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France lands battery gigafactory with sweeteners, zero-carbon power

By Gilles Guillaume and Elizabeth Pineau PARIS (Reuters) -France beat competition from Germany and the Netherlands for ProLogium’s first overseas car battery plant thanks to lobbying from President Emmanuel Macron, deal sweeteners and competitive power prices, executives from the Taiwanese company said. After narrowing a list of countries from 13 to three, ProLogium said it …

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Uncertainty clouds US transition at Mexico border as new rules take effect

By Daina Beth Solomon and Julio-Cesar Chavez CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico/EL PASO, Texas (Reuters) -The Biden administration began implementing a sweeping policy shift at the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday as a COVID-era order that had allowed the swift expulsion of many migrants expired and new asylum restrictions took effect amid confusion and uncertainty. Several last-minute court …

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South Africa rejects U.S. accusations of arms shipment to Russia

By Kopano Gumbi, Wendell Roelf and Daphne Psaledakis JOHANNESBURG/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -South African officials on Friday hit back at U.S. accusations that a Russian ship had collected weapons from a naval base near Cape Town late last year, a move investors fear could lead Washington to impose sanctions. The U.S. ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety …

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S.African rand sets record low, volatility seen ahead

By Tannur Anders and Rachel Savage JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -The South African rand set a record closing low against the dollar on Friday but ended far from session lows after officials said the country had not approved any arms shipment to Russia late last year. The currency was pummelled this week by investor concerns over the …

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Stocks slip as US consumer confidence slumps, dollar gains

By Herbert Lash NEW YORK (Reuters) -The dollar rose on Friday but a gauge of global stocks retreated on a report that showed U.S. consumer sentiment slumped to a six-month low in May, reinforcing bearish investor sentiment over talks to raise the U.S. government’s debt ceiling. The dollar strengthened against the euro, yen and other …

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Wendy Sherman, US official who led diplomacy with China and Russia, to retire

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, the country’s number two diplomat, said on Friday she will retire at the end of June after three decades in Washington’s foreign policy establishment. Sherman is the first woman to serve in her current role, in which she has headed up the Biden administration’s diplomacy with …

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Warring Sudanese factions fight on after failing to agree truce

KHARTOUM (Reuters) -Air strikes and artillery pounded Khartoum on Friday after Sudan’s warring army and Rapid Support Forces paramilitary failed to agree to a ceasefire despite committing to protect civilians and allow humanitarian access. A so-called declaration of principles was signed in Saudi Arabia late on Thursday after nearly a week of talks between the …

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Dollar on pace for biggest weekly rise since February

By Laura Matthews NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. dollar rose against the euro and sterling on Friday, and was on track for its biggest weekly gain since February, as investors shifted to safe havens after consumer sentiment data fueled concern about the U.S. debt ceiling and monetary policy. A University of Michigan survey on …

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A week after Congo floods, volunteers dig through debris for bodies

By Crispin Kyala BUSHUSHU, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – With shovels, sticks and bare hands, Red Cross volunteers struggled to clear caked mud from around a body half buried in a landslide in Bushushu village in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. A week after torrential rains triggered deadly floods, the workers said they were …

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Ghana’s official creditors pave way for IMF sign-off on $3 billion loan

By Christian Akorlie, Jorgelina do Rosario and Rachel Savage ACCRA (Reuters) -Ghana’s official sector creditors have formed a committee co-chaired by China and France for debt restructurings talks, the Paris Club said on Friday, paving the way for a sign-off on a $3 billion International Monetary Fund loan for the country. The West African nation …

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