Town Hall News

MADRID (Reuters) -Police detained seven men on Tuesday over separate alleged hate crime incidents against Real Madrid football player Vinicius Jr as Spain’s main soccer league urged changes to Spanish law that would enable it to take steps to curb racism in stadiums. Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti expressed support for Vinicius Jr, whom he expected would remain at the club. He lambasted Spain’s “obsolete” protocols to deal with racism […]

By Stephanie Kelly and Emily Chow (Reuters) -Oil prices gained over $1 on Wednesday after U.S. inventories and fuel supplies tightened and as a warning from the Saudi energy minister to speculators raised the prospect of further OPEC+ output cuts. Brent crude futures last rose 68 cents, or 0.9%, to $77.52 a barrel by 0330 GMT, while the U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) gained 75 cents, or 1%, to […]

By Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON (Reuters) -New Zealand’s central bank on Wednesday raised interest rates by 25 basis points to the highest in more than 14 years to 5.5% and reiterated inflation remains too high even as it still forecast a recession this year. The decision was in line with expectations from 21 of 25 economists in a Reuters poll forecasting the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) would raise rates […]

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday said the country had no plans to become a NATO member but acknowledged the security alliance’s plan to open a liaison office in Japan. Kishida’s comments came after the Japanese ambassador to the United States earlier this month said that the U.S.-led military pact was planning a Tokyo office, the first in Asia, to facilitate consultations in the region. “I […]

By Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON (Reuters) -New Zealand’s central bank on Wednesday raised interest rates by 25 basis points to the highest in more than 14 years at 5.5% but indicated it was now done tightening, having undertaken its most aggressive hiking cycle since 1999. While the 25-basis-point hike had largely been forecast by economists polled by Reuters, there had been growing expectation that the Reserve Bank of New Zealand might […]

BEIJING (Reuters) – Russia and China are set to sign a set of bilateral agreements on Wednesday during the Russian prime minister’s trip to Beijing as the two giant neighbours pledge closer cooperation even as the West remains critical of their ties amid the war in Ukraine. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin – the highest ranking Russian official to visit Beijing since Moscow sent thousands of its troops to Ukraine in […]

By Kevin Buckland TOKYO (Reuters) – Asian stocks on Wednesday extended a global sell-off as U.S. debt ceiling negotiations dragged on without resolution, while the New Zealand dollar tumbled after the central bank caught markets off-guard by flagging that its tightening cycle is over. The U.S. dollar – paradoxically – remained elevated amid safe-haven demand, which was also a driver of Treasuries and pushed yields lower. Crude gained, though, as […]

By Melanie Burton MELBOURNE (Reuters) -The Aboriginal group whose rock shelters Rio Tinto Ltd destroyed for an iron ore mine three years ago said remediation efforts have begun at the site under a co-management model that gives them more agency over mine development. The destruction of the culturally significant site at Juukan Gorge in Western Australia which sheltered the group’s ancestors over 46,000 years triggered a public outcry and the […]

By Anirban Sen and Saeed Azhar (Reuters) -PacWest Bancorp has sold its property lending division to real estate financing firm Roc360 for an undisclosed amount, in a bid to bolster investor confidence amid concerns about the finances of U.S. regional lenders. Roc360 said on Tuesday it agreed to acquire PacWest’s Civic Financial Services (“CIVIC”) unit, which is known for extending loans to landlords and investors interested in purchasing homes for […]