The delay underscores the disruptions caused by the three-week U.S. federal government shutdown

International News via Reuters:

Consumer goods group Unilever said on Tuesday it expects to complete the spin-off of its Magnum Ice Cream unit, after a delay because of the U.S. government shutdown, by December 6.

The delay underscores the disruptions caused by the three-week U.S. federal government shutdown with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission unable to declare the registration statement effective, which is required for shares of The Magnum Ice Cream Company to list and trade on the New York Stock Exchange.

The admission of shares of The Magnum Ice Cream Company, with a primary listing in Amsterdam and secondary listings planned in New York and London, is now expected to commence on December 8, rather than the earlier schedule of November 10, Unilever said.

The government shutdown is expected to cost the U.S. economy as much as $15 billion a week in lost output.

Reporting by Shanima A in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona and Tasim Zahid

Belgium’s busiest airport briefly reopened after two hours of disruption, but was closed again after more drone sightings

International News via Reuters:

Belgium’s Brussels and Liege airports were closed on Tuesday evening after drone sightings, diverting many incoming planes and preventing others from taking off.

Kurt Verwilligen, a spokesperson for the Belgian air traffic control service, said shortly before 8 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) a drone had been seen near Brussels Airport, which was then closed as a security precaution.

Belgium’s busiest airport briefly reopened after two hours of disruption, but was closed again after more drone sightings. It was unclear when flights would resume.

National carrier Brussels Airlines said 15 outbound flights were unable to take off, while eight incoming flights were diverted to other airports.

Liege Airport, used principally as a cargo hub, was also closed due to drone sightings, an airport spokesperson said.

The incidents followed drones seen over a Belgian military air base during the weekend. Defence Minister Theo Francken told public broadcaster RTBF that Tuesday’s incident appeared to be carried out by professionals intent on destabilising the country.

Drones have caused considerable disruption across Europe in recent months. In September, Copenhagen Airport was closed for four hours and Oslo Airport for three hours following drone sightings. There were also suspected Russian drone incursions into Polish and Romanian airspace.

Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Chris Reese, Aurora Ellis, Rod Nickel

It will also look into the offence of enabling “illegal transactions by an organised gang”

International News via Reuters:

French judicial authorities said on Tuesday they had opened an investigation into Chinese social media platform TikTok and the risks of its algorithms pushing young people into suicide.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the probe was in response to a French parliament committee’s request to open a criminal inquiry into TikTok’s possible responsibility for endangering the lives of its young users.

She said a report by the committee had noted “insufficient moderation of TikTok, its ease of access by minors and its sophisticated algorithm, which could push vulnerable individuals toward suicide by quickly trapping them in a loop of dedicated content”.

TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The Paris police cybercrime brigade will look into the offence of providing a platform for “propaganda in favour of products, objects, or methods recommended as means of committing suicide”, which is punishable by three years’ imprisonment.

It will also look into the offence of enabling “illegal transactions by an organised gang”, punishable by 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of 1 million euros ($1.2 million).

PARLIAMENT REPORT SAID TIKTOK ENDANGERS LIVES OF USERS

The parliamentary report sought to examine the psychological effects of TikTok on young people after seven families accused the platform in a 2024 lawsuit of exposing their children to content pushing them to commit suicide.

The committee’s chairman said on September 11 that TikTok “has deliberately endangered the health and lives of its users” and therefore referred the matter to the court. 

TikTok said at the time it “categorically rejects the Commission’s misleading presentation, which seeks to make our company a scapegoat for issues that concern the entire sector and society as a whole”.

The prosecutor’s office said that besides the parliamentary report, the inquiry would include other findings including a 2023 Senate report highlighting risks in terms of freedom of expression, data collection and offensive algorithms. It also cited a 2023 Amnesty International report warning that TikTok algorithms are addictive and pose a risk of self-harm among young people.

It added that a February 2025 report by French state agency Viginum, which tracks foreign digital interference, warned of a risk of manipulation of public opinion in an electoral context. ($1 = 0.8575 euros)

Reporting by Geert De Clercq; Editing by Richard Chang

The majority of the victims were killed by live rounds although several died from wounds sustained when they were beaten with batons and sticks, the two U.N. sources said

International News via Reuters:

Cameroon’s security forces killed 48 civilians as they responded to protests against the re-election of President Paul Biya, the world’s oldest ruler, according to data shared with Reuters on Tuesday by two U.N. sources.

The majority of the victims were killed by live rounds although several died from wounds sustained when they were beaten with batons and sticks, the two U.N. sources said.

The 92-year-old Biya’s government has not provided a death toll for the protests and a government spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Republican Senator Jim Risch of Idaho, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, accused Biya’s government on Tuesday of staging a “sham” re-election, hunting down its political opponents and unlawfully detaining American citizens, including some from Idaho.

He didn’t specify who he was referring to.

“Cameroon is not a U.S. partner, and poses economic and security risks to the American people. It’s time to reassess this relationship before the blowback gets worse,” Risch said on X.

Biya was named winner of the election by a comfortable margin last week, receiving 53.66% of the vote against 35.19% for opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a former government spokesperson who resigned from his ministerial post in June.

Tchiroma had declared himself the winner shortly after the October 12 election, and protests erupted in various locations as early results showed Biya, in power since 1982, would get an eighth term.

A civil society group known as Stand Up for Cameroon said last week that at least 23 people had been killed as a result of security forces cracking down on protesters.

Nearly half of the deaths recorded by the U.N. occurred in Cameroon’s Littoral region, which includes the port city of Douala where election-related protests last week were most intense.

Three gendarmes also died in Douala, according to the U.N. data.

There were 10 deaths recorded in the North region, the capital of which is Garoua, Tchiroma’s hometown.

Protests have died down considerably this week. Tchiroma called for a three-day national lockdown starting Monday, urging supporters to suspend activities and remain at home to show dissent at the election results.

Biya is expected to be sworn in on Thursday.

Reporting by Robbie Corey-Boulet; Additional reporting by Jessica Donati and Bate Felix; Editing by Alex Richardson and Hugh Lawson

Novo’s revised offer brings the deal value to about $10 billion, while Pfizer is now willing to shell out $8.1 billion

International News via Reuters:

Novo Nordisk and Pfizer have revised their bids for Metsera, the obesity drug developer said on Tuesday.

Novo’s revised offer brings the deal value to about $10 billion, while Pfizer is now willing to shell out $8.1 billion.

The revised bids come as both companies are engaged in a public dispute to acquire Metsera.

Pfizer has filed two lawsuits against Metsera, its board, and Novo Nordisk.

The first lawsuit, filed on Friday, claims Novo’s bid breaches Pfizer’s merger agreement and seeks to bypass antitrust review. Pfizer is asking a court to block Metsera from terminating the deal, with a hearing set for later on Tuesday.

As per Novo’s new offer, Metsera is also eligible to receive an additional $24.00 per share in cash, up from $21.25, based on development and regulatory approval milestones.

Reporting by Mrinalika Roy, Christy Santhosh and Siddhi Mahatole in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel and Leroy Leo