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☆ Three killed in Auckland shootout ahead of World Cup kick off
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AUCKLAND, July 20 (Reuters) - At least two people and an armed attacker were killed and six others wounded in a shooting in New Zealand's largest city of Auckland on Thursday, hours ahead of the opening match of the Women's soccer World Cup in the city. [1/4]Police vehicles are seen near the location of a reported shooting in Auckland, New Zealand on July 20, 2023. REUTERS/Nathan FrandinoHipkins is travelling to Auckland later in the day and is expected to provide more updates. The shootout occurred close to where several soccer players were housed. Norway plays New Zealand in the opening match of the tournament at Eden Park in Auckland later on Thursday.

Persons: Chris Hipkins, Hipkins, Nathan Frandino Hipkins, Maren Mjelde, Douglas Emhoff, Kamala Harris, Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, Renju Jose, Praveen Menon, Sandra Maler, Stephen Coates Organizations: AUCKLAND, Police, REUTERS, Norwegian, Verdens Gang, New Zealand, Eden, Auckland Mayor, Thomson Locations: Zealand's, Auckland, Auckland , New Zealand, Norway, New, Italy, U.S, New Zealand, Sydney

☆ Russia strikes Ukraine's Odesa port in 'hellish' attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Nick Starkov | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] Children's bicycles are seen among debris in an apartment building damaged during Russian missile and drone strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near Odesa, Ukraine July 19, 2023. The attack was "very powerful, truly massive," Serhiy Bratchuk, spokesperson for the Odesa military administration, said in a voice message on his Telegram channel on Wednesday. Most of Ukraine was under air raid alerts on and off starting soon after midnight on Wednesday, with Russia striking other places, including a drone attack on Kyiv. It was a much lower success rate than Ukraine usually reports for countering Russian air attacks. Telegram channels linked to Russian security services and Ukrainian media said an ammunition depot was on fire at the base after a Ukrainian overnight air attack.

Persons: Stringer, Serhiy Bratchuk, Odesa, Serhiy Popko, Sergei Aksyonov, Bratchuk, U.N, Stephane Dujarric, Russia's, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Moscow, Dmitry Peskov, Gleb Garanich, Lidia Kelly, Ron Popeski, Philippa Fletcher, Leslie Adler, Stephen Coates, Michael Perry Organizations: Russian, REUTERS, Kyiv, United Nations, Telegram, Russia's Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Odesa, Crimea, Kyiv Ukrainian, Moscow, Russia, Crimean, ., Turkey, Kyiv, Kyiv's, Kirovske, Russian, Crimea's Kirovske, Africa, Asia, Ukrainian, Melbourne, Winnipeg

[1/2] U.S. climate envoy John Kerry, at right walks next to U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns as they arrive for meetings at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Wednesday, July 19, 2023. Ng Han Guan/Pool via REUTERSBEIJING, July 19 (Reuters) - Climate change is a "universal threat" that should be handled separately from broader diplomatic issues, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry told Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng on Wednesday after two days of what he called constructive but complex talks. Acknowledging the diplomatic difficulties between the two sides in recent years, Kerry said climate should be treated as a "free-standing" challenge that requires the collective efforts of the world's largest economies to resolve. Kerry told reporters earlier that his talks with Chinese officials this week have been constructive but complicated, with the two sides still dealing with political "externalities", including Taiwan.

Persons: John Kerry, China Nicholas Burns, Ng Han Guan, Han Zheng, Kerry, Wang Yi, Premier Li Qiang, Xie Zhenhua, Han, Nancy Pelosi, It's, Valerie Volcovici, David Stanway, Stephen Coates Organizations: of, People, REUTERS, Premier, . House, Thomson Locations: U.S, China, Beijing, REUTERS BEIJING, Europe, Asia, United States, Dubai, Paris, Taiwan

☆ Russia warns ships in Black Sea, Ukraine to create temporary grains export route
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine said on Wednesday it was establishing a temporary shipping route via Romania, one of the neighbouring Black Sea countries. Russia's Defence Ministry said flag states of ships travelling to Ukrainian ports would be considered parties to the conflict on the Ukrainian side from midnight Moscow time (2100 GMT on Wednesday). U.S. officials have information indicating Russia laid additional sea mines in the approaches to Ukrainian ports, said White House National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge. "We believe that this is a coordinated effort to justify any attacks against civilian ships in the Black Sea and lay blame on Ukraine for these attacks," he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Western countries of "perverting" the U.N.-backed deal formally called the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

Persons: West, Vasyl Shkurakov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Adam Hodge, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Valery Shershen, Grant McCool, Stephen Coates Organizations: Ukrainian Coast Guard, Operational Command, Putin, International Shipping Organization, United, Sunday, Russia's Defence Ministry, White, National Security, Monetary Fund, Russian, Reuters, Pentagon, Ukraine, European Union, Thomson Locations: Izmail, Odesa, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Romania, United Nations, Turkey, Ukrainian, Russian, Africa, Asia, China, Azov, Crimea, Washington, Brussels, European

According to a decree signed by Putin on Sunday, the Russian state had taken control of Danone's Russian subsidiary along with beer company Carlsberg's (CARLb.CO) stake in a brewer. Yakub Zakriev, 32, a deputy prime minister of Chechnya and the republic's agriculture minister, took the post of general director of Danone Russia on Tuesday, Interfax's SPARK database of company disclosure documents in Russia showed. "Choosing him as general director of Danone Russia shows that representatives of the team of Chechen President and Hero of Russia Ramzan Akhmatovich Kadyrov are talented and successful managers," Dudayev said on his Telegram messaging app. Kadyrov, a close ally of Putin, has referred on social media to Zakriev as his "dear nephew". Danone sought alliances with big local players during the boom years, eventually gaining at least a fifth of Russia's dairy market.

Persons: Kadyrov, Danone Russia Kovalchuk, Carlsberg, Ramzan Kadyrov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Yakub Zakriev, Akhmed Dudayev, of Russia Ramzan Akhmatovich Kadyrov, Dudayev, Zakriev, Zulai, Akhmad Kadyrov, Kadyrov's, Danone, Yuri, Mikhail Kovalchuk, Bolloev, Guy Faulconbridge, Lidia Kelly, Shubhendu, Stephen Coates, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Danone Russia, Danone, Kremlin, Sunday, Chechen, Moscow State University, Cuban Missile, Soviet, Financial Times, Shubhendu Deshmukh, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Chechnya, Grozny, Paris, Red, Soviet Union, United States, China, Baltika, St Petersburg, Moscow, Melbourne, Bengaluru

A global pattern of heat waves that have scorched parts of Europe, Asia and the United States this week have thrown that challenge into sharp relief. The World Meteorological Organization warned on Tuesday of increased risk of deaths linked to excessively high temperatures. In South Korea, deluges of rain have pummelled central and southern regions since last week. In recent days, temperatures in Xinjiang and other parts of Asia, as well as Europe and the United States have shattered records. On Tuesday, Beijing logged its 27th day of temperatures of more than 35C, setting a new local record for the most number of high-temperature days in a year.

Persons: Aly, Kerry, John Kerry, Hawaii's Big, Storm Calvin, Yoon Suk Yeol, Han Duck, ” Han, Han Zheng, Han, Wang Yi, Premier Li Qiang, Xie Zhenhua, Ryan Woo, Valerie Vocovici, Hyonhee, John Geddie, Stephen Coates Organizations: heatwave, REUTERS, Hawaii U.S, World Meteorological Organization, National Weather Service, Meteorological, Premier, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, South Korea, Greece, Hawaii, Beijing, BEIJING, SEOUL, Athens, U.S, Europe, Asia, United States, Cheongju, North Gyeongsang, Seoul, China's, Xinjiang, Turpan, Taiwan, Dubai

The company also said it would make a more secure version of its Bing search engine available immediately to businesses, aiming to address their data-protection concerns, grow their interest in AI and compete more with Google. The voluntary upgrade is on top of publicly listed, monthly plans ranging from $12.50 per user to $57, meaning the copilot could triple costs for some Microsoft customers. Unlike the public Bing that millions of web surfers have accessed in recent months, the enterprise version will not allow any viewing or saving of user data to train underlying technology. Asked if Bing users were unprotected until now, Spataro said Microsoft had made its privacy policies clear and was eager to bring AI to consumers. It may also draw customers to Microsoft 365 Copilot, an AI upgrade giving access to business data and compliance controls.

Persons: Jared Spataro, Spataro, Bing, Jeffrey Dastin, Stephen Coates Organizations: Microsoft, Google, Bing Chat, Thomson Locations: copilot, Palo Alto, Calif

[1/2] The South Korean and American flags fly next to each other at Yongin, South Korea, August 23, 2016. Officials from the United States and South Korea are meeting on Tuesday in Seoul for the first Nuclear Consultative Group discussion, aimed at better coordinating allied nuclear response in the event of a war with North Korea. China and North Korea have criticised the group's formation as further raising tensions on the Korean peninsula. When asked whether South Korea will have a role in U.S. nuclear war planning, a senior U.S. administration official told Reuters the group was more about sharing information. "We will discuss information sharing, consultation system, steps for joint planning and implementation to strengthen nuclear deterrence against North Korea," Yoon's spokesperson, Lee Do-woon, told reporters on Monday.

Persons: Ken Scar, Yoon Suk Yeol, Yoon, Kim Tae, Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell, Lee, woon, General John Weidner, Josh Smith, Steve Holland, David Brunnstrom, hyang Choi, Ed Davies, Stephen Coates Organizations: . Army, REUTERS, Nuclear, Monday, South, Reuters, South Korea's, . National Security, Pacific Affairs, . U.S, U.S . Forces, Thomson Locations: Yongin, South Korea, SEOUL, United States, North Korea, Seoul, Korea, U.S, Washington, China, ., U.S . Forces Korea, Lincoln

[1/2] Microsoft logo is seen on a smartphone placed on displayed Activision Blizzard logo in this illustration taken January 18, 2022. Nonetheless, Microsoft, which makes the Xbox gaming console, has been seeking the contract extension to ensure that Activision is not wooed by another potential acquirer or has a change of heart, the source said. The terms of the extension under negotiation and whether it would come with more financially advantageous terms for Activision could not immediately be learned. Microsoft and Activision did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Microsoft and Activision are negotiating potential remedies with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) which they hope will appease its antitrust concerns.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Anirban Sen, Matthew Lewis, Stephen Coates Organizations: Microsoft, Activision, REUTERS, Microsoft Corp, Competition, Markets Authority, CMA, Sony Group, Sony, U.S . Federal, Thomson Locations: Britain, U.S, New York

July 17 (Reuters) - Shares of Endeavour Group (EDV.AX), Australia's biggest pub owner, hit a record low on Monday after a surprise state government decision to impose identification checks and gambling limits on poker machine users. Victoria, Australia's second-most populous state, said at the weekend it would make poker machine users register for an ID card to prevent money laundering and set a loss limit in advance to restrict problem gambling. Analysts were divided on the scale of the impact on Endeavour, the country's biggest owner of poker machine licences, given the company does not break out poker machine profit in its results. The change also adds pressure on other states, particularly New South Wales (NSW), to follow suit and heed community demands for greater regulation of poker machine gambling. Australia is home to one-fifth of the world's poker machine licences, the most of any jurisdiction outside Las Vegas.

Persons: Australia's, midsession, Today's, Byron Kaye, Himanshi, Navya Mittal, Subhranshu Sahu, Stephen Coates Organizations: Endeavour Group, Australia's, Analysts, Endeavour, Woolworths, Labor, Jefferies, Thomson Locations: New South Wales, NSW, Sydney, Australia, Las Vegas, Bengaluru

☆ Dollar licks wounds as policy peak looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The euro , which jumped 2.4% last week to a 16-month high, held just below that peak at $1.1223. The yen , also up 2.4% last week, held at 138.56 per dollar. The Australian and New Zealand dollars pulled back slightly, with the Aussie last at $0.6821 - off last week's peak of $0.6895 - and the kiwi down 0.2% at $0.6355 after hitting a five-month high of $0.6412 on Friday. The Swedish and Norwegian crowns made gains of more than 5% on the dollar last week, and have paused for breath. "By then other major central banks including the ECB will also likely have reached their peak policy rates ... interest rate dynamics may therefore swing back in favour of the dollar."

Persons: Carol Kong, Chris Weston, Sharp, Jane Foley, Tom Westbrook, Sam Holmes, Stephen Coates Organizations: SYDNEY, New Zealand, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Pepperstone, U.S, dovish Bank of Japan, ECB, Thomson Locations: Europe, Melbourne, Asia

☆ Russian scientists warn of powerful solar flare activity on Monday
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 17 (Reuters) - Powerful solar flare activity is forecast for Monday which may interfere with short-wave communications, Russian scientists said after three flares were observed on the sun on Sunday. The Fedorov Institute of Applied Geophysics in Moscow said class X flares were possible, including proton flares, and short-wave radio conditions were expected to deteriorate. Proton flares are a storm of solar energetic particles, composed chiefly of proton. Solar flares happen when the powerful magnetic fields in and around the sun reconnect. Three solar flares were observed on Sunday, the Fedorov Institute said, with one lasting 14 minutes, accompanied by disruption in radio communication.

Persons: Fedorov, Lidia Kelly, Stephen Coates Organizations: Fedorov Institute, Applied Geophysics, NASA, SpaceX, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Melbourne

☆ Australia's Victoria pulls out of 2026 Commonwealth Games over cost concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

MELBOURNE, July 18 (Reuters) - Australia's state of Victoria will not host the 2026 Commonwealth Games due to projected cost overruns, placing the future of the quadrennial multi-sport event in doubt. "Frankly A$6-A$7 billion for a 12-day sporting event, we're not doing that," Andrews said at a media conference. Andrews said Victoria had already informed the global Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) but the cost of breaking the 2026 contract had yet to be decided. The CGF did not provide immediate comment but local body Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) said the pull-out was "beyond disappointing". The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), which had spoken of the 2026 Games as a "runway" for hosting the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, said it was "an enormous disappointment" for the athletes.

Persons: Victoria Premier Dan Andrews, we're, Andrews, Victoria, Craig Phillips, John Coates, Chris Minns, CGF, Ian Ransom, Christian Schmollinger, Stephen Coates, Peter Rutherford Organizations: MELBOURNE, Victoria Premier, Commonwealth Games Federation, Commonwealth Games Australia, First Nations Australians, Birmingham, Australia, Games, Australian Olympic, New Zealand Olympic, Olympic, Sydney, South, Thomson Locations: Victoria, Australia, Britain, South Africa, Coast, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Gippsland, New South Wales, NSW, South Australia, Western Australia, Hamilton

☆ Uniqlo owner's 3Q profit surges 35%, raises forecast on China recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, July 13 (Reuters) - The Japanese operator of apparel retailer Uniqlo reported record third-quarter profit on Thursday and raised its full-year forecast as its business in China continued to recover from a pandemic slowdown. Fast Retailing's (9983.T) operating profit in the three months through May surged 35% to 110.3 billion yen ($797 million), exceeding the 102.4 billion yen average of forecasts from seven analysts surveyed by Refinitiv. The company raised its full-year profit forecast to 370 billion yen, also a new record, from 360 billion yen previously. Fast Retailing's Uniqlo sign boards are displayed at a casual clothing store in Tokyo, Japan January 11, 2023. Fast Retailing's shares have soared 32% so far this year, helping founder Tadashi Yanai cement his place as Japan's richest person.

Persons: Uniqlo, Issei Kato, Tadashi Yanai, Rocky Swift, Stephen Coates, Tom Hogue Organizations: REUTERS, Business, Nikkei, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, China, Tokyo, Japan

☆ Boris Johnson warns US against ‘Ukraine fatigue’ as NATO summit concludes
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Editor’s Note: Laura Coates’ interview with Boris Johnson will air tonight on CNN at 10 p.m. In an interview with CNN Tonight’s Laura Coates as a key NATO summit concluded Wednesday, Johnson called on the US to continue its support of Ukraine, including the steady flow of weapons. He said that there could be “no possible excuse” to delay Ukraine’s NATO membership. “There can be no possible excuse or reason to keep faffing around and delaying,” Johnson said, adding that it was “very important” to establish that Ukraine was on the path to NATO membership. Johnson did not mention, however, the circumstances surrounding Trump’s hold up of military aid to Ukraine in 2019 that was at the heart of the first impeachment inquiry.

Persons: Laura Coates ’, Boris Johnson, CNN Tonight’s Laura Coates, Johnson, ” Johnson, “, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Biden, Zelensky, ”, they’ve, it’s, Donald Trump, Trump, “ Trump Organizations: CNN, London CNN — Former British, Russia, NATO, Ukraine Wednesday, Munitions, White, Ukraine, Democratic Locations: United States, Moscow, Ukraine, NATO, Europe, Vilnius, Lithuania, Kyiv, Britain, France, Germany

SUWON, South Korea, July 12 (Reuters) - The trial of a South Korean chip executive accused of stealing sensitive information developed by Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) began on Wednesday in a case that underscores South Korea's crackdown on industrial espionage. Prosecutors have alleged that Choi Jinseog, a former Samsung Elec executive and a South Korean chip expert, stole sensitive information developed by the world's top memory chipmaker to help his client set up a chip factory in China. The high-profile criminal case against Choi, an award-winning engineer once seen as a star in South Korea's chip industry, highlights Seoul's efforts to crack down on industrial espionage and slow China's progress in chip manufacturing. Prosecutors have also charged five former employees at Choi's chip consultancy firm, Jin Semiconductor, and a former employee at a Samsung contractor. In a letter to Reuters from prison last month, Choi rejected allegations he had sought to build a copycat chip factory in China with information illegally obtained via Samsung's supplier network.

Persons: Choi Jinseog, Choi, Kim Pilsung, Stephen Coates Organizations: Samsung Electronics, Prosecutors, Samsung, Jin Semiconductor, Thomson Locations: SUWON, South Korea, Korean, KS, China, South, Suwon, Seoul

☆ Australian bank ANZ breaks from rivals by backing loan buffer
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ANZ's three larger rivals have started considering lending without applying the 3% buffer, saying it is disadvantaging some borrowers. "Of course we should build in buffers," ANZ CEO Shayne Elliott told parliament in a regular hearing the country's main bank bosses are required to attend. Even first home buyers who bought soon before the rate hikes, the category most exposed to higher repayments, "are performing remarkably well", Elliott said. People coming off low fixed-rate mortgages, facing far higher variable rates, were "less stressed than the average customer," he added. ($1 = 1.4939 Australian dollars)Reporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Shayne Elliott, Elliott, They're, it's, Byron Kaye, Stephen Coates Organizations: SYDNEY, ANZ Group, Prudential Regulation Authority, APRA, ANZ, Thomson

☆ UK to provide $65 mln support package to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 11 (Reuters) - The British government said on Tuesday it will provide a 50 million pounds ($64.7 million) support package for equipment repair and establishment of a military rehabilitation centre in Ukraine. Under the new tranche of support, which will be discussed at this week's NATO summit, Britain and G7 members will provide thousands of additional rounds of Challenger 2 ammunition and more than 70 combat and logistics vehicles. These programmes will be funded through NATO's Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine and supported by rehabilitation specialists from across the Alliance, the British government said in a statement. This joint declaration is expected to be signed by all members of the G7, the statement said. The declaration will set out how allies will support Ukraine over the coming years to end the war.

Persons: Putin, Rishi Sunak, Baranjot Kaur, Leslie Adler, Stephen Coates Organizations: NATO, Challenger, NATO's, Alliance, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Britain, Europe, Bengaluru

☆ Ukraine, Russia report heavy fighting in east, south
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The fluid situation near Bakhmut has been the focus of much attention, with Ukraine noting gains on the city's southern fringe, particularly the strategic village of Klishchiivka. Liberating the village, which lies on higher ground, would give Ukrainian forces operational advantage in potentially encircling Russian forces in Bakhmut, analysts say. Ukraine said on Monday it controlled heights ringing the village, enabling it to fire on targets in Bakhmut itself. The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces had repelled nine attempted Ukrainian advances in eastern Donetsk region, including one drive near Kliishchivka. Ukrainian military analyst Serhiy Hrabskyi said Ukraine's drive towards the coast was proceeding well, taking account of Russian defence preparations and extensive mining.

Persons: Sofiia, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Andriy Kovaliov, Oleksander Tarnavskyi, Serhiy Hrabskyi, Ron Popeski, Nick Starkov, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, General Staff, Russian Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Bakhmut, Ukraine, Donetsk region, Russian, Klishchiivka, Donetsk, Kliishchivka, Azov, Crimea, Ukrainian, Winnipeg, Kyiv

☆ Kosovo moves to lower tensions in Serb majority area
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Violence in north Kosovo, where 50,000 Serbs live and form a majority, erupted in late May after Albanian mayors took office following an election boycotted by Serbs demanding implementation of a decade-old deal for more autonomy. NATO said 93 of its peacekeeping soldiers had been injured in clashes with Serb protesters, some of them severely, on May 29. Doctors in the north said 52 Serbs were also injured. The United States and European Union, Kosovo's main allies, have mainly blamed nationalist Prime Minister Albin Kurti for tensions in the north. Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kosovo's, Albin Kurti, Fatos Bytyci, Stephen Coates Organizations: NATO, EU, European Union, Kosovo, Thomson Locations: PRISTINA, Kosovo, Serbs, United States, Pristina, Brussels

☆ Iraq to trade crude oil for Iranian gas to settle power debt - PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

July 11 (Reuters) - Iraq will begin trading crude oil for Iranian gas to end the recurring issue of payment delays to Tehran due to the need for U.S. approval, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Sudani said on Tuesday. By trading Iraqi crude for Iranian gas, Sudani said, Iraq would avoid rolling power cuts every summer while working to complete gas capture and extraction projects that would help make the country self-sufficient. The United States has pushed Iraq, OPEC second-largest producer, to cut its reliance on Iranian gas. Iraq spends roughly $4 billion per year on imports of Iranian gas and power while burning massive quantities of natural gas as a byproduct of its hydrocarbons sector. On Monday Iraq signed a massive deal with French oil major TotalEnergies that includes plans to capture gas from oilfields in the southern Basra region.

Persons: Mohammed Shia Sudani, Sudani, Farhad Alaaldin, Henry Rome, Timour Azhari, Arshad Mohammed, David Gregorio, Stephen Coates Organizations: Iraqi, Reuters, State Department, Biden, Washington Institute for Near, Policy, Monday Iraq, Thomson Locations: Iraq, Tehran, Iran, Baghdad, Washington, United States, OPEC, Basra, Erbil

☆ New Zealand begins criminal trial over White Island volcanic eruption that killed 22
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An aerial view of the Whakaari, also known as White Island volcano, in New Zealand, December 12, 2019. REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File PhotoWELLINGTON, July 11 (Reuters) - Tour booking agents and the managers of an island in New Zealand where a volcanic eruption killed 22 people, mostly tourists, in 2019 failed to properly prepare and warn visitors of the risks, prosecutors said at the start of a criminal trial on Tuesday. There were 47 people on the island when the volcano erupted, many of whom were badly burnt by searing gas and ash. Defence lawyers said their clients were not responsible for the health and safety of those on the island as that was the responsibility of others. The judge-only trial is scheduled to take 16 weeks with a number of victims from the eruption due to provide evidence.

Persons: Jorge Silva, Kristy McDonald, ” McDonald, “, Lucy Craymer, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, National Emergency Management Agency, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Australia, U.S, Malaysia, White, Whakaari, Whakatane, North

☆ Germany tells UN: Nord Stream inquiry found subsea explosive traces on yacht
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] The 50-feet-long charter yacht "Andromeda", which German prosecutors had searched believed to be used for the blasts of the Baltic Sea pipelines Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 is seen in a dry dock in Dranske at Ruegen island, Germany, March 14, 2023. A series of unexplained explosions hit the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines connecting Russia and Germany under the Baltic Sea last September in the exclusive economic zones of Germany, Sweden and Denmark. "It is suspected that the boat in question may have been used to transport the explosives that exploded at the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines," the letter said of Germany's inquiry. "According to expert assessments, it is possible that trained divers could have attached explosives at the points where damage occurred to the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, which are laid on the seabed at a depth of approx. Russia failed in March to get the U.N. Security Council to ask for an independent inquiry into the Nord Stream blasts.

Persons: Oliver Denzer, Michelle Nichols, Stephen Coates Organizations: Nord, REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, . Security, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Baltic, Dranske, Ruegen, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Russia's Medvedev: NATO's military aid to Ukraine brings World War Three closer
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sputnik/Yekaterina Shtukina/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoJuly 12 (Reuters) - Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy secretary of Russia's powerful Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, said late on Tuesday that the increase in military assistance to Ukraine by the NATO alliance brings World War Three closer. World War Three is getting closer," Medvedev wrote on the Telegram messaging app. He also advocated on Tuesday for using the "inhuman weapon" that is cluster munitions after what he said were reports of Ukraine already using it. The U.S. announced it would supply Kyiv with cluster munitions that typically release large numbers of small bomblets over a wide area and are banned by many countries. Russia and Ukraine have previously accused each other of already using cluster munitions in the 500-day war.

Persons: Dmitry Medvedev, Nikolay Pankov, Vladimir Putin, Medvedev, it's, Sergei Shoigu, Lidia Kelly, Stephen Coates Organizations: Deputy, Sputnik, NATO, Ukraine, Kremlin, U.S, Russian, Thomson Locations: Volgograd region, Russia, Ukraine, U.S, Lithuania, Kyiv, Moscow, United States, Melbourne

CNN —Leslie Van Houten, a former Charles Manson follower and convicted murderer, was released from a California prison on Tuesday, a prison spokesperson told CNN. Van Houten was released to parole supervision, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesperson Mary Xjimenez said. Van Houten will have a three-year maximum parole term with a parole discharge review occurring after one year, Xjimenez said. In 1994, Van Houten described her part in the killings in a prison interview with CNN’s Larry King. “I went in and Mrs. LaBianca was laying on the floor and I stabbed her,” said Van Houten, who was 19 at the time of the murders.

Persons: Leslie Van Houten, Charles Manson, Van Houten, Mary Xjimenez, Xjimenez, Manson, ”, Leno LaBianca, Rosemary, Gavin Newsom’s, Van, Newsom, Van Houten’s, Erin Mellon, “, ” Melton, Jay Sebring, Governor Newsom, ” Sebring’s, Anthony DiMaria, CNN’s Laura Coates, ” DiMaria, rampages, Nancy Tetreault, CNN’s John Berman, that’s, ” Tetreault, Berman, she’s, Tetreault, –, Jerry Brown, Gavin Newsom, CNN’s Larry King, LaBianca Organizations: CNN, California Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, California Gov, California Supreme, Gov Locations: California, Los Angeles, Van Houten, United States

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