Australia PM rallies support for Indigenous referendum as early voting starts

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday he would focus on having one-on-one conversations with Australians to rally support for the Indigenous referendum, as early voting began in some parts of the country. In a landmark referendum, Australians will decide on Oct. 14 whether to approve altering the constitution to enshrine an...

Senegal navy intercepts migrant boats as more risk perilous journey

SAINT LOUIS, Senegal (Reuters) - The Senegalese Navy said on Sunday it had stopped two more boats carrying 262 would-be migrants late the previous night, taking the total to five boats intercepted and over 600 people rescued by a navy patrol boat since Thursday. Those rescued included 26 women and 13 minors, the navy said in...

Ukraine shoots down 30 drones over south, centre, officials say

(Reuters) - Ukraine's air force shot down 30 out of 40 Iranian-made "Shahed" drones launched by Russia in an overnight attack on central and southern regions, regional and military officials said on Saturday. The South Military command said that 20 drones were shot down in the central Vinnytsia region and another 10 over the Odesa and...

Tough issues to clear for start of EU membership talks with Ukraine -PM Orban

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday that several "very difficult questions" would need to be answered before the European Union could even start membership talks with Ukraine. EU countries are due to decide in December whether to allow Ukraine to begin accession negotiations, which would require the unanimous backing of all...

Putin meets former Wagner commander Troshev

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian President Vladimir Putin was on Friday shown meeting one of the most senior former commanders of the Wagner group and talking about how volunteer units could fight in Ukraine but the Kremlin said the mercenary now worked for the defence ministry. The meeting underscored the Kremlin's attempt to show that the state had...

Exclusive-Kosovo’s president blames Serbia for shootout, says Kosovo ‘under attack’

PRISTINA (Reuters) - Kosovo's president Vjosa Osmani has accused Serbia and its president Aleksandar Vucic of being behind a shootout between armed men and Kosovar police in the north of the country last weekend, in the worst violence in the restive area in years. Kosovo authorities said police fought around 30 heavily-armed Serbs who stormed the...

Exclusive-Biden officials kept immigration jails despite internal cost concerns

(Reuters) - Biden administration officials last year recommended closing or downsizing nine immigration detention centers because of high costs and staffing shortages, a move that could have saved $235 million, a draft U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) memo reviewed by Reuters shows. But ICE ultimately only ended contracts with two of the detention centers...

Jailed Italian Mafia boss Messina Denaro dies -ANSA

ROME (Reuters) -Italian Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, who was arrested in January after spending 30 years on the run, has died, ANSA news agency reported on Monday. Messina Denaro, 61, was suffering from cancer at the time of his arrest. As his condition worsened in recent weeks he was transferred to a hospital from the...

UK interior minister to raise ‘unsustainable’ migration pressures during U.S. visit

LONDON (Reuters) - British interior minister Suella Braverman will raise the "the unsustainable pressures" created by illegal migration when she makes a three-day visit to the U.S. this week, her office said on Sunday. In a keynote speech, Braverman will present a blueprint for how countries can combat the crisis and highlight how Britain has led...

India anti-terror agency seizes properties of alleged Khalistan militant

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's federal anti-terror agency on Saturday said it confiscated the properties of an alleged Khalistani militant whom it accuses of terror activities in India, as tensions with Canada grow over Sikh separatists. The seizure of a house and land owned by Gurpatwant Singh Pannu in India's northern state of Punjab "comes as...