Israel watchdog seeks data from banks in interest rate probe

By Steven Scheer JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel’s competition watchdog sought more data on Sunday from the country’s banks relating to an investigation, saying they were enjoying huge profits from higher interest rates on loans but weren’t adequately sharing the benefits with customers. The investigation, which began in 2022, wasn’t made public prior to Sunday. In…

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Russia hits base in Ukraine in new wave of strikes, Zelenskiy praises Patriots

By Pavel Polityuk and Olena Harmash KYIV (Reuters) – Russia said on Monday its military hit Ukrainian air bases in overnight strikes and Ukrainian forces shelled industrial facilities inside Russia as both sides sought the upper hand ahead of what Kyiv hopes will be a decisive counter-offensive. In a rare acknowledgement of damage to a…

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Serbian president to meet US, Russia, China, EU ambassadors after clashes erupt

(Reuters) – Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will meet on Tuesday with the ambassadors of the United States, Russia, China, Britain and the head of the European Union mission, the president’s office said late on Monday, after new clashes erupted in northern Kosovo. Vucic put the army on the highest level of combat alert after around…

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Armenia, Azerbaijan trade barbs ahead of new peace talks

(Reuters) – Armenia and Azerbaijan hurled fresh accusations at each other two days before new talks aimed at clinching a peace accord to resolve decades of disputes over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. The ex-Soviet states have fought two wars over the region, recognised as part of Azerbaijan but populated mainly by ethnic Armenians. Azerbaijan recaptured…

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Canada, Quebec to provide about C$300 million for GM-POSCO battery materials facility

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada’s federal government and the Quebec province will each provide about C$150 million ($112 million) for a General Motors-POSCO Chemical battery materials facility that is expected create about 200 jobs in the country, the Canadian industry ministry said on Monday. The U.S. carmaker and South Korea’s POSCO outlined their plan last year…

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El Salvador court sentences ex-President Funes to 14 years in prison

By Nelson Renteria SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) – A court in El Salvador sentenced former President Mauricio Funes and his justice minister to more than a decade behind bars for their ties to criminal groups and failure to comply with duties, the attorney general’s office said on Monday. Funes was sentenced to 14 years and his…

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Wildfire in Canada’s Halifax leads to evacuation orders for thousands of homes

By Eric Martyn and Kanishka Singh HALIFAX (Reuters) – A wildfire in the eastern Canadian city of Halifax led to mandatory evacuation orders for thousands of homes, and officials said residents will not be not allowed to return until advised by municipal authorities. Halifax Mayor Mike Savage said the evacuations impacted about 18,000 people. The…

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Turkey’s Erdogan triumphs in election test, extending 20-year rule

By Daren Butler and Ezgi Erkoyun ISTANBUL (Reuters) – President Tayyip Erdogan and supporters on Monday revelled in an election victory lengthening his rule into a third decade while Turkey’s opposition, which once counted on winning, braced for “difficult days” against an increasingly autocratic government. His rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu said it was “the most unfair…

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