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Russian President Vladimir Putin's meeting with an ally of the Wagner Group signals his struggle to address setbacks in the Ukraine conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking decisive steps to address growing challenges as he seeks to regain control over his struggling military campaign in Ukraine. On May 2, Putin met with Alexei Dyumin, the governor of Russia's Tula Oblast, and a known associate of the Wagner Group, at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence in Moscow Oblast. The meeting has raised questions about the stability of Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu's position, signalling Putin's increasing desperation in the face of unmet...

President Joe Biden warned Americans on Friday to expect setbacks in his ongoing attempts to fix the economy. “It’s going to take time to get inflation back to normal levels as we keep our job market strong, so we could see setbacks along the way,” he said at the White House, promising to stay “laser-focused” on the economy. He also claimed that inflation at the grocery store was “down slightly,” even though the cost of food at home is up 12.4 percent from the previous year. The president met with a group of business and labor leaders on his imitation...

MADRID (AFP) – Spain's ruling Socialists were ousted from power in Galicia and trailed the incumbent party in the Basque Country in regional elections on Sunday seen as the first test of voter sentiment since the country plunged into recession. In northwestern Galicia, the Socialist leader of the regional government, Emilio Perez Torino, conceded defeat to the conservative opposition Popular Party, which won a majority of 39 seats in the 75-seat regional assembly. The leader of the PP at the national level, Mariano Rajoy, had campaigned hard in his native Galicia with a victory in the regional polls seen as...

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama's Middle East envoy said on Friday that the new administration's push for Israeli-Palestinian peace after the war in the Gaza Strip faced big hurdles and he warned of setbacks ahead. The sombre assessment by former U.S. Senator George Mitchell followed two days of talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on shoring up a shaky ceasefire that ended Israel's 22-day offensive against Gaza's Hamas Islamist rulers. In the talks, Israel has balked at fully reopening Gaza's border crossings to allow reconstruction. Washington supports Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his power struggle with Iranian-backed Hamas...

HAZLETON, Pa. - When it comes to illegal immigration, Mayor Lou Barletta has led the way, and towns and cities around the nation have followed him — some right into the courtroom. Since last summer, when the Republican mayor began his high-profile campaign to rid this small northeastern Pennsylvania city of illegal immigrants, more than 100 other municipalities in 27 states have considered laws ranging from penalizing companies that employ illegal immigrants to making English the official language. Opponents of the crackdowns have fought back, mounting a half-dozen legal challenges — all successful — in Hazleton and places like Valley...

Two States Deal Setbacks to Gay Marriage 5 minutes ago By DAVID KRAVETS, Associated Press Writer SAN FRANCISCO - The California Supreme Court on Thursday ordered an immediate halt to gay marriages in San Francisco, delivering a victory to conservatives who have fought for a month to block the ceremonies. Meanwhile, Massachusetts lawmakers gave preliminary approval to a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage but allow civil unions. The amendment, which would strip gay couples of their court-granted marriage rights, must still weather several additional votes and anticipated legislative maneuvering by opponents. The California court did not rule on...