Author: National Tone

A special United States probe into the conduct of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has found that the agency lacked “actual evidence” to investigate possible collusion between Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia. Monday’s release of Special Counsel John Durham’s report — totalling more than 300 pages — marked the end of a four-year investigation deeply steeped in politics. Trump had promised the probe would uncover the “crime of the century” and prove he had been the repeated subject of political “witch hunts”, with supporters regularly touting that the special counsel’s work would vindicate the former US president.…

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Saturday’s WNBA pre-season game in Toronto has already been deemed a huge hit, and the numbers that came out Monday are just further proof of the event’s success. The game between the Minnesota Lynx and Chicago Sky set records for attendance, viewership and merchandise sales, the WNBA announced via press release. .acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container width: 340px; margin: 0 auto; The 19,923 fans at Scotiabank Arena was the most ever at a WNBA pre-season game. It was also the most-viewed WNBA pre-season game ever, and the second-most-viewed WNBA game of all time in Canada. The fans at the arena also were clearly…

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Ron DeSantis, Florida governor and likely US presidential candidate, says programmes aim to impose an ‘ideological agenda’.Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a bill to block federal and state funding to programmes that aim to ensure diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at public universities, boosting a conservative push against such initiatives. DeSantis approved the measure on Monday, decrying DEI programmes as part of a “relatively recent” push to impose an “ideological agenda” on educational institutions in the United States. “DEI is better viewed as standing for discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination. And that has no place in our public institutions,”…

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Toronto Blue Jays pitchers Chad Green and Hyun-Jin Ryu are recovering well from Tommy John surgery and are still aiming for a return later this season, general manager Ross Atkins told reporters Monday. .acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container width: 340px; margin: 0 auto; Both pitchers are both currently in Dunedin throwing bullpens and could start facing hitters as soon as next month. Green, 31, underwent his surgery on June 1 last year after appearing in 14 games for the New York Yankees. The right-hander had pitched in seven seasons with the Yankees, posting a 3.17 ERA in 383.2 innings with 494 strikeouts. He…

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The US software giant still faces a battle to clinch its $69bn deal as Britain has blocked it and the US seeks to block.Microsoft Corp has gained European Union antitrust approval for its $69bn acquisition of Activision on Monday, in a significant boost that could prompt Chinese and Korean regulators to follow suit despite a British veto of the deal. The US software giant still faces a battle to clinch a deal. It has until May 24 to appeal a decision by Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to block it. A final decision may take months. The United States…

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Incoming world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz was stunned by world No 135 Fabian Marozsan as he suffered a third-round exit at the Italian Open in Rome.Alcaraz, who will overtake Novak Djokovic at the top of the world rankings next Monday, was beaten 6-3 7-6 (7-4) by the Hungarian qualifier for just his second defeat in 22 matches on clay in 2023. Marozsan had never played in the main draw of an ATP event or beaten a top-100 player prior to arriving in the Italian capital but now finds himself in the last 16 after snapping Alcaraz’s 12-match winning streak.Alcaraz, who…

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Seventy-five years after Zionist militias killed 15,000 Palestinians and violently expelled hundreds of thousands from their lands, the Nakba (Catastrophe in Arabic) remains an ongoing, all-encompassing system that affects all aspects of life, Palestinians say. According to Palestinian experts, politicians and activists, the Nakba has been maintained by Israel with the support of the international community, and by the Palestinians’ own leadership. From expanding illegal Jewish settlements to severely restricting Palestinians’ freedom of movement, taking Palestinian resources and arresting Palestinians on a near-daily basis – such policies have become a blueprint for successive Israeli governments. Israel is taking over not just…

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The soft signal is to be abolished in international cricket with the on-field officials to consult with the TV umpire before any decisions are made, the International Cricket Council has announced.The change will come into effect for England’s four-day Test against Ireland at Lord’s from June 1, a game you can watch live on Sky Sports. The soft signal saw on-field umpires give their initial verdict on a dismissal while referring it to the TV umpire for further inspection.The TV umpire would only overturn the decision if there was conclusive evidence to contradict it.Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, chair of…

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So, who won Turkey’s election? Nobody…yet. After a highly-contested first round of elections on Sunday, Turkey is very likely heading towards a run-off vote on May 28 as President Tayyip Erdogan, who was hoping to secure a third term, has just barely failed to secure a majority of votes, despite faring better than predicted. Wait, what’s a run-off vote? A run-off vote is a second round of voting that takes place when no candidate receives more than half of the presidential vote. As vote counting entered its final stages on Monday, all indicators pointed to Erdogan being just below the…

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John Leung, who has permanent residency in Hong Kong, was detained in April 2021 in the southeastern city of Suzhou.China has sentenced a 78-year-old American to life in prison for espionage, a court said, in a case that could further strain already tense ties with the United States. Details of the case against John Shing-Wan Leung, who also has permanent residency in Hong Kong, have not been publicly released. He “was found guilty of espionage, sentenced to life imprisonment, deprived of political rights for life”, said a statement on Monday from the Intermediate People’s Court in the eastern Chinese city…

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