Town Hall News

BOGOTA (Reuters) – Demonstrators in Colombia’s capital Bogota protested bull fighting and bull running on Tuesday, calling on lawmakers to ban the practice. Dozens of protesters – including eight half-naked demonstrators painted in fake blood while wearing just shorts and bull masks – gathered outside the country’s Congress in Bolivar Square. “We’re here to scream in a united voice that Colombia is in the process of building peace and that […]

By Blake Brittain (Reuters) -Sportswear maker Adidas AG on Wednesday reversed course and said it was withdrawing a request to the U.S. Trademark Office to reject a Black Lives Matter application for a trademark featuring three parallel stripes. “Adidas will withdraw its opposition to the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation’s trademark application as soon as possible,” a spokesperson for the German company said, without giving a reason for the […]

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Electronic billboards in Moscow tell the public what to pack for a nuclear emergency, and President Vladimir Putin periodically warns darkly that Russia is ready to use its ultimate deterrent – but Muscovites seem to be taking it all in their stride. “I don’t think anything will happen, if you mean a nuclear threat,” said Andrey, 47, who declined to give his surname, standing under one of […]

By Fabian Hamacher and Bernard Orr TAOYUAN, Taiwan/BEIJING (Reuters) -External pressure will not stop Taiwan engaging with the world, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Wednesday as she left for the United States, hitting a defiant note after China threatened retaliation if she met U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. China, which claims democratically-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, has repeatedly warned U.S. officials not to meet Tsai, viewing it as support […]

By Ayenat Mersie NAIROBI (Reuters) – Religious leaders and human rights groups in Kenya called for calm on Tuesday as a second week of protests against cost of living increases raised fears of further violence, while President William Ruto said criminals would be held to account. Opposition leader Raila Odinga, who lost to Ruto in last August’s election, is leading the protests against the high cost of basic staples and […]

By Daniela Desantis ASUNCION (Reuters) -Paraguay’s ruling Colorado Party – a conservative political machine that has dominated government in Asuncion for some eight decades – could be facing a major challenge at the ballot box next month. Voters say they want change and are fed up with internal party squabbles and allegations of graft – opening up the door for a broad opposition alliance to win power. The single-round election […]

(Reuters) – Investors cheered a major revamp of Alibaba Group as a sign Beijing’s crackdown on the corporate sector was nearing an end, sending shares of the Jack Ma-founded company and its peers soaring on Wednesday. Alibaba said on Tuesday it was planning to split into six units and explore fundraisings or listings for most of them, in the biggest restructuring of the technology conglomerate in its 24-year history. The […]

By Yantoultra Ngui and Anshuman Daga SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Australia’s largest private hospital operator Ramsay Health Care and Malaysian conglomerate Sime Darby plan to revive the sale of their Asia-focused healthcare joint venture in a deal that could value the business at some 6 billion ringgit ($1.36 billion), two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The companies are in talks with financial advisors to explore a sale of […]

RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s cabinet approved on Wednesday a decision to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, as Riyadh builds a long-term partnership with China despite U.S. security concerns. Saudi Arabia has approved a memorandum on granting the kingdom the status of a dialogue partner in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), state news agency SPA said. The SCO is a political and security union of countries spanning much of Eurasia, […]