Town Hall News

By Archishma Iyer (Reuters) – Australian lithium producer Allkem surged more than 14% on Thursday after announcing a $10.6 billion merger with U.S- based Livent to create the third-largest producer of the key component used in electric-vehicle batteries. Allkem shares soared as much as 14.2% to A$14.740 by 0014 GMT, touching their highest since Nov. 24 and topping gainers on the ASX 200 benchmark index. Livent, which trades in New […]

By Nathan Layne (Reuters) – Former President Donald Trump again refused to acknowledge that he lost the 2020 election and said he would pardon many supporters convicted for their involvement in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in a contentious CNN town hall on Wednesday. When asked by CNN host Kaitlan Collins whether he would acknowledge that he lost to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020, the Republican Trump […]

By Laura Sanicola (Reuters) – Oil prices rose in early Asian trade on Thursday after strong demand for fuels in the U.S. outweighed concerns about the possibility of the world’s biggest oil producer and consumer defaulting on its debt. Brent crude futures rose by 26 cents, or 0.34%, to $76.67 a barrel by 0015 GMT. U.S. crude futures rose 28 cents to $72.84. Latest U.S. data showed consumer prices rose […]

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Top Allkem Ltd shareholder Toyota is “quite positive” about a $10.6 billion tie-up plan with U.S.-based lithium chemicals maker Livent Corp, Allkem’s CEO said on Thursday as shares in his Australian-listed company surged. Allkem Ltd and Livent said on Wednesday they would combine in an all-stock deal to create the world’s third-largest producer of lithium, a key metal for electric vehicle batteries. Toyota Tsusho Corp, the Japanese […]

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Top Allkem Ltd shareholder Toyota is “quite positive” about a $10.6 billion tie-up plan with U.S.-based lithium chemicals maker Livent Corp, Allkem’s CEO said on Thursday as shares in his Australian-listed company surged. Allkem Ltd and Livent said on Wednesday they would combine in an all-stock deal to create the world’s third-largest producer of lithium, a key metal for electric vehicle batteries. Toyota Tsusho Corp, the Japanese […]

Pakistan Arrests Ousted Prime Minister, Sparking Demonstrations In response to protests against the arrest, Pakistan has shut down internet access across the country By Arshad Mehmood/The Media Line [Islamabad] Imran Khan, Pakistan’s ousted prime minister, was arrested in Islamabad on Tuesday, sparking public outrage. Khan, who became prime minister in 2018, was ousted in 2022 in a parliamentary no-confidence vote. He has since led a popular campaign against the current […]

Israel, Morocco Co-host Women in Innovation Conference in Marrakesh   The event, meant to promote regional peace and prosperity, comes less than three years after the Abraham Accords normalized Israel’s relations with Morocco and three other countries in the region   By Keren Setton/The Media Line   Almost 100 female business leaders from four continents gathered in Morocco last week for the Women Connect to Innovate conference where they discussed […]

By Andres Gonzalez (Reuters) – Conglomerate Grupo Mexico is set to buy Citigroup Inc’s retail banking operations in Mexico for about $7 billion in a deal that could be announced as early as this week, according to a person familiar with the matter. As part of the deal, Citi will retain a roughly 10% stake in the Banamex unit, the source said, requesting anonymity as the discussions are confidential. Citi […]

LA PAZ (Reuters) – Bolivia’s president expressed openness to the use of the Chinese yuan for international trade during a press conference on Wednesday, citing similar moves by Argentina and Brazil to tap the Asian currency for transactions with China. International trade transactions tend to be priced in U.S. dollars, especially for major commodity markets like energy and grains, going back decades. “The two largest economies in the region are […]