Former PwC Australia CEO to retire as partner after tax documents leak scandal

By Alasdair Pal SYDNEY (Reuters) – PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said the former CEO of its Australia business, who stepped down just last week, will retire from the firm, while the auditor also announced an independent review into a leak of confidential government tax information. Tom Seymour will retire as a partner at the firm on Sept….

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Chile’s firefighting goats protect a native forest from deadly blazes

By Juan Gonzalez SANTA JUANA, Chile (Reuters) – In the southern Chilean city of Santa Juana, hit hard by wildfires earlier this year, locals have a special taskforce helping fight blazes: a herd of goats. The goats have already saved the native forest of the Bosques de Chacay once, preventing the park from being consumed…

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Top Chinese envoy to visit Ukraine, Russia on ‘peace’ mission

BEIJING (Reuters) -A top Chinese envoy will begin a tour of Ukraine, Russia and other European countries on Monday in a trip Beijing says is aimed at discussing a “political settlement” to the Ukraine crisis. Li Hui, China’s special representative for Eurasian affairs and former ambassador to Russia, will also visit Poland, France, Germany on…

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Japan’s govt, central bank debate whether sustained exit from deflation is near

By Leika Kihara and Kentaro Sugiyama TOKYO (Reuters) -A meeting of the government’s top economic council on Monday focused on whether recent rises in inflation and wage growth suggest Japan was approaching a sustained exit from deflation. With inflation accelerating globally and wage growth picking up in Japan, discussions also touched on the desirable timing…

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US DOJ to crackdown on crypto exchanges, NCET director says – FT

(Reuters) – The U.S. cryptocurrency enforcement tsar has said that the country was stepping up scrutiny of crypto exchanges to target illicit behavior on the platforms, the Financial Times reported on Monday. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is targeting crypto companies that engage in crimes themselves or allow crimes like money laundering to happen, Eun…

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Thailand’s growth beats forecast; investors brace for uncertainty after elections

By Orathai Sriring and Kitiphong Thaichareon BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s economy expanded faster than expected in the first quarter due to a recovery in tourism, data showed on Monday, while investors braced for political uncertainty after the opposition secured a stunning election victory on Sunday. The tourism-reliant economy’s recovery has lagged its regional peers due…

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