Narendra Modi denies religious discrimination exists in India

By Kanishka Singh and Nandita Bose WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi denied that discrimination against minorities existed under his government during a press conference with U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday, despite rights groups and State Department reports of abuses. Biden said he discussed human rights and other democratic values with Modi during…

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Argentina’s de Pedro, ally to Kirchner, launches presidential bid

By Nicolás Misculin BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -Argentine Interior Minister Eduardo ‘Wado’ de Pedro, an ally of powerful Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, announced on Thursday he will run for the ruling Peronist bloc’s presidential nomination in August primaries. Ex-cabinet chief and current Tucuman provincial Governor Juan Manzur will be his running mate as vice…

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Argentina seeks Biden’s support in debt talks with ‘inflexible’ IMF

By Eliana Raszewski BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -Argentina has directly asked U.S. President Joe Biden for support in the country’s talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to revamp its $44 billion debt deal, in a letter signed by regional leaders from Brazil, Mexico and elsewhere. The South American nation, battling dwindling foreign currency reserves, 100%-plus inflation…

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US appeals court vacates travel mask mandate ruling

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. appeals court panel Thursday vacated an April 2022 ruling that had declared unlawful a government order requiring masks on airplanes and other transportation modes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Justice Department had asked 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to declare the issue moot after President Joe Biden…

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Factbox-Flurry of US-India deals on AI, defense as Biden, Modi meet

By Jarrett Renshaw (Reuters) -Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Joe Biden met in Washington on Thursday and several agreements were to be announced to strengthen economic and diplomatic ties between the two countries and highlight new private sector investments. The following is a roundup of the major announcements: VISAS The Biden administration…

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Bolsonaro clings to his political future as electoral court case begins

By Ricardo Brito BRASILIA (Reuters) -Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s future in office hung in the balance on Thursday, as the country’s federal electoral court (TSE) began a trial that could leave him in the political wilderness for nearly a decade. Bolsonaro, a far-right nationalist who in October narrowly lost Brazil’s most fraught election in…

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US FDA approves Sarepta’s gene therapy for rare muscular dystrophy in some kids

By Leroy Leo and Aditya Samal (Reuters) – The U.S. health regulator has granted accelerated approval to Sarepta Therapeutics’ first-of-its-kind gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), an inherited progressive muscle-wasting disorder that almost always affects young boys. Sarepta said on Thursday the Food and Drug Administration had approved the treatment for children aged between…

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