Exclusive-Colombian armed groups and gangs have 17,600 members, intelligence reports find

By Luis Jaime Acosta BOGOTA (Reuters) – More than 17,600 people are members of the four major armed groups and 23 gangs with which the Colombian government hopes to reach peace or surrender deals, two security agency reports seen by Reuters show. The newly updated figures, which have not been reported before, are an effort…

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Biden’s subdued reaction to OPEC+ cuts foreshadows economic slowdown, carries risk

By Jarrett Renshaw and Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) -When OPEC+ made a surprise decision earlier this month to cut oil production, President Joe Biden responded with the political equivalent of a shrug – a far cry from his declaration that there would be “consequences” for Saudi Arabia, the de facto head of the oil cartel,…

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Pakistan govt and judiciary in new standoff amid economic turmoil

By Asif Shahzad ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Pakistan’s parliament on Thursday ruled against providing funds for provincial snap polls ordered by the Supreme Court, creating new discord between the judiciary and government amid months of political and economic turmoil. The chief justice had already summoned government finance officials to his chamber on Friday to seek a reply…

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Russia’s Navalny has mystery ailment which may be slow poisoning – spokeswoman

By Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn and Filipp Lebedev MOSCOW (Reuters) -Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition politician, is grappling with severe stomach pain in jail that could be some sort of slow acting poison, his spokeswoman said on Thursday. An ambulance was called for Navalny overnight on Friday to Saturday to the maximum security IK-6…

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Half of Republicans say politics drove US abortion pill court ruling – Reuters/Ipsos

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Half of U.S. Republicans think a federal court was motivated by politics when it ordered the suspension of government approval for a widely used abortion pill, a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Wednesday found. Fifty-one percent of self-identified Republicans in the poll said they agreed that the ruling last week – which would…

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Heroes or villains: Short sellers’ role in the U.S. bank crisis

By Lawrence Delevingne (Reuters) – As First Republic Bank’s share price fell by double-digits in the aftermath of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank last month, some people close to the San Francisco-based lender were worried short sellers were exacerbating its travails, according to a source familiar with the situation. Investors who wager shares in…

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