Town Hall News

By Anirban Sen NEW YORK (Reuters) -Lazard Ltd CEO Ken Jacobs is expected to step down from his role and hand the reins to Peter Orszag, who currently runs the investment bank’s financial advisory unit, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Jacobs’ decision to step down comes after Lazard reported a loss in the first quarter as dealmaking activity slumped. Lazard has warned of an uncertain outlook […]

TOKYO (Reuters) – A team of around 30 South Korean experts will visit Japan during May 22-25 to inspect facilities related to water release from the wrecked Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, Japan’s foreign ministry said on Friday. The visit was agreed during Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to Seoul earlier this month as his counterpart, South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol, is seeking to improve relations with Japan after […]

XIAN, China (Reuters) -China’s President Xi Jinping said on Friday that the security, independence and territorial integrity of central Asian nations must be safeguarded. Delivering the keynote speech at the China-Central Asia Summit in the historic city of Xian, Xi said the world needs “a central Asia that is stable, prosperous, harmonious, and well-connected”, state media reported. Xi, who is hosting Asian leaders from five central Asian countries, characterized relations […]

By Katya Golubkova HIROSHIMA, Japan (Reuters) – European Council President Charles Michel said on Friday it was in the EU’s interest to maintain “stable and constructive” cooperation with China, as the Group of Seven countries met to consider China’s “economic coercion” and other concerns. G7 leaders, gathering in the Japanese city of Hiroshima from Friday, are expected to issue a statement with a “a section specific to China”, listing issues […]

By Trevor Hunnicutt and Katya Golubkova HIROSHIMA, Japan (Reuters) -Leaders of the world’s advanced democracies were set to unleash new sanctions against Russia as they gathered for a Group of Seven (G7) summit in Japan’s Hiroshima, a deeply symbolic backdrop for their effort to bring Moscow to heel over Ukraine. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other leaders from the G7 rich nations, which also include the United States, Germany, […]

By Andrew Chung (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court handed internet and social media companies a pair of victories on Thursday, leaving legal protections for them unscathed and refusing to clear a path for victims of attacks by militant groups to sue these businesses under an anti-terrorism law. The justices in a case involving Google LLC’s video-sharing platform YouTube, both part of Alphabet Inc, sidestepped making a ruling on a bid […]

By Ankur Banerjee SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Asian shares nudged lower on Friday, weighed down by China and Hong Kong stocks due to concerns over the stuttering recovery in the world’s second-biggest economy, although Japan’s Nikkei clocked a near 33-year peak. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan eased 0.20% but was set to eke out a gain of 0.19% for the week. China shares fell 0.61%, while Hong Kong’s […]

By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea accused the U.S. and South Korea of ramping up “nuclear blackmail” with joint military drills, pledging to take corresponding action against what it called “warmongers’ madness,” state media KCNA said on Friday. U.S. and South Korean forces have been staging an intensified series of annual springtime exercises since March, including air and sea drills involving a U.S. aircraft carrier and heavy bombers. […]

By Trevor Hunnicutt and Katya Golubkova HIROSHIMA, Japan (Reuters) -Leaders of the world’s advanced democracies were set to unleash new sanctions against Russia as they gathered for a Group of Seven (G7) summit in Japan’s Hiroshima, a deeply symbolic backdrop for their effort to bring Moscow to heel over Ukraine. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other leaders from the G7 rich nations, which also include the United States, Germany, […]