Town Hall News

By Supantha Mukherjee and Martin Coulter STOCKHOLM/LONDON (Reuters) – Rapid technological advances such as the ChatGPT generative artificial intelligence (AI) app are complicating efforts by European Union lawmakers to agree on landmark AI laws, sources with direct knowledge of the matter have told Reuters. The European Commission proposed the draft rules nearly two years ago in a bid to protect citizens from the dangers of the emerging technology, which has […]

By Hannah Lang WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The speed at which depositors fled Silicon Valley Bank this month – withdrawing $42 billion in 24 hours – has left authorities confronting a new risk: the social media-driven bank run. Gone are the days when lines of people outside banks served as the defining image of a lender on the brink. In today’s turbocharged digital age, customers can withdraw cash through a few taps […]

(Reuters) – Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka said she struggled to understand the “hate” she encountered in the locker room amid strained relations between some players following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The world number two has previously said she has nothing against Ukrainian people and felt bad for them as Moscow’s action rages on. Belarus has been a staging area for the invasion, which Moscow calls a “special military operation”. “It was […]

By Joey Roulette WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Billionaire Richard Branson’s cash-strapped Virgin Orbit is near a deal for a $200 million investment from Texas-based venture capital investor Matthew Brown via a private share placement, according to a term sheet seen by Reuters. A successful deal would be a major boost of confidence in the company that saw its market capitalization slump to a record low of $150 million on Tuesday from […]

On a night he was honored for passing one NHL legend, Washington’s Alex Ovechkin made history by eclipsing another. However, the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets stole the show with a stunning 7-6 overtime win over the Capitals on Tuesday night. Jack Roslovic took advantage of a T.J. Oshie turnover and scored his second goal of the night 2:43 into overtime, giving the Blue Jackets (22-41-7, 51 points) the win on […]

SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea’s trade ministry said on Wednesday that the United States’ proposed rules to prevent $52 billion in chip funding from being used by “countries of concern” will not force recipients to shut down their China factories. The U.S. Commerce Department on Tuesday proposed limits for recipients of U.S. chip manufacturing and research funding, including limits on investing in expansion in countries such as China and Russia. The […]

CAIRO (Reuters) -An Israeli air strike targeted Syria’s Aleppo airport causing some “material damage” to it, the Syrian defense ministry said in a statement on Facebook early on Wednesday. The Israeli military declined to comment. Israel has for years been carrying out attacks against what it has described as Iran-linked targets in Syria, where Tehran’s influence has grown since it began supporting President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war that […]

By Ankur Banerjee SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The dollar was pinned near five-week lows on Wednesday ahead of the conclusion of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s policy meeting, with investors awaiting clarity on the path the central bank is likely to take in the wake of global banking turmoil. Investor attention is zeroed in on whether the Fed will stick to its hawkish path to fight sticky inflation or pause interest rate […]

By Kirsty Needham SYDNEY (Reuters) -The Solomon Islands has awarded a multi-million-dollar contract to a Chinese state company to upgrade an international port in Honiara in a project funded by the Asian Development Bank, an official of the island nation said on Wednesday. The China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) was the only company to submit a bid in the competitive tender, Mike Qaqara of the infrastructure development ministry told […]