Myanmar’s neighbours, some ASEAN members hold secretive talks on crisis – sources

By Devjyot Ghoshal BANGKOK (Reuters) – Government and think-tank representatives from Myanmar and its neighbours, including India and China, held talks in New Delhi on Tuesday as part of a secretive effort to de-escalate a bloody crisis in the army-run Southeast Asian nation, two sources said. Myanmar was plunged into conflict and economic chaos in…

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UK warns China secrecy over military expansion risks ‘tragic miscalculation’

By Andrew MacAskill LONDON (Reuters) -British foreign minister James Cleverly urged China to be more open about what he called the biggest military build-up in peacetime history and said secrecy around its plans could lead to a “tragic miscalculation”. Relations between Britain and China are the worst in decades after London restricted Chinese investment over…

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Russia revives fried chicken chain Rostic’s after KFC owner leaves

By Tatiana Gomozova and Alexander Marrow MOSCOW (Reuters) -Some former KFC restaurants in Russia began reopening as Rostic’s on Tuesday, as the new owners revive a brand born soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union, although franchise agreements mean the U.S. chain’s brand is set to live on. KFC’s U.S. parent company Yum! Brands…

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Japan’s Honda Motor in strategic collaboration deal with TSMC

By Daniel Leussink TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan’s Honda Motor Co said on Wednesday it had struck a strategic collaboration agreement with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) as part of efforts to secure a stable supply of semiconductors. Japanese automakers have struggled to completely shake off the hit from tight global chip and parts supply during the…

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StanChart profit beats forecasts on boon from rising rates

By Selena Li and Lawrence White HONG KONG/London (Reuters) – Standard Chartered PLC (StanChart) on Wednesday said first-quarter profit jumped 21%, beating expectations, as rising interest rates buoyed income from its cash management and retail banking businesses. Chief Executive Bill Winters said he now expects income for the emerging markets-focused lender to grow around 10%…

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Puma expects Q2 sales growth below full-year target after Q1 beat

By Linda Pasquini and Elizaveta Gladun (Reuters) -German sportswear maker Puma said on Wednesday it expected second-quarter sales to grow at a low- to mid-single-digit percentage rate, below its full-year target, due to high inventory levels as persistently high inflation blunts demand. However, the firm beat first-quarter revenue expectations, saying strong growth globally, including Greater…

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Lockmaker Assa Abloy to raise prices further after Q1 beats expectations

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -The world’s biggest lockmaker Assa Abloy on Wednesday posted a higher than expected first-quarter operating profit after a “very strong” start to the year and said it would raise prices again to offset inflationary pressure. Operating profit at the Swedish group fell to 3.96 billion crowns in the first three months of the…

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