Town Hall News

By Praveen Menon SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s government said on Thursday it would introduce legislation to allow ankle bracelets, curfews and other rules to monitor dozens of foreigners with criminal records after a court released them from indefinite immigration detention. The High Court ruling last week said indefinite immigration detention, pursued by Australia for more than two decades, was unlawful. The ruling forced the government to release 83 foreigners, which […]

By Stephanie Kelly (Reuters) – Oil prices dropped on Thursday, extending losses from the previous session, as signals of higher supply from the United States met worries about lackluster energy demand from Asia. Brent futures fell 28 cents to $80.90 a barrel by 0001 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) lost 31 cents to $76.35 a barrel. Both benchmarks fell over 1.5% in the prior session. WTI’s front-month contract […]

SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) – A top leader of the notorious Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang will stand trial in New York on terrorism charges, the U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday. El Salvador citizen Elmer Canales, known as “Crook de Hollywood,” was arrested by Mexican authorities last week and sent to Texas, where a federal court on Wednesday ordered him to face trial in New York. Canales, along with 13 other […]

By Jeff Mason and Trevor Hunnicutt WOODSIDE, California (Reuters) -Chinese President Xi Jinping told U.S. President Joe Biden during their four-hour meeting on Wednesday that Taiwan was the biggest, most dangerous issue in U.S.-China ties, a senior U.S. official told reporters. The official quoted Xi as saying China’s preference was for peaceful reunification with the Chinese-claimed island of Taiwan, but went on to talk about conditions in which force could […]

By Soo-hyang Choi SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea on Thursday criticised a recent visit to South Korea by top U.S. defence officials and vowed more “offensive” responses to what it called military threats from the United States and its allies, state media reported. In a statement carried by the KCNA news agency, a spokesperson for the North’s defence ministry blamed the United States for raising tensions in the region, referring […]

By David Lawder SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -China is objecting to a U.S. proposal for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) members to incorporate sustainability and inclusivity into their trade and investment policies, a source briefed on the negotiations said on Wednesday. Talks on the issue were continuing at the APEC summit in San Francisco to try to find language that the group’s 21 member states could agree on, the source said. […]

By Daniel Trotta (Reuters) – A Virginia mother was sentenced to 21 months in prison on Wednesday after her 6-year-old son shot his school teacher with a gun that she had bought illegally. The first-grade teacher, Abigail Zwerner, survived the wound from a 9mm semiautomatic pistol and was hailed as a hero for evacuating students from her classroom after she was shot at a Richneck Elementary School in Newport News […]

(Reuters) – The launch of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s simulator golf league could be delayed after an overnight power outage caused deflation and damage to the air-supported dome section of the Florida-based venue, TGL said on Wednesday. There were no injuries and no technology was impacted inside the Palm Beach Gardens arena where 24 PGA Tour players are scheduled to face off in match play using a simulator screen […]

By Jeff Mason and Trevor Hunnicutt WOODSIDE, California (Reuters) -Chinese President Xi Jinping told U.S. President Joe Biden during their four-hour meeting on Wednesday that Taiwan was the biggest, most dangerous issue in U.S.-China ties, a senior U.S. official told reporters. The official quoted Xi as saying China’s preference was for peaceful reunification with the Chinese-claimed island of Taiwan, but went on to talk about conditions in which force could […]