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Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Thursday expressed hope that bridging finance from Japan would help the island nation get over its current economic crisis, as he urged "international friends" to extend support and solidarity" to his country at this "very difficult time”. Addressing the 27th International Conference on the Future of Asia in Tokyo, Japan, via video call, the President said he hoped for an early deal with Japan as negotiations were underway concerning bridging loans. “Japan remains one of Sri Lanka’s key development partners, and we hope that the negotiations now underway regarding bridging funds from Japan will conclude soon, and support Sri Lanka as we try to stabilise our economy and our nation," the President said. Bridge financing is a form of temporary, intermediate funding intended to cover short-term expenses until long-term funding is secured. Mr. Rajapaksa outlined the difficulties faced by Sri Lanka since the COVID-19 pandemic. "The … [Read more...] about Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa hopeful of getting bridging funds from Japan

Stagecoach has sealed a £20 million deal to buy Kelsian Group’s east London bus operations. The travel business said it has “entered into binding agreements” to purchase the operations, which also include a deport at Lea Interchange, for an initial £10 million followed by £1 million each year for 10 years after the move is completed. Kelsian’s east London operation operates 11 contracts on behalf of Transport for London (TfL), using a fleet of around 150 buses, with an annual turnover of around £38 million. It said the move is “a good strategic fit” alongside Stagecoach’s existing London operations. Stagecoach added that the new depot will also provide the business with a platform to bid for new contracts in the area. Recommended What Rishi Sunak announced to tackle the cost of living crisis More Tory MPs withdraw support from PM over ‘shameful’ parties The group said it expects its net debt to increase by around £20 million upon … [Read more...] about Stagecoach strikes £20m deal to snap up east London buses

Boris Johnson has said the Government’s emergency cost-of-living support package is a “big bazooka” which will support families until the surge in energy prices abates. The Prime Minister acknowledged the country still faced a “bumpy time” due to the soaring costs of oil and gas, but said he was confident it would emerge in a “much, much stronger position”. Earlier, Chancellor Rishi Sunak – who on Thursday announced a further £21 billion of support for households – indicated that he could not rule out the need for further measures if global prices remain high. But speaking during a visit to Stockton-on-Tees, Mr Johnson appeared to suggest the measures set out in the Commons – with up to £1,200 for eight million homes across the country – should be enough. “What we are doing now is making sure we support people through tough times. It’s a big bazooka,” he said in a pooled clip for broadcasters. Recommended What Rishi Sunak announced to tackle the … [Read more...] about ‘Big bazooka’ support package will get UK through energy crisis, says PM

I find myself more shaken and stricken after this week's latest mass shooting, the elementary school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, that saw 19 children and two teachers slain in cold blood, than I did after other mass shootings in recent years. Part of that is biographical: As an ex-Texan, the son of an elementary school teacher and the owner of a rifle made by the same manufacturer as was the apparent murder weapon, this just hit home a little closer. And part of that, of course, is the sheer nature of the evil incarnate the likes of which decides to go shoot up a schoolhouse. The palpable nature of that profound evil in our midst is yet the latest reminder of the truism, contrary to modern convention though that truism may be, that man is by his nature inclined toward iniquity. As God Himself says in Genesis 8:21 , "The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth." Naturally inclined toward tradition, conservatives—if perhaps no one else—intuit this. As the great conservative … [Read more...] about The difficult search for answers after Uvalde | Opinion

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has repeatedly drawn the ire of those on the left while being widely praised by those on right as he is viewed as a potential frontrunner for the GOP's presidential nomination in 2024 —making the incumbent a target for Democrats to attempt to unseat in the November midterm election. While Florida has been viewed as a swing state in recent elections, the state has been leaning Republican, with polling and news analysis site FiveThirtyEight assessing that it has a 7.6 percent partisan lean in favor of the GOP. Recent polls show that DeSantis is largely popular, with a majority of Floridians approving of his leadership. At the same time, he has been viewed by many as polarizing, repeatedly drawing substantial backlash from Democrats in the state and on the national stage. It's still undetermined which Democrat will face off against DeSantis on November 8. The two leading candidates are Representative Charlie Crist from the 13th District and … [Read more...] about Democrats’ chances of beating Ron DeSantis in midterm, according to polls

A viral tweet that claims to show Senator Ted Cruz using a template to identically respond to mass shootings in the U.S. has been debunked by a CNN reporter. The tweet in question contains an image that appears to show 12 tweets from the Texas Republican using the same language to react to mass shootings, changing only the name of the location where they occur. "These mass shootings happen so much that Ted Cruz really got a template ready to tweet whenever they occur," Twitter user @1DOPEKEV wrote. Responding to the tweet, CNN reporter Daniel Dale, who fact checks political claims wrote Thursday: "This viral tweet is filled with phony images of stuff Ted Cruz didn't actually tweet. The pictured Cruz tweet about the Uvalde shooting is real, but the rest of the images are fake. I added Xs over the phony ones." Cruz's tweet immediately reacting to the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that claimed the lives of 21 people including 19 children at Robb Elementary School on … [Read more...] about Viral tweet of Ted Cruz using template for all mass shootings debunked

One candidate wants to make the Los Angeles Police Department larger than it has ever been. Another envisions a future where America’s second largest city no longer needs police. The others have staked out middle ground. After the tumult of recent years, it should come as no surprise that the race to become Los Angeles’ next mayor has focused largely on issues surrounding crime, public safety and policing. Mass protests after the 2020 murder of George Floyd ignited fierce, ongoing debate about the role LAPD should play in the city and turned renewed scrutiny on long-running concerns about officers’ sometimes heavy-handed tactics. The city, meanwhile, had one of its deadliest years in the past two decades and helped elect a controversial reformer to serve as the county’s top prosecutor. But the candidates for mayor differ on the correct path forward, mirroring a nationwide struggle over how to balance the need to combat rising crime with calls to rethink a status quo in … [Read more...] about From more cops to defund: Candidates for L.A. mayor differ on crime and policing

The story so far: The President of the United States Joe Biden made a controversial statement on May 23, during a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida a day before the start of the Quad summit in Japan. He gave an affirmative reply to a question on whether the U.S. will come to the aid of Taiwan militarily in case of an invasion by China . This is the third time that he has made such a statement, raising questions about whether the U.S. is shifting from its long-standing policy of strategic ambiguity over Taiwan to that of strategic clarity. What is the Taiwan issue? Taiwan is an island territory located off the coast of mainland China, across the Taiwan Strait. After their defeat to the communist forces in the Chinese civil war (1945-1949), the ruling Kuomintang (Nationalist) government of China fled to Taiwan. They transplanted the Republic of China (ROC) government in Taiwan, while the Communist Party of China (CPC) established the People’s … [Read more...] about Understanding the nature of U.S.-Taiwan relations

The gross domestic product (GDP) of India, which is among the countries with the longest school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, would see the highest decline in South Asia due to learning losses for the young, a new working paper published by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has reckoned. Starting with a $10.5 billion dent in 2023, the country’s economy could take a nearly $99 billion hit by 2030, translating into a 3.19% reduction in GDP from the baseline growth trends, according to the paper on ‘Potential Economic Impact of COVID-19 related School Closures’. India may thus account for over 10% of the global GDP decline of $943 billion estimated by the ADB on account of earning losses in 2030, with jobs for skilled labour expected to decline by 1%, and unskilled labour by 2% that year. “India has notable enrolment in secondary education and among students in rural areas. Pandemic-induced school closures have also been more extensive there,” the paper noted. Economies … [Read more...] about India’s GDP to take a big hit due to pandemic-linked learning losses for students: ADB study

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday arrested Avinash Bhosale, chairman of Pune-based real estate group ABIL group, in an alleged corruption case involving Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor and Kapil Wadhawan of DHFL, officials said. The CBI suspects that illicit funds were routed through several real estate companies based in Maharashtra, they said. The agency had carried out searches at the premises of noted builders of the State on April 30 to further probe on this aspect of the case, they said. Premises of ABIL and Mr. Bhosale were also searched during the operation. The CBI has now arrested Mr. Bhosale in a 2020 case against Mr. Kapoor and Mr. Wadhawan among others for alleged corruption. The CBI had recently arrested Sanjay Chhabria of Radius Developers in the case. The agency has alleged that Mr. Kapoor entered into a criminal conspiracy with Mr. Wadhawan for extending financial assistance to DHFL through Yes Bank in return for substantial undue benefits to … [Read more...] about CBI arrests ABIL group chairman Avinash Bhosale in Yes Bank-DHFL scam case