Town Hall News

(Corrects figure in second paragraph to 191,000 from 192,000) WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits edged down last week, showing no signs yet that the recent financial market turbulence following the failure of two regional banks was having an impact on the economy. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 191,000 for the week ended March 18, the Labor […]

TEL AVIV/JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israelis took to the streets en masse on Thursday in protest against the government’s overhaul of the court system, blocking roadways across the country and intensifying a months-long campaign decrying the move. Thousands of people waving flags and blaring horns marched on a Tel Aviv thoroughfare stopping traffic in the middle of the workday. Police sprayed a water cannon and carried some away as they tried […]

BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Hungary would not arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin if he entered the country, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff said on Thursday, adding that it would have no legal grounds. Hungary signed and ratified the Rome Statute that created the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant on Friday accusing Putin of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine. It […]

By Sumit Khanna and Arpan Chaturvedi AHMEDABAD, India (Reuters) -A lower court in India sentenced opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday to two years in jail on charges of defamation for a 2019 speech in which he referred to thieves as having the surname Modi. Gandhi will appeal against the order in a higher court, but any jailing for him or his disqualification from parliament would be a blow to […]

By Karen Freifeld NEW YORK (Reuters) – Another day passed on Wednesday without an indictment against former President Donald Trump, who had forecast he would be arrested on Tuesday in a Manhattan probe of alleged illegal hush-money payments he made to porn star Stormy Daniels. A  Manhattan grand jury did not meet as had been expected on Wednesday, a law enforcement source said, although it was unclear why that was […]

By Makiko Yamazaki TOKYO (Reuters) – Toshiba Corp’s board has accepted a buyout offer from a group led by private equity firm Japan Industrial Partners, valuing the company at 2 trillion yen ($15.2 billion), the company said on Thursday. A successful deal would see the scandal-ridden industrial conglomerate taken private and firmly in domestic hands after much tension with overseas activist shareholders.    It is however not yet clear whether activist […]

By John Revill and Noele Illien ZURICH (Reuters) -The Swiss National Bank raised its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points on Thursday and said UBS’s forced takeover of Credit Suisse had averted a financial disaster, adding it was now critical the merger took place in a smooth and fast way. The multi-billion Swiss francs rescue package brokered by the SNB, government and regulator on Sunday prevented a systemic crisis, […]

(Reuters) -General Mills Inc on Thursday raised its fiscal 2023 forecasts for a fourth time after beating estimates for quarterly results, helped by price increases and steady demand for its packaged-food products. Multinational packaged food companies have been bumping up their product prices to shield their profit margins from spiraling costs and have faced low resistance as Americans cut down on dining out amid growing fears of a recession. General […]

BEIJING (Reuters) – China will make efforts to stabilise automobile, consumer electronics consumption, and expand home appliances and green building materials consumption, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Thursday. The country will also consolidate its leading position in industries such as new energy vehicles, photovoltaic equipment, mobile communications and power equipment, the ministry said in a statement on its website. China’s industrial economy is still recovering in […]