White House’s Brainard sees ‘every reason’ to believe inflation going down

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden’s chief economic adviser on Thursday expressed confidence that inflation would continue to improve in the second half of the year, and said it could drop to a range of 2% or slightly higher before the 2024 presidential election. National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard told an event hosted…

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Apple seeks to fend off EU antitrust charge triggered by Spotify at hearing

By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Apple will on Friday seek to fend off a revised EU antitrust charge and possible hefty fine linked to claims it prevents music streaming companies such as Spotify from informing users of other buying options outside its App Store. The iPhone maker will set out its arguments to senior…

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Russian sexologists to target homosexuality, other ‘disorders’ under new rules

(Reuters) – Russian clinics will soon be staffed with sexologists to help patients “overcome” homosexuality and various sexual “mental disorders”, a health ministry order said, in the latest Kremlin attack on what it calls “non-traditional lifestyles.” The order, which takes effect on July 1, comes amid a clampdown on LGBT rights, which President Vladimir Putin…

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Microsoft’s appeal of UK Activision veto to go ahead as planned

LONDON (Reuters) – Microsoft’s appeal against Britain’s veto of its $69 billion deal to buy Activision Blizzard will go ahead as planned at the end of July after the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) rejected the antitrust regulator’s request for a delay. The Competition and Markets Authority, which blocked the takeover in April, wanted the hearing…

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U.S. condemns Bosnian Serb actions on constitutional court

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States on Thursday condemned a vote by lawmakers in Bosnia’s autonomous Serb Republic to suspend rulings by Bosnia’s constitutional court, saying the move undermined the Dayton Peace Agreement. The new law, approved on Tuesday, violates the Bosnia and Herzegovina Constitution and runs counter to the Dayton Peace Agreement, State Department…

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From behind bars, Greek far-right populist propels ultra-nationalists

By Michele Kambas and Renee Maltezou ATHENS (Reuters) – With backing from a politician jailed for leading a party declared a criminal gang, Greek far-right groups swept up over 12% of the vote in Sunday’s election, mirroring the rise of populist and ultra-nationalist politicians across Europe. The surge of three parties with their ultra-nationalist views…

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Fed’s Bostic would back rate hike if inflation moves from target

By Padraic Halpin DUBLIN (Reuters) -The Federal Reserve will have to increase rates if prices growth moves away from target or inflation expectations start to move in “a difficult way”, Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic said, while adding that neither was happening right now. While Chair Jerome Powell said on Thursday that most Fed…

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China’s debt relief to poor countries slows amid continuing appeals for support

By Joe Cash BEIJING (Reuters) – The value of Chinese debt relief decreased by over 50% between 2021 and 2022, a report from Rhodium Group showed, with Angola alone receiving two thirds of deferrals despite China backing multilateral efforts to standardise support for poor countries. As the world’s largest bilateral creditor, China is central to…

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Germany to reject Binance’s bid for a cryptocurrency licence – source

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – German regulators have told Binance they will not grant it a cryptocurrency custody licence, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said on Thursday, the latest in a string of setbacks for the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange. Binance has come under pressure from regulators around the world. The U.S. Securities and…

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