Australia’s central bank hiked rates for fear inflation was becoming entrenched

SYDNEY, June 20 (Reuters) – Australia’s central bank’s decision to hike interest rates in June was “finely balanced” but judged necessary to ensure high inflation did not become embedded in wage and price expectations. Minutes of its June 4 policy meeting released on Tuesday showed the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) board considered leaving rates…

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Blinken ‘actively talking’ about three Americans detained in China – CBS News

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday the United States and China were continuing to discuss the release of three U.S. citizens who are detained in China. “I don’t want to get into the details, but we are very actively talking about that,” Blinken said in an interview with CBS…

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New Zealand to investigate profitability, competition at banks

SYDNEY (Reuters) – New Zealand said on Tuesday it would examine the profitability of the country’s banks and investigate whether competition in the sector was working well for consumers. The banking sector is dominated by four banks making up around 85% of mortgage and other lending, and 90% of deposits, government data showed. Loans by…

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International donors pledge $1.5 billion in Sudan aid

By Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber, Emma Farge and Khalid Abdelaziz GENEVA (Reuters) -International donors made pledges on Monday of close to $1.5 billion in aid for Sudan and the surrounding region, about half of estimated needs for a deepening humanitarian crisis that has driven some 2.2 million people from their homes. The conflict between Sudan’s army and…

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NATO ready to act to save Kosovo’s peace, calls for de-escalation

By Fatos Bytyci PRISTINA (Reuters) – NATO forces in Kosovo are ready to face any situation if acts of violence similar to recent encounters threaten the peace, the NATO commander in Pristina said late on Monday. Some 30 NATO peacekeeping soldiers defending three town halls in northern Kosovo were injured in clashes with Serb protesters…

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Ukrainian artillerymen praise US howitzers outside Russian-held town

By Max Hunder NEAR KREMINNA, Ukraine (Reuters) – The artillerymen of Ukraine’s 67th infantry brigade are delighted with the U.S.-supplied M119 howitzer amid an increase in military exchanges south of the Russian-held town of Kreminna. The men now stationed in Ukraine’s northeast have been redeployed from positions around the devastated town of Bakhmut – encircled…

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