Town Hall News

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers for Rep. Eric Swalwell demanded Monday that FBI Director Kash Patel immediately end any effort to release records from a decade-old investigation involving the California Democrat and a suspected Chinese operative that resulted in no criminal charges. The cease-and-desist letter from the attorneys advises Patel that he would run afoul of both federal law and longstanding Justice Department policy if he moves forward with releasing records […]

March 30 (Reuters) – American Exchange Group (AXNY) entered an agreement on Monday to buy all the assets and liabilities of footwear maker Allbirds for $39 million. Here are some details on this: * Allbirds plans to file a proxy statement by April 24seeking shareholder approval for the asset sale and thesubsequent dissolution and wind-down of the company, theshoemaker said. * Shares of Allbirds rose about 32% to $3.92 in […]

By Scott Murdoch SYDNEY, March 31 (Reuters) – Australia’s No.2 pension fund has increased its global equities, Australian and British bond investments, some of the world’s most sold-off asset classes, in the past month to take advantage of financial market volatility created by the Iran war. The Australian Retirement Trust, which has A$350 billion ($240.42 billion) in funds under management, is carrying out more direct market trading than usual, according […]

BEIJING, March 30 (Reuters) – China has launched the World Data Organisation, a professional body to promote orderly data development and utilisation as well as its governance globally, according to state television CCTV. Here are some details of the organisation:  * The organisation aims to “break barriers” around differentdata policies in different countries by promoting industryconsensus, and helping multinational enterprises reduce datacompliance costs. * It also aims to build ecosystems […]

By Nicole Jao NEW YORK, March 30 (Reuters) – The U.S. national average retail price of gasoline crossed $4 a gallon for the first time in more than three years on Monday, data from price-tracking service GasBuddy showed, as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran rages on. (Reporting by Nicole Jao in New York and Noel John in Bengaluru; Editing by Jamie Freed) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

SEOUL, March 31 (Reuters) – South Korea’s Samsung SDI said it plans to lend 1.6 trillion won ($1.05 billion) to StarPlus Energy, its battery joint venture with Stellantis. The company said in a regulatory filing that the loan would be used to fund capital investment. Last month, Bloomberg reported that Stellantis was looking to exit its U.S. battery joint venture with Samsung SDI as the automaker scales back its electric […]

SINGAPORE, March 31 (Reuters) – The dollar headed for its biggest monthly gain since July on Tuesday and stands out as the strongest so-called safe asset as war in the Mideast has set oil prices surging and raised the risk of global recession. Overnight the dollar extended gains widely, save for against the yen where renewed threats of intervention from Tokyo have traders wary of selling the yen too far […]

SYDNEY, March 31 (Reuters) – Australia’s central bank board felt monetary policy needed to be restrictive when it decided to raise rates earlier this month in a split decision, although it was ready to respond should the conflict in the Middle East lead to an economic downturn. Minutes of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s March board meeting released on Tuesday showed board members agreed it was not possible to predict […]

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to target Iran’s energy infrastructure, including the country’s desalination plants. Such a move — and Iran’s possible targeting of the plants of its Gulf Arab neighbors — could have devastating impacts across the water-starved Middle East. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said if a deal to end the war isn’t reached “shortly” and the Strait of Hormuz, where much oil passes […]