Reuters

HOUSTON (Reuters) - U.S. government forecasters said on Thursday the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is shaping up to be "extraordinary" where past experience with tropical storms cannot serve as a prologue, said Rick Spinrad, director of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Warm sea temperatures and a falling wind shear at the height of the hurricane season, which begins on June 1, are expected to contribute to more and stronger... (continue reading...)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday handed a victory to South Carolina Republicans, ruling against a challenge to an electoral map they devised that moved 30,000 Black residents out of a congressional district.

The justices reversed a lower court's ruling that the Republican-drawn map violated the rights of Black voters under the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment, which guarantee equal protection under the law.

The... (continue reading...)

By Matt Spetalnick

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic U.S. Representative Pete Aguilar will deliver keynote speeches at the Israeli embassy’s Independence Day reception on Thursday, headlining a more subdued event under the shadow of the Gaza war.

The gathering comes amid tensions between the Democratic U.S. leader and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a U.S. push for Israel to... (continue reading...)

By Andrea Shalal and Jarrett Renshaw

(Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden welcomed Kenyan President William Ruto to the White House on Thursday for a state visit aimed at deepening relations with African nations, which have been sidelined by wars in Ukraine and Gaza, with a flurry of deal announcements.

Ruto, who arrived in the U.S. on Monday and visited Atlanta, Georgia, spoke with CEOs in the White House on Wednesday. On Thursday, he... (continue reading...)

(Reuters) - Euro zone consumer confidence rose by 0.4 points in May from the April number, figures released on Thursday showed.

The European Commission said a flash estimate showed euro zone consumer morale improved to -14.3 this month from -14.7 in April.

Economists polled by Reuters had expected a rise to -14.2.

In the European Union as a whole, consumer sentiment rose by 0.5 points to -13.2.

For European... (continue reading...)