Toddlers stable after Annecy attack, Macron hails emergency responders

By Antony Paone and Geert De Clercq ANNECY, France (Reuters) -Two toddlers gravely wounded by a knifeman in the French mountain town of Annecy were in a stable condition on Friday and doctors are optimistic for their recovery, President Emmanuel Macron said. Well-wishers laid flowers on Friday at the playground where the suspect, said by…

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Decrying ‘witch hunt’, Boris Johnson resigns from UK parliament

By Andrew MacAskill and Andy Bruce LONDON (Reuters) -Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson abruptly quit as a member of parliament on Friday in a furious protest against lawmakers investigating his behaviour, reopening deep divisions in the ruling Conservative Party ahead of a general election expected next year. Johnson had been under investigation by a…

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Ukraine reports ‘heavy combat’ after Putin says offensive has begun

By Dan Peleschuk KYIV (Reuters) -Moscow and Kyiv both reported heavy fighting in Ukraine on Friday, with bloggers describing the first sightings of German and U.S. armour, signalling that Ukraine’s long-anticipated counterattack was under way. With virtually no independent reporting from the front lines and Kyiv saying little, it was impossible to assess whether Ukraine…

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US charges two Russians in hack of Mt. Gox crypto exchange

By Raphael Satter WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States has charged two Russian nationals in the hack of collapsed cryptocurrency exchange Mt. Gox, one of the world’s earliest, biggest and most widely publicized alleged bitcoin heists. The department in a statement said Alexey Bilyuchenko, 43, and Aleksandr Verner, 29, were charged with conspiring to launder approximately…

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Serbians take to streets in anti-government protests following mass shootings

BELGRADE (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of Serbians joined an anti-government protest in Belgrade on Friday for the sixth time since May 3, blaming a culture of violence for the deaths of 18 people in two mass shootings and calling on the interior minister to resign. Chanting “(Serbian President Aleksandar) Vucic out!” and holding a…

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U.S. ‘aspirational’ shoppers are spending less on fashion, jewelry

By Katherine Masters NEW YORK (Reuters) – A gulf in spending patterns between wealthy Americans and so-called “aspirational” shoppers is driving luxury retailers to search out new sources of revenue and, in some cases, to shift their merchandise strategies, several retailers said. Jewelry company Signet , which owns brands including Kay, Jared and Zales, was the…

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