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☆ North Korea media urges stronger nuclear force after U.S. missile test
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A North Korean military commentator said despite the failure of the test, the presence of South Korean "puppet military gangsters" showed that U.S. nuclear weapons were targeted at North Korea. The commentary also criticised the U.S. and South Korea for various recent military steps including the deployment of U.S. nuclear strategic bombers to South Korea. The U.S. and South Korea also held air exercises involving 130 warplanes from both countries to simulate 24-hour wartime operations last month. South Korea and the United States say their exercises are aimed at maintaining combat readiness to respond to North Korea. North Korea denounces the exercises as preparations by the United States and its South Korean ally to invade it.

Persons: Kim, Hyunsu Yim, Hyonhee Shin, Robert Birsel Organizations: Minuteman, Daylight, Vandenberg Air Force Base, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, U.S, U.S . Air Force, South, North, Democratic People's, DPRK, Korea's Unification Ministry, Thomson Locations: California, U.S, Rights SEOUL, North Korea, United States, Korean, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, South Korea, North, Korea, Japan

☆ White House says US sending smaller military packages to Ukraine due to Congress inaction
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and U.S. President Joe Biden shake hands during the G7 leaders' summit in Hiroshima, Japan May 21, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS/file photo Acquire Licensing RightsABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, Nov 3 (Reuters) - The United States has begun sending smaller military aid packages to Ukraine in order to stretch out support given a stalemate in Congress over providing funding for Ukraine, the White House said on Friday. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters the U.S. intention is to extend the ability to support Ukraine for as long as possible while Congress debates new aid. Reporting by Nandita Bose and Steve Holland Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Joe Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre, Nandita Bose, Steve Holland, Chris Reese Organizations: Presidential Press Service, REUTERS, AIR FORCE, United, White, Thomson Locations: Hiroshima, Japan, United States, Ukraine

☆ Five killed as floods hit Italy's Tuscany region
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] An aerial view shows flooding following heavy rains in Prato, Tuscany, Italy November 3, 2023, in this screen grab taken from a handout video. However, Giani said the death toll had risen to five after rain swept away cars and forced people to evacuate the lower floors of buildings. The government was expected to declare a state of emergency which would allow the rapid release of help for Tuscany. The governor of Tuscany said there were challenging issues around two large rivers in the area, the Bisenzio, north of Florence, and the Ombrone, in the southern part of the region. Another person was missing in the northeastern Veneto region, the local governor was quoted as saying by Sky TG24.

Persons: Storm Ciaran, Eugenio Giani, Giani, Luigi D'Angelo, Giorgia Meloni, Sky, Ciaran, Giulia Segreti, Federico Maccioni, Keith Weir, Sonali Paul, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Fire Brigade, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Civil, Sky, Thomson Locations: Prato , Tuscany, Italy, Rights FLORENCE, Italian, Tuscany, Europe, Florence, Pistoia, Rosignano, Montemurlo, Veneto, Northern Ireland, Britain, Belgium, Netherlands, France

The Jabalia refugee camp is highlighted and the site of an airstrike within the camp shown. People and medics rush to the scene of an Israeli attack that hit the Jabalia refugee camp in north Gaza on Wednesday, Nov. 1. People and medics rushed to the scene of an Israeli attack that hit the Jabalia refugee camp in north Gaza on Wednesday, Nov. 1. The second airstrike hit on Wednesday Nov. 1 in the Falouja neighbourhood of Jabalia refugee camp, approximately half a mile from the site of Tuesday’s explosion. A third Israeli airstrike hit the Jabalia refugee camp on November 2, Reuters reported.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Volker Turk, ” Turk, ”, OpenStreetMap, Al Bureij, Khan Younis, Bureij, Jabalia, Nizar Rayan, Abdel Kareem Rayan, “, Justin Bronk, ” Bronk, Al Mouhawel, Ibrahim Biari, Daniel Hagari, Biari, situating, ” Hagari, Hagari, Hazem Qassem, Muhammad A’sar, Abu Hussein, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Netanyahu Organizations: Islamic, Human, Space Agency Sentinel, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, Masae Analytics, United Nations, Reuters, Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, Hamas, Palestinian, Technology, Royal United Services Institute, Israeli Air, Attack Munitions, Pentagon, Maxar, Jabalia Battalion, Interior Ministry, European Union Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Gaza ., Beach, Al, Jabalia, Rafah, Palestine, Israeli, London, JDAMs, Iraq, Afghanistan, Al Almey, Falouja, United States

Debates about its efficacy abound, with the United States, Europe and several environmental groups speaking out about the opportunities and risks. Research has been conducted into other potentially less dangerous SRM technologies, including marine cloud brightening, which involves the spraying of seawater from ships to make clouds more reflective. One group of 60 scientists launched a global initiative last year aimed at persuading governments to ban outdoor solar geoengineering experiments. "Once you've committed to it, you've got to keep doing it," said Laura Wilcox, a climate expert at Britain's University of Exeter. "If you stop, then you're going to see all of that warming that you've missed, essentially on climate timescales overnight.

Persons: Luke Iseman, SO2, Benjamin Sovacool, Andrea Hinwood, you've, Laura Wilcox, David Stanway, Jake Spring, Pravin Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . National Academy of Sciences, Company, Reuters, Harvard University, Swedish Space Corporation, Research, Boston University, SRM, United Nations Environment Program, Britain's University of Exeter, Pravin Char, Thomson Locations: Baja California, Mexico, Handout, United States, Europe, China, England, Africa, Asia

☆ Scientists observe chimpanzees using human-like warfare tactic
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] A group of chimpanzees listen to other chimpanzees heard at a distance in the West African forests of Cote d'Ivoire, studied as part of research by the Tai Chimpanzee Project, in this undated handout photograph. But in this case, it involved not people but chimpanzees in Tai National Park in southwestern Ivory Coast, West Africa's largest protected area of rainforest. Inter-group violence is ubiquitous in chimpanzees, Lemoine said. They were more likely to advance into dangerous territory after descending a hill if the rival chimpanzees were further away. Chimpanzees and the closely related bonobos are the species nearest genetically to humans, sharing about 98.8% of our DNA.

Persons: Wittig, Sylvain Lemoine, Lemoine, " Lemoine, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, University of Cambridge, Biology, Inter, Thomson Locations: West, Cote d'Ivoire, Tai, Ivory Coast, Washington

☆ Russian drone hits oil refinery, frontline attacks repelled -Ukraine military
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Firefighters work at an oil refinery which was hit during Russia's drone attacks in Kremenchuk, Poltava region, Ukraine November 1, 2023. "The focus of the attack was Poltava region, it was attacked in several waves," Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat told national television. A video posted by the Ukrainian military showed its forces destroying a Russian flamethrower system near Avdiivka, an attack it said could be observed for dozens of kilometres. Russian forces shell the river's western bank almost daily. In Poltava region, three villages lost electricity after power lines and an unnamed infrastructure facility were damaged, the Energy Ministry said on Telegram.

Persons: Administration Filip Pronin, Filip Pronin, Yuriy Ihnat, Oleksandr Kovalenko, Kovalenko, Natalia Khomeniuk, Andriy Raikovych, Pavel Polityuk, Lidia Kelly, Ron Popeski, Alison Williams, Gareth Jones, Grant McCool Organizations: Poltava Regional, Administration, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Ukraine's Air Force, Air Force, General Staff, Energy Ministry, Telegram, Railway, Reuters, Russian Defence, Thomson Locations: Kremenchuk, Poltava region, Ukraine, Poltava, Handout, Russian, Moscow, Russia, Ukrainian, Kupiansk, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Kherson, Dnipro, Kirovohrad, Odesa, Kyiv, Melbourne

☆ A tech worker shared his 'housewarming registry' online, and people he'd never met bought him $600 worth of plates and plant stands
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

When John Anderson, 37, moved to a new house in September, he made an Amazon housewarming registry. He shared it with his followers online and got $600 worth of presents from people he'd never met. AdvertisementAdvertisementHe's not alone: Some new homeowners are setting up housewarming registries with wish lists of items to furnish their new pads. People with housewarming registries believe that buying a home is its own milestone nowadays, on par with getting married or having a baby. Did you have a housewarming registry?

Persons: John Anderson, he'd, —, they'd, Anderson, Lizzie Post, Emily Post, Refinery29, John Anderson Anderson, Jordan Pandy Organizations: Service, Facebook Locations: New Orleans, jpandy@insider.com

☆ Iran's Khamenei urges Muslim countries to boycott Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting with a group of students in Tehran, Iran November 2, 2022. Israel has launched an unprecedented bombardment of Gaza and imposed a siege of the enclave. Khamenei, Iran's top authority, said the United States was complicit in Israel's "recent crimes against Palestinians". Israel, which Tehran refuses to recognise, has long accused Iran's clerical rulers of stoking violence by supplying arms to Hamas. "One of the shameless acts of the West is accusing Palestinian fighters of terrorism," Khamenei said.

Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khamenei, Parisa, Andrew Cawthorne, William Maclean Organizations: Iran's, Iranian, West Asia News Agency, REUTERS, Rights, Palestinian, Dubai Newsroom, Thomson Locations: Tehran, Iran, Rights DUBAI, Israel, Gaza, Islamic Republic, United States, France, Britain, America

☆ Relics of huge primordial collision reside in Earth's deep interior
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Will Dunham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/NASA/Handout/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Seismologists have recognized since the 1970s that two mysterious continent-sized blobs reside in the deepest part of Earth's mantle, one under Africa and the other under the South Pacific region. Based on these simulations, they proposed that most of Theia was absorbed into Earth, forming the blobs, while residual debris formed the moon. If the study's conclusions are correct, these blobs would represent the first direct evidence of the hypothesized moon-forming collision. "It is incredible because we can uncover relics of another planet - Theia - if we dig deep enough in Earth's mantle," added planetary scientist and study co-author Hongping Deng of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Shanghai Astronomical Observatory. Asimow said that if their conclusions are correct some volcanic rocks that reach Earth's surface may provide samples of a vanished planet.

Persons: Qian Yuan, Paul Asimow, Hongping Deng, Yuan, Asimow, Will Dunham, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: NASA, REUTERS, Rights, Caltech, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Thomson Locations: Africa, South Pacific, Theia, Shanghai

☆ Kazakhstan welcomes France's Macron under Moscow's disapproving gaze
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron during a meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan November 1, 2023. Press service of the President of Kazakhstan/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. At a meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Macron complimented Astana for refusing to side with Moscow on Ukraine and said the two countries planned to sign significant business deals. In addition to oil, Kazakhstan is a major exporter of uranium, and France's Orano already operates a joint venture with its state nuclear firm Kazatomprom. "We can call your visit historic, very important," Tokayev told Macron.

Persons: Kassym, Emmanuel Macron, Macron, Sergei Lavrov, France's, Tokayev, Tamara Vaal, Olzhas, Jason Neely Organizations: Press, Rights ASTANA, Kazakh, Astana, United Nations, Soviet Central, Foreign, Moscow, Thomson Locations: Astana, Kazakhstan, Handout, Central Asia, Ukraine, China, Europe, Russia, Moscow, Uzbekistan, Western, France

☆ Pope says he will attend COP28 climate summit in Dubai, a first by a pontiff
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Pope Francis leads the weekly general audience in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, October 18, 2023. The pope told Italy's state-run RAI television TG1 news in an interview that he expected to be in Dubai Dec. 1-3. In Dubai, the pope is expected to drive home his recent appeal for action to curb global warming. Francis, 86, has made protection of the environment one of the hallmarks of his papacy and met last month with COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber. Failure in Dubai, Francis said in the document, "will be a great disappointment and jeopardize whatever good has been achieved thus far".

Persons: Pope Francis, Italy's, Francis, Sultan al, Jaber, Deum, Joe Biden, Philip Pullella, Diane Craft, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, Rights, RAI, TG1, Thomson Locations: Saint Peter's, Dubai, el, Sheikh, Egypt, Glasgow, Scotland

☆ Russia may be using upgraded bombs in Ukraine that can crush bunkers 66ft underground
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia deployed upgraded glide bombs on eastern Ukraine, the Institute for the Study of War noted. The bombs are upgraded versions of the FAB-250, FAB-500, and FAB-1500, named after their respective weights in kilograms. FAB bombs are a Soviet design, and variants without upgraded guidance have been seen deployed in Ukraine before. FAB-500-type aircraft bombs found by Ukrainian forces on the 10th day of Russian attacks on Ukraine in Chernihiv, Ukraine on March 5, 2022. Russia pummeled Ukraine with 40 glide bombs in just one night in early October in the eastern Kherson region, he said.

Persons: —, STRINGER, Oleksiy Melnyk, Melnyk, Hans Petter Midttun Organizations: Institute for, Service, FAB, OF, Washington Post, Centre of Defence, Euromaidan Press, Russia pummeled Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Soviet, Mariupol, Ukrainian, Chernihiv, OF UKRAINE, Kyiv, Russia pummeled Ukraine, Kherson

☆ South Korea economic growth to exceed potential rate in 2024, Yoon says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

President of South Korea Yoon Suk-Yeol speaks at the opening session of Saudi Arabia's Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, October 24, 2023. South Korea's potential growth rate - the maximum economic growth that can be achieved without triggering inflationary pressure - is estimated to be around 2%, policymakers have said. In a Reuters survey conducted early this month, economic growth was forecast to slow to 1.2% in 2023 from 2.6% in 2022, followed by a recovery to 2.1% in 2024. The government in August unveiled its 2024 budget plan that included the smallest increase in two decades amid weakening tax revenue due to slower economic growth. He also pledged South Korea would maintain mutually beneficial cooperation with China, South Korea's largest trading partner.

Persons: South Korea Yoon Suk, Yoon Suk Yeol, Yoon, 1,348.7800, Jihoon Lee, Ed Davies Organizations: South, Saudi, Future Investment Initiative, Saudi Press Agency, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Gross, Bank of, Thomson Locations: South Korea, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Rights SEOUL, United States, Bank of Korea, Washington, China, South

Israel is blockading Gaza and refuses to allow in fuel, saying it could be used by the Hamas militant group for their military goals. The U.S. was "working on a mechanism that can get fuel to where it's needed" in Gaza, he said. Medical authorities in Hamas-run Gaza said on Tuesday that 8,525 people including 3,542 minors had been killed. Distribution is particularly hard in northern Gaza, the main focus of Israel's military operation, aid officials say, and some have halted all deliveries. World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said on Tuesday it had sent no further aid to northern Gaza hospitals since Oct. 24, citing a lack of security guarantees.

Persons: Antonio Guterres, Gazans, Juliette Touma, Jonathan Crickx, Antony Blinken, Washington, Blinken, Christian Lindmeier, Rick Brennan, David Satterfield, UNRWA's Touma, Gabrielle Tetrault, Farber, Michelle Nichols, Humeyra Pamuk, Simon Lewis, Nidal, William Maclean, Gareth Jones Organizations: UNRWA, International Federation of Red, Red Crescent Societies, UNICEF Palestine, UNICEF, Palestinian, Palestine Red Crescent Society, Handout, REUTERS, White House, Health Organization, WHO, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Gaza, U.N, Palestinian, Rafah, Egypt, Israel, Ukraine, The U.S, Palestine, Deir al, Cairo , U.S

The logo of NVIDIA as seen at its corporate headquarters in Santa Clara, California, in May of 2022. Nvidia's stock fell to as low as $392.30, down 4.7%, to the lowest level since mid-June. "The stock is getting oversold," said Tom Plumb, chief executive and lead portfolio manager at Plumb Funds, which has Nvidia as one of its largest holdings. "Previously, Nvidia has said this is not going to have a short-term impact but it's more in the long term. "These new export controls will not have a meaningful impact in the near term," the Nvidia spokesperson said in a statement.

Persons: Tom Plumb, Plumb, Biden, Thomas Hayes, Chibuike Oguh, Stephen Nellis, Amruta, Lance Tupper, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: NVIDIA, Handout, REUTERS, Nvidia Corp, Nvidia, Alibaba, HK, Baidu, U.S . Commerce Department, Wall, Nasdaq, Plumb Funds, Beijing, Great, Thomson Locations: Santa Clara , California, China, U.S, Iran, Russia, New York, San Francisco, Bengaluru

☆ Israel says its forces freed soldier held captive in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Israeli soldier Ori Megidish is seen in this handout picture obtained by Reuters on October 30, 2023, after Israeli army said she was freed from Hamas during a military's ground operation. Israel Security Agency/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsJERUSALEM, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Israel said on Monday that its forces freed a soldier from Hamas captivity during the ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. The soldier, identified as Ori Megidish, was kidnapped by Hamas gunmen who rampaged through southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7. Israel says that over 200 hostages are being held by Hamas, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the ground campaign in Gaza creates the possibility for their rescue. Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by James Mackenzie, Tomasz Janowski and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ori Megidish, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, yesterday's, we're, Ari Rabinovitch, James Mackenzie, Tomasz Janowski, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Reuters, Israel Security Agency, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Gaza

The AI cloud-computing organization, called Voltage Park, has 24,000 Nvidia H100 chips, Voltage Park CEO Eric Park told Reuters in an interview. The operation plans to offer long- and short-term, low-cost AI computing to help alleviate the shortage of AI chips. Voltage Park plans to set up clusters of the Nvidia AI chips in Texas, Virginia and Washington. After the release of OpenAI's ChatGPT last year, demand for Nvidia's advanced AI silicon soared as businesses scrambled for chips to power their AI ambitions. Intel , Advanced Micro Devices (AMD.O) and a host of startups sell competing AI chips that are also in heavy demand.

Persons: Jed McCaleb, Eric Park, OpenAI's ChatGPT, McCaleb, Max A, Anna Tong, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: NVIDIA, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, Nvidia, Reuters, Intel, Devices, Navigation Fund, Navigation, Thomson Locations: Santa Clara , CA, Texas , Virginia, Washington, Gox, San Mateo , California, San Francisco

☆ Pfizer RSV vaccine lags GSK’s as head-to-head competition underway
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Michael Erman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] View of Pfizer's new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine Abrysvo during its manufacture in this undated handout picture. "800 POUND GORILLAS"CVS, which has more than 9,000 U.S. locations, declined to comment on why it was only carrying GSK's vaccine. It was not immediately clear how many RSV shots were being administered in pharmacies versus doctors' offices. GSK declined to discuss its RSV vaccine contracts, but said customer relationships gives it a competitive advantage. Two independent pharmacists said they are being charged a lower price by wholesalers for the GSK vaccine, which comes in boxes of 10.

Persons: Price, Ben Link, Link, Pfizer's, Dovato, Morningstar, Damien Conover, We’ve, Alison Hunt, Michelle Vargas, Michael Erman, Caroline Humer, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Pfizer, Handout, REUTERS, GSK, Reuters, CVS Health, CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Aid, Thomson Locations: United States, British, U.S, South Carolina

☆ Hostages in mind, Israel moves slowly in Gaza ground offensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Jonathan Saul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Troops freed an Israeli soldier from Hamas captivity during the ground operation in Gaza, the military said on Monday. An Israeli military spokesperson declined to comment on details of the offensive, citing sensitivity with the issue. Saying any lull in fighting would benefit Hamas, Israel rejected the calls, in the first public split between Israel and its allies since Oct. 7. ENCIRCLING GAZA CITYAfter amassing hundreds of thousands of soldiers, including reservists, on its border with Gaza, Israel made the first sustained ground incursions of the offensive on Friday. Israeli military forces are aware of the dangers with heavily built up areas in Gaza and the dangers of sending in broad forces.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Amos Yadlin, Israel, Benny Gantz, Yoav Gallant, Netanyahu, Daniel Hagari, Salah Al Deen, Abu Ahmad, Hagari, Omri Attar, I'm, Ben Milch, they're, Milch, Jonathan Saul, Nidal Al Mughrabi, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Hamas, Israeli Defence Forces, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Reuters, Troops, ., Saturday, Forces, Islamic, Combat Engineering Corps, IDF, Thomson Locations: Israeli, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Hamas, GAZA, Gaza City, Jerusalem

☆ China military says Philippine ship 'illegally entered' waters near Scarborough Shoal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China Coast Guard/Handout via REUTERS/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Oct 30 (Reuters) - China's military said on Monday that a Philippine military ship "illegally entered" waters near Scarborough Shoal without authorisation and it urged the Philippines to immediately stop its provocations. The statement marks a rare warning from the Chinese military towards the Philippines over its moves in disputed waters in the South China Sea. China and the Philippines have had several confrontations in the South China Sea, recently trading accusations about a collision between a Chinese coastguard vessel and a boat from the Philippines. The Scarborough Shoal is claimed by China, the Philippines and Taiwan. Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including parts of the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Persons: Tian Junli, Tian, Ethan Wang, Bernard Orr, Alison Williams, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: China Coast Guard, REUTERS, Rights, coastguard, People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command, Thomson Locations: Philippine, South, Rights BEIJING, Scarborough, Philippines, South China, China, Taiwan, Beijing, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam

☆ Polish archaeologists find remains of 17th-century woman and child padlocked in their graves
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Pien, Poland Reuters —Archaeologists in Poland have uncovered the remains of a 17th-century child padlocked to his grave to stop him rising from the dead, a discovery that turns the spotlight on beliefs in vampires as Halloween approaches. A woman’s body was also found in the cemetery with a padlock on her leg and a sickle around the neck, suggesting she was believed to be a vampire. “These are people who, if it was done intentionally, were afraid of … contact with these people because they might bite, drink blood,” Polinski said. The child’s grave was desecrated at some point after burial and all bones removed apart from those in the legs. Archaeologists have found other methods used to stop the living dead, with Polinski describing strange practices found in some burials.

Persons: padlocked, …, ”, Dariusz Polinski, Nicolaus, Nicolas, ” Polinski Organizations: Poland Reuters — Archaeologists, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Nicolas Copernicus University Institute of Archaeology Locations: Pien, Poland, Polish, Toruń

☆ US, South Korean warplanes kick off joint air drills
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A U.S. Air Force B-52 strategic bomber, C-17 aircraft along with South Korea's Air Force F-35As take part in a joint drill, South Korea, December 20, 2022. The annual drills, called Vigilant Defense, will run until Friday, featuring variants of the F-35 stealth fighter from both the United States and South Korea, among other aircraft, South Korea's Air Force said. The drills are aimed at improving interoperability between the two militaries by performing major air missions such as air-to-surface live fire drills, defensive counter air operation and other emergency training. "We will maintain the best combat readiness to immediately respond to and strongly punish any provocation by the enemy through an intense training simulating an actual situation," South Korea's military said in a statement. North Korea has long condemned joint drills between the United States and South Korea as a rehearsal for invasion and proof of hostile policies by Washington and Seoul.

Persons: Choe Son Hui, Soo, hyang Choi, Lincoln Organizations: U.S . Air Force, South Korea's Air Force, The Defence Ministry, Rights, South Korea, Vigilant Defense, Korea's Air Force, North Korean Foreign, Thomson Locations: South Korea, Rights SEOUL, United States, South, North Korea, Russia, Moscow, Pyongyang, Korea, Washington, Seoul

☆ Saudi defense minister expected to visit White House on Monday, Axios reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Saudi's new Defence Minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman chairs his first meeting with military officials in the Ministry of Defence in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, September 28, 2022. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabian Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman is expected to visit Washington on Monday for meetings with senior Biden administration officials, Axios reported on Saturday, citing three sources with knowledge of the trip. Khalid bin Salman is expected to meet with White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and several senators, according to the Axios report. The White House National Security Council told Reuters it had nothing to confirm when asked about the possible visit. U.S. President Joe Biden and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman on a call on Tuesday discussed efforts to prevent the Israel-Hamas conflict widening.

Persons: Prince Khalid bin Salman, Axios, Khalid bin Salman, Jake Sullivan, Defense Lloyd Austin, Antony Blinken, Joe Biden, Mohamed bin Salman, Biden, Michael Martina, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Defence Minister, Ministry of Defence, Saudi Press Agency, Handout, REUTERS, Rights, Saudi Arabian Defense, Washington, Biden, Saturday, Hamas, White House, Defense, White House National Security Council, Reuters, Saudi Arabian, Palestinian, Thomson Locations: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Gaza

☆ US appeals court keeps California assault weapons ban in force
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Courtesy LBPD/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsLOS ANGELES, Oct 28 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court ruled on Saturday that California's assault weapons ban will remain in force while the state attorney general appeals a lower court decision declaring the 30-year-old measure unconstitutional. Bonta, a Democrat who called Benitez' decision "dangerous and misguided," welcomed Saturday's 9th Circuit order. California in 1989 became the first U.S. state to ban assault weapons, acting in the wake of a school shooting that killed five children and toughening the law the following year. Since then, California has restricted the manufacture, distribution, transportation, importation, sale or possession of firearms that qualify under the law as "assault weapons." But the 9th Circuit subsequently allowed that statute to remain in effect while the state appeals.

Persons: Roger Benitez, Rob Bonta's, Benitez, Saturday's, Bonta, Steve Gorman, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Long Beach Police Department, REUTERS Acquire, U.S, Circuit, District, Thomson Locations: Long Beach, Long Beach , California, U.S, Handout, San Diego, California, Lewiston , Maine, San Francisco, Los Angeles

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