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Tag: europe

  • Exclusive-Russia Uses Missile in Ukraine That Led Trump to Quit Nuclear Treaty, Kyiv Says

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    LONDON (Reuters) -Russia has in recent months attacked Ukraine with a cruise missile whose secret development prompted Donald Trump to abandon a nuclear arms control pact with Moscow in his first term as U.S. president, Ukraine’s foreign minister said.

    Andrii Sybiha’s comments are the first confirmation that Russia has used the ground-launched 9M729 missile in combat – in Ukraine or elsewhere.

    Russia has fired the missile at Ukraine 23 times since August, a second senior Ukrainian official told Reuters. Ukraine also recorded two launches of the 9M729 by Russia in 2022, the source said.

    Russia’s defence ministry did not immediately reply to a written request for comment.

    ONE MISSILE FLEW 1,200 KM, SOURCE SAYS

    The 9M729 led the United States to quit the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 2019. Washington said the missile was in breach of the treaty and could fly far beyond its limit of 500 km (310 miles) although Russia denied this.

    The missile, which can carry a nuclear or conventional warhead, has a range of 2,500 km, according to the Missile Threat website produced at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

    A military source said a 9M729 fired by Russia on October 5 flew over 1,200 km to its impact in Ukraine.

    “Russia’s use of the INF-banned 9M729 against Ukraine in the past months demonstrates (President Vladimir) Putin’s disrespect to the United States and President Trump’s diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s war against Ukraine,” Sybiha said in written remarks.

    He told Reuters that Kyiv supported Trump’s peace proposals and that Russia should face maximum pressure to push it to peace, saying that boosting Ukraine’s long-range firepower would help persuade Moscow to end its war in Ukraine.

    Ukraine has urged Washington to provide it with long-range Tomahawk missiles that were not banned under the INF because they were only sea-launched at the time. Russia says this would be a dangerous escalation.

    ‘AN ISSUE FOR EUROPEAN SECURITY’

    Use of the 9M729 expands Russia’s arsenal of long-range weapons for striking Ukraine and fits a pattern of Moscow sending threatening signals towards Europe as Trump seeks a peace settlement, Western military analysts said.

    “I think Putin is trying to ramp up pressure as part of the Ukraine negotiations,” said William Alberque, a senior adjunct fellow at the Pacific Forum think tank, adding that the 9M729 was designed to hit targets in Europe.

    Russia tested its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile last week, and on Wednesday said it had tested a nuclear-powered torpedo named Poseidon.

    The White House did not respond to specific questions about Russia’s use of the 9M729. Trump ordered the U.S. military on Thursday to resume testing nuclear weapons, citing “other countries’ testing programs”.

    After the U.S. withdrew from the INF treaty, which banned ground-launched missiles with a range of 500-5,500 km, Russia declared a moratorium on deploying intermediate-range missiles. The West said Russia had already deployed some 9M729 missiles.

    On August 4, shortly before using the missiles in Ukraine, Russia said it would no longer limit where it deploys INF-range missiles that can carry nuclear warheads.

    “If it’s shown that Russia’s using INF-range missiles, which could easily be nuclear, in Ukraine, then that is an issue for European security, not just Ukraine,” said John Foreman, a former British defence attache to Moscow and Kyiv.

    Ukraine’s foreign ministry did not provide details or dates of the 9M729 strikes.

    The senior official said they began on August 21 – less than a week after a Trump-Putin summit in Alaska.

    Reuters reviewed images of debris after a Russian attack in which a residential building was hit and four people were killed in the Ukrainian village of Lapaiivka on October 5 – over 600 km from Russian territory.

    The images showed that two missile fragments, including a tube containing cabling, were marked 9M729.

    Jeffrey Lewis, Distinguished Scholar of Global Security at Middlebury College, reviewed the images with analysts.

    He said the tube, engine and engine panelling were consistent with what he expected the 9M729 to look like and that the markings made a match even more likely.

    Russia has various missiles that can reach across Ukraine, including the sea-launched Kalibr and air-launched Kh-101, but Lewis said the 9M729 offers something slightly different.

    “This gives them slightly different attack axes, which is difficult for air defences, and it increases the pool of missiles that are available to the Russians,” Lewis said.

    The INF prohibited ground-launched missiles because the launchers are mobile and relatively easy to conceal.

    Douglas Barrie, Senior Fellow for Military Aerospace at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said Russia could use the 9M729 to conduct ground-launched strikes from safer locations deeper inside Russia.

    Russia would also benefit from testing the system in a battlefield environment in Ukraine, though 23 uses would imply a military purpose, said Barrie.

    (Additional reporting by Jonathan Landay, Editing by Timothy Heritage)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Apple delivers strong quarter despite trade war challenges and ongoing artificial technology issues

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    SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple delivered financial results during its summertime quarter that exceeded analyst projections, despite being caught in the crosshairs of a global trade war at the same time the trendsetting company is scrambling to catch up to its Big Tech peers in the artificial intelligence race.

    The performance announced Thursday was driven largely by strong initial demand for its iPhone 17 lineup that went on sale last month.

    Although the iPhone 17 lacks the AI wizardry featured in rival devices recently introduced by Samsung and Google, Apple spruced up its latest models with a redesign highlighted by a sleek “liquid glass” appearance on the display screens.

    Apple also largely maintained its pricing on its latest iPhones, despite being squeezed by the tariffs that President Donald Trump has imposed on the U.S. devices that the company mostly makes in India and China. The tariffs cost Apple $1.1 billion during the past quarter and are expected to cost another $1.4 billion during the final three months of the year.

    The formula apparently was enough to win over consumers, particularly in the United States and Europe, helping to produce iPhone sales totaling $49 billion during the July-September period, a 6% increase from the same time last year. That was slightly below the 8% jump in iPhone sales that had been anticipated by analysts, and less than the 13% bump in sales during the April-June period.

    IDC estimates that 58.6 million iPhones were sold worldwide in the July-September quarter, putting Apple second behind Samsung at 61.4 million of their Android-powered phones sold worldwide in the quarter.

    Buoyed by the iPhone results, Apple earned $27.5 billion, or $1.85 per share, nearly doubling its profit from a year ago. Revenue climbed 8% from a year ago to $102.5 billion. Both the earnings and revenue eclipsed the analyst forecasts that steer the stock market.

    Apple shares surged 3% in extended trading after the numbers came out.

    In a conference call with analysts, Apple CEO Tim Cook indicated his belief that the iPhone 17 lineup will continue to do well, predicting even more of the devices will be sold during the final three months of the year. “As we head into the holiday season with our most powerful lineup ever, I couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come,” Cook said. He cited the iPhone 17’s popularity in most parts of the world except China, where sales of the device dipped by 4% from a year ago.

    The Cupertino, California, company expects its iPhone sales to increase at least 10% from last year’s holiday season, according to projections provided by Apple’s chief financial officer, Kevan Parekh. Total revenue is expected to rise at a similar rate.

    Apple’s stock has been on a tear since a report earlier this month from the research firm International Data Corp. telegraphed the quarterly results with a preliminary analysis that concluded the company had set a new July-September record for iPhone sales. The rally catapulted Apple’s market value above $4 trillion for the first time earlier this week and now the stage is set for the shares to hit another new high during Friday’s regular trading session.

    But Apple has been widely seen as a laggard in the AI craze, one of the reasons that Nvidia — a chipmaker whose processors power the technology — became the first company to be valued at $5 trillion earlier this week.

    Apple had promised a wide array of AI features would be rolling out on last year’s iPhone models, but was only able to deliver a few of them. The missing upgrades included a smarter and more versatile version of its frequently flummoxed Siri virtual assistant – a makeover that Apple now doesn’t expect to complete until next year.

    But Apple has a long history of late starts when technology starts to head in another direction before it finally catches up and emerges as a front-runner.

    If Apple can pull it off again by eventually implanting more AI features on the iPhone, Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives believes those breakthroughs could boost the company’s market share by another $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion, translating into $75 to $100 per share.

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  • Pentagon Chief Joins Southeast Asian Meet to Shore up US Ties

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    KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was expected on Friday to hold two-way meetings in Malaysia during a gathering of Southeast Asian counterparts, as Washington seeks to strengthen security ties amid China’s growing assertiveness in the region. 

    Hegseth is expected to meet defence ministers from India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, among others, said an official speaking on condition of anonymity, who warned the schedule could change.

    It was not clear if the Pentagon chief would meet any Chinese officials while in the Malaysian capital for the two-day meeting.

    In his meeting with Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh, Hegseth was expected to discuss a review of India’s plans to buy U.S. military hardware, as well as a new India-U.S. defence cooperation framework.

    Delegations from Australia, China, New Zealand, South Korea and Russia are also attending the meeting of defence ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.   

    CHINESE GREY-ZONE TACTICS

    Hegseth met Malaysia’s defence minister on Thursday and both leaders committed to maritime security in the disputed South China Sea.

    Beijing has deployed a coast guard armada in the busy waterway that has clashed repeatedly with Philippine vessels and been accused of disrupting the energy activities of Malaysia and Vietnam. 

    “Grey-zone tactics, such as hydrographic research conducted under the protection of foreign coast guard vessels, threaten sovereignty and are a clear provocation and threat,” Malaysian minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said in a joint statement.

    China claims almost the entire South China Sea on its maps, overlapping with the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

    Unresolved disputes have festered for years over the sovereignty of multiple islands and features. 

    Beijing says its coastguard has operated professionally in defending Chinese territory from incursions.  

    The United States has sought to shore up its presence in Southeast Asia and counter the growing influence of China.

    On Sunday, President Donald Trump told ASEAN leaders the United States was “with you 100% and we intend to be a strong partner for many generations”.

    Washington has a defence pact with the Philippines that involves dozens of annual military drills and use of some of its bases, in addition to similar exercises with Thailand and Indonesia and exchanges with Malaysia.       

    ORDER TO RESUME NUCLEAR WEAPONS TESTING

    Shortly before meeting Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday, Trump said he had ordered the U.S. military to resume nuclear weapons testing amid a rapid expansion of China’s nuclear stockpile.

    His administration’s efforts to persuade its allies to spend more on defence have caused friction, but Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told Trump this week that she was determined to boost defence capabilities.

    On Wednesday, Hegseth urged Japan to hasten plans to boost defence spending to 2% of GDP, saying the alliance between Washington and Tokyo was “critical to deterring Chinese military aggression”.

    (Reporting by Danial Azhar; Additional reporting by Idrees Ali in Washington; Writing by David Stanway; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Prince Andrew Stripped of Royal Title by King Charles

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    Andrew’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and new revelations about longstanding abuse allegations forced the king’s hand.

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  • Pakistan, Afghanistan Agree to Continue Ceasefire, Turkey Says

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    By Tuvan Gumrukcu and Sayed Hassib

    ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed on Thursday to extend a ceasefire during talks in Istanbul after the worst border clashes between the neighbours in years, according to Turkey which mediated the talks along with Qatar.

    The ceasefire began on October 19.

    The two countries faced their most serious military confrontations since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Kabul, with deadly clashes this month triggering Pakistani airstrikes, Afghan retaliatory fire and the closure of key crossings used for trade and transit.

    “All parties have agreed to put in place a monitoring and verification mechanism that will ensure maintenance of peace and impose penalties on the violating party,” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said of the October 25–30 talks.

    It added that a follow-up meeting would be held in Istanbul on November 6 to decide how the mechanism will be implemented, and that Turkey and Qatar “stand ready to continue cooperation with both sides for lasting peace and stability.”

    Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued a separate statement shortly before midnight in Istanbul confirming the conclusion of the talks and saying both sides had agreed to continue discussions in future meetings.

    He said Afghanistan sought good relations with Pakistan “based on mutual respect and non-interference.”

    Pakistan did not immediately comment.

    BORDER CLASHES SPARKED AIRSTRIKES

    The clashes erupted after Pakistan launched airstrikes inside Afghanistan against Pakistani Taliban militants it says are based there and responsible for attacks on its forces. Kabul condemned the strikes as a violation of its sovereignty and denies sheltering the group.

    The border, which runs more than 2,600 km (1,600 miles), has long been a source of friction with frequent skirmishes and mutual accusations over militant sanctuaries.

    (Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu in Ankara; Sayed Hassib in Kabul; Additional reporting by Ariba Shahid in Karachi; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Franklin Paul and Cynthia Osterman)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Romanian Linked to Former Presidential Candidate Georgescu to Face Trial

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    BUCHAREST (Reuters) -Horatiu Potra, an associate of former Romanian presidential candidate Calin Georgescu, will voluntarily return to Romania from Dubai to face trial on national security charges, his lawyer said on Thursday.

    The European Union and NATO state cancelled its presidential election last December due to suspected Russian interference in favour of Georgescu, a strong critic of NATO, Brussels and Western support for Ukraine. Moscow denied the allegations of meddling in the election.

    In September, Romanian prosecutors indicted him and Potra alongside 20 other people for conspiring to stage violent protests after the election was cancelled.

    Potra, a former French Foreign Legion soldier, has been under criminal investigation this year and evaded arrest by flying to Dubai. Romanian prosecutors sought his extradition and said they believed he was trying to seek asylum in Russia.

    Lawyer Christiana Mondea told local television station Digi 24 that Potra had informed her he wished to return to Romania to face trial alongside his son and nephew who were also indicted.

    “They will return soon, we don’t know the exact date yet,” Mondea said. “They had wanted to return for a long time but they had to follow procedure.”

    Britain’s Guardian newspaper on Wednesday quoted the head of the Russian Middle East Society as saying he was trying to stop Potra’s extradition.

    “I can confirm there is no Russian involvement in this story about Dubai, Romania, extradition, criminal trial,” Mondea said.

    Romania’s presidential election was re-run in May and won by pro-European centrist Nicusor Dan.

    Georgescu was banned from standing again and placed under investigation in two cases. He and Potra have denied wrongdoing.

    During raids on Potra’s home in February prosecutors found a large cache of weapons including grenade launchers and hidden cash.

    It was unclear when the trial would start.

    (Reporting by Luiza Ilie, editing by Ed Osmond)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Kremlin on Trump’s Nuclear Remarks: Russia Has Not Tested Nuclear Weapons

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    MOSCOW (Reuters) -The Kremlin said on Thursday that Russia’s test of a nuclear-powered missile and nuclear-powered torpedo were not nuclear weapons tests after President Donald Trump suggested the United States would resume nuclear weapons testing.

    President Vladimir Putin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, had cautioned that if any country tested a nuclear weapon, then Russia would too.

    (Reporting by Dmitry Antonov, Writing by Felix Light; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)

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  • Ukraine Curbs Power Supplies After Attack on Energy Facilities, Kyiv Says

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    KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine restricted power supply nationwide after Russia’s attack damaged energy infrastructure and injured 13 people in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, officials said on Thursday.

    Russian forces have pummelled the energy sector ahead of the heating season, temporarily cutting power to hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians.

    Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said Russia was attempting to cause a “humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine to coincide with winter” after another massive aerial attack last week.

    “The strike caused new damage to the energy infrastructure,” Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk said on the Telegram messaging app on Thursday.

    Six children were among the 13 injured in the strikes on Zaporizhzhia, which also damaged five apartment buildings and infrastructure facilities, its governor, Ivan Fedorov, said.

    “People have acute reactions to stress, wounds, concussions, bruises and fractures,” Fedorov added.

    State-owned railway Ukrzaliznytsia reported power cuts in the southern region of Mykolaiv that cause delays to train services and prompted it to use reserve locomotives.

    (Reporting by Anastasiia Malenko; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Clarence Fernandez)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Explainer-Nuclear Testing: Why Did It Stop, Why Test and Who Has Nuclear Weapons?

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    (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. military on Thursday to immediately resume testing nuclear weapons after a gap of 33 years, minutes before beginning a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

    How many nuclear weapons tests have there been, why were they stopped – and why would anyone start them again?

    The United States opened the nuclear era in July 1945 with the test of a 20-kiloton atomic bomb at Alamogordo, New Mexico, in July 1945, and then dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 to force Japan to surrender in World War Two.

    The Soviet Union shocked the West by detonating its first nuclear bomb just four years later, in August 1949.

    In the five decades between 1945 and the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), over 2,000 nuclear tests were carried out, 1,032 of them by the United States and 715 of them by the Soviet Union, according to the United Nations.

    Britain carried out 45 tests, France 210 and China 45.

    Since the CTBT, 10 nuclear tests have taken place. India conducted two in 1998, Pakistan also two in 1998, and North Korea conducted tests in 2006, 2009, 2013, 2016 (twice) and 2017, according to the United Nations.

    The United States last tested in 1992, China and France in 1996 and the Soviet Union in 1990. Russia, which inherited most of the Soviet nuclear arsenal, has never done so.

    Russia held nuclear drills last week and has tested a nuclear-powered cruise missile and a nuclear-powered torpedo but has not tested a nuclear warhead.

    WHY WAS NUCLEAR TESTING ENDED?

    Concern mounted about the impact of the tests – above ground, underground and underwater – on human health and the environment.

    The impact of the West’s testing in the Pacific and of Soviet testing in Kazakhstan and the Arctic was significant on both the environment and the people. Activists say millions of people in both the Pacific and Kazakhstan had their lands contaminated by nuclear testing – and have faced health issues for decades.

    By limiting the Cold War bonanza of nuclear testing, advocates said, tensions between Moscow and Washington could be reduced.

    The CTBT bans  nuclear explosions  by everyone, everywhere. It was signed by Russia in 1996 and ratified in 2000. The United States signed the treaty in 1996 but has not ratified it.

    In 2023, President Vladimir Putin formally revoked Russia’s ratification of the CTBT, bringing his country in line with the United States.

    WHY WOULD YOU TEST AGAIN?

    To gather information – or to send a signal.

    Tests provide evidence of what any new nuclear weapon will do – and whether older weapons still work.

    In 2020, the Washington Post reported that the administration of U.S. president Donald Trump had discussed whether or not to conduct a nuclear test.

    Apart from providing technical data, such a test would be seen in Russia and China as a deliberate assertion of U.S. strategic power.

    Putin has repeatedly warned that if the United States resumed nuclear testing, Russia would too. Putin says a global nuclear arms race is already underway.

    WHAT ARE BIG POWERS DOING WITH THEIR NUCLEAR WEAPONS?

    The exact number of warheads each country has are secret but Russia has a total of about 5,459 warheads while the United States has about 5,177, according to the Federation of American Scientists. Those number include deployed, stockpiled and retired warheads.

    The Washington D.C.-based Arms Control Association says the United States has a stockpile of 5,225 nuclear warheads and Russia has 5,580.

    Global nuclear warhead stockpiles peaked in 1986 at over 70,000 warheads, most in the Soviet Union and the United States, but have since been reduced to about 12,000, most still in Russia and the United States.

    China is the third largest nuclear power with 600 warheads, France has 290, the United Kingdom 225, India 180, Pakistan 170, Israel 90 and North Korea 50, according to the Federation of American Scientists.

    Russia, the United States and China are all undertaking major modernisations of their nuclear arsenals.

    (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Dutch Hard-Right Leader Geert Wilders Set to Exit Power

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    Dutch firebrand Geert Wilders’s hard-right Freedom Party was on the brink of losing power after elections in the Netherlands on Wednesday, indicating that Europe’s populist politicians who draw strong support while in opposition can struggle once they are in government.

    The Freedom Party was on track to place second in parliamentary elections, according to exit polls, with a sharp drop in support, as voters punished Wilders’s party for failing to deliver on its promises.

    Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

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  • Trump Says U.S. Will Begin Testing Nuclear Weapons

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    The president said he has instructed the Pentagon to test “on an equal basis” with Russia and China.

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  • Trump Asks Pentagon to Immediately Start Testing US Nuclear Weapons

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    (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he has instructed the Department of Defense to immediately start testing nuclear weapons.

    “Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,” Trump said on Truth Social, ahead of a meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.

    (Reporting by Ismail Shakil; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

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  • U.S. Reduces Troop Numbers in Romania, Signaling Shifting Priorities

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    The Pentagon will no longer rotate Army combat brigades through Romania as part of a strategy that focuses on Asia and Latin America.

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  • UK and Vietnam Agree Deal on Illegal Migration

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    LONDON (Reuters) -Britain said on Wednesday it had agreed a deal with Vietnam on illegal migration, in what London described as the strongest Hanoi had ever agreed with another country.

    The agreement will cut red tape and make it faster and easier to return those with no right to be in the United Kingdom, Britain said.

    “The number of illegal arrivals from Vietnam has already been cut by half, but more can be done,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement.

    “Today’s agreement shows that through international cooperation – not shouting from the sidelines – we can deliver for the UK and for working people.”

    (Reporting by Sam Tabahriti)

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  • Serbia Protests Demand Accountability One Year After Deadly Roof Collapse

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    BELGRADE (Reuters) -Dijana Hrka, 48, whose son was among 16 people killed when the roof of a renovated railway station in Serbia collapsed, is angry with authorities for having held no one accountable a year later.

    “The roof didn’t collapse by itself,” she said, standing at her son’s grave in the capital Belgrade. “It collapsed because of corruption and human negligence. I want to know who killed my child.”

    The tragedy touched off a largely peaceful, nationwide protest movement led by university students and professors that has shaken President Aleksandar Vučić’s 13-year grip on power. Demonstrators are demanding a snap election, hoping to unseat Vučić and his populist Serbian Progressive Party. 

    Hrka says she will join a rally planned for the anniversary of the roof collapse on Saturday in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad, where the disaster occurred.

    “I can’t even describe my pain. But I am bitter and dissatisfied because our authorities are not doing their job.”

    An independent commission of professors, judges, and technical experts presented the results of its informal investigation to the European Parliament last week.

    “Our conclusion is that there is a high degree of corruption reaching the very top of the state,” retired Supreme Court judge Radmila Dičić Dragićević said.

    “Corruption led to lowered construction standards and the hiring of unqualified subcontractors.”

    Government officials have denied such accusations.

    Recently, Vučić and parliament speaker Ana Brnabic, an ex-prime minister, said the roof collapse could have been an act of terrorism, a stance that infuriated critics of the government.

    “I don’t think the roof fell by itself, nor was it an accident, a tragedy, or any product of some negligent act for that matter,” she had told Pink TV in August. “I think it was a planned diversion (marking) the start of another colour revolution,” she said, referring to past protest movements in formerly communist post-Soviet and east European states resisting democratic reform.

    In September, a Novi Sad prosecutor indicted former construction, infrastructure and transport minister Goran Vesić and 12 others — including one of his aides and the head of the state railway company on charges of endangering public safety, including “irregular and improper construction works”.

    But that indictment has yet to be confirmed by the court, preventing a trial from going ahead. 

    A special prosecutor for organised crime is also conducting an investigation but no details have emerged to date. 

    Last week, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for a transparent investigation into the deadly collapse. The resolution also proposed sending an EU fact-finding mission to Serbia to assess “the state of democracy, ongoing protests and repression against participants”.

    Several large demonstrations in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Valjevo over the summer were broken up by police using stun grenades and tear gas. Protesters accused police of using excessive force. Reporters Without Borders reported that at least 89 journalists were assaulted during a year of protests.

    Vučić’s supporters have set up tents in front of his office and parliament – traditional protest sites in Serbia – to prevent further anti-government rallies there, but in so doing have blocked one of the busiest boulevards in Belgrade.

    Vučić, a nationalist turned pro-EU populist, has accused foreign security services of financing the movement against him and insisted his party’s support base remains strong. 

    However, a recent CRTA opinion poll showed that if elections were held now, Vučić’s party would win just 32% of the vote, while a student-led coalition would receive 44%.

    Nikolina Sinđelić, a 22-year-old student, joined the protests at her university in early November 2024, shortly after the roof collapse. Since then, police have summoned her several times for what they describe as “informative talks”. 

    Nikolina said that in one case she was taken into a basement by police and roughed up by a police commander against whom she had filed a complaint.

    “That has changed my life,” she said. “When you are being taken into a basement it is not easy to go out to another protests and say it will all be OK,” Nikolina said.

    “Young people have a future. I do have hope that we can bring change.”

    (Reporting by Ivana Sekularac; editing by Mark Heinrich)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Young Russian Street Musicians Who Played Anti-Kremlin Songs Get More Jail Time

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    ST PETERSBURG (Reuters) -A group of young Russian street musicians who went viral on social media for playing banned anti-Kremlin songs received more jail time on Wednesday, as authorities crack down on buskers who have staged performances across Russia in support of them.

    The members of the band Stoptime were arrested earlier this month after performing the popular song “Swan Lake Cooperative” by exiled Russian rapper Noize MC – who is openly critical of the Kremlin – on a busy street in St Petersburg.

    “The power of music is important, and what is happening now proves it,” the group’s 18-year-old vocalist Diana Loginova told reporters ahead of Wednesday’s court hearing.

    Stoptime’s show on the central Nevsky Prospekt has spawned several solidarity performances of other anti-Kremlin songs by young buskers across multiple Russian cities, including Yekaterinburg, Moscow and St Petersburg. Several of the musicians have been arrested and charged with petty crimes.

    “Swan Lake Cooperative” was banned in Russia in May on the grounds it contained “hostile, hateful attitudes towards people” and promoted “violent changes to the foundation of the constitutional order”. The song makes no explicit reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin or the conflict in Ukraine.

    Public expressions of dissent are rare in Russia, which has cracked down on any opposition to the Kremlin’s policies with lengthy prison sentences.

    Stoptime’s vocalist Loginova received a 13-day sentence for petty hooliganism on Wednesday. She has already completed a separate 13-day sentence in connection with the Noize MC performance and was fined 30,000 roubles ($369) on Tuesday for singing another song by a different anti-Kremlin artist.

    Alexander Orlov, the group’s guitarist, was jailed for 13 days on Wednesday on charges of illegally organising a rally, while drummer Vladislav Leontyev is facing a fresh administrative charge. The two have already served short stints in jail this month.

    Maxim Reznik, a former opposition politician in local government in St Petersburg, said he thought authorities would struggle to suppress the street performances.

    “We are dealing with a whole generation of people who are unwilling to put up with what is happening,” he told independent television channel Dozhd (TV Rain), which is banned in Russia and operates from Amsterdam.

    “No matter how much the authorities tighten their repression, they will not be able to suppress the will to resist.”

    (Reporting by Reuters in St Petersburg; Writing by Lucy Papachristou in Tbilisi; Editing by Peter Graff)

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  • Trump Tells Asia Allies: It’s Your Turn to Boost Military Spending

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    GYEONGJU, South Korea—Amid the pageantry and backslapping, President Trump’s weeklong Asian swing drew attention to a sour point for allies: The U.S. demand that they spend more to respond to a rising threat of Chinese aggression.

    Washington first pressured Europeans to boost their military budgets shortly after Trump took office in January. That push ultimately proved successful, with many allies pledging to increase spending.

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  • U.S. to Withdraw Some Troops From NATO’s Eastern Flank, Romania Says

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    BUCHAREST (Reuters) -Romania and NATO allies were notified of U.S. plans to cut the number of troops stationed on Europe’s eastern flank including soldiers who were to be stationed at Romania’s Mihail Kogalniceanu air base, Romania’s defence ministry said on Wednesday.

    Washington’s European allies have been told previously by the administration of President Donald Trump that they will need to take more responsibility for their own security as the United States focuses more on its own borders and the Indo-Pacific region.

    “The American decision is to stop the rotation in Europe of a brigade that had elements in several NATO countries,” the defence ministry said.

    It said the decision was expected given changes in Washington’s priorities, but that roughly 1,000 U.S. troops will continue to be stationed in Romania.

    “The decision also took into account that NATO has consolidated its presence and activity on the eastern flank which enables the United States to adjust its military posture in the region,” the ministry said. It did not specify how many U.S. troops will be withdrawn.

    There was no immediate comment from NATO.

    Despite worries on NATO’s eastern flank about the potential scaling back of the United States’ presence in the region at a time when Russia continues to wage war in Ukraine, Trump said in September that Washington could increase its troop presence in Poland.

    (Reporting by Luiza Ilie; Editing by Toby Chopra)

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  • Spain Marks Deadly Valencia Floods Anniversary With State Funeral, Solemn Marches

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    MADRID (Reuters) – Spain’s King Felipe will attend a state funeral in the eastern region of Valencia as part of a number of events on Wednesday to mark one year since deadly floods killed 237 people.

    Authorities were still finding victims buried in the mud as recently as last week, as the country comes to terms with the most catastrophic flooding in Europe in more than five decades.

    Flash floods caused by torrential rains swept away bridges, cars and people and swamped homes and underground car parks on October 29, 2024. Some 229 people died in the Valencia region and a further eight in other parts of Spain.

    Local residents plan to lay out 229 emergency foil blankets representing the victims in a Valencia square.

    Two silent, torch-carrying marches will join together in Benetusser, one of the suburbs of Valencia city that was most affected by the floods.

    Anger over the handling of the catastrophe continues to rage a year later, with tens of thousands of people calling for conservative regional leader Carlos Mazon to resign at a demonstration in Valencia on Saturday.

    Protesters accused the regional government of failing to warn citizens early enough during the emergency, sending a text message alert when many buildings were already under water.

    A court is investigating Mazon’s handling of the emergency and his whereabouts on the day, after a local journalist said she had a nearly four-hour lunch with him when he was meant to be at an emergency services meeting. Mazon has refused to provide details of the lunch or show the restaurant bill but says he was kept informed at all times over the phone.

    The government on Tuesday approved 5 billion euros ($5.8 billion) of loan guarantees to help businesses and homes affected by the floods. The government has so far handed out more than 8 billion euros to clear up devastated areas.

    The heavy rains and subsequent flash floods were caused by a high-altitude isolated depression – referred to locally as a DANA – a highly destructive weather system created when cold and warm air meet to produce powerful rain clouds.

    It typically happens after a hot summer, and scientists believe the phenomenon is occurring more frequently due to climate change.

    (Reporting by Charlie Devereux, David Latona and Ana Cantero; Writing by Charlie Devereux; Editing by Sonali Paul)

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  • Russian Street Musician Found Guilty of ‘Discrediting’ the Army After She Played Anti-Kremlin Songs

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    ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) -An 18-year-old Russian street musician jailed for nearly two weeks earlier this month for playing a banned anti-Kremlin song was found guilty on Tuesday of “discrediting” the Russian army and fined 30,000 roubles ($369).

    Diana Loginova, a music student who performs under the name Naoko with her band Stoptime, was arrested on October 15 after her performance of the popular song “Swan Lake Cooperative” by exiled Russian rapper Noize MC went viral on Russian social media.

    Loginova served a 13-day jail sentence for organising an unplanned gathering that blocked public access to the metro – an administrative, as opposed to criminal, offence. Two of her bandmates also served short jail terms.

    Upon completion of her sentence, authorities charged Loginova with an additional administrative offence of “discrediting” the Russian military in connection with her public performance of another song, called “You are a soldier”.

    The St Petersburg court found her guilty on Tuesday of “discrediting” the Russian army for playing that song.

    The artist who wrote it, Monetochka, lives abroad and was placed on Russia’s wanted list last year. She has also been labelled a “foreign agent” by the Russian government.

    A Reuters reporter in the courtroom said Loginova was not released from custody following the ruling on Tuesday. Instead, Interior Ministry officers drove away with her from the courthouse in a civilian car.

    Loginova went viral earlier this month after video posted online showed her playing the Noize MC song “Swan Lake Cooperative” on St Petersburg’s Nevsky Prospekt as onlookers chanted along.

    Noize MC is openly critical of the Kremlin and lives in Lithuania. Russian banned his song in May on the grounds it contained “hostile, hateful attitudes towards people” and promoted “violent changes to the foundation of the constitutional order”.

    Last week, another young street musician, Yevgeny Mikhailov, was jailed for 14 days in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg after he performed songs by Noize MC and other anti-Kremlin artists in support of Loginova and her bandmates.

    Mikhailov was found guilty of petty hooliganism and “discrediting” the Russian army, according to independent news outlet Mediazona.

    (Reporting by Reuters in St Petersburg; Writing by Lucy Papachristou in Tbilisi; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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