WASHINGTON, April 16 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said Pope Leo was free to say what he wanted but that it was important for him to understand that Iran could never have a nuclear weapon. Trump has repeatedly criticized the religious leader, who has emerged as an outspoken critic of the U.S.-Israeli…
By Andrew Osborn and Dmitry Antonov MOSCOW, April 16 (Reuters) – The Kremlin took the unusual step of publicly acknowledging sharp criticism of the authorities from a celebrity blogger on Thursday, saying work was under way to address a slew of problems identified by social media influencer Viktoria Bonya. Bonya, who is well known inside…
By Michaela Cabrera and Daria Sito-Sucic VILLERS-COTTERETS, France, April 16 (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron urged high school pupils on Thursday to switch off their phones and read, pushing for one “no screens day” per month for all, and a blanket social media ban for those under 15 years of age. Following Australia’s groundbreaking…
BUDAPEST, April 16 (Reuters) – Over 90 journalists from Hungarian state news agency MTI have demanded the immediate restoration of impartial news coverage following election winner Peter Magyar’s pledge to shake up state media, according to a letter obtained by Reuters. Magyar, whose centre-right TISZA party scored a landslide victory in Sunday’s elections, said his…
YAOUNDE, April 16 (Reuters) – Pope Leo was scheduled to travel to the biggest city in Cameroon’s conflict-hit anglophone region on Thursday, the latest stop on an ambitious four-country Africa tour amid attacks on the pontiff by U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump’s attacks on Leo, who has emerged as a vocal critic of the Iran war,…
Mark Mobius, who was known as the father of emerging markets and was among the first fund managers to invest in Hong Kong and mainland China, died on Wednesday at the age of 89, according to a statement on his LinkedIn account. The statement did not give the cause. Mobius was based in Dubai in…
By Steve Holland and Daphne Psaledakis WASHINGTON, April 15 (Reuters) – The United States on Wednesday threatened to sanction buyers of Iranian oil and said it believed China would pause such purchases as Washington enforces a maritime blockade on Iran. “We have told countries that if you are buying Iranian oil, that if Iranian money…
April 15 (Reuters) – Ukraine’s Defence Ministry said on Wednesday it was introducing a new model of combat operations integrating drone warfare with infantry and pointed to successes it said had been achieved in retaking territory from Russian forces in the south of the country. “A new model of warfare is being introduced, drone-assault units…
BRUSSELS, April 15 (Reuters) – NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte expressed optimism Wednesday that the alliance would successfully fund defence aid to Ukraine through the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) mechanism before the end of the year. “I’m optimistic,” Rutte told reporters following a Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting in Berlin, while acknowledging that burden-sharing…
AMSTERDAM, April 15 (Reuters) – The Netherlands will spend 248 million euros ($293 million) on producing drones for Ukraine, Dutch Defence Minister Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius said on Wednesday. “Drones play a crucial role on the modern battlefield. Ukrainians deploy them with incredible skill to repel the incessant Russian attacks,” she said after meeting her counterparts from…