Turkey set to keep strong Russia ties whoever wins election

By Ece Toksabay and Huseyin Hayatsever ANKARA (Reuters) – Whoever wins Turkey’s elections this month, the NATO-member is expected to maintain cordial relations with Russia that have already endured several years of dramatic change in Ankara’s foreign policy. What prompted that change was Turkey’s severe economic crisis, which forced President Tayyip Erdogan to mend strained…

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Australia PM says ‘frustrated’ over continued detention of Julian Assange

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday he was frustrated for not yet finding a diplomatic fix over the continued detention of Julian Assange and that he remained concerned about the mental health of the WikiLeaks’ founder. “I know it’s frustrating, I share the frustration,” Albanese told ABC television from London…

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Exclusive-Israel seized Binance crypto accounts to ‘thwart’ Islamic State, document shows

By Tom Wilson and Angus Berwick LONDON (Reuters) – Israel has seized around 190 crypto accounts at crypto exchange Binance since 2021, including two it said were linked to Islamic State and dozens of others it said were owned by Palestinian firms connected to the Islamist Hamas group, documents released by the country’s counter-terror authorities…

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Indonesia Q1 GDP beats forecasts, soft exports cloud outlook

By Stefanno Sulaiman and Gayatri Suroyo JAKARTA (Reuters) -Indonesia’s economy grew faster than expected in the first quarter, as consumer and government spending offset a slowdown in exports and investment in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. Gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 5.03% in the January to March quarter from a year earlier, data from Statistics Indonesia…

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Ukraine’s nuclear deal with Canada’s Cameco carries big risks, rewards

By Rod Nickel and Pavel Polityuk WINNIPEG, Manitoba/KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine’s 12-year deal to buy enough uranium from Canadian miner Cameco Corp to power all of its nuclear reactors gives each side the right to change sales volumes with two years’ notice, the Ukrainian state-owned utility Energoatom told Reuters. The unusual flexibility of the deal…

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European airlines see strong summer bookings, hope to avert chaos

By Sarah Young and Federica Mileo LONDON/PARIS (Reuters) – British Airways-owner IAG and Air France-KLM reported bumper summer bookings as travellers pressed ahead with holiday plans despite a cost-of-living crisis, though IAG’s boss warned strikes and lack of staff could still disrupt major airports. European airlines and airports are under pressure to avoid a repeat…

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Caixabank sees higher lending income in 2023 after strong quarter

By Jesús Aguado MADRID (Reuters) -Caixabank on Friday beat first-quarter net profit forecasts, helped by higher lending income, which the Spanish bank said would rise more than 30% in 2023 after raising its guidance, even as retail deposits dipped compared with December. Banks across Europe are benefiting from higher interest rates, and Caixabank’s net interest…

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