Author: Malcolm Bell

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign raised $20 million during the second fundraising quarter that ended June 30, the campaign announced Thursday. The Republican governor launched his bid for the White House in late May, meaning his campaign raised the funds over a span of six weeks. The announcement by the DeSantis campaign comes as former President Donald Trump’s team revealed Wednesday that it brought in $35 million during the second quarter, which was split between Trump’s presidential campaign and his leadership PAC. DeSantis’ campaign touted its fundraising haul as “the largest first-quarter filing from any non-incumbent Republican candidate in more than a decade.” Never…

The United States played a key behind-the-scenes role to help Pakistan secure a $3 billion bailout package with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), media reported. The recent staff-level agreement (SLA) came after an eight-month delay in releasing funds from a 2019, $6 billion loan. “The United States supported Pakistan throughout the process but also insisted that they implemented the reforms they agreed with the IMF,” a diplomatic source said, Dawn reported. According to these sources, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had at least two telephonic conversations with Secretary Antony Blinken over this issue. The matter was also discussed in face-to-face meetings…

Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang urged the United States to stop meddling in its affairs and harming its security in a phone call with his US counterpart, a tense preview to Antony Blinken’s visit to Beijing expected in coming days. Qin yesterday told Blinken to respect China’s core concerns, such as the Taiwan issue, in an effort to arrest declining relations between the superpowers, according to China’s foreign ministry. Blinken, meanwhile, stressed the need for communication “to avoid miscalculation and conflict” and said the United States would continue to raise areas of concern as well as potential cooperation with China,…

The US military is unable to properly track billions of dollars worth of weapons and equipment sent to Ukraine, according to a new government watchdog report. Washington has provided Kyiv with more than $40 billion in military aid since Russian forces invaded in February 2022. However, an assessment from the US Department of Defense’s inspector general states that military personnel tasked with transferring weapons to the war-torn nation “did not fully implement standard operating procedures.” It explained that the lack of logistics training for inexperienced personnel was the reason behind the failure. As a result, the service could not confirm the quantities of…

Moscow was targeted by a drone attack Tuesday morning after days of heavy fire on Kyiv, the Russian defense ministry said Tuesday, accusing Ukraine of being responsible. “The attack involved eight uncrewed aircraft. All the enemy drones were shot down,” the defense ministry said in a statement, calling the event a “terrorist attack.” The drone attack caused “minor damage to several buildings,” Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said, adding that no one was “seriously injured” in the attack. The alleged attack comes after three days of heavy Russian drone and rocket strikes across the border in Ukraine. It is not the first time Russia…

HONG KONG, May 31 (Reuters) – JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) CEO Jamie Dimon on Wednesday warned “uncertainty” caused by the Chinese government could hurt investor confidence at home and abroad, and said the U.S. and China need “real engagement” on security and trade issues. Dimon is on his first visit to China since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and his first since he joked in 2021 that JPMorgan will outlast China’s Communist Party, sparking outrage in China and prompting him to express regret. “If you have more uncertainty, somewhat caused by the Chinese government . . . it’s going to not just change foreign direct…

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s Viessmann Group is selling its heat pump business, viewed as a key technology for the transition away from fossil fuel heating, to Florida-based Carrier Global Corp. as part of a 12 billion-euro ($13.2 billion) deal. The sale of Viessmann’s “climate solutions” business, announced by both companies late Tuesday, comes as Germany is putting into place plans to phase out gas and oil heating systems in favor of climate-friendly alternatives. Heat pumps, which use electricity and ambient air or groundwater, are considered far more efficient than traditional combustion furnaces. German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, who is leading…

A mural to Los Angeles legends in the city of Bellflower could soon be taken down, but community members and even some celebrities are joining the fight to keep it up. It’s been on the front of a Speedy Auto Tint in Bellflower for just two weeks, but the city says all murals must face the side of a road. This one is facing straight on Woodruff Avenue. The owners and the artist hope the city will give them an exemption because of what these murals represent. Artist Sloe spent a month creating his masterpiece, painstaking days on his knees,…

Pack up your sweaters and break out some shorts, Southern California residents will be treated to some warm, dry weather this week that will carry through the weekend. Temperatures are expected to climb into the 80s and 90s across much of the region starting Thursday, April 27, and continuing through Sunday, according to National Weather Service meteorologist James Brotherton. “It’s going to be getting pretty hot this weekend,” Brotherton said. “And Saturday will likely be the hottest day,” before a slight cool down heading into next week. After a wet winter in Southern California, the heat is moving in —…

Kenes Rakishev is one of the most influential people in Kazakhstan. Kenes is also a respected advisor to the government of Kazakhstan. Both he and his wife, Aselle Tasmagambetova are involved in philanthropy work and investments in the tech sectors. Kenes distinguished himself to help develop innovative projects. His investments included Solarin, the new handphone developed by Sirin Labs, which was founded by Rakishev and his business partners. It integrates data encryption systems for calls. Rakishev also invested in Mobli and NetElement. This tech-savvy serial investor was born on July 14, 1979, in the city of Almaty to a working-class family. His father, Hamit Koshanovich Rakishev was a prominent statesman of Kazakhstan. Kenes is a lawyer and…