U.S.-China high-level talks to wrap up after acrimonious opening

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) – Senior U.S. and Chinese officials are set to conclude their talks in Alaska on Friday after a dramatic opening round laid bare the depth of tensions between the world’s two largest economies at the outset of the Biden administration.
U.S. Justice Department probing Visa over debit-card practices: source

(Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating whether Visa Inc engages in anticompetitive practices in the debit-card market, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday.
IMF economist sees only ‘transitory’ bump in inflation from U.S. stimulus

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion U.S. stimulus plan could trigger a temporary bump in consumer prices, but inflation was not likely to last long, International Monetary Fund Chief Economist Gita Gopinath said in an interview broadcast on Friday. Gopinath told National Public Radio that the U.S. Federal Reserve had tools to address […]
U.S. Fed to let bank leverage exemption expire this month, will review rule

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Big U.S. banks will have to resume holding an extra layer of loss-absorbing capital against U.S. Treasuries and central bank deposits from next month after the Federal Reserve said on Friday it would not extend a temporary pandemic regulatory break due to expire this month. The Fed said it would, however, launch […]
Nokia sees pick up in margins as turnaround takes shape

HELSINKI (Reuters) – Telecoms equipment maker Nokia is forecasting a pick up in profit margins to 10-13% in 2023, as new CEO Pekka Lundmark charts a course to catch up with rivals in the race to deliver 5G networks. Missteps with strategy during the early phase of the 5G cycle have led the Finnish company […]
Gaps Remain in Countries Readiness to Deploy COVID-19 Vaccines

Assessments by World Bank and partners provide insights into more than 120 countries’ readiness to safely distribute vaccines WASHINGTON, March 18, 2021 – As countries undertake the largest vaccination campaign in history, the World Bank has worked with governments, WHO, UNICEF, the Global Fund and GAVI on assessing countries’ readiness to safely deploy COVID-19 vaccines in […]
Stocks cheer dovish Fed, yen supported before BOJ decision

TOKYO/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Asian shares and U.S. stock futures rose on Thursday after the Federal Reserve committed to maintaining accommodative monetary policy and projected a rapid jump in U.S. economic growth this year as the COVID-19 crisis eases. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.87%, while stocks in China rose 0.74%. […]
Japan to lift Tokyo area state of emergency as planned on Sunday

TOKYO (Reuters) – The Japanese government’s advisory panel on coronavirus measures approved on Thursday a plan to let the state of emergency expire in the Tokyo area as scheduled on March 21, while the capital’s governor warned citizens not to let down their guard.
Proposal to rewrite Thailand’s military-backed constitution fails

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s parliament has failed to pass a bill that would have allowed changes to a military-backed constitution enacted after a 2014 coup, stalling a move by lawmakers to address a key demand of mass street protests last year. The bill, which included a plan for an elected committee to rewrite the constitution, […]
Biden vows Russia’s Putin will ‘pay a price’ for election meddling: ABC News

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin will face consequences for directing efforts to swing the 2020 U.S. presidential election to Donald Trump, and that they would come soon. “He will pay a price,” Biden told ABC News in an interview that aired on Wednesday. Asked what the consequences would come, […]