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Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta illegally hid plea details from sex trafficking victims of Jeffrey Epstein, Acosta was a federal prosecutor in Miami who struck plea deal with the politically connected former hedge fund manager, he now oversees federal government international human trafficking and child labor violations efforts
World
Pressure increases on Venezuelan President Maduro to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaidó as winner of recent election, German and Spanish governments threaten to push EU proceedings to recognize Guaidó as interim president unless fresh elections are held immediately, fall short of declaring him rightful president
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Miscellaneous
Leonard Casley, founder of micro-nation Hutt River in Western Australia, dies at 93, Prince Leonard formed the principality in 1970 after a stoush with State Government over wheat quotas, in 1977 the province declared war on Australia over legal battle with Taxation Office, to which Prince Leonard in 2017 was ordered to pay AUD 3 million in income tax, Prince Graeme says he will continue his father's fight
Lincolnshire couple tackle a butter knife-wielding burglar who tries to steal a prized collection of model trains, 85-year-old former railway worker Mr Headington, who has had two hip replacements, and his wife managed to restrain the burglar by sitting on him, the offender jailed for two years and four months
Picture of what looks to be a kiss on the lips between Pope Francis and Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayeb causes a stir online, the two religious leaders celebrated the signing of a document on fighting extremism together at an inter-religious meeting in Abu Dhabi, the act was more of a peck on the cheek than a full-blown smooch
Disney's first-ever official LGBT pride event take place in June this year, “Magical Pride” includes late-night access to the park, a dance party and a parade through Disneyland Paris, organizers partner with LGBT influencers saying "Dress like a dream, feel fabulous and experience Walt Disney Studios Park like never before"
5,500 World Cup fans remain illegally in Russia, people with match tickets and FAN ID allowed to enter Russia during the tournament without a visa provided they left by December 31, Nigerians make up the largest group with 1,863 citizens, expulsion of those still in the country expected to be completed by April
Media
Liam Neeson film premiere for Cold Pursuit abruptly cancelled amid fallout from interview, he told a 40-year-old story of when he roamed the streets in search of a black person to kill after someone close to him was raped by a black man, he then sought help from a priest and friends when he realized what he was doing
Wikipedia's top editor Steven Pruitt has made 3 million edits and written 35,000 original articles, has spent more than three hours a day on the site for 13 years, large contributor to project increasing content on women on the platform, lives with his parents and works at US Customs and Border Protection
New Facebook communications chief promises Dublin-based "war room" for May EU elections, Nick Clegg says it will allow "rapid response efforts to fight misinformation", promises strong public-private partnership with government authorities, the former Liberal Democrat politician and anti-Brexiteer says the company has 30,000 people globally devoted to site security and safety
Director Bryan Singer accused of sexually molesting anonymous underage boys in The Atlantic magazine, he denies the charges as a "homophobic smear" campaign timed to coattail ride his movie's box office success, he was fired from the production of "Bohemian Rhapsody" for "unreliable behaviour on set" weeks before the end of filming
Politics
Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta illegally hid plea details from sex trafficking victims of Jeffrey Epstein, Acosta was a federal prosecutor in Miami who struck plea deal with the politically connected former hedge fund manager, he now oversees federal government international human trafficking and child labor violations efforts
Vermont senator Bernie Sanders announces 2020 presidential bid to complete "political revolution", rose to prominence during 2016 campaign on promises of universal health care and USD 15 per hour minimum wage, ultimately lost the Democratic party nomination via controversial infighting with Hillary Clinton campaign
Opinion
Daniel McCarthy: Libertarians at least as suicidal as left-liberals, the economic crisis they focus on will be preceded by political and cultural ones of greater importance, libertarians seem numb to meaningful details such as the difference between Islam and Christianity while focusing on broader structures, tax cuts and de-regulation not enough since markets depend on civilization and nation
Robert Kajiwara: US military base construction on Okinawa sparks increased independence calls, 70% of Japanese military installations on Okinawa despite representing 0.6% of its landmass, the Henoko base, deemed unnecessary by both US and Japan, threatens world's 2nd most biodiverse coral reef and further denies economic opportunity to natives on prime real estate, less than half of population satisfied with being Japanese prefecture
Jonathan Head: Speculations whether Thaksin Shinawatra had a green light from King Vajiralongkorn to nominate Princess Ubolratana and the king then change his mind or if he assumed Princess Ubolratana had her brother's approval and took a reckless gamble, to be on the receiving end of such explicit royal disapproval is normally a devastating blow
Claudio Sopranzetti: Princess Ubolratanas's short-lived candidacy revealed a rift within Bangkok conservative elites, some of whom showed that their hate for the Shinawatras may be stronger than their adulation for the royal family, it also exposed a division within the pro-democracy camp between those who celebrated the nomination of the princess as a brilliant tactical move and those who saw it as a huge mistake, additionally it seem to have affected the relation between General Prayuth and King Vajiralongkorn
Vox Day: The death of 4,500 Boomers a day a cause for joy, 66 million left of these tiresome narcissistic morons droning on about themselves for over forty years, Boomer Hate will increase as Millennials wake up to how Boomers screwed them over by abandoning their familial and societal responsibilities
John Garnaut: Xi Jinping has continued and distilled the Marx-Lenin-Stalin-Mao belief system, central to Chinese Communist thought is the perpetual struggle against counter-revolutionary forces, Mao's most dedicated research was in the area of Chinese epics which told of imperial decay, Xi seeks to re-invigorate Chinese communism to break the historical curse of decline of the rulers
Will Burns: Gillette especially poorly positioned to talk about toxic masculinity after marketing male confidence for the last 30 years, if they were serious about their new position they should start by apologising, instead comes off as utterly disingenuous and inauthentic, probably result of echo-chamber mentality in the marketing department
Milo Yiannopoulous: I am seeking asylum in US for fear of living as a gay man in Islamist Britain, public surveys of UK's Muslim community show high levels of intolerance, despite minority status Muslim communities have outsize influence on local social norms and rules, the true state of affairs is not accurately publicized because of intimidation campaign between Left and Muslim activists
Europe
The Vatican will force prior to allow General Franco’s exhumation from the Valley of the Fallen, pope’s right-hand man Pietro Parolin has sent a letter to Spain's Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo ensuring Santiago Cantera won't stop the government’s plans, Franco family will appeal the decision at the Supreme Court, family's wish to reburying the general in La Almudena has been denied on reasons of public order
Former UK citizen Shamima Begum trapped in citizenship limbo after joining the IS-terrorists in Syria, the UK government claims she has Bangladeshi citizenship through her mother, critics allege that denying her UK citizenship without a secondary citizenship leaves her stateless and is against the law
France fines Swiss banking giant UBS EUR 3.7 billion for tax evasion and money laundering plus additional EUR 800,000 in damages to the French state for helping wealthy French avoid paying taxes on more than EUR 10 billion between 2004 and 2012 – in similar cases, the bank reached USD 780 million settlement with US in 2009 and agreed to pay EUR 300 million fine in Germany in 2014
Mother of two arrested in front of her children at her home in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, locked up for seven hours after referring to transgender activist as a man online, more than two months after her arrest neither her mobile phone or laptop has been returned, police say they take all reports of malicious communication seriously
North America
US government denies re-entry to woman from Alabama who joined ISIS in Syria, Hoda Muthana married ISIS terrorists and called for attacks on the West, the daughter of a Yemeni diplomat is now stranded in a refugee camp and Mike Pompeo denies her citizenship based upon technicality in the 14th Amendment
Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann sues Washington Post for USD 250 million, claims newspaper falsely accused him of racist acts and instigating confrontation with Native American activist Nathan Phillips – additional similar lawsuits to be filed in weeks ahead, according to Sandmann's lawyer Lin Wood
Latin America
Mysterious group of five armed Americans arrested by Haitian police in Port-au-Prince, they claim they were on a "government mission" and traveled without license plates or visa stamps showing entry, Haiti has seen protests and other civil disturbances calling for resignation of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse
Venezuela's Supreme Court bans opposition leader Juan Guaidó from leaving the country and freezes his bank accounts, Maduro says he's prepared to hold negotiations, US has handed control of Venezuela's US bank accounts to Guaidó and National Security Adviser John Bolton warns anyone attempting to harm "President Guaidó"
Asia
Thai King Vajiralongkorn says Princess Ubolratana is not allowed to be prime minister candidate, the king made clear the princess is still a royal family member although she has resigned by law, and bringing a high-ranking member of the royal family into politics is an act in violation of the royal tradition and is against the intention of the constitution
Bangladesh serial killer "Hercules" kills a third accused rapist this year, all victims shot dead with notes tied to their necks with details of their alleged crimes, citizens are rejoicing while rights group director says "country's law enforcement agencies are well capable of conducting fair investigation"
"Human rights mayor" Fusaho Izumi disgraced after threatening to set fire to a building, the mayor of Akashi admits he was frustrated after protracted redevelopment negotiations missed their scheduled deadline, the painful outburst was recorded and shared with multiple news organizations leading the politician to reflect and apologize
Middle East
Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of harboring "the board of directors of al-Qaida" whilst Iran claim Saudi Arabia and Pakistan coordinated the bombing killing 27 personnel of the Iranian Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, meanwhile Saudi Arabia and Pakistan sign bilateral investment projects worth USD 20 billion in the energy sector, Saudi crown prince orders release of 2,100 of about 3,000 Pakistanis being detained in Saudi jails
Israeli Medical Association threatens to ban any doctors performing "gay conversion therapy", the practice is believed to cure the mental illness of homosexuality but risks creating anxiety and depression, religious authorities and political organizations stand opposed to the ban despite lack of evidence
Economy
Video game giant Electronic Arts reports disappointing sales on Battlefield franchise, shares fall 18% after the company reported 1 million fewer unit sales than forecast, executives blamed the game's lack of a battle-royale mode and single-player focus in a competitive environment marked by free-to-play cooperative models
Technology
Google Chrome prepares Scroll-To-Text feature which let users share link that takes the recipient to the exact word the sender has selected, equivalent of sharing link to a YouTube video that jumps to a preselected time, proposes adjustments to HTML standards so the feature is supported on all browsers
Blind man wins appeal case against Domino's Pizza over accessibility issues with phone app, Guillermo Robles sued the company for violation of 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act, judges ruled that the company failed to provide "full and equal enjoyment" of their pizza ordering services for persons with disabilities
Science
Researchers conclude children with early experiences of conflict with mothers have trouble developing purpose later in life, the Washington University team will publish their findings in Journal of Youth and Adolescence based on 1,074 person sample, contributes to growing literature connecting early childhood experiences with adult life outcomes