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Exclusive-UN moves to unlock stuck climate financing for Afghanistan, agencies say

KABUL/BAKU (Reuters) - United Nations agencies are trying to unlock key climate financing for Afghanistan, one of the world's most vulnerable countries to climate change which has not received approval for any fresh such funds since the 2021 Taliban takeover, two U.N. officials told Reuters. 

World

Son of Norwegian princess arrested on suspicion of rape is not new to controversies

KUALA LUMPUR: Marius Borg Hoiby, the son of Norwegian crown princess Mette-Marit, who was arrested on suspicion of rape on Monday (Nov 19) night, is not new to controversies.

World

Ugandan opposition politician kidnapped in Kenya, his wife says

KAMPALA (Reuters) - A prominent Ugandan opposition politician was kidnapped during a book launch in Kenya over the weekend, transferred to Uganda and is being held at a military jail in Kampala, his wife said on Wednesday.

World

US reopens Kyiv embassy after Ukraine firing of ATACMS missiles into Russia prompted potential strike threat

KYIV (Reuters) - The United States said it had reopened its embassy in Kyiv late on Wednesday after it had shut for the day due to what it called the threat of a significant air attack, a day after Ukraine used American missiles to hit a target inside Russia.

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North Korea troops have joined Ukraine war battles as part of Russian units, Seoul says

SEOUL (Reuters) - Around 10,900 North Korean troops have been deployed to Kursk as part of Russia's airborne unit and marines, with some already participating in battles in the Ukraine war, a South Korean lawmaker said on Wednesday citing the country's spy agency.

World

Kremlin says Russia-US hotline to deflate crisis not in use

(Reuters) - A special hotline in place to deflate crises between the Kremlin and the White House is not currently being used, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, as nuclear risks rise amid the highest tensions between Russia and West in decades.

World

Biden approves anti-personnel mines for Ukraine, US official says

(Reuters) -President Joe Biden has approved provision of anti-personnel land mines to Ukraine, a U.S. official told Reuters, a step that could help slow Russian advances in its east, especially when used along with other munitions from the United States.

World

Philippines to repatriate Filipina drug convict from Indonesia

MANILA/JAKARTA (Reuters) -A Filipina spared from execution on drug trafficking charges in Indonesia in 2015 will be returned to the Philippines after years of negotiations between the two Southeast Asian neighbours, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Wednesday.

World

Japanese manicurist takes on plastic pollution, one nail at a time

CHIGASAKI, Japan (Reuters) - Before global leaders take the problem of plastic pollution into their hands this month, Japanese manicurist Naomi Arimoto is putting it into her fingernails.

World

Norwegian crown princess's eldest son arrested on suspicion of rape

Copenhagen: Marius Borg Høiby, the eldest son of Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has been accused of committing a sex act with an unconscious or defenceless person, with the rape allegation resulting in his third arrest in four months.

World

Doctors Without Borders halts operations in Haiti's capital

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) -Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on Tuesday that it is stopping operations across the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince and its wider metropolitan area due to an escalation in violence and threats to its staff from members of the Haitian police.

World

More than two dozen killed after attempted attack on Haiti suburb

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) -More than two dozen suspected gang members were killed in Haiti's capital on Tuesday after residents joined police to fight off an attempted overnight attack on an affluent hillside suburb of Port-au-Prince, police said.

World

U.S. crude oil inventories up last week: API

HOUSTON, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- The American Petroleum Institute (API) on Tuesday reported an increase of 4.753 million barrels of crude oil in U.S. inventories for the week ending Nov. 15.

World

Peru president's brother gets 3 years pre-trial detention in corruption case

LIMA (Reuters) - A Peruvian court on Tuesday ordered President Dina Boluarte's brother be held for up to three years as he is investigated over alleged influence peddling, bribery and involvement in a criminal organization, in a case that could implicate the country's top leader.

World

U.S. stocks close mixed before Nvidia results

NEW YORK, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks ended mixed on Tuesday, as Wall Street appeared to downplay fears of a nuclear escalation stemming from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, while Nvidia's solid rise bolstered the tech-heavy Nasdaq.

World

Economic Watch: Hong Kong to be more popular int'l financial center as market confidence perks up

by Xinhua writer Liu Yinglun

World

Meta hires Salesforce's AI chief to lead new business AI group

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Meta confirmed on Tuesday that the company hired Salesforce's artificial intelligence (AI) CEO Clara Shih to lead a new organization building AI tools for businesses that use Meta's apps to reach consumers.

World

Blinken calls Venezuela's opposition leader Gonzalez 'president-elect'

WASHINGTON/CARACAS (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday called Venezuela's Edmundo Gonzalez the country's "president-elect" for the first time, signaling that Washington wants to step up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro.

World

Weather warnings issued in U.S. Northern California ahead of bomb cyclone

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Weather authorities of the U.S. state of California have issued a series of advisories and warnings as a powerful bomb cyclone intensifies off the U.S. Pacific coast.

World

Chinese ambassador visits highway project in northern Mongolia

DARKHAN, Mongolia, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Mongolia Shen Minjuan has visited a key highway project in the northern Mongolian province of Darkhan-Uul.