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IMPORTANT | | He's Out | Countdown Begins on Boris Johnson’s Resignation The U.K. prime minister will reportedly resign later today after he was unable to stave off the recent hemorrhaging of staffers, including high-profile ministers. Seven ministers handed in their resignation before breakfast today, heightening pressure on the PM. A new Conservative Party leader is expected to be at the helm before the party conference in October — though critics are pushing for Johnson to leave No. 10 Downing St. immediately. “A divided party cannot win elections. It cannot deliver for those who trusted us with their votes for the first time in 2019,” Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland secretary, said in his resignation. (Sources: Sky News, The Guardian, The Independent) |
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| | Friends in Need | Desperate Sri Lanka Turns to Russia for Lifeline President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for some of his sanctioned oil, he confirmed Thursday. Rajapaksa, who spoke to Putin by phone, said he had thanked Russia for its help in the past and hoped this would continue. “I requested an offer of credit support to import fuel,” he tweeted. Foreign exchange reserves in the country have been dropping for years off the back of economic mismanagement, leaving Sri Lanka ill-prepared to deal with the current fuel crisis. Even so, few petroleum firms have been willing to ship much-needed fuel in for months as outstanding bills pile up. (Source: Al Jazeera) |
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| | Across the Pond | FBI, MI5 Sound China Alarm in First-Ever Joint Address FBI Director Christopher Wray spoke alongside MI5 head Ken McCallum in an unprecedented joint appearance in London. McCallum warned that the British Security Service’s work investigating Chinese activity had more than doubled in the last three years — and is expected to double again. Across the Atlantic, the view is equally dire. Wray cautioned that an attempt by China to seize Taiwan would “represent one of the most horrific business disruptions the world has ever seen.” The pair described incidents in which intelligence thwarted attempts to disrupt the U.S. and the U.K., including a major plot focusing on aerospace in May. (Sources: BBC, NYT) |
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| | | Spiritual Journey | Mecca Pilgrim Turnout Approaches Pre-COVID Numbers Saudi Arabia is welcoming the first of the pilgrims, with hajj officially beginning Thursday night. Around 1 million worshippers are expected to make the trip, including 850,000 from abroad. That’s still down on the pre-pandemic 2.5 million in 2019, but higher than the past two years. All Muslims who are able to make the journey to Mecca are required to do so at least once in their lives — and long queues and pandemic precautions won’t deter them. “Being here is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I can’t wait for the rest,” Egyptian Naima Mohsen said. (Sources: France 24, Arab News) |
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| | Briefly | Here are some things you should know about today: Changing tides. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker offered a rare rebuke to the National Rifle Association. In a tweet, the gun lobbyists linked Monday’s Highland Park massacre to gun-free zones, to which Pritzker replied: “Leave us the hell alone.” (Source: Bloomberg) ‘Intolerable.’ President Joe Biden spoke with Cherelle Griner Wednesday as her wife, basketballer Brittney Griner, is tried in Moscow. He assured her the White House is doing all it can to get Brittney home. (Source: Reuters) Failed. The U.N. and its Security Council are in need of reform, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. She accused Russia of using its position on the council to dodge sanctions. (Source: AFP) |
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INTRIGUING
| | Health Class | White Children Especially Likely to Be Overdiagnosed With ADHD A new study also found white kids are more likely to be overtreated for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder than their nonwhite peers. Researchers studied 1,070 American schoolchildren who had previously shown strong academic, social and behavioral skills with the assumption that these students would be unlikely candidates for an ADHD diagnosis. They found that 27% of the white children were later diagnosed with ADHD, compared to 19% of nonwhite students. Neither age nor the socioeconomic status of the children’s families made an impact on the data. ADHD diagnosis overall has increased in the last two decades from 6% to 10%. (Source: The Conversation) |
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| | Justice | Nipsey Hussle’s Killer Guilty of First-Degree Murder The rapper was gunned down outside his Los Angeles store in March 2019 by acquaintance Eric Ronald Holder Jr., who has been convicted of first-degree murder after a weekslong trial. Hussle had made a name — and earned a Grammy — with his social justice-minded music. Holder admitted to killing him, but his lawyers argued it was in a “heated passion” and therefore manslaughter instead of murder. Prosecutors said Holder left the South Central L.A. location following an argument with Hussle before returning with two handguns and shooting him more than 10 times. He’s set to reappear in court in September for sentencing. (Source: Billboard) |
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| | Apple Keeps the Hackers Away | Smartphone Giant Launches ‘Lockdown Mode’ for the Security-Minded It’s an “extreme, optional” security level for users, Apple said, and most people will have no need to use it. But for activists, journalists and others in highly sensitive industries it may be a necessity. Recent research into the vulnerabilities of devices — highlighted with state-owned mercenary spyware Pegasus found on murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s phone — has inspired the features. Lockdown Mode blocks FaceTime calls and invitations from unknown sources, and disables link previews and some browser features, preventing exploitation by hackers. The setting has already appeared in the brand-new iOS 16 Developer Beta 3 update. (Sources: The Verge, Motherboard) |
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| | | Hard Place | Georgia Demolishes ‘Satanic’ Slabs After Bombing “America’s Stonehenge,” or the work of Satan? Whatever your take, the Georgia Guidestones are now a pile of rubble. The rural monument, built in 1980, was demolished Wednesday after one of the four slabs was damaged in an explosion. It’s a stone-cold whodunit with plenty of suspects. Both conservative firebrand Alex Jones and liberal comedian John Oliver spoke of the slabs in recent months — and a candidate in the state’s gubernatorial race pledged to destroy them if she won. The slabs bore a 10-part message in eight different languages, including the importance of keeping the world population below half a billion. (Source: AP) |
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| | Teed Off | World Golf Abandons Shanghai Events Amid Pandemic Uncertainty Shanghai is slowly reopening — but not to international sports just yet. Organizers confirmed the WGC-HSBC Champions and the LPGA Tour, both set for October, won’t be going ahead. It’s the third year running the pandemic has scuttled event plans, showing the severity of China’s continued restrictions as much of the rest of the world is moving on. The WGC-HSBC event is considered Asia’s premier golfing tournament and is one of four tournaments making up the annual World Golf Championships. PGA Tour senior executive Christian Hardy blamed “logistical” issues which, just a few months out, have made the event untenable. (Sources: Reuters, ESPN) |
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