By Andrew Hayley XIAN, China (Reuters) -Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday unveiled a grand plan for Central Asia’s development, from building infrastructure to boosting trade, taking on a new leadership role in a region that has traditionally been a Russian sphere of influence. China is ready to coordinate development strategies with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,…
By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. and Taiwan reached agreement on the first part of their “21st Century” trade initiative, covering customs and border procedures, regulatory practices, and small business, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office said on Thursday. After the initial agreement of the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade is signed, negotiations will…
By Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON (Reuters) – A 48-year-old homeless man appeared in New Zealand court on Friday on two charges of arson as police found a fifth body in the burnt out remains of a hostel in the capital Wellington. A blaze broke out on the top floor of the Loafers Lodge in the suburb of Newtown…
By David Randall NEW YORK (Reuters) – A potential deal to lift the U.S. debt ceiling could spur money managers to pare holdings in the massive technology and growth stocks that have been havens this year and shift into the rest of the market, some investors believe. Strong balance sheets and predictable cash flows have…
By Joice Alves LONDON (Reuters) – Big European companies have delivered significantly stronger than expected first-quarter results, defying a challenging economic backdrop that includes surging inflation and rising interest rates. But European stocks are down from a 14-month high in April, as investors worry about the health of the global economy, falling customer demand and…
By Jeff Mason HIROSHIMA, Japan (Reuters) -Democratic negotiators told President Joe Biden on Friday that they are making “steady progress” in talks with Republicans aimed at avoiding a U.S. default, according to a White House official. Biden received an update on the talks with aides to Republican House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Friday…
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico’s president said on Thursday that construction and operation of a tourist train project that could cost up to $20 billion is a matter of national security, offering new legal protections for the high-profile public work. In a decree published in Mexico’s official gazette, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador invoked government…
(Reuters) -Holder Rafa Nadal will miss the French Open after failing to regain full fitness from a hip injury suffered at the Australian Open in January, and the 14-times Roland Garros winner added he expects to retire following the 2024 season. Nadal, who has dominated the claycourt season for close to two decades, has competed…
By Katya Golubkova HIROSHIMA, Japan (Reuters) – European Council President Charles Michel said on Friday it was in the EU’s interest to maintain “stable and constructive” cooperation with China, as the Group of Seven countries met to consider China’s “economic coercion” and other concerns. G7 leaders, gathering in the Japanese city of Hiroshima from Friday,…
By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea accused the U.S. and South Korea of ramping up “nuclear blackmail” with joint military drills, pledging to take corresponding action against what it called “warmongers’ madness,” state media KCNA said on Friday. U.S. and South Korean forces have been staging an intensified series of annual springtime exercises…
