Israelis protest planned judicial overhaul ahead of 75th independence day

TEL AVIV (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of Israelis joined protests on Saturday against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to tighten controls on the Supreme Court, ahead of Israel’s independence day marking 75 years since establishment of the Jewish state. The plans were paused last month in the face of a wave of strikes and…

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Activists gather for Earth Day, urge action to avoid ‘dystopian’ future

(Reuters) -Climate change campaigners gathered in New York’s Times Square on Earth Day to urge action on global warming and cuts in plastics use while volunteers worldwide planted trees and cleared trash to mark the 54th annual celebration of the environment. Earth Day this year, officially on Saturday, follows weeks of extreme weather with temperatures…

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G7 calls for extension, full implementation and expansion of Black Sea grain deal

By Katya Golubkova and Yuka Obayashi TOKYO (Reuters) – The Group of Seven (G7) economic powers called on Sunday for the “extension, full implementation and expansion” of a critical deal to export Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, the group’s agriculture ministers said in a communique. Brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, the deal…

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Republican hopefuls woo evangelicals in Iowa, vow to restrict abortion

By Nathan Layne CLIVE, Iowa (Reuters) -Donald Trump and other Republican presidential hopefuls called for restricting abortion at an event for evangelicals in Iowa on Saturday, courting the key conservative voting bloc in the state set to hold the party’s first nominating contest in early 2024. At the first major campaign event for the evangelical…

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German public sector workers agree to wage deal with employers

BERLIN (Reuters) – German public sector workers have agreed on a wage deal with employers, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and the Verdi union said on Saturday, ending a dispute that has disrupted the transport sector in Europe’s biggest economy. The agreement for around 2.5 million workers in the sector follows arbitration. Under the deal, each…

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Canada’s striking federal workers call on Trudeau to speed up contract talks

By Ismail Shakil OTTAWA (Reuters) – A union representing some 155,000 striking Canadian public workers called on Saturday for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to speed up negotiations over a deal for higher wages and work-from-home guarantees. A wide range of public services from tax returns to passport renewals have been affected since Wednesday, when about…

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Brazil’s Lula doesn’t want to ‘please anyone’ with Ukraine stance

By Catarina Demony and Miguel Pereira LISBON (Reuters) -Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Saturday he did not want to “please anyone” with his views about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, after provoking criticism in the West for suggesting Kyiv shared the blame for the war. Speaking in Lisbon at the start of his…

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Data company Palantir to help Ukraine prosecute alleged Russian war crimes

By Jeffrey Dastin (Reuters) – Ukraine plans to deploy software from U.S. data analytics provider Palantir Technologies Inc to help it prosecute alleged war crimes committed by Russia, the company told Reuters. Palantir, which has supplied Ukraine with systems to help it target Russian tanks and support refugees, is now working with the prosecutor general’s…

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Russia advising citizens to avoid traveling to Canada, citing attacks

(Reuters) – Russia is advising citizens to avoid travel to Canada, citing what it calls numerous cases of discrimination against Russians, including physical violence, its foreign ministry said on Saturday. Canada is one of the most vocal backers of Ukraine in the war against Moscow’s forces and has imposed sanctions on hundreds of Russian officials…

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