Town Hall News

By Asif Shahzad KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) -The bail for Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been extended until June 19 in the Al Qadir Trust graft case, his lawyer said on Wednesday. Khan’s May 9 arrest sparked widespread protests by his supporters, raising fresh worries about the stability of the nuclear-armed country as it struggles with its worst economic crisis in decades. He has denied any wrongdoing. He was […]

By Rowena Edwards LONDON (Reuters) -Oil prices fell by over 2% on Wednesday on a stronger U.S. dollar and as weak data from top oil importer China raised demand fears. Brent crude futures for August delivery were down $1.75, or 2.37%, to $71.96 a barrel at 1151 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) fell $1.90, or 2.74%, to $67.56. Both benchmarks fell by more than 4% on Tuesday. Brent’s […]

By Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) – The European Commission will propose greater transparency in the trading of credit default swaps of eight top banks to mirror rules in U.S. markets, a European Union document seen by Reuters showed on Wednesday. So-called single name credit default swaps have come under regulatory scrutiny after the fall and state-backed rescue of Credit Suisse triggered high volatility on the CDS market for some systemic […]

HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe will hold its presidential and parliamentary elections on Aug. 23, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Wednesday, as the southern African country continues to battle a raging economic crisis. Mnangagwa, elected president in 2018, will be seeking a second term in office. His election followed a military coup that deposed Robert Mugabe in 2017. The 80-year-old’s main rival is lawyer and pastor Nelson Chamisa, 45, who leads […]

LULEA, Sweden (Reuters) – New anti-terrorism legislation which comes into force this week should pave the way for Sweden to join NATO in coming weeks and overcome a Turkish veto, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said on Wednesday. Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. While Finland joined the military alliance in April, Sweden’s bid has been held up by Turkey despite a […]

LULEA, Sweden (Reuters) – New anti-terrorism legislation which comes into force this week should pave the way for Sweden to join NATO in coming weeks and overcome a Turkish veto, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said on Wednesday. Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. While Finland joined the military alliance in April, Sweden’s bid has been held up by Turkey despite a […]

By Iain Withers LONDON (Reuters) – British digital bank Monzo marginally narrowed its annual loss in the year to February 2023 and said it had reached monthly profitability, as it battles to match some digital rivals that have already translated rapid growth into profits. Monzo is one of Britain’s highest-profile financial technology companies, having attracted 7.4 million customers with its bright coral cards and spend-tracking data since launching in 2015. […]

KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) – The bail for Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been extended by three days in the Al Qadir Trust graft case, his lawyer said on Wednesday. Khan’s May 9 arrest sparked widespread protests by his supporters, raising fresh worries about the stability of the nuclear-armed country as it struggles with its worst economic crisis in decades. He had denied any wrongdoing. (Reporting by Ariba Shahid […]

By Kavya Guduru (Reuters) – Oil prices will creep up from current levels as major producer group OPEC+ maintains restrictions on supplies, but economic headwinds will keep them below $90 a barrel this year, a Reuters poll showed on Wednesday. A survey of 43 economists and analysts forecast Brent crude would average $84.73 a barrel in 2023, down from the $87.1 consensus in April and current levels of around $73. […]