Town Hall News

(Reuters) – Utah Governor Spencer Cox on Thursday signed two laws intended to restrict social media use by minors, becoming the first U.S. state to require parental permission for anyone under 18 to use such platforms as Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. The two bills, passed earlier this month by Utah’s Republican-controlled legislature, are also meant to make it easier to sue social media companies for damages. The impact of social […]

By David Lawder and Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Thursday the United States was looking at ways to strengthen its sanctions against Iran, but acknowledged the sanctions had not resulted in the behavioral or policy changes Washington desires from Tehran. “Our sanctions on Iran have created real economic crisis in the country, and Iran is greatly suffering economically because of the sanctions … Has […]

By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The quirky comet ‘Oumuamua, the first interstellar object found visiting our solar system, has been the subject of fascination since being spotted in 2017, including its curious acceleration as it hurtled away from the sun. Hypotheses were floated in light of its unexpected behavior, including fleeting speculation that it might actually have been an alien spacecraft. A new study has offered a more sober […]

(Reuters) – A recent ban of TikTok use on U.S. government-owned devices, coupled with new legislation in Congress seeking to block the app, have fueled expectations the popular Chinese-owned platform could soon be barred nationwide. Adding to the perception, last week the company said the Biden administration had demanded TikTok’s owners divest their stakes in the popular video app or face a possible ban. It is unclear how the Biden […]

By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) – A key prosecution witness whose testimony helped convict Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes of fraud sued Walt Disney Co on Thursday over a recent Hulu miniseries that he says defamed him by portraying him as corrupt. Adam Rosendorff, a former Theranos lab director, objected in a New York state court filing to a fictional character who held the same job in “The Dropout,” which […]

By Sabine Siebold, Andrew Gray and Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS (Reuters) -European Union leaders held talks on Thursday with U.N. chief Antonio Guterres on global food security and sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, and also endorsed a plan to supply more artillery shells to Kyiv. Guterres’ participation in the EU summit came days after the renewal of a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey on […]

By Michael S. Derby NEW YORK (Reuters) -Federal Reserve emergency lending to banks, which hit record levels last week, remained high in the latest week, amid continued large scale extensions of credit to the financial system, which now includes official foreign borrowing. The Fed reported that discount window borrowing, its main source of emergency credit to depository institutions, ticked down to $110.2 billion as of Wednesday, from the $152.9 billion […]

SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korean state news agency KCNA said on Friday it tested a new nuclear underwater attack drone under leader Kim Jong Un’s guidance this week, as a U.S. amphibious assault ship arrived in South Korea for joint drills. The North’s state news agency also confirmed it fired cruise missiles during the weapon test and firing drill that took place from Tuesday to Thursday. During the drill, the North […]

(Reuters) – Americans Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff secured straight-sets victories over Canadians on Thursday to book their spots in the third round of the Miami Open. Third seed Pegula beat qualifier Katherine Sebov 6-3 6-1 and will next face fellow American Danielle Collins while sixth seed Gauff eased past Rebecca Marino 6-4 6-3 to set up a battle with Russia’s Anastasia Potapova. Pegula, a semi-finalist last year in Miami […]