North America

Twitter blocks official Turkish accounts ahead of election

19 May 2023; MEMO: Wikipedia's founder Jimmy Wales yesterday slammed Twitter over its recent decision to block certain Turkish content a day before the country's  presidential election.

Wales told BBC that his organisation has been banned in Turkiye for almost three years after it refused to delete articles that criticised the government. He stressed that the tech sector must collaborate in defending free access to information.

USA: Florida Governor DeSantis to enter presidential race next week

WASHINGTON, May 17 (Reuters) - Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis will officially enter the 2024 U.S. presidential race next week, according to two sources familiar with the decision, immediately becoming Donald Trump's biggest rival for the Republican nomination and shaking up a contest that largely has been one-sided.

DeSantis will likely file paperwork declaring his candidacy on May 25 to coincide with a donor meeting in Miami, with a more formal launch the week of May 29, according to a source.

USA: Biden, McCarthy push forward towards deal on US debt ceiling

WASHINGTON, May 17 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden and top U.S. congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday underscored their determination to reach a deal soon to raise the federal government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling and avoid an economically catastrophic default.

USA: Democrats warn Biden against toughening aid for the poor

WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. Congress expressed frustration with President Joe Biden's willingness to engage with Republicans demanding tougher work requirements for food aid recipients as part of any deal to raise the nation's debt ceiling.

They have stopped short of threatening to block such moves, as talks on lifting the federal government's $31.4 trillion borrowing limit shifted into a bilateral format between Democrat Biden, Republican House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy and their staffs.

USA: 8-year-old girl dies in Border Patrol custody in Harlingen, Texas, as agency seeks to ease crowding

HARLINGEN, Texas (AP) — An 8-year-old girl died Wednesday in Border Patrol custody, authorities said, a rare occurrence that comes as the agency struggles with overcrowding.

The child and her family were being held at a station in Harlingen, Texas, in Rio Grande Valley, one of the busiest corridors for illegal crossings, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Border Patrol’s parent agency, said in a statement.

USA: Biden To Cut Short Asia-Pacific Trip Due To Debt Ceiling Stalemate: Media

WASHINGTON, May 17 (NNN-XINHUA) – U.S. President, Joe Biden, will not travel to Papua New Guinea and Australia later this month, as originally planned, due to the ongoing stalemate in negotiations with congressional leaders, to address the debt ceiling, multiple U.S. media outlets reported yesterday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

USA: AI threatens humanity’s future, 61% of Americans say: Reuters/Ipsos poll

May 17 (Reuters) - The swift growth of artificial intelligence technology could put the future of humanity at risk, according to most Americans surveyed in a Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Wednesday.

More than two-thirds of Americans are concerned about the negative effects of AI and 61% believe it could threaten civilization.

USA: Trump is attacking DeSantis hard on policy, amid the flurry of insults

May 17 (Reuters) - Amid the headline-grabbing insults and name-calling, Donald Trump is pursuing a surprisingly policy-heavy strategy to damage his closest Republican rival Ron DeSantis before he enters the presidential race, according to a Reuters analysis of the former president's statements since he announced his White House bid.

Forty percent of Trump's attacks on the Florida governor have targeted issues such as Social Security, the government-run Medicare health program for older Americans, foreign policy and DeSantis' record in office.

USA: Last ship leaves Ukraine as fate of Black Sea grain deal in Russia's hands

UNITED NATIONS, May 17 (Reuters) - The last ship left a port in Ukraine on Wednesday under a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain a day before Russia could quit the pact over obstacles to its grain and fertilizer exports.

The DSM Capella has left the port of Chornomorsk carrying 30,000 tonnes of corn and was on its way to Turkey, according to data issued by the United Nations.

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