Joe Biden's re-election 2024 campaign is planning to retain the key battleground states he won in 2020, while also trying to make gains in states he lost including North Carolina and Florida. Re-election campaign chief, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, emailed interested parties to say the Democrats will plan early investments to keep Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Nevada and New Hampshire, while also targeting Georgia and Arizona. The email did not specifically address former president Donald Trump, but referred to Democrats "prevailing over the MAGA extremist agenda once again". Biden's presidential campaign strategy generally focused on painting former president Trump and his supporters as a direct threat to American political values. National Democrats remain firmly behind Biden, who will face only token opposition in the party's presidential primary from self-help author Marianne Williamson and anti-vaccine activist Robert Kennedy Jr.
President Joe Biden's reelection campaign plans to hold the states that won him the White House in 2020 but also compete in places it lost like North Carolina and increasingly Republican-dominated Florida. Biden’s political advisers have long argued that Biden beat Trump once and can do so again. The campaign aims to spread its message online and through in-person contacts with voters, but will rely heavily on leveraging voters' existing social circles as "trust in people’s personal networks has never been stronger". The president faces only token opposition in the party's primary.
Tennis player Rafael Nadal has said he will take time out to regenerate physically, meaning he will not play again in 2018 and miss Wimbledon, beginning 3 July. In a press conference he said he had done “everything I could” to recover from a hip injury sustained in January in time for the French Open, but added that his body had made the decision that he cannot compete. Nadal hopes to return to the ATP Tour next year, but said he had not set a deadline for his return. The 32-year-old, who has won 16 Grand Slam titles, suggested 2024 would be his final year on the tour.
Supply chain management is one of the most critical fields globally, touching every aspect of life, from the food people eat to the clothes they wear and the medicines they take, said Cameron Trewin, president of Linfox Intermodal. Supply chain roles often attract candidates with diverse educational backgrounds, from finance to science or engineering. Both Trewin and Tom Vicars, director of procurement and logistics at The Arnott’s Group hire people that can navigate high-pressure and uncertain environments, are resilient and can help cross-functional teams from disruption to solution.
The municipality of Fairfield, with a population of around 120,000, was declared a city. Fairfield covers the suburbs of Horsley Park, Wetherill Park, Bossley Park, Smithfield, Fairfield, Carramar, Lansvale, Canley Vale, Cabramatta, Mt Pritchard, Bonnyrigg, Edensor Park, St Johns Park, and part of Villawood. Meanwhile, two Australian-made solar barbecues were tested at a swimming pool in Blacktown, and a classified nuclear document was found on an open library shelf, triggering an investigation by US Senator John Glenn.
India's Gland Pharma reports lower Q4 profit on soft demand
Reuters
23-05-18 13:51
Gland Pharma, the majority of which is owned by Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical, reported its Q4 2019 profit fell 56% due to weak sales in its key markets. Consolidated profits before tax and exceptional items fell to INR 1.68bn ($20.54m) from INR3.80bn from the previous year. The Indian company has a business-to-business model and depends on core markets including the US, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and Australia, which provide 70% of its revenue; access to capital markets for funding and the stability of these markets has therefore been key to success.
Papua New Guinea will sign a defence cooperation agreement and maritime surveillance pact with the US, said Prime Minister James Marape. The deal follows agreements signed between China and Papua New Guinea in April, which included a memorandum of understanding on the Belt and Road Initiative. The US plan would see American troops gain access to PNG ports and airports in return for access to satellite surveillance. Joe Biden's administration has recently been placing more importance on relations with the Pacific, over concerns about China’s increasing aggression in the region.
El Nino events, which are characterised by warming of parts of the equatorial Pacific, are far costlier and their economic scars last longer than previously thought, according to a new study by a team of researchers at Dartmouth College published in the journal Science. While the environmental event causes droughts, floods and heat waves on different parts of the globe, the study focused on its lasting economic impact on innovation and technology, arguing that economies bear the scars of El Nino for a decade or more, or even forever. The average El Nino costs the global economy about $3.4tn, the researchers said.
Dan Keeling, owner of the Noble Rot wine empire, has spoken about the irreverent and inclusive way in which he and business partner Mark Andrew approach wine. Keeling, who is also owner of three wine-led restaurants, a wine shop and an import business, said that the way that wine is presented in the UK often has "elitist overtones", whereas it is essentially a product of farmers. He added that much wine journalism was lacking in diversity and that this was a factor contributing to Noble Rot's success. The business' success is underlined by the release of the 10th-anniversary edition of its eponymous magazine. Keira Knightley, Jarvis Cocker and Irvine Welsh are among the many creatives from other fields to have contributed to its contents.
Paparazzi photographers have said they were not responsible for a “near catastrophic car chase” involving the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in New York. Freelance photographers who were covering the couple’s visit said the couple had not been at any point “in immediate danger”. They suggested the vehicles used by the Sussexes’ security escort may have driven dangerously, potentially “blocking off streets”. Backgrid USA, a celebrity news service, is investigating allegations that the couple’s safety was put at risk by paparazzi. Photographers from the company denied that they had been involved in any near misses, stating that the duchess had been photographed smiling in the back of a taxi following an award ceremony. Meanwhile, the UK Treasury has revealed that the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II cost the government an estimated £161.7m. The event, which took place at London’s Westminster Abbey in September 2022, was preceded by an 11-day period of national mourning.
The best pound-for-pound boxer at the time Vasiliy Lomachenko is to go up against the current undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney in a 12-round match for the title. Haney holds all four championship belts and is a -280 favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Haney, now 24, became the undisputed champion after winning a one-sided unanimous decision over George Kambosos Jr. in June 2022 in Melbourne.
World Leaders Land in Hiroshima for G7 Meeting, With Ukraine War High on Agenda
Diplomat
23-05-18 16:50
Leaders from the G7 countries have arrived in Hiroshima for a meeting where Russia's war in Ukraine is expected to be high on the agenda. Ahead of talks with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio on Thursday, US President Joe Biden remarked: "When our countries stand together, we stand stronger, and I believe the whole world is safer when we do.” Discussions regarding the battlefield in Ukraine and the state of play on sanctions are expected. Meanwhile, G7 leaders and guests from countries are also expected to discuss how to deal with the military buildup and growing assertiveness of China.
China's state-run carrier, Air China, has reportedly shown a surge in demand for commercial pilots from Australian training academy Airline Pilot Academy. The demand points to a rebound in international travel as the Chinese market resumes overseas flights. The urgency highlights the pace of post-pandemic passenger rebound. According to Boeing, the world will need more than 600,000 new pilots between 2022 and 2041, most of which will be needed in Asia.
Victor Li Tzar-kuoi, chairman of CK Asset Holdings, has called on the government of Hong Kong to "make the numbers work" when developing artificial islands off Lantau that are expected to cost HKD580bn ($74bn). The Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands project will be Hong Kong's third-largest core business district, with construction to begin in 2025, with the aim of building about 200,000 residential units. However, during the project's public consultation, just 60% of respondents expressed support for the reclamation work, citing concerns about financial and environmental factors. Li said he hoped the development boosted land and property prices.
The UK’s First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Ben Key, has said he cannot see the UK deploying a permanent aircraft carrier to the Indo-Pacific region. It came after Australia’s former high commissioner in the UK, George Brandis, questioned why the UK had a “relatively minimal presence” in the region. The comments were made before Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unveiled a defence pact with Japan that promised a second aircraft carrier deployment to the Indo-Pacific region in 2025. The UK government has pledged to undertake an Indo-Pacific pivot through its security policy reviews.
Jason Day opened his 2021 US PGA Championship campaign with a 6-over-par 76, 10 shots behind the first-round leader Bryson DeChambeau. Day, who has struggled with injury in recent years, shot his highest score at a PGA Championship in eight years in a performance that left him languishing in 130th place. The former World No. 1 and 2015 PGA Championship winner opted against playing a practice round at Oak Hill. After the round, Day admitted that he is struggling with his game, saying "I haven't hit it good for a long time and I'm trying to figure out my swing again and figure out everything."
At least 13 people have died in floods in Italy’s Emilia Romagna region, leaving 10,000 people displaced and crops destroyed in the country’s orchard. Rescuers are working to save anyone trapped by floodwater and clear farms submerged in dirty water. Thousands of farms were submerged, along with drowned animals and tens of thousands of hectares of vineyards, fruit trees, vegetables, and grain. With 5,000 farms under several metres of water, the agriculture lobby, Coldiretti, warned flood damage could cost up to €2bn ($2.2bn). Ferrari has pledged €1m. Experts are warning of more disasters as climate change exacerbates drought and storms.
Despite the Biden administration's announcement of federal vehicle electrification targets that would require over 60% of new car sales to be battery-powered electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030, compared to under 6% in 2022, for the US, a new report has highlighted the carbon footprint created by producing and powering EV batteries. The report, which argues that EVs can create more carbon emissions than gas-powered vehicles when total lifecycle emissions are taken into account, highlights that the majority of the electricity used to power EVs is not generated from wind or solar power, but fossil fuels.
Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the French Open after his hip injury failed to heal, and has said he expects 2024 to be his final year in professional tennis. As a result of his injury, Nadal is taking a few months off, without training, meaning he will miss not only the French Open, but also Wimbledon, and most likely the US Open before returning to action. Nadal has so far won 22 Grand Slam singles titles on his career and won 14 French Open titles, a record in the tournament's history.
India has been accused of suppressing academic freedom due to interference from Prime Minister Modi's government, suggesting the country is not the democracy it's portrayed to be. One Australian researcher and former director of the Australia India Institute claimed it had become a "government-supported think tank" and that academic freedom had been stifled on discussions around the country's caste and class issues. Subsequent drops in India's academic freedom ranking caused New Delhi to denounce the assessment, while the Australian government chose to stay silent on the issue while promoting closer commercial ties with India. Critics suggest that it highlights the challenges associated with countries balancing the promotion of democratic values against economic links, particularly when autocratic regimes set themselves up as primary suppliers of fast-growing markets such as India.
