Town Hall News

By Anton Bridge and Tom Bateman TOKYO (Reuters) – In one of Keiko Kawano’s recent classes, more than a dozen Tokyo art school students held mirrors to their faces, stretching the sides of their mouths upward with their fingers: they were practising how to smile. It’s not something most people would think to pay for but Kawano’s services as a smile instructor are seeing a surge in demand in Japan, […]

(Reuters) -UBS Group AG is looking to retain more than 100 Credit Suisse Group AG investment bankers across Asia, as the Swiss banking giant plans to shore up talent in markets where its rival has a stronger presence, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday. The bank is in advanced discussions to keep dozens of Credit Suisse’s senior dealmakers in countries including South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and India following a planned takeover, […]

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called the killing of three soldiers by a member of the Egyptian security services a terrorist attack and demanded a full joint investigation with Cairo. Egypt says it is working with Israel to investigate the incident which occurred on Saturday. “Israel relayed a clear message to the Egyptian government. We expect that the joint investigation will be exhaustive and thorough,” Netanyahu […]

By Guy Faulconbridge MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia said on Monday that its forces had thwarted a major Ukrainian offensive at five points along the front in the southern Ukrainian region of Donetsk and killed hundreds of pro-Kyiv troops. It was not immediately clear whether or not the reported attack represented the start of a Ukrainian counteroffensive which Kyiv has been promising for months to recapture territory taken by Russian forces […]

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s services activity picked up in May, a private-sector survey showed on Monday, as a rise in new orders shored up a consumption-led economic recovery in the second quarter. The Caixin/S&P Global services purchasing managers’ index (PMI) rose to 57.1 in May from 56.4 in April. The 50-point mark separates expansion from contraction in activity. The reading contrasts with the official PMI released last week that showed […]

(Reuters) – UBS Group AG is looking to retain more than 100 Credit Suisse Group AG investment bankers across Asia, as the Swiss banking giant plans to shore up talent in markets where its rival has a stronger presence, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday. The bank is currently in advanced discussions to keep dozens of Credit Suisse’s senior dealmakers in countries including South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and India following a […]

PUERTO ORDAZ, Venezuela (Reuters) – Flooding collapsed a gold mine in southern Venezuela, killing at least 12 miners, local authorities said on Sunday, adding that the victims’ bodies were returned to their families. The Talavera mine, located in El Callao, in Venezuela’s Bolivar state, flooded on Wednesday due to heavy rains but rescue workers could not finish recovery efforts before Saturday. Another 112 people survived the mine collapse, said Edgar […]

By Michael Church (Reuters) – South Korea coach Juergen Klinsmann has included Son Jun-ho in his squad for this month’s friendly matches against Peru and El Salvador despite the midfielder’s ongoing detention in China in connection with a bribery case in Liaoning province. Son, who plays his club football for Chinese Super League side Shandong Taishan, was listed in the 23-man squad for the games, which will see the Koreans […]

By Elida Moreno PANAMA CITY (Reuters) – Panama’s former President Ricardo Martinelli was on Sunday chosen as the presidential candidate for his party Realizando Metas (RM) in next year’s elections. Martinelli, who was in office from 2009 to 2014, is accused of laundering public funds through the purchase of a news outlet during his term. Martinelli – along with his sons – is also charged in Panama for his alleged […]