Biden gets backing of leading environmental groups for re-election

By Trevor Hunnicutt and Jarrett Renshaw WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A collection of the nation’s leading and biggest spending environmental groups endorsed President Joe Biden’s re-election bid on Wednesday, an early sign that he has consolidated their support despite some recent policy moves that angered climate activists. The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Action Fund, billionaire…

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Taiwan agrees to fully open to Canadian beef imports ahead of trade deal

TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan’s government on Thursday agreed to fully open its market to imports of Canadian beef, lifting a stumbling block as Taipei angles to sign a bilateral investment agreement with Ottawa this year. Taiwan had previously banned imports of Canadian beef slaughtered more than 30 months earlier due to concerns about bovine spongiform…

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Russian foreign ministry summons Canadian envoy over plane confiscation

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that it had summoned a Canadian diplomat in Moscow in protest over the confiscation of an Antonov plane in Toronto, and warned that Russian-Canadian relations were on the “verge of being severed.” Canada on Saturday ordered the seizure of a Russian-registered Antonov-124 cargo plane at Toronto’s…

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ISS backs election of Langer to replace former Biogen director Denner

By Svea Herbst-Bayliss NEW YORK (Reuters) – Proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services on Thursday recommended that Biogen <BIIB.O> shareholders elect Susan Langer to replace long-standing director Alex Denner, who abruptly left the board earlier this week. Biogen said Langer, a former corporate strategy chief at the biotech company, would stand for election to replace…

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US says Kosovo and Serbia must both take immediate steps to de-escalate tensions

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. State Department on Thursday said Kosovo and Serbia must both take immediate steps to de-escalate tensions, which includes the unconditional release of three Kosovo police officers detained by Serbia. “We believe that Kosovo and Serbia must both take immediate steps to de-escalate tensions,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters….

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Chechen fighters sent to Russian border with Ukraine, leader Kadyrov says

(Reuters) – Chechen fighters have been deployed in Russia’s Belgorod region bordering Ukraine to prevent attacks from “Ukrainian sabotage groups”, Chechnya ruler Ramzan Kadyrov said on Thursday. Belgorod region has in the past month reported a series of cross-border incursions from pro-Ukraine Russian partisan groups calling themselves opponents of President Vladimir Putin. Kadyrov, a Putin…

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Fashion retailers resilient despite consumer fears

LONDON (Reuters) – A strong start to June for the world’s second-biggest fashion retailer H&M, an optimistic outlook from Hugo Boss and a return to profitability at ASOS helped allay concerns over a sector hit by weakening U.S. demand. Signs of resilience came as a relief to investors concerned that economic uncertainty is driving shoppers…

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