Town Hall News

By David Lawder and Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The International Monetary Fund’s steering committee on Friday said it would accelerate its discussions on quota reforms at the global lender with an eye to making “considerable progress” by its next meeting in October. Spanish Economy Minister Nadia Calvino, who chairs the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC), said members were committed to revisiting the adequacy of the IMF’s quotas for shareholders […]

By Kai Pfaffenbach and Manuel Ausloos NEAR BAKHMUT, Ukraine (Reuters) -A Russian missile strike killed eight people in eastern Ukraine on Friday as a British assessment said Ukrainian troops had been forced to withdraw from parts of the city of Bakhmut, the focus of Moscow’s slow advance through the region. Ukrainian troops have been doggedly defending Bakhmut, shattered after months of shelling and bombardment. Ukrainian military commanders this week rejected […]

By Lewis Jackson and Kirsty Needham SYDNEY (Reuters) -An Australian man who had recently returned from China was arrested in Sydney on Friday and charged with a foreign interference offence, police, court officials and neighbours of the man said. Alexander Csergo, 55, will appear before Parramatta local court on Saturday to face a charge of reckless foreign interference, a New South Wales courts spokeswoman told Reuters. The court listing shows […]

By Fergal Smith (Reuters) -Canada’s main stock index edged up on Friday to its highest closing level in six weeks, helped by gains for energy and financial shares, while weaker gold prices drove down mining stocks. The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index rose 15.42 points, or 0.1%, to 20,579.91, its highest closing level since March 3. For the week, it was up 1.9%, its fourth straight week of gains. […]

KYIV (Reuters) -Russian missiles hit the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk on Friday, killing at least eight people and wounding 21, the governor of Donetsk region said. Pavlo Kyrylenko told national television that seven Russian S-300 missiles had been fired. “As of now, casualties at all sites — 21 people were injured and eight people have died,” Kyrylenko said on national television. Kyrylenko said there were “no fewer than seven […]

By Kai Pfaffenbach and Manuel Ausloos NEAR BAKHMUT, Ukraine (Reuters) -A Russian missile strike killed eight people in eastern Ukraine on Friday as a British assessment said Ukrainian troops had been forced to withdraw from parts of the city of Bakhmut, the focus of Moscow’s slow advance through the region. Ukrainian troops have been doggedly defending Bakhmut, shattered after months of shelling and bombardment. Ukrainian military commanders this week rejected […]

By Herbert Lash NEW YORK (Reuters) – Treasury yields rose and the dollar index bounced off a one-year low on Friday after a decline in U.S. retail sales suggested the economy is slowing but not fast enough to stop the Federal Reserve from raising interest rates again in May. Stocks on Wall Street fell and gold pulled back sharply after surging the day before to a more than one-year peak […]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden will host a bilateral meeting with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement on Friday. “I am grateful to President Biden for his invitation,” Petro said on Twitter. “It is a key moment to strengthen the relationship and mutual cooperation between both countries, not just in the fight against drug trafficking but in the protection of the […]

By Kai Pfaffenbach and Manuel Ausloos NEAR BAKHMUT, Ukraine (Reuters) -A Russian missile strike killed eight people in eastern Ukraine on Friday as a British assessment said Ukrainian troops had been forced to withdraw from parts of the city of Bakhmut, the focus of Moscow’s slow advance through the region. Ukrainian troops have been doggedly defending Bakhmut, shattered after months of shelling and bombardment. Ukrainian military commanders this week rejected […]