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☆ Madonna shines in 'Celebration' tour after near-fatal illness
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Paul Sandle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Singer Madonna performs during her concert at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris, France, December 9, 2015, on her Rebel Heart Tour. The 65-year-old's greatest hits show was pushed back from its original July start date after she was hospitalized in intensive care for a serious bacterial infection. "There's a lot of really crazy things happening in the world that are so, so painful to witness," she said. With more than 40 songs in the show, some like "Papa Don't Preach" were dispatched in seconds, but all of her re-inventions, from Catholic Madonna to Country Madonna, featured. The seven-time Grammy Award winner has rescheduled the tour's North American leg to start in December after her European concerts.

Persons: Singer Madonna, Benoit Tessier, Papa Don't, Paul Sandle, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, O2, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, London, New York

☆ Blinken says meeting with Saudi Crown Prince was "very productive"
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | Thomson Reuters | Humeyra Pamuk Is A Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent Based In Washington Dc. She Covers The U.S. State Department | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken returns to his hotel after meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia October 15, 2023. A U.S. official said the meeting lasted for just under an hour and took place at the Crown Prince's private farm residence. He made a brief visit to the United Arab Emirates and returned to Riyadh to meet the Crown Prince late on Saturday, although the meeting only materialized on Sunday morning. Blinken on Saturday met Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan in Riyadh. Before their meeting, Blinken said protecting civilians on both sides of the conflict was vital.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Jacquelyn Martin, Israel, Blinken, Matthew Miller, Miller, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Crown Prince, Prince Faisal Bin Farhan, Humeyra Pamuk, Muralikumar Anantharaman, William Mallard, David Evans Organizations: Saudi Crown, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, U.S, Crown, State Department, Hamas, Hezbollah, United Arab Emirates, Saturday, Saudi Foreign, Thomson Locations: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Rights RIYADH, Gaza, Washington, United States, Israel, Iran, Lebanon, East, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Blinken

☆ Two Civilians Killed in Russian Assaults on Avdiivka - Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Two civilians were killed in Russian attacks on the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka on Saturday, the Donetsk region administration said on Sunday. The administration of the Donetsk region said on Sunday on the Telegram messaging app that one more person was injured elsewhere in the region. The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said on Sunday its forces had repelled 15 Russian attacks near Avdiivka, Tonenke and Pervomaiske in the Donetsk region, while Russian forces launched heavy air strikes in the area. Oleh Sinehubov, governor of the Kharkiv region also in Ukraine's east, said on Sunday a 54-year-old woman and a 57-year-old man were killed and one woman injured in an overnight Russian air attack. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia launched against its neighbour in February last year.

Persons: Sinehubov, Lidia Kelly, William Mallard Organizations: Reuters, General, of Ukraine's Armed Forces Locations: Ukrainian, Avdiivka, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Ukraine's, Russia, Melbourne

☆ Israeli official: Iran trying to deploy arms in or through Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Iranians attend a rally in support of Palestinians, in Tehran, Iran, October 13, 2023. Acquire Licensing RightsJERUSALEM, Oct 15 (Reuters) - A senior Israeli official accused Iran on Sunday of trying to open a second war front by deploying weapons in or through Syria as Israel steps up a counter-offensive in Gaza to the south. Responding to a post of the X social-media platform that posited such a scenario, Joshua Zarka, head of strategic affairs for Israel's Foreign Ministry, said: "They (Iranians) are." Syria accused Israel of carrying out strikes against Damascus and Aleppo airports last week. Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Majid Asgaripour, Joshua Zarka, Zarka, Israel, Dan Williams, William Mallard Organizations: West Asia News Agency, REUTERS, Acquire, Rights, Israel's Foreign Ministry, Thomson Locations: Tehran, Iran, Syria, Israel, Gaza, Damascus, Aleppo

Putin, who is to visit China this week, said the United States had stoked tensions with Beijing by building the "AUKUS" security alliance of U.S., Australia and Britain and that Russia and China were not building a military alliance. "Moreover, to fight with both Russia and China, it is nonsense - I don't think it is serious. Putin cautioned that if the United States fought against Russia then it would be very different to the war in Ukraine that the Kremlin calls a special military operation. "And if they want to fight with Russia then it will be a completely different war - it will not be carrying out a special military operation," Putin said. Of those, Russia has about 1,674 deployed strategic nuclear warheads while the United States has 1,670.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Mark Schiefelbein, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Pavel Zarubin, Joe Biden, Biden, William Mallard, Hugh Lawson Organizations: U.S . Congress, Kremlin, U.S, Federation of American Scientists, Thomson Locations: United States, Diaoyutai, Beijing, China, Russia, Washington, China MOSCOW, Ukraine, Moscow, U.S, Australia, Britain

☆ Australia fines Musk's X platform $386,000 over anti-child abuse gaps
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The logo of social media platform X, formerly Twitter, is seen alongside the former logo in this illustration taken, July 24, 2023. X closed its Australian office after Musk's buyout, so there was no local representative to respond to Reuters. But the Australian regulator said that when it asked X how it prevented child grooming on the platform, X responded that it was "not a service used by large numbers of young people". X told the regulator available anti-grooming technology was "not of sufficient capability or accuracy to be deployed on Twitter". X told the regulator its proactive detection of child abuse material in public posts dropped after Musk took the company private.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, you've, Julie Inman Grant, Inman Grant, X, Grant, Musk, Lucinda Longcroft, X's noncompliance, Byron Kaye, Kim Coghill, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Elon, Safety, X, Twitter, Reuters, San, Google, Thomson Locations: Australian, EU, Israel, San Francisco, Australia, livestreams

☆ Gaza and West Bank death toll reaches 2,383 Palestinians - ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A Palestinian walks by the site of Israeli strikes on houses in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 15, 2023. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa Acquire Licensing RightsGAZA, Oct 15 (Reuters) - The death toll in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank reached 2,383 Palestinians dead and 10,814 injured on Sunday morning, according to Palestinian health ministry sources. In Gaza, the death toll climbed to 2,329 Palestinians killed and 9,714 wounded, while in the West Bank, 54 were recorded dead and 1,100 wounded since the conflict between Hamas and Israel started on Oct. 7. Reporting by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Ali Sawafta, Writing by Adam Makary; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Khan Younis, Abu Mustafa, Israel, Nidal Al, Ali Sawafta, Adam Makary, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, West Bank, Thomson Locations: Khan, Gaza

☆ Airline CEO-turned-politician Luxon to lead New Zealand to the right
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Christopher Luxon, Leader of the National Party arrives at his election party after winning the general election to become New Zealand’s next prime minister in Auckland, New Zealand, October 14, 2023. The former Air New Zealand chief executive, Luxon became leader of the centre-right National Party at the end of 2021, boosting its popularity until winning Saturday's general election. National won 50 seats and its preferred coalition partner, ACT New Zealand, won 11, securing a majority of one seat in the 121-seat parliament, according to provisional results from the Electoral Commission. I'm there to represent all New Zealanders," Luxon told Reuters earlier this year. A millionaire father of two with several homes across the country, Luxon is learning the Maori language and is a Taylor Swift fan, quoting her in televised debates and interviews.

Persons: Christopher Luxon, David Rowland, Luxon, Taylor Swift, Lucy Craymer, William Mallard Organizations: National Party, New, REUTERS, Rights, Labour, Air New Zealand, Party, National, ACT New Zealand, Electoral, Unilever, Air New, New Zealanders, All Blacks, national rugby team, Zealanders, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Auckland , New Zealand, New Zealand, Air New Zealand, Ukraine, Russia, New

The endorsement of Jokowi, who commands approval ratings of 80%, will have direct bearing on who wins February's election. Days later Golkar and PAN announced support for Prabowo, giving him the largest party support base. Jokowi has also lent support to Ganjar, deploying teams and volunteer groups to work on his campaign, four sources said. Jokowi has also engaged in talks about vice presidential picks for both Ganjar and Prabowo, three sources said. "Ganjar and Prabowo are 'Jokowi's men' but who knows after Jokowi steps down," he said.

Persons: Indonesia's, Joko, Subianto, Sana Jaffrey, Jokowi, Ganjar, Prabowo, Megawati Sukarnoputri, kingmaker, nepotistic autocrat, Suharto, It's, ANU's Jaffrey, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Jokowi's, Kaesang Pangarep, Bobby Nasution, Yoes, Kate Lamb, Ananda Teresia, Kanupriya Kapoor, William Mallard Organizations: Australia's National University, Democratic Party of Struggle, Prabowo, Golkar, National Mandate Party, PAN, PDI, Constitutional, Indonesian Solidarity Party, Atma Jaya University, Thomson Locations: JAKARTA, Jakarta, Jokowi, Surakarta, Medan, Indonesia's

☆ Small Quake Rattles Taiwan, No Immediate Damage Reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

TAIPEI (Reuters) -A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck off Taiwan's east coast on Saturday, the island's weather bureau said, briefly shaking buildings in the capital Taipei but with no immediate reports of damage. The epicentre of the earthquake was in the sea off Hualien county with a depth of 7.2 km (4.5 miles), the weather bureau said. Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes. More than 100 people were killed in a quake in southern Taiwan in 2016, while a 7.3 magnitude quake killed more than 2,000 people in 1999. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Faith Hung; Editing by William Mallard)

Persons: Ben Blanchard, Faith Hung, William Mallard Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan's, Taipei, Hualien, Taiwan

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell attends EU-China High-Level Strategic Dialogue at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing, China, on October 13, 2023. "Cooperation is very much important," Borrell told a press conference ending a three-day visit that had twice been postponed. During talks in Beijing last month, China's economy tsar, He Lifeng, asked EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis to "exercise restraint in the use of trade remedy measures". The EU plans to open an anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese steelmakers this month, the Financial Times has reported. The EU and China plan a summit by the end of the year, with Borrell's visit and those of a number of other top EU officials in recent months having paved the way.

Persons: Josep Borrell, Pedro Pardo, Borrell, Enrique Mora, Wang Yi, Lifeng, Valdis Dombrovskis, Laurie Chen, Joe Cash, William Mallard Organizations: EU, Representative, Foreign Affairs, House, REUTERS Acquire, EV, Financial Times, Thomson Locations: EU, China, Beijing, BEIJING, Brussels, Europe, United States, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, Russia

Christopher Luxon, Leader of the National Party waves to supporters at his election party after winning the general election to become New Zealand’s next prime minister in Auckland, New Zealand, October 14, 2023. He said he had spoken with the leader of the conservative ACT New Zealand, David Seymour, twice on Saturday and believed the two parties would work constructively. National "will be coalescing with the ACT party and also with New Zealand First and we just don't know yet what dynamic that's going to bring." National's campaign manager Chris Bishop warned the party might lose at least one seat when the special votes are counted. If National and ACT lose a seat, they would need to reach an agreement with the populist New Zealand First.

Persons: Christopher Luxon, David Rowland, ” Luxon, David Seymour, Bryce Edwards, Edwards, Chris Bishop, Luxon, Winston Peters, Peters, Anthony Albanese, Lucy Craymer, Mark Potter, Chizu Nomiyama, William Mallard Organizations: National Party, New, REUTERS, Rights, ACT New Zealand, National, ACT, Electoral, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, Labour, Thomson Locations: Auckland , New Zealand, Auckland, Australia

REUTERS/Ali Khara/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKABUL, Oct 14 (Reuters) - The Taliban will attend China's Belt and Road Forum next week, a spokesman said on Saturday, underscoring Beijing's growing official ties with the administration, despite its lack of formal recognition by any government. Taliban officials and ministers have at times travelled to regional meetings, mostly those focussed on Afghanistan, but the Belt and Road Forum is among the highest-profile multilateral summits it has been invited to attend. China has been in talks with the Taliban over plans, begun under the previous foreign-backed government, over a possible huge copper mine in eastern Afghanistan. Officials from China, the Taliban and neighbouring Pakistan said in May they would like Belt and Road to include Afghanistan and for the flagship China Pakistan Economic Corridor to be extended across the border to Afghanistan. China has boosted engagement with the Taliban, becoming the first country to appoint an ambassador to Kabul since the Taliban took power, and invested in mining projects.

Persons: Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Wang Yu, Ali Khara, Xi, Haji Nooruddin Azizi, Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, Azizi, Akhundzada, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Charlotte, Joe Cash, William Mallard Organizations: Afghan, REUTERS, Rights, China Pakistan Economic, Taliban, Thomson Locations: China, Islamic Emirate, Afghanistan, Kabul, Rights KABUL, Beijing, Pakistan, China Pakistan, Charlotte Greenfield, Islamabad

[1/5] Voters are seen at the ballot box at the Old Australian Parliament House, during The Voice referendum in Canberra, Australia, October 14, 2023. "I sincerely hope that Australians, when they walk into that ballot box today, vote 'Yes'," Albanese said in Sydney, according to a transcript. Supporters of the proposal believe entrenching an Indigenous Voice in the constitution would unite Australia and usher in a new era with its Indigenous people, who account for 3.8% of the population and are its most disadvantaged, by most socio-economic measures. Another voter and 'No' campaigner, Greg Mason, doubted the usefulness of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Constitutional change requires a majority of votes both nationwide and in at least four of the six states.

Persons: Tracey Nearmy, Anthony Albanese, " Albanese, Michael Mahoney, Sydneysider Geoff Sumner, Greg Mason, Stefica Nicol, Praveen Menon, William Mallard, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Old Australian, House, REUTERS, Aboriginal, Australian, Stefica Nicol Bikes, Thomson Locations: Canberra, Australia, Sydney SYDNEY, Sydney, Torres, Melbourne, Perth, Beach

☆ Jokowi, Indonesia's Kingmaker, Works to Keep Influence After Election
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

Persons: Kate Lamb, Ananda Teresia, Indonesia's, Joko, Subianto, Sana Jaffrey, Jokowi, Ganjar, Prabowo, Megawati Sukarnoputri, kingmaker, nepotistic autocrat, Suharto, It's, ANU's Jaffrey, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Jokowi's, Kaesang Pangarep, Bobby Nasution, Yoes, Kanupriya Kapoor, William Mallard Organizations: Australia's National University, Democratic Party of Struggle, Prabowo, Golkar, National Mandate Party, PAN, PDI, Constitutional, Indonesian Solidarity Party, Atma Jaya University Locations: Ananda, Ananda Teresia JAKARTA, Jakarta, Jokowi, Surakarta, Medan, Indonesia's

☆ Afghan earthquakes kill 2,053, Taliban say, as death toll spikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Mohammad Yunus Yawar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Janan Sayeeq, spokesman for the Ministry of Disasters, said 2,053 people were killed, 9,240 injured and 1,320 houses damaged or destroyed. More than 200 dead had been brought to various hospitals, said a Herat health department official who identified himself as Dr Danish, adding most of them were women and children. Beds were set up outside the main hospital in Herat to receive a flood of victims, photos on social media showed. It was not immediately clear if the Herat hospital was on that list. "While search and rescue operations remain ongoing, casualties in these areas have not yet been fully identified," it said.

Persons: Janan Sayeeq, Sayeeq, Danish, Suhail Shaheen, Naseema, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, Ariba Shahid, Gibran Peshimam, William Mallard, Sanjeev Miglani Organizations: U.S . Geological Survey, Ministry, Diplomats, International Committee, Reuters, World Health Organization, WHO, Thomson Locations: KABUL, Afghanistan, Herat, U.S, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Qatar, Pakistan, Herat province, Kabul, Karachi

☆ Dozen injured, including baby, in Russian attack on Ukraine's Kherson, governor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 8 (Reuters) - A dozen people were wounded, including a 27-year-old woman and her 9-month-old baby, in a Russian attack on the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, its governor said on Sunday. "The Kherson region experienced another terrible night," Governor Oleksandr Prokudin wrote on the Telegram messaging app. The woman and the infant were hospitalised with moderate wounds, he said, adding that a 33-year-old Red Cross medic was also wounded. Over the past 24 hours, Russian forces carried out 59 attacks on Kherson, the region's administration said on Telegram, including 19 instances of shelling of Kherson city, the region's administrative centre. Russia has frequently carried out air strikes and shelling on Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Persons: Oleksandr Prokudin, Lidia Kelly, William Mallard Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Kherson, Kherson city, Russia, Ukraine, Melbourne

Hamas fighters killed at least 250 Israelis in clashes through the day and escaped back into Gaza with dozens of hostages. More than 230 Gazans were killed when Israel responded with one of its most devastating days of retaliatory strikes. Israeli troops battled Hamas gunmen through the night in parts of southern Israel. The West Bank has seen stepped-up Israeli raids, Palestinian street attacks and assaults by Jewish settlers on Palestinian villages. Hamas said the attack was driven by what it called escalated Israeli attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, Jerusalem and against Palestinians in Israeli prisons.

Persons: Mohammed Salem, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Peacemaking, YOU, Ismail Haniyeh, Gazans, Jerusalem's Al, BIDEN, Joe Biden, Osama Hamdan, Saleh al, Arouri, Al, Maayan Lubell, Nidal, Ammar Anwar, Henriette Chacar, Emily Rose, Dan Williams, Ali Sawafta, Patricia Zengerle, Robert Birsel, Lisa Shumaker, William Mallard Organizations: Rockets, REUTERS, Hamas, Palestinian, West Bank, Jerusalem, Senior, Islamic, NETANYAHU, White, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Israel JERUSALEM, GAZA, SDEROT, U.S, Iran, Israeli, Aqsa, Sderot, United States, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Al Jazeera, Jerusalem, Ramallah

☆ Israel, Hezbollah exchange artillery, rocket fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BEIRUT, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Israel and Lebanon's powerful armed group Hezbollah exchanged artillery and rocket fire on Sunday following the deadliest attack in years by Palestinian gunmen on Israel. Hezbollah on Sunday said it had launched guided rockets and artillery onto three posts in the Shebaa Farms "in solidarity" with the Palestinian people. Israel has held the Shebaa Farms, a 15-square-mile (39-square-km) patch of land, since 1967. A Lebanese security source told Reuters that a tent set up by Hezbollah in the Shebaa Farms had been hit and that Hezbollah fighters had erected a new one. On Saturday, UNIFIL said it had enhanced its presence in southern Lebanon following developments in Israel and Gaza, including its operations to counter rocket launches.

Persons: Hashem Safieddine, Gil Eliyahu, Har Dov, Israel, Andrea Tenenti, Lebanon Joanna Wronecka, Laila Bassam, Aziz Taher, Karamallah Daher, Gebeily, Ari Rabinovitch, William Mallard, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Hezbollah, Palestinian, Twitter, Israeli Defence Forces, Patriot, REUTERS, Reuters, United Nations, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, Israel, Iran, Dahieh, Beirut's, Lebanon, Syria, Shebaa, Kfar Shouba, Gaza, Jerusalem

☆ Israel, Hezbollah Exchange Artillery, Rocket Fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

BEIRUT (Reuters) -Israel and Lebanon's powerful armed group Hezbollah exchanged artillery and rocket fire on Sunday following the deadliest attack in years by Palestinian gunmen on Israel. Hezbollah on Sunday said it had launched guided rockets and artillery onto three posts in the Shebaa Farms "in solidarity" with the Palestinian people. Israel has held the Shebaa Farms, a 15-square-mile (39-square-km) patch of land, since 1967. A Lebanese security source told Reuters that a tent set up by Hezbollah in the Shebaa Farms had been hit and that Hezbollah fighters had erected a new one. On Saturday, UNIFIL said it had enhanced its presence in southern Lebanon following developments in Israel and Gaza, including its operations to counter rocket launches.

Persons: Hashem Safieddine, Har Dov, Israel, Andrea Tenenti, Lebanon Joanna Wronecka, Laila Bassam, Aziz Taher, Karamallah Daher, Gebeily, Ari Rabinovitch, William Mallard, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Hezbollah, Palestinian, Twitter, Israeli Defence Forces, Patriot, Reuters, United Nations Locations: BEIRUT, Israel, Iran, Dahieh, Beirut's, Lebanon, Syria, Shebaa, Kfar Shouba, Gaza, Jerusalem

☆ Deadly Afghanistan earthquakes over the years
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Mayank Bhardwaj | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An Afghan man walks past a damaged house after the recent earthquake in Wor Kali village in the Barmal district of Paktika province, Afghanistan, June 25, 2022. Afghanistan, hemmed in by mountains, has a long history of strong earthquakes, many in the rugged Hindu Kush region bordering Pakistan. KUNAR, September 2022As Afghanistan was recovering from strong earthquakes three months earlier, tremors hit Kunar province in September, killing eight. HINDU KUSH, 2002Twin earthquakes in the Hindu Kush in March 2002 killed a total of 1,100. HINDU KUSH, 1991An earthquake in the Hindu Kush killed 848 people across Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Soviet Union.

Persons: Ali Khara, Afghanistan's, Mayank Bhardwaj, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Afghan, Barmal, Paktika province, Afghanistan, DELHI, Pakistan, BADAKHSHAN, Badakhshan, Jurm, KUNAR, Kunar, Paktika, India, Soviet Union, Iran, TAKHAR, Takhar

☆ Thai mall shooting victim's mother bids emotional farewell at cremation
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Mourners attend the cremation ceremony of Moe Myint, a 31-year-old Burmese victim of the Thailand mall shooting, at a temple in Nonthaburi, Thailand, October 8, 2023. REUTERS/Jorge Silva Acquire Licensing RightsNONTHABURI, Thailand, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Among the hundreds mourning Moe Myint on Sunday was the mother of the Burmese victim of last week's shooting rampage at a Bangkok mall, seeming dazed at the cremation ceremony on the outskirts of the Thai capital. Tears streaking her face, Khin Win was revived with smelling salts as she sat at the Buddhist ceremony. Moe Myint was one of two killed when a 14-year-old boy went on a shooting spree at the luxury Siam Paragon shopping centre in Bangkok's bustling commercial area on Tuesday. Moe Myint's employer, Aksorn Chantarojvanich, who attended the funeral, said she would provide the family 10,000 baht ($270) a month, matching the remittances Moe Myint had sent home.

Persons: Moe Myint, Jorge Silva, Win, Khin Win, Moe Myint's, Aksorn Chantarojvanich, Tawee Sodsong, Napat Weshasartar, Panu, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, Siam Paragon, Thai, Thomson Locations: Thailand, Nonthaburi, Bangkok, Thai, Siam, Myanmar

☆ Australia PM 'optimistic' of long-shot win in Indigenous rights referendum
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"I'm optimistic," Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) on Sunday morning, according to a transcript. "Whether it be Shepperton or Sydney or Brisbane, Melbourne, the places I've been, Hobart, Adelaide in the last week, have been extremely positive." Albanese's centre-left Labor government backs the referendum, while the opposition Liberal-National conservatives urge a "No" vote on Oct. 14. If the "Voice to Parliament" referendum is approved, it would constitutionally enshrine Indigenous people and set up an advisory body for their input on policies that affect them. Last month, thousands rallied in state capitals to support the yes campaign, which sees the measure as necessary to boost outcomes for the nation's Indigenous people.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Albanese, I've, Sam McKeith, William Mallard Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's, Australian Broadcasting Corp, Labor, Liberal, Thomson Locations: Shepperton, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide, Australians, Australia's, New South Wales

☆ Myanmar Supreme Court rejects jailed Suu Kyi appeals
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 8 (Reuters) - The Supreme Court in military-ruled Myanmar has rejected appeals against six corruption convictions for the jailed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, according to media reports. Suu Kyi, in detention since the military toppled her government in a 2021 coup, faces 27 years in prison. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the coup and the junta's crackdown on opponents, with thousands jailed or killed. Many governments have called for the unconditional release of Suu Kyi and thousands of other political prisoners in the Southeast Asian country. The court in August rejected five appeals by Suu Kyi on illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies, sedition and violating coronavirus restrictions.

Persons: Aung, Issei Kato, Aung San, Suu Kyi, William Mallard Organizations: Embassy, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Myanmar, Japan, Tokyo, Aung San Suu

☆ Afghanistan earthquakes kill 2,053, Taliban says, as death toll spikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Mohammad Yunus Yawar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Amid the confusion, the death toll from Saturday's quakes spiked from 500 reported on Sunday morning by a Red Crescent spokesperson and 16 from Saturday night. The quakes hit 35 km (20 miles) northwest of the city of Herat, with one measuring 6.3 magnitude, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said. Mullah Janan Sayeeq, spokesman for the Ministry of Disasters, told Reuters 2,053 people were dead, 9,240 injured and 1,329 houses damaged or destroyed. Bodies had been "taken to several places - military bases, hospitals," Danish said. Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar in Kabul; Editing by William Mallard and Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mullah Janan Sayeeq, Danish, Naseema, Mohammad Yunus Yawar, William Mallard Organizations: Red Crescent, U.S . Geological Survey, Ministry, Reuters, Thomson Locations: KABUL, Afghanistan, Herat, U.S, Kabul

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