Town Hall News

MOSCOW (Reuters) – A rapid overhaul to Russia’s conscription system rushed through parliament on Wednesday has underlined a scramble for additional manpower for its forces fighting in Ukraine. On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the “extremely important” law was intended to solve what he called “a mess” in Russia’s draft centres that had been exposed by a partial mobilisation in September, when the government was forced to retract a […]

By Brendan Pierson NEW YORK (Reuters) -E-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc agreed on Wednesday to pay $462 million over eight years to settle claims by six U.S. states including New York and California, along with the District of Columbia, that it unlawfully marketed its addictive products to minors. The deal, which also included Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts and New Mexico, means that San Francisco-based Juul has now settled with 45 states […]

By Dietrich Knauth (Reuters) -Bankrupt crypto exchange FTX has recovered over $7.3 billion in cash and crypto assets, an increase of more than $800 million since January, the company’s attorney said on Wednesday at a U.S. bankruptcy court hearing. FTX attorney Andy Dietderich said at a court hearing in Delaware the company is starting to think about its future after months of effort devoted to collecting resources and figuring out […]

By Brendan Pierson NEW YORK (Reuters) -E-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc has agreed to pay $462 million to settle claims by six U.S. states including New York and California that it unlawfully marketed its addictive products to minors, the states announced on Wednesday. With the deal, Juul has now settled with 45 states for more than $1 billion. The company did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement, which also included […]

By Raphael Satter WASHINGTON (Reuters) -America’s cybersecurity watchdog has no confidence that the cellular network used by first responders and the military is secure against digital intrusions, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said in a letter released on Wednesday. The letter from the Oregon Democrat, a member of the intelligence committee, raised concerns about the FirstNet mobile network to the National Security Agency (NSA) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). […]

(Reuters) – A federal judge in North Dakota on Wednesday temporarily blocked implementation of a Biden administration rule establishing protections for seasonal streams and wetlands in 24 states, according to court documents. U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Hovland granted the states’ request for a preliminary injunction prohibiting enforcement of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Waters of the United States rule, which was finalized in December. In the order, Hovland said the […]

By Noele Illien BERN (Reuters) -Switzerland’s parliament rejected on Wednesday the government’s 109 billion Swiss francs ($120.82 billion) aid for Credit Suisse’s merger with UBS, leaving the fallen bank’s hastily arranged rescue without a largely symbolic parliamentary blessing. While the upper house had approved the government’s contribution to the rescue package, parliament’s lower, and larger chamber, pushed back again on Wednesday. It had already rejected the proposals in a late […]

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s engineering firm Siemens wants to raise the share of software and digital business sales in the group to around 20% in the long term, its Chief Executive Roland Busch was quoted as saying as the company seeks growth in that market. Busch said he was very confident that the company could reach its target of digital growth of more than 10% this year, despite the ongoing […]

By Hernan Nessi BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Argentina’s inflation rate is expected to have clocked in at an eight-month high of 7.1% in March, according to a Reuters poll of analysts, piling pressure on the government as it looks to tame spiraling prices that have pushed up poverty levels. The South American country is battling annual inflation above 100%, one of the highest levels globally, which saps earning power and […]