A look at the day ahead in U.S. and global markets from Mike Dolan With world markets preparing for first-quarter updates from U.S. Big Tech firms this week, the heat under simmering geopolitical tensions went up a notch as a Chinese diplomat to France questioned the independence of all former Soviet states. Ahead of an…
By Lucinda Elliott and Daniela Desantis ASUNCION (Reuters) – From Paraguayan capital Asuncion to Taipei and Washington, diplomats, officials – and farmers – are closely watching a tight election race that could determine Paraguay’s future ties with Taiwan. Paraguay will vote for its next president on April 30, choosing between a ruling party candidate pledging…
MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Kremlin said on Monday that President Vladimir Putin would decide whether to attend a BRICS conference in South Africa in August closer to the time. South Africa, a party to the International Criminal Court (ICC), maintains good relations with Russia but would be theoretically required to arrest Putin under an ICC…
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan’s defence ministry said on Monday that a Chinese carrier group led by the Shandong was about 120 nautical miles off the southeast of the island’s coast, the same ship that took part in China’s war games around the island earlier this month. Taiwan previously reported that the Shandong, commissioned in 2019,…
TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan is considering expanding the areas in which skilled foreign workers can receive long-term work visas to 12 from three, possibly including the food service industry, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Monday. Rapidly-ageing Japan suffers from an increasingly severe shortage of labour in a number of sectors but remains reluctant to allow a…
By Yew Lun Tian BEIJING (Reuters) – Outrage over China’s ambassador to France questioning the sovereignty of former Soviet countries like Ukraine reverberated across Europe on Monday as Beijing distanced itself from the envoy’s remarks by reaffirming its respect for their status. It is not the first time Lu Shaye, 58, a prominent practitioner of…
By Leika Kihara TOKYO (Reuters) – The Bank of Japan may conduct a comprehensive review of the impact of the monetary easing steps it has taken over the longer term, an idea recently flagged by its new governor Kazuo Ueda, three sources familiar with its thinking said. But there is uncertainty on how soon, and…
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Guatemala is not asking for “free money” from Taiwan and does not owe debt in the same way Honduras does, but is looking for long-term investment and trade, senior Guatemalan financial officials said on Monday. Guatemala is one of only 13 countries to maintain formal diplomatic ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan. Honduras abandoned…
(Reuters) – China nudged banks this month to cut deposit interest rates further, seven people with knowledge of the matter said, in the latest effort to channel the country’s vast savings pool into spending and more productive investments. Members of China’s “interest rate self-regulatory mechanism,” mostly banks, met this month and were urged to reduce…
By Hyunsu Yim SEOUL (Reuters) – Throngs of people have been milling seemingly aimlessly around the forecourt of a museum in central Seoul, brushing silently past each other with heads bent toward smartphones while fingers frantically tap screens – in the latest money-making trend. Walking 10,000 steps, completing tasks such as subscribing to social media,…
