Town Hall News

By Diane Bartz and David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -American Airlines Group must end its alliance with JetBlue Airways Corp, a federal judge ruled on Friday, agreeing with the U.S. Justice Department that the arrangement means higher prices for consumers and ordering the companies to part ways within 30 days. The decision represented a victory for President Joe Biden’s administration, which has taken a hard line on consolidation and tie-ups in […]

By Rajesh Kumar Singh and Allison Lampert CHICAGO (Reuters) -American Airlines pilots have agreed in principle on a new contract that boosts their pay by 21% in 2023, sources told Reuters on Friday, ahead of a busy summer travel season, after years of negotiations with the largest U.S. carrier. The Allied Pilots Association (APA), which represents over 13,000 pilots at Texas-based American, said on Friday it will move forward with […]

By Brad Brooks (Reuters) – Nebraska lawmakers on Friday passed a bill that limits abortion and puts restrictions on gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth in a single piece of legislation that strikes at two highly divisive issues. The bill, which Republican Governor Jim Pillen is expected to sign into law, bans abortions after 12 weeks of gestational age, making Nebraska the latest state to impose restrictions after the U.S. […]

BELGRADE (Reuters) – Tens of thousands marched through Belgrade on Friday in an anti-government protest following two mass shootings that killed 18 people, blaming the deaths on a culture of violence that critics say authorities have allowed to fester unchecked. On May 3 a teenage boy killed nine pupils and a security guard in the first school mass shooting in Serbia, and a day later a 21-year-old man killed eight […]

By Ismail Shakil OTTAWA (Reuters) – Authorities in Canada’s main oil-producing province of Alberta have closed some parks and campgrounds, and are urging residents to avoid activities that could enrage wildfires to avoid straining firefighting resources over the holiday weekend. Traditionally, residents spend the Victoria Day weekend outside as families take advantage of the warmer weather to go camping or enjoy other outdoor activities. The long weekend in May has […]

By Aziz El Yaakoubi and Samia Nakhoul JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was given a warm welcome at an Arab summit on Friday, winning a hug from Saudi Arabia’s crown prince at a meeting of leaders who had shunned him for years, in a policy shift opposed by the U.S. and other Western powers. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shook hands with a beaming Assad […]

By Tim McLaughlin and Sarah N. Lynch WORCESTER (Reuters) -A U.S. judge on Friday ordered the Air National Guardsman accused of leaking military secrets to remain in jail as he awaits trial on charges he violated the Espionage Act. Magistrate Judge David Hennessy made the decision after lawyers for Jack Douglas Teixeira, 21, asked for him to be released to house arrest pending trial. No trial date has been set. […]

(Reuters) – Italian cloud software maker TeamSystem said on Friday that private equity firm Silver Lake has agreed to acquire a minority stake in the company from Hellman & Friedman (H&F). The investment is worth 600 million euros ($660.48 million), TeamSystem said in a statement, adding that H&F will remain the majority shareholder after the transaction closes. TeamSystem, founded in 1979, provides accounting, payroll and business management software for small […]

By Leroy Leo and Sriparna Roy (Reuters) -A panel of advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, wary of the safety of Intercept Pharmaceuticals’ oral drug for a type of fatty liver disease, on Friday recommended holding off on an accelerated approval of the medicine. The panel of outside experts voted 15-to-1 against the approval for obeticholic acid (OCA) based on surrogate biomarker data suggesting it was likely to […]