Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a record-equalling third straight term but the gruelling six-week election has been hit by a heatwave that left dozens dead, including election officials.
Hindu monks at a polling station in Kolkata, India, June 1, 2024. REUTERS/Sahiba Chawdhary - World
India voted on Saturday in the final phase of a long-drawn general election, held in record summer heat in many parts, as both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his challengers said they would win the polls centred mostly on inequality and religion.
- World
Vishal Aheer and his team trudged up treacherous Himalayan mountain paths and across rickety bridges for seven hours to make sure that just 185 Indian villagers could vote in what has been a mammoth election.
Shangri-La Dialogue
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin tried to refocus attention on China's threat in the Asia-Pacific on Saturday, seeking to alleviate concerns that conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza have distracted from America's security commitments in the region.
Lloyd Austin in Singapore June 1, 2024. REUTERS/Edgar Su - World
South Korean defence minister Shin Won-sik said on Saturday that more evidence suggests weapons used by Russia in the war in Ukraine were illegally imported from North Korea.
- World
The United States is unlikely to help South Korea build nuclear-powered submarines at the moment, as it is stretched by AUKUS commitments to Australia, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at the Shangri-La security dialogue in Singapore.
Markets
U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday laid out what he described as a three-phase Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza in return for the release of Israeli hostages, saying "it's time for this war to end" and winning a positive initial reaction from Hamas.
Palestinians make their way, as they inspect the damage after Israeli forces withdrew from Jabalia refugee camp, following a raid, in the northern Gaza Strip, May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa - World
Pro-Palestinian protesters took over parts of the Brooklyn Museum on Friday, hanging a banner above the main entrance, occupying much of the lobby and scuffling with police, witnesses said.
- World
U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday laid out a three-phase ceasefire proposal from Israel to Palestinian Islamist group Hamas to end the war in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis.
Donald Trump stared down a bank of cameras inside Trump Tower on Friday and delivered a message fitting for both his legal and political battles: He is ready to fight.
New York City, U.S., May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - World
U.S. President Joe Biden had a marginal 2 percentage point lead over Republican challenger Donald Trump in the race to win the November presidential election, following Trump's historic conviction by a jury on charges he falsified business records to cover up a hush money payment to a porn star, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Friday.
- World
Ten percent of Republican registered voters say they are less likely to vote for Donald Trump following his felony conviction for falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to a porn star, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Friday.
U.S. oil drillers are sticking to pledges to temper spending on boosting output, keeping the world's top crude producer on course for slower growth in 2024 in what may ease pressure on OPEC+ to make further supply cuts this weekend.
The operations floor of a drilling rig is seen from the control room on a lease owned by Oasis Petroleum in the Permian Basin near Wink, Texas U.S. August 22, 2018. REUTERS/Nick Oxford/File Photo - Business
The U.S. gasoline market is flashing signs of weakness at the start of summer driving season, a time it generally picks up strongly, and analysts say this clouds the picture for oil demand ahead of the OPEC+ group policy meeting that kicks off this weekend.
- Markets
U.S. crude oil refiners aim to operate above 90% of their combined processing capacity for the remainder of the quarter after completing planned overhauls, said analysts contacted by Reuters.
Talking Points
The festival in the English countryside celebrates its 90th anniversary this year and has a global reputation among opera lovers.
