Town Hall News

By Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s prime ministerial frontrunner Pita Limjaroenrat played down an effort to disqualify him over a stock ownership issue on Tuesday, insisting he violated no rules and that rivals were determined to keep him from the top job. Buoyed by massive youth support behind its anti-establishment, anti-monopoly agenda, Pita’s progressive Move Forward party were the surprise winners of last month’s election, which […]

SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) – A Chinese self-regulatory body overseen by the central bank has asked major state-owned banks to lower the dollar deposit interest rates, four people with direct knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday, in the latest move to shore up the weakening yuan currency. Interest rates offered by the banks would be capped at 4.3% for dollar deposits of $50,000 and above, said the people, who declined to […]

By Joseph Ax (Reuters) – Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is expected to formally announce his 2024 presidential campaign on Tuesday in New Hampshire, joining a growing Republican field led by Donald Trump. Christie, who served as an adviser to Trump’s successful 2016 campaign but has since become a vocal critic of the former president over his false claims that the 2020 election was rigged, is scheduled to hold […]

By Abhirup Roy, Hyunjoo Jin and Isla Binnie SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Ford Motor Co’s decision to allow customers to use Tesla’s electric-vehicle charging network has sent ripples through the industry, raising questions about a national U.S. charging standard as well as the fate of charging startups that are struggling. The deal, announced last month, would open more than 12,000 Tesla Superchargers to drivers of Ford vehicles in North America […]

By Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Republican-controlled House of Representatives this week will take on what some lawmakers see as a burning issue: protecting Americans from new restrictions on gas-fueled stoves. The House is set to vote on two bills preventing regulators from banning the stoves in the future or setting new energy conservation and health standards for new models. Some state and local governments have begun banning gas-fueled […]

MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Russian court on Tuesday fined the Wikimedia Foundation, which owns Wikipedia, 3 million roubles ($36,854) for refusing to delete an article on Ukraine’s Azov battalion, the Interfax news agency reported. Wikimedia did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. It has previously said information that Russian authorities complained about was well-sourced and in line with Wikipedia standards. The Azov battalion, a unit of Ukraine’s […]

LONDON (Reuters) – Prince Harry appeared at the High Court in London on Tuesday to give evidence in his lawsuit against the publisher of British tabloid the Daily Mirror, which he accuses of phone-hacking and other unlawful acts. Below are quotes and highlights from the courtroom where Harry is due to face hours of cross-examination in the witness box on Tuesday and Wednesday: APOLOGY Andrew Green, MGN’s lawyer, began his […]

(Reuters) – Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) such as Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s ChatGPT are complicating governments’ efforts to agree laws governing the use of the technology. Here are the latest steps national and international governing bodies are taking to regulate AI tools: AUSTRALIA * Seeking input on regulations The government is consulting Australia’s main science advisory body and considering next steps, a spokesperson for the industry and science minister said […]

LONDON (Reuters) – Prince Harry appeared at the High Court in London on Tuesday to give evidence in his lawsuit against the publisher of British tabloid the Daily Mirror, which he accuses of phone-hacking and other unlawful acts. Below are quotes and highlights from the courtroom where Harry is due to face hours of cross-examination in the witness box on Tuesday and Wednesday: APOLOGY Andrew Green, MGN’s lawyer, began his […]