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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and Russia have made progress toward resolving a stand-off over staffing at their respective embassies, resulting in Washington ending a policy that allowed family members of embassy staff in Moscow to leave Russia, a State Department spokesperson said on Friday. The progress, first reported by the Washington Post, came …

U.S., Russia make progress toward resolving diplomats spat -State Dept Read More »

By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Swedish pop supergroup ABBA on Friday filed a lawsuit to stop a British cover band known as Abba Mania from using that name. In a complaint filed with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, lawyers for ABBA accused Abba Mania’s managers of “parasitic and bad-faith conduct” by …

Money, money, money: ABBA sues over Abba Mania cover band Read More »

By Maria Carolina Marcello BRASILIA (Reuters) – A Brazilian Supreme Court justice ordered on Friday that a probe be opened into President Jair Bolsonaro for having said during a live broadcast on multiple social media platforms in October that COVID-19 vaccines may raise the chance of contracting AIDS. Bolsonaro, who has declined to take the …

Brazilian Supreme Court orders probe into Bolsonaro for linking COVID-19 vaccines to AIDS Read More »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Treasury Department will impose a series of sanctions next week to mark the U.S. Summit for Democracy, targeting people engaged in corruption, serious human rights abuse and who undermine democracy, among others, a Treasury Department spokesperson said on Friday. The Treasury declined to provide specifics on those facing sanctions. The …

U.S. to announce sanctions next week marking Biden’s democracy summit Read More »

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – A six-year-old boy, the sole survivor of an Italian cable car disaster who was kidnapped and taken to Israel by his grandfather, flew back to Italy on Friday night following a nearly three-month custody battle, the boy’s aunt said. Israel’s Supreme Court this week rejected a request by Eitan Biran’s maternal grandfather …

Boy who survived gondola crash returns to Italy after custody battle Read More »

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Ukraine is using Turkish-made drones in the conflict zone in the Donbass region, sticking to “destructive” behaviour, Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, the Kremlin said. Relations between Russia and Ukraine are in the spotlight as Kyiv says Russia amassed thousands of troops near the Ukrainian …

Ukraine uses Turkish drones in Donbass conflict zone, Putin tells Erdogan Read More »

By Richard Lough and Iain Withers PARIS (Reuters) – Paris riverboat cruise company Seine-En-Bateau was braced for a bumper Christmas party season reminiscent of the world before COVID-19. But that was before the Omicron variant landed. Since the beginning of the week, co-owner Pascale Ben Soussan has fielded one cancellation after another as companies either …

In Europe, Omicron ruins Christmas party plans Read More »

By Aparupa Mazumder and Rittik Biswas (Reuters) – Europe crossed 75 million coronavirus cases on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, as the region braces for the new Omicron variant at a time when hospitals in some countries are already strained by the current surge. Over 15 countries in Europe have reported confirmed cases of …

Europe surpasses 75 million COVID-19 cases amid spread of Omicron Read More »