Russia launches overnight drone attack on Ukrainian president’s hometown

KYIV (Reuters) – A 56-year-old man was injured in an overnight Russian drone strike on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s hometown, the central city of Kryvyi Rih, the regional governor said on Friday. The attack damaged a number of buildings in Kryvyi Rih but Ukraine’s air force said 16 of the 17 Iranian-made Shahed attack drones…

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UN agency calls for debt pause option as poverty rates rise

By Emma Farge and Marc Jones GENEVA/LONDON (Reuters) – A United Nations agency urged global finance ministers to give poor countries debt repayment breaks, estimating the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent surge in inflation and borrowing costs had pushed an extra 165 million people into poverty. The U.N. Development Programme said the jump meant more than…

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ASEAN foreign ministers repeat condemnation of Myanmar violence

By Kate Lamb and Stanley Widianto JAKARTA (Reuters) -Southeast Asian foreign ministers on Thursday reiterated condemnation of ongoing violence in Myanmar, as an intensifying conflict there tests the unity of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Myanmar, one of the bloc’s 10 members, has been beset by fighting since the military seized power in early…

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Smuggler jailed for 15 years for California crash that killed 13 migrants

(Reuters) – A Mexican national who coordinated a human-smuggling operation that led to the deaths of 13 migrants in a 2021 highway crash near the Mexico-California border was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Thursday by a U.S. federal judge. Jose Cruz Noguez, 49, a permanent U.S. resident from Mexicali, Mexico, received the sentence…

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G7 finance chiefs to meet July 16, will discuss Ukraine, global taxation – Suzuki

By Tetsushi Kajimoto TOKYO (Reuters) -Financial leaders from the Group of Seven (G7) advanced countries will hold talks on July 16 on the sidelines of the broader G20 meeting in India, Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said on Friday. The G7 groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. “Support for Ukraine,…

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US House backs ‘culture war’ amendments in threat to must-pass defense bill

By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives added restrictions on abortion and transgender health services to its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Thursday, threatening the defense policy bill’s chances of becoming law. Voting largely along party lines, the House backed several measures pushed by the Republican party’s…

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UN scrambles to save Black Sea grain deal, with EU help, ahead of Monday deadline

By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The European Commission is helping the United Nations and Turkey try to extend a deal allowing the Black Sea export of Ukraine grain and is open to “explore all solutions,” a European Union spokesperson said on Thursday, ahead of the deal’s possible expiration on Monday. The U.N. and Turkey…

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Ukraine receives cluster munitions, pledges limited use

KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine has received cluster bombs from the United States, munitions banned in more than 100 countries, but has pledged to only use them to dislodge concentrations of enemy soldiers. Valeryi Shershen, a spokesman for the Tavria, or southern, military district on Thursday confirmed an announcement by his commander that the weapons had arrived…

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