Town Hall News

TAIPEI (Reuters) – Nine Chinese aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait on Friday carrying out combat readiness patrols, Taiwan’s defence ministry said, condemning what it called an “irrational” deployment. The rise in tension comes as Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen is in the United States stopping off on her way to Central America. She is expected to meet U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles on her […]

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (Reuters) – Talks between Southeast Asian central bank governors and finance ministers entered their final day on Friday, with the leaders focused on strengthening the region’s resilience against global risks. The gathering of finance leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) comes amid a backdrop of recent global banking turmoil after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and the bailout and takeover of Credit Suisse. […]

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (Reuters) – Indonesia and Russia signed an extradition agreement on Friday, with the Southeast Asian country’s law minister welcoming a move that he said should strengthen efforts to combat cross-border crimes, ranging from money laundering to cybercrime. The treaty was signed by Indonesia’s law minister Yasonna Laoly and Russia’s justice minister Konstantin Chuychenko in an ceremony held on the resort island of Bali. “This is very important […]

By Sudarshan Varadhan BEIJING (Reuters) – Oil prices ticked down in Asian trade on Friday as bullish sentiment about Chinese demand and potential Middle Eastern supply disruptions was tempered by uncertainty over U.S. economic data to be released later in the day. Brent futures, which have risen nearly 6% this week, were down 33 cents, or -0.42%, at $78.94 a barrel at 0630 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude […]

SHANGHAI/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk is making plans to visit China as early as April and is seeking a meeting with China’s Premier Li Qiang, two people with knowledge of planning for the trip told Reuters. Tesla and China’s State Council Information Office did not immediately reply to requests for comment. China is Tesla’s second-largest market after the United States and its Shanghai plant is the […]

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s parliament approved a bill on Thursday to allow Finland to join NATO, clearing the way for the country to become part of the Western defence alliance as war rages in Ukraine. The Turkish parliament was the last among the 30 members of the alliance to ratify Finland’s membership after Hungary’s legislature approved a similar bill earlier this week. President Tayyip Erdogan said earlier in March that […]

By Lisa Richwine (Reuters) -A jury in Utah ruled on Thursday that Oscar-winning actor Gwyneth Paltrow was not responsible for injuries sustained by a man during a ski slope collision at an upscale Park City resort in 2016. Terry Sanderson, a retired optometrist, suffered a concussion and four broken ribs in the incident. He said the injuries led to a traumatic brain injury and had sought more than $300,000 in […]

By Tom Westbrook and Kevin Buckland SINGAPORE/TOKYO (Reuters) – The dollar tracked toward a second consecutive quarterly loss on Friday, as investors see U.S. interest rates close to peaking and expect the dollar’s yield advantage is in decline. A modest boost from a rush to safety around mid-March as banking jitters hit global markets seems to be fading, and the dollar index is down 1.2% for the quarter, to extend […]

By Ariba Shahid KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) – Honda Atlas Cars Pakistan Ltd on Friday announced a 15-day extension to the longest plant shutdown to date, citing the country’s current economic crisis, restrictions on opening letters of credit for imports, and halting foreign payments. The company announced an initial shutdown on March 8, which was expected to end on March 31. Honda says that economic challenges in Pakistan have impacted its […]