Town Hall News

By Kirsty Needham (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Papua New Guinea’s leader James Marape on Monday ahead of the expected signing of a defence agreement and a meeting with 14 Pacific Island leaders. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier pledged support for the Pacific Islands at a summit in the capital Port Moresby. Washington and its allies are seeking to deter Pacific Island nations from […]

By Kirsty Needham (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Papua New Guinea’s leader James Marape on Monday ahead of the expected signing of a defence agreement and a meeting with 14 Pacific Island leaders. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier pledged support for the Pacific Islands at a summit in the capital Port Moresby. Washington and its allies are seeking to deter Pacific Island nations from […]

By Florence Tan and Mohi Narayan (Reuters) -Oil prices slipped on Monday as caution around U.S. debt ceiling talks and concerns about demand recovery in China offset support from lower supplies from Canada and OPEC+ producers. Brent crude futures fell 73 cents, or 0.97%, to $74.85 a barrel by 0634 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for July delivery, the more actively traded contract, slipped 73 cents, or […]

By Florence Tan and Mohi Narayan (Reuters) -Oil prices slipped on Monday as caution around U.S. debt ceiling talks and concerns about demand recovery in China offset support from lower supplies from Canada and OPEC+ producers. Brent crude futures fell 73 cents, or 0.97%, to $74.85 a barrel by 0634 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for July delivery, the more actively traded contract, slipped 73 cents, or […]

By Elaine Lies and Yoshifumi Takemoto TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is increasingly certain to call a snap election, perhaps within weeks, as domestic support surges after a G7 summit that drew a surprise visit by Ukraine’s president. While an election for parliament’s more powerful lower house is not due until 2025, Kishida is keen to beef up his strength in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) […]

By Elaine Lies and Yoshifumi Takemoto TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is increasingly certain to call a snap election, perhaps within weeks, as domestic support surges after a G7 summit that drew a surprise visit by Ukraine’s president. While an election for parliament’s more powerful lower house is not due until 2025, Kishida is keen to beef up his strength in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) […]

LONDON (Reuters) -British state-backed bank NatWest has agreed to buy 1.3 billion pounds ($1.6 billion) worth of its shares back from the government, as it edges closer towards private ownership 15 years after it was bailed out in the global financial crisis. The deal will reduce the government’s stake in the former Royal Bank of Scotland to 38.69% from around 41.4%. NatWest said it had agreed to buy the shares […]

LONDON (Reuters) -British state-backed bank NatWest has agreed to buy 1.3 billion pounds ($1.6 billion) worth of its shares back from the government, as it edges closer towards private ownership 15 years after it was bailed out in the global financial crisis. The deal will reduce the government’s stake in the former Royal Bank of Scotland to 38.69% from around 41.4%. NatWest said it had agreed to buy the shares […]

By Kate Holton and Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) -When Vodafone named Margherita Della Valle as CEO last month, investors adopted a wait-and-see approach to whether the company veteran was the right person to jolt it out of a deep malaise. Within weeks, Della Valle gave them a stark assessment of the problems Vodafone faces. The reaction has been brutal, with the company’s shares sliding to 20-year lows. Della Valle, an […]