By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. officials will meet Taliban representatives and “technocratic professionals” from Afghan ministries in Doha this week, the State Department said on Wednesday, adding they will discuss economic issues, security and women’s rights. No country has formally recognized the Taliban administration since the group returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021…
By Jihoon Lee SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea on Thursday proposed tax cuts to encourage companies to shift operations back home and nurture the biopharmaceutical and visual entertainment industries, to stimulate domestic growth and reduce reliance on traditional manufacturing sectors. The country with the world’s lowest birth rate would also increase financial support for marriage…
By Joyce Lee and Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) -Samsung Electronics on Thursday said the worst is over for the global memory chip market but announced plans to extend production cuts because a demand recovery is largely constrained to high-end chips used in artificial intelligence. The move underscores the unprecedented semiconductor downturn that led the South…
MADRID (Reuters) – The investment firm of Spanish billionaire Amancio Ortega, the founder of fashion giant Inditex, on Thursday reported a 2.8 billion-euro jump in the market value of its real estate assets last year, to 18.1 billion euros ($20.08 billion). Pontegadea, the Ortega family investment vehicle, has pumped up its portfolio lately by investing…
By Jorgelina do Rosario and Rodrigo Campos LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) -Time is running out for Argentina to secure the next tranche of a $44 billion loan with the International Monetary Fund, which it could use to repay the fund older debt due in coming days. With both sides saying an agreement on policy steps required…
By Orathai Sriring and Kitiphong Thaichareon BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s factory output shrank more than expected in June as sluggish global demand crimped exports amid an uncertain outlook for industry as political uncertainty after May elections drags on, a ministry official said on Thursday. The manufacturing production index (MPI) dropped for a ninth straight month…
HONG KONG (Reuters) -HSBC Holdings said on Thursday it is raising its best lending rate in Hong Kong by 12.5 basis points to 5.875% effective on July 28 after the city’s de facto central bank raised the base rate. HSBC also said it would raise the savings rate for its U.S. dollar savings deposits by…
BERLIN (Reuters) – German consumer sentiment is expected to stabilize in August, after a slight decrease the month before, as households’ hopes for falling inflation have led to significantly brighter income expectations, a GfK institute survey showed on Thursday. The institute’s consumer sentiment index rose to -24.4 heading into August from a slightly revised -25.2…
(Reuters) – British car production rose for the fifth consecutive month in June compared to last year as pandemic-induced chip shortages eased, an industry body said on Thursday. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said a total of 84,767 cars rolled out of factory gates in the United Kingdom last month, an increase…
By Andres Gonzalez and Jesús Aguado LONDON/MADRID (Reuters) -Spain’s Santander is planning to hire around 150 bankers primarily in the United States as part of its plans to accelerate growth in its investment banking business, three sources with knowledge of the matter said. Santander’s global corporate and investment banking chief, Jose M. Linares, discussed the…
