Town Hall News

By Ludwig Burger and Juby Babu (Reuters) -Sanofi’s asthma and eczema drug Dupixent met all targets in a trial to treat “smoker’s lung”, giving a major boost to the French drugmaker’s growth prospects, but also underscoring a heavy reliance on its bestseller. In a late stage trial Dupixent, jointly developed with Regeneron, led to a 30% reduction in moderate or severe acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a […]

By Renju Jose and Praveen Menon SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia took a step on Thursday towards a historical referendum to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders recognition in the constitution and, for the first time, a voice on matters that affect their lives. In an emotional address, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed the question the government wants to set in the referendum later this year, urging Australians to back what […]

By Jeslyn Lerh SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Oil prices fell on Thursday following three sessions of gains, after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell highlighted banking sector credit risks for the world’s largest economy, while U.S. crude stocks rose more than expected. Brent crude futures had fallen 46 cents, or 0.6%, to $76.23 a barrel by 0720 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) dropped 50 cents, or 0.7%, to $70.40. Both […]

By Jeslyn Lerh SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Oil prices fell on Thursday following three sessions of gains, after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell highlighted banking sector credit risks for the world’s largest economy, while U.S. crude stocks rose more than expected. Brent crude futures had fallen 46 cents, or 0.6%, to $76.23 a barrel by 0720 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) dropped 50 cents, or 0.7%, to $70.40. Both […]

By Dan Williams JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel ratified a law on Thursday limiting the circumstances in which a prime minister can be removed, despite worries voiced by a government jurist that it may be meant to shield the incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu from any fallout from his corruption trials. The amended definition for the “incapacity” of national leaders is among legislative measures by the religious-nationalist coalition that have tipped Israel into […]

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union wants to give consumers the right to have worn-out products like washing machines and televisions repaired by producers even after the sales guarantee has expired, to cut waste and make goods last longer. The European Commission proposed rules on Wednesday that would oblige producers to offer repairs for a product for between five and ten years after it was sold – regardless of whether […]

By Savyata Mishra (Reuters) – Investors turned less bearish on the Chinese yuan and the Singaporean dollar as they cut short bets across most Asian currencies, a Reuters poll found, as fears of a banking crisis likely prompted a shift towards a pause in policy tightening by major central banks. Short bets on the yuan fell to their lowest since December 15, 2022, according to the fortnightly poll, as home […]

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union wants to give consumers the right to have worn-out products like washing machines and televisions repaired by producers even after the sales guarantee has expired, to cut waste and make goods last longer. The European Commission proposed rules on Wednesday that would oblige producers to offer repairs for a product for between five and ten years after it was sold – regardless of whether […]

HONG KONG (Reuters) -The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) on Thursday lifted its base rate charged through the overnight discount window by 25 basis points to 5.25%, hours after the U.S. Federal Reserve delivered a rate rise of the same margin. Hong Kong’s monetary policy moves in lock-step with the U.S. as the city’s currency is pegged to the greenback in a tight range of 7.75 to 7.85 per dollar. […]