Good morning, here’s your Thursday morning briefing to set you up for the day ahead. Look out for these three things happening around the world today.
Pope gets North Korea invite
Pope Francis will today meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in the Vatican City, in what could be a key step in the ongoing North Korea peace talks.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Jae-in will give the Pontiff an invite from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, inviting him to visit the communist state.
Senior members of the South Korean government have indicated that the Pope will take up the offer.
Jae-in arrived in Italy on Wednesday ahead of the meeting, offering thanks to the Pontiff for promoting peace in the Korean peninsula.
UK retail sector takes stock
The first estimate of the retail sales for September will be published today, providing an insight into the changing industry.
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By GlobalDataThe UK retail sales figures will cover store prices, average spend, internet sales and quantity, as well as seasonally and non-seasonally adjusted figures.
It is likely to be a contrasting report, in light of recent online and offline retail events.
Online retail appears to be doing well, with fashion giant ASOS this week reporting strong sales figures. However, the UK high street has struggled, with John Lewis reporting poor sales and occasionwear retailer Coast entering administration.
The impact of Brexit is also likely to be raised, although whether it will be a matter of muted spending or Brexit stockpiling remains to be seen.
The figures will be released by the Office for National Statistics at 9:30am BST.
Unilever announces third-quarter results
Unilever will today announce its Q3 results, with expectations high.
Analysts are predicting growth of 5% for the quarter, fueled by increased sales of ice cream and personal care products during the exceptional summer weather.
This would represent a significant improvement on previous reports, with the firm reporting underlying sales growth of 2.5% for the first half of 2018.
The company also saw disappointing results in Q2 as a result of a strike by Brazilian lorry drivers.
Yesterday’s highlights
How water, rather than oil, could spark conflict in the Middle East
UK shops to use facial recognition age verification for restricted items
