Town Hall News

(Refiles to add dropped words ‘to be’ in final paragraph) BEIJING (Reuters) – China and the Philippines should manage their differences properly, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday, after the first in-person meeting between senior diplomats from the countries since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Bilateral tensions have risen recently over naval disputes in contested areas of the South China Sea and the increasing U.S. military presence in the Philippines. […]

By Sumit Khanna and Arpan Chaturvedi AHMEDABAD, India (Reuters) -A lower court in India sentenced opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday to two years in jail on charges of defamation for a 2019 speech in which he referred to thieves as having the surname Modi. Gandhi will appeal against the order in a higher court, but any jailing for him or his disqualification from parliament would be a blow to […]

SHANGHAI (Reuters) -A Chinese start-up inspired by lockdown isolation has invented a long-distance kissing machine that transmits users’ kiss data collected through motion sensors hidden in silicon lips, which simultaneously move when replaying kisses received.     The MUA – named after the sound people commonly make when blowing a kiss – also captures and replays sound and warms up slightly during kissing, making the experience more authentic, said Beijing-based […]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits edged down last week, showing no signs yet that the recent financial market turbulence following the failure of two regional banks was having an impact on the economy. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 191,000 for the week ended March 18, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters […]

By John Revill and Aniruddha Ghosh (Reuters) -The Bank of England on Thursday followed the Federal Reserve and the Swiss National Bank in hiking interest rates, as policymakers ploughed on with their fight against inflation in the face of the instability that rippled through the global banking system this month. Investors had questioned whether the central banks could press on with tightening policy after the collapse of two U.S. lenders […]

By Lucien Libert and Stephane Mahe PARIS (Reuters) -French workers angry with President Emmanuel Macron and his plan to raise the pension age blocked access to a terminal at Paris’ main airport on Thursday as part of a nationwide day of protests, forcing some travellers to get there on foot. At Roissy-Charles De Gaulle airport and across the country, wildcat actions by small groups of protesters blocked roads and access […]

By Makiko Yamazaki TOKYO (Reuters) -Toshiba Corp’s board has accepted a $15.2 billion buyout offer from a group led by private equity firm Japan Industrial Partners, the company said on Thursday, potentially drawing a line under years of upheaval at the conglomerate. A successful deal, which would value Toshiba at 4,620 yen per share or 2 trillion yen in total, would see the scandal-ridden company taken private and firmly in […]

TUNIS (Reuters) – Four African migrant boats sank off Tunisia on Wednesday and Thursday as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to Italy, leaving at least five dead and 33 missing, while the Coast Guard rescued 84 others, a judicial official told Reuters. Judge Faouzi Masmoudi said the boats sank off the coast of Sfax, adding that the frequency of such attempted crossings has increased significantly recently. (Reporting by Tarek […]

(Reuters) – Wrexham’s Hollywood owners have secured the A-list signing of former Manchester United and England goalkeeper Ben Foster until the end of the season, the fifth-tier club said on Thursday. Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur are reported to have tried unsuccessfully to lure the 39-year-old Foster out of retirement following an injury to first-choice Hugo Lloris. But Wrexham have pulled off a significant signing as they aim to secure […]