Town Hall News

By Kate Chappell KINGSTON, Jamaica (Reuters) – While Britain prepares to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III, its former colony Jamaica is distinctly cool on having a new head of state from a distant land. The process to sever ties with the British monarchy is underway, following in the footsteps of another former Caribbean possession, Barbados. With a bitter history of slavery and a plantation economy that made some […]

By Kantaro Komiya and Joey Roulette (Reuters) -Japan’s ispace inc said its attempt to make the first private moon landing had failed after losing contact with its Hakuto-R Mission 1 (M1) lander when it unexpectedly accelerated and probably crashed on the lunar surface. The startup said it was possible that as the lander approached the moon, its altitude measurement system had miscalculated the distance to the surface. “It apparently went […]

(Reuters) -Humana Inc raised its annual adjusted profit forecast on Wednesday after lower medical costs in the firm’s government-backed health insurance business helped it beat profit estimates for the first quarter. The company’s upbeat outlook contrasts uncertainty around 2024 earnings for health insurers staring at the end of COVID-related insurance protection measures and potential declines in government payouts for some plans.     That has driven increased investor scrutiny into whether one-time […]

By Khalid Abdelaziz and Nadine Awadalla KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Sudan’s capital resounded with gunfire and explosions on the western outskirts on Wednesday, eroding a truce amid collapsing basic services, dwindling food supplies and the opening of a prison that let out allies of a jailed former autocrat. With the conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) showing no sign of easing, the army said former president […]

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – National security plans and geopolitical tensions including those between the United States and China will have ripple effects through the semiconductor industry, the chief executive of ASML Holding NV said on Wednesday. Speaking at ASML’s annual meeting, CEO Peter Wennink said it was “logical” that China would seek to develop its own technologies, including semiconductor equipment, when it is restricted from purchasing products made abroad. ASML dominates […]

(Reuters) – U.S. railroad operator Norfolk Southern Corp said on Wednesday it took a $387 million charge in the first quarter after a freight train derailment in Eastern Ohio released over a million gallons of hazardous materials into the environment. “(The charges) do not reflect any amounts potentially recoverable under the company’s insurance policies,” the company said, after reporting adjusted quarterly profit above analysts’ estimates on the back of robust […]

BEIJING/KYIV (Reuters) -Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by telephone on Wednesday Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, after months of pressure from Kyiv for such talks. Xi told Zelenskiy that China would send special representatives to Ukraine and hold talks with all parties seeking peace, Chinese state media reported. Xi, the most powerful world leader to have refrained from denouncing Russia’s invasion […]

BEIJING (Reuters) -Chinese lawmakers passed a wide-ranging update to Beijing’s anti-espionage legislation on Wednesday, banning the transfer of any information related to national security and interests and broadening the definition of spying. China’s Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) has passed a revised Counter-Espionage Law, the official Xinhua news agency reported, following three days of deliberations by the top legislative body. It is the first update of the […]

BEIJING (Reuters) -Chinese lawmakers passed a wide-ranging update to Beijing’s anti-espionage legislation on Wednesday, banning the transfer of any information related to national security and interests and broadening the definition of spying. China’s Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) has passed a revised Counter-Espionage Law, the official Xinhua news agency reported, following three days of deliberations by the top legislative body. It is the first update of the […]