US warns Wagner Group seeking arms, slaps sanctions on group’s head in Mali

By Daphne Psaledakis WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. on Thursday said Russian mercenary force Wagner Group may be working through Mali and other countries to hide its efforts to acquire military equipment for use in Ukraine, and accused it of supplying a Sudanese paramilitary with surface-to-air missiles. The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement…

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Microsoft chief says deep fakes are biggest AI concern

By Diane Bartz WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Microsoft President Brad Smith said Thursday that his biggest concern around artificial intelligence was deep fakes, realistic looking but false content. In a speech in Washington aimed at addressing the issue of how best to regulate AI, which went from wonky to widespread with the arrival of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Smith…

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Russia’s Putin sees prospects of settlement between Azerbaijan, Armenia

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that despite difficulties, he felt Azerbaijan and Armenia were moving towards a settlement to their decades-old conflict over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Putin made his remarks in a televised Kremlin meeting with leaders of both nations. Russia has traditionally been the main power broker between…

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Two US citizens dead after catching meningitis in Mexico hospital

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Two U.S. citizens died after contracting meningitis while getting treatment in a hospital in the northern Mexican border city of Matamoros, authorities said on Thursday, as they investigated some 400 suspected cases. “A contamination caused these deaths,” Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in a regular press conference when asked…

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Biden says he, McCarthy had productive talks on debt ceiling

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden said he has had several productive conversations with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in their standoff over the federal government’s debt ceiling, adding that staff negotiators were continuing talks on Thursday afternoon. Democrat Biden, speaking at a White House event for his new pick to chair the Joint Chiefs…

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Mexican president urges Latino voters to reject DeSantis after campaign launch

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Thursday urged Latino voters not to back Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the next U.S. presidential election, accusing the Republican politician of trying to win votes at the expense of migrants. DeSantis said Wednesday he would seek the 2024 Republican nomination for president and…

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US debt default would impact military readiness, morale: top US general

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A debt default would deal significant, unambiguous damage to US national security, negatively impacting military readiness, morale and its capabilities, the top US general told a news conference on Thursday. “I think there’s no doubt whatsoever that there would be a very significant negative impact on the readiness, morale and capabilities of…

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McCarthy says he spoke with Trump about US debt ceiling talks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Thursday he spoke briefly with former President Donald Trump about the debt ceiling negotiations in recent days, as time runs short for an agreement to avoid default. Trump, who is seeking a second term in 2024 amid multiple legal challenges, has downplayed…

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Debt ceiling dispute delays US congressional Taiwan trip

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Negotiators’ continuing failure to reach an agreement to lift the U.S. debt ceiling forced the House of Representatives’ new China committee to postpone a planned trip to Taiwan, the committee’s chairman, Republican Representative Mike Gallagher, told reporters on Thursday. The House adjourned on Thursday and was not due to return until June…

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