Town Hall News

By Kantaro Komiya TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s economy grew more than initially thought in January-March, revised data showed on Thursday, as a post-pandemic pickup in domestic spending and company restocking helped offset the hit to exports from slowing global demand. With inflation running at a four-decade high, further growth in the world’s third-largest economy will depend on sustained wage hikes, which the Bank of Japan and the government regard as […]

By Tyler Clifford NEW YORK (Reuters) – Schools across the U.S. East Coast canceled outdoor activities, airline traffic slowed and millions of Americans were urged to stay indoors on Wednesday as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted south, blanketing cities in thick, yellowish haze. The U.S. National Weather Service issued air quality alerts for virtually the entire Atlantic seaboard. Health officials from Vermont to South Carolina and as far west as […]

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s largest commercial property developer Dalian Wanda Group on Thursday said it is appealing a court decision to freeze 1.9 billion yuan ($266.23 million) worth of shares it owns in a subsidiary. The group in a statement said it “is confident it will defend its legitimate rights”. Two Shanghai court notices dated Monday showed the group cannot trade or otherwise use its shares in property manager Dalian […]

TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan detected 37 Chinese military aircraft flying into its air defence zone starting on Thursday morning, some of which flew into the western Pacific, the island’s defence ministry said. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Tom Hogue) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea will discuss with Japan re-establishment of their bilateral foreign exchange swap line that expired in 2015, its finance minister said on Thursday. “Current economic issues, including bilateral and regional financial cooperation, will be discussed at the bilateral finance minister meeting on June 29,” Minister Choo Kyung-ho said, adding that currency swap arrangement was also on the agenda. Choo was speaking at a discussion forum, in response […]

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan’s Fukuoka District Court ruled on Thursday that not allowing same-sex marriage was “in a state of unconstitutionality”, NHK public broadcaster said. The ruling came a week after another district court said it was unconstitutional to not allow, bolstering hopes of the LGBTQ community in Japan, the only Group of Seven nation without legal protection for same-sex unions. Five rulings on same-sex marriage have now been handed down […]

By Tyler Clifford NEW YORK (Reuters) – Schools across the U.S. East Coast canceled outdoor activities, airline traffic slowed and millions of Americans were urged to stay indoors on Wednesday as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted south, blanketing cities in thick, yellowish haze. The U.S. National Weather Service issued air quality alerts for virtually the entire Atlantic seaboard. Health officials from Vermont to South Carolina and as far west as […]

BEIJING (Reuters) -China’s biggest banks on Thursday said they have lowered interest rates on yuan deposits, in actions that could ease pressure on profit margins and reduce lending costs, providing some relief for the financial sector and wider economy. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd, Agricultural Bank of China Ltd, Bank of China Ltd and China Construction Bank Corp all cut their rates from Thursday, websites from each bank […]

By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) – The former JPMorgan Chase & Co executive accused of shepherding the bank’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein formally denied involvement in the disgraced financier’s sex trafficking, and blamed JPMorgan for keeping him as a client. In Wednesday night filings in Manhattan federal court, Jes Staley said his dealings with Epstein were not the “proximate cause” of any damages JPMorgan might incur in two lawsuits […]