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☆ Finland shuts all passenger border crossings with Russia but one
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Finnish Border Guards escort the migrants at the international border crossing at Salla, northern Finland, November 23, 2023. Having last week closed four border stations, Finland overnight closed all remaining passenger crossings except its northernmost one, Raja-Jooseppi located in the northern Arctic region, for a month. Separately, the Finnish Border Guard said on Friday it expects dozens of officers from the European Union's Frontex border agency to help patrol the 1,340 km (833 mile) border with Russia from next week. "Their task will primarily be to patrol the land border under the supervision of the Finnish Border Guards and to support them," Border Security Expert Arttu Maaranen told Reuters. Estonia, like Finland, has accused Moscow of sending migrants to its border with Russia in what its interior minister called "a hybrid attack operation".

Persons: Lehtikuva, Jussi Nukari, Jooseppi, Maaranen, Frontex, Jonas Gahr Stoere, Gahr Stoere, Anne Kauranen, Victoria Klesty, Anna Ringstrom, Gareth Jones Organizations: Finnish Border Guards, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Nordic, Kremlin, Finnish Border Guard, Reuters, Estonian, NATO, Thomson Locations: Salla, Finland, Russia, Moscow, Afghanistan, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Helsinki, Norway, Finland's, Norwegian, Tallinn, Estonia, Oslo

☆ Greek Lawmakers Quit Leftist Syriza Party in Protest Against New Leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

ATHENS (Reuters) - Nine Greek lawmakers quit the leftist Syriza party on Thursday after breaking ranks with its new leader, formalising a split in the country's main opposition party which they said could now disintegrate. They resigned in protest over the leadership of 35-year old Stefanos Kasselakis, a former banker who was picked as party leader in September after Syriza's heavy defeat in June's national election. "SYRIZA is experiencing a dissolution crisis," the lawmakers said in a letter, accusing Kasselakis of contradictory positions and an ideological shift from leftist principles. The lawmakers who quit Syriza have the numbers to form a separate parliamentary group and could launch a new party ahead of European Parliament elections next year. "It is very uncertain how Syriza can succeed under these circumstances," head of ALCO pollsters Costas Panagopoulos told Reuters.

Persons: formalising, Kasselakis, Syriza, Euclid Tsakalotos, Goldman Sachs, Alexis Tsipras, ALCO pollsters Costas Panagopoulos, Renee Maltezou, Gareth Jones Organizations: New Democracy, Socialist PASOK, ALCO, Reuters Locations: ATHENS, United States

☆ Putin Says We Must Think How to Stop 'The Tragedy' of War in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Guy Faulconbridge and Vladimir SoldatkinMOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin told the leaders of the Group of Twenty (G20) on Wednesday that it was necessary to think about how to stop "the tragedy" of the war in Ukraine, some of his most placatory remarks to date about the conflict. "Yes, of course, military actions are always a tragedy," Putin told the virtual G20 meeting called by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "And of course, we should think about how to stop this tragedy," Putin said. Putin used the word "war" to describe the conflict instead of the current Kremlin term of "special military operation". "I understand that this war, and the death of people, cannot but shock," Putin said, before setting out the Russian case that Ukraine had persecuted people in eastern Ukraine.

Persons: Guy Faulconbridge, Vladimir Soldatkin MOSCOW, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Narendra Modi, Joe Biden, Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Soldatkin, Gareth Jones, Alex Richardson Organizations: Kremlin, Indian, Ukraine, United Nations, Human, West, Belfer, Harvard's Kennedy School, U.S Locations: Ukraine, Russia, United States, Ukraine's, Crimea, Russian, Palestine, Gaza, Ukrainian, West, Moscow, Israel, Washington, New Delhi, Nusa Dua, Indonesia, Osaka, Japan

[1/2] Russian President Vladimir Putin and Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk attend the G20 virtual summit via a video link in Moscow, Russia, November 22, 2023. "Yes, of course, military actions are always a tragedy," Putin told the virtual G20 meeting called by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "And of course, we should think about how to stop this tragedy," Putin said. Putin used the word "war" to describe the conflict instead of the current Kremlin term of "special military operation". "I understand that this war, and the death of people, cannot but shock," Putin said, before setting out the Russian case that Ukraine had persecuted people in eastern Ukraine.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Alexei Overchuk, Mikhail Klimentyev, Putin, Ukraine Putin, Narendra Modi, Joe Biden, Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Soldatkin, Guy Faulconbridge, Gareth Jones, Alex Richardson Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS Acquire, Ukraine, Kremlin, Indian, United Nations, Human, West, Belfer, Harvard's Kennedy School, U.S, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, Gaza, Ukraine MOSCOW, Ukraine, United States, Ukraine's, Crimea, Russian, Palestine, Ukrainian, West, Israel, Washington, New Delhi, Nusa Dua, Indonesia, Osaka, Japan

☆ Putin says BRICS could help reach political settlement in Gaza conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in a press conference during the 15th BRICS Summit, via video link in Moscow, Russia, August 24, 2023. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Tuesday for a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and said regional states and members of the BRICS group of countries could be involved in efforts to reach such a settlement. In televised comments to a virtual BRICS summit, Putin once again blamed the Middle East crisis on the failure of U.S. diplomacy in the region. "We call for the joint efforts of the international community aimed at de-escalating the situation, a ceasefire and finding a political solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. And the BRICS states and countries of the region could play a key role in this work," Putin said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Klimentyev, Putin, Israel, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, Rights, United, United Arab Emirates, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Kremlin, Brazil, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina, United Arab, Gaza, Israel, Nazi Germany, Leningrad, Palestine

☆ Russia says co-existence not possible with Ukraine's current 'regime'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Russia cannot co-exist with the current "regime" in Kyiv but Moscow can resist the might of NATO for as long as it needs to fully demilitarise Ukraine, a senior Russian diplomat said on Tuesday. Including Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, Russia now controls 17.5% of Ukraine's internationally recognised territory. "The current regime (in Kyiv) is absolutely toxic, we do not see any options for co-existence with it at the moment," Russian Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik told reporters in Moscow. Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of war crimes in Ukraine, a charge that Moscow denies. "We can resist NATO just as much as we need to fulfill the tasks that the president has formulated."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Miroshnik, Putin, Dmitry Antonov, Guy Faulconbridge, Gareth Jones Organizations: NATO, Russian, Kremlin, China, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, Kyiv, Moscow, Ukraine, Russian, Crimea, U.S, Ukrainian, United States, NATO

☆ Russian Nobel Winner Muratov Loses Challenge Against 'Foreign Agent' Status
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Russian editor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov failed on Tuesday in a legal bid to overturn his designation by the authorities as a "foreign agent". The Novaya Gazeta newspaper said on its Telegram channel that a judge took only five minutes to throw out Muratov's case. Muratov told reporters the reason for his designation was that he had spoken to YouTube channels considered to be foreign agents, although he said he had done nothing illegal. "In my view they have banned the profession of journalist in the Russian Federation," he said. The Baza news outlet reported on Tuesday that a federal anti-corruption official had written to parliament asking deputies to change the law so that foreign agents could be denied entrance to Russia on security grounds.

Persons: Dmitry Muratov, Muratov, Vladimir Putin, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Reuters, Novaya Gazeta, YouTube, Russian Federation Locations: Russia, Russian, Ukraine

☆ Finland mulls more border restrictions as asylum seekers 'impossible' to return
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Essi Lehto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Finland's President Sauli Niinisto addresses the 78th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 20, 2023. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHELSINKI, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Finland said on Monday it had become impossible to return asylum seekers who did not meet the criteria for protection and said that it might further restrict migrant entries from Russia following a jump in the number of applicants. Over 500 asylum seekers, mostly from Yemen, Somalia, Syria and Iraq, arrived in Finland - an eastern outpost of the European Union - via Russia in the past two weeks, prompting Helsinki to shut half its border crossings and accuse Moscow of funnelling migrants to its border. Migrants entering Finland from Russia can now only request asylum at two of the remaining four crossing points on their shared 1,340-km (830-mile) border. The Kremlin said on Monday it had lodged a formal protest over the partial border closure, saying the decision reflected an anti-Russian stance.

Persons: Sauli Niinisto, Caitlin Ochs, Niinisto, Petteri Orpo, Orpo, Tomi Kivenjuuri, Kivenjuuri, Moscow's, Essi Lehto, Terje Solsvik, Anna Ringstrom, Jonathan Oatis, Gareth Jones Organizations: United Nations General Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, European, Migrants, Finnish Border Guard, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.N, New York, U.S, Finland, Russia, Yemen, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Helsinki, Moscow, Poland, EU, Finnish, Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus, East, Africa, Oslo, Stockholm

☆ China reaffirms support for new nations joining BRICS as Argentina signals rejection
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] South African delegates sit behind a glass with BRICS logo as the BRICS summit is held in Johannesburg, South Africa August 23, 2023. "BRICS is also an open platform and we welcome any interested country to become a member of the BRICS family." Milei, a right-wing libertarian who has sharply criticised China and the China-led BRICS group, was elected Argentina's new president on Sunday. Milei and Mondino had both opposed Argentina joining the bloc, which also includes Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa. "We don't understand what the benefit (of joining BRICS) is for Argentina at the moment.

Persons: Alet Pretorius, Diana Mondino, Javier Milei, Mao Ning, Mondino's, Mao, Mondino, Liz Lee, Ethan Wang, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, United, Thomson Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, Rights BEIJING, China, Argentina, Argentina's, Brazil, Russia, India, BRICS, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates

☆ Slovakia's New PM Fico Stops Talking to Some Media Amid Rift
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stopped communication with four leading domestic news outlets on Monday after accusing them of failing to provide truthful information, widening a rift with some independent media groups. Fico became prime minister for a fourth time last month at the head of a leftist-nationalist coalition after an election in which he attacked liberal policies, Slovakia's Western allies and media that is critical of him and his SMER party. "As long as the cited media outlets do not begin to fulfil their legal obligations, Prime Minister R. Fico is interrupting any communication with them," the government office said in an emailed statement. While he had not barred journalists, halting communication contravened laws ensuring that media are kept informed by the authorities, he added. Pavol Szalai of Reporters Without Borders said Fico was subjecting Slovakia's democracy to a "crash test".

Persons: Robert Fico, Fico, Jan Kuciak, Kuciak, R, Dennik, Matus Kostolny, Kostolny, Beata Balogova, Jason Hovet, Gareth Jones Organizations: Reuters, Slovak, TV, Facebook, Borders, Government

☆ British author A.S. Byatt, who won Booker prize for 'Possession' dies aged 87
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Man Booker Prize shortlisted authors Adam Foulds (L), Hilary Mantel (2nd L), A S Byatt (2nd R) and Simon Mawer pose for photographers in London October 5, 2009. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Booker-prize winning British novelist Antonia Susan Byatt, known most commonly as A.S. Byatt, has died aged 87, her publisher said in a statement on Friday. Byatt, whose career spanned nearly 60 years, was best known for her 1990 novel "Possession: A Romance". Seven years later came her breakthrough with Possession, which became a bestseller and won the coveted Booker Prize for Fiction the same year. Byatt won a number of awards and titles including a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) and DBE (Dame of the British Empire).

Persons: Booker, Adam Foulds, Hilary, Simon Mawer, Toby Melville, Antonia Susan Byatt, Byatt, Margaret Drabble, Antonia, Charles, Gwyneth Paltrow, Harry Potter, JK Rowling, Mike Collett, White, Kylie MacLellan, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Chatto & Windus, Penguin Random, Quaker, Cambridge, Oxford, Thomson Locations: London, British, English, Sheffield, York

☆ East Ukraine's Kharkiv builds underground schools as Russia keeps up attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Vitalii Hnidyi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Workers build a heavily fortified underground school that will allow children to safely return to in-person studies, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine November 15, 2023. Schools in the region of around 2.5 million people, which borders Russia, were forced into online learning after the Kremlin's February 2022 invasion. More are planned by the end of next year, Korotovskykh said, adding that 817 educational facilities across the Kharkiv region had been damaged or ruined during Russia's invasion. Ukrainians are now bracing for another winter of likely Russian air strikes targeting critical infrastructure, which last year caused widespread blackouts across the country. Reporting by Vitalii Hnidyi; Writing by Dan Peleschuk Editing by Gareth Jones and Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy, Anton Korotovskykh, Korotovskykh, Serhiy Petrulyanis, Vitalii Hnidyi, Dan Peleschuk, Gareth Jones, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Workers, REUTERS, Rights, Schools, Russian, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kharkiv region, Rights KHARKIV, Ukraine's Kharkiv, Russia, Kharkiv

☆ Pope to meet relatives of hostages, Palestinians with family in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Pope Francis gestures as he leaves after the weekly general audience, in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, November 15, 2023. REUTERS/Remo Casilli/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsVATICAN CITY, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Pope Francis will meet separately next week with relatives of hostages held by Hamas militants and with a group of Palestinians with family members in Gaza, the Vatican said on Friday, confirming a Reuters report. One source said 12 relatives of Israeli hostages would meet the pope early on Wednesday morning before his weekly general audience. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Rome, Parolin said the Vatican was working on a meeting between the pope and relatives of the hostages but gave no time frame. About 240 hostages were taken by Hamas gunmen when they stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7.

Persons: Pope Francis, Remo Casilli, Matteo Bruni, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Parolin, Francis, Philip Pullella, Gareth Jones, Jonathan Oatis, Toby Chopra Organizations: Vatican, REUTERS, CITY, Hamas, Reuters, State, Thomson Locations: Saint Peter's, Gaza, Israel, Rome

☆ South Lebanon shepherds face risk and ruin from cross-border hostilities
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Abdelaziz Boumzar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But they are now off-limits, rendered too dangerous for sheep, cows and their herders by Israeli air raids and artillery fire. Lebanese Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, has fired rockets at Israel, which has retaliated with air strikes and artillery shells. The resulting fires have burned olive trees and torched agricultural land across southern Lebanon, devastating herders and farmers already hit hard by a four-year economic meltdown. Two Lebanese shepherds were also found dead after being shot at by Israeli troops earlier this month. Lebanese herders have long learned to live with the cross-border tensions between Lebanon and Israel.

Persons: Tony al, Mays, Ali Beber, Jihad Said, Beber, AbdelAziz Boumzar, Abdelhadi Ramahi, Ahmad Kerdi, Maya Gebeily, Gareth Jones Organizations: Hezbollah, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Rmeich, Lebanon, Beirut, Fanar, SELM, Houla, Majdal, Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, Lebanese

☆ Israeli hostage families near Jerusalem in march of solidarity and protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Police blocked off parts of the main highway as the marchers began to ascend the foothills leading to Jerusalem. They held up pictures of their loved ones, waved Israeli flags, and chanted "We won't give up, we demand the hostages' release!" Hamas fighters took around 240 people hostage during their Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. Bring them back home now," said Yuval Haran, who walked with a placard showing seven members of his family who were taken hostage, including his three-year-old niece. The families and their supporters say they will end the march of about 60 km (37 miles) on Saturday in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem.

Persons: Yuval Haran, Steffen Seibert, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Ilan Rosenberg, Gareth Jones Organizations: Palestinian, Police, Thomson Locations: Jerusalem, Latrun, Israel, JERUSALEM, Gaza, Tel Aviv

☆ Ukraine Says It Has Destroyed 15 Russian Naval Vessels in Black Sea During War
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine's military said on Friday its operations had resulted in the destruction of a total of 15 Russian naval vessels in the Black Sea since the start of Russia's invasion and that 12 other vessels had been damaged. Ukraine has stepped up its attacks in the Black Sea and on Crimea, which Russia seized and annexed in 2014. Ukraine's military said its operations carried out in the Black Sea so far have included strikes on the Russian Black Sea Navy headquarters in Sevastopol and the shipyard in Kerch, which damaged a vessel that had not yet joined the fleet. In April 2022, shortly after the start of the war, Ukraine's forces said it hit the Moskva missile cruiser, flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet, with domestically produced a Neptune anti-ship missile. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy recently said Kyiv had managed to shift the balance of power in the Black Sea, seizing the initiative from Moscow which regards Crimea as strategically vital to its interests.

Persons: Dmytro Pletenchuk, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Yuliia Dysa, Gareth Jones Organizations: Kyiv, Reuters, Russian Black Sea Navy Locations: Ukraine, Crimea, Russia, Kyiv, Novorossiysk, Russian, Sevastopol, Kerch, Moscow

☆ Gaza war inflicts catastrophic damage on infrastructure and economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In all, it said at least 45% of Gaza's housing units had reportedly been damaged or destroyed. It was impossible to independently verify the numbers, but Reuters reporters in Gaza say the destruction is on a huge scale. OCHA said 55 ambulances in Gaza had been damaged, with critical shortages reported of drugs and blood products. The socio-economic situation of Gaza was already dire before the war, with the poverty rate estimated to have reached 61% in 2020. They also forecast that the war would cost Gaza between 4% and 12% of gross domestic product in 2023.

Persons: OCHA, Khan Younis, Crispian Balmer, Giles Elgood, Gareth Jones Organizations: United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, Gaza's Ministry of Health, Palestinian, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, REUTERS Acquire, UNRWA, United Nations Economic, Social Commission, Western, United Nations Development Programme, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israeli, Beit Hanoun, Palestinian, ISRAEL, Khan, Israel, Western Asia

The Ukrainian military retook the city and the area around it on the western bank of the Dnipro in November 2022. Kovalyov said Ukrainian troops were conducting sabotage and reconnaissance actions to discover and disrupt logistics for Russian ammunition and food supplies. He said the Russian military were mounting heavy resistance and had brought in reinforcements. The Ukrainian military said in its daily update that fighting was raging along the entire frontline from the south to the east, reporting 72 combat clashes in the last 24 hours. Vitalyi Barabash, head of Avdiivka's military administration, said on television that Russian forces were making a big push towards the town's industrial zone near a vast coke plant, and bringing in reinforcements.

Persons: Andriy Kovalyov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Kovalyov, Natalia Humeniuk, Vitalyi Barabash, Yuliia Dysa, Olena Harmash, Tom Balmforth, Gareth Jones, Andrew Heavens, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Ukrainian Marines, Russia, Ukrainian Armed Forces, YouTube, Ukrainian, ., Thomson Locations: KYIV, Kherson, Dnipro, Crimea, Russia, Ukraine, speedboats, Ukrainian, . Russian, Kyiv, Avdiivka, Moscow, Bakhmut, Donetsk

A view of the border between Russia and Finland at the Nuijamaa border checkpoint in Lappeenranta, Finland on November 15, 2023. The four border crossings - at Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa, Imatra and Niirala in southeastern Finland - are normally the busiest points of travel between the two countries. Nearly 100 asylum seekers had entered Finland from Russia on Friday by midday, officials said. Finland shares a 1,340-km (833-mile) border with Russia that also serves as the EU's external border. Finland's ombudsman for non-discrimination said on Thursday Helsinki still had a duty under international treaties and EU law to allow asylum seekers to seek protection.

Persons: Helsinki, Matti Pitkaniitty, Pitkaniitty, Essi Lehto, Anne Kauranen, Terje Solsvik, Gareth Jones Organizations: Finnish Border Guard, European Union, NATO, Kremlin, Helsinki, Thomson Locations: Russia, Finland, Lappeenranta, Finnish, HELSINKI, Vaalimaa, Russia's, Salla, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Syria, Moscow, Ukraine, United States

☆ US Is 'Confident' Sweden Will Soon Join NATO - US Envoy to Hungary
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - The United States is "confident" that Sweden will soon be a member of NATO, the U.S. ambassador to Hungary said on Thursday, adding he had been assured by the Hungarian government that Budapest would not be the last to ratify the bid. Relations between Budapest and Washington have soured because of Hungary's foot-dragging over the ratification of Sweden's NATO accession and also over Prime Minister Viktor Orban's warm ties with Moscow despite the war in Ukraine. "I have been repeatedly assured at the senior-most levels of this government that Hungary will not be last to ratify Sweden’s accession to NATO," Ambassador David Pressman said. Sweden's NATO membership is still pending ratification by Turkey and Hungary. Orban's Fidesz was expected to submit the bill to parliament on Tuesday, but it has been delayed.

Persons: Viktor Orban's, David Pressman, Orban, Vladimir Putin's, Pressman, Putin, that's, Krisztina, Gareth Jones Organizations: NATO, Fidesz Locations: BUDAPEST, United States, Sweden, U.S, Hungary, Hungarian, Budapest, Washington, Moscow, Ukraine, Turkey, Russia, Beijing

Israel's military, which has concentrated its assault on northern Gaza, said its troops and war planes were keeping up pressure on Friday. Overnight they took control of an Islamic Jihad commander's stronghold, it said, and also killed Hamas fighters inside a school where they found a large number of weapons. The army released a video it said showed a tunnel entrance in an outdoor area of Al Shifa hospital. Reuters journalists have been unable to reach anyone inside Shifa hospital for more than 24 hours. On Friday, the Israeli military said soldiers retrieved the body of a female soldier who had been held captive, in a building near Shifa.

Persons: WAFA, Al Jazeera, Israel, Alexander Ermochenko, Cindy McCain, Pedro Arrojo, Agudo, Al, Nidal al, Ari Rabinovitch, Angus MacSwan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Gaza, United Nations, Food Programme, Al, Hamas, Palestinian Health Ministry, Indonesian Hospital, Humanitarian Affairs, Palestinian, REUTERS, World Health Organization, Reuters, West Bank, Brigades, Thomson Locations: Gaza, GAZA, JERUSALEM, Rafah, Egypt, Al, Israel, Jihad, Al Shifa, North Gaza, Shifa, Jenin

☆ UK's Cameron meets Zelenskiy in Kyiv on first foreign trip as foreign minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomes Britain's Foreign Secretary David Cameron before their meeting, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, in this handout picture released November 16, 2023. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Britain's Foreign Secretary David Cameron travelled to wartime Kyiv and met President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for talks on his first working trip abroad, the Ukrainian leader said on Thursday. Former prime minister Cameron, who was named as Britain's new foreign minister on Monday, said in a video posted by Zelenskiy's office that he wanted to underscore London's support for Ukraine. Strict security measures in place because of the war mean details of visits by foreign dignitaries are sometimes released only some time after they have happened. Reporting by Dan Peleschuk and Olena Harmash; editing by Tom Balmforth and Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, David Cameron, Cameron, Zelenskiy, Dan Peleschuk, Tom Balmforth, Gareth Jones Organizations: Britain's, Presidential Press Service, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, Britain, Ukrainian

A man walks while smoke rises above buildings after aerial bombardment, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023. But analysts and diplomats say it is unclear how the RSF could govern a breakaway territory. "(Governing) means you take on responsibilities for food, health, and security," said Suliman Baldo of the Sudan Transparency and Policy Tracker. From late October the RSF took over army headquarters in Nyala, Zalingei and El Geneina, three of five Darfur state capitals. They say the RSF is seeking legitimacy in the talks, after public anger over looting, rape and detentions blamed on its troops.

Persons: Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Yasir Arman, Abdelrahim Dagalo, Omar al, Bashir, El Geneina, Kholood Khair, Bashir loyalists, Jonas Horner, Nafisa Eltahir, Khalid Abdelaziz, Aidan Lewis, Gareth Jones Organizations: Rapid Support Forces, REUTERS, Sudan's Rapid Support Forces, Darfur, South, Reuters, Armoured Corps, Confluence Advisory, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Khartoum North, Sudan, Jeddah, CAIRO, Khartoum, South Sudan, Darfur, North Darfur, Port Sudan, Kordofan, Nyala, El Geneina, Jebel Awlia, Confluence, Saudi, West Darfur, Cairo, Dubai

Hamas has agreed to the general outlines of this deal, but Israel has not and it is still negotiating the details, the official said. The wealthy Gulf state of Qatar, which has ambitious foreign policy goals, has a direct line of communication with Hamas and Israel. Such a deal would require Hamas handing over a complete list of remaining living civilian hostages held in Gaza. The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Hamas political office in Doha declined comment. There was no immediate comment from Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Hamas political office in Doha.

Persons: Anas, Israel, Benny Gantz, Gantz, Benjamin Netanyahu, Andrew Mills, Gebeily, Aidan Lewis, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Dan Williams, Mayaan, Angus McDowall, Michael Georgy, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, U.S, Hamas, Qatari, Palestinian, Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qassam Brigades, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Rights DOHA, CAIRO, Israel, Palestinian, Gulf, Qatar, Doha, Western, Beirut, Cairo, Jerusalem

☆ Exclusive-Qatar Seeking Israel-Hamas Deal to Release 50 Hostages and 3-Day Truce, Sources Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

The deal, under discussion, which has been coordinated with the U.S., would also see Israel release some Palestinian women and children from Israeli jails and increase the amount of humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza, the official said. It would mark the biggest release in hostages held by Hamas since the Palestinian militant group burst over the Gaza border, attacked parts of Israel and took hostages into the enclave. Hamas has agreed to the general outlines of this deal, but Israel has not and it is still negotiating the details, the official said. It is not known how many Palestinian women and children Israel would release from its jails as part of the agreement under discussion. (Reporting by Andrew Mills in Doha, Maya Gebeily in Beirut, Aidan Lewis and Ahmed Mohamed Hassan in Cairo; Additional reporting by Dan Williams and Mayaan Lubell in Jerusalem; Writing by Andrew Mills and Angus McDowall; Editing by Michael Georgy and Gareth Jones)

Persons: Andrew Mills, Aidan Lewis DOHA, Israel, Gebeily, Aidan Lewis, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Dan Williams, Mayaan, Angus McDowall, Michael Georgy, Gareth Jones Organizations: Reuters, U.S, Hamas Locations: CAIRO, Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, Doha, Beirut, Cairo, Jerusalem

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