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☆ Forest fires hit Russian Black Sea resort town
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A fire-fighting helicopter drops water during an operation to put out forest fires near the Black Sea resort town of Gelendzhik, Russia, in this still image from video released August 30, 2023. Russian Emergencies Ministry/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsAug 30 (Reuters) - Hundreds of firefighters are trying to put out blazes near the Russian Black Sea town of Gelendzhik, one of the country's most popular resorts, the local mayor said on Wednesday. In a post on Telegram, mayor Alexei Bogodistov said that 441 people, more than 80 vehicles and fire-fighting planes and helicopters had been deployed to combat the forest fires which had engulfed 118 hectares of land. Footage circulating online showed the wooded hills above the town wreathed in flame. Forest fires are rare on Russia's humid Black Sea coast, but much of Europe has sweltered in a series of heatwaves this summer, causing blazes across the continent.

Persons: Alexei Bogodistov, Felix Light, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Russian Emergencies Ministry, REUTERS Acquire, Thomson Locations: Gelendzhik, Russia, Russian, Europe

☆ UAE's G42 launches open source Arabic language AI model
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Max A. Cherney | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Startup Cerebras System's new AI supercomputer Andromeda is seen at a data center in Santa Clara, California, U.S. October 2022. Rebecca Lewington/Cerebras Systems/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 30 (Reuters) - A group of engineers, researchers and a Silicon Valley-based chip company collaborated to release advanced Arabic language software that can power generative AI applications. The new large language model called Jais contains 13 billion parameters that was made from a big batch of data combining Arabic and English, a portion of which is from computer code. The new language model was created with the help of supercomputers produced by the Silicon Valley-based Cerebras Systems, which designs dinner plate-sized chips that compete with Nvidia's (NVDA.O) powerful AI hardware. The group trained the Jais model on a Cerebras' supercomputer called a Condor Galaxy.

Persons: Rebecca Lewington, Cerebras, Mohamed bin, Timothy Baldwin, Baldwin, Max A, Josie Kao Organizations: Cerebras, REUTERS, Systems, United Arab Emirates, University of Artificial Intelligence, Reuters, Condor Galaxy, Thomson Locations: Santa Clara , California, U.S, University, Abu Dhabi, San Francisco

☆ U.S. Space Force looks to boost allied tracking of North Korea missiles
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A new logo for the U.S. Space Force being added by the Trump administration as a sixth branch of the U.S. military, is seen in this handout image released by U.S. President Donald Trump from the White House in Washington, U.S. January 24, 2020. Led by a small contingent of U.S. Space Force personnel - the branch's first official component set up overseas - the allies see closer space integration as key to better tracking North Korean threats and responding to a conflict. The exact details of that trilateral cooperation are being worked out at higher levels, Space Force officials told reporters at a briefing at Osan Air Base, south of Seoul. Missile tracking data, including information from the U.S. Space-based Infrared System (SBIRS), which can detect missile launches, is already being automatically shared with U.S. allies through early warning systems, said Master Sergeant Shawn Stafford.

Persons: Trump, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Yoon Suk Yeol, Fumio Kishida, Matt Taylor, Taylor, Shawn Stafford, Kim Jong Ha, Tal Inbar, Josh Smith, Gerry Doyle Organizations: U.S . Space Force, U.S ., U.S, White, REUTERS, Rights, Korean, . Space Force, South Korean, Korea, Space Force, Osan Air Base, . Space Forces, South, South Korean Air Force Space, Squadron, Israel's Fisher Institute for Air, Space Strategic Studies, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Rights SEOUL, U.S, Japan, Seoul, Korea, South Korea

☆ Factbox: Stocks to watch as Hurricane Idalia makes landfall in Florida
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Hurricane Idalia hits Florida's west coast in a composite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) GOES-East weather satellite August 30, 2023. NOAA/Handout REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Millions of Florida residents evacuated to higher ground after Hurricane Idalia, an "extremely dangerous" Category 3 storm, made landfall on Wednesday at the state's Gulf Coast. Idalia was forecast to unleash destructive winds and torrential downpours that will cause coastal flooding up to 16 feet (5 m) deep. An early news briefing by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was interrupted for a few seconds by a power cut. Shares of NextEra Energy (NEE.N), which owns the Florida Power & Light Company, the state's largest utility, was little changed at $67.51.

Persons: Idalia, Ron DeSantis, Kinder Morgan, Owens Corning's, Chibuike Oguh, Lance Tupper, Marguerita Choy Organizations: National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Handout REUTERS, Florida, NextEra Energy, Florida Power & Light Company, Duke Energy, Generac Holdings, Chevron, Universal Insurance Holdings, Allstate Corporation, American International, Home, Lowe's, Thomson Locations: Florida, Gulf Coast, Idalia, Georgia, South Carolina, U.S, Gulf, Mexico, New York

☆ Lithuania summons Pope's diplomat over remarks on Russian empire heritage
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer from his window at the Vatican, August 27, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsVILNIUS, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Majority-Catholic EU member Lithuania has summoned the Vatican's top diplomat in the country after Pope Francis told Russian youths to remember they are the heirs of "the great Russian empire". The Vatican said on Tuesday Pope Francis did not intend to glorify Russian imperialism in the speech, in which he also extolled Russian emperors Peter the Great and Catherine II who expanded the Russian empire. The territories of Lithuania and Poland were annexed into the Russian empire in the 18th century by Catherine II. Francis' intent was "to preserve and promote all that is positive in the great Russian cultural and spiritual heritage", said Vatican.

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis, Peter the Great, Catherine II, Russia, Andrius Sytas, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, Rights, Catholic EU, Lithuanian Foreign Affairs Ministry, Russian, European Union, NATO, Catholic, Communist, Thomson Locations: Rights VILNIUS, Lithuania, St . Petersburg, Russian, Poland, Vatican, Ukraine, Soviet, Vilnius

☆ Gabon army officers say they have seized power after election in oil-rich country
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Gerauds Wilfried Obangome | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The officers said on television channel Gabon 24 that they represented all Gabonese security and defence forces. They said the election results were cancelled, all borders were closed until further notice and state institutions were dissolved. Military officers have also seized power in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Chad. "If this is confirmed, it is another military coup which increases instability in the whole region," said the European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. Bongo, 64, succeeded his father Omar as president in 2009 and was re-elected in a disputed election in 2016.

Persons: Ali Bongo Ondimba's, Ali Bongo, Bongo, Elisabeth Borne, insurgencies, Josep Borrell, Albert Ondo Ossa, Omar, Eramet, Alessandra Prentice, Sofia Christensen, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Nellie Peyton, Simon Cameron, Moore, Edmund Blair Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS Acquire, Central African, OPEC, French, Military, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Gabonese, Centre, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: Gabonese, Gabon, Handout, LIBREVILLE, Libreville, France, West, Central Africa, Niger, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad . Niger

[1/2] A view of watches seized during a police raid, in Singapore, in this handout picture released on August 16, 2023. He faced new charges related to the seizure from him of three properties, more than S$6 million in six bank accounts, cryptocurrencies and a car worth over S$1 million. Their lawyers sought bail but gave no indication of how the suspects would answer the money laundering allegations. Eight more suspects are wanted and 12 are assisting in investigations, police have said. ($1 = 1.3520 Singapore dollars)Reporting by Xinghui Kok; Editing by Martin PettyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Chen Qingyuan, Su Wenqiang, Xinghui Kok, Martin Petty Organizations: Singapore Police Force, Facebook, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Cyprus, Cambodia, Dominica, China, Turkey, Vanuatu

☆ Two killed in Russian missile attack on Kyiv - officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The enemy launched a massive, combined attack using drones and missiles," Serhiy Popko, the head of the city's military administration said on Telegram. [1/4]Rescuers work at a site of buildings damaged in the night by Russian drone and missiles strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv region, Ukraine August 30, 2023. Russia then launched missiles from Tu-95 strategic aircrafts. General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, said that Ukrainian air defences shot down all 28 Russian missiles and 15 out of 16 drones launched overnight. read moreKyiv authorities said several buildings were damaged by debris while officials in Kyiv region reported that 6 private houses were damaged by missile fragments and several people were injured.

Persons: Vitali Klitschko, Serhiy Popko, Popko, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Pavel Polityuk, Jacqueline Wong, Michael Perry Organizations: Press, State Emergency Service of, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Kyiv region, State Emergency Service of Ukraine, Handout, Kyiv, Russia, Ukrainian

☆ US deploys B-1B bombers for separate drills with South Korea, Japan
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

US Air Force B-1B bombers, F-16 fighter jets and South Korean Air Force F-35A take part in a joint air drill, South Korea, March 19, 2023. South Korean Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY./File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The United States separately deployed B-1B bombers for joint drills with South Korea and Japan on Wednesday, as the three allies have stepped up responses to threats from North Korea. A U.S. B-1B flew alongside South Korean FA-50 jets and U.S. Air Force F-16 fighters as part of ongoing Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, South Korea's defence ministry said. The U.S.-led bomber drills came days after North Korea attempted a satellite launch that ended in failure. Japan also participated in a trilateral naval missile defence exercise with the U.S. and South Korea on Tuesday.

Persons: 1Bs, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Hyunsu Yim, Kantaro Komiya, Gerry Doyle Organizations: US Air Force, South Korean Air Force, South Korean Defence Ministry, Rights, United, South, South Korean FA, . Air Force, North, U.S . Air Force, South Korea, U.S ., Wednesday, U.S, Thomson Locations: South Korea, Rights SEOUL, United States, Japan, North Korea, U.S, American, Camp, Seoul, Tokyo

☆ Opinion: Why the fall of Afghanistan in 2021 broke me in a way my husband’s death didn’t
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Hilary Krieger | Opinion Jane Horton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Chris Horton, a sniper with 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard, stands with his weapon in Paktia, Afghanistan, in 2011. In this March 2016 photo, US Central Command Commander Gen. Lloyd Austin and Gold Star Wife Jane Horton talk at Headquarters Resolute Support Mission in Kabul, Afghanistan. Jane Horton, senior adviser to the acting secretary of defense, gives a speech in Kabul in December 2020. It was a place that might have even been darker than the day Chris died. Chris Horton and Jane Horton pose for a photo on their wedding day in 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Persons: Jane Horton, CNN —, It’s, Chris, I’ve, Marcus Yam, who’d, Kirk Owen, ”, Chris Horton, ., Whitney Hughes, “ Jane, Marshal Rommel ‘ Don’t, ’, —, Lloyd Austin, Myles Cullen, ” Maryam, Ashraf Ghani, Taylor Crul Organizations: Department of Defense, Afghan Women’s Council, CNN, Oklahoma National Guard, Los Angeles Times, Facebook, Spc, 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard, National Guard Bureau, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gold Star, Embassy, Central Command, US Air Force, 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, III, Hamid, Airport, Twitter, State Department Locations: Georgetown University’s, Afghanistan, Kabul, Paktia, United States, Washington, Resolute, American, Paktya, –, America, Cleveland , Ohio, anytown USA

☆ Brazil robot helps farmers scout, spray and protect crops, developer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Ana Mano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A Solinftec's farming robot works on the field in Aracatuba, Brazil August 7, 2023. Solinftec plans to deliver 40 units to customers this year and 250 next year in the U.S. and Brazil, Hernandez said, up from 20 units delivered in 2022. Solinftec says it can produce 1,600 units per year at two factories, one in Brazil and the other in the U.S. Hernandez said the robot, which runs on solar power, can monitor all types of crops, including soy, corn, sugarcane, onions, potatoes and tomatoes. Brazilian clients including sugar giant Raizen (RAIZ4.SA) and grain behemoth Amaggi use Solinftec's robot, Hernandez said.

Persons: Britaldo Hernandez, Hernandez, Solinftec, Brazil's, Ana Mano, Andy Sullivan Organizations: REUTERS, SAO PAULO, Solix, U.S, Farmers, Thomson Locations: Aracatuba, Brazil, Handout, United States, U.S

☆ Kremlin plays down moon landing failure, says space programme will continue
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Roscosmos/Vostochny Space Centre/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreMOSCOW, Aug 29 (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Tuesday said that the failure of Russia's Luna-25 mission to the Moon earlier this month was "nothing terrible" and that the main thing was to continue Russia's space exploration program. In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "This is not a reason to despair, nor to tear our hair out. Luna-25, Russia's first lunar mission since 1976, crashed into the Moon on Aug. 19 after a failed orbital manoeuvre, in what has been seen abroad as a major blow to the Russian space program. "The main thing is not to stop.

Persons: Russia's Luna, Dmitry Peskov, Luna, Peskov, Felix Light, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: 2.1b, Vostochny, Indian, Thomson Locations: Amur, Russia, MOSCOW

☆ Stolen at birth: Chilean kidnapped during dictatorship meets mother after 42 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SANTIAGO, Aug 29 (Reuters) - A 42-year-old lawyer who was stolen at birth during the rule of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and raised in the United States has traveled thousands of miles to South America to meet his biological mother for the first time. "She didn't know about me because they took me at birth and told her I was dead," Jimmy Lippert Thyden said in a TikTok video while on the plane to meet his mother for the first time. [1/2]Jimmy Lippert Thyden, who was stolen at birth during the rule of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and raised in the United States and Maria Angelica Gonzalez, his biological mother, meet in Valdivia, Chile, in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters on August 29, 2023. Lippert Thyden reconnected with his family thanks to a DNA tracing via MyHeritage.com and Nos Buscamos, a Chilean non-governmental organization which helps reconnect people separated during the 17-year dictatorship. "This case is one of hundreds or thousands of cases of child trafficking during the dictatorship and democracy," del Rio said.

Persons: SANTIAGO, Augusto Pinochet, Jimmy Lippert Thyden, we've, Lippert Thyden, Maria Angelica Gonzalez, Nos, Constanza del, Fabian Cambrero, Sarah Morland, Lincoln Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: United States, South America, mother's, Valdivia, Chile, Rio, Chilean, Constanza del Rio

☆ Iran's Raisi urges Japan to release frozen funds, then wavers
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi attends a joint press conference with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa (not pictured) at the State House in Harare, Zimbabwe, on July 13, 2023. "Japan should act independently from the U.S. by releasing our blocked funds," Raisi said when asked by a Japanese reporter about $1.5 billion of blocked funds in Japan. "I must clarify that our Central Bank earlier said we only had unjustly frozen funds in South Korea. All other assets abroad are at the disposal of Iran's Central Bank," Raisi said. Tehran and Washington have reached an agreement in which five U.S. citizens held in Iran will be freed in exchange for $6 billion of Iranian assets frozen in South Korea.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mohammad Javad Ostad, Raisi, Tehran's, Andrew Cawthorne, Nick Macfie Organizations: Zimbabwean, State House, Iran's, West Asia News Agency, REUTERS, Rights, Central Bank, Iran's Central Bank, U.S, Dubai Newsroom, Thomson Locations: Harare, Zimbabwe, Japan, Washington, South Korea, U.S, Tehran, Iran, Qatar

☆ Nvidia's forward PE ratio tumbles to lowest in eight months
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Noel Randewich | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Courtesy NVIDIA/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsAug 28 (Reuters) - Increased analysts' estimates since Nvidia's (NVDA.O) strong quarterly report last week have left the world's most valuable chipmaker trading at its lowest forward earnings multiple in eight months. Nvidia's forward earnings valuation plungesAt that price, Nvidia shares are trading at the equivalent of around 33 times expected earnings over the next 12 months, according to Refinitiv data. That forward PE compares to over 46 a week ago, and it is now at its lowest since December 2022. Price/earnings ratios help investors gauge the value of companies, but relying on analysts' estimates of future earnings creates uncertainty. Following its report, analysts on average expect Nvidia's revenue for the fiscal year ending in January 2024 to reach $53 billion, nearly double the previous year, according to Refinitiv data.

Persons: Price, Ross Mayfield, Cody Acree, It's, Acree, Jensen Huang, Noel Randewich, Diane Craft Organizations: NVIDIA, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, Nvidia, Baird, Benchmark Research, Apple, Thomson Locations: Santa Clara , California

☆ A massive Iranian missile attack on a US base offered a glimpse of the long-lasting injuries US troops will face in a war with Russia or China
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In January 2020, Iran fired nearly a dozen ballistic missiles at an Iraqi base housing US troops. The hundreds of US troops at the base experienced what has been described as "the largest ballistic attack against Americans in history." The troops only received a few hours of warning, and the base had no air defenses capable of intercepting the missiles. US soldiers inspect damage from Iranian missiles at Al Asad air base on January 13, 2020. The Al Asad attack was a relatively small-scale demonstration of the lethal dangers that US troops will face on the battlefields of the future.

Persons: Qassem, Al Asad, Saddam Hussein, John Davison, Robert Hales, TBIs, Sarah Mattison, Kenneth McKenzie, McKenzie, Paul Iddon Organizations: Service, Reuters, US, American College of Surgeons, Iranian, Anadolu Agency, Getty, US Air National Guard / Tech, Marine Corps, Senate Armed Services Committee, US Central Command Locations: Iran, Wall, Silicon, Iranian, Iraq, Baghdad, Erbil, Al, Handout, Ukraine, Vermont

☆ Pope Francis laments "reactionary," politicised, US Catholic Church
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Pope Francis leads the Angelus prayer from his window at the Vatican, August 27, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsVATICAN CITY, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Pope Francis has lamented what he called a "reactionary" Catholic Church in the United States, where he said political ideology has replaced faith in some cases. "You have seen that in the United States the situation is not easy: there is a very strong reactionary attitude. "You have been to the United States and you say you have felt a climate of closure. In other words, ideology replaces faith, membership in a sector of the Church replaces membership in the Church," he said.

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis, Cardinal Raymond Burke, Philip Pullella, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, CITY, Catholic, U.S . Church, Jesuit, Thomson Locations: United States, Lisbon, Portuguese, Rome

☆ Ukraine says it liberates strategic southeastern settlement
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian soldiers of the Separate Assault Battalion 'Skala' enter the embattled village of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, in this screengrab taken from a handout video released on August 25, 2023. Separate Assault Battalion 'Skala' of the Ukrainian Armed Forces/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Ukraine said on Monday its troops had liberated the southeastern settlement of Robotyne and were trying to push further south in their counteroffensive against Russian forces. The Ukrainian military said last week that its forces had raised the national flag in the strategic settlement, but were still carrying out mopping-up operations. She said Russian troops were gathering new forces there and regrouping, and Moscow was aiming to deploy its best troops there. She added that in the past week Ukrainian forces had retaken 1 square km (0.39 square mile) around Bakhmut, and Russian troops had not made any advances.

Persons: Robotyne, Hanna Maliar, Maliar, Tom Balmforth, Anna Pruchnicka, Timothy Organizations: Separate, Ukrainian Armed Forces, REUTERS, Rights, Russian, Reuters, NATO, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Orikhiv, Tokmak, Russian, Azov, Mala Tokmachka, Russia, Moscow, Bakhmut, Poltava, Ukrainian

[1/2] A view of burned debris after wildfires devastated the historic town of Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, U.S., August 10, 2023. Maui County sued Hawaiian Electric last week, accusing the utility of negligently failing to shut off power and causing the devastating fires that destroyed the coastal town of Lahaina and killed more than 114 people. "We were surprised and disappointed that the County of Maui rushed to court even before completing its own investigation," CEO Shelee Kimura said in a statement. Even with Monday's rally, shares are still down more than 60% since the wildfires started on Aug. 8. "To the extent HECO (Hawaiian Electric Co) has information of a second ignition source, HECO should offer that evidence now.

Persons: Shelee Kimura, HECO, John Fiske, Raymond James, Pavel Molchanov, Arunima Kumar, Mrinalika Roy, Louise Heavens, Mark Potter, Maju Samuel, Shounak Organizations: Hawai'i Department of Land, Natural Resources, REUTERS, Hawaiian Electric Industries, Hawaiian Electric, Electric, Thomson Locations: Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, U.S, Maui County, West Maui, Bengaluru

☆ Rubiales' mother goes on hunger strike in Spain over 'hunt' on son - report
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Angeles Bejar said her strike would last "until a solution is found to the inhumane and bloody hunt they are carrying out against my son with something he does not deserve", according to EFE. According to EFE, Bejar stayed inside the parish church of Divina Pastora in Rubiales' hometown in southern Spain, Motril, with her sister after the parish priest left. She asked Hermoso to tell the truth and "stick to the version she gave at the beginning", EFE added. The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has issued a statement for him, saying Rubiales "will defend himself legally in the competent bodies" to prove "his complete innocence". Hermoso said she did not consent to the kiss and felt "vulnerable and the victim of an aggression".

Persons: Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales, Luis Rubiales, Jenni Hermoso, EFE, Angeles Bejar, Rubiales, Bejar, Divina, Hermoso, David Latona, Andrei Khalip Organizations: Soccer Football, Spanish Soccer Federation, Del Futbol, Royal Spanish Football Federation, REUTERS, Rights, FIFA, Socialist, Thomson Locations: Del Futbol Las, Rozas, Spain, Handout, Spanish, Sydney, Rubiales

☆ Pope Francis draws criticism for extolling Russian imperialist tsars
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Pope Francis holds the weekly general audience, in Paul VI hall at the Vatican, August 9, 2023. You are heirs of the great Russia - the great Russia of the saints, of kings, the great Russia of Peter the Great, of Catherine II, the great Russian empire, cultured, so much culture, so much humanity. An editorial on Italy's Il Sismografo website, which specialises in Catholic affairs, called the pope's words "odd" at a delicate moment in history. Pope Francis is a Jesuit. The comment prompted Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to summon the Vatican's ambassador in Kyiv to protest, saying the pope's words were "unfair" and had "broken Ukraine's heart".

Persons: Pope Francis, Paul VI, Peter the Great, Vladimir Putin, Francis, Catherine II, Russia, Oleg Nikolenko, Nikolenko, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Italy's, Catherine, Catherine the Great, Pope Clement XIV, Last, Putin, Tsar Peter the Great, propounding, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Nexta, Darya, Dmytro Kuleba, Ron Popeski, Tomasz Janowski, Alex Richardson Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, CITY, Kremlin, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Facebook, Rite Catholic Church, Ukrainian, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, St . Petersburg, Russia, Crimea, Russian, Estonian, Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, Moscow, Kyiv

☆ Spain's soccer federation to hold urgent meeting over Rubiales kiss scandal
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Rubiales has steadfastly refused to resign over the incident with player Jenni Hermoso last Sunday in Sydney, saying the kiss was consensual. Players and a string of coaches on the women's squad are demanding he go, and the government also wants him out. The Royal Football Federation (RFEF) has called regional federations to an "extraordinary and urgent" meeting on Monday "to evaluate the situation in which the federation finds itself" following Rubiales' suspension, an RFEF spokesperson said on Sunday. All 23 of Spain's cup-winning squad including Hermoso, as well as dozens of other squad members, said on Friday they would not play internationals while Rubiales remained head of the federation. However, he said on Saturday that the scandal would not damage Spain's bid to stage the 2030 World Cup along with Portugal and Morocco.

Persons: Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales, Luis Rubiales, Rubiales, Jenni Hermoso, Hermoso, Jennifer Hermoso, Jenni, Victor Francos, Graham Keeley, Frances Kerry Organizations: Soccer Football, Spanish Soccer Federation, Del Futbol, Royal Spanish Football Federation, REUTERS, Rights, FIFA, Royal Football Federation, Sunday, Atletico Madrid, Milan, Logrono, Sports Council, Thomson Locations: Del Futbol Las, Rozas, Spain, Handout, Sydney, Madrid, Santander, Spanish, Portugal, Morocco

WASHINGTON, Aug 27 (Reuters) - The white gunman who shot and killed three Black people at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, was a 21-year-old who bought his guns legally and had no criminal history, local law enforcement said on Sunday. The shooter, Ryan Christopher Palmeter, lived with his parents in a suburb of Jacksonville, Sheriff T.K. Acquire Licensing RightsPalmeter also left a will and a suicide note that were retrieved by his father, the Jacksonville sheriff said. Waters said the suspect was caught on video shooting Angela Michelle Carr, a Black 52-year-old woman, in her car outside the Dollar General, a U.S. discount chain. Authorities said he was spotted trying to enter a local historically Black college, Edward Waters University, on Saturday before heading to the Dollar General store.

Persons: Ryan Christopher Palmeter, Sheriff T.K, Waters, Palmeter, Joe Biden, Merrick Garland, Angela Michelle Carr, Joseph, AJ, Laguerre, De’Shaun, Walters, Maria Caspani, Sarah N, Lynch, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Sheriff, Authorities, Reuters, Jacksonville Sheriff’s, REUTERS, Acquire, Washington, Dollar, Edward Waters University, Thomson Locations: Jacksonville , Florida, Jacksonville, U.S, EWU, New York, Washington

☆ Vision 2030 is Saudi Arabia's grand plan to future-proof its oil-based economy. Experts say it's a huge risk.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Vision 2030 is Saudi Arabia's grand plan to transform its economy and reduce its reliance on oil. The centerpiece of Vision 2030 is Neom, which includes a $1 trillion megacity known as The Line. But time is ticking: Seven years after announcing Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia has reached the midway point of its timeline, with just seven years left to the finish line. That said, much of this is being financed by the Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia's powerful sovereign wealth fund, which manages assets worth about $700 billion. NeomA key factor that could determine this project's success involves Saudi Arabia's changing appeal to the West.

Persons: Saud, who's, Simon Mabon, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, McKinsey —, —, Gerald Feierstein, Barack Obama, Feierstein, Richard Callis, Prince Mohammed, Yasir Othman al, Mabon, Prince Mohammed's, there's, Muslimi, they're Organizations: Foreign Policy Center, Saudi Royal Court, REUTERS, Saudi Crown, McKinsey, Middle East Institute, Public Investment Fund, Saudi, SoftBank's Vision, Newcastle United soccer, Newcastle United FC, Saudi Aramco, International Monetary Fund, Chatham House, Neom, United, Bloomberg, Amnesty International Locations: Saudi, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, London, NEOM, Bandar, Yemen, Ukraine, Riyadh, Jeddah, they're, United Arab Emirates, Neom

☆ To 'crush the Russian army and strangle the troops in frontline fortifications,' Ukraine needs to advance 10 more miles, says war expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | Jan Kallberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine only needs to advance 10 miles to "crush the Russian army," says a war expert. AdvertisementAdvertisementWhere intelligence analysts see distances on maps of southern Ukraine, military planners see something very different. They apply military math and calculate that Ukraine does not need to advance 50 miles to "crush the Russian army and strangle the troops in frontline fortifications"— 10 miles will suffice to make headway, wrote Kallberg. From here, the Ukrainian counteroffensive needs to advance 7-10 miles to disrupt Russia's east-west transport routes, inhibiting the Russian army's ability to mobilize and fight. Russian military bloggers are gloomyUkrainian troops train with heavy weapons near the frontline in Zaporizhzhia on April 20, 2023.

Persons: Jan Kallberg, Russia's, Skala, Muhammed Enes Yildirim, Mark Milley Organizations: Reuters, Service, Center for, Washington Post, Separate, Ukrainian Armed Forces, REUTERS, Anadolu Agency, Getty, US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington DC, CNN Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Wall, Silicon, Kallberg, Crimea, Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian, Orikhiv, Azov

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