Obama takes 2 more states

Barack Obama pummeled Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin and Hawaii on Tuesday, making it 10 wins in a row against his bitter rival in the Democratic White House race.
Republican John McCain meanwhile fired a pre-emptive strike on his increasingly likely Democratic general election foe, ripping Obama’s “eloquent but empty” rhetoric, after his own easy win in Wisconsin.
Obama’s victories cemented his front-runner status, and left Hillary needing an astonishing turnaround in must-win contests in the states of Ohio and Texas on March 4 to keep her presidential hopes alive.
“I think we’ve achieved liftoff here,” said Obama at a rally in Houston, Texas. “The change we seek is still months and miles away,” he said.
Though Obama and Hillary had been tightly matched going into the Wisconsin primary, which had 74 delegates on offer, he swept to a comprehensive win.
With 97 per cent of precincts reporting, Obama led 58 per cent to Hillary’s 41 per cent.
Later Tuesday, Obama, who is vying to make history as America’s first black president, secured another comprehensive victory as his birth state of Hawaii held its caucuses, US media reported.
Hillary, stung by another blow to her hopes of becoming America’s first woman president, pleaded with voters to pause to consider who was truly qualified to lead the country.
“Both Senator Obama and I would make history. But only one of us is ready on day one to be commander-in-chief, ready to manage our economy, and ready to defeat the Republicans.
“That is the choice in this election.”
Senator McCain rapping Obama’s “eloquent but empty call for change that promises no more than a holiday from history and a return to the false promises and failed policies of a tired philosophy” asked: “Will we risk the confused leadership of an inexperienced candidate who once suggested bombing our ally, Pakistan?” referring to Obama’s threat to strike at Al-Qaeda without Islamabad’s permission if necessary.
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White people get bigger share of monkeypox shots, early data show
Much like with Covid-19, the monkeypox health crisis in the US is hitting Black and Hispanic Americans hard. Yet those groups are so far lagging in vaccination rates, early data obtained by Bloomberg News show. In some major US cities with outbreaks, White people are getting the majority of vaccinations, data collected by Bloomberg show. In Chicago, 55% of vaccines have gone to White people. In Washington, D.C., 63.5% of vaccine recipients identify as White.
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Top Taliban cleric killed in blast in Kabul: Officials
A prominent Taliban cleric, Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani, was killed in an attack in a seminary in Kabul when the attacker detonated explosives hidden in a plastic artificial leg on Thursday, according to officials and Taliban sources. It was not immediately clear who was behind the blast. Four Taliban sources told Reuters the attacker was someone who had previously lost his leg and had hidden the explosives in a plastic artificial leg.
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China says it needs more time to assess US, India proposal to blacklist JeM chief’s brother at UNSC
China on Thursday said it needs more time to “assess” the India-US proposal to list Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) leader Abdul Rauf Azhar as a global terrorist at the UN Security Council, hours after blocking the joint effort. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said the 1267 Committee of the UN Security Council has clear provisions about designating terrorist organisations and officials. China had similarly sought time to assess the case.
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China, Nepal agree on cross-Himalayan railway
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Sri Lanka's ex-leader Gotabaya Rajapaksa leaves Singapore: Report
Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa left Singapore Thursday, the city-state's immigration office said, after his social visit pass expired. "The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority confirms that Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa left Singapore on 11 August 2022," the office said in reply to an AFP query. Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives on July 13 and then to Singapore, where he announced his resignation after months of protests over Sri Lanka's economic meltdown.