Town Hall News

By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) -Britain’s Prince Harry, his wife Meghan and her mother were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” involving paparazzi photographers after they attended an awards ceremony in New York, a spokesperson for the prince said on Wednesday. The incident involved half a dozen cars with blacked out windows, driving dangerously and putting the lives of the couple, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and Meghan’s […]

By Susan Heavey and Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden and top U.S. congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy said on Wednesday they would push ahead on talks to raise the nation’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling and avoid an economically catastrophic default. After a monthslong standoff, the Democratic president and the speaker of the House of Representatives on Tuesday agreed to negotiate directly on a deal, which needs to be […]

By Sarah N. Lynch and Laura Sanicola WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A subsidiary of BP plc will pay a record-setting $40 million penalty to settle civil U.S. charges that its Indiana-based oil refinery violated federal laws aimed at curbing emissions of cancer-causing benzene in wastewater and other harmful pollutants, the U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday. The DOJ will require the oil major to make significant investments to curb benzene pollution […]

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. […]

By Supantha Mukherjee and Elvira Pollina STOCKHOLM/MILAN (Reuters) -Big tech companies accounting for more than 5% of a telecoms provider’s peak average internet traffic should help fund the rollout of 5G and broadband across Europe, according to a draft proposal by the telecoms industry. The proposal is part of feedback to the European Commission which launched a consultation into the issue in February. The deadline for responses is Friday. Alphabet’s […]

By Daniel Trotta (Reuters) – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed into law a bill that bans gender-affirming medical care such as puberty blockers or hormone therapy for transgender youth, and also enacts obstacles for adults to access treatment. Taking effect in the third most populous U.S. state, the law escalates a Republican political strategy to pursue bills restricting transgender rights. More than 500 bills affecting LGBTQ matters have […]

(Reuters) – Russia confirmed on Wednesday that a deal to allow Ukraine to export its grain safely across the Black Sea, despite Russia’s war in Ukraine, had been extended for two months. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the deal had been extended to help countries in need, but added that Russia’s overall assessment of the situation regarding the deal had not changed. Russia had threatened to quit the arrangement, […]

(Reuters) – Pilots of FedEx Express, a unit of FedEx Corp, have voted “overwhelmingly” in support of a strike, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) said on Wednesday. From the 99% of members who participated in the vote, 97% authorized union leaders to call a strike, if needed, to achieve a new contractual agreement with the delivery firm. FedEx pilots are currently working under contractual provisions and benefits arrived at […]

By Huseyin Hayatsever and Michelle Nichols ANKARA/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The Ukraine Black Sea grain deal has been extended for two more months one day before Russia could have quit the pact over obstacles to its grain and fertiliser exports. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan announced the extension in a televised speech and it was confirmed by Russia and Ukraine. The flow of ships through the corridor had been grinding to […]