Fire at Russia's Defense Ministry in Moscow: state media
A fire has broken out at the Russian Ministry of Defense building in central Moscow, according to Russian state news agency TASS, citing an emergency services source.
2023-05-25 06:52
Biden set to nominate Air Force Gen. C.Q. Brown as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
President Joe Biden is set to announce on Thursday that he will nominate Air Force chief of staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to a defense official familiar with the plans.
2023-05-25 06:48
Analysis-Now that he's in 2024 race, DeSantis needs more than anti-Trump voters
By James Oliphant and Jason Lange WASHINGTON If Ron DeSantis hopes to defeat Donald Trump and win the
2023-05-25 06:29
Chinese hacking group spying on U.S. critical infrastructure, Western intelligence agencies say
By Zeba Siddiqui and Christopher Bing (Reuters) -A state-sponsored Chinese hacking group has been spying on a wide range of
2023-05-25 06:26
Norwegian celebration in Dumfries ready after three-year delay
Events to mark the 80th anniversary of a town's wartime links with Norway were put on hold by Covid.
2023-05-25 05:58
US intelligence indicates Ukrainians may have launched drone attack on Kremlin
US officials have picked up chatter amongst Ukrainian officials blaming each other for a drone attack on the Kremlin earlier this month, contributing to a US assessment that a Ukrainian group may have been responsible, sources familiar with the intelligence told CNN.
2023-05-25 05:50
Analysis-Mexican president ramps up rhetoric, economic intervention as election nears
By Dave Graham MEXICO CITY Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's increasing attacks on adversaries and interventions in
2023-05-25 05:25
Belgorod: Russian paramilitary group vows more incursions
Moscow says it repelled the raid and vowed a harsh response to further infiltration of its border.
2023-05-25 05:21
Biden makes fresh call for assault weapon ban as he marks Uvalde anniversary in emotional speech
Joe Biden has made a fresh call for the banning of AR-15 assault weapons as he marked the one-year anniversary of the Uvalde mass shooting. A gunman murdered 19 students and two teachers at the Robb Elementary School in the Texas city last May, with police heavily criticised for their slow response in taking down the shooter. Mr Biden, who was joined by first lady Dr Jill Biden for the speech, said that at the scene of each mass shooting he attended, he was told the same thing by the families of victims. “At each place, you hear the same message ‘Do something, for God’s sake do something,’” he said. “We did something afterwards but not nearly enough. We still need to ban, in my view, AR-15 assault weapons once again, you know they have been used time and again in mass killings of innocent children and people.” And Mr Biden, who visited Uvalde after the shooting, called on politicians to do more to end the gun crisis in the United States. “We can’t end this epidemic until Congress passes some common sense gun safety laws... How many more parents will live their worst nightmare,” he said. The president, who has lost two children of his own, told the families that he realised that the anniversary represented a “really tough day” for them. “Remembering is important but it is also painful,” said the president, who was surrounded by a lit candle for each victim of the mass shooting. “A year of missed birthdays, school plays and soccer games, just that smile. A year of everyday joys gone forever.” A criminal investigation into the actions of law enforcement reaction to the shooting remains underway in Texas, where it is the worst school shooting in the state’s history. A report by state lawmakers concluded that nearly 400 officers from federal, state and local agencies responded to the school but that those heavily-armed officers waited an hour to confront and kill the 18-year-old gunman. The report accused Uvalde police of failing “to prioritize saving innocent lives over their own safety.” Mr Biden has now made more than 70 unanswered calls for Congress to take action and ban assault weapons, which are commonly used in mass shootings in the country. It’s a demand he has given lawmakers dozens of times since entering office in 2021. Within his first two years in office, there have been roughly 1,400 mass shootings. He has referenced a federal ban on assault weapons, called on Congress to renew an assault weapons ban or pledged that his Democratic allies will do so roughly 70 times since entering office, according to The Independent’s March 2023 review of his public statements and remarks via Factba.se. Read More How Greg Abbott met the murders of 21 children and teachers in Uvalde with silence Chilling video shows New Mexico teen gunman’s shooting rampage: ‘Come kill me’ Supreme Court refuses to block Illinois assault weapons ban Watch as Joe and Jill Biden mark one year anniversary of Uvalde shooting On 1st anniversary of Uvalde, Texas, school shooting, Biden will push for more gun control Can Ron DeSantis beat Donald Trump? These Florida political veterans aren’t so sure
2023-05-25 04:20
Ron DeSantis officially files to run for president in 2024
Ron DeSantis is officially running for president, having filed his statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday. The long-awaited move by the Florida governor follows a campaign announcement video released a day earlier by his wife, Casey, on Twitter. His filing was first reported by The Associated Press. Mr DeSantis is expected to address voters in his first appearance as a candidate for president later Wednesday evening in a Twitter space hosted by Elon Musk ally David Sacks. He will then appear on Fox News for an interview immediately afterwards with Bret Baier. The rising Republican star is in his second term as governor of the trending-red Sunshine State, having won reelection by double digits just last year. He previously won election to office in 2018 by a fraction of a percentage point. He enters the race with one key label tied to his campaign already: The second-place challenger, thanks to months of polling that have shown him firmly behind Mr Trump in a Republican primary matchup. That same polling has shown him consistently in the double digits, however, which is more than can be said for his other Republican rivals — Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Asa Hutchinson and others. Mr DeSantis’s official launch also signals a likely shift in strategy. Whereas for months the governor has sought to avoid a direct confrontation with Mr Trump, that now is unavoidable, even without the near-constant barrage of attacks that his now-official rival has been lobbing his way. That strategic shift has been hinted at for some time now, with a DeSantis-aligned PAC even swiping directly at the former president following his CNN town hall earlier this month. It isn’t clear whether the Jacksonville native, 44, will be successful in his bid to oust Mr Trump as de facto leader of the GOP. But he heads into the 2024 race with all the structural advantages he could possibly hope for: A sympathetic if not outright supportive GOP establishment, a national voter base that has indicated time and time again it does not wish for Mr Trump (or, for that matter, Mr Biden) to run again, and a political pedigree that seems almost lab-generated for a presidential run. He previously served in the House of Representatives as a founding member of the Freedom Caucus, and before that was a lawyer for the US military. During his service, Mr DeSantis was stationed at Guantanamo Bay before later being part of the 2007 Iraq troop surge which saw him playing legal adviser to a US commander in Fallujah. More follows... Read More Can Ron DeSantis beat Donald Trump? These Florida political veterans aren’t so sure The War on Terror turned Ron DeSantis into Florida’s anti-woke warrior. Can it win him the White House? Everything we know about Ron DeSantis’ policies as he launches 2024 campaign
2023-05-25 03:47
IMF completes review of Rwanda sustainability loan, enabling $98.6 million disbursement
WASHINGTON The International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday its executive board completed the first reviews of Rwanda's loan
2023-05-25 03:30
Saudi Arabia and Canada restore diplomatic relations, ending 2018 rift
Saudi Arabia restored diplomatic relations with Canada on Wednesday, the country's foreign ministry said in a statement, ending a five-year rift over Riyadh's jailing of activists that damaged trade and relations with both countries.
2023-05-25 03:18