Town Hall News

KHERSON, Ukraine (Reuters) -Ukrainians abandoned their inundated homes as floodwaters crested across a swathe of the south on Wednesday after the destruction of a vast dam on the front line between Russian and Ukrainian forces that each blamed on the other. Residents waded through flooded streets carrying children on their shoulders, dogs in their arms and belongings in plastic bags while rescuers used rubber boats to search areas where the […]

By Trevor Hunnicutt and Michael Martina WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to China for talks in the coming weeks, an official said on Tuesday, months after Washington’s top diplomat scrapped a planned trip over a suspected Chinese spy balloon that flew across the U.S. The visit is intended by Washington to be a major step toward what President Joe Biden has called a “thaw” in […]

By Trevor Hunnicutt and Michael Martina WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to China for talks in the coming weeks, an official said on Tuesday, months after Washington’s top diplomat scrapped a planned trip over a suspected Chinese spy balloon that flew across the U.S. The visit is intended by Washington to be a major step toward what President Joe Biden has called a “thaw” in […]

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada’s exports jumped 2.5% in April, and hit an all-time high by volume, while imports declined 0.2% partly because of a fall in energy products, Statistics Canada said on Wednesday. As a result, the country’s trade surplus with the world widened to C$1.94 billion ($1.45 billion) in April, more than double analysts’ forecasts of a C$900 million surplus. March’s surplus was downwardly revised to C$231 million, from […]

Erdogan’s Cabinet Reshuffle Targets Foreign Relations and Economy While the reshuffled Turkish cabinet signals a hoped-for reset in foreign relations and economic recovery, Erdoğan’s hold on policy decisions remains strong. By Kristina Jovanovski / The Media Line Turkey’s new cabinet is a signal to foreign countries that Ankara is hoping for a reset in relations, but it will still be President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan who will decide whether there is […]

Interfaith Gathering Encourages and Strengthens Ties to Israel, Including Diplomatic Ones   The Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast initiative gathers policymakers, business people and spiritual leaders from around the world to learn more about the holy land and how they can connect spiritually, diplomatically, and economically to Israel   By Debbie Mohnblatt/The Media Line   In recent years, several countries have moved their embassies to Jerusalem, therefore recognizing it as the capital […]

Amid Political Stalemate, Kuwaitis Return to Polls Kuwait is the only Gulf state with a democratic assembly, but the country’s parliament is facing paralysis By Mohammad Al-Kassim/The Media Line Kuwait held its seventh general election in just over 10 years on Tuesday as the oil-rich Gulf state remains mired in political paralysis undermining hopes of economic reform. Last month, Emir Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah dissolved the parliament and called for […]

By Lauren Owens Lambert MONHEGAN ISLAND, Maine (Reuters) – An emerging technology to fish for lobsters virtually ropeless to prevent whale entanglements is exciting conservationists, but getting a frigid reception from harvesters worried it will drive them out of business and upend their way of life. Injuries to endangered North Atlantic Right Whales ensnared in fishing gear have fueled a prominent campaign by environmental groups to pressure the industry to […]

By Karolos Grohmann PARIS (Reuters) – Seventh seed Ons Jabeur’s hopes of becoming the first African woman to win a singles Grand Slam lay in ruins on Wednesday after her 3-6 7-6(5) 6-1 defeat by Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia in the French Open quarter-finals. Jabeur was bidding to reach her third Grand Slam semi-final in less than a year but her plans were scuppered by the 14th-seeded left-hander who battled […]