Oil hits new high near $75 on demand rise, falling inventories
Oil gained for a fifth day on Wednesday, climbing towards $75 a barrel to its highest since April 2019, supported by a recovery in demand from the pandemic and a drop in U.S. crude inventories.
Cheer over Boeing, Airbus deal belies cracks in EU, U.S. trade relationship
A deal for a five-year ceasefire in a U.S. and EU dispute over aircraft subsidies on Tuesday reflected progress, but the underlying trade relationship remains fragile with many unresolved disagreements, diplomats and trade experts said.
China’s factory output, retail sales miss expectations in May
BEIJING, June 16 (Reuters) – Growth in China’s factory output slowed for a third straight month in May, likely weighed down by disruptions caused by COVID-19 outbreaks in the country’s southern export powerhouse of Guangdong. Retail sales and investment growth also came in below market expectations, but analysts say underlying activity still looks quite solid, […]
Taj Mahal reopens for tourists as India eases COVID-19 curbs
BENGALURU, June 16 (Reuters) – The Taj Mahal reopened to the public on Wednesday as India, still reeling from a disastrous second wave of the pandemic, pushes to lift restrictions in a bid to revitalise its economy. The 17th-century white marble mausoleum, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the northern city of Agra, was […]
Shocked by COVID deaths, young Indians rush for life insurance
BENGALURU, June 16 (Reuters) – Like many other twenty-somethings in India, Beverly Coutinho kept postponing buying a life insurance policy, until a surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths made her confront her own mortality. “I saw people my own age dying, which prompted me to get life insurance immediately,” says Coutinho, a 24-year-old senior executive […]
Chickens, cows, apartments offered up in Asia’s vaccination lucky draws
June 16 (Reuters) – Chickens, cows, paid leave, even a million-dollar apartment, these are the prizes on offer from Thailand to Indonesia to Hong Kong for those who get vaccinated against COVID-19 as nations across Asia combat vaccine hesitancy.
Thailand to fully reopen to visitors within 120 days – PM
BANGKOK, June 16 (Reuters) – Thailand will fully reopen to visitors within 120 days after more than a year of coronavirus travel restrictions, a calculated risk required to support the economy, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Wednesday. Thailand was ahead of target in securing 105.5 million doses of coronavirus vaccine for this year, and […]
Israel strikes Hamas sites over fire balloons, challenging truce
Israeli aircraft struck Hamas sites in Gaza on Wednesday after incendiary balloons were launched from the Palestinian enclave in the first such attacks since a fragile ceasefire ended 11 days of deadly fighting last month.
Wide gulf, slim hopes as Putin and Biden arrive for summit
GENEVA, June 16 (Reuters) – Shaking hands in front of a grand Geneva villa, U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday began their first summit since Biden took office, with deep disagreements likely and expectations of solving them low. Both have said they hope their talks can lead to more stable […]
Giant Buddhist goddess in Japan gets face mask to pray for end of COVID-19
June 16 (Reuters) – Workers scaled a giant statue of a Buddhist goddess in Japan on Tuesday to place a custom-made mask on her face, an act meant to be a prayer for the end of the coronavirus pandemic. It took four workers three hours to carry the massive mask on ropes up the 57 […]
