Town Hall News

By Kirsty Needham SYDNEY (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden will sign defence and surveillance agreements with Papua New Guinea, the island nation’s foreign minister said, on a visit that renews the strategic importance of the nation where Biden’s uncle died in World War Two. PNG, the South Pacific’s most populous nation, will also see a doubling of U.S. development assistance to $32 million, including $25 million to tackle its security […]

(Reuters) – Proxy adviser Glass Lewis on Wednesday recommended Illumina Inc shareholders support two of Carl Icahn’s nominees to the U.S. life sciences firm’s board and vote against re-election of the current chief Francis deSouza and chair John Thompson. Billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who owns 1.4% of Illumina, is waging a boardroom battle. He has called for Illumina, now valued at around $31 billion, to unwind its deal for Grail, […]

By Ahmed Aboulenein WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. government on Thursday will end the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency that allowed millions of Americans to receive vaccines, tests and treatments at no cost. The emergency is also tied to telehealth flexibilities, Medicaid enrollment safeguards, and the ability of government health agencies to collect data on the spread of the coronavirus. Here is what will change after Thursday, and what does not: […]

By YP Rajesh NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trailing the main opposition Congress party in elections held on Wednesday in the southern state of Karnataka, but neither seemed set for a clear win, TV exit polls showed. The election in Karnataka, where BJP led the outgoing government, is the first of five state elections this year which are seen as setting the tone for […]

(Reuters) – Favourite Remco Evenepoel crashed twice on stage five of the Giro d’Italia on Wednesday, the first time after a dog strayed on to the road in treacherous conditions caused by driving rain, before Kaden Groves won the stage in a bunch sprint. The 171-km route from Atripalda to Salerno had riders spend the majority of the ride in the rain with little relief, riding cautiously on the descents, […]

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan’s Panasonic Holdings Corp on Wednesday said it expects net profit to rise to a record high this year on robust auto battery sales and a hefty tax credit in the United States. The industrial conglomerate, which supplies batteries to U.S. electric vehicle (EV) leader Tesla Inc, is expanding its energy business just as persistently high inflation rates worldwide dampen consumer sentiment. Panasonic predicts net profit will grow […]

(Reuters) -The U.S. government is investigating whether Rockwell Automation Inc is exposing U.S. infrastructure, military and other government assets to potential cyber attacks through one of its China-based facilities, the Wall Street Journal reported. Shares of Rockwell were down 3.27% at $268.67 in morning trade. The investigation will focus on employees who might have access to software codes that connect with computer systems based at the company’s facility in Dalian, […]

By Karen Freifeld and Sarah N. Lynch CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (Reuters) -U.S. Representative George Santos was arrested on Wednesday on federal charges of fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds in the latest hit to the newly elected Republican, who has resisted calls to resign for lying about his resume. The 13-count indictment, unsealed on Wednesday, charges Santos, 34, with defrauding prospective political supporters by laundering funds to pay […]

By Herbert Lash and Lawrence White NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) – Stocks wavered, oil prices initially recovered and bond yields slid on Wednesday after data showed U.S. consumer prices in April rose at a slower-than-expected pace, evidence that the Federal Reserve has been succeeding in its inflation fight. The Consumer Price Index rose 0.4% after gaining 0.1% in March, the Labor Department said, while in the 12 months through April, the […]