Ukraine forces pull back as Russia mounts ‘re-energised’ Bakhmut assault, UK says

LONDON (Reuters) – Ukrainian troops have been forced to withdraw from some territory in the battlefield city of Bakhmut as Russia mounts a renewed assault there with intense artillery fire over the past two days, Britain said in an intelligence update on Friday. “Russia has re-energised its assault on the Donetsk Oblast town of Bakhmut…

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French inflation revised slightly upwards in March to 5.7% – final figures

PARIS(Reuters) – French annual inflation rose to a slightly revised 5.7% in March – albeit down from 6.3% in February – as lower energy prices helped offset surging food prices, according to final figures from the INSEE statistics body on Friday. The preliminary figure for March released last month was 5.6%. The inflation figure, on…

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China’s first-quarter GDP growth seen rebounding to 4.0%, 2023 rate seen at 5.4% – Reuters poll

By Kevin Yao BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s gross domestic product likely perked up in the first quarter of the year, a Reuters poll showed on Friday, as the end of strict COVID-19 curbs helped lift the world’s second-largest economy out of a crippling pandemic slump. GDP growth was seen speeding up to 4.0% in the…

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Russian diplomat says it may be time to reduce number of U.S. reporters in Russia

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s ambassador to the United States said Washington had threatened retaliation after Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was detained on espionage charges, and suggested it might be time to cut the number of U.S. journalists in Russia. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on March 30 it had detained Gershkovich in…

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