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☆ Dutch probe 'illegal' China gov't offices in Netherlands
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMSTERDAM, Oct 26 (Reuters) - The Netherlands is investigating offices that have been operating illegally in the country on behalf of the Chinese government, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. The investigation follows reports by RTL Nieuws and website "Follow The Money" that two such offices have carried out functions, including remotely renewing Chinese citizens drivers' licences. The Chinese Embassy said in an emailed reaction to Reuters questions it "was not aware of the issue ... and not involved in it". "China`s judicial and law-enforcement authorities strictly abide by international rules and fully respect the judicial sovereignty of other countries," it said. "What is correct is that the Chinese government never informed us about the centres via diplomatic channels so that makes them illegal to begin with," Hovenkamp said.

☆ EXCLUSIVE In letter, Sweden lists 'concrete actions' on Turkey's concerns over NATO bid
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Jonathan Spicer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Yet Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said as recently as Oct. 6 that its demands had not yet been met. In its letter to Turkey, Sweden said that "concrete action has been taken on all core elements of the trilateral agreement". Sweden's foreign ministry, Turkey's foreign ministry and the communications arm of Erdogan's office each did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter. The letter was meant to reassure Turkey of Sweden's efforts amid ongoing bilateral talks and to encourage ultimate approval of the NATO membership bid, the source added. In a sign that talks were progressing, Sweden's foreign minister said on Friday he expects the last two holdouts, Turkey and Hungary, to vote soon on its NATO applications.

☆ Reports shed new light on last hours of S.Korean slain by North in 2020
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

REUTERS/Kim Hong-JiSEOUL, Oct 20 (Reuters) - An investigation by the government of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is raising fresh questions about the death of a South Korean official in 2020, which the previous administration wrote off as a failed defection attempt. Prosecutors on Tuesday filed for arrest warrants against a former defence minister and the former coast guard chief. The parliamentary report concludes that the coast guard and navy violated rules during their initial rescue efforts by failing to seek help from other vessels and authorities nearby. In June 2022, the coast guard apologised for "causing confusion", and its chief and eight other senior officials resigned. Prosecutors have raided a presidential archive and the offices and homes of two former intelligence chiefs, a former defence minister and the resigned coast guard head.

☆ India stops Pulitzer-winning journalist from travelling to US
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Indian authorities have stopped a photojournalist from boarding a flight to the United States, where she had planned to attend a ceremony to receive a Pulitzer Prize. Mattoo, who holds an Indian passport, said she was stopped at immigration at New Delhi airport on Monday night and prevented from travelling to the United States despite holding a valid visa and a ticket. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"Being able to attend the award ceremony was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me," Mattoo said on Twitter on Tuesday. The Himalayan region is claimed in full by both India and neighbouring Pakistan, but both countries only control parts of it. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and Angus MacSwanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Malaysia deported 150 Myanmar nationals this month, including former navy officers seeking asylum, and plans to send back more despite the risk of arrest they face at home, four sources familiar with the matter said. The two were deported from Malaysia for failing to hold valid documents to reside in the country, the sources said. Myanmar's embassy in Malaysia said in a post on Facebook that 150 Myanmar nationals were deported by plane on Oct. 6 in cooperation with Malaysian immigration authorities. The agency did not comment on dangers faced by Myanmar nationals deported back home. Despite such criticism, Malaysia is planning to deport more Myanmar nationals, according to community leaders who said they were briefed by authorities on planned deportations.

☆ Kuwait says OPEC+ decision was unanimous, based on economic studies -state news agency
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

DUBAI, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Kuwait said that the recent OPEC+ decision to cut oil output was taken collectively and based on economic studies of international oil markets, state news agency KUNA reported on Tuesday citing the foreign ministry. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Alaa Swilam; Writing by Lina NajemOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Leader of Brothers of Italy party Giorgia Meloni attends the fourth voting session to elect the new speaker, at the lower house of parliament, in Rome, Italy, October 14, 2022. Giorgetti, the industry minister in Mario Draghi's outgoing government, is considered to be one of the League's most moderate and pro-European figures. Coalition sources said energy-related matters are likely to remain in the hands of the ecological transition ministry. The frontrunner to succeed technocrat Roberto Cingolani in the job is Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, a coalition source said. Brothers of Italy's Adolfo Urso, previously head of the parliamentary committee on security, is the frontrunner for the position, one source said.

☆ Russia faces turmoil, says former diplomat who resigned over war
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In a 6,500 word critique of Putin's Russia, Bondarev said the state was infested by sycophantic "yes men" who repeated the Kremlin's line, allowing Putin to make crucial decisions in an echo chamber of his own propaganda. "It’s entirely possible his successor will try to carry on the war, especially given that Putin’s main advisers hail from the security services. But no one in Russia commands his stature, so the country would likely enter a period of political turbulence. The foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Bondarev's article. "Russians might unify behind an even more belligerent leader than Putin, provoking a civil war, more outside aggression, or both," he said.

☆ Putin's Russia 'has become a fascist state' and must be stopped in Ukraine, says ex-diplomat who defected after the invasion
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russia "has become a fascist state," argues an ex-diplomat who resigned over the war in Ukraine. "The invasion of Ukraine made it impossible to deny just how brutal and repressive Russia had become," Bondarev wrote. "The war," he continued, "shows that Russia is no longer just dictatorial and aggressive; it has become a fascist state." "The sanctions suddenly cut off our access to these products and left our military weaker than the West understood," Bondarev wrote. "There's only one thing that can really stop Putin," Bondarev wrote, "and that is a comprehensive rout."

☆ Belarus security forces given wide powers to deal with external threats- foreign minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 14 (Reuters) - Belarus has given its security forces broad powers under to prevent or respond to provocations from neighbouring countries, Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei told the Russian Izvestia newspaper in an interview published on Friday. "There was information that some neighbouring states were planning provocations on, pretty much, the seizure of certain sections of the territory of Belarus." The counter-terrorist operation regime gives security forces broad rights, including detentions to verify identities, barring movement, wiretapping and control of all communication and unimpeded entry of agents on any premises. "(That's) in order to identify and localise threats in a timely manner, and, if necessary, adequately respond to any military manifestations against Belarus." Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting in Melbourne by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Chilean lawmakers approve Trans-Pacific Partnership
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Chile's Sub Secretary of International Economics Relations Jose Miguel Ahumada shakes hands with Senator Ivan Moreira after the final discussion to vote on the Trans-Pacific Partnership at the National Congress in Valparaiso, Chile October 11, 2022. REUTERS/Rodrigo GarridoSANTIAGO, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Chile's congress voted to approve the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) trade deal on Tuesday after four years of legislative debate. Twenty-seven senators voted for the world's largest copper producer to join the 11-country trade deal while 10 voted against and one senator abstained. The government had said the CPTPP was not part of its program and it would not promote or hinder its passage. The trade deal had become a source of political debate, and protesters against the CPTPP gathered outside the Senate building on Tuesday to oppose the deal.

☆ Strikes hit building that houses empty German consulate in Kyiv, Berlin says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Oct 10 (Reuters) - A high-rise office building that houses a German consulate in Kyiv was hit during Russian missile strikes on Monday morning, the foreign ministry said, though no officials were present as the consulate has been empty for months since war broke out. "No work has gone on in the building for months," a foreign ministry spokesperson told a briefing, adding that the German government was in contact with officials in Kyiv to assess the extent of the damage to the site. Germany condemned the Russian strikes, which killed at least 10 people and were launched in retaliation for Ukrainian attacks, including on a bridge to Crimea. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will address a virtual meeting of Group of Seven (G7) leaders on Tuesday. Separately at the same government briefing, the defence ministry spokesperson said Germany expected to deliver an air defence system to Ukraine very soon and deliver three more next year, without giving exact timelines.

☆ Iran's morality police sanctioned by UK for 'repression of women'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Protestors stand in solidarity with Iranian women after the death of Mahsa Amini, in London, Britain September 24, 2022. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne//File PhotoLONDON, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Britain said on Monday it had sanctioned senior Iranian security officials and the country's "so-called Morality Police", saying the force had used threats of detention and violence to control what Iranian women wear and how they behave in public. Citing her death and the subsequent protests, Britain said it had sanctioned the morality police in its entirety, as well as both its chief, Mohammed Rostami Cheshmeh Gachi, and the Head of the Tehran Division, Haj Ahmed Mirzaei. Iranian authorities have described the protests as a plot by Iran's foes, including the United States. Last week, the foreign ministry said it had summoned the Iranian charge d’affaires, Iran’s most senior diplomat in Britain, over the crackdown on the protests.

☆ As protests rage at home, Iran launches drone and missile attack in Iraq’s Kurdistan region
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

As Iran struggles to quell a wave of street protests at home, the regime launched a drone and missile attack on an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in neighboring Iraq on Wednesday, Kurdish and U.S. officials said. The Iranian attack left at least nine people dead and 32 wounded, Kurdish authorities in the area said. Smoke billows following an Iranian cross-border attack in the area of Zargwez, about 9 miles from Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, on Sept. 28, 2022. The U.S. condemned the Iranian attack as an assault on Iraq’s sovereignty and accused the regime of trying to divert attention from domestic turmoil. No U.S. troops were wounded or killed in the Iranian attack.

☆ Nicaragua asks EU ambassador to leave the country - diplomatic sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sept 28 (Reuters) - Nicaragua has asked the European Union's ambassador to leave the country, three diplomatic sources told Reuters on Wednesday, after officials deemed the representative "persona non grata." European Union Ambassador Bettina Muscheidt was summoned to the Foreign Ministry, where she was declared "non grata" and notified that she should leave the country, one of the diplomatic sources said. Muscheidt is no longer welcome in Nicaragua, according to one of the diplomatic sources who requested anonymity to discuss the decision. Hugo Rodriguez, a nominee to serve as U.S. ambassador to Nicaragua, was denied his post by the government in June. In February, the Vatican's ambassador to Managua, Waldemar Stanislaw Sommertag, was declared persona non grata and ordered to leave.

☆ Exclusive: Qatar conscripts civilians for World Cup security
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Andrew Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The match is the first to take place at the stadium, which will host the World Cup 2022 final. The civilians were told they had been called up to assist with the World Cup and that it was their "patriotic duty" to do so, the source said. Asked for comment, a Qatari government official said in a statement that Qatar's national service program would continue as normal during the World Cup. The diplomats are expected to return to their posts after the World Cup. World Cup organisers intend to relax Qatar's strict laws limiting the public sale of alcohol, and will allow beer to be served near stadiums a few hours before matches kick off.

☆ Iran says U.S. trying to violate sovereignty over unrest, warns of response
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Pro-government peoples rally against the recent protest gatherings in Iran, after the Friday prayer ceremony in Tehran, Iran September 23, 2022. Iran has been rocked by nationwide demonstrations sparked by the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, after she was detained by morality police enforcing the Islamic Republic's strict restrictions on women's dress. Iran said the United States was supporting rioters and seeking to destablise the Islamic Republic. Iran has blamed armed Iranian Kurdish dissidents of involvement in ongoing unrest in the country, particularly in the northwest where most of Iran's up to 10 million Kurds live. A main Iranian teachers union, in a statement posted on social media on Sunday, called for teachers and students to stage the first national strike since the unrest began, on Monday and Wednesday.

☆ Britain's foreign minister to begin Asia trip on Monday
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterBritain's Foreign Secretary James Cleverly speaks during a high level meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the situation amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 22, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidLONDON, Sept 25 (Reuters) - British foreign minister James Cleverly will begin a three-day trip to Japan, the Republic of Korea and Singapore on Monday, the foreign ministry said on Sunday, as part of Britain's diplomatic tilt towards the region. Cleverly will attend the state funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during the trip. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Alistair Smout Editing by Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China urges Europe to take positive steps on climate change
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China's chief climate negotiator Xie Zhenhua smiles as he takes part a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum 2022 (WEF) in the Alpine resort of Davos, Switzerland May 24, 2022. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/FilesSHANGHAI, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Europe and other developed countries must take "positive action" to implement climate change goals as geopolitical uncertainties threaten to undermine their efforts, China's top climate envoy told his German counterpart. Xie Zhenhua, who leads China's climate negotiations, told Germany's special climate envoy Jennifer Morgan via video link late on Wednesday that global climate governance was currently facing "multiple challenges and uncertainties". China, the world's biggest carbon emitter, is expected to focus on the issue of financing at this year's global climate talks, known as COP27, which will take place in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt in November. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by David Stanway; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Musk says Starlink will seek exemption from Iranian sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterStarlink logo is seen on a smartphone in front of displayed Ukrainian flag in this illustration taken February 27, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationSept 19 (Reuters) - SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Monday that the company will ask for an exemption from sanctions against Iran to provide the firm's Starlink satellite broadband service in the country. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterIran's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology could not be immediately reached for comment. Musk did not specify from which country Starlink would seek exemptions, but Iran faces broad based sanctions. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel and Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China lodges complaint after Biden says U.S. would defend Taiwan in a Chinese invasion
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Sept 19 (Reuters) - The Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday that China has lodged "stern representations" with the United States, after U.S. President Joe Biden said U.S. forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. China reserves the right to take all necessary measures in response to activities that split the nation apart, said Mao Ning, spokesperson at the foreign ministry, at a regular media briefing. read moreChinese Foreign Ministry new spokesperson Mao Ning speaks at a news conference in Beijing, China September 5, 2022. She also urged the U.S. to handle Taiwan-related issues "carefully and properly", and not send "wrong signals" to Taiwan independence separatist forces, warning the United States not to seriously damage Sino-U.S. relations and the peace in the Taiwan Strait. "There is only one China in the world, Taiwan is part of China, and the government of the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government of China," said Mao.

☆ Five killed in Iran during protests over death in custody - rights group
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

read moreTwo of the people were killed as security forces opened fire on protesters in the Kurdish city of Saqez, Amini's hometown, the Hengaw Human Rights Organization said on Twitter. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterIt said two more were killed in the town of Divandarreh "by direct fire" from security forces, and a fifth was killed in Dehgolan, also in the Kurdish region. In the nationwide condemnations of Amini's death, the Persian hashtag #MahsaAmini reached nearly 2 million Twitter mentions. The protests have been most intense in the Kurdish region, where the authorities have previously put down unrest by the Kurdish minority numbering 8 million to 10 million. While Hengaw reported deadly force by security forces in the Kurdish region, there were no immediate reports of protest fatalities in other parts of Iran.

☆ China, Nepal agree on building a trans-Himalayan network
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Aug 11 (Reuters) - China and Nepal have agreed to build the so-called Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network, the Chinese foreign ministry said, following a meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries. As part of the agreement, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China would finance the feasibility study of a China-Nepal cross-border railway and send experts to Nepal to conduct surveys this year, Wang Wenbin, spokesperson at the foreign ministry, told a regular media briefing in Beijing on Thursday. The network, under China's Belt and Road initiative, will involve the building of railways and communication networks. During a landmark visit by President Xi Jinping to Nepal in 2019, China and Nepal elevated their relationship to a "strategic partnership". Reporting by Martin Quin Pollard; writing by Ryan Woo; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China avoids calling Russia's attack on Ukraine an 'invasion' and says trade with Russia will continue as normal
▼ + stars: | 2022-02-24 | by ( Weilun Soon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

In its first comments since Russia's attack on Ukraine, China's foreign ministry sidestepped questions on whether it viewed Russia's actions as an invasion. It also stressed that trade with Russia will continue as normal. When a Reuters reporter asked if China would ask Russia to withdraw from Ukraine, Hua said, "We call on all relevant parties concerned to exercise restraint." Hua also said the US had been "hyping up war for some time," a transcript of the press event released by China's foreign ministry shows. Hua said trade between China and Russia would continue as normal.

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