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☆ Martinelli fires Arsenal to late win, Liverpool held at Brighton
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Peter Hall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Arsenal moved level on points with neighbours Tottenham Hotspur at the top of the Premier League after beating champions Manchester City on Sunday as Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw at Brighton & Hove Albion. Mohammed Kudus scored an 89th-minute equaliser to earn West Ham a point against Newcastle United in a 2-2 draw and Aston Villa stayed fifth in the standings after drawing 1-1 at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Arsenal came into the match having not beaten City in the league since 2015, a run of 15 games -- their longest winless streak against a single opponent in league history. Arsenal did not have a single shot on target in the opening period, but upped the tempo after the break. West Ham retained their grip on seventh place while Newcastle are eighth, a point behind.

Persons: Mohammed Kudus, Aston Villa, Declan Rice, Martinelli, Nathan Ake, Ederson, Mikel Arteta, Lewis Dunk, Mohamed Salah's, Simon Adingra, Alexis Mac Allister, Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Dunk, Juergen Klopp, Alexander Isak's quickfire, Tomas Soucek, West, Kudus, Ham, Defender Pau Torres, Villa, Hwang Hee, chan, Pedro Neto's, Torres, Ollie Watkins, Mario Lemina, Peter Hall, Ed Osmond Organizations: Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League, Manchester City, Liverpool, Brighton & Hove Albion, West, Newcastle United, Aston, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Emirates, Spurs, Brighton, Seagulls, Sky Sports, London, Newcastle, Defender, Wolves, Thomson Locations: West Ham, BRIGHTON, Liverpool

☆ North Korea-Russia rail traffic surges, suggesting arms supply - think tank
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KCNA via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Rail traffic along the North Korea-Russia border spiked this week to the highest in years, suggesting arms supply by Pyongyang to Moscow after their leaders discussed deeper military cooperation, a U.S. think tank said on Friday. Satellite imagery showed an "unprecedented" 73 or so freight cars at Tumangang Rail Station in the North Korean border city of Rason, the Beyond Parallel Project of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies said in a report. The traffic was far greater than that observed in the past five years, including pre-pandemic levels, it said. The U.S. and South Korea have warned military cooperation between North Korea and Russia was a violation of U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang. North Korea has slammed South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for criticising Pyongyang's cooperation after the summit, saying it was "natural" and "normal" for neighbours to keep close relations.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Kim, Putin, Yoon Suk, Joyce Lee, William Mallard Organizations: Vostochny, North, Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, REUTERS, Rights, Washington -, Strategic, International Studies, Pyongyang, South, Thomson Locations: Amur, Russia, Rights SEOUL, North Korea, Pyongyang, Moscow, U.S, Korean, Rason, Washington, Russian, Russia's Far, Ukraine, South Korea, Korea

"It's very special," said one of Taiwan's female breakers, 25-year-old Yang Jia-li, who added that breaking had massively boosted her confidence. Along with esports' debut as a medal event in Hangzhou, organisers hope "breaking" can help lure young viewers turned off by traditional Games sports. A counter-cultural art-form born in the streets of New York City decades ago, breakdancing is judged against broad criteria in competition. "But before the Olympics we've been doing competitions even in our (underground breaking) culture. “I'm getting used to it and I'm getting used to these sport rules.

Persons: breakdancing, Yang Jia, esports, Sun Zhen, Meng Changqing, Meng, Kim Heon, we've, Kim, I’m, “ I'm, ”, Sun, Ian Ransom, Ken Ferris Organizations: Asian Games, Paris, Sporting, Games, Asian, Thomson Locations: HANGZHOU, China, Eastern, Hangzhou, New York, South Korea

☆ Near collision, tense encounter as Beijing flexes muscles in the South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Adrian Portugal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] A Chinese maritime militia vessel is seen sailing in the South China Sea, October 4, 2023. REUTERS/Adrian Portugal/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEAR THE SECOND THOMAS SHOAL, South China Sea, Oct 6 (Reuters) - The crew of the Philippine coastguard boat watch anxiously as an imposing Chinese vessel draws near and cuts off its path, coming within a metre of collision in a vast stretch of open water in the South China Sea. Tense encounters like this, about 100 miles (185 km) off the Philippines and witnessed by a Reuters journalist, are becoming more frequent in Asia's most contested waters as China presses its claim of ownership over almost the entire South China Sea. China condemned the resupply mission, saying Philippine vessels had "intruded" in its waters in the Spratly Islands without its permission. The stakes are high if this brinkmanship turns to miscalculation in the South China Sea.

Persons: Adrian Portugal, Thomas, Jay Tarriela, Karen Lema, Martin Petty Organizations: REUTERS, THOMAS, Philippine coastguard, BRP, coastguard, Philippine, Reuters, Beijing, Mutual Defense Treaty, Pentagon, Thomson Locations: South China, Philippines, China, Philippine, Beijing, Sierra Madre, Spratly, Manila, Washington, United States, South

The issue has exposed deep divisions between his nationalist-religious supporters and more liberal and secular sections of Israeli society, posing major questions about the constitutional foundations of Israel and its future direction. Over 2,600 Israelis including Zwebner's brother were killed, the largest loss of life Israel has ever suffered in a single war. For many front-line soldiers, the war remains a traumatic event but the feeling many express five decades later is pride in having helped save their country. "I had a meeting with my friends this week which really made me emotional, but you feel very much like you saved the existence of Israel," Zwebner said. For Zwebner, who himself opposes the judicial overhaul, a lesson of the 1973 war was that people had to be prepared to think for themselves rather than blindly accepting what leaders of any kind said.

Persons: Uzy, Yonti, Amir Cohen, Uzy Zwebner, Golda Meir, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ehud Barak, Herzi Halevi, Israel, Jordan, Abraham, Zwebner, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Labour Party, ISRAEL, U.S, Abraham Accords, Thomson Locations: Sinai, Kippur, Tel Aviv, Israel, Yom Kippur, Golan, Soviet Union, Egypt

[1/2] Police detain suspects as they patrol along the German-Polish border to prevent illegal migration near Klinge, Germany, September 20, 2023. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser urged Germany's 16 states on Wednesday to provide asylum seekers with material benefits rather than cash, to reduce the country's pull factor. Migration analysts say much of the tougher stance is electioneering ahead of elections in Hesse and Bavaria on Sunday and in three eastern German states next year. Vorlaender noted that even if tougher controls worked, Germany risked creating a bigger problem for transit countries by bottling in migrants there. Germany's tougher stance on migration isn't so much a policy reversal as an evolution, said Susan Fratzke at the Migration Policy Institute.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Nancy Faeser, Germany's, Olaf Scholz, Angela Merkel, Scholz, Russia's, Hannes Schammann, SHAM, Merkel, Friedrich Merz, “, ” Merz, Merz, Alberto ‑ Horst Neidhardt, Hans Vorlaender, Vorlaender, Ludovit, Susan Fratzke, Schammann, Sarah Marsh, Riham, Jan Lopatka, Alan Charlish, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Police, REUTERS, Authorities, EU, EU's Agency for Asylum, University of Hildesheim, Christian Democratic Union, European, Faeser, Migration Policy Institute, Berlin, Thomson Locations: Klinge, Germany, Berlin, BERLIN, Hesse, Bavaria, Europe, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Turkey, Ankara, Prague, Warsaw

☆ 'Half the village is gone': Ukraine hamlet reels after missile strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Max Hunder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Valeriy Kozyr, 61, cries as he sits next to graves after losing his daughter and other relatives in a Russian military strike, at a cemetery outside the village of Hroza, Kharkiv region, Ukraine. Moscow denies targeting civilians in its full-scale invasion, a position it repeated on Friday in response to the Hroza strike. "On one side, the neighbours are gone, and on the other side a woman is gone." 'HALF THE VILLAGE GONE'As darkness fell on Thursday, dazed emergency crews carried bodies placed in white bags on to the back of a pickup truck. "Half the village is gone, families are gone," said Kozyr, standing beside his wife as she wept.

Persons: Valeriy Kozyr, Thomas Peter Acquire, Kozyr, Olya, Volodymr Zelenskiy, Serhiy Bolvinov, Valentyna Kozienko, Oleksandr Mukhovatyi, Andriy Kozyr, Valeriy, Andriy, Mike Collett, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Regional, Local, Thomson Locations: Russian, Hroza, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Kharkiv, Ukrainian

☆ China condemns Philippine re-supply mission to disputed atoll
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Erik De Castro/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING/MANILA, Oct 5 (Reuters) - China has condemned a mission by four Philippine ships to re-supply Philippine troops on a disputed South China Sea atoll, saying the vessels had entered its waters in the Spratly Islands without its permission. "Philippine supply ships and two coast guard ships entered the waters ... in China's Nansha Islands without permission from the Chinese government," China Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yu said a post on its website, using China's name for the Spratly Islands. The atoll in the area is known as Ayungin in the Philippines, while China calls it the Renai Reef. read moreThe Philippine National Security Council (NSC) said its re-supply and rotation mission was completed despite attempts by a significant number of China Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia to "harass and interfere" with it. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, pointing to a line on its maps that cuts into the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.

Persons: Thomas Shoal, Erik De Castro, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Gan Yu, Thomas, Philippe, Ryan Woo, Karen Lema, Engen Tham, Kaiwen Xu, Robert Birsel Organizations: BRP, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine Navy, REUTERS, Rights, China Coast Guard, Philippine National Security Council, Chinese Maritime Militia, Thomson Locations: BRP Sierra, Philippine, Spratly, South, Rights BEIJING, MANILA, China, Philippines, South China, China's Nansha, Palawan, United States, Manila, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia

☆ Poland Election Turns Germany Into Punchbag, Straining Western Alliance
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +7 min

In another dispute, Warsaw resisted a German offer to station Patriot missile air defence units in Poland before eventually agreeing to it. Among the sticking points, one German source said Poland was asking for too much money for the repair works. Another source, a German diplomat, said the talks failed partly because German companies were reluctant to share technical information. SOURING RELATIONSWhile ties between Poland and Germany have been frosty since PiS first came to power in 2015, Poles now see them worsening. Just 47% think relations are good, according to a German Polish barometer poll this year, down from 72% in 2020.

Persons: Marek Strzelecki, Sabine Siebold, Anna Koper, Donald Tusk, PiS, Mateusz Morawiecki, Tusk, Angela Merkel, Olaf Scholz, General Ben Hodges, Krauss, Maffei, Sebastian Chwalek, Thomas Kleine, Berlin, mushroomed, Camp David, ” Hodges, Joe, Biden, Andrzej, Duda, Chancellor Scholz, Justyna Pawlak, Anna Wlodarczak, Alan Charlish, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Matthias Williams, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Anna, Anna Koper WARSAW, NATO, Justice, Nazi Wehrmacht, Patriot, Law, Justice Party, U.S, Army, Reuters, Rheinmetall, Polska, Patriots, Foreign, German Marshall Fund Locations: BERLIN, Germany, Berlin, Ukraine, Polish, Nazi, EU, Slovakia, Poland, Warsaw, U.S, Europe, German, PiS, Japan, South Korea

☆ Tepco starts releasing second batch of treated radioactive water from Fukushima nuclear plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] An aerial view shows the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which started releasing treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, Japan August 24, 2023, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Kyodo/via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Tokyo Electric Power Company (9501.T) (Tepco) started releasing more treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on Thursday morning, continuing a move that has caused tensions between China and Japan. Junichi Matsumoto, who is overseeing the water release at Tepco, said on Wednesday during a news conference that Tepco had received more than 6,000 calls from abroad between August 24-27. Japan started the water discharge in August in a key step towards decommissioning the Fukushima plant, which suffered meltdowns after being hit by a tsunami in 2011 in the world's worst nuclear plant disaster since Chernobyl 25 years earlier. Japan says the water is treated to remove most radioactive elements except tritium, a hydrogen isotope that must be diluted because it is difficult to filter.

Persons: Junichi Matsumoto, Matsumoto, Sakura Murakami, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Kyodo, Rights, Tokyo Electric Power Company, United Nations, Tepco, Japan, Thomson Locations: Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, China

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Andrzej Duda, Thibault Camus, Donald Tusk, PiS, Mateusz Morawiecki, Tusk, Angela Merkel, General Ben Hodges, Krauss, Maffei, Sebastian Chwalek, Thomas Kleine, Berlin, mushroomed, Camp David, ” Hodges, Joe, Biden, Andrzej, Duda, Chancellor Scholz, Justyna Pawlak, Marek Strzelecki, Anna Koper, Anna Wlodarczak, Alan Charlish, Sarah Marsh, Sabine Siebold, Andreas Rinke, Matthias Williams, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Russia, goading, NATO, Justice, Nazi Wehrmacht, Patriot, Law, Justice Party, U.S, Army, Reuters, Rheinmetall, Polska, Patriots, Foreign, German Marshall Fund, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Berlin, Germany, Russia Berlin, goading Warsaw, WARSAW, BERLIN, Polish, Nazi, EU, Slovakia, Poland, Warsaw, U.S, Europe, German, PiS, Japan, South Korea

☆ Biryani on plate and boundary length on mind for Pakistan's Babar
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Amlan Chakraborty | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Babar's men were accorded a warm welcome in Hyderabad in what is their first tour of India since the T20 World Cup in 2016. Babar and his team mates were surprised by the support they received since landing in Hyderabad, where they played both their warm-up matches. They will launch their bid for a second 50-overs World Cup title at the same southern Indian city against the Netherlands on Friday. Babar's concerns are understandable considering Pakistan's bowling lost considerable sting after speedster Naseem Shah was ruled out of the World Cup with a shoulder injury. "It's more or less the same team playing the last three years together, and I think bowling remains our strength," added Babar.

Persons: Babar Azam's, Babar, It's, Hyderabad's, Shadab Khan, gorging, biryani, speedster Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Amlan Chakraborty, Christian Radnedge Organizations: Thomson Locations: AHMEDABAD, India, Hyderabad, Pakistan, Indian, Netherlands, Ahmedabad

☆ Slovakia tightens Hungary border in 'chain reaction' as migrant arrivals rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Slovakia's checks on its border with Hungary will start on Thursday and last 10 days. The Czech Republic, Poland and Austria already started temporary controls on their borders with Slovakia on Wednesday, while Germany introduced new controls with Poland and the Czech Republic last week. Odor, serving as a caretaker until a new government takes office following an election on Sunday, had previously resisted calls to impose border controls. "Poland is before elections, such rhetoric appears, and then the Czech Republic reacts and so does Austria. Slovakia's government said nearly 40,000 illegal migrants have passed into Slovakia since the start of the year.

Persons: Bernadett Szabo, Robert Fico, Jan Lopatka, Jason Hovet, Deborah Kyvrikosaios Organizations: Migrants, REUTERS, Slovak, Thomson Locations: Slovakia, Hungary, Chl'aba, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, East, Afghanistan, Germany, Western Europe, Central

Dealing with illegal migration has been a point of contention and unity in central Europe. Illegal migration was a key issue in elections in Slovakia last weekend, and in elections in Poland later this month. Slovakia has faced a rising number of illegal migrants crossing as they head to Germany and western Europe. Slovakia said last month the number of detained illegal migrants had soared nine fold, to more than 27,000 this year. "In recent weeks, we detected and detained 551 illegal migrants at the border with Slovakia.

Persons: Radovan, Vit Rakusan, Gerhard Karner, spillover, Robert Fico, Fico, Mariusz Kaminski, Kaminski, Jason Hovet, Jan Lopatka, Pawel Florkiewicz, Anna Wlodarczak, Francois Murphy, Andrew Heavens, Ed Osmond, Deborah Kyvrikosaios Organizations: REUTERS, Slovakia Czech, Austrian, Justice, Poland, Thomson Locations: Czech, Slovak, Stary Hrozenkov, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, PRAGUE, WARSAW, Poland, Europe, Hungary, Vienna, East, Afghanistan, Serbia, Prague, Warsaw

Rescue workers clear the rubble from a damaged mosque, after a suicide blast in Hangu, Pakistan September 29, 2023. It was not immediately clear how Pakistani authorities could ensure the illegal immigrants leave, or how they could find them to expel them. Bugti said some 1.73 million Afghan nationals in Pakistan had no legal documents to stay, adding a total of 4.4 million Afghan refugees lived in Pakistan. "There are no two opinions that we are attacked from within Afghanistan and Afghan nationals are involved in attacks on us," he said. Islamabad has received the largest influx of Afghan refugees since the Soviet invasion of Kabul in 1979.

Persons: Stringer, Sarfraz Bugti, Bugti, Asif Shahzad, Jon Boyle, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Afghan, State, Thomson Locations: Hangu, Pakistan, ISLAMABAD, Kabul, Afghanistan, Islamabad, Taliban Pakistan, Afghan

☆ Onus on Pakistan batters to paper over bowling cracks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Amlan Chakraborty | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Pace spearhead Naseem Shah injured his bowling shoulder against India and was ruled him of the World Cup disrupting his potent new-ball partnership with Shaheen Afridi. Although this is not the first time Pakistan would enter a World Cup looking slightly unsettled, they will have their work cut out in India. Thanks to a soured political relationship between the Asian neighbours, bilateral cricket remains suspended between India and Pakistan, who meet only in multi-team events. Pakistan last toured India for the T20 World Cup in 2016 and their players do not feature in the Indian Premier League either. Pakistan begin their campaign against the Netherlands on Oct. 6 and face India in a soldout Oct. 14 game in Ahmedabad.

Persons: Babar Azam, Pace, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, Afridi, Shadab Khan, Babar, Amlan Chakraborty, Ed Osmond Organizations: Asia, India, Indian Premier League, Thomson Locations: DELHI, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Chennai, Netherlands, Ahmedabad, New Delhi

☆ Peak China may pose peak danger
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

For example, last week it installed a floating barrier by a rocky outcrop in the South China Sea claimed by the Philippines - which Manila promptly removed. A war between the United States and China still seems unlikely - because both sides know that the economic and human costs of a clash could be catastrophic. The United States and its Western allies are also worried that China could browbeat Japan and South Korea, two nations economically important to them. Meanwhile, the United States and other allies are imposing controls on the export of technology such as advanced chips to the People’s Republic. What’s more, the United States is finding it hard to maintain an emollient message.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping “, Biden, Victor Sebestyen, Xi, Michael Beckley, Beckley, Hal Brands, Vladimir Putin, ”, Donald Trump, Goldman Sachs, Tufts ’ Beckley, Una Galani, Streisand Neto Organizations: People's Bank of China, REUTERS, Reuters, Austro, South China, Beijing, Tufts University, Washington, San, Economic Cooperation, Tufts, Thomson Locations: Beijing, CHINA, Greece, China, Vietnam, U.S, Taiwan, United States, Germany, France, British, Ottoman Empire, Hungarian Empire, Ukraine, South China, South, Philippines, Manila, China’s, India, People’s Republic, Japan, South Korea, America, Pacific, Washington, Hanoi, San Francisco, Asia, Taiwan Strait

☆ Mudryk and Broja end Chelsea goal drought in 2-0 win at Fulham
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It was Mudryk's first goal since signing for Chelsea nine months ago while Broja - replacing the suspended Nicolas Jackson - was making his first start since sustaining a knee injury at the end of 2022. It's been a long time coming," Broja told talkSPORT about his goal. The result pushed Chelsea up to 11th spot with eight points, leapfrogging Fulham, who are 13th, on goal difference. Fulham coach Marco Silva lamented what he said were soft goals his side had offered up to the visitors. "Of course we have to keep working," Silva added.

Persons: Mykhailo Mudryk, Armando Broja, Mauricio Pochettino's, Levi Colwill, Bernd Leno, Broja, Nicolas Jackson, It's, talkSPORT, Ian Maatsen, Mudryk, leapfrogging Fulham, Pochettino, Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Marco Silva, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Silva, William Schomberg, Ken Ferris Organizations: Chelsea, Fulham, Premier League, Blues, West, Mudryk, Saudi, Al, Thomson Locations: Craven, West London, Ukraine, Portuguese, Serbia, Hilal

☆ Thailand's new PM says committed to attracting major foreign investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FILE PHOTO-Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin addresses the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 22, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBANGKOK, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Thailand's new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Friday said his government was committed to introducing the necessary changes to make the country a major destination for foreign investment, including pursuing more free trade agreements. He stressed foreign policy would be neutral and not taking sides between the United States and China, adding that Japan was a major power that Thailand was committed to, given its long history as the country's top investor. He opened the address stating the country's constitution needed to be amended to address political divisions and chronic economic disparities. Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Panu Wongcha-um; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Srettha Thavisin, Brendan McDermid, Srettha, Sretta, Panarat Thepgumpanat, Panu, Martin Petty, Michael Perry Organizations: Thailand’s, General Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Rights BANGKOK, Thailand, United States, China, Japan

☆ Suspect in Rotterdam shootings had troubled past, targeted victims
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Bart Biesemans | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] FILE PHOTO-A general view shows the house of a victim of a shooting in Rotterdam, Netherlands, September 28, 2023. Law enforcement sources confirmed the 32-year-old suspect's name as Fouad L., with his surname not publishable under Dutch privacy laws. The prosecutor's spokesperson confirmed the authenticity of a letter from prosecutors to the EMC circulating on Dutch media. It described the suspect having "psychotic behaviour" and alcohol troubles as well as complaints from neighbours over his treatment of animals. Rotterdam's chief prosecutor Hugo Hillenaar said on Thursday the suspect had a history of police run-ins.

Persons: de, Prosecutors, Stefan Sleijfer, Fouad L, Roos Bonnier, Hugo Hillenaar, Toby Sterling, Anthony Deutsch, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Erasmus University Medical Centre, EMC, Reuters, Erasmus Medical Center, Thomson Locations: Rotterdam, Netherlands, Rights ROTTERDAM

[1/4] Residents in vehicles attempt to leave the city of Stepanakert following a military operation conducted by Azerbaijani armed forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, a region inhabited by ethnic Armenians, September 24, 2023. Whatever the history and the lack of independent reports on events inside the isolated territory, several international legal experts believe the mass flight fits the legal definition of a war crime. For Azerbaijan, however, retaking control of Nagorno-Karabakh helps to redress the traumas of 1988-94. "It would almost assuredly result in the forced displacement of Armenians from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and the widespread commission of genocidal atrocities, reflecting those committed in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War of 2020 and subsequent hostilities," it said. "If the Armenians of Artsakh were to be displaced ... it would result in the genocidal destruction of a people, as the Artsakh Armenians would lose their distinct identity."

Persons: Vladimir, Hikmet Hajiyev, Ilham Aliyev, Priya Pillai, Melanie O'Brien, Pillai, O'Brien, Luis Moreno Ocampo, it's, Thomas de Waal, Anthony Deutsch, Stephanie van den Berg, Andrew Grey, David Lewis, Kevin Liffey Organizations: HAGUE, University of Minnesota, International Association of, Big, International Criminal Court, ICC, Lemkin Institute for Genocide, Thomson Locations: Stepanakert, Nagorno, Karabakh, Russian, Azerbaijan, Republic of Artsakh, Soviet Union, Armenia, Yerevan, Brussels, Baku, Peace, Artsakh, Nairobi

☆ Exclusive: East Timor president says China military cooperation was 'never discussed'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The agreement also provided scope for funding from China including government and commercial loans to East Timor, he said. "It was never discussed in terms of military cooperation, never discussed, and the Chinese side also never raised this issue," Ramos-Horta said. East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, aims to join the Southeast Asian regional bloc ASEAN by 2025 as it seeks to reduce high poverty rates. Australia has appointed an envoy to speed up negotiations between East Timor and Woodside; Gusmao's government wants gas to be piped to East Timor and not Australia. Australia's relationship with East Timor is "stronger than at any time in the last decade", Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Persons: Jose Ramos, Caitlin Ochs, Horta, Xanana Gusmao, Xi Jinping, heightening, Ramos, Kirsty Needham, Lincoln Organizations: Sustainable, United Nations, REUTERS, Rights, East, Reuters, Southeast, ASEAN, Canberra, Woodside Energy, Greater Sunrise, Greater, Australia, UN's, Fund for Agricultural Development, Global Citizen, Pacific, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs, Thomson Locations: Horta, Timor, New York City , New York, U.S, East Timor, China, Australia, Indonesia, Canberra, Solomon Islands, 2,000km, Timor Leste, ASEAN, Singapore, Malaysia, East Timor's, Dili, Greater Sunrise, Southeast Asia, Woodside, New York

☆ Exclusive: Timor president says China military cooperation 'never discussed'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The agreement also provided scope for funding from China including government and commercial loans to East Timor, he said. Some Australian politicians expressed concern after China's state media reported on Saturday that Beijing's agreement with East Timor, around 700km (450 miles) north-west of Australia, also covered military exchanges. "It was never discussed in terms of military cooperation, never discussed, and the Chinese side also never raised this issue," Ramos-Horta said. East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, aims to join the Southeast Asian regional bloc ASEAN by 2025 as it seeks to reduce high poverty rates. Australia has appointed an envoy to speed up negotiations between East Timor and Woodside; Gusmao's government wants gas to be piped to East Timor and not Australia.

Persons: Jose Ramos, Caitlin Ochs, Horta, Xanana Gusmao, Xi Jinping, heightening, Ramos, Kirsty Needham, Lincoln, 私 Organizations: Sustainable, United Nations, REUTERS, Rights, East, Reuters, Southeast, ASEAN, Canberra, Woodside Energy, Greater Sunrise, Greater, Australia, UN's, Fund for Agricultural Development, Global Citizen, Pacific Locations: Horta, Timor, New York City , New York, U.S, East Timor, China, Australia, Indonesia, Canberra, Solomon Islands, 2,000km, Timor Leste, ASEAN, Singapore, Malaysia, East Timor's, Dili, Greater Sunrise, Southeast Asia, Woodside, United States, New York

☆ North Korea to expel U.S. soldier Travis King over illegal border crossing
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Sarah Leslie/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Sept 27 (Reuters) - North Korea has decided to expel American soldier Travis King who it said has admitted to illegal intrusion into the country and was "disillusioned about unequal U.S. society," state media KCNA said on Wednesday. The decision was contained in the final results of an investigation into King's July border crossing published by KCNA. Last month it reported interim findings that he wanted refuge in North Korea or elsewhere because of maltreatment and racial discrimination within the army. There have been several attempts by U.S. soldiers stationed in South Korea to desert or defect to North Korea, but King's expulsion came relatively quickly compared to others who have spent years before being released from the reclusive country. King, who joined the U.S. army in January 2021, faced two allegations of assault in South Korea.

Persons: Travis T, Sarah Leslie, Handout, Travis King, KCNA, King, Jonathan Franks, King's, Myron Gates, Hyonhee Shin, Susan Heavey, Brendan O'Brien, Toby Chopra, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: Security Area, REUTERS, Rights, ., Democratic People's, Authorities, U.S . State Department, U.S . Forces, United Nations Command, Joint Security Area, ABC News, U.S, South Korean, Thomson Locations: Panmunjom, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, North Korea, DPRK, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, U.S . Forces Korea, United States, U.S

☆ Armenian priest fears for Karabakh's Christian heritage amid mass exodus
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Azerbaijan launched a lightning offensive last week to retake the whole region, prompting a mass Armenian exodus. More than 50,000 people had crossed the border into Armenia by early Wednesday afternoon, nearly half of Karabakh's estimated 120,000 ethnic Armenians. Prior to last week's offensive, the Karabakh Armenians had lived under an effective 10-month Azerbaijani blockade which had led to chronic shortages of food, fuel and medicines. ANCIENT CHRISTIAN LANDConflict in the region between Armenians and Azeris goes back more than a century. There are churches in Azerbaijan which the authorities say are Caucasian Albanian rather than Armenians, something Armenians strongly dispute.

Persons: David, Irakli, Priest, Father David, Gareth Jones, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Christianity, Thomson Locations: Goris, Nagorno, Karabakh, Kornidzor, Armenia, KORNIDZOR, Azerbaijan, Republic of Artsakh, Soviet Union, Baku, Shusha, Moscow, Russian, Armenia's, Albania, Albanian, Turkey, Iran, Ottoman Turks

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