All posts tagged: Reuters

Putin Sidesteps a Question on Whether or Not He Will Stay in Power Until 2036

Putin Sidesteps a Question on Whether or Not He Will Stay in Power Until 2036

Published by Sam Flores

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, June 4 (Reuters) – Russian ⁠President ⁠Vladimir Putin on Thursday ⁠sidestepped a question on whether or not he ​would stay in power until 2036, saying that it was too ‌early to talk about the ‌issue and that in any case only God knew ⁠if he ⁠would be healthy enough.  Asked by Reuters at a meeting in ​St. Petersburg with senior editors of news agencies if he would serve until 2036 and whether or not he felt he had ​the stamina and health to serve that long, Putin said: “Only God ⁠knows ⁠if we have enough ⁠health – ​for me, for you, and for everyone gathered here, in order to ​live until tomorrow, ⁠the day after tomorrow, and even more so to solve some of the tasks we face, to achieve the goals that we set for ourselves.” Putin, in power as either president or prime ⁠minister since 1999, said that the constitution allowed him to ⁠run again in 2030 and serve another term until 2036 if he won. “Indeed, the Constitution allows …

Libyans Block off UN Refugee Office in Protest Against Migrants

Libyans Block off UN Refugee Office in Protest Against Migrants

Published by Sam Flores

TRIPOLI, June 4 (Reuters) – Hundreds of Libyan demonstrators blocked off the ⁠office ⁠of the U.N. refugee agency in ⁠the capital Tripoli on Thursday during a protest against migrants who have travelled ​to the country in search of work or passage to Europe. The demonstrators gathered in front of UNHCR’s main office in ‌Tripoli’s Sarraj neighbourhood, chanting slogans such as “No, ‌No to settlement, Libya only for Libyans” and “Get out of Libya, take them all out of Libya.” They erected tents ⁠then brought ⁠a truck full of sand and closed the main gate of the building ​with a barrier, shouting, “The Libyan people have said their word”, and carrying signs reading “No to intruders in our country, take them out.” Since a NATO-backed uprising in 2011, Libya has become a North African transit route for hundreds of thousands of migrants fleeing ​conflict and poverty, often in sub-Saharan Africa, with many risking dangerous journeys across the desert or the ⁠Mediterranean. The ⁠oil-dependent Libyan economy is also ⁠a draw for ​migrants seeking work, and many do …

White House to Replace National Security Council’s Europe Chief Amid Broader Shake-Up

White House to Replace National Security Council’s Europe Chief Amid Broader Shake-Up

Published by Sam Flores

By Gram Slattery, Humeyra Pamuk and Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON, June 4 (Reuters) – The White House’s top Europe ⁠expert ⁠is set to leave in the coming days, ⁠part of a staff shake-up that some sources say could give Secretary of State Marco Rubio tighter day-to-day control over ​policymaking at the National Security Council. Charles McLaughlin, senior director for European and Russian Affairs, is expected to depart as a series of personnel moves effectively places more Rubio allies in key ‌NSC roles, according to four people familiar with ‌the changes who requested anonymity to discuss non-public personnel moves. The moves suggest Rubio and his team may be taking a more active role in managing and staffing the NSC, ⁠a shift that could ⁠result in the once-powerful national security body regaining some of its former clout. Rubio also serves as ​President Donald Trump’s acting national security adviser. European allies are increasingly anxious about the direction of U.S. policy under Trump. Trump has lately adopted a harsh tone toward many NATO allies, accusing them of failing to help …

Trump Directs Hundreds of Millions of Dollars to Support Coal Using Emergency Powers

Trump Directs Hundreds of Millions of Dollars to Support Coal Using Emergency Powers

Published by Sam Flores

By Timothy Gardner and Jarrett Renshaw WASHINGTON, June 4 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump ⁠said ⁠on Thursday he is directing hundreds ⁠of millions of dollars to support U.S. coal power plants and to ship the ​carbon-intensive fuel to Asia, with most of the funding coming from Cold War-era emergency powers. Trump invoked the Defense Production Act, a 1950 ‌law granting presidents broad authority over ‌industries deemed critical to national security, to fund $425 million in upgrades to 13 coal-fired power plants and $75 million to support ⁠the proposed West ⁠Gateway coal export terminal in Oakland, California. His Energy Department also said it was finalizing ​up to $350 million in previously announced funding to help develop four coal facility projects, including new power plants in Alaska and West Virginia.  The Trump administration has framed energy policy as a national security issue to ensure electricity for AI data centers and reduce reliance ​on other countries. At an event in the Oval Office, Trump, flanked by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris ⁠Wright, ⁠and Republican governors Mark …

Ex-Trump Adviser Bolton to Plead Guilty in Classified Documents Case, Faces .25 Million Fine, Sources Say

Ex-Trump Adviser Bolton to Plead Guilty in Classified Documents Case, Faces $2.25 Million Fine, Sources Say

Published by Sam Flores

By Steve Holland, Andrew Goudsward and Jana Winter WASHINGTON, June 4 (Reuters) – John ⁠Bolton, ⁠a prominent critic of U.S. President Donald ⁠Trump who once served as his national security adviser, plans to plead guilty to mishandling ​classified documents and will pay a $2.25 million fine as part of a deal with federal prosecutors, three sources said on Thursday. Bolton will plead guilty ‌to one count of retaining classified ‌information based on diary entries detailing his work in Trump’s first term at a court hearing on June 26, said the ⁠sources, who spoke ⁠on condition of anonymity to describe an agreement that had not yet been made ​public. The deal recommends a sentencing range of no prison time up to five years behind bars, two sources said. A federal judge will determine the final sentence.  The news was first reported by CNN. The case against Bolton is one of several brought by Trump’s Justice Department ​against prominent critics and adversaries of the president, dispensing with decades-long norms designed to insulate federal law enforcement from ⁠political ⁠pressures. Bolton is …

Indonesia to ‘Refocus’ Free Meal Measures on More Remote Areas, Official Says

Indonesia to ‘Refocus’ Free Meal Measures on More Remote Areas, Official Says

Published by Sam Flores

JAKARTA, June 4 (Reuters) – The Indonesian agency overseeing President Prabowo ⁠Subianto’s ⁠flagship free meals programme will “refocus” ⁠its measures by cutting back on new kitchens and targeting recipients ​in more remote areas, its new chief said on Thursday.  Nanik Sudaryati Deyang, the new chief of the ‌National Nutrition Agency, was speaking a ‌day after her predecessor was arrested on corruption charges relating to the way the scheme ⁠was run.  The details ⁠are as follows: • Nanik said the “efficiency” measures came after the Southeast ​Asian country slashed the allocation for the programme this year to 268 trillion rupiah ($14.87 billion) from the initial 335 trillion rupiah. • “The refocusing measures are aimed at ensuring more efficient use of available resources through stronger ​governance, improved service quality, optimisation of existing operational kitchens, and more targeted delivery of benefits, ⁠particularly in ⁠underserved and remote areas,” ⁠she said. • Nanik ​added the measures are not a reduction of the government’s commitment to the free meal ​programme. • Nanik’s predecessor, Dadan Hindayana, ⁠was arrested for alleged corruption offences, …

German Far-Right AfD Party Official Meets With Putin Adviser, Gazprom Boss

German Far-Right AfD Party Official Meets With Putin Adviser, Gazprom Boss

Published by Sam Flores

BERLIN, June 4 (Reuters) – A senior member of Germany’s far-right Alternative for ⁠Germany (AfD) ⁠met one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ⁠top advisers as well as the head of energy group Gazprom and called for a ​reopening of the Nord Stream gas pipeline. Markus Frohnmaier, the AfD’s parliamentary foreign policy spokesperson, is attending Putin’s showpiece economic conference in St Petersburg, ‌defying warnings from Germany’s foreign ministry, ‌which said it “explicitly advised the AfD against these trips”. In posts on the social media platform X, Frohnmaier said he had met ⁠Gazprom CEO Alexei ⁠Miller and Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, on Wednesday. Dmitriev, ​Miller and Gazprom are all subject to Western sanctions imposed over Russia’s war in Ukraine. Frohnmaier, who has called repeatedly for Germany to engage with Russia to resume energy supplies, said the meeting with Miller focused on the pipeline and a full resumption of Russian gas deliveries to ​Germany.  “Germany is caught in a severe economic downward spiral, and a key driver of this is the high …

South Korea Lee’s Ruling Party Sweeps Local Elections, but Loses Seoul Mayor Race

South Korea Lee’s Ruling Party Sweeps Local Elections, but Loses Seoul Mayor Race

Published by Sam Flores

By Kyu-seok Shim and Joyce Lee SEOUL, June 4 (Reuters) – South Korean President Lee ⁠Jae ⁠Myung’s ruling Democratic Party swept most major local ⁠races in elections held on Wednesday, but suffered a symbolic setback as the opposition conservative incumbent ​Oh Se-hoon won another term as Seoul mayor. The Democratic Party won 12 of the 16 major mayoral and provincial contests nationwide, while the conservative People Power ‌Party won four, a result that gives ‌Lee’s party broad control of local governments a year into his presidency. The loss of Seoul, South Korea’s largest city and its most politically prized ⁠mayoralty, however, tempered ⁠the ruling party’s victory and gives conservatives a key foothold as they seek to rebuild ​after the scandal over former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed 2024 martial law bid and subsequent impeachment. Speaking on the one-year anniversary of his inauguration, President Lee said the government would “humbly accept the will of the people”, and work actively with local governments regardless of their party affiliation. Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae thanked voters ​for what …

Ohio State University Reaches 0 Million Settlement With Nearly 300 Sex Abuse Survivors

Ohio State University Reaches $100 Million Settlement With Nearly 300 Sex Abuse Survivors

Published by Sam Flores

June 3 (Reuters) – Ohio State ⁠University ⁠has reached a $100 million ⁠settlement with nearly 300 former students who had ​accused the school’s campus doctor of sexually assaulting them decades ago, the ‌school and a lawyer ‌for the victims said on Wednesday. The settlement with 279 of ⁠the ⁠280 former students was ratified by the university’s board on ​Wednesday. It followed years of litigation over accusations of decades of abuse by Richard Strauss. The abuse occurred from 1978 to 1998, the year ​he retired from the faculty.  “The mediation and its confidentiality are continuing ⁠as ⁠the parties work to ⁠finalize ​the details of the settlements, and additional information will be shared as ​appropriate,” the school ⁠and a lawyer for the victims said in a joint statement. In February, the university reached eight additional settlements, bringing the total to 304 survivors and more than $60 million. Strauss, who killed himself in ⁠2005, was employed by Ohio State’s athletic department and medical staff ⁠for nearly two decades.  A 2019 report detailing the investigative findings said that Strauss …

Oklahoma’s Attorney General Sues to Block Aluminum Smelter After Trump Endorses Rival

Oklahoma’s Attorney General Sues to Block Aluminum Smelter After Trump Endorses Rival

Published by Sam Flores

June 3 (Reuters) – Oklahoma’s attorney general has filed a lawsuit seeking ⁠to ⁠block Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA) and Century Aluminum from ⁠building the largest U.S. aluminum smelter, citing concerns about the project’s ties to the United Arab ​Emirates and worries the project could harm the state’s cattle. The suit was filed in state court on Tuesday by Gentner Drummond, a Republican who was elected ‌as attorney general in 2022 and is ‌now running for governor. It seeks to tap into the simmering tension across the U.S. about the buildout of critical minerals projects, especially in ⁠rural towns with ⁠deep ties to farming and ranching. The $4 billion Oklahoma smelter project has the backing of President ​Donald Trump, who last Friday endorsed Drummond’s opponent in the Republican primary for governor. If constructed, the smelter would produce 750,000 metric tons per year of aluminum, a key metal used widely across various industries, and be the first of its kind built in the country since 1980. EGA controls 60% of the project, with Chicago-based ​Century Aluminum controlling …