May 2, 2022

By Panu Wongcha-um BANGKOK -The leaders of Japan and Thailand announced a new defence agreement on Monday as well as plans to upgrade their economic relations, as Japanese Prime Minister …

PRAGUE – The Czech National Bank is likely to raise its main rate by 50 basis points to 5.50% on May 5, a Reuters poll suggested on Monday, pushing borrowing …

SEATTLE – The world’s first permanent NFT art museum has opened in Seattle, aiming to “pull back the curtain” on blockchain-based digital art. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are a type of …

SANTIAGO – Chile’s IMACEC economic activity index, a close proxy of gross domestic product (GDP), rose 7.2% in March from the same month last year, the country’s central bank said …

BEZIMENNE, Ukraine – Cowering in the labyrinth of Soviet-era bunkers far beneath the vast Azovstal steel works, Natalia Usmanova felt her heart would stop she was so terrified as Russian …

GENEVA – The U.N. human rights office (OHCHR) said on Monday that the death toll of civilians killed in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on Feb. 24 …

MEXICO CITY -Mexican bottler and retailer Femsa posted a 12.7% decrease in first-quarter net profit Monday, tallying 3.99 billion pesos ($200 million) as it was hurt by the depreciation of …

By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss and Davide Barbuscia NEW YORK – The Federal Reserve’s well-telegraphed plan to hike interest rates by half a percentage point on Wednesday and start reducing its balance …

(Reuters) – Analysts at J.P. Morgan downgraded Thailand’s equities rating on Monday, citing the slow pace of recovery in the tourism industry due to rising inflation and a surge in …

By Brenda Goh and Sophie Yu SHANGHAI/BEIJING -China’s commercial capital of Shanghai was dealt a blow on Monday as authorities reported 58 new COVID-19 cases outside areas under strict lockdown, …

By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS -Apple <AAPL.O> faces a possible hefty fine and may have to open its mobile payment system to competitors after EU antitrust regulators charged the iPhone …

BERLIN -Volkswagen’s premium brands Audi and Porsche will join Formula One after convincing the German automaking group that the move will bring in more money than it will cost, VW …

By Yuka Obayashi TOKYO -Japanese trading house Mitsui & Co Ltd reported a record full-year profit on Monday as soaring metals and energy prices offset a loss from its liquefied …

KYIV – The U.S. embassy hopes to return to Kyiv by the end of May if conditions permit, its charge d’affaires said on Monday. U.S. diplomats departed the Kyiv embassy …

(Reuters) -G-III Apparel Group Ltd said on Monday it has agreed to acquire the remaining 81% stake in Karl Lagerfeld for $210 million in cash, becoming the sole owner of …

LONDON – Russia’s Bolshoi Theatre has upset opera and ballet fans by abruptly cancelling a series of shows this week by directors who have spoken out against the war in …

By Akriti Sharma (Reuters) -A U.S. federal judge dismissed a request by the Republican National Committee to block a subpoena asking its email vendor to release records to the congressional …

BERLIN – Senegal, South Africa, India and Indonesia will be invited as guest countries to attend the G7 summit hosted by Germany in June , a German government spokesperson said …

(Reuters) -Goldman Sachs Group Inc reduced its total credit exposure to Russia to $260 million in March from $650 million at the end of 2021, the bank said in a …

By Ann Saphir and Lindsay Dunsmuir (Reuters) – In mid-April, months into an increasingly frustrating house hunt, Harsh Grewal and his wife settled on a place in a San Francisco …

By Arshad Mohammed, John Irish and Parisa Hafezi WASHINGTON/PARIS/DUBAI – Western officials have largely lost hope the Iran nuclear deal can be resurrected, sources familiar with the matter said, forcing …

By Tom Polansek and Sybille de La Hamaide CHICAGO/PARIS – Organic and free-range chickens have been thrown into lockdown. Egg-laying hens that normally have access to the outdoors can no …

By James Oliphant and Jason Lange WASHINGTON – Control of the U.S. Congress is at stake in this November’s midterm elections, along with President Joe Biden’s remaining policy agenda. Republicans …

By Jonathan Stempel and Carolina Mandl OMAHA, Neb. – Berkshire Hathaway Inc shareholders face a question that Warren Buffett sought to tackle at the company’s annual meeting: How will Berkshire …