Reuters

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The case for a European Central Bank interest rate cut in June is getting stronger as services inflation is finally starting to ease, ECB Chief Economist Philip Lane told Spanish newspaper El Confidencial on Monday.

The ECB has all but promised a rate cut on June 6, provided incoming data strengthen policymakers' belief that inflation will head back to its 2% target by the middle of next year.

"Both the April flash... (continue reading...)

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's market watchdog said on Monday it had found breaches of short-selling rules by seven more banks in the domestic stock market as part of a full-scale investigation into trading practices at foreign investment banks.

Last November, South Korea introduced a ban on short selling of stocks in the domestic market, after it found illegal trading by two foreign firms in October, and launched a special investigation to look into... (continue reading...)

By Minwoo Park and Josh Smith

SEOUL (Reuters) - For the first time since leader Kim Jong Un took power in 2011, North Koreans were asked to take loyalty oaths on his birthday, a South Korean research institute said, amid other steps the country is taking to solidify his rule.

The loyalty oaths, which Reuters could not independently verify, were administered on what is believed to have been Kim's 40th birthday on January 8, according to... (continue reading...)

MANILA (Reuters) -Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Monday the country will not use water cannons or any offensive weapons in the South China Sea.

The last thing the Philippines wants to do is to raise tensions in the strategic waterway, Marcos told reporters.

"We will not follow the Chinese coast guard and Chinese vessels down that road," Marcos said, adding that the mission of Philippine navy and coast guard was to lower... (continue reading...)

SEOUL (Reuters) - Indonesia has proposed to cut its share of payments for a joint fighter jet development project with South Korea to about one-third of the originally agreed amount, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported on Monday.

Indonesia recently suggested to the South Korean government that it would pay about 600 billion won ($442.47 million) for the KF-21 joint fighter jet project, Yonhap reported, citing multiple unnamed government sources.... (continue reading...)