons: Bechara Boutros, Rai, Michel Aoun, Jihad Azour, Amal, Azour, Suleiman Frangieh, Nabih Berri, Elias Audi, Berri, Maya Gebeily, Tom Perry, Hugh Lawson, Frances Kerry Organizations: Hezbollah, Maronite, Israel, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, Iran, Israel, Lebanon

☆ Elon Musk repeats call for artificial intelligence regulation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, June 16 (Reuters) - Billionaire Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla (TSLA.O) and owner of Twitter, reaffirmed on Friday his view that there should be a 'pause' on the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and that the AI sector needed regulation. "There is a real danger for digital superintelligence having negative consequences," said Musk, at the Paris VivaTech event. "I am in favour of AI regulation," he added. Reporting by Silvia Aloisi, Gilles Guillaume, Mathieu Rosemain, Sudip Kar-Gupta, Michel Rose; Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Billionaire Elon Musk, Silvia Aloisi, Gilles Guillaume, Mathieu Rosemain, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Michel Rose, Louise Heavens Organizations: Billionaire, Tesla, Twitter, Paris, Thomson

☆ Macron to meet Elon Musk in Paris to talk Tesla investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A general view shows the Tesla logo on the Gigafactory in Gruenheide near Berlin, Germany, August 30, 2022. "I'm going (into that meeting) with an agenda," Macron told reporters as he visited the VivaTech summit in Paris, France's biggest tech fair, which Musk will visit on Friday. Asked specifically whether he was hoping to secure a Tesla gigafactory, Macron said: "It's up to the company to look at these different issues in Europe. Earlier today, the French minister for digital affairs Jean-Noel Barrot told CNBC: "It will be great to have a Tesla factory in France. France previously tried to convince Musk to build a gigafactory in the country, but he chose Germany for his only such plant in Europe so far.

Persons: Annegret, Emmanuel Macron, Elon Musk, Tesla, Macron, Stellantis, Jean, Noel Barrot, Bruno Le Maire, Musk, Michel Rose, Akash Sriram, Silvia Aloisi, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Tesla, Reuters, Peugeot, Mercedes, Benz, CNBC, Finance, Thomson Locations: Gruenheide, Berlin, Germany, France, Spain, Paris, Europe, Bengaluru

Neither Azour nor Hezbollah-backed candidate Suleiman Frangieh came close to winning the 86 votes needed to win in a first round vote. Azour, the IMF's Middle East Director and an ex-finance minister, won the support of 59 of 128 lawmakers. Hezbollah and its allies then withdrew from the session, denying the two-thirds quorum required for a second vote in which 65 votes are enough for victory. Azour thanked lawmakers who backed him, saying he hoped the will expressed by "the majority of deputies" would be respected. George Adwan, a Christian lawmaker with the anti-Hezbollah Lebanese Forces party, said the vote was "a major victory" because it showed Azour close to 65 votes.

Persons: Gebran Bassil, Azour, Suleiman Frangieh, Frangieh, Nabih Berri, Michel Aoun, Hussein al, Haj Hassan, Bashar al, Assad, George Adwan, Mohamed Azakir, Matthew Miller, Miller, Mohanad Hage Ali, Riad Salameh, Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan dialled, Issam Abdallah, Simon Lewis, Tom Perry, John Stonestreet, Mark Heinrich, William Maclean Organizations: BEIRUT, Hezbollah, IMF, Maronite, Hezbollah Lebanese Forces, REUTERS, U.S . State Department, Carnegie Middle East Center, West, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Iran, Muslim, Saudi Arabia, Lebanese, Yemen, Beirut, Washington, U.S, United States, Israel, Damascus

June 14 (Reuters) - Anheuser-Busch InBev's (ABI.BR) Bud Light has lost its top spot in the U.S. beer market to Constellation Brands' (STZ.N) Modelo Especial, following a backlash from conservatives over a social media promotion with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Cans of AB InBev's Bud Light hard seltzer are displayed in a fridge in Jewel-Osco supermarket in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. October 21, 2020. REUTERS/Richa NaiduConstellation's Modelo Especial was the top-selling beer brand in the United States with an 8.4% share of overall beer sales through retail stores for the period ending June 3, data from Bump Williams showed. Bud Light came in second with a 7.3% share. AB InBev's overall sales growth declined 12% in the four weeks ended May 20, data from NielsenIQ and TD Cowen showed.

Persons: Busch, Bud Light, influencer Dylan Mulvaney ., Bump Williams, Michel Doukeris, Bud Light's, Dylan Mulvaney, Miller, Jon Reynolds, Bud, seltzer, Richa Naidu, TD Cowen, Cowen, Vivien Azer, Ananya Mariam Rajesh, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Anheuser, Constellation Brands, Modelo, Budweiser, Modelo Especial, InBev, Conservative, Target, Molson Coors, University of Vermont, REUTERS, Euromonitor International, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, NielsenIQ, Chicago , Illinois, United States, Bengaluru

Overall U.S. beer sales grew 1.8% in the 12 weeks ended May 20, according to data from research firms NielsenIQ and TD Cowen. Sam Adams maker Boston Beer, the largest craft beer maker, saw its market share slip last year. Bud Light and Coors Light, popular premium light beers, average about $7.40 for a 12-ounce six-pack, while Boston Beer's Sam Adams costs between $10 to $12. "The American consumer likes light beer," Molson Coors CEO Gavin Hattersley said at a conference in early June. "I think dynamics within the subsegment might change, but the overall consumption of light beer is not going to change materially."

Persons: Beer, Neil Reid, TD Cowen, Vivien Azer, Sam Adams, Boston Beer, Bud Light, Jon Reynolds, Reid, influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Michel Doukeris, Gavin Hattersley, Ananya Mariam Rajesh, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Anheuser, Busch InBev, Molson Coors Beverage, University of Toledo, Refinitiv, Molson Coors, InBev, Boston Beer Co, Reuters Graphics, Boston, Constellation Brands, Modelo, Reuters, Brewery, Miller, University of Vermont . Giants, AB InBev, Thomson Locations: United States, NielsenIQ, Corona, American, Bengaluru

☆ Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's former showman leader, dies at 86
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Valentina Di Donato Barbie Latza Nadeau Laura Smith-Spark Peter Wilkinson Antonia Mortensen Rob Picheta | Valentina Di Donato | Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Umberto Cicconi/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Berlusconi swims at a Tunisian beach in 1984. Umberto Cicconi/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Berlusconi leaves a 1985 news conference in Paris. Franco Origlia/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Berlusconi announced in November 1993 that he would be entering the world of politics. Franco Origlia/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Berlusconi waves while attending a European Council meeting in Corfu, Greece, in June 1994. Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images Berlusconi hands the Berlusconi Trophy to AC Milan's Massimo Ambrosini in August 2011.

Persons: Rome, Rome CNN — Silvio Berlusconi, Christ, ”, Berlusconi, Milan’s, Benito Mussolini, “ Il Cavaliere ”, Milan, Giorgia Meloni, Matteo Salvini, Silvio Berlusconi, Alessandra Benedetti, Eric Vandeville, Indro Montanelli, Umberto Cicconi, Italy's, Michel Clement, Francis Apesteguy, Veronica Lario, Franco Origlia, Langevin Jacques, Sygma, Cesare Previti, Pope John Paul II, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Veronica, William Stevens, Barbara, Eleonora, Oscar Scalfaro, Patrick Hertzog, Romano Prodi, Alberto Pizzoli, Giuseppe Cacace, Gregorio Borgia, Associated Press Berlusconi, Vittorio Zunino Celotto, Massimo Ambrosini, Claudio Villa, Dan Kitwood, preliminarily, Filippo Monteforte, Alessia Pierdomenico, Remo Casilli, Reuters Berlusconi, Giuseppe Lami, Angelo Carconi, Emanuele Cremaschi, Tiziana Fabi, Luigi Brugnaro, Renato Brunetta, Piero Cruciatti, Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Britain’s Boris Johnson, Donald Trump, “ Berlusconi, ” Severgnini, ” Meloni, Claudia Greco, Prodi –, –, Berlusconi’s, Ignazio La Russa, “, Gianfranco Fini –, FILIPPO MONTEFORTE, Vladimir Putin, Volodymr Zelensky, Nobel, salesmanship ’, Jesus Christ, Severgnini, il, salesmanship, Francesca Pascale, Del, Pavarotti, ” Berlusconi, Marina, Carla Dall’Oglio, Luigi Organizations: Rome CNN, Milan’s San Raffaele, Forza Italia, Freedom, Italian, Getty, Canale, AC Milan, Berlusconi, Romano, Associated Press, Associated, Bloomberg, Reuters, Venice, Anadolu Agency, RAI, Media, Milano, Milan –, world’s, Forza Italia Party, Forza, soccer team, Northern League Party, European, Union coalition, Sporting, della, PM, “, ”, Del Monaco Locations: Milan, Paris, AFP, Naples, Italy, Rome, Corfu, Greece, Tatanto, Cannes, France, Italy's, Venice, Italy's Senate, Monza, Lombardy, ”, L’Aquila, Milan’s, Italian, Europe, Ukraine

☆ France warns Iran on drone deliveries to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, June 10 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron warned Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi on Saturday about the consequences of delivering drones to Russia, Macron's office said on Saturday. In a phone call, Macron urged Iran to "immediately cease" the support it is giving Russia in the war against Ukraine. Macron also expressed concerns about the trajectory of the Iranian nuclear programme, the statement said. Britain, France, Germany, the United States and Ukraine say the supply of Iranian-made drones to Russia violates a 2015 U.N. Security Council resolution enshrining the Iran nuclear deal. Reporting by Michel Rose, Writing by Dominique Vidalon, Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Clelia OzielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Ebrahim Raisi, Macron, Michel Rose, Dominique Vidalon, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Ukraine, Security, Thomson Locations: Russia, Iran, Britain, France, Germany, United States, Ukraine

☆ Nova Kakhova: Critical dam in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine near Kherson destroyed sparking region-wide evacuations
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Helen Regan Jonny Hallam Josh Pennington Olga Voitovych Irene Nasser | Helen Regan | Jonny Hallam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“The Russians will be responsible for the possible deprivation of drinking water for people in the south of Kherson region and in Crimea, the possible destruction of some settlements and the biosphere,” he said. As of 10:00 a.m. local time, 742 people have been evacuated from the Kherson region, the ministry said. “We are helping citizens in the liberated west-bank part of the Kherson region. Around 16,000 people on the west bank of Kherson region are in a “critical zone,” Oleksandr Prokudin, the Ukraine-appointed head of the Kherson region military administration, said. It also supplies water for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which lies upstream and is also under Russian control.

Persons: Moscow’s, Volodymyr Zelensky, “, ”, Andriy Yermak, Charles Michel, Mykhailo Podolyak, Zelensky, Russia’s, Ihor, Oleksandr Prokudin, Nova Kakhovka, Vladimir Leontiev, ” Leontiev, Andrey Alekseenko, ” Alekseenko, Alekseenko, ‘, Natalia Humeniuk, Energoatom Organizations: CNN, Ukrainian, European, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ukraine, Internal, Ukraine’s National Police, Ukraine’s Ministry, Internal Affairs, Novosti, Emergency, International Atomic Energy, Maxar Technologies Locations: Ukraine, ”, Nova, Dnipro, Kherson, Ukraine’s Kherson, Russia, Ukrainian, Kherson region, Crimea, Moscow, Kyiv, Salt, Utah

☆ We're losing the battle against bird loss. Scientists estimate North America's bird population is down 3 billion and dropping fast in other countries worldwide.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Emily Sohn | Knowable Magazine | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

In North America, more than half of 529 bird species have declined, according to one study. Another study of 378 European bird species estimates numbers fell by as much as 19% from 1980-2017. There are birds on mountains, birds in cities, birds in deserts, birds in oceans, birds on farm fields and birds in parking lots. Bird numbers are falling across a broad range of habitats, as these graphs from Europe and North America show. A recovery program has boosted the species' numbers to more than 500, with several hundred living once more in the wild.

Persons: —, Peter Marra, It's, Alexander Lees, Lees, Christopher Michel, Marra, we're, Lees et, Philip McGowan, Glenn Simmons, McGowan Organizations: Service, Penguins, Earth Commons, Manchester Metropolitan University, Cornell, of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, Survey, US Geological Survey, Environment Canada, European Union, International Union for Conservation, Environment, Resources, Newcastle University, IUCN, California condor, Recovery Initiative Locations: North America, Antarctica, ptarmigan, Everest, Georgetown, England, Canada, United Kingdom, Gould Bay, eBird, United States, Science, Costa, India, Europe, California, Arizona, Brazil

☆ Protesters prepare last-ditch bid to stop French pension overhaul
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Protests have been going on for six months, it's unprecedented," Sophie Binet, the new leader of the hardline CGT union said on BFM TV. "There's a lot of anger but also fatigue," she said, adding that strikers were feeling the pinch on paychecks. Between 400,000 and 600,000 people are expected to turn out at protests across France, authorities said, which would be down from more than a million who took part in marches at the height of the pension protests earlier this year. But unions hope a big protest turnout could pressure lawmakers into reviewing the bill anyway and holding a vote. Opposition lawmakers, meanwhile, say the bill being rejected would revive public anger, branding any such move "antidemocratic".

Persons: Emmanuel Macron's, Sophie Binet, I'm, Jean, Claude Mailly, Macron, Michel Rose, Hugh Lawson Organizations: CGT, Inter, SNCF, Thomson Locations: Macron, France, Paris, Orly

"We'll make your life easier and help you set up shop here," he told ProLogium's Chief Executive Vincent Yang. It is one of four such gigafactories Macron hopes will transform the poor, former coal mining area near Belgium into a hub for the EV battery industry, creating jobs and helping to put France at the forefront of Europe's energy transition. "Results don't just fall from the sky," Macron told Reuters in Dunkirk. At the moment, however, France lags well behind Germany when it comes to attracting battery makers. Still, the IRA almost threw ProLogium's investment in France off course, one French presidential adviser told Reuters.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Vincent Yang, Ludovic Marin, Taiwan's ProLogium, Macron, Yang, ProLogium, we've, it's, ACC's, Heiner Heimes, Stellantis, Mercedes, Ola Kaellenius, Marc Mortureux, We're, GUY, Xavier Bertrand, ProLogium's Yang, Fabien Roussel, Leigh Thomas, Michel Rose, Silvia Aloisi, David Clarke Organizations: Business, EV, Macron, ACC, Mercedes, Reuters, RWTH Aachen University, Automotive Cells Company, Franco, Benz Group, EU, PFA French, U.S . IRA, French Communist Party, Thomson Locations: of Versailles, Paris, France, Versailles, Dunkirk, Germany, Netherlands, Taiwan, Belgium, EUROPE, Korean, United States, Europe, French, Hungary, Italy, Brussels, Washington

☆ The Fugees reunite for what may be their last performance
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The trio make up the hip hop group the Fugees and fans have long wanted them to reunite. But Michel is facing up to 20 years in prison after being found guilty in April in federal court in Washington, DC, on 10 criminal counts related to an international conspiracy. The Grammy winner was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud the US, witness tampering and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. On Saturday, the Fugees performed their classics including “How Many Mics,” “Ready or Not,” “Killing Me Softly” and “Fu-Gee-La.”They had split in 1997. In 2021, they announced they would be reuniting for a tour in celebration of their 25th anniversary of forming.

Persons: Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Pras Michel, Michel, Jho Low, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, “ Fu, ”, “ Organizations: CNN Locations: Philadelphia, Washington ,, Malaysian

☆ Air travel to be disrupted by 'very frustrating' supply chain issues, IATA's Willie Walsh says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Supply chain issues will impact air travel in 2023, IATA director general says. Juliette Michel | Afp | Getty ImagesAir travel will be affected by "very frustrating" supply chain issues this year, according to Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association, as he discussed the challenges facing the aviation sector this year. And we're already seeing that," Walsh told CNBC's Dan Murphy. A scarcity of air traffic control staff is also likely to be a problem in 2023, Walsh said. "The challenges we expect to see in the short term are outside of our control, and they principally relate to shortages, in resources in air traffic control," Walsh said.

Persons: Juliette Michel, Willie Walsh, Walsh, CNBC's Dan Murphy, We've Organizations: Afp, Getty, Air, International Air Transport Association, Boeing, Airbus Locations: U.S, United States, Europe

☆ Lebanese Christian and opposition coalition nominate IMF's Azour for president
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT, June 4 (Reuters) - Lebanon's disparate opposition, independent and main Christian parties said on Sunday they had nominated IMF official Jihad Azour for the presidency in a challenge to Hezbollah-backed candidate Suleiman Franjieh. A meeting of the parties endorsed the nomination of Azour, currently director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund and also a former Lebanese finance minister. Pro-Iranian Hezbollah, the country's main armed political force, and its Shi'ite ally Amal, had backed Franjieh, 56, heir of an old Lebanese Christian political dynasty and an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with strong ties to the ruling political establishment in Damascus. "This new candidate that was announced is for us a candidate for confrontation," Hezbollah deputy Hassan Fadlallah said on Sunday, without naming Azour. Washington has warned that the administration was considering sanctions on Lebanese officials for their continued obstruction of the election of a new president and warned the paralysis could only worsen the country's crisis.

Persons: Azour, Suleiman Franjieh, Michel Aoun's, Amal, Bashar al, Assad, Michel Mouawad, Lebanon's, Beshara al, Rai, “, Hassan Fadlallah, Suleiman Al, Khalidi, Maya Geibeily, David Holmes Organizations: Central Asia Department, International Monetary Fund, Hezbollah, Lebanese Christian, Maronite, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, East, Lebanese, Lebanon, Damascus, Azour, Syria, Iran, Arab, Washington

☆ US blocks ex-Haitian PM Lamothe from entering country, citing corruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PORT-AU-PRINCE, June 2 (Reuters) - The United States on Friday blocked former Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe from entering the United States over what Secretary of State Antony Blinken said was his "involvement in significant corruption." "This action renders Lamothe generally ineligible for entry into the United States," the State Department said. In its statement, the State Department accused Lamothe of misappropriating "at least $60 million from the Haitian government's PetroCaribe investment and social welfare fund for private gain." Canada sanctioned Lamothe last November alongside Martelly and another former prime minister, Jean Henry Ceant, as part of measures targeting alleged backers of armed gangs in the country. The current caretaker government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry requested last October an international strike force to help restore order.

Persons: Laurent Lamothe, Antony Blinken, Lamothe, Michel Martelly, Jean Henry Ceant, Ariel Henry, Harold Isaac, Sarah Morland, Eric Beech, Costas Pitas, Tim Ahmann, Leslie Adler Organizations: PORT, Haitian, State Department, U.S ., Miami Herald, Lamothe, Martelly, United Nations, Thomson Locations: United States, U.S, Miami, Venezuelan, Canada, Ottawa, Haiti

☆ Trailing Michel Houellebecq From the Bedroom to the Courtroom
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Nina Siegal | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In a joint interview, Ruitenbeek and Sinha said they developed the concept for the Houellebecq film with the author and shot 600 hours of footage of him, with his contractual consent. Houellebecq only objected when they put together a two-minute trailer for the work in progress, according to Ruitenbeek and Sinha. (Houellebecq has a long history of making critical statements about Islam, and some readers have found Islamophobic sentiments in his books.) In a French court, Houellebecq argued that the trailer violated his privacy and damaged his image. After Houellebecq left the project, KIRAC filmed in and around the court proceedings, as well as shooting other moments, such as Saturday night’s cockroach show.

Persons: Ruitenbeek, Sinha, Houellebecq, “, ” Ruitenbeek, KIRAC, Jacqueline Schaap Locations: Morocco, Paris, Amsterdam

☆ Macron tells Eastern Europe - we should have listened to you over Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, May 31 (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged on Wednesday that France should have paid more attention to Eastern European nations, which warned about a belligerent Russia before Moscow's forces invaded Ukraine. Macron told a security forum there should be no division between "Old Europe" and "New Europe", referring to enduring divergences between eastern and western European Union members over matters such as Russia. "Let's be grateful and say thank you to the United States. Macron said Russia had suffered clear setbacks in the war, including Finland's accession to NATO and losing legitimacy on the global stage. We can see that what was supposed to be a 'special operation' is already a geopolitical failure," Macron said.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Jacques Chirac, EU's, Vladimir Putin, Let's, Donald Trump, Michel Rose, Mark Heinrich, Jon Boyle Organizations: PARIS, Eastern, European Union, Russia, NATO, Thomson Locations: France, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Slovak, Bratislava, United States, Britain, Iraq, Germany, Paris, Poland

CNN —Dutch police arrested over 1,500 people after Extinction Rebellion protesters blocked a motorway in The Hague on Saturday. Hundreds of police were deployed to “maintain public order” during the climate protest, Dutch police said in a press release Saturday. Oscar Brak/NurPhoto/Getty ImagesActivists are arrested after blocking the A12 motorway in The Hague. Michel Porro/Getty ImagesVideos of the protest posted in social media showed protesters dressed in swimsuits and raincoats, prepared for the water cannons. Forty people were arrested for other criminal offenses including obstructing, blocking, vandalism, and insulting, according to the press release.

☆ South Korea, EU agree to boost security ties amid Ukraine, North Korea tension
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SEOUL, May 22 (Reuters) - South Korea and the European Union agreed on Monday to step up cooperation on security amid tension over Russia's invasion of Ukraine and North Korean nuclear threats. He also wants cooperation to curb North Korea's nuclear ambitions. They also criticised North Korea's ongoing efforts to develop its nuclear arsenal and Pyongyang's threats of the possible use of nuclear weapons against South Korea. South Korea is a staunch U.S. ally and hosts some 28,000 U.S. troops. It has also developed a crucial economic relationship with China, South Korea's largest trading partner.

☆ G-7 aims to rein in risks from China, awaits Zelenskyy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to arrive in Hiroshima on Saturday to drum up support for his country's defence effort. The G7 nations are looking to "de-risk, not decouple" from China, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters in Hiroshima. In a draft of the final communique seen by Reuters, G7 leaders agreed that China's status as the world's second-largest economy meant they had to continue to cooperate. "We do not seek to thwart China's economic progress and development," the leaders said in the draft, which is subject to change. China has voiced concern that the summit would turn into a "political show" against Beijing.

☆ Anheuser-Busch loses top LGBTQ+ rating over its Bud Light response
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Last year, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation gave Bud Light parent company Anheuser-Busch a top rating for LGBTQ+ equality. Bud Light sales dropped in the ensuing weeks. Bud Light has been embroiled in controversy since April. But Bud Light hasn’t gotten the benefit of support for its initial deal with Mulvaney because of its subsequent reaction. During the discussion, he mentioned that Bud Light is just one brand within the company’s broad portfolio, which has not changed its full-year outlook.

☆ Europe wants to ban Russian diamond imports. What comes next?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“Russian diamonds are not forever,” European Council President Charles Michel said on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, on Friday. Tatyana Makeyeva/ReutersA ban on Russian diamonds could inflate prices for European consumers, especially if diamond production elsewhere doesn’t ramp up. The biggest task facing Europe is how to design an air-tight ban that prevents Russian diamonds from arriving in the bloc through circuitous routes. “There are a lot of Russian diamonds that still get sold within the American economy,” he said. “If you really want to close loopholes, you need to find a system that prevents [Russian] diamonds going to the G7 market,” Neys said.

☆ EU's Michel calls for 'stable and constructive' cooperation with China
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Katya Golubkova | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HIROSHIMA, Japan, May 19 (Reuters) - European Council President Charles Michel said on Friday it was in the EU's interest to maintain "stable and constructive" cooperation with China, as the Group of Seven countries met to consider China's "economic coercion" and other concerns. The EU wants to "de-risk to reduce over-dependencies and diversify to address unfair practices", Michel told a briefing in Hiroshima. "Stable and constructive relations with China is in our mutual interest," he said. Michel called on China to use its influence over its neighbour to end the war in Ukraine. "We call on China to press Russia to stop its military aggression," Michel said.

☆ Pension reform defiance brings new blood to French trade unions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Leigh Thomas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Interest is growing among younger and private sector workers, where unions tend to be less well represented. Vacheron said that more than 30% of the CGT's recent joiners were under the age of 35 while 70% were coming from the private sector, which traditionally is dominated by the CFDT. "Since the retirement reform is contested by the young and old, public and private sector workers, they see a utility in belonging to unions, unions are attractive," Vacheron said. "Unions are rebuilding themselves from the ground up through recruitment and not only street protests," sociologist Michel Wieviorka said. Labour relations consultant Stephanie Matteudi-Lecocq said that the momentum coming from pension reform pushback could ultimately put unions back on more solid footing in companies.

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