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☆ Niger junta expels French ambassador
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Niger's junta supporters take part in a demonstration in front of a French army base in Niamey, Niger, August 11, 2023. In a statement, the junta-appointed foreign ministry said the decision to expel the ambassador was a response to actions taken by the French government that were "contrary to the interests of Niger." It said these included the envoy's refusal to respond to an invitation to meet Niger's new foreign minister. The French foreign ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The deterioration in Niger-France relations echoes post-coup developments in Mali and Burkina Faso, which have booted out French forces and severed long-standing ties.

Persons: Mahamadou, Sylvain Itte, Mohamed Bazoum, Niger's, Boureima Balima, Benoit Van Overstraeten, Anait Miridzhanian, Chris Reese, Andrew Heavens, Andy Sullivan Organizations: REUTERS, West, ECOWAS, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, NIAMEY, French, Burkina Faso, Mali, France

A tally by state broadcaster ZBC showed ZANU-PF winning 101 parliamentary constituencies and the main opposition party Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) winning 59, out of a total of 210. The result of the presidential vote has not been announced yet. The ERC later posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that 16 of its staff together with Zimbabwe Election Support Network members had been released on $200 bail each by a magistrate. Mnangagwa last week told state media that if he got a second term, it would be his last. As in previous elections, the parliamentary results appeared to show ZANU-PF retaining its rural base, while the CCC captured the urban vote.

Persons: Emmerson Mnangagwa's, Nelson Chamisa, Fabio Massimo Castaldo, Castaldo, Nevers Mumba, Patrick Chinamasa, Mnangagwa, Eldred Masunungure, Robert Mugabe, Nelson Banya, Bhargav Acharya, Nellie Peyton, Alexander Winning, Devika Syamnath, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Emmerson Mnangagwa's ZANU, ZBC, ZANU, Coalition, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, REUTERS, Philimon, Rights Police, Zimbabwe Election, Election, Centre, ERC, Zimbabwe Election Support, Southern African Development Community, National Assembly, University of Zimbabwe, PF, CCC, Thomson Locations: EU, HARARE, Harare, Zimbabwe, Philimon Bulawayo, SADC

One group of seven to eight bodies were found huddled together in what appeared to be a final embrace. Vegetation that was meant to offer protection to evade the Greek police turned into a death trap. The only spot of colour in the area where the bodies were found were two blue medical gloves left behind by investigators. At the morgue, Pavlidis has collected DNA samples from the bodies, the only way they will ever be identified. Fires in the area are still burning and Hatzigeorgiou fears more bodies will be found in the forest.

Persons: Pavlos Pavlidis, George Hatzigeorgiou, Hatzigeorgiou, honked, they'd, We've, I've, Adriana Tidona, Pavlidis, Lefteris Papadimas, Karolina Tagaris, Andrew Heavens Organizations: European Union, United, Turkish, UNHCR, Amnesty International, Thomson Locations: EVROS, Greece, ATHENS, Turkey, Avantas, Europe, Libya, East, Asia, United Nations

☆ British Museum director quits over stolen treasures
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A sign for the British Museum which houses the Parthenon sculptures is seen in London, Britain, January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - The director of the British Museum said on Friday he would step down after admitting to failings in its investigation into the theft of items from its collection. "It is evident that the British Museum did not respond as comprehensively as it should have," he said in a statement. Fischer said that he withdrew remarks made about the art dealer who first alerted museum bosses to the stolen items. Earlier this week, Fischer said Ittai Gradel, an antiquities dealer, withheld information about the scale of the stolen items when he contacted the museum.

Persons: Toby Melville, Hartwig Fischer, Fischer, Ittai Gradel, George Osborne, Osborne, Andrew MacAskill, Sachin Ravikumar, Angus MacSwan, Andrew Heavens Organizations: British, REUTERS, British Museum, Police, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ Yevgeny Prigozhin plane crash: who were the passengers on the jet?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A fighter of Wagner private mercenary group lights a candle at a makeshift memorial with portraits of Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and Wagner group commander Dmitry Utkin outside the local office of the Wagner private mercenary group in Novosibirsk, Russia August 24, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer Acquire Licensing RightsAug 24 (Reuters) - Funerals are expected to take place soon for Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and other members of his Wagner group who died in a plane crash last week. * Yevgeny Prigozhin, 62, soared to prominence after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine where his fighters including thousands of released convicts led the Russian capture of the city of Bakhmut. * Dmitry Utkin, 53, Prigozhin's right-hand man, co-founder of Wagner and the group's top military commander, whose call-sign was "Wagner". The St. Petersburg newspaper Fontanka, which has been investigating the Wagner group for years, wrote that Chekalov was Wagner's "logistician".

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Dmitry Utkin, Stringer, Utkin, Vladimir Putin, Valery Chekalov, Chekalov, Sergei Propustin, Propustin, Alexander Totmin, Myrotvorets, Totmin, Yevgeny Makaryan, Nikolai Matuseyev, Filipp Lebedev, Andrew Osborn, Mark Heinrich, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Fontanka, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Novosibirsk, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Bakhmut, Syria, St, Petersburg, Sudan

A woman visits a makeshift memorial near former PMC Wagner Centre, associated with the founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in Saint Petersburg, Russia August 24, 2023. Putin, who has spoken in the past of his hatred of traitors, described it as a "stab in the back". Prigozhin "assumed that Putin would not want to risk all this", Gallyamov said. 'GAME OF THRONES'But the death of Prigozhin, if confirmed, is not without cost to Putin. If Putin was responsible for Prigozhin's death, he said, it demonstrated he was willing to engage in brutal repression of any kind of dissent.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Anastasia Barashkova, Putin, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Utkin, Prigozhin, Tatiana Stanovaya, Wagner, Abbas Gallyamov, Gallyamov, Andrew Borene, Samuel Ramani, RUSI, Ramani, Sergei Surovikin, Surovikin, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones, Andrew Heavens Organizations: PMC Wagner, Wagner Group, REUTERS, Kremlin, Putin, Central African, Analysts, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, Kremlin, Ukraine, Africa, Moscow, Belarus, Mali, Central African Republic, France, United States, U.S

A woman visits a makeshift memorial near the former PMC Wagner Centre, associated with the founder of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in Saint Petersburg, Russia August 24. "From the point of view of Putin, as well as many among the security forces and the military, Prigozhin's death should be a lesson to any potential followers." Putin, who has spoken in the past of his hatred of traitors, described it at the time as a "stab in the back". 'GAME OF THRONES'But the death of Prigozhin, if confirmed, is not without cost to Putin. If Putin was responsible for Prigozhin's death, he said, it demonstrated he was willing to engage in brutal repression of any kind of dissent.

Persons: Yevgeny Prigozhin, Anastasia Barashkova, Putin, Wagner, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, Tatiana Stanovaya, Abbas Gallyamov, Gallyamov, Andrew Borene, Samuel Ramani, RUSI, Ramani, Sergei Surovikin, Surovikin, Robert Horvath, Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones, Andrew Heavens Organizations: PMC Wagner, Wagner Group, REUTERS, Reuters, Analysts, Kremlin, Central African, Putin, La Trobe University, Thomson Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, Kremlin, Ukraine, Africa, Moscow, United States, Belarus, Mali, Central African Republic, France, U.S, Melbourne

Putin's comments, which suggested he harboured decidedly mixed feelings about Wagner's mercenary boss, were the most definitive yet on Prigozhin's fate. It remains to be seen too how Wagner fighters, some of whom have already spoken of betrayal and foul play, react. Pledging a thorough investigation which he said would take time, Putin said that "preliminary data" indicated that Prigozhin and other Wagner employees had been on the downed plane. A cameraman films a wreckage of the private jet linked to Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin near the crash site in the Tver region, Russia, August 24. The mutiny was ended by an apparent Kremlin deal which saw Prigozhin agree to relocate to neighbouring Belarus.

Persons: Putin, Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Wagner, It's, Ramzan Kadyrov, Marina Lystseva, Kadyrov, Anatoly, Prigozhin's, Sergei Shoigu, Valery Gerasimov, Andrew Osborn, Nick Macfie, Andrew Heavens, Stephen Coates Organizations: Reuters, U.S . Department of Defense, REUTERS, Marina, Embraer, SA, Telegram, Wagner Group, Wagner, General Staff, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Moscow, U.S, Washington, Ukraine, Africa, Kremlin, Donetsk, Tver, Russia, St . Petersburg, Kuzhenkino, Grey, Belarus

☆ Savers dash for Belgian bond aimed at pushing banks to raise deposit rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Yoruk Bahceli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Aug 25 (Reuters) - Belgium saw 4 billion euros of demand from savers for a new bond it launched on Thursday, its debt agency said, a strong start for the sale aimed at pressuring banks to raise their deposit rates. European lenders awash with cash have been resisting raising savings rates despite a surge in market interest rates as central banks fight inflation, prompting withdrawals by households looking for better returns elsewhere. "We want to boost competition and encourage banks to raise interest rates." On Thursday, the first day of the sale, savers bought 2.098 billion euros ($2.27 billion) of the bond, the debt agency said, followed by at least another 1.902 billion euros so far on Friday. But Jean Deboutte, director at Belgium's debt agency, noted some banks in Belgium had already raised their rates following plans for the new bond.

Persons: Jean Deboutte, Yoruk, Sudip Kar, Susan Fenton, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Yoruk Bahceli, Gupta, Thomson Locations: Belgium, Amsterdam, Brussels

☆ Pakistan rupee hits record low against US dollar - Central Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

An employee counts Pakistani rupee notes at a bank in Peshawar, Pakistan August 22, 2023. REUTERS/Fayaz Aziz Acquire Licensing RightsKARACHI, Pakistan, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Pakistan's rupee closed at 299.6 against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday in the interbank market, touching a record low for the second day in a row, central bank data showed. On Tuesday, the rupee weakened to 299 against the dollar. On Wednesday, it extended losses and depreciated 0.2% against the dollar. Reporting by Ariba Shahid in Karachi; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Fayaz Aziz, Ariba Shahid, Sharon Singleton, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Thomson Locations: Peshawar, Pakistan, Rights KARACHI, Karachi

☆ Rolling Stones fans see signs of new album in local newspaper ad
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones perform as part of their "Stones Sixty Europe 2022 Tour" at Waldbuehne in Berlin, Germany, August 3, 2022. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Have the Rolling Stones just announced the release of a new album? “The Rolling Stones are poking fun at themselves,” read one message on the Facebook fan page The Rolling Stones Sessions. Last year, The Rolling Stones marked their 60th anniversary with a European tour, covering 10 countries including Britain. An album by the Rolling Stones featuring new original music would be their first since 2005's "A Bigger Bang".

Persons: Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood, Keith Richards, Lisi Niesner, ”, Jack Q Frost, Farouq Suleiman, Paul Sandle, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Hackney Gazette, Universal Music, Thomson Locations: Waldbuehne, Berlin, Germany, London, Hackney, Britain

Children receive first aid after they were rescued from the stranded chairlift, in Battagram, Pakistan August 22, 2023. "I can't tell you what we experienced yesterday when one cable of the cable car suddenly snapped and we were stranded in the air," said Faraz, who at 20 years old was the only adult aboard, and the only person with a cell phone. The journey by cable car usually took just a matter of minutes, whereas travelling on the rough mountain roads and tracks takes hours. "Our first priority was to secure the children," caretaker Prime Minister Anwar ul Haq Kakar said, describing the feat as "near impossible". Those prayers were answered for Faraz and the children.

Persons: Gul Faraz, Faraz, Anwar ul Haq Kakar, Kakar, Mushtaq Ali n, Asif Shahzad, Simon Cameron, Moore, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Commandos, Geo, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Battagram, Pakistan, PESHAWAR, Jhangri, Battangi, Karachi, Mushtaq Ali n Peshawar, Islamabad

☆ Reactions as India's Chandrayaan-3 makes historic moon landing
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Arun Haryani, an enthusiast with his body painted in tri-colours, holds up a model of LVM3 M4, which was used in launching the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, in Ahmedabad on the eve of the moon landing, August 22. Following are some reactions:S. SOMANATH, INDIAN SPACE RESEARCH ORGANISATION (ISRO)CHAIRMAN"India is on the moon." NARENDRA MODI, PRIME MINISTER, INDIA"This moment is unforgettable. BILL NELSON, ADMINISTRATOR, NASA"Congratulations ISRO on your successful Chandrayaan-3 lunar South Pole landing! Congratulations to ISRO, Chandrayaan-3, and to all the people of India!!

Persons: Arun Haryani, Amit Dave, NARENDRA MODI, RAHUL GANDHI, SHAH RUKH KHAN, CHANDRACHUD, KHARGE, BILL NELSON, JOSEF ASCHBACHER, CYRIL RAMAPHOSA, PUSHPA KAMAL DAHAL, Narendra Modi, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Andrew Heavens, Toby Chopra Organizations: REUTERS, DELHI, Wednesday, Indian Space Research, SPACE, ISRO, OF, NASA, GENERAL, EUROPEAN SPACE, Chandrayaan, SOUTH, MINISTER, Thomson Locations: Ahmedabad, India, EUROPEAN, SOUTH AFRICA, NEPAL

☆ At least 26 killed as railway bridge collapses in India
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Zarir Hussain | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GUWAHATI, India, Aug 23 (Reuters) - A railway bridge being built in India collapsed on Wednesday killing at least 26 workers and injuring two, police said, as the state-run railway authority opened an investigation. The accident happened in Sairang town in the northeastern state of Mizoram, its chief minister, Zoramthanga, said on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Media reported that up to 40 workers were at the site when the bridge collapsed but police said 28 workers were present. The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said in a statement on the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that the mishap occurred during work on the Bhairbi-Sairang New Line Railway Project. In October last year, a colonial-era suspension bridge collapsed in the western state of Gujarat killing 135 people.

Persons: Zoramthanga, NRF, Narendra Modi, Sakshi Dayal, Andrew Heavens, Michael Perry Organizations: Twitter, Media, Northeast Frontier Railway, Thomson Locations: GUWAHATI, India, Sairang, Mizoram, India's, Gujarat

Net borrowing, excluding state-owned banks, stood at 4.3 billion pounds ($5.49 billion) last month, less than the median forecast of 5.0 billion pounds in a Reuters poll of economists. In the first four months of the financial year, borrowing stood at 56.6 billion pounds. "As inflation slows, it's vital that we don’t alter our course and continue to act responsibly with the public finances," Hunt said in a statement after the data. Interest costs rose by 1.5 billion pounds compared with July last year to 7.7 billion pounds, the highest for July since records began in April 1997. The public finances were boosted by inflows of self-assessed income tax receipts which are typically strong in July, which stood at 11.8 billion pounds, 2.5 billion pounds more than in July last year.

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, Jessica Taylor, Handout, Hunt, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss's, Ruth Gregory, Gregory, Gabriella Dickens, William Schomberg, Sachin Ravikumar, Andrew Heavens, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Reuters, Bank of England, Conservative Party, Treasury, Capital Economics, Senior, National Statistics, Britain's, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ Cooler conditions bring some hope as Canada wildfires rage on
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Aug 21 (Reuters) - Wildfires ravaging Canada's British Columbia province are showing some signs of easing and the weather conditions should improve through Monday into Tuesday, through crews are still battling "epic" blazes, emergency officials said. Blazes are also raging further north as Canada reels from its worst wildfire season on record, which many experts have blamed on climate change. British Columbia, which sits on Canada's Pacific coast, could get some rains this week from Tropical Storm Hilary, which hit California on Sunday, forecasters have said. The air quality index in many fire-affected areas - including Central Okanagan, Eastern Fraser Valley, Kamloops - hit above 10 on Monday, signaling a high risk, the British Columbia government said. Fires continued to burn about 15 km from Yellowknife and it was unclear when they will reach the city, officials said.

Persons: Hilary, Jerrad Schroeder, Jason Brolund, Brolund, Denny Thomas, Michael Perry, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Canada's, U.S ., Tropical, Kamloops Fire, British Columbia, Government, Northwest Territories, Canada's Department of National Defence, Canadian Broadcasting Corp, Thomson Locations: Canada's British Columbia, Canada, U.S, U.S . Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, California, Kamloops, Central Okanagan, Eastern Fraser Valley, British, New York, U.S . East Coast, Yellowknife, Northwest, West Kelowna

REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File photoBEIJING, Aug 13 (Reuters) - China's State Council issued guidelines on Sunday that it said would further optimize the country's foreign investment environment and attract more foreign investment. The State Council said in a document containing 24 guidelines that authorities should increase protection of the rights and interests of foreign investors, including strengthening enforcement of intellectual property rights. The document also announced guidelines to increase fiscal support and tax incentives for foreign-invested enterprises, such as temporarily exempting withholding income tax for foreign investors' reinvestment of their profits into China. The State Council said it would explore a "convenient and secure management mechanism" for cross-border data flows. Reporting by Andrew Hayley and Ethan Wang; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Thomas Peter, Andrew Hayley, Ethan Wang, Andrew Heavens, Bernadette Baum Organizations: National People's Congress, REUTERS, State, The State Council, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, BEIJING

☆ US agencies investigate close call between Southwest plane, Cessna
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A Southwest Airlines check-in area sits empty after Southwest Airlines flights resumed following the lifting of a brief nationwide stoppage caused by an internal technical issue, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), at Chicago Midway International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. April 18, 2023. The facility’s automated surface surveillance system alerted the controller about the developing situation and the controller directed the Cessna to discontinue landing. A person briefed on the matter said the initial review shows the Cessna passed over the top of the Southwest airplane by about 100 feet. The controller had cleared the FedEx plane to land and the Southwest plane to depart. The NTSB said the airport surface detection equipment issued an alert, and the air traffic controller gave go-around instructions to the JetBlue flight.

Persons: Jim Vondruska, David Shepardson, Andrew Heavens, Matthew Lewis, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Southwest Airlines, U.S . Federal Aviation Authority, FAA, Chicago Midway International, REUTERS, U.S . Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety, Boeing, Cessna, Daylight, San Diego International, FedEx, Southwest Boeing, Lear, JetBlue, NTSB, JetBlue Embraer, Thomson Locations: Chicago , Illinois, U.S, San Diego, San Jose, Austin , Texas, Boston, Washington

☆ Dubai's DEWA selects Abu Dhabi's Masdar to construct solar park
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Saeed Al Tayer, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), speaks during the groundbreaking ceremony of the 4th phase of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, south of Dubai, United Arab Emirates March 19, 2018. Picture taken March 19, 2018. REUTERS/Satish Kumar/ File PhotoCompanies Dubai Electricity and Water Authority PJSC FollowDUBAI, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Dubai Electricity And Water Authority (DEWA) selected state-owned renewable energy firm Masdar to construct and manage the 1,800 MW sixth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park with an estimated cost of up to 5.51 billion Emirati Dirhams, the Dubai media office said on Sunday. Reporting by Ahmed Elimam; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Saeed Al Tayer, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Satish Kumar, Ahmed Elimam, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Dubai Electricity, Water Authority, United Arab Emirates, REUTERS, Companies Dubai Electricity, Water, Thomson Locations: DEWA, Dubai, United Arab, DUBAI

☆ US FAA investigates near collision between Southwest plane, Cessna
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Southwest Airlines check-in area sits empty after Southwest Airlines flights resumed following the lifting of a brief nationwide stoppage caused by an internal technical issue, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), at Chicago Midway International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Jim VondruskaAug 12 (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Saturday it is investigating a near collision between a Southwest Airlines (LUV.N) Boeing 737 and a Cessna Citation business jet in San Diego, the latest in a series of troubling U.S. aviation incidents. The facility’s automated surface surveillance system alerted the controller about the developing situation and the controller directed the Cessna to discontinue landing. A person briefed on the matter said the initial review shows the Cessna passed over the top of the Southwest airplane by about 100 feet. The controller had cleared the FedEx plane to land and the Southwest plane to depart.

Persons: Jim Vondruska, David Shepardson, Andrew Heavens, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Southwest Airlines, U.S . Federal Aviation Authority, FAA, Chicago Midway International, REUTERS, Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing, Cessna Citation, San Diego International, Cessna, National Transportation Safety, FedEx, Southwest Boeing, Lear, JetBlue, NTSB, JetBlue Embraer, Thomson Locations: Chicago , Illinois, U.S, San Diego, San Jose, Austin , Texas, Boston, Washington

☆ Eiffel Tower evacuated after bomb threat - French police
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS, Aug 12 (Reuters) - The Eiffel Tower in Paris, among the most visited tourist sites in the world, was closed to the public on Saturday after being evacuated as a precautionary measure following a bomb threat, a French police source said. Writing by Ingrid Melander Editing by Andrew Heavens and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Ingrid Melander, Andrew Heavens, Mark Potter Organizations: Thomson Locations: Paris

☆ Russia vows retaliation for Ukraine's 'terrorist attack' on Crimean Bridge
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Aug 12 (Reuters) - Russia's Foreign Ministry condemned on Saturday what it called Ukraine's "terrorist attack" on the Crimean Bridge, saying it put innocent civilians' lives at risk, and vowed retaliation. "There can be no justification for such barbaric actions and they will not go unanswered," ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app. Earlier, Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces had thwarted a Ukrainian rocket attack on the 12-mile (19 km) bridge, which links Russian-annexed Crimea to Russia across the Kerch Strait. The ministry said Russian forces had also shot down a number of Ukrainian drones targeting the peninsula. Reporting by Gareth Jones; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Maria Zakharova, Gareth Jones, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Foreign, Russia's Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Ukrainian, Russian, Crimea, Russia, Kerch

☆ Pakistan senator Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar named caretaker PM ahead of vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A general view of the parliament building in Islamabad, Pakistan March 25, 2022. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/File PhotoKARACHI, Pakistan Aug 12 (Reuters) - Pakistani senator Anwaar-ul-haq Kakar was named as caretaker prime minister to oversee national elections, the prime minister's office said on Saturday following a meeting between outgoing premier Shehbaz Sharif and opposition leader Raja Riaz. Reporting by Gibran Peshimam; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Akhtar Soomro, Anwaar, haq Kakar, Sharif, Raja Riaz, Gibran Peshimam, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, KARACHI

☆ Romania cancels 1.2 bln euro warships deal with France's Naval Group
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BUCHAREST, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Romania's defence ministry said late on Tuesday it has cancelled a long-delayed deal to buy four warships from French firm Naval Group after the company and a junior partner failed to meet a deadline to sign a contract. Defence firm Naval Group won the contract to build four Gowind navy corvettes for Romania and renovate two existing frigates for 1.2 billion euros ($1.32 billion) in 2019 in partnership with Romanian company Santierul Naval Constanta. But the deal was held up, first by legal challenges and then by the two companies failing to reach an understanding concerning rising costs. The country, a NATO state since 2004 and EU member since 2007, has ramped up its defence spending to 2.5% of GDP this year in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. ($1 = 0.9110 euros)Reporting by Luiza Ilie; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Luiza Ilie, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Naval Group, Defence, Santierul, NATO battlegroup, Thomson Locations: BUCHAREST, Romania, Romanian, Santierul Naval Constanta, NATO, Ukraine, France

☆ Fox Business to host second Republican debate - RNC
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Windham, New Hampshire, U.S., August 8, 2023. REUTERS/Reba Saldanha/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Fox Business will hold the second debate of the 2024 Republican presidential contest, the Republican National Committee said on on Wednesday, making the conservative Fox outlets hosts of the party's first two debates. Trump has said he plans to skip the first Republican debate on Aug. 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The second debate will be held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation in Simi Valley, California on Sept. 27 and be partnered with Univision and Rumble, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement. Politico first reported details on the second debate.

Persons: Donald Trump, Reba Saldanha, Trump, Ronald Reagan, Ronna McDaniel, McDaniel, Doina Chiacu, Toby Chopra, Andrew Heavens Organizations: U.S, Republican, REUTERS, Fox Business, Republican National, Fox, White, Fox News, Fox News Media, Univision, Rumble, Politico, Thomson Locations: Windham , New Hampshire, U.S, Milwaukee , Wisconsin, Simi Valley , California, Simi Valley, United States

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