Canadian wildfire smoke spreads, 100 million Americans under air-quality alerts

By Brendan O’Brien CHICAGO (Reuters) -Murky, dull skies loomed over tens of millions of Americans on Thursday as smoke from prolonged Canadian wildfires drifted across the Midwest and East, causing unhealthy and, in some spots, dangerous conditions. Air-quality alerts were in effect until midnight for a swath of the United States that extended from Wisconsin…

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Exclusive-EDF CEO tells managers nuclear business to be reorganised

PARIS (Reuters) – EDF CEO Luc Remont told managers on Thursday that the state-owned power group’s nuclear activities would be reorganised to overcome recurring problems that cut production last year. An EDF spokesperson told Reuters a reorganisation of the nuclear division had been announced with the aim of ushering in “deep change” so that each…

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U.S. Supreme Court buoys religious employees who seek accommodations at work

By Andrew Chung (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday bolstered the ability of employees to obtain accommodations at work for their religious practices, reviving a lawsuit by an evangelical Christian former mail carrier accusing the Postal Service of discrimination after being disciplined for refusing to show up for work on Sundays. The 9-0 ruling…

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Mexico’s economic outlook uncertain, say finance officials

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico’s financial system stability committee described the country’s economic outlook as uncertain on Thursday, citing persistent risks of further weakening of economic activity stemming from a complex external environment. “Looking ahead, the outlook remains uncertain,” the committee said in a statement, noting that domestic demand should nonetheless continue to support domestic…

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Russian patriarch tells papal envoy their Churches should work together for peace

MOSCOW (Reuters) – The head of Russia’s influential Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, told an envoy of Pope Francis on Thursday their churches should work together to avert “negative political developments and serve the cause of peace and justice.” Kirill is a strong supporter of President Vladimir Putin’s decision to send troops into Ukraine, while Francis…

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