One person was detained and police secured the scene, officials and local media reported

International News via Reuters:

A man was seriously injured on Wednesday when shots were fired outside the parliament building in Belgrade near a tent erected by supporters of Serbian President Aleksander Vucic. 

One person was detained and police secured the scene, officials and local media reported. Vucic told a government event he was addressing he had to leave early due to “a terrorist act that has just happened in front of the Serbian assembly building”.

Huge street protests have been going on for a year against Vucic, triggered by the collapse of a train station awning in the city of Novi Sad last November that killed 16 people and that many blame on government neglect and corruption.

The shooting took place in a park between the parliament and Vucic’s office where his supporters have erected tents to block the protesters from approaching the buildings. No protest was going on at the time.

One video posted online showed armed security officers approaching one of the tents as a man hobbled away from the scene. A few shots were fired and then a fire broke out inside the tent, according to a video posted on the NOVA media outlet, the location of which was verified by Reuters.

It was not clear who fired the shots or started the fire, which was put out soon after.

A 70-year-old man shot a 57-year-old man in the leg and then shot a gas canister in the tent camp, Telegraf.rs reported, citing sources.

Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar told reporters that a man had a serious wound and would have to be operated on urgently.

Another video posted on X and verified by Reuters showed a man lying on the ground with his hands behind his back and surrounded by police officers.

A Reuters reporter saw fire engines and police surrounding the site. Local police declined to comment but one officer at the scene said “there is no danger anymore”. 

Additional reporting by Antonis Pothitos and Daria Sito-Sucic; Writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Philippa Fletcher

Visitors queued to enter through the Louvre’s glass pyramid for the first time since Sunday’s brazen robbery

International News via Reuters:

The Louvre in Paris reopened on Wednesday, three days after thieves made off with historic jewellery worth an estimated 88 million euros ($102 million) in a spectacular heist that has raised urgent questions over security lapses at the museum.

Visitors queued to enter through the Louvre’s glass pyramid for the first time since Sunday’s brazen robbery, in which hooded assailants broke through a second-floor window using a stolen movers’ lift before making off with jewels from the royal collection.

Later on Wednesday the museum’s director will appear before the French Senate to answer lawmakers’ questions.

The Galerie d’Apollon, the ornate gilded hall that was robbed, remains closed.

Amid rising frustration in France that no senior official has taken responsibility, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said there had clearly been security failures and Culture Minister Rachida Dati had launched an administrative inquiry.

“There was a burglary at the Louvre, some of the most precious jewels in France were stolen. So obviously it’s a failure, there is nothing else I can say,” Nunez told Europe 1 radio.

But he added that “the alarm system worked perfectly, as soon as the window was attacked, it was activated. Police were notified, and within three minutes they were on the scene. The whole system worked, it didn’t fail, but what happened has happened.”

He declined to comment on the police manhunt, but said he was confident the perpetrators would be found.

Dati came under fire after saying in parliament on Tuesday there had not been any security lapses.

MUSEUM DIRECTOR TO BE HEARD IN SENATE

Louvre director Laurence des Cars will be questioned by senators later on Wednesday. Des Cars warned in January that the centuries-old building was in a dire state.

President Emmanuel Macron has announced a six-year renovation of the Louvre, which will include money for security upgrades. Asked on RTL radio whether state budget cuts had led to security lapses in French museums, the head of France’s national audit office Pierre Moscovici said that was not the case for the Louvre.

“It is richly endowed, there are sponsorships, really, the Louvre is not without resources.”

Built in the late 12th century, the Louvre Palace used to be the official residence of the kings of France, until Louis XIV abandoned it for Versailles. It was turned into a museum for the royal art collection in 1793, four years after the French Revolution.

It is now the world’s most-visited museum, with 8.7 million visitors last year. It hosts the Mona Lisa, the world’s most famous painting, and the Venus de Milo statue, as well as countless old masters.

($1 = 0.8575 euros)

Reporting by Geert De Clercq and Manuel Ausloos;Editing by Alexandra Hudson

The joint complaint by Article 19 and Germany’s Society for Civil Rights to the European Commission could pose yet another headache for Apple

International News via Reuters:

Apple was hit with a complaint to EU antitrust regulators by two civil rights groups on Wednesday over the terms and conditions of its App Store and devices for allegedly breaching landmark rules aimed at reining in Big Tech.

The joint complaint by Article 19 and Germany’s Society for Civil Rights to the European Commission could pose yet another headache for Apple, which was fined 500 million euros ($583 million) in April for violating the Digital Markets Act.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The EU executive, which acts as the bloc’s competition enforcer, did not have any immediate comment.

The complaint, not previously reported, was shared with Reuters ahead of its publication.

The DMA sets out a list of dos and don’ts for Big Tech firms aimed at allowing smaller rivals into markets dominated by the largest companies and giving users more choice.

The complaint targets Apple’s business terms and conditions for its App Store, iOS and iPadOS operating systems, saying that these prevent and impede interoperability for small businesses with Apple devices.

It also takes aim at restrictions on the installation and use of third-party software apps and app stores which it said harm business users and end users in breach of the DMA.

The civil rights groups singled out a stand-by letter of credit (SBLC) of 1 million euros required from developers who want to develop apps for distribution in Apple’s App Store or who want to install a third-party app store as a native app in Apple’s iOS and iPadOS.

“A 1,000,000 euro SBLC can impose a recurring annual cost and collateral requirements that many SMEs cannot meet,” said the 16-page complaint seen by Reuters.

The groups urged the Commission to fine Apple. DMA penalties can be as much as 10% of a company’s global annual revenue.

($1 = 0.8575 euros)

Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Joe Bavier, Kirsten Donovan

Brent crude futures rose $1.18, or 1.9%, to $62.50 a barrel as of 1211 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures climbed $1.17, or 2%, to $58.41

International News via Reuters:

Oil prices pushed higher for a second day on Wednesday, rising by about 2%, buoyed by hopes of progress for a U.S. trade deal with China and India.

Brent crude futures rose $1.18, or 1.9%, to $62.50 a barrel as of 1211 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures climbed $1.17, or 2%, to $58.41.

“Oil prices climbed after reports suggested the U.S. and India are close to finalising a trade deal that could see India gradually cut imports of Russian crude, potentially lifting demand for other grades,” MUFG analyst Soojin Kim said.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, adding that Modi assured him India would be limiting its oil purchases from Russia.

India’s Mint newspaper reported on Wednesday that the two countries were nearing a long-stalled trade agreement that would reduce U.S. tariffs on Indian imports to 15-16% from 50%.

Investors are also closely watching the progress of U.S.-China trade talks as officials from both countries are set to meet this week in Malaysia.

Trump said on Monday he expected to work out a fair trade deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom he was due to meet in South Korea next week. On Tuesday, however, Trump again added to uncertainty over the meeting, saying it might not happen.

Meanwhile, supply concerns flared again on news that a summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had been put on hold, and on disruption fears as Western governments pressured Asian buyers to reduce their purchases of Russian oil.

A potential drop in U.S. oil inventories also boosted prices.

U.S. crude, gasoline and distillate stocks fell last week, market sources said, citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Tuesday.

The U.S. Department of Energy said on Tuesday it aims to buy 1 million barrels of crude oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, as it seeks to take advantage of relatively low oil prices to help replenish its stockpile.

Additinoal reporting by Siyi Liu, Jeslyn Lerh and Florence Tan in Singapore, editing by Ed Osmond, Elaine Hardcastle

The crash happened just after midnight on the highway between the capital Kampala and the northern city of Gulu

International News via Reuters:

Ugandan police on Wednesday revised down the death toll from a major bus crash on one of the country’s busiest highways, saying it had killed 46 people whereas before they had given a toll of 63.

The crash happened just after midnight on the highway between the capital Kampala and the northern city of Gulu.

Initial investigations suggest it was caused by two buses coming from opposite directions trying to overtake other vehicles, a lorry and a sport utility vehicle (SUV). The two buses collided head-on.

The Uganda Police Force said in a statement that they had mistakenly given a higher death toll earlier in the day because some victims had been found unconscious at the scene, meaning they were erroneously included in the initial toll.

President Yoweri Museveni sent condolences to the victims while campaigning for January’s general election not far from the place the accident happened.

Reporting by Elias Biryabarema;Editing by Alexander Winning