Explainer-What Macron means when he says he wants to ‘take back control’ of French power prices

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said last week his government would "take back control" of electricity prices by the end of the year, without spelling out what steps he would take. His comments come as European Union countries are negotiating a reform of how power prices are calculated across the bloc of 27 countries,...

‘They’re just meat’: Russia deploys punishment battalions in echo of Stalin

LONDON, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Drunk recruits. Insubordinate soldiers. Convicts. They're among hundreds of military and civilian offenders who've been pressed into Russian penal units known as "Storm-Z" squads and sent to the frontlines in Ukraine this year, according to 13 people with knowledge of the matter, including five fighters in the units. Few live to tell their...

Ukraine’s parliament taunts Elon Musk after meme mocking Zelenskiy

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine's parliament and its speaker taunted billionaire Elon Musk on Monday after he posted a meme on his social media platform mocking President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's pleas for wartime assistance from the West. Musk owns SpaceX, which provides Starlink satellite communication services that are vital for Ukraine's defence effort, but his statements have sometimes...

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...