Trump ducks out for 'emergency phone call' as reporter demands answers on Breonna Taylor
September 23, 2020
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A rare, vividly rosy-purple diamond, called the Eternal Pink and valued at $35 million, is set to be auctioned off by Sotheby's as part of its Magnificent Jewels sale in New York in June.
The 10.57-carat stone is being marketed as the most valuable purplish-pink diamond ever brought to auction, with the highest ever pre-auction price per carat estimate, according to Sotheby's.
"Its refined lines combined with the intensity of its color earn it a place as one of the world's most extraordinary gems," Tom Moses, executive vice president and chief laboratory and research officer at the Gemological Institute of America said of the cushion-cut diamond.
According to Sotheby's, the stone, which was mined in Botswana, is "comparable to ultimate masterpieces of art -- far rarer than a Magritte or a Warhol," thanks to its clarity and lack of imperfections.
Pink diamonds are among the rarest and most sought-after gems in the world and considered a major draw for investors.
The record for highest-ever auction price for such a stone is held by the CTF Pink Star, which was sold for $71.2 million in Hong Kong in 2017.
The Williamson Pink Star diamond, which sold for $57.7 million in 2022, also in Hong Kong, holds the record for the highest price per carat, at nearly $5.2 million.
© Agence France-Presse
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The Vatican said Wednesday that Pope Francis, 86, was in hospital in Rome for previously scheduled health checks, without giving further details.
"The Holy Father has been at Gemelli (Hospital) since this afternoon for some previously scheduled checks," wrote Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni in a one-sentence statement.
The pontiff, who earlier this month marked 10 years as head of the Catholic Church, had earlier appeared in good spirits at his weekly audience at the Vatican, smiling as he greeted the faithful from his "popemobile".
However, he was seen grimacing as he was helped getting into the vehicle.
Pope Francis suffers from chronic knee pain that has forced him to rely on a wheelchair in recent months.
The Gemelli was the same hospital where the pope underwent an operation on his colon in July 2021 after suffering from a type of diverticulitis, an inflammation of pockets that develop in the lining of the intestine.
He remained in hospital for 10 days. A year later, in July 2022, he admitted he was still feeling the effects of six hours spent under anesthetic during the surgery.
Speculation
Pope Francis had to cancel or curtail activities several times last year because of the pain in his knee and in a July 2022 interview acknowledged that he needed to slow down.
Francis' health has been the frequent subject of speculation, particularly the question of whether he will follow the example set by his predecessor and retire if he cannot continue.
Benedict XVI, an eminent German theologian, shocked the world in 2013 by becoming the first pope since the Middle Ages to resign.
The two "men in white" co-existed within the walls of the tiny Vatican state for almost a decade, before Benedict died on December 31.
Francis has said he would follow Benedict in stepping down if his health made him unable to do his job.
However, he told an interviewer in February that papal resignations should not become "a normal thing", adding that for the moment it was not on his agenda.
Despite his advancing age and health problems, Francis continues to travel widely.
Huge crowds greeted him on a visit earlier this year to South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, a testament to his ongoing popularity.
In the past decade, he has sought to forge an image of a more open, compassionate Church, although has faced internal opposition, particularly from conservatives.
Next month, Pope Francis is due to visit Hungary and meet Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The Argentine almost died when he was 21 after developing pleurisy -- an inflammation of the tissues that surround the lung -- according to biographer Austen Ivereigh.
He had part of one of his lungs removed in October 1957.
He has also talked about the surgical removal of cysts from the top lobe of his right lung.
He insisted he had made "a complete recovery... and never felt any limitation since then".
© 2023 AFP
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Congressional Democrats reiterated their opposition to steep federal spending cuts on Tuesday after Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy issued a vague outline of his caucus' demands, which include more punitive work requirements for aid recipients and steep cuts to non-military spending.
The GOP leader laid out the broad demands in a Tuesday letter to President Joe Biden as progress toward an agreement to raise the debt ceiling and prevent a default remains nonexistent.
McCarthy (R-Calif.) called for another meeting with the president to discuss the debt ceiling standoff, which is a result of the House GOP majority's insistence on painful budget cuts as a necessary condition for any borrowing limit increase. The Congressional Budget Office has projected that the U.S. will default on its debt this summer unless Congress acts.
McCarthy wrote that House Republicans' demands include "but are not limited to" cuts to "excessive non-defense government spending" and stronger "work requirements for those without dependents who can work."
On the latter point, the California Republican favorably cited former President Bill Clinton's 1996 welfare reform law that doubled extreme poverty. Biden supported the law as a senator.
As president, Biden has demanded a debt ceiling increase without any accompanying spending cuts. In response to McCarthy's letter, Biden pushed House Republicans to release a detailed budget plan but stressed that spending talks "must be separate from prompt action on Congress' basic obligation to pay the nation's bills and avoid economic catastrophe."
Bloomberg reported last week that House Republicans are in the process of "finalizing" a budget offer that's expected to propose capping spending "at 1% growth annually for a decade" and imposing more strict work requirements on food aid recipients. One recent analysis estimated that more than 10 million people could lose federal nutrition assistance if the GOP gets what it wants on work requirements.
Republicans are also pushing for legislation that would ease the permitting process for oil and gas projects.
In a Tuesday appearance on CNBC, McCarthy said he is prepared to recommend $4 trillion in total spending cuts—but he didn't provide specifics on which programs would be cut and by how much, drawing mockery from Democratic lawmakers.
"If he comes to the president's office with no specific plan, no specific details about what the Republicans want to cut, what are they going to talk about? The weather?" asked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, tweeted in response to McCarthy's letter that "this scam is a non-starter in the Senate."
"Unsurprisingly, House Republicans want to make it harder for poor Americans to get food and medical care while making it easier for rich people to cheat on their taxes," Wyden wrote.
\u201cUnsurprisingly, House Republicans want to make it harder for poor Americans to get food and medical care while making it easier for rich people to cheat on their taxes. This scam is a non-starter in the Senate.\u201d
— Ron Wyden (@Ron Wyden) 1680030424
Last week, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) released warnings from federal agencies that would likely be targeted by the GOP's austerity spree in an effort to highlight the far-reaching impacts of spending cuts the party has floated thus far.
"The draconian cuts would take away the opportunity for 80,000 people to attend college and impact all 6.6 million students who rely on Pell Grants," DeLauro said, citing agency estimates. "If implemented, 200,000 children will lose access to Head Start, and 100,000 children will lose access to childcare, undermining early education and parents' ability to go to work."
DeLauro wrote Tuesday that "Republican calls to cut government funding put everything from child care to opioid treatment and mental health services to nutrition assistance at risk for millions."
Sharon Parrott, president of the Center on Budget and Policy, echoed concerns about the potentially devastating effects of the House GOP's plans.
"The recent turmoil in the banking system pales in comparison to the chaos and harm that could ensue if House Rs force a debt-limit impasse and default: recession, lost jobs, and critical payments to seniors, veterans, businesses, families, and states unpaid," Parrott wrote Tuesday following the release of McCarthy's letter.
"A letter isn't a budget," Parrott continued, "so it conveniently allows House Rs to hide that these cuts—in basic food assistance, healthcare, and programs that fund child care, schools, and more—would go to cover some of the cost of more tax cuts for the wealthy rather than to reduce the deficit."
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