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Rather, asset managers increasingly position these as now a feature of global investing choices rather than all-consuming shocks per se. Likely for the same reason, geopolitical risk monitors are at their highest in over 18 months too. Ebbing demand from a Chinese economy hobbled by property busts and a foreign investment withdrawal due to U.S. investment curbs also hurts. The VIX (.VIX) index of U.S. stock volatility is currently five points below its historic average 19 - and even July VIX futures hover on that mean. The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for ReutersReporting by Mike Dolan Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: there's, Washington's, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, What's, Melissa Brown, Axioma, Andrew McCaffery, Mike Dolan, Mark Potter Organizations: Bank of, Treasury, UBS Global Wealth Management, Barclays, Global CIO, Fidelity, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Israel, United States, India, Taiwan, Mexico, Britain, Gaza, Russia, China, Wall

Last February, the State Department said that Hamas raises funds in other Gulf countries and gets donations from Palestinians, other expatriates and its own charities. Blockchain researchers TRM Labs said this week in a research note that crypto fundraising has previously increased following rounds of violence involving Hamas. However, since last weekend's violence, prominent Hamas-linked support groups had moved just a few thousands dollars through crypto, TRM noted. Between Dec. 2021 and April this year, Israel seized almost 190 crypto accounts it said were linked to Hamas. SHIPS AND SHELLSWhether through crypto or other means, Hamas' allies have found ways to get money to Gaza.

Persons: Matthew Levitt, Levitt, Tom Robinson, TRM, Israel, they've, Stephen Reimer, Saeed Azhar, Sinead Cruise, Tom Wilson, Tommy Wilkes, Andrew Mills, John O'Donnell, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: LONDON, Hamas, Barclays, Islamic Resistance Movement, State Department, Reuters, TRM Labs, The U.S . State Department, U.S . Treasury, UN, Qatari, Royal United Services Institute, Parisa, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Gaza, Israel, U.S, Iran, Qatar, United States, Britain, The, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Tehran, Islamic Republic, New York, London, Doha, Dubai

☆ Analysis-Hamas' Cash-To-Crypto Global Finance Maze in Israel's Sights
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

In the past, Hamas has said financial restrictions placed on its donors were an attempt to neutralise legitimate resistance against Israel. However, since last weekend's violence, prominent Hamas-linked support groups had moved just a few thousands dollars through crypto, TRM noted. Between Dec. 2021 and April this year, Israel seized almost 190 crypto accounts it said were linked to Hamas. SHIPS AND SHELLSWhether through crypto or other means, Hamas' allies have found ways to get money to Gaza. "Qatari aid to the Gaza Strip is fully coordinated with Israel, the UN and the U.S.," the Qatari government official said.

Persons: Al Sayegh, John O'Donnell, Elizabeth Howcroft, Matthew Levitt, Levitt, Tom Robinson, TRM, Israel, they've, Stephen Reimer, Saeed Azhar, Sinead Cruise, Tom Wilson, Tommy Wilkes, Andrew Mills, Frank Jack Daniel Organizations: Elizabeth Howcroft LONDON, Reuters, Hamas, Barclays, Islamic Resistance Movement, State Department, TRM Labs, The U.S . State Department, U.S . Treasury, UN, Qatari, Royal United Services Institute, Parisa Locations: DUBAI, Gaza, Israel, U.S, Iran, Qatar, United States, Britain, The, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Tehran, Islamic Republic, New York, London, Doha, Dubai

☆ As Turkey intensifies war on Kurdish militants, Iraqi civilians suffer
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Lena Masri | Amina Ismail | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +23 min

Seventeen-year-old Samir Saado was finishing his cleaning shift at the village medical centre when an airstrike hit the building. Four members of the PKK-allied Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), who were guards at the clinic, were killed, local officials said. All five said the medical centre was hit by at least three strikes about three minutes apart. Reuters showed Zwijnenburg the footage of the red crescent symbol on the wall of the medical centre. Across northern Iraq, local people say they are powerless to prevent armed groups setting up in their villages and districts.

Persons: Samir Saado, ” “, “, ACLED, Tayyip Erdogan, Iraq’s, Mustafa al, ”, Tatyana Eatwell, Jonathan Lord, ” Lord, Saeed Hasan, Isa Khoudeda, Turkey’s, wailed, Wim Zwijnenburg, Zwijnenburg, Saado, Yazidis, Saado’s, ” Saado, Schlier Namiq, Tuta Qal, Aram Kakakhan, Kakakhan, Ismail Ibrahim, Namiq, Saddam Hussein, Namiq’s, Ryam Ziad, Ziad Khedr, Hassan Kashmoula, Ryam, Mustafa Anwar, Khedr’s, ‘ neutralised, Nidal Mahmoud, Khedr's, ” Mahmoud Organizations: Turkish, Turkish Defence Ministry, Kurdistan Workers ' Party, European Union, Syrian Democratic Forces, Islamic, Turkey’s Defence Ministry, Reuters, Anadolu, Human Rights, Defence Ministry, Unit, Justice, United Nations Human, NATO, Pentagon, ISIS, ., Coalition, United Nations, Mission, Middle East Security, Center, New, New American Security, Military, Islamic State, Tuta, Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government, SDF, ” Reuters, International Crisis Group, Crisis, “ Locations: Iraq’s, Sinjar, Turkish, Saado, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Kurdistan, Ankara, Northern Iraq, United States, PKK, U.S, Islamic State, Skeiniya, Germany, Turkish Government, Washington, New American, ”, Iran, Istanbul, Gaziantep province, Sabah, Europe, Greece, Iraq’s Sulaimaniya, Kurdish, Tuta, Ibrahim, Chamchamal, Chicago, Mosul, Iranian, Khedr

The military "neutralised" 26 Kurdish militants in northern Syria overnight in retaliation for a rocket attack on a Turkish base, the defence ministry said. Turkey also conducted air strikes and destroyed 30 militant targets elsewhere in northern Syria, including an oil well, a storage facility and shelters, the defence ministry said. Turkey said the attackers came from Syria but the Syrian SDF forces denied this. The Turkish foreign ministry statement said that one of Turkey's drones was lost during operations against Kurdish militants in northeast Syria due to "different technical evaluations" with third parties on the ground. Turkey has mounted several previous incursions into northern Syria against the YPG.

Persons: Ali Yerlikaya, Daren Butler, Huseyin Hayatsever, Jonathan Spicer, Nick Macfie Organizations: Syrian Kurdish, Kurdistan Workers Party, Syrian SDF, European Union, SDF, Islamic State, Pentagon, NATO, Kurdish, Thomson Locations: Turkey, Syria, Ankara, ISTANBUL, Turkish, Kurdish, Syrian, Syria's, Iraq, Agri, TURKISH, U.S, United States, Washington, Hasakah

☆ Kenya Pledges Security Boost as It Commemorates 2013 Mall Massacre
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Duncan MiririNAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya pledged on Thursday to reinforce security measures against Somali militants as it commemorated a deadly mall attack which security analysts say led to improvements in the country's readiness to counter threats. Kenyan security forces were widely criticised by the public and local media at the time for their chaotic, uncoordinated response to the attack. After the siege, Kenya worked to improve its security agencies' coordination and readiness to respond to emergencies. Kenyan security forces were praised for ending that siege in less than a day. The government has also been deploying the military and other security forces to fight cattle rustlers and armed bandits in several counties in East Africa's Rift Valley.

Persons: Duncan Miriri, Raymond Omollo, Richard Maige, al, Nicolas Delaunay, Estelle Shirbon, Emelia Organizations: Somali, East, Southern Africa, Crisis Locations: Duncan Miriri NAIROBI, Kenya, Somalia's al Shabaab, Westgate, Nairobi, Somalia, al Shabaab, Kenyan, Southern, Lamu, East

☆ Azerbaijan pounds Karabakh as Russia and US call for calm
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Felix Light | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Ethnic Armenians in Karabakh said Azerbaijan had triggered a new war against the 120,000 people living in an area they consider their homeland. Armenians in Karabakh, known by Armenians as Artsakh, said fighting was continuing with varying intensity. As the Soviet Union crumbled, what is known as the First Karabakh War erupted (1988-1994) between Armenians and their Azeri neighbours. RUSSIAIn 2020, after decades of skirmishes, energy-rich Azerbaijan began a military operation which became the Second Karabakh War, swiftly breaking through Armenian defences. Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, won a resounding victory in the 44-day war, taking back parts of Karabakh.

Persons: Nikol Pashinyan, Karabakh, Antony Blinken, Ilham Aliyev, Pashinyan, Aliyev, Blinken, Antonio Guterres, Baku's, Guy Faulconbridge, Lidia Kelly, Chris Reese, Lincoln, Gareth Jones Organizations: Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defence, Azerbaijan, Wednesday, Nagorno, Armenian, U.S, Washington, Residents, United Nations, European Union, TASS, Thomson Locations: Armenia, Nagorno, Karabakh, Russia, U.S, Azerbaijan, YEREVAN, United States, Baku, Yerevan, Turkey, Ukraine, Soviet Union, South Caucasus, Iran, Artsakh, Russian, France, Germany, RUSSIA, Moscow, Melbourne

☆ Factbox-Azerbaijan Launches 'Anti-Terrorist Operation' in Karabakh
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Felix LightTBILISI (Reuters) - Ethnic Armenian separatist authorities on Tuesday reported a major escalation of hostilities in Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region, as Azerbaijan launched an offensive. It said it was attacking Armenian military units in response to what it called "terrorist provocations", and that it would provide "humanitarian corridors" for civilians. Azerbaijan's foreign ministry said peace in the breakaway region could only be achieved once Armenian troops left and the separatist local authority was dissolved. Its foreign ministry urged Russian peacekeeping troops to stop Azerbaijan's "full-scale aggression". "We are deeply concerned about the sharp escalation of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Persons: Felix, Maria Zakharova, Felix Light Organizations: Felix Light TBILISI, Armenian, Foreign, Russian Locations: Azerbaijan's Nagorno, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, AZERBAIJAN, Nagorno, Armenia, Russian, Russia, Moscow

☆ Azerbaijan launches military action in Karabakh to disarm Armenians
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Azerbaijan launched "anti-terrorist activities" in the Nagorno-Karabakh region to restore constitutional order and drive out what it called Armenian military formations there, a move that could foreshadow a new war in the region. Loud shelling was audible from unverified social media footage filmed in Stepanakert, the capital of Karabakh, called Khankendi by Azerbaijan, on Tuesday. Internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, Karabakh has an overwhelmingly ethnic Armenian population and broke from Baku's control in the early 1990s after a war. Armenia had said that Baku's actions, which is said had caused a humanitarian catastrophe, something Azerbaijan denied, were illegal. Armenia's foreign ministry had said on Monday that Azerbaijan's diplomatic stance looked like it was preparing the ground for some kind of military action.

Persons: Ruben Vardanyan Organizations: Russian, Nagorno, Reuters, Baku Locations: Karabakh, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Stepanakert, Khankendi, Republic of Azerbaijan, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Nagorno Karabakh, Baku, Turkish, Russian

☆ Azerbaijani forces strike Armenian-controlled Karabakh, raising risk of new Caucasus war
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Karabakh, a mountainous area in the volatile wider South Caucasus region, is internationally recognised as Azerbaijani territory. Karabakh has been at the centre of two wars - the latest in 2020 - since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union. The European Union, France and Germany also condemned Azerbaijan's military action, calling on it to return to talks on the future of Karabakh with Armenia. Loud and repeated shelling was audible from social media footage filmed on Tuesday in Stepanakert, the capital of Karabakh, called Khankendi by Azerbaijan. Karabakh separatist authorities said 25 people had been killed, including two civilians, and 138 injured due to Baku's military action.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Hikmet Hajiyev, Ilham Aliyev, Nikol Pashinyan, Hajiyev, Nikol, Baku's, Dmitry Peskov, Blinken, Ruben Vardanyan, Vardanyan, Andrew Osborn, Mark Heinrich, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Soviet Union . U.S, European, Reuters, Armenian, . Security Council, Russian, Kremlin, TASS, Security, Thomson Locations: Khankendi, Azerbaijan, Nagorno, Karabakh, Artsakh, Baku, Armenia, BAKU, Caucasus, Soviet, European Union, France, Germany, Stepanakert, Yerevan, Russia, South Caucasus, Ukraine, Turkey, Republic of Azerbaijan, Moscow, United States

☆ Cuba issues conflicting statements on use of its citizens in Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The apparently conflicting statements follow Cuban state-run and foreign media reports suggesting that young Cuban men have enlisted in the Kremlin´s military in recent months as mercenaries and victims in alleged human trafficking schemes. Cuba´s top diplomat in Moscow, Julio Antonio Garmendia Pena, told Russia´s state-run RIA news agency hours earlier on Thursday that those arrested in Cuba, all Cuban citizens, had been engaged in illegal activities and had broken the law. Cuba did not respond to Reuters inquiry regarding the apparently contradictory statements. Cuba's foreign ministry said last week the human trafficking network that authorities were now working to "neutralise and dismantle" had operated from Russia "to incorporate Cuban citizens living there, and even some from Cuba, into the military forces participating in war operations in Ukraine". Cuba has denied any involvement in the war in Ukraine.

Persons: Juan Medina, Bruno Rodriguez, Rodriguez, Cuba ´, Julio Antonio Garmendia Pena, Vladimir Putin, Maxim Rodionov, Dave Sherwood, Gareth Jones, Leslie Adler Organizations: REUTERS, Cuban Foreign, Cuban, Russia, Cubans, Thomson Locations: Cuban, Cuba, Madrid, Spain, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Havana

☆ Veteran Djokovic overcomes Shelton to reach US Open final
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Amy Tennery | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Shelton had flummoxed opponents in New York with his big serve but the 36-year-old second seed Djokovic was able to harness his experience to neutralise a third-set surge from the young American. He next faces the winner of a match between top seed and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and third seed Daniil Medvedev. "These are the kind of matches and occasions that I still thrive on, that still get me going," Djokovic said on court. Shelton handed Djokovic a break in the sixth game of the first set with a series of unforced errors, and the unseeded American was unable to convert his own break point chance in the ninth. Playing in only his seventh U.S. Open singles match, Shelton triumphed in a 30-shot rally before converting a break point in the eighth game, humbling Djokovic, who was appearing in his 100th singles match at the hardcourt major.

Persons: Serbia's Novak Djokovic, Ben Shelton, Mike Segar, Novak Djokovic, Arthur Ashe, Shelton, Djokovic, neutralise, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Margaret Court's, humbling Djokovic, Amy Tennery, Toby Davis Organizations: Tennis, U.S, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Flushing Meadows , New York, United States, Serbian, U.S, New York, American

☆ Russia to build up forces in west to counter NATO threat - Shoigu
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu chairs a meeting with the leadership of the Armed Forces in Moscow, Russia July 31, 2023. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File PhotoAug 9 (Reuters) - Russia will build up forces at its western borders following Finland's accession to the U.S.-led NATO alliance, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told the governing board of the ministry on Wednesday. Shoigu called the entry of Finland into NATO and the future entry of Sweden "a serious destabilising factor". Shoigu said the number of NATO military units from outside the region stationed in eastern Europe had increased by two-and- a-half times since February last year and that they were now 30,000-strong in total. "These threats to Russia's military security require a timely and adequate response.

Persons: Sergei Shoigu, Shoigu, Kevin Liffey, Peter Graff Organizations: Russian, Armed Forces, Russian Defence Ministry, REUTERS, NATO, Defence Ministry, Russia, Russian Federation, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, U.S, Poland, Finland, Ukraine, Russian, Sweden, Leningrad, United States, America, Europe

LONDON, July 14 (Reuters) - An accelerating dollar slide could be a U.S. gift to its allies by helping them catch up with its impressive disinflation. A dollar slide of this size and speed has typically elicited yelps of pain from U.S. trading partners. Euro zone headline inflation - which peaked about one percentage point above and three months later than the U.S. equivalent last year - was still 2.5 points above it last month. The ECB will likely stay shy of peak Fed rates, but an expected move to 4.0% policy rates by year-end will involve two quarter point hikes after the Fed has stopped. A time-limited dollar drop now may be more benign than a simple reversion to a new 'currency war'.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Mike Dolan, Josie Kao Organizations: Reserve, Monetary, Sterling, Bank of England, European Central Bank, ECB, Fed, Transatlantic, Reuters, Twitter, Thomson Locations: U.S, Europe, Britain, Swiss

[1/4] An exterior view of the proposed site for the new China Embassy, near to Tower Bridge in London, Britain, June 23, 2023. That has led officials in Britain, which is trying to forge deeper economic ties post-Brexit, to fear it could also halt their own plans to rebuild its embassy in Beijing. Chinese officials told Reuters they suspected the British government had plotted to stop the embassy plans and orchestrated the local opposition. British officials, who declined to be identified, said they feared that London's plan to rebuild its embassy in Beijing would be affected. Residents say they are also worried about more local security issues.

Persons: Hannah McKay, Rishi Sunak, David Cameron, Xi Jinping, Michael Gove, Xi, Iain Duncan Smith, Dave Lake, Martin Quin Pollard, Kate Holton, Andrew Heavens Organizations: China Embassy, REUTERS, of, Reuters, British, Royal Mint, Conservative Party, Uyghur, Royal Mint Court Residents Association, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Beijing London, of London, Beijing, China, Europe, Washington, United States, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Sunak

☆ Inside Ukraine's tech push to counter Russian 'suicide' drone threat
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

One man arrived in shorts and a baseball cap with a large drone under his arm. Another participant, Yuriy, an engineer and deputy head of a Ukrainian company, said his team presented designs for new anti-drone electronic warfare systems that would be more effective against Shaheds. "This really is an unprecedented war of drones," Fedorov said, adding that Ukraine's military technology innovation had boomed since Russia's invasion. Anatoliy Khrapchynskyi, who works for a firm developing electronic warfare technology, contrasted Ukraine's approach to technological innovation with Russia's. "There were seven companies that could sell drones to the state when we began this project last year.

Persons: Yuriy Motov, Alina Smutko, Mykhailo Fedorov, Oleksandr Kubrakov, Fedorov, Oleksandr, Yuriy, Yurii, Shchyhol, Anatoliy Khrapchynskyi, ", " Fedorov, Tom Balmforth, Mike Collett, White, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Russian, Reuters, Shaheds, Army, Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russia, KYIV, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Yemen, Syria, Nagorno, Karabakh, China

☆ China starts to slow yuan's one-way slide
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Analysts said that together the moves showed official unease at the yuan's downward momentum and that they could slow but perhaps not halt a decline, given the dour economic outlook. "They are sending more signals now they're uncomfortable ... they would like to slow the yuan weakness," said Moh Siong Sim, a currency strategist at Bank of Singapore. The yuan ended Monday at a seven-month low of 7.2425 per dollar and was at 7.2105 in Tuesday afternoon trade. BACK FOOTThe push back comes as investors sour on China, with data showing China's vaunted rebound faltering. Analysts said moves to halt the yuan's slide were not yet as firm as last year, when regulators rolled out measures to encourage capital inflows, but might be enough to slow selling.

Persons: Yuan, Siong Sim, Stocks, Alvin Tan, We've, Rob Carnell, Carnell, That's, Ankur Banerjee, Tom Westbrook, Rae Wee, Vidya Ranganathan, Kim Coghill, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: People's Bank of China, Analysts, Bank of Singapore, UBS, Australian, Asia FX, RBC Capital Markets, Beijing, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, BEIJING, China, Hong Kong, Asia, Shanghai, Singapore

SP Angel analyst John Meyer said that with global EV sales expected to reach around 15 million vehicles this year, sales of palladium, chiefly used to neutralise harmful car emissions, could be impaired by 1.5 million-2.25 million ounces. While there are still few battery-powered vehicles in the heavy-duty market, exhaust-free electric vehicles are eating into the palladium-focused light vehicle market, Johnson Matthey said. Palladium prices could fall to the $1,250 level, Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA, said. "The reason why people are more pessimistic about palladium than platinum is due to adoption of EVs," he said. "There's a lack of interest in the palladium market.

Persons: John Meyer, Johnson, Wilma Swarts, PGMs, Johnson Matthey, Edward Moya, palladium's bearishness, Tai Wong, Bart Melek, Ashitha, Seher Dareen, Arundhati Sarkar, Brijesh Patel, Arpan Varghese, Jan Harvey Organizations: Palladium, SP, Metals, TD Securities, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, New York, China, Bengaluru

☆ Belarus to get Russian tactical nuclear weapons 'in days' - Lukashenko
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary Belarus to host Russian nuclear arms within days - leaderRussia will retain control of the warheadsDeployment is earlier than Moscow has indicatedBelarus has sites to host longer-range missiles - leaderLONDON, June 13 (Reuters) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday that Russian tactical nuclear weapons would be physically deployed on the territory of Belarus "in several days" and that he had the facilities to host longer-range missiles too if ever needed. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia, which will retain control of the tactical nuclear weapons, would start deploying them in close ally Belarus after special storage facilities to house them were made ready on July 7-8. Lukashenko, a staunch Putin ally, was cited by Belta as saying that Belarus was now ready to host the warheads. Putin announced in March he had agreed to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, pointing to the U.S deployment of such weapons in a host of European countries over many decades. That's why this (tactical nuclear weapons) are enough for me for now."

Persons: Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko, Putin, Belta, Volodymr Zelenskiy, Andrew Osborn, Felix Light, Guy Faulconbridge, Nick Macfie Organizations: LONDON, Soviet Union, United, America, NATO, Thomson Locations: Belarus, Russian, Russia, Moscow, Soviet, United States, China, Ukraine, Minsk, U.S

☆ Medvedev rolls past Hanfmann to reach Rome semi-finals
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 18, 2023 Russia's Daniil Medvedev celebrates after winning his quarter final match against Germany's Yannick Hanfmann REUTERS/Guglielmo... Read moreMay 18 (Reuters) - World number three Daniil Medvedev produced a dominant performance against German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann to reach his first Italian Open semi-final, cruising to a 6-2 6-2 victory on Thursday. "It is always a danger to say this if you lose the first round and you think, 'Why did I say this'. Medvedev soaked up Hanfmann's powerful hitting and controlled the baseline exchanges, dominating with his big first serve to wrap up the win in an hour and 20 minutes. "I knew I had to put as many balls into the court as possible because he plays aggressively. Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Hyderabad Editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

SummarySummary Companies Fed rate decision due at 1800 GMTU.S. job openings drop in MarchMay 3 (Reuters) - Gold prices held steady above the key $2,000 level on Wednesday, while investors turned their attention to the U.S. Federal Reserve's interest rate-hike verdict due later in the day. The market mostly expects the U.S. central bank to raise interest rates by 25 basis points. "If the Fed were to surprise with a pause, this would suggest a deepening banking crisis and would likely send gold higher," said Clifford Bennett, chief economist at ACY Securities. Bullion is known as a hedge against inflation and economic turbulence, but higher rates tend to dent zero-yielding asset's appeal. Reporting by Ashitha Shivaprasad in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Residents in Russia's Belgorod returning home after bomb scare
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MOSCOW, April 22 (Reuters) - More than 3,000 people in the Russian city of Belgorod were returning to their homes on Saturday after being evacuated while an explosive was disposed of, the local governor said. Two days earlier a Russian warplane accidentally dropped a bomb on the city, damaging local houses, authorities said. Military explosive experts decided to "neutralise" the explosive at a training ground, Belgorod region governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram. He said later that people had started to return to their homes after a "shell" was removed from the area. On Thursday, a Russian Sukhoi-34 supersonic warplane accidentally fired a weapon into Belgorod, causing an explosion and injuring three people, Russian officials said.

Then on Monday, opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza was jailed for treason and spreading "false information" about Russia's war in Ukraine. loadingThe Kremlin says it has no say over court decisions and Navalny's treatment is a matter for the prison service. Putin has told Russians that the West is seeking to use traitors as a "fifth column" to sow discord and ultimately destroy Russia. ARREST WARRANTThe trend has accelerated since March 17, when Putin was accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court. Russia's prison service did not reply to a request for comment.

Inflation, which hit a 41-year high of 11.1% in October, continued to eat into the spending power of workers whose pay is rising by less. Britain's headline inflation rate is now the highest in western Europe and compares with an average of 6.9% in the euro zone and 5.0% in the United States. Austria recorded a higher inflation rate than Britain in February. Reuters GraphicsPOLITICAL PRESSUREHigh inflation is a problem for Britain's government as well as the BoE, which forecast in February that inflation would be below 4% by the end of the year. Producer price inflation - which measures changes in prices charged and paid by manufacturers and often leads changes in CPI - tumbled in March due to lower oil prices.

☆ Wickremesinghe delivers IMF deal for Sri Lanka despite public mistrust
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Uditha Jayasinghe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Only 4% were satisfied with the way things were going in Sri Lanka, down from 7% in October but higher than 2% in June. The Paris Club of creditors, which includes Japan, earlier this year gave financing assurances to support the IMF deal. A Japan-funded $1.8 billion light-railway project, which was suspended in 2019, is among infrastructure projects that Sri Lanka is now trying to restart. But Sri Lanka still needs to renegotiate its debt, a potentially drawn-out process where Wickremesinghe, who is also the finance minister, will have to deal with demands from China, India and other creditors. A crisis-weary public may still have to absorb years of continuing hardship as Sri Lanka tries to fix its economy during the four-year IMF programme, warned Jayadeva Uyangoda, a senior political analyst.

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