Japan's pacifism hangs in balance as China and North Korea threats loom
Each move to militarise leaves the country more divided over its post-war pacifist ideals.
2023-05-20 06:18
Treasury's Cash Pile Shrinks Further as Debt-Ceiling Talks Stall
Yields on US Treasury bills that mature in early June have resumed climbing as the federal government’s coffers
2023-05-20 05:26
Ramaphosa Abandoned by Key Support Base Over South Africa Policy Missteps
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has lost the confidence of a key constituency. Five years after ushering in
2023-05-20 04:59
US Bank Deposits Fall for a Third Week While Lending Stays Little Changed
US bank deposits fell for a third week to the lowest level in nearly two years, extending a
2023-05-20 04:49
NYC to Allow Outdoor Dining Only Part of the Year, Fewer Hours
The dining sheds that proliferated the streets of New York City during the pandemic will be allowed to
2023-05-20 02:55
Republican Senator Tim Scott launches 2024 presidential bid
Senator Tim Scott, the only Black Republican member of the upper chamber, has officially declared himself a candidate for president in next year’s Republican primary election. According to a statement of candidacy filed on Friday with the Federal Election Commission, Mr Scott has designated his official campaign committee as “Tim Scott for America”, with a campaign address in the Palmetto State’s capital, Charleston. Mr Scott, who has served as South Carolina’s junior senator since 2013, was first appointed to his Senate seat by one of his presidential primary opponents, then-South Carolina governor Nikki Haley. He filled a vacancy left by the resignation of Jim DeMint, who left the Senate to lead the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. At the time of his appointment, Mr Scott was the first Black senator to represent a state that had been part of the Confederacy during the American Civil War and the first Black Republican since Massachusetts senator Edward Brooke left the body in 1979. The then-freshman GOP senator retained the seat he’d been appointed to in a 2014 special election and was reelected easily in 2016 and 2022 with at least 60 per cent of the vote in both elections. He has long been considered a rising star in the Republican Party, and was given the honour of delivering the party’s response to president Joe Biden’s inaugural address to Congress in 2021. Mr Scott, whose campaign website has teased a “special announcement” on 22 May, joins a GOP primary field that includes Ms Haley, former president Donald Trump, ex-Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. Florida governor Ron DeSantis and ex-New Jersey governor Chris Christie are also expected to officially enter the GOP presidential field in the coming days. Mr Trump, who has retained his preeminent position in the GOP despite being impeached twice by the House of Representatives, losing the 2020 election, inciting a deadly attack on the US Capitol in an effort to remain in power, facing criminal charges in his former home state of New York and his status as a potential defendant in at least two more criminal probes, currently holds a commanding advantage in most polls. Read More Parents of transgender kids seek to block DeSantis ban on gender-affirming care for minors How one North Carolina lawmaker's defection from the Democratic Party upended abortion protections Missouri governor to announce his pick as new St. Louis prosecutor after Kim Gardner resignation
2023-05-20 01:29
Powell Signals a June Pause, Says Fed Can Afford to Watch Data
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell gave a clear signal he is inclined to pausing interest-rate increases next month
2023-05-20 00:21
Devastated husband of bride killed by alleged drunk driver on wedding night breaks silence
The devastated husband of a bride who was struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver on their wedding night has broken his silence to reveal how the best day of his life suddenly turned into the worst. Aric Hutchinson told ABC’s Good Morning America that he is still struggling to “wrap my head around” what happened as he became widowed just hours after marrying the love of his life Samantha Miller. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. That night, going from an all-time high to an all-time low, it’s pretty rough to comprehend,” he said. On 28 April, Mr Hutchinson, 36, and Miller, 34, got married in a wedding ceremony at Folly Beach, South Carolina, surrounded by their families and friends. That night, they were travelling with two others on a golf cart, heading back to their Airbnb when horror struck. Jamie Komoroski, 25, was allegedly driving three times over the legal alcohol limit and speeding at 65mph in a 25mph zone when she ploughed into the back of the buggy in her car. Miller was killed while Mr Hutchinson and the two other passengers were rushed to hospital with critical injuries. Ms Komoroski has now been charged with three counts of felony driving under the influence resulting in great bodily harm or death and one count of reckless homicide. Choking back tears, Mr Hutchinson told GMA that he doesn’t remember the crash but can’t forget his new wife’s final words. “The do remember the last thing I remember her saying is she wanted the night to never end,” he said. He said “I wish I did” recall the crash itself but just remembers waking up in hospital. “I remember waking up foggy and out of sorts and you could see my Mom’s face and you could tell that something was wrong,” he said. “I asked her ‘where’s Sam?’ and then that’s when she told me ‘there’s an incident and that Sam didn’t make it.’” He described how happy Miller and him had been just moments earlier as they celebrated their nuptials. “She was so happy. I mean, planning a wedding, as most people know, is extremely stressful. And she just had a weird, like, calmness that night,” he said. “Sam’s just got that glow. She’s the type to walk in the room and you’d just notice. We had family friends from all over the country everywhere there and everyone was just so happy she was so happy. “It was one of the best nights of my life.” When asked if he had a message for the woman accused of causing his new bride’s death, he said no. “I can’t right now.... he stole something,” he said. “She stole an amazing human being that should not have been taken.” Mr Hutchinson is now back at the home he shared with Miller after suffering two broken legs and brain bleeds in the crash. A toxicology report revealed that Ms Komoroski had a blood alcohol level of 0.261 – over three times the legal limit – when she was taken into custody on the scene of the crash. On Wednesday, Mr Hutchinson filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Ms Komoroski and the bars where she allegedly bar-hopped that night before getting behind the wheel of her car. In the suit, seeking unspecified damages, Mr Hutchinson claims that she “slurred and staggered her way through” El Gallo Bar & Grill near Daniel Island then travelled to Folly Beach where she bar-hopped between Snapper Jacks, the Drop In Bar & Dali and the Crab Shack. Each of the bars continued to serve her alcohol after she was clearly drunk, the suit claims. The suit also accuses Taco Boy, where Ms Komoroski had started working, of negligence and recklessness for allegedly coercing its new server into drinking “a dangerous amount of alcohol” at a work event. In a statement, Taco Boy denied the allegation. Read More Widowed husband sues driver, bars after DUI crash killed bride on wedding night Groom sues drunk driver who killed new wife as she left wedding reception Drunk driver who killed bride on wedding day had blood alcohol level three times over the legal limit
2023-05-19 21:51
What are the sanctions on Russia and are they hurting its economy?
Western nations have imposed severe measures against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
2023-05-19 19:52
Pete Buttigieg says GOP falling in ‘delicious’ trap: ‘Coca-Cola, Disney and Bud Light are on the other side’
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said there’s something “delicious” about far-right members of Congress positioning themselves against corporations that promote diversity or progressive ideas as he believes it unites most Americans who are on the other side of the fence. Despite what seems like an increasingly polarised political environment, Mr Buttigieg expressed hope about common ground in America, in part thanks to the GOP, while speaking with Wired. Over the last few years, several notable right-wing members of Congress have blasted companies like Bud Light, Disney, Coca-Cola and American Express for promoting inclusivity. Speaking specifically to the Coca-Cola Company being called “woke” for protesting voter suppression laws in Georgia, Mr Buttigieg said, “There’s something delicious about the way that [Senator Ted Cruz] and the rest of them have positioned themselves on one side of the fence.” “And Netflix, Coca-Cola, Disney and Bud Light are on the other side. Along with most of America,” Mr Buttigieg added. Recently, anti-transgender people called for a boycott against Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Bud Light, after they included a transgender woman in their advertising. Over the last year, Disney has been targeted by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for openly criticising his legislation suppressing LGBTQ+ rights in the state. But many have publicly mocked Mr DeSantis for going after the massive corporation due to their conflicting beliefs. Mr Buttigieg seemingly pointed to the backlash, similar to the kind Mr DeSantis is facing, as an example of many Americans advocating for progressive ideas. “There may in fact be a center of gravity in this country that includes both a Democratic majority of the American people, and even something of a consensus, at least among mainstream business leaders,” Mr Buttigieg said. “We have certain commitments around democracy and inclusion that are really elemental to the whole system,” he added. In the interview, Mr Buttigieg said that while the two goals of the “mainstream right” were to “prevent legal access to abortion and to sustain lower taxes for the wealthy” they had to make “a lot of distasteful bargains” to get there. He cited coming after the US military as an example. “Sometimes the military—the military, of all institutions—comes under attack from the far right. On ideological grounds. Yet another front in the culture war,” Mr Buttigieg said. “You can only put yourself on the wrong side of so many red, white, and blue American institutions, and the question becomes, Is this about you?” Read More Bud Light fumbles, but experts say inclusive ads will stay Tesla shouldn't call driving system Autopilot because humans are still in control, Buttigieg says Disney updates lawsuit against DeSantis to add new events Pete Buttigieg says GOP falling in ‘delicious’ trap against US majority Tesla shouldn't call driving system Autopilot because humans are still in control, Buttigieg says AP News Digest 3 am
2023-05-19 17:27
Flood Disaster Could Cost Italy €1.5 Billion in Damage to Crops
Floods in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region could have caused damages to crops for about €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion), according
2023-05-19 16:56
Warming World Risks Adding 9 Million Deaths Annually, WHO Says
Rising temperatures are making it increasingly difficult to reach global health goals. There is a risk of more
2023-05-19 16:28