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"Russia and Ukraine to hold direct talks."

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Daily Briefing

By Edson Caldas

Hello. Russians and Ukrainians are in Turkey for what would be their first direct talks in three years, US aid cuts leave food for millions of people moldering in storage, and Japan's economy shrinks more than expected. Plus, our top photos this week.

Today's Top News   Vehicles arrive at the Turkish Presidency's Dolmabahce working office, where Russia and Ukraine direct talks might happen. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger Ukraine-Russia war Russian and Ukrainian negotiators will meet in Istanbul for their first peace talks in more than three years as both sides come under pressure from US President Donald Trump to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War Two. We look at the outlines and risks of a possible deal. As Russian President Vladimir Putin explores a potential peace settlement, hawkish anti-Western nationalists at home are waging a campaign to keep the conflict going.  Middle East Trump announced deals totaling more than $200 billion between the United States and the United Arab Emirates, including a $14.5 billion commitment between Boeing, GE Aerospace and Etihad Airways, the White House said. The US president also said the UAE and the United States have agreed to create a path for the Gulf country to buy some of the most advanced AI semiconductors from US companies. Trump's plan to accept a $400 million airplane from Qatar raises a raft of ethical questions and, as Defense Industry Reporter Mike Stone tells the Reuters World News podcast, a long list of security concerns. In other news Food rations that could supply 3.5 million people for a month are moldering in warehouses because of US aid cuts and risk becoming unusable, five people familiar with the situation said. India is considering plans to dramatically increase the water it draws from a major river that feeds Pakistani farms downstream, as part of retaliatory action for a deadly April attack on tourists that New Delhi blames on Islamabad, sources said.

Business & Markets   Japan's economy shrank for the first time in a year and at a faster pace than expected, data for the March quarter showed earlier today, underscoring the fragile nature of its recovery now under threat from Trump's trade policies. The 90-day tariff truce agreed by the United States and China during trade talks in Switzerland last weekend is too short, China's state-backed Global Times said, as envoys from the world's two biggest economies regrouped in Korea. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation's trade gathering adopted a statement that cited "fundamental challenges" facing the global trading system, but stopped short of discussing a joint response to US tariffs overshadowing the meeting. Epic Games said that Apple has blocked its "Fortnite" video game on its stores in the European Union and the United States. Coinbase forecast a hit of $180 million to $400 million from a cyberattack that breached account data of a "small subset" of its customers, the crypto exchange said in a regulatory filing. An Italian court has placed a unit of fashion brand Valentino under judicial administration for a year after uncovering worker abuse inside its supply chain, in the latest in a string of cases that have tainted the image of Italy's luxury brands. For more, you can watch our daily rundown on financial markets.

The Week Ahead   Poland, Portugal and Romania go to the polls on Sunday.  Investors anticipate that a UK-EU summit on Monday will lead to a resetting of Britain's relationship with its biggest trading partner. G7 finance ministers and central bank governors gather from Tuesday to Thursday in the Canadian mountain town of Banff. Major US retailers' earnings will be in focus, after industry bellwether Walmart warned it would start raising prices. Here is what else investors will be watching.

In Pictures   Paper lanterns released during a ceremony on Vesak Day in Indonesia. REUTERS/Dwi Oblo From the Cannes Film Festival in France to Vesak Day celebrations in Indonesia, we bring you a selection of our top photography from around the world this week. View photo gallery

And Finally... Croatia's Game of Thrones filming sites face tariff threats. REUTERS/Antonio Bronic The fortresses and cobbled streets of the ancient Croatian town of Dubrovnik are often crowded with tourists eager to visit the locations from Game of Thrones or Star Wars: The Last Jedi. But comments by Trump that he will impose a 100% tariff on all films produced outside the US have alarmed the entertainment industry and some locals in Dubrovnik who fear directors may no longer film there. Read more

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