While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Nov 8
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Voters cast their ballots on the final day of early voting in Columbus, Ohio, on Nov 7, 2022.
PHOTO: AFP
More than 42 million people have cast early ballots in US midterm vote
More than 42 million Americans have cast early ballots ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections, surpassing the numbers from 2018, the US Elections Project said Monday.
Americans will go to the polls on Tuesday to elect 435 members of the House of Representatives, one-third of the Senate and a host of state and local posts.
Most of the 50 US states allow voters to cast ballots early, either in-person or by mail, a practice which became widespread during the 2020 presidential election, which was held at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the US Elections Project, as of Monday there have been more than 19.3 million early votes cast in-person and 22.7 million by mail for a total of 42.03 million. It said 39.1 million people had voted by the same point in the 2018 midterms.
Foreign debt relief is single biggest challenge: Sri Lanka foreign minister
Sri Lanka is working overtime on its diplomatic channels to convince its biggest bilateral lenders China, Japan and India to restructure their loans to the island, which is facing its worst ever economic crisis.
In an interview with The Straits Times on Monday, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said “the single biggest challenge” before dollar-strapped Sri Lanka today was to win the assurances about debt relief from its bilateral lenders, which will help it secure a US$2.9 billion (S$4 billion) bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
To get the bailout from the United States-based international lender of last resort, bankrupt Sri Lanka must “pass a checkpoint of demonstrating that its debt will be more sustainable in the future,” economist Anushka Wijesinha told ST.
COP27: UN unveils global ‘early warning’ system for disasters at $4.34 billion
The United Nations on Monday unveiled a five-year plan to build a global early warning system for deadly and costly extreme weather events amplified by climate change.
The price tag – a relatively modest US$3.1 billion (S$4.34 billion), or less than 50 cents per person – is a small price to pay for proven methods that can save thousands, if not millions, of lives, UN chief Antonio Guterres said at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt.
“I have called for every person on Earth to be protected by early warning systems within five years, with the priority to support the most vulnerable first,” he said as world leaders gathered in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for the 13-day talks.
Football: Liverpool owners FSG will ‘consider’ new shareholders amid sale reports
Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group say they are open to considering new shareholders as reports swirl that the Premier League club have been put up for sale.
The Athletic reported on Monday that US-based FSG is “inviting offers” for the 19-time English champions.
FSG, who bought Liverpool in 2010, are reported to have asked investment banks Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to assist with the evaluation process.
Comedian Jimmy Kimmel to return as Oscars host in 2023
Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel will host the 2023 Oscars ceremony, organisers said on Monday, choosing a veteran emcee for Hollywood’s most prestigious showcase a year after actor Will Smith upended the event by slapping presenter Chris Rock.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hopes Kimmel, a popular US comedian who hosted the Oscars in 2017 and 2018, will help boost slumping TV viewership and bring decorum to the event after Smith’s outburst distracted from the evening’s honors last year.
Last year’s broadcast on Walt Disney’s ABC network received the event’s second-lowest viewership on record.
