September 6, 2021 DUBLIN (Reuters) – Britain is set to announce further extensions to post-Brexit grace periods on some goods imports to Northern Ireland, Irish deputy prime minister Leo Varadkar said on Monday, suggesting London and Brussels had agreed they needed more time for talks. Ireland is a key player in post-Brexit trade talks and […]
Analysis-Turkey and UAE rein in dispute that fuelled conflict and hurt economy
September 6, 2021 By Orhan Coskun and Alexander Cornwell ANKARA (Reuters) – A truce between bitter regional rivals Turkey and the United Arab Emirates has calmed tensions that fuelled conflicts including Libya’s war, officials and diplomats say, after years of animosity and insults. But with political differences still running deep, the two countries are expected […]
U.N. footage from northern Ethiopia shows humanitarian crisis
September 6, 2021 NAIROBI (Reuters) – Footage of war-hit northern Ethiopia published by the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) on Monday reflected the severe humanitarian crisis there, after the United Nations warned that a de facto blockade on aid is bringing millions to the brink of famine. War broke out 10 months ago between Ethiopia’s […]
Soccer-FIFA chief labels Brazil postponement “crazy”, Spurs set to fine players
September 6, 2021 By Simon Evans MANCHESTER (Reuters) – FIFA has opened an investigation into the postponement of Argentina’s World Cup qualifier with Brazil with their president Gianni Infantino labelling the events “crazy” while Tottenham Hotspur were reported to be ready to take disciplinary action against their Argentine players. Brazilian health authorities intervened on the […]
Volkswagen brand sticks to margin target despite chip crunch
September 6, 2021 MUNICH (Reuters) – Volkswagen’s namesake brand on Monday confirmed its margin target, the division’s chief executive said, shrugging off the impact from a shortage of automotive chips as well as higher raw materials prices. The Volkswagen brand expects an operating margin of 3-4% for 2021. “It stays that way,” Ralf Brandstaetter told […]
German far left courts SPD and Greens for three-way coalition
September 6, 2021 BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s far-left Linke pitched themselves on Monday as would-be coalition partners for the Social Democrats and Greens after a Sept. 26 election, arguing they offer the two larger parties the best chance of delivering their social policies. A surge by the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) into a clear lead […]
Taliban claim control of Panjshir, opposition says resistance will continue
September 6, 2021 (Reuters) – The Taliban claimed victory over opposition forces in the Panjshir valley northeast of Kabul on Monday, declaring that they had completed their takeover of Afghanistan and promising to announce a new government soon. Pictures on social media showed Taliban members standing in front of the gate of the Panjshir provincial […]
As its rivers shrink, Iraq thirsts for regional cooperation
September 6, 2021 By Charlotte Bruneau and Ahmed Rasheed HALABJA, Iraq (Reuters) – “Where we are standing right now, there should be a river,” says Nabil Musa, gesturing at a dried-up riverbed in northern Iraq. For the environmental activist, the reason the once swirling Sirwan river has dwindled to a trickle lies across the border […]
Standard Chartered arranges $1.1 billion financing for Angola water project
September 6, 2021 (Reuters) – Standard Chartered said on Monday that it had arranged $1.1 billion of financing to the Angolan government for a water supply project that will serve its capital Luanda. The funding is made up of two loans – a $910 million facility supported by a partial World Bank guarantee, and $165 […]
Soccer-Pele in hospital but no cause for concern, his manager says
September 6, 2021 SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Former Brazil soccer great Pele has been in hospital for six days with an undisclosed health problem but the 80-year-old is not seriously ill, an advisor to the former Santos and New York Cosmos forward told Reuters on Monday. The Globo news site said Pele was undergoing routine […]
Soccer-PSG sign two-year deal with fashion house Dior
September 6, 2021 PARIS (Reuters) – Christian Dior has signed a two-year deal to design clothing for the French star-studded football team Paris St. Germain, marking its first tie-up with a sports club. The move from the prestigious French fashion label follows the recent arrival of Argentina forward Lionel Messi to PSG, a move that […]
Tiny chips cast big shadow over Munich car show
September 6, 2021 By Nick Carey MUNICH (Reuters) – As carmakers gathered in Munich on Monday to launch almost exclusively zero- or low-emission vehicles, an ongoing semiconductor shortage cast a long shadow over the first major car show since before the pandemic began. Forced to shut down plants last year, carmakers now face increasing competition […]
British watchdog demands more power over crypto promotions
September 6, 2021 By Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) called on Monday for powers to govern the online promotion of cryptoassets to combat a flood of “problematic content” which it said has no value. With some cryptoassets using social media influencers and other celebrities to promote so-called tokens, Britain’s finance […]
Beijing city denies it is advising companies to invest in Didi
September 6, 2021 BEIJING (Reuters) – Reports that China’s Beijing city government is advising state-owned companies to invest in embattled ride-hailing giant Didi Global Inc are untrue, the city government told Reuters in a faxed statement. Citing unidentified sources, Bloomberg News on Friday reported that China’s capital city is considering taking Didi under state control […]
Venice prepares to charge tourists, require booking
September 6, 2021 By Silvia Aloisi and Alex Fraser VENICE (Reuters) – From a control room inside the police headquarters in Venice, Big Brother is watching you. To combat tourist overcrowding, officials are tracking every person who sets foot in the lagoon city. Using 468 CCTV cameras, optical sensors and a mobile phone-tracing system, they […]
Guinea coup leader bars travel for government officials
September 6, 2021 By Saliou Samb (Reuters) – Guinean government officials are barred from travel until further notice, and must hand over their official vehicles to the military, special forces commander Mamady Doumbouya, who ousted President Alpha Conde on Sunday, told a government gathering on Monday. (Reporting by Saliou Samb; Writing Cooper Inveen; Editing by […]
Mobius Labs nabs $6M to help more sectors tap into computer vision
Berlin-based Mobius Labs has closed a €5.2 million (~$6.1M) funding round off the back of increased demand for its computer vision training platform. The Series A investment is led by Ventech VC, along with Atlantic Labs, APEX Ventures, Space Capital, Lunar Ventures plus some additional angel investors. The startup offers an SDK that lets the […]
Motor racing-Bottas to leave Mercedes and race for Alfa Romeo in 2022
September 6, 2021 By Alan Baldwin LONDON (Reuters) – Valtteri Bottas will leave Mercedes and race for Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeo in a multi-year deal from 2022, the Swiss-based Formula One team said in a statement on Monday. The Finn’s departure clears the way for George Russell, 23, to leave Williams and join seven times world […]
Singapore trials patrol robots to deter bad social behaviour
September 6, 2021 SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore has started trialing robots to patrol public areas and deter poor social behaviour in its latest effort to further augment its strong portfolio of surveillance tools. Ranked one of the safest countries in the world, Singapore has put two autonomous robots on trial to detect bad behaviour such […]
Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to start operating in days – Russia’s Lavrov
September 6, 2021 MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will start operating in the next few days, Interfax news agency reported. The $11-billion Nord Stream 2 project is expected to double the capacity of the existing Nord Stream pipeline across the Baltic Sea and […]