Blog

By Elizabeth Pineau and Ingrid Melander, Reuters Michel Barnier, a conservative politician, led talks with Britain over its exit from the European Union. Photo: AFP French President Emmanuel Macron appointed Michel Barnier, the European Union's former Brexit negotiator, as his new prime minister on Thursday (local time), after weeks of drawn out talks following an inconclusive snap election. Barnier, aged 73, led the EU's talks with Britain over its exit from the bloc from 2016-2021. Prior to that, the conservative politician held roles in various French governments and was also EU Commissioner. Macron had considered a string of potential prime ministers in recent weeks, none of which mustered enough support to guarantee a stable government, and there is no guarantee Barnier's govern...

Rome's Trevi Fountain is a popular destination for tourists. Photo: CC BY 3.0 Rome is considering limiting access to the Trevi Fountain, one of its busiest monuments, ahead of an expected bumper year for tourism in the Eternal City, city council officials say. The Italian capital is preparing to host the 2025 Jubilee, a year-long Roman Catholic event expected to attract 32 million tourists and pilgrims. Under the draft plans, visits to the fountain would require a prior reservation, with fixed time slots and a limited number of people allowed to access the steps around it. "For Romans we are thinking of making it free, while non-residents would be asked to make a symbolic contribution, one or two euros (NZ$1.80 - $3.60)," Rome's tourism councillor Alessandro Onorato told Thursday's Il M...

By Anja Guder, Reuters Police officers seen in Munich after a man was shot dead near the Israeli consulate. Photo: AFP / Peter Kneffel German police shot dead a man in an exchange of fire near the Israeli consulate and a Nazi history museum in Munich on Thursday, state Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said. "It was a male person and we know that he acted here with a long-barrelled gun," a Munich police spokesperson said. "Due to the intervention of the police, the perpetrator was stopped and probably died at the scene," Herrmann told reporters. There were no indications of other suspects or incidents in the Bavarian state capital, Munich police said on X. The incident occurred on the anniversary of the 1972 attack at the Olympic Games in Munich in which Palestinian Black September ...

The Pentagon directs the US-led Olympic Defender space project. Photo: AFP/ Brendan Smialowski New Zealand has accepted a US invitation to join a top-level group that aims to deter hostile actors in space and reduce space debris. The US military made the invite in April to join Operation Olympic Defender, and extended it to France and Germany, too. Minister of Defence Judith Collins said New Zealand would gain experience from sending a liaison officer to US Space Command for two years. This "shows New Zealand's willingness to uphold the norms of responsible behaviour in space", she said in a statement on Thursday. The move will bring New Zealand in line with the Five Eyes intelligence grouping as Australia, the UK and Canada are already members of Olympic Defender. Germany and France re...

Uganda's Rebecca Cheptegei, left, competes in the women's marathon final during the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on 26 August, 2023. Photo: FERENC ISZA / AFP Ugandan marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei, who competed in last month's Paris Olympics, has died after being attacked by her boyfriend, the head of the country's Olympics committee said on Thursday. "We have learnt of the sad passing on of our Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei ... following a vicious attack by her boyfriend," Donald Rukare, president of Uganda Olympics Committee, said in a post on X. More to come... - Reuters Source link

By Sarah N Lynch, Andrew Goudsward and Christopher Bing, Reuters A Russia's state-controlled Russia Today (RT) television broadcast van is seen parked in front of St. Basil's Cathedral. Photo: AFP US Justice Department charges two RT employees with money laundering RT allegedly paid $10 million to a Tennessee company for divisive content RT and Russian officials deny accusations of election interference The US has filed money-laundering charges against two employees of Russian state media network RT for what officials said was a scheme to hire an American company to produce online content to influence the 2024 presidential election. Justice Department officials said the two employees used shell companies and fake personas to pay US$10 million (NZ$16.1) to an unnamed Tennessee compa...