Saturday UK Briefing: Johnson Reclaims Spotlight in Sunak Feud
Hello from London, where a team from Manchester will lift the FA Cup today at Wembley. Boris Johnson,
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China Offers ‘All Means’ of Outreach to Resolve War in Ukraine
Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu extended an offer to his Ukrainian counterpart on Saturday to use “all means”
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Vietnam’s PM Urges Focus on Growth With Inflation Under Control
Vietnam needs to prioritize growing the economy with inflation under control and its export-dependent businesses struggling with declining
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'Anything is possible' as Kenya's Kipyegon shatters 1,500m world record
Nearly nine months after missing out on the 1,500 metres world record by three-hundredths of a second, Kenya's Faith Kipyegon buried the ghost of past disappointments with an emphatic performance at Friday's Florence Diamond League meeting.
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Madeleine McCann – latest: ‘Traditional’ evidence will be hard to find after 16 years, forensics expert warns
A forensics expert has warned that “traditional” evidence will be difficult to find after 16 years have passed since Madeleine McCann’s disappearance. Dan Matthews said that investigators would have searched the remote reservoir in Portugal for “things that could’ve stood the test of time and not been destroyed by its passage”, such as clothing fragments or jewellry. It comes after police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine say they have recovered a number of items from their recent search. German authorities last week helped Portuguese crews comb a remote area inland from the Algarve coastal resort where Madeleine went missing from her bedroom during a family holiday in 2007. Prosecutors said they would evaluate the undisclosed items in the coming days and weeks. “Whether some of the items actually relate to the Madeleine McCann case cannot yet be confirmed,” the prosecutor’s statement read. Meanwhile, investigators are set to widen the search for Madeleine after photos belonging to prime suspect Christian Brueckner revealed ‘clues’. Read More Madeleine McCann case: Timeline of the missing child’s disappearance How Madeleine McCann search at reservoir unfolded – and what police found Sixteen years and countless heartbreaks: Where are Madeleine McCann’s family now?
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CIA Director William Burns met Chinese leaders in Beijing as Washington tries to thaw tensions
CIA Director William Burns went to Beijing in May to meet with Chinese counterparts, a U.S. official said on Friday, in what is the highest level visit by a Biden administration official since a suspected Chinese spy balloon was shot down by American forces. Burns' visit, first reported by The Financial Times, comes as Washington tries to cool tensions with Beijing over the balloon and other recent conflicts between the world's two largest economies and geopolitical rivals. U.S. officials have long warned that China rejects their efforts at outreach. That raises the possibility of miscommunication spiraling into conflict, they say. “Last month, Director Burns traveled to Beijing where he met with Chinese counterparts and emphasized the importance of maintaining open lines of communication in intelligence channels,” said a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss Burns' schedule, which is classified. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also spoke “briefly” Friday with Li Shangfu, China's minister of national defense, at the opening dinner of a security forum in Singapore. China had earlier rejected Austin's request for a meeting on the sidelines of the forum. President Joe Biden has often sent Burns on sensitive trips to meet U.S. adversaries. Burns went to Moscow in late 2021 to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin about indications that Russia was gearing up to launch a new invasion of Ukraine. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide
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Solar Beats Coal in Europe for First Time - But There’s a Glitch
The European Union’s transition to clean energy marked a milestone in May, when solar panels generated more electricity
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Indonesia Defends Ukraine Peace Plan, Says Asia Knows War’s Cost
Indonesia Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto passionately defended a new peace proposal for Ukraine that would leave Russian forces
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French Anger Over Pension Law Tops Worldwide Protests in 2023
Protests worldwide over retirement rules and benefits have more than tripled this year as countries from France to
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SBB’s New CEO Seen to Strengthen Hand of Property Mogul Akelius
Sweden’s battered commercial property sector could be in for further consolidation after one of the country’s biggest landlords
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Australia Says US Allies Can Have Productive Ties With China
Australia seeks to balance its economic and security relationship with China even as it maintains a longstanding defense
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Biden expected to sign budget deal to raise debt ceiling
President Joe Biden is expected to sign legislation on Saturday to raise the debt ceiling, just two days before the U.S. Treasury warned that the country would struggle to pay its bills. The bipartisan measure, which was approved this week by the House and Senate, eliminates the potential for an unprecedented government default. “Passing this budget agreement was critical. The stakes could not have been higher," Biden said from the Oval Office on Friday evening. “Nothing would have been more catastrophic,” he said, than defaulting on the country's debt. The agreement was hashed out by Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, giving Republicans some of their demanded federal spending cuts but holding the line on major Democratic priorities. It raises the debt limit until 2025 — after the 2024 presidential election — and gives legislators budget targets for the next two years in hopes of assuring fiscal stability as the political season heats up. “No one got everything they wanted but the American people got what they needed,” Biden said, highlighting the “compromise and consensus” in the deal. “We averted an economic crisis and an economic collapse.” Biden used the opportunity to itemize the achievements of his first term as he runs for reelection, including support for high-tech manufacturing, infrastructure investments and financial incentives for fighting climate change. He also highlighted ways he blunted Republican efforts to roll back his agenda and achieve deeper cuts. “We’re cutting spending and bringing deficits down at the same time,” Biden said. “We're protecting important priorities from Social Security to Medicare to Medicaid to veterans to our transformational investments in infrastructure and clean energy.” Even as he pledged to continue working with Republicans, Biden also drew contrasts with the opposing party, particularly when it comes to raising taxes on the wealthy, something the Democratic president has sought. It’s something he suggested may need to wait until a second term. “I’m going to be coming back,” he said. “With your help, I’m going to win.” Biden's remarks were the most detailed comments from the Democratic president on the compromise he and his staff negotiated. He largely remained quiet publicly during the high-stakes talks, a decision that frustrated some members of his party but was intended to give space for both sides to reach a deal and for lawmakers to vote it to his desk. Biden praised McCarthy and his negotiators for operating in good faith, and all congressional leaders for ensuring swift passage of the legislation. “They acted responsibly, and put the good of the country ahead of politics,” he said. Overall, the 99-page bill restricts spending for the next two years and changes some policies, including imposing new work requirements for older Americans receiving food aid and greenlighting an Appalachian natural gas pipeline that many Democrats oppose. Some environmental rules were modified to help streamline approvals for infrastructure and energy projects — a move long sought by moderates in Congress. The Congressional Budget Office estimates it could actually expand total eligibility for federal food assistance, with the elimination of work requirements for veterans, homeless people and young people leaving foster care. The legislation also bolsters funds for defense and veterans, cuts back some new money for the Internal Revenue Service and rejects Biden’s call to roll back Trump-era tax breaks on corporations and the wealthy to help cover the nation’s deficits. But the White House said the IRS' plans to step up enforcement of tax laws for high-income earners and corporations would continue. The agreement imposes an automatic overall 1% cut to spending programs if Congress fails to approve its annual spending bills — a measure designed to pressure lawmakers of both parties to reach consensus before the end of the fiscal year in September. In both chambers, more Democrats backed the legislation than Republicans, but both parties were critical to its passage. In the Senate the tally was 63-36 including 46 Democrats and independents and 17 Republicans in favor, 31 Republicans along with four Democrats and one independent who caucuses with the Democrats opposed. The vote in the House was 314-117. ___ AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide FBI offers to show GOP chairman document that purports to relate to Biden, his family Republicans schedule 1st presidential debate for Aug. 23, but there's no guarantee Trump will attend DeSantis wraps up 1st early states tour as candidate with more personal touch in South Carolina
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