Town Hall News

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday he was deeply concerned about reports of escalating violence between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the country’s main paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, and called for an immediate end to hostilities. Blinken described the situation in Khartoum as “fragile.” “We are in touch with the Embassy team in Khartoum – all are currently accounted for,” Blinken wrote […]

(Reuters) – British drugmaker GSK said on Saturday its oral antibiotic drug to treat uncomplicated urinary tract infections (uUTI) in female adults and adolescents met the main goals in late-stage trials. The drug, gepotidacin, in phase III trials, met its primary goals of being on a par or better than nitrofurantoin, the current standard of care for the treatment of uUTIs, the company said. GSK plans to submit results of […]

KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Sudan’s main paramilitary group said it had seized the presidential palace, the army chief’s residence and Khartoum international airport on Saturday in an apparent coup attempt but the military said it was fighting back. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which accused the army of attacking them first, also said they had taken over the airports in the northern city of Merowe and in El-Obeid in the west. […]

By Khalid Abdelaziz and Nafisa Eltahir KHARTOUM (Reuters) -Sudan’s main paramilitary group said it had seized the presidential palace, the army chief’s residence and Khartoum international airport on Saturday in an apparent coup attempt but the military said it was fighting back. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which accused the army of attacking them first, also said they had taken over the airports in the northern city of Merowe and […]

PARIS (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday signed into law a deeply unpopular bill to raise the state pension age, infuriating unions that called for months of mass protests to continue. The proclamation of the law in the government’s official journal came hours after France’s Constitutional Council had approved the main pension-age increase in a ruling on Friday. The legislation, which will progressively push up the age for […]

BAKU (Reuters) – Azerbaijan lodged a strong protest on Saturday after its national flag was grabbed and set on fire during the opening ceremony of a weightlifting championship in neighbouring Armenia. Azerbaijan said it had become impossible for its athletes to take part in the championships and they had already left Armenia to travel home via Georgia. Video of the incident showed a man snatching the flag and setting it […]

By Essi Lehto HELSINKI (Reuters) – Finland’s much-delayed Olkiluoto 3 (OL3) nuclear reactor, Europe’s largest, will begin regular output on Sunday, its operator said on Saturday, boosting energy security in a region to which Russia has cut gas and power supplies. Nuclear power remains controversial in Europe, primarily due to safety concerns, and news of OL3’s start-up comes as Germany on Saturday switches off its last three remaining reactors, while […]

(Reuters) – Kazakhstan advanced to the Billie Jean King Cup finals for the second time after defeating Poland 3-1 in their qualifier on Saturday while France brushed aside last year’s semi-finalists Britain. Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina had helped Kazakhstan build a 2-0 lead on Friday and the world number seven had no trouble dispatching Magda Linette 6-4 6-2 to give her side an unassailable lead in Astana. The best-of-five qualifiers […]

By Humeyra Pamuk HANOI (Reuters) -Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday expressed a desire to deepen their ties as Washington seeks to solidify alliances to counter an increasingly assertive China.     In his first visit to the southeast Asian country as the top U.S. diplomat, Blinken met with top officials including Vietnamese General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Pham […]