FRANKFURT, Aug 23 (Reuters) – It was meant to be Europe’s stellar year. A post-pandemic spending euphoria, supported by copious government spending was set to drive the economy and help fatigued households regain a sense of normality after two dreadful years. But all that changed on Feb. 24 with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Normality is...
SEOUL, Aug 22 (Reuters) – South Korea and the United States began their largest joint military drills in years on Monday with a resumption of field training, officials said, as the allies seek to tighten readiness over North Korea’s potential weapons tests. The annual summertime exercises, renamed Ulchi Freedom Shield this year and scheduled to...
TOKYO, Aug 22 (Reuters) – Oil prices slumped on Monday, ending three days of gains, as investors were concerned aggressive U.S. interest rate hikes will weaken the global economy and dent fuel demand while a strengthening dollar also added to pressure. Brent crude futures for October settlement declined $1.58, or 1.6%, to $95.14 a barrel...
Aug 20 (Reuters) – Russia held its spot as China’s top oil supplier for a third month in July, data showed on Saturday, as independent refiners stepped up purchases of discounted supplies while cutting shipments from rival suppliers such as Angola and Brazil. read more Imports of Russian oil, including supplies pumped via the East Siberia...
TAIPEI, Aug 18 (Reuters) – The United States and Taiwan have agreed to start trade talks under a new initiative to reach agreements with “economically meaningful outcomes”, with a Taiwan official saying China’s “economic coercion” would be also be discussed. Washington and Taipei unveiled the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade in June, just days after...
WASHINGTON, Aug 11 (Reuters) – China’s war games around Taiwan have led Biden administration officials to recalibrate their thinking on whether to scrap some tariffs or potentially impose others on Beijing, setting those options aside for now, according to sources familiar with the deliberations. President Joe Biden’s team has been wrestling for months with various...
TAIPEI/BEIJING, Aug 10 (Reuters) – Chinese navy ships remained active off both Taiwan’s east and west coasts on Wednesday morning, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters, as Beijing kept up military drills in protest against last week’s visit to the island by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. A furious China has extended its...
BEIJING, Aug 7 (Reuters) – China’s export growth unexpectedly picked up speed in July, offering an encouraging boost to the economy as its struggles to recover from a COVID-induced slump, but weakening global demand could start to drag on shipments in coming months. Exports rose 18.0% in July from a year earlier, the fastest pace...
Aug 8 (Reuters) – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Monday for international inspectors to be given access to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant after Ukraine and Russia traded accusations over the shelling of Europe’s largest atomic plant at the weekend. “Any attack to a nuclear plant is a suicidal thing,” Guterres told a news conference...
BEIJING, Aug 8 (Reuters) – China’s defence ministry on Monday defended its shelving of military talks with the United States in protest against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei last week, warning that Washington must bear “serious consequences.” Pelosi’s visit last week infuriated China, which regards the self-ruled island as its own and responded...