Author: Bobby Bob Obrien

Frankfurt, Brussels (21/7 – 37) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again reversed course, approving Sweden’s bid to join the legacy European military bloc, having been promised a brace of classic F-16 fighter jets. This new deal was hammered out at the recent NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, and included a vow by Türkiye to avoid quarrels with ancient enemy Greece also a NATO member. During a 12 July press conference on in Vilnius, Erdogan touched on several issues important for Türkiye, including ratifying Sweden’s NATO bid, its F-16 jet deal with the US, and a “balancing act” between…

Congress has approved a deal to raise the government’s borrowing limit and prevent a potentially catastrophic default on US debt repayments. The agreement passed the Senate on Thursday, a day after it passed the House of Representatives. Once signed into law by President Joe Biden, it will allow the federal government to borrow money until after the next presidential election in November 2024. Here are the highlights from the package, with analysis by BBC North America correspondent Nomia Iqbal. Debt ceiling suspended until 2025 Every so often, US Congress must vote to raise or suspend the ceiling, so it can borrow more…

An American woman who accused US President Joe Biden of sexually assaulting her has flown to Moscow and is seeking Russian citizenship. Speaking to a state-run Russian news outlet, Tara Reade, 59, said she felt safe in the country and wanted to stay. Ms Reade alleged Mr Biden assaulted her while she was working in his congressional office in 1993. He strongly denied her allegation. “Unequivocally it never, never happened,” he said. Ms Reade worked as an assistant to Mr Biden when he was a senator for Delaware. She made headlines in 2020 as his presidential campaign was getting under…

The Flatiron Building—one of Manhattan’s most recognizable structures—sold to the tune of $190 million at a public auction on Wednesday. Bidding started at $50 million before taking a surprising turn, when investor Jacob Garlick of the firm Abraham Trust outbid the gathered real estate heavyweights, including a consortium of several of the building’s current owners, who were hoping to repurchase it under new terms. “It’s been [a] lifelong dream of mine since [I was] 14 years old. I’ve worked every day of my life to be in this position,” Garlick told NY1’s Dan Rivoli at the scene of his win. “We are honored to…

Insurers are facing half a billion dollars in claims for up to 60 commercial ships still stuck in Ukraine a year after the start of the war with Russia, industry sources said. When the conflict started, more than 90 merchant ships – many with food cargoes onboard – and some 2,000 crew members were caught in Ukraine and unable to leave due to the fighting. Curtailed shipments from major grain exporter Ukraine played a role in the resulting global food crisis. According to shipping and insurance industry assessments, there are still between 40 and 60 ships stranded, and ship owners can claim a total…

A rare, long-track tornado left a trail of devastation across western Mississippi on Friday night — killing at least 25 people, tearing buildings and leaving thousands of homes without power. At least one person also died in storms in Alabama. “This is a horrific event,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said during a news briefing. “It’s heartbreaking. There’s really no other way in which to describe it. It is absolutely heartbreaking.” President Biden, who spoke to Reeves on Saturday, also called the images from Mississippi “heartbreaking” and offered the full support of the federal government in the aftermath of the storm. “Jill and I are praying for those…

US President Joe Biden intends to speak by phone with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the near future. It is reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to NBC News . The conversation between the leaders of the states will take place against the backdrop of the shooting down of unknown objects in the airspace of North America. “I think the last thing Xi wants is to fundamentally cut ties with the United States and with me,” the politician said. At the same time, Biden stressed that he does not consider the order to destroy balloons to be his overreaction. After all,…

At the end of this year, Novak Djokovic could become The GOAT aka The Greatest of All Time in Grand Slam tennis. Last month Novak Djokovic won Australian Open 2023 rather easily. While also battling a hamstring injury, he dispatched 7 opponents almost all with straight sets. He only lost one game against Enzo Couacaud in the second round. Djokovic defeated number 5 seed, Andrey Rublev (6-1, 6-2, 6-4) in quarter finals, and number 3 seed, Stefanos Tsitsipas (6-3, 7-6 [7-4], 7-6 [7-5]), in the final. The Serbian claimed a record tenth Australian Open title. He already won Australian Open…

In the light of a corruption scandal involving members and staff of the European Parliament (EP), on Thursday at the plenary session in Strasbourg, the EP adopted two resolutions on the issue of transparency and correctness of work processes. European parliamentarians demanded reforms in the organization of work and the rapid creation of an ethics body independent of the EU. The MEPs identified a number of positions that require improved approaches, in particular, they put forward in the first place “a more effective implementation of the code of conduct, including financial sanctions in case of violations, (…) a ban on…

ILE – White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients speaks during a press briefing at the White House, April 13, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)Patrick Semansky WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden announced Jeff Zients as his next White House chief of staff on Friday, tapping an experienced technocrat who headed his administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic as Biden prepares for a reelection bid while facing an onslaught of investigations from a newly empowered House Republican majority. Zients succeeds Ron Klain, a longtime fixture in Biden’s political orbit who led the White House through its highs —…