Town Hall News

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s special envoy for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, said on Friday that he believes neither Ukraine nor Russia have “firmly” shut the door to talks, despite difficulties in getting negotiations going now. Giving a media briefing on his European tour last month, Li said the Russian side has appreciated China’s desire and efforts to promote a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis. In May, Li completed a […]

By Kirsty Needham SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s War Memorial said it was considering “additional content and context” for displays about its most decorated soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith, after a civil court ruling that found it was true he was involved in the murder of six Afghans. Roberts-Smith, 44, was previously seen as a national hero, winning top military honours including the Victoria Cross for his actions during six tours in Afghanistan, […]

By Brendan Pierson (Reuters) – A federal appeals court, in a decision unsealed Wednesday, upheld the dismissal of a whistleblower lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson as a sanction for the plaintiffs’ misuse of confidential records they obtained through related litigation. The lawsuit, which accused J&J’s DePuy Orthopaedics unit of defrauding the federal government by marketing defective hip implants, was dismissed in December 2021. J&J has denied wrongdoing. U.S. Magistrate Judge […]

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s special envoy for Eurasian affairs, Li Hui, said on Friday that he believes neither Ukraine nor Russia have “firmly” shut the door to talks, despite difficulties in getting negotiations going now. Giving a media briefing on his European tour last month, Li said the Russian side has appreciated China’s desire and efforts to promote a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis. In May, Li completed a […]

By Richard Cowan and Gram Slattery WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed bipartisan legislation backed by President Joe Biden that lifts the government’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, averting what would have been a first-ever default. The Senate voted 63-36 to approve the bill that had been passed on Wednesday by the House of Representatives, as lawmakers raced against the clock following months of partisan bickering between Democrats […]

By Richard Cowan and Gram Slattery WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed bipartisan legislation backed by President Joe Biden that lifts the government’s $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, averting what would have been a first-ever default. The Senate voted 63-36 to approve the bill that had been passed on Wednesday by the House of Representatives, as lawmakers raced against the clock following months of partisan bickering between Democrats […]

By Munsif Vengattil and Aditya Kalra NEW DELHI (Reuters) -The India and South Asia head of Amazon.com Inc’s cloud division, Puneet Chandok, has resigned with effect from August 31, the company said on Friday. Chandok had taken the helm of Amazon Web Services in June 2019. Vaishali Kasture, currently head of enterprise for mid-market and global businesses at AWS India and South Asia, would take on the role of interim […]

By Joe Brock SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Asia’s top security meeting opened on Friday, with intensifying competition between the United States and China expected to dominate a weekend of high-level speeches, backroom military dealings and delicate diplomacy. The Shangri-La Dialogue, which attracts senior military officers, diplomats, weapons makers and security analysts from around the globe, is taking place June 2-4 in Singapore. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will deliver the keynote […]

By Pavel Polityuk KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian forces in Kyiv said on Friday they shot down 36 Russian missiles and drones in and around the capital overnight, with two people injured by falling debris before authorities lifted air raid alerts across most of the country. Russia has launched about 20 missile and drone attacks on Kyiv since the beginning of May, a surge in strikes that the government says appears aimed […]