Central Asia forges ties with China as Xi touts ‘enduring’ friendship

By Andrew Hayley XIAN, China (Reuters) – Central Asian heads of state converged in China’s historic city of Xian on Thursday for one-on-ones with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to seal pledges of “enduring” friendship, paving the way for a summit expected to result in a regional pact with Beijing. The bilaterals set the stage for…

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Florida judge rules for Tiger Woods over NDA dispute against ex-girlfriend – media

(Adds dropped word “not” in paragraph 7) (Reuters) – A Florida judge ruled in favor of Tiger Woods on Wednesday, rejecting his former girlfriend Erica Herman’s request to nullify a non-disclosure agreement she signed when they began dating in 2017, U.S. media reported, citing court documents. Herman had asked a judge to void the agreement,…

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Crimea official says rail traffic suspended after derailment

SEVASTOPOL (Reuters) -Rail traffic has been suspended between Simferopol, capital of the Crimean peninsula, and the city of Sevastopol, after a freight train carrying grain derailed, the region’s Russian-installed leader said on Thursday. The derailment was caused by “interference by outsiders”, Crimean railways said in a statement. In a statement posted on Telegram, Sergei Aksyonov…

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Australian police tazered 95-year-old woman at care home – media

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian police have launched an investigation after a 95-year-old woman was injured during an “interaction” with police at an old people’s home. Media said police had tazered the great-grandmother, who has dementia, on Wednesday at the care home in the town of Cooma, about 300 km southwest of Sydney. “A critical incident…

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Nine dead in northern Italy floods, Formula One race called off

By Claudia Greco and Crispian Balmer BOLOGNA, Italy (Reuters) -Nine people died and thousands were evacuated from their homes as torrential rain battered Italy’s northern Emilia-Romagna region, triggering floods and landslides, officials said on Wednesday. Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci said some areas had received half their average annual rainfall in just 36 hours, causing…

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China reopening, earnings rebound to boost North Asian equities -investors

By Anisha Sircar and Divya Chowdhury (Reuters) – Equity markets in North Asia will outperform the broader region this year, buoyed by China’s reopening and a post-pandemic recovery-led earnings rebound, investors and strategists said. Liquidity from easing monetary and fiscal policy, along with Asian central banks’ early victory on inflation, is expected to defend against…

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Thailand’s Move Forward confident it can muster support to form government

By Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat BANGKOK (Reuters) -The leader of the progressive Move Forward Party that delivered a surprise victory in Thailand’s election said on Thursday he was confident he could muster additional support from rivals to back his alliance and form a stable government. Move Forward, which won most seats after it capitalised…

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