Town Hall News

By Andrew Chung (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday left in place a Democratic-backed ban on assault-style rifles and large capacity magazines enacted in Illinois after a deadly mass shooting in Chicago’s Highland Park suburb in 2022, handing a setback to gun rights advocates. The court denied a request by the National Association for Gun Rights and a firearms retailer for an injunction blocking enforcement of the state law […]

By David Shepardson (Reuters) – Montana Governor Greg Gianforte on Wednesday signed legislation to ban Chinese-owned TikTok from operating in the state to protect residents from alleged intelligence gathering by China, making it the first U.S. state to ban the popular short video app. Montana will make it unlawful for Google and Apple’s app stores to offer TikTok within the state, but will not impose any penalties on individuals using […]

By Daniel Trotta (Reuters) – The writers’ group PEN America, authors and parents on Wednesday sued a Florida school district over its book bans, alleging educators violated the First Amendment right to free speech and their own policies in removing titles from school libraries. The Escambia County School District and School Board have targeted books dealing with race and LGBTQ issues for removal, depriving students of access to a wide […]

By Fabian Cambero SANTIAGO (Reuters) -Lawmakers in Chile’s lower house of Congress gave final approval on Wednesday for a long-awaited mining tax reform that now requires only the signature of leftist President Gabriel Boric, who has publicly backed it, to become law. The reform will require large copper and lithium producers that operate in the mineral-rich Latin American nation to pay more taxes and royalties to the government. Chile is […]

By Daniel Trotta (Reuters) – The writers’ group PEN America, authors and parents on Wednesday sued a Florida school district over its book bans, alleging educators violated the First Amendment right to free speech and their own policies in removing titles from school libraries. The Escambia County School District and School Board have targeted books dealing with race and LGBTQ issues for removal, depriving students of access to a wide […]

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – A strong earthquake struck Guatemala on Wednesday, shaking the Central American nation and parts of Southern Mexico, though the quake’s deep hypocenter of more than 150 miles underneath the earth’s surface seems to have averted damage. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the magnitude 6.4 quake struck at a depth of 252 kilometers (156.6 miles) and its epicenter was some 2 kilometers southeast of the municipality […]

By Alexandra Valencia QUITO (Reuters) -Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the National Assembly by decree on Wednesday, bringing forward legislative and presidential elections and heading off an attempt by opposition politicians to impeach him. Police and military decked in riot gear guarded the National Assembly building from behind barricades in capital Quito, allowing no one inside. Opposition politicians wanted to impeach Lasso over accusations he disregarded warnings of embezzlement related […]

By Nerijus Adomaitis OSLO (Reuters) – A former commander of Russia’s Wagner group who sought asylum in Norway after crossing the Russian-Norwegian border in January said on Wednesday he wanted to return to Russia even though he believed this could pose a risk to his life. Andrei Medvedev, who has previously spoken about his time fighting in Ukraine, said in one of several videos posted on YouTube that he had […]

Crisis in the Classroom: Israeli Students Dip in Literacy Levels A 2021 study reveals a significant decline in Israeli fourth graders’ literacy levels, indicating a crisis in the education system and prompting calls for a balanced approach to assessment and an emphasis on literacy in all subjects By Keren Setton/The Media Line A recent international study reveals a significant decline in the literacy levels of Israeli fourth graders over the […]