Thai alliance reaffirms backing for Pita’s second PM bid

By Orathai Sriring and Panarat Thepgumpanat BANGKOK (Reuters) -An eight-party alliance seeking to form Thailand’s next government reaffirmed its backing for Pita Limjaroenrat to become prime minister, Pita said on Monday, despite his defeat last week in a parliamentary vote. Pita, leader of the progressive Move Forward party – the surprise winner of a May…

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Russia refuses to renew Black Sea grain deal and says no guarantees for ships now

(Reuters) – Russia refused on Monday to extend the agreement that has enabled Ukraine to export grain from its Black Sea ports for the past year, complaining that promises to free up its own shipments of food and fertilisers had not been kept. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it had notified Ukraine, Turkey and the United…

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Venezuelan families seek answers over migrants missing at sea

By Vivian Sequera CARACAS (Reuters) – The families of Venezuelan migrants lost in the Caribbean sea are demanding their government investigate the disappearance of their loved ones after years of stasis. At least 150 people have gone missing in connection with a series of vessels which have sunk between Venezuela’s north coast and islands in…

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Netanyahu vows crackdown on military no-shows in judicial protest

By Dan Williams JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to crack down on Monday against threatened no-shows for military reserve duty by opponents of his judicial overhaul plan, saying such actions were anti-democratic and risked emboldening the country’s foes. With the religious-nationalist coalition set to ratify a key reform before parliament goes…

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BlackRock to expand proxy voting choice to retail ETF investors

By Ross Kerber (Reuters) – The world’s top asset manager BlackRock said it will offer proxy voting choices to U.S. retail investors of its biggest exchange-traded fund, expanding a strategy that could blunt criticism of how the firm considers environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters. A representative for New York-based BlackRock said it plans to…

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US, China aim to revive climate cooperation as tensions simmer

(This July 16 story has been corrected to fix David Sandalow’s quote to say ‘climate diplomacy,’ not ‘diplomacy,’ in paragraph 6) By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and China will look to revive efforts to combat global warming this week, in bilateral meetings that observers hope will raise the bar on ambitions…

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