Town Hall News

By Vincent West SETIENES, Spain (Reuters) – The lush region of Asturias in northern Spain was ravaged by more than 90 wildfires on Friday, most of them believed to have been started by arsonists whom the region’s leader called “fire terrorists”. Over 600 firefighters were deployed to tackle the blazes and several towns have been evacuated as police closed off roads and highways. The Spanish government has said it is […]

By Amruta Khandekar and Ankika Biswas (Reuters) – The S&P 500 was set to end its second straight quarter on a high note on Friday, as evidence of cooling inflation further supported hopes of a softer monetary policy approach from the Federal Reserve in light of recent banking sector problems. Friday caps a turbulent first quarter and month for stocks marked by shockwaves from the collapse of two regional U.S. […]

By Lisa Pauline Mattackal (Reuters) – March recorded the worst U.S. bank failures since the 2008 crisis, but that did not stop some investors from snapping up battered financial stocks to bolster their bets on the sector’s long-term health, fund-flow data showed. Exchange-traded funds tracking U.S. regional banks saw their strongest net inflows in months, with the SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF receiving $1.25 billion in the month to March […]

By Timothy Gardner ADJUNTAS, Puerto Rico (Reuters) – For U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Graholm, the transformation of Puerto Rico’s power grid to solar and other renewable power, after hurricanes wiped it out in 2017 and 2022, is an imperative that goes beyond addressing climate change. When the lights go out in the U.S. territory, rooftop solar panels backed up with battery storage can provide power to keep medicines like insulin […]

(Reuters) – UK Athletics will apply World Athletics’ rules on exclusion of transgender women from elite female competitions, the governing body said on Friday, adding that it had received the “required assurances” on the legality of the measures. Athletics’ global governing body last week voted to ban competitors who have gone through male puberty from participating in women’s events, citing a “need to protect the female category”. Transgender rights become […]

By David Shepardson and David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday unveiled stricter electric vehicle tax rules that will reduce or cut tax credits on some zero-emission models but grant buyers another two weeks before the new requirements take effect. The rules are aimed at weaning the United States off dependence on China for EV battery supply chains and part of President Joe Biden’s effort to […]

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican lawmakers on Friday for the first time chose a woman to head the National Electoral Institute (INE), as the electoral authority faces a bruising struggle with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Guadalupe Taddei, 59, will take over from Lorenzo Cordova amid intense political scrutiny of the body, including attempts by the president to slim down the INE’s budget and offices. Taddei, who was selected via […]

By Jacqueline Thomsen (Reuters) -Representing Donald Trump, who is now under indictment in New York, is no easy job. Just ask the former president himself. “I say sometimes to a lawyer, ‘Are you sure you want to represent me? I think you’re making a mistake. What do you need it for?'” Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Monday, discussing the legal troubles some of his own attorneys have faced. […]

By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) – Tunisia will cut off water supplies to citizens for seven hours a night in response to the country’s worst drought on record, state water distribution company SONEDE said in a statement on Friday. The country’s agriculture ministry earlier introduced a quota system for potable water and banned its use in agriculture until Sept. 30, as the country battles with a drought that is now […]