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Quote of the Day

Go to heaven for the climate and hell for the company - Benjamin Franklin Wade

Word of the Day

Unbeknownst - happening or existing without the knowledge of someone specified — usually used with to

In the news...

Angela Merkel takes questions from parliament.Today Germany will see the first-ever question-and-answer session between a chancellor and MPs in the Bundestag. Far-right opponents welcome the chance to blame her for refugee-related problems, while EU allies are hoping she’ll clarify her vision for the bloc.

Air China resumes flights to North Korea. The flag carrier’s route between Beijing and Pyongyang was suspended in November amid tension over Kim Jong Un’s nuclear weapons program. Its resumption signals closer ties ahead of next week’s US-North Korea summit.

The Reserve Bank of India makes an interest-rate decision. With India hit hard by an emerging-market selloff, the central bank can either hold rates steady or follow the example of Indonesia by raising rates to stem market pressure. Both countries rely heavily on foreign inflows, making them vulnerable to rising US interest rates.

EU members agreed to cap the price of intra-EU calls.Under the provisional deal, calls from one EU country to another will be capped at 19 euro cents per minute, and text messages will cost no more than 6 euro cents each. Last year the EU abolished roaming charges between member states.

Facebook admitted to giving Huawei special access to user data.An arrangement dating back to at least 2010 gave Huawei and other Chinese firms detailed information on device users and their friends. Huawei, closely tied to China’s government, has been flagged by US intelligence officials as a national security threat (paywall).

Australia’s economy notched an impressive first quarter.It grew at the fastest annual pace in almost two years as it enters its 27th year of growth without a recession. The country is enjoying strong exports but faces uncertainty over household consumption and global trade.