South African factory activity contracts less in April – Absa PMI

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South African manufacturing activity contracted again in April but less than in February and March, helped by companies building up inventories, a survey showed on Tuesday. The seasonally-adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 49.8 points in April from 48.1 in March, staying below the 50 point mark that separates expansion…

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US may default on June 1 without debt ceiling hike; Biden, McCarthy to meet

By David Lawder, Trevor Hunnicutt, Andrea Shalal and David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday summoned the four top congressional leaders to the White House next week after the Treasury warned the government could run short of cash to pay its bills by June. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a…

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Hollywood writers to strike as streaming shift upends TV business

By Lisa Richwine and Dawn Chmielewski LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Thousands of film and television writers will go on strike starting Tuesday, throwing Hollywood into turmoil as the entertainment business grapples with seismic changes triggered by the global streaming TV boom. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) called its first work stoppage in 15 years…

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