Town Hall News

By Alun John and Kevin Buckland LONDON/TOKYO (Reuters) – Data showing British inflation stayed above 10% in March meant the pound climbed against the dollar while other currencies dipped, with the greenback underpinned by a tick-up in U.S. yields. Sterling was last 0.25% higher at $1.2454, heading back to last week’s 10-month high, after data showed British consumer price inflation eased by less than expected in March to 10.1% from […]

By Guy Faulconbridge MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia on Wednesday accused Ukraine of sabotaging the Black Sea grain deal by demanding bribes from ship owners to register new vessels and carry out inspections under the cover of a deal the United Nations hopes could ease a global food crisis. There was no immediate comment on the allegation, levelled by Russia’s Foreign Ministry, from Ukraine which has blamed Moscow for problems with […]

By Khalid Abdelaziz and Nafisa Eltahir KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Air strikes and explosions hammered Sudan’s capital on Wednesday after the failure of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between the army and paramilitary forces, forcing residents to stay hunkered down and Japan to prepare to evacuate its citizens. Continuous bombardments and loud blasts could be heard in central Khartoum in the area around the defence ministry compound and the airport, which has been […]

By YP Rajesh NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India is on its way to becoming the world’s most populous nation, overtaking China with almost 3 million more people in the middle of this year, data released on Wednesday by the United Nations showed. India’s population is estimated at 1,428.6 million, or 1.4286 billion, against 1.4257 billion for China in the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) “State of World Population Report” this year. […]

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s King Charles and his wife Camilla have picked a recipe for “Coronation Quiche” for celebrations to be held next month when they are crowned, Buckingham Palace said on Monday. The dish, featuring spinach, broad beans and tarragon, is a nod to Coronation Chicken, a curry and mayonnaise-based dish which was invented for the 1953 coronation of Charles’ mother Queen Elizabeth II that is still enjoyed today. […]

By Khalid Abdelaziz and Nafisa Eltahir KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Air strikes and explosions hammered Sudan’s capital on Wednesday after the failure of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between the army and paramilitary forces, forcing residents to stay hunkered down and Japan to prepare to evacuate its citizens. Continuous bombardments and loud blasts could be heard in central Khartoum in the area around the defence ministry compound and the airport, which has been […]

TOKYO (Reuters) – Visitors to Japan surged in March to their highest after the COVID-19 pandemic, official data showed on Wednesday, with overseas tourists flocking to see the nation’s famous cherry blossoms for the first time in four years as travel curbs eased. The number of foreign visitors for business and leisure stood at 1.82 million in March, up from 1.48 million in February, the Japan National Tourism Organisation said. […]

By Toby Sterling AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -ASML Holding NV beat first-quarter earnings forecasts on Wednesday on continued strong demand for its chip making equipment, but noted some signs of caution among customers. The comments from Europe’s biggest tech firm follow news that Samsung will cut production because of a downturn in semiconductor demand, while memory chip makers SK Hynix and Micron have cut spending plans. ASML posted a threefold jump in […]

By Laurie Chen BEIJING (Reuters) – The European Union has said it is seriously concerned about the arrest of two prominent Chinese human rights activists and has called for their immediate release after they were detained in Beijing last week en route to a meeting with EU officials. The detention of Yu Wensheng and Xu Yan shortly before their meeting with visiting EU officials last Thursday was “already not acceptable”, […]