CORRECTED-UPDATE 1-Canada's Enbridge partners with Pacific Energy on Woodfibre LNG

Reuters
Kremlin says Switzerland conference on Ukraine is futile
The Kremlin said a planned summit that Switzerland hopes will pave the way for a peace process in Ukraine will be futile without the participation of Russia. "Without Russia, discussing security issues that concern us is absolutely futile," Kremlin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Russian newspaper Izvestia. Russia has previously said it saw no point in a conference being planned by Switzerland to discuss how to end the Ukraine conflict and to which Moscow is not currently invited.
Associated Press
Filipino activists decide not to sail closer to disputed shoal, avoiding clash with Chinese ships
About 100 Filipino activists on wooden boats have decided not to sail closer to a fiercely disputed shoal in the South China Sea on Thursday to avoid a confrontation with dozens of Chinese coast guard and suspected militia ships guarding the area. Accompanied by journalists on four boats, the activists will distribute food packs and fuel to Filipino fishermen about 58 nautical miles (107 kilometers) southeast of Scarborough Shoal and then sail back home, Emman Hizon and other organizers said. Chinese and Philippine coast guard and accompanying ships have had a series of increasingly hostile territorial faceoffs at Scarborough, which is surrounded by the Chinese coast guard, and at Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal since last year.
TODAY
NFL responds after Harrison Butker’s controversial graduation speech goes viral
The NFL issued a statement after Kansas City Chief's kicker Harrison Butker's graduation speech went viral.
AFP
Xi, Putin hail ties as 'stabilising' force in chaotic world
Leaders Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin framed their nations' ties as a stabilising force in a chaotic world as they met Thursday in Beijing, where the Russian president is seeking greater Chinese support for his war effort in Ukraine and isolated economy.US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who met Xi in Beijing last month, warned China's support for Russia's "brutal war of aggression" in Ukraine had helped Russia ramp up production of rockets, drones and tanks -- while stopping short of direct
Associated Press
Family of Lewiston shooter to testify before commission investigating tragedy
An independent commission investigating the mass shooting that left 18 people dead in Maine is preparing to hear from the shooter's family for the first time. An Army reservist with a history of mental health troubles committed the deadliest shooting in Maine history, opening fire with an assault rifle inside a bowling alley and a bar and grill in Lewiston in October. The commission has been meeting for months, hearing from police, victims and their families, and Army reservists who served with Robert Card.
CNN
Law enforcement detains at least a dozen protesters at University of California, Irvine as they clear encampment
Police detained at least a dozen pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the University of California, Irvine as they cleared an encampment in front of a lecture hall on Wednesday.
Reuters
Kremlin condemns shooting of Fico, wishes him a speedy recovery
The Kremlin on Thursday condemned the assassination attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and wished him a speedy recovery after he was shot when leaving a government meeting. "Naturally, we condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms," Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Izvestia. As he prepared for a visit to China, President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday made the rare move of sending a telegram to Slovak President Zuzana Caputova over the shooting.
Associated Press
The Netherlands veers sharply to right with new government dominated by party of Geert Wilders
Anti-Islam firebrand Geert Wilders and three other party leaders agreed on a coalition deal early Thursday that veers the Netherlands toward the hard right, capping a half year of tumultuous negotiations that still left it unclear who will become prime minister. The “Hope, courage and pride” agreement introduces strict measures on asylum seekers, scraps family reunification for refugees and seeks to reduce the number of international students studying in the country. Wilders cried victory on what he called “a historic day,” claiming he had made sure the three other coalition parties, including the one of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte, had accepted the core of his program.
CNN
Family of California man who died days after police restrained him is getting $7.5M in settlement with city
A Northern California city has agreed to pay $7.5 million to the family of a 30-year-old man who died days after police restrained him in 2020, the parties announced Wednesday, settling a wrongful death claim that the family filed.
Reuters
SoftBank Corp aims to help call centre workers by 'softening' angry customer calls with AI
Dealing with irate customers can be extremely stressful for call centre workers but Japan's SoftBank Corp thinks it has a solution: artificial intelligence-enabled software that softens the tone of customers' voices. "We are working on the development of a solution that can convert the customer's voice into a calm conversational tone and deliver it to our workers using AI-enabled emotion recognition and voice processing technology," SoftBank said in a press release on Wednesday. "With this solution, we aim to maintain good relationships with customers through sound communication while ensuring the psychological welfare of our workers."
CNN
China’s Xi Jinping rolls out red carpet for close friend Putin in strong show of unity
Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Beijing for the start of a two-day state visit underlining close alignment with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Reuters
Musk scheduled to visit Indonesia for Starlink launch, ministers says
Tycoon Elon Musk, the owner of SpaceX, is scheduled to visit Indonesia to launch its satellite unit Starlink this Sunday, according to two cabinet ministers. Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, a close ally of President Joko Widodo, said Musk would launch the service on the holiday island of Bali alongside the Indonesian leader. While Indonesian officials have several times previously announced Musk would visit the country to attend events or discuss possible investments by his auto firm Tesla, this would be his first in-person visit.
Associated Press
The Commission on Presidential Debates faces an uncertain future after Biden and Trump bypassed it
The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which has planned presidential faceoffs in every election since 1988, has an uncertain future after President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump struck an agreement to meet on their own. The Biden and Trump campaigns announced a deal Wednesday to meet for debates in June on CNN and September on ABC. Just a day earlier, Frank Fahrenkopf, chair of the Commission on Presidential Debates, had sounded optimistic that the candidates would eventually come around to accepting the commission’s debates.
NBC News
Doctor who saved Sen. Duckworth’s life says he's trapped in Gaza but still helping patients
‘We cannot leave’ says doctor who saved Sen. Duckworth’s life, now trapped in Gaza
Associated Press
As countries tighten anti-gay laws, more and more LGBTQ+ migrants seek safety and asylum in Europe
Ella Anthony knew it was time to leave her native Nigeria when she escaped an abusive, forced marriage only to face angry relatives who threatened to turn her in to police because she was gay. Since Nigeria criminalizes same-sex relationships, Anthony fled a possible prison term and headed with her partner to Libya in 2014 and then Italy, where they both won asylum. While many of the hundreds of thousands of migrants who arrive in Italy from Africa and the Mideast are escaping war, conflict and poverty, an increasing number are fleeing possible prison terms and death sentences in their home countries because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, advocates say.
Reuters
Pfizer offers up to $250 million to settle Zantac cancer lawsuits, FT reports
The drugmaker was set to pay between $200 million and $250 million in the settlement, the newspaper reported, citing two people briefed on the deal. The settlement was disclosed in a court filing in Delaware last week, and is aimed at reducing Pfizer's potential liability, the report added. Pfizer did not immediately reply to Reuters' request for comment.
NBC News
Texas A&M Galveston to close for days after barge slams into bridge to island
A barge slammed into a bridge in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into the bay, forcing a shutdown of the span and prompting the university on the other side of the bridge to close its campus through the weekend, officials said.
Associated Press
Census estimates: Detroit population rises after decades of decline, South still dominates US growth
America’s Northeast and Midwest cities are rebounding slightly from years of population drops — especially Detroit, which grew for the first time in decades — though the South still dominates the nation's growth, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released Thursday. Detroit, Michigan’s largest city, had seen an exodus of people since the 1950s.
Associated Press
Florida deputy's killing of Black airman renews debate on police killings and race
In 2020, the top enlisted leader of the Air Force went public with his fear of waking up to the news that a Black airman had been killed by a white police officer. Then four years later, a Florida deputy shot and killed Senior Airman Roger Fortson in his apartment. After George Floyd was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer in May 2020, Wright, who like Floyd is Black, felt compelled to speak publicly about the fears that he and his younger troops had.
NBC News
American Samoa primary victor Jason Palmer bows out of the presidential race
Jason Palmer, the little-known Democratic presidential hopeful who notched a surprising primary win in American Samoa, suspended his campaign Wednesday.

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