News

October 7, 2021 By Andrew Osborn and Angelina Kazakova MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian authorities said on Wednesday they had fired five senior prison officials and opened a slew of criminal investigations into alleged torture and sexual assaults at a jail in the Saratov region. The authorities acted after a prisoner rights group, Gulagu.net, began publishing […]

October 7, 2021 BERLIN (Reuters) – A former SS guard who is now 100 years old was due to go on trial in Germany on Thursday, charged with contributing to the deaths of more than 3,000 people in a Nazi concentration camp during World War Two. Prosecutors charged the man, a member of the Nazi […]

October 7, 2021 BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) struck an upbeat tone before their first three-way talks with two smaller “kingmaker” parties on Thursday, aiming to move closer to leading a new government following an inconclusive national election. The Greens and business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP) agreed on Wednesday to enter the talks with […]

Making sure mental wellness is part of your routine can be difficult, especially if you are already busy and stressed. MindLabs wants to make it easier with a combination of on-demand or live video classes and community features. The company announced today it has raised a $3.5 million seed round, almost eleven months after its […]

October 7, 2021 OSLO (Reuters) – The Swedish and Norwegian currencies will gain ground versus the euro in the coming 12 months, likely hitting multi-year highs at a time of strong economic recovery in the Nordic region, a Reuters poll of analysts predicted. Sweden and Norway recently ended almost all remaining social restrictions amid a […]

October 7, 2021 MADRID (Reuters) – Ash from the erupting Cumbre Vieja volcano forced authorities in Spain’s La Palma to close the airport on the island on Thursday, Spanish air traffic operator Aena said. “The La Palma Airport is inoperative due to ash accumulation. The established protocols are being applied. Safety is the priority,” AENA […]

October 7, 2021 MOSCOW (Reuters) – Moscow plans to host international talks on Afghanistan on Oct. 20, President Vladimir Putin’s special representative on Afghanistan said on Thursday. Zamir Kabulov, the representative, did not provide further details on the planned talks in comments carried by Russian news agencies. Moscow hosted an international conference on Afghanistan in […]

October 7, 2021 (Reuters) – Airing his sweaty tennis shoes outside a California hotel room has landed Andy Murray in trouble at home after the shoes were stolen – along with his wedding ring tied to one of the laces. Murray, who married Kim Sears in 2015, has played with his wedding ring attached to […]

October 7, 2021 (Reuters) – Airing his sweaty tennis shoes outside a California hotel room has landed Andy Murray in trouble at home after the shoes were stolen – along with his wedding ring tied to one of the laces. Murray, who married Kim Sears in 2015, has played with his wedding ring attached to […]

October 7, 2021 PARIS (Reuters) – World food prices rose for a second consecutive month in September, driven by increases in cereals and vegetable oils, to remain about a third above their level a year ago, the United Nations food agency said on Thursday. The Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) also raised slightly its […]

October 7, 2021 BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s foreign exchange reserves fell to $3.201 trillion at the end of September, down from $3.232 trillion at the end of August, official data showed on Thursday. China held $109.18 billion of gold reserves at the end of last month, down from $113.69 billion at the end of August, […]

October 7, 2021 MADRID (Reuters) – Luca de Meo, the recently appointed CEO of French carmaker Renault, said a shortage in semiconductors and other rising costs are set to boost car prices, Spanish newspaper Expansion reported on Thursday. “Prices will rise even more in the coming 12 months,” he told the newspaper in an interview, […]

October 7, 2021 (Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc’s live streaming e-sports platform Twitch on Wednesday blamed “an error” in server configuration change for a data breach and said it was still assessing the impact. An anonymous hacker claimed to have leaked Twitch data, including information related to the company’s source code, clients and unreleased games, according […]

October 7, 2021 (Corrects paragraph six to say “boost”, not “hit”) (Reuters) – European stocks rallied in early trading on Thursday as easing oil and gas prices offered some relief to investors worried about runaway inflation. The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 1.1% in broad-based buying to reverse weekly losses, with miners, automakers and utilities […]

October 7, 2021 LONDON (Reuters) -Britain’s competition regulator has scrapped its action against Ryanair and British Airways over their failure to offer refunds to passengers prevented from flying by COVID-19 restrictions, saying the legal position was unclear. During pandemic lockdowns, instead of offering refunds to those legally unable to fly, IAG-owned British Airways offered vouchers […]

October 7, 2021 SEOUL (Reuters) – The World Health Organization (WHO) says it is sending COVID-19 aid for North Korea through China’s border port of Dalian, despite few signs North Korea has eased strict border lockdowns to keep the virus out. In its latest weekly report for South and East Asia, which covers the period […]

October 7, 2021 By Ryan Woo and Liangping Gao BEIJING (Reuters) – Sagging demand at China’s urban land auctions amid a crackdown on borrowing by private developers risks squeezing regional finances, pressuring local governments to scramble for other income sources to fund investments and support the economy. Land sales soared to a record 8.4 trillion […]

October 7, 2021 By John Revill and Steve Holland ZURICH/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States and China have agreed in principle for their presidents to hold a virtual meeting before the end of the year, a senior U.S. administration official said on Wednesday, after high-level talks aimed at improving communication between the two countries. The closed-door […]

October 7, 2021 By John Revill and Steve Holland ZURICH/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States and China have agreed in principle for their presidents to hold a virtual meeting before the end of the year, a senior U.S. administration official said on Wednesday, after high-level talks aimed at improving communication between the two countries. The closed-door […]

October 7, 2021 MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s largest lender Sberbank and internet firm Mail.Ru have invested an additional 12.2 billion roubles ($168.39 million) in their ride-hailing and food delivery joint venture, the companies said on Thursday. The funding is being provided in the form of equity. Total funding for the JV since its inception in […]