
SBB Attracts Brookfield Interest in Effort to Rescue Landlord
Swedish landlord SBB has attracted interest from investors including Brookfield Asset Management, as the property tycoon at the
2023-06-02 16:23

Debt ceiling news - live: Senate passes debt limit deal bill sending it to White House for Biden signature
The Senate has passed a bipartisan agreement forged by US president Joe Biden and House speaker Kevin McCarthy to raise the $31.4 trillion US debt ceiling after the deal survived a Republican rebellion in the House of Representatives. The Fiscal Responsibility Act, which will also implement new federal spending cuts, cleared the lower chamber with 314 votes in favour and 117 against on Wednesday night. The narrowness of its passage through the House was made possible through the support of Democrats, who stepped in to thwart a Republican rebellion that badly undermined Speaker McCarthy’s claims to control over his increasingly divided party. On Thursday, the Senate rejected 11 proposed amendments before passing the bill 63 for to 36 against. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer will now send the bill to President Biden’s desk for his signature. Full congressional approval was required before Monday 5 June, when the Treasury Department was expected to run out of funds to pay its debts for the first time in American history. Read More Underestimated McCarthy emerges from debt deal empowered as speaker, still threatened by far right Lauren Boebert didn’t turn up to vote on debt ceiling deal she furiously campaigned against What’s next for Biden-McCarthy debt ceiling deal as Senate races to beat default deadline?
2023-06-02 16:23

Watch live: Antony Blinken and Finnish counterpart sign joint statement
Watch live as Antony Blinken and his Finnish counterpart speak in Helsinki on Friday, 2 June. The US secretary of state and the Finnish foreign minister Pekka Haavisto will sign a joint statement and make short remarks. Mr Blinken has made a trip to Europe to "deepen transatlantic cooperation on top national security and economic priorities." He is visiting Helsinki to highlight the US's relationship with Nato's newest ally. So far he has visited Lulea, Sweden, where he co-chaired the fourth meeting of the US-EU Trade and Technology Council, holding discussions on technology, holding Russia accountable, and supporting Ukraine. Mr Blinken met with Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson and Swedish foreign minister Tobias Billström. The US secretary of state's trip to Helsinki comes after he departed Norway, where he participated in an informal meeting of Nato foreign ministers to discuss the alliance's Vilnius summit which will be held in July. Read More US reopens embassy in Seychelles after 27-year absence France, Germany urge new elections in Kosovo following flare-up in ethnic tensions White House imposing sanctions as Sudan's warring sides fail to abide by cease-fire deal
2023-06-02 15:54

Clashes in Senegal leave at least 9 dead; government bans use of social media platforms
Clashes between police and supporters of Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko left nine people dead, the government said Friday, with authorities issuing a blanket ban on the use of several social media platforms in the aftermath of the violence. The deaths occurred mainly in the capital, Dakar, and Ziguinchor in the south, where Sonko is mayor, Interior Minister Antoine Felix Abdoulaye Diome said in a statement. Some social media sites used by demonstrators to incite violence, such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter have been suspended, he said. “The state of Senegal has taken every measure to guarantee the safety of people and property. We are going to reinforce security everywhere in the country,” Diome said. Sonko was convicted Thursday of corrupting youth but acquitted on charges of raping a woman who worked at a massage parlor and making death threats against her. The court sentenced Sonko to two years in prison. He didn't attend his trial in Dakar, and was judged in absentia. His lawyer said a warrant hadn't been issued yet for the politician’s arrest. Sonko came in third in Senegal’s 2019 presidential election and is popular with the country’s youth. His supporters maintain his legal troubles are part of a government effort to derail his candidacy in the 2024 presidential election. Sonko is considered President Macky Sall’s main competition and has urged Sall to state publicly that he won't seek a third term in office. Corrupting young people, which includes using one’s position of power to have sex with people under the age of 21, is a criminal offense in Senegal that is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to more than $6,000. Under Senegalese law, his conviction would bar Sonko from running in next year’s election, said Bamba Cisse, another defense lawyer. “The conviction for corruption of youth hinders his eligibility, because he was sentenced in absentia, so we can’t appeal,” Cisse said. However, the government said that Sonko can ask for a retrial once he is imprisoned. It was unclear when he would be taken into custody. Shortly after the verdict was announced Thursday, clashes erupted throughout the country with Sonko’s PASTEF party calling for people to take to the streets. In Dakar, protesters threw rocks, burned vehicles and in some places erected barricades while police fired tear gas. Plumes of black smoke and the sound of tear gas being fired were seen and heard throughout the city. Those who weren't protesting stayed indoors, leaving much of Dakar a ghost town with boarded-up shops and empty streets as people feared the violence would escalate. “The verdict cements the criticism that Sall’s government is weaponizing the judiciary to eliminate prominent rivals that could shake his rule,” said Mucahid Durmaz, senior analyst at global risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft. “Despite being presented as a beacon (of) democracy, the Sonko cases demonstrate the structural issues Senegal grapples with. The court decision and the prospect of Sall’s bid for a third term in the election next year will fuel fierce criticism around erosion of judicial independence and democratic backsliding,” Dumaz said. Government spokesman Abdou Karim Fofana said that the damage caused by months of demonstrations has cost the country millions of dollars. “These calls (to protest), it’s a bit like the anti-republican nature of all these movements that hide behind social networks and don’t believe in the foundations of democracy, which are elections, freedom of expression, but also the resources that our (legal) system offers,” Fofana said. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide US reopens embassy in Seychelles after 27-year absence US expands slots for asylum app at land crossings as demand overwhelms supply Restoration lags for Syria's famed Roman ruins at Palmyra and other war-battered historic sites
2023-06-02 14:58

Erdogan Picks Market Darling Simsek to Return as Turkey's Finance Chief
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will appoint Mehmet Simsek as his new treasury and finance minister, bringing back
2023-06-02 14:52

EQT Nears Deal for Vet Drugmaker Dechra Pharmaceuticals
EQT AB agreed to buy Dechra Pharmaceuticals Plc for about £4.46 billion ($5.6 billion), negotiating a lower price
2023-06-02 14:48

Kinnock Tells Starmer He Can Lead UK Alone, Without Coalition
Former Labour leader Neil Kinnock dismissed the chances of the party being forced into a coalition after the
2023-06-02 13:21

Charles Barkley Takes a Shot at Skip Bayless
Charles Barkley took a shot at Skip Bayless over Shannon Sharpe departure.
2023-06-02 12:56

All Eyes on US, China as Shangri-La Defense Forum Starts
Defense officials from around the world arrived in Singapore Friday, with US-China tensions over Taiwan, chip curbs and
2023-06-02 12:53

China Stocks Rebound as Fed Concerns Ease, Dip-Buyers Emerge
Chinese stocks staged a sharp rebound as signs that the Federal Reserve is close to the end of
2023-06-02 12:23

UK Government Killed Au Pair Industry, Leaving British Parents Desperate
The UK government is desperate to find a way to make child care more affordable and encourage more
2023-06-02 11:55

Newly approved US flights by Chinese airlines avoid Russian airspace
By David Shepardson WASHINGTON Chinese airlines are avoiding flying over Russian airspace in newly approved flights to and
2023-06-02 11:52