UK-EU reset may resolve many issues over Irish Sea border, but lack of consensus is worrying
The combination of Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump as globally powerful leaders has had a seismic impact on European politics. Suddenly security is a major concern across the continent — including for the United Kingdom and Ireland. While it doesn't make Brexit irrelevant, it does help to place it in context. Our European neighbours are also our most reliable partners.
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Reuters
16 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump signs proclamation banning travel from 12 countries, CBS News reports
WASHINGTON, June 4 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation banning travel from certain countries, CBS News reported on Wednesday, citing administration officials. The proclamation fully restricts and limits the entry of nationals from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, according to CBS News. The entry of people from seven other countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela, will be partially restricted, according to the media outlet. During his first term in office, Trump announced a ban on travelers from seven majority-Muslim nations, a policy that went through several iterations before it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018. Former President Joe Biden, a Democrat who succeeded Trump, repealed the ban in 2021, calling it "a stain on our national conscience.'
The Independent
32 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump's support of Rose among the voices Manfred listened to in ruling MLB ban ended with death
President Donald Trump 's support of Pete Rose was among the factors Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred weighed when he decided last month that permanent bans by the sport ended with death, which allows the career hits leader to be considered for the Hall of Fame. Manfred announced the new interpretation on May 13, a decision that allows Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson to be considered for a Hall committee vote in December 2027. 'The president was one of a number of voices that was supportive of the idea that this was the right decision,' Manfred said Wednesday during a news conference at an owners meeting. 'Obviously, I have respect for the office and the advice that he gave I paid attention to, but I had a lot of other people that were weighing in on the topic, as well.' Rose and then-Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti agreed to a permanent ban in August 1989 after an investigation commissioned by MLB concluded Rose repeatedly bet on the Reds as a player and manager for the team from 1985-87, a violation of a long-standing MLB rule. The Hall of Fame in 1991 decided people on the permanent banned list were ineligible for consideration. 'Those who really think about the reasons that I did it think that it is the right decision, and other people I think largely get confused with whether he's going to be in the Hall of Fame or not and maybe don't think that was so good,' Manfred said. Robot umpires Computer technology to appeal ball/strike calls could be in place for the 2026 regular season. Manfred said use of the Automated Ball-Strike System was likely to be considered by the 11-man competition committee, which includes six management representatives. During a spring training experiment in 288 games, teams were successful on 52.2% of their ball/strike challenges using the Automated Ball-Strike System. 'I do think that we're going to pursue the possibility of change in that process and we'll see what comes out at the end of that,' he said. 'The teams are really positive about ABS. I do have that unscientific system that I use: my email traffic. And my distinct impression is that using ABS in spring training has made people more prone to complain of balls and strike calls via email to me referencing the need for ABS.' An experiment with a technology system to challenge checked-swing calls started in the Class A Florida State League on May 20. That is not under consideration for MLB use in 2026. 'I think we've got to get over the hump in terms of either doing ABS or not doing it before you'd get into the complication of a separate kind of challenge,' Manfred said. Baseball in 2028 Olympics Baseball is returning to the Olympics in 2028 after being played from 1992 to 2008 and then in 2021. MLB is considering whether to allow big league players to be used at the 2028 Games. It did not allow players on 40-man rosters to participate in the 2021 Olympics and many teams discouraged top eligible prospects from playing. 'We made some progress with LA 2028 in terms of what it could look like,' Manfred said. 'We have some other business partners that we need to talk to about, changes that would need to be made in order to accommodate the Olympics. I think we're going to go forward with that process.' Manfred said the players' union appears to be supportive. Labor and possible salary cap proposal A decision on MLB's bargaining positions with the players' association, including whether to propose a salary cap, will be made after this season. Bargaining is likely to start in the spring of 2026 for a successor to the five-year agreement with the union that ended a 99-day lockout on March 10, 2022. The deal expires on Dec. 1, 2026. An ownership economic study committee was formed in early 2023, sparking speculation about a renewed push for a salary-cap system aimed at decreasing payroll disparity. 'Payroll disparity is such a fact of life among the ownership group that there's not a lot of need for talking about whether we have it or not. Everybody kind of gets it,' Manfred said. 'We understand that it has become a bigger problem for us, but there has not been a lot of conversation about that particular topic.' When MLB proposed a cap in 1994, players struck for 7 1/2 months in 1994 and '95, leading to the first cancellation of the World Series since 1904. 'Obviously, over the winter we're going to have to decide what is going to be out there from our perspective, but no decisions on that topic so far,' Manfred said. Broadcasting MLB hopes to reach a deal before the All-Star break on a Sunday night national broadcast package and for the Home Run Derby to replace the agreement ESPN said in February it was ending after this season. Manfred said MLB is negotiating with three parties and is weighing traditional broadcasters and streaming services, who may pay more but have a smaller audience. Manfred regrets giving ESPN the right to opt out, which is causing a negotiation for rights lasting three seasons. MLB's contracts with Fox and Turner end after the 2028 season. 'If you're talking about what we're doing for the next three years, I would overweight reach,' Manfred said. 'The larger negotiation we'll have for the post-'28 period and we continue to believe that reach drives our live business.' Tropicana Field repair Tampa Bay hopes to return to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, next season after playing home games this year across the bay at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the New York Yankees' spring training home. The St. Petersburg City Council approved $22.5 million in April to repair the roof, destroyed by Hurricane Milton last Oct. 9. A new roof is being built in Germany and will be shipped to Florida. 'Repair of the stadium is moving along. We remain optimistic that we will be ready either for opening day or very shortly thereafter,' Manfred said. 'Obviously, the big contingency is what happens with hurricane season.' Athletics Las Vegas ballpark A formal groundbreaking hasn't taken place for the Athletics' planned ballpark to open in 2028, though work is being done at the site and a ceremony could be held this month. 'My understanding is they believe they're going to make opening day '28,' Manfred said. Attendance up slightly from 2024 Attendance averaged 28,081 through Tuesday and 900 dates, up 1.4% from 27,687 through the same point last year, when MLB finished with a 0.9% rise to 29,568 for its highest average since 30,042 in 2017. MLB could finish with an average increase in three straight years not impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic for the first time since 2004-07. Tariffs on baseballs While MLB is not concerned about Trump administration tariffs raising the cost of big league baseballs, which are manufactured in Costa Rica, the impact on minor league balls is a concern. 'The minor league baseball is made in China. That's more of an issue,' Manfred said. ___
The Independent
37 minutes ago
- The Independent
North Korea's Kim says he'll 'unconditionally support' Russia's war against Ukraine
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told a visiting top Russian official that his country will 'unconditionally support' Russia's war against Ukraine, the North's state media reported Thursday, the latest sign of expanding cooperation between the two nations. In April, the two countries officially confirmed North Korean troops' deployment to Russia for the first time, saying that soldiers of the two countries were fighting alongside each other to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk border region. At the time, Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korea's participation in the war and promised not to forget their sacrifices. In a meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang on Wednesday, Kim affirmed that North Korea will 'unconditionally support the stand of Russia and its foreign policies in all the crucial international political issues including the Ukrainian issue,' the official Korean Central News Agency said. He expressed 'conviction that Russia would, as ever, surely win victory in the sacred cause of justice for defending national sovereignty, territorial integrity and security interests,' KCNA reported. The two discussed how to solidify strategic partnership between North Korea and Russia and reached a consensus on the Ukraine issue and other unspecified international situations, KCNA said. It didn't elaborate. Shoigu last visited North Korea in March for a meeting with Kim. North Korea and Russia haven't said how many North Korean troops are in Russia. But U.S., South Korean and Ukraine intelligence officials earlier said North Korea dispatched 10,000-12,000 troops to Russia last fall in its first participation in a major armed conflict since the 1950-53 Korean War. South Korean authorities recently said North Korea sent around 3,000 additional troops to Russia earlier this year. North Korea has been supplying a vast amount of conventional weapons to Russia as well. South Korean, U.S. and their partners believe Russia has provided economic and military assistance to North Korea in return. They worry Russia might also transfer sophisticated technologies to help North Korea enhance its nuclear weapons program targeting its rivals.
