Town Hall News

(Reuters) – Finland’s accession to NATO on Tuesday will be a direct result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said, adding the alliance would ensure that Sweden also becomes a full-fledged member. DIPLOMACY * Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that Finland’s accession to NATO and NATO’s move to increase its own combat-readiness increased the risk of conflict. * China has a moral duty to […]

By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden will discuss the “risks and opportunities” that artificial intelligence poses for people, society and national security during a meeting with science and technology advisers at the White House on Tuesday, an official said. Biden, a Democrat, is scheduled to meet with the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) on the same day that his predecessor, former President […]

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered on Tuesday that assembly elections in two provinces should go ahead by May 15 after it ruled that an election commission delay of the votes was illegal, three TV news channels and a lawyer said. The provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were governed by loyalists of former prime minister Imran Khan, who has been pushing for elections throughout the country since he […]

VILNIUS (Reuters) – Lithuania’s parliament decided on Tuesday to ban Russian nationals from purchasing real estate in the Baltic country, citing risks to national security. The ban, which will be in place until 2024, would not apply to Russians who are granted residency in the country. Parliament also halted the issuing of new visas to nationals of Russia and its ally Belarus. Many of the citizens of those two countries […]

By Karen Freifeld, Julia Harte and Tyler Clifford NEW YORK (Reuters) – Donald Trump, the ex-president and frontrunner to be Republican nominee in 2024, will appear in court on Tuesday and is set to be formally charged, finger-printed and have a mug shot taken in a watershed moment ahead of next year’s presidential election. Trump was indicted last week, becoming the first sitting or former president to face criminal charges, […]

By Ziyi Tang and Ryan Woo BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s largest banks will see near-term revenue and margin pressures on a persisting property sector downturn, higher costs and a worsening global macro outlook, analysts said, clouding growth prospects for the world’s second-largest economy. Some of the challenges the lenders face were evident last week when five of the country’s largest state-owned banks reported annual results. And while the banks’ capital […]

By Alun John and Rae Wee LONDON/SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The pound rose to a new 10-month high against the dollar on Tuesday, and the euro reached its highest in two months, as the greenback continued to be hurt by market bets that the end of the U.S. rate-hiking cycle is near. Sterling reached $1.2475, its highest since June 2022, and was last just below that level, up 0.4%. The euro […]

LONDON (Reuters) -British boxer Amir Khan has been banned from all sport for two years after the prohibited substance ostarine was detected in his sample following his fight against Kell Brook last February, the UK Anti-Doping agency said on Tuesday. Former light-welterweight world champion Khan, 36, announced his retirement in May after his sixth-round stoppage defeat to fellow Briton Brook on Feb. 19 but would be unable to return to […]

By Noele Illien and John O’Donnell ZURICH (Reuters) -Credit Suisse’s chairman apologised for taking the Swiss bank to the brink of bankruptcy, as he faced shareholder fury over the demise of the once proud flagship. The hastily arranged takeover by Zurich-based UBS, for which Switzerland invoked emergency legislation, bypassed Credit Suisse shareholders, who would otherwise have had a say, and all but wiped them out. Its final meeting of shareholders […]