Town Hall News

By Tom Westbrook SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The dollar was under pressure near seven-week lows on Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve sounded close to calling time on interest rate hikes, which markets think are more or less over. The Fed raised its benchmark funds rate by 25 basis points, as expected, but dropped language about “ongoing increases” being needed in favour of “some additional” rises, as it watches how wobbling […]

By Dan Peleschuk and Sergiy Chalyi KYIV/ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (Reuters) – Russian drones attacked Ukrainian cities and missiles blasted an apartment block, but a months-long ground assault on the eastern town of Bakhmut could be stalling in the face of fierce resistance, according to Ukrainian and British military experts. Russian forces unleashed a wave of air strikes in the north and south of Ukraine as President Vladimir Putin bid farewell on […]

(Reuters) -Serbian Dusan Lajovic beat Andy Murray 6-4 7-5 at the Miami Open on Wednesday, sending the Briton packing in the first round with his first hardcourt win of the season. Lajovic thrust his fists to the air after surviving a 16-shot rally on the final point, setting up a meeting with American Maxime Cressy, who won their only prior encounter. Lajovic drew first blood, breaking the three-times Grand Slam […]

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 leader Xi Jinping. Firefighters battled a blaze in two adjacent residential buildings in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, where officials said at least one […]

By Dan Peleschuk and Sergiy Chalyi KYIV/ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (Reuters) -Russian drones attacked Ukrainian cities and missiles blasted an apartment block, but a months-long ground assault on the eastern town of Bakhmut could be stalling in the face of fierce resistance, according to Ukrainian and British military experts. Russian forces unleashed a wave of air strikes in the north and south of Ukraine as President Vladimir Putin bid farewell on Wednesday […]

By Lananh Nguyen and Saeed Azhar (Reuters) -Citigroup Inc CEO Jane Fraser on Wednesday expressed confidence in U.S. banks after a series of closures rattled investors and fueled turmoil in global financial markets. “The banking system is pretty sound,” and large and regional banks are well-capitalized, Fraser told the Economic Club of Washington D.C. on Wednesday. “This is not a credit crisis. This is a situation where it’s a few […]

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Transportation Department (USDOT) on Wednesday urged rail tank car owners and hazmat shippers of flammable liquids to stop using tank cars like some in a Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio and replace them with newer, safer tank cars. USDOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) said in an advisory the Ohio incident demonstrated “DOT-111” and “CPC-1232” tank […]

HONG KONG (Reuters) -The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) on Thursday lifted its base rate charged through the overnight discount window by 25 basis points to 5.25%, hours after the U.S. Federal Reserve delivered a rate rise of the same margin. Hong Kong’s monetary policy moves in lock-step with the U.S. as the city’s currency is pegged to the greenback in a tight range of 7.75-7.85 per dollar. “The Fed’s […]

TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan sees China’s involvement in Honduras’ decision to seek to end relations with the island as very obvious and the situation does not look good with Honduras demanding a “high price”, the island’s foreign minister said on Thursday. Honduras denied on Wednesday it had demanded $2.5 billion in aid from Taiwan before its announcement to seek to open relations with China, instead saying the country had repeatedly requested […]