Month: October 2018

Irish pagans celebrate Halloween precursor Samhain with fire procession People take part in a procession up the hill of Tlachtga as part of the Flame of Samhain festival, in Athboy, Ireland, October 31, 2018. Samhain is believed to be the ancient precursor to Halloween and marks the end of the old Celtic year and the beginning of the new year where the spirits of the dead are passed onto the next world. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne ATHBOY, Ireland (Reuters) - Irish pagans gathered at an ancient sacred site on Wednesday night to…

Venezuelan court frees men jailed for video mocking Maduro - groups CARACAS (Reuters) - Two Venezuelan firefighters who were jailed last month after mocking unpopular President Nicolas Maduro in a viral video portraying him as a donkey were freed on Wednesday, two human rights groups said. Ricardo Prieto, 41, and Carlos Varon, 45, walked out of a court hearing with a local judge in the western state of Merida, according to the human rights observatory of the University of the Andes, which is tracking the case. A judge had previously…

Mexico's president-elect meets airport construction firms MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican president-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador met on Wednesday with Hermes and ICA, two of the biggest construction firms contracted to build a $13 billion (£10.1 billion) airport near the capital that is now slated to be scrapped, company executives said. FILE PHOTO: A general view shows a part of the terminal area at the construction site of the new Mexico City International Airport in Texcoco on the outskirts of Mexico City, Mexico October 29, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Romero/File Photo Lopez…

VW and Ford in talks on self-driving and electric vehicles - source FRANKFURT/DETROIT (Reuters) - Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) and Ford Motor Co (F.N) are in “exploratory talks” to jointly develop self-driving and electric vehicles in a far-reaching strategic alliance meant to save the companies billions of dollars, according to a person familiar with the matter. FILE PHOTO: A Volkswagen logo is pictured during the Volkswagen Group’s annual general meeting in Berlin, Germany, May 3, 2018. REUTERS/Axel Schmidt The German and U.S. automakers are expected to provide an update on the…

Austria to shun global migration pact, fearing creep in human rights VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria will follow the United States and Hungary in backing out of a United Nations migration pact over concerns it will blur the line between legal and illegal migration, the right-wing government said on Wednesday. FILE PHOTO: Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz attends a news conference after the ASEM leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium October 19, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration was approved in July by all 193 member nations…

U.N. says Austria and Hungary mistaken to shun non-binding migrant pact GENEVA (Reuters) - Austria and Hungary’s decision to turn their backs on a U.N. agreement on how to manage migration is bizarre and mistaken, U.N. Special Representative for International Migration Louise Arbour told Reuters on Wednesday. The Global Compact For Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration was approved in July by all 193 U.N. member nations except the United States, which pulled out last year. Hungary quit in July, and on Wednesday Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said his country would…

Venezuelan court frees men jailed for video mocking Maduro - rights groups CARACAS (Reuters) - Two Venezuelan firefighters who were jailed last month after mocking unpopular President Nicolas Maduro by making a viral video portraying him as a donkey were freed on Wednesday, two human rights groups said. Ricardo Prieto, 41, and Carlos Varon, 45, walked out of a court hearing with a local judge in the western state of Merida with their families, according to the human rights observatory of the University of the Andes, which is tracking the…

Pittsburgh synagogue shooting suspect faces new charges as funerals continue PITTSBURGH (Reuters) - A federal grand jury on Wednesday charged the man accused of killing 11 worshippers in a Pittsburgh synagogue with additional hate crimes and firearms offences, as the Jewish community held more funerals for victims of the worst anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history. The 44-count grand jury indictment expands on the charges initially brought against avowed anti-Semite Robert Bowers, 46, after Saturday’s massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill district. “Today begins the process…