Town Hall News

BEIJING, Dec 5 (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping accompanied his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to Chengdu on Friday, a rare gesture seemingly reserved for the head of Europe’s second-largest economy that highlights Beijing’s focus on Paris in its dealings with the European Union. The French president began his day by surprising fellow joggers in the city’s Jincheng Lake Park, videos circulating Chinese social media showed, before joining Xi at […]

By Ben Blanchard TAIPEI, Dec 5 (Reuters) – Taiwan has been “very moved” by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments last month on peace and stability even in the face of strong pressure, Premier Cho Jung-tai said on Friday. China and Japan are in their worst diplomatic crisis in years, after Takaichi said last month in parliament a hypothetical Chinese attack on democratically governed Taiwan could trigger a military response […]

TORONTO (AP) — LeBron James’ streak of 1,297 consecutive double-digit regular-season scoring efforts ended Thursday night, when the NBA’s career points leader was held to eight points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 123-120 win over the Toronto Raptors. James could have tried to win the game — and extend the streak — on the final possession, but he instead passed the ball to Rui Hachimura in the left corner. Hachimura’s […]

Madina Okot scored nine of her 23 points in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead layup with 1:33 to play, as visiting No. 3 South Carolina edged No. 22 Louisville 79-77 in an ACC/SEC Challenge game on Thursday. The Cardinals led 75-72 with 2:27 to go before consecutive hoops from Okot moved the Gamecocks in front. A layup by Raven Johnson with 33 seconds remaining increased South Carolina’s lead to […]

Dec 4 (Reuters) – A consortium of leading film industry figures has urged the U.S. Congress to intervene, warning of a looming economic and institutional crisis in Hollywood if Netflix succeeds in acquiring Warner Bros Discovery, Variety reported on Thursday. Reuters could not independently verify the report. Comcast declined to comment. Netflix, Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount Skydance did not respond to requests for comment outside regular business hours. Netflix […]

By Tamiyuki Kihara, Leika Kihara and Tom Westbrook TOKYO, Dec 5 (Reuters) – As Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was finalising her $137 billion spending plan last month, which in recent weeks has put Japan into a standoff with investors over the outlook for government finances, a bond chart was brought to her attention. Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama pulled up the chart on her tablet at a November 17 meeting in […]

NASCAR president Steve O’Donnell testified on the fourth day of the NASCAR antitrust trial Thursday in Charlotte and admitted the France family was against a proposed revenue model that would have improved racing teams’ viability. The France family have owned and operated NASCAR since Bill France Sr. founded the league in 1948. Jim France currently serves as the CEO and chairman. O’Donnell was NASCAR’s COO in 2022 when he was […]

The Boston Red Sox continued remaking their rotation on Thursday, acquiring right-hander Johan Oviedo in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In exchange, Pittsburgh received outfielder Jhostynxon “The Password” Garcia and minor league right-hander Jesus Travieso. Two minor leaguers, catcher Adonys Guzman and left-hander Tyler Samaniego, are joining Oviedo in heading to the Boston organization. Earlier this week, the Red Sox added right-hander Sonny Gray in a trade with the […]

By Devayani Sathyan BENGALURU, Dec 5 (Reuters) – The Reserve Bank of Australia will hold its cash rate at 3.60% on Tuesday and keep it there through 2026, according to a Reuters poll, a shift from last month when a majority of economists expected at least one rate cut next year. After lifting rates to a 12-year high of 4.35%, the RBA has cut 75 basis points this year, but […]