• U.S. President Donald Trump's communications director is leaving the job, the White House said on Tuesday, as the president considers wider staff changes to try to contain political damage from investigations into Russia and his presidential campaign.
Mike Dubke confirmed reports he had resigned, saying in a statement, "It has been my great honor to serve President Trump and this administration." Dubke, who had been in the job just three months, gave no reason for leaving.
• German retail sales unexpectedly fell in April, data showed on Wednesday, dampening hopes that private consumption will propel growth in Europe's largest economy this year.
The volatile indicator, which is often subject to revision, showed retail sales dropped by 0.2 percent on the month in real terms, the Federal Statistics Office said. That confounded forecasts for a 0.2 percent rise and came after an upwardly revised increase of 0.2 percent in March.
• Japan's factory output rebounded in April from March and grew at the fastest pace in almost six years, taking production to its highest level since 2008.
Japan's industrial output rose 4.0 percent in April from the previous month, the strongest growth since posting a 4.2 percent gain in June 2011, although slightly
• China manufacturing sector grew faster than expected in May as activity in the steel industry rebounded sharply, an official survey showed on Wednesday, allaying concerns of slowing economic momentum as Beijing cracks down on financial risks.
The National Bureau of Statistics' official Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) held up at 51.2 in May, in line with April's number, which was the lowest in six months.
• Oil prices fell by one percent on Wednesday, as rising output from Libya added to concerns about increasing U.S. production that is undermining OPEC-led production cuts aimed at tightening the market.
Brent crude futures LCOc1, the international benchmark for oil prices, were at $51.30 per barrel at 0657 GMT, down 54 cents, or 1 percent, from their last close.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were at $49.15 per barrel, down 51 cents, or 1 percent, from their last settlement.
Reference: Reuters
Thai
Eng