Town Hall News

By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached an agreement on Monday with an insurgent group of Republican conservative hardliners that will allow legislation to move forward this week, following a standoff that had paralyzed the chamber for days. But the lawmakers, including members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, warned that they could block other measures in the House of Representatives, unless they see progress toward […]

By Ludwig Burger (Reuters) -Novartis said it has agreed to acquire U.S. biotech firm Chinook Therapeutics for up to $3.5 billion to boost its late-stage drug development line-up, raising the stakes in the race for a rare kidney disease treatment. Seattle-based Chinook’s shareholders will receive $3.2 billion, or $40 per share, in cash under the agreed deal, plus a contingent value right worth up to $300 million, depending on certain […]

(Reuters) -COVID-19 vaccines being developed and manufactured for the 2023-2024 campaign should target one of the currently dominant XBB variants, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) staff reviewers said on Monday. The comments were made in documents posted ahead of Thursday’s meeting of a panel of FDA’s independent experts, who are expected to make recommendations on what strain an updated COVID-19 booster should target. An advisory group to the […]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal on Monday asked the PGA Tour and LIV Golf for communications and records on their planned merger, citing concerns about the Saudi government’s role in the deal and risks posed by a foreign government entity assuming control over the sport. Blumenthal, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), demanded in a letter on Monday to PGA Tour Commissioner Jay […]

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal on Monday asked the PGA Tour and LIV Golf for communications and records on their planned merger, citing concerns about the Saudi government’s role in the deal and risks posed by a foreign government entity assuming control over the sport. Blumenthal, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), demanded in a letter on Monday to PGA Tour […]

By Foo Yun Chee (Reuters) -European Union antitrust regulators may order Alphabet Inc’s Google to sell a part of its advertising-technology business, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Monday. The EU’s top antitrust watchdog, the European Commission, could issue a formal complaint against Google as early as Wednesday, the source said, further intensifying trans-Atlantic efforts to diminish the tech giant’s dominance in digital ads. In […]

By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two human rights groups have invited policy makers, journalists and analysts to a screening in Washington of a BBC documentary on Narendra Modi that questioned the Indian prime minister’s leadership during the 2002 Gujarat riots, ahead of his state visit to the White House. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have scheduled the private screening for June 20, two days ahead of Modi’s official […]

By Max Hunder ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (Reuters) – The draining of one of Europe’s largest reservoirs as a result of the destruction of the Kakhovka dam has revealed submerged military objects that offer a reminder of wars past and present on Ukrainian soil. On a drizzly morning near the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, a team of divers and underwater demining experts from Ukraine’s State Emergency service grappled on Monday with the […]

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said she will step down on Friday to pursue the ruling party’s candidacy for the 2024 presidential election, bidding to become the country’s first female leader. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s leftist National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) on Sunday agreed that on Sept. 6 it would announce the winner of its internal selection process. Sheinbaum is one of the two favorites. MORENA is […]