Norway raises interest rates, says another hike likely in December

Norway raises interest rates, says another hike likely in December

Norway’s central bank raised its benchmark interest rate on Thursday and said it expects to hike again in December, as it joins a short but growing list of nations moving away from emergency-level borrowing costs. Norges Bank’s monetary policy committee raised the sight deposit rate to 0.25% from a record low of zero, as forecast unanimously in a Reuters poll of analysts and in line with the central bank’s own plan. “There is a strong recovery in the Norwegian economy,” Norges Bank Governor Oeystein Olsen told a news conference. “It’s…

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Angela Merkel honors Holocaust victims: Promises German commitment to Israel

Angela Merkel honors Holocaust victims: Promises German commitment to Israel

JERUSALEM — Outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel stood on Sunday in Jerusalem with her head bowed over the buried ashes of Jews killed in Nazi death camps, and pledged Germany would preserve a post-Holocaust commitment to Israel’s security. Merkel, on her eighth and final visit to Israel as she concludes her 16-year term, earlier held talks with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, whose opposition to Palestinian statehood is at odds with Western powers including Germany. Commenting on what Israel sees as an issue crucial to its security, Merkel said the coming…

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Australia says it will be patient on rebuilding ties with France

Australia says it will be patient on rebuilding ties with France

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he has tried to arrange a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron but has been unsuccessful so far, a week after his cancellation of a major submarine deal sparked a diplomatic row with Paris. Morrison, speaking in Washington on Wednesday, said he would be patient in rebuilding ties with France. Paris has recalled its ambassadors from Canberra and Washington, saying it was blindsided by Australia’s decision to build nuclear-powered submarines with the United States and Britain rather than stick with its contract for French…

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