UN rights body passes disputed motion on religious hatred after Koran burning

By Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber GENEVA (Reuters) -The United Nations Human Rights Council on Wednesday approved a disputed resolution on religious hatred in the wake of the burning of a Koran in Sweden, prompting concern by Western states who say it challenges long-held practices in rights protection. The resolution, introduced by Pakistan on behalf of the 57-nation…

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Bank of England stress test finds top 8 UK banks have enough capital

By Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) -Britain’s eight largest lenders have enough capital to ride out a worse economic crisis than that seen in 2008, the Bank of England (BoE) said on Wednesday, as the sector faces sharply rising interest rates pummelling consumers and businesses. The test checked if banks had enough capital to weather theoretical…

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Ukraine reports some ‘success’ in fighting near Bakhmut

KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine on Wednesday reported some success in fighting near the Russian-occupied eastern city of Bakhmut as its troops press on with a counteroffensive against Moscow’s forces. Heavy fighting and Russian drone strikes on Ukrainian cities have continued while President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is in Vilnius for meetings with NATO leaders who are holding a…

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Analysis-A wasted opportunity? Italy’s EU funds bonanza hits the rocks

By Valentina Za, Giuseppe Fonte and Gavin Jones ROME/MILAN (Reuters) – Italy’s hopes of transforming its economy with billions of euros of European Union pandemic recovery funds are unravelling fast, businesses on the ground say, with inefficiencies at all levels raising the risk of a greater boost to debt than to growth. In mid-2020 Rome…

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AXA weighs offloading $2 billion reinsurance arm to cut disaster risk – sources

By David French and Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) -One of the world’s top insurers is mulling offloading its property reinsurance business in a bid to cut its exposure to natural disasters like hurricanes, according to three people familiar with the matter. French insurer AXA SA has been discussing strategic options for its XL…

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