Town Hall News

By Ari Rabinovitch and Nidal al-Mughrabi JERUSALEM/GAZA (Reuters) -Two Israeli women were killed in a shooting in the occupied West Bank on Friday and Israel reinforced troops near its borders after cross-frontier violence and police raids at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque raised concerns of a broadening conflict. But despite militants firing salvoes of rockets from Lebanon and Gaza over the past day and the Israeli military replying with air strikes, no […]

By Aziz El Yaakoubi and Mohammed Alghobari RIYADH/ADEN (Reuters) -A Saudi-Omani delegation is planning to travel to Yemen’s capital Sanaa next week to hash out a permanent ceasefire deal with Houthi officials and end the country’s eight-year-old conflict, two sources involved in the talks said. If an agreement is reached, Yemen’s warring parties could announce an agreement before Islam’s Eid holiday starting April 20, the sources said. The Saudi and […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers added a solid 236,000 jobs in March, reflecting a resilient labor market and suggesting that the Federal Reserve may see the need to keep raising interest rates in the coming months. The unemployment rate fell to 3.5%, not far above the 53-year low of 3.4% set in January. Last month’s job growth was down from February’s sizzling gain of 326,000. Friday’s government report suggested that […]

By Liz Lee and Ben Blanchard BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) -China has imposed further sanctions on Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the United States, prohibiting her and family members from entering the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau, state media reported on Friday. The sanctions announced by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office also ban investors and firms related to Hsiao from cooperating with mainland organisations and individuals. They come after Taiwanese President […]

KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine’s president and top security brass discussed ways to prevent leaks of military information at a meeting on Friday, Kyiv said, after secret documents detailing Western help for Ukraine reportedly ended up online. A statement about the meeting issued by the president’s office did not say a leak had occurred. It also did not refer to a New York Times report that said documents about U.S. and […]

(Reuters) -A United Arab Emirates court has dismissed South Africa’s request to extradite Atul and Rajesh Gupta, brothers who face charges of political corruption, but the Gulf state said on Friday the extradition request could be resubmitted. The Guptas are accused of using their connections with Jacob Zuma, president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018, to win contracts, influence cabinet appointments and siphon off state funds. Zuma and the […]

KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine’s president and top security brass discussed ways to prevent leaks of military information at a meeting on Friday, Kyiv said, after secret documents detailing Western help for Ukraine reportedly ended up online. A statement about the meeting issued by the president’s office did not say a leak had occurred. It also did not refer to a New York Times report that said documents about U.S. and […]

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis, who left hospital last weekend following a bout of bronchitis, will skip Friday’s outdoor “Way of the Cross” procession due to cold weather, the Vatican said in a statement. The 86-year-old pontiff will still attend an indoor Good Friday service earlier in St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in response to a question from Reuters. It is the first time the pope […]

BUCHAREST (Reuters) – Thousands of farmers protested across Romania on Friday over the impact of Ukrainian grain imports on prices, blocking traffic and border checkpoints with tractors and trucks and urging the European Commission to intervene. Anger is rising among farmers in Central and Eastern Europe over a flood of cheap Ukrainian grain imports, exempt from customs fees until June 2024, which have hurt prices and sales of local producers. […]