Smoke rises during an Israeli raid at Al Shifa hospital. March 21. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas |
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- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Cairo for talks with Arab officials to push for a ceasefire in Gaza, after Israel's prime minister told US Republicans there would be no let-up in the war against Hamas. In Gaza itself, Israel's military offensive centers on the Al Shifa hospital for a fourth day.
- Russia launched a missile attack on the Ukrainian capital, injuring at least 10 people and damaging residential buildings and industrial facilities, although air defenses downed all the missiles. The first large attack in recent weeks targeted Kyiv with both ballistic and cruise missiles, said an official. Follow the latest.
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- Leo Varadkar announced he was stepping down as Ireland's prime minister in a surprise move, saying the country's coalition government would stand a better chance of reelection under another leader. Varadkar's Fine Gael party will open nominations for a new leader today. Here are the main potential contenders.
- Portugal's president named Luis Montenegro, head of the center-right Democratic Alliance (AD), as the country's new prime minister and invited him to form a minority government after eight years of Socialist rule. The AD won the parliamentary election by a slim margin, far short of a working majority.
- Vietnam's legislature appointed Vice-President Vo Thi Anh Xuan as acting head of state, after President Vo Van Thuong became the latest top official to fall amid an intensified corruption crackdown by the ruling Communist Party. Thuong was removed from the powerful Politburo for unspecified violations of party rules.
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- Australia will begin enforcing tougher visa rules for foreign students as migration hit another record high. Language requirements for student and graduate visas will be increased, while the government will get the power to suspend education providers from recruiting international students if they repeatedly break rules.
- Tibet is luring investors from elsewhere in China with a promise to let their children take university entrance exams there in return for an investment of at least $400,000, an unusual move to exploit what is considered an easier scoring system.
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- US central bankers still anticipate cutting interest rates three times this year, but elevated inflation data mean some committee members have become more hawkish. Federal Reserve Correspondent Howard Schneider explains what it all means for consumers on today's Reuters World News podcast.
- The Swiss National Bank cut its main interest rate by 25 basis points to 1.50%, a surprise move which made it the first major central bank to dial back tighter monetary policy aimed at tackling inflation. Meanwhile, the European Central Bank is expected to make its first reduction in borrowing costs in June.
- A resurgence of raids by Somali pirates is piling risks and costs onto shipping companies also contending with attacks by the Houthi militia in the Red Sea and other nearby waters. More than 20 attempted hijackings since November have driven up prices for security guards and insurance coverage.
- India reversed a laptop licensing policy after behind-the-scenes lobbying by US officials, who however remain concerned about New Delhi's compliance with WTO obligations and new rules it may issue, according to US trade officials and government emails seen by Reuters.
- Reddit priced its initial public offering at the top of its targeted range of $31 to $34 per share, raising $748 million and giving the ailing technology IPO market a much-needed boost. Reddit and its existing shareholders sold 22 million shares at $34 a share, giving Reddit a valuation of about $6.4 billion.
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Ookanzakura cherry blossoms in full bloom at Ueno Park in Tokyo. REUTERS/Issei Kato |
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From the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C., to the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, our photographers captured cherry trees blooming in springtime around the world. |
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An artist's impression shows a terrestrial planet in the process of being captured by a twin star. Intouchable, OPENVERSE/Handout via REUTERS |
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Our planetary system has been very stable during its roughly 4.5 billion years of existence. But not all are so lucky, as shown in a new study involving "twin" stars. An examination of 91 pairs of stars with matching sizes and chemical compositions showed that a surprising number exhibited signs of having ingested a planet. |
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