While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, July 3
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Former US president Donald Trump faces an uphill battle getting his hush money conviction overturned, since much of the conduct at issue in the case predated his time in office.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
Judge delays Trump sentencing to Sept 18
A New York judge on July 2 delayed Donald Trump’s sentencing for his conviction on criminal charges stemming from hush money paid to a porn star until Sept 18, after the former US president asked for a chance to argue he should have been immune from prosecution.
The sentencing had previously been set for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention begins in Milwaukee on July 15.
Trump is expected to be his party’s nominee to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden in the Nov 5 election.
Trump faces an uphill battle getting the hush money conviction overturned, since much of the conduct at issue in the case predated his time in office.
One in three Democrats thinks Biden should quit
NYT
One in three Democrats think US President Joe Biden should end his reelection bid, following last week’s debate against Republican Donald Trump, but no prominent elected Democrat does any better than Mr Biden in a hypothetical matchup against Trump, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on July 2.
But the two-day poll found that both Trump, 78, and Mr Biden, 81, maintain the support of 40 per cent of registered voters, suggesting that Mr Biden has not lost ground since the debate. Election Day is Nov 5.
Among the names of top Democrats put before respondents, only Mrs Michelle Obama, wife of former Democratic president Barack Obama, outperformed Mr Biden and led Trump 50 per cent to 39 per cent in a hypothetical matchup.
Candidates exit French election runoff to block far right
AFP
More than 200 centrist and left-wing candidates pulled out of France’s legislative election runoff ahead of a July 2 deadline, in a move President Emmanuel Macron hopes will block the far right from winning power.
France votes on July 7 in the final round of snap legislative polls Mr Macron called seeking a “clarification” in politics after his camp was trounced in European elections in June.
His gamble backfired, with the far-right National Rally (RN) of Ms Marine Le Pen winning the June 30 first round. But the key suspense now is whether the RN can get enough seats to form a government.
China, Philippines agree to lower tensions
PHOTO: THE PHILIPPINES’ DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
China and the Philippines have agreed to restore trust and build confidence in the South China Sea, two weeks after a skirmish near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal left a Filipino soldier injured and raised the risk of a serious conflict.
The agreement came after officials from both sides held “frank and constructive” talks on the South China Sea in Manila on July 2. The meeting was headed by Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Chen Xiaodong and his Philippine counterpart Theresa Lazaro.
Maritime tensions have run high in the past year, with both sides clashing repeatedly over the Philippines’ resupply missions to the Second Thomas Shoal, where an ageing warship called the BRP Sierra Madre has been grounded since 1999 to serve as Manila’s remote military outpost.
Rublev crashes out in Wimbledon first round
Russian sixth-seed Andrey Rublev crashed out of Wimbledon in the first round on July 2, losing 6-4 5-7 6-2 7-6(5) to world No.122 Francisco Comesana of Argentina, playing his first match at a Grand Slam.
Rublev, who reached the quarter-final at Wimbledon in 2023, where he was defeated by Novak Djokovic, frequently lost his temper, screamed out loud, and ranted at his courtside coaching team.
At one point in the third set the 26-year-old, who also had a meltdown at the French Open in May, smashed his racket repeatedly over his knee, leaving it bloody and bruised for the rest of the match.
