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China rejects US proposal for defense chiefs to meet in Singapore this week
China rejects US proposal for defense chiefs to meet in Singapore this week
China has rejected a United States proposal for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to meet with his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu at the Shangri-La Dialogue Security Forum in Singapore this week, according to a Pentagon statement.
2023-05-31 13:49
Why 'jingle and mingle' is now the most reviled phrase in the UK
Why 'jingle and mingle' is now the most reviled phrase in the UK
The word “jingle” doesn’t usually strike fury in the hearts of many until around September, when the first Christmas tunes are prematurely blasted from supermarket speakers. And yet, “jingle and mingle” has suddenly become the most rage-inducing phrase in the UK. We have the Conservative Party to thank for this and, more specifically, a festive gathering back in 2020. While the rest of us gorged on chocolate fingers and binge-watched Bridgerton alone rather than take the train to be with our loved ones over Christmas, Tory activists were pulling crackers and dancing to the Pogues. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Some 30 people over at Conservative HQ were invited to the 14 December event, despite London being under Tier-2 Covid restrictions at the time – meaning no indoor socialising. The BBC has even got hold of an invitation to the “jingle and mingle” party, which states that recipients should “save the date” for the “Shaun Bailey for London Holiday Party”. Lest we forget, Bailey’s mayoral campaign ended in failure - and it's taken some two-and-a-half years for the extent of the shindig to come to light. Over the weekend, the Mirror published a video taken at the soirée in which a pair of colleagues can be seen joyfully dancing to ‘Fairytale of New York’ while another person can be heard saying it is OK to film "as long as we don't stream that we're, like, bending the rules." “Bending the rules” is a pretty generous way of putting it, as hoards of angry Twitter users have pointed out. Here’s a look at some of the reaction to the latest twist in the partygate scandal: For anyone wanting a reminder of Boris Johnson’s prime ministerial Christmas message that year, here’s what he said... “At the end of this extraordinary year, I want to say something about the meaning of Christmas because I've never known a Christmas like it, not in my lifetime, and I bet not in yours either. “And in most years, it's a moment for togetherness and celebration in which the generations are jumbled together in the same household for days on end, putting crackers, snogging under the missile toe, you name it. And yet this year, that is the one type of Christmas we simply cannot afford to have.” Cough, cough. Prime Minister's 2020 Christmas message www.youtube.com He went on: “It grieved me because I think everyone hoped and prayed, I certainly did, that things could be, if not normal, then as normal as possible for as many families as possible. And yet we have had to confront the reality of the new strain of Covid, the speed with which it spreads. And I bet you agree that we had no choice but to take action. “And therefore to all those who may be feeling momentarily, cast down or a bit exhausted or frankly in need of any kind of cheering up, I want to talk about what for me is the deeper meaning of Christmas, this amazing festival at the turn of the year. Because it's not about presents or turkey or brandy butter – much though I like all of that kind of stuff – it's about hope, it's about a basic idea of rebirth and renewal. “And though we may not be able to celebrate as normal this year, I still think that feeling of hope is all around us this Christmas because there really is a star in the sky and it is glowing, brighter and brighter. And you know what it is? It's thanks to the efforts of wise men and wise women in the East and elsewhere, we have a vaccine and we know that we're going to succeed in beating coronavirus, annd that these privations that we're going through are temporary, and we know that next year really will be better. “And we know that there will be people alive next Christmas, people we love alive next Christmas precisely because we made the sacrifice and didn't celebrate as normal this Christmas and see them in the way that we would've done.” Looking at that “jingle and mingle” footage again, we find ourselves sickened and speechless. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-06-20 00:25
More Bitcoin ETF Decisions Are Already Looming After SEC Declines to Rule
More Bitcoin ETF Decisions Are Already Looming After SEC Declines to Rule
Bitcoin ETF candidates got another dose of disappointment when US regulators on Friday punted on making a decision
2023-08-13 22:16
Logan Paul could fight these superstars after WWE Money in the bank
Logan Paul could fight these superstars after WWE Money in the bank
Logan Paul's WWE return includes entering the Money in the Bank ladder match with possible feuds against many stars
2023-06-30 19:21
Maine decides on foreign influence ballot question; other results still yet to be determined
Maine decides on foreign influence ballot question; other results still yet to be determined
Maine voters faced a busy ballot on Tuesday in an off-year election dominated by a decision over whether to replace the state’s two much-criticized private electric utilities
2023-11-08 10:59
Philadelphia police search for motive in a shooting believed to have left 5 dead and 2 children injured
Philadelphia police search for motive in a shooting believed to have left 5 dead and 2 children injured
Police in Philadelphia are working to uncover the motive in a sprawling Monday evening shooting that investigators believe left five people dead and two children injured -- a shooting that ended with the arrest of a suspect authorities say had a bulletproof vest, an AR-15-style rifle and a handgun.
2023-07-04 16:15
Travis Barker discontinues Blink-182 tour following his wife Kourtney Kardashian's hospitalization
Travis Barker discontinues Blink-182 tour following his wife Kourtney Kardashian's hospitalization
'She (Kourtney Kardashian) is now feeling better. She is happy to have Travis back home too,' a source revealed
2023-09-05 02:22
Conor McGregor won't face charges after sexual assault claim
Conor McGregor won't face charges after sexual assault claim
Prosecutors drop their inquiry into a woman's allegation the UFC fighter attacked her at a Miami arena.
2023-10-19 06:49
Exporters to China to Feel Sting of Deflation, HSBC Analyst Says
Exporters to China to Feel Sting of Deflation, HSBC Analyst Says
As China slips back into deflation, exporters to the world’s No. 2 economy will be hit by a
2023-11-10 12:22
California Gov. Newsom signs law to slowly raise health care workers’ minimum wage to $25 per hour
California Gov. Newsom signs law to slowly raise health care workers’ minimum wage to $25 per hour
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a law to raise the minimum wage for health care workers
2023-10-14 11:21
Dillon Danis trolled as he calls Jake and Logan Paul ‘scam artists’: ‘You don’t stand a chance’
Dillon Danis trolled as he calls Jake and Logan Paul ‘scam artists’: ‘You don’t stand a chance’
Dillon Danis trolled Jake Paul in his tweet by saying he is 'not a real fighter' and calling him a 'loser'
2023-10-08 13:59
Fed is close to end of rate hiking cycle, central bank officials say
Fed is close to end of rate hiking cycle, central bank officials say
By Ann Saphir and Michael S. Derby The Federal Reserve will likely need to raise interest rates further
2023-07-11 01:46