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☆ Think of what happened to Hong Kong when you vote, Taiwan president says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen appealed to voters on Sunday to think of what had happened to Chinese-controlled Hong Kong when they cast their ballots next month, saying peace must be backed up with a commitment to boost defences. China and Taiwan's main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), have cast the election as a choice between war and peace. China detests Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and its presidential candidate, Vice President Lai Ching-te, calling them dangerous separatists. "Look at Hong Kong and think of Taiwan. Beijing in 2020 imposed a tough national security law on Hong Kong, which it said was vital to restore stability after the city, a global financial hub, was rocked for months by sometimes violent anti-government and anti-China protests in 2019.

Persons: Tsai Ing, Lai Ching, Lai, Tsai, Hou Yu, Ben Blanchard, William Mallard Organizations: Kuomintang, KMT, Democratic Progressive Party, ih, Thomson Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Taipei, British, Beijing

☆ Israel wants 'security envelope', no Hamas on border after war, official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An Israeli soldier holds up an Israeli flag, near the border with Gaza, during a temporary truce between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in southern Israel, November 29, 2023. Asked whether Israel was indeed seeking such a buffer zone, senior adviser Mark Regev told reporters: "Israel will have to have a security envelope. We can never again allow terrorists to cross the border and butcher our people the way they did on October 7." "That is not Israel taking territory from Gaza," said Regev. They also said Saudi Arabia, which does not have ties with Israel and which halted a U.S.-mediated normalisation process after the Gaza war erupted on Oct. 7, had been informed.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Mark Regev, Regev, Maayan Lubell, James Mackenzie, Gareth Jones Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Thomson Locations: Israeli, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, U.S

☆ Israel Wants 'Security Envelope', No Hamas on Border After War, Official Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel will seek a "security envelope" with special zones and arrangements that will prevent Hamas from being positioned on its border after the war in Gaza is over, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday. Asked whether Israel was indeed seeking such a buffer zone, senior adviser Mark Regev told reporters: "Israel will have to have a security envelope. We can never again allow terrorists to cross the border and butcher our people the way they did on October 7." "That is not Israel taking territory from Gaza," said Regev. They also said Saudi Arabia, which does not have ties with Israel and which halted a U.S.-mediated normalisation process after the Gaza war erupted on Oct. 7, had been informed.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Mark Regev, Regev, Maayan Lubell, James Mackenzie, Gareth Jones Organizations: Reuters, United Arab Emirates, Israel Locations: JERUSALEM, Israel, Gaza, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, U.S

According to three regional sources, Israel related its plans to its neighbours Egypt and Jordan, along with the United Arab Emirates, which normalised ties with Israel in 2020. He declined to offer details when asked whether those plans had been raised with international partners, including Arab states. A U.S. official, who declined to be identified, said Israel had "floated" the buffer zone idea without saying to whom. The regional sources compared the Gaza buffer zone plan to the "security zone" Israel once had in south Lebanon. "The buffer zone could make (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu's forces a target also in the zone," he said.

Persons: Ronen, Israel, Abu Dhabi, Ophir Falk, Benjamin Netanyahu, Lebanon's, it's, Mohammad Dahlan, Benjamin, Netanyahu's, Samia Nakhoul, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Jonathan Saul, Dan Williams, Aidan Lewis, Humeyra Pamuk, Steve Holland, Edmund Blair, Daniel Flynn Organizations: REUTERS, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Saudi, Reuters, U.S, Lebanon's Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestine Liberation Organization, PLO, Palestinian Fatah, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Gaza Israel, Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, U.S, DUBAI, CAIRO, LONDON, Israel, Riyadh, Arab Turkey, Qatar, Qatari, Turkish, Palestinian, Cairo, Lebanon, PLO, Dubai, London, Jerusalem, Washington

☆ For eastern Ukrainians, the ordeal of war is entering its second decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

It is now close to the front line between Ukrainian and Russian forces, and many of its buildings are damaged or destroyed. Like most people from Chasiv Yar, Tkachov has moved further from the fighting though some remain. All of them have lived through nearly a decade of war, a reminder that for millions in eastern Ukraine the conflict has rumbled on since 2014, long before Russia's full-scale invasion in February last year grabbed the world's attention. BUILD-UPUkraine and its Western allies say Russia infiltrated eastern Ukraine with fighters and intelligence operatives to stage a coup in Donbas in 2014 which Moscow subsequently supported with regular troops. FULL-SCALE WARThe U.N. human rights office estimated that more than 14,000 military personnel and civilians were killed in eastern Ukraine from early April 2014 to the end of 2021.

Persons: Tkachov, Alina Smutko, CHASIV, Chasiv Yar, Vladimir Putin, Viktor Yanukovych, Yanukovych, Max Hunder, Mike Collett, White Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Russian, Russia, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Kostiantynivka, Ukraine, Donetsk region, Donbas, CHASIV YAR, Chasiv, Russian, Russia, Moscow, Donetsk, Luhansk, Soviet Union, Ukrainian, CRIMEA, Kyiv, Crimea, Sloviansk, Soviet

☆ South Korea, China, Japan top diplomats seek to boost trilateral cooperation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin, right, shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi prior to a meeting in Busan, South Korea, Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023. Ahn Young-joon/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Nov 26 (Reuters) - The foreign ministers of South Korea, China and Japan meet in South Korea on Sunday, seeking to restart cooperation among the Asian neighbours and pave the way for a trilateral summit. In September, senior officials from the three countries agreed to arrange a trilateral summit at the "earliest convenient time". South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin met separately on Sunday morning with his Japanese counterparts Yoko Kamikawa and China's Wang Yi. Marring the cooperative tone, Kamikawa called an order by a South Korean court for Japan to compensate a group of women forced to work in Japanese wartime brothels "extremely regrettable" and requested the South Korean government take appropriate measures, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported.

Persons: Park Jin, Wang Yi, Ahn Young, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Yoko Kamikawa, China's Wang Yi, Kamikawa, Wang, Yoon Suk Yeol, Fumio Kishida, Biden, Hyonhee Shin, Sam Nussey, William Mallard Organizations: South Korean Foreign, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Sunday, South, Kyodo, Thomson Locations: Busan, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, China, Japan, United States, Beijing, Washington, Tokyo, Seoul, North, Pyongyang, Moscow

☆ Ukraine Needs More Air Defences to Protect Grain Exports - Zelenskiy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Max HunderKYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine needs more air defences to protect its grain export routes as well regions bordering Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday, as he addressed an international summit on food security in Kyiv. "There is a deficit of air defence - that is no secret," Zelenskiy told the Grain from Ukraine summit, which was attended by senior officials from European countries, including Swiss President Alain Berset and Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte. Zelenskiy was speaking after Russia attacked Ukraine with 75 drones overnight, the biggest drone assault of the war. Zelenskiy said Ukraine would be supplied by its foreign partners with vessels to accompany convoys of cargo ships from Ukraine's ports to guarantee their security. "There are certain air defence systems... we are asking for them," Zelenskiy said.

Persons: Max Hunder, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Alain Berset, Ingrida Simonyte, We've Organizations: Max Hunder KYIV, Lithuanian, Russia, UN Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv, Odesa, Ukraine's

☆ Ukraine needs more air defences to protect grain exports, Zelenskiy says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"There is a deficit of air defence - that is no secret," Zelenskiy told the Grain from Ukraine summit, which was attended by senior officials from European countries, including Swiss President Alain Berset and Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte. Zelenskiy was speaking after Russia attacked Ukraine with 75 drones overnight, the biggest drone assault of the war. Zelenskiy said Ukraine would be supplied by its foreign partners with vessels to accompany convoys of cargo ships from Ukraine's ports to guarantee their security. Ukraine, a major exporter of grain, has been exporting grain via unilateral corridors through the Black sea, after Russia withdrew in July from a UN-brokered deal to allow grain ships through its blockade. "There are certain air defence systems... we are asking for them," Zelenskiy said.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Alain Berset, Edgars Rinkevics, Ingrida Simonyte, Zelenskiy, Ursula von der Leyen, We've, Max Hunder, Elaine Monaghan, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Lithuanian, Russia, UN, Thomson Locations: Swiss, Latvian, Ukraine, Kyiv, KYIV, Russia, Odesa, Ukraine's, Washington

☆ South Korea, China, Japan Top Diplomats Seek to Boost Trilateral Cooperation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Hyonhee ShinSEOUL (Reuters) - The foreign ministers of South Korea, China and Japan meet in South Korea on Sunday, seeking to restart cooperation among the Asian neighbours and pave the way for a trilateral summit. In September, senior officials from the three countries agreed to arrange a trilateral summit at the "earliest convenient time". South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin met separately on Sunday morning with his Japanese counterparts Yoko Kamikawa and China's Wang Yi. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have taken steps to mend ties frayed by history and trade feuds, and held a historic trilateral summit in August with Biden. Wang warned in July that U.S. efforts to strengthen relations with Seoul and Tokyo could raise regional tension and confrontation.

Persons: Shin, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Park Jin, Yoko Kamikawa, China's Wang Yi, Kamikawa, Wang, Yoon Suk Yeol, Fumio Kishida, Biden, Hyonhee Shin, Sam Nussey, William Mallard Organizations: Sunday, South Korean Foreign, South, Kyodo Locations: Shin SEOUL, South Korea, China, Japan, United States, Beijing, Washington, Tokyo, Seoul, Busan, North, Pyongyang, Moscow

☆ NHL roundup: Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy wins season debut
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen scored for Boston, which had gained points in seven straight games since a 5-4 loss in Detroit on Nov. 4. Kiefer Sherwood had a goal and two assists for the Predators, who won their fourth straight game. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored one goal and added two assists, while Evander Kane and Evan Bouchard also scored for the Oilers. Johnathan Kovacevic also scored and Cayden Primeau made 31 saves for Montreal, which won its second straight road game. Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and an assist and Joel Eriksson Ek also scored for Minnesota, which lost its sixth straight game.

Persons: Andrei Vasilevskiy, James Guillory, Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Brandon Hagel, Luke Glendening, Hagel, Stefan Noesen, Michael Bunting, Antti Raanta, Vasilevskiy hadn't, Conn Smythe, Kevin Korchinski, Connor Bedard's, Ilya Samsonov, Korchinski, Jason Dickinson, Arvid Soderblom, Nicholas Robertson, Calle Jarnkrok, Ryan Reaves, Max Domi, Alex DeBrincat, Compher, Robby Fabbri, Dylan Larkin, David Perron, Shayne Gostisbehere, Ville Husso, Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, David Pastrnak, Jeremy Swayman, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Zibanejad, Kreider, Igor Shesterkin, Sean Couturier, Luke Evangelista, Filip Forsberg, Louis, Kiefer Sherwood, Ryan O'Reilly, Yakov Trenin, Spencer Stastney, Alexandre Carrier, Kevin Lankinen, Pavel Buchnevich, Robert Thomas, Jake Neighbours, Kevin Fiala, Cam Talbot, Anze Kopitar, Arthur Kaliyev, Quinton Byfield, Adrian Kempe, Trevor Moore, Drew Doughty, Kopitar, Marcel Dionne, Radko Gudas, Alex Killorn, John Gibson, Elvis Merzlikins, Merzlikins, Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Eric Robinson, Boone Jenner, Alexander Holtz, Akira Schmid, Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, Stuart Skinner, Ryan Nugent, Hopkins, Evander Kane, Evan Bouchard, Zach Hyman, Charlie Lindgren, Cole Caufield, Jesse Ylonen, Johnathan Kovacevic, Cayden Primeau, William Eklund, Tomas Hertl, Mike Hoffman, Mackenzie Blackwood, Eklund, Nick Suzuki, Hoffman, Ylonen, Blackwood, Connor Hellebuyck, Nino Niederreiter, Nikolaj Ehlers, Adam Lowry, Hellebuyck, Sergei Bobrovsky, Aleksander Barkov, Blake Coleman, Elias Lindholm, Yegor Sharagovich, A.J, Greer, Adam Ruzicka, Calgary's Mikael Backlund, Nazem Kadri, Andrew Mangiapane, Jacob Markstrom, Wyatt Johnston, Jason Robertson, Joe Pavelski, Jamie Benn, Evgenii, Jake Oettinger, Kurtis MacDermid's, Ross Colton, Valeri Nichushkin, Alexandar Georgiev, Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, Filip Gustavsson, Alex Tuch, Jeff Skinner, Tuch, Kyle Okposo, Victor Olofsson, Ukko, Pekka Luukkonen, Sidney Crosby, Lars Eller, Alex Nedeljkovic, Mathew Barzal, Anders Lee, Kyle Palmieri, Oliver Wahlstrom, Simon Holmstrom, Alexander Romanov, Brock Nelson, Semyon Varlamov, Drake Batherson, Tim Stutzle, Mathieu Joseph, Anton Forsberg, Sam Lafferty, Thatcher Demko, Teddy Blueger, Dakota Joshua, Nils Hoglander, Ilya Mikheyev, Nils Aman, Conor Garland, Tye Kartye, Joey Daccord Organizations: Tampa Bay, Carolina Hurricanes, PNC Arena, Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa, Hurricanes, NHL, Blackhawks, Maple Leafs, Chicago, Toronto, Red Wings, Bruins, Detroit, Boston, Rangers, Flyers, Philadelphia, Metropolitan Division, Blues, Nashville, St, Predators, Ducks, Los, Anaheim, The Buffalo Sabres, Kings, Blue Jackets, Devils, Oilers, Capitals, Edmonton, Washington, Canadiens, Montreal, San, Jets, Panthers, Winnipeg, The Jets, Vezina, Florida, Flames, Calgary, Dallas, Stars, Avalanche, Colorado, Minnesota, Penguins, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Sabres, Islanders, Senators, Ottawa, Canucks, Vancouver, Seattle, Thomson Locations: Raleigh , North Carolina, USA, Raleigh, N.C, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Detroit, New York, Los Angeles, Columbus, Newark , N.J, Jose, San Jose, Winnipeg, Sunrise, Fla, Florida, Saint Paul, Dakota

☆ EU's von der Leyen says extremist violence in West Bank settlements must stop
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Nov 24 (Reuters) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday that rising violence by extremists in the Israeli-occupied West Bank had to stop. Violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank has increased since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. And to this end, unacceptable violence by extremists in the West Bank has to stop," she added. Britain's Foreign Secretary David Cameron also urged Israel to crack down on what he called "completely unacceptable" violence by West Bank settlers. Israel occupied the West Bank, which Palestinians want as the core of an independent state, in a 1967 Middle East war.

Persons: Raneen, Ursula von der Leyen, Von der Leyen, Justin Trudeau, Charles Michel, Joe Biden, David Cameron, it's, Sudip Kar, William Maclean Organizations: West Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Canadian, European, Britain's, BBC, Thomson Locations: Huwara, Rights BRUSSELS, Israel, Canada, Gaza, –, United States

☆ Bahrain seeks to balance anger over Gaza with ties to Israel, US
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Alexander Cornwell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The deal to normalise ties with Israel, signed in 2020 by Bahrain when Donald Trump was president, brought few business benefits to Bahrain, unlike those it offered United Arab Emirates, a regional commercial hub which signed at the same time. Six sources familiar with the matter told Reuters Bahrain would not abandon its ties with Israel, even though parliament - a body that remains subservient to the monarchy - has made a strident statement suggesting Israel relations were in the freezer. Bahrain is trying to preserve the relationship with Israel while also managing public opinion, one of the sources said. "They can't abandon normalisation with Israel without endangering this whole strategic framework," said Kristin Smith Diwan, a researcher at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. The sources said the public confusion over relations with Israel appeared to have eased pressure on the government in its efforts to balance domestic outrage and ties with Israel.

Persons: Hamad I Mohammed, Donald Trump, Kristin Smith Diwan, Abraham, Israel, Mamdooh Al Saleh, Smith, Tobias Lindner, Alexander Cornwell, Maha El, Ari Rabinovitch, Dan Williams, Michael Georgy, William Maclean Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Rare, U.S . Navy Fifth Fleet, United, Reuters, Gulf States Institute, Bahraini, Abraham, Islamic, Abraham Accords, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Muharraq, Bahrain, MANAMA, Gaza, Gulf, United States, Iran, Manama, United Arab Emirates, Reuters Bahrain, Washington, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahraini, Jerusalem, Bahrainis, Tehran, Islamic Republic, East, U.S, Kingdom of Bahrain, Maha El Dahan, Dubai

☆ Foreign ministers of S.Korea, China, Japan to discuss trilateral summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Nov 24 (Reuters) - The foreign ministers of South Korea, China and Japan will meet for talks in South Korea on Sunday, South Korea's foreign ministry said on Friday, as the three countries seek to hold their first leaders' summit in four years. The meeting of foreign ministers, which will take place in the South Korean port city of Busan, is also the first such meeting since 2019. "The foreign ministers plan to exchange views extensively on the direction of development of trilateral cooperation including preparations for a ninth trilateral summit, and regional and global issues," the South Korean foreign ministry said in a statement. The talks come as South Korea and Japan have seen improving ties and also deepening security cooperation with the United States amid concerns over China's growing regional influence. Beijing has previously warned that U.S. efforts to strengthen ties with South Korea and Japan could increase tension and confrontation in the region.

Persons: Yoon Suk Yeol, Kim Keon, Issei Kato, Hyonhee, Ed Davies, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Tokyo International, REUTERS, Rights, Sunday, South Korean, South, Thomson Locations: Korean, Tokyo, Japan, Rights SEOUL, South Korea, China, Busan, United States, Beijing, North Korea

☆ Spanish PM floats peace conference idea in meeting with Israel's Netanyahu
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo pose during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, November 23, 2023. "Today, more than ever, we need to bring back a serious and credible prospect for peace," Sanchez said after talks with Netanyahu. Sanchez said he and unspecified colleagues had proposed holding an international peace conference with the parties as soon as possible. "It is in Israel's interest to work for peace, and today, peace means the establishment of a viable Palestinian state that includes the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, according to the U.N. resolutions," he said. U.S. officials have said the time is not right to try to resume peace talks given the protracted intransigence of both sides.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Alexander de Croo, Benjamin Netanyahu, Borja Puig de la, Sanchez, Isaac Herzog, Mahmoud Abbas, Netanyahu, Alexander De Croo, De Croo, David Latona, Marine Strauss, Aislinn Laing, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Spanish, Belgian, Israeli, Reuters Acquire, Rights, Hamas, West Bank, European Union, Arab League, Organisation for Islamic Cooperation, West, of, Union, Palestinian Authority, Jerusalem, Thomson Locations: Jerusalem, Moncloa, Handout, Rights MADRID, U.S, Israel, Palestinian, Ramallah, Egypt, West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem, Barcelona, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Madrid, Oslo, Brussels

☆ Japan's Kishida sends letter to China's Xi - NHK
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a summit discussion on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, at the Stanford, California, U.S., November 17, 2023. REUTERS/Brittany Hosea-Small/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Nov 23 (Reuters) - A Beijing delegation of Komeito, the junior coalition partner of Japan's ruling party, handed a letter from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for Chinese President Xi Jinping in a meeting with China's top leadership team on Wednesday, NHK reported. The broadcaster did not say what was in the letter. Komeito representatives and Kishida's office were not available to comment on Thursday, a public holiday in Japan. Yamaguchi and Cai also agreed to work toward a resumption of dialogue between the CPC and the coalition of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito, NHK reported.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Brittany Hosea, Xi Jinping, Natsuo Yamaguchi, Cai Qi, Yamaguchi, Cai, Makiko Yamazaki, Stephen Coates Organizations: Japan's, Economic Cooperation, Stanford, REUTERS, Rights, Komeito, Wednesday, NHK, Communist Party of China, CPC, Central Committee, Liberal Democratic Party, Thomson Locations: Asia, California, U.S, Beijing, Japan, Taiwan

☆ South Korea court orders Japan to compensate 'comfort women', reverses earlier ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Jason Reed/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Nov 23 (Reuters) - A South Korean appellate court on Thursday ordered Japan to compensate a group of 16 women who were forced to work in Japanese wartime brothels, overturning a lower court ruling that dismissed the case and prompting a stern protest from Tokyo. In response to the court's decision, Japanese vice minister for foreign affairs Masataka Okano summoned South Korean ambassador Yun Dukmin to lodge a "strong protest". The Seoul High Court, however, reversed the lower court's decision, recognising the jurisdiction of South Korean courts over the Japanese government as a defendant. In a statement, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said the judgment went against international law and agreements between the two countries, calling it "extremely regrettable and absolutely unacceptable." South Korea's foreign ministry said it was looking into details of the latest ruling, without elaborating.

Persons: Jason Reed, Yoon Suk Yeol, Fumio Kishida, Masataka Okano, Yun Dukmin, Yoko Kamikawa, Lee Yong, I'm, 1,294.3500, Hyonhee Shin, Chang, Ran Kim, Makiko Yamazaki, Ed Davies, Simon Cameron, Moore, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, South, Seoul Central, Court, Seoul High Court, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Korea, Rights SEOUL, Japan, Tokyo, South Korean, Seoul, South, Republic of Korea

Agriculture has suffered losses of over $25 billion since the war began, Ukrainian grain trader association UGA estimates. Ukraine's grain exports so far in the 2023/24 season that started in July are running 28% below the year-earlier volume, according to agriculture ministry data. A new Black Sea shipping channel may offer a lifeline, like for Ukraine's depleted steel industry. An additional 943,000 tons should leave from Black Sea ports and 464,000 tons from the Danube by the month-end. A Russian missile strike on port infrastructure in Odesa on Nov. 21 added to a series of attacks on Ukraine's Black Sea and Danube grain ports.

Persons: Stringer, Jean, Francois Lepy, Dmitry Skornyakov, Denys Marchuk, Skornyakov, Yuriy Stelmakh, Roman Gorobets, Soliman, Scott Wellcome, Pavel Polityuk, Gus Trompiz, Nigel Hunt, David Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Agriculture, UGA, Spike, Agrarian Council, FE ASTRA, Kremlin, Mediterranean, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia region, PARIS, Russia, UN, Geneva, Black, Russian, Odesa, Romania's Constanta, Brazil, Egypt, GoodMills, Kyiv, Paris, London

☆ Hundreds of Rohingya come ashore in Indonesia, joining about 1,000 this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

During November to April, when the seas are calmer, many members of the persecuted minority leave Myanmar on rickety boats for Thailand, Muslim-majority Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia. Mitra Salima Suryono, a spokesperson for the U.N. refugee agency in Indonesia, said there did not appear to be any particular reason for the big number of Rohingya arriving. Mitra said Aceh villagers had tried to prevent hundreds of Rohingya arriving in the Bireuen area in northeast Sumatra last week although they eventually came ashore on Sunday. For years, Rohingya have left Buddhist-majority Myanmar where they are generally regarded as foreign interlopers from South Asia, denied citizenship and subjected to abuse. Usman Hamid, the director of rights group Amnesty International Indonesia, called for authorities to take in the Rohingya and talk with neighbours, especially Malaysia and Thailand, where Rohingya also often stop.

Persons: Rohingya, Adek, Mitra Salima Suryono, Mitra, Usman Hamid, Stanley Widianto, Robert Birsel Organizations: Reuters, Indonesia's, Amnesty International, Thomson Locations: JAKARTA, Indonesia's Aceh, Myanmar, Thailand, Muslim, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sabang, Aceh, Sumatra, South Asia, Bangladeshi, Cox's Bazar, Amnesty International Indonesia

☆ Fiji PM: China likely to collaborate on key port, shipyard project
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Lincoln Feast/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka told parliament on Wednesday the Pacific Islands nation was likely to collaborate with China on a key port modernisation and shipyard project, after discussing it in a meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping. Fiji previously sought Australia's involvement to build a modern ship-building facility at Lautoka, officials and a consultant to Rabuka on the project told Reuters. Rabuka told Fiji's parliament on Wednesday his government was focused on upgrading infrastructure, "particularly the modernisation of port facilities and shipyards". An Australian-based ship design company said Rabuka had earlier sought the involvement of Australia, Fiji's largest aid donor, in the shipyard project. China has been pushing for greater security and trade ties with Pacific Islands countries.

Persons: Sitiveni Rabuka, Xi Jinping, Rabuka, Xi, Stuart Ballantyne, Ballantyne, Vajira Piyasena, Kirsty Needham, Lincoln, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: REUTERS, Lincoln, Rights, Fiji Prime, Wednesday, Reuters, APEC, Wednesday Fiji, Fiji Ports, Fiji Ships, Heavy Industry, Pacific, Thomson Locations: Fiji, Suva, China, Lautoka, Australia, San Francisco, Australian, tradespeople, Pacific, Solomon Islands, United States, Papua New Guinea

China, the world's second-largest economy, is already a major investor in South America and has offered tariff-free access to its huge consumer market to four countries. But Uruguay faces opposition from other members of the Mercosur bloc who want to settle an FTA with Europe instead. By comparison, other major beef exporters Australia and New Zealand, which have FTAs with China, pay tariffs at 3.3% and 0%. The elevation of ties with Uruguay to the level of Brazil and Argentina also pushes the remaining Mercosur member Paraguay further outside China's global trade and investment network. Agriculture-dependent Paraguay, whose main exports include beef and soybeans, is the last South American nation that has ties with democratically governed Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory, and not with Beijing.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Luis Lacalle Pou, Florence Lo, Lacalle Pou, Xi, Joe Cash, Ryan Woo, Ella Cao, Toby Chopra, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Chizu Nomiyama, Alexander Smith Organizations: Uruguayan, of, People, REUTERS, New Development Bank BEIJING, Mercosur, South, Nations, New Development Bank, China, United, Mercosur CET, National Meat Institute of, China's National Bureau of Statistics, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil Mercosur, American, Brazil, South America, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Shanghai, United States, MERCOSUR Uruguay, Brussels, Montevideo, Mercosur, National Meat Institute of Uruguay, Paraguay, Taiwan

Volunteers cook lentil soup to warm up displaced people drenched by rain. "Lentil soup used to be an ordinary dish that no one cared about, but for us now it's better than lamb meat. We are thankful that the lentil soup is now available to us, thanks to these volunteers," said displaced woman Mounira al-Masry. "Lentil soup is a traditional dish for Palestinians," he said. Because of this, volunteers started to think about serving lentil soup, the winter dish that can warm people."

Persons: Khan Younis, Younis Abd al, Bassam, Taghreed Jaber, Jaber, haven't, Mounira, Hussein Abu Ramadan, Estelle Shirbon, William Maclean Organizations: Volunteers, Nasser Hospital, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: GAZA, Gaza, Israel, Gaza City, Rafah, Khan, Beit Hanoun

☆ Wimbledon suffers expansion plan blow after council refuses permission
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Naturally, we are disappointed by the London Borough of Wandsworth's decision," Sally Bolton, Chief Executive of the All England Club, said in a statement. A post from the London Borough of Wandsworth on X, formerly Twitter, confirmed the decision: "Wandsworth's planning committee votes to refuse Wimbledon tennis expansion plans." In 2018 the AELTC's 65 million pounds ($81 million) bid for Wimbledon Park Golf Club was accepted by members. The tennis club argues that its expansion plans would actually return private land back to the public. Lawmaker Stephen Hammond, who represents the Wimbledon constituency, said he was pleased Wandsworth had refused the plans.

Persons: Paul Childs, Sally Bolton, Bolton, Stephen Hammond, Wandsworth, Martyn Herman, Toby Davis Organizations: Lawn Tennis, Croquet Club, REUTERS, Wimbledon, England Tennis Club, London Borough, All England, Twitter, Hall, England, Project, Daily Mail, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, London Borough, Wandsworth, Wimbledon, Merton, Wandsworth's

☆ Philippines woos neighbours to craft code on South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Chinese Coast Guard vessel (L) blocks the ML Kalayaan chartered supply boat (R) during a mission to deliver provisions at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on November 10, 2023. Speaking in Hawaii at a livestreamed event, Marcos said escalating tension in the South China Sea required the Philippines to partner with allies and neighbors to maintain peace in the busy waterway, with the situation now "more dire". The embassies of China, Malaysia and Vietnam in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on a possible code. ON-OFF CONFRONTATIONSTalks on components of the code have yet to start, with concerns about how far China, which claims ownership of most of the South China Sea, is committed to a binding set of rules that ASEAN nations want to align with existing international law. China has turned submerged reefs into military installations equipped with radar, runways and missile systems, some inside the Philippines' EEZ.

Persons: Shoal, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Marcos, Xi Jinping Organizations: Guard, ROSA, Getty, South China, ASEAN, Economic Cooperation, PLA, People's Liberation Army Navy Locations: South, AFP, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, China, United States, Hawaii, ASEAN, Manila, Asia, San Francisco, South China, Brunei, Indonesia, Beijing, Philippine

☆ UK's next government will find tax rises hard to avoid
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

But tax rises will be very hard to avoid for whichever party forms the next government, says James Smith, a former Bank of England economist who is research director at the Resolution Foundation, which focuses on issues affecting low and middle earners. For earlier governments, the main way to increase tax levels has been to raise the rate of national insurance - a payroll tax paid by employers and employees - and, in the Conservatives' case, higher value-added tax. Annual GDP growth averaged 2.0% from 2010-2019, compared with 3.0% from 1997-2007. Asked on Sunday about widespread reports of looming tax cuts, Hunt told Sky News: "Everything is on the table ... Higher-than-expected inflation has boosted tax revenue and overall GDP in cash terms, giving more leeway against fiscal targets as most public services' spending budgets are fixed.

Persons: Susannah Ireland, Jeremy Hunt, Rishi Sunak's, James Smith, Smith, Britain's, It's, Carl Emmerson, Hunt, Foundation's Smith, David Milliken, Mike Harrison Organizations: REUTERS, Labour Party, Bank of England, Organisation for Economic Co, Development, Britain, Conservatives, Fiscal Studies, Foundation, Reuters, Monetary Fund, Institute for Government, Sky News, British, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: City, London, Britain, Ukraine

☆ Is the rule of Myanmar's junta under threat?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Importantly, they were joined also by members of so-called people's defence forces, a loosely organised movement backed by Myanmar's parallel, National Unity Government (NUG). HOW SERIOUS A THREAT IS THE JUNTA FACING? It is too soon to predict the extent to which the military's rule in the rest of the country could be under threat, analysts say. But the 1027 offensive has given a black eye to a well-equipped military with decades of experience fighting insurgencies. With its reputation at stake, the junta is unlikely to concede easily and risk a domino effect of challenges to its authority in more regions of a country where its rule is deeply unpopular.

Persons: Martin Petty, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, National Liberation Army, Arakan Army, National Unity Government, AA, Security, Thomson Locations: Myanmar, Myanmar's Khawmawi, India, Zokhawthar, Champhai district, India's, Mizoram, Shan State, China, Rakhine State, Kayah, Thailand, Sagaing, Chin State

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