Town Hall News

By Michel Rose and Laurie Chen BEIJING (Reuters) – EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron are set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday for talks that could set a course for future relations after years of strained ties. Macron, who arrived in Beijing late Wednesday, told reporters that Europe must resist reducing trade and diplomatic ties with Beijing, which is at odds […]

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australia opener David Warner is in the frame for the World Test Championship final against India but selectors’ boss George Bailey declined to back him as an automatic inclusion for the Ashes squad. Selectors will pick a wider squad in about two weeks for the WTC decider at The Oval from June 7-11 and for the first two tests of the Ashes series, which starts on June […]

By Pavel Polityuk KYIV (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Poland would help form a coalition of Western powers to supply warplanes to Kyiv, as his fighters continued to defend their eastern bastion of Bakhmut in the face of relentless Russian assaults. During a visit to Warsaw on Wednesday, Zelenskiy said Poland had been instrumental in getting Western allies to send battle tanks to Ukraine and he believed it […]

(Refiles to correct coding for media clients, no other changes) By Adrian Portugal and Lisa Marie David MANILA (Reuters) -Philippines toy maker David Tan is flooded with orders from grieving pet owners who want to memorialise their dogs, cats, hamsters and rabbits with stuffed toys or ‘plushies’. Tan and a team of 20 employees use photos sent by customers to create life-like replicas of their deceased pets using synthetic fur […]

By Brendan O’Brien and Tyler Clifford (Reuters) -Five people were killed in a predawn tornado that ripped through southeastern Missouri on Wednesday, shearing off roofs, splintering trees and taking down power lines in devastated Bollinger County, officials said. First responders from multiple agencies combed through destroyed homes and businesses in the rural area that Missouri Governor Mike Parson said faces “a long journey ahead” toward recovery. Five people were also […]

By Pavel Polityuk KYIV (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Poland would help form a coalition of Western powers to supply warplanes to Kyiv, as his fighters continued to defend their eastern bastion of Bakhmut in the face of relentless Russian assaults. During a visit to Warsaw on Wednesday, Zelenskiy said Poland had been instrumental in getting Western allies to send battle tanks to Ukraine and he believed it […]

By Kevin Buckland TOKYO (Reuters) – Asian stocks and U.S. equity futures sank on Thursday while bonds and the safe-haven U.S. dollar and Japanese yen were bid as mounting evidence of a U.S. slowdown fuelled worries for a global recession. Investors were inclined to take money off the table after recent strong gains, and with many global markets off on Good Friday, when potentially pivotal U.S. monthly payrolls data is […]

By Ben Blanchard and Liz Lee TAIPEI/BEIJING (Reuters) – Taiwan was keeping a close watch on a Chinese aircraft carrier and threats to inspect ships in the Taiwan Strait on Thursday after Beijing condemned a meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy – the third highest ranking official in the U.S. leadership hierarchy – and other Republican and Democratic lawmakers met Tsai on Wednesday […]

(Corrects erroneous reference to Chinese market holiday on Thursday in paragraph 3) By Kevin Buckland TOKYO (Reuters) -Asian stocks and U.S. equity futures sank on Thursday while bonds and the safe-haven U.S. dollar and Japanese yen were bid as mounting evidence of a U.S. slowdown fuelled worries for a global recession. Investors were inclined to take money off the table after recent strong gains, and with many global markets off […]