Town Hall News

DAMASCUS (Reuters) -Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz has invited Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad to attend an Arab League summit in the Gulf country on May 19, Syrian state media reported on Wednesday. Arab foreign ministers had on Sunday agreed that Syria could resume its role in the body, 12 years after its membership was suspended over Assad’s crackdown on protests against him. The invitation is a powerful signal that […]

(Reuters) – Bytedance, TikTok’s Chinese parent, has delayed the roll out of its shopping platform in the United States, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter. The app is facing growing pressure in Washington including calls for ban by many in Congress who fear its US user data could fall into the hands of Chinese government. The delay from early […]

By Ted Hesson and Kristina Cooke WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. will roll out a new regulation on Wednesday that would deny asylum to most migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, a key part of President Joe Biden’s enforcement plan as COVID-19 border restrictions known as Title 42 end this week. The final version of the regulation, to be posted online later in the day, will have no major changes […]

DAMASCUS (Reuters) -Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz has invited Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad to attend an Arab League summit in the Gulf country on May 19, Syrian state media reported on Wednesday. Arab foreign ministers had on Sunday agreed that Syria could resume its role in the body, 12 years after its membership was suspended over Assad’s crackdown on protests against him. The invitation is a powerful signal that […]

(Reuters) – Shares of highly shorted Upstart Holdings jumped 32% in premarket trading on Wednesday, squeezing out bearish investors, after the artificial intelligence-driven lending marketplace secured an additional $2 billion in funding. The San Mateo, California-based company, which uses AI to verify and process loans quickly, said it would receive the capital from new and existing partners over the next 12 months, helping the firm navigate an economic slowdown. A […]

By Elida Moreno PANAMA CITY (Reuters) -The number of people arriving in the treacherous Darien Gap linking Panama with Colombia soared in April and early May, Panamanian government data shows, dealing a blow to U.S. efforts to curb undocumented migration to the north. According to figures from Panama’s Security Ministry seen by Reuters on Tuesday, 40,297 migrants reached Panama through the jungle connecting it with Colombia in April, up more […]

By Foo Yun Chee and Ilona Wissenbach BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Lufthansa suffered a setback on Wednesday after Europe’s second-highest court sided with Ryanair and annulled a European Union competition regulator’s decision clearing its state bailout. The court cited errors in the EU competition regulators’ decision to approve the German government’s 6-billion-euro ($6.60 billion) rescue package and said they also failed to provide incentives for a quick repayment. Lufthansa, which said […]

(Reuters) – An investment consortium, comprising of Elliott Investment Management, Patient Square Capital and Veritas Capital, has agreed to take Syneos Health Inc private for $4.46 billion, the contract research firm said on Wednesday. Shares of Syneos rose 8.8% before the bell. Syneos said the consortium will pay about $43 per share in cash, which represents a premium of about 12% to the company’s last close of $38.45. The acquisition […]

MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) – A Kenyan court on Wednesday extended by 30 days the detention of cult leader Paul Mackenzie, who authorities accuse of ordering followers to starve their children and themselves to death. The death toll has climbed to 133, and hundreds of people are still reported missing. Authorities continue to search for human remains in shallow graves scattered throughout a forest where Mackenzie’s followers were living. Mackenzie, leader […]