Japan GDP growth likely accelerated in Q1 on robust services consumption- Reuters poll

By Kantaro Komiya TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s economy likely grew in January-March at the fastest pace in three quarters, as spending in the services sector offset soft business activity, a Reuters poll showed. Japan has so far been spared major impact from deteriorating global economic conditions thanks in part to the services sector enjoying a…

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Analysis-Arabs bring Syria’s Assad back into fold but want action on drugs trade

By Maya Gebeily BEIRUT (Reuters) – Having brought President Bashar al-Assad in from the cold, Arab states want him to rein in Syria’s flourishing drugs trade in exchange for even closer ties. But as Damascus makes its own demands, the way ahead appears far from simple. Arab states turned the page on years of confrontation…

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Zealand, Boehringer’s drug meets main weight-loss goal in mid-stage trial

By Ludwig Burger FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Zealand Pharma and partner Boehringer Ingelheim said their experimental obesity drug achieved up to 14.9% weight loss after 46 weeks in a mid-stage trial, adding a potential contestant to the fast growing obesity drug market. In a statement on Wednesday, the partners said that the Phase II dose-finding trial…

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Chinese company earnings reveal lopsided economic recovery

By Summer Zhen HONG KONG (Reuters) – People in China splashed out on dining, travel and luxury goods after emerging from three years of pandemic restrictions but are still not spending freely on routine consumer items, if first quarter corporate results are an indication. There was a broad bounce in earnings after China ended its…

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Greece’s Stournaras sees ECB rate hikes ending this year

ATHENS (Reuters) – The ECB’s monetary tightening cycle will end this year if there are no dramatic changes, Greek central bank chief Yannis Stournaras told a news website in an interview published on Wednesday. Stournaras, considered a dove on the ECB’s 26-member Governing Council, told imerisia.gr that “as things stand at the moment, and if…

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