By David Shepardson (Reuters) -The Federal Trade Commission asked a court to temporarily block Microsoft Corp's acquisition of Activision Blizzard

Ukrainian authorities are reportedly conducting an investigation to determine whether a member of parliament violated the law by taking a family holiday to the Maldives. Earlier in January this year, the Ukrainian president banned officials from travelling abroad for non-governmental purposes. The security service has initiated a criminal case to ascertain whether member of parliament, Yuriy Aristov provided false information to the authorities. He faces up to three years in prison if convicted. During a video address in January, Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Ignoring the war is a luxury that no one can afford.” He added: “There is a principled decision of the NSDC [National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine] on officials travelling abroad. It applies to all officials of the central government and various other levels of local government. It applies to law enforcers, people’s deputies, prosecutors and all those who are supposed to work for the state and in the state. If they want to rest now, they will rest outside the civil service. Officials will no longer be able to travel abroad for vacation or for any other non-governmental purpose.” Mr Aristov is accused of providing false information while applying to leave the country. He reportedly went on a family vacation to the Maldives. The MP reportedly told authorities he was going on sick leave. But investigations found that Mr Aristov had been on the private island of Ithaafushi in the Maldives in mid-July with his wife and children. The State Bureau of Investigation and the Security Service of Ukraine have opened a criminal case against him. Mr Aristov was abroad from 5 June to 22 July, during which he embarked on a three-day business trip to Poland before being observed in the Maldives by Ukrainian media. Kyiv Independent said that he was first spotted in the luxurious 5-star Waldorf Astoria Maldives hotel on the private island in mid-July. An investigation by the Ukrainian outlet, Slidstvo.info revealed that Mr Aristov had indeed been a guest at the Maldives resort after the hotel confirmed. However, by the time they received the inquiry, he had already checked out. The accommodation costs at this exclusive resort vary significantly – starting from 100,000 hryvnias [$2,600] and reaching 323,000 hryvnias [$8,800] for a single night. Additionally, there is a premium villa option that surpasses one million hryvnias per night [$26,700], according to local media. In response to the publication of the investigation, Mr Aristov promptly resigned from his position as a people’s deputy. Parliament speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk made the announcement of his resignation on Facebook. Read More North Korea’s Kim Jong-un shows Russia’s defence minister banned ballistic missiles Bluffing or not, Putin’s declared deployment of nuclear weapons to Belarus ramps up saber-rattling Ireland unlikely to offer condolences to Russia if Putin dies, Varadkar says The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

A bus crash in the Mexican state of Oaxaca killed 18 people on Friday, according to local authorities, who say most of the passengers were migrants.

Russian missiles have struck Odesa two nights in a row, damaging key infrastructure in the region. Early on Monday morning, Russian attacks in the region left a high-rise hotel destroyed and at least two workhouse workers dead. An air strike on Monday night saw further attacks on the key Ukrainian grain exporting port of Izmail, injuring two people and damaging infrastructure, the governor of the Odesa region said on Tuesday. A port building, storage facilities and more than 30 trucks and cars were damaged in Monday night’s attack, which lasted more than two hours, Oleh Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app. The Ukrainian military reported shooting down 26 of the 38 Iranian-made attack drones it said were launched by Russia. Moscow has intensified its air attacks on Ukrainian ports on the Danube River, including Izmail and Reni, after it quit a grain deal in July that ensured the safe export of Ukrainian grains. Seperately on Tuesday morning, a Russian missile strike damaged a local enterprise in the southern Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, its mayor, Oleksandr Vilkul, said. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Read More Putin’s Black Sea fleet commander ‘killed in navy attack’ as Ukraine breakthrough triggers ‘panic’ Tucker Carlson denies rumour he is launching Russian TV show after his image appeared on state channel Canadian parliament accidentally honours Nazi - with Zelensky and Trudeau applauding How Ukraine’s forces have surged back against Russia

A jury has resumed deliberating in the trial of a truck driver who shot and killed 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue in the nation’s deadliest attack on Jewish people

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A bottle of what is being called “the most-sought after Scotch whisky” is set to be auctioned next month at Sotheby's in London

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(Reuters) -British electric vehicle startup Arrival SA said on Monday it would terminate plans to merge with special purpose acquisition

The war between Israel and Hamas has turned the spotlight on Egypt’s role as a regional powerbroker, potentially