Japan to invite emerging nations to G7 finance leaders’ meeting

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan will invite some emerging nations to an outreach meeting at the Group of Seven advanced countries Japan chairs next month in the city of Niigata, Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said on Friday. The countries whose finance leaders will be invited to attend the outreach meeting include India, Indonesia, South Korea, Singapore…

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Moscow rejects U.S. request to see reporter; Russia’s U.S. envoy sees prisoners

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia said on Thursday it had rejected a U.S. embassy request to visit detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in response to Washington’s refusal to grant visas to a group of Russian journalists. The foreign ministry said it had summoned a senior American diplomat to formally protest after reporters assigned to accompany…

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Auto workers union, Sanders blast GM for wages at US battery plant

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) – United Auto Workers (UAW) union President Shawn Fain and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders on Thursday criticized a General Motors joint venture battery plant for paying workers much less than assembly plant employees even though it benefits from hefty U.S. government tax credits. Workers at the Warren, Ohio, joint venture…

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Norway sovereign wealth fund excludes Korea Gas, India’s GAIL over Myanmar link

(Reuters) – The Norwegian central bank on Thursday excluded two oil and gas companies from its $1.4-trillion wealth fund, the world’s largest, citing ethical concerns over their ties to the Myanmar military. South Korea’s state-run Korea Gas Corp (KOGAS) and Indian gas firm GAIL (India) Ltd were excluded from the fund, Norges Bank said in…

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Wall Street notches biggest gain in months, Treasury yields rise on solid earnings

By Stephen Culp NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stocks closed sharply higher on Thursday and Treasury yields resumed their climb as strong earnings helped investors look past signs of economic weakness. All three major U.S. stock indexes surged in a broad rally, with megacap tech and tech-related companies boosting the Nasdaq to its biggest one-day…

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US dollar edges higher as GDP, jobless claims affirm rate hike bets

By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) – The dollar rose on Thursday as weaker-than-expected U.S. economic growth in the first quarter is viewed as not likely to deter the Federal Reserve from raising interest rates next week. The advance estimate of first-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) showed a 1.1% annualized rate during the period. The…

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White House’s Sullivan: US not looking to decouple from China economy

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday the United States is not looking to decouple its economy from the Chinese economy, saying, “We’re not cutting off trade.” Speaking at the Brookings Institution, Sullivan said China should step up as a constructive force in assisting heavily indebted countries. He said…

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Analysis-China’s small steps on offshore use of yuan are starting to add up

By Tom Westbrook SINGAPORE (Reuters) – China’s yuan currency is slowly but surely being adopted for more international payments, which analysts say could lay foundations for a trade system running parallel to the dominant U.S. dollar. In the past day alone, data showed that more cross-border transactions with China were settled in yuan in March…

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