By Kantaro Komiya and Tetsushi Kajimoto TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s government estimates it needs to raise about 3 trillion yen ($22.2 billion) in funds per year for a childcare policy Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has put forward to help reverse the declining birth rate, Jiji news agency reported on Thursday. The government in March laid…
By Asif Shahzad and Mubasher Bukhari ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is facing corruption charges, said on Thursday he would not join an investigation by the powerful anti-graft agency while he was out on bail. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which has in the past investigated, put on trial and jailed…
By James Oliphant WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis will officially enter the 2024 U.S. presidential race next week, according to two sources familiar with the decision, immediately becoming Donald Trump’s biggest rival for the Republican nomination and shaking up a contest that largely has been one-sided. DeSantis will likely file paperwork declaring his…
By Daniel Trotta (Reuters) -Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed into law a bill that bans gender-affirming medical care such as puberty blockers or hormone therapy for transgender youth, and also enacts obstacles for adults to access treatment. Taking effect in the third most populous U.S. state, the law escalates a Republican political strategy…
By Andrew Hayley XIAN, China (Reuters) – Central Asian heads of state converged in China’s historic city of Xian on Thursday for one-on-ones with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to seal pledges of “enduring” friendship, paving the way for a summit expected to result in a regional pact with Beijing. The bilaterals set the stage for…
(Adds dropped word “not” in paragraph 7) (Reuters) – A Florida judge ruled in favor of Tiger Woods on Wednesday, rejecting his former girlfriend Erica Herman’s request to nullify a non-disclosure agreement she signed when they began dating in 2017, U.S. media reported, citing court documents. Herman had asked a judge to void the agreement,…
SEVASTOPOL (Reuters) -Rail traffic has been suspended between Simferopol, capital of the Crimean peninsula, and the city of Sevastopol, after a freight train carrying grain derailed, the region’s Russian-installed leader said on Thursday. The derailment was caused by “interference by outsiders”, Crimean railways said in a statement. In a statement posted on Telegram, Sergei Aksyonov…
By Claudia Greco and Crispian Balmer BOLOGNA, Italy (Reuters) -Nine people died and thousands were evacuated from their homes as torrential rain battered Italy’s northern Emilia-Romagna region, triggering floods and landslides, officials said on Wednesday. Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci said some areas had received half their average annual rainfall in just 36 hours, causing…
By Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat BANGKOK (Reuters) -The leader of the progressive Move Forward Party that delivered a surprise victory in Thailand’s election said on Thursday he was confident he could muster additional support from rivals to back his alliance and form a stable government. Move Forward, which won most seats after it capitalised…
By Susan Heavey, Doina Chiacu, Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden and top U.S. congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday underscored their determination to reach a deal soon to raise the federal government’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling and avoid an economically catastrophic default. After a monthslong standoff, the Democratic president and the speaker of…
