Cassandra Sainsbury serve a maximum 72 months, or six years, jail?

CASSANDRA Sainsbury’s lawyers have reached a plea-deal with prosecutors which could dramatically reduce her time behind bars.

The deal would see Sainsbury serve a maximum 72 months, or six years, jail.

A Colombian judge is now considering the deal, but in a closed court session yesterday said he gave it his tacit approval as being within the confines of the law.

The plea deal is similar to the first that was struck between Sainsbury’s lawyer, Orlando Herran, and prosecutors, but which was scuppered when she claimed she had been forced to carry the drugs and was therefore not accepting responsibility for the smuggling.

MORE: Cassandra Sainsbury court appearance for reading of charges | Perth Now

6 Police Officers Shot in Florida and Pennsylvania, 2 Killed and 4 Wounded

Two dead as ‘Lucifer’ heatwave holds Italy, eastern Europe in fiery grip

Swathes of southern and eastern Europe have sweltered in temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius in a heatwave nicknamed “Lucifer”, which has killed at least two people across the region.

Italy and the Balkans were worst affected, though areas as far north as southern Poland also basked in abnormally hot temperatures, and European weather hub Meteoalarm issued its highest grade “red” warnings for 10 countries.

At least two people have died from the heat — one in Romania and one in Poland — and many more have been taken to hospital suffering from sunstroke and other heat-related conditions.

In Albania, 300 firefighters and soldiers struggled to contain as many as 75 forest fires and the country asked the European Union for emergency help.

Firefighters were also busy in Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia and Croatia, and authorities advised people to stay indoors and increase their water intake.

Temperatures were expected to stay around 40 degrees Celsius into next week.

Source: Two dead as ‘Lucifer’ heatwave holds Italy, eastern Europe in fiery grip – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

87% of brains of football players showed signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy

A new study shows that the vast majority of former football players whose brains were donated for research showed signs of severe trauma, reinforcing the dramatic toll the sport can take on its participants.

The report in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that 87% of the 202 donated brains of former high school, college, semiprofessional and pro football players showed signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by repetitive head trauma. Of the former NFL players in the sample, 110 of the 111 brains showed symptoms of the disease.

“The fact that we found it in 99% of individuals who donated their brain is a frightening statistic,” said Ann McKee, a neuropathologist at the Boston University CTE Center, which sponsored the study along with the VA Boston Healthcare System…

Source: Study Shows Toll on Brain in Former Football Players – WSJ

Into 11th Wimbledon final, Federer faces Cilic for 8th title

LONDON (AP) — They love their history around these parts and they love Roger Federer and, above all, they love watching him make history.

Now he stands one victory from an unprecedented eighth Wimbledon men’s singles championship after qualifying for his 11th appearance in the final, breaking a record he already held.

Just weeks from turning 36, and a father of four, Federer continued his resurgent season and unchallenged run through this fortnight at the All England Club by conjuring up just enough brilliance to beat 2010 runner-up Tomas Berdych 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4), 6-4 in the semifinals Friday.

“It’s great, but it doesn’t give me the title quite yet. That’s why I came here this year,” Federer said. “I’m so close now, so I just got to stay focused.”

He has won every set he’s played in six matches, and while he did not exactly dominate against the 11th-seeded Berdych, Federer was never in much trouble. On Sunday, Federer will face 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic, who reached his first Wimbledon final by eliminating 24th-seeded Sam Querrey of the U.S. 6-7 (6), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-5 with the help of 25 aces and some terrific returning.

“This is his home court,” Cilic said about Federer, “(the) place where he feels the best and knows that he can play the best game.”

Since equaling Pete Sampras and William Renshaw (who played in the 1880s) with a seventh trophy at Wimbledon in 2012, Federer has come this close before to No. 8. But he lost to Novak Djokovic in the 2014 and 2015 finals.

Here comes another chance.

Federer would be the oldest man to win Wimbledon in the Open era, which dates to 1968; as it is, he’s the oldest finalist since Ken Rosewall was 39 in 1974.

Source: Into 11th Wimbledon final, Federer faces Cilic for 8th title

Boy, 11, shoots charging bear to save fishing party in Alaska

Chinese businessman subject of ASIO warning donated $200,000 to WA Liberals – China power

A $200,000 donation to the WA Liberal Party from a billionaire property developer with close ties to the Chinese Communist Party has raised questions, WA Deputy Premier Roger Cook says.

Dr Chau Chak Wing’s company Kingold Group donated the sum to the WA branch of the Liberal Party in 2015/16.

Dr Chau, who is an Australian citizen, also made donations to the Labor Party federally.

Kingold is headquartered in Guangzhou, in southern China, and develops projects including international trade centres, commercial buildings, hotels, office and residential buildings.

Source: Chinese businessman subject of ASIO warning donated $200,000 to WA Liberals – China power – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

NASA admits ‘UFO’ crashed into orbiter

NASA admits ‘UFO’ crashed into orbiter https://t.co/epDM5xuPIq

NASA has admitted that one of its spaceships was struck by an unidentified flying object travelling as fast as a speeding bullet.

In October 2014, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) was hit by a tiny object — but lived to tell the tale.

— news.com.au (@newscomauHQ) May 30, 2017

 

2017 French Bernard Tomic loses in straight sets to Austria’s Dominic Thiem in 1st round

French Open: Bernard Tomic loses in straight sets to Austria’s Dominic Thiem in first round

Bernard Tomic and rookie Alex de Minaur were both shunted out of Roland Garros, reducing Australia’s singles contingent to nine.

Stosur, the 2010 runner-up, and Gavrilova remain the nation’s best chances of success at the second grand slam of the season.

MORE + Source: 2017 French Open live; Bernard Tomic loses in straight sets to Austria’s Dominic Thiem in first round

Meghan Markle WILL attend Pippa Middleton’s wedding with Prince Harry

Prince Harry will take his girlfriend Meghan Markle to Pippa Middleton‘s wedding later this month.

Despite rumours that Pippa planned a ‘no ring, no bring’ policy at her wedding to hedge fund millionaire James Matthews – meaning married guests only – the American actress will be in the congregation as Harry‘s plus one, sources told the Daily Telegraph.

The move signals an increasing seriousness in their relationship. Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, then Kate Middleton, dated for two years before attending a wedding together.

Pippa and James’s wedding will take place in St Mark’s Church in Englefield, Berkshire, close to the Middleton family home.

There was speculation that Pippa, 33, feared being upstaged by the photogenic Suits actress, 35, but an invitation has been extended.

This weekend Prince Harry and Meghan put on their first display of affection at an official event when Meghan was pictured with her arm around Prince Harry as he leaned in for a kiss in the car park at Coworth Park Polo Club, near Ascot in Berkshire.

Their choice of sporting event to debut their romance has royal precedent. Both Kate Middleton and Lady Diana Spencer were pictured at the polo matches of their future husbands.

Prince Charles was famously spotted with a young Camilla Parker Bowles at a polo match decades before their romance was revealed.

Speculation that an engagement will soon be announced grew when Meghan closed down her blog The Tig recently.

She wrote: ‘What began as a passion project (my little engine that could) evolved into an amazing community of inspiration, support, fun and frivolity. You’ve made my days brighter and filled this experience with so much joy.’

READ MORE: Meghan Markle WILL attend Pippa Middleton’s wedding | Daily Mail Online

Sydney Opera House is vulnerable to attack – too many agencies are responsible for security

Security measures around the Sydney Opera House must be urgently reviewed in order to prevent the possibility of a London-style terror attack, it has been warned.

It comes after several vehicles drove through the harbourside promenade towards the city’s most recognisable landmark recently.

The eastern promenade, between Circular Quay station and the Opera House, has several unsecured areas sparking concerns the area is vulnerable to the possibility of vehicles as large as a truck driving into crowds of pedestrians, according to The Australian.

But it’s unclear who is ultimately in charge of the precinct, and when agencies including the City of Sydney, Sydney Opera House Trust, Property NSW and NSW Police were approached, most were unable to clarify the matter, the paper reports.

The concern is the area could become a target for a terror attack, like recent ones in London, Nice and Stockholm where heavy vehicles were used as weapons to mow down people in the street.

A resident of Bennelong Apartments, home to some of the city’s most affluent professionals, said he was walking along the promenade last week when a white van drove up behind him.

Patricia Forsythe, the Sydney Business Chamber executive director, said the area has been affected by a ‘lack of co-ordination’

‘All of a sudden, there’s a van coming behind us and there were people everywhere,’ he said.

‘They drove the entire length of the promenade – it was scary.’

Source: Concerns Sydney Opera House is vulnerable to attack | Daily Mail Online

Fog blankets part of Perth

PERTH motorists are being urged to take care this morning as heavy fog blankets our roads.

Main Roads has put a out a warning for drivers to take care on the Kwinana Freeway from Pinjarra Road all the way to the Mount Henry Bridge.

A Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said the fog began at about 11pm last night and was made especially heavy by smoke from burn-offs in the east.

PERTH WEATHER

PERTH TRAFFIC

Source: Fog blankets part of Perth | Perth Now

David Hasselhoff: Flashes his abs as he films Knight Rider with fiance Hayley Roberts

DAVID Hasselhoff looked just like he was in Baywatch mode as he ripped off his shirt and flashed his abs while filming the new series of hit Eighties show Knight Rider.

The American, 64, was getting back into gear as Michael Knight to film new episodes of the cult classic, alongside his iconic talking car Kitt, in Los Angeles.

MORE: David Hasselhoff goes topless and flashes his abs as he films new scenes for Knight Rider with fiance Hayley Roberts

Amber Rose can’t keep her hands off her huge cleavage as she teases fans with extremely x-rated boob video