Town Hall News

By Will Dunham (Reuters) – Using five locks of hair, scientists have sequenced the genome of one of history’s greatest musical composers – Ludwig van Beethoven – nearly two centuries after his death, gaining insight into his fatal liver disease but not his hearing loss. Researchers said on Wednesday his genome showed the German composer was both genetically predisposed to liver disease and had hepatitis B virus infection. An autopsy […]

By Dan Peleschuk and Sergiy Chalyi KYIV/ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (Reuters) -Russia blasted an apartment block in Ukraine with missiles on Wednesday and swarmed cities with drone attacks overnight, in a display of force as President Vladimir Putin bid farewell to his visiting “dear friend” and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Firefighters battled a blaze in two adjacent tall residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia, where officials said at least one person had been killed […]

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Apollo, Chinese tech giant Baidu’s smart car business, has received approval to be among the first companies to test fully autonomous vehicles in Shanghai, China’s largest city, it said on Wednesday. The business currently operates driverless robotaxi services in specially designated areas of Wuhan, Chongqing and Beijing. (Reporting by Twinnie Siu and Eduardo Baptista; Editing by David Goodman) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

By Andrew MacAskill and Alistair Smout LONDON (Reuters) -Boris Johnson said “hand on heart” he did not lie to parliament over rule-breaking COVID-19 lockdown parties as the former British prime minister fought for his political career at a hearing with lawmakers on Wednesday. Parliament’s Committee of Privileges is investigating whether Johnson, who was ousted from Downing Street in September, intentionally or recklessly misled the House of Commons in a series […]

By Johann M Cherian (Reuters) – Canada’s benchmark stock index edged higher on Wednesday on gains in commodity and financials stocks while investors awaited the U.S. Federal Reserve’s decision on interest rates. The Fed’s two-day policy meeting will end at 2 p.m. ET (1800 GMT), with investors keeping a close eye on a press conference by Chair Jerome Powell for an expected raise in rates by a quarter of a […]

(Reuters) – Shares of First Republic Bank were volatile in morning trading on Wednesday as the regional lender struggled to raise capital amid worries that it may need to downsize or seek government support. Major banks and private equity firms have so far balked at infusing capital on fear of losses on the bank’s loan book and investment portfolio following a rapid rise in interest rates. The bank’s shares flitted […]

By Yoruk Bahceli and Akriti Sharma (Reuters) – UBS Group said on Wednesday it would buy back 2.75 billion euros ($2.96 billion) worth of debt it sold just days ago in a bid to boost confidence among bondholders rattled by its $3 billion rescue of rival Credit Suisse. The bonds were sold on March 9 and their repurchase by UBS highlights the lender’s efforts to shore up sentiment since its […]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told lawmakers on Wednesday that the State Department has been putting together a review of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and will share findings with Congress by mid-April. “We’ve now been spending time putting all of this together to make sure that we look at some of the common lessons learned,” Blinken said in testimony to a Senate Appropriations Committee subcommittee […]

By Hannah Lang and Elizabeth Howcroft (Reuters) – Stablecoin USDC’s issuer Circle said its chief strategy officer’s Twitter account was hacked on Wednesday, after the account posted a link appearing to offer holders of the stablecoin USDC a “one-time bonus” of free cryptocurrency.     The Twitter account of Dante Disparte, Circle’s chief strategy officer, sent a series of tweets appearing to address the stablecoin’s recent move away from its dollar […]