Town Hall News

By Sam Nussey TOKYO (Reuters) -Sony Group Corp on Thursday said it is examining a partial spin-off of its financial business just three years after taking full control, as the conglomerate doubles down on entertainment and image sensors. Sony said it is considering a time frame of two to three years to spin off Sony Financial Group – whose operations include life insurance and banking – with an eye to […]

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea aims to increase its share of the global display market to 50% by 2027, through private sector investment and government tax benefits and subsidies, the country’s industry ministry said on Thursday. South Korea, home to major display panel makers such as Samsung Display and LG Display Co Ltd, currently has a 37% share of the global display market, according to the ministry. The ministry said […]

By Matt Tracy (Reuters) -Many U.S. regional lenders may have to consider selling off commercial real estate (CRE) loans at a steep discount after breaching key regulatory thresholds for exposure to the troubled sector, according to new data and market sources. Regional banks, the largest lenders to the beleaguered U.S. CRE and construction markets, have reduced their exposure to the sector by tightening standards and making fewer loans, especially in […]

WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Six Pacific countries are at a high risk of debt distress in part due to government spending to respond to the COVID-19 crisis, the World Bank said in a report on Thursday. The report, titled Raising Pasifika, said fiscal consolidation was needed in Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu because these countries lack domestic debt markets and access to […]

WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Six Pacific countries are at a high risk of debt distress in part due to government spending to respond to the COVID-19 crisis, the World Bank said in a report on Thursday. The report, titled Raising Pasifika, said fiscal consolidation was needed in Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu because these countries lack domestic debt markets and access to […]

By Corina Pons MADRID (Reuters) -For serial entrepreneur Martin Varsavsky, the outcome of elections in Spain this year will determine whether he stays in Madrid. The Argentine-born founder of five “unicorns” – start-ups worth more than $1 billion – is one of 27,000 millionaires or billionaires living in Spain who were blindsided by a “solidarity” tax on the wealth of the rich introduced in the final days of 2022. The […]

(This May 17 story has been corrected to say the rollout of chargers started small due to grid issues, not scaled back due to grid issues, and changes month to October, not November, in paragraph 18) By Lewis Jackson SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australians are starting to buy electric vehicles in large numbers, and the government is trying to accelerate the adoption of cleaner cars, but industry executives say installing chargers […]

By Andrew Hayley XIAN, China (Reuters) -Central Asian heads of state converged in China’s historic city of Xian on Thursday for one-on-ones with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to seal pledges of “enduring” friendship, paving the way for a summit expected to result in a regional pact with Beijing. The bilaterals set the stage for a group huddle on Friday, the first in-person gathering of the six leaders, where Xi will […]

(Reuters) – Jonny Bairstow said he feels sympathy towards fellow wicketkeeper Ben Foakes after he was left out of the England test squad for the Ashes warm-up against Ireland. Foakes was dropped to accommodate stumper-batsman Bairstow, who scored six centuries in 2022 before suffering a leg injury in September that kept him out of the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia. In Bairstow’s absence, Foakes established himself as first choice behind […]