World

Exclusive-Germany's army needs to more than double in size, commander says

BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany's army needs to add 100,000 active troops to its existing 62,000 to meet new NATO targets intended to boost preparedness for the growing threat of Russian aggression, its commander says in a confidential paper seen by Reuters on Thursday.

World

Georgia arrests opposition figure who urged 'peaceful revolution' at polls

TBILISI (Reuters) -Georgian authorities on Thursday arrested Levan Khabeishvili, a leader of the country's largest opposition party, days after he had called for a "peaceful revolution" at municipal elections scheduled for next month.

World

Albania appoints AI bot as minister to tackle corruption

PRISTINA (Reuters) -A new minister in Albania charged to handle public procurement will be impervious to bribes, threats, or attempts to curry favour. That is because Diella, as she is called, is an AI-generated bot.  

World

EU sticks to 2028 Russian gas exit after talks with US energy chief

(Reuters) -The EU is sticking to its deadline to phase out Russian oil and gas imports by 2028, EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen said on Thursday after a meeting with U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

World

Duterte defence says ex-Philippine president suffers deteriorating cognitive condition

THE HAGUE (Reuters) -Lawyers for detained former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte say he suffers from significant cognitive deficiencies that affect his memory and daily functioning, documents made public by the International Criminal Court on Thursday showed. 

World

Eswatini says US never asked them to take Kilmar Abrego as deportee

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -Eswatini's government said on Thursday that it did not have any agreement with the United States to receive Kilmar Abrego, who the Trump administration said last week could be deported to the small African state.

World

China's zero-tariff policy offers opportunities for Africa: Ghanaian president

ACCRA, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has described China's zero-tariff policy for Africa as a unique opportunity for the continent to leverage for greater prosperity.

World

Int'l investment fair in China concludes with 644 bln yuan in planned deals

XIAMEN, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- The 25th China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) concluded on Thursday, having witnessed the signature of deals for 1,154 projects and a total planned investment of 644 billion yuan (about 90.66 billion U.S. dollars), according to the fair's organizing committee.

World

Slick Mandelson consumed by glare of Epstein scandal

LONDON (Reuters) -Peter Mandelson, one of most formidable and prominent figures in British politics for 30 years, twice bouncing back from scandals that forced him from government, was finally brought down by his close connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

World

Ghanaian president rules out early return to int'l capital market

ACCRA, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has ruled out the country's return to the international capital market any time soon to seek external financing for development.

World

Slovenia bars Bosnian Serb separatist leader Dodik

SARAJEVO (Reuters) -Slovenia has barred entry to the separatist leader of the Serb part of Bosnia, who has been sentenced to a year in jail and banned from politics for defying Bosnia's international peace envoy, Deputy Prime Minister Matej Arcon said on Thursday.

World

Funding urgently needed as thousands homeless after Afghanistan quake, says UN

GENEVA (Reuters) -Urgent funding is needed to scale up life-saving support for families forced to sleep outdoors following powerful earthquakes that recently struck eastern Afghanistan, the UN's migration agency said on Thursday.

World

People killed in US boat strike were not Tren de Aragua, Venezuela minister says

(Reuters) - None of the 11 people killed in a U.S. military strike on a boat in the Caribbean last week were members of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, Venezuela's interior minister said on Thursday, as the South American nation deployed troops amid heightened tensions with the U.S.

World

Zelenskiy urges allies to rethink air defence after Poland drone intrusion

KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Kyiv's allies on Thursday to rethink their own air defence capabilities after incursions into Polish airspace by drones that Warsaw said were Russian.

World

1st LD: ECB keeps rates on hold

FRANKFURT, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- The European Central Bank (ECB) on Thursday kept its key interest rates unchanged, saying eurozone inflation remains broadly under control.

World

Slovak leader Fico sets conditions for backing more Russia sanctions

(Reuters) -Slovakia cannot support more European Union sanctions against Russia until it gets EU proposals to align climate targets with the needs of carmakers and heavy industry, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Thursday.

World

Merz wants spy agency to match German economic might as hybrid threats rise

BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany needs its BND foreign intelligence service to operate at a level that reflects the country's size and economic weight to deal with hybrid attacks from increasingly aggressive rivals, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Thursday.

World

Romania's inflation climbs to 9.9 pct in August on higher taxes

BUCHAREST, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Romania's annual inflation rate jumped to 9.9 percent in August, up from 7.84 percent in July, driven by an increase in value-added tax (VAT) and excise duties, official data showed Thursday.

World

Urgent: ECB keeps rates on hold again as inflation nears target

FRANKFURT, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- The European Central Bank (ECB) decided on Thursday to leave its key interest rates unchanged at its latest policy meeting, noting that inflation is currently close to its medium-term target of 2 percent.

World

Dutch summon Russian ambassador over violation of Poland's airspace

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -The Dutch government has summoned Russia's ambassador to the Netherlands over the violation of Poland's airspace by Russian drones earlier this week, Foreign Minister David van Weel said on X, confirming an earlier report by Dutch news agency ANP.