Biden sounds hopeful on debt ceiling, Treasury warns of June 5 default

By Steve Holland, Moira Warburton and Rami Ayyub WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democratic President Joe Biden and a Republican negotiator said on Friday they were working on a deal to raise the U.S. government’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling after the Treasury Department warned that a June 5 default loomed without action. The two sides have been negotiating…

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Roger Waters says Nazi outfit at Berlin concert was anti-fascist

BERLIN/LONDON (Reuters) – Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters said he was opposing fascism and bigotry when he wore a Nazi-style uniform on stage at a concert in Berlin that led German police to launch an investigation into the British musician. The 79-year-old said aspects of his performance at Berlin’s Mercedes-Benz Arena that have been questioned…

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China deletes 1.4 million social media posts in crack down on ‘self-media’ accounts

By Eduardo Baptista BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s cyberspace regulator said 1.4 million social media posts have been deleted following a two-month probe into alleged misinformation, illegal profiteering, and impersonation of state officials, among other “pronounced problems”. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said in a statement on Friday it had closed 67,000 social media accounts…

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Talanx buys Liberty Mutual’s Latin America business for 1.38 billion euros

(Reuters) – Germany’s Talanx said on Saturday it had acquired Liberty Mutual Insurance’s Latin America business for about 1.38 billion euros ($1.52 billion), through its subsidiary HDI International. “The acquisition encompasses Liberty’s retail business in Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador,” Talanx said, adding that the transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2024. ($1…

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Russia tells United States: don’t lecture Moscow on nuclear deployments

By Guy Faulconbridge MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia on Saturday dismissed criticism from U.S. President Joe Biden over Moscow’s plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, saying Washington had for decades deployed just such nuclear weapons in Europe. Russia said on Thursday it was pushing ahead with the first deployment of such weapons outside its…

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Iran says Ukraine president drone criticism a bid to secure more Western arms

(Reuters) – Tehran on Saturday accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of anti-Iranian propaganda in his call for Iran to halt the supply of drones to Russia, saying his comments were designed to attract more arms and financial aid from the West. Zelenskiy in a video address on Wednesday called on Iranians to stop their slide…

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‘Hot labor summer’: Los Angeles unions back Hollywood writers

By Jorge Garcia LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Unions representing teachers, truck drivers and other workers who will be headed soon to the bargaining table turned out in downtown Los Angeles on Friday to support Hollywood’s striking film and television writers. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) began a work stoppage on May 2 after failing…

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