American business community hails debt ceiling deal between Biden and McCarthy, Republicans jeer it
With the nation roughly a week away from the risk of a default that could roil the global economy, major business groups have been urging Washington to act quickly on a debt-ceiling increase. The Business Roundtable, a group of more than 200 chief executive officers, called on Congress to pass the bill as soon as possible.
Gay rights defenders fear East Africa will copy Uganda’s harsh LGBTQ law, plus death penalty
Uganda receives billions of dollars in foreign aid each year and could now face further sanctions. The bill’s sponsor, Asuman Basalirwa, told reporters that parliament speaker Anita Among’s U.S. visa was cancelled after the law was signed. The US embassy in Uganda did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Historic acquittal in Louisiana fuels fight to review ‘Jim Crow’ verdicts as non-unanimous jury convictions are vacated
Louisiana advocates also have turned to the Legislature in recent years. But the latest potential remedy stalled in the House and appears dead after representatives voted 50-38 against the measure on Thursday. It is unlikely supporters can revive the bill with two weeks left in the legislative session.
How President Biden and Speaker McCarthy avoided putting US in recession mode with debt ceiling deal
When Kevin McCarthy was struggling early this year to get enough votes from his own Republicans to become speaker of the House of Representatives, Democratic President Joe Biden called the prolonged saga a national embarrassment, then had a little fun. “I’ve got good news for you,” Biden said, pointing playfully...
Mexican President Lopez Obrador spending on social programmes is irking US – intelligence leaks
López Obrador’s 2023 federal budget, presented to the Mexican Congress last fall, does increase funding for social programmes, including a significant raise for the pension provided to older Mexicans. It also prioritises large infrastructure projects, which are mostly concentrated in southern states of the country.
Biden expresses optimism as debt ceiling negotiations push toward critical default deadline
Hard-line Republicans in the House of Representatives have threatened to block any bill that does not meet their expectations, including sharp spending cuts. Progressive Democrats have also threatened to withhold support for some of the compromises raised, particularly around imposing new work requirements on federal anti-poverty programmes.
Britain’s TV station says it probed rumours of cheating gay staffer but found no smoking gun
Schofield, who had co-presented This Morning with Willoughby since 2009, said last week he decided to leave the show because it had “become the story”. He started at This Morning in 2002 as a temporary presenter before becoming a permanent fixture at the show.
Chelsea is a club where players oversleep, arrive late for bus, but it’s manager who gets the stick
At least one player has had a post-training nap and missed the team bus, half of dozen of squad have openly admitted they want to leave and some haven’t bothered to tie their laces ahead of training. The Blues squad is overcrowded, with it revealed that players often have to sit on the floor in team meetings – a situation that contributed to the downfall and eventual sacking of Graham Potter.
Thousands of exhausted South Sudanese refugees leap ‘out of the frying pan, into the fire’ at home
Years of fighting between government and opposition forces in South Sudan killed almost 400,000 people and displaced millions until a peace agreement was signed nearly five years ago. Enacting a solid peace has been sluggish: The country has yet to deploy a unified military and create a permanent constitution.
‘Only an evil state can fight against clinics’, Ukrainian president says of Russian attack on hospitals
Moscow has dismissed allegations that its soldiers have committed war crimes and denies deliberately targeting civilians although it has bombarded cities across Ukraine since invading 15 months ago. Moscow said earlier on Friday Ukraine had struck two regions in southern Russia with a rocket and a drone, but the missile was shot down.
