US nuclear missile sub visits S.Korea for first time in decades – US official

SEOUL (Reuters) – For the first time since the 1980s a U.S. nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) is in South Korea, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday, as the allies launched talks to coordinate responses in the event of a nuclear war with North Korea. White House Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell announced the long-expected…

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Taiwan says looking to buy NASAMS air defence system from US

TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan is looking to buy National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS, from the United States to upgrade its air defence capabilities having seen how well they work in Ukraine, the island’s defence minister said on Tuesday. China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, has stepped up military and political pressure…

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World Bank chief Banga unveils new plans to boost lending ‘firepower’

By Andrea Shalal (Reuters) – World Bank President Ajay Banga unveiled new plans on Tuesday to stretch the bank’s balance sheet and help countries tackle climate change and other challenges, but said a capital increase would still eventually be needed. Banga, a former Mastercard CEO who took over the helm of the World Bank on…

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US Sen. Manchin outlines pressure campaign against major presidential candidates

By Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Maverick Democratic Senator Joe Manchin on Monday said he believed that having a third-party candidate run in the 2024 U.S. presidential election would “threaten” the two major political parties into tacking towards more moderate positions as their only path to victory. The former West Virginia governor left open the door…

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China’s NDRC vows to roll out consumption support policies without delay

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s top economic planner pledged on Tuesday that it would roll out policies to “restore and expand” consumption without delay as consumers’ purchasing power remained weak, suggesting an urgency to revive domestic demand. The world’s second-largest economy grew at a frail pace in the second quarter, official data showed on Monday. Gross…

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Australia debates Indigenous referendum as pamphlets launched

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Parties on both sides of a debate on whether to constitutionally recognise Australia’s Indigenous people released their official pamphlets on Tuesday, which will start being delivered to letterboxes across the country. Australians will be asked to vote in a referendum later this year on whether they support altering the constitution to include…

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US, China aim to revive climate talks as planet reels under extreme weather

By Valerie Volcovici BEIJING (Reuters) – U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said it was “imperative that China and the United States make real progress” in the four months before U.N.-sponsored climate talks begin in Dubai, as waves of extreme heat and rainfall hit large parts of the globe. While Kerry met his counterpart Xie Zhenhua…

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Russia halts grain deal in what UN calls blow to needy people everywhere

KYIV (Reuters) -Russia halted participation on Monday in the year-old U.N.-brokered deal that lets Ukraine export grain through the Black Sea, causing concern in poorer countries that price rises will put food out of reach. Hours earlier, a blast knocked out Russia’s bridge to Crimea in what Moscow called a strike by Ukrainian sea drones,…

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Coinbase CEO to meet US House Democrats on Wednesday

(Reuters) -Coinbase Chief Executive Brian Armstrong will meet privately with a group of U.S. House of Representatives Democrats on Wednesday morning and plans to make remarks on the future of digital asset legislation. The meeting comes as Coinbase and Binance – two of the world’s largest crypto exchanges – are grappling with lawsuits brought by…

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Biden meets labor organizers from Starbucks, Minor League Baseball

By Nandita Bose WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders met with young labor organizers from Starbucks and Minor League Baseball among others at the White House on Monday as a growing number of worker strikes grip the country. After decades of declining union membership, organized labor is witnessing a resurgence in the…

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