By Pete Schroeder WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Rising geopolitical tensions and a looming Federal Reserve move to tighten monetary policy weighed down Wall Street on Tuesday and helped to drive oil higher. After shaking off steep midday losses to end in posi…
Pfizer and BioNTech launch trial of Omicron-targeted COVID vaccine
By Michael Erman and Ludwig Burger NEW YORK (Reuters) -Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE said on Tuesday they started a clinical trial to test a new version of their vaccine specifically designed to target the COVID-19 Omicron variant, which has eluded some o…
Climate change ‘steroid’ contributed to $130 billion in insured losses last year-Aon
LONDON (Reuters) – Climate change played a part in insured losses from natural catastrophes that totalled $130 billion globally in 2021, the fourth-highest on record, broker Aon said in a report on Tuesday. Economic losses – the combination of insured …
Explainer-Wall of ice at Fukushima’s crippled nuclear plant
By Elaine Lies and Ju-min Park TOKYO (Reuters) – The operator of Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant said this month that two storage tanks had leaked about four tonnes of coolant solution used to create an ice wall that prevented groundwate…
Cambodia PM says Myanmar junta welcome at ASEAN if progress made
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) – Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday said he had invited Myanmar’s junta chief to a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), on the condition that progress is made on a peace plan he agreed to last ye…
U.S. orders departure of Ukraine embassy staff family members
By David Shepardson and Costas Pitas WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States on Sunday ordered the departure of family members of staff at its embassy in Ukraine, citing the continuing threat of military action from Russia. The U.S. State Department al…
‘Off to Canada’: India’s jobs crisis exasperates its youth
By Krishna N. Das and Aftab Ahmed RAJPURA, India (Reuters) – Srijan Upadhyay supplied fried snacks to small eateries and roadside stalls in the poor eastern Indian state of Bihar before COVID-19 lockdowns forced most of his customers to close down, man…
Fighting COVID, solemn-faced Hong Kong leader explains maskless appearances
By Marius Zaharia and Donny Kwok HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam defended herself against criticism on Tuesday by saying she appears for newsconferences without a face mask so that people could see how “solemn” she was when talking ab…
Biden curses Fox News reporter after he asks about inflation
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden was caught on a hot mic cursing a Fox News reporter at a White House event on Monday after the journalist shouted a question about the impact of rising inflation on this year’s congressional elections. As …
Aerial surveys detect dozens of methane ‘super-emitters’ in Permian
By Valerie Volcovici and Nichola Groom WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Around 30 oil and gas facilities across the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico spewed large amounts of methane for three years, emitting the equivalent annual climate pollution from half a…