Six people in critical condition, one still missing after Paris blast – prosecutor

PARIS (Reuters) – Six people remained in a critical condition and one person was believed still missing on Thursday, one day after a blast ripped through a street near Paris’ historic Latin Quarter, the city’s public prosecution office said. “These figures may still change,” prosecutor Maylis De Roeck told Reuters in a text message, adding…

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Explainer-What is the ‘Bridgetown Initiative’ asking for at Paris summit?

PARIS (Reuters) – President Macron hosts a summit in Paris starting Thursday to discuss reform of the world’s multilateral finance institutions in the face of climate change and other development challenges. A key topic of discussion will be suggestions from a groupof developing countries, led by Barbados, dubbed the ‘BridgetownInitiative’. The key demands of the…

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Deadly China blast sparks fears about safety at BBQ restaurants

By Ryan Woo BEIJING (Reuters) -A gas explosion at a barbecue eatery on Wednesday night in China’s northwestern Ningxia region killed 31, according to state-run Xinhua news agency, in one of the country’s deadliest restaurant blasts in recent years. The explosion at the two-storey establishment sparked discussion on Chinese social media about the safety of…

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Brazil’s Lula says EU should ‘give up’ protectionism to reach Mercosur deal

By Catarina Demony (Reuters) – Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday the European Union should stop adopting a protectionist stance if it wants to reach a long-delayed trade deal with the Mercosur bloc. The EU and the Mercosur bloc of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay completed negotiations in 2019 but the…

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Explainer-What is China’s position on restructuring debt owed by poor nations?

By Joe Cash (Reuters) – China’s Premier Li Qiang and dozens of world leaders will meet in Paris on Thursday and Friday to discuss ways to help low-income countries manage their debt burdens and free up funding for climate financing. As the world’s largest bilateral creditor, China is central to talks on making tangible progress…

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Honduras hands prison control to military police, expands emergency powers after deadly riot

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) – Honduras will return control of most of the country’s penal system to the military police for the next year, the Central American country’s presidential office said late on Wednesday, a day after a prison riot claimed nearly 50 lives. The measure is part of a fresh crackdown on crime which includes expanding…

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Drought-hit Panama Canal further restricts maximum ship depth

By Elida Moreno PANAMA CITY (Reuters) – The Panama Canal will expand restrictions on the largest ships crossing the waterway, one of the world’s busiest trade passages, the canal authority’s administrator said on Wednesday, citing shallower waters due to drought. The measure follows a series of depth restrictions in the 50-mile (80 km) canal since…

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Time running out for Titanic sub as search focuses on undersea sounds

By Joseph Ax and Steve Gorman (Reuters) -Rescuers searching for a missing submersible near the wreck of the Titanic focused on Wednesday on a remote patch of the North Atlantic where undersea noises were detected, although officials cautioned the sounds may not have originated from the vessel. With the submersible’s air supply expected to run…

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Rescue efforts for missing Titanic submersible captivate worldwide audience

By Gabriella Borter (Reuters) – Around the world, the story of the missing Titanic submersible and its rescue operation’s race against time has been riveting onlookers. People have been glued to their television screens, fascinated by maritime experts detailing the hurdles for rescue efforts in a vast expanse of sea. They have been watching their…

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