Town Hall News

MADRID (Reuters) – As many as 50 migrants attempting to reach Spain by boat from West Africa may have drowned, migrant rights group Walking Borders said on Thursday. Moroccan authorities on Wednesday rescued 36 people from a boat that had departed from Mauritania on Jan. 2, the group based in Madrid and Navarra said, and had carried 86 migrants, including 66 Pakistanis. A record 10,457 migrants, or 30 people a […]

By Summer Zhen HONG KONG (Reuters) – Steven Cohen’s Point72 Asset Management’s new artificial intelligence (AI)-focused fund posted a 14% gain after launching just three months ago, growing the fund to nearly $1.5 billion, according to sources familiar with the matter. Point72 Turion, which kicked off trading in October and is run by portfolio manager Eric Sanchez, was expected to reach $1.5 billion in April based on its performance and […]

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – The Australian Open third round begins on Friday with defending champion Aryna Sabalenka kicking things off on Rod Laver Arena while Novak Djokovic resumes his quest for an 11th title. Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Coco Gauff are among the other top seeds in action on the showcourts while familiar foes Naomi Osaka and Belinda Bencic meet on John Cain Arena. TOP WOMEN’S MATCH: NAOMI OSAKA V […]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Thursday his Cabinet won’t meet to approve the agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages until Hamas backs down, accusing the group of reneging on parts of the agreement in an attempt to gain further concessions. Netanyahu said a “last-minute crisis” with Hamas was holding up Israeli approval of the long-awaited ceasefire agreement. His office […]

HONG KONG (AP) — Taiwan computer chip maker TSMC reported Thursday that its profit in the last quarter rose 57%, buoyed by the artificial intelligence boom. The world’s biggest semiconductor manufacturer reported a net profit of 374.7 billion new Taiwan dollars ($11.4 billion), higher than expected. Last week, the company, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp., reported that its revenue for 2024 rose almost 34% to 2.9 trillion new Taiwan dollars ($88 […]

NEW YORK (AP) — The supremely popular TikTok could be banned on Jan. 19 under a federal law that forces the video sharing platform to divest itself from its China-based parent company, ByteDance, or shut down its U.S. operations. Several parties have expressed interest in buying the platform, but ByteDance has repeatedly said it does not plan to sell. Experts have also noted the Chinese government is unlikely to approve […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden issued an executive order on Thursday aimed at strengthening the nation’s cybersecurity and making it easier to go after foreign adversaries or hacking groups that try to compromise U.S. internet and telecommunication systems. Provisions in the order call for the development of minimum cybersecurity standards for government technology contractors and require that contractors submit evidence that they’re complying with the rules. They also are […]

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia welcomes any settlement that leads to security in Gaza after a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas was announced, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. The complex ceasefire accord between Israel and militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, emerged on Wednesday after mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. and 15 months of bloodshed that devastated the coastal territory and inflamed the Middle East. […]

By Kristina Cooke and Ted Hesson Blanca Figueroa and Severiano Martinez have known from the start of their eight-year marriage that she was at risk of deportation because she entered the United States illegally. Now – with President-elect Donald Trump expected to issue a flurry of executive orders aimed at speeding the deportation process on the day he takes office on Jan. 20 – that risk has become an overwhelming […]