Be Informed

Why was the US House speaker just ousted from his job? And what does it mean for the Republican Party?

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been ousted – in a move initiated by members of his own Republican Party – from the second-most important post in the American government.…

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What is the Palestinian group Hamas?

Oct 7 (Reuters) - The Palestinian group Hamas has launched a surprise attack from Gaza into Israel, in one of the most serious escalations in the Israel-Palestinian conflict in years.…

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A timeline of the conflict between Israel and Palestinians in Gaza

Oct 7 (Reuters) - The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas launched its biggest assault on Israel in years early on Saturday, firing a barrage of rockets from Gaza and sending fighters…

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Nobel Peace Prize: who has won and who missed out?

By Gwladys Fouche OSLO (Reuters) - Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian human rights activist, has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2023. Here are some past winners - and one…

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6 reasons why global temperatures are spiking right now

The world is very warm right now. We’re not only seeing record temperatures, but the records are being broken by record-wide margins. Take the preliminary September global-average temperature anomaly of…

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Should you charge your phone overnight? Will ‘overcharging’ make it explode? Common battery myths debunked

In the world of lithium-ion batteries, smartphones take centre stage. Yet they’ve also sparked an ongoing debate: does prolonged (or overnight) charging wreak havoc on your battery? A number of…

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A new chapter? ‘Tough’ Sunak hopes to win over Britain

By Elizabeth Piper, Andrew Macaskill and Alistair Smout MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Prime Minister Rishi Sunak portrayed himself as a tough decision maker and an agent of change on Wednesday,…

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Main changes to EU set-up needed for acceptance of new members

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders will discuss how to reform the 27-nation bloc to accept new members at a summit in Granada on Oct. 5-6, launching a long process…

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Who could succeed Republican Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the US House?

(Reuters) - A small group of rebellious Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives succeeded in ousting their leader, Speaker Kevin McCarthy, on Tuesday in a historic first. It was…

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What’s at stake in the civil fraud case against Trump?

By Jack Queen (Reuters) - Donald Trump and his family business faced trial in New York on Monday to determine how much they owe in penalties after a judge found…

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Oct

Wagner group – Is it back? Who controls it?

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin last week was shown meeting one of the most senior former commanders of the Wagner mercenary group, Andrei Troshev, and discussing how best…

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Who is Sam Bankman-Fried, whose fraud trial starts this week?

By Luc Cohen NEW YORK, Oct 2 (Reuters) - A few years after graduating college, Sam Bankman-Fried grew worried he was not taking enough risks. So the son of two…

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In taking Karabakh, Azerbaijan’s president avenged his father

By Andrew Osborn (Reuters) - Early on September 19, Azerbaijan's president set in motion a lightning-fast military plan months in the making that would redraw the geopolitical map and avenge…

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Somali piracy, once an unsolvable security threat, has almost completely stopped. Here’s why

In 2011, pirates carried out 212 attacks in a vast area spanning Somali waters, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, actions that the World Bank…

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Robert Fico, pro-Russian Slovak political heavyweight wins another election

By Jan Lopatka BRATISLAVA, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Robert Fico, who won Slovakia's parliamentary election on Saturday by appealing to anti-western and pro-Russian sentiment, may lead the European Union nation…

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Why the volatile South Caucasus is important for oil and gas supplies

MOSCOW, (Reuters) – The control of Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway territory that was until recently controlled by ethnic Armenians, in the latest escalation of a decades-old conflict. Developments over Karabakh could…

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US government shutdown: what does it mean?

(Reuters) - Large swaths of the U.S. government could temporarily close on Oct. 1 if Congress does not approve spending bills due to a dispute between far-right Republicans and other…

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Republicans to hold second 2024 presidential debate on Wednesday

By Tim Reid Seven Republican candidates will take part in the second 2024 Republican presidential debate on Wednesday in California. Donald Trump will skip the event and give a speech…

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What caused the Hollywood writers’ strike and is it over?

Sept 27 (Reuters) - The strike by Hollywood screenwriters ended after their union said its members could return to work on Wednesday while guild members vote to ratify the agreement.…

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Why is Rupert Murdoch stepping aside now and what does it mean for the company?

At age 92, media mogul Rupert Murdoch is stepping down as chairman of Fox Corporation and News Corp but will stay on in the role of chairman emeritus, presumably to…

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Poor states use food crisis fight to get big power attention at UN

By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - In his speech opening the annual United Nations gathering of world leaders this week, Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres vowed - to applause - that…

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Migrant repatriations from Italy likely to be limited and costly

ROME, (Reuters) - Italy's conservative government said on Friday asylum seekers would be detained while their request for protection was processed unless they could pay 4,938 euros ($5,259) as a…

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Media mogul Rupert Murdoch resigns − extending Joe Biden’s ongoing good luck streak with the media

Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States of America on Jan. 20, 2021. Imagine if someone could go back in time and inform him and…

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Who is Lachlan Murdoch? What will happen to Fox and News Corp?

By Dawn Chmielewski and Helen Coster (Reuters) - Lachlan Murdoch, eldest son of media titan Rupert Murdoch, was named sole chairman of News Corp and will continue as chair and…

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Rupert Murdoch’s exit ends chapter for polarising figure in his native Australia

By Byron Kaye SYDNEY, Sept 22 (Reuters) - For some Australians, Rupert Murdoch's exit from the leadership of his media empire was a time to reflect on the country's greatest…

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Stripping Russia’s veto power on the Security Council is all but impossible. Perhaps we should expect less from the UN instead

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has lambasted the UN Security Council yet again, saying in a speech this week that as long as Russia has veto power on the body, it…

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Who is Nikol Pashinyan, embattled prime minister of Armenia?

YEREVAN (Reuters) - Here are some key facts about Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who finds himself at the centre of a new crisis after Azerbaijan launched an offensive this…

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Nagorno-Karabakh: tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan explained

By Mark Trevelyan Sept 20 (Reuters) - Azerbaijan looked set on Wednesday to regain control of the breakaway ethnic Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh after a 24-hour offensive, having fought two…

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‘They knew’ – fury of Libyans that warnings went unheeded before flood

(Reuters) - "They knew." When hydrologist Abdul Wanis Ashour began researching the system of dams protecting the eastern Libya port town of Derna 17 years ago, the peril facing residents…

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How Iran, US clinched rare detainee swap and funds release

By Parisa Hafezi Sept 18 (Reuters) - Iran and the U.S. were to swap five detainees each on Monday after Qatar mediated a deal between the arch foes that also…

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Biden impeachment inquiry: what to know about the case

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have opened an impeachment inquiry into Democratic President Joe Biden after months of investigations of his son Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings. They…

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Summer fireworks can traumatize pets and cause wildlife to flee

Fireworks have become a fixture of many celebrations around the world, from weddings to national holidays. But there are many among us, including the furry, feathered and finned, who feel…

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Why has has France banned sales of Apple’s iPhone 12?

By Jennifer Rigby and Martin Coulter LONDON (Reuters) - France's radiation watchdog has banned sales of Apple's AAPL.O iPhone 12 after tests that it said showed the smartphone breached European…

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Recognition versus reality: Lessons from 30 years of talking about a Palestinian state

This week marked the 30th anniversary of the Oslo Accords aimed at bringing about Palestinian self-determination. The occasion has served as a stark reminder of the unfulfilled promises and unresolved…

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What caused the floods in Libya and why are they so bad?

Sept 14 (Reuters) - A catastrophic flood has killed thousands of people in the eastern Libyan city of Derna, sweeping away entire neighbourhoods with their residents and washing many bodies…

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Who should get a COVID vaccine this year?

By Michael Erman (Reuters) - The U.S. drug regulator authorized updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and its partner BioNTech as well as from Moderna this week as the country prepares…

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Putin and North Korea’s Kim in their own words

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at Russia's most modern space launch facility on Wednesday. They exchanged opening greetings…

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Generation AI: education reluctantly embraces the bots

By Barbara Lewis and Supantha Mukherjee LONDON/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - At leading Swedish university Lund, teachers decide which students can use artificial intelligence to help them with assignments. At the University…

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New submarines and nuclear drones: Why is North Korea developing its navy?

By Josh Smith SEOUL, (Reuters) - Over the past year North Korea has moved to boost its navy with new nuclear weapons, including an underwater drone, warships, and its first…

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Highlights from G20 leaders declaration on first day of summit

Sept 9 (Reuters) - The G20 has adopted a consensus declaration on issues facing the bloc, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Saturday during a summit, signalling that negotiators…

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How are earthquakes measured?

Earthquakes are recorded by a seismographic network. Each seismic station in the network measures the movement of the ground at that site. The slip of one block of rock over…

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How the Saudis became a top shareholder in Telefonica, Spain’s telecoms giant

By Hadeel Al Sayegh, Andres Gonzalez and Belén Carreño DUBAI/MADRID, (Reuters) - Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete, chairman and chief executive of debt laden Spanish telephone and internet service company Telefonica, got…

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Do I need to worry about COVID again?

By Deena Beasley and Julie Steenhuysen (Reuters) - New data from scientists and vaccine makers Moderna and Pfizer N/BioNTech suggests that a newer, highly mutated variant of the virus that…

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Nearly all world’s population exposed to global warming over June-Sept – study

SINGAPORE, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Nearly all of the world's population experienced higher temperatures from June to August as a result of human-induced climate change, according to a peer-reviewed research…

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What are depleted uranium weapons?

The Pentagon announced a new security assistance package worth up to $175 million for Ukraine, including depleted uranium ammunition for Abrams tanks, the first time the U.S. is sending the…

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Horizon project: Which EU science schemes has Britain joined?

LONDON, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Britain on Thursday said it would join the European Union's flagship Horizon science research programme and its Copernicus earth observation programme, but not the Euratom…

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Who is Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s new defence minister?

KYIV, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Ukraine's parliament voted to approve the appointment of Rustem Umerov as defence minister on Wednesday after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy proposed him to replace Oleksii Reznikov.…

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Egyptian-born businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed died as one of the Arab world’s richest men

LONDON (Reuters) - Mohamed al-Fayed, the self-made Egyptian billionaire who bought the Harrods department store and promoted the discredited conspiracy theory that the British royal family was behind the death…

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BRICS: African countries face opportunities and risks in alienating China or the US – an expert weighs in

South Africa recently hosted a BRICS summit. The event attracted international attention because the group has recently begun to emerge as a possible rival against US dominance of world affairs.…

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Access and attention: why serial killers like Lucy Letby often work in healthcare

British nurse Lucy Letby was last week sentenced to life in prison for murdering seven infants in her care, and attempting to murder a further six. As a forensic criminologist,…

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What is manganese and how will the Gabon coup affect market supply?

(Reuters) - An ongoing coup in Gabon prompted French miner Eramet , the world's largest producer of high-grade manganese ore, to suspend mining operations in the central African nation on…

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Ali Bongo: who is Gabon leader ousted in military coup?

Bongo gained fame for rainforest conservation A Michael Jackson fan, he released an album early on His father rule from 1967, he took power in 2009 Promises of change failed…

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Recent coups in West and Central Africa

Aug 30 (Reuters) - A group of senior military officers in Gabon announced on national television on Wednesday they had taken power and election results were annulled, just minutes after…

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Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Mongolia brings attention to complex history with Christianity

Pope Francis is set to make the first-ever visit to Mongolia, a country with fewer than 1,500 Catholics, all of whom have come to the faith since 1992. But the…

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Europe endures another year of droughts and wildfires

(Reuters) - Europe is battling the effects of scorching temperatures which have reached worrying levels globally, with July being the hottest month recorded on both land and sea. Last year,…

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Mercenary chief Prigozhin and others listed as passengers on crashed plane

(Reuters) - Investigators are picking through the wreckage of a jet said to have been carrying Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin that crashed with no survivors, two months after he…

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Trump indictment: what happens next in Georgia case?

(Reuters) - Former U.S. President Donald Trump surrendered at a Georgia jail on Thursday to face charges he illegally tried to overturn the vote in the state in the 2020…

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