China’s ultra-long government bonds are seeing heated demand as the economy’s dire outlook and expectations for modest stimulus

Ukrainian forces are attempting to wear down the Russian army and reshape battle lines to create more favorable conditions for a decisive, eastward counteroffensive

NBA team owners approved rule changes on Tuesday creating an in-game flopping penalty and expanded coach's video replay challenge starting...

Dima Hendricks said as a Black woman with a chronic illness she never thought she would be able to fulfill her dream of competing in national beauty pageants.

The largest and oldest civil rights organisation in the United States has issued a formal advisory warning travelers to Florida that the state is “openly hostile” towards Black people, people of colour and LGBT+ people. An advisory issued by the NAACP on 20 May comes as a response to a series of laws signed by Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis targeting classroom instruction around race and racism, gender and sexuality, and bills and administration policy aimed at LGBT+ people. “Let me be clear – failing to teach an accurate representation of the horrors and inequalities that Black Americans have faced and continue to face is a disservice to students and a dereliction of duty to all,” NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson said in a statement. “Under the leadership of Governor Desantis, the state of Florida has become hostile to Black Americans and in direct conflict with the democratic ideals that our union was founded upon,” he added. “He should know that democracy will prevail because its defenders are prepared to stand up and fight. We’re not backing down, and we encourage our allies to join us in the battle for the soul of our nation.” The advisory states that “due to this sustained, blatant, relentless and systemic attack on democracy and civil rights, the NAACP hereby issues a travel advisory to African Americans, and other people of color regarding the hostility towards African Americans in Florida.” On 17 May, Gov DeSantis approved a slate of bills that restrict gender-affirming care for minors, threaten drag shows, forbid people from using bathrooms that match their gender identity, and prevent people from using their chosen pronouns at schools. The legislation also follows administration policy targeting affirming healthcare for trans youth, over the objections of major health organisations and LGBT+ advocates. Mr DeSantis also recently expanded a measure labelled by opponents as the “Don’t Say Gay” law prohibiting classroom instruction on issues related to gender and sexuality, which critics argue will have a chilling effect on LGBT+ people in schools as part of an effort to erase LGBT+ people from public life. Mr DeSantis, who is reportedly preparing to launch his campaign for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024, also has spearheaded a series of measures around honest discussions of race and racism in schools, including a law that blocks public spending on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Florida also is at the centre of a nationwide trend of challenges against books and materials in libraries and schools. This week, Penguin Random House and several prominent authors and families filed a federal lawsuit against a school district where activists have challenged dozens of books, largely involving or written by people of colour or LGBT+ people. In April, advocacy group Equality Florida issued a similar travel advisory that warned that the state may “not be a safe place to visit or take up residence”. “As an organization that has spent decades working to improve Florida’s reputation as a welcoming and inclusive place to live work and visit, it is with great sadness that we must respond to those asking if it is safe to travel to Florida or remain in the state as the laws strip away basic rights and freedoms,” according to a statement from Nadine Smith, Equality Florida’s executive director. The Independent has requested comment from the governor’s office. Read More Disney cancels $1bn Florida theme park extension amid war with DeSantis Penguin Random House sues Florida school district over ‘unconstitutional’ book bans DeSantis v Disney: Why Florida’s governor is at war with the Mouse

As the nation learned that a White man killed three Black people in a racist attack in Jacksonville, Florida, Saturday, it renewed for many the sense of urgency to confront the racism that still permeates the United States.

Mike Pence has called on the Justice Department to not prosecute Donald Trump for his handling of classified documents but refused to say he would pardon the former president if he won the White House. The former vice president told a CNN town hall in Des Moines, Iowa, that he viewed the handling of classified material as “a very serious matter” but told host Dana Bash that federal prosecutors should leave Mr Trump alone. “I would hope not, I really would,” he said when asked if the DoJ special counsel Jack Smith should indict Mr Trump over the documents found at his Mar-a-Lago estate. “I think it would be terribly divisive to the country at a time when the American people are hurting. This kind of action by the DoJ would only fuel further division in the country and send a terrible message to the wider world…I hope the DoJ thinks better of it and resolves this in a better way than an indictment,” he continued. Mr Pence told the audience that “no one is above the law” and admitted that he himself had no business having some classified documents at his home in Indiana. “I took full responsibility for it. I would hope there would be a way to move forward without the dramatic, drastic steps of indicting a former president of the United States.” Bash then directly asked Mr Pence, who earlier in the day officially launched his campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, if as president he would pardon Mr Trump if he was convicted. “I don’t want to speak about hypotheticals. I am not sure I am going to be elected president of the United States but I believe we have a fighting chance,” he said. Mr Pence was also asked to respond to Mr Trump’s claim he would pardon anyone convicted of taking part in the violent January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol. “You know on January 6 I issued a tweet demanding that people leave the Capitol and end the violence and said those who didn’t should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and I believe that today,” he said. “We cannot ever allow what happened on January 6 to ever happen again. I have no interest or intention of pardoning those who assaulted police officers or vandalized the capitol.” Read More Mike Pence news – live: At CNN town hall Pence says he won’t pardon Jan 6 protesters who called for his death Mike Pence isn’t even a contender for 2024. Why are we pretending? Pence accuses Trump of treating abortion issue as an ‘inconvenience’

Oso Ighodaro had 21 points and nine rebounds as No. 4 Marquette routed No. 1 Kansas 73-59 in the Maui Invitational semifinals

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Federal Reserve officials are ready to take a breather after more than a year of driving up interest