Headline News
- Wall Street oscillates amid COVID-19 spikes, muted data
Wall Street struggled for direction on Thursday as investors weighed a resurgence in coronavirus infections and the possibility of a new round of shutdowns against data that suggested the U.S. economy might not bounce back with quick, V-shaped recovery.
  
- Facebook takes down certain posts, ads from Trump re-election campaign
Facebook Inc said on Thursday it took down certain posts and advertisements from U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence related to their re-election campaign, due to violation of the social network’s policy against organized hate.
 
- Jean Kennedy Smith, last surviving sibling of JFK, is dead at 92
Jean Kennedy Smith, the last surviving sibling of slain President John F. Kennedy, who as U.S. ambassador to Ireland in the 1990s played a pivotal role in the Northern Irish peace process, died on Wednesday at age 92.
 
- Portraits of former Confederate House speakers to be removed: Pelosi
Portraits of four former House of Representatives speakers who served the Confederacy will be removed from the U.S. Capitol, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday.
 
- U.S. prison riot teams faulted for injuring staff during exercises
U.S. Bureau of Prisons riot teams that helped protect the White House during protests earlier this month injured employees by deploying flash bang grenades and pepper spray during exercises last year, the Justice Department’s internal watchdog has found.
 
- Lloyd’s of London to pay for ‘shameful’ Atlantic slave trade role
The Lloyd’s of London insurance market apologised on Thursday for its “shameful” role in the 18th and 19th Century Atlantic slave trade and pledged to fund opportunities for black and ethnic minority people.
 
- Explainer: London faces up to former role insuring Atlantic slave trade
London is facing up to its role in insuring the slave trade as part of a sweeping global reassessment of history and racism.
 
- U.S. Supreme Court blocks Trump bid to end ‘Dreamers’ immigrant program
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday dealt President Donald Trump a major setback on his hardline immigration policies, blocking his bid to end a program that protects from deportation hundreds of thousands of immigrants – often called “Dreamers” – who entered the United States illegally as children.
 
- Exclusive: Massive spying on users of Google’s Chrome shows new security weakness
A newly discovered spyware effort attacked users through 32 million downloads of extensions to Google’s market-leading Chrome web browser, researchers at Awake Security told Reuters, highlighting the tech industry’s failure to protect browsers as they are used more for email, payroll and other sensitive functions.
 
- Pelosi urges Senate to take up ‘Dreamers’ bill after top court ruling
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday urged the Senate to take up legislation previously passed by the Democratic-led House in support of so-called “Dreamers” now that the Supreme Court has blocked President Donald Trump’s effort to end their protections.
 
Shanghai Daily
- Churches pay Prince Philip tribute
The life of Prince Philip was celebrated at church services across Britain yesterday, with the Archbishop of Canterbury praying for those who found that the death of Queen Elizabeth’s husband had left
- 3,000-year-old city unearthed in Egypt
Archeologists on Saturday showed off their finds at what they say is the “largest” ancient city ever found in Egypt, dating to a golden age of the pharaohs 3,000 years ago.
- Jordanian king, prince make joint appearance
Jordan’s King Abdullah and former crown prince and half-brother Prince Hamza made their first joint appearance since a rift shook the country, attending a ceremony yesterday marking 100 years of indep
- 7 killed in Indonesia earthquake
At least seven people were killed after a 6.0 magnitude quake struck off the coast of Indonesia’s main Java island on Saturday, as the country reels from a cyclone disaster in another part of the arch
- South Korean opposition wins 2 key mayoral posts
South Korea’s conservative opposition party has won sweeping victories in mayoral by-elections in the country’s two biggest cities, a blow to President Moon Jae-in ahead of next year’s presidential vo
- Turkey denies snubbing female top EU official
Turkey yesterday strongly rejected accusations that it snubbed Ursula von der Leyen, one of the European Union’s most powerful executives, because of her gender, insisting that the EU’s own protocol requests
- Sex harassment laws will now apply to Aussie MPs
Australian politicians will no longer be exempt from rules against sexual harassment at work, the conservative government announced yesterday as it tries to quell public anger over parliamentary sex abuse
- It’s ‘aviators,’ not ‘airmen’
Australian air force personnel will now be known as aviators rather than airmen, the force said yesterday, in an apparent acknowledgement of the increasing diversity of its members.
- Biden unveils aid for Palestinians
The Biden administration announced on Wednesday it would provide US$235 million in US aid to the Palestinians, restarting funding for the United Nations agency supporting refugees and restoring other assistance
- US reviews more separated migrant family cases
The Biden administration said on Wednesday it is examining 5,600 previously unreviewed cases of migrant children to see whether they were separated from parents at the United States-Mexico border under
- Japan looks to hike 2030 emissions cut target
Japan is looking to raise its 2030 greenhouse gas emissions-reduction target to at least a 40 percent cut on fiscal 2013 levels from 26 percent now, Kyodo news agency said on Wednesday, citing sources
- AstraZeneca jabs, clots link ‘plausible but unconfirmed’
A LINK between AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 jabs and blood clots is plausible but unconfirmed, the World Health Organization’s vaccine experts said on Wednesday, stressing that reported occurrences were “very
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A large number of Iranian university students meet with Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei at the 16th night of the fasting month of Ramadan on May 22, 2019. Photo: khamenei.ir 
Tehran, May 23, IRNA – Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi pointed to the ‘psycho-propaganda’ scenario launched against Iran, and said that this scenario is pre-maturely defeated and will definitely go nowhere.
Tehran, May 23, IRNA – German Foreign Ministry political director Jens Ploetner accompanied with German Ambassador to Tehran Michael Klor Berchtold held talks with Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for political affairs Abbas Araqchi on bilateral ties and Iran nuclear deal.
Islamabad, May 23, IRNA – Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday congratulated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the victory in general election.
Persian yellow deer, which is on the verge of extinction, is seen on a series of photos in Dasht Naz protected area in northern Iran on May 23, 2019. IRNA/Ehsan Fazli Osanloo