Town Hall News

By Kantaro Komiya TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese startup ispace inc is preparing to land its Hakuto-R Mission 1 (M1) spacecraft on the moon early on Wednesday, in what would be the world’s first lunar landing by a private company if it succeeds. The M1 lander is set to touch down around 1:40 a.m. Japan time (1640 GMT Tuesday) after taking off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a SpaceX rocket in […]

(Reuters) – Russia has begun using its new T-14 Armata battle tanks to fire on Ukrainian positions “but they have not yet participated in direct assault operations”, the RIA state news agency reported on Tuesday, quoting a source close to the matter. DIPLOMACY * Risks of a direct military confrontation between the two nuclear powers, Russia and the United States, are steadily growing, the TASS news agency quoted a senior […]

By Nick Carey LONDON (Reuters) -Chile’s move to nationalise its lithium industry adds fresh supply chain uncertainty for global carmakers facing a shortage of electric vehicle (EV) battery materials and could provide fresh urgency to find new sources of the metal. Chilean President Gabriel Boric announced plans last Thursday to create a new state-owned company to control its lithium industry. The country has the world’s largest reserves of the metal […]

By Zeba Siddiqui SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – The United States is sending more of its cyber forces abroad to help foreign governments fight hackers, a top U.S. military official said at the RSA cybersecurity conference in San Francisco. In the last three years, the U.S. military’s Cyber National Mission Force (CNMF) has conducted 47 such “hunt forward” defensive operations across 20 countries at the invitation of those nations, U.S. Army […]

SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co said on Tuesday it had finalised a $5 billion electric vehicle (EV) battery joint venture in the U.S., as it reported first-quarter net profit had more than doubled, exceeding expectations. Hyundai and partner SK On, a battery unit of SK Innovation Co Ltd, will set up a new battery manufacturing plant in the state of Georgia, the companies said, formalising an earlier provisional […]

By Xie Yu HONG KONG (Reuters) – Stocks fell broadly and the U.S. dollar also weakened early on Tuesday, reflecting investors’ uncertainty in a busy week for corporate earnings and economic data. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 1.2% by 0510 GMT. Markets in Australia and New Zealand are shut for a holiday. U.S. stock futures, the S&P 500 e-minis lost 0.3%. In early European trades, […]

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s financial hub of Shanghai will promote investments in specialized technology including chip design, circuitry and artificial intelligence as the country pushes forward with a move toward tech self-reliance. The city plans to provide investment help for certain qualified semiconductor projects with up to 100 million yuan ($14.47 million)in support, a statement from the government said. The broad aim is to boost investments, enhance industrial development and […]

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India recalled middle-order batsman Ajinkya Rahane on Tuesday for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at the Oval in June. Former vice-captain Rahane played the last of his 82 tests in January 2022 but has been in impressive form in the ongoing Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament. India also reached the final of the inaugural WTC in June 2021 but lost by eight wickets […]

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s financial hub of Shanghai will promote investments in specialized technology including chip design, circuitry and artificial intelligence as the country pushes forward with a move toward tech self-reliance. The city plans to provide investment help for certain qualified semiconductor projects with up to 100 million yuan ($14.47 million)in support, a statement from the government said. The broad aim is to boost investments, enhance industrial development and […]