Blinken says Armenia and Azerbaijan make ‘tangible progress’ in peace talks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Azerbaijan and Armenia have made “tangible progress” towards a peace agreement in negotiations this week in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday. Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars over 30 years focusing on the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, recognised as part of Azerbaijan but populated mainly by Armenians. In…

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Sons of Mexican drug lord ‘El Chapo’ deny trafficking fentanyl in rare letter

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Sons of former Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman denied U.S. allegations that they were major traffickers flooding the United States with synthetic opioid fentanyl, addressing the claims against them in a rare letter. The U.S. Justice Department last month charged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel with trafficking fentanyl and…

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Greens sue California over changes to rooftop solar incentives

By Clark Mindock (Reuters) -Environmental groups have sued California regulators over new rules they say will discourage the growth of rooftop solar installations, in violation of state law. Three groups filed a petition on Wednesday asking a state court in San Francisco to review and set aside the California Public Utilities Commission’s policy changes, which…

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Carvana expects to record core profit in second quarter; shares jump

(Reuters) -Carvana Co said on Thursday that it expects to post a profit in the current quarter and plans to further bring down excess used-car inventory as the retailer sharpens its focus on cutting costs, sending its shares surging 26% in aftermarket trading. The company also reported a smaller-than-expected loss, benefiting from cost cuts. “We’ve already…

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Heavy fighting in Khartoum; Sudan’s children caught in conflict, UN says

By Khalid Abdelaziz and Mohamed Noureldin KHARTOUM (Reuters) -Fierce fighting persisted in Sudan on Thursday despite a truce agreement as U.S. intelligence said rival forces were trying to gain the upper hand ahead of possible negotiations and the U.N. warned of the violence’s devastating toll on children. Despite multiple ceasefire declarations, the two sides appeared…

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Ed Sheeran did not violate ‘Let’s Get It On’ copyright, US jury finds

By Blake Brittain and Brendan Pierson NEW YORK (Reuters) -Ed Sheeran’s 2014 hit “Thinking Out Loud” did not unlawfully copy from Marvin Gaye’s classic 1973 song “Let’s Get It On,” a jury decided on Thursday in a closely watched copyright lawsuit – a verdict that the British pop star said would help protect the creative…

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