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☆ Ireland trims 2023 budget surplus, corporate tax forecasts
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBLIN, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Ireland is set to collect 0.6% less tax than expected this year following a recent fall in corporate receipts and deliver a lower than forecast budget surplus that Tuesday's budget will further eat into, finance ministry data showed on Saturday. Ireland has collected record levels of tax in recent years, driven by a fast-growing economy and booming corporate tax returns. Instead they are now expected to rise by 4% to 23.6 billion euros. The finance ministry also cut the forecast for 2024 to 24.5 billion euros from 25.1 billion euros. As a result it lowered the 2023 projected budget surplus to 9.6 billion euros or 1.8% of gross domestic product (GDP), from the 10 billion euros forecast in July.

Persons: Michael McGrath, Padraic Halpin, Alex Richardson Organizations: DUBLIN, Ministers, Thomson Locations: Ireland

Saturday's incident marked an unprecedented infiltration by Hamas gunmen into Israel from Gaza, and was the most serious escalation since Israel and Hamas fought a 10-day war in 2021. Israeli media reported gunbattles between bands of Palestinian fighters and security forces in towns in southern Israel. Hamas military commander Mohammad Deif announced the start of the operation in a broadcast on Hamas media, calling on Palestinians everywhere to fight. The Israeli military was aware of reports of captives, a security source said, but provided no further details. Israel's ambulance service said teams had been dispatched to areas in southern Israel near Gaza and residents were warned to stay inside.

Persons: Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mohammad Deif, Amir Cohen, Yoav Gallant, Khan Younis, Abu Hamza, ”, Henriette Chacar, Dan Williams, Nidal Al, James Mackenzie, William Mallard, Robert Birsel, Alex Richardson Organizations: Israel Hamas, Hamas, Israeli Army Radio, REUTERS, Islamic, Qassam, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza, JERUSALEM, GAZA, Palestinian, Jerusalem, Sderot, Beeri, Ashkelon, Khan, Syria, Egypt, Mughrabi

☆ Former Spanish king hints at return to public life after winning UK harassment case
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Spain's former King Juan Carlos arrives at Sanxenxo during his second visit to the country since departing to Abu Dhabi in August 2020 after a number of scandals shook the Spanish Royal House, in Sanxenxo, Spain, April 19, 2023. The 85-year-old ex-monarch was being sued by Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, who alleged Juan Carlos orchestrated threats, surveillance and intimidation from 2012. Juan Carlos' spokesperson said in a statement: "Today's decision, favourable to His Majesty, re-establishes the conditions necessary for further public appearances." The former king moved to Abu Dhabi in 2020 under a cloud of scandals which shook the Royal House and has not participated in any official act with the Spanish royal family since. The Spanish royal household declined to comment on Juan Carlos' statement on Friday.

Persons: King Juan Carlos, Miguel Vidal, Corinna zu Sayn, Wittgenstein, Sayn, Juan Carlos, Juan Carlos –, –, Princess Diana, Rowena Collins Rice, Sam Tobin, Inti, William James, Alex Richardson, Nick Macfie Organizations: Spanish Royal House, REUTERS, London's, Royal, Inti Landauro, Thomson Locations: Sanxenxo, Abu Dhabi, Spain, London, Sayn, Swiss, Granada

The announcement by Mikhail Ulyanov added new fuel to tensions between Russia and the United States over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and arms control disputes between the world's largest nuclear weapons powers. Ulyanov, Moscow's envoy to the CTBTO, said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that "#Russia plans to revoke ratification (which took place in the year 2000) of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty." "The aim is to be on equal footing with the #US who signed the Treaty, but didn't ratify it. While the United States signed but did not ratify the treaty, it has observed a moratorium on nuclear weapon test explosions since 1992 that it says it has no plans to abandon. The spokesperson said Russia should reach an "equal footing" with the United States "by not wielding arms control and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric in a failing attempt to coerce other states."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergei Guneev, Washington, Mikhail Ulyanov, Ulyanov, Robert Floyd, Floyd, Francois Murphy, Alex Richardson, Angus MacSwan, Alexander Smith Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, Acquire, Comprehensive, Treaty Organization, United, U.S . State Department, Party, Washington, Russian, Russian Federation, Conference, Disarmament, Thomson Locations: Sochi, Russia, Moscow, States VIENNA, WASHINGTON, United States, Ukraine, Ban, China, Egypt, Iran, Israel, North Korea, India, Pakistan, Vienna, U.S

☆ U.S.-led forces reportedly down drone in Syria as Turkey strikes area
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A Turkish defence ministry official said the drone shot down by the coalition did not belong to the Turkish armed forces, without saying whose property it was. A Turkish defence ministry official said on Thursday a ground operation into Syria was one option Turkey could consider. Turkey has mounted several previous incursions into northern Syria against the Syrian Kurdish YPG group. In a statement, the security forces said Turkish attacks killed six members of the internal security forces in northeastern Syria, and two civilians in two separate strikes. Turkey has warned forces of third countries to stay away from facilities controlled by the PKK and YPG.

Persons: Huseyin Hayatsever, Tom Perry, Jonathan Spicer, Alex Richardson, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Kurdish, Syrian Observatory, Human Rights, NATO, Kurdistan Workers ' Party, Syrian Democratic Forces, Security, Islamic State, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, Syria, Syrian Kurdish, Ankara, U.S, Turkish, Turkey, Kurdistan, Kurdish, United States, Iraq, France

☆ Italy impounds migrant charity ship after multiple rescues
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Angelo Amante | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Italian authorities have impounded a vessel operated by a Spanish charity, the group said on Thursday, after it carried out multiple rescues of migrants stranded in the Mediterranean. The Open Arms group said in a statement it had completed three rescues on Saturday picking up 176 people at sea, which included more than 90 unaccompanied minors. The boat docked on Wednesday in the central Italian port of Carrara to disembark the migrants. Temporary seizure orders had already been imposed on three charity boats - including the Open Arms - in August. Migrant arrivals nearly doubled in Italy this year compared with 2022.

Persons: Giorgia, Angelo Amante, Alex Richardson Organizations: Reuters, Italian coastguard, Interior Ministry, Charities, Thomson Locations: Spanish, Carrara, Africa, Italy

☆ Alleged victims of influencer Andrew Tate being intimidated, their lawyers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Andrew Tate walks before delivering a press statement outside his house in Voluntari, Ilfov, Romania, August 4, 2023. Inquam Photos/George Calin via REUTERS/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBUCHAREST, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Witnesses and alleged victims of controversial internet personality Andrew Tate are being harassed and intimidated in an effort to silence them, their lawyers said on Thursday. U.S. and British legal representatives of alleged victims held a press conference in Bucharest on Thursday. In Britain, four women are planning a civil lawsuit against Tate alleging he raped them between 2013 and 2016. Tate, a self-described misogynist, has gained millions of fans by promoting an ultra-masculine lifestyle that critics say denigrates women.

Persons: Andrew Tate, George Calin, Tate, Tristan, they've, Jillian Roth, Laffey, Kent, Roth, Mateea Petrescu, Matthew Jury, Luiza Ilie, Alan Charlish, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Tate, Bucharest, National Center, Thomson Locations: Voluntari, Ilfov, Romania, Rights BUCHAREST, Bucharest, Bucci, United States, United Kingdom, Britain

☆ British lawmakers call for pause in live facial recognition surveillance
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Martin Coulter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Reuters TV via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - A cross-party coalition of 65 British lawmakers called on Friday for a pause in use of live facial recognition surveillance on the country's streets. British police have previously deployed live facial recognition at a number of large-scale public events, including the recent coronation of King Charles II. In a joint statement published on Friday, lawmakers from across the political spectrum said: "We call on UK police and private companies to immediately stop using live facial recognition for public surveillance." Signatories included veteran Conservative MP David Davis, Labour politicians Diane Abbott and John McDonnell, and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey. "There must be an urgent stop to live facial recognition, parliamentary scrutiny, and a much wider democratic debate before we introduce such privacy-altering technology to British life."

Persons: King Charles II, Chris Philp, David Davis, Diane Abbott, John McDonnell, Ed Davey, Silkie Carlo, Martin Coulter, Alex Richardson Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Amnesty International, European Union . British, Conservative, Labour, Liberal, Big Brother Watch, Runnymede Trust, Big Brother, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Runnymede

☆ Turkish official says ground operation into Syria an option after bombing
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ANKARA, Oct 5 (Reuters) - A ground operation into Syria is one option Turkey could consider, a defence ministry official said on Thursday after Ankara found that two attackers who had set off a bomb near government buildings at the weekend had come from Syria. "Our only goal is to eliminate the terrorist organisations that pose a threat to Turkey. A ground operation is one of the options to eliminate this threat, but it is not the only option for us," the official said. Turkey conducted operations whenever and wherever necessary in the past, and these operations will continue if needed again," the defence ministry official said. "These operations are being conducted under self-defence rights arising from international law to eliminate terrorist attacks on Turkish territory and to ensure border security."

Persons: Huseyin Hayatsever, Jonathan Spicer, Alex Richardson Organizations: Kurdistan Workers ' Party, Syrian, Islamic State, Thomson Locations: ANKARA, Syria, Turkey, Ankara, Kurdistan, Iraq, U.S, United States, France

☆ Europe could become energy self-sufficient in $2 trillion push - study
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Electrical power pylons with high-voltage power lines are seen next to wind turbines near Weselitz, Germany November 18, 2022. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner Acquire Licensing RightsFRANKFURT, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Europe could wean itself off fossil fuels and create a self-sustainable energy sector by spending around 2 trillion euros ($2.1 trillion) on solar, wind and other regenerative sources by 2040, according to a new study. The law raises the EU's renewable energy targets, requiring 42.5% of EU energy to be renewable by 2030, replacing a previous 32% target. It said renewable energy supply would need to grow by 20% per year to meet expected power demand by 2030. ($1 = 0.9531 euros)Reporting by Christoph Steitz, Editing by Rachel More and Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Christoph Steitz, Rachel More, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Potsdam Institute, Climate Impact, Reuters, Aquila Capital, Thomson Locations: Weselitz, Germany, Europe, Russian, Ukraine

☆ Names of purported Nobel chemistry prize winners inadvertently released
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A general view of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, where the Nobel Prize in Physics is to be announced, in Stockholm, Sweden October 3, 2023. REUTERS/Tom Little/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSTOCKHOLM, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Sweden's Royal Academy of Sciences appeared to have inadvertently published names of three scientists it said had won this year's Nobel Prize in chemistry, although the award-giving institute said the decision was still hours away. But Johan Aqvist, chair of the academy's Nobel committee for chemistry, told Reuters: "It is a mistake by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The announcement of this year's Nobel prize for chemistry is due at 1145 CET (0945 GMT). The more than century-old prize is awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and is worth 11 million Swedish crowns ($990,019).

Persons: Tom Little, Moungi, Bawendi, Louis E . Brus, Alexei I, Johan Aqvist, Brus, Anna Ringstrom, Johan Ahlander, Terje Solsvik, Alex Richardson Organizations: Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, REUTERS, Rights, Sweden's Royal Academy of Sciences, Dagens Nyheter, Reuters, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia University, Nanocrystals Technology Inc, Thomson Locations: Stockholm, Sweden, Rights STOCKHOLM

☆ Britain proposes ban on cigarettes for younger generations
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Smoking costs Britain's health services 17 billion pounds ($20.6 billion) a year, he said, adding the government also needed to act on youth vaping. Campaign group Action on Smoking and Health welcomed Sunak's plans, adding they could hasten the day when smoking was obsolete. Imperial Brands (IMB.L), which makes Winston cigarettes and Golden Virginia rolling tobacco, also warned the ban threatened "unintended consequences". REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsGRADUAL IMPACTThe smoking policy would need to pass a free vote in Britain's parliament. Shares in Imperial Brands fell 3.2% to their lowest since March 2022, while shares in BAT, which has a lower exposure to the British cigarette market, were down 1.2% by 1357 GMT.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak's, Winston, Phil Noble, Owen Bennett, Bennett, Emma Rumney, Michael Holden, Sachin Ravikumar, Alex Richardson Organizations: Conservative Party, Health, Tobacco Manufacturers Association, Imperial Brands, Dunhill, British, Tobacco, REUTERS, Japan Tobacco, Benson, Hedges, Jefferies, BAT, Thomson Locations: MANCHESTER, England, Virginia, Liverpool, Britain's, Britain, Europe, New Zealand, Denmark

☆ Iran's Khamenei says normalising Israel ties is a losing bet - state media
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting with commanders and a group of members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Tehran, Iran August 17, 2023. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDUBAI, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that countries seeking to normalise relations with Israel "are betting on a losing horse", state media reported on Tuesday. Khamenei did not identify the countries, but expectations that Israel might normalize ties with Iran's regional rival Saudi Arabia, the home of Islam's two holiest shrines, have been ratcheted up this month. "The definite position of the Islamic Republic is that countries that make the gamble of normalisation with Israel will lose. Four Arab states have formalised ties with Israel in pacts known as the Abraham Accords -- the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.

Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khamenei, Benjamin Netanyahu, Iran hasn't, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Israel, Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Abraham, Alex Richardson, William Maclean Organizations: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian, West Asia News Agency, REUTERS, Rights, Iran's, Israel's, Abraham Accords, Saudi, MbS, U.S, United Arab, Dubai Newsroom, Thomson Locations: Tehran, Iran, Rights DUBAI, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Islamic Republic, Israeli, Saudi, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco

Japanese yen and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen with a currency exchange rate graph in this illustration picture taken June 16, 2022. The yen eased to 149.83 per dollar, its weakest in more than 11 months, moving ever closer to the 150 mark that some traders believe could prompt intervention by Tokyo to support the currency. "If the yen breaks 150 per dollar, which I think is likely, and verbal intervention is not followed by action then we could see dollar-yen at 155." In the broader currency market, sterling was last 0.4% lower at $1.2158, having slid nearly 4% against the dollar in the third quarter. Elsewhere, the Australian dollar slid 0.6% to $0.6395, while the New Zealand dollar edged 0.4% lower to $0.5972, as traders looked ahead to rate decisions from their respective central banks this week.

Persons: Florence Lo, Dane Cekov, Shunichi Suzuki, Jarrod Kerr, Nordea's Cekov, bitcoin, Samuel Indyk, Rae Wee, Shri Navaratnam, Simon Cameron, Moore, Emelia, Alex Richardson Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Bank of Japan, Bank of Japan's, Finance, Congress, Democratic, Australian, New Zealand, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Britain, U.S

☆ C-3PO's head, 'Titanic' costumes for sale at Propstore film auction
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Marie-Louise Gumuchian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Actor Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO in 11 Star Wars films, poses next to a screen-matched, light-up C-3PO head from the 1977 film "Star Wars: A New Hope" which is part of his personal collection, at Propstore in Chenies, Britain, September 20, 2023. The head will be auctioned with other film... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreRICKMANSWORTH, England, Oct 3 (Reuters) - From "Star Wars" droid C-3PO's head to Leonardo DiCaprio's "Titanic" costume, a trove of costumes and props are headed to auction next month in a sale of film and television memorabilia worth around $14.6 million. More than 1,800 items are being sold by entertainment memorabilia auctioneer Propstore at its annual live auction, which this year runs from Nov. 9-12. Leading the sale, which Propstore estimates will fetch more than 12 million pounds (14.6 million), is the light-up head actor Anthony Daniels wore to play C-3PO in "Star Wars: A New Hope", with an estimate of 500,000 - 1 million pounds ($600,000- $1.2 million). Daniels is also selling other "Star Wars" memorabilia.

Persons: Anthony Daniels, Leonardo DiCaprio's, Propstore, Daniels, Stephen Lane, DiCaprio, Ryder's, Ursula Andress, Johnny Depp's, Harrison Ford's, Indiana Jones, Freddy, Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump, Stanley Kubrick's, Marlon Brando, Lane, they're, Marie, Louise Gumuchian, Alex Richardson Organizations: Star Wars, Wars, Reuters, Pirates, Thomson Locations: Propstore, Chenies, Britain, RICKMANSWORTH, England, Caribbean

☆ Serbia Lowers Number of Troops Near Kosovo, Army Chief of Staff Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

"Serbia had deployed 8,350 troops near (the border) ... with Kosovo, ... and reduced them to 4,500 at the moment," Mojsilovic said. He said the army presence in the so-called Ground Safety Zone, a 5 kilometre-wide (3-mile) strip inside Serbia along the Kosovo border, had "reverted to normal." Serbia has not "formally raised the level of readiness" of its 22,500-strong army, Mojsilovic said. Some 50,000 Serbs who live in northern Kosovo do not recognise Pristina's institutions and see Belgrade as their capital. NATO, which still has 4,500 troops in Kosovo, said on Friday it had "authorised additional forces to address the current situation".

Persons: General Milan Mojsilovic, Mojsilovic, Milan Radoicic, Ivana Sekularac, Aleksandar Vasovic, Alex Richardson Organizations: BELGRADE, Reuters, NATO, Kosovo police, Belgrade Locations: Serbia, Kosovo, Belgrade, Pristina, Kosovo's, Banjska, Serbian, Albanian Kosovo, United States, Kosovo Serb

☆ Temperatures in Spain shatter records as October kicks off
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsMADRID, Oct 2 (Reuters) - The start of October in Spain this year has been the warmest since records began, the country's meteorological agency AEMET said on Monday, with nearly 40% of weather stations recording maximum temperatures above 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 Fahrenheit). Two cities in south-central Spain, Badajoz and Montoro, broke the heat record for continental Spain during the month of October with 38 C and 38.2 C, respectively. The previous record was 37.5 C, documented in the resort city of Marbella in October 2014. The weather station at Madrid's iconic Retiro Park, which is over a century old, equalled its October record of 30 C set in 1930. He added that future summers would not only be hotter, but also longer, extending into the traditionally mild and rainy autumn.

Persons: Jon Nazca, AEMET, Ruben del Campo, Del, David Latona, Inti Landauro, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, TVE, Thomson Locations: Ronda, Spain, Rights MADRID, Badajoz, Montoro, Marbella, Retiro, Del Campo

☆ After Ankara bombing, Turkey hits back in Iraq and at home
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Daren Butler | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament as he attends the reopening of the Turkish parliament after the summer recess in Ankara, Turkey, October 1, 2023. On Sunday morning, two attackers detonated a bomb near government buildings in Ankara, killing them both and wounding two police officers. It launched an insurgency in southeast Turkey in 1984 and more than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict. It said the attackers had hijacked the vehicle and killed its driver in Kayseri, a city 260 km (161 miles) southeast of Ankara. Turkey's armed forces have in recent years conducted several large-scale military operations in northern Iraq and northern Syria against Kurdish militants.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Murat Cetinmuhurdar, Abdul, Latif Rashid, Ali Yerlikaya, Yerlikaya, Yasar Guler, Huseyin Hayatsever, Robert Birsel, Jonathan Spicer, Mark Heinrich, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Kurdistan Workers Party, United Nations, Iraq, European Union, Reuters, PKK, Counterterrorism, Immortals Battalion, Kurdish, Islamic, Defence, Thomson Locations: Turkish, Ankara, Turkey, Handout, Iraq, Iraq ISTANBUL, Istanbul, Iraq's, Gara, Kurdistan, United States, Kayseri, Kurdish, Ataturk, Islamic State, Syria

☆ Serbia lowers number of troops near Kosovo, army chief of staff says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Kosovo police officers patrol, in the aftermath of a shooting incident, in Banjska village, Kosovo September 27, 2023. "Serbia had deployed 8,350 troops near (the border) ... with Kosovo, ... and reduced them to 4,500 at the moment," Mojsilovic said. He said the army presence in the so-called Ground Safety Zone, a 5 kilometre-wide (3-mile) strip inside Serbia along the Kosovo border, had "reverted to normal." Serbia has not "formally raised the level of readiness" of its 22,500-strong army, Mojsilovic said. Some 50,000 Serbs who live in northern Kosovo do not recognise Pristina's institutions and see Belgrade as their capital.

Persons: Ognen, General Milan Mojsilovic, Mojsilovic, Milan Radoicic, Ivana Sekularac, Aleksandar Vasovic, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, NATO, Kosovo police, Belgrade, Thomson Locations: Banjska village, Kosovo, Serbia, Belgrade, Pristina, Kosovo's, Banjska, Serbian, Albanian Kosovo, United States, Kosovo Serb

☆ NATO says it has authorized additional forces for Kosovo
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A Swiss pilot member of the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) walks at NATOÕs headquarters in Pristina, Kosovo, June 20, 2023. REUTERS/Fatos Bytyci/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Sept 29 (Reuters) - NATO has authorized additional forces for Kosovo, the military alliance said on Friday, following the worst violence in northern Kosovo in years. NATO said in a statement that it had "authorized additional forces to address the current situation" but did not immediately specify how many or from which countries. Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008 after a guerrilla uprising and 1999 NATO intervention, accuses Serbia of arming and supporting the Serb fighters. Serbia, which has not recognised its former province's independence, blames Kosovo for precipitating violence by mistreating ethnic Serb residents.

Persons: Fatos, Wales's, Andrew Gray, Charlotte Van Campenhout, James Davey, Alex Richardson, Grant McCool Organizations: NATO, Kosovo Force, KFOR, REUTERS, Rights, Britain's Ministry of Defence, 1st Battalion, Wales's Royal Regiment, NATO’s Kosovo Force, Thomson Locations: Swiss, Pristina, Kosovo, Rights BRUSSELS, Serbia, London

☆ Ukrainian forces are "gradually gaining ground", NATO chief says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meets with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich Acquire Licensing RightsKYIV, Sept 28 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, on an unannounced visit to Kyiv, said on Thursday that Ukrainian forces were "gradually gaining ground" in their counteroffensive against Russian forces. Speaking at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Stoltenberg said "every metre that Ukrainian forces regain is a metre that Russia loses". Stoltenberg said he was "constantly pushing" NATO allies to provide more support to Ukraine and speed up delivery, "not least" of air defence systems. Stoltenberg also condemned Russian strikes near Ukraine's border with NATO member Romania.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Jens Stoltenberg, Gleb Garanich, Stoltenberg, Yuliia Dyss, Andrew Gray, Bart Meijer, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Alex Richardson, Alison Williams Organizations: NATO, REUTERS, Rights, Russian, Ukrainian Locations: Ukraine, Kyiv, Russia, Moscow, Russian, Ukraine's, Romania

If the complaint is upheld, it could result in orders from national courts for governments to cut carbon dioxide emissions blamed for climate change faster than currently planned. 'UNPRECEDENTED IN SCALE'The applicants argue climate change threatens their rights including to life, physical and mental wellbeing. Current policies would fail to meet either goal, according to the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Last month, a judge in Montana, in the United States, handed a historic win to young plaintiffs in a climate change case. In addition to Wednesday's youth case, there are two other climate cases pending before the ECHR's Grand Chamber.

Persons: Andre, Sofia Oliveira, Pedro Nunes, heatwaves, Gerry Liston, Andre Oliveira, Martim Agostinho, Agostinho, Liston, Catarina Demony, Aislinn Laing, Alex Richardson, Christina Fincher Organizations: European, of Human Rights, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Almada , Portugal, Portugal, Britain, Switzerland, Norway, Russia, Turkey, Strasbourg, Paris, Portuguese, Leiria, Europe, Montana, United States, Lisbon

☆ Russian Black Sea Commander Shown on Video Call After Ukraine Said It Killed Him
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Admiral Viktor Sokolov, the commander of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, was shown on Russian state television on Tuesday attending a defence leaders' meeting remotely, a day after Ukrainian special forces said they had killed him. In response to the Russian video, the Ukraine special forces said on Telegram: "Since the Russians were urgently forced to publish a response with Sokolov allegedly alive, our units are clarifying the information." Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, interviewed by CNN, neither confirmed nor denied Sokolov's death, but said his demise could only be a good thing for all concerned. In the video, Shoigu said more than 17,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in September and that more than 2,700 weapons, including seven American Bradley fighting vehicles, had been destroyed. Kyiv's counteroffensive has yet to seize much territory from Russian forces, which control about 17.5% of Ukraine's internationally recognised territory.

Persons: Viktor Sokolov, Sokolov, Sergei Shoigu, Dmitry Peskov, Rustem Umerov, Umerov, Shoigu, Bradley, Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones, Alex Richardson, Ron Popeski, Timothy Gardner Organizations: Fleet, Ukrainian Defence, CNN, Reuters, Ukrainian, Belfer, Harvard's Kennedy School Locations: MOSCOW, Sevastopol, Crimea, Ukraine, Ukrainian, United States, Russian, Russia

☆ UK home secretary warns uncontrolled migration poses 'existential challenge'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Addressing the American Enterprise Institute think-tank in Washington, Braverman said the United Nations refugee convention has expanded the definition of "persecution" and increased the number of people qualifying for refugee protection. Almost 24,000 people have been detected crossing the Channel this year, despite Sunak's promise to "stop the boats". In her speech, Braverman said asylum seekers should be obliged to make a claim in the first safe country they reach. "The vast majority have passed through multiple safe countries, and in some instances have resided in safe countries for several years," Braverman said. Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Alex Richardson, Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Suella Braverman, Peter Nicholls, Braverman, Rishi Sunak, Stewart McDonald, Andrew MacAskill, Alex Richardson, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: REUTERS, American Enterprise Institute, United Nations, Conservative Party, Britain, Scottish National Party, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Washington, Rwanda, France

☆ Youth Vs Europe: 'Unprecedented' Climate Trial to Kick off at Rights Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

Applicants will argue climate change threatens their rights including to life, physical and mental wellbeing. Current policies would fail to meet either goal, according to the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. "Without urgent action to cut emissions, (the place) where I live will soon become an unbearable furnace," another applicant, 20-year-old Martim Agostinho, said in a statement. Last month, a judge in Montana, in the United States, handed a historic win to young plaintiffs in a climate change case. In addition to Wednesday's youth case, there are two other climate cases pending before the ECHR's Grand Chamber.

Persons: Catarina Demony, Gerry Liston, Andre Oliveira, Martim Agostinho, Agostinho, Liston, Aislinn Laing, Alex Richardson Organizations: European, of Human Rights, United Nations Locations: Portugal, Britain, Switzerland, Norway, Russia, Turkey, Strasbourg, Paris, Portuguese, Leiria, Europe, Montana, United States, Lisbon

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