Three Europeans return home after release by Iran in prisoner swap

By Charlotte Van Campenhout BRUSSELS/DUBAI (Reuters) – Three Europeans returned home on Saturday a day after being released by Iran in a prisoner swap, and Tehran said there was no reason for Europeans to be arrested if they were not “exploited” by foreign security services. The three men – two with dual Austrian-Iranian nationality and…

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Deadly Indian rail crash shifts focus from new trains to safety

By YP Rajesh NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s vast rail network is undergoing a $30 billion transformation with gleaming new trains and modern stations but Friday’s deadly train accident shows more attention should be paid to safety, industry analysts said. At least 261 people were killed in the country’s worst rail accident in over two…

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Biden cheers debt ceiling ‘crisis averted’ from Oval Office

By Jeff Mason and Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden declared a “crisis averted” on Friday in his first address from the White House’s Oval Office, touting the passage of a bill to suspend the U.S. debt ceiling and avoid economic catastrophe. Biden used the moment to plead with Americans to bridge their…

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Counter-offensive on track despite Russian missile barrages, Ukrainian defence official says

By Kanupriya Kapoor and Gerry Doyle SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Ukraine’s plans for a counteroffensive against Russian occupation remain on track, its deputy defence minister told Reuters on Saturday, despite an “unprecedented” wave of missile and drone attacks across the country in recent weeks. Volodymyr V. Havrylov said that alongside cruise missile strikes, Ukraine had faced…

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Turkey’s Erdogan takes oath for new term as president

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan took the oath of office for a new five-year presidential term on Saturday, extending his rule into a third decade. “I, as president, swear upon my honour and integrity before the great Turkish nation and history to safeguard the existence and independence of the state … to abide…

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Zelenskiy says Ukraine ready to launch counteroffensive

KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine is ready to launch its long-awaited counteroffensive to recapture Russian-occupied territory, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview published on Saturday. “We strongly believe that we will succeed,” Zelenskiy told the Wall Street Journal. “I don’t know how long it will take. To be honest, it can go a variety of…

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