DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

And they were everywhere, although, naturally, New York City was a magnet, as it has always been for L.G.B.T.Q.+ people looking for a place in which they can be themselves. New York City was where you lost your soul, and we wanted to be closer to the earth. I wore an eight-and-a-half-foot-tall Statue of Liberty costume to the Easter Parade in New York City, and Kirsten came along with me. By the time I turned 30, I’d been telling people I was older for years, because I’m not the type to bemoan the loss of my youth. Going to New York felt like this moment of emerging to a wider audience, and then I started to travel a lot.

Persons: André De Shields, Lady Bunny, Michael R, Jackson, Juliana Huxtable, Wong, J.D, Samson, Pat Oleszko, it’s, —, John Rechy, ”, Danez Smith, Trump, he’d, “, Jenna Lyons, Avram Finkelstein, Joe Mantello, …, Catherine Opie, you’re, Willie Norris, “ I’d, It’s, you’ve, ” — Mark Harris Read, De Shields, Justin French, Chuck Ashley, Anthony Cotsifas, William F, Robert O’Hara’s, Hermes, — Max Berlinger Jenna Lyons, Antonio Lopez, Jenna Lyons’s, Grace Jones ”, Juan Ramos, Antonio Lopez’s, Grace Jones, Tina Chow, Marisa Berenson, Pam Anderson, That’s, — Jason Chen Jayne County, Jayne County, Gus Stewart, Billy Idol, Wayne County, — M.B, Bill T, Jones, Arnie, Arnie Zane, Zane, Keith Haring, Lois Greenfield, Jack Mitchell, Peggy Jarrell Kaplan, Gertrude Stein, Alice B, we’d, Bill, Arnie ”, I’m, — Juan, Norris, Yael Malka, Tomas Abad, West, Black, I’d, — Colleen Hamilton B.D, New York’s Eugene, . Wong, David Henry Hwang’s, Richie, wasn’t, Wayne Barker, — John Wogan Edmund White, Edmund White, Horatio, Leonard Fink’s “, Barbara Confino, Leonard Fink, Joseph Rodriguez, Bleecker, You’d, Gosh, Michael Snyder Pat Oleszko, Chichi, Kirsten, who’d, she’d, — C.H, Brian Michael Smith, Gay, Smith, Kiki Ball, Josue Infante, Skyler Cruz, Jamison, — J.A.R, Agnes Denes’s “, Don Yowell, Finkelstein, Agnes Denes, Leslie Tonkonow, Don, Agnes Denes’s, JD Samson, Sia, Mark Hunter, Anthony Cotsifas I’d, Johanna Fateman, Tigre, Michael O’Neill, Obama, might’ve, — Kate Guadagnino Kristen Kish, Kish, Suzanne Kreiter, David Moir, Bravo, isn’t, — J.W, Stephen Spinella, Mantello, Joan Marcus, Photofest, Tony Kushner’s, Louis Ironson, Milton Glaser, he’s, David, Marshall Grant, Joe Pitt, Walter, Awards, Stephen, ” —, Freedia, Devon Hurst, Sissy Nobby, Barack Obama’s, Lyle Ashton Harris, Big, Bounce, ” — M.B, Thom Browne, Browne, Los Angeles’s Chateau Marmont, Malcolm Venville, Paul Fortune, Michèle Lamy —, — J.C, Catherine Opie’s “, Opie, Ian, Lehmann Maupin, Eileen Myles, Jenny Shimizu, I’ve, Nicole Acheampong Danez Smith, Juan Cordero, ” Womp, They’d, hookups, Who’s, We’ve, You’re, J.A.R, Linda Simpson, India, Little Louie Vega, who’s, — K.G, Alexander Chee, Alexander Chee’s, Marguerite Duras’s “, Jeongneung, King Jungjong, Eric McNatt, Chris Chee, — M.S, Sam Jay, Jay, Jonah, Kumail ”, hadn’t, K.G, Phillip Lim, Lim, Tourmaline, Sylvia Rivera, Luce Capco Lincoln, York’s, We’d, Marsha P, John Cameron Mitchell, Larry Kramer, Mitchell’s, Mitchell, Martha Swope, Billy Rose, Mark Tusk, ” Kramer’s, Larry, Ned Weeks, Ned, “ Hedwig, J.W, Joerg Lohse, Reena, there’s, Matt Bomer, Bomer, Simon Halls, Neal Caffrey, Tony Kushner, Terrence McNally —, — I’d, Hollywood, Wu Tsang, Neil Rasmus, Wildness, ’, Wildness ”, Roxane Gay, Mueller, Brandon Williams, Donna Gottschalk, Donna Gottschalk’s “, Duchess, Galerie Marcelle Alix, goddamn, Coco Romack Michael R, Aaron Kinney, Nova, “ I’m, Bob Damron’s, Sgt, Shirley, Waldorf, Harold’s, Jean ] Genet, Marcel, Proust Organizations: Pride, Stonewall, West, America’s, ACT UP, San, Playwrights Horizons, Odeon, New York’s TriBeCa, Electric, Getty, Police, Billy, New York Live Arts, Keith Haring Foundation, BAM Hamm, Liberation, Brooklyn Liberation, Brooklyn Museum, Fort, New York’s, New York’s Eugene O’Neill Theatre, Broadway, Equity, LGBT Community Center, Fulbright, Mudd, New, Bisexual, Transgender Community, Center, Transgender Community Center, “, Maxwell, Museum School, Farmers, Seattle, Boston Globe, Travel, New York Times, Rancho Mirage, Gay, Caesar’s, FEMA, Yale, York’s Webster Hall, Masters, Records, Pyramid, Work, ACT, Carpenters, Seymour, Edinburgh, Atlanta —, Ninja, Huntington, New York, Lesbian, Equal, Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library, The New York Times, USA, Children’s Hospital of Los, MoMA, Whitney Biennial, University of Nebraska, Alamy, HarperCollins, of Engineering, Google, Division, Astor, Tilden Foundations, Pershing, University of Southern, Pershing Square Locations: New York, Berlin, “, America, San Francisco, Baltimore, New York’s, New York City, California, Atlanta, Europe, Wayne County, Dortmund, Germany, London, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Rockland County, N.Y, ’, I’m, Brooklyn, West Dakota, Fort Greene, New, Leonard Fink’s “ Bars, Street, Rome, —, Aspen, Colo, Copenhagen, Danish, Peru, Los Angeles, Agnes Denes’s “ Wheatfield, Downtown Manhattan, North Moore, TriBeCa, Hoboken, N.J, Lower Manhattan, Manhattan, Boston, Williamsburg , Brooklyn, Vinnie’s, Bedford, Austin , Texas, Copley, Menton, Asian American, York, New Orleans, Houston, Los Angeles’s, L.A, Hong Kong, Seoul, Casa, Koreatown, Minneapolis, Grindr, East, India, Wigstock, Tompkins, Vershire, Chee, Iowa, Huntington Beach, Chelsea, Barneys, Madison, Miami, New York State, Washington, The, LA, Silver Lake, Missouri, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Zurich, Central, American, Westlake, Los Angeles and New York, Lincoln, Alphabet City , New York, Lenox, United States, University of Southern California, Downtown Los Angeles

☆ The Biden-Trump debate will lay bare a fateful national crossroads
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The country is confronting a perilous moment, internally estranged over politics and culture and as multiple foreign policy crises deepen. Biden has dedicated his term to expanding NATO to counter the Kremlin’s onslaught on Ukraine and threat to wider Europe. This leaves Biden badly needing to use Thursday night’s debate to convince voters that he can make their lives better — and soon. Post-game coverage of Thursday’s debate is certain to zero in on the best verbal jabs, soundbites and the stamina and energy of the rival candidates. But the most meaningful impact of the clash between Trump and Biden will only begin to unfold after noon on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2025.

Persons: Al, George H.W, Richard Nixon’s, Donald Trump’s, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Trump, Robert Frost’s, Biden, he’s, “, he’d, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Nikoletta Stoyanova, didn’t, they’ve, Trump’s, Jerome Powell, Kamala Harris, Lyndon Johnson, He’s Organizations: CNN, White, GOP, NATO, Trump, North, America, 57th Motorized Brigade, Republican Party, Federal, ABC Locations: America, Russia, China, Ukraine, Europe, Beijing, Gaza, United States, Vovchansk, Kharkiv Region, Nevada

☆ Presidential debate: The Biden-Trump face-off is anything but a rerun
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Steve Contorno | Jeff Zeleny | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The historic rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump is anything but a rerun, with their first presidential debate next week set to showcase a vastly different set of issues driving their bitter duel for the White House. It feels like an upside-down lifetime ago since the pair last appeared together on a debate stage. “That’s the thing you’re going to see coming out in this debate: What was the world like under Trump?” Waltz said on CNN. Trump suggested Biden would be “pumped up” for the debate, before insinuating, without any evidence, that the president uses cocaine. Yet this showdown is without parallel as the 45th and 46th presidents seek to define their rival in what is the earliest general election debate in memory.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Biden, “, Roe, Wade, Mike Waltz, ” Trump, ” Waltz, ”, it’s Trump, “ Trump, Brian Bartlett, Mitt Romney’s, ” Biden, Joe, Jill Biden, Biden’s favorability, Trump –, Brett O’Donnell, ” O’Donnell, Betsy Klein, Kate Sullivan Organizations: CNN, White, Biden, Trump, Democrats, Florida Republican, ”, Trump White House, Copa, ABC, Secret Service, Republican Locations: Atlanta, Wisconsin, Ukraine, Florida, year’s State, Green Bay , Wisconsin

☆ China threatens death penalty for ‘diehard’ Taiwan separatists
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —China on Friday threatened to impose the death penalty in extreme cases for “diehard” Taiwan independence separatists, a ratcheting up of pressure even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction on the democratically governed island. The guidelines are being issued in accordance with laws already on the books, including the 2005 anti-succession law, Xinhua said. That law gives China the legal basis for military action against Taiwan if it secedes or seems about to. Sun Ping, an official from China’s Ministry of Public Security, told reporters in Beijing the maximum penalty for the “crime of secession” was the death penalty. Such punishments have little practical effect as Chinese courts do not have jurisdiction in Taiwan, whose government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.

Persons: Lai Ching, ”, Lai, Sun Ping, Hsiao Organizations: CNN, diehard, Xinhua, China’s Ministry of Public Security, Reuters, Senior Locations: China, Taiwan, Beijing, United States

☆ Airbnb undermined team that removed extremist users, whistleblower claims
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Airbnb has undermined users’ safety by scaling back its work to remove extremists from its platform, a former contractor alleged in a new whistleblower complaint. “Airbnb spent much of 2023 scaling back and undermining the work of its team tasked with removing individuals affiliated with dangerous and extremist organizations from the platform,” Whistleblower Aid, the organization representing Hernandez, said in a statement. Airbnb disputed Hernandez’s claims, saying that it continues to enforce against members of dangerous or extremist organizations. And in the following years, it pointed to that pledge when removing users associated with extremist organizations. Prior to her work at Airbnb, Hernandez worked as a researcher for the Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium, an organization that tracks terrorist and hate groups, according to Whistleblower Aid.

Persons: New York CNN — Airbnb, Jess Hernandez, “ Airbnb, Hernandez, ” Hernandez, Airbnb, we’ve, ”, Brian Chesky, “, Lauren Southern Organizations: New, New York CNN, Capitol, US Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Trade Commission, NBC, CNN, White, Washington DC, Fox News, Terrorism Research, Consortium Locations: New York, Charlottesville , Virginia, Airbnb

☆ Willie Mays: One of baseball’s most electrifying and complete players has died at 93
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Wayne Sterling | Kevin Dotson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

AP From left: Monte Irvin, Willie Mays, and Hank Thompson hold bats on their shoulders in Yankee Stadium in 1951. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Mays, then a physical training instructor at Fort Eustis, Virginia, leads soldiers through a calisthenics session on February 19, 1953. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Mays plays stick ball with kids in New York's Harlem neighborhood in 1954. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Mays makes a leaping, one-handed catch off the Los Angeles Dodgers' Duke Snider on August 15, 1954. JR/AP Mays, then of the San Francisco Giants, plays catch with 14-month-old Herbert Henderson, at the home of Henderson's parents, in San Francisco, California on November 14, 1957.

Persons: Willie Mays, Mays, “, Michael Mays, ” Michael Mays, ”, –, Babe Ruth, Hall, Hall of Famer Willie Mays, Robert D, Manfred, ” Manfred, ” Mays, couldn’t, wouldn’t, Negro League ballplayers, Monte Irvin, Hank Thompson, William F, Donegan, Duke Snider, Charles Hoff, Jackie Robinson, Bettmann, Frank Hurley, Joe DiMiaggio, Sid Mercer, Margherite Wendell, AP Mays, Herbert Henderson, Ernest Bennett, Pepe, San Francisco, Willie McCovey, Jon Brenneis, Ed Sullivan, Mel Ott, Hank Aaron, Joan Whitney Payson, Dan Farrell, douse Mays, Paul Sakuma, Monica M, Davey, John G, Mabanglo, San Francisco Giants Barry Bonds, of Famer Willie McCovey, Bonds, Willie, Laura Bush, George W, Bush, Chip Somodevilla, Jeff Gross, Barack Obama, Louis, Pete Souza, Jon Miller, Ezra Shaw, Nicholas Kamm, Gabrielle Lurie, ’ Mays, Vic Wertz, ” San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Breed, ’, Peter Ueberroth, Leo Durocher, ” Obama, “ Willie, Gavin Newsom, ” Newsom, Emma Tucker, Elizabeth Joseph, Taylor Romine Organizations: CNN, of Famer, San Francisco Giants, Giants, Major League Baseball, New York Giants, National League, Hall of Famer, MLB, Negro League statistics, Negro American, Birmingham Black Barons, San Francisco Chronicle, Juneteenth, Negro Leagues, Black Barons, Louis Cardinals, Negro League, Gloves, Bettmann, American, Minneapolis Millers, Minnesota Historical Society, AP, Yankee, The New York Giants, Army, Major League, Los Angeles Dodgers, NY, Mays ' New York Giants, Robinson's Brooklyn Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, Baseball Writers, JR, San, Candlestick Park, CBS, Getty, Astrodome, Mays, Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, Mets, Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs, National League East, AP Mays, Candlestick, San Fransisco Giants, Park, Willie Mays Plaza, Bell Park, White, Little League's Challenger Division, T, Air Force, London Breed, Hall, Polo, New York, Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees, Franciscan, ” San Francisco Mayor London, of Fame, Baseball Hall of Fame, Baseball Locations: Birmingham , Alabama, Birmingham, American, New York, Omaha , Nebraska, Camp Kilmer , New Jersey, Fort Eustis , Virginia, Phoenix , Arizona, New, Harlem, Mays ', NY, East Elmhurst , New York, San Francisco , California, San Francisco, Candlestick, Houston , Texas, New York City, Chicago , Illinois, AFP, Washington , DC, St, Washington ,, California

☆ Paris Olympics: Triathlon events hang in the balance over E. Coli levels in the Seine
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Billy Stockwell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Fluidion’s testing has found that, on average, E. Coli levels in the Siene between early April and late May were just under 3400 MPN/100mL. The highest E. Coli levels recorded by Fluidion were 23590 MPN/100mL on May 2 and 13090 MPN/100mL on May 30, according to Angelescu. But if poor water quality persisted, the triathlon would have to be downgraded to a duathlon with no swimming, the organization confirmed. Angelescu said that “significant infrastructure projects” by the city of Paris designed to improve water quality will have a “substantial” impact. Triathlon athletes swim in the Seine river during the men's 2023 World Triathlon Olympic Games test event in Paris on August 18, 2023.

Persons: Pont Alexandre III, –, Jeanne Lehair, Dan Angelescu, Tim Clayton, Corbis, Fluidion, Angelescu, ”, Bertrand Guay, “, Anne Hidalgo, Stephane De Sakutin, Mike Cavendish, ” Cavendish, Probiotic, Cavenish, Phil Dunne, dietitians, Tim Harradine, ” Harradine, Emmanuel Dunand, “ It’s, Cavendish, Harradine, Bea Adeleke Organizations: CNN, Palais, Pont, Eiffel, Triathlon, Games, Getty, Surfrider Foundation, “, ”, Paris, British Triathlon, ’, Olympics Locations: Seine, Paris, France, French, AFP, Pont Alexandre, Austerlitz, Luxembourg, Oxford, Cambridge, Rio de, Guanabara, Lehair, ”

Some Trump allies, including another veteran of his 2016 campaign and the Trump White House, former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, have downplayed the former president’s comments. Earlier this month, Conway noted that Trump’s Justice Department did not try to prosecute Hillary Clinton despite the chants of “Lock her up!” at 2016 campaign rallies. But other allies have responded more forcefully to Trump’s conviction in his New York hush money trial. He was sentenced to four months in prison, and a federal judge earlier this month ordered him to report to prison by July 1. Once a top adviser to Trump’s 2016 campaign and a senior White House aide, the bombastic Bannon is now a right-wing podcaster with a following of loyal Trump supporters.

Persons: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, Bannon, Trump, ”, ” Bannon, ’, ” Trump, Sean Hannity —, it’s Joe Biden, Hannity, Kellyanne Conway, Conway, Hillary Clinton, “, Jim Jordan, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Matthew Colangelo, Marco Rubio, Vance of Ohio —, Biden, Kevin McCarthy, Ronna McDaniel, Roger Stone, Rudy Giuliani, “ they’re Organizations: CNN, Fox News, Trump, Trump White House, Trump’s, Ohio, Attorney, Capitol, White House, Republican National, Justice Department, FBI Locations: New York, Detroit, Manhattan, Marco Rubio of Florida

☆ Donald Trump turns 78, a birthday he wishes ‘doesn’t exist’
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Steve Contorno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Trump is now 78 years old. “Just remember what I’m telling you: 78 is not old,” Trump asserted to a New York Post gossip columnist almost two years ago. “This is a degraded version of an already horrible person,” Emhoff said in reference to Trump’s Vegas speech. The Biden campaign called Trump “feeble” on social media when the former president ended a post-meeting news conference after five minutes without taking questions. But the observations about Trump’s age and mental state are not just coming from inside the Biden campaign.

Persons: Donald Trump, ’, “, ” Trump, Ivanna, Joe Biden, Biden, –, J.B, Pritzker, deferments, They’re, Trump, ”, Nikki Haley, Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama, Haley, Ron DeSantis, Trump “, ” DeSantis, can’t, I’m, pounced, Doug Emhoff, ” Emhoff, Taylor Swift, Pelosi’s, Steven Cheung, Biden “, ” Cheung, Alyssa Farah Griffin, ” Griffin, Trump’s, Jonathan Turley, ” Turley, ” CNN’s Edward, Isaac Dovere, Ariel Edwards, Levy, Kristen Holmes, Annie Grayer, Melanie Zanona, Lauren Fox, Kit Maher Organizations: CNN, Las, New, New York Post, Trump, White, ”, Wisconsin Democratic, South Carolina Gov, Republican, GOP, Florida Gov, Congressional Republicans, Wisconsin Republicans, Biden, House, George Washington University Law School Locations: New York, ” Illinois, Wisconsin, Vietnam, Florida, Washington, Milwaukee

☆ Why oil companies are raking in record profits under Joe Biden
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Nearly four years ago, while campaigning in the runup to the last presidential election, Donald Trump warned that President Joe Biden would “destroy” the oil industry. In the last three and a half years, US oil production — and oil and gas company profits — have broken records. That’s a 160% jump compared to the first three years of the pro-big-oil Trump administration, according to calculations by CNN. However, in March, the Biden administration approved ConocoPhillips’ massive Willow oil drilling project on Alaska’s North Slope, which holds around 600 million barrels of oil, angering climate advocates. Despite his mixed record with oil and gas companies, though, Biden has presided over a historic run for the industry, Kloza said.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Trump, Biden, That’s, —, Tom Kloza, ”, Hess, Chevron’s, Abdullah Hasan, Darren Woods, Mike Wirth, Woods, Obama, Bob McNally, Kloza, ” Kloza, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, Global, ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Resources, Schlumberger, Oil Price Information Service, US Energy Information Administration, Oil, Natural Resources, Exxon, White, Shareholders, Microsoft, Apple, The Washington Post, Keystone XL, Rapidan Energy Group, Republican Locations: United States, Ukraine, Boon, dealmaking, The

☆ Is the climate your top issue? Here's a guide to each candidate's stance.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

From the protection of lakes and streams to the battle to curb greenhouse gas emissions, many voters in the upcoming US presidential election want to see the federal government play an active role in climate issues. One thing is clear though: the lion's share of voters believe that climate change is real. AdvertisementThe latest quarterly survey from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication revealed that 72% of Americans believed that climate change was occurring, while only 15% disagreed. Related storiesHere's a look at President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump's positions on climate — which is poised to be a defining issue for Gen Z and millennial voters this fall. But President Donald Trump withdrew from the plan while in office, blasting it as detrimental to the US economy.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump's, Gen Z, Biden, Barack Obama, Obama, Donald Trump, Trump Organizations: Service, Business, Yale, GOP, US, Keystone XL, Trump, Alaska National Wildlife, Environmental Protection Agency, Mar, The Washington, of Energy Locations: Paris, Alaska, Michigan

☆ Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visits Cambodia as US concerns grow over China’s influence
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Phnom Penh, Cambodia CNN —US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin traveled to Cambodia on Tuesday to meet with the country’s prime minister and defense minister, as Washington becomes increasingly concerned that Phnom Penh may grant China’s military exclusive access to a key naval base. Austin’s trip to the Cambodian capital marks his second visit to the Southeast Asian country as Secretary of Defense but is the first time a United States defense chief has traveled to Cambodia specifically to hold a bilateral meeting with his counterpart, Defense Minister Tea Seiha. The outreach reflects the US’ desire to forge a better relationship with Cambodia, defense officials said, particularly as Beijing’s influence over the country has only continued to grow in recent years. “There are no doubts about where our concerns are,” a Pentagon spokesperson said following Austin’s meetings, when asked about Ream. In a meeting with China’s Defense Minister Dong Jun last week, their first face-to-face, Austin said the US wants to keep military-to-military channels open with the Chinese to avoid misunderstandings and escalation.

Persons: Defense Lloyd Austin, Tea, “, ”, Hun Manet, Hun Sen’s, ” Austin, Biden, Austin, Hun Sen, Dong Jun, Dong, Beijing “ Organizations: Cambodia CNN, Defense, United, Cambodian, Ream, Base, South China, Pentagon, State Department, US Military Academy, West, United Nations Peacekeeping, China’s Defense, CNN Locations: Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Washington, United States, Thailand, China, South China, ” Beijing, South, Taiwan, Beijing, Ream, Asia, Singapore

☆ Taiwan celebrities Mayday, Jolin Tsai in crossfire of political battle as tensions with China rise
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

On Douban, a popular site for reviewing movies, books and music, users compiled a list of nearly 100 Taiwanese celebrities, detailing whether each of them had shared the post. On Saturday, CCTV publicly endorsed Taiwanese celebrities who shared its post, sharing the screenshots of 36 such reposts – fueling a further backlash against those who hadn’t. On Monday, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council weighed in, accusing the Chinese Communist Party of requiring Taiwanese artists to express a political stance. The remarks and retweets by Taiwanese artists of the CCTV unification post came against the backdrop of China’s largest show of force around the island in more than a year. “This is not the first time, and probably not the last, that Taiwanese artists are forced to make a political stand in China,” said the leader.

Persons: Mayday’s, Ashin, ”, –, Xi Jinping, Jolin Tsai, Edgar Su, China’s, Beijing’s, ’, Tsai, “, Lin Chen, ” Lin, Lai Ching, Ichiro Ohara, Lai, Zhu Fenglian, ” Zhu, Lin Organizations: CNN, Party, China, Democratic Progressive Party, Cardiff University, Facebook, Mainland Affairs Council, Chinese Communist Party, Communist, Yomiuri Shimbun, Taiwan Affairs Office, “ Locations: Beijing, Taiwan, China, Taipei, Taiwanese, “, Nanchang ”, Singapore, Weibo, ” Beijing

☆ China's defense chief warns those seeking to separate Taiwan from China face 'self-destruction'
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-02 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

China's Defense Minister Dong Jun speaks during the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore on June 2, 2024. Nhac Nguyen | AFP | Getty ImagesSINGAPORE — China's defense minister, Adm. Dong Jun, vowed that anyone who aims to separate Taiwan from China will face "self-destruction." "Anyone who dares to separate Taiwan from China will only end up in self-destruction," he said. In response to questions, Dong reiterated China's position that Taiwan is part of China and said Beijing is committed to peaceful reunification. "These kinds of behavior sends very wrong signals to the Taiwan independence forces and make them become very aggressive.

Persons: Dong Jun, Nhac Nguyen, Dong, Lai Ching, —, Bastian Giegerich, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Thomas Shoal Organizations: China's, AFP, Getty, SINGAPORE, Democratic Progressive Party, Abrams, U.S, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Liberation Army Locations: Singapore, Taiwan, China, Beijing, U.S, Philippine, South, Philippines, Manila

☆ Austin reaffirms U.S. commitment to Indo-Pacific, says region is 'more prosperous when we work together'
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-01 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin speaks at the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore on June 1, 2024. Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Austin said that Washington's enduring commitment to the region has been a "springboard" that has enabled transformative growth in the region. Austin said that the region is seeing a "new convergence" around nearly all aspects of security in the Indo-Pacific. It's about notions of goodwill, uniting around the interests that we share and the values that we cherish," Austin said. "I respectfully disagree with your point that the expansion of NATO caused the Ukraine crisis," Austin replied, drawing applause from the room.

Persons: Defence Lloyd Austin, Nhac Nguyen, Lloyd Austin, Austin, we're, Lai Ching, Lai, Cao Yanzhong, Vladimir Putin, Putin Organizations: Defence, Afp, Getty, SINGAPORE, U.S, NATO Locations: Singapore, United States, U.S, Philippines, Australia, Japan, China, Taiwan, Beijing, NATO, Europe, Russia, Ukraine

The meeting, between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and China’s Minister of National Defense Adm. Dong Jun, is the first face-to-face talks between the two defense chiefs and Austin’s first such discussions with a Chinese counterpart since late 2022. The meeting, on the sidelines of an annual defense conference in Singapore, takes place against a fraught regional backdrop. Austin is expected to raise concerns with Dong about China’s support for Russia, US officials said ahead of the meeting. Talks between Austin and Dong are not expected to see substantive progress towards resolving many entrenched issues between them. Several weeks later, US and Chinese top generals spoke in a video call, paving the way for this week’s in-person meeting between the defense chiefs.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, Dong Jun, Austin’s, China’s, Austin, Dong, Nancy Pelosi, Li Shangfu, Li, won’t, Xi Jinping’s, Xi, Joe Biden Organizations: Singapore CNN, US, National Defense, South China Seas, Communist Party, Coast Guard, Defense, Washington, Russia, America, East, Communist, Central Military Commission Locations: Singapore, Asia, Pacific, Taiwan, Beijing, East, South, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, China, South China, American, Russia, Ukraine, Austin, Asia –, San Francisco

But in closing arguments, one of Mr. Bragg’s prosecutors said that Mr. Cohen had told his lies for Mr. Trump. After the election, Mr. Pecker testified, Mr. Trump summoned him to Trump Tower. The ShowdownEven that did not prove that Mr. Trump had falsified records to disguise his reimbursement of Mr. Cohen. Mr. Trump washed his hands of Mr. Cohen, who turned on the man he had once idolized. Mr. Blanche also argued that Mr. Cohen had profited from his hatred for Mr. Trump with two books and a lucrative podcast deal.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Juan M, Merchan, anoints, Alvin L, Bragg, Trump’s, Stormy Daniels, Michael D, Cohen, Eduardo Munoz, Daniels, Mr, Michael Cohen, ”, Joshua Steinglass, Cohen “, ” Mr, glowered, Mike Johnson, Biden, “, Donald Trump, Dave Sanders, Biden’s, Todd Blanche, Blanche, Todd Heisler, David Pecker, Pecker, nonchalantly, Hope Hicks, Hicks, Ms, The New York Times “, Justice Merchan, “ You’re, ” Ms, Allen H, Weisselberg, Susan Hoffinger, Cohen’s, Joe Piscopo, giddily, Hoffinger, Jean Carroll, Bragg’s, Wesley Parnell, Michael Rothfeld Organizations: White, Republican, Convention, Office, Reuters, Mr, Credit, The New York Times, Democratic, New York Times, National Enquirer, Trump, Playboy, Street Journal, New, Hells Angels Locations: American, Manhattan —, Lower Manhattan, —, Florida, Washington, Georgia, New York, Manhattan, Trump’s Midtown Manhattan, Tahoe, Nev, America

☆ China's military exercises last week 'looked like a rehearsal' for a Taiwan invasion, US' top officer in the Pacific says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China's large-scale military exercises surrounding Taiwan last week "looked like a rehearsal" for an invasion, the US' top officer in the Pacific said. Related storiesIn the aftermath of the exercises, US lawmakers and officials have been responding with clear shows of support for Taiwan. The US would be dependent on Japan's bases to threaten a Chinese threat to Taiwan, as President Joe Biden has vowed. Taiwan's army held a military exercise following China's large-scale joint military drill around Taiwan on May 23, 2024. TAIWAN Military News Agency, Ministry of National Defense, R. O. C. / HANDOUTLast week's exercises weren't the first time China has held provocative exercises around Taiwan.

Persons: Adm, Samuel Paparo, Paparo, Joe Biden, Michael McCaul, McCaul, Nancy Pelosi, Party's Lai Ching, Tsai Ing Organizations: Service, Business, Pacific, Japan's Nikkei, TAIWAN Military News Agency, Ministry of National Defense, Democratic Locations: Taiwan, Beijing, US, China, United States, Taiwan's, Japan

☆ Here's what every member of the Trump family is up to after leaving the White House
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Talia Lakritz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Donald Trump, who is running for president again in the 2024 election, is now a convicted criminal. Former president Donald Trump speaks at a rally. In August 2022, FBI agents executed a search warrant on Trump's Mar-a-Lago home, prompting a furious reaction from Trump and his allies. The search appeared to be over material that Trump brought back to Florida after leaving the White House, spurring a federal investigation linked to the Presidential Records Act. In June 2023, Justice Department prosecutors charged Trump with 37 criminal counts, alleging he withheld classified records from the government after leaving office and attempted to obstruct their return.

Persons: Donald Trump, Sergio Flores, Joe Biden's, Trump Organizations: Anadolu Agency, Getty, Trump, New, FBI, Trump's, White, Presidential, Justice Department, Representatives, Capitol, Department of, White House, The New York Times Locations: Florida, Mar, Palm Beach, New York, American, United States, Texas

☆ Supreme Court Justice Alito rejects calls to recuse from Trump, Jan. 6 cases
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Associate Justice Samuel Alito poses during a group photo of the Justices at the Supreme Court in Washington, April 23, 2021. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Wednesday rejected Democratic lawmakers' requests that he recuse himself from key cases related to former President Donald Trump and the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot following reports that flags linked to Trump's supporters were flown at his properties. "I was not aware of any connection between that historic flag and the 'Stop the Steal Movement,' and neither was my wife," Alito wrote. Trump, who is awaiting a verdict in his criminal hush money trial in Manhattan Supreme Court, applauded Alito for declining to remove himself from the case. "Congratulations to United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for showing the INTELLIGENCE, COURAGE, and 'GUTS' to refuse stepping aside from making a decision on anything January 6th related," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social .

Persons: Samuel Alito, Donald Trump, Alito, Joe Biden, Rather, Jack Smith, Trump, —, Martha, Ann Alito, Dick Durbin, Durbin, Sen, Sheldon Whitehouse Organizations: Supreme, Wednesday, Democratic, Capitol, New York Times, Times, Alito, United States Supreme Locations: Washington, Virginia, Alexandria , Virginia, Long Beach, , New Jersey, Manhattan

☆ Garry Conille: Haiti’s transitional council picks prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Michael Rios | Caitlin Stephen Hu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council has tapped former Prime Minister Garry Conille to return to the position during the government’s transition period, council president Edgard Leblanc Fils said Tuesday. Conille briefly served as prime minister from 2011 to 2012 during the presidency of Michel Martelly. His appointment is a key step in the reconstruction of Haiti’s government, following the ouster of former Prime Minister Ariel Henry earlier this year. The new prime minister and the nine-member council must also select a cabinet and eventually lead Haiti to new elections. That foreign mission, led by Kenya, is now expected to arrive sometime in June.

Persons: Garry Conille, Edgard Leblanc Fils, Conille, Leblanc Fils, Michel Martelly, Ariel Henry, Henry Organizations: CNN, UNICEF, Caribbean, CARICOM Locations: America, Haiti, Kenya, Port

☆ Live Updates: Closing Arguments to Begin in Trump Criminal Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Jonah E. Bromwich | Ben Protess | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +15 min

The defense did not call Mr. Weisselberg either, nor did Mr. Trump take the stand in his own defense. And for weeks, Mr. Weisselberg’s absence has loomed large over Mr. Trump’s case, the first criminal trial of an American president. And when Mr. Trump was sworn in as president in 2017, he entrusted Mr. Weisselberg, along with Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, with running his company. Mr. Trump, Mr. Cohen told the jury, “approved” of the arrangement and knew that they would falsify records to cover it up. Over the course of their decades together, Mr. Cohen knew, Mr. Trump and Mr. Weisselberg had become more or less symbiotic.

Persons: Donald J, Allen Weisselberg, Trump, Michael D, Cohen, Allen H, Weisselberg, Trump’s moneyman, Trump’s, lucre —, Eduardo Munoz, Stormy Daniels, Weisselberg’s, beholden, ” Emil Bove, Juan M, Justice Merchan, “, Evan Vucci, Fred Trump, Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr, Eric Trump, ” Mr, ” “, Mr, Jefferson Siegel, —, Arthur F, Engoron, Justice Engoron, ”, ‘ Frick, Frack, Cohen’s, Daniels, Susan Hoffinger, Todd Blanche, Dave Sanders, Blanche, Kate Christobek Organizations: Prosecutors, New York Times, Trump, Mr, Reuters, Manhattan, Trump Organization, “ Trump, New, The New York Times, The Trump Organization, Credit, Frick Locations: Washington, New York, Trump, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, York, tatters

☆ Weapons are on the way, U.S. lawmakers tell Taiwan during visit
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Ryan Nobles | Frank Thorp V | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Weapons that Taiwan has ordered from the U.S. are coming, a senior U.S. lawmaker said Monday, as a bipartisan House delegation met with the Beijing-claimed island's new president. "We are moving forward on those weapons systems," Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said at a news conference in Taipei after he and other lawmakers met with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. McCaul said the weapons' importance was underscored by the "armada" of Chinese ships and planes that engaged in "punishment" drills around Taiwan last week in response to Lai's inauguration speech. In that speech, Lai, the former vice president, called on China to cease its threats and "face the reality" of Taiwan's existence. In translated remarks before his closed-door meeting with the lawmakers, Lai said the delegation's visit "demonstrates your firm support for the new government as well as the people of Taiwan."

Persons: Michael McCaul, Lai Ching, McCaul, Lai Organizations: Foreign Affairs Locations: Taiwan, U.S, Beijing, Texas, Taipei, China

They met on the 26th floor of Trump Tower, Mr. Cohen says, and struck a $420,000 deal. Seven years later, Mr. Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan hinges on that fleeting encounter, which is both critically important and completely in dispute. Mr. Cohen says he paid off a porn star at his boss’s behest, and in that meeting, he and Mr. Trump settled on a plan to repay him and conceal the reimbursement as legal expenses. But prosecutors say there was a third man in the room that day: Allen H. Weisselberg, Mr. Trump’s moneyman, the keeper of the balance sheet. Prosecutors never called Mr. Weisselberg to testify, because, although he knows the truth, he has not always told it.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Michael D, Cohen, Allen H, Weisselberg, Trump’s moneyman Organizations: Prosecutors Locations: Washington, New York, Trump, Manhattan

☆ US lawmakers vow to bolster Taiwan’s defense with bipartisan visit days after China’s ‘punishment’ military drills
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —US lawmakers vowed to bolster Taiwan’s deterrence against China on Monday during a bipartisan congressional visit to the self-governing democracy just days after Beijing surrounded the island with massive military exercises. US Representative Michael McCaul, Republican-Texas, has vowed to bolster Taiwan's deterrence against China. China’s military drills, he said, were “to express their displeasure with President Lai, a president democratically elected by the people of Taiwan.”But he added they had another objective. The delegation also met with Lai, Taiwan’s new leader, on Monday morning. China responded with a show of military force and later imposed sanctions on McCaul.

Persons: Lai Ching, Michael McCaul, ”, McCaul, Lai, ” McCaul, China’s, Xi Jinping, Xi, “, Mao Ning, Michael Brochstein, Lin Chia, ” “ It’s, ” Lin, Taiwan’s, “ Taiwan’s, ” Lai, Ronald Reagan’s, Tsai Ing, Nancy Pelosi’s Organizations: CNN, China, House Foreign Affairs Committee, Taiwan, US, Party, Republican, Ministry, Taiwan’s Locations: Beijing, China, Taiwan, Taipei, Ukraine, Taiwan Strait, Texas, United States, America, People’s Republic of China

Search resuls for: "Inauguration"

25 mentions found