Town Hall News

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s economy expanded faster than expected in the first quarter, official data showed on Monday, helped by a rebound in private consumption and tourism which will help counter a slowdown in exports. Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy grew 2.7% in the January-March period from a year earlier, data from the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) showed. Economists in a Reuters poll had expected gross domestic product […]

By Tetsushi Kajimoto TOKYO (Reuters) – The weekend gathering of finance chiefs from the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies did not single out China as a threat in their communique, but left signs the world’s second-largest economy will loom large at this week’s summit in Hiroshima. Efforts to grapple with China’s growing global presence were evident at the three-day G7 finance chiefs’ gathering in Niigata, Japan, during which they […]

BEIJING (Reuters) – A top Chinese envoy will begin a tour of Ukraine, Russia and other European cities 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 the multi-day trip, the foreign ministry announced Friday without providing a detailed schedule. “The […]

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 is approaching a sustained exit from deflation. “While there have been some positive signs in recent data, we must ensure they are stable and sustainable so that Japan won’t revert to deflation,” the Cabinet Office told the meeting. The fresh […]

By Leika Kihara TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan’s wholesale inflation slowed for a fourth straight month in April as rises in raw material costs moderated, data showed on Monday, suggesting that consumer inflation will begin to ease back towards the central bank’s 2% target. The data may diminish market expectations that broadening inflationary pressure will prod the Bank of Japan to seek an early exit from ultra-low interest rates. The corporate goods […]

Argentina’s ruling Peronist party posted strong wins in elections Sunday, appearing to hold control over three provinces just months ahead of presidential elections in which support for the party is flagging. Peronist Gustavo Saenz was re-elected as governor of the province of Salta, while the Peronist candidates in the provinces of Tierra del Fuego and La Pampa were also expected to be re-elected to their posts. The results come as […]

By Stella Qiu SYDNEY (Reuters) – Asian stocks started the week on a cautious note as investors braced for the release of China’s industrial and retail data, while awaiting a host of U.S. Federal Reserve officials to speak to vindicate market pricing of rate cuts this year. Both S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures eased 0.1% in early trade, following a report on Friday showed U.S. consumer sentiment slumped to […]

(Reuters) – Leeds United said social media threats aimed at striker Patrick Bamford and his family after he missed a penalty in their 2-2 draw with Newcastle United on Saturday were unacceptable. Bamford’s spot kick was saved by Nick Pope in the first half of the Premier League game after Joelinton had bundled over Junior Firpo in the box. “Overnight Patrick Bamford and his family have received completely unacceptable online […]

By Daina Beth Solomon and Jose Luis Gonzalez CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (Reuters) – After hours of waiting on the U.S. side of the border and hoping the Texas National Guard would let them seek U.S. asylum, a group of 15 migrants crossed a shallow green river back to Mexico, their faces drawn in disappointment. After traveling from countries including the Dominican Republic and Guatemala, they were among the first people […]