Town Hall News

By Jeff Mason and Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden declared a “crisis averted” on Friday in his first address from the White House’s Oval Office, touting the passage of a bill to suspend the U.S. debt ceiling and avoid economic catastrophe. Biden used the moment to plead with Americans to bridge their divides, saying his compromise with top Congress Republican Kevin McCarthy showed what could be done. […]

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey plans to send commandos to Kosovo on Sunday and Monday in response to a NATO request to join the alliance’s KFOR peacekeeping force following unrest in the north of the country, the Turkish defence ministry said. In a statement on Saturday, the ministry called for restraint and constructive dialogue to resolve a crisis that it said could harm regional security and stability. “Our assigned unit (a […]

By Shrivathsa Sridhar PARIS (Reuters) -Fourth seed Elena Rybakina pulled out of the French Open ahead of her third-round meeting with Sara Sorribes Tormo on Saturday due to a viral illness as the Roland Garros tournament lost one of its main contenders for the women’s title. The Wimbledon champion said she had been unwell for the last two days and was out of breath during the warm-up before her match […]

By Chen Lin and Xinghui Kok SINGAPORE (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin rebuked China on Saturday for refusing to hold military talks, leaving the superpowers deadlocked over Taiwan and territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s top security summit, Austin said Beijing’s reluctance to talk undermined efforts to maintain peace in a region where the two rivals are increasing their military firepower. […]

By Chen Lin and Xinghui Kok SINGAPORE (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin rebuked China on Saturday for refusing to hold military talks, leaving the superpowers deadlocked over Taiwan and territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s top security summit, Austin said Beijing’s refusal to hold talks at the meeting undermined efforts to maintain peace in a region where the two rivals are […]

By Ahmad Ghaddar, Alex Lawler and Maha El Dahan LONDON (Reuters) – OPEC and its allies begin two days of meetings on Saturday which may culminate in further production cuts of as much as 1 million barrels per day, OPEC+ sources told Reuters, as the organisation faces flagging oil prices and a looming supply glut. OPEC+, which groups the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies led by Russia, […]

By James Oliphant and Nathan Layne GILBERT, South Carolina (Reuters) – In the first full week of his 2024 presidential campaign, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis worked hard to define himself as a candidate to voters — and just as hard to define the man who stands in his way for the Republican nomination. As he toured 12 cities in three early-voting states, DeSantis, 44, made his case that he is […]

PARIS (Reuters) – Highlights of the seventh day at the French Open on Saturday (times GMT): 0907 PLAY UNDER WAY Play began under bright sunshine at Roland Garros, with the temperature hovering around 19 degrees Celsius (66°F). Fourth seed Casper Ruud faces Zhang Zhizhen in the opening third-round match of the day. Elena Rybakina and Holger Rune are also in action on Court Philippe-Chatrier along with top seed Iga Swiatek. […]

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Japan will not use its growing military strength to threaten other countries, its defence minister said on Saturday, while affirming its aim to prioritise diplomatic efforts and dialogue to avert misunderstandings. “We do not seek rivalry or conflict,” Yasukazu Hamada said in a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a security conference in Singapore with 600 delegates from 49 countries. Japanese aggression before and during World War Two […]