Russia: Yulia Skripal, who was poisoned along with her father, ex-spy Sergei Skripal, in Britain, is to seek political asylum, Russia's RIA news agency reports, citing a relative. "I know that Yulia Skripal's statement about political asylum is coming already," her cousin, Viktoria Skripal, said on a Russian TV talk show, according to RIA.
United States: A Fox News host says that a graphic showing the station lagging other cable news networks in trustworthiness was taken down because it was posted at the wrong time. Media Buzz host Howard Kurtz said on Facebook that the graphic was posted out of sequence. It was later used on the show. Kurtz was talking about a Monmouth University poll about whether the media regularly or occasionally report fake news. But the graphic showed results from another question about trust in cable news outlets. Fox News was last at 30 per cent.
Malta: A 62-year-old Belgian man and a 37-year-old Spanish woman have been killed and six other tourists critically injured in Malta when a double-decker tourist bus hit low-hanging tree branches. Health Minister Chris Fearne said three of the badly injured were Britons — two boys aged 6 and 8, and a man aged 44. The others were a German woman, 31, an Italian woman, 72, and a 35-year-old man whose nationality is not yet known. The accident happened at Zurrieq, 16km from Valletta, on a road frequently used by tourist buses. Local media reported the branches may have been lower than usual because of damage from gale-force winds on Monday.
United States: Texas Governor Greg Abbott says his state will commit at least 1000 National Guard troops to the Mexico border in response to President Donald Trump's call. The Texas National Guard said at the weekend that it would send an initial deployment of 250 members. Arizona has boosted the number of National Guard troops it will send to the Mexico border to 338 from 225.
Australia: Australia's republican movement may have more work to do after a new poll revealed only half of citizens want a republic, in line with another poll conducted just eight months ago. The Newspoll shows 50 per cent of voters back Australia becoming a republic, with 41 per cent wanting to retain a constitutional monarchy and 9 per cent uncommitted, the Australian reported. Those in favour of a republic if Prince Charles takes the throne is higher, with 55 per cent in favour, 35 per cent against and 10 per cent uncommitted.
United States: A smuggler who flew loads of drugs for Colombian cartels during Miami's "cocaine cowboys" era in the 1980s was sentenced to 12 years in prison today for using his old talents in a sophisticated auto theft ring. District Judge Robert Scola imposed the relatively harsh sentence — more than four years higher than prosecutors recommended — because of the intricacy of the theft scheme, a total loss of about US$1.8 million and because 72-year-old Mickey Munday boasted and bragged constantly for years about his cocaine smuggling past. "All of his comments have involved braggadocio and zero remorse," Scola said at a hearing. Munday spent most of the 1990s in prison after pleading guilty to drug smuggling charges involving tons of cocaine from Pablo Escobar's Medellin cartel and also the Cali cartel during the 1980s. Assistant US Attorney Joshua Rothstein said Munday transferred his abilities to evade law enforcement to the auto theft ring because he couldn't resist getting back into the criminal game. "It wasn't enough to talk about the past. He couldn't resist the urge to get back in the criminal action," Rothstein said. "He traded his wings for wheels."
Australia: Extreme weather is to blame for a "tragic domino effect" that lead to sheep dying in their own excrement and struggling to breathe during a voyage to the Middle East last year, Australia's Livestock Exporters' Council boss says. Simon Westaway has defended the nation's live export business which is under the microscope again after shocking footage from that ship was broadcast. He stood by "generally good standards" in the industry though admitted they were not reflected in the footage.
- agencies
