List of All Articles with Tag 'cs'

President Joe Biden plans to host Sweden’s prime minister at the White House on Wednesday in a show of solidarity as the United States presses for the Nordic nation’s entry into NATO, a week before the alliance's summit. Biden and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will “review our growing security cooperation and reaffirm their view that Sweden should join NATO as soon as possible,” the White House said a statement announcing the meeting. The leaders also will discuss the war in Ukraine and matters involving China. Sweden and neighbor Finland ended their longstanding policy of military nonalignment after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Both applied for NATO membership, seeking protection under the organization’s security umbrella. Finland, which shares a more than 800-mile or 1,300-kilometer border with Russia, joined NATO in April. But Sweden, which has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, has seen its ascension delayed by Turkey and Hungary; NATO requires the unanimous approval of all members to expand. NATO had hoped the road to Sweden’s membership would be smoothed out before the alliance’s summit July 11-12 in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Sweden’s entry would be a symbolically powerful moment and the latest indication of how Russia’s war is driving countries to join the alliance. Those hopes have dimmed. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has resisted, with his government accusing Sweden of being too lenient toward groups that it says pose a security threat, including militant Kurdish organizations and people associated with a 2016 coup attempt in Turkey. Last week, he condemned Sweden over a Quran-burning protest. Swedish police allowed the protest outside a mosque in central Stockholm, citing freedom of speech after a court overturned a ban on a similar Quran-burning. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he would gather senior officials from Turkey, Sweden and Finland on Thursday to try to overcome Turkey’s objections. Hungary also has yet to ratify Sweden’s bid. Hungarian lawmakers said a long-delayed parliamentary vote on that would not happen until the autumn legislative session. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government has alleged that Swedish politicians have told “blatant lies” about the condition of Hungary's democracy. High-ranking Hungarian officials have said they support Sweden’s membership bid while also making vague demands from Stockholm as conditions for approval. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

As America celebrated its independence, while divided on the true nature of its values, it also braced for a toxic presidential campaign likely to deepen its political trauma and again push the election system to its limits.

President Joe Biden has issued a fresh appeal for a ban on assault weapons after dozens of people were killed or wounded in mass shootings in the lead-up to Independence Day celebrations. Five people were shot dead and two boys, aged two and 13, were injured when a gunman armed with an AR-15-style assault rifle and wearing a bulletproof vest opened fire in Philadelphia’s Kingsessing neighbourhood at around 8.30pm on Monday night, according to authorities. Hours later, three died and 14 were injured in four separate shootings in Fort Worth, Texas. Mr Biden said he and First Lady Jill Biden were also grieving “tragic and senseless shootings” that had occurred in recent days in Baltimore, Lansing, Chicago and Wichita in a July 4 statement. He said it was “within our power” to ban AR-15-style weapons and high-capacity magazines while also enforcing safe storage of guns and enacting universal background checks. Mr Biden also marked the one year anniversary of a mass shooting that claimed the lives of seven people at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Illinois. In the wake of the shooting, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Highland Park mayor Nancy Rotering had worked with gun control advocates to ban assault rifles and high capacity magazines in the state. “Their achievement will save lives. But it will not erase their grief,” Mr Biden said. “And as we have seen over the last few days, much more must be done in Illinois and across America to address the epidemic of gun violence that is tearing our communities apart.” Mr Biden called on other states to follow Illinois’ lead and for Republican lawmakers in Congress to “come to the table on meaningful, commonsense reform”. In a speech to the National Education Association on Tuesday, Mr Biden said gun reform was urgently needed to protect children and teachers. “As you know all too well, educators now find themselves in the frontlines of gun violence,” Mr Biden told the association. “Congress needs to step up, pass common sense gun safety laws to protect our kids and educators, and by the way, arming teachers is not the answer.” According to the Gun Violence Archive, 21,782 Americans have been killed in shootings halfway through 2023. The US has experienced 346 mass shootings, when four or more people are shot, and 26 mass murders, according to the archive. Last June, Congress passed its first new gun control legislation in 28 years in the wake of twin tragedies in Buffalo, New York, where 10 Black shoppers were murdered, and the fatal shooting of 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Read More Trump marks Independence Day by sharing vulgar attack on Biden and ominous 2024 warning Fort Worth shooting – live: At least 17 shot across four shootings in Texas city on eve of July 4 Philadelphia mass shooting – live: Fifth victim found dead after gunman, 40, opened fire in Kingsessing The Texas shooter in a racist Walmart attack is going to prison. Here's what to know about the case Biden renews call for assault weapons ban after spate of July 4 shootings Watch as Joe Biden celebrates 4th of July at the White House

Nicaraguan Catholic Bishop Rolando Alvarez was released from prison on Monday night, a diplomatic source told Reuters on

A $1.8 billion project by defaulted Chinese developer Shimao Group Holdings Ltd. failed to find a buyer at

HSBC Holdings Plc will become the first British bank to test an advanced data-security system being run by

Fidelity International Ltd. and Abrdn Plc are zeroing in on China-related industries they expect to be sheltered from

Six months after Hong Kong reopened to the world, the city still has a steep climb to reclaim

Asian equities look set to open lower Wednesday in subdued trading following a holiday for US markets. Oil

Ted Cruz is accusing the highly anticipated Barbie film of “pushing Chinese propaganda,” after a trailer for the Warner Bros release appeared to show a map referencing China’s disputed claims to the South China Sea. “Senator Cruz has been fighting for years to prevent American companies, especially Hollywood studios, from altering and censoring their content to appease the Chinese Communist Party,’ a spokesperson for the Texas Republican told The Daily Mail. The issue stems back to the so-called “nine-dash line” used on Chinese maps, illustrating what it claims are its posessions within the South China Sea. The line, first published on Chinese maps in the 1940s, demarks an area 1,200 miles from the Chinese mainlaind comprised more than 80 per cent of the South China Sea, according to The Los Angeles Times. Parts of the territory within the line, a busy fishing and trade corridor with valuable oil and gas deposits as well as strategic importance, are claimed by nations including Vietnam and the Philippines. About a minute into the Barbie film’s main trailer, a map of the world can be seen with a line of eigh dots jutting off a cartoonish drawing of Asia. The Independent has contacted Warner Bros for comment. The Republican Texas senator isn’t the only one upset about the map. Vietnam reportedly banned the movie over the apparent reference to the Chinese claims. The decision was issued by the country’s Central Council of Film Evaluation and Classification, Vi Kien Thanh, head of the Vietnam Cinema Department, told theTuoi Tre newspaper on Monday. The film was set to premiere in the country on 21 July, the same time as it hit US screens. It’s not the first time the territorial claims have impacted a Hollywood release. Showings of the action film Uncharted in Vietnam were halted last year for the same reason. The map dispute also led Vietnam to cut a scene from the 2018 smash Crazy Rich Asians, according to the Mail. The territorial dispute over the South China Sea territory at issue was brought before The Hague in 2016, where China lost on most of its claims. Beijing has not accepted the judgment. Read More Barbie director Greta Gerwig reveals she rejected ‘terrifying’ idea for Margot Robbie film Vietnam bans 'Barbie' movie due to an illustration showing China's territorial claim John Legend and Chrissy Teigen sleep over at Barbie’s Malibu dreamhouse: ‘So jealous’ Trump and DeSantis to hold dueling campaign events in New Hampshire after squabbling over timing Analysis: Donald Trump's war on truth confronts another test with voters Judge blocks Biden agencies from communicating with social media platforms

Meta Platforms Inc.’s Threads app — the social network launching this week to take on Twitter Inc. —

A spokesman for a super PAC backing Ron DeSantis acknowledged that the Florida governor and GOP presidential candidate is "way behind" in national polling and is "fighting uphill" to defeat former President Donald Trump in the 2024 primary.