News

Putin appears to back off threats as Nordics prepare to join NATO

Vladimir Putin appeared to climb down on Monday from Russia's objections to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, saying Moscow had no issues with them entering the U.S.-led military alliance they now aim…

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EPA’s Eye In The Sky: Etxauri, SPAIN

A photo taken with a drone shows blooming rapeseed fields in the village of Etxauri, near Pamplona, northern Spain. Rapeseed is the most cultivated oilseed in the European Union and…

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Photo Story: The fields of Lellinge, Denmark

A general view shows a field of rapeseeds in Lellinge near Koege, Denmark. Via EPA-EFE/Mads Claus Rasmussen

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Bulgarian government approves plan to offset high energy prices

SOFIA, May 16 (Reuters) - Bulgaria on Monday approved a new stimulus package to shield companies from the surge in energy prices bolstered by the war in Ukraine, Prime Minister Kiril Petkov…

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Economists sound the alarm over UK’s post-Brexit finance plans

LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) - More than 50 economists warned on Monday that Britain's post-Brexit plans to boost the competitiveness of its huge finance industry risked creating the kind of problems that…

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FACTBOX-Shanghai provides roadmap out of lockdown

May 16 (Reuters) - Shanghai authorities on Monday provided their clearest timetable yet on lifting the city's lockdown that has been in place for over six weeks, saying they plan to fully…

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Photo Story: Vesak Day in Banda Aceh, Indonesia

A Buddhist monk stands in front of a Gautama Buddha's statue during Vesak Day celebrations at a temple in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, 16 May 2022. Buddhists celebrate Vesak Day to…

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Croatia adopts law to introduce euro as currency from Jan 2023

Croatia aims to become the 20th member of the euro zone in 2023 after its parliament adopted legislation on introducing the shared currency from Jan. 1, the state news agency…

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German manufacturing backlog higher than ever – survey

BERLIN, May 16 (Reuters) - German manufacturers' order backlog is at a record high, according to a survey released on Monday, as companies struggle against supply bottlenecks in meeting high demand. Even…

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Britain must do more to tackle corruption in politics and finance -lawmaker

LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) - Britain has lost its moral compass and must act to tackle "dirty money" and protect the integrity of its democracy, a senior opposition lawmaker said in a…

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Italy and Spain continue to demand masks on planes as EU drops mask mandate

The EU today ended its bloc-wide mask mandate for flights, meaning airlines are free to issue their own rules for most destinations. However, Italy and Spain are both standing firm…

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U.S. Treasury’s Yellen to push Poland on global minimum tax implementation

WARSAW, May 16 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will thank Poland for hosting millions of Ukrainian war refugees on Monday, but she has another goal for meetings in Warsaw: persuading…

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EU clarifies how companies can legally pay for Russian gas

BRUSSELS, May 16 (Reuters) - The European Commission has confirmed how European Union companies can pay for Russian gas without breaching the bloc's sanctions against Russia, in updated guidance on the issue…

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EU to offer Ukraine new loans to plug immediate needs

BRUSSELS, May 16 (Reuters) - The European Commission is set to propose on Wednesday a new package of financial aid to Ukraine including new loans to provide immediate liquidity to Kyiv and…

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UPDATED: Putin warns Finland and Sweden any military expansion ‘would demand a reaction’

Vladimir Putin said Russia had no issue with Finland and Sweden, but that the expansion of military infrastructure on their territory would demand a reaction from Moscow, as the Nordic…

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Senate Republican leader says U.S. could ratify Finnish NATO membership before August

HELSINKI, May 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress will seek to ratify Finland's application to join the Western military alliance NATO before going on holiday in August, U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch…

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Ireland says EU ready to work with Britain but protocol must be respected

BRUSSELS, May 16 (Reuters) - Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said on Monday that the European Union is ready to talk with Britain to resolve the issues in their Northern Irish trade…

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26 people in distress in Malta SAR / Malta News Briefing – Monday 16 May 2022

Updated 1240 26 people in distress in Malta SAR: Emergency NSO Alarm Phone has reported that 26 people find themselves in distress, on a boat taking water in the Maltese…

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First commercial flight takes off from Sanaa, raising Yemen peace prospects

SANAA, May 16 (Reuters) - Yemen's national airline operated on Monday its first commercial flight in years from the capital Sanaa, raising hopes for renewal of a U.N.-brokered truce in the seven-year-old…

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Sweden to try to overcome Turkish objections to its NATO bid

STOCKHOLM, May 16 (Reuters) - Sweden will send diplomats to Turkey to try to overcome Ankara's objections to its plan to join NATO, Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist said, with a…

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Sweden, Finland NATO membership would increase Baltic security – Estonia

BERLIN, May 16 (Reuters) - Sweden and Finland joining NATO would increase the security of the Baltic region, Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets said. "When we see that in our neighbourhood also other democratic…

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Photo Story: Somalia’s new president elected by 327 people

Former president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud reacts after being elected as the new president of Somalia by Somali members of parliament in the presidential elections in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia.Voting took…

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Ukrainian troops defending Kharkiv reach state border with Russia

KYIV, May 16 (Reuters) - Ukraine said on Monday troops defending the country's second-largest city, Kharkiv, had repelled Russian forces and advanced as far as the border with Russia. Reuters could not…

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UPDATED: EU ministers urge Hungary to sign up to planned Russian oil embargo

BRUSSELS, May 16 (Reuters) - EU foreign ministers sought to publicly pressure Hungary on Monday to lift its veto on a proposed oil embargo on Russia, with Lithuania saying the bloc was…

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UPDATED: Lukashenko urges Russia-led CSTO military alliance to unite against West

May 16 (Reuters) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Monday urged other members of a Russian-dominated military alliance to stand united, and accused the West of hoping to prolong the conflict in…

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Photo Story: The Super Flower Blood Moon over Skopje

The Super Flower Blood Moon seen in the sky during the lunar eclipse over Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia, 16 May 2022. This eclipse has been given a lot of…

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UPDATED: Britain seeks significant changes to protocol without scrapping it – PM’s spokesman

LONDON, May 16 (Reuters) - Britain wants to make significant changes to the enforcement of the Northern Ireland Protocol in negotiations with the European Union but Prime Minister Boris Johnson believes this…

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Russia says it shot down three Ukrainian fighter jets, one near Snake Island

May 16 (Reuters) - Russia on Monday said its forces had shot down three Ukrainian fighter jets, one near Snake Island in the Black Sea and the others in the Mykolaiv and…

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North Korea’s Kim orders military to stabilise supply of COVID-19 drugs

SEOUL, May 16 (Reuters) - Leader Kim Jong Un has ordered North Korea's military to stabilise distribution of COVID-19 medicines in the capital, Pyongyang, in the battle on the country's first confirmed…

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Anti-abortion protest in Croatia

Anti-abortion activists have protested in Croatia amid a fierce debate about reproductive rights in the country. While abortion is legal in the strongly Catholic EU nation, rising religious pressure means…

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Swiss voters approve ‘Lex Netflix’ TV streaming funding law

Swiss voters on Sunday backed proposals to make global TV streaming services such as Netflix Inc, Amazon and Disney invest some of their revenues generated in Switzerland into domestic film-making.…

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Saudi King Salman leaves hospital

May 16 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz, 86, left hospital on Sunday following a colonoscopy last week, the royal court said in a statement on state media. Saudi TV…

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Germany’s CDU on track to win North Rhine-Westphalia vote

BERLIN, (Reuters) - Germany's conservative CDU party was on track to win a regional election in North Rhine-Westphalia, but the Green party could emerge as "kingmaker" in a potential coalition with Chancellor…

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Lebanon vote brings blow for Hezbollah allies in preliminary results

BEIRUT, May 16 (Reuters) - Iran-backed Hezbollah has been dealt a blow in Lebanon's parliamentary election with preliminary results showing losses for some of its oldest allies and the Saudi-aligned Lebanese Forces…

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UAE’s newly elected ruler sees Iran, Islamists as threat to Gulf safe haven

United Arab Emirates strongman Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who was formally elected president on Saturday, led a realignment of the Middle East that created a new anti-Iran axis with…

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Explainer: How North Korea’s COVID-19 outbreak could ignite a major health crisis

(Reuters) - North Korea's admission that it is battling an "explosive" COVID-19 outbreak has raised concerns that the virus could devastate a country with an under-resourced health system, limited testing…

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Britons cut back on petrol amid cost of living squeeze

LONDON, (Reuters) - Britons are cutting back on petrol and diesel purchases as they reduce the number of car journeys they make to save cash, amid a worsening cost of living crisis.…

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Rare ‘super blood moon’

One of our planet's most stunning sights is coming to the skies - a super blood Moon. In the year's only full lunar eclipse, Earth will come between the Sun…

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Microsoft collaborates with the Nigerian government to accelerate digital transformation in the country

In a joint announcement with the Government of Nigeria, Microsoft has detailed several projects aimed at intensifying the nation’s move to become a more digital economy.After extensive consultations with the…

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Demonstration on Sunday in Tunis against Tunisian President Kais Saied

Tunisians shout slogans during a demonstration against Tunisian President Kais Saied in Tunis, Tunisia. Tunisians protest against the latest measures taken by President Kais Saied, which they describe as a…

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Analysis: Neutral Switzerland leans closer to NATO in response to Russia

BERN, May 15 (Reuters) - Switzerland's fabled neutral status is about to face its biggest test in decades, with the defence ministry tilting closer to Western military powers in response…

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The Ukrainian roundup

May 15 (Reuters) - A Ukrainian counteroffensive was underway near the Russian-held town of Izium, but its military said Russian forces were advancing elsewhere in the key Donbas region, Ukraine said. FIGHTING,…

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Flutter says UK inflation not hitting gambling as U.S. booms

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Paddy Power, Betfair and FanDuel owner Flutter said the cost of living crisis in its main UK and Ireland market is not putting customers off gambling as further rapid growth in…

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Ireland calls on UK to cool Brexit tensions over N.Ireland

LONDON, May 15 (Reuters) - Ireland's foreign minister Simon Coveney urged British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday not to introduce new post-Brexit trade laws in the coming the days that he…

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Over 700,000 refugees from Ukraine registered in Germany

More than 700,000 people fleeing the war in Ukraine have been recorded in Germany thus far, Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported, citing Interior Ministry data. Since the start of the…

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Ukraine’s top diplomat meets Blinken, touts more weapon supplies

KYIV/BERLIN, May 15 (Reuters) - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he met U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Berlin on Sunday and that "more weapons and other aid…

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Swiss voters look set to approve TV streaming funding law

ZURICH, May 15 (Reuters) - Swiss voters on Sunday looked set to back proposals to make global TV streaming services such as Netflix Inc NFLX.O Amazon AMZN.O and Disney DIS.N invest some of their revenues generated in Switzerland…

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Italy heading to this year’s first real heatwave

The African anticyclone Hannibal is set to bring the year's first real heatwave to Italy starting this weekend and peaking Tuesday, forecasters warned. Italy is already seeing temperatures eight degrees…

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Locked-down Shanghai to start gradually reopening malls, other businesses

SHANGHAI, May 15 (Reuters) - The Chinese financial and manufacturing hub of Shanghai will gradually begin reopening businesses such as shopping malls and hair salons from Monday after weeks in a strict…

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World leaders pay respects in UAE after death of pro-West president

DUBAI, May 15 (Reuters) - World leaders began descending on the United Arab Emirates on Sunday to offer condolences on the death of President Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who was…

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The Pope declares 10 new saints

Pope Francis on Sunday canonized 10 new saints on Sunday - six men and four women. Declaring ten women and men - Five from Italy, three from France, one from…

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Photo Story: The Alpaufzug in Weissbad, Switzerland

An alpine farmer and cows take part in 'Alpaufzug', the ceremonial driving of cattle to the alps, in Weissbad, Switzerland. Via EPA-EFE/GIAN EHRENZELLER

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Britain says Russia has lost a third of its forces in Ukraine

LONDON, May 15 (Reuters) - Russia has probably lost around a third of the ground forces it deployed to Ukraine and its offensive in the Donbas region "has lost momentum and fallen significantly behind schedule",…

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Australia PM, trailing in election polls, announces housing policy

May 15 (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a housing policy on Sunday aimed at boosting home ownership and curbing high prices, as his government lags the opposition Labor Party…

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Italian police prevents pro-Russian hacker attacks during Eurovision contest

MILAN, May 15 (Reuters) - The Italian police thwarted hacker attacks by pro-Russian groups during the May 10 semi-final and Saturday final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, it…

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Missiles destroy military infrastructure inUkraine near Polish border, Russian village bordering Ukraine shelled

May 15 (Reuters) - Four missile strikes hit military infrastructure in the Yavoriv area of western Ukraine, near to the Polish border, early on Sunday, Lviv region's Governor Maxim Kozitsky said. "The…

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Sweden’s ruling party poised to back NATO bid

STOCKHOLM, May 15 (Reuters) - Sweden's ruling Social Democrats were poised on Sunday to come out in favour of the country joining NATO, paving the way for an application soon…

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