Town Hall News

OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) – Burkina Faso’s interim President Ibrahim Traore on Thursday said Russia had become a key strategic ally but denied that Russian mercenaries were supporting Burkinabe forces in their fight against Islamist armed groups. The West African country’s relations with Moscow are in the spotlight after it booted out French troops in February and ended an accord that allowed France to fight insurgents there amid a rise in anti-French […]

By Pavel Polityuk KYIV (Reuters) -Russian drones attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Thursday evening, the fourth assault in as many days subjecting residents to spasms of gunfire and explosions, and at least one drone was shot down. City authorities had declared an alert for Kyiv and the surrounding area. Residents who had gone to air raid shelters said the drones arrived more quickly than usual after the alerts were […]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday he will travel to Saudi Arabia this weekend for talks with Saudi leaders, as the United States seeks to bolster often-frayed ties with Riyadh. Sullivan said in remarks to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy that also going to Saudi Arabia will be representatives from India and the United Arab Emirates to discuss “new areas of […]

By Ann Saphir and Dan Burns WASHINGTON – A fight between Republicans and Democrats over the debt limit ceiling could send the U.S. economy into a recession even if the standoff doesn’t actually trigger a debt default, analysts say – and a much worse downturn with perhaps 7.5 million people thrown out of work if it does. Already some corners of the vast market for U.S. debt are feeling a […]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Azerbaijan and Armenia have made “tangible progress” towards a peace agreement in negotiations this week in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday. Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars over 30 years focusing on the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, recognised as part of Azerbaijan but populated mainly by Armenians. In a six-week conflict in 2020, ended by a Russian-brokered truce, Azerbaijan recovered swathes of territory […]

By Andrew Hay (Reuters) – Alabama authorities discriminated against Black residents of a rural county by denying access to adequate sewage systems and fining them for sanitation problems beyond their control, according to a first-of-its kind environmental justice agreement announced on Thursday by the Biden administration. Under the deal that followed an 18-month federal probe, the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) agreed to provide basic sanitation services, end exposure […]

By Andrew Hay (Reuters) – Alabama authorities discriminated against Black residents of a rural county by denying access to adequate sewage systems and fining them for sanitation problems beyond their control, according to a first-of-its kind environmental justice agreement announced on Thursday by the Biden administration. Under the deal that followed an 18-month federal probe, the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) agreed to provide basic sanitation services, end exposure […]

By Savyata Mishra (Reuters) – ANZ Group Holdings Ltd on Friday edged past expectations with a 22.8% rise in first-half profit but warned of a tough second half amid stiff competition in retail banking and rising cost pressures. The lender’s record profit, driven by “solid revenue growth across the board”, follows a period of rapid policy tightening by the country’s central bank. “The next six months will be more difficult […]

By Ann Saphir and Dan Burns WASHINGTON – A fight between Republicans and Democrats over the debt limit ceiling could send the U.S. economy into a recession even if the standoff doesn’t actually trigger a debt default, analysts say – and a much worse downturn with perhaps 7.5 million people thrown out of work if it does. Already some corners of the vast market for U.S. debt are feeling a […]