Town Hall News

A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Sonali Desai China’s keenly awaited trade data for May did little to stir markets increasingly inured to weakening momentum in the world’s second-largest economy, although it will fuel further speculation of policy stimulus measures from Beijing. For the record, exports posted a bigger-than-expected drop of 7.5% year-on-year, sending the trade surplus to a 13-month low, while imports remained […]

By Guy Faulconbridge (Reuters) – A huge Soviet-era dam on the Dnipro River that separates Russian and Ukrainian forces in southern Ukraine was breached on Tuesday, unleashing floodwaters across the war zone. Ukraine said Russia had destroyed it, while Russia said Ukraine sabotaged it to cut off water supplies to Crimea and distract attention from a “faltering” counter-offensive. What is the dam, what happened – and what do we not […]

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – A Paris court has upheld the Malaysian government’s challenge against enforcing a partial award to the heirs of a former sultan who won $15 billion in an arbitration over a colonial-era land deal, Malaysia said late on Tuesday. The win for Malaysia implies the final award will be annulled and the descendants’ efforts to seize Malaysian assets will end, the government said. “This decision, which is […]

(Reuters) – Former France captain Amandine Henry was included in coach Herve Renard’s provisional 26-player squad for the Women’s World Cup, returning to the international set-up after a two-year absence. The 33-year-old midfielder, who won the last of her 93 caps in November 2020, has been out of the picture since falling out with former coach Corrine Diacre. Henry, who captained France at the 2019 World Cup, and all-time leading […]

By Dave Graham MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, one of the leading contenders to be the country’s next leader, said on Tuesday he will resign to focus on winning the presidential nomination of the ruling party for the 2024 election. Ebrard, a former mayor of Mexico City, wants to succeed President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador as the standard-bearer of the leftist National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), which now […]

(Reuters) – Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday he received “a serious, powerful” offer from leaders of countries ready to provide Kyiv with F-16 fighter jets and is awaiting final agreements with key allies. “Our partners know how many aircraft we need,” Zelenskiy was quoted as saying in a statement on his website. “I have already received an understanding of the number from some of our European partners … […]

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s exports fell a much faster than expected 7.5% in May year-on-year, while imports contracted at a slower pace, dropping 4.5%, customs data showed on Wednesday. A Reuters poll of economists had forecast exports to have shrunk 0.4% and imports to have fallen 8.0%. Having beaten expectations in the first quarter, analysts are now downgrading their expectations for the economy for the rest of the year, as […]

SEOUL (Reuters) – A North Korean youth group has donated rocket launchers to the military in a show of “fervent patriotism”, state media KCNA reported on Wednesday, as the isolated state confronts what it sees as growing foreign threats. The donation of military equipment took place at a ceremony on Tuesday as the Korean Children’s Union (KCU), a political youth group, celebrated its 77th anniversary. The KCU, whose members are […]

SEOUL (Reuters) – A North Korean youth group has donated rocket launchers to the military in a show of “fervent patriotism”, state media KCNA reported on Wednesday, as the isolated state confronts what it sees as growing foreign threats. The donation of military equipment took place at a ceremony on Tuesday as the Korean Children’s Union (KCU), a political youth group, celebrated its 77th anniversary. The KCU, whose members are […]