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☆ Arabs bring Syria's Assad back into fold but want action on drugs trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Maya Gebeily | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Hezbollah, which deployed fighters to Syria to aid Assad's war efforts, has denied any role in the drugs trade. Aided by Iran and Russia, Assad steadily beat back his rebel enemies, some of whom had support from U.S.-allied Arab states that have now restored ties. The United States, United Kingdom and European Union have all placed new sanctions on Damascus in recent weeks over captagon. The United States has said it will not normalize ties with Assad and its sanctions remain in full effect. "I would put ending the captagon trade right at the top alongside the other issues", she said.

☆ Analysis: Arabs bring Syria's Assad back into fold but want action on drugs trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Maya Gebeily | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

While denying any role in the trade, for which Syrian officials and Assad relatives have faced Western sanctions, Damascus has sought leverage from the issue. Hezbollah, which deployed fighters to Syria to aid Assad's war efforts, has denied any role in the drugs trade. Aided by Iran and Russia, Assad steadily beat back his rebel enemies, some of whom had support from U.S.-allied Arab states that have now restored ties. The Syrian source confirmed Riyadh had proposed a sum that would be paid as humanitarian aid, but could not say how much. "I would put ending the captagon trade right at the top alongside the other issues", she said.

Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, urging her to help drop the pending extradition case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and allow him to return to Australia. The "Bring Julian Assange Home Parliamentary Group" said it had informed the U.S. envoy of "the widespread concern in Australia" about the continued detention of Assange, an Australian citizen. "There are a range of views about Assange in the Australian community and the members of the Parliamentary Group reflect that diversity of views. But what is not in dispute in the Group is that Mr Assange is being treated unjustly," the lawmakers said in a statement after meeting Kennedy in Canberra. Albanese, who has been advocating for the release of Assange, last week aired his frustration for not yet finding a diplomatic fix over the issue.

☆ U.S. to announce $1.2 bln in military aid for Ukraine -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Mike Stone | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) - The United States plans as soon as Tuesday to announce a new $1.2 billion military aid package for Ukraine that will include air defense systems, ammunition and funds for training, a U.S. official said. Ukraine will receive 155-mm Howitzer ammunition, counter-drone ammunition, and funding for satellite imagery as well as various types of training, said the official. The package is paid from Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funding which allows President Joe Biden's administration to buy weapons from industry rather than pull from U.S. weapons stocks. However, members of both parties insist they support continued aid for Ukraine including top Republicans House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate. Reporting by Mike Stone; Editing by Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Daniel Perry, convicted of murder for shooting a protester at a Black Lives Matter rally, will be sentenced today
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Nouran Salahieh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A US Army sergeant convicted of murdering a protester at Black Lives Matter rally is set to be sentenced Tuesday morning – amid moves from Texas’ governor to pardon him. Perry’s legal team argued his actions were justified as self-defense, saying Foster had approached Perry’s car with an assault-style rifle and motioned for Perry to lower his window. The governor can only pardon Perry if the Board of Pardons and Paroles recommends it, according to Texas law. Broden said Foster also made social media posts advocating for violence and supporting riots, most of which can’t be made public due to Texas discovery rules. CNN reached out to the governor’s office for comment on the social media posts.

☆ Japan PM Kishida meets lawmakers, business leaders to finish South Korea visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida talks to South Korean business leaders during their meeting in Seoul, South Korea, May 8, 2023. Yonhap via REUTERSSEOUL, May 8 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with South Korean lawmakers and business leaders in Seoul on Monday to discuss potential bilateral cooperation as he wrapped up the first visit by a Japanese leader in 12 years. "I would like to strengthen the relationship I have with (South Korean) President Yoon and join forces with him to forge a new era," Kishida told reporters in Seoul after meeting with South Korean lawmakers at his hotel. Kishida told South Koreans on Sunday his "heart hurts" when he thinks of suffering during Japanese colonial rule of South Korea. He arrived in South Korea on Sunday following South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's trip to Tokyo in March where they sought to close a chapter on the historical disputes that have dominated Japan-South Korea relations for decades.

☆ "A great treat": King Charles heralds weekend of coronation celebrations
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla wave on the Buckingham Palace balcony following their coronation ceremony in London, Britain, May 6, 2023. REUTERS/Matthew ChildsLONDON, May 8 (Reuters) - King Charles thanked singers who performed at a coronation concert in his honour at Windsor Castle for a "great treat" as a long holiday weekend of celebrations drew to a close on Monday. Celebrations on Sunday culminated in the "Coronation Concert" featuring singers including Lionel Richie and Katy Perry, as the royals joined a 20,000-person audience at Windsor, the king's palace to the west of London. Charles asked Richie whether the singers will be there "all night long", in reference to one of Richie's hits. After weekend of street parties and celebrations, Monday, which is a public holiday in Britain for the coronation, sees thousands of organisations get together for a volunteering programme.

☆ Syria's Assad boosted by return to Arab fold
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Tom Perry | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/3] Syria's President Bashar al-Assad addresses the new members of parliament in Damascus, Syria in this handout released by SANA on August 12, 2020. Now, as Arab states bring him back into the fold, the logic appears to have worked for him once again. In exchange for ending Syria's isolation, Arab states want action, notably towards ending trafficking of the highly-addictive and lucrative amphetamine captagon across Syria's borders towards the Gulf. The threat of a U.S. missile strike was averted when Moscow brokered a deal for Syria's chemical weapons to be destroyed by the following year. But while Assad remained a pariah to the West, Arab states which once backed his opponents began opening doors to him.

☆ What's at stake in Turkey's landmark elections?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Modern Turkey's longest-serving leader, Erdogan has championed religious piety and low interest rates at home while asserting Turkish influence in the region and loosening the NATO member's ties with the West. The election takes place three months after earthquakes in southeast Turkey killed more than 50,000 people. WHAT'S AT STAKE FOR TURKEY ... The opposition has echoed Erdogan's plans to return some refugees to Syria, but neither has set out how that could safely take place. How the opposition will garner support among the Kurdish voters, accounting for 15% of the electorate, remains key.

Efe is one of more than 6 million first-time voters expected to cast ballots in the May 14 election. 'ANGRY AND HOPELESS'Erdogan's share of the vote among young and first-time voters is forecast to be lower than among other age groups, said Erman Bakirci from pollster Konda Arastirma. Describing young voters as a "very angry and hopeless" segment of Turkey's 85 million people, Bakirci said they would be crucial to the result because they are such a large block. "They see via internet and social media what their peers in Europe are doing and what opportunities they have," Bakirci said. Erdogan, who oversaw an economic boom in his first several years in power, has traditionally drawn support from Turkey's conservative voters in Turkey's Anatolian Islamic heartlands.

Prince William honored his father with a few words during Sunday night's concert - the first ever to be staged at Windsor Castle, home to monarchs for almost 1,000 years. Royals dance the night awaySeveral members of the royal family got their groove on throughout the concert. Chris Jackson/Getty ImagesMesmerizing drone displayA fabulous drone display lit up the sky over the coronation concert, earning audible gasps from the crowd below. Crowds watch illuminated drones creating a light display above Windsor Castle. But when Miss Piggy, dressed in a cerise pink evening dress and glittering necklace, recognized “Downton Abbey” star Bonneville she had other things in mind, thinking he was a real lord.

☆ Explainer: What's at stake in Turkey's landmark elections?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The election takes place three months after earthquakes in southeast Turkey killed more than 50,000 people. WHAT'S AT STAKE FOR TURKEY ... They would also dismantle his executive presidency in favour of the previous parliamentary system, and send back Syrian refugees. The opposition has echoed Erdogan's plans to return some refugees to Syria, but neither has set out how that could safely take place. How the opposition will garner support among the Kurdish voters, accounting for 15% of the electorate, remains key.

☆ Ukraine military says all 35 drones Russia launched overnight destroyed
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 8 (Reuters) - Ukraine's top military command said on Monday that its forces destroyed all 35 Iranian-made Shahed drones that Russia had launched overnight at different targets around the country. It added that in addition, 61 airstrikes and 52 attacks from the heavy rocket salvo fire systems were launched over the past day on the positions of Ukrainian forces and populated areas. "Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded civilians, high-rise buildings, private homes and other civilian infrastructure were damaged," it said. Kyiv's Mayor Klitschko said that at least five people were injured in the capital amidst damage done to buildings and infrastructure. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ After a 35-year break, the US Navy is building frigates again, and it has a lot of catching up to do
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Fincantieri plans to lay the keel of that ship, USS Constellation, this August. It will be the US Navy's first frigate since the retirement of its last Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate in 2015. FrigatesUS Navy first-in-class frigate USS Oliver Hazard Perry in late 1977. Though not intended to operate alone against enemy capital ships, frigates are now primarily used to support destroyer squadrons and carrier battle groups by performing escort, anti-submarine, anti-air, and limited anti-surface missions. US Navy guided-missile frigate USS Curts in a dry dock at a shipyard in California in January 1982.

☆ Erdogan's milestones before Turkey's election
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

August 2001: He establishes the Justice and Development Party, or AK Party (AKP), and is elected chairman. In his early days, Erdogan tours Europe and the United States to promote his policies and advance Turkey's bid to join the European Union. May 2013: Protests against Erdogan's plans to redevelop Istanbul's Gezi Park accelerate into unprecedented nationwide demonstrations over what critics see as his authoritarianism. March 2019: Nationwide municipal elections produce Erdogan's first electoral defeat in nearly two decades. The lira hits all-time lows, inflation soars to its highest levels during Erdogan's rule, and his approval ratings sink.

[1/2] Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters during a rally ahead of the May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections, in Izmir, Turkey April 29, 2023. As he seeks to shore up his appeal among conservative voters, Erdogan has also spoken against homosexuality, describing LGBT rights as a "deviant" concept he would fight. 'BUILDING TURKEY TOGETHER'Polls suggest voting could go to a second round and some show Erdogan trailing. "I swear, Erdogan can solve it with a flick of his wrist," she said at a market in central Istanbul. The interventions won few allies, however, and faced with a struggling economy the countdown to the election, Erdogan sought rapprochement with rivals across the region.

☆ Charles III to be crowned in once-in-a-generation ceremony
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

London CNN —Britain was waking up Saturday to a once-in-a-generation royal event: the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in a grand ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London. While Charles became King on the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II in September last year, the coronation is the formal crowning of the monarch. In a ceremony that is expected to last at least two hours, Charles will be officially crowned, presented with an array ceremonial objects and be recognized as King by various representatives of the British state. Charles and Camilla will travel along the route to the abbey in a splendid coach drawn by six horses, accompanied by the Household Cavalry. Charles’ consort Camilla will also be crowned in a shorter, simpler part of the ceremony.

☆ Dollar dominance isn't going anywhere. Here are 5 myths about de-dollarization.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The dollar's dominance isn't at risk, three currency experts told Insider. Vocal observers, like Tesla CEO Elon Musk, have warned that the threat of de-dollarization is real, as countries like China take measures to supplant the dollar. They debunked five myths and misconceptions that are commonly touted by dollar doomsayers:1. The dollar is losing its stance as the top currency in global tradeThis claim also isn't supported by data. Though the percentage of dollar reserves has slipped, he estimates it would take around 24 years for global dollar reserves to drop another 12%.

☆ Royals wear historic robes, guests don bold colours for coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Marie-Louise Gumuchian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The monarch arrived in the crimson velvet Robe of State, worn by his grandfather King George VI at his 1937 coronation, a crimson coronation tunic and cream silk overshirt with royal naval trousers. Charles was crowned with the historic St Edward's Crown that has been used since the coronation of King Charles II in 1661. Both left the Abbey in purple Robes of Estate - Charles', previously worn by George VI and Camilla's designed by the Royal School of Needlework and featuring nature-themed embroidery. Charles' siblings wore traditional robes, while his nieces - Princesses Beatrice, Eugenie, Zara and Lady Louise wore dresses or coats in fuchsia, blue and floral prints respectively. There were traditional outfits from across the Commonwealth and peers wore red robes.

☆ Street parties and a concert held to mark King Charles' coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Michael Holden | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, May 7 (Reuters) - King Charles will attend a music concert featuring the likes of singers Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Andrea Bocelli at Windsor Castle on Sunday after street parties are held across Britain as part of celebrations to mark his coronation. The royals have not been seen since an appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the coronation, but senior members will be out in force in Sunday. The king's younger brother Prince Edward, his sister Princess Anne and Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, the daughter of Charles' other brother Prince Andrew, will attend 'Big Lunch' events, joining some of the estimated 50,000 thousand street parties being held around the country. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will also be among those hosting a coronation lunch with the guests including Ukrainian families and youth groups. "Come rain or shine, thousands of friends and neighbours are coming together this weekend to put up the bunting, pour the tea and cut the cake at street parties and community events across the UK," he said in a statement.

☆ Florals, hats and robes: colours and tradition at King Charles coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Marie-Louise Gumuchian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Yui Mok/Pool via REUTERSLONDON, May 6 (Reuters) - From traditional robes to statement headpieces, royals and guests wore an array of colourful outfits for the coronation of Britain's King Charles III on Saturday, filling London's Westminster Abbey with a mix of hues and designs. The monarch arrived at the Abbey in the crimson velvet Robe of State, worn by his grandfather King George VI at his 1937 coronation, a crimson coronation tunic and cream silk overshirt with royal naval trousers. Charles' siblings also wore traditional robes, while his nieces - Princesses Beatrice, Eugenie, Zara and Lady Louise wore dresses or coats in fuchsia, blue and floral prints respectively. There were traditional outfits from across the Commonwealth and peers wore red ceremonial robes. Colourful and statement hats and fascinators in fuchsia, orange and red peppered the Abbey.

☆ The Coronation of King Charles III, in Pictures
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The British monarchy, according to the Victorian writer Walter Bagehot, “is commonly hidden like a mystery, and sometimes paraded like a pageant.”The mystery has diminished since his day. So has the monarch’s power. But the pageantry, in an era of instant worldwide communication, is even more widely observed, and it was on full display on Saturday in London as King Charles III was crowned. The coronation procession and the centuries-old ceremony at Westminster Abbey are the centerpiece of a three-day holiday weekend in Britain that also includes street parties, outdoor lunches and a concert on Sunday on the grounds of Windsor Castle. Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Take That are among those expected to perform.

☆ Use the writers' strike as an opportunity to catch up on some content
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

While Hollywood deals with the first TV and movie writers’ strike in 15 years, the wealth of content that we have available to us is a good reminder of the creativity those writers have put into making the shows and movies we love. Something to sip on…Corey Mylchreest as Young King George, India Amarteifio as Young Queen Charlotte in episode 101 of "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story." Liam Daniel/NetflixOne of the reasons the strike is even happening is because streaming has changed the entertainment industry so much that writers say their wages are being adversely affected through shorter seasons and changing distribution models. Those individuals can’t work – and some of our favorite shows will be delayed – unless writers and studios reach a new agreement soon. In the meantime, catch up on some brilliant shows you’ve missed.

☆ Photos: The coronation of King Charles III
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Britain's King Charles III places his hands on the Coronation Bible as he takes the Coronation Oath at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, May 6. Britain's King Charles III will be officially crowned Saturday in a magnificent and deeply religious ceremony at Westminster Abbey. After the two-hour ceremony, Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla — who will also be crowned — will travel back to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach, which has been used in every coronation since 1831. They will then make an appearance on the palace balcony alongside other members of the royal family and watch a flypast of 60 aircraft. Charles instantly became King in September when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died at the age of 96.

☆ Australia to predict lower unemployment, higher wages in looming budget
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, May 5 (Reuters) - Australia's government is set to cut its forecasts for inflation while also predicting lower unemployment for longer in 2023/24 budget next week, a mix that it hopes will generate much-needed growth in real wages. Treasurer Jim Chalmers will now forecast unemployment of 3.5% for the June quarter of this year and 4.25% for the same period in 2025, both a quarter point lower than in the last budget in October, according to an extract of next Tuesday's budget seen by Reuters. The budget is expected to forecast real wages growth of 0.75% over the year to June 2024, up by half a percentage point from October, with inflation seen slightly lower and nominal wages growing faster. Chalmers has repeatedly stated his budget would be restrained on spending so as not to add to inflationary pressures, while also giving some targeted relief for cost of living pressures. "The May Budget will be focused on targeted cost-of-living relief that doesn’t add to inflation."

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