China Has Nothing to Offer on Possible High-Level Contacts With US - Embassy

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - China has nothing to share at present about possible contacts between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden amid statements from Washington about ongoing preparations for a top-level meeting, the spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu, told Sputnik on Tuesday.

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French Parliament Begins Considering Bill on Record Military Budget Increase

PARIS (Sputnik) - French National Assembly lawmakers on Monday began consideration of a draft law on military planning for 2024-2030, which implies a record increase in the military budget to 413 billion euros ($446 billion).

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'The Color Purple' musical trailer promises to break your heart

The official trailer for the film adaptation of the Color Purple musical has arrived, and it looks primed to hurt just as much as ever.

Based on the Tony Award-winning 2005 musical, which is itself based on Alice Walker's 1982 novel, The Color Purple follows Celie (Fantasia Barrino), a Black woman in the rural southern U.S. during the early 1900s. In case that mere concept wasn't enough of a hint, consider this a warning: It may be a musical, but don't expect any feel-good Hairspray vibes here.

The film also stars Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, H.E.R., Corey Hawkins, and Ciara as Celie's sister Nettie. Phylicia Mpasi plays a young Celie, while The Little Mermaid star Halle Bailey plays a young Nettie.

The Color Purple's production team reunites Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, and Quincy Jones, who also served as producers on the classic 1985 film of the same name. Joining them is Scott Sanders, who produced the stage musical alongside Winfrey and Jones.

The Color Purple arrives in theatres Dec. 25.

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Biden-McCarthy Debt Ceiling Talk Yet to Produce Deal as June 1 Deadline Draws Near

Ahead of the latest debt ceiling meeting, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) told reporters the US president would need a deal by “this week” in order for it to pass Congress before "extraordinary measures" set by the Treasury Department start expiring June 1.

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Pashinyan: Yerevan Willing to Concede Nagorno-Karabakh if Armenian Population Respected

After two years of armed hostilities, leaders on both sides of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are expressing hope that a peace treaty will soon be signed.

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'Nothing More Than a Stunt': DeSantis Spox Rebuffs NAACP's Florida Travel Advisory

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – A spokesperson for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dismissed a travel warning issued by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), calling the advisory “a stunt” on Monday.

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Report: Jeffrey Epstein Allegedly Tried to Extort Bill Gates Over Extramarital Affair

Jeffrey Epstein, who was arrested for sex trafficking minors and subsequently died in jail, had an array of powerful friends in his rolodex, including former US Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, as well as the Duke of York Prince Andrew.

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