Town Hall News

By Farah Master HONG KONG (Reuters) – China will launch pilot projects in more than 20 cities to create a “new-era” marriage and childbearing culture to foster a friendly child bearing environment, the latest move by authorities to boost the country’s falling birth rate. China’s Family Planning Association, a national body that implements the government’s population and fertility measures, will launch the projects to encourage women to marry and have […]

(Reuters) – Vice Media Group, the company popularly known for its websites such as Vice and Motherboard, said on Monday it had filed for Chapter 11 protection to facilitate its sale. The company said in a court filing that it listed both assets and liabilities in the range of $500 million to $1 billion. Vice also said the group agreed to the terms of an asset purchase agreement with a […]

(Reuters) – The U.S. cryptocurrency enforcement tsar has said that the country was stepping up scrutiny of crypto exchanges to target illicit behavior on the platforms, the Financial Times reported on Monday. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is targeting crypto companies that engage in crimes themselves or allow crimes like money laundering to happen, Eun Young Choi, director of the agency’s National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET), told the FT. “… […]

By Orathai Sriring and Kitiphong Thaichareon BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s economy expanded faster than expected in the first quarter due to a recovery in tourism, data showed on Monday, while investors braced for political uncertainty after the opposition secured a stunning election victory on Sunday. The tourism-reliant economy’s recovery has lagged its regional peers due to COVID-19, but gathered steam in recent months as Chinese visitors returned. The revival of […]

By Angeliki Koutantou and Lefteris Papadimas ATHENS (Reuters) – Fourteen years after a debt crisis that saw Greece nearly crash out of the euro, single parent Niki Klaoudatou says she worries more about money now than she did during the worst years of the country’s economic meltdown. Ahead of an election on May 21, a cost-of-living crisis that is eroding earnings is foremost in voters’ minds. For Klaoudatou it means […]

(Reuters) – The defence of Bakhmut continues and recent days have shown that Ukraine can move forward and counter the Russian forces there, the commander of Ukrainian ground forces Colonel general Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Monday. “The advance of our troops along the Bakhmut direction – that is the first successful offensive operation in the city’s defence,” Syrskyi, was quoted as saying on Ukraine’s Media Military Centre Telegram messaging platform. […]

ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece will hold a national election on May 21, as a cost-of living crisis takes its toll on households. The ruling conservative New Democracy party is so far leading left-wing Syriza in opinion polls. The vote is likely to be inconclusive and may lead to either a coalition government or a second ballot in July. Following are pre-election pledges from the two main parties. NEW DEMOCRACY Prime […]

By Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber and Emma Farge GENEVA (Reuters) -European countries and the United States are running rival candidates to head the U.N. migration agency in an unusually tense contest between allies that opens in Geneva on Monday. More than 100 million people are forcibly displaced around the world and the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) seeks to ensure humane and orderly migration, intervening in emergencies to help the vulnerable. Its […]

(Reuters) – Vice Media Group, the company popularly known for its websites such as Vice and Motherboard, said on Monday it had filed for Chapter 11 protection to facilitate its sale. The company said in a court filing that it listed both assets and liabilities in the range of $500 million to $1 billion. Vice also said the group agreed to the terms of an asset purchase agreement with a […]