US forecaster sees 62% chance of El Niño developing during May-July

By Ashitha Shivaprasad (Reuters) -A U.S. weather forecaster on Thursday predicted a 62% chance of the El Niño phenomenon developing in the Northern Hemisphere during May-July, and a strong chance toward end-year, likely compounding risks to crops across the globe. “The coastal warming in the eastern Pacific may foreshadow changes across the Pacific basin. Therefore,…

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Exclusive-Colombian armed groups and gangs have 17,600 members, intelligence reports find

By Luis Jaime Acosta BOGOTA (Reuters) – More than 17,600 people are members of the four major armed groups and 23 gangs with which the Colombian government hopes to reach peace or surrender deals, two security agency reports seen by Reuters show. The newly updated figures, which have not been reported before, are an effort…

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Alibaba’s Hong Kong shares slump on SoftBank’s stake sale report

By Kiyoshi Takenaka and Ankur Banerjee TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese technology investor SoftBank Group Corp has moved to sell almost all of its remaining shares in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, the Financial Times reported, sending the Chinese e-commerce giant’s Hong Kong-listed shares lower. The sale would come as valuations of China’s big tech firms have started…

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Biden’s subdued reaction to OPEC+ cuts foreshadows economic slowdown, carries risk

By Jarrett Renshaw and Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) -When OPEC+ made a surprise decision earlier this month to cut oil production, President Joe Biden responded with the political equivalent of a shrug – a far cry from his declaration that there would be “consequences” for Saudi Arabia, the de facto head of the oil cartel,…

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Pakistan govt and judiciary in new standoff amid economic turmoil

By Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Pakistan’s parliament on Thursday ruled against providing funds for provincial snap polls ordered by the Supreme Court, creating new discord between the judiciary and government amid months of political and economic turmoil. The chief justice had already summoned government finance officials to his chamber on Friday to seek a reply…

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Russia’s Navalny has mystery ailment which may be slow poisoning – spokeswoman

By Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn and Filipp Lebedev MOSCOW (Reuters) -Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition politician, is grappling with severe stomach pain in jail that could be some sort of slow acting poison, his spokeswoman said on Thursday. An ambulance was called for Navalny overnight on Friday to Saturday to the maximum security IK-6…

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