Town Hall News

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Commercial vehicle maker Daimler Truck on Thursday launched Rizon, a medium-duty electric truck brand for the U.S., aiming to take on the likes of Isuzu Motors Ltd and Toyota Motor Corp’s truck and bus unit Hino Motors Ltd. Truck makers have long anticipated a shift to electric vehicles (EVs) with lower maintenance costs, but uptake has been slow because of the higher purchase price and a […]

SEOUL (Reuters) – The U.S. secretary of commerce and her South Korean counterpart agreed to “minimise uncertainties” of chipmakers’ investments amid new U.S. semiconductor subsidies, Korea’s industry ministry said on Friday. Companies such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, the world’s No. 1 and No. 2 memory chipmakers, are concerned about the criteria for subsidies from the CHIPS Act, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has said. Industry Minister Chang-Yang […]

By Nupur Anand and Lananh Nguyen NEW YORK (Reuters) – JPMorgan Chase & Co CEO Jamie Dimon sent a clear message to employees this month: get back to the office. It touched a nerve among his staff. The largest U.S. lender’s employees inundated an internal messaging forum with criticism after its operating committee posted an edict entitled, “The importance of being together.” Some staffers pushed back, calling the message “tone […]

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan will end COVID-19 border control measures specifically targeting visitors from China, effective on Saturday at midnight local time, chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a news conference on Friday. Passengers on direct flights from China to Japan were previously subject to random testing on their arrival, a measure Japan put in place after coronavirus cases surged in China early this year. Matsuno, Japan’s top government spokesperson, […]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan met with the heads of other antitrust enforcers, including Britain’s, last week but no mergers were discussed, according to an FTC official who spoke amid allegations the FTC and UK are working together to block Microsoft’s bid for Activision. On Wednesday, Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority blocked Microsoft’s $69 billion deal to buy “Call of Duty” maker Activision Blizzard, saying it […]

By Fabian Cambero SANTIAGO (Reuters) – While Chile’s plan to take control of its lithium industry has caused global shockwaves, state-led production of the metal used to make electric vehicle batteries is seen by analysts as likely years away given technical and political challenges. President Gabriel Boric last week said he would move to gradually nationalize the country’s lithium industry, which holds the world’s largest reserves of the metal, in […]

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s factory output jumped in March by the fastest rate in nearly three years and beat economists’ expectations, official data showed on Friday. The country’s industrial output grew 5.1% in March from a month before, on a seasonally adjusted basis, after a 2.7% fall in February. It was the fastest monthly rise since June 2020. It beat the median forecast of 0.5% growth tipped in a […]

By Sharon Bernstein (Reuters) – The states of Vermont and Washington took steps on Thursday to protect the availability of medication abortions in the event that a lawsuit challenging federal approval for a commonly used abortion drug prevails in court.  A series of bills were either passed or signed in the two states days after the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily paused implementation of lower court rulings that would have either […]

By Takaya Yamaguchi and Leika Kihara TOKYO (Reuters) -Core consumer inflation in Japan’s capital beat expectations in April and an index stripping away fuel costs rose at the fastest pace in four decades, highlighting the challenge the new central bank chief faces in keeping ultra-low interest rates. The data comes hours before the Bank of Japan’s policy meeting that concludes on Friday, where the board is likely to produce new […]