Prince Charles will walk Meghan Markle down the aisle when she marries his son Prince Harry on Saturday, Kensington Palace has confirmed.
Ms Markle yesterday confirmed her own father, Thomas Markle, would not attend her wedding in order to focus on his health.
“Sadly, my father will not be attending our wedding,” Ms Markle said in the statement.
“I have always cared for my father and hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health.
“I would like to thank everyone who has offered generous messages of support.
“Please know how much Harry and I look forward to sharing our special day with you on Saturday.”
In a statement, Kensington Palace said Ms Markle had asked Prince Charles to accompany her down the aisle of St George’s Chapel on her wedding day.
“The Prince of Wales is pleased to be able to welcome Ms Markle to The Royal Family in this way,” the statement said.
Friday, May 18, 2018
Royal wedding: Prince Charles to walk Meghan Markle down the aisle to marry Prince Harry
Thursday, May 18, 2017
BREAKING: Ex-The Bill producer GUILTY of plotting partner’s murder
A former TV producer has been found guilty of trying to hire a hitman to kill his wealthy partner so he could run off with his younger girlfriend.
David Harris – who worked on crime drama The Bill – offered up to £200,000 for the murder of his partner of 30 years, Hazel Allinson, 69, so he could spend her money on his younger lover, Ugne Cekaviciute, 28.
Harris, 68, was found naked in bed with his girlfriend, a 6ft 1in Lithuanian former basketball player, at a south London hotel when he was arrested last year.
He wanted parish councillor Ms Allinson dead for her money, including an £800,000 house in the picturesque village of Amberley, near Arundel in West Sussex.
But a jury at the Old Bailey rejected his claims and unanimously convicted him of three counts of soliciting to murder today.
It can now be revealed Ms Allinson, who came to court every day of the two-and-a-half week trial, refused to give evidence for the prosecution and did not want her police interviews used against Harris.
While watching him give evidence she even contacted defence lawyers about taking to the witness stand in his defence, but changed her mind after she was asked to leave the public gallery.
Harris approached at least six potential hitmen over a period of almost two years.
He handed out copies of a black-and-white family photograph featuring his partner as well as a picture of her convertible Saab car and a print-out of her diary as he attempted to recruit a killer.
He wanted to make the death look like a freak accident, car-jacking or mugging as she walked to church for choir practice or left her country club, where she went to the gym or did Pilates classes.
He claimed he had approached three possible ‘hitmen’ before he met Duke Dean – known as ‘Zed’ – in a cafe in Stratford, east London and offered him £175,000.
But Mr Dean went to detectives at the City of London police after Harris asked if he had access to chloroform or poison.
An undercover officer then posed as Mr Dean’s ‘associate’ at a meeting in a car park in Balham, south London on 11 November.
Harris was arrested the following morning having promised £200,000 to the officer and said: ‘Whatever happens, it’s got to be fatal’.
Harris claimed his actions were research for a thriller novel called ‘Too Close to Kill’, but prosecutor William Boyce QC told the trial the case could have been entitled ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugne.’
Judge Anne Molyneux QC said: ‘There was a prolonged period of almost a year where he actively sought to murder his life partner.
‘During that year, he displayed an ability to lie almost instinctively.
‘He lied to Ms Allinson for cover to see his girlfriend. He lied to his girlfriend to explain why it was he was not in a position to live with her. He lied to neighbours and friends. His lies were elaborate and were maintained.
‘He has demonstrated a lack of empathy and he has demonstrated a callousness and willingness to do what is necessary to achieve his own ends.’
Source: Ex-The Bill producer GUILTY of plotting partner’s murder | Daily Mail Online
Trump campaign had at least 18 undisclosed contacts with Russians
Michael Flynn and other advisers to Donald Trump’s campaign were in contact with Russian officials and others with Kremlin ties in at least 18 calls and emails during the last seven months of the 2016 presidential race, current and former U.S. officials familiar with the exchanges told Reuters.
The previously undisclosed interactions form part of the record now being reviewed by FBI and congressional investigators probing Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election and contacts between Trump’s campaign and Russia.
Conversations between Flynn and Kislyak accelerated after the Nov. 8 vote as the two discussed establishing a back channel for communication between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that could bypass the U.S. national security bureaucracy, which both sides considered hostile to improved relations, four current U.S. officials said.
In January, the Trump White House initially denied any contacts with Russian officials during the 2016 campaign. The White House and advisers to the campaign have since confirmed four meetings between Kislyak and Trump advisers during that time.
The people who described the contacts to Reuters said they had seen no evidence of wrongdoing or collusion between the campaign and Russia in the communications reviewed so far. But the disclosure could increase the pressure on Trump and his aides to provide the FBI and Congress with a full account of interactions with Russian officials and others with links to the Kremlin during and immediately after the 2016 election.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Flynn’s lawyer declined to comment. In Moscow, a Russian foreign ministry official declined to comment on the contacts and referred Reuters to the Trump administration.
Separately, a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Washington said: “We do not comment on our daily contacts with the local interlocutors.”
The 18 calls and electronic messages took place between April and November 2016 as hackers engaged in what U.S. intelligence concluded in January was part of a Kremlin campaign to discredit the vote and influence the outcome of the election in favor of Trump over his Democratic challenger, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
Those discussions focused on mending U.S.-Russian economic relations strained by sanctions imposed on Moscow, cooperating in fighting Islamic State in Syria and containing a more assertive China, the sources said.
Members of the Senate and House intelligence committees have gone to the CIA and the National Security Agency to review transcripts and other documents related to contacts between Trump campaign advisers and associates and Russian officials and others with links to Putin, people with knowledge of those investigations told Reuters.
The U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday it had appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate alleged Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential campaign and possible collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia. Mueller will now take charge of the FBI investigation that began last July. Trump and his aides have repeatedly denied any collusion with Russia.
‘IT’S RARE’
In addition to the six phone calls involving Kislyak, the communications described to Reuters involved another 12 calls, emails or text messages between Russian officials or people considered to be close to Putin and Trump campaign advisers.
One of those contacts was by Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian oligarch and politician, according to one person with detailed knowledge of the exchange and two others familiar with the issue.
It was not clear with whom Medvedchuk was in contact within the Trump campaign but the themes included U.S.-Russia cooperation, the sources said. Putin is godfather to Medvedchuk’s daughter.
Medvedchuk denied having any contact with anyone in the Trump campaign.
“I am not acquainted with any of Donald Trump’s close associates, therefore no such conversation could have taken place,” he said in an email to Reuters.
In the conversations during the campaign, Russian officials emphasized a pragmatic, business-style approach and stressed to Trump associates that they could make deals by focusing on common economic and other interests and leaving contentious issues aside, the sources said.
READ MORE HERE: Exclusive: Trump campaign had at least 18 undisclosed contacts with Russians – sources | Reuters
BREAKING: Rolf Harris will be released from prison TOMORROW: UGH!!
Rolf Harris is to be released from prison tomorrow, it has been revealed.
The former TV star has been appearing by videolink at London’s Southwark Crown Court, where he is standing trial accused of indecent assault.
Judge Deborah Taylor told the jury that the 87-year-old would be released from Stafford Prison tomorrow and he would therefore appear in court in person on bail for the remainder of the trial.
Jurors had previously been told Australia-born Harris had already been convicted and sentenced for other offences in 2014.
The judge told jurors: ‘He (Harris) will no longer be appearing in the court via videolink and he will be attending what remains of his trial in person next week.’
The trial, which opened on Monday, will not sit tomorrow. Harris is standing trial accused of indecently assaulting three teenage girls in the 1970s and 1980s.
He is also alleged to have touched a 13-year-old girl’s breast after filming a children’s TV programme and asked her: ‘Do you often get molested in a Saturday morning?’
Rolf Harris was nicknamed ‘Groper Rolf’ by a teenager who…
Girl’s father ‘confronted Rolf Harris after he slid his hand…He is separately accused of twice groping a third girl, aged 16, after being paid £100 to appear on ITV celebrity show Star Games in 1978, and telling her she was ‘a little bit irresistible’, the court heard.
Former Animal Hospital host Harris denies four charges of indecent assault against three women between 1971 and 1983.
Source: Rolf Harris, 87, will be released from prison TOMORROW | Daily Mail Online
Facebook fined 110m euros by the EU for providing “incorrect or misleading” information
Facebook has been fined 110m euros (£95m) by the EU for providing “incorrect or misleading” information during its purchase of messaging service WhatsApp in 2014.
The European Commission said Facebook had said it could not automatically match user accounts on its own platform and WhatsApp.
But two years later it launched a service that did just that.
Facebook said the errors it had made were not intentional.
‘Clear signal’
In a statement, the Commission said: “The Commission has found that, contrary to Facebook’s statements in the 2014 merger review process, the technical possibility of automatically matching Facebook and WhatsApp users’ identities already existed in 2014, and that Facebook staff were aware of such a possibility.”
However, it added that the fine would not reverse its decision to clear the $19bn purchase of WhatsApp and was unrelated to separate investigations into data protection issues.
EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said: “Today’s decision sends a clear signal to companies that they must comply with all aspects of EU merger rules, including the obligation to provide correct information.
“And it imposes a proportionate and deterrent fine on Facebook. The Commission must be able to take decisions about mergers’ effects on competition in full knowledge of accurate facts.”
In statement, Facebook said: “We’ve acted in good faith since our very first interactions with the Commission and we’ve sought to provide accurate information at every turn.
“The errors we made in our 2014 filings were not intentional and the Commission has confirmed that they did not impact the outcome of the merger review. Today’s announcement brings this matter to a close.”
Source: EU fines Facebook over ‘misleading’ WhatsApp data claim – BBC News
Chris Cornell: Audioslave and Soundgarden singer dies aged 52
In a statement, Cornell’s representative Brian Bumbery said his death was “sudden and unexpected”.
Cornell died shortly after playing a concert with Soundgarden in Detroit on Wednesday evening.
The show was part of a wider tour and the group had a number of live dates scheduled for later this month.
As a solo artist, he released four studio albums – most recently 2015’s Higher Truth.
His biggest single in the UK was 2006’s You Know My Name, which was the theme song to Casino Royale, which starred Daniel Craig.
The track made him the first male American artist to write and perform the theme song for a James Bond movie.
But he was perhaps most famous as the lead singer of Seattle band Soundgarden, which formed in 1984 and went on to release six studio albums.
Their most successful in the UK was 1994’s Superunknown, which reached number four in the singles chart.
In 2001, he joined rock supergroup Audioslave, which consisted of Cornell on lead vocals, together with Rage Against The Machine members Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk (drums). The group disbanded in 2007.
Source: Chris Cornell: Audioslave and Soundgarden singer dies aged 52 – BBC News
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US Navy Admiral jailed over Fat Leonard bribery scheme
A US Navy Admiral has been jailed for 18 months for his role in the ‘Fat Leonard’ fraud and bribery scheme.
U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Robert Gilbeau was sentenced on Wednesday after admitting in 2016 that he lied to investigators when questioned over his relationship with Leonard Glenn Francis, the Malaysian owner of Glenn Defense Marine Asia who bribed US military officials for years in exchange for classified information.
Last year, Gilbeau admitted lying to investigators by saying he had never accepted gifts from the man which prosecutors claim included prostitutes and parties.
The 56-year-old confessed that when the pair met three times a year, Francis always picked up the tab. Their friendship dates back to 1997.
Gilbeau received gifts from Francis and met with him three times a year for extravagant dinners for at which Francis, a Malaysian citizen, always picked up the bill.
His sentence was announced on Wednesday by the US Department of Justice.
Gilbeau’s case is part of a long-running criminal probe known as the Fat Leonard case, in reference to a nickname for Francis.
‘It is truly a somber day,’ acting U.S. Attorney Alana Robinson said in a statement.
‘When tempted by parties and prostitutes, one of our most respected leaders chose karaoke over character.’
Gilbeau is free on bond and was ordered to report to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons on June 23. In a plea agreement with prosecutors, Gilbeau previously agreed to pay $50,000 in restitution to the Navy as well as a $100,000 fine.
Gilbeau’s attorney, David Benowitz, said his client accepted responsibility for making false statements, but denied inflating any invoice or accepting money for doing so.
Leonard Glenn Francis, known as ‘Fat Leonard’ at 350lbs, paid numerous US military officials for classified information over several years. Prosecutors say he bought Gilbeau expensive dinners and prostitutes
‘We respectfully disagree with the court’s sentencing decision, given Captain Gilbeau’s otherwise stellar 37 years of service to his country, during which he was awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart,’ Benowitz said in an email.
U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino said Gilbeau deleted documents and data files as he tried to conceal his dealings with Francis, according to a U.S. Department of Justice statement.
Gilbeau’s business relationship with Francis actually dated back to 1997, during which Francis plied Gilbeau with expensive gifts ranging from fine dining, luxury hotels and prostitutes, prosecutors said.
Gilbeau was in his mid-30s when he first met Francis in Bali, Indonesia, and the parties with prostitutes started right away, prosecutors said.
In return, Gilbeau signed off on contracts for services such as removing waste from U.S. aircraft carriers at highly inflated prices, prosecutors said.
Francis was arrested in September 2013 on fraud and bribery charges. He faces up to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty in January to bribery and conspiracy charges, prosecutors said.
Twenty current and former Navy officials have been charged so far in the fraud and bribery investigation, prosecutors said. Ten of those have pleaded guilty and 10 cases are pending. Also, five executives from Francis’ company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, have pleaded guilty.
Source: US Navy Admiral jailed over Fat Leonard scheme | Daily Mail Online
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Reema Lagoo: Bollywood’s ‘favourite mother’ dies
Bollywood actress Reema Lagoo, famous for playing the role of the “loving mother”, has died at the age of 59.
She passed away in a Mumbai hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest on Wednesday night.
The actress was famous for playing the role of the mother of main characters in films and TV soaps. She also acted in several Marathi language plays.
She starred in dozens of hit Bollywood films like Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, and Maine Pyar Kiya.
Lagoo started her career in the late 1970s, and soon became famous for playing the mother of lead characters.
She was also known as the “on-screen mother” of popular actor Salman Khan, with whom she acted in several films.
She played Khan’s mother in his first film 28 years ago at the age of 31.
Source: Reema Lagoo: Bollywood’s ‘favourite mother’ dies – BBC News
Oil well leaked 10,500 litres off Australian coast for 2 MONTHS – but officials ‘covered it up’
An offshore oil and gas well leaked around 10,500 litres into the ocean off the Australian coast for two months last year – but the regulator did not disclose the spill until now, and details about it still remain a secret.
The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority’s annual offshore performance report, released this week, included a brief mention of the spill.
It revealed the leak had been identified by a remotely-operated vehicle during routine maintenance in April 2016 and was caused by a seal degradation.
Nopsema’s report noted the incident was ‘a dangerous occurrence’ and a ‘reportable incident in relation to a well’ – but did not reveal where exactly it occurred or the company responsible for it.
The leak went on for up to 60 days and spilled oil at a rate of up to 175 litres a day, a spokesman told Daily Mail Australia.
But Nopsema declined to reveal exactly where the spill occurred or the company involved, only that it occurred in the North West Shelf off the coast of Western Australia.
A spokesman elaborated that a wellhead had been disconnected from a Floating Production Storage and Offloading facility to move out of the path of an approaching cyclone.
‘This is when the leak from the subsurface safety valve control module on the well head was detected and reported.
‘In response, the remotely operated vehicle closed the hydraulic control line isolation to the subsurface safety valve, which prevented further loss of containment.’
Nopsema investigated the matter, which resulted in the company changing their safety procedures.
The spokesman said the leak compromised oil, water and control line fluid and tests conducted since confirmed no further leaks.
The spokesman said that because companies are required by law to report leaks and no enforcement action was taken by the regulator, they have an ‘implied duty of confidence’ to not reveal details about the incident.
Nathaniel Pelle, a Greenpeace Australia Pacific campaigner, said the report was deeply concerning.
‘Australians, and especially those who rely on the ocean for their livelihood, should be deeply concerned by reports that the national oil regulator has withheld information from the public about a 10,500 litre oil leak for over 12 months,’ he told the Guardian.
‘There’s absolutely no justification for continuing to keep the company involved or the location of the oil spill a secret.’
Nopsema’s report said there were no fatalities or serious injuries reported to them last year and that accidents and injuries were down from the previous year.
However, it found that spills went up by 28 per cent from 18 in 2015 to 23 last year – despite activity in the oil industry going down by 40 per cent.
Source: Oil well leaked 10,500 litres off Australian coast | Daily Mail Online
Jury finds Oklahoma cop not guilty in shooting of black man
A jury on Wednesday acquitted of first-degree manslaughter a white Oklahoma police officer who says she fired out of fear last year when she killed an unarmed black man.
Jurors deliberated for just over nine hours before finding Tulsa officer Betty Jo Shelby not guilty in the Sept. 16 shooting of 40-year-old Terence Crutcher.
A lawyer for Shelby said the officer was “elated” that the jury found her not guilty.
“She’s ready to get back to her life,” Defense Attorney Shannon McMurray said.
But Jerad Lindsey, chairman of the Tulsa Fraternal Order of Police, said the city would have to heal after the tragedy.
“Tulsa is going to have to figure out how to get its arms around this.” he said after the verdict was announced.
Shelby said she fired her weapon out of fear because she said he didn’t obey her commands to lie on the ground and appeared to reach inside his SUV for what she thought was a gun. Crutcher was unarmed.
Prosecutors told jurors that Shelby overreacted. They noted Crutcher had his hands in their air and wasn’t combative — part of which was confirmed by police video taken from a dashboard camera and helicopter that showed Crutcher walking away from Shelby, hands held above his head.
Shelby’s attorneys argued that in the two minutes before cameras began recording the encounter, Shelby repeatedly ordered Crutcher to stop walking away from her and get on the ground.
Shelby also said she feared Crutcher was under the influence of PCP, a powerful hallucinogenic known as Angel Dust that makes users erratic, unpredictable and combative.
An autopsy showed PCP was in Crutcher’s system, and police said they found a vial of it in his SUV.
Crutcher’s family said police attempted to “demonize” Crutcher over the drug possession to deflect attention from the fact officers didn’t find a gun inside his SUV.
The killing of 40-year-old Crutcher was among a spate of officer-involved shootings in recent years that helped galvanize the Black Lives Matter movement and prompted calls for more police accountability.
Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler charged Shelby six days after the shooting. An affidavit accused her of “becoming emotionally involved to the point that she overreacted.”
Defense attorney Shannon McMurray argued that prosecutors rushed to charge Shelby for political reasons, fearing civil unrest like the angry street protests that erupted in Charlotte, North Carolina, after the fatal shooting of 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott four days after Crutcher was killed.
Source: Jury finds Oklahoma cop not guilty in shooting of black man – ABC News
