WorldBBCUS says troops to leave Afghanistan by 11 September
US President Joe Biden is set to announce that American troops will leave Afghanistan by 11 September, officials have told US media. The US would miss a May deadline for a pull-out agreed with the Taliban by the Trump administration last year. The new deadline would coincide with the 20th anniversary of the terror attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in the US in 2001.
U.S.ReutersMinnesota police chief, officer who fatally shot Black man, both resign
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (Reuters) -A suburban Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot a Black motorist during a scuffle following a routine traffic stop and the police chief who called the slaying an apparent accident both resigned on Tuesday in the face of civil unrest. The mayor of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, said the two quit one day after the chief told a news reporters that the officer who shot Daunte Wright appeared to have drawn her gun by mistake when reaching for her Taser. Mayor Mike Elliott said the City Council had passed a resolution calling for the dismissal of both Chief Tim Gannon, and the officer, Kim Potter.
WorldAssociated PressAustin: US adds 500 troops in Germany, despite Trump pledge
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Tuesday that he is expanding the U.S. military presence in Germany by 500 troops and has stopped planning for large-scale troop cuts ordered by the Trump administration. Adding 500 troops to a current total of about 35,000 is a symbolic gesture of solidarity with Germany and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, but it also fills a practical need that commanders in Europe had identified months ago. Austin said the extra troops will have a role in space, cybersecurity and electronic warfare.
BusinessReutersIndia's Maharashtra shuts most manufacturing, restricts e-commerce to fight COVID-19
MUMBAI (Reuters) -India's richest state Maharashtra will impose stringent curbs on industry and e-commerce for 15 days to slow rising coronavirus infections, its chief minister said on Tuesday, a move that is set to cripple manufacturing and other businesses in the region. Maharashtra - home to India's financial capital Mumbai - has been the country's worst hit state due to the coronavirus, accounting for about a quarter of India's 13.5 million cases. On Tuesday, Maharashtra reported 60,212 new COVID-19 infections.
PoliticsAssociated PressBiden to pull US troops from Afghanistan, end 'forever war'
President Joe Biden said Wednesday he will withdraw remaining U.S. troops from the "forever war” in Afghanistan, declaring that the Sept. 11 terror attacks of 20 years ago cannot justify American forces still dying in the nation's longest war. The U.S. cannot continue to pour resources into an intractable war and expect different results, Biden said.
PoliticsReutersU.S. spy chiefs say China is 'unparalleled priority'
U.S. spy agency leaders said on Wednesday that China is an "unparalleled" priority, citing Beijing's regional aggression and cyber capabilities as they testified at a public congressional "Worldwide Threats" hearing for the first time in more than two years. "Given that China is an unparalleled priority for the intelligence community, I will start with highlighting certain aspects of the threat from Beijing," Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told the Senate Intelligence Committee. She described China as increasingly "a near-peer competitor challenging the United States in multiple arenas."
- PoliticsReuters Videos
Israel made 'very bad gamble' on Natanz: Iran FM
Speaking during a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart, Iran's top diplomat said the incident enabled Iran to use all of its options at Natanz legally and legitimately. "Israel played a very bad gamble if it thought that the attack will weaken Iran's hand in the nuclear talks," Zarif said. Tehran has said an explosion on Sunday (April 11) at its key nuclear site was an act of sabotage by arch-foe Israel and vowed revenge for an attack that appeared to be latest episode in a long-running covert war.
PoliticsReutersBiden to address U.S. Congress as lawmakers consider infrastructure plan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden will speak to a joint session of the U.S. Congress on April 28, accepting an invitation from House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a fellow Democrat. "The President has accepted the invitation of the Speaker of the House to address a Joint Session of Congress on April 28, the night before his 100th day in office," the White House said in a prepared statement. The speech will give Biden, 78, an opportunity to deliver a sales pitch to millions of Americans for his $2.3 trillion infrastructure proposal, which is the subject of a partisan debate in Congress.
U.S.Business InsiderProsecutors say Oath Keepers likely stored January 6 weapons at suburban Virginia hotel
Prosecutors say alleged Oath Keepers stored weapons in a "quick reaction force" outside of DC ahead of January 6. In a new filing, they say members of the paramilitary group likely stashed weapons in a suburban hotel. Twelve alleged Oath Keepers are defendants in a high-profile conspiracy case tied to the attack.
WorldBBCWhat's behind the China-Taiwan divide?
Whether it's a bluff or a genuine threat of invasion, the increase in Chinese military activity in Taiwan over the last few months has caused global concern. At the heart of the divide is that the Chinese government sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that will, eventually, be part of the country again. Many Taiwanese people disagree.
WorldReutersGreek PM agrees to talks with Libya on maritime zones
ATHENS (Reuters) -Greece and Libya have agreed to hold talks on marking out their maritime zones in the Mediterranean, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday, after a meeting with the president of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed al-Menfi. In a statement after the meeting, Mitsotakis said the two leaders "agreed on the immediate resumption of talks between Greece and Libya on the delimitation of the maritime zones". Libya's new unity government took office on March 16, succeeding two warring administrations that had ruled eastern and western regions during a decade of violent chaos since the overthrow of autocratic leader Muammar Gaddafi.
U.S.The IndependentDaunte Wright shooting: Kim Potter’s mugshot released as ex-police officer faces manslaughter charges
Kim Potter, the white police officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, during a traffic stop on Sunday has been charged with manslaughter. A GoFundMe campaign for a memorial fund for Mr Wright has raised over half a million dollars towards covering funeral and providing support for his family. Minneapolis faced its third night of civil unrest on Tuesday after the killing, which occurred in the suburb of Brooklyn Center.Tensions are already high amid the trial of Derek Chauvin, the white former Minneapolis police officer charged with murdering George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, last May.
BusinessRaleigh News and ObserverPrivate firm’s offer to manage city utilities in NC needs a strong dose of sunlight
Utility blackouts usually mean the lights go off, but in the curious case of a private equity firm seeking to operate North Carolina municipal utilities the blackout applies to information. Bernhard Capital Partners, a company based in Baton Rouge, La., has approached more than a dozen North Carolina cities over the past two years with an appealing offer: We'll pay you millions of dollars up front if you let us manage your utility – and collect its revenues – for 30 years. For cities struggling to keep up their infrastructure, the prospect of receiving a windfall and handing over the management of their utilities to a private operator can be attractive.
PoliticsUSA TODAY'Time for American troops to come home': Biden announces Afghanistan withdrawal by Sept. 11
Calling for the end of a two-decade war that saw 775,000 American troops serve and 2,300 killed, President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced all U.S. forces will withdraw from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, the 20-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that triggered the conflict. "It is time to end America's longest war," Biden said in a speech from the White House Treaty Room, where former President George W. Bush announced the first airstrikes in Afghanistan in 2001. "It is time for American troops to come home."
PoliticsBusiness InsiderMitt Romney and Kyrsten Sinema partner on a bipartisan proposal to hike the minimum wage
Mitt Romney and Kyrsten Sinema are working together on a minimum wage proposal. It comes as Democrats discuss the minimum wage after an increase to $15 failed earlier this year. Mitt Romney and Kyrsten Sinema are working together on their own minimum wage proposal, after an increase to $15 was stricken from reconciliation for the American Rescue Plan.
WorldINSIDERSouth Korea and China are unhappy with Japan's decision to release radioactive water from Fukushima into the Pacific Ocean
Japan's neighbors are not happy about its call to release contaminated water from Fukushima into the sea. China and South Korea say the water from the wrecked nuclear plant could affect food safety. Hashtags trending on Chinese social media are calling for a boycott of Japanese seafood in protest.
U.S.The IndependentMan who shot elephant seal in head as it rested on beach sentenced to prison
A man who fatally shot an elephant seal on a California beach has been sentenced to three months in prison. Jordan Gerbich, 30, who lived in California at the time of the incident but is now based in Utah, shot the seal in the head on 28 September 2019 near to the Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve in San Simeon, according to federal prosecutors. Prosecutors claimed that the 30-year-old did not kill the seal “by accident or on a whim,” explaining that Mr Gerbich and his friend brought a handgun to an area where the animals are known to rest.
BusinessLA TimesShake-up at Triller. TikTok rival replaces CEO and buys AI firm
TrillerNet, the parent company of a controversial social video app that sought to take on TikTok, has replaced its chief executive and acquired another business. The Los Angeles entertainment company on Wednesday named Mahi de Silva, who is currently its nonexecutive board chairman, to CEO. TrillerNet also announced that it was acquiring de Silva's Los Altos company, Amplify.ai, which uses artificial intelligence to help brands engage with customers.
WorldUSA TODAY OpinionWithdrawing troops from Afghanistan: Biden’s unforced error puts America at risk
President Biden's decision to bring home all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the 20-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks is a major mistake. An unconditional U.S. troop withdrawal goes beyond what the Trump administration negotiated with the Taliban in the first phase of that peace process, on February 29 of last year in Doha, Qatar. The Taliban, according to the U.N. and U.S. government, has not cut ties to al Qaeda, has not engaged seriously in the intra-Afghan peace process, and has not reduced violence against Afghan forces. (Nor has it moderated its misogynistic and intolerant views.) It has not held up its end of the bargain; we should feel no obligation to do so, either.
PoliticsUSA TODAYDemocrats to introduce legislation to expand Supreme Court by four seats
Democrats will introduce a bill to expand the Supreme Court from nine to 13 justices, Rep. Mondaire Jones said Wednesday night. Jones, D-N.Y., said in a tweet that he is introducing the Judiciary Act of 2021 with Reps. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., and Hank Johnson, D-Ga., and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. "Our democracy is under assault, and the Supreme Court has dealt the sharpest blows," he wrote.
U.S.The IndependentKim Potter: Former police officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright arrested on manslaughter charges
The former Minnesota police officer who shot and killed Daunte Wright will face manslaughter charges, authorities say. Kim Potter was captured on body cam footage killing Mr Wright during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, which has sparked protests and unrest in the community. Ms Potter, a 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn Center Police Department, will be charged with second degree manslaughter in connection to Wright's death, Washington County Attorney Pete Orput has announced.
StyleLA TimesTransforming Viola Davis into Ma Rainey meant staying away from 'pretty'
Hair department head Mia Neal, who did much of the hair and wig designs, teamed with Sergio Lopez-Rivera, who handled Davis' heavy, often streaked makeup, and Jamika Wilson (Davis' hair) to create not just Rainey's distinctive look but also a sense of what it meant to accomplish what she did against such a harsh environment. Says Lopez-Rivera: “It's clear with Ma that she tries to put up a billboard to say yes, she's dark-skinned, heavy, not attractive, but she's putting everything she can on her body all at once — all the jewelry and expensive fur, wigs, makeup, even in the blaring heat — she wants her status to come in the room before she comes in.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderMcConnell condemns Biden's 'clumsy' plans to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan by 9/11 as a 'grave mistake'
GOP senators had mixed reactions to reports on Biden's Tuesday announcement on Afghanistan. Biden is planning a full withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan by September 11. McConnell called the move a "grave mistake," but Cruz said he's "glad the troops are coming home."
PoliticsThe IndependentPelosi says she would have ‘battled’ capitol rioters with stilettos: ‘I’m a street fighter’
Nancy Pelosi has insisted that she would have fought back against pro-Trump rioters who stormed the Capitol on 6 January had they found her amid the riots. Trump supporters breached the Capitol on 6 January as lawmakers were gathered to certify Joe Biden's win in the 2020 election, forcing them to evacuate. While most of Congress took shelter in a secure location on the Capitol grounds, Capitol Police evacuated Ms Pelosi from the Capitol complex entirely.
WorldThe IndependentBefore and after photos show Caribbean island completely covered in volcanic ash
Satellite photos show the Caribbean island of St Vincent before and after a volcano erupted, and the difference is shocking. The La Soufriere volcano started erupting on Friday, and fired off a second, larger explosion on Monday. “It's destroying everything in its path,” Erouscilla Joseph, head of the University of the West Indies' Seismic Research Center, told AP News.
“There’s no ‘both sides of the debate’ when it comes to active voter suppression.”
“Companies that do this ooze contempt for their own customers and employees who are not in the leftmost quarter of opinion.”
“The truth is that Fortune 500 companies were never taking moral stances from the goodness of their corporate hearts.”
“The truth is, the companies hold the cards…If companies stick to their guns, Georgia is likely to back down as well.”
“When a company folds to the unfounded outrage of a few misinformed nuts, they are forever at the mob’s beck-and-call.”