Town Hall News

By Renju Jose and Byron Kaye SYDNEY (Reuters) -State-sponsored cyber groups and hackers have increased assaults on Australia’s critical infrastructure, businesses and homes, a government report said, adding that its new defence agreement with Britain and the U.S. had likely made it more of a target. Reports of cybercrime surged 23% to more than 94,000 in the financial year to June, the Australian Cyber Security Centre said in its annual […]

By Joe Cash BEIJING (Reuters) – European firms “urgently” need China to give clearer definitions of key terms in its cross-border data transfer rules, a European business lobby group said on Wednesday, warning firms also stood to waste millions of euros storing non-sensitive data in China. The European Chamber of Commerce in China called on authorities to “provide precise definitions for both ‘important data’ and ‘personal information,'” as outlined in […]

By Jamie McGeever (Reuters) – A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever, financial markets columnist. A bout of consolidation across Asian markets on Thursday is likely after the previous day’s stellar gains, as investors adjust to what appears to be a decisive moment in the global interest rate and inflation cycle. There is a growing consensus forming that major central banks’ interest rate-raising cycle is […]

By Hyunsu Yim and Josh Smith SEOUL (Reuters) -A Russian delegation led by natural resources minister Alexander Kozlov is visiting Pyongyang, North Korean state media said on Wednesday, as the politically isolated state announced new progress in its banned ballistic missile programme. Kozlov arrived on Tuesday, as U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with U.N. member states enforcing the Korean War armistice in Seoul and said they were concerned that […]

SEOUL (Reuters) – Russian and North Korean officials held talks in Pyongyang to discuss expanding cooperation in economy, science and technology to follow up on the agreements reached by their leaders in September, the North’s state media reported on Thursday. The meeting took place on Wednesday in Pyongyang, led by North Korea’s minister of external economic relations Yun Jong Ho and Russia’s natural resources minister Alexander Kozlov, the KCNA news […]

By Brendan Pierson (Reuters) – A former director of nutrition for the American Diabetes Association (ADA) sued the non-profit organization on Wednesday, accusing it of firing her for objecting to what she called a “pay to play” scheme to promote the no-calorie sweetener Splenda. Elizabeth Hanna said the ADA “sold the good name of the organization” to sponsors like Splenda maker Heartland Food Products Group, “in violation of its own […]

(Reuters) – Rating agency Fitch said on Wednesday that U.S. regional banks will face continued challenges in 2024, with banks focused on commercial loan growth disproportionately disadvantaged. “All U.S. banks will need to take defensive measures to conserve capital and provision for higher expected losses,” Fitch analysts said in a report. Fitch cited scarcer opportunities for revenue growth “amid a restrictive rate environment, rising regulatory requirements and capital costs, and […]

By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) – Trevor Milton, the convicted founder of electric- and hydrogen-powered truck maker Nikola, is seeking to avoid prison, with his lawyers saying his case differed from that of Theranos’ Elizabeth Holmes, another startup founder convicted of fraud. Milton, 41, had been found guilty by a federal jury in Manhattan in October 2022 on two counts of wire fraud and one count of securities fraud, […]

By Sinéad Carew and Sruthi Shankar (Reuters) -U.S. stocks closed slightly higher on Wednesday, as fresh inflation data reinforced investor hopes that the Federal Reserve is done raising interest rates, while retail stocks were boosted by an upbeat forecast from Target. Shares in Target surged after the retailer forecast a fourth-quarter profit largely above expectations on easing supply-chain costs. Target’s bright outlook lifted shares of other retailers including Macy’s and […]