
China Can Borrow More to Revive Economy, Ex-PBOC Official Says
China’s fiscal policies need to play a bigger role in helping the economy since cutting interest rates would
2023-07-11 09:16

Oil Steadies as China Takes Measures to Revive Ailing Economy
Oil steadied — after falling the most in a week on Monday — as Chinese measures to aid
2023-07-11 08:50

PGA Tour Will Tout Minimal Saudi Influence in Golf Merger at Congressional Hearing
Two top PGA Tour officials plan to tell US lawmakers that Saudi Arabia would have little sway over
2023-07-11 08:46

Canada's Northwest Territories smash previous temperature records
The hottest day in the Northwest Territories comes as the country battles its worst wildfire season.
2023-07-11 07:50

Biden will meet Zelensky at Nato summit in Lithuania as war with Russia rages on
Joe Biden will meet with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at the Nato summit in Lithuania on Wednesday, US officials confirmed to The Independent. The meeting comes as Mr Biden has expressed doubts in recent days about Ukraine’s long-sought goal of joining the trans-Atlantic alliance. “I don’t think there is unanimity in Nato about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the Nato family now, at this moment, in the middle of a war,” he told CNN last week. The pair last met in May at a G-7 summit in Japan. This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information. Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary
2023-07-11 07:46

Turkey agrees to Sweden Nato membership after previously blocking bid
Turkey has agreed to support Sweden's bid to join Nato after previously blocking the country from joining. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a briefing that he would forward Sweden's bid to join Nato to the Turkish parliament for ratification. It comes after the president previously appeared to suggest that Turkey would only back Sweden joining if it was re-considered for EU membership. Nato’s directory general Jens Stoltenberg said: “President Erdogan has agreed to forward the accession protocol for Sweden to the Grand National Assembly [Turkey’s parliament] as soon as possible and work closely with the assembly to ensure ratification.” Mr Stolenberg said this is a “historic step” but that a clear date could not be given for when Sweden officially joins. Turkey previously resisted Sweden joining the alliance after accusing Swedish authorities of being complicit in Islamophobic demonstrations. It also claims that Sweden allowed members of recognised Kurdish terror groups to operate, such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party. Although Sweden changed its terrorism laws earlier this year to make it a crime to be part of these groups. As a member of Nato, Turkey has a veto on allowing other nations to join the alliance. But the Turkish president faced pressure from European and American allies to allow Sweden to join. Joe Biden spoke with Mr Erdogan while flying aboard Air Force One on Sunday, CNN reported. The US president conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden into Nato as soon as possible, according to a readout from the White House. In a statement, the White House said: “I welcome the statement issued by Turkey, Sweden and the Nato secretary general this evening, including the commitment by President ErdoÄŸan to transmit the Accession Protocol for Sweden to Turkey’s Grand National Assembly for swift ratification. “I stand ready to work with President ErdoÄŸan and Turkey on enhancing defence and deterrence in the Euro-Atlantic area. “I look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Kristersson and Sweden as our 32nd Nato Ally. And I thank secretary general Stoltenberg for his steadfast leadership.” From Tuesday, during a two-day meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania, Nato allies will also discuss the prospect of Ukraine joining. It has been agreed that although Ukraine cannot join during the war, a measure has been removed to allow the nation to join more quickly after the conflict is over. The Membership Action Plan, which involves a host of bureaucratic and military reforms designed to ensure a prospective member is up to NATO standards, is no longer a requirement for Ukraine to join. However, the move has sparked outrage in Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "You know the absolutely clear and consistent position of the Russian Federation that Ukraine's membership in NATO will have very, very negative consequences for the security architecture, the already half-destroyed security architecture in Europe. "And it will be an absolute danger, a threat to our country, which will require from us a sufficiently clear and firm reaction." Read More Joe Biden meets King Charles at Windsor Castle as part of flying UK visit Why Ukraine’s plea for Nato membership is such a challenge for the West Biden news – live: Palace denies breach of royal protocol between King Charles and Biden during awkward moment Deadly flooding hits several countries, scientists said this will be increasingly common Swedish foreign minister optimistic Turkey will drop objections to NATO membership Former POWs welcomed back to Ukraine in ceremony headed by Zelensky
2023-07-11 07:45

‘Whistleblower’ who accused Bidens of corruption is charged with arms trafficking and violating Iran sanctions
A “whistleblower” who has repeatedly accused the Bidens of corruption has been charged by the Justice Department with arms trafficking, acting as a foreign agent for China and violating Iran sanctions. Gal Luft, who is a citizen of both the United States and Israel, is accused of paying a former adviser to Donald Trump on behalf of principals in China in 2016 without registering as a foreign agent. Prosecutors say that Mr Luft pushed the former government employee, who is not named, to push policies that were favourable to China. Mr Luft, 57, was arrested in Cyprus in February on US charges but fled after being released on bail while awaiting extradition, stated prosecutors. He is not currently in US custody. Prosecutors also allege that he set up meetings between officials of Iran and a Chinese energy company to discuss oil deals, which would violate US sanctions.
2023-07-11 07:22

Ten-year-old girl found dead after being abducted while playing with sister
A 10-year-old girl from Illinois was found dead after being abducted while playing with her six-year-old sister. A woman told Rockford police that her daughter came home and said a man had kidnapped her sister just after noon on Saturday, a report details. At around 12.40pm, Rockford Police officers were flagged down by a man who said he found an unresponsive girl on the 1200 block of 9th Avenue. When the officers arrived at the scene, they performed CPR on the girl, before the fire department transported her to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Antonio Monroe, 44, is alleged to have abducted the girl. He is a convicted sex offender, previously convicted of criminal sexual assault. He has been charged with first degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery, and kidnapping, according to the police report. Mr Monroe was taken into custody and will be transported to the Winnebago County Jail after being released from the hospital for an unrelated issue, the report states. “From the time my phone rang yesterday in regards with this incident, my stomach has been in a knot,” Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd told reporters. “No one ever wants to get a knock on the door and hear from the police that your child has been murdered, especially an innocent child.” Chief Redd added both girls were strangled, but the younger girl escaped and was treated at a hospital. She has since been released. At a press conference, Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara described Monroe as a “real life monster.” The mayor added, “This is truly a real life nightmare and honestly probably worse than any nightmare or situation I can think of on my own.” Read More Friends and colleagues ‘appalled’ by lies about Princeton doctoral student kidnapped in Iraq Rudy Farias: A timeline of the bizarre case of the Texas man ‘missing’ for eight years Murder suspect arrested in multi-state manhunt is now on the run again after escape from Pennsylvania jail
2023-07-11 06:53

MSNBC panelist calling Casey DeSantis ‘America’s Karen’ sparks war of words with Fox News
Remarks made by an MSNBC host about Casey DeSantis, spouse of the 2024 presidential candidate, have sparked a sort of war-of-words between the network and Fox News. On Saturday, a discussion hosted by MSNBC and Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart centred around a new advertisement released by the DeSantis campaign featuring Casey DeSantis stumping for her husband — and whether her persona and character would be found appealing by voters. A former Republican congressman from Florida, Rep David Jolly, was invited to weigh in on the ad. He dubbed the first lady of Florida “America’s Karen”, and quipped: “It doesn’t matter if it’s presented in heels or boots, the DeSantis doctrine is a losing one.” The cutting remarks elicited a reponse from Fox’s Brian Kilmeade, who argued that Ms DeSantis was “going to bat for moms and parents” by supporting her husband’s political agenda, which some experts have argued is leading to a whitewashing of US civil rights history in Florida’s schools. Ignoring the “Karen” remark, he added: “[S]he is unbelievably eloquent behind the microphone. Even for a brocaster I think she is extraordinary, and she is great partner to the governor who wants to be president. People look at a candidate and they look at the spouse, too. Just like they look at a running mate whether you like it or not.” Others on Fox were less diplomatic in their responses to MSNBC’s segment. “This shows you just how pathetic some in this industry can be,” declared media columnist Joe Concha, formerly of The Hill, during an appearance on the network. Mr DeSantis responded to the comments, meanwhile, during a Monday interview on Varney & Co. on the Fox Business Network: "We wear criticism from MSNBC as a badge of honor." Fox in particular has been an on-again, off-again ally for the Florida governor as he battles Donald Trump and a host of other Republicans for the 2024 GOP nomination. While his policies and campaign speeches broadly get a warm reception by the network’s hosts, he has also faced awkward questions from Fox personalities during recent appearances over his stagnating poll numbers and his continued position in the primary: distantly in second place. The right-leaning cable network is set to host the first televised live debate of the 2024 contest in August, though Mr Trump has not confirmed that he will attend. That hesitance has in turn led to Mr DeSantis declaring that he will likely not attend either should the former president bow out, as the Florida governor seeks to paint the contest as a two-person race — and his other GOP rivals as mere distractions. Read More Trump, DeSantis among 2024 GOP hopefuls set to appear at Moms for Liberty gathering Guatemala president says he won't stay in power as courts continue to hold up election results Tucker Carlson’s Twitter show is haemorrhaging viewers, reports says Trump strains relations with Iowa Republicans with no-show at charity event Trump says ‘damaged’ DeSantis is ‘desperately trying to get out’ of 2024 race Florida Republican lawmaker accused of sexually harassing two male staffers
2023-07-11 03:57

US Consumer Borrowing Rises at Slowest Pace Since Late 2020
US consumer borrowing slowed to a more than two-year low in May, reflecting the first decline in non-revolving
2023-07-11 03:52

Turkey Agrees to Advance Sweden’s NATO Bid, Stoltenberg Says
Turkey agreed to ask its parliament to advance Sweden’s bid for NATO membership, alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg told
2023-07-11 03:50

Nebraska woman pleads guilty to giving teen daughter abortion pills and helping bury fetus
A Nebraska mother pleaded guilty on Friday to giving her 17-year-old daughter medications to perform an abortion in 2022 and helping the teen burn and bury the fetus in a field. Jessica Burgess, 42, of Norfolk, was charged with breaking what was then the state’s ban on abortions after 20 weeks of gestation, as well as accused of falsely reporting and tampering with human skeletal remains, according to the Associated Press. Previous charges of concealing a death and performing an abortion without a medical license were missed as part of the plea deal. Burgess’s daughter, Celeste, now 18, has been charged as an adult and pleaded guilty in May to removing, concealing, or abandoning a dead body. The abortion took place before the Supreme Court overturn Roe v Wade and the constitutional right to an abortion in the summer of 2022. Police began investigating the case in late April of that year, according to the Lincoln Journal Star. The woman later told police Celeste had given birth to a stillborn baby in the shower, and that they put the body in a bag in their van then bured it with the help of a 22-year-old on a property the man’s parents owned, according to the paper. Celeste was 23 weeks or nearly six months pregnant at the time, according to medical records obtained by police, well past the state’s then 20-week abortion ban. Prosecutors obtained Facebook messages between the family members as part of their case. “(Celeste Burgess) talks about how she can’t wait to get the ‘thing’ out of her body and reaffirms with (Jessica Burgess) that they will burn the evidence afterwards,” a police detective wrote in court documents, describing the content of the messages. In May of 2023, Nebraska joined the many Republican-controlled states restricting abortion after Roe, and outlawed the procedure after 12 weeks. This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information.
2023-07-11 03:27