Corruption inquiry in Australia uncovers China links to state lawmaker

By Kirsty Needham SYDNEY (Reuters) -The former premier of Australia’s most populous state engaged in corrupt conduct involving another lawmaker with whom she was in a secret romantic relationship, a years-long corruption inquiry that examined business dealings with China said on Thursday. The New South Wales Independent Commission into Corruption (ICAC) said in a report…

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US 2024 hopeful DeSantis targets three federal departments for elimination

By Gram Slattery WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis would seek to eliminate the Departments of Energy, Commerce and Education, as well as the Internal Revenue Service, if he were elected president, he suggested in a television interview on Wednesday. “We would do Education, we would do Commerce, we’d do Energy, and we would…

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UN expert condemns ‘mass deportations’ of Haitians fleeing conflict

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – An independent expert to the United Nations condemned mass deportations of Haitians who had fled the country amid a humanitarian crisis driven by worsening violence from heavily armed gangs who control large swathes of the country. In a statement following a visit to the Caribbean nation, William O’Neill said some methods used…

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Republican lawmakers request postal service data on retailers’ shipments from China

By Katherine Masters NEW YORK (Reuters) – Republican leaders of two House committees are requesting United States Postal Service data on retailers’ goods shipped from China under an exemption in U.S. trade law that excludes some packages worth $800 or less from tariffs. The exemption, known as the de minimis rule, has earned growing scrutiny…

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Yellen hopes to travel to China to ‘reestablish contact’

(Reuters) -U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said she hopes to travel to China to reestablish contact with Beijing, acknowledging there were disagreements between the two countries, MSNBC on Wednesday reported her saying during an interview. The are heightened tensions and pessimism in the U.S.-China relationship over national security issues, including Taiwan, Russia’s war in Ukraine,…

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Inflation hits royal finances as King Charles turns down heating to save emissions

LONDON (Reuters) – Soaring inflation has hit the finances of the British royals, pushing up expenditure, Buckingham Palace said on Thursday, as it revealed King Charles had ordered the heating in royal homes to be turned down to cut emissions. The annual Sovereign Grant report, which details the royals’ taxpayer-funded spending and income, detailed that…

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