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ISLAMABAD (AP) — A senior Taliban delegation was visiting western Afghanistan’s Herat province on Monday in the aftermath of the powerful earthquake that killed at least 2,000 people over the weekend and flattened entire villages, a statement said. Aid agencies and nongovernmental groups have appealed for the international community to come forward but only a handful of countries have publicly offered support, including neighboring China and Pakistan. “CARE is deeply saddened by the devastating earthquake that struck the western province of Herat," said Reshma Azmi, the group's deputy director for Afghanistan. "This comes less than seven months after another powerful earthquake hit the country, leaving thousands homeless and displaced.”Azimi was referring to the magnitude 6.5 earthquake in March that struck much of Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan. In neighboring Pakistan, the government held a special session to review aid for Afghanistan, including relief teams, food items and medicines, as well as tents and blankets.

Persons: —, Abdul Ghani Baradar, Reshma Azmi, Azimi, “, ”, Thamindri de Silva, Irfanullah Organizations: Taliban, Geological Survey, Aid, CARE USA, CARE International, CARE, Afghan Red Crescent Society Locations: ISLAMABAD, Herat, Kabul, The U.S, Afghanistan, Israel, Gaza, China, Pakistan

☆ Car bomb kills official in Russian-held Ukrainian town, governor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 7 (Reuters) - A party official in the Russian-held town of Nova Kakhovka in Ukraine's Kherson province was killed by a car bomb on Saturday, the provincial governor said. Vladimir Malov, executive secretary of the town branch of Russia's governing United Russia party, died in hospital, Vladimir Saldo said in a post on his Telegram channel. He said it had been a "terrorist attack", meaning one orchestrated by Ukraine. In July, Russia said it had thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to kill Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-backed head of unilaterally annexed Crimea, arresting an agent before he could blow up Aksyonov's car. Reporting by Reuters; writing by Kevin Liffey; editing by Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vladimir Malov, Vladimir Saldo, Sergei Aksyonov, Kevin Liffey, Nick Macfie Organizations: United Russia, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Nova, Ukraine's Kherson, Ukraine, Kyiv, Moscow, Russia, Crimea

Newsom's veto marked a rare but consequential setback in the movement against caste discrimination that had picked up momentum this year in North America. Had the bill been signed into law, California would have become the first U.S. state to explicitly ban caste discrimination. Here are some examples of recent policy steps across North America to fight caste discrimination:SEATTLEIn February, Seattle became the first U.S. city to outlaw caste discrimination after its local council voted to add caste to the city's anti-discrimination laws. FRESNOIn September, Fresno, California, became only the second U.S. city to ban caste discrimination after a unanimous city council vote. CALIFORNIAA bill to ban caste discrimination in California was introduced and authored by Democratic state Senator Aisha Wahab, an Afghan American, in March.

Persons: Gavin Newsom, Aisha Wahab, Newsom, Kanishka Singh, Jamie Freed Organizations: California State University, Brown University, Ivy League, Harvard University, Democratic, Thomson Locations: California, North America, U.S, SEATTLE, Seattle, TORONTO, Canada, FRESNO, Fresno , California, CALIFORNIA, Afghan American, Washington

CNN —Italian authorities were on Wednesday investigating the cause of a horrific bus crash near Venice that killed at least 21 people including two children. Claudia Greco/ReutersLocal police work at the site of the bus crash on Wednesday. A representative for the prosecutor’s office told CNN the head prosecutor for the Venice municipality, Bruno Cherchi, is leading the investigation into the incident in Mestre. The bus was traveling from Venice to nearby Marghera and was “full of people returning home from work,” Venice mayor Luigi Brugnaro told state media RAI. Emergency crew members work at the scene after a bus accident near Venice.

Persons: ”, Alberto Rizzotto, Claudia Greco, Mauro Lungo, Bruno Cherchi, Luigi Brugnaro, Stefano Mazzola, sevices, Brugnaro, Massimo Fiorese, Italy’s, “, Giorgia Meloni, Emmanuel Macron, I’m, Charles Michel Organizations: CNN, ” RAI, Reuters Local, Sky TG24, RAI, Emergency, Facebook, della Sera, Reuters, Italian Senate, European Council Locations: Venice, Mestre, Italy, Marghera, ” Venice, Italian

☆ There's a reason why these Powerball jackpots keep getting so massive. You're paying for it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Powerball jackpot has surpassed the billion dollar mark for the second time this year. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Powerball jackpot has surpassed the billion mark for the second time this year with a near-record $1.2 billion prize up for grabs in Wednesday night's drawing. It comes amid a recent wave of historic and increasingly large lottery prizes that have captured the nation's attention and spare change. In November 2022, a California winner scored the biggest lottery prize in history with a $2.04 billion Powerball ticket. Even though the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million, Americans continue to throw their money at the game.

Persons: —, There's, Akshay Khanna, Khanna, there's Organizations: Service, Powerball, North American Association of State, Provincial Locations: California

☆ Cartoon elves and scrolls visualize Chinese military’s goal of Taiwan ‘reunification’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

It has long vowed to “reunify” Taiwan with the Chinese mainland, by force if necessary. The Chinese painting "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains" displayed in its entirety in the National Palace Museum Taipei on June 1, 2011. As a result, the scroll has long been seen as a living symbol of the division between China and Taiwan. Visitors look at "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains" at the National Palace Museum Taipei on June 1, 2011. The “Escape from the British Museum” series “has struck a chord in people’s hearts and reflects the deep patriotic sentiments,” said one article in the state-run tabloid Global Times.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, “, Patrick lin, Huang Gongwang, —, Shi Tang, Xi Jinping, ” Xi’s, Chiang Kai, Mao Zedong’s, ” Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Eastern Theater Command, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, Communist Party, Theater Command, Palace Museum, Getty, National, Museum, Zhejiang Provincial Museum, National Palace Museum, Taiwan, World Health Organization, Olympic Games, Asian, British Museum ’, British Museum, Beijing’s, Nationalist, Global Times, British Locations: Hong Kong, Taiwan Strait, People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, Palace Museum Taipei, AFP, Taipei, Hangzhou, China, National Palace Museum Taipei, Beijing, Ukraine, Fujian, London, Mao Zedong’s Communist, Greater China

☆ China has reason not to let Evergrande rejig rot
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Chan Ka Sing | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Yet Evergrande creditors are nonetheless in limbo. Up to 44% of Evergrande’s 558 billion yuan of interest-bearing debt is unsecured, of which a large chunk is held by offshore creditors. If the company is forced into liquidation, unsecured offshore creditors will recover less than 10 billion yuan, Evergrande has warned, with some facing a recovery rate as low as 2%. Evergrande was trying to reach an agreement with offshore creditors first before tackling issues onshore. It also cancelled meetings due to be held with creditors on Sept. 25 and Sept. 26.

Persons: Hui Ka Yan, Evergrande, ”, Sunac, Hui’s, Una Galani, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: Reuters, HK, Guangdong International Trust and Investment Corporation, Street, China Evergrande, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, China, Guangdong, Republic, Hong Kong

☆ The Powerball jackpot is huge, but here are 3 better ways to increase your wealth
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

To be sure, here’s nothing wrong with fantasizing about winning the grand prize, or dropping $5 to $10 to buy lottery tickets or scratch-offs on occasion. In fact, Americans spent nearly $108 billion on lottery tickets last year, according to the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries. If that’s the case for you, why not spend most of your lottery money on experiences you know you like doing now. Make money off your lottery moneyOverall, your odds of winning a Powerball prize of any amount are 1 in 24.9, the lottery says. Think of it this way: Let’s say you spend $35 a week on lottery tickets ($1,820 a year).

Persons: you’d, ”, Tiffany Aliche, ” Aliche, — CNN’s Chris Isidore Organizations: New York CNN, North American Association of State, Provincial, TheBudgetnista.com, Richer Academy Locations: New York

☆ Zimbabwe: At least 10 dead in gold mine collapse as rescue efforts continue
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Rescue teams in Zimbabwe are continuing the search for survivors, three days after a disused gold mine in the country’s Chegutu district collapsed, killing at least 10 illegal miners. The mine, which is located in Zimbabwe’s Mashonaland West province, sits 62 miles west of the Zimbabwean capital, Harare. Artisanal mining is common in Zimbabwe, which is rich in vast deposits of gold and diamonds. Accidents at illegal mining sites are also common in the southern African country. In 2019, the bodies of about two dozen illegal gold miners were pulled out from a flooded mine in a rural settlement in the Mashonaland West province.

Persons: Marian Chombo, Constantino Chiwenga, Chiwenga, ” Chombo, Chombo, Stringer Organizations: CNN — Rescue, AP Locations: Zimbabwe, Chegutu, Zimbabwe’s Mashonaland West province, Harare, Mashonaland West province

☆ Two elves and a scroll: China military releases animation on Taiwan 'reunification'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The shorter piece of the scroll, known as "The Remaining Mountain", about 51 cm long, is at the Zhejiang Provincial Museum in Hangzhou city. Taiwan's National Palace Museum has kept the 640-cm long "Master Wuyong Scroll" since the 1950s. The two pieces were reunited in 2011 when China lent its fragment to the Taiwanese museum for two months during a period of warmer relations as Taiwan pursued a policy of economic rapprochement with China. But in recent years, as relations have cooled, China has ramped up military activities around Taiwan, including drills over the past month that Beijing said were targeted at combating separatist forces. While China is keen to woo Taiwan with promises of economic gains, the threat of taking Taiwan by force is unrelenting.

Persons: Huang Gongwang, Pichi Chuang, Yuan, Ryan Woo, Robert Birsel Organizations: National, Museum, REUTERS, Rights, Eastern Theatre Command, Zhejiang Provincial Museum, Eastern, Command, Thomson Locations: Taipei, Rights BEIJING, Taiwan, China, Beijing, Taiwan Strait, Hangzhou city, Taiwan's, Fujian

☆ 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

☆ Heavy rain hits north Vietnam, halting traffic in Hanoi
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Heavy rain from a tropical depression hit northern and north-central Vietnam, causing flooding that halted traffic in the capital Hanoi and sparked warnings of landslides on Thursday. Some Hanoi districts recorded up to 250 mm (10 inches) of rain on Thursday morning, according to the national weather centre. Downpours have pounded Hanoi since early Thursday morning, submerging streets, Reuters witnesses said, with traffic turning chaotic at intersections and flood waters rising calf-high in some districts. [1/4]People make their way through a flooded street after heavy rains in Hanoi, Vietnam September 28, 2023. Vietnam is prone to destructive storms and flooding, with 451 people killed or missing last year in natural disasters such as floods and landslides, according to government statistics.

Persons: Thinh Nguyen, Eurocham, Phuong Nguyen, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: HANOI, Vietnam, Hanoi, EU

☆ Cui Chenxi: Teen skateboarder becomes China's youngest Asian Games gold medalist
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Andrew Mcnicol | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Thirteen-year-old Cui Chenxi of China clinched gold in women’s skateboarding at the Asian Games on Wednesday, becoming the country’s youngest gold medalist as teenage girls continue to dominate the sport. The street event requires competitors to perform tricks on a track scattered with stairs, rails, ramps, benches and more. While the men’s sport tends to be dominated by athletes in their late teens or early twenties, women’s skateboarding has skewed increasingly younger. China's Cui Chenxi competes in the final of the women's street skateboarding event during the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. Meanwhile in the street event, Momiji Nishiya became Japan’s youngest-ever Olympic champion at 13, while 13-year-old Rayssa Leal of Brazil finished second and 16-year-old Nakayama third.

Persons: Cui Chenxi, Cui, ” Cui, ”, Zeng Wenhui, Ito Miyu, Japan, Funa Nakayama, China's Cui Chenxi, Hector Retamal, ” Cui’s, Alegado, Margielyn Didal, Didal, I’m, Japan’s Hinano, Li Yujuan, Mao Jiasi, Li, Sakura Yosozumi, Kokona Hiraki, Brown, Momiji Nishiya, Rayssa Leal, Nakayama Organizations: CNN, Asian Games, Reuters, Roller Sports, Paris Olympics, Games, Olympic, Getty, Weibo, Japan’s, Brazil Locations: China, Shandong, Hangzhou, Jakarta, Indonesia, Lausanne, Tokyo, AFP, Philippines

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan's health minister said Sunday that an injectable medicine that was causing a severe eye infection and sight loss in diabetic patients in the province of Punjab has been recalled and an investigation ordered while police are looking for the suppliers. Federal Health Minister Nadeem Jan said in Islamabad that a case has been lodged against the two absconding suppliers of locally manufactured injection Avastin. The Punjab government has formed a five-member committee of experts to look into the matter and report in three days. In a televised news conference along with Jan, provincial Health Minister Jamal Nasir said diabetic patients in Lahore, Kasur and other districts were administered Avastin injections to address retinal damage. However, the injections led to severe infections, ultimately resulting in the loss of sight of a dozen patients.

Persons: Nadeem Jan, Jamal Nasir, Jan Organizations: Federal, Associated Press Locations: ISLAMABAD, Punjab, Islamabad, Lahore, Kasur

☆ Trudeau expects Canadian interest rates to come down by mid 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreSept 23 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expects interest rates are going to start coming down by the middle of next year, in-line with recent Reuters poll estimates, though the latest economic data has turned the central bank more hawkish. We think interest rates are going to start coming down probably middle of next year," Trudeau told the New York Times in an interview just before returning to Canada after attending the United Nations General Assembly. Trudeau's popularity as measured by opinion polls has dropped as Canadians deal with a cost-of-living crisis, sparked by the central bank's record pace of interest rate increases to tame inflation. Trudeau has waded into a sensitive monetary policy debate and past comments on interest rates by his government and other provincial politicians have raised questions about the independence of the central bank. Reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa Writing by Denny Thomas, Editing by Franklin PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, Mike Segar, Trudeau, Macklem, Chrystia Freeland, Pierre Poilievre, David Ljunggren, Denny Thomas, Franklin Paul Organizations: Canadian, REUTERS, New York Times, United Nations General Assembly, Bank of Canada, BoC, U.S . Federal Reserve, Finance, Minister's, Conservative Party Leader, Franklin Paul Our, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Canada, Ottawa

☆ South Korea opposition leader ends 24-day hunger strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Lee Jae-myung, leader of South Korea's Democratic Party, speaks at campaign rally while campaigning for the presidential election in Seoul, South Korea March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Sept 23 (Reuters) - South Korea's opposition leader ended a 24-day hunger strike on Saturday, a party spokesperson said, two days after parliament voted to let prosecutors serve an arrest warrant against him for alleged bribery. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, will maintain a schedule including court attendance while hospitalised for the time being, the spokesman told reporters. Lee, who lost South Korea's presidential election to conservative Yoon Suk Yeol last year, has denied wrongdoing, calling the allegations "fiction" and a "political conspiracy". South Korea is to hold parliamentary elections in April.

Persons: Lee Jae, myung, Kim Hong, Lee, . Lee, Yoon Suk Yeol, Joyce Lee, William Mallard Organizations: South Korea's Democratic Party, REUTERS, Rights, Democratic Party of Korea, Prosecutors, South, Police, Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, North Korea, Gyeonggi Province, Seongnam, ., Lee's

☆ Leaving Canada Pension Plan could save Albertans billions, says study
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Maiya Keidan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"I believe that an Alberta pension plan would be fairer," Premier Danielle Smith told a news conference on Thursday. However, he noted the pension respects the right of Albertans to consider withdrawing from the Canada Pension Plan. Albertans will have until spring 2024 to submit views on a provincial pension plan to a panel, which will submit a report to the Albertan government. Former Premier Jason Kenney announced in June 2020 that his government would study a recommendation from a panel to replace the CPP with a provincial plan. Any province has the right to withdraw under the Canada Pension Plan Act but written notice is required, enabling legislation has to be passed and the value of assets to be transferred must be negotiated.

Persons: Danielle Smith, Todd Korol, LifeWorks, Smith, Michel Leduc, Albertans, Chrystia Freeland, Premier Jason Kenney, Maiya Keidan, Steve Scherer, Barbara Lewis, Josie Kao Organizations: United Conservative Party, REUTERS, Rights, Canada, Global, Public Affairs, Communications, Investments, Plan . Finance, Premier, CPP, Investment Board, Thomson Locations: Calgary , Alberta, Canada, Canadian, Alberta, Ottawa, Province of Alberta, Quebec

Seoul, South Korea CNN —South Korean police have arrested two people and questioned more than a dozen American soldiers on suspicion of smuggling and distributing synthetic cannabis after raiding two US army bases. Two people – a South Korean and a Filipino – were arrested for alleged drug distribution. Jung Yeon-je/AFP/Getty ImagesRecreational use of cannabis is illegal in South Korea, where drugs are a social and cultural taboo and users face harsh penalties. Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial PoliceThe soldier, who is among those questioned, sold the drug to a Filipino distributor, who then sold it to a South Korean distributor and other US soldiers, the release alleged. During the raid, police seized 80 milliliters of synthetic cannabis, 27 electronic cigarette devices and nearly $13,000 in cash allegedly earned from drug sales, the release said.

Persons: Camp Casey, Camp Humphreys, Jung Yeon, Camp Humphries Organizations: South Korea CNN — South, Wednesday . Police, United, US Army Criminal Investigation Division, Police, CNN, United States Forces, Getty, Nambu Provincial Police, US Army Criminal Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Camp Humphreys, United States, Korean, United States Forces Korea, Camp, Pyeongtaek

The zoo is run by the local government, which was said to be running out of money and therefore unable to feed its charges. These vehicles are legal entities created by Chinese cities to circumvent borrowing restrictions imposed by the central government in Beijing. “Why hurt small businesses which are the weakest?”Noodle sellers in Shanghai have been fined for adding cucumber to their dishes. Last year, Beijing issued a directive forbidding local governments from imposing “arbitrary fines” to generate income, and dispatched inspection teams to check that the policy was being followed. The scale of financial stress among China’s local governments is so big that “creative” sources of income can only cover a relatively small shortfall, he said.

Persons: hadn’t, Xi Jinping’s, ”, Willy Lam, Lam, “, Aly Song, Jiemian, Logan Wright, hasn’t, Li Qiang, Steve Tsang, Joseph Cheng, —, Martha Zhou Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Species Fund, CNN Local, China Newsweek, ” CNN, China National Radio, Washington, Jamestown Foundation, CNN, ”, Weibo, “, SOAS China, SOAS University of London, City University of Hong Locations: China, Hong Kong, Dongshan, Liaoning, Beijing, Shanghai, Henan, Huizhou, Nanchang, Qingdao, City University of Hong Kong

"Indonesia is not an easy market to do business on your own," said Kim, adding that, beyond government sales, VKTR was in talks with large domestic businesses to sell BYD EV buses. TAKING ON TESLAThai EV buyers contributed 24% of BYD's overseas sales in the second quarter, making it the Chinese automaker's largest foreign market, according to Counterpoint, whereas fewer than 1% of Tesla's sales are in Southeast Asia. BYD's Southeast Asia playbook and its embrace of dealerships contrasts with Tesla, whose direct-to-consumer approach is hard to replicate, since no other new EV brand has its buzz or the outsized media presence of its CEO Elon Musk. BYD and its partner Sime Darby Motors are experimenting with a new approach to draw young, tech-savvy consumers towards the Chinese brand in Singapore. The partnership has launched five "BYD by 1826" showrooms that double as white-tablecloth restaurants where dishes are named after BYD EV models.

Persons: Edgar Su, EVs, Tesla's, Soumen, BYD, Sime Darby, Indonesia's, Chee, Kiang Lim, Ayala, Antonio Zara, Rever, Alex Kim, Kim, VKTR, Tesla, Elon Musk, Darby, Jeffrey Gan, Devjyot Ghoshal, Stefanno Sulaiman, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Counterpoint Research, Reuters, Commission, Ayala Corp, Thailand's, Urban Science, Brothers, Ayala Corp's, Motors, Thai EV, Asia playbook, Darby Motors, Sime, Sime Darby Motors, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Rights BANGKOK, JAKARTA, Southeast Asia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, China, Shenzhen, Bangkok, Indonesia, Jakarta, Asia, Hong Kong, Macau

☆ Iran-US prisoner swap: Who are the detainees being released?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Months later his ailing father, Baquer, was detained after returning to Iran to visit his jailed son. EMAD SHARGHIIn 2017 Sharghi and his wife moved to Iran from the United States. The five Iranians held in the United States are Mehrdad Moin-Ansari, Kambiz Attar-Kashani, Reza Sarhangpour-Kafrani, Amin Hassanzadeh and Kaveh Afrasiabi, according to Iranian officials. For years, Iran has demanded the release of Iranians detained in the United States. There are over a dozen Iranian prisoners held in the U.S. mainly for "breaching the U.S. sanctions on Iran", one Iranian judiciary source told Reuters.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Baquer, Baquer Namazi, EMAD SHARGHI, Sharghi, MORAD, Tahbaz, …, Mehrdad Moin, Ansari, Kambiz Attar, Kashani, Reza Sarhangpour, Amin Hassanzadeh, Kaveh, Parisa Hafezi, Samia Nakhoul, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Revolutionary Guards, U.S ., UNICEF, Saravan, British, Iran's, U.S, Thomson Locations: Rights DUBAI, United States, Iran, South Korea, U.S, Tehran, Iranian, American

☆ China Frees Banks to Lend More in Latest Attempt to Spur Economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Keith Bradsher | More About Keith Bradsher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

China’s central bank announced a policy change on Thursday that will allow the country’s banks to lend more money, but a nationwide economic slowdown has left many companies and households wary of borrowing. Other measures taken to strengthen borrowing and spending have included government-guided interest rate cuts in June and a round of rate reductions last month on many bank loans. Policymakers in some of China’s biggest cities have taken steps to make it easier to get a mortgage by lowering down payment requirements. The dilemma for the banks is that many companies, facing weak sales, are reluctant to borrow more. Banks have found themselves under pressure to lend money by buying bonds from deeply indebted provincial and local governments that need to pay for big infrastructure projects to create jobs.

Persons: Banks Locations: China’s

☆ Unrelenting rain causes more than 100 landslides, traps residents in floodwaters in southern China
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Typhoon Haikui hit southern China eight days ago and has since been downgraded to a tropical storm, but unrelenting rain continues to deluge southwestern Guangxi. Rescuers were seen treading thigh-deep in waterlogged areas evacuating residents in boats. China Meteorological Administration forecast heavy rains in the south and southeast parts of Guangxi on Tuesday and Wednesday, with storms in the southwest. The national forecaster also warned relevant departments and people in Guangdong and Guangxi to be alert to any delayed effects of disasters from frequent rainfall in recent days. Reporting by Liz Lee and Shanghai newsroom; Editing by Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Haikui, Liz Lee, Michael Perry Organizations: cnsphoto, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, China Meteorological Administration, Thomson Locations: Shankou, Hepu county, Beihai, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, Rights BEIJING, China's, Guangxi, Yulin, Fujian, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Guangdong, Shanghai

The report highlights the numerous human rights violations that have occurred as a result of mining activity. The mine is operated by Compagnie Minière de Musonoie Global SAS, or COMMUS, a joint venture between Chinese company Zijin Mining and the state-owned Gecamines mining company. Often there was no grievance mechanism, accountability, or access to justice.”Amnesty International says companies are not doing enough to address human rights concerns and are disregarding international human rights laws and standards, as well as national legislation and U.N. Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Decarbonizing the global economy must not lead to further human rights violations,” it said.

Persons: “ Ernest Miji, Chemaf, COMMUS, Donat Kambola Organizations: Amnesty International, U.S . House, Good, Human, Resources, Residents, Coalition, Rights, Amnesty, Compagnie Minière de, Global SAS, Mining, AP Locations: ABUJA, Nigeria, Congo, U.S, Kolwezi, Lualaba Province, Lualaba, Dubai, Cité

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