Reuters

Although the Politburo's seven-man Standing Committee would make the ultimate decision on any Taiwan action, the Central Military Commission would forge and execute the battle plan, eight Asian and Western military attaches say.

ASEAN's peace effort is the only official diplomatic process in play, but it has so far been a failure, with the junta unwilling to implement a so-called "five-point consensus" that it agreed to with ASEAN in April 2021.

The Commerce Department's advance third-quarter gross domestic product on Thursday is expected to show underlying demand in the economy flat last quarter amid a slowdown in consumer spending and moderate growth in business investment.

Australia said on Thursday it will deploy 70 soldiers to Britain to help train Ukrainian troops there and ship 30 more armoured vehicles to bolster Kyiv's war against Russia's invasion.

Turkey's competition authority has fined Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc 346.72 million lira ($18.63 million) for breaking competition law, it said on Wednesday.

Harley-Davidson on Wednesday reported better-than-expected profit as robust demand for popular bike models during the summer riding season boosted sales, easing investors' fears of a slowdown in leisure spending due to high inflation.

The German sportswear maker reiterated its full-year operating result and sales outlook, after what it said was the best third quarter in its history.

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says a 43% reduction in emissions by 2030 is needed to limit warming to 1.5 Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures.

Macron gave the pope the first-edition 1796 French translation of German philosopher Immanuel Kant's "Towards Perpetual Peace" on Monday during a visit to Rome.

Speaking on behalf of 80 of the 137 NPP members, Andy Appiah-Kubi said the members of parliament would not take part in any business of government and would boycott budget hearings until its demands are met.

The company has observed a prolonged downturn in smartphone and personal computer demand in a trend that will linger into the first half of next year, UMC co-president Jason Wang said.

Currently, some banks charge far more for an IP transfer, up to 30 euros ($30) in some cases, compared with traditional transfers.

Japanese life insurers plan to buy more super-long government bonds, enticed by the highest yields since 2014.

Speaking to Reuters in Berlin a day before the European Central Bank is widely expected to raise rates by 75 basis points, the fund's managing director said it would take until 2024 for the positive effect of central banks raising rates globally to be felt.

Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, and fellow OPEC producers have warned of underinvestment in fossil fuels especially while spare production capacity is thin and demand relatively healthy despite economic headwinds.

Lebanese authorities say the repatriations, under a revived programme coordinated by General Security, the agency responsible for safeguarding its borders, are voluntary.

The towns of Clovis and Hobbs do not even have abortion clinics but are strategic, activists and clinicians say, because they are near the border with Texas, to the east.

Brazil's presidential election on Sunday may determine the fate of the Amazon jungle, the world's largest rainforest, after deforestation soared in the past four years under President Jair Bolsonaro.

The omissions show Xi has succeeded in a years-long effort to eradicate the faction, analysts said.

Speaking to Reuters in Berlin, Georgieva welcomed what she said was Sunak's clarity and constructive attitude that she knew from his time as finance minister.

Monuments glorifying Mussolini's command dot Rome, emblems of his fascist party adorn pot-hole covers, and carvings of his square-jawed troops embellish public spaces.

Witnesses in the capital Tehran and the cities of Tabriz and Rasht to the north also reported a heavy presence of security forces in the streets.

The standoff comes as the EU struggles to reach an agreement on whether to cap gas prices in response to Russia's war in Ukraine.

Reckitt and other consumer goods companies, from Procter & Gamble to Nestle, are hiking prices this year, enabling them to partially pass record energy and supply chain cost increases on to shoppers.

The Apple Inc supplier posted an operating loss of 759 billion won ($532.31 million) for the September quarter, compared to a profit of 529 billion won a year earlier.

At the top of Sunak's agenda will be preparation for a fiscal statement, keenly anticipated by financial markets, which is scheduled for Oct. 31 but which the Times newspaper reported could be pushed back by a few days.

The new rules are part of the implementation of a law the city-state passed last year that allowed the EMA to set greenhouse gas emissions standards.

The luxury carmaker now expects 13-15% in adjusted sales returns for the cars division this year, and 9-11% for Mercedes-Benz Vans, from previously 12-14% and 8-10%, respectively.

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Wednesday showed the consumer price index (CPI) jumped 1.8% in the September quarter, topping market forecasts of 1.6%.