Venezuela’s opposition asked to back suspending statute of limitations on bond repayments

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezeula’s political opposition – recognized by the U.S. as the country’s legitimate government – was asked by a key creditor group on Monday to back the suspension of a statute of limitations on repayments for defaulted government bonds. President Nicolas Maduro’s government in March proposed a five-year suspension through 2028 or until…

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New Zealand set to reveal bigger deficit in ‘no frills’ 2023-24 budget

By Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand Labour government is set to reveal a worse budget bottom line and economic outlook on Thursday as it delivers what it calls a “no frills” 2023-24 budget to avoid fuelling inflation. Since coming into power, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has cut costly programmes and reiterated the government’s…

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US warns against crossing Mexico border illegally as Title 42 ends

By Ted Hesson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. officials on Monday said there will be “tougher consequences” for migrants illegally crossing the southern border as U.S. President Joe Biden transitions away from COVID-19 restrictions known as Title 42 that allowed agents to quickly expel many migrants to Mexico over the past three years. The number of people…

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Rudy Giuliani sued for $10 million by former aide over alleged sexual assault

By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) -A former associate of Rudy Giuliani is suing him for sexual assault, accusing Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer of hiring her to fulfill his desire for a sexual relationship. In a civil complaint filed on Monday and seeking at least $10 million, Noelle Dunphy said Giuliani began abusing her…

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Biden, House Republicans prepare for critical US debt-ceiling talks

By David Morgan, Jeff Mason and Andy Sullivan WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden and Republican House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Monday prepared for critical debt-ceiling talks, with a little more than two weeks to go before the U.S. government could run short of money to pay its bills. Democratic and Republican staff were…

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US special counsel faults FBI’s handling of 2016 Trump-Russia probe

By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The FBI lacked “actual evidence” to investigate Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and relied too heavily on tips provided by Trump’s political opponents to fuel the probe, U.S. Special Counsel John Durham concluded in a report released on Monday. The report marks the end of a four-year probe launched…

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Stellantis blocks battery plant construction as more support sought

By Ismail Shakil and Steve Scherer OTTAWA (Reuters) -Automaker Stellantis has stopped construction at a more-than C$5 billion ($3.7 billion) electric-vehicle battery plant in Canada amid talks with the federal government about its support for the factory. “Effective immediately, all construction related to the battery module production on the Windsor site has stopped,” a spokesperson said,…

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Biden, McCarthy debt ceiling meeting planned for Tuesday afternoon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A debt limit meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and top lawmakers including Republican House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been scheduled for 3 p.m. ET (1900 GMT) on Tuesday, a senior administration official said. The meeting was previously scheduled for last Friday, but was postponed. Aides from both sides have…

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White House releases show Biden personal finances little changed

By Nandita Bose WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The White House on Monday released financial disclosure reports for President Joe Biden showing the president’s personal finances in 2022 changed little from the prior year, even though his book royalties fell. Biden earned between $2,500 and $5,000 in book royalties in 2022, down sharply from $30,000 a year earlier….

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