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Two sources with knowledge of Sunday's meeting told Reuters that Myanmar's junta-appointed foreign minister had been invited. Myanmar's military spokesman did not respond to phone calls on Friday night. ASEAN chair Indonesia has declined to attend the proposed meeting, according to three sources. Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said the Thai foreign minister had shown "arrogance" by inviting his junta counterpart who other regional neighbours have shunned. Indonesia last month cited progress in its own behind-the-scenes efforts to engage multiple parties in Myanmar's conflict in a bid to advance a peace process agreed by ASEAN leaders and Myanmar's military in April 2021.

Persons: Don Pramudwinai, Nobel, Aung, hasn't, Myanmar's, Prayuth Chan, ocha, Don's, Don, Phil Robertson, Ananda Teresia, Devjyot Ghoshal, Kay Johnson, Stanley Widianto, Martin Petty, Devjyot, Angus MacSwan Organizations: ASEAN, of Southeast Asian Nations, Thailand's Foreign, Reuters, Myanmar's, Foreign Ministry, Human Rights, Party, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Thailand BANGKOK, Suu, Jakarta, Asia, Bangkok, Shoon

☆ 'Enormous' needs as EU hosts conference to collect money for Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, June 15 (Reuters) - The European Union hosts an international conference on Thursday to collect money for Syria where an earthquake earlier this year aggravated the already dire plight of people who have been caught in war since 2011. About 5.5 million Syrian refugees live in neighbouring Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq as well as Egypt. The U.N. chiefs said they hoped for a similar level of pledges to the $6.7 billion offered for Syria and its neighbours at a similar conference last year. "Humanitarian funding for Syria is not keeping pace with rapidly increasing needs," said Janez Lenarcic, the conference host and the EU's top official for humanitarian aid and crisis management. Lenarcic also called for extended humanitarian access from Turkey to the northwestern part of Syria.

Persons: Martin Griffiths, Filippo Grandi, Achim Steiner, Janez Lenarcic, Bashar al Assad's, Assad, Lenarcic, Gabriela Baczynska, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: European Union, Three United Nations, UNHCR, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Russia, Iran, Turkish, U.S

☆ North Korea fires two short-range missiles after warning of response to allied drills
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, June 15 (Reuters) - North Korea fired two short-range missiles off its east coast on Thursday, the South Korean military said, less than an hour after Pyongyang warned of an "inevitable" response to military drills staged earlier in the day by South Korean and U.S. troops. The latest action by North Korea came as U.S. President Joe Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, was in Tokyo for meetings with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts. The government was due to hold a National Security Council meeting, Kyodo news reported separately. North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programmes are banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions that have sanctioned the country. South Korea sued North Korea on Wednesday for $35 million in compensation for a liaison office that North Korea blew up in 2020, in a case highlighting the breakdown of ties between the neighbours as the North presses on with its weapons programmes.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Jake Sullivan, Cho Tae, Takeo Akiba, Yoon Suk, Heekyong Yang, Josh Smith, Tim Kelly, John Stonestreet, Alex Richardson, Chizu Organizations: South Korean, Korean, South, National, National Security Council, Kyodo, North Korea's Ministry of National Defence, United Nations, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, North Korea, Pyongyang, U.S, Tokyo, Japan, Hegura, Ishikawa prefecture, South Korea, Korea, Seoul

☆ London's solar street thrives on people power
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Natalie Thomas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Roofers install solar panels on the roof of renegade artists Dan Edelstyn and Hilary Powell's house in London, Britain, June 6, 2023. Dan Edelstyn and Hilary Powell raise funds to install solar panels on the rooftops of all the houses on their street. After raising 113,000 pounds ($141,000), partly through crowd-funding publicised by sleeping on their roof for three cold, winter weeks, artist couple Dan Edelstyn and Hilary Powell have arranged for solar panels to be installed on dozens of houses on their street. Households powered by solar panel-derived electricity draw less power from the national grid, cutting energy bills, and they can also sell any excess energy back. Industry analysts say community projects tend to be more efficient than individual solar installations as costs fall with scale.

Persons: Dan Edelstyn, Hilary Powell's, Hilary Powell, Anna Gordon LONDON, Powell, Ejaz Hussein, It's, Rebecca Dibb, Ofgem, Edelstyn, Sachin Ravikumar, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Industry, Octopus Energy, Community Energy, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Waltham Forest

☆ 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

☆ Germany doesn't have a clear China strategy, says former vice chancellor
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailGermany doesn't have a clear China strategy, says former vice chancellorPhilipp Rosler, secretary general of Global Neighbours and former vice chancellor of Germany, says the China policy of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition lacks a "clear positioning."

Persons: Philipp Rosler, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Organizations: Germany, Global Neighbours Locations: China, Germany

PARIS, June 12 (Reuters) - An 11-year-old British girl has been shot dead in the garden of her home in Brittany, western France, following a years-long dispute between neighbours over land, the local prosecutor and a town hall official said. The family were enjoying a warm evening on Saturday in their garden in the small village of Saint Herbot, near Quimper, when a Dutch neighbour shot at them several times, the prosecutor said. Britain's Foreign Office said it was providing consular assistance to a British family following a shooting. Regine Guillot, secretary of the nearest town hall in Plonevez-du-Faou, said the British family had lived in the hamlet for five years and that the Dutch neighbour was a private man. The shooting comes just days after a British toddler was among four children and two adults stabbed in the tranquil town of Annecy in the French Alps.

Persons: Regine Guillot, Guillot, Juliette Jabkhiro, Elizabeth Pineau, Richard Lough, Nick Macfie Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: Brittany, France, Saint Herbot, Quimper, Dutch, Plonevez, Brest, British, Annecy, French, Paris

☆ China hopes India can meet it halfway in media row
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"In recent years, Chinese journalists in India have been accorded unfair and discriminatory arrangements," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a Monday briefing. "We hope that India will continue to issue visas for Chinese journalists and remove the unreasonable restrictions and create favourable conditions for media exchanges." China has declined to renew the visas of the last two Indian journalists based there, citing India taking similar action this month against the two remaining Chinese state media journalists in India. "China is ready to act on the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit to keep in communications with the Indian side, and we hope that India will meet China halfway." India's foreign ministry said this month it hoped China would allow Indian journalists to work in China, adding that India allowed all foreign journalists to operate there.

Persons: Wang Wenbin, Wang, Andrew Hayley, Laurie Chen, Bernard Orr, Philippa Fletcher, Robert Birsel Organizations: Hindustan Times, Press Trust of India, China, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, India, Indian

☆ Latest 'deadline' looms in Man Utd takeover saga
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Mitch Phillips | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, June 9 (Reuters) - Manchester United fans can be forgiven if they refrain from eagerly checking the news on Friday as the latest "deadline" looms in the meandering seven-month saga of the club's sale that is beginning to resemble the final series of TV's Succession. That comes two months after a "third and final offer" was said to have been tabled. Media reports in the UK suggested that the Glazers are seeking six billion pounds ($7.5 billion), which would be a world record for any sports club or franchise, but that neither bid is that high. Further bids followed, up to the Qatari's earlier this week, which is said to include clearing nearly a billion pounds of club debt and a commitment to a major redevelopment of Old Trafford. Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Toby DavisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jassim bin Hamad, Briton Jim Ratcliffe, Sheikh Jassim, Glazer, Todd, Ratcliffe, Joel, Avram Glazer, Glazers, Erik ten Hag, United's, Mitch Phillips, Toby Davis Organizations: Manchester United, Daily Mail, Reuters, Guardian, United, Media, Premier League club Chelsea, Washington Commanders NFL, Raine Group, Ineos Grenadiers, Britain's Times, Group, Champions League, Manchester, Inter Milan, Premier League, FA Cup, Thomson Locations: Thani, Briton, Qatar, Old Trafford, Old Trafford . Manchester, France, Switzerland

[1/6] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken looks on, as he attends a joint press conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan, at the Intercontinental Hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, June 8, 2023. "And we’re also collaborating with countries in the region to widen and deepen the normalisation of relations with Israel." Saudi Arabia went the other way in April in restoring ties with Iran, its key regional rival and Israel's arch-enemy, in a Chinese-brokered deal. Other rows have simmered over the Saudi intervention in Yemen's devastating conflict, China ties and oil prices. Saudi Arabia and other OPEC states say the organisation is not politicised and only seeks to stabilise energy markets.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Faisal Bin Farhan, Ahmed Yosri, Jake Sullivan, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Karim Benzema, Blinken, we’re, Aziz Alghashian, Joe Biden's, Alghashian, Biden, Jamal Khashoggi, Blinken's, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Vladimir Putin, Aziz El Yaakoubi, Humeyra Pamuk, Maha El, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Saudi Foreign, Intercontinental, REUTERS, U.S, Saudi, White House, Crown, Gulf Cooperation Council, Al, Blinken, MbS, GCC, United Arab, Thomson Locations: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Israel RIYADH, U.S, Iran, Washington's, Al, French, Jeddah, Al Ittihad, Yemen, Sudan, Israel, East, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Gulf, Israeli, Russia, China, Istanbul, OPEC, Ukraine

[1/4] Residents of the Shebekinsky district of Russia's Belgorod region, who were evacuated following recent attacks on settlements near the Russia-Ukraine border in the course of a military conflict, visit a humanitarian aid distribution centre in Belgorod, Russia, June 8, 2023. REUTERS/Maxim ShemetovSummary This content was produced in Russia, where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine. The blasts - some distant, some uncomfortably close - have become a daily reality for Markevich and her neighbours in the Russian town of Razumnoye, a 35-minute drive from the border with Ukraine. So too has the occasional boom of Russian air defences directed against incoming missiles or drones. Her neighbour Natalia Cherkashina, 65, said that what once seemed like a faraway conflict was now very close to home.

Persons: Maxim, Irina Markevich, Markevich, Natalia Cherkashina, they're, Viktor Ignatyev, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Cherkashina, Mark Trevelyan, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Shebekinsky, Russia's Belgorod, Russia, Ukraine, Belgorod, RAZUMNOYE, Russian, Razumnoye, Moscow, Ukrainian

[1/5] Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (L) meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jeddah in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia June 7, 2023. Amer Hilabi/Pool via REUTERSJEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, June 7 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had an "open, candid" conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the early hours of Wednesday about a wide range of bilateral issues, a U.S. official said. Blinken and the crown prince, known as MbS, met for an hour and forty minutes, a U.S. official said, covering topics including Israel, the conflict in Yemen, unrest in Sudan as well as human rights. In April, Saudi Arabia restored ties with Iran, a regional rival and Israel's arch-foe. MbS and Blinken also discussed Yemen and potential ways to resolve remaining issues, while Blinken thanked the crown prince for the kingdom's role in pushing for a ceasefire in Sudan and helping evacuate U.S. citizens.

Persons: Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Antony Blinken, Amer Hilabi, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prince Mohammed, Blinken's, Donald Trump, Jonathan Fulton, Fulton, Blinken, Humeyra Pamuk, Aziz El Yaakoubi, El, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Mark Potter Organizations: Saudi Arabia's Crown, REUTERS, Saudi Crown, U.S, MbS, United, New York Times, Saudi, However U.S, Atlantic Council, Washington, ., normalising Saudi, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, REUTERS JEDDAH, Iran, Washington, Riyadh, United States, Arabia, OPEC, Israel, Yemen, Sudan, East, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, However, China, Arab, Beijing, Saudi

In one post, the 26-year-old student warned his 1,700 followers about security forces firing live rounds at protesters. Offline he helped too, showing elderly neighbours how to ease their discomfort from inhaling mouthfuls of tear gas, said his younger brother Djimbala Ba. His supporters say the charges were politically motivated and have taken to the streets in their thousands, hurling rocks at security forces, setting cars and buildings alight and ransacking supermarkets and gas stations. Security forces deny firing on protesters or using excessive force. Ba and Ndiaye said he was shot by security forces.

Persons: Elhaji Cisse, Ousmane Sonko, Sonko, Djimbala Ba, Cisse braved, Ba, Cheikh Ndiaye, Cisse, Elon Musk, it's, Ndiaye, Macky Sall, Sall, Edward McAllister, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Police, Security, Real, Twitter, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Senegal, Dakar, DAKAR, Senegal's, Canada, Real Madrid

☆ Israel demands Egypt help in full probe of deadly attack at border
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/7] A soldier reacts near the site of a reported security incident near Israel's southern border with Egypt, Israel June 3, 2023. Soldiers then made contact and during an exchange of fire the Egyptian guard and a third Israeli soldier were killed. On Saturday, the Egyptian military said the three Israelis and Egyptian guard had been killed in an exchange of fire as the guard chased smugglers across the frontier. Coworkers and family members of the Egyptian guard have been interviewed to figure out if he belonged to any political groups or suffered from mental illness, they said. Egypt in 1979 became the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel and they share a more than 200-km (124-mile) long border.

Persons: Amir Cohen JERUSALEM, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Netanyahu, Daniel Hagari, Dan Williams, Ari Rabinovitch, Emelia Sithole Organizations: REUTERS, Sunday, YNET, Thomson Locations: Israel's, Egypt, Israel, Cairo

☆ Japan, South Korea to speed up talks over pending military issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SINGAPORE, June 4 (Reuters) - Japan and South Korea agreed on Sunday to quickly resolve disputes over past military encounters that stand in the way of closer security cooperation, Japan's defence minister said at the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore. Yasukazu Hamada held talks with his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jong-sup, as part of Asia's top security conference. "We discussed pending issues" and agreed "to accelerate talks, including steps to prevent a recurrence" of a 2018 radar incident, Hamada told reporters after the meeting. "We will continue to keep close communication with South Korea," he said. Hamada said he and Lee agreed on the importance of promoting defence cooperation among Japan, South Korea and the United States.

Persons: Yasukazu Hamada, Lee Jong, Hamada, Lee, Kaori Kaneko, Tim Kelly, Hyonhee Shin, Hyun Young Yi, Gerry Doyle, William Mallard Organizations: South Korean, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Seoul, Korean, North Korea, U.S, United States

[1/5] A view of a ransacked supermarket Auchan, after Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was sentenced to prison in Dakar, Senegal June 3, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra BensemraDAKAR, June 3 (Reuters) - Streets filled with rubble and ransacked shops greeted residents of some Dakar neighbourhoods on Saturday - fallout from clashes between anti-government protesters and police that have gripped Senegal in recent days. Mobs smashed windows and looted at least two gas station shops overnight in Dakar's Ouakam and Ngor districts, while an Auchan supermarket in densely populated Grand Yoff was torched and ransacked. The unrest is the latest in a string of protests in Senegal, long considered one of West Africa's most stable democracies. The opposition is also concerned that President Macky Sall will try to bypass the two-term limit and run again in February elections.

Persons: Ousmane Sonko, Khadija, Ndiaye, Macky Sall, Edward McAllister, Bate Felix, Alessandra Prentice, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Senegal, Dakar, DAKAR, Dakar's, Ouakam, West

☆ Defence officials say wide cooperation key to Indo-Pacific stability
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Gerry Doyle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Japan's Minister of Defence Yasukazu Hamada, Cambodia's Minister of National Defence General Tea Banh and Germany's Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius attend the First Plenary Session of the 20th IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore June 3, 2023. REUTERS/Caroline ChiaSINGAPORE, June 3 (Reuters) - Cooperation, including among countries outside the region, is crucial to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, defence officials from the Philippines, Britain and Canada said on Saturday at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit. "Canada has a keen interest in building a region that is stable, that is balanced," said Anita Anand, Canada's defence minister. China's Minister of National Defence Li Shangfu had this week declined an invitation to meet Austin at the security summit. "A cordial handshake over dinner is no substitute for a substantive engagement," Austin said in his remarks earlier on Saturday.

Persons: Defence Yasukazu Hamada, Tea Banh, Defence Boris Pistorius, Caroline Chia SINGAPORE, Defense Lloyd Austin, Anita Anand, Carlito Galvez Jr, Galvez, Anand, Ben Wallace, National Defence Li Shangfu, Austin, Gerry Doyle, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Japan's, Defence, Cambodia's, National Defence, Germany's, REUTERS, Defense, China's, Austin, Pentagon, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Philippines, Britain, Canada, Philippine, Asia, Russia, U.S

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's top security summit, Austin said that open lines of communication between U.S. and Chinese defence and military leaders were essential to avoid conflict and bolster stability in the Asia-Pacific. "The more that we talk, the more that we can avoid the misunderstandings and miscalculations that could lead to crisis or conflict." China's Minister of National Defence Li Shangfu had this week declined an invitation to meet Austin at the security summit. On Friday, the two shook hands on the sidelines of the conference but did not hold detailed talks, the Pentagon said. "(AUKUS) promotes greater stability and security," Austin said.

Persons: Defense Lloyd Austin, Caroline Chia, Austin, Austin Austin, National Defence Li Shangfu, Antony Blinken, Liu Pengyu, General, Lei, Zhao Xiaozhuo, Zhao, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Xinghui Kok, Joe Brock, Chen Lin, Gerry Doyle, Kanupriya Kapoor, Greg Torode, Ryan Woo, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, Yew, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Defense, REUTERS, United, People's, National Defence, Austin, Pentagon, Academy of Military Sciences, Global Times, U.S, China's Academy of Military Sciences, Australia, Thomson Locations: Singapore, China, Taiwan, Asia, Pacific SINGAPORE, United States, South China, People's Republic of China, U.S, Washington, TAIWAN, Beijing, Ukraine, Pacific, Australia, Japan, India, Philippines

☆ Hungary central-bank chief sees chance for euro adoption only after 2030
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BUDAPEST, June 2 (Reuters) - Hungary should not consider adopting the euro before 2030 as joining the single currency zone before its economy is duly prepared would backfire, central bank governor Gyorgy Matolcsy said on Friday. Matolcsy said once Hungary reaches about 90% of the EU's average level in terms of economic development, then the adoption of the single currency could be put on the agenda. "It is dangerous to enter the club of the rich while the economy is unprepared for it," Matolcsy told state radio. "Perhaps around 2030 or a bit later we could reach ... 90% of the EU's average in terms of development, then it's worth entering (the euro zone) as the euro has many advantages," Matolcsy said. The National Bank of Hungary is currently fighting the EU's highest inflation rate, running at an annual 24% in April, while the economy is slowing sharply.

Persons: Gyorgy Matolcsy, Matolcsy, Mihaly Varga, Krisztina, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: National Bank of, EU, Thomson Locations: BUDAPEST, Hungary, Hungarian, National Bank of Hungary, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia

☆ Hungary cbank chief sees chance for euro adoption only after 2030
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

It's an accepted fact," Gandhi, who belongs to the opposition Congress party, said in remarks at The National Press Club in a visit to Washington. China and India have been uneasy neighbors for decades following a war on their disputed Himalayan frontier in the early 1960s. In May, Modi said peace on India's border with China is essential for normal relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours. Separately, Gandhi blamed Modi for India's religious polarization, saying his Hindu nationalist party was not inclusive. They don't embrace everybody, and they divide society," Gandhi said.

Persons: Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi's, It's, Gandhi, Modi, Simon Lewis, Kanishka Singh, Jamie Freed Organizations: National Press Club, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, 161st, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, Washington, India, Arunachal Pradesh, Tibet

☆ Sterling strengthens against dollar as chances of Fed 'skip' rise
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Sterling was last up 0.2% against the dollar at $1.2467 and flat against the euro at 85.90 pence, close to its strongest in six months. The pound fell by 1% against the dollar in May, its largest monthly slide since February's 2.8% loss, but it's still up 3.1% so far in 2023. Against the euro, sterling gained 2% last month - the most in a month since last July. UK inflation fell to 8.7% in April from a peak of 11.1% in October, while U.S. inflation is down to 4.9%, from 9.1% last June - when UK inflation was at 9.4%. The Fed, meanwhile, took just seven months from that time to raise rates by the same amount and U.S. rates are at 5.25%.

Persons: BoE, Sterling, it's, Stephen Gallo, BoE policymaker Catherine Mann, Mann, Amanda Cooper, Mark Potter Organizations: Federal Reserve, Bank of England, Nationwide, BMO, Pictet, Thomson Locations: Britain, United States, U.S, Swiss

[1/5] TANAKA whose real name is Kim Kyung-wook, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Seoul, South Korea, May 16, 2023. Now Kim exemplifies the changing attitudes of young Koreans as ties with Japan thaw. DEMAND REBOUNDThe quarrels are being left behind as the enthusiasm of young Koreans fuels a sharp rebound in demand for Japanese consumer products. That compared with a 90% drop in imports of Japanese beer in 2019, when the intensifying feuds made it an early target of a sweeping boycott. "China is clearly less preferred than countries like the United States and Japan," Kim said, citing Beijing's curbs on freedom in Hong Kong and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Persons: TANAKA, Kim Kyung, Kim Hong, Ji, Jeong, Tanaka, idolises, I've, it's, Kim, Fumio Kishida, Yoon Suk, James Kim, Hyonhee Shin, Heekyong Yang, Jimin Jung, Daewoung Kim, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, South, Korea's, Relations, Asahi Group Holdings, Costco, Hankook Research, Asan Institute, Policy Studies, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Ji SEOUL, South Korean, Japan, Tokyo, Korean, China, Russia, North Korea, United States, Hong Kong

☆ South Korea experts say more study needed on Japan's nuclear water plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] South Korea's Nuclear Safety and Security Commission Chairperson Yoo Guk-hee announce the results of their inspection of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant during a press conference at Government Complex Building in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea's inspection team for... Read moreSEOUL, May 31 (Reuters) - South Korean nuclear safety experts who visited Japan's wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant said on Wednesday that detailed analysis was needed to verify Japan's plan to release tonnes of contaminated water from it into the sea. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear station, about 220 km (130 miles) northeast of Tokyo, was destroyed by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami in 2011, triggering three reactor meltdowns. The 21-member South Korean team had focused during its six-day trip on water purification, transport and release equipment, as well as sampling and analysis facilities. The International Atomic Energy Agency is also conducting a safety review of Japan's plan to release the water.

Persons: Yoo Guk, Japan's, Yoo, Yoon Suk Yeol, Fumio Kishida, Hyonhee Shin, Robert Birsel Organizations: Safety, Security, Nuclear Safety, Security Commission, South Korean, International Atomic Energy Agency, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, SEOUL, Fukushima, Tokyo, Japan

They are among 90,000 people who have escaped to Chad since fighting broke out in Sudan in mid-April - a major extra burden on one of the world's poorest countries. Even before this emergency, Chad was hosting 600,000 refugees from its war-torn neighbours and grappling with a fourth consecutive year of acute food shortages. Overall, around 2.3 million people are in urgent need of food aid, the World Food Programme warned earlier in May. Squeezed into the open-air compound, the women cook together over small braziers in the sand as children play around them. Hamit said she tried to help "even the refugees who have set up shelters nearby .... they come to us for water".

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