Town Hall News

SEOUL, Dec 5 (Reuters) – South Korea’s industry ministry and SoftBank’s chip unit, Arm Holdings, have signed an agreement to strengthen the country’s semiconductor and Artificial Intelligence sectors, a presidential policy adviser said on Friday. The memorandum of understanding includes a plan for Arm to set up a chip design school in the country to tap its expertise in this area, Kim Yong-beom told reporters at a briefing. The programme […]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal appeals court on Thursday rejected the Trump administration’s bid to halt an order requiring it to release millions of dollars in grants meant to address the shortage of mental health workers in schools. The mental health program, which was funded by Congress after the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, included grants meant to help schools hire more counselors, psychologists and social workers, with […]

By Laurie Chen, Fabian Hamacher and Joyce Zhou HONG KONG, Dec 5 (Reuters) – Turnout is expected to be low for Hong Kong’s “patriots only” legislative election on Sunday, with subdued political campaigning as the population reels from the city’s deadliest blaze in decades that has killed 159 people so far. Volunteers tentatively handed out flyers and hung banners outside subway stations and crowded intersections on Friday, but they were […]

Rui Hachimura hit the game-winning corner 3-pointer at the buzzer Thursday night and the visiting Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Toronto Raptors 123-120. LeBron James set up the winning basket with his 11th assist of the game. He finished with eight points to end his streak of 1,297 consecutive games with double figures in scoring. The last time James failed to reach 10 points in a game was Jan. 5, […]

DUMAYR, Syria (AP) — A raid by U.S. forces and a local Syrian group aiming to capture an Islamic State group official instead killed a man who had been working undercover gathering intelligence on the extremists, family members and Syrian officials have told The Associated Press. The killing in October underscores the complex political and security landscape as the United States begins working with interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in […]

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Asian shares were mixed on Friday after the U.S. stock market held near its records in a quiet day of trading. U.S. futures were higher while oil prices fell. Japan’s Nikkei 225 trimmed gains from the previous day, shedding 1.2% to 50,408.70. Government data showed household spending in Japan fell 3.0% year-on-year in October, below market expectation for a light increase and the sharpest drop since […]

Dec 5 (Reuters) – Visa is moving its European headquarters to London’s Canary Wharf, the Financial Times reported on Friday. Visa is leasing 300,000 square feet at One Canada Square for a 15-year term, the report said, adding that the firm will lease 11 floors in the building that it is set it to occupy in 2028, the newspaper reported, citing the Canary Wharf Group. Visa and Canary Wharf Group […]

TAIPEI/TOKYO, Dec 5 (Reuters) – Taiwan and Japan voiced concern on Friday over Chinese military activities in the region, after Reuters reported that Beijing had deployed a large number of vessels across East Asian waters this week in its largest maritime show of force to date. Reuters exclusively reported on Thursday that China was deploying a large number of naval and coast guard ships across East Asian waters – at […]

By Helen Reid and Greta Rosen Fondahn LONDON/STOCKHOLM, Dec 5 (Reuters) – IKEA plans to source more products from factories in the United States, the Swedish furniture group’s top supply chain executive told Reuters, as President Donald Trump’s tariffs drive up the cost of importing bookcases, mattresses and sofas. This marks a big shift for IKEA after the share of the company’s U.S.-made products declined over the past decade. Inter […]