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☆ 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."

☆ Sabalenka seeking revenge in Madrid showdown with Swiatek
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, May 5 (Reuters) - Aryna Sabalenka said she was relishing the challenge of playing Iga Swiatek in Saturday's Madrid Open final, with revenge on her mind having lost to the world number one in the Stuttgart title clash last month. Swiatek cruised past Belarusian Sabalenka 6-3 6-4 to win the Stuttgart crown in a repeat of last year's final to confirm her status as favourite for the French Open later this month. World number two Sabalenka said she was prepared for another tough battle in the pair's latest clash, as she bids to improve her 2-5 win-loss record against Swiatek. I would just go one more time, try better and fight for this title," Sabalenka said after beating Maria Sakkari 6-4 6-1 in the semi-final. "Before, like our first matches last season when I didn't feel my best, it was really tough because I didn't have so many weapons.

During a historic and solemn two-hour service, which dates back to the time of King William the Conqueror in 1066, Charles' second wife Camilla was also crowned queen. Charles, 74, automatically succeeded his mother as king on her death last September. GREAT AND GOOD[1/20] Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla wave on the Buckingham Palace balcony following their coronation ceremony in London, Britain May 6, 2023. Much of the ceremony featured elements that Charles' forebears right back to King Edgar in 973 would recognise, officials said. Not everyone who came to watch was there to cheer Charles, with hundreds of republicans booing and waving banners reading "Not My King".

☆ Australia PM says 'frustrated' over continued detention of Julian Assange
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Leah MillisSYDNEY, May 5 (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday he was frustrated for not yet finding a diplomatic fix over the continued detention of Julian Assange and that he remained concerned about the mental health of the WikiLeaks' founder. "I know it's frustrating, I share the frustration," Albanese told ABC television from London where Assange is being held pending a U.S. extradition case. Assange spent seven years holed up in Ecuador's embassy in London after being offered refuge but was dragged out by British police in 2019. He has been staying in a prison in London while his extradition case was decided. Albanese has been advocating for the release of Assange, who faces a sentence of up to 175 years in a maximum security prison if extradited to the United States.

Programming note: The full interview with Richard Glossip will air Friday, May 5, on “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” which starts at 4 p.m. Lea Glossip, left, wife of death row inmate Richard Glossip, listens with death penalty opponent Sister Helen Prejean, right, during a news conference on Thursday, May 4, in Oklahoma City. Sneed admitted to killing Van Treese, but at trial, prosecutors portrayed the killing as a murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by Glossip. Ultimately, Reed Smith concluded “that no reasonable juror hearing the complete record would have convicted Richard Glossip of first-degree murder,” said Stan Perry, a partner at the firm. The Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, where Richard Glossip is set to be executed, is seen in 2015.

☆ Silicon Valley Founders and VCs Are Making Sobriety Popular
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Sellers is among a growing contingent in the tech community that's going alcohol-free. From founders to investors, members of the startup community are eschewing booze in the name of staying sharp — and healthy. "About six months ago, I stopped drinking alcohol. That's really hard because in this industry, you have to be high energy. That's really hard because in this industry, you have to be high energy.

But as Republican presidential hopefuls including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump crisscross the country, they have instead focused on hot-button issues like immigration and transgender participation in youth sports. A broad majority of voters in both parties believe the debt ceiling presents a good opportunity to debate public policy priorities, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in March. Still, it is unclear how much Republican primary voters know about the debt limit debate - or even care - campaign aides and strategists said. Of nine attendees interviewed by Reuters at the town hall meeting held by Haley, none mentioned the debt ceiling as one of their top concerns. Others have addressed the debt ceiling in the past, but only in general terms.

☆ Surprises, snubs and a watershed moment that wasn’t.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Scott Heller | Alexis Soloski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Not everyone can wake up to good news on Tony nominations morning. Then again, with a panel of voters often un-wowed by celebrity, the roster typically turns up left-field choices and anoints young talent. But the Tony committee gave the show’s team something to laugh about, lavishing six nominations, including two for Cooper himself: best play and best featured actor in a play. Cooper, who portrayed a saucy airline hostess named Peaches, gave it his all, onstage and off: When the show’s sudden closing was first announced, he took to Instagram to rally audiences. Yet Tony voters passed on nominating Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan for their sexy, impassioned portrayals of a fraying couple in 1960s Greenwich Village.

☆ My grandfather hid the emotional toll of World War II from his family for decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Chloe Melas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

CNN —For decades after returning home from World War II, my grandfather did not talk about his wartime experiences. Frank Murphy, the grandfather of CNN's Chloe Melas, after he was captured and taken a prisoner of war by the Nazis in 1943. Everyone could see the physical toll of war on his body, but we didn’t know about his invisible wounds. After World War I, it was “shell shock”; post-World War II it was known as “combat fatigue,” and after Vietnam it was called “post-Vietnam syndrome.” In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association officially recognized it as post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. “When your grandfather and my grandfather served in World War II, they didn’t talk about it,” Paul Rieckhoff, founder and CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, told me.

REUTERS/Jane RosenbergMay 2 (Reuters) - A friend of E. Jean Carroll on Tuesday backed up the writer’s account of being raped by Donald Trump, testifying during a civil trial that she received a phone call about the alleged attack minutes after it occurred. Birnbach, author of many books including "The Official Preppy Handbook,” said Carroll told her Trump slammed her into the wall, pulled down her tights and “penetrated her with his penis.”“I whispered, E. Jean, he raped you. Carroll told jurors last week that Trump put his fingers into her vagina, which she called "extremely painful," and then inserted his penis. Birnbach testified that Carroll refused to go to the police after the alleged rape and asked her to never tell anyone about the incident. Reporting by Jack Queen in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Howard GollerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Jared Leto wears giant 'Choupette' costume to Met Gala
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Ben Kellerman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Jared Leto, dressed as Karl Lagerfeld's cat Choupette, poses at the Met Gala, an annual fundraising gala held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute with this year's theme "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty", in New York City, New York, U.S., May 1, 2023. The invitation-only Met Gala, famed for its A-list celebrities and extravagant outfits, is a benefit for New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and marks the opening of the Costume Institute’s annual fashion exhibit. “Karl loved romantic but he also loved something a little edgy and nasty,” said American fashion designer Michael Kors. Meta Gala co-chair Dua Lipa wore a vintage 1992 Chanel Haute Couture Fall cream tweed gown and paired it with a never before seen 100 karat Tiffany diamond necklace. Reporting by Ben Kellerman in New York; Writing by Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; Editing by Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ E. Jean Carroll sounded ‘breathless’ and ‘emotional’ in call after alleged rape, friend testifies
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Lauren Del Valle | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Lisa Birnbach recounted how Carroll called her minutes after leaving the department store and told her about the altercation in detail. Birnbach said Carroll soundedb “breathless, hyperventilating, emotional. “He pulled down my tights, he pulled down my tights,” Carroll repeated on the phone, according to Birnbach. Carroll refused to go to the police and made her friend promise never to speak of it again. After Birnbach publicly identified herself in 2019 as Carroll’s friend referenced in Carroll’s book, Birnbach said she gave a few media interviews to support Carroll.

☆ Biden to reassure Philippines' Marcos as China tensions flare
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden listens during the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner in Washington, U.S., April 29, 2023. Marcos, who became president last year, has sought warm relations with both the United States and China, who are vying for influence in the Asia-Pacific region. "Some of the steps that China have taken have concerned (Marcos), probably even surprised him," said one senior Biden administration official. Experts say the United States considers the Philippines a potential location for rockets, missiles and artillery systems to counter a Chinese amphibious assault. "We're standing shoulder to shoulder in the South China Sea, where our alignment has never been stronger," said one U.S. official.

[1/2] A view shows a damaged car at Martyr Muhammad Hashem Matar Street in Bahri, Khartoum North, Sudan, April 30, 2023, in this still image taken from video obtained by Reuters. Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands wounded since a long-simmering power struggle between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted into conflict on April 15. Violence has rocked the capital Khartoum and risks reawakening war in the vast Western region of Darfur scarred by a two-decade old conflict, despite numerous ceasefire pledges. We are extremely concerned by the immediate as well as long-term impact on all people in Sudan and the broader region," he said. In Khartoum, the army has been battling RSF forces entrenched in residential areas.

Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands wounded since a long-simmering power struggle between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted into conflict on April 15. Locked in a battle for Khartoum, Sudan's capital on the Nile, the parties have fought on despite a series of ceasefires secured by mediators including the United States, the latest of which expires at midnight (2200 GMT). The Sudanese army said on Sunday it had destroyed RSF convoys moving towards Khartoum from the west. The RSF said the army had used artillery and warplanes to attack its positions in a number of areas in Khartoum province. A U.S.-government organised convoy arrived at the Red Sea city of Port Sudan on Saturday, evacuating U.S. citizens, local staff and others.

☆ Katy Perry loses a trademark battle with a fashion designer called Katie Perry
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Pop singer Katy Perry lost a 15-year trademark battle with a clothing designer named Katie Perry. The "Teenage Dream" singer partially infringed the trademark of the designer's business. "This is a tale of two women, two teenage dreams and one name," the judge said in her ruling. The trademark battle spanned 15 years as the performer attempted to block the designer from registering the trademark and sought to stop her using it before dropping the move, Katie Perry claimed. The clothing designer registered her brand name Katie Perry in 2008, a year after she started selling clothes under that name.

Hemedti and Burhan have both excluded the idea of negotiating with each other in public comments since the fighting began. An aide to Hemedti did not respond to questions from Reuters about whether he was ready to negotiate or hold peace talks. "What are they going to talk about that wasn't on the table before the conflict started?" said the diplomat, adding that neither side could win a decisive military victory or control of all Sudan's territory. The RSF, which has bases across Sudan, has meanwhile depicted the army as "extremists", an apparent reference to the influence Hemedti says Islamists wield in the military.

He said no timeline had been set for talks. The prospects of negotiations between the leaders of the two sides have so far seemed bleak. "They both think they will win, but they are both sort of more open to negotiations, the word 'negotiations' or 'talks' was not there in their discourse in the first week or so," he said. While the sides had made statements that the other side had to "surrender or die," Perthes said, they were also saying, "ok we accept ... some form of talks". Jeddah had been offered as a venue for "military-technical" talks while Juba had been offered as part of a regional proposal by East African states for political talks.

☆ Airstrikes, artillery fire heard in Khartoum as Sudan fighting enters third week
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KHARTOUM, April 29 (Reuters) - The sounds of air strikes, anti-aircraft weaponry and artillery could be heard in Khartoum early on Saturday and dark smoke rose over parts of the city, as fighting in Sudan entered a third week. Fighting between the army and a rival paramilitary force continued despite the announcement of a 72-hour ceasefire extension on Friday, when strikes by air, tanks and artillery rocked Khartoum and the adjacent cities of Bahri and Ombdurman. The fighting has also reawakened a two-decade-old conflict in the western Darfur region where scores have died this week. More than 75,000 people were internally displaced within Sudan just in the first week of the fighting, according to the United Nations. The U.S. said several hundred Americans had departed Sudan by land, sea or air.

☆ Coronation travel guide: Transport advice, London hotels and where to watch
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

Take the Conrad London St. James, for example, which sits between the Mall and Westminster Abbey. Most of the roads around Westminster Abbey and St. James’s Park Underground station will be blocked off. How to see the coronationCharles and Camilla will ride in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach to Westminster Abbey for the ceremony. Niklas Halle'n/AFP/Getty ImagesThe coronation itself will take place on the morning of Saturday May 6 at Westminster Abbey. Royal Windsor Racecourse, near Windsor Castle, and on the bank of the River Thames, is having a race night to celebrate the day’s public holiday.

Charles’ coronation is expected to be shorter than his mother’s seven decades ago. The spot where King Charles will be crowned inside Westminster Abbey Dan Kitwood/Getty ImagesWhat happens during the coronation service? Which crown will King Charles use? How is King Charles making the ceremony more inclusive? Don’t missThe coronation of King Charles III brings pageantry, revelry, and new questions – is the monarchy relevant in the modern world?

☆ Katy Perry loses trademark fight with Australian fashion designer
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, April 28 (Reuters) - An Australian court has ruled that pop superstar Katy Perry infringed the trademark of a Sydney-based fashion designer who has sold her products locally under a label with her birth name "Katie Perry". The judge dismissed a bid by the popstar seeking to cancel the Katie Perry trademark. Taylor, whose birth name was Katie Perry, called the verdict a "David and Goliath" win for small businesses. Representatives of Katy Perry could not be immediately reached. The tussle between the popstar and the Australian fashion designer over the homophonous name began in 2008 when Taylor registered the "Katie Perry" brand in Australia.

☆ Rihanna set to star in new ‘Smurfs’ movie
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Marianne Garvey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Superstar Rihanna is set to play Smurfette in the upcoming “Smurfs” animated film. “Getting to do animation is a fun journey for me,” Rihanna said. The “Smurfs” film franchise kicked off in 2011 with “The Smurfs,” starring Neil Patrick Harris. “The Smurfs 2” was released in 2013, followed by 2017’s “Smurfs: The Lost Village.”As for her acting career, Rihanna starred in 2012’s “Battleship” and appeared as herself in 2013 comedy “This Is the End.” She also appeared in “Ocean’s 8,” among television show appearances. The “Smurfs” movie hits theaters February 14, 2025.

☆ Russia kills 17 in biggest Ukraine air strikes for nearly two months
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Sergiy Karazy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary Russia carries out new wave of air attacksUkraine's president condemns 'Russian terror'The attacks are the first on such a scale for weeksKYIV, April 28 (Reuters) - Russia hurled missiles at cities across Ukraine as people slept early on Friday, killing at least 17 people in the first large-scale air strikes in nearly two months. Hours after the pre-dawn attacks, Kyiv said it was finishing preparations for a counteroffensive to try to take back territory occupied by Russian forces in 14 months of war. Moscow says it does not deliberately target civilians, but air strikes and shelling have killed thousands of people and devastated cities across Ukraine. Kyiv says strikes on cities far from the front lines have no military purpose apart from intimidating and harming civilians, a war crime. The war is coming to a juncture after a months-long Russian winter offensive that gained little ground despite the bloodiest fighting so far.

☆ US, African states race to extend Sudan truce, gunfire still heard
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Mahamet RamdaneKHARTOUM, April 27 (Reuters) - The United States and African nations were racing to secure an extension of a ceasefire in Sudan on Thursday, with the Sudanese army giving an initial nod to an African proposal calling for talks even as fighting continued. Gunfire could be heard on Thursday in the Khartoum area, a resident told Reuters. The military said the presidents of South Sudan, Kenya and Djibouti worked on a proposal that includes extending the truce and talks between the two forces. "Burhan thanked the IGAD and expressed an initial approval to that," the army statement said. The U.N. refugee agency has estimated 270,000 people could flee into South Sudan and Chad alone.

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