(Reuters) – Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the Kremlin’s staunchest ally in its war in Ukraine, said on Friday he was certain Russian tactical nuclear weapons deployed in his country would never be used. Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin have acknowledged that some tactical weapons have arrived in Belarus and the remainder would be put…
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain, Australia and Canada have called on Israel’s government to reverse a decision to approve new settlement units in the West Bank, saying they are “deeply concerned” by an ongoing cycle of violence. This week, Israel approved over 5,700 new settlement units in the West Bank and earlier this month instituted changes…
By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) – UNESCO’s member states backed the United States’ return to the United Nations’ cultural organization almost five years after then-President Donald Trump ordered an American withdrawal, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday. “I am encouraged and grateful that today the (UNESCO) membership accepted our proposal, which will…
By Noel Randewich and Tiyashi Datta (Reuters) -Apple Inc’s stock market value ended a trading session above $3 trillion for the first time on Friday, lifted by signs of improving inflation and bets that the iPhone maker will successfully expand into new markets. Shares of the world’s most valuable company jumped 2.3% to $193.97, giving…
By Nandita Bose and Trevor Hunnicutt CHICAGO (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden worked to lift Americans’ dour mood about the economy with what his aides billed as a major speech on Wednesday, an effort to shore up a top political weakness as he seeks re-election. Biden, whose two-year term as president has witnessed a…
By Stephen Culp NEW YORK (Reuters) – Wall Street closed sharply higher and the dollar softened on Friday as investors closed the books on a solid quarter, with data showing progress in the Federal Reserve’s efforts to tame inflation. All three major U.S. stock indexes surged, notching weekly, monthly and quarterly gains. “It’s a nice…
By Steve Holland and Daphne Psaledakis WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States has lifted certain aid restrictions on Ethiopia in light of progress on human rights, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Friday. The improvement on human rights occurred particularly after the cessation-of-hostilities agreement signed by the Ethiopian government and forces from its…
By Asif Shahzad LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) -Pakistan secured a badly-needed $3 billion short-term financial package from the International Monetary Fund on Friday, giving the South Asian economy a much-awaited respite as it teeters on the brink of default. The IMF said it had reached an agreement on the deal with the 220 million nation, which…
By Andrew Chung (Reuters) -In a blow to LGBT rights, the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Friday ruled that the constitutional right to free speech allows certain businesses to refuse to provide services for same-sex weddings, a decision that the dissenting liberal justices called a “license to discriminate.” The justices ruled 6-3 along ideological…
By Daniel Trotta (Reuters) – Four Georgia families sued the state in federal court on Friday to stop a law that bans transgender youth from receiving hormone therapy, joining a wave of challenges to similar laws across the United States. The plaintiffs, allowed to proceed anonymously to guard against reprisals, are seeking an injunction to…
