Briefly

UNITED STATES

Federal Reserve keeps rates unchanged

The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady on Wednesday as policymakers struggled to determine whether financial conditions may be tight enough already to control inflation, or whether an economy that continues to outperform expectations may still need more restraint. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the situation remained something of a riddle, with US central bank officials willing to raise rates again if progress on inflation stalls, wary that a rise in market-based interest rates may begin to weigh on the economy in a significant way. Powell said the better course of action for now was to maintain the Fed's benchmark overnight interest rate in the current 5.25 to 5.50 percent range, and see how job and price data evolve between now and the next policy meeting in December.

JAPAN

Bear attacks on people hit record high: Ministry

The number of people attacked by bears in Japan between April and October totaled 180, already a record high on a fiscal year basis, according to the environment ministry. This is the worst number ever since the statistics started in fiscal 2006, the ministry said in a preliminary report on Wednesday. The previous record high was 158 logged in fiscal 2020. Five people have been killed in attacks by bears so far in fiscal 2023, which started in April. Experts said bears have appeared near human settlements more frequently this year partly because they cannot get enough food in the mountains due to poor harvest of nuts. The ministry is calling for maximum vigilance until the bears go into hibernation in December.

Agencies - Xinhua