Town Hall News

(Reuters) – Ukrainian and Russian forces battled in the streets of Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine’s devastated “fortress” city, and Ukrainian soldiers said they were ready to launch their long-anticipated counter-offensive once the weather improves. FIGHTING * The head of Russia’s private Wagner militia said Ukrainian forces were not abandoning Bakhmut but that, even if they did, he would need more support from the regular Russian military before trying to advance further. […]

(Reuters) – Inflation is likely to remain stubbornly persistent and will require the Federal Reserve to keep to the task of getting inflation back down to its 2% goal, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said on Thursday. “We’ve got a long ways to go and I think inflation is going to be sticky going forward, it’s going to be difficult to get inflation back down to the 2% target… […]

By Brendan Pierson (Reuters) -A Planned Parenthood affiliate and two doctors on Wednesday filed a lawsuit seeking to block Idaho authorities from punishing healthcare providers for referring patients to get abortions in other states. Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador, a Republican, said in a legal opinion last week that the state’s near-total abortion ban, enacted last August, “prohibits an Idaho medical provider from … referring a woman across state lines […]

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada’s government on Thursday said it was in the process of repatriating 14 Canadians – four women and 10 children – from detention camps in northeast Syria where foreigners who had allegedly been affiliated with Islamic State have been held. “Amidst reports of deteriorating conditions in the camps in northeastern Syria, we have been particularly concerned about the health and wellbeing of Canadian children,” the foreign ministry […]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – CIA Director William Burns visited Saudi Arabia for talks with intelligence counterparts and national leaders “on issues of shared interests,” a U.S. official said on Thursday. “The director reinforced our commitment to intelligence cooperation, especially in the areas of counterterrorism,” the official said. Burns’ visit was first reported by the Washington Post. (Reporting by Jonathan Landay) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

By Michel Rose and Laurie Chen BEIJING (Reuters) -China’s Xi Jinping expressed willingness to speak to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the head of the EU said on Thursday, after French President Emmanuel Macron urged Beijing to talk sense to Russia over the war in Ukraine. In closely watched talks, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and Macron met with Xi in Beijing. Macron said the West must engage China to […]

By Andreas Buerger and Riham Alkousaa DUDERSTADT, Germany (Reuters) – Denys Kryvenko was among Ukrainian soldiers retreating from the eastern city of Bakhmut in October when Russian shells hit. The 24-year-old woke up in hospital with a missing arm and leg: glad to be alive but unsure if he would ever walk again. Months later in the German town of Duderstadt, Kryvenko made his first steps again, with an artificial […]

By Andreas Buerger and Riham Alkousaa DUDERSTADT, Germany (Reuters) – Denys Kryvenko was among Ukrainian soldiers retreating from the eastern city of Bakhmut in October when Russian shells hit. The 24-year-old woke up in hospital with a missing arm and leg: glad to be alive but unsure if he would ever walk again. Months later in the German town of Duderstadt, Kryvenko made his first steps again, with an artificial […]

By Granth Vanaik (Reuters) – Levi Strauss & Co on Thursday warned of a margin crunch this year as it would have to offer higher promotions than previously anticipated while also grappling with higher costs, sending its shares tumbling 16% in morning trade. The company, which topped quarterly results estimates but maintained its annual revenue and profit forecast, said its full-year gross margin would be down about 50 basis points […]