Chinese tourists flock to gambling hub Macau for Labour Day holiday

By Joyce Zhou MACAU (Reuters) -Hundreds of thousands of mainland Chinese visitors have descended on the world’s biggest gambling hub of Macau for the Labour Day holiday, packing tightly into its narrow cobblestone streets and placing bets in its glitzy casinos. The surge in visitors comes after China and its special administrative region Macau lifted…

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Energizer, Walmart sued for conspiring to raise battery prices

By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) -Energizer Holdings Inc and Walmart Inc have been sued by consumers and retailers in three proposed class actions accusing them of conspiring to raise the prices of disposable batteries. According to complaints filed on Friday, Energizer agreed “under pressure from Walmart” to inflate wholesale battery prices for other retailers…

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Paraguay’s conservatives score big election win, defusing Taiwan fears

By Lucinda Elliott and Daniela Desantis ASUNCION (Reuters) -Paraguayan conservative economist Santiago Pena, 44, won the country’s presidential election on Sunday, tightening the ruling Colorado Party’s political grip in the country and defusing fears about the end of diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Pena, who has pledged to maintain Paraguay’s long-standing Taiwan relations, had 42.7% of…

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Israeli forces kill Palestinian teen in West Bank raid, Palestinian officials say

By Ali Sawafta JERICHO, West Bank (Reuters) – Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian teenager during a morning arrest raid that led to clashes in a refugee camp outside the city of Jericho in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian health officials said. The Palestinian health ministry said 17-year-old Jibril Kamal died after being shot in…

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India April factory activity hits 4-month high on robust demand

By Anant Chandak BENGALURU (Reuters) – India’s factory activity expanded at its quickest pace in four months in April, driven by solid growth in new orders and output, a private survey showed on Monday, signaling resilient demand and an encouraging outlook. The survey results suggest India will continue to be one of the fastest-growing major…

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Analysis-Inflation, labour crunch prodding Japan’s smaller firms to raise pay

By Tetsushi Kajimoto and Kentaro Sugiyama TOKYO (Reuters) – Rising inflation and an intensifying labour crunch are prodding smaller local Japanese firms to follow their big counterparts in raising pay, a move that can generate broader wage hikes and encourage the central bank to phase out its massive stimulus. Wages have barely risen in Japan…

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