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
- Director of Tokyo opening ceremony fired
Tokyo Olympics organizers have fired the opening ceremony director on the eve of the event after reports emerged of a past joke he had made about the Holocaust.
- Delta ‘to be major COVID variant soon’
The highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 is expected to become the dominant strain of the virus over the coming months, the World Health Organization said yesterday.
- Pups of real-life Paw Patrol keeping Tokyo safe
It’s a neighborhood watch with a difference. A clean-nosed crew, sniffing out trouble and keeping the streets safe for school kids: meet the pups of Tokyo’s real-life Paw Patrol.
- India’s excess deaths ‘as high as 4.9m’
India’s excess deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic could be as high as 4.9 million, a new study shows, providing further evidence that millions more may have died from coronavirus than the official ta
- Haiti agrees on an interim govt to hold elections
The interim prime minister who has run Haiti since the assassination of president Jovenel Moise agreed on Monday to step aside and make way for an inclusive government that will hold elections, raising
- Zuma wins delay in corruption trial
A SOUTH African court granted former President Jacob Zuma’s request for a delay in his arms deal corruption trial yesterday, and adjourned proceedings for three weeks.
- Germany hit by worst flooding in memory
The German government yesterday pledged to improve the country’s under-fire warning systems as emergency services continued to search for victims of the worst flooding in living memory, with at least 190
- Phone list is linked to spyware from Israel
An Israeli firm accused of supplying spyware to governments has been linked to a list of tens of thousands of smartphone numbers, including those of activists, journalists, business executives and politicians
- Climate change reshaping Swiss Alps
Climate change has dramatically altered the Swiss Alp landscape — at a quicker pace than expected — as melting glaciers have created more than 1,000 new lakes across in the mountains, a study published
- UK lifts pandemic measures even as experts warn of spike in cases
THE British government yesterday lifted pandemic restrictions on daily life in England, scrapping all social distancing rules in a step slammed by scientists and opposition parties as a dangerous leap
- COVID confusion as UK prepares to lift restrictions
The UK government was thrown into turmoil yesterday by its own rules on COVID self-isolation just as it controversially prepares to ditch pandemic curbs in England.
- 3 shot outside baseball stadium in Washington
Three people were shot outside a baseball stadium crowded with thousands of spectators in the US capital on Saturday, causing the game to be abruptly halted as fans were ushered out.
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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