- Muslim women break taboos navigating east London's waterways
- Nepal dam-building spree powers electric vehicle boom
- More than 60 dead from storm Helene as rescue, cleanup efforts grow
- Dozens missing, 9 dead in migrant boat wreck off Spanish Canaries
- Death toll from Hurricane John hits eight in Mexico
- Storm Helene's toll rises as rescue and cleanup efforts gain pace
- SpaceX launches mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding as cleanup begins
- SpaceX set to launch mission to return stranded astronauts
- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Boeing strike grinds on as latest talks fail to reach agreement
- Iran 'news' sites, hackers target Trump ahead of US election
- US ports brace for potential dockworkers strike
- Japan's speedy, spotless Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60
- US hurricane deaths rise to 44, fears of more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Global stocks mostly rise, cheering Beijing stimulus
- Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
- Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky Sun flypast
- Argentina judge orders dictionary to delete pejorative definition of 'Jewish'
- Global stocks rise on rate hopes, Beijing stimulus
- S.African woman turns 118, among the oldest in the world
- UK clears $4 bn AI partnership between Amazon, Anthropic
- Barca fans barred from Champions League away game over racist banner
- Chinese stocks extend surge, Europe higher on Beijing stimulus
- Pope says Church must 'seek forgiveness' for child sexual abuse
- China caps week of 'bazooka' stimulus for ailing economy with rate cut
- Cuts, cash, credit: China bids to jumpstart flagging economy
- France's debt weighs heavier ahead of budget debate
- Iran treads carefully, backing Hezbollah while avoiding war
- Return to sender: waste stranded at sea stirs toxic dispute
- 'Broken' news industry faces uncertain future
- On remote Greek island, migratory birds offer climate clues
- Taken from mother by nuns, victim seeks answers as pope visits Belgium
- China cuts amount banks hold in reserve to boost lending
- Hong Kong, Shanghai extend surge as China optimism boosts markets
- Vietnam president reiterates support for Cuba during official visit
- Drought reduces Amazon River in Colombia by as much as 90%: report
- Stay or go? Pacific Islanders face climate's grim choice
- Florida bracing for 'unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene
- Poverty rises to over 52 percent in Milei's Argentina
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala Harris
- Champagne houses abuzz over English sparkling wine
- Macron, Trudeau pledge to work for 'decarbonized' economies
- Hurricanes, storms, typhoons... Is September wetter than usual?
- China stimulus, tech optimism boost stock markets
- 'Unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene races towards Florida
- Macron meets Trudeau in Canada as both face political setbacks
- South Korea surges in UN innovation index
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala
- Floods threaten Niger's historic 'gateway to the desert'
Bank of Japan says no tightening as oil stirs inflation
Japan's central bank chief said on Friday the country will likely reach its key two-percent inflation target as oil rates surge, but the bank will continue monetary easing policies because the price rises are caused by external factors.
The Bank of Japan has struggled to lift inflation for nearly a decade with the world's third-largest economy swinging between periods of sluggish inflation and deflation, both considered bad for growth.
"Unlike in the US and Europe, inflation is currently at around 0.6 percent, and is likely to rise to about two percent after April," BoJ governor Haruhiko Kuroda told reporters following a two-day policy meeting.
"Most of the rise in prices will be caused by increases in international commodity supplies, energy, and food import prices, so naturally it is not necessary or appropriate to tighten monetary policy."
The United States Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate on Wednesday for the first time since 2018 in a bid to tackle soaring inflation.
Kuroda said consumption in Japan is expected to further recover from a pandemic dip as the government lifts restrictions -- which mainly require restaurants and bars to limit opening hours -- in Tokyo and elsewhere on Monday.
Japan's core consumer prices, which exclude volatile fresh food, rose 0.6 percent in February from a year earlier, government data showed Friday.
The internal affairs ministry said the rise was driven by food prices and utility bills due to a surge in energy costs linked to the Ukraine crisis.
It met market expectations as the sixth straight monthly gain, and the sharpest rise since February 2020.
The BoJ's target of sustained two-percent inflation is seen as key to spurring healthy economic growth in Japan.
But analysts say that even if the target is hit in the coming months, it is unlikely to last.
"Once the energy-price shock and deterioration in terms of trade is gone, prices will decline again," Shigeto Nagai of Oxford Economics told AFP ahead of the BoJ meeting.
Excluding energy prices as well as fresh food, Japan's consumer prices were down 1.0 percent in February, the 11th straight monthly fall, the ministry said.
L.Peeters--CPN