Rebel mobilisation in southern Sudan raises fears of conflict spreading

KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Residents of Sudan’s South Kordofan State reported mobilisation by a large rebel force on Thursday, raising fear that internal conflict could spread in the country’s southern regions. The rebel force, the SPLM-N, is led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, and is estimated to contain tens of thousands of men as well as heavy weaponry….

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Massive fire as Sudanese factions battle for control of arms factory

KHARTOUM (Reuters) -A massive fire broke out on Wednesday near a military complex containing an arms factory in southern Khartoum that Sudan’s army has battled to defend in some of the fiercest fighting for weeks in its conflict with a rival faction, witnesses said. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in the eighth week of…

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TRYing times: The slide and fall of the Turkish lira

By Marc Jones LONDON (Reuters) -Turkey’s lira took a 7% nosedive on Wednesday as the country’s newly re-elected government appeared to be abandoning its costly 18-month strategy of keeping the currency on a tight leash by any means necessary. Ankara has seen decades of financial market difficulties and the charts below show the challenges the…

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Teva to pay Nevada $193 million over role in opioid epidemic

By Brendan Pierson (Reuters) – Teva Pharmaceutical Industries on Wednesday agreed to pay Nevada $193 million to settle claims that its marketing practices fueled opioid addiction, the state announced. Nevada was one of two states, along with New Mexico, that did not join a $4.35 billion nationwide settlement with the Israel-based drugmaker last year. New…

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Oil prices rise as Saudi output cuts outweigh weak demand signals

By Arathy Somasekhar HOUSTON (Reuters) -Oil prices climbed about 1% on Wednesday as Saudi Arabia’s plans for deep output cuts more than offset demand woes stemming from rising U.S. fuel stocks and weak Chinese export data. Brent crude futures settled 66 cents, or 0.9%, higher at $76.95 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude…

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