Town Hall News

By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) – When the U.S. military carried out its first strike against a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean on September 2, the attack began with an airburst munition exploding above the 11-member crew like an umbrella of shrapnel. A video of the attack, shown to U.S. lawmakers on Thursday and described to Reuters by two sources familiar with the imagery, showed smoke clearing […]

SYDNEY, Dec 5 (Reuters) – Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles will travel to Japan on Saturday to meet his counterpart, Koizumi Shinjiro, and discuss deepening defence ties, his office said on Friday. Australia wanted to engage early with the new government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Australian officials said, noting the two countries had a “shared vision for our region” and were working to respond to increasingly complex global challenges. […]

SHANGHAI, Dec 5 (Reuters) – China’s Sichuan Kelun-Biotech Biopharmaceutical (6990.HK) said Thursday night it would license an experimental cancer treatment out to U.S. drugmaker Crescent Biopharma, receiving $80 million upfront, up to another $1.25 billion if milestones are met, and tiered royalties on net sales.  The licensed drug candidate, SKB105, is being evaluated for usage against solid tumours. It is expected that clinical trials will begin in the first quarter of 2026.  […]

TOKYO, Dec 5 (Reuters) – The Japanese embassy in China issued a safety advisory on Friday ahead of next week’s anniversary of “the Nanjing Incident”, or the Nanjing Massacre, which it said is considered particularly sensitive. Tensions have intensified since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told parliament last month that a hypothetical Chinese attack on democratically governed Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo. “Anti-Japanese sentiment tends to rise […]

(Corrects spelling of acquire in paragraph 1) Dec 4 (Reuters) – Netflix has entered exclusive talks with Warner Bros Discovery to acquire its studio and streaming service, a Bloomberg News reporter said in a post on X. Netflix has emerged as the top bidder for Warner Bros Discovery, Reuters reported on Thursday, raising the stakes in a potential deal that could reshape the media landscape. (Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in […]

BEIJING, Dec 5 (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping accompanied his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to Chengdu on Friday, a rare gesture seemingly reserved for the head of Europe’s second-largest economy that highlights Beijing’s focus on Paris in its dealings with the European Union. The French president began his day by surprising fellow joggers in the city’s Jincheng Lake Park, videos circulating Chinese social media showed, before joining Xi at […]

By Ben Blanchard TAIPEI, Dec 5 (Reuters) – Taiwan has been “very moved” by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments last month on peace and stability even in the face of strong pressure, Premier Cho Jung-tai said on Friday. China and Japan are in their worst diplomatic crisis in years, after Takaichi said last month in parliament a hypothetical Chinese attack on democratically governed Taiwan could trigger a military response […]

TORONTO (AP) — LeBron James’ streak of 1,297 consecutive double-digit regular-season scoring efforts ended Thursday night, when the NBA’s career points leader was held to eight points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 123-120 win over the Toronto Raptors. James could have tried to win the game — and extend the streak — on the final possession, but he instead passed the ball to Rui Hachimura in the left corner. Hachimura’s […]

Madina Okot scored nine of her 23 points in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead layup with 1:33 to play, as visiting No. 3 South Carolina edged No. 22 Louisville 79-77 in an ACC/SEC Challenge game on Thursday. The Cardinals led 75-72 with 2:27 to go before consecutive hoops from Okot moved the Gamecocks in front. A layup by Raven Johnson with 33 seconds remaining increased South Carolina’s lead to […]