Town Hall News

By Nelson Renteria SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) -El Salvador’s president signed into law an electoral reform on Wednesday that reduces the size of Congress by nearly a third, a move the ruling party says will reduce spending and critics say consolidates power ahead of elections. The reform, announced last week by President Nayib Bukele in an address marking four years in government, cuts the unicameral Congress’ size from 84 lawmakers to […]

By Jeslyn Lerh SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Oil prices were little changed in early Asia trade on Thursday as investors weighed demand concerns over a global economic slowdown against an expected fall in supply from Saudi output cuts. Brent crude futures dipped 1 cent at $76.94 a barrel at 0110 GMT, while the U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 5 cents at $72.58 a barrel. Both benchmarks settled up by […]

By Tim Reid (Reuters) -Former Vice President Mike Pence, who loyally served Donald Trump for four years, on Wednesday blasted his former boss for the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol as he launched his campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Pence issued his most forceful condemnation to date of Trump’s role in the attack of Jan. 6, 2021, when the then-president’s supporters stormed the U.S. Congress to try […]

By Kate Lamb and Ananda Teresia JAKARTA (Reuters) – Separatists in the Indonesian region of Papua where a New Zealand pilot was taken hostage in February have been siphoning off government aid money to buy black market guns for a deadly guerrilla war, officials say. The “Dana Desa” village fund introduced by President Joko Widodo in 2015 and valued at $4.7 billion this year has long been criticised as prone […]

By Dan Whitcomb, Sarah N. Lynch and Jacqueline Thomsen (Reuters) -Federal prosecutors have notified former U.S. President Donald Trump’s attorneys he is the target of an investigation into his handling of classified materials, a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, adding to his legal troubles as he campaigns for the White House in 2024. The Justice Department typically notifies people when they become targets of an investigation to […]

(Reuters) – Standard Chartered is starting to lay off employees across its Singapore, London, and Hong Kong hubs as part of its existing plan to cut costs by more than $1 billion through 2024, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday. The total reductions could be more than 100, although a final number has yet to be decided, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. (Reporting by Mrinmay Dey in […]

By Kantaro Komiya TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s economy grew more than initially thought in January-March, revised data showed on Thursday, as a post-pandemic pickup in domestic spending and company restocking helped offset the hit to exports from slowing global demand. With inflation running at a four-decade high, further growth in the world’s third-largest economy will depend on sustained wage hikes, which the Bank of Japan and the government regard as […]

By Rae Wee SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The dollar was on the back foot on Thursday, though it drew some support from higher U.S. Treasury yields as traders contemplated the possibility of another rate hike by the U.S. Federal Reserve, even if it pauses next week. The increased expectations that U.S. and global interest rates may have further to rise has come on the back of surprise rate increases by the […]

(Reuters) – Air India said on Thursday that its replacement flight has taken off from Russia’s Magadan for San Francisco, carrying all passengers and crew. The flight is expected to arrive at San Francisco at 12:15 a.m. PDT (0715 GMT) on Thursday, the airline said in a tweet. Air India has mobilised additional support at San Francisco airport to carry out clearance formalities for passengers upon arrival, the tweet added. […]