Friday, December 14, 2018

Six In The Morning Friday December 14

Trump Attended Meeting About Hush Money Payments With Tabloid Publisher: Reports

Trump, his then-attorney Michael Cohen and the publisher of the National Enquirer met to discuss payments to two women in 2015, according to multiple reports.

By Nick Visser

Donald Trump was in the room when his then-lawyer Michael Cohen discussed organizing hush money payments to two women with the publisher of the National Enquirer in 2015, NBC News and CNN reported Thursday.
The revelation ― first made public last month by The Wall Street Journal and corroborated this week ― came after the Enquirer’s parent company, American Media Inc., signed a non-prosecution deal with federal prosecutors in which it admitted to paying off former Playboy model Karen McDougal in 2016 in order to protect Trump’s chances in the presidential election.
The publisher of the National Enquirer, David Pecker, is a longtime friend of Trump.

New gangs 'Uberise' Europe's cocaine supply and bring more violence

Rising production from Latin America has led groups from North Africa and the Balkans to change the drug trade, EU agency says



A surge in the supply of pure cocaine to Europe has led to a rise in drug-related murders as new criminal gangs muscle into a market previously dominated by the mafia, the EU drugs agency has said.
The extra output from Latin America, especially by the biggest producer, Colombia has led to growing numbers of gangs including from Morocco and the Balkans setting up their own smuggling lines straight from producers.
This has seen an “Uberisation” of the cocaine trade characterised by faster, anytime-anywhere delivery, a report by the Lisbon-based agency said on Thursday, which has also kept prices lower.

Number of journalists jailed for doing their job nears record high, annual report finds

Donald Trump criticised for frequent characterisation of negative coverage as 'fake news'


The number of journalists around the world who have been imprisoned for their work has reached a near-record high, according to a report.
Some 251 journalists were behind bars for doing their jobs as of 1 December, the Committee to Protect Journalists said in an annual survey.
For the third year in a row, more than half of those are in TurkeyEgypt and China, where authorities have accused reporters of anti-government activities.
The study singled out Donald Trump for his frequent characterisation of negative media coverage as “fake news”, a phrase which has been echoed by leaders of countries such as the Philippines and Turkey against their critics.

Julian Assange facing embassy exit and uncertain fate

Julian Assange is fighting to stay at Ecuador's embassy in London, but his hosts don't want him anymore. The WikiLeaks founder accused the embassy of carrying out a surveillance operation on behalf of the FBI.
WikiLeaks founder and transparency activist Julian Assange is locked in a legal battle with Ecuador over the new stringent conditions imposed in October on his embassy stay. This week, he has threatened to take his case to the International Court of Justice if a second appeal against the Ecuadorian government fails.
The new rules by the Ecuadorian Embassy have resulted in the tightening of privileges he is allowed and put financial demands on his remaining in the building. It also introduced the option for Quito to expel the Australian if he breaks the new rules.

Gov't begins Henoko land reclamation despite Okinawa Gov. Tamaki's calls for dialogue

 (Mainichi Japan)

Despite repeated calls from Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki to cancel land reclamation work for the construction of a replacement U.S. military base for another facility in Japan's southernmost prefecture, the central government commenced the operation on the morning of Dec. 14.

Starting full-fledged land reclamation off the coast of Henoko in the Okinawan city of Nago to build the base -- a replacement for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma further south in the city of Ginowan -- is a fateful move. Once land reclamation work begins, it is close to impossible to undo.
On the morning of Dec. 14, reporters gathered at the Okinawa Prefectural Government building. "The central government never intended to even consider changing its plans," Gov. Tamaki told them. "I can't help but feel intense anger toward the construction work that is being pushed forward with absolutely no consideration for the will of the Okinawan people."

My Neighbour Totoro: Studio Ghibli classic gets China release after 30 years

Japanese animation classic My Neighbour Totoro is finally being screened in Chinese cinemas, 30 years after it was first released.
The film, by Studio Ghibli and famed director Hayao Miyazaki, follows the story of two sisters who encounter Totoro and other forest creatures.
Despite the movie's cult following, it has never been publicly shown in China.
But many Chinese viewers have already caught it on DVDs or pirated downloads while growing up.
The movie is the first Studio Ghibli movie to ever be released in China, which has a strict quota on the number of foreign films.


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