UK net debt passes 100% of GDP for first time since 1961

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s public sector net debt surpassed 100% of gross domestic product in May as borrowing came in higher than expected, the Office for National Statistics said on Wednesday. Public sector net debt, excluding that of state-controlled banks, hit 2.567 trillion pounds ($3.28 trillion), equivalent to 100.1% of gross domestic product. That represented…

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Taiwan reports Chinese aircraft carrier sailed through strait

TAIPEI (Reuters) -A Chinese aircraft carrier group led by the vessel Shandong sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, Taiwan’s defence ministry said, amid heightened military tension over the island Beijing claims as its own territory. The ministry said the Shandong, commissioned in 2019, had sailed in a southerly direction through the western part…

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Crews searching for Titanic submersible detect sounds- US Coast Guard

By Joseph Ax and Brendan O’Brien (Reuters) – Canadian aircraft detected underwater noises in the North Atlantic in the search for a tourist submersible that vanished while on a voyage to the wreck of the Titanic , the U.S. Coast Guard said. The discovery on Tuesday led search teams to relocate their underwater robotic search…

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Canadian aircraft detects underwater noises in search for Titanic sub-coast guard

(Reuters) – A Canadian aircraft detected underwater noises in the search area for a missing tourist submersible that vanished while taking passengers on a voyage to the wreck of the Titanic in deep waters off Canada’s coast, the U.S. Coast guard said. Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) were relocated to explore the origin of the noises…

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Ancient Maya city discovered in Mexican jungle

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – A previously unknown ancient Maya city has been discovered in the jungles of southern Mexico, the country’s anthropology institute said on Tuesday, adding it was likely an important center more than a thousand years ago. The city includes large pyramid-like buildings, stone columns, three plazas with “imposing buildings” and other structures…

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Exclusive-Taiwan on alert for Chinese-funded election interference

By Yimou Lee TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan’s government says China will try to interfere in key elections in January by illicitly funding Beijing-friendly candidates using communications apps or group tours, according to three internal security reports reviewed by Reuters. President Tsai Ing-wen’s government has repeatedly warned of China’s attempts to influence public opinion on the…

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Arkansas ban on gender-affirming care for minors blocked by U.S. judge

By Brendan Pierson (Reuters) – A U.S. judge on Tuesday struck down an Arkansas law prohibiting doctors from providing gender-affirming care including puberty blockers, hormones and surgery to transgender minors, a victory for families that had sued to challenge the law. “The evidence showed that (gender-affirming care) improves the mental health and well-being of patients…

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Modi visits US to deepen ties, says no doubting India’s position on Ukraine

By Hussein Waaile, YP Rajesh and Tanvi Mehta NEW YORK/NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the United States on Tuesday for a state visit that has been projected as a milestone in ties between the two countries that would deepen and diversify their partnership. Modi has been to the U.S. five times…

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Christian-owned Texas business shielded from LGBT bias claims -appeals court

By Brendan Pierson (Reuters) – A Christian-owned wellness center is exempt from the federal law prohibiting employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. The unanimous three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that Braidwood Management, which runs an…

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