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As part of the new deal, Britain will help fund a detention centre in France while Paris will deploy more French personnel and enhanced technology to patrol its beaches. Officers from both countries will also look to work with countries along the routes favoured by people traffickers. The funding package will be paid in instalments, with Britain paying 125 million pounds in 2023-24. Britain said France would contribute significantly more. Later this month, King Charles will also travel to France on his first state visit as monarch.

☆ Sheep come to the rescue of Pompeii ruins
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Sheep graze the grass as part of an initiative to protect ancient ruins from growing green in unexcavated areas of the archaeological site in Pompeii, Italy, March 6, 2023. Archaeologists have uncovered only around two thirds of the 66-hectare (163 acres) site at Pompeii since excavations began 250 years ago. Preserving the unexplored sections of the ancient city against erosion by nature and time is a priority for those who manage the site. "If grass and other plants grow in or on the ancient walls and houses this is a problem. It was woods, vineyards, sheep and it was this kind of rural environment and in the midst of that you had Pompeii."

☆ Odds of 50-basis-point Fed rate hike rise after Powell testimony
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 7 (Reuters) - Traders of futures tied to the Federal Reserve's policy rate were pricing in a half-percentage-point hike in interest rates at the U.S. central bank's March 21-22 policy meeting after Fed Chair Jerome Powell said on Tuesday that continued strong inflation data could require tougher measures. That was up from the 30% chance seen before Powell's testimony before the Senate Banking Committee. Futures briefly showed more than a 50% chance of a 50-basis-point (bp) hike immediately after Powell's remarks. The futures contracts pricing also points to firming expectations for the policy rate to rise to a 5.25%-5.50% range by June. Powell's testimony on Tuesday marked a stark acknowledgement that a "disinflationary process" he spoke of repeatedly in a Feb. 1 news conference may not be so smooth.

☆ Russian flag painted on base of Denmark's "Little Mermaid" statue
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

COPENHAGEN, March 2 (Reuters) - A Russian flag was discovered painted onto the base of Denmark's "The Little Mermaid" statue on Thursday in what police said was a "case of vandalism" at Copenhagen's most famous landmark and a popular tourist attraction. Denmark has been a vocal critic of Russia alongside other Western nations following last year's invasion of Ukraine. The 110-year-old bronze statue depicts the little mermaid from 19th-century Danish author Hans Christian Andersen's tale of the same name, and is sat on a rock by a waterside promenade. The white, blue and red stripes of the Russian flag were painted across the front of the stone. Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Johannes Gotfredsen-Birkebaek, Editing by Terje Solsvik and Raissa KasolowskyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU watchdog says will visit banks to check on their crisis plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, March 1 (Reuters) - The European Union's body for winding down failing banks said on Wednesday it would begin on-sight inspections of leading euro zone lenders to check they can be wound down without taxpayer aid in a crisis. Dominique Laboureix, chair of the Single Resolution Board, told the European Parliament that the watchdog will focus on whether plans top euro zone banks must have to wind themselves up in a crisis without taxpayer aid can actually work. Reporting by Huw Jones Editing by Raissa KasolowskyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Blinken has 'no plans' to meet Russian, Chinese counterparts at Delhi G20 meetings
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Simon Lewis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a news conference at the Hyatt Regency in Tashkent, Uzbekistan March 1, 2023. Olivier Douliery/Pool via REUTERSTASHKENT, March 1 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that he has no plans to meet either the foreign ministers of Russia or of China during the Group of 20 (G20) meeting in New Delhi. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang are attending the meeting. A Russian foreign ministry official said Lavrov was aiming to meet at least seven foreign ministers before India hosts a welcome dinner on Wednesday for delegates from 40 countries. During his trip to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Blinken met with counterparts from all five Central Asian countries that used to be ruled from Moscow and have strong trade links with Beijing, ahead of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting.

☆ ECB's Villeroy sees inflation peak in first half of year, no risk of recession
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Marine Strauss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Paris, March 1 (Reuters) - Inflation in France is likely to reach its peak in the first half of the year and, barring a major world event, the risk of recession could be ruled out, French European Central Bank policymaker Francois Villeroy de Galhau said on Wednesday. Villeroy, who is also governor of the French central bank, said inflation should be back to around 2%, the ECB's target, by the end of 2024 to the end of 2025. "It will be longer - we must not claim victory too quickly - but more gradual and more pragmatic in the pace of the next hikes," Villeroy told French lawmakers. While it is too early to tell when rates would reach their peak, Villeroy said it would be "desirable" by summer, at the latest by September. Reporting by Marine Strauss Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK house prices show first annual fall since 2020 - Nationwide
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

With inflation still above 10% and borrowing costs rising, the house price fall represented the first annual drop since June 2020 - early in the coronavirus pandemic - and the biggest such decrease since November 2012, Nationwide said. Economists polled by Reuters had expected prices to fall by 0.9% from a year earlier and by 0.4% in monthly terms. Nationwide said prices were now 3.7% lower than their peak in August last year. "Solid gains in nominal incomes together with weak or declining house prices will also support housing affordability, especially if mortgage rates edge lower in the coming months." Nationwide forecast in December that house prices would fall 5% in 2023.

☆ UK house prices fall by most since 2012, mortgage approvals drop
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( William Schomberg | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Analysts in a Reuters poll published on Tuesday expect house prices to fall by 2.4% in 2023, less than previously as a resilient job market and easing recession fears soften the blow of higher borrowing costs. Economists polled by Reuters had expected prices to fall by 0.9% from a year earlier and by 0.4% in monthly terms. "Solid gains in nominal incomes together with weak or declining house prices will also support housing affordability, especially if mortgage rates edge lower in the coming months." Nationwide forecast in December that house prices would fall 5% in 2023. Gabriella Dickens, an economist with consultancy Pantheon Macroeconomics, said she expected house prices would fall to about 8% below last year's peak.

☆ Fleeing drought, Somalis face malnutrition and cholera in Kenya
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Ayenat Mersie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In a ward for severely malnourished children, Ismael said her baby's condition had not improved since arriving at Dadaab. Severe malnourishment had made the baby's head swell with liquid - a common effect of malnutrition in children. In the past two years, the drought has displaced one million Somalis and about 100,000 have fled to Kenya, according to the United Nations. In the past year, 32 children have died of malnutrition in the section of the camp run by the IRC, Ngao said. "This was the worst drought I have ever seen," he said.

☆ Chinese bank says missing chairman is cooperating with Chinese authorities in an investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Feb 26 (Reuters) - China Renaissance Holdings (1911.HK) said in an exchange filing on Sunday that its missing chairman and star dealmaker Bao Fan was currently cooperating with relevant Chinese authorities conducting an investigation. This is the first time the mainland China-based boutique bank has given a reason for the disappearance of its founder -- who was reported missing 10 days ago -- though no details about the investigation were shared. "The Board would like to reiterate that the business and operations of the Group are continuing normally," the bank said in the exchange filing. Reuters previously reported, citing sources, that authorities took Bao away earlier this month to assist in an investigation into a former colleague, Cong Lin, the company's former president. read moreBao's disappearance also comes against the backdrop of more than two years of sweeping regulatory crackdown on technology companies.

☆ Iran releases Spanish woman after three months in jail over protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, Feb 26 (Reuters) - A Spanish woman imprisoned in Iran since November on espionage charges after she was arrested during anti-government protests in November has been released, the Spanish Foreign Minister said on Sunday. An activist who works for a human rights NGO, 24-year-old Ana Baneira Suarez was detained in Iran during nationwide protests sparked by the death in custody of a young woman in September. She is in good health," Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told journalists during a visit to Albacete, in central Spain. Albares said that another Spanish citizen, Santiago Sanchez Cogedor, was still in Iranian custody but that he hoped for his release soon. Iran, which has blamed "foreign adversaries" for protests sparked by the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in morality police custody.

HODEIDAH, Yemen, Feb 26 (Reuters) - A container ship carrying general commercial goods docked at Yemen's main port of Hodeidah for the first time since at least 2016 on Saturday as parties in Yemen's eight-year war are in talks to reinstate an expired U.N.-brokered truce deal. Goods arriving at Hodeidah have to be vetted by a U.N. body established to prevent arms shipments from entering Yemen. In the past seven years, Djibouti-based UNVIM has given approval only to ships carrying specific goods like foodstuffs, fuel and cooking oil. Port officials said the SHEBELLE, which according to ship tracking data is an Ethiopian-flagged general cargo ship, was given clearance by United Nations inspection body, the Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen (UNVIM). [1/2] Commercial ships are docked at the Houthi-held Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen February 25, 2023.

☆ Hollywood producers honor Tom Cruise and 'Everything Everywhere'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Feb 25 (Reuters) - Hollywood producers celebrated Tom Cruise's career and handed their top film honor to multiverse adventure "Everything Everywhere All at Once" on Saturday at one of the key awards ceremonies ahead of next month's Oscars. The Producers Guild of America honored Cruise with a lifetime achievement award, and several speakers thanked the actor for boosting the pandemic-hobbled movie business with last summer's blockbuster "Top Gun: Maverick." "Tom Cruise showed all of us that moviegoing was back," Sherry Lansing, the former CEO of Paramount Pictures, said in her introduction. The 60-year-old Cruise rose to fame as the star of "Risky Business," "Cocktail," "A Few Good Men" and other films. As he accepted his award, Cruise applauded the work of the TV and film producers in the audience.

☆ UK issues export bans on every item used by Russia in war
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Britain marked the one-year anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine by issuing more sanctions against Russia, including export bans on every item it has used on the battlefield and import bans of iron and steel goods. It will also ban the import of 140 goods including iron and steel products processed in third countries. "Trade sanctions are working. UK goods imports from Russia have fallen by 99%, since before the invasion, and goods exports to Russia have fallen by nearly 80%," Business and Trade Secretary, Kemi Badenoch, said. The meeting of G7 leaders and Zelenskiy is expected to discuss further sanctions on Russia.

REUTERS/Carlos OsorioOTTAWA, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Canada is sending four more Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine and is imposing new Russia-related sanctions, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, marking the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Friday. The delivery would bring to eight the total number of Leopard 2 tanks Canada has pledged to Ukraine. Canada will also provide an armored recovery vehicle and over 5,000 rounds of 155 mm ammunition to help Ukraine in its defense against Russia. Since the start of the war a year ago, Canada has provided more than C$5 billion ($3.67 billion) in support to Ukraine, Trudeau said. Russia's ambassador to Canada Oleg Stepanov said the sanctions by Canada and the West were "meaningless," TASS news agency reported.

☆ Hungary PM says more talks needed on Finland, Sweden NATO bids
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BUDAPEST, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday more talks between parliamentary groups were needed before Hungary's ratification of Finland and Sweden's NATO membership, which lawmakers will start debating next Wednesday. Orban added that in the end, it should be made clear that Hungary supports Finland and Sweden's NATO membership, but said Turkey's concerns regarding Sweden's entry should also be heard, otherwise the expansion effort could fail. "Regarding Turkey, they are also our allies, and therefore we need to hear their voice," Orban said. Turkey recently indicated it would approve only Finland for NATO membership, while Hungary says it has been delayed by a flurry of legislation required to unlock European Union funds. "We need to pay attention to Turkey as in the end, the entire process will stall.

☆ Foreign direct investment in Brazil posts best January in 5 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Foreign direct investment in Brazil reached its highest level for January in five years, according to central bank data on Friday, continuing a trend of strong results since last year. FDI totaled $6.9 billion in January, best since 2018, when it reached $8.3 billion. Last year, FDI reached $90.6 billion, the highest annual figure in 10 years. Brazil's current account deficit was $8.8 billion in January, larger than the $8.2 billion shortfall forecast by economists. Central bank data also showed that investors made a net investment of $4.2 billion in Brazilian markets in January, including $1.9 billion inflows in stocks and $2.2 billion inflows in bonds.

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Feb. 6 killed more than 47,000 people, damaged or destroyed hundreds of thousands of buildings in Turkey and Syria and left millions homeless. In Turkey, 865,000 people are living in tents and 23,500 in containers, while 376,000 are in student dormitories and public guesthouses outside the earthquake zone, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday. Six people were killed in the latest earthquake to strike the border region of Turkey and Syria, authorities said on Tuesday. Turkey's internet authority blocked access to a popular online forum, Eksi Sozluk, on Tuesday, two weeks after it briefly blocked access to Twitter, citing the spread of disinformation. Information Technologies and Communications Authority (BTK) website shows the website was blocked late on Tuesday, without citing any explicit reason.

☆ Russia will not fire Zircon missile at South Africa naval exercise
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Siyabonga Sishi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov and Chinese frigate Rizhao (598) are seen ahead of scheduled naval exercises with Russian, Chinese and South African navies, in Richards Bay, South Africa, February 22, 2023. REUTERS/Rogan WardSummary Russian media reported planned test launch of hypersonic weaponSouth Africa hosting drills with Russia, ChinaWestern diplomats have voiced alarm over drillsRICHARDS BAY, South Africa, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Russia's navy will not fire its new generation "Zircon" hypersonic missile during a joint exercise with South Africa and China, a senior Russian naval officer said on Wednesday, contradicting an earlier Russian media report. A Russian frigate armed with the Zircon weapon system has been deployed to the joint exercise. Along with the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle which entered combat duty in 2019, the Zircon forms the centrepiece of Russia's hypersonic arsenal. South Africa has defended its decision to host the Mosi II naval exercise despite the concerns of diplomats from European Union and NATO countries.

☆ British police face struggle to clean up sexist culture after scandals
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Michael Holden | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

London's Metropolitan Police has been hardest hit: After years of saying serious misconduct cases were isolated incidents, it now says it must change its culture. "We have failed and I'm sorry," Mark Rowley, the Met's new chief and Britain's most senior officer, said in January. According to an official report, officers had passed off the conversations as 'banter'. RISING CRIMESome officers officers think the government needs to look at itself. Braverman was reported last year as having told police chiefs to prioritise "common-sense policing" over diversity efforts and virtue-signalling "woke" messaging.

Biden said the West was never plotting to attack Russia and the invasion was Putin's choice. "It is a big mistake," Biden said of Putin's decision before his session with eastern European allies known as the Bucharest Nine. We will defend literally every inch of NATO, every inch of NATO," he said. The Kremlin says it regards NATO, which could soon expand to include Sweden and Finland, as an existential threat to Russia. It said the leaders looked forward to further strengthening unity and collective defense at a NATO summit in Vilnius in July.

☆ Erdogan leaning towards holding Turkish elections in June -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Orhan Coskun | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Days after the quake struck on Feb. 6, killing more than 42,000 people in Turkey, an official said it posed "serious difficulties" for holding elections on time. Now those close to the president say the government has turned against the idea of a postponement. Before the disaster, Erdogan's popularity had been eroded by the soaring cost of living and a slump in the lira. A senior AKP official also said the view had gained weight that elections should be held on June 18. Another senior Turkish official also said the idea of postponing the elections had been shelved.

☆ China declares 'decisive victory' over COVID-19
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Jennifer LorenziniBEIJING, Feb 17 (Reuters) - China's top leaders declared a "decisive victory" over COVID-19, claiming the world's lowest fatality rate, although experts have questioned Beijing's data as the coronovirus tore across the country after largely being kept at bay for three years. China abruptly ended its zero-COVID policy in early December, with 80% of its 1.4 billion population becoming infected, a prominent government scientist said last month. Though there were widespread reports of packed hospital wards and mortuaries, China recorded only about 80,000 COVID deaths in hospitals in the two months after dropping its curbs. "With continuous efforts to optimise COVID-19 prevention and control measures since November 2022, China's COVID-19 response has made a smooth transition in a relatively short time," China's Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) said in a meeting on Thursday. The meeting stressed that China will increase the vaccination rate for the elderly, and strengthen the supply and production of medical goods.

☆ Four U.S. troops wounded in raid that killed Islamic State official
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIRUT/WASHINGTON, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Four U.S. troops were wounded during a helicopter raid that killed an Islamic State group leader in northeast Syria, U.S. officials said on Friday. The U.S. military said the troops and a military working dog suffered the injuries when the target of the raid - identified as Hamza al-Homsi - triggered an explosion. Buccino said the raid was carried out with the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance led by Kurdish fighters that has waged a years-long campaign against Islamic State in the country's north. A separate raid also killed an Islamic State assassination cell leader, Buccino added, without going into detail. Islamic State named a new top leader in December after its former chief killed himself during a raid in southern Syria.

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