While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, May 17
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House of Representatives Speaker McCarthy told reporters Biden is trying to reach a debt ceiling deal by June 1.
PHOTO: REUTERS
McCarthy says debt ceiling deal possible this week after talks with Biden
Democratic President Joe Biden and top congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy’s US debt ceiling negotiations ended on Tuesday after less than an hour, as the looming fear of an unprecedented American debt default prompted Biden to cut short an upcoming Asia trip.
But the meeting ended on an upbeat and unexpected note as McCarthy, coming out of the meeting with Biden and other congressional leaders, said, “It is possible to get a deal by the end of the week.”
House of Representatives Speaker McCarthy told reporters Biden is trying to reach a debt ceiling deal by June 1 to lift the threat of economic calamity
J&J’s proposed talc settlement would pay US$400 million to US state AGs
REUTERS
Johnson & Johnson has set aside US$400 million (S$535.81 million) to resolve US state consumer protection actions as part of its broader US$8.9 billion effort to settle claims that its Baby Powder and other talc products cause cancer.
J&J subsidiary LTL Management filed a bankruptcy plan in New Jersey late on Monday that details how the company intends to pay different types of cancer victims in a bankruptcy settlement. J&J has said that its talc products are safe and do not cause cancer. It is attempting for a second time to resolve more than 38,000 lawsuits in bankruptcy and prevent new cases from coming forward in the future.
LTL’s bankruptcy plan would pay US$400 million into a separate trust for claims filed by state attorneys general alleging that J&J violated state unfair business practices and consumer protection laws by misleading consumers about the safety of its talc products.
Relative of Brigitte Macron beaten up at family chocolate shop
AFP
French first lady Brigitte Macron on Tuesday denounced an attack on her great-nephew, who was beaten up outside her family’s chocolate shop in an apparent politically motivated assault.
Jean-Baptiste Trogneux was returning to his apartment on Monday evening above the famed Trogneux chocolate shop that he runs in Amiens in northern France, when he was set upon by anti-government protesters.
The 30-year-old was hit on the head, arms and legs by his aggressors, who insulted “the president, his wife and our family” before running away, the victim’s father, Jean-Alexandre Trogneux, told AFP on Tuesday.
Flawless Djokovic crushes Norrie to reach Rome quarter-finals
REUTERS
Holder Novak Djokovic powered past Briton Cameron Norrie 6-3 6-4 in a tense match to reach the Italian Open quarter-finals on Tuesday and remain on track for a seventh title in Rome.
Djokovic made slow starts to his opening two matches but the fired-up world number one quickly opened up a 3-0 lead and let slip two opportunities to break Rio champion Norrie a second time before taking the first set on serve.
The duo swapped breaks early in a spicy second set in which Norrie’s overhead shot hit Djokovic on the leg after the Serbian had turned his back on the net. The 22-times Grand Slam champion continued to stare down Norrie at the end of the fifth game.
Storm brews at Cannes over divisive Johnny Depp comeback
The Cannes Film Festival was set for a stormy start on Tuesday as discontent rumbled over the organisers’ decision to launch with Johnny Depp’s comeback as the opening film.
The red carpet received a final vacuuming ahead of opening night, when some of Hollywood’s biggest stars are set to decamp to the world’s leading film festival that has turned the French Riviera resort into a hive of activity.
But while 21 films from around the globe are competing for the coveted top prize, the Palme d’Or, the festival has faced repeated questions over its choice of opening film.
