While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Nov 18

Nancy Pelosi has served two stints as US House of Representatives Speaker. PHOTO: REUTERS

Pelosi to step down from US House leadership, remain in Congress

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to hold that influential post, said on Thursday she will step down as the Democratic leader in the chamber a day after Republicans secured a narrow majority following the midterm elections.

Pelosi, an 82-year-old liberal from California, has served two stints as speaker. Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York may seek to take her place as the top Democrat in the House and said she planned to stay in Congress to provide guidance to her successor. Jeffries would be the first Black lawmaker to lead one of the major parties’ caucuses in Congress.

Pelosi received cheers from her fellow Democrats as she took her place in the House chamber to make the announcement and throughout her remarks.

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'Horrific' scale of torture in Kherson seen after Russia retreat: Official

The scale of torture that has been discovered in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson taken back from Russian troops this month is “horrific”, a Ukrainian ombudsman said on Thursday.

“I have not seen a scale like this before,” Dmytro Lubynets said. “The scale is just horrific.”

Since the Russian army retreated last week following eight months of occupation, chilling accounts have started to emerge of abuse, mistreatment and torture in Kherson.

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Ukrainian experts arrive in Poland after missile blast: Minister

Ukrainian experts have arrived in Poland as part of an investigation to determine where a missile that killed two people was fired from, the Ukrainian foreign minister said Thursday.

“Our experts are already in Poland,” said Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Twitter.

“We expect them to swiftly get access to the site in cooperation with Polish law enforcement.”

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Biden's team warily welcomes Trump's 2024 presidential run

Donald Trump’s decision to jump into the 2024 race could help give Joe Biden a second term in the White House, the Democratic president and his aides believe, viewing his Republican predecessor as a vulnerable and defeated politician even as they fret about the impact a bitter campaign could have on America.

Several Biden aides and advisers, speaking on condition of anonymity, gave their assessment of how the president and his team view Trump’s entry into the race. Trump made his announcement on Tuesday night as he sought to get a jump on potential rivals for the Republican nomination.

Biden, who defeated Trump in the contentious 2020 election, thus far is remaining mum publicly. When he and French President Emmanuel Macron were asked by reporters at the G20 meeting in Bali if they had a reaction to Trump’s announcement, they looked at each other briefly and shared a faint smile.

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Tennis: Wimbledon to allow female players dress code exemption over period concerns

Wimbledon will allow female players to wear dark-coloured undershorts from next year’s tournament to ease anxiety over playing during their period, the All England Club announced on Thursday.

There has been a clamour for Wimbledon to make an exception to their traditional rules requiring players to wear all white clothing.

Wimbledon chief executive Sally Bolton said: “We are committed to supporting the players and listening to their feedback as to how they can perform at their best.

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