The pound held near a four-month low against the dollar and the euro on Thursday as investors remained sidelined amid the contest to succeed Prime Minister Theresa May.

The U.S. Defense Department has briefed Congress on a report on rare earth minerals as it looks to reduce American reliance on China, a Pentagon spokesman told Reuters on Wednesday, amid mounting concern in Washington about Beijing’s role as a supplier.

Turkey’s decision to purchase Russian S-400 missiles causes a situation of concern in NATO headquarters in Brussels. The military alliance wants to avoid an escalation between two of it’s key members.

Banks in the Sudanese capital Khartoum came to a virtual standstill on Wednesday as protest and opposition groups organised a second day of strikes to pressure military rulers to cede power to civilians.

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC), China’s central bank, on Wednesday pumped 270 billion yuan (about 39 billion U.S. dollars) into the financial system through open market operations.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host Chinese President Xi Jinping this year for an informal summit, an Indian foreign ministry spokesman said on Wednesday, after meeting several times over the past year to try to defuse tension.

The purchase of Russian S-400 missiles by Turkey remains unacceptable for the U.S.

Russia has partially resumed oil flows along the Druzhba pipeline.

Italy’s bond yields rose sharply for a second day on Tuesday as its deputy prime minister hit back over what he said were European Union plans to slap a fine on the country for spending too much.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday a deal with Iran on its nuclear programme was possible, crediting economic sanctions for curbing activities Washington has said are behind a spate of attacks in the Middle East.