What to watch for in the Biden-McCarthy debt ceiling meeting

By Jarrett Renshaw and Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden meets Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday afternoon for closed-door talks as a potentially catastrophic June default looms. The 4 p.m. EDT (2000 GMT) meeting is not expected to produce anything close to…

Read More

Australian lawmakers meet US envoy to seek release of Julian Assange

By Renju Jose and Kanishka Singh SYDNEY/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A cross-party delegation of Australian lawmakers said on Tuesday they met U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, urging her to help drop the pending extradition case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and allow him to return to Australia. The “Bring Julian Assange Home Parliamentary Group” said it had informed…

Read More

China should set clear rules for due diligence sector amid probes – US business lobby

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – The American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai said on Tuesday it was concerned about reports of investigations into U.S. due diligence and consulting firms in China and urged authorities to provide more guidance for the sector. “We are concerned by recent reports about investigations of US companies in China that specialize in…

Read More

IMF still concerned by banking sector wobbles – chief economist

PARIS (Reuters) – The International Monetary Fund remains concerned about recent turbulence in the banking sector despite actions by the U.S. and Swiss authorities to deal with troubled banks on their watch, its chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas said on Monday. Speaking to journalists in Paris, he added that “the story is not over” and that…

Read More

Indonesia, Singapore alarmed as shots fired in Myanmar at diplomats, aid group

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia and Singapore condemned an attack on a convoy of their diplomats and an ASEAN humanitarian aid body in military-ruled Myanmar, and called for an end to violence and a commitment to dialogue between warring groups. Myanmar state media on Tuesday said “terrorists” with small arms attacked a convoy that was delivering…

Read More

Thailand’s influential ex-PM Thaksin eyes July return from exile

By Panu Wongcha-um BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand’s billionaire former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on Tuesday he would return home in July after 17 years in self-imposed exile, just days ahead of an election his party is expected to win. Although Thaksin, arguably Thailand’s most influential and divisive former leader, has failed to make good on…

Read More

Biden meets Microsoft, Google CEOs on AI dangers

By Nandita Bose and David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden met with CEOs of top artificial intelligence companies including Microsoft and Alphabet’s Google on Thursday and made clear they must ensure their products are safe before they are deployed. Generative artificial intelligence has become a buzzword this year, with apps such as ChatGPT capturing…

Read More