Court delivers verdicts in biggest trafficking trial

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More than 100 defendants are accused of smuggling and trafficking refugees on the Thai-Malaysia border [Surapan Boonthanom/Reuters]

Thailand is handing down verdicts in its biggest human trafficking trial, with more than 100 defendants accused of smuggling and trafficking refugees and migrants on the Thailand-Malaysia border.

By midday local time on Wednesday, a judge had announced 21 guilty verdicts from 103 defendants.

More judgements are expected later in the day.

A Thai army general, Myanmar nationals, Thai police officers and local politicians are among those accused.

Arrests began in 2015 following the discovery of 36 bodies in shallow graves in southern Thailand.

That discovery exposed networks which trafficked Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in Myanmar and held them for ransom in jungle camps before they were granted passage to Malaysia.

Outgoing federal ethics chief: ‘We are pretty close to a laughingstock at this point’

The federal government’s top ethics chief is resigning on Wednesday. And he’s torching the Trump administration on his way out.

Walter M. Shaub Jr., director of the Office of Government Ethics, told the New York Times that President Trump’s apparent disdain for long-established ethical norms has undermined the credibility of the United States around the world.

“It’s hard for the United States to pursue international anticorruption and ethics initiatives when we’re not even keeping our own side of the street clean,” Shaub told the Times in an article published Monday. “I think we are pretty close to a laughingstock at this point.”

Shaub — who has been a vocal critic of Trump’s since his election — said the president’s frequent trips to his family-owned golf clubs are a microcosm of just how blurry the line between the White House and Trump brand has become.

“It creates the appearance of profiting from the presidency,” Shaub said. “Misuse of position is really the heart of the ethics program, and the internationally accepted definition of corruption is abuse of entrusted power. It undermines the government ethics program by casting doubt on the integrity of government decision making.”

Trump spent last weekend at another one of his golf courses, and repeatedly promoted the U.S. Women’s Open Championship held there.

GOP Sen. Heller receives threatening note over health care

Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., received a note at his Las Vegas office over the weekend that reportedly threatened the senator if he voted to take away the note writer’s health care.

The note writer said he would die from losing insurance if Heller backed the Republican plan — and that he would take Heller down with him if that happened, according to veteran reporter Jon Ralston at the Nevada Independent.

On Sunday morning, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department was notified by an alarm company that Heller’s Las Vegas office had been broken into. The police department said in a statement that while the office was not burglarized, a “threatening note” addressed to Sen. Heller was left near his office’s door. The police said they would not disclose the contents of the note while the investigation was ongoing.

A spokeswoman for Heller, Megan Taylor, said she could not comment.

Justine Damond's fiance 'heartbroken' over police shooting

The "heartbroken" American fiancé of an Australian shot dead by a US police officer has said they have received almost no information from officials.

Don Damond said his wife-to-be, Justine Damond, was gunned down after calling police to report a possible sexual assault in their quiet neighbourhood.

He said they were "desperate" to find out how Saturday's shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, happened.

The officers' body cameras were not turned on at the time.

The shooting happened in a relatively affluent area, where violent crime is rare.

Mr Damond told a news conference outside his home on Monday evening: "Our hearts are broken and we are utterly devastated by the loss of Justine.

17-year Old Leads Gang To Rob A Foreigner At Gunpoint In Traffic

A teenage boy was on Monday arrested by the Police in East Legon for leading a robbery attack on a white businessman at the East Legon in Ghana.

According to Adom News, the 17-year-old identified as Sanusi Zibu and his accomplice Abdul Muhammad, 27, under the pretext of alerting the victim to check his flat tyre in heavy traffic gained access to him.

When the businessman stopped, the suspects reportedly pulled a gun on him and took away his bag which contained GHC 58,000 and $20,000.

Luck, however, ran out on them as they were escaping from the scene when a motorbike rider chased them, crossed their paths and knocked them.

This subsequently led to their arrest by the police.

Watch the video below...

Turkish court jails 6 human rights activists pending trial

A court in Istanbul ordered six human rights activists — including Amnesty International's Turkey director — formally arrested Tuesday pending a trial over accusations that they aided an armed terror group, adding to concerns over rights and freedoms in the country.

Four others activists were released from custody pending the outcome of a trial. They have been barred from traveling abroad and have to report regularly to police.

The group was detained earlier this month in a police raid at a hotel on Buyukada island where they were attending a training workshop on digital security.

They are suspected of "committing crime in the name of a terrorist organization without being a member."

Amnesty International described the court decision as a "crushing blow for rights in Turkey."

"This is not a legitimate investigation, this is a politically motivated witch-hunt that charts a frightening future for rights in Turkey," said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International's secretary general.

Qatar lashes out at UAE over QNA hacking

Qatar accused the United Arab Emirates on Monday of violating international law after reports suggested Abu Dhabi orchestrated the hacking of the Qatari official news agency and social media sites.

"The information published in the Washington Post ... revealed the involvement of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and senior Emirati officials in the hacking of Qatar News Agency," Qatar's government communication office said in a statement on Monday.

The report "unequivocally proves that this hacking crime took place", the statement quoted Sheikh Saif bin Ahmed Al Thani, director of the government communication office, as saying. 

"This criminal act represents a clear violation and breach of international law and of the bilateral and collective agreements signed between the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as collective agreements with the Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the United Nations." 

The statement said that an investigation is ongoing and that government prosecutors plan to take "legal measures" locally and abroad.

Russia Jehovah's Witnesses banned after they lose appeal

Russia's Supreme Court has ordered the disbanding of the Jehovah's Witnesses on Russian territory.

The ban came into effect after the court rejected an appeal by the religious group against a ruling in April which declared it to be extremist.

The justice ministry had argued that the group distributed pamphlets which incited hatred against other groups.

The group described the ruling as the end of religious freedom in Russia.

The denomination says it has 175,000 members in Russia - a country where it was persecuted during the Stalin era.

An estimated eight million people worldwide are part of the Christian-based movement, best known for going door-to-door looking for new converts.

The ruling means that the group's headquarters near St Petersburg and 395 local chapters will close.

What caffeine does to your body and brain

Many of us can't start our day without a jolt of caffeine.

Various caffeinated drinks affect your health in different ways — a new study shows coffee seems to be associated with longer life, while many energy drinks have surprisingly high sugar levels.

Caffeine itself is a stimulant with some positive and negative effects. It makes most of us feel more alert, awake, and focused, but too much can also backfire.

It also affects a host of processes in our bodies, including our digestion, metabolism, and vision. 

Here's what's really going on after you drink a cup of joe.

Nigerian soldier pays surprise visit to mother after one year in US military (photos)

A Nigerian soldier has taken over the internet after a video of how he gave his mother a surprise visit at home one year after being in the US military. The handsome Nigerian soldier who was identified as Femi Opesanmi decided to give his mother a surprised without prior notice that he would be coming home. 
On Saturday, July 15, his brother Akin Opesanmi took to his Facebook profile to post the video of Femi’s entrance and the caption: “Today is the best day of my life thus far. My big brother Femi just came home from a year abroad serving in the US Military. Got to surprise Momma Bear and this is how it went.” Soldier Femi Opesanmi as he steps into the house to surprise his mother. 

Blind student can finally see - and read about his beloved football club - thanks to 'talking glasses'

A blind student has been given the gift of sight thanks to an incredible pair of talking glasses.

Lee Harding, 23, was born with a rare condition which has slowly robbed him of his sight, but now his new futuristic glasses have enabled him to recognise faces and read again.

The miraculous OrCam MyEye headset uses technology that allows the camera to recognise faces, speaking the names to Lee, and can identify important objects such as medications and creams.

When text is placed in front of the camera, it is read out as it’s scanned, allowing Lee to read newspapers, books, menus and text on a computer or phone screen, reports the Chronicle Live .

The kit has been funded by Haltwhistle company Kilfrost, which produces deicing and anti-icing fluids for aircraft and speciality heat transfer fluids.

SAD : Bride-to-be Shot Dead By Police After She Called 911 To Report Hearing Noise Outside Her House

A woman was shot dead by a US police officer after she called 911 to report hearing noise outside her house. 

Justine Damond, 40, an Australian woman due to get married next month, thought the noise might be a possible assault taking place outside her home, so she decided to get the police involved. When police arrived outside the home she shared with her fiance, Don Damond, at 5100 block of Washburn Avenue South, in Minneapolis' upscale Fulton neighbourhood, it was claimed that she went outside in her pyjamas and got shot through the door of a squad car by an officer seated inside the vehicle. She had been talking to an officer in the driver's seat of the police car when the officer in the passenger seat pulled out his gun and shot her through the driver's side door at about 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, sources said.

The officer's body camera was not turned on at the time and this has raised questions. The woman's family and Minneapolis' Mayor are demanding answers. 

'Game of Thrones' season 7 kicked off with a vicious opening scene that left fans cheering

"Game of Thrones" stunned fans by starting the seventh season with a cold open. This is only the third time in the series' history HBO skipped straight to the action before running the title sequence, which immediately signaled that viewers were in for a treat.

The scene opened on Walder Frey seated at the head of a great feast in the Twins. Anyone who watched the season six finale knew what this must mean — Arya Stark had taken Walder Frey's face after murdering him, and was now posing as the the Lord of House Frey. Unsatisfied with killing just Walder, she had come for every man in House Frey.

Walder/Arya explained to the gathered men that she brought "every Frey who means a damn thing" into one room to tell them of her plans for the "great house, now that winter has come."

FIFA Whistle-blower Chuck Blazer Dies At 72

Chuck Blazer, the disgraced US football executive whose admissions of corruption set off a global scandal that ultimately toppled Fifa president Sepp Blatter, has died at the age of 72.

Blazer’s death was announced by his lawyers, Eric Corngold and Mary Mulligan.

At a US court hearing in November 2013, during which he entered guilty pleas to 10 federal charges, Blazer said he had rectal cancer, diabetes and coronary artery disease.

A person familiar with his case said Blazer died in New Jersey.

US national team coach Bruce Arena said: “I’ve known Chuck for a lot of years. He did a lot for the sport. Sorry about all the issues regarding Fifa, but he was a good man. He helped the sport in the United States.”

With girth, charm and a pet parrot, Blazer was a bon vivant as he made deals from an office and apartment in Trump Tower.The number two official in the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) from 1990 to 2011, and a member of Fifa’s ruling executive committee from 1997 to 2013, Blazer was central to the rise of the sport in the US. He relished his status, posting a photo on his blog of him on a private jet with Nelson Mandela.

Rep. Steve King: Build border wall with funds from food stamps, Planned Parenthood

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, said Wednesday that Congress should pad the budget for President Trump’s border wall by cutting funding for Planned Parenthood and food stamps.

On CNN’s “New Day,” King was asked if he was comfortable with $1.6 billion of taxpayer money being allocated to fund the border wall, particularly in light of Trump’s signature campaign promise that Mexico would pay for 100 percent of it.

“I’d throw another $5 billion on the pile, and I would find a half of a billion dollars of that right out of Planned Parenthood’s budget, and the rest of it could come out of food stamps and the entitlements that are being spread out for people that haven’t worked in three generations,” he said.