Town Hall News

By Arathy Somasekhar (Reuters) – Oil prices edged higher on Thursday, recovering some ground from the previous day’s plunge on worries about future U.S. interest rate hikes, with markets now looking to key Chinese economic data for demand indications. Brent crude futures climbed 21 cents, or 0.3%, to $73.41 a barrel by 0009 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was at $68.50 a barrel, up 23 cents, or 0.4%. […]

By Renju Jose SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia said on Thursday it would introduce legislation to parliament to cancel Russia’s lease to build a new embassy in the national capital of Canberra, citing national security. The move follows the conclusion of a long-running litigation regarding the leased site after the federal court ruled last month that an eviction order made by the National Capital Authority – a government body tasked with […]

(Reuters) – HSBC and Standard Chartered are among lenders facing pressure from Hong Kong’s banking regulator to take on crypto exchanges as clients, Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing three people with knowledge of the matter. The UK-based lenders and the Bank of China were questioned by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority last month on why they are not accepting crypto exchanges as clients, according to the report. (Reporting by […]

By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed and Laura Matthews NEW YORK (Reuters) – Options on several U.S.-listed Chinese exchange traded funds have drawn bullish flows in recent days as some traders take advantage of a slump in bullish sentiment on Chinese companies to place contrarian upside bets. The bullish trades occur as investors, who started this year with an upbeat view on China, betting on a strong economic recovery as the world’s […]

By Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON (Reuters) -New Zealand’s economy shrank in the first quarter as the central bank’s aggressive hiking of interest rates to a 14-year high hurt businesses and manufacturers, while bad weather hit farms, putting the country into a technical recession. Official data out on Thursday showed gross domestic product (GDP) fell 0.1% in the March quarter, in line with a Reuters poll, and followed a revised 0.7% contraction […]

By Andrew Hay (Reuters) – Prosecutors say they have evidence pointing to the possibility the armorer for the movie “Rust” introduced live rounds onto the set where a gun that actor Alec Baldwin was holding fired a bullet, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021. Prosecutors had previously said it might never be clear how live rounds, which are not allowed on movie sets, got to the “Rust” set in New […]

(Reuters) – Former President Donald Trump’s 2024 White House campaign said on Wednesday he had raised $7 million since being indicted on federal charges last week, as his message of political persecution continues to resonate with die-hard supporters. “President Trump Raises Over $6.6 Million and Counting Since Deranged Jack Smith Announced Political Prosecution,” Trump’s campaign wrote in an email to supporters on Wednesday, referring to the U.S. special counsel investigating […]

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum will nominate the city’s interior minister, Marti Batres, to replace her as she steps down Friday to pursue the ruling party’s candidacy in next year’s presidential election, Sheinbaum said Wednesday. The office of Mexico City mayor is one of the most prominent political posts in the country. Batres, 56, is a former chairman for the governing National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) party. […]

(Reuters) – Unilever said on Wednesday it is set to acquire frozen yogurt brand Yasso Holdings in North America, adding to its roster of premium ice-cream brands like Ben & Jerry’s, Magnum, and Talenti. The consumer goods giant said its acquisition of Boulder, Colorado-based Yasso falls in line with its strategy to upscale the ice cream division and cater to rising demand for healthier snack options. Unilever did not disclose […]