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Number of female business leaders in Britain falls in 2024, report says

LONDON (Reuters) – The number of women who hold executive reins in corporate Britain has fallen for the first time in eight years in an “unacceptable” reversal that could delay gender parity for another five generations, a consultancy said on Thursday. The Pipeline, which analyses gender diversity at senior corporate levels, said the average proportion …

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European shares close higher after ECB lowers interest rates

By Ankika Biswas, Paolo Laudani and Johann M Cherian (Reuters) -European stocks closed less than 1% away from record high levels on Thursday after the European Central Bank delivered a widely expected 25-basis-point rate cut, even though it refrained from offering new clues about its next move. The continent-wide STOXX 600 index ended higher by …

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FTSE 100 touches five-month closing high on optimism over rate cuts

By Pranav Kashyap and Sruthi Shankar (Reuters) -The UK’s FTSE 100 closed at a near five-month high on Thursday, as pest control group Rentokil announced an overhaul of its struggling North America business, while investors continued to bet on further policy easing by the Bank of England (BoE). The blue-chip index rose 0.7% to close …

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India cenbank bars four non-banks from fresh lending for breaching norms

By Swati Bhat and Siddhi Nayak MUMBAI (Reuters) -India’s central bank barred four non-bank finance companies (NBFCs) from sanctioning and disbursing loans due to “usurious” pricing and for charging a significant mark-up over their funding costs, it said in a release on Thursday. The restrictions on Asirvad Micro Finance, Arohan Financial Services, DMI Finance and …

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Moldova says its citizens were trained in Russia to stage riots

By Alexander Tanas CHISINAU (Reuters) – Moldovan police said on Thursday they had uncovered a programme in which hundreds of its citizens were brought to Russia to undergo training to stage riots and civil unrest, the latest in a slew of meddling allegations ahead of Sunday’s election. The police said earlier this month that Russia-backed …

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South African rand slips after US retail sales data

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -South Africa’s rand slipped against a stronger dollar on Thursday, after data showed U.S. retail sales rose more than expected, signalling a resilient U.S. economy. At 1511 GMT, the rand traded at 17.7150 against the U.S. dollar, 0.41% weaker than its previous close. The dollar last traded 0.21% firmer against a basket of …

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Biden cancels $4.5 billion in public workers’ student loans

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday canceled another $4.5 billion in student debt for more than 60,000 borrowers, bringing the number of public service workers who have had their student loans for higher education forgiven to over 1 million. The cancellation is Biden’s latest effort to fulfill his 2020 campaign pledge to deliver …

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Northvolt co-founder, Swedish funds may inject cash, broadcaster reports

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -A co-founder of struggling Swedish battery maker Northvolt is willing to inject 100 million crowns ($9.50 million) in the group and may be joined by pension funds AMF and AP, broadcaster SVT reported late on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources. Northvolt is in talks with investors and lenders to secure short-term funding of some …

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Russian law against ‘child-free propaganda’ clears first hurdle in parliament

By Mark Trevelyan LONDON (Reuters) -Laws that would ban “propaganda” which discourages Russians from having children won overwhelming approval on Thursday in the first stage of their passage through parliament, part of a Kremlin drive to boost the country’s flagging birth rate. The move to outlaw content that is deemed to promote a child-free lifestyle …

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Harris or Trump, next president will have less impact on shape of US judiciary

By Nate Raymond (Reuters) – No matter which candidate wins the U.S. presidential election, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will face one similar reality: fewer opportunities to reshape the federal judiciary. By the time Democratic President Joe Biden leaves office, he and Trump, his Republican predecessor, will have within just eight years appointed about half …

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