US to send Ukraine cluster munitions, NATO makes membership pledge

(Reuters) -The United States announced on Friday that it would supply Ukraine with widely banned cluster munitions for its counteroffensive against occupying Russian forces, and NATO’s leader said the military alliance would unite at a summit next week on how to bring Ukraine closer to joining. Rights groups and the United Nations secretary-general questioned Washington’s…

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First S.Korea-US Nuclear Consultative Group meeting to be held later this month

SEOUL (Reuters) -The first meeting of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) between South Korea and the United States will take place on July 18 in Seoul, South Korea’s presidential office said on Saturday. The meeting will discuss “information sharing, consultation mechanism and joint planning and execution designed to bolster nuclear deterrence against North Korea.” The…

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China’s auto group retracts pledge to avoid ‘abnormal pricing’

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – The China Association of Auto Manufacturers (CAAM), citing antitrust law, on Saturday retracted a pledge to avoid “abnormal pricing” made two days earlier by 16 automakers, including Tesla.. Thursday’s CAAM-organised pledge by the companies, including Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers Nio, Li Auto and Xpeng, had been interpreted by some as signalling…

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Ukraine’s counter-offensive slower than expected, but too soon to judge -Pentagon

By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Ukraine’s counter-offensive against Russian forces is going more slowly than some expected but it remains too early to draw conclusions about Kyiv’s prospects for battlefield gains, a senior Pentagon official said on Friday. The United States and other allies have spent months building Ukraine a so-called…

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Biden’s new asylum policy strands some migrants at Mexico border

By Laura Gottesdiener, Ted Hesson, Mica Rosenberg, Kristina Cooke and Daina Beth Solomon MATAMOROS, Mexico (Reuters) – On a June afternoon when temperatures climbed near 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), Alejandra Pena gently tipped a jug of water into her son’s mouth. Like other children in the migrant camp, a mile-long stretch of tents along…

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Biden’s junk fee crusade turns to short-term health insurance plans

By Nandita Bose WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday announced new steps to crack down on short-term health insurance plans and surprise medical bills, stepping up his war against so-called junk fees to lower healthcare costs. This will include a proposed rule that closes loopholes companies use to offer misleading short-term insurance products,…

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