Beware risks of voter giveaways to public finances, countries facing elections told pred 1 dnevom, 10 urami in 39 minutami IMF says reduction in national insurance may have made cutting UK national debt more difficultThe International Monetary Fund has issued a strong warning to Britain and other countries facing elections this year to avoid voter giveaways that might pose risks to their public finances.In its half-yearly fiscal monitor, the IMF said the reduction in national insurance contributions (NICs) announced by Jeremy Hunt in his budget last month may have already made cutting the UK’s national debt more difficult. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Far-right US Senate candidate tells crowd to ‘strap on a Glock’ before elections pred 1 dnevom, 10 urami in 40 minutami Kari Lake of Arizona warned supporters of ‘intense’ election year in which Democrats will come after them ‘with everything’Republican US Senate candidate Kari Lake has told supporters to “strap on a Glock” ahead of the 2024 elections as she struggles to gain ground against her Democratic rival in Arizona.In a campaign speech made to a crowd in Arizona’s Mohave county on Sunday, Lake echoed Trump-like terms in calling Washington DC a “swamp” – and used a reference to carrying guns when she told people to prepare for an “intense” election year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Arizona Republicans again block effort to repeal 1864 near-total abortion ban pred 1 dnevom, 11 urami in 12 minutami After decrying state supreme court ruling on ban with no exceptions for rape or incest, lawmakers ensure its potential to take effectAfter days of nationwide debate over the Arizona supreme court’s recent decision to uphold a near-total abortion ban from the 19th century, Arizona’s Republican-controlled statehouse has again quashed an effort to repeal the ban.Republicans, who hold a one-seat majority in both the Arizona house and senate, on Wednesday shot down a procedural measure in the statehouse that would have enabled the chamber to vote on a bill to repeal the ban. Just one Republican, the representative Matt Gress, voted with the house’s 29 Democrats, but the 30-30 split was not enough to move forward. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rwanda bill further delayed after Lords again votes for changes pred 1 dnevom, 11 urami in 30 minutami Legislation to go back to Commons after peers stand up for rights of Afghans and scrutiny of refugees’ treatmentThe parliamentary battle over Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda deportation bill will spill into next week after the Lords refused to budge over the rights of Afghans and scrutiny of the treatment of refugees in east Africa.The move prompted an immediate backlash from the home secretary, James Cleverly, who blamed Labour for blocking the bill and being “terrified” that the Rwanda plan would stop asylum seekers from travelling to the UK in small boats. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mentally stimulating work plays key role in staving off dementia, study finds pred 1 dnevom, 11 urami in 41 minutami People in routine and repetitive jobs found to have 31% greater risk of disease in later life, and 66% higher risk of mild cognitive problemsIf work is a constant flurry of mind-straining challenges, bursts of creativity and delicate negotiations to keep the troops happy, consider yourself lucky.Researchers have found that the more people use their brains at work, the better they seem to be protected against thinking and memory problems that come with older age. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Columbia president assailed at highly charged antisemitism Congress hearing pred 1 dnevom, 11 urami in 56 minutami Minouche Shafik appeared beleaguered as House members grilled her over reported upsurge in antisemitism on campusThe head of a prestigious US university clashed with members of Congress today in highly charged hearings over a reported upsurge in antisemitism on campus in the wake of Israel’s war in Gaza.Minouche Shafik, the president of Columbia University, appeared beleaguered and uncertain as one Congress member after another assailed her over her institution’s supposed inaction to stop it becoming what one called “a hotbed of antisemitism and hatred”.This article was amended on 17 April 2024 to correctly identify the school where Elizabeth Magill resigned as president last year. The school was the University of Pennsylvania, not Pennsylvania University. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
California cracks down on farm region’s water pumping: ‘The ground is collapsing’ pred 1 dnevom, 12 urami in 8 minutami Region near Tulare Lake has been put on ‘probation’ as overpumping of water has caused faster sinking of groundEven after two back-to-back wet years, California’s water wars are far from over. On Tuesday, state water officials took an unprecedented step to intervene in the destructive pumping of depleted groundwater in the state’s sprawling agricultural heartland.The decision puts a farming region known as the Tulare Lake groundwater subbasin, which includes roughly 837-sq-miles in the rural San Joaquin valley, on “probation” in accordance with a sustainable groundwater use law passed a decade ago. Large water users will face fees and state oversight of their pumping. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Indonesia issues tsunami alert as volcano erupts pred 1 dnevom, 13 urami in 5 minutami More than 800 people evacuated from Mount Ruang as alert level raised to four – highest in four-tier systemAuthorities in Indonesia have issued a tsunami alert after a volcano erupted several times in the province of North Sulawesi, spewing a column of smoke more than a mile into the sky and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people from their homes.Mount Ruang, a stratovolcano, first erupted at 9.45pm local time on Tuesday and then four times on Wednesday, Indonesia’s volcanology agency said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Europe live: EU heads meet as Belgian and Czech leaders condemn Russian meddling in elections – as it happened pred 1 dnevom, 13 urami in 19 minutami Alexander De Croo and Petr Fiala raise concerns about Russian interference as EU heads gather with Middle East also on the agendaFurther restrictive measures against Iran following Tehran’s attack on Israel will be discussed over dinner tonight when the EU’s leaders meet in Brussels.On the table are potential measures to impose sanctions on Iran’s missile and drone programmes as well as Russia-style sanctions on individuals or companies that support the Islamic Revolutionary Guard. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
