USA

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will host Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for talks at the White House next month as the U.S. looks to continue to tighten relations with the Pacific nation.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that the two leaders’ meeting on May 1 is expected to focus on deepening economic cooperation, climate change, human rights, efforts to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region and more.

This time it’s for real.

Many of Twitter’s high-profile users are losing the blue checks that helped verify their identity and distinguish them from impostors on the Elon Musk-owned social media platform.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Only about half of Democrats think President Joe Biden should run again in 2024, a new poll shows, but a large majority say they’d be likely to support him if he became the nominee.

The poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that 26% of Americans overall want to see Biden run again — a slight recovery from the 22% who said that in January. Forty-seven percent of Democrats say they want him to run, also up slightly from only 37% who said that in January.

20 Apr 2023; MEMO: The US announced, Thursday, the transfer of long time Guantanamo Bay detainee, Said bin Brahim bin Umran Bakush, to his home country of Algeria, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin, informed Congress of his intent to transfer Bakush to Algeria in February, the Pentagon said in a statement. A panel that reviews individual cases determined, 13 April, that it was no longer necessary to hold Bakush at the controversial prison, setting the stage for his release.

WASHINGTON, April 20 (Reuters) - A U.S. congressional war game simulating a Chinese invasion of Taiwan showed the need to arm the island "to the teeth," the chair of a committee on China said on Thursday, after the exercise indicated the U.S. must boost production of long-range missiles and businesses must brace for economic fallout.

UNITED NATIONS, April 19 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is scheduled to attend a virtual meeting on Sudan on Thursday, a UN spokesman said.

The meeting will bring together the chairperson of the African Union, the secretary-general of the Arab League, the executive secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, and other relevant organizations, Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for Guterres, told reporters on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON, April 19 (Xinhua) -- The United States on Wednesday announced an additional package of weapons for Ukraine worth 325 million U.S. dollars.

According to a list from the Department of Defense (DoD), the new tranche of security assistance included additional ammunition for the U.S.-provided HIMARS, artillery rounds, anti-armor systems, over 9 million rounds of small arms ammunition, four logistics support vehicles, among other items.

20 Apr 2023; MEMO: Credit rating agency, Moody's, downgraded Israel's economic outlook from positive on Friday, citing the "deterioration of Israel's governance". The move comes despite efforts by Israeli President, Isaac Herzog, and Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to persuade the New York based agency not to lower Israel's credit rating. Both are said to have held unsuccessful talks with senior Moody's executives.

20 Apr 2023; MEMO: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the nephew of former US President, John F. Kennedy who was assassinated, officially launched his bid, Wednesday, for the White House in 2024, Anadolu News Agency reports.

"I've come here today to announce my candidacy for Democratic nomination for President of the United States," Kennedy said at a campaign launch in Boston.

Kennedy filed paperwork 6 April with the Federal Election Commission to run for president.

20 Apr 2023; MEMO: The US State Department yesterday condemned Tunisia's arrest of former Speaker of Parliament Rached Ghannouchi, the closure of his party's headquarters and the banning of meetings held by opposition groups.