Town Hall News

LONDON (Reuters) – The boss of Britain’s antitrust regulator said blocking Microsoft’s acquisition of ‘Call of Duty’ maker Activision Blizzard was the right decision for the UK after both companies said it sent the wrong message to the global tech industry. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) blocked the deal on Wednesday, saying it could hit competition in the nascent cloud gaming market. Microsoft’s president Brad Smith said the decision […]

By Jesús Aguado MADRID (Reuters) -Spain’s BBVA on Thursday posted a 39% rise in first-quarter net profit that beat forecasts due to a solid performance in its main market Mexico, and reported stable customer deposits despite banking sector turmoil. BBVA’s profit of 1.85 billion euros ($2.04 billion) for the January to March period was above the 1.66 billion euros forecast by analysts polled by Reuters, even though it paid a […]

By Lawrence White LONDON (Reuters) – Allegations made against British bank Barclays’ former CEO Jes Staley regarding his ties with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are “very serious”, the lender’s current CEO C.S. Venkatakrishnan said on Thursday. In a call with reporters after the lender’s first quarter results were published, Venkat said he was not in a position to comment further on the allegations contained in U.S. court filings. Venkat said […]

LONDON (Reuters) – The boss of Britain’s antitrust regulator said blocking Microsoft’s acquisition of ‘Call of Duty’ maker Activision Blizzard was the right decision for the UK after both companies said it sent the wrong message to the global tech industry. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) blocked the deal on Wednesday, saying it could hit competition in the nascent cloud gaming market. Microsoft’s president Brad Smith said the decision […]

By David Morgan and Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday narrowly passed a bill to raise the government’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling that includes sweeping spending cuts over the next decade. The bill isn’t expected to pass the Senate, and President Joe Biden would veto it if it did – but the mostly partisan 217-215 vote represents a win for Republican House Speaker Kevin […]

LONDON (Reuters) – The boss of Britain’s antitrust regulator said blocking Microsoft’s acquisition of ‘Call of Duty’ maker Activision Blizzard was the right decision for the UK after both companies said it sent the wrong message to the global tech industry. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) blocked the deal on Wednesday, saying it could hit competition in the nascent cloud gaming market. Microsoft’s president Brad Smith said the decision […]

KHARTOUM (Reuters) – The United States and African nations were racing to secure an extension of a ceasefire in Sudan on Thursday, with the Sudanese army giving an initial nod to an African proposal calling for talks even as fighting continued. Hundreds of people have been killed in nearly two weeks of conflict between the army and a rival paramilitary force – the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – which are locked […]

By Paul Lorgerie DRODRO, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – One month since rebels closed in on Drodro village in eastern Congo, the once bustling wards of its hospital are empty and Doctor James Semire strolls the darkened corridors wondering when patients will dare to return. The community is one of many in Ituri province’s Djugu territory that has seen a surge in attacks by the Cooperative for the Development […]

By Paul Lorgerie DRODRO, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – One month since rebels closed in on Drodro village in eastern Congo, the once bustling wards of its hospital are empty and Doctor James Semire strolls the darkened corridors wondering when patients will dare to return. The community is one of many in Ituri province’s Djugu territory that has seen a surge in attacks by the Cooperative for the Development […]