The US has signed a security pact with Papua New Guinea (PNG) that will allow the two countries to work more closely together amid growing concern about heightened Chinese influence in the Pacific. The pact for defence co-operation was signed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the PNG government, which argued that internal security and border issues required stepping up sovereignty. The new agreement is predicted to improve security co-operation, enhance the capacity of PNG's defence force and increase regional stability. Last year, Solomon Islands signed a security pact with China, causing alarm throughout the Pacific.
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 Chinese government has banned firms that handle critical information from buying microchips made by US-based Micron Technology, on the grounds that its chips pose "relatively serious cybersecurity problems". The move was described as a response to the Biden administration's harsh steps to block Chinese chip makers' access to tools needed to make advanced chips and run powerful artificial intelligence algorithms. Analysts warned the US company could now be cut from future business from Chinese companies.
The US and Papua New Guinea have signed a security pact and maritime surveillance agreement aimed at countering increased Chinese influence in the Pacific region. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken flew to the Pacific island nation after President Biden cancelled his trip there in favour of staying in Washington to handle the debt ceiling crisis. The security pact was reportedly supposed to be a definitive moment for Biden, who would have been the first US president to visit a Pacific island nation, and was seen as a show of American commitment to the region, which is viewed as being strategically important to both the US and China.
Meta hit with record fine by Irish regulator over U.S. data transfers
CBC
23-05-22 12:59
Facebook parent company Meta has been hit with a €1.2bn ($1.75bn) fine by the Irish data protection watchdog over its transfer of user data to the US and given five months to cease these transfers. The fine, which follows the company's breaching of a 2020 EU ruling on data transfer, is the largest European privacy penalty seen, and surpasses Amazon's previous record €746m fine. Facebook, which could be prevented from operating in Europe if it fails to cease data transfers, reiterated its desire to form a new agreement between the US and the EU before the five-month deadline is up.
Grenade found as family sorted relative’s belongings kills man, injures 2 children
The Toronto Star
23-05-22 12:54
A hand grenade found in Lakes of the Four Seasons, Indiana by a family who were going through an older relative's belongings has exploded, killing a man and injuring his two teenage children, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Department. Authorities are investigating what caused the grenade to explode and why the relative had it.
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.
Ford has signed supply agreements with top lithium producers Albemarle and SQM, along with three smaller developers, as it seeks to shrink what it sees as a $7bn cost gap with rivals. The companies will provide Ford with the silvery-white metal needed for electric vehicle (EV) batteries. Other auto manufacturers have sought to secure their own supplies of lithium and other EV metals, including General Motors, which has made a $650m investment in miner Lithium Americas and a $200m payment to Livent to lock in metal supplies.
Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith has suggested that North Wilkesboro Speedway may have a place in NASCAR's schedule going forward, despite an All-Star race without much drama on Sunday. Smith said he was considering whether the .625-mile track could feature more highly in an upcoming Cup Series or All-Star schedule but made no promises. The All-Star race was dominated by Kyle Larson and produced only one lead change, prompting speculation about improvements to NASCAR's short track racing. Smith will consider whether to patch the track or perform a complete repave.
First Citizens Bank & Trust has sued HSBC in a federal court in northern California, alleging that the lender poached 42 bankers from Silicon Valley Bank two weeks after First Citizens acquired it earlier this year. The lawsuit claims that HSBC took "confidential, proprietary, and trade secret information" belonging to Silicon Valley Bank to orchestrate the move and accuses a former SVB employee, David Sabow, of being "the chief architect of this scheme". HSBC has declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Sheriff: Girl, 16, fights off mom to save a sister from being drowned after 2nd sister killed
The Toronto Star
23-05-22 17:41
Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner has said a 37-year-old South Carolina mother drowned one of her daughters in their home and attempted to kill another, before the oldest child was awakened by screams and managed to save her sister. Jamie Bradley Brun has been charged with murder and attempted murder after the attack early on Friday, and while authorities have revealed that the 16-year-old daughter was asleep when her sibling’s screams woke her up, the sheriff would not detail how the mother was trying to drown her child. The teen managed to push her sister to safety, and deputies arrived soon after. Brun is being held without bond, and while the 8-year-old suffered no significant injuries, her six-year-old sister died as a result of her injuries.
Family of suicidal black teen fatally shot by Sparks police agrees to $2M settlement, more training
The Toronto Star
23-05-22 22:09
The family of a teenager who was shot and killed by police in Nevada have reached a $2m settlement with the city of Sparks, alongside plans to improve crisis intervention and mental health training. Miciah Lee, 18, was shot five times in January 2020 by a white officer while in his car holding a gun between his legs. Lee’s mother had called 911 and warned that her son was “mentally unstable”. In addition to the settlement, the city of Sparks agreed to give officers more training and oversight to ensure future situations can be resolved better.
NFL expands sports medicine diversity program to 19 schools
The Toronto Star
23-05-22 22:05
The NFL has increased its diversity initiative, aiming to introduce more women and BAME medical staff in a bid to improve diversity among athletic trainers and medical staff across the league. The Diversity in Sports Medicine Pipeline Initiative matched students from 19 of America's medical schools with NFL clubs, with twice as many students participating than the number who completed the initial programme in 2021. The initiative also plans to include more player care disciplines like physical therapy and behavioural health in its aim to improve underrepresented BAME and female groups in the field.
Britain's start-up scene is second to none, with the country's tech firms raising more funds in 2022 than those of France and Germany combined. However, the high level of entrepreneurial spirit in UK universities isn't matched by the support network they need to flourish, said Sir Nigel Wilson, the CEO of L&G. As a result, many firms are tempted to move overseas to Silicon Valley and New York, which benefit at the UK's expense. The toxic combination of "planning policy and regulation" and limited investment from de-equitisation of pensions are among the key factors holding UK business back.
Lawyers for E. Jean Carroll, who recently won a $5m sexual abuse and defamation case against Donald Trump, have filed an amended lawsuit seeking at least $10m in compensatory damages. Carroll has claimed that remarks by Trump after she made rape allegations against him spoiled her reputation and resulted in her losing her job. After a jury decided that Trump had sexually abused Carroll, lawyers for Trump put the previous defamation lawsuit on hold as they sought to determine whether he could be held liable for remarks he made in 2019 while in office.
Nebraska woman pleads guilty to burning fetus after abortion while case against mom progresses
The Toronto Star
23-05-22 21:47
Nebraska woman, Celeste Burgess, pleaded guilty to concealing or abandoning a dead body after she took medication to terminate her pregnancy and then burned the foetus. As we previously reported, prosecutors are also acting over the case against her mother, Jessica Burgess, who is accused of illegally helping with the abortion. The case against the mother and daughter is based partly on messages the two women exchanged over Facebook about their plan to obtain the medication to induce an abortion and then burn the foetus. Jessica Burgess has pleaded not guilty and is due back in court on 7 July for a pre-trial hearing.
LeBron James set a record by scoring 31 points in the first half of Game 4 in the Western Conference finals on 25 September. The Los Angeles Lakers player scored 21 points in the first quarter and took his total to 10 in the second period. His team, which were 3-0 behind at the start of the match, avoided elimination with a 114-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets. The 38-year-old made 11 of his 13 shots in the game without missing from four three-point tries. James’ technical foul was his first of the 2020 playoff season. At half-time, the Lakers led their opponents 73-58.
The Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 6-3 Monday night, aided by Lourdes Gurriel Jr's RBI double, homer and two RBIs. It took Gurriel's average to .321, whilst also extending his hitting streak to 15 games, the longest active streak in the majors. Gurriel has a .416 average with seven homers, six doubles and 14 RBIs during this streak. Meanwhile, Pavin Smith also homered for the Diamondbacks, having won eight of their last 10 games, whilst the Phillies lost their sixth out of their last eight games.
Zachary Porter, 20, has drowned in quicksand-like estuary silt in the Turnagain Arm, Alaska as the tide came in before rescue services could save him. The area, southeast of Anchorage, is known for its dangerous mud flats created from silt made by pulverized rocks from glaciers. Turnagain Arm is popular with tourists, but walking on the mud flats is treacherous as a vacuum is created when the silt gets wet from the bottom and loosens, sucking people in. “There are signs warning people of hazardous waters and mud flats. I’ve really got to warn people against playing in the mud", warned Kristy Peterson, the administrator and lead EMT for the Hope-Sunrise Volunteer Fire Department.
The US dollar has surged to a six-month high against the Japanese yen as expectations grow that rates across the US will remain stronger for longer. The impasse surrounding the debt ceiling has also weighed on risk sentiment. A number of Federal Reserve policy makers spoke on Monday and many hinted that the central bank still has further to tighten monetary policy. Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said that US rates may have to go above 6% for inflation to return to the central bank's 2% target.
