US President Joe Biden should address questions about his health and capacity to govern after his doctors have declared him in good health, according to The Washington Post. The threat of invocation of the 25th amendment, which deals with presidential infirmity, looms in a possible second term, the newspaper warned. Earlier this month, an ABC/Washington Post poll found that 68% of Americans believed Biden was too old for another term. Even though former President Donald Trump remains unpopular with voters, a majority of respondents said he far surpassed Biden in terms of mental acuity and physical health.
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.
The Texas Rangers beat the Colorado Rockies 13-3 on May 23, for a three-game sweep and the most runs in a three-game series since 2018. Corey Seager hit a two-run homer in the second and an RBI double in the fifth. The team's record is 29-17, the best start since 2016, and leads the major leagues in runs per game (6.46) and double-digit games with 12. The Rockies' RHP Chase Anderson will make his second start since being claimed off waivers when the team plays the Miami Marlins.
8-year-old girl sought medical help 3 times on day she died, US immigration officials say
The Toronto Star
23-05-21 21:59
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said that an eight-year-old girl "cried and begged for her life and they ignored her" before she died in the agency's custody. Anadith Tanay Reyes Alvarez was seen by medical personnel several times on the day of her death, and had complained of vomiting and stomach ache after being treated for influenza for four days. She suffered a seizure before being taken to hospital. Her death came a week after a 17-year-old Honduran boy, Ángel Eduardo Maradiaga Espinoza, died in US Health and Human Services Department custody.
The Kremlin has targeted several prominent enemies of former US President Donald Trump as part of its latest sanctions list. The move is thought to be an attempt to woo Trump, who has expressed fondness for Russian President Vladimir Putin and has refused to commit to supporting Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia. Among the 500 names singled out by Moscow is Michael Byrd, the Capitol Police officer who shot pro-Trump protester Ashli Babbitt during the January 6 insurrection. Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state, who defied Trump’s request to “find” votes to help him win the 2020 race, is also on the list, as is New York State Attorney General Letitia James, who has targeted Trump and his business in court action. The Kremlin stated that its targets included those “directly involved in the persecution of dissidents in the wake of the so-called storming of the Capitol”.
Actor Robert De Niro has criticised former US president Donald Trump during the Cannes Film Festival while promoting his new film Killers of the Flower Moon. De Niro called Trump "stupid" and said it was "insane" to have faith in his abilities. Sitting on a panel alongside director Martin Scorsese and actor Leonardo DiCaprio, De Niro compared Trump to his on-screen character, adding: "It's the banality of evil. It's the thing we have to watch out for." The crime thriller, set in the early 1900s, is based on the true story of a cover-up of murders within the Osage Indian nation.
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.
Investors appear unconcerned by the impact of the prospect of a US default on its debts within the next fortnight, despite US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warning of a "catastrophic" financial collapse unless Republicans and the ruling Democrats agree a deal on spending and the debt ceiling. However, it is suggested bond investors and traders are less sanguine than their equity counterparts, with warning signs being seen in yields on shorter-term debt bills. Analysts have noted the US stock market's growth has been largely driven by the "mega caps", the biggest technology stocks. The New York "FANG" index, which tracks Facebook's parent, Meta, Apple, Google's Alphabet and Amazon, has surged 52% YTD. Despite this, the cost of US credit default swaps has risen and investors have withdrawn over $24bn from equity funds so far in May.
Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov has warned that the supply of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine could involve NATO forces in the conflict. Amid concerns over Russia's response, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte have agreed to build an "international coalition" to develop fighter jet support for Ukraine, while President Joe Biden has endorsed pilot training programmes for Ukrainian pilots on F-16s. Antonov stated that any Ukrainian attack on Crimea would constitute an attack on Russia, adding that the US needed to be aware of Moscow's potential response.
The US has reprimanded Israel over an order allowing Jewish settlers to create permanent dwellings at an outpost north of the West Bank. The Israeli military’s Central Command chief signed an order last week enabling Israelis to enter the Homesh area near Nablus, paving the way for a formal settlement to be constructed. The decision follows an amendment earlier this year that permitted the resettlement of four illegal northern West Bank settlements, including Homesh. Washington has warned Israel off formalising such settler outposts, calling the Homesh order inconsistent with government commitments.
Canada's men's wheelchair basketball team finishes 3rd at Ottawa Invitational
CBC
23-05-22 01:36
Canada's men's wheelchair basketball team finished third at the Ottawa Invitational tournament, losing 63-47 to the Netherlands. Fellow Paralympians Nik Goncin and Lee Melymick each added nine points, with Gijs Even leading the Netherlands with a game-high 18 points. The five-day tournament, hosted by Wheelchair Basketball Canada, served as final preparation for the upcoming IWBF world championships in Dubai, running from June 9 to 20. Canada will compete in Group B against Germany, Thailand and Egypt at worlds.
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.
Two ancient merchant ships that were recently discovered in the South China Sea are being mapped and researched by the Chinese government. The shipwrecks are from the late 15th and early 16th century periods during China's Ming Dynasty and were both laden with cargo. Researchers expect that the discovery will bolster China's status as a maritime power and build the case for their territorial claims in the South China Sea, which are contested by the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei. The discovery may also hold clues for Chinese traders participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.
Foreign investment in Germany remained steady in 2022 despite the challenging economic situation, according to Germany Trade and Invest. The organisation revealed that 1,783 new settlements were established in 2022 — slightly fewer than 2021 but 101 more than in 2020. GTAI managing director Robert Hermann said the total is a “success” given the “adverse circumstances” and revealed the US was the largest investor with 279 projects. Switzerland took second place with 208 projects, followed by the UK with 170. China, which deployed 141 projects, fell to fourth place, while Turkey rounded out the top five places with a record 139 projects.
The Socceroos will play a rematch against world champions Argentina next month in Beijing, thanks to Australia's 'competitive advantage' over other sporting codes globally. The fixture will be the first time a senior Australian national sporting team has played in China since early 2020 and includes an element of diplomacy, dovetailing with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s ambitions to stabilise diplomatic ties with China. The match, scheduled for June 15, has the support of the Australian government.
A new report published in the journal Science reveals that El Niño, the natural climate pattern that sees ocean water temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean heat up every three to five years, could cost the global economy trillions of dollars as its effects linger over years. Some of the most intense past El Niño events reportedly cost the global economy more than $4tn over the years that followed. As climate change could increase the frequency and strength of future El Niño events, the report estimates that global economic losses could amount to $84tn by the end of the 21st century, even if carbon emissions pledges to reduce carbon emissions are met. The report found that lower income nations will bear the greatest burden of the costs. This month, forecaster the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration revealed strong evidence indicating that intense El Niño activity is expected to occur later in 2023 following record-high ocean temperatures earlier this year.
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.
UN agency: 2M killed, $4.3 trillion in damages from extreme weather over past half-century
The Toronto Star
23-05-22 10:08
Extreme weather events over the past half-century have killed over 2 million people and caused economic damage of $4.3tn globally, according to the United Nations’ (UN) World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which has published an update to its Atlas of Mortality and Economic Losses from Weather, Climate and Water Extremes. The publication, which previously covered events from 1970 to 2019, includes over 12,000 events. Most countries have faced fewer events than in the previous review, but loss of life is still concentrated in the same areas and has risen in some places. The last decade was the deadliest recorded due to events, including Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and Cyclone Idai in 2019. Overall, natural disasters have killed 1.3 million people since 2000 and caused $2tn in economic losses. Extreme temperatures caused the most deaths, while flooding caused most of the economic losses. The US faced the largest financial burden, with total losses of $1.7tn, followed by China ($600bn), Japan ($230bn), India ($220bn) and Puerto Rico ($70bn).
A Pakistani court has ordered the release of Shireen Mazari, an associate of ousted former Prime Minister Imran Khan, from detention on charges of inciting people to violence. Mazari's daughter had petitioned the high court, arguing that her mother's arrest was unlawful. Mazari was a vocal critic of Pakistan's military and Sharif's government, and there are several legal cases pending against her. Mazari's release comes as Sharif's government prosecutes thousands of Khan's followers implicated in anti-government violence.
The Indiana Fever are not dwelling on their past 20-game losing streak, which dates back to last year, and instead are focusing on the present season. Indiana head coach Christie Sides said that the team has poured their "mess" out in their first team meeting and will not discuss last year. With nine first- and second-year players on the roster, including No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston, the team is excited for the future. However, Sides was not pleased with the team's third consecutive slow start and defensive effort. The Fever hope to turn things around in their next game against Atlanta.
