Why are some British Conservatives behaving like the next election is already lost?
CNN
23-05-18 15:19
A three-day National Conservatism conference, promoting the ideology of a strong nation state and traditional family values, among other things, took place in London this week. The conference was hosted by the Edmund Burke Foundation and was seen as a direct challenge to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's authority. UK National Conservatism is the right-wing political movement that puts strong nation states and traditional values of home, law and order, and sovereignty. While this movement has been gaining popularity overseas, in the UK, evidence suggests that it is not popular with the public. The Conservatives have experienced their worst polling numbers for a year, however, supporters of Sunak believe his slow-and-steady approach is what the public want rather than ideas and culture wars. The general theme of the conference was that British Conservatism is having an identity crisis and the National Conservatism ideas could be the solution. The UK’s tax burden is at its highest since World War II. Tax and Brexit are major issues for people on this side of the party.
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle were pursued by a large number of photographers in Manhattan after attending an event on Tuesday night. The security team employed to shepherd the couple away from the venue reportedly egged on the paparazzi who blocked roads and ran red lights in a pursuit that lasted over an hour, according to the couple's spokesperson. The security detail claims that the photographers behind them caused panic and a near collision. The issue of media intrusion and the pressure it places on the Royal Family was a concern of Princess Diana, the Prince's mother, who died while being chased by paparazzi in Paris in 1997. Responding to the event, a spokesperson for the New York Police Department defended the actions of their team, saying: “The threats involved never materialised into any actual danger.”
Climate change poses a grave risk to global health as it endangers both human life through extreme weather conditions and the environment in which animals habitually live. In turn, increased temperatures and altered environments are heightening the risk of outbreaks of deadly diseases as disease-carrying animals and insects migrate to survive in new environments. While the changes leave all make humans vulnerable to disease, northern regions of the planet are particularly at risk of developing epidemic outbreaks. There is an urgent need to invest in battling climate change, as it not only harms human life but threatens the conservation of many animal species.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is hosting an event to commemorate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The event will include a keynote address by Ambassador Katherine Tai, the U.S. Trade Representative and Co-Chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. A panel discussion will also explore ways to counter AAPI hate and discrimination and its intersections with U.S. foreign policy in Asia, building on a previous event held in 2021. The event is being hosted by CSIS' Asia Program, Diversity and Leadership in International Affairs Project, and the staff-led Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Employee Resource Group.
British Chambers of Commerce president, Baroness Martha Lane Fox, has claimed TikTok's addictive content is causing teens to lose ambition and motivation. Baroness Lane Fox says the app feeds Western teens “dumbed down” content, while presenting Chinese young people education-orientation, embedding "motivation and wider information collection". The comments come amidst increased global concern's surrounding TikTok's Chinese associations in terms of censorship, propaganda, espionage, and product tie-ins with equipment produced by companies such as Huawei. Western democratic leaders are being forced to evaluate how they can hold Chinese tech companies liable for inappropriate behaviour and establish international standards through regulatory controls.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have just soft-launched their US campaign to influence press privacy laws. However, they may find the American take on celebrity privacy is quite different from their expectations. In Los Angeles, paparazzi behaviour is relatively controlled (though press photographers are still far less restricted than in the UK), but in New York the state constitution doesn't uphold privacy at all. If the couple wants to change the rules around news gathering they may need to attack the methods rather than the news agencies themselves – they'll need Support from a lot of celebrities to be successful.
Hollywood's actors union has asked members to give negotiators the power to call a strike, putting additional pressure on major studios already facing a writers' strike. The SAG-AFTRA actors union has set a June 5 deadline for its 160,000 members to approve a strike authorisation vote, which could lead to a work stoppage if they are unable to reach a new contract agreement with the studios. Actors have similar concerns to writers, such as pay rises and the use of artificial intelligence in compensation. Meanwhile, ongoing negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the studios are set to begin on June 7, with the actors' current labour contract set to expire June 30.
US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said that far-right members of Congress positioning themselves against corporations that promote diversity or progressive ideas like Coca-Cola, Disney, and Bud Light has united most Americans who are on the other side of the fence. Speaking to Wired, Buttigieg expressed hope about common ground in America, in part thanks to the GOP. Over the last few years, notable right-wing members of Congress have blasted several companies for promoting inclusivity, with some campaigns calling for boycotts against the likes of Anheuser-Busch.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is hosting an event to commemorate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The event will include a keynote address by Ambassador Katherine Tai, the U.S. Trade Representative and Co-Chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. A panel discussion will also explore ways to counter AAPI hate and discrimination and its intersections with U.S. foreign policy in Asia, building on a previous event held in 2021. The event is being hosted by CSIS' Asia Program, Diversity and Leadership in International Affairs Project, and the staff-led Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Employee Resource Group.
Toyota retools the Tacoma to compete in a tougher truck market
CNN
23-05-19 00:43
Toyota recently unveiled a new model of its bestselling small pick-up truck favorite, the Tacoma. It will boast a manual transmission, hybrid engines and several bump-ups in both luxury and ruggedness. The Tacoma will go up against newly redesigned small pick-up truck models from GM, Ford and Jeep. Mid-size pickups account for only 3.6% of all new vehicles sold in the US, although market share in the segment has more than doubled over the past ten years. The truck ranges from $30,000 to $50,000 based on the 2021 model. The new Tacos will sell later this year, while hybrids will be available until spring 2024.
Three former FBI employees have testified to a special House committee investigating claims of government “weaponization” against conservatives. The individuals claimed there had been overreach and retaliation by the FBI, but testimony from Jennifer Leigh Moore, an executive assistant director of human resources at the agency, has shown that only 32 of almost 80,000 staff at the body currently have suspended security clearance. The testimony followed Wednesday’s announcement that the security clearance of former employees Marcus Allen and Steve Friend had been revoked amid concerns over the trio’s views of the Capitol attack on 6 January 2021. Friend was accused of espousing alternative theories about the attack, while Allen was said to have done the same and to have disregarded supervisoral requests that he stop. A third employee received a revocation for having entered the restricted Capitol area and having provided misleading information to investigators.
British novelist Salman Rushdie has made his first in-person public appearance since he was severely injured in August 2020 after being stabbed repeatedly by a young man who had been carrying a knife. Rushdie made the visit for the annual PEN America gala, a literary and free expression organisation that he formerly served as president. Iranian dissident Narges Mohammadi and the founder of Saturday Night Live, Lorne Michaels, were among others scheduled to be honoured at the event. Rushdie was said to be emotional upon taking the podium to make remarks during the gala.
The AP has released a photo gallery highlighting some of the most captivating pictures taken or published in North America over the past week. The images showcase some of AP's finest photojournalistic work and include stories from events such as the US Colonial Pipeline cyber attack and the deadly eruption of a volcano in St. Vincent. The selection was curated by AP photo editor Patrick Sison in New York.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is hosting an event to commemorate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The event will include a keynote address by Ambassador Katherine Tai, the U.S. Trade Representative and Co-Chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. A panel discussion will also explore ways to counter AAPI hate and discrimination and its intersections with U.S. foreign policy in Asia, building on a previous event held in 2021. The event is being hosted by CSIS' Asia Program, Diversity and Leadership in International Affairs Project, and the staff-led Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Employee Resource Group.
G7 leaders gather on China’s doorstep to seek unified response to Beijing’s threat
CNN
23-05-19 04:17
The G7 summit, which has convened in Hiroshima, will focus on the dominant issue of China and Russia, with the G7 nations seeking to present a united approach to China’s increasing economic and military might and Russia’s activities in Ukraine. The economic security of the G7 nations is of particular concern in the face of China’s assertive demonstrations of economic coercion. China has already bolstered its ties with Russia, and is attempting to drive a wedge into the transatlantic alliance, which has concerned officials in Washington. Yasuhiro Matsuda, an international relations professor at the University of Tokyo, suggests that the G7 meeting constitutes a platform for the leaders to discuss how to deal with these issues. However, a different approach is required considering members’ different concerns and relationships with Beijing and in view of their strong economic links to China. It remains to be seen how the summit will help to recalibrate the G7 approach toward China, but it is anticipated that leaders will work toward diversifying supply chains and reducing reliance on China.
Regional leaders from the Middle East are due to attend a summit on Friday, including Syria's Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian leader's presence at the meeting shows a significant triumph for the once-derided president, putting a close to a decade of civil war due to his brutal handling of political unrest. Syria’s return to the Arab League, following an 11 year suspension, highlights a stark gap between the United States and its closest Middle Eastern allies on an issue that had united them. The Biden administration has said it pledges to maintain its policy of isolation and pressure against Assad, whose campaign resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Syrians and the displacement of half his country’s population. The growing rapprochement underscores a realisation in Middle Eastern countries that the US-led policy of replacing the Syrian leader had failed, whilst at the same set the stage for the rise of ISIS and expansion of Iranian military power on NATO’s borders. Arab leaders have accused the US of neglecting the region in favour of China and Russia, and are now left to readjust US priorities.
It is now no longer considered a "conspiracy theory" that the COVID-19 virus possibly originated in a lab in Wuhan, China. New evidence suggests that the virus was not transmitted from animal to human, but was leaked from a laboratory. This new evidence implies that Chinese lab leaks could be responsible for a worldwide pandemic, including the deaths of nearly 7 million people, including more than 1.1 million Americans, and an estimated $10 trillion in damage. Analysts at the Department of Energy and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in addition to senior analysts at the U.S. Department of Energy, have come to this judgment based on recent intelligence. Despite Chinese communist officials insisting on the natural origin of the virus, it is believed that their stubborn refusal to cooperate with international research teams hindered the production of definitive evidence concerning the pandemic's origins. A congressional inquiry will examine the federal officials' understanding and response and correct any deficiencies in America's response to a public health crisis.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued new recommendations on how government-run public schools should help combat America’s childhood obesity epidemic. The recommendation sparked outrage with some critics saying that it takes decision-making power from parents and gives it to unelected, unaccountable administrators. The AAP’s guidelines call for a “whole child” approach to solving obesity, which would place all medical records, access to healthcare, and social services within each k-12 school. The AAP recognises that many issues that contribute to weight gain—from divorced or single-parent homes, fast food heavy diets in the car, financial stress, to cultural habits, but calls for medical interventions and school-based care. The family is relegated to the fourth position in how effective “whole-child” healthcare can be provided. The days of nutrition, exercise, and educating parents on healthy nutrition are long gone, instead, families play an observant role, supporting the primary work of the school in caring for their children.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is hosting an event to commemorate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The event will include a keynote address by Ambassador Katherine Tai, the U.S. Trade Representative and Co-Chair of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. A panel discussion will also explore ways to counter AAPI hate and discrimination and its intersections with U.S. foreign policy in Asia, building on a previous event held in 2021. The event is being hosted by CSIS' Asia Program, Diversity and Leadership in International Affairs Project, and the staff-led Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Employee Resource Group.
Andy Rourke, the bassist of The Smiths, has died at the age of 59 from pancreatic cancer, his former bandmate Johnny Marr announced on Twitter. Marr described Rourke as a kind and beautiful soul and “one of those rare people that absolutely no one doesn’t like”. Rourke joined The Smiths when guitarist Marr invited him to play bass and became known for his playing on the band’s most famous tracks. Following his departure from the band for two weeks after an arrest for suspicion of possession of heroin, he became a bass player for a range of artists, including Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown. Rourke also formed the band Freebass alongside the Stone Roses’ Mani and New Order’s Peter Hook.
