Town Hall News

By Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand, long known for its staunch independence in foreign policy, sees like-minded partners as key to helping it navigate a more strategically challenging environment in the Asia Pacific region, its foreign minister said on Thursday. The comments came as tensions mount between the United States and China and the two powers step up efforts to influence countries in the Pacific region where New […]

By Philip Pullella, Crispian Balmer and Alvise Armellini ROME (Reuters) -Pope Francis underwent a three-hour operation in a Rome hospital on Wednesday to repair a hernia, which doctors said was successful enough that he should have no limitations on his travels and other activities after he recovers. “He even joked with me about when we would do the third operation,” said chief surgeon Doctor Sergio Alfieri, who carried out a […]

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 corporate and consumer spending 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 core […]

By Dan Whitcomb and Sarah N. Lynch (Reuters) -Federal prosecutors have notified former U.S. President Donald Trump that he is the target of an investigation into his handling of classified materials, ABC News reported on Wednesday, adding to his legal troubles as he campaigns to win the White House in 2024. Politico reported separately that prosecutors have sent Trump a letter informing him that he is under investigation but did […]

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The head of the U.S. auto safety agency’s defects investigation office said on Wednesday he has left the agency to join Amazon.com’s self-driving unit Zoox. Stephen Ridella, who had served as director of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation since 2017, oversaw key investigations including a probe into Tesla Autopilot and whether 67 million ARC Automotive Inc air bag […]

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The head of the U.S. auto safety agency’s defects investigation office said on Wednesday he has left the agency to join Amazon.com’s self-driving unit Zoox. Stephen Ridella, who had served as director of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation since 2017, oversaw key investigations including a probe into Tesla Autopilot and whether 67 million ARC Automotive Inc air bag […]

By Dan Whitcomb and Sarah N. Lynch (Reuters) -Federal prosecutors have notified former U.S. President Donald Trump that he is the target of an investigation into his handling of classified materials, ABC News reported on Wednesday, adding to his legal troubles as he campaigns to win the White House in 2024. The prosecutors have sent Trump a letter informing him that he is under investigation, Politico reported. Reuters could not […]

By Ali Sawafta RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – Clashes erupted after Israeli forces mounted a rare raid into the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank early on Thursday, in what the military said was an operation to demolish the house of an assailant. A Reuters witness said a large military convoy arrived in downtown Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian government, leading hundreds of Palestinians to gather […]

By Rory Carroll LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Lionel Messi on Wednesday announced that he intends to join Major League Soccer side Inter Miami as a free agent after parting ways with French champions Paris St Germain and snubbing a lucrative contract offer in Saudi Arabia. Messi, who played his final game for PSG over the weekend, was also linked with a return to Barcelona, but the Spanish club have had their […]