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☆ Brexit Champion Nigel Farage Says He Will Run in U.K. Election
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Stephen Castle | More About Stephen Castle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Nigel Farage, the pro-Brexit campaigner and serial disrupter of British politics, on Monday announced plans to run as a candidate in Britain’s general election next month, dealing a new setback to the prospects of the country’s embattled prime minister, Rishi Sunak. The surprise announcement from Mr. Farage, who represents an insurgent hard right movement, threatens to upend an election campaign by taking votes from Britain’s governing Conservative Party. Divisive, charismatic and famed for his communication skills, Mr. Farage was one of the architects of Brexit, which a slim majority of Britons supported in a 2016 referendum. His earlier decision not to run in the election was thought by some analysts to have sapped momentum from Reform U.K., the successor to the Brexit Party he once led. Mr. Farage last month said that he would not seek a parliamentary seat because he wanted to prioritize supporting Donald J. Trump’s electoral campaign in the U.S. Mr. Farage is a longtime ally of the former president and campaigned for him in 2020.

Persons: Nigel Farage, Rishi Sunak, Farage, Sunak, Donald J Organizations: Monday, Conservative Party, Labour Party, Brexit, Reform, Brexit Party Locations: U.S

☆ Rob Burrow, rugby league star and inspirational fundraiser, dies from motor neuron disease at age 41
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Former rugby league star Rob Burrow, whose quiet strength and relentless campaigning captured the hearts of many Britons after he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease (MND), has died aged 41, his former team Leeds Rhinos announced on Sunday. Rob Burrow became a Leeds Rhinos legend during his rugby league career. “Rob Burrow had a huge heart. Kevin Sinfield carries Rob Burrow across the marathon finish line. Rob Burrow, wife Lindsey (who ran the half marathon), daughters Macy and Maya and Kevin Sinfield, who ran the full marathon, all pose for a picture after the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon.

Persons: Rob Burrow, Lindsey, Kevin Sinfield, Burrow, Daniel L Smith, Prince William, Sinfield, “, “ Rob Burrow, ’ Catherine, Jackson, Macy, ”, Danny Lawson, Shields, Maya, MND ”, ” Burrow, Burrow’s, ” Sinfield, Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer, Starmer, Rob, Sunak Organizations: CNN — Former, Leeds Rhinos, MND, league, Rugby League, England, Super, League, Marathon, Headingley Rugby Stadium, Headingley, British, Labour Party Locations: Leeds, England, British, Lindsey, Britain

☆ Nigel Farage enters UK election race, in more bad news for Sunak’s Conservatives
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Christian Edwards | Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

While that might not be enough to win Reform more than a few seats, it could contribute to the Conservatives losing dozens more seats to Labour. The Conservatives’ Farage problem will not fade soon. As well as becoming leader, Farage announced he is “coming back for the next five years.”“We already know that the Conservative Party will be in opposition. The weaker the Conservative Party is after the election, the more heat Farage can put on them. There are as many in the Conservative Party who find Farage appalling as there are who’d like to see him join the party.

Persons: Nigel Farage, ”, Farage, Rishi Sunak, Donald Trump, “, I’ve, It’s, Farage’s, Sunak Organizations: London CNN, Conservative Party, European Union, Reform, Independence Party, UKIP, Conservatives, Labour Party, Labour, Tories, Conservative Locations: Clacton, Manhattan, London, Rwanda

☆ With Trump, Silicon Valley elites see AI regulation as they see fit
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-02 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

While Musk hasn't formally endorsed Trump, one reason Silicon Valley heavy-hitters could be gravitating toward a convicted former president is a desire to see less regulation on tech development in America. AdvertisementCuban, a vocal opponent of Trump who has expressed his support for Joe Biden, told Business Insider in an email that he views the support from Silicon Valley and Wall Street billionaires for Trump as "self-serving." "So unless it's very light touch, which is unlikely at this point, the more influence they have over Ai regulation the better the opportunity to advantage themselves." "It's still very early to be imposing regulation," Sacks said. That's not to say every Silicon Valley player investing in AI and Trump hopes to see an unrestrained, Wild West of artificial intelligence development.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Shaun Maguire, Trump, David Sacks, Biden, Puck, Sacks, hasn't, Mark Cuban, Joe Biden, Cuban, BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, Maguire, Sacks didn't, Garry Tan, Y, That's, Chamath, Palihapitiya, Musk, Rishi Sunak Organizations: Service, Silicon, Trump, Business, Sequoia Capital, Venture, Wall, acc, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Wildlife Service, British Locations: Russia, Ukraine, San Francisco, America, Silicon Valley, Cuban

☆ 80th anniversary of D-Day: This year will likely be the last major D-Day anniversary with living veterans, so organizers are all-out
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-02 | by ( Joshua Berlinger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Fifteen Canadian veterans, including three or four that fought on D-Day, are traveling with the Canadian delegation, according to John Desrosiers, the director of international operations for Veterans Affairs Canada. US D-Day veterans attend an event at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial as part of the 79th anniversary D-Day celebrations on June 6, 2023. American and Canadian organizers told CNN that they will seat veterans last at their respective national ceremonies to keep them comfortable. The general public at the American event, for example, may need to be seated about an hour in advance due to security precautions. American troops march up from Omaha Beach on June 18, 1944.

Persons: Jake Tapper, “, Jack Foy, Foy –, Foy, ” Foy, ”, Michel Delion, Mark, Katherine Sibilla, –, Charles Djou, John Desrosiers, Desrosiers, Christopher Furlong, Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak, Justin Trudeau, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Buckingham, Djou, Tom Schaffer, John Pinkerton, Schaffer, Gareth Fuller, Hitler, Ben, ” Brands, “ There’s Organizations: CNN, Chief Washington, Democracy, France CNN —, Mission, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Monuments Commission, Canadian, Veterans Affairs Canada, Cemetery, Memorial, British, French Interior Ministry, Defense, Underwood Archives, Ben Brands, ”, US Department of Veterans Affairs Locations: Caen, France, Ukraine, Europe, Normandy, US, United States, Belgium, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, British, Ver, Mer, Omaha, Sword, Utah, Omaha and Utah, Nazi Germany, Omaha Beach, Germany, Colleville, Canada, American

☆ An Early UK Election Is Rishi Sunak’s Last Card to Play - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Sam Freedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

10 Downing Street in a downpour to announce the date of the general election — July 4, months earlier than expected — to an indifferent nation. “Now is the moment for Britain to choose its future,” Mr. Sunak said, as water soaked into his suit. Perhaps Mr. Sunak, his party now routinely polling more than 20 points behind the opposition Labour Party, has given up and wants to get it over with. Either way, by bringing the election forward, Mr. Sunak has played his last card. After Mr. Johnson had an explosive row with his chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Sunak was installed as a compliant and numerate alternative.

Persons: Sunak, ” Mr, Sunak's, —, Boris Johnson, Johnson Organizations: Conservative Party, Labour Party, The Times, Treasury Locations: Britain, London

CNN —European allies of former US President Donald Trump have rallied around him in support following his historic conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The conviction – which has been heralded as a somber moment for America with wide-reaching implications – has been painted by Trump’s allies in Europe as political persecution, aimed at derailing his bid to return to White House. Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini called Trump’s conviction “judicial harassment” in a post on X, while Hungarian President Viktor Orban urged him to “keep on fighting” for the presidency. Meanwhile, Russia suggested there was a political conspiracy at play, despite Trump being convicted by a jury. “This is visible to the whole world with the naked eye.”Other countries, sticking to protocol, declined to comment on Trump’s conviction.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump’s, Matteo Salvini, Viktor Orban, “, ”, Trump, Salvini, Orbán, ” “, Vladimir Putin’s, Dmitry Peskov, Rishi Sunak, Christian Wagner Organizations: CNN, White, Trump, America, British Locations: –, Europe, Manhattan, Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, Italy, Russia

☆ Britain’s Snap Election: Bad News for Tories. Good for Labour? - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( David Wallace-Wells | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

But perhaps it will also be an indictment of the Labour Party opposition, which seems remarkably uninterested in seizing the moment. is 8.4 percent below its 2007 peak — a significant decline, which has helped make the country outside of London poorer than Mississippi. And although the prolonged slowdown in productivity may be the worst Britain has experienced since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, the country’s struggles aren’t purely economic. Britain has been governed by austerity-minded Tories now for 14 years, and the results have been bleak. Brexit was another self-inflicted wound from the British right and is now lamented by a large majority of the public.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Brexit, Boris Johnson’s, it’s Organizations: Conservative Party, Labour Party, Britain, National Health Service Locations: Britain, London, Mississippi, British

☆ History shows how a UK election can impact the country's stock market
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Labour leader Tony Blair arriving in Downing Street after his election victory with crowds waving flags in the background, 2nd May 1997. The more domestically-oriented FTSE 250 has tended to outperform the FTSE 100 following elections, with stronger outperformance following Labour victories, it said. Leon Neal | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesAccording to Capital Economics, the U.K. stock market has faltered on five occasions under past Labour governments. Higgins also observed that the relative performance of U.K. stocks has "generally been underwhelming since 2010," when the Conservatives took office. Three could be attributed to the "unsustainability of fixed exchange rate regimes" between the 1930s and 1970s, one to the Great Financial Crisis, and the fifth to the 1976 Debt Crisis, he said.

Persons: Tony Blair, Jeff, Rishi Sunak, Rachel Reeves, Sir Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner, Leon Neal, John Higgins, Higgins, Labour's, Keir Starmer, Reeves, Venkatakrishnan, Liz Truss, Sunak Organizations: BBC News, Current Affairs, Labour Party, Labour, Conservative Party, Citi, Conservative, Centre, Getty, Capital Economics, Conservatives, Shadow, Economic, Barclays, C.S, CNBC Locations: Downing, Purfleet, United Kingdom, Davos

☆ Opinion: Alito’s second red flag
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-26 | by ( Kirsi Goldynia | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

This is not the first time Alito has found himself in hot water over displaying a controversial flag on his property. The upside-down flag, a signal of distress, was adopted by Trump supporters who believed the false claim that the election had been stolen. (Alito said his wife had raised the upside-down flag in response to a disagreement with a neighbor. The discovery also comes at a time when the Supreme Court will be making a decision about Trump’s claims of sweeping presidential immunity, his get-out-of-jail-free card for the federal cases he faces. “The notion that the Supreme Court can be trusted to be an arbiter above partisan politics has suffered major blows in recent years.

Persons: ”, Scott Peck, Samuel Alito, “, Alito, Joe Biden’s, Trump, Julian Zelizer, Walt Handelsman, Michael J, Broyde, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Donald Trump, ‘, ’, ” Nikki Haley’s, Nikki Haley’s, Nikki Haley, Haley, Nancy Pelosi, She’s, Joe Biden ‘, I’ve, ” Clay Jones, Drew Sheneman, Judge Juan Merchan, Robert Costello, Michael Cohen, Norm Eisen, Costello, ’ Merchan, cautioning, …, Eisen, Sunak, Rishi Sunak, Henry Nicholls, Holly Thomas, Sunak —, Thomas, Joel Pett, Adolf Hitler, Ruth Ben, Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Said Ben, Anna Sauerbrey, Sauerbrey, Biden, America —, Richard Curtis ’, Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, Laura Beers, it’s, —, Ebrahim Raisi, Frida Ghitis, Ali Khamenei, Peter Kuper, Cagle, “ I’m, What’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al, Masri, Ismail Haniyeh, Peter Bergen, ” Netanyahu, Israel’s, Netanyahu, Kerri Kennedy, Biden “, Israel, ” Don’t, Agency Carrie Sheffield, Noah Berlatsky, Singleton, Biden’s Morehouse, Jill Filipovic, Diddy, Cassie Ventura, Catherine Tan, Shanahan, Brian Castrucci, Frank Luntz, Mark Zandi, Trump Will Cathcart, Joyce M, Davis, Bill Maher, Jimmy Kimmel, Randy Holmes, Bill, ” Nicole Hemmer, Said Will, Maher, Hemmer, ” “ Maher, It’s Organizations: CNN, New York Times, Agency, Trump, South Carolina Gov, Republican, NHS, Labour, Tory, Social, Italiana, European Union, ”, Islamic, Education, Workforce, Harvard, University of California, Columbia University, Columbia, Criminal Court, ICC, Israeli, International Court of Justice, United Nations Security, American Friends Service Committee, RFK, Disney, Entertainment, Democrats Locations: Alito’s Virginia, New Zealand, AFP, ”, England, Trump’s America, America, Italian, Germany, Poland, France, Berlin, Hill, American, British, London, Notting Hill, Iran, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic, University of California Los Angeles, Gaza, United Kingdom, Rafah, Georgia’s, Moscow, Africa

☆ Why UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called an election he’s expected to lose
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

London CNN —When British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on Wednesday that the United Kingdom would hold a general election on July 4, many observers wondered: why now? British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak delivers a speech calling for a general election, outside 10 Downing Street, in London on May 22. Their time in office didn’t begin formidably. In 2010, after 13 years of Labour rule, David Cameron won the general election but didn’t win a majority in parliament. Eventually, the Conservative Party had enough of the chaos and put Sunak in charge as a safe pair of hands.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer, Sunak, Maja Smiejkowska, he’s, we’ve, ’ ” Sunak, didn’t, David Cameron, Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Johnson, Henry Nicholls, Liz Truss, –, Starmer Organizations: London CNN, British, Conservative Party, Labour Party, Labour, International Monetary Fund, CNN, IMF, Liberal Democrats, Conservative, Vale, Glamorgan Brewery, Getty Locations: United Kingdom, London, Downing, Glamorgan, Barry, Wales, AFP, Rwanda, Sunak

☆ Opinion: Rishi Sunak’s election looks like a final gasp
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Opinion Holly Thomas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

For those outside the Westminster bubble, the announcement felt less like a starting pistol than a final gasp. But unlike Sunak, who with his wife Akshata Murty is worth an estimated £651 million ($828 million), most of us can’t afford it. The British economy never fully recovered from the 2008 recession and, consciously or not, most people still feel the sting every day. As Sam Knight recently noted in the New Yorker, the average British worker is estimated to be £14,000 ($17,800) worse off per year now than they would be if earnings had risen at pre-crisis rates. Her disastrous mini-budget wiped £30 billion off the UK economy that autumn, according to independent think tank Resolution Foundation, and sent interest rates rocketing.

Persons: Holly Thomas, Katie Couric, Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer, Tony Blair, Akshata Murty, Sam Knight, Brexit, Liz Truss, It’s, there’s, —, Boris Johnson, Johnson, who’d, that’s, Blair Organizations: Katie Couric Media, CNN, London CNN —, Conservative, Westminster, Labour, British Medical Association, BMA, Commission, Yorker, Evening, Office, National Statistics, Tory, Foundation Locations: London, Westminster, England, British, Europe, Rwanda

☆ Nigel Farage to Skip U.K. Election So He Can Focus on Helping Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Mark Landler | More About Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Nigel Farage, the broadcaster and populist politician who championed Brexit, said on Thursday that he would not run for a seat in the British Parliament in a general election on July 4, preferring to focus on helping former President Donald J. Trump recapture the White House in November. Mr. Farage’s announcement is likely to be a modest relief for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Conservative Party, since Mr. Farage’s current party, Reform UK, is viewed as a significant threat to the Conservatives from the right. But Mr. Farage said he would “do my bit” to help Reform, which plans to field a slate of candidates in the election, running on an anti-immigration message. “Important though the general election is,” Mr. Farage posted on social media, “the contest in the United States of America on Nov. 5 has huge global significance. Mr. Trump once suggested that the British government appoint Mr. Farage as ambassador to Washington.

Persons: Nigel Farage, Brexit, Donald J, Trump, Rishi Sunak, Farage, ” Mr, Mr Organizations: House, Mr, Conservative Party, Reform, Conservatives Locations: United States, America, U.S.A, British, Palm Beach, Mar, Washington

☆ European stocks head for slightly higher open as investors follow UK election news and euro zone data
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

European markets are heading for a slightly higher open Thursday as traders digest the minutes of the last U.S. Federal Reserve meeting, which revealed Fed officials have concerns over sticky inflation and remain cautious on possible interest rate cuts. U.K. markets will be closely watched Thursday after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that a general election will be held on July 4, ending months of speculation over the date of a national vote. As polls stand, the ruling Conservative Party is expected to lose to the opposition center-left Labour Party.

Persons: Rishi Sunak Organizations: Federal Reserve, Conservative Party, Labour Party Locations: U.S

☆ Dollar hovers near highest in a week after hawkish Fed minutes
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The yen l anguished just above a three-week low despite the continued threat of intervention by Japanese officials. The dollar index, which tracks the currency against six major rivals including the euro , sterling and yen, was little changed at 104.89 after gaining 0.28% overnight. The dollar was little changed at 156.77 yen after rising to 156.85 overnight, the highest since May 1. Traders and analysts suspect Japan's Ministry of Finance intervened several times to support the yen following its plunge to a 34-year low of 160.245 per dollar on April 29. Bigger rival bitcoin was little changed at $69,491 after reaching $71,957 on Tuesday for the first time since April 9.

Persons: Sterling, Ether, James Kniveton, Japan's, Rishi Sunak, bitcoin Organizations: Bank of Japan, Reserve, Federal, Traders, of Finance, Bank of England, Conservatives, Labour Party, Labour, Securities

☆ UK election 2024: Everything you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Rishi Sunak’s rival for power is Labour leader Keir Starmer, who is heavily favored to become Britain’s new prime minister in July. Labour leader Keir Starmer -- the frontrunner in the election -- launches his campaign in Gillingham on Thursday. Given Labour’s standing in the polls, Starmer is more equipped to take the fight to other groups. In the UK, voters don’t elect a prime minister directly. But this is a formal role only; the King won’t contradict his prime minister or overrule the results of an election.

Persons: CNN —, Rishi Sunak, We’ll, Keir Starmer, Sunak, Downing, Maja Smiejkowska, – Sunak, Boris Johnson’s, Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, Johnson, Stefan Rousseau, Jeremy Corbyn, Theresa May, Sunak hasn’t, –, Starmer, Henry Nicholls, Rishi Sunak’s, Gareth Fuller, Reform Party –, David Cameron, King Charles III, won’t Organizations: CNN, CNN — Britain’s, Labour, Reuters, Sunak’s Conservative Party, Liberal Democrats, Conservatives, Conservative, Party, Getty, European Union, Reform Party, Scottish National Party, Green Party, National Health Service Locations: Westminster, Rwanda, England, AFP, Gillingham, Gaza

☆ Sunak Says U.K. Won’t Send Asylum Seekers to Rwanda Before Election
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In calling a general election, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain cast himself this week as a leader with a clear plan. That did not include carrying an umbrella during his remarks in front of 10 Downing Street, where Mr. Sunak was drenched in a spring shower that yielded a flood of snarky headlines. “Drowning Street,” said the tabloid City A.M. “Drown & out,” cried The Daily Mirror. Mr. Sunak signaled that his government’s signature political project — putting asylum seekers on one-way flights to Rwanda — would not be set in motion before voters went to the polls on July 4. Speaking to the BBC, Mr. Sunak cited the Rwanda policy to draw a sharp contrast with the opposition Labour Party, which he accused of having no plan to stop asylum seekers who make hazardous crossings of the English Channel in small boats.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, ”, “, Rwanda — Organizations: Downing, Daily Telegraph, BBC, Labour Party Locations: Rwanda

☆ Shock summer election in Britain predicted to deliver 'historic' result
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak makes a statement in the rain outside 10 Downing Street, announcing the UK general election will take place on 4 July in London, United Kingdom on May 22, 2024. News of the vote came as a surprise to the public, the media and much of Sunak's own party. 'As good as it gets'Bronwen Maddox, director of Chatham House think tank, said the election date had shocked many Conservatives who thought it would be held nearer to the U.S. election in November. Market bets on an interest rate cut in the summer fell as a result, and it now looks unlikely the central bank will cut on June 20, its last meeting before the election. So if that translates to a general election as well, then that Labour landslide is looking much less certain."

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Price, Bronwen Maddox, I'm, Maddox, Rachel Reeves, Sir Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner, Leon Neal, James, Hannah Bunting, CNBC's, Tony Blair, John Major, Bunting, we've Organizations: British, Anadolu, Getty, Conservative Party, Conservatives, Labour Party, Downing, Bank of England, Chatham House, CNBC, Bank of England's, Labour, Centre, University of Exeter Locations: London, United Kingdom, U.K, Europe, Gaza, Rwanda, Purfleet

☆ UK general election: PM Rishi Sunak calls surprise July vote as his party seeks to defy dire polls
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

London CNN —UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a snap general election for July 4 in a statement outside Downing Street on Wednesday evening, as his Conservative Party faces an uphill struggle to extend its 14 years in power. But a fall in inflation rates, announced earlier Wednesday, provided the backdrop for his announcement. The move will be welcomed by the buoyant Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, which is soaring in the opinion polls and has sought to present itself as a reformed and moderate group that is ready for power. Sunak walks back inside on Wednesday after announcing the July 4 date for the election. But Johnson’s premiership collapsed after a string of scandals, paving the way for his then-finance minister Sunak to emerge as a frontrunner for the leadership.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Downing, King Charles III of, “, ” Sunak, Keir Starmer, Buckingham, Queen’s, Starmer, ”, Carl Court, Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, —, Theresa May —, King Charles III Organizations: London CNN —, Conservative Party, Conservative, Labour Party, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Conservatives, Party, Scottish National Party, European Union, Tories Locations: Britain, Buckingham Palace, Ukraine, Downing, Sunak, United Kingdom, Rwanda, Britain’s

☆ Sunak Announces U.K. Elections for July 4, Months Earlier Than Expected
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain on Wednesday called a snap general election for July 4, throwing the fate of his embattled Conservative Party to a restless British public that appears eager for change after 14 years of Conservative government. But the Tories have discarded four prime ministers in eight years, lurching through the serial chaos of Brexit, the coronavirus pandemic and a cost-of-living crisis. With the opposition Labour Party ahead in most polls by double digits for the last 18 months, a Conservative defeat has come to assume an air of inevitability. “Now is the moment for Britain to choose its future,” Mr. Sunak said as pelting rain drenched his suit jacket. The choice for voters, he said, was to “build on the future you’ve made or risk going back to square one.”

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak’s, Barack Obama, ” Mr, Sunak, ” Organizations: Conservative Party, Conservative, Downing, Labour Party Locations: British, Britain

☆ Opinion: Rewatching ‘Notting Hill,’ the truly unbelievable part is Hugh Grant’s house
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Opinion Laura Beers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The Notting Hill of the 1990s was still socially heterodox and shabby chic, a neighborhood where a group of 30-something professionals could plausibly have ended up. Even in the late 1990s, such access to disposable income marked the characters in “Notting Hill” out as privileged. Yet, in the 1990s, Notting Hill, long a center of Caribbean immigrant culture and the site of the annual Notting Hill Carnival, underwent a rapid process of gentrification. Between 1995 and 1999, Notting Hill house prices rose by 75%. The colorful terraced houses of Notting Hill, which these days sell for millions of pounds.

Persons: Laura Beers, ”, George Orwell’s, Richard Curtis ’, Julia Roberts, Anna Scott, Hugh Grant, William Thacker, Roberts, Laura Beers Laura Beers, it’s, —, Curtis, Hill’s, Hugh Grant's, Winston, George Orwell, Orwell, Tony Blair’s Britain, Bill Clinton’s America, Grant’s, Tony Blair, Steve Eason, Notting, Spike, Rhys Ifans, Notting Hill, Mike Kemp, San, Spencer Platt, Rishi Sunak’s government’s, Bill, Rewatching Organizations: American University, CNN, MCA, Everett, Notting, Labour, Hulton, Getty, Movement, Housing, Federal Reserve, New York State, Hill ” Locations: American, London, West London, Notting, West, Britain, United States, Young, Notting Hill, Central London, San Francisco, Manhattan, San Matteo, Redwood City, York

☆ Tech giants pledge AI safety commitments — including a ‘kill switch’ if they can’t mitigate risks
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A slew of major tech companies including Microsoft , Amazon , and OpenAI, on Tuesday agreed to a landmark international agreement on artificial intelligence safety at the Seoul AI Safety Summit. The agreement will see companies from countries including the U.S., China, Canada, the U.K., France, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates, make voluntary commitments to ensure the safe development of their most advanced AI models. In those sorts of extreme circumstances, companies say they will implement a "kill switch" that would see them cease development of their AI models if they can't guarantee mitigation of these risks. "It's a world first to have so many leading AI companies from so many different parts of the globe all agreeing to the same commitments on AI safety," Rishi Sunak, the U.K.'s prime minister, said in a statement Tuesday. "These commitments ensure the world's leading AI companies will provide transparency and accountability on their plans to develop safe AI," he added.

Persons: Rishi Sunak Organizations: Microsoft, Seoul AI Safety, United Arab Locations: Seoul, U.S, China, Canada, France, South Korea, United Arab Emirates

☆ Opinion: What I noticed immediately about King Charles’ portrait
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Opinion Holly Thomas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —King Charles III’s first official portrait was unveiled this week, and I’m sure his majesty would agree it’s a stirring sight. Unfortunately for Yeo, Charles and the butterfly, nothing about the portrait has garnered nearly so much comment as its dominant color. Besides these ceremonial outings, Charles has recently been less prominent in British public life than ever, particularly following the announcement in February of his cancer diagnosis. Charles’ private wealth dwarfs that of any other member of his family. Join us on Twitter and FacebookIn the last 10 years alone, that system has reportedly made King Charles more than £60 million ($76 million) richer.

Persons: Holly Thomas, Katie Couric, CNN — King Charles III’s, I’m, Jonathan Yeo, Charles, Holly Thomas Holly Thomas Yeo, Charles ’, Yeo, ” Yeo, King, “, He’s, I’ve, ”, Queen Elizabeth II’s, Rishi Sunak’s, Tina Brown, Prince of Wales, Buckingham, Lancaster, King Charles, Queen Camilla, you’ve Organizations: Katie Couric Media, CNN, Royal, Guardian, Twitter, Facebook Locations: London, Iraq, Rwanda, Duchy, Cornwall, Lancaster

☆ Britain’s election campaign hasn’t started yet, but the mudslinging is well underway
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

He lost two general elections as Labour leader in campaigns that focused heavily on his views regarding national security. The context for Sunak’s attack on Starmer is that the UK will vote in a general election at some point this year. “Of course Rishi doesn’t believe that Starmer himself is a threat to national security,” a senior Conservative told CNN. It’s just ridiculous and it clearly winds him up when we point it out.”No one knows for sure when the election campaign proper will start. Until then, Britain is braced for months of mudslinging between Sunak and Starmer.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer, Sunak, Starmer, –, Jeremy Corbyn, Corbyn, Toby Melville, Rishi doesn’t, ”, ” David Gauke, ” Gauke, ” Starmer, “, ” Keir Starmer, Leon Neal, cynically, won’t, It’s Organizations: CNN, British, Labour Party, Labour, PM, NATO, Conservative, Conservative Party, “ Locations: Britain, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Rwanda, Gaza, Sunak

☆ Opinion: Putin’s lightning assault jolts Europe awake
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

View more opinion on CNNCNN —It was a carefully choreographed show of force in Beijing Thursday as Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived for yet another meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. Frida Ghitis CNNOn Wednesday, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times and gravely wounded in an assassination attempt. Russia’s lightning assault, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who cancelled all his foreign travel, aims to force Ukraine to stretch its defenses. Security officers move Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in a car after the assassination attempt in Handlova, Slovakia, on Wednesday May 15. Every day, the stark reality that what began in Ukraine will change Europe for years to come becomes more inescapable.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Robert Fico, Fico, Putin, —, Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s, David Cameron, “, Fico —, Radovan Stoklasa, Sergei Shoigu, Andrey Belousov, laughably, Rishi Sunak, Mark Rutte, Russia's, Alexander Ryumin, Emmanuel Macron, ”, Mikko Heiskanen, Xi Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, CNN CNN, Frida Ghitis CNN, Wednesday, Slovakian, Kyiv, British, Putin, Kremlin, Moscow, European Union, Reuters, Europe, Russia, Republicans, Russian, West, NATO, Institute for, ” Locations: Beijing, Europe, Ukraine, Kharkiv, Russia, Georgia, Soviet Republic, Moscow, Moldova, Slovak, Slovakia, “, Handlova, Iran, North Korea, China, Norway, London, British, Netherlands, ”, Germany, Berlin, Finland

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