Russia and Cuba ink deals to revitalize communist-run island’s ailing economy

By Nelson Acosta and Dave Sherwood HAVANA (Reuters) – Russian officials and business leaders have signed multiple deals with Cuban counterparts at a forum in Havana this week, agreeing to work together to boost sugar and rum output, assure wheat and crude oil supply to the communist-run island, and overhaul crumbling tourist facilities. The longtime…

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Ukraine says it repels attacks as Russia tries to retake land near Bakhmut

By Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey NEAR BAKHMUT, Ukraine (Reuters) -Ukraine said on Friday it had repelled attacks by Russian forces trying to recapture land they had lost around the devastated eastern city of Bakhmut, where Kyiv says it has inflicted heavy Russian casualties. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian Wagner private army that is leading the…

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US dollar skids as Fed’s Powell hints at June pause, debt talks stall

By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) – The dollar fell on Friday after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell struck a moderately dovish stance, contrary to market expectations, saying that given how credit conditions have tightened, the U.S. central bank may not need to raise interest rates as much. A pause in negotiations to raise the…

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Ontario to offer more money for Stellantis to resume battery plant

By Sam Jabri-Pickett TORONTO (Reuters) -The Ontario government on Friday offered to increase financial support for carmaker Stellantis’s battery plant in the province, a move Canada’s industry minister proclaimed a sign of progress in ending a stalemate over the stalled project. Stellantis on Monday stopped construction at a C$5 billion ($3.7 billion) electric-vehicle battery plant…

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Sean Penn: Studios’ AI stance in Hollywood writers strike a ‘human obscenity’

CANNES (Reuters) – Actor Sean Penn said on Friday he supported striking Hollywood writers and called studios’ rejection of their demand to restrict the use of artificial intelligence in writing scripts a “human obscenity”. “There are a lot of new concepts that are being tossed about, you know, including the use of AI,” Penn said…

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US military leak suspect got offer to bolster intelligence skills

By Tim McLaughlin WORCESTER, Massachusetts (Reuters) – Superiors of the U.S. Air National Guardsman accused of leaking military secrets offered him intelligence-related training even after they admonished him twice for his handling of classified information, according to a memo disclosed this week by U.S. Justice Department attorneys. Before his arrest in April on espionage charges, Jack…

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