Reuters

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's markets fell on Thursday after the central bank cut rates in a split decision that saw appointees of the current government advocating for a larger reduction, sparking concerns of a forthcoming dovish monetary policy influenced by politics.

The Brazilian real weakened over 1% against the dollar while the yield curve on interest rate futures steepened, with longer-term futures jumping as much as 30 basis points.

(Reuters) - Maxine Waters, the top Democrat on the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, expressed dismay on Thursday at reports of sexual misconduct and other workplace problems at the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation but stopped short of calling for the chair's resignation.

An outside review released on Tuesday found the agency needed to adopt sweeping changes to fix workplace culture and address harassment, racial discrimination and... (continue reading...)

TBILISI (Reuters) - A big crowd of protesters gathered in the Armenian capital Yerevan on Thursday to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan over his decision to cede several border villages to neighbour and longtime rival Azerbaijan.

Armenia said last month it would return the uninhabited villages in what both sides said was an important milestone as they edge towards a peace deal after fighting two wars since the collapse of the... (continue reading...)

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis started the countdown on Thursday to the 2025 Holy Year, or Jubilee, which is one of the Roman Catholic Church's most important events and is expected to draw tens of millions of pilgrims to Rome.

But what exactly is a Holy Year?

JUBILEE

A Holy Year usually happens once every 25 years, unless a pope calls an extraordinary one to call attention to a particular issue or celebrate a... (continue reading...)

By Naomi Rovnick and Yoruk Bahceli

LONDON (Reuters) - The Bank of England has sent a new signal that borrowing costs will fall earlier and further across Europe than in the United States, setting markets up for major shifts as investors play a monetary policy divide opening up across the Atlantic.

Investors see European stocks and debt leading global markets this year as rate cuts boost spending, softer inflation burnishes bonds and... (continue reading...)