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The deliberately vague U.S. position on its willingness to defend Taiwan isn't gone, Joe Biden told reporters on Tuesday, 24 hours after pledging a military intervention if the democratic island were to be attacked by China. The president answered "no" when asked in Tokyo whether his calmly spoken commitment to defend Taiwan had broken the policy known as "strategic ambiguity," which for more than 40 years has seen past presidents and officials purposely skate around the question of possibly deploying American forces to the Taiwan Strait. "The policy has not changed at all. I stated that when I made my statement yesterday," Biden said, according to reporters covering the final day of the first Asia tour of his presidency. The policy Biden referenced on Monday was the U.S.'s "one China" policy , which recognizes the legitimacy of the Chinese government in Beijing, but acknowledges—rather than recognizes or accepts—the position that Taiwan is part of China . Among the … [Read more...] about Joe Biden says no change in U.S. ambiguity on Taiwan defense

Venomous snake and spider bites can be painful and possibly life-threatening events for those unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end. However, scientists now have found that the venom released into the body from such attacks could be even more dangerous than previously thought. Venom from snakes and spiders can afflict people in a number of unpleasant ways , from destroying tissue to causing paralysis by targeting the brain and nervous system. While venom can be very dangerous, it is also considered by some to be generally sterile—that is, free of bacteria. This is due to the fact that it is full of antimicrobial substances. Roughly 75 percent of the 2.7 million people bitten by venomous animals every year will develop infections in the affected area, but this was thought to be because bacteria can enter the open wound and infect it, as opposed to bacteria coming from the bite itself. Now, scientists aren't so sure. Researchers from the U.K. have found strong … [Read more...] about Snake and spider venom even more dangerous than thought, scientists say

PUTRAJAYA: The move to halt chicken exports from June 1 will be reviewed once the country's supply becomes stable, says Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee (pic). He said a total of 3.6 million birds were exported to several countries every month including Singapore, Vietnam and Pakistan and the government's intervention as announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Monday (May 23), was to ensure domestic supply was adequate. Ronald explained that the country was currently facing a shortage of chicken due to several factors as informed by the industry, including disease and weight that did not meet standards to be marketed. "The poultry and egg industry is an industry that should meet the needs of the country because we have achieved 100% in self-sufficiency level (SSL) for poultry and eggs (previously)," he told the media at the ministry's Aidilfitri open house here on Tuesday (May 24). He said the government had intervened … [Read more...] about Chicken export ban to be reviewed once domestic supply stabilises, says Kiandee

Donald Trump has suggested nuclear war is "more likely to happen than not" for the United States because of President Joe Biden . Writing on Truth Social, the former president said he never thought "in my wildest imagination" that the U.S. would be involved in a nuclear war. "Now, however, because of our leaders rhetoric and very poor choice of words, it is perhaps more likely to happen than not," Trump said. "Russia/Ukraine would NEVER have happened under a TRUMP Administration. Now there are fewer cards to play, but still very playable. China up next?" His comments follow Biden indicating the U.S. military would defend Taiwan if China, a major nuclear power, attacked the island—remarks the White House insisted were not a policy change—and as NATO indirectly helps Ukraine defend itself from Russia, which has the largest stockpile of nuclear warheads in the world. Trump made similar comments in an interview on Real America's Voice show Outside the Beltway, which … [Read more...] about Donald Trump suggests nuclear war “more likely to happen than not”

Amber Heard was compared to a number of other movie stars including Zendaya and Gal Gadot during Monday's court proceedings as an entertainment industry consultant testified about her career trajectory. The multimillion-dollar defamation trial between Heard and her ex-husband Johnny Depp resumed on Monday in what is the final week in the Fairfax, Virginia, court room. Ana De Armas, Jason Momoa and Chris Pine were also mentioned in the list of celebrity names by an expert witness and entertainment industry consultant Kathryn Arnold. Arnold testified that Heard's career success would be on par with those big names if it weren't for Depp's alleged "smear campaign" against her. "When you look at the time frame of when the Waldman statements came out, and you look at what was going on with Ms. Heard's career prior to the statement and what happened after the statement, it's very clear to make that correlation," Arnold said. She was citing Depp's attorney, Adam Waldman, who … [Read more...] about Why Amber Heard was compared to Zendaya, Gal Gadot during trial

A pivotal dispute emerging from the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial is the case of the severed finger. Depp has accused Heard of cutting off the tip of his finger during a heated argument they had in Australia in August 2015. Heard, her legal team and now expert witnesses have disputed Depp's account of events. Depp and Heard are currently embroiled in a $50 million defamation suit after Depp's team argued Heard's 2018 op-ed resulted in loss of career earnings for the actor. Depp was never mentioned by name in the article in which Heard stated she was a survivor of domestic violence, but his team argue the insinuation was damaging enough. The claim has become a big part of the trial amongst the public too. An Australian bakery sent a box of cakes shaped like a hand and a Smirnoff vodka bottle to Heard. Depp alleges that the injury occurred when Heard threw a bottle at him. But what actually happened to Johnny Depp's finger? Newsweek have compiled the evidence we've … [Read more...] about What happened to Johnny Depp’s finger? Experts can’t agree

Monday on FNC’s “Hannity,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) criticized President Joe Biden and his administration for mishandling energy and economic policy, which is taking a toll on the average American. Kennedy referred specifically to the price of oil and inflationary pressures on prices, both of which Kennedy suggested were a product of the Biden policies. “You mentioned — you mentioned oil and inflation,” he said. “President Biden was inaugurated on January 28 of last year. So we are on day 488 of Build Back Better. So far, the policy failures from this administration have gushed like an open fire hydrant. You mentioned oil. The president is clearly obstructing America from drilling for its own oil and — for environmental reasons, he says. Instead, he wants us to buy oil from foreign countries. Those foreign countries transport that oil to us in tankers that use 2,000 gallons of fuel per hour and emit eight tons of CO2 per hour. The irony is rich. I mean, that’s a special kind of … [Read more...] about Kennedy: Biden Energy Policy a ‘Special Kind of Stupid,’ ‘Economic Illiteracy Is Astounding’

President Joe Biden 's remarks on Monday about the U.S. "commitment" to defend Taiwan militarily if the island is attacked by China appears to represent a more aggressive approach than previous presidents have taken. While Biden said that the U.S. policy of so-called "strategic ambiguity" on Taiwan had not changed, his comments are his strongest warning yet to China that the U.S. would defend Taiwan if it's attacked. Biden may feel emboldened to take a harder line against China following the strategic failures of the Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine, where Russian forces could not seize the capital city of Kyiv during the first stage of the war and have subsequently fallen back. The president directly linked the issue of a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan to the Russia-Ukraine conflict on Monday as he answered a question about Taiwan's defense. Biden told reporters in Tokyo that China was "already flirting with danger right now by flying so close and all the … [Read more...] about Joe Biden, emboldened by Russia’s failures, gets aggressive toward China

A woman who claimed to be a police officer said a bookstore in Chicago asked her to leave and was told the business was "not a cop friendly space." In a widely-circulated Facebook message , shared on May 17, Jo Bridges said she had walked into Pilsen Community Books (PCB) to buy a Bible for her home. She added: "When I walked in, in uniform, I was told I couldn't be in there because of my equipment. I told her I was on duty and could carry. She went on to say 'this is not a cop-friendly space.' "As a gay Mexican-American, who's served her country and continues to serve her community, I'm shocked and heartbroken." The officer added: "My beloved Pilsen, my home, my barrio where I lived for 7 years and still own a home there…I'm embarrassed and heartbroken for the way she treated me. "I promise you, I didn't get mad as I walked out but my voice did crack when I told her how as a woman, a Mexican, a member of the community, I couldn't believe what she was doing. Thanks, Pilsen … [Read more...] about Cop buying Bible told to leave over store’s “police-free” stance: officer

On the day Russia invaded Ukraine , Vladimir Putin summoned 37 of his country’s most powerful business leaders to the Kremlin. The Russian president told them the incursion had been “a necessary measure” and asked them “to be understanding of what is going on.” Russia’s stock exchange had just closed at a 33 percent loss, wiping out an estimated $71 billion in wealth, with a raft of new sanctions from the United States and the European Union already in effect and more on the way. For many oligarchs in the room, it would be their first taste of international financial restrictions. But for others, like Suleiman Kerimov, sanctions were nothing new. The enigmatic, Ferrari-driving billionaire and his family have gone to great lengths to shield their assets, documents suggest, an effort that would have helped to insulate him when he and other Russian elites were sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018 for benefitting from the country’s “malign activity around the globe.” … [Read more...] about How a mysterious Putin ally, the ‘Russian Gatsby,’ moves his billions