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☆ Indian government orders Manipur state chief to 'work harder' to end violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MUMBAI, June 25 (Reuters) - India's federal government on Sunday ordered the chief minister of Manipur state to "work harder" to restore peace as violence between ethnic groups has not subsided for over 50 days despite a heavy security presence. "I have been advised by the home minister to work harder towards restoring lasting peace in Manipur," said N. Biren Singh, chief minister of the northeastern state after he was summoned to New Delhi for talks with Home Minister Amit Shah. At least 80 people have been killed and more than 40,000 forced to flee their homes after clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3 between rival ethnic groups. Human rights groups say Modi's government and party have failed to do more to end ethnic tensions. "I have been asked to further open channels of communication with all the stakeholders so that we are able to bring permanent peace in the state," Singh said.

Persons: Biren Singh, Amit Shah, Shah, Singh, Narendra Modi's, Sriram, Rupam Jain, Giles Elgood Organizations: Sunday, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, Manipur, New Delhi, Kuki

☆ Sudan's RSF says it seized police camp as fighting rages
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Khalid Abdelaziz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Reuters was not immediately able to verify the footage or the RSF statement. Witnesses also reported a sharp increase in violence in recent days in Nyala, the largest city in the western Darfur region. The U.N. raised the alarm on Saturday over ethnic targeting and the killing of people from the Masalit community in El Geneina in West Darfur. The Central Reserve Police has been deployed by the army in ground fighting in recent weeks. There was also fighting between the army and the RSF last week around El Fashir, capital of North Darfur, which the U.N. says is inaccessible to humanitarian workers.

Persons: RSF, Witnesses, El Geneina, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Mohamed al, Samani, Saleh Haroun, El, Ravina Shamdasani, Khalid Abdelaziz, Emma Farge, Aidan Lewis, Helen Popper, Giles Elgood Organizations: Sudan's, Rapid Support Forces, Central Reserve Police, Reuters, Human, International Organization for Migration, Thomson Locations: Jeddah, Khartoum, Bahri, Omdurman, Nyala, Darfur, El Geneina, West Darfur, El, Kordofan, United States, Saudi Arabia, Omdurman we've, El Fashir, North Darfur, Chad, Sudan, Dubai, Geneva

☆ Russian jets said to step up strikes on Syrian rebel enclave
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

White Helmets/Handout via REUTERSAMMAN, June 25 (Reuters) - Russian jets bombed villages and towns near the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib on Sunday, killing at least nine civilians and wounding dozens in a major flare-up of violence in the country's last opposition stronghold, witnesses and rescuers said. No immediate comment was available from Russia or its allies in the Syrian army, whose artillery pounded rebel areas in the countryside west of Aleppo. During past outbreaks of fighting, Damascus and Russia have said they only target insurgent groups and deny indiscriminate attacks on civilians. Damascus has in recent rounds of Russian-brokered talks with Ankara demanded that Turkey withdraw a formidable military presence in the last foothold of the Syrian rebellion. Turkish troops based in the region have held back Russia and Damascus from a final assault to wrest back control of the enclave.

Persons: Sham, jihadists, Suleiman Al, Khalidi, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, Russian Sukhoi, Ankara, Thomson Locations: Russian, Jisr, Shughour, Syria, REUTERS AMMAN, Syrian, Idlib, Jabal al, Russia, Turkey, Aleppo, Damascus, Turkish, Hayat, Qardaha, Latakia, Moscow

☆ Britain's Duchess of York had surgery for breast cancer
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

June 25 (Reuters) - Britain's Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has been diagnosed with breast cancer and has undergone a successful operation, British media reported on Sunday. Ferguson, 63, who was married to Prince Andrew, was given the diagnosis at a routine mammogram screening and underwent successful surgery, her spokesman told the Daily Telegraph. "She was advised she needed to undergo surgery which has taken place successfully," the spokesman said. "The Duchess is receiving the best medical care and her doctors have told her that the prognosis is good." Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Giles ElgoodOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sarah Ferguson, Duchess, Ferguson, Prince Andrew, Andrew MacAskill, Giles Elgood Organizations: Daily Telegraph, Thomson Locations: York

[1/24] New Democracy conservative party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaks to supporters outside the party's headquarters, after the general election, in Athens, Greece, June 25, 2023. Fringe parties of the political left and right - including an anti-immigrant party calling themselves the Spartans - got a foothold in parliament. The system used in Sunday's poll gave the leading party bonus seats depending on voter support. The Spartans party, which said Greece was threatened by uncontrolled migration, was the surprise of the campaign. It was set to gain 4.7 of the vote and up to 13 seats in parliament, based on the early results.

Persons: Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Kyriakos, Mitsotakis, Tsipras, Zoe Constantopoulou, Plefsi Eleftherias, Giorgos Katzimertzis, Ilias Kasiadiaris, Gina Kalovyrna, Michele Kambas, Renee Maltezou, Lefteris, Frances Kerry, Emelia, Giles Elgood, Mark Porter Organizations: New Democracy, REUTERS, Syriza, Spartans, European Union, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, ATHENS, Kasidiaris

☆ At Glastonbury, a giant spider powered by renewable energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Sachin Ravikumar | Thomson Reuters | Sachin Ravikumar Is A Correspondent For Reuters In London Covering General News Across The Uk. Over Nine Years At Reuters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GLASTONBURY, England, June 24 (Reuters) - A giant spider breathes fire into the cloudy night sky over Glastonbury's Arcadia stage as thumping beats from electronic music duo the Chemical Brothers excite hundreds of fans. The colossal metal arachnid, made from recycled military hardware, has been a fixture at England's world-famous music festival for years, but this time Arcadia and all the other stages at Glastonbury are being powered entirely by renewable energy sources, organisers say. This year, all its generators, including those that power its main Pyramid stage will run on hydrotreated vegetable oil, a renewable substitute for diesel made from waste cooking oil, organisers said. But for their part, organisers are trying to mitigate the overall impact as much as possible. This year, a temporary, 20-metre wind turbine - another source of renewable power - towers over a section of Worthy Farm, powering food stalls with enough energy to run 300 fridges a day.

Persons: Bertie Cole, It's, Glastonbury, imploring, revellers, Sachin Ravikumar, Giles Elgood Organizations: Arcadia, Thomson Locations: GLASTONBURY, England, Arcadia, Glastonbury, Worthy

☆ Rebel Russian mercenaries halt advance on Moscow, Kremlin says fighters to face no action
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

On Saturday night, they began withdrawing from the Rostov military headquarters they had seized, a Reuters witness said. EX-CONVICTS IN WAGNER RANKSThe fighters led by Prigozhin, a former convict, include thousands of ex-prisoners recruited from Russian jails. Residents of the city had milled about calmly, filming on mobile phones as Wagner fighters in armoured vehicles and battle tanks took up positions. Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said an offensive was launched near a group of villages ringing Bakhmut, which was taken by Wagner forces in May after months of fighting. Tarnavskiy said the area had been under Russian control since separatist forces backed by Moscow seized it in 2014.

Persons: Prigozhin, Belarus Wagner, Vladimir Putin's, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin, Wagner, Dmitry Peskov, Alexander Lukashenko, Peskov, Lukashenko, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Mark Milley, Hanna Maliar, Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, Tarnavskiy, Andrew Osborn, Kevin Liffey, Peter Graff, Frank Jack Daniel, Giles Elgood, Frances Kerry, Alexander Smith, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Kremlin, Reuters, Belarus, Defence Ministry, Russia's Southern Military District, Residents, Deputy, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Rostov, ROSTOV, VORONEZH, Russia, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, Bakhmut, France, Germany, Britain, East, UKRAINE, Krasnohorivka, Donetsk

☆ How mercenary revolt has gathered pace in Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

- In a series of subsequent audio recordings posted on Telegram, Prigozhin says the "evil" of Russia's military leadership "must be stopped" and his Wagner mercenary force will lead a "march for justice" against the Russian military. SATURDAY- Prigozhin says his men have crossed the border from Ukraine into Russia and are ready to go "all the way" against the Russian military. - Wagner fighters have entered the southern Russian city of Rostov, Prigozhin says in an audio recording posted on Telegram. - Russian's Defence Ministry issues a statement appealing to Wagner fighters to abandon Prigozhin, saying they have been "deceived and dragged into a criminal adventure". - Russian military helicopters open fire on a convoy of rebel mercenaries already more than half way towards Moscow in a lightning advance after seizing Rostov overnight.

Persons: Wagner, Stringer, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin's, Prigozhin, Sergei Surovikin, Reuters Wagner, Putin, Ramzan Kadyrov, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Sergei Naryshkin, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Antony Blinken, Pavel Krasheninnikov, Gavin Jones, Giles Elgood, Helen Popper Our Organizations: REUTERS, Moscow, Russian's Defence Ministry, Reuters, TASS, Kremlin, European Union, Ministry, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia's, Voronezh, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Rostov, Russia's Rostov, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Belarus

☆ EU countries fail to agree energy reforms after coal subsidy clash
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

EU energy ministers meeting in Luxembourg ended talks without a joint stance on the reforms that seek to avoid a repeat of last year's energy crisis, when record-high gas prices left consumers with soaring energy bills. EU countries' ambassadors will take up the negotiations, aiming for a deal this month. Asked about the coal proposal, Swedish Energy Minister Ebba Busch said ensuring Poland, which borders Ukraine, had stable power generation could help it support Ukraine with back-up power. Poland, which gets around 70% of its power from coal, could prolong its support scheme for coal plants, potentially until 2028, under the proposal. EU countries must negotiate the final power market upgrade with the EU Parliament, with the aim to pass the law before EU parliamentary elections next year.

Persons: Ebba Busch, Anna Moskwa, Robert Habeck, Kate Abnett, Tassilo Hummel, Sudip Kar, Giles Elgood, Emelia, Barbara Lewis, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Union, Swedish Energy, Reuters, European Commission, Climate, EU, Thomson Locations: Poland, Belgium, Germany, LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg, Sweden, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Austria, Greece, Spain

☆ Late push for coal subsidies upsets EU deal on energy reforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

EU countries' energy ministers meet in Luxembourg on Monday to agree a joint stance on new EU power market rules, aimed at expanding low-carbon power and avoiding a repeat of last year's energy crisis, when record-high gas prices left consumers with soaring energy bills. Poland - which could prolong its support scheme for coal plants beyond 2025 under the proposal - said last week the idea had majority support. Some EU countries say they need more flexibility in how fast they exit the fuel and support new industries in communities that have long relied on coal sector jobs. The official said they expected ministers to approve the power market reforms - but that it was not clear if the coal carve-out would make it into the final deal. Once EU countries agree their stance, they must negotiate the final power market upgrade with EU Parliament, aiming to pass the law before EU Parliament elections next year.

Persons: Kate Abnett, Giles Elgood Organizations: Union, EU, Reuters, EU Parliament, Thomson Locations: LUXEMBOURG, Luxembourg, Sweden, Poland

☆ Germany resists Malian junta demand for immediate exit of troops
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Berlin has deployed some 1,000 troops to Mali, most near the northern town of Gao where their main task is to gather reconnaissance for the 13,000-strong MINUSMA. MINUSMA was deployed by the U.N. Security Council in 2013 to support foreign and local efforts to restore stability. A resolution requires at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by Russia, China, the United States, Britain or France to pass. The junta has burnt bridges with traditional Western allies and turned to Russia for help boosting its military capabilities. Germany said late last year it would start to pull out its troops from Mali from the middle of next year after a decade-long mission, with the withdrawal to be completed by May 2024.

Persons: MINUSMA, Wagner, Sarah Marsh, Sabine Siebold, Giles Elgood Organizations: United Nations, West, . Security, Security, UN, Thomson Locations: BERLIN, Germany, Berlin, Mali, Gao, France, Russia, China, United States, Britain

☆ Uganda sends more troops to pursue attackers who killed 37 students
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Elias Biryabarema | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/StringerKAMPALA, June 18 (Reuters) - Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni on Sunday ordered more troops to western Uganda where attackers from a group with links to Islamic State killed at least 37 secondary school students. Members of the rebel Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) killed the students late on Friday at Lhubirira Secondary School in Mpondwe, near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Military and police said the attackers had also abducted six students and fled towards the Virunga National Park across the border. New Vision said 39 of the dead were students, and some were killed when the attackers set off a bomb as they fled. In April, the ADF attacked a village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, killing at least 20 people.

Persons: Stringer, Yoweri Museveni, Museveni, Ugandans, Janet Museveni, Elias Biryabarema, George Obulutsa, Giles Elgood Organizations: Secondary, Allied Democratic Forces, REUTERS, Sunday, Islamic, Lhubirira Secondary, Democratic, Military, ADF, Museveni, NTV Uganda, Vision, New Vision, United Nations, African Union, East, Authority, Development, Education, Thomson Locations: Mpondwe, Uganda, Stringer KAMPALA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwenzori, Congo, East African's

China became Germany's single biggest trade partner in 2016 and is a core market for top German companies including Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE), BASF (BASFn.DE) and BMW (BMWG.DE). "They know German companies will run up direct channels to the chancellery," said Andrew Small, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund's Asia program. The talks come after Antony Blinken on Sunday became the first U.S. secretary of state to visit China in five years, stressing the importance of keeping open lines of communication to reduce the risk of miscalculation. The Chinese delegation will meet with some of those CEOs on Monday, according to people familiar with the plans. The Chinese delegation will head to Paris for an official visit and to attend a financial conference on June 22 to 23.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Fabrizio Bensch, China Scholz, Scholz, Li Qiang, Li, Wang Yiwei, Andrew Small, Marshall, Mikko Huotari, Antony Blinken, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Laurie Chen, John Geddie, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, Volkswagen, BASF, BMW, Centre, European Studies, Renmin University of China, Greens and Free Democrats, Social Democrats, Analysts, Mercator Institute for China Studies, Sunday, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, China, Beijing, Munich BERLIN, Europe, European Union, Asia, Munich, Bavaria, Paris

☆ Turkey's Erdogan takes oath for new term as president
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ANKARA, June 3 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan took the oath of office for a new five-year presidential term on Saturday, extending his rule into a third decade. "I, as president, swear upon my honour and integrity before the great Turkish nation and history to safeguard the existence and independence of the state ... to abide by the constitution, the rule of law, democracy, the principles and reforms of Ataturk, and the principles of the secular republic," Erdogan said in a ceremony at the parliament in Ankara, which was broadcast live on television. Turkey's longest serving leader, Erdogan won 52.2% support in a May 28 runoff vote. His election victory upended the predictions of most opinion polls and came despite a cost-of-living crisis that was seen to have dampened his prospects. Reporting by Huseyin Hayatsever and Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Giles ElgoodOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Huseyin Hayatsever, Giles Elgood Organizations: Turkish, Ataturk, Turkey's, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, Ankara

☆ Protester runs onto track as 31 arrested over Epsom Derby disruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Last month, protest group Animal Rising issued a call for volunteers to help disrupt the event by entering the track. "One man was arrested after he ran onto the racetrack after a race had started. He was quickly removed by event security and police officers, meaning the race was not disrupted," Surrey Police said in a statement. Animal Rising shared a video of the protester being detained on Twitter, claiming that the individual was a supporter of the group. Last year's Epsom Derby was delayed after six protesters from Animal Rising, then named Animal Rebellion, entered the course and had to be removed by the police.

Persons: Peter Cziborra, Clive Davies, Aadi Nair, Giles Elgood, Christina Fincher Organizations: Epsom Derby, Police, Saturday's Epsom Derby, Surrey Police, Twitter, Scottish, Thomson Locations: Epsom, Racecourse, Britain, Nashik, India

☆ Sudan fighters take over Khartoum museum, director says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KHARTOUM, June 3 (Reuters) - Sudanese paramilitary fighters have taken over the national museum in Khartoum, its deputy director said on Saturday, urging them to protect precious artefacts from the nation's heritage that include ancient mummies. Members of the Rapid Support Forces group that has been fighting the army since mid-April for control of Sudan entered the museum on Friday, said deputy director Ikhlas Abdellatif. Museum staff do not know the situation inside the museum because they halted work there after the conflict suddenly erupted on April 15, forcing police guarding the facility to quit, Abdellatif said. The RSF released a video filmed inside the museum grounds showing a soldier denying that they had done any harm to the museum or would do so, and inviting any individuals or organisations to visit the museum to check. The video also showed RSF fighters covering up exposed mummies with sheets and closing the plain white boxes in which they were contained.

Persons: Ikhlas Abdellatif, Abdellatif, Hatim Alnour, Roxanne Trioux, Omar al, Bashir, Abdel, Fattah, Burhan, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Hemedti, Sami, Khalid Abdelaziz, Adam Makary, Angus McDowall, Giles Elgood, Frances Kerry Organizations: Sudanese, Rapid Support Forces, Museum, . Security, Thomson Locations: KHARTOUM, Khartoum, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, United States, Omdurman, Bahri, Washington, Riyadh, U.S, Dubai, Cairo

☆ NATO member Turkey to send troops to Kosovo amid unrest in the north
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ISTANBUL, June 3 (Reuters) - Turkey plans to send commandos to Kosovo on Sunday and Monday in response to a NATO request to join the alliance's KFOR peacekeeping force following unrest in the north of the country, the Turkish defence ministry said. In a statement on Saturday, the ministry called for restraint and constructive dialogue to resolve a crisis that it said could harm regional security and stability. "Our assigned unit (a commando battalion) is planned to be deployed to ... Kosovo on June 4-5," the ministry said. In violence on Monday, 30 peacekeepers and 52 Serbs who protested against the installation of the mayors were injured. The violence prompted NATO to announce it would send additional troops on top of 700 already on their way to the Balkan country to boost its 4,000 strong mission.

Persons: Ezgi Erkoyun, Giles Elgood Organizations: NATO, alliance's KFOR, U.S, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL, Turkey, Kosovo, Turkish, ., Kosovo's, Pristina

☆ ECB's Visco says falling energy prices should help tame inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, June 3 (Reuters) - The rapid decline in energy costs should help to tame inflation in Europe, Bank of Italy governor Ignazio Visco said on Saturday, urging companies not to seek to boost their margins by leaving prices higher for longer. Visco, a member of the European Central Bank's governing council, said the key issue was what happened to inflation now that energy prices had retreated from peaks hit after last year's Russian invasion of Ukraine. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and fuel prices and which has played an increasing role in the ECB's policy deliberations, fell to 5.3%. Visco warned against a wage-price spiral, saying salary rises should come against a backdrop of a growing economy rather than chasing inflation. "It is not in the interest of companies themselves ... to fail to reflect the lower cost of energy in their prices because then the cost of financing would rise," he added.

Persons: Ignazio Visco, Visco, Keith Weir, Giles Elgood Organizations: Bank of Italy, European Central, ECB, Thomson Locations: Europe, Ukraine, Turin

☆ Greek police find 3.2 million euros of cocaine in banana containers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ATHENS, June 3 (Reuters) - Police in northern Greece have seized dozens of packages of cocaine stashed in containers laden with bananas that had been shipped from Latin America, they said on Saturday. Police seized two suspect containers at the port of Piraeus and, after taking them to the port of Thessaloniki, found 100 "bricks" of concealed cocaine, weighing 161 kilos. The drugs, which would have been distributed across Greece and other European countries, are estimated to be worth about 3.2 million euros, police said. The consignment was found as part of an investigation Greece launched last month with North Macedonia authorities and the U.S. anti-drug agency, following the seizure of about 100 kilos of cocaine also hidden in banana containers at a warehouse in Thessaloniki. (This story has been refiled to fix a typographical error in the headline)Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Giles ElgoodOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Angeliki Koutantou, Giles Elgood Organizations: Police, Saturday . Police, U.S, Thomson Locations: ATHENS, Greece, Latin America, Piraeus, Thessaloniki, Macedonia

[1/2] An ambulance and firefighting vehicles are parked outside a multi-storey apartment block following a reported drone attack in Moscow, Russia, May 30, 2023. Drone attacks deep inside Russia have intensified in recent weeks, with strikes on oil pipeline installations and even the Kremlin earlier this month that Moscow has blamed on Ukraine. Some filmed a drone being shot down and a plume of smoke rising over the Moscow skyline. MOSCOW UNDER ATTACKIt was unclear how President Vladimir Putin will react to the attack on Moscow, which brings the war in Ukraine to the capital of the world's biggest nuclear power. Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the Moscow region, said on the Telegram channel that several drones were shot down on their approach to Moscow.

☆ EU, US concerned about Polish law that could ban people from public office
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRUSSELS/WARSAW, May 30 (Reuters) - The European Commission and U.S. State Department have expressed concern about a new Polish law they say could effectively ban individuals deemed to have acted under Russian influence from holding public office without providing proper judicial review. The law, which Poland's president on Monday said he would sign into law, was developed by the eurosceptic and nationalist ruling PiS party ahead of parliamentary elections due in October or November. Poland's foreign ministry rejected the criticism, saying the law provided for "due process in a fair procedure". "We have a special concern now about the situation in Poland with the creation by law of a special committee able to deprive citizens, individuals, from their right to be elected to public office," EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said. Any party subject to the commission's decision will have the right to appeal in an administrative court, the ministry said.

[1/4] Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez appears after he casts his vote at a polling station during Regional elections, in Madrid, Spain, May 28, 2023. he said in a televised speech that took even some of his political allies by surprise. "...I believe it is necessary to respond and submit our democratic mandate to the will of the people." But it is highly unusual for a Spanish government to call a snap ballot after a poor performance in a regional vote. The PP potentially took as many as eight regional governments from the Socialists, depending on how successful the opposition party is in negotiating alliances with Vox.

☆ Libya court sentences 23 to death for Islamic State campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MISRATA, Libya, May 29 (Reuters) - A Libyan court sentenced 23 people to death and another 14 to life in prison on Monday for their role in a deadly Islamic State militant campaign that included beheading a group of Egyptian Christians and seizing the city of Sirte in 2015. [1/4] Suspects sit behind bars during a judgment sentence against 56 defendants accused of joining Islamic State group (ISIS) in the court in Misrata, Libya, May 29, 2023. "My son is missing and my relative, my brother-in-law, was murdered in Sirte Square," he said. Speaking in court on Monday, Fawzia Arhuma said she welcomed the death sentences after her son was killed by the group at a power station near Sirte. Reporting by Ayman al-Sahily, writing by Angus McDowall, editing by Andrew Heavens and Giles ElgoodOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Global firms in Uganda face LGBTQ conundrum
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 29 (Reuters) - Uganda's tough new anti-LGBTQ law, which stipulates the death penalty for "serial offenders", presents a conundrum for multi-nationals wanting to grow in Africa while promoting diversity and inclusion. Here are some global firms that have substantial operations in Uganda and their strategies for LGBTQ inclusion. GOOGLEGoogle, owned by Alphabet (GOOGL.O), launched its first wi-fi network in Uganda in 2015 in the capital, Kampala. On its website, the company says "supporting LGBTQ+ communities has been a priority from the earliest days of Google." EYEY offers services in Uganda including tax and advisory.

VILNIUS, May 29 (Reuters) - Latvians woke up to go to work on Monday morning, only to find they didn't have to. Their parliament had met at midnight to declare a holiday after the national ice hockey team chalked up its best-ever result at the world championship. Latvia, where hockey is the national sport, was co-hosting the men's championship with Finland, and the Latvians' extra-time victory over the U.S. for third place was greeted with wild jubilation. At quarter to midnight on Sunday, sporting red and white national team jerseys, members of parliament convened for a ten-minute session to unanimously declare the holiday. The bill was introduced by a smiling member of parliament with her face painted in the colours of the national flag.

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