Town Hall News

(Reuters) – The eastern Canadian city of Halifax declared a state of local emergency late on Sunday after a wildfire caused evacuations and power outages. “Emergency responders are working around the clock to keep people safe and reduce the threats posed by the fires,” the municipal authority in the capital of Nova Scotia province said in a press release. The fire sent a huge pall of smoke over the port […]

By Valentyn Ogirenko and Gleb Garanich KYIV (Reuters) -Russia unleashed waves of air strikes on Kyiv overnight in what officials said was the largest drone attack of the city but crowds poured into the streets later on Sunday to celebrate the anniversary of the Ukrainian capital’s founding. Ukrainian military said it had downed 58 of the 59 launched drones, described by the air force as a record assault with the […]

(Reuters) – Western countries left Belarus no choice but to deploy Russian tactical nuclear weapons and had better take heed not to “cross red lines” on key strategic issues, a senior Belarusian official was quoted as saying on Sunday. Alexander Volfovich, state secretary of Belarus’ Security Council, said it was logical that the weapons were withdrawn after the 1991 Soviet collapse as the United States had provided security guarantees and […]

By Lincoln Feast (Reuters) – Hawaii’s Carissa Moore dominated the pool at the Surf Ranch Pro in Lemoore, California, on Sunday to climb to the top of surfing’s world tour rankings and improve her chances of qualifying for the Paris Olympics to defend her gold medal. California’s Griffin Colapinto took out Brazil’s 2019 world champion and Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Italo Ferreira in a high-scoring men’s final. Moore was flawless […]

By Valentyn Ogirenko and Gleb Garanich (Reuters) – Russia launched a new wave of air attacks on Kyiv in early hours on Monday using drones and cruise missiles, with the military administration of the Ukrainian capital saying defence forces shot down more than 40 targets. In what was Russia’s 15th air assault on the city in May and second overnight attack in a row and of similar intensity, there were […]

(Reuters) – Australia’s AMP said on Monday Blair Vernon will take over from Peter Fredricson as its chief financial officer and will dissolve the structure of its local wealth management arm in a bid to simplify its operational model. Shares of the 174-year-old wealth manager traded 1.4% higher as at 0224 GMT, marking their second straight session of gains. The move comes as assets under management at AMP’s flagship Australian […]

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol begins the country’s first summit with leaders of Pacific islands on Monday, as Seoul seeks to increase its influence in a region that has become the focus of intense geopolitical rivalry. Yoon launched his administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy last year, pledging to foster a “free, peaceful and prosperous” region built on a rules-based order, amid concerns over China’s security ambitions for the […]

BEIJING (Reuters) -Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao urged Japan to correct its “wrongdoing” of imposing chip export controls, according to a statement from the Chinese commerce ministry on Monday. Wang made the comments during talks with Japanese Trade Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura on May 26 at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference. Wang was quoted as saying that Japan had ignored China’s strong opposition and opinion within the industry and that […]

By Florence Tan SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Oil prices rose on Monday after U.S. leaders reached a tentative debt ceiling deal, possibly averting a default in the world’s largest economy and oil consumer, although concerns about further interest rate hikes capped gains. Brent crude futures climbed 66 cents, or 0.9%, to $77.61 a barrel by 0247 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $73.42 a barrel, up 75 cents, or […]