Turkey’s upbeat Kilicdaroglu says election will bring a new spring

By Ece Toksabay and Huseyin Hayatsever ANKARA (Reuters) – He is not as charismatic as Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan, but mild-mannered Kemal Kilicdaroglu is optimistic about his chances of beating Erdogan in Sunday’s election, promising a new spring after two decades of his rival’s tumultuous governance. Long stuck in the shadow of Erdogan and his…

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Russian missiles hit home town of Ukraine’s Eurovision contestants

(Reuters) – As the Eurovision song contest was underway in Britain late on Saturday, Russian missiles hit the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil, which is home to the electro-pop duo Tvorchi, this year’s contestants from Ukraine. Local authorities, writing on Telegram, said the strike had hit warehouses owned by commercial enterprises and a religious organization,…

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Israel, Palestinians agree to Gaza truce, Palestinian officials say

GAZA/CAIRO (Reuters) – Israel and Gaza militant groups have agreed to an Egyptian-mediated ceasefire that will start at 2200 local (1900 GMT), two Palestinian officials told Reuters. There was no immediate comment from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other officials. Cairo called on all sides to adhere to the agreement, Egypt’s Al-Qahera News television…

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Philippine court acquits top critic of ex-president Duterte’s ‘war on drugs’

By Adrian Portugal MANILA (Reuters) -A Philippine court on Friday acquitted of a drugs charge one of the fiercest critics of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs”, a move welcomed by activists who called her incarceration a vindictive effort to harass and silence her. The court cleared former senator Leila de Lima, 63, of the…

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Exclusive-G7 summit statement to target China’s ‘economic coercion’ -source

By Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries are set to discuss concern about China’s use of “economic coercion” in its dealings abroad as part of their larger joint statement next week, according to a U.S. official familiar with the discussions. The statement, a likely component of the overall communique…

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