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Tag: Collections: World

  • The Highest Dutch Court Is Ruling on Government’s Appeal Against Ban on Sending F-35 Parts to Israel

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    THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Netherlands’ highest court is ruling Friday on an appeal by the government against a ban on sending parts for F-35 fighter jets to Israel.

    The case was originally brought in late 2023 by three Dutch rights groups who argued that transferring the F-35 parts makes the Netherlands complicit in possible war crimes being committed by Israel in its war with Hamas. Israel denies committing war crimes in its campaign in Gaza.

    The district court in The Hague initially rejected the ban, but in February 2024 an appeals panel ordered the Dutch government to halt shipments of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel, citing a clear risk of violations of international law. The government appealed to the Supreme Court, saying that foreign policy was a matter for the government, not courts.

    In November last year, a legal advisor to the Supreme Court issued a non-binding opinion that the government’s appeal should be rejected.

    The Netherlands is home to one of three regional warehouses for U.S.-owned F-35 parts. Dutch government lawyers argue that a ban on transfers from the Netherlands would effectively be meaningless as the United States would deliver the parts anyway.

    Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 66,200 Palestinians and wounded nearly 170,000 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its toll, but has said women and children make up around half the dead.

    The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government. U.N. agencies and many independent experts view its figures as the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

    The war broke out on Oct. 7, 2023, after Hamas militants and others stormed into Israel and killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 people hostage. Hamas still holds 48 hostages — about 20 of them thought by Israel to still be alive.

    In a largely symbolic move, Slovenia announced in August that it was banning the import, export and transit of all weapons to and from Israel, calling it the first such move by a European Union member.

    Last year, the U.K. government suspended exports of some weapons to Israel because they could be used to break international law. Spain says it halted arms sales to Israel in October 2023. There also are court cases in France and Belgium around weapons trade with Israel.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Trump’s 20-Point Gaza Plan ‘Not Ours’, Says Pakistan’s Foreign Minister

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    ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -The 20 points that U.S. President Donald Trump announced as part of his Gaza plan this week were not in line with the draft proposed by a group of Muslim-majority countries, Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday.

    Changes were made in the plan, Dar told Pakistani lawmakers in parliament.

    “I have made it clear that these 20 points which Trump has made public are not ours. These are not the same as ours. I say that some changes have been made in it, in the draft we had,” he said.

    Trump published on Monday the plan that would end the war between Israel and Hamas militants and require the return of all hostages living and dead within 72 hours of a ceasefire.

    The plan leaves many details for negotiators to hash out and hinges on acceptance by Hamas militants who launched the war against Israel on October 7, 2023. It refers to a redeveloped Gaza as “New Gaza.”

    (Reporting by Asif Shahzad, writing by Hritam Mukherjee; Editing by YP Rajesh and Kim Coghill)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Finland Lacks Jurisdiction in Baltic Sea Cable Breach Case, Court Says

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    HELSINKI (Reuters) -A Finnish district court ruled on Friday that Finland does not have jurisdiction to prosecute the captain and two officers of the Eagle S oil tanker, who were accused of breaking undersea power and internet cables in the Baltic Sea.

    (Reporting by Elviira Luoma, editing by Essi Lehto and Terje Solsvik)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Luxembourg’s Grand Duke to Abdicate After 25 Years, Passing Throne to Son

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    LUXEMBOURG (AP) — Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg will abdicate the throne after 25 years Friday in favor of his eldest son, Guillaume, who will become head of state of the tiny duchy at the heart of Europe.

    The 70-year-old current monarch will abdicate in a ceremony at the Grand Ducal Palace, built of yellow stone and decorated with spires and ironwork. Then Guillaume, 43, will be crowned and swear an oath to Luxembourg’s constitution before the 60 elected members of the Chamber of Deputies, the duchy’s parliament.

    The new grand duke will greet the public from a balcony overlooking a central square with his family, including his wife, the Belgian-born Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy, and his sons, Prince Charles, 5, and Prince François, 2.

    Royals from the Netherlands and Belgium are expected to attend the ceremonies. Later on Friday, the new grand duke will host an evening gala for guests including French President Emmanuel Macron and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

    Over the weekend, Guillaume will make a traditional tour of the nation that will end with a Sunday Mass with Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich at the Catholic Notre-Dame de Luxembourg cathedral.

    Cleaved from what is now France, Belgium and Germany in the 17th and 19th centuries, the small nation is a parliamentary democracy with the grand duke as head of state, akin to King Charles in the United Kingdom or King Philippe in Belgium. Roughly 700,000 citizens speak a mix of Luxembourgish, a Germanic language, and French and German in public life. It is the world’s last remaining grand duchy.

    One of the European Union’s smallest nations and its richest per capita, Luxembourg is a financial powerhouse that hosts important EU institutions like the European Court of Justice and the European Investment Bank. The grand duchy is home to many of the banks in the eurozone, reinsurance companies and managers of hedge funds and money markets.

    Guillaume will be Luxembourg’s seventh grand duke since 1890, when the modern monarchy was established. Across the duchy, his photo will replace that of his father’s. His monogram, symmetrical golden “G” letters below a crown, will also be added to the uniforms of the army, the police, emergency services, the prison service and customs.

    Guillaume, like Henri, was educated in France, Switzerland and at the United Kingdom’s military academy Sandhurst. Guillaume then worked for Belgian, German and Spanish firms.

    Christoph Brüll, a historian and professor at the University of Luxembourg, said Guillaume will be stepping into a very traditional role.

    “His margin of maneuver or right to action is zero. So the only power he has is then the power of speech or words. For the rest, the grand duke will remain a political symbol,” he said.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Indonesian Crews Pull 3 Bodies From Rubble of Collapsed School With More Than 50 Boys Still Missing

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    SIDOARJO, Indonesia (AP) — The bodies of three boys were pulled early Friday from beneath the rubble of a school that collapsed in Indonesia and with more than 50 students still unaccounted for the death toll was expected to rise, authorities said.

    Rescue crews had been working by hand since the collapse of the school Monday as they searched for survivors, but with no more signs of life detected by Thursday they turned to heavy excavators equipped with jackhammers to help them progress more rapidly.

    The structure fell on top of hundreds of people in a prayer hall at the century-old al Khoziny Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo on the eastern side of Indonesia’s Java island.

    The students were mostly boys in grades seven to 12, between the ages of 12 and 19. Female students were praying in another part of the building and managed to escape, survivors said.

    Eight students have been confirmed dead and about 105 injured, many with head injuries and broken bones, and 55 remain unaccounted for.

    Two of the bodies found Friday were in the prayer hall area and one was found closer to an exit as if he had been attempting to escape, according to Suharyanto, the head of Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency, who goes by one name as is common in Indonesia.

    Authorities have said the building was two stories, but two more levels were being added without a permit. Police said the old building’s foundation apparently was unable to support two floors of concrete and collapsed during the pouring process.

    School officials have not yet commented.

    Crews worked in the hot sun Friday to break up and remove large slabs of concrete, with the smell of decomposing bodies a grim reminder of what they would find underneath.

    Suharyanto told reporters at the scene that the recovery efforts were expected to be complete by the end of Saturday.

    Rising reported from Bangkok.

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  • Ambulances Line up Near Collapsed Indonesian School Building as Search for Trapped Students Continues

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    SIDOARJO, Indonesia (Reuters) -More than 10 ambulances lined up near a collapsed Islamic school building in Indonesia’s East Java province on Friday as rescuers continued their search for nearly 60 students still trapped under the rubble, a Reuters witness said.

    The Al Khoziny school in the town of Sidoarjo collapsed on Monday, cratering upon hundreds of teenage students during afternoon prayer, its foundations unable to support ongoing construction work on its upper floors.

    The trapped students were mostly teenage boys from the ages of 13 to 19. Alongside the ambulances was a crane deployed to excavate some of the debris.

    By late Thursday, five had been confirmed dead and 30 people were in treatment in hospital, Indonesia’s disaster officials said.

    Rescuers found no signs of life on Thursday after digging through tunnels in the remains of the building, despite calling out the boys’ names and using sensors to detect any movement.

    Al Khoziny is an Islamic boarding school known locally as a pesantren.

    Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, has a total of about 42,000 pesantren, serving 7 million students, according to data from the country’s religious affairs ministry.

    (Reporting by Johan Purnomo in Sidoarjo and Stanley Widianto in Jakarta; Editing by David Stanway)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Drone Sightings Disrupt Munich Airport, Halt Flights and Impact Thousands

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    (Reuters) -Germany’s Munich airport said early on Friday that drone sightings on Thursday evening had forced air traffic control to suspend operations, leading to the cancellation of 17 flights and disrupting travel for nearly 3,000 passengers.

    Another 15 arriving flights were diverted to Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Vienna and Frankfurt, the airport said in a statement.

    (Reporting by Gnaneshwar Rajan in Bengaluru; Editing by Jamie Freed)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Colombian Soldiers Find Solace in ‘Furry Force’ Emotional Support Dogs

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    BOGOTA. Colombia (AP) — At the Central Military Hospital in Bogota, an unusual unit patrols the hallways with a mission unlike any other battalion: lifting the spirits of soldiers wounded in combat.

    Kratos, Rafa and Lupa make up the so-called “furry force,” a group of emotional support dogs that visit service members recovering after being injured in clashes with Colombia’s illegal armed groups.

    One by one, the three dogs enter the room of 2nd Sgt. Jeisson Sánchez Duque, who was shot during fighting in the northwest province of Antioquia. Kratos, the most senior of the dogs, greeted him with a paw after receiving treats. Then, Lupa settled on the floor and Sánchez brushed her as he remained seated due to his back injury.

    “It’s something different … you forget the pain and focus on the dogs,” Sánchez told The Associated Press.

    Soldiers are still battling the scars from a decades-long conflict in Colombia that led to 450,000 people killed and forced 7 million to flee their homes. Despite a 2016 peace agreement between the government and the country’s largest guerrilla group the FARC, various armed groups still operate in Colombia. These groups, including some who broke from the FARC, dispute territories vacated by the FARC and the valuable illicit economies that run through them, including drug trafficking.

    Launched in April 2024 after a visit from an animal care organization, the program aims to provide psychological support and ease recovery for soldiers facing both physical and emotional scars, including amputations from landmines and injuries from drones dropping explosives.

    According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), incidents involving explosive devices in Colombia rose 94% between January and July compared to the same period in 2024. The hospital has also noted an increase in patients who have been injured by explosives launched by drones.

    Kratos was donated by the Air Force, then Rafa by the Army and then two more dogs were donated by the hospital’s doctors.

    The program has since expanded to let patients bring their own dogs and provide wellness breaks for staff.

    “(The dogs) show a benefit in patient recovery, supported by physiological changes that occur during interactions, which we might view as recreational, but in this case, they are therapeutic for patients,” Eliana Patricia Ramírez, the hospital’s deputy medical director, explained to the AP.

    For soldier Luis Miguel López, who lost part of his leg to a mine in Puerto Valdivia in Antioquia province, the dogs’ visits helped break through the depression he felt while in the hospital.

    The experience also reminded him of Goma, an anti-explosives dog who saved his unit several times before being killed by a blast.

    “I was so depressed in my room, because I was holed up in there. My wife gave me support but it wasn’t the same,” he said.

    “When those dogs come in, they change you because they bring happiness.”

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Putin Praises Trump but Warns That Supplies of US Long-Range Missile to Ukraine Will Badly Hurt Ties

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    MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the United States that supplies of long-range missiles to Ukraine will seriously damage relations between Moscow and Washington but will not change the situation on the battlefield where the Russian army is making slow but steady advances.

    The potential supply of U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kyiv will signal a “qualitatively new stage of escalation, including in relations between Russia and the U.S.,” Putin said at a forum of foreign policy experts in Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi.

    The Russian leader noted that even though Tomahawk missiles will inflict damage on Russia if supplied to Ukraine, Russian air defenses will quickly adapt to the new threat. “It will certainly not change the balance of force on the battlefield,” he added, emphasizing that the Russian military is continuously making gains against Ukraine.

    The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Putin’s remarks.

    At the same time, Putin hailed U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to help negotiate peace in Ukraine and described their August summit in Alaska as productive.

    “It was good that we made an attempt to search for and find possible ways to settle the Ukrainian crisis,” he said, adding that he felt “comfortable” talking to Trump.

    While praising Trump and trying to emphasize potential common interests, including nuclear arms control, the Russian president sent a stern warning to Ukraine’s Western allies against trying to seize ships that carry Russian oil to global markers. He argued that would amount to piracy and could trigger a forceful response while sharply destabilizing the global oil market.

    Asked about the detention of an oil tanker off France’s Atlantic coast, which President Emmanuel Macron linked to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of aging tankers of uncertain ownership that are avoiding Western sanctions, Putin cast it as an attempt by Macron to distract public attention from his country’s own internal problems.

    He strongly warned the West against such action, arguing that it defies international maritime law and could trigger a forceful response. “The risk of confrontation will seriously increase,” he added.

    Putin also scoffed at Western claims of possible Russian involvement in recent drone flights over Denmark, casting them as part of purported NATO efforts to “inflame tensions to boost the defense spending.”

    “I won’t do it anymore — to France, Denmark, Copenhagen, Lisbon — wherever they could reach,” he said with a sardonic grin.

    Asked about Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Putin called it a “heinous crime” that reflected a “deep split” in American society. He hailed Kirk as a hero killed for promoting the same conservative values that Russia shares.

    Putin also praised Michael Gloss, an American and the son of a deputy CIA chief, who joined the Russian military and was killed in action in Ukraine in 2024. He said he had awarded Gloss with a medal, which he handed to Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff during his visit to Moscow.

    The Russian leader likened Gloss to Kirk, saying they championed similar “traditional” values. “He gave his life while defending those values as a Russian soldier, and Kirk gave his life while fighting for the same values in the United States,” Putin said.

    In response to questions about Gloss, the CIA said in a statement that the agency “considers Michael’s passing to be a private family matter — and not a national security issue. The entire CIA family is heartbroken for their loss.”

    Associated Press Writer David Klepper in Washington contributed.

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  • US Tomahawk Missile Shipments to Ukraine Unlikely, Sources Say

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    WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Trump Administration’s desire to send long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine may not be viable because current inventories are committed to the U.S. Navy and other uses, a U.S. official and three sources said.

    U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Sunday that Washington was considering a Ukrainian request to obtain long-range Tomahawks that could create havoc deep into Russia, including Moscow. On Wednesday, Reuters reported the U.S. will provide Ukraine with intelligence on long-range energy infrastructure targets in Russia.

    But a U.S. official and sources familiar with Tomahawk missile training and supplies questioned the feasibility of providing the cruise missiles, which have a range of 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles).

    The U.S. official stressed there was no shortage of the workhorse weapon, which is often used by the military for land attack missions, suggesting other shorter-distance options could be supplied to Kyiv.

    The official said the U.S. may look into allowing European allies to buy other long-range weapons and supply them to Ukraine, but Tomahawks were unlikely.

    In recent weeks, U.S. President Donald Trump has sharply shifted how he talks about the war in Ukraine, suggesting Kyiv could retake all the land Russia has seized and calling the Russian military a “paper tiger.” The U.S. decision to help Ukraine target Russian energy infrastructure appears to be one tangible outcome of the new stance.

    A new financial mechanism, the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), has been developed by the U.S. and allies to supply Ukraine with new weapons and those from U.S. stocks using funds from NATO countries.

    Supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine could significantly expand its strike capabilities, enabling it to hit targets deep inside Russian territory, including military bases, logistics hubs, airfields and command centers that are currently beyond reach. 

    The Kremlin said on Thursday that if the U.S. provides Tomahawks to Ukraine, it would trigger a new round of dangerous escalation between Russia and the West.

    According to Pentagon budget documents, the U.S. Navy, the primary user of the Tomahawk, has thus far purchased 8,959 at an average price of $1.3 million each.

    The Tomahawk missile has been in production since the mid-1980s. In recent years, production has ranged from 55 to 90 per year. According to Pentagon budget data, the U.S. plans to buy 57 missiles in 2026.

    Russia said on Monday that its military was analyzing whether or not the United States would supply Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine for strikes deep into its territory.

    (Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Putin Warns Ukraine Over ‘Dangerous Game’ of Strikes on Nuclear Plants

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    SOCHI, Russia (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday warned Ukraine that it was playing a dangerous game by striking the area near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and suggested that Moscow could retaliate against nuclear plants controlled by Ukraine.

    The nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, has been cut off from external power for more than a week and is being cooled by emergency diesel generators. Both Ukraine and Russia have blamed each other for cutting off the external power and for shelling the area.

    Putin said it was idiotic to blame Russia for shelling a nuclear power station that it controlled and said that the situation around the plant was on the whole under control.

    (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Writing by Lucy Papachristou; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)

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  • Morocco Prime Minister Calls for Dialogue as Nightly Protests Grow More Violent

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    RABAT (Reuters) -Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said on Thursday he was open to dialogue to end youth protests as security forces prepared for a sixth night of demonstrations which have escalated into riots across the country.

    Hundreds of people have been arrested and injured, with buildings ransacked and cars torched since the protests began on Saturday. Though crowds have not been huge in numbers, the increasingly violent protests have brought the worst street unrest in Morocco since mass demonstrations in the Rif region in 2016-2017.

    Wednesday’s fifth night brought the first reported deaths, with authorities saying the security forces had shot and killed three youths armed with knives who were trying to steal weapons and ammunition in Lqliaa, near Agadir.

    DIALOGUE IS ‘ONLY PATH’ SAYS PM

    In a statement, Akhannouch said his government had “engaged with the demands expressed by the youth movements” and was ready “for dialogue and discussion”.

    “Once again, we reiterate that a dialogue-based approach is the only path to addressing the various challenges facing our country.”

    The protests initially began with demands for better education and healthcare. They have been organised by a loosely formed, anonymous youth group calling itself “GenZ 212” using online platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and the gaming app Discord.

    The GenZ 212 group has denounced violence and called for new, peaceful protests in major cities.

    “We urge all participants to remain disciplined and ensure the peaceful nature of our actions,” the group said in a statement on Discord.

    Authorities have vowed to crack down on those participating in looting or vandalism. Rioters could face 20 years to life in jail, Ouali Alami, a senior official at the public prosecutor’s office, told state news agency MAP.

    Organisers plan to hold protests on Thursday evening in major cities. But some of the most violent clashes have occurred in smaller towns and cities where the group had not announced planned protests.

    The GenZ 212 movement is inspired by similar youth-led protests in Asia and Latin America. Membership in GenZ 212’s Discord server surged from around 3,000 last week to more than 150,000 on Thursday.

    Seventy percent of participants in acts of vandalism and clashes with security forces across Morocco have been minors, a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry said.By Thursday, the number of people injured had risen to 640, including 589 members of the security forces, the ministry said. It said 413 law enforcement vehicles and 195 private cars had been damaged.

    “Adults have been placed in police custody, while minors have been held under protective measures,” the interior ministry spokesman said. “Authorities will take all necessary legal measures, without hesitation or leniency, against anyone proven to be involved in acts criminalised by law.”

    The escalating violence appears to have undermined popular support for the protest movement.

    “I used to support their demands for education and health…but after I saw this fire, I am wondering how can this serve their demands?” said Fatima, 54, outside a bank that had been torched in a densely populated area in Sale, near Rabat.

    (Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi, Editing by Peter Graff)

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  • Afghanistan’s Bonn Consulate Staff Resign Over Accreditation of Taliban-Appointed Officials

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    BERLIN (Reuters) -The staff of Afghanistan’s consulate in Bonn resigned this week in protest at Germany’s decision to accredit two representatives appointed by the Taliban government, denouncing the move as a threat to sensitive information about Afghans living in Germany.

    Only Russia has so far recognised the Taliban government that seized power in August 2021 as U.S.-led forces staged a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war.

    However, Germany’s accreditation of two diplomats in July represented a step forwards in bilateral relations.

    Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said then that the appointment had followed talks with Afghan authorities over the deportation of convicted criminals of Afghan nationality to their home country. These deportations resumed in August 2024.

    The two new representatives will help to coordinate further deportation flights, he said, as Germany seeks to crack down on migration, a topic that has pushed many voters to support parties on the far-right. 

    The Acting Consul of the Afghan consulate in Bonn, Hamid Nangialay Kabiri, posted a video to its website in which he announced the staff’s collective resignation.

    “Given the illegitimacy of the Taliban and their widespread violations of the rights of the Afghan people, this decision is unacceptable and poses a serious threat to the security of citizens’ sensitive documents and information,” he said.

    All documents, equipment and other assets would be handed to the German foreign ministry, he said.

    “We remain hopeful that we will soon witness a free Afghanistan governed by the rule of law and arising from the will of its people.”

    The German foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment. The Afghan embassy in Berlin could not immediately be reached for comment.

    Some 442,000 Afghan nationals live in Germany, which until recently had a relatively open door for migrants as well as an extensive asylum infrastructure.

    Russia recognised Afghanistan’s new Taliban government in July – a milestone for the Taliban administration as it seeks to ease its international isolation. China, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Pakistan have all designated ambassadors to Kabul, a step towards recognition.

    (Reporting by Sarah Marsh and Kirsti Knolle; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

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  • Russian Boat Seen Close to Polish Gas Pipeline, Border Guard Says

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    WARSAW (Reuters) -Polish border guards said on Thursday they had seen a Russian fishing boat acting suspiciously near a gas pipeline in waters off the town of Wladyslawowo, amid anxiety over possible sabotage operations in the Baltic Sea.

    The Baltic Sea is bordered by eight NATO alliance countries that have been redoubling efforts to protect underwater cables and pipelines after a spate of suspected sabotage incidents, some of which the West has blamed on Moscow. 

    Russia denies involvement.

    “On October 1, a Russian fishing boat was spotted by the Border Guard reducing speed while performing suspicious manoeuvres in close proximity to a submarine pipeline belonging to Petrobaltic,” the Border Guard said in a statement, referring to the company that works in the area.

    “This incident occurred 18 nautical miles north of Wladyslawowo. After receiving a radio alert, the skipper sailed away from the critical infrastructure zone.”

    The Russian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

    Interior Ministry spokesperson Karolina Galecka told reporters that the vessel had been around 300 metres from the pipeline.

    Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk mentioned an incident near Szczecin port – some 300 km (190 miles) southwest of Wladyslawowo – during a European summit in Copenhagen, without giving further details.

    He said there were Russian provocations in the Baltic “almost every day”.

    Tomasz Siemoniak, minister responsible for special services, said the incident that Tusk had referred to was separate from the one near Wladyslawowo.

    (Reporting by Marek Strzelecki, Pawel Florkiewicz, Barbara Erling, Alan Charlish)

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  • Europe Must Fight Tax Fraud Gangs, Corruption, EU Chief Prosecutor Says

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    ATHENS (Reuters) -Europe is losing an estimated 50 billion euros ($58 billion) a year from tax and customs fraud, which are now the most attractive criminal activities in the bloc, and more needs to be done to fight the gangs responsible, the EU’s top prosecutor said. 

    Laura Codruta Kovesi was speaking on Thursday at Piraeus port in Athens, where The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has been carrying out a major probe. 

    “We want to send the criminals behind this massive fraud a strong message: the rules of the game have changed, no more safe havens for you!” Kovesi told reporters at Piraeus. “We have to fight back. As Europeans.”

    EPPO has been probing a string of fraud cases that have rocked Greece, including a case dubbed “Calypso” that involved alleged gangs extending from China to at least 14 EU countries, which were operating out of Piraeus.  

    The agency has confiscated over 2,400 shipping containers at the port, which is majority-owned by China’s COSCO, in the largest seizure to date across the EU. 

    Gangs allegedly underreported the value of goods coming from China into the EU, resulting in lost VAT revenue and duties of around 800 million euros since 2017, EPPO says.

    EPPO’s investigations in recent years have also indicated that state corruption, which helped plunge Greece into a 2009-2018 debt crisis, has not been uprooted. Some of the cases have hurt the centre-right government’s popularity.    

    During her visit to Greece this week, Kovesi said she sought the deployment of more prosecutors and resources for EPPO in Athens. Ministers pledged support.

    She also urged Greece to amend laws protecting politicians from prosecution, adding that such immunity hinders EPPO’s probes. 

    EPPO has referred two cases to the Greek parliament, the only body that can investigate ministers under the constitution. 

    One of them is linked to Greece’s worst rail disaster in 2023. The most recent case relates to Greek farmers and state officials suspected of defrauding the EU of subsidies for the use of pastureland since 2019.

    (Reporting by Renee Maltezou; Adidtional reporting Yannis Souliotis; Editing by Sharon Singleton)

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  • France Urges Tougher Action Against Russia, Saying Drones Should Be Shot Down and Oil Ships Stopped

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    COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Europe must take a more aggressive approach with Russia by shooting down drones that enter European airspace and boarding shadow fleet ships illicitly transporting oil to deprive Moscow of war revenue, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday.

    Speaking at a European summit in Copenhagen, Macron and other European leaders called for more sanctions against Russia — notably targeting its energy sector — and emphasized that Ukraine is on the front line in a widening hybrid war against Europe.

    Macron urged the more than 40 leaders at the European Political Community summit to simply protect their interests without signaling their intentions to Russia.

    “I think the main answer should be more unpredictability and more strategic ambiguity,” he said.

    “It’s very important to have a clear message: drones which would violate our territories are just taking a big risk. They can be destroyed, full stop,” he said. “We are not here to provide the full notice. We will do what we have to do.”

    Macron pointed to a decision by French authorities to stop an oil tanker on the European Union’s shadow fleet sanction list, and detain two of its crew, as an effective way to act. Naval experts believe the ship may have been involved in drone flights over Denmark.

    He said that Russia finances “30 to 40% of the war effort” via the shadow fleet.

    Macron said that by seizing the ships, for a week or two, “we completely break the efficiency of the organization. So the shadow fleet is a very good target if you want to improve our efficiency to reduce these capacities.”

    He said that the same ship was checked by Estonian authorities in March.

    Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who hosted the summit days after a series of drone incidents at Denmark’s airports and military bases, said: “It must be clear to everyone now, Russia will not stop until they are forced to do so.”

    Russia, she said, is “a threat not only to Ukraine but to all of us. Today, we have one major task ahead of us. We have to make our common Europe so strong that the war against us becomes unthinkable, and we have to do it now.”

    Frederiksen warned her partners that Europe “can no longer be naive. The war was never just about Ukraine. It is about Europe. All our nations, all our citizens, our values and our freedom.”

    Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged the leaders to abandon any “illusions” they might have about Russia’s intentions. He said that Poland has been a constant victim of Russian intimidation, most notably a major drone intrusion last month.

    Poland has since vowed to shoot down Russian drones that enter its airspace.

    “The first illusion was, and is, that there’s no war,” Tusk said, referring to those who talk about the war in Ukraine as a “full-scale aggression” or use other euphemisms. “No. It’s war. A new type of war. Very complex, but it’s war.”

    Another illusion, Tusk said, is “that it is impossible for Ukraine and for all of us to win this war. It’s absurd. The only Russian advantage, the only one, is mentality. We are much bigger than them,” in terms of economic might and population, he said.

    Tusk, whose country borders Belarus and Ukraine, added: “We know that if they win against Ukraine, it is also in the future the end of my country and of Europe. I have no doubts.”

    U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that it was important to ramp up economic pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    “The economic pressure is having an effect, and we need to continue that. Pressure through further sanctions, bearing down on energy in particular, and on the shadow fleet,” Starmer said before leaving the summit early to return to the U.K. in the aftermath of an attack outside a synagogue in Manchester, England.

    It’s also vital to put “Ukraine in the strongest possible position, and that then means more on air defenses, more on long-range (missiles) and anti-drone” capabilities that must be sent to the country, now in the fourth year of war.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Istanbul Rattled by 5.0-Magnitude Earthquake, No Major Damage Reported

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    ISTANBUL (Reuters) -A 5.0-magnitude earthquake rattled buildings in Turkey’s largest city Istanbul on Thursday, sending some people rushing out into the streets, Reuters witnesses and the AFAD disaster and emergency authority said.

    There were no immediate reports of serious damage in the city of 16 million people, the Istanbul Governor’s office said on X, adding that its field teams had begun inspections.

    The earthquake occurred at 2:55 p.m. (1155 GMT) in the Marmara Sea, southwest of Istanbul and near the coastal town of Marmaraereglisi, along a geological faultline long regarded as a risk for the city.

    In April, more than 150 people were injured when they jumped from buildings after a 6.2-magnitude quake in Istanbul, marking one of the city’s strongest tremors in years.

    Two years ago Turkey suffered the deadliest and most destructive earthquake in its modern history. That 7.8-magnitude quake in February 2023 killed more than 55,000 people and injured more than 107,000 in southern Turkey and northern Syria.

    (Reporting by Daren Butler; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Mark Heinrich)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Factbox-What Happens to Gaza Flotilla Activists Who Are Detained by Israel?

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    (Reuters) -Israeli forces have intercepted boats carrying aid bound for Gaza, in the latest attempt by foreign activists to break an Israeli blockade and deliver supplies to the Palestinian territory.

    Below is an outline of the legal implications for the 500 parliamentarians, lawyers and activists onboard more than 40 civilian boats that made up the flotilla.

    WHAT HAPPENED IN PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS?

    As with previous attempts to breach the blockade, the detained activists are being taken to Israel where they will face deportation, according to Israel’s foreign ministry.

    Some of those on the latest flotilla, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, have been previously detained by Israeli authorities as they attempted to break the blockade .

    In the past, activists detained by Israel were not criminally prosecuted and instead their presence was treated as an immigration matter.

    When Thunberg’s previous flotilla was intercepted in June, she and three other activists signed deportation orders waiving the right to delay their removal for a period of 72 hours so they could appeal and were immediately ejected from the country.

    Eight other activists, among them French nationals including Rima Hassan, a French member of the European parliament who is participating in the latest flotilla, refused to sign the orders on the grounds that they had never intended to enter Israeli territory but were forcibly taken to Israel by the authorities. 

    They were detained near Tel Aviv airport – Hassan was held briefly in solitary confinement, an NGO representing her said – and appeared before a tribunal which upheld their deportation orders and ordered their removal. All those deported were banned from returning to Israel for 100 years, legal representatives said. 

    IDENTIFICATION AND PROCESSING BEFORE DEPORTATION

    Adalah, a human rights organisation and legal centre in Israel, has represented aid flotilla participants who were detained by Israel.

    Suhad Bishara, the organisation’s legal director, told Reuters on Thursday that her team was awaiting the arrival of those detained overnight in the port of Ashdod, 40 km (25 miles) north of the Gaza Strip.

    She said once the flotilla crews arrived, they would be identified and transferred to the immigration authority to process them for anticipated deportation, before being moved into custody, likely in Ketziot Prison in southern Israel.

    “Our main concern of this stage, of course, is their well-being, their health condition as well, making sure that they all get the legal advice prior to the hearings in the Immigration Tribunal and while (they are) in Israeli prison,” she said. 

    DETAINEES TO BE HELD IN HIGH-SECURITY PRISON

    Omer Shatz, an Israeli international law expert at Paris’ Sciences Po University in Paris, said unlike where flotilla activists were held last time, Ketziot was a high-security prison that did not normally hold immigration detainees.

    He said the activists may be held there because processing 500 people would be logistically difficult for Israel. Shatz, however, described Ketziot Prison as being known for its harsh conditions.

    QUESTIONS OVER REPEAT OFFENDERS

    Adalah said in an earlier statement about the legal process that although Israeli authorities would have a record of repeat participants in aid flotillas, activists such as Thunberg and Hassan, were generally treated in the same way as first-time participants, subject to short-term detention and deportation.

    It added however that there had been recent proposals by Israeli officials, among them National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir that flotilla participants be subjected to prolonged detention.

    “There are serious concerns that activists may be treated more harshly than in previous flotilla missions,” the organisation said. 

    A spokesperson for Israel’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters questions on the detention of the activists.

    Israel’s foreign ministry said that the flotilla was warned by the navy that it was approaching an active combat zone and violating a “lawful naval blockade”, and asked organisers to change course. It offered to transfer the aid to Gaza, the foreign ministry said.

    (Reporting by Alexander Cornwell in Tel Aviv, Sinan Abu Mayzer in Ashdod and Pesha Magid in Jerusalem, writing by Aislinn Laing; Editing by Sharon Singleton)

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  • Explainer-What Investors Are Watching in Cameroon’s Presidential Election

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    NAIROBI (Reuters) -Cameroon’s voters will decide on October 12 whether to grant 92-year-old President Paul Biya, the world’s oldest head of state, an extension of his four-decade rule. Here is what investors are watching in the race to lead central Africa’s biggest economy:

    WHO ARE THE CANDIDATES IN THE ELECTION?

    Biya, who has been in power since 1982, is facing a dozen other candidates in an election in which more than 8 million voters are eligible to cast ballots. But at the helm of the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) party, he controls the electoral machinery and is almost certain to win.

    The main opposition challengers include Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a former minister of employment, and Bello Bouba Maigari, whom Biya appointed as his first prime minister when he took power.

    But the opposition is more noteworthy for one absence: Maurice Kamto, Biya’s main rival. The electoral commission rejected his candidacy in July without giving a reason.

    Kamto secured 14% of the votes cast during the last election in 2018, which Biya won amid fraud allegations.

    WHAT ARE THE TOP ISSUES FOR INVESTORS?

    Cameroon, like other Sub-Saharan African countries, started issuing Eurobond debt in the last decade, putting it on the radar of frontier market investors.

    It issued its maiden international bond in 2015, before tapping the market again last year with an issue that will mature in 2032.

    The country also had a $689.5 million International Monetary Fund programme, as well as $181.7 million from the Resilience and Sustainability Facility, both of which ended in July. Investors will be watching to see if it will secure a new arrangement.

    Cameroon’s economy is reliant on commodities exports; it is the world’s fifth biggest cocoa producer and also exports oil, gas and timber. This leaves it vulnerable to the vicissitudes of commodity price slumps. 

    WHAT ECONOMIC CHALLENGES WILL THE WINNER FACE?

    The IMF classifies Cameroon’s debt as sustainable – but at high risk of distress. Analysts have warned that its rising reliance on borrowing as well as inefficiencies in its debt management could increase the country’s vulnerability to shocks.

    That could pose a problem for the winner as the government seeks to borrow $1.6 billion locally and abroad to plug a financing gap, amid falling disbursements from donors.

    Cameroon’s debut $750 million bond also matures next month, which could drain some cash from government coffers, although officials have not yet commented on plans to manage the maturing bond.

    The winner will also have to address the financial sector in order to exit the global Financial Action Task Force’s “grey list”, a determination that its system is susceptible to money laundering.

    Cameroon has also been dealing with increased climate catastrophes, including droughts and floods, which have pressured the agriculture sector and could curb production of key commodities.

    ARE THERE ANY OTHER FACTORS AT PLAY?

    Investors also closely watch Biya’s health, as his advanced age and the lack of a clear succession plan, raise concerns over the country’s stability.

    Biya would be nearly 100 years old at the end of the eighth term in office he is seeking.   

    His health is the subject of frequent speculation, and he already often spends long periods of unexplained time in Europe, including last year when he disappeared from public view for a 42-day stretch. 

    He has brushed off concerns about his health and said he was determined to serve the country. 

    Cameroon also faces a host of serious security challenges, including a conflict with Anglophone separatists in the southwest and the northwest and threats from Nigeria-based Islamist fighters in the north.

    (Reporting by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Libby George and Gareth Jones )

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Israeli Navy Intercepts Some Flotilla Boats but Others Are Nearing the Coast of Gaza, Activists Say

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    Supporters of the flotilla took to the streets in several European cities — including Rome, Naples, Barcelona and Athens — to decry Israeli actions and the ongoing Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip. Italy’s largest union called for a one-day general strike on Friday, which is expected to block all the main sectors, including transportation and schools.

    The Global Sumud Flotilla, with nearly 50 boats and 500 activists, was carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

    It has been streaming its voyage online via live cameras aboard different boats, though several connections were lost as Israeli authorities began intercepting them in international waters on Wednesday evening.

    The flotilla’s live tracker showed at least 20 boats were intercepted while others were sailing on and appeared to be only a few miles away from Gaza, and one boat appeared to have crossed into the strip’s territorial waters, according to the activists’ tracker.

    Israeli soldiers detained and removed dozens of activists — including Greta Thunberg, former mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau, European parliament member Rima Hassan and others — from the flotilla.

    Israel’s Foreign Ministry posted photos and videos of the activists, saying in a statement on X that they were “safe and in good health” and would be transferred to Israel for deportation procedures to Europe.

    Earlier, live broadcasts overnight from the activists, showed Israeli boats approaching their vessels, spraying them with water canons and flashing bright lights before soldiers boarded the flotilla.

    Anticipating the interceptions, activists wearing life jackets sat in circles and raised their hands in the air. Some managed to stream the moment live from their cell phones before tossing their devices into the sea.

    The night-long operation that carried on as the sun rose appeared to be largely peaceful.

    Turkey’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the Israeli navy’s action, describing it as an “act of terrorism” and a severe breach of international law in a statement late Wednesday. The ministry said it was working to ensure the immediate release of Turkish citizens and other activists detained by Israeli forces.

    Brito reported from Barcelona, Spain.

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