Town Hall News

By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea criticised a recent U.S-South Korea agreement to bolster the deployment of American strategic assets in the region for escalating tension to the “brink of a nuclear war,” state media KCNA said on Monday. U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol held a summit last week, during which Biden pledged to give Seoul more insight into its nuclear planning […]

By Philip Pullella ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) -The Vatican is involved in a peace mission to try to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Pope Francis said on Sunday, adding that it was also ready to help repatriate Ukrainian children taken to Russia or Russian-occupied land. “There is a mission in course now but it is not yet public. When it is public, I will reveal it,” the […]

By Ellen Zhang and Ryan Woo BEIJING (Reuters) -China’s manufacturing activity unexpectedly shrank in April, official data showed on Sunday, raising pressure on policymakers seeking to boost an economy struggling for a post-COVID lift-off amid subdued global demand and persistent property weakness. The official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) declined to 49.2 from 51.9 in March, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, below the 50-point mark that […]

By Lucinda Elliott and Daniela Desantis ASUNCION (Reuters) -Paraguay’s conservative ruling party candidate Santiago Pena was leading the country’s presidential election with half the votes tallied on Sunday evening, holding onto a lead of 45% versus center-left opposition rival Efrain Alegre on 28%. Sunday’s race was widely expected to be a stern electoral challenge to the Colorado Party, with debates dominated by corruption and the country’s long-standing ties with Taiwan.  […]

By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea criticised a recent U.S-South Korea agreement to bolster the deployment of American strategic assets in the region for escalating tension to the “brink of a nuclear war,” state media KCNA said on Monday. U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol held a summit last week, during which Biden pledged to give Seoul more insight into its nuclear planning […]

(Reuters) – The Vatican is involved in a peace mission to try to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Pope Francis said on Sunday, telling reporters during a flight home after a three-day visit to Hungary that he was willing to do everything that has to be done. FIGHTING * Ukraine said on Sunday its troops were holding onto parts of the eastern city of Bakhmut, focus of a […]

GENEVA(Reuters) – Around a quarter of jobs are set to change in the next five years, according to a survey of employers published on Monday by the World Economic Forum (WEF), the organisation known for its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Some 69 million jobs will be created and 83 million eliminated by 2027, it said, resulting in a net decrease of 2% of current employment, according to the Future […]

(Reuters) – The Vatican is involved in a peace mission to try to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Pope Francis said on Sunday, telling reporters during a flight home after a three-day visit to Hungary that he was willing to do everything that has to be done. FIGHTING * Ukraine said on Sunday its troops were holding onto parts of the eastern city of Bakhmut, focus of a […]

By Lucinda Elliott and Daniela Desantis ASUNCION (Reuters) -Paraguay’s conservative ruling party candidate Santiago Pena led center-left opposition rival Efrain Alegre by some 46% to 29% with a quarter of the votes tallied on Sunday evening. Sunday’s race was widely expected to be a stern electoral challenge to the Colorado Party, with debates dominated by corruption and the country’s long-standing ties with Taiwan.  Polls officially shut at 4 p.m. (2000 […]