At least 207 dead, 900 injured in massive train crash in Odisha, India

By Abinaya V and Jatindra Dash BHUBANESWAR, India (Reuters) -At least 207 people were killed and 900 injured when two passenger trains collided in Odisha on Friday, according to government officials in the eastern Indian state, in India’s deadliest rail accident in over a decade. The death toll is expected to increase, state Chief Secretary…

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Wildfires spread in eastern Canada, forcing evacuations in coastal Quebec

By Allison Lampert and Ismail Shakil MONTREAL (Reuters) – Some 10,000 residents in coastal Quebec were forced to evacuate homes on Friday as wildfires engulf more Canadian provinces, in what is emerging as one of the worst starts to the forest fire season. The mayor of Sept-Iles, a coastal Quebec city, declared a local state…

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3M reaches tentative $10 billion pollution settlement with US cities – Bloomberg News

By Clark Mindock and Brendan Pierson (Reuters) – 3M Co has struck a tentative settlement of at least $10 billion with a host of U.S. cities and towns to resolve water pollution claims tied to “forever chemicals,” Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Shares of 3M were up 8.4% at…

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World Bank’s new chief asks staff to ‘double down’ on development, climate efforts

By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The World Bank’s new president Ajay Banga on Friday asked the lender’s 16,000 staff to “double down” on development and climate efforts as he seeks to accelerate the bank’s evolution to tackle the most pressing global problems. On his first day in the job, the former Mastercard CEO told…

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US, UN criticize Vietnam’s detention of climate activist

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and United Nations on Friday criticized Vietnam’s detention of members of an environmental group including its founder, saying such actions were part of a broader trend toward curbing free speech. “The United States is concerned by the detention of leaders and staff of CHANGE, including the ongoing detention of…

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US bans new oil and gas leasing around New Mexico cultural site

(Reuters) – The Biden administration said on Friday it would stop issuing new oil and gas drilling leases within 10 miles of the Chaco Culture National Historic Park, a region central to Pueblo ancestral heritage in northwest New Mexico. Tribes, conservationists and state officials have long called on the federal government to ban drilling in…

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Global airline summit to tackle travel boom, climate goals

By Tim Hepher, Joanna Plucinska and Aditi Shah ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Airlines will ride the crest of a faster-than-expected recovery and discuss ways of translating climate pledges into action at a summit buoyed by a return to business as usual next week. The influential International Air Transport Association (IATA) holds its annual meeting on June…

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U.S. regulation fears drive insurers’ climate alliance break-up

By Tommy Wilkes LONDON (Reuters) -The success of Republicans in triggering the break-up of a coalition of insurance firms aimed at tackling climate change is down to U.S. states being the industry’s primary regulator, interviews with industry executives and former officials show. The U.N.-backed Net-Zero Insurance Alliance (NZIA), formed in 2019 to get insurers to…

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