PoliticsAssociated PressThe new guy? Biden debuts at democracy's most exclusive club
Already on a first-name basis with relationships that range from just months to years, the leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized democracies are gathering Friday amid hopes that the departure of their most unruly member and a new era of personal friendships enhanced by face-to-face discussions can restore a global anti-authoritarian consensus on climate, the coronavirus, China and Russia. The G-7's return to polite quasi-normality comes as President Joe Biden seeks to restore steady U.S. leadership to the bloc, which had been hamstrung by his predecessor Donald Trump's often confrontational approach to longtime American allies. Trump had thrown a wrench into G-7 unity, demanding the absolute prioritization of U.S. interests, threatening decades-old security guarantees, insulting colleagues and loudly suggesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin be invited back into the group despite his refusal to meet demands for Moscow to stay out of Ukraine.
U.S.Miami HeraldShe went on a naked rampage at a Florida Outback, and video shows the destruction
A naked Florida woman went berserk, destroying a Florida restaurant earlier this month. According to a police report from the Ocala Police Department, the suspect, later identified as TIna Kindred, 53, was arrested after causing thousands of dollars in damages at an Outback in Ocala on June 1. Before the frenzy at the steakhouse, the Florida woman also caused havoc at a nearby restaurant called Mojo Grill, banging windows and flipping over tables, according to the complaint.
WorldAssociated Press2 police officers protecting Pakistan polio team shot dead
Gunmen on a motorcycle Wednesday shot and killed two police officers assigned to protect polio vaccination workers in northwest Pakistan before fleeing, police said. The attack happened in the district of Mardan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province as the officers returned to a police station after providing security for the polio team, said Adnan Azam, a senior police officer. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, which came two days after Pakistan launched a nationwide drive to eradicate the crippling disease by the end of the year.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderUS considers preparing for airstrikes to support Afghan forces if there's a risk of the Taliban taking over Kabul, report says
The Biden administration has pledged to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan by September 11. The talks suggest concern over whether Afghan forces can contain the Taliban without US troops. The Pentagon is looking into the possibility of supporting Afghan forces with airstrikes depending on the threat of the Taliban taking control over a major city in the country, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
WorldThe TelegraphWife of 'El Chapo' Guzman expected to plead guilty to helping Mexican drug lord run his empire
The wife of jailed Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is expected to stick by her husband and plead guilty to helping him run a multi-billion dollar trafficking operation. Emma Coronel Aispuro, a former beauty queen with dual US-Mexico citizenship, is facing 10 years to life in prison and a $10 million fine, following her arrest in February for conspiracy to traffic cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana for importation into the United States. The 31 year old, who has two children with Guzman, was arrested at Dulles International Airport and will appear in court in Washington DC on Thursday.
- U.S.The Week
Texas AG Ken Paxton's Supreme Court lawsuit to overturn Biden's win could get him disbarred
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) has been under indictment on state felony fraud charges for nearly six years, he's under investigation by the FBI for allegedly accepting bribes from a real estate developer, and his bid for a third term is under threat from Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, who is basing his primary challenge partly on Paxton's legal troubles. Now, The Associated Press reports, Paxton is facing a disciplinary investigation by the Texas bar association. The State Bar of Texas originally dismissed a complaint that Paxton had committed professional misconduct by petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn President Biden's victory in four swing states.
WorldReutersArgentine president says Brazilians 'came from the jungle', sparking uproar
Argentine President Alberto Fernandez triggered a Twitter storm and a regional race debate on Wednesday with misjudged comments to visiting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez that sought to play up the South American country's ties with Europe. "The Mexicans came from the Indians, the Brazilians came from the jungle, but we Argentines came from the ships. And they were ships that came from Europe," Fernandez said, referring to the country's many European migrants.
WorldAssociated PressFully vaccinated Canadians can avoid border quarantine soon
Canada's health minister said Wednesday that fully vaccinated Canadian citizens who test negative for COVID-19 will soon be exempt from two weeks quarantine when returning to the country. Health Minister Patty Hajdu said she expects that to happen in July. And Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, said she would like to see 75% of eligible Canada residents fully vaccinated before advising that border restrictions be loosened for tourists and business travelers who aren't citizens or permanent residents.
PoliticsMiami HeraldAfter years of GOP spending and tax cuts, Rick Scott wants to focus on the debt
On Wednesday, Scott introduced the Federal Debt Emergency Control Act, a bill that would require the U.S. Senate to make procedural changes to pass legislation that increases the debt if the country's debt-to-GDP ratio exceeds 100%. The current ratio sits at 127.5% and would likely rise if Biden passes additional big-money legislation like an infrastructure package that could cost trillions. My goal is between now and the end of July, get everyone to focus on the debt ceiling,” said Scott, a potential 2024 presidential candidate who also leads GOP fundraising and messaging efforts for competitive U.S. Senate races.
WorldThe TelegraphRussian student hauled off Ryanair Minsk flight says she is 'holding up' in first statement since arrest
A Russian student who was taken off a 'hijacked' Ryanair she is "holding up" after being detained with her boyfriend, a dissident journalist, and thrown in jail. The Belarusian government scrambled a fighter jet in order to force Ryanair's Athens-Vilnius flight to land in Minsk, citing an alleged bomb threat. Roman Protasevich, a prominent journalist wanted in Belarus for editing Nexta, the mouthpiece of the opposition movement, was taken into custody alongside Ms Sapega, a 23-year-old student who was never believed to be involved in political activism.
WorldReutersMacron slapped in the face during walkabout in southern France
PARIS (Reuters) -A man slapped President Emmanuel Macron in the face on Tuesday during a walkabout in southern France. In a video circulating on social media, Macron reached out his hand to greet a man in a small crowd of onlookers standing behind a metal barrier as he visited a professional training college for the hospitality industry. Two of Macron's security detail tackled the man in the T-shirt, and another ushered Macron away.
U.S.Associated PressTruck driver gets 16 years in crash that killed 5 bicyclists
An Arizona box truck driver who plowed into bicyclists on a stretch of Nevada highway last December, killing five and injuring four, was sentenced Wednesday to a minimum of 16 years in Nevada state prison for driving under the influence of methamphetamine causing death. Jordan Alexander Barson, 45, of Kingman, Arizona, apologized Tuesday, during the first day of an emotional two-day sentencing hearing in Las Vegas, asking forgiveness as he spoke by video from the Clark County Detention Center, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. His attorney, Damian Sheets, said Barson did not intend to cause harm.
WorldBBCGovernment ‘dragging feet’ on China forced labour
The government is "dragging its feet" in taking action against UK companies linked to the use of forced labour in China's Xinjiang region, MPs have said. In March the Business department (Beis) vowed to sanction firms that could not prove they had no ties with Xinjiang. A government spokesperson said not only had it introduced measures against a forced labour, there was more to come.
- WorldYahoo News Video
Officials resign over censored Memorial Day speech
Both organizers of a Memorial Day ceremony in Hudson, Ohio, have now resigned under pressure after they silenced a retired U.S. Army officer's microphone while he was talking about how freed Black slaves honored fallen soldiers just after the Civil War.
WorldThe TelegraphExclusive: 150 Oxford dons refuse to teach in Rhodes statue row
More than 150 Oxford dons are boycotting Oriel College and refusing to teach its students in protest at its decision to keep the Cecil Rhodes statue, The Telegraph can reveal. It is the latest incident in the culture wars engulfing British universities and comes amid a growing fallout over a decision to remove the Queen's portrait at neighbouring Magdalen College. On Wednesday night, the higher education watchdog chief and four former education ministers hit out at the boycott, with one accusing the academics of attempting to "blackmail" Oriel.
U.S.Associated PressLawyers: Avenatti's deserves leniency in Nike extortion case
Michael Avenatti should spend no more than six months behind bars after a jury concluded he tried to extort $25 million from sportswear giant Nike, his lawyers told a judge Wednesday, saying the once high-flying California attorney faces constant ridicule after his “cataclysmic fall.” In a sentencing memorandum in Manhattan federal court, the lawyers wrote that Avenatti had suffered enough from a three-month stint in prison when his bail was revoked last year and from public ridicule. Probation Department calculated federal sentencing guidelines to call for a sentence of 11 to 14 years in prison, Avenatti's lawyers noted.
U.S.Architectural DigestDid You Know You Can Rent a Lighthouse on Airbnb?
Brace your binoculars Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldReutersTwo Australian states on COVID-19 alert after infected woman's interstate travel
Two Australian states are on COVID-19 alert after an infected woman and her husband travelled from Victoria, the epicentre of country's latest outbreak, through the states of New South Wales and into Queensland, visiting dozens of sites enroute. Authorities in New South Wales and Queensland are rushing to trace close contacts and locate virus hotspots. The 44-year-old woman tested positive for COVID-19 once in Queensland, authorities said late on Wednesday, and her husband has since tested positive.
WorldBBCSouth African woman gives birth to 10 babies in Pretoria - reports
A South African woman has reportedly given birth to 10 babies in what would be a new world record. Gosiame Thamara Sithole's husband says they were astonished by decuplets after scans only showed eight in the womb. One South African official confirmed the births to the BBC, however another said they were yet to see the babies.
WorldAssociated PressAs Iran prepares to vote, its battered economy a major worry
Almost six years ago, Iranians poured into the streets to celebrate Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers. The West considers Iran's nuclear program and Mideast tensions as the most important issues facing Tehran, but those living in the Islamic Republic repeatedly point to the economy as the major issue facing it ahead of its June 18 presidential election. Whoever takes the presidency after the relatively moderate President Hassan Rouhani will face the unenviable task of trying to reform Iran's largely state-controlled economy.
U.S.The WeekTexas hospital system suspends workers who won't get the COVID-19 vaccine
A Texas hospital system is suspending without pay 178 full-time and part-time employees who are refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, saying the vaccination requirement is necessary and puts patients first. Houston Methodist, which operates a medical center and six community hospitals, set a Monday deadline for all workers to be fully vaccinated. In an email sent Tuesday, Houston Methodist CEO Dr. Marc Boom said 27 of the suspended workers have received one dose of the vaccine, and he is "hopeful they will get their second doses soon."
U.S.Fort Worth Star-TelegramTeenager shot in Fort Worth high school parking lot has died, police say
A teenager who was shot in the parking lot outside Eastern Hills High School on Monday has died, Fort Worth police said Wednesday. The teenager had not been identified by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office as of Wednesday afternoon. Fort Worth school officials declined to answer questions about whether any students were involved in the shooting and deferred to police regarding details of the investigation.
WorldAssociated PressAustralia says WTO should punish Chinese economic coercion
The World Trade Organization should penalize “bad behavior when it occurs,” Australia's prime minister said Wednesday ahead of a Group of Seven leaders' meeting in Britain where he hopes to garner support in a trade dispute with China. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia would be “working with others to buttress the role of the World Trade Organization and to modernize its rulebook where necessary.” “In my discussions with many leaders, I've taken great encouragement from the support shown for Australia's preparedness to withstand economic coercion in recent times,” Morrison said in a speech in the Australian west coast city of Perth before leaving for the G-7 meeting in Cornwall.
ScienceBBC'Ring of fire' eclipse to sweep across Earth
In the UK, the most favourable place to watch, in terms of the percentage of the Sun's disc that gets covered up, will be in Scotland - somewhere like Lerwick in the Shetland Islands (11:27 BST), or Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis (11:18 BST) These places will see about 40% of the Sun eclipsed. But even down south, in London (11:13 BST) for example, 20% of the star will be covered over. As ever, the advice is not to try to look at the Sun with the naked eye.
WorldAssociated PressBuilding collapse kills 11 after monsoon flooding in Mumbai
A dilapidated building collapsed following heavy rains in the western Indian city of Mumbai, killing at least 11 people and injuring seven others, police said Thursday. Heavy monsoon rains during the day Wednesday had flooded several parts of the city that is India's financial and entertainment capital. The three-story building collapsed late Wednesday night, and police officer Ravindra Kadam said dozens of rescuers were clearing the debris to find any residents possibly still trapped.
“It may seem desperate at this point, but I can’t be mad at any and all efforts to get people vaccinated.”
“I won’t get rich, but I will get to live my life. That seems like reward enough.”
“Offering incentives may encourage people who are not actively opposed to vaccination but may have put it off.”
“At some point, the government is simply rewarding irresponsible behavior.”
“Sure, people should do it without needing an incentive. But what’s the alternative? Not enough people get vaccinated.”