Kevin Spacey: Actor charged with sexual assault in Massachusetts
US actor Kevin Spacey has been charged with sexually assaulting a teenager at a bar in Massachusetts.
He will appear in court on 7 January over the incident, which allegedly occurred in Nantucket in July 2016.
On Monday, Mr Spacey posted a video in which he appears to deny any wrongdoing while in character as Frank Underwood from House of Cards.
"I'm certainly not going to pay the price for the things I didn't do," he says in the clip.
"You wouldn't believe the worst without evidence, would you?" he asks. "You wouldn't rush to judgements without facts."
The alleged victim is the son of former television news presenter Heather Unruh, who spoke publicly about the incident last year.
She accused Mr Spacey of buying her then 18-year-old son alcohol - the drinking age in Massachusetts is 21 - and then groping him.
In the video, Mr Spacey speaks in Frank Underwood's accent and addresses the viewer directly, much like he did throughout his five seasons on House of Cards.
"Of course some believed everything," he says. "They're just waiting with bated breath to hear me confess it all."
"They're going to say I'm being disrespectful, not playing by the rules," he adds. "Like I ever played by anyone's rules before. I never did. And you loved it."
Frank Underwood was the power-hungry and conniving protagonist of the Netflix series, and murdered a journalist and a politician before he was killed off ahead of season six.
The three-minute clip, which is titled Let Me Be Frank, marks Mr Spacey's first public appearance since the first allegation of sexual assault was made against him last November.
He was accused by actor Anthony Rapp of making a sexual advance in 1986 and a number of other allegations have since emerged.
Mr Spacey said he had no memory of the event but publicly apologised before issuing an "absolute" denial of the other allegations.
Separately, in September, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office said Mr Spacey would not be prosecuted over an accusation of sexual assault that allegedly took place in 1992.
It said it fell outside of California's statute of limitations.
UK police are also investigating several allegations that centre around his time serving as artistic director at London's Old Vic theatre.
The controversy has led to Mr Spacey being axed from a number of roles, including from House of Cards and the 2017 film All the Money in the World, which was re-shot without him.
A film in which he appears, Billionaire Boys Club, also took a record-breaking low of $126 (£98) on its first night in US cinemas in August.
Sheikha Latifa: Images of 'missing' Dubai princess released
Photographs have been released of an Arab princess who was feared missing.
Sheikha Latifa, the daughter of Dubai's ruler, reportedly tried to escape abroad in March. Witnesses said she was allegedly taken from a yacht near India and forcibly returned.
The United Arab Emirates has denied the reports, and says she has been living at home with her family.
The incident caused concern among international human rights groups, who asked authorities to prove her safety.
On Monday, the UAE's foreign ministry said it had sent a communiqué regarding Sheikha Latifa to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights' Office of Special Procedures.
In a statement, it said the message "responds to and rebuts false allegations" about the princess.
The images it released show Sheikha Latifa alongside Mary Robinson, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and former president of Ireland, and were purportedly taken on 15 December in Dubai.
"Photographs taken during the afternoon they spent together have been shared, with their consent," the UAE's statement said.
"During her visit to Dubai, Mary Robinson was reassured that HH Sheikha Latifa is receiving the necessary care and support she requires."
The United Nations has not yet responded to the statement.
Sheikha Latifa - the daughter of Dubai's ruler - is said to have tried to flee in an attempt to live a freer life abroad.
The 33-year-old was reportedly helped in her attempt to escape by Herve Jaubert, a former French spy.
His yacht she was travelling on, the Nostromo, was then reportedly intercepted less than 80 km (50 miles) from the Indian coast.
Mr Jaubert alleges the princess was then then taken onto a helicopter and forcibly returned, despite professing her will to seek asylum abroad.
After she allegedly went missing, a video was released showing her discussing a planned effort to escape.
"If you're watching this video, it's not such a good thing. Either I'm dead or I'm in a very very very bad situation," she said near the beginning of the 40-minute clip.
In the video, she alleges she and her family "did not have freedom of choice" in their lives, and discussed an earlier effort to leave the country aged 16.
She alleges she was imprisoned for three years and tortured repeatedly on her return.
Earlier this month, the UAE's government released its first statement about her apparent disappearance in which it said it was "deeply saddened by the continued media speculation" about Sheikha Latifa.
In it, they said she was "adored and cherished" by her family, who were looking forward to celebrating her birthday with her.
Indonesia tsunami: Death toll from Anak Krakatau volcano rises
The death toll following the tsunami caused by the Anak Krakatau volcano has risen to at least 373, Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency says.
Saturday saw giant waves crash into coastal towns on the islands of Sumatra and Java.
It is thought that volcanic activity set off undersea landslides which in turn generated the killer waves.
"1,459 people are injured, while 128 remain missing," said agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho in a statement.
Coastal residents near the volcano have been warned to keep away from beaches amid fears it could trigger a new tsunami.
Anak Krakatau erupted again on Sunday, spewing ash and smoke.
Video shot from a charter plane captured the magnitude of the volcanic event in the Sunda Strait, between Sumatra and Java.
Rescue efforts are being hampered by blocked roads but heavy lifting equipment is being transported to badly hit areas to help search for victims.
What warning was given?
The spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency told a news conference that another tsunami is a possibility because of the continued volcanic eruptions of Anak Krakatau.
"Recommendations from [the] Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency are that people should not carry out activities on the beach and stay away from the coast for a while," he said.
Anak Krakatau, which emerged in 1927 from the caldera that was formed during the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883, has seen increased activity in recent months with people asked to avoid the area around its crater.
On Monday Mr Sutopo put out a series of tweets explaining why there was no early warning for this tsunami. He said that Indonesia's early warning system is set up to monitor earthquakes but not undersea landslides and volcanic eruptions, which can also generate deadly waves.
But, he added, with 13% of the world's volcanoes in Indonesia alone, it was crucial for the country to develop such system.
He confirmed there was no tsunami advance warning system on the night of the disaster, adding that because of lack of funds, vandalism to the buoys and technical faults there had been no operational tsunami warning system since 2012.
Geologist Raphaël Paris, whose 2012 study predicted the collapse of a flank of Anak Krakatau and a subsequent tsunami, said: "There is a big uncertainty on the stability of the volcanic cone now, and the probability for future collapses and tsunamis is perhaps non-negligible."
Why was Saturday's tsunami so deadly?
The tsunami struck at 21:30 local time (14:30 GMT) during a local holiday, with few of the warning signals that might have come had it been generated by an earthquake.
Seawater did not recede as it would with an earthquake tsunami and experts say that even if there had been warning buoys near the volcano, there would have been minimal alert time.
The waves destroyed hundreds of buildings, sweeping away cars and uprooting trees in several popular tourist destinations, including the Tanjung Lesung beach resort, west Java.
Footage shared on social media showed a large wave crashing into a tent in the resort, in which popular Indonesian rock band Seventeen were performing.
Members of the band were seen being swept away as the wave destroyed the stage.
Big Bash: Tom Curran stars but Sydney Sixers beaten by Sydney Thunder
England's Tom Curran starred with bat and ball but still ended on the losing side as Sydney Sixers were beaten by Sydney Thunder in a Big Bash derby.
Curran took 3-24 as Thunder made 169-9, helped by Jos Buttler's 63, though England captain Joe Root fell for nine.
The Sixers fell to 56-6 but rallied courtesy of Curran's quick-fire 62 - before losing by 21 runs.
England hopeful Jofra Archer took 3-25 as Hobart Hurricanes beat Melbourne Stars by six wickets.
The Hurricanes decided to field after winning the toss and it paid off, restricting Stars to 155-5 from their 20 overs, with the Hurricanes reaching the target with eight balls to spare.
Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool boss says Chelsea & Arsenal still in title race
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says "nobody should feel safe" in the Premier League title race and insists Chelsea and Arsenal remain in the hunt.
Klopp's side will reach the halfway point of the season on 26 December at the top of the table after establishing a four-point lead.
Chelsea and Arsenal, who are fourth and fifth respectively, are 11 points behind the Reds with 20 games to play.
"No-one should feel out of the race," said Klopp.
In eight of the past 10 seasons, the leaders on Christmas Day have gone on to win the Premier League.
The two exceptions were in 2008-09 and 2013-14 - and on both occasions it was Liverpool who slipped from top spot to finish the season in second.
Klopp, whose side are unbeaten in the league and host Newcastle United on Wednesday (15:00 GMT kick-off), added: "No decision is made, why should it be?"
The German's comments came after Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino said Liverpool and Manchester City are "clear favourites" for the title after his side thrashed Everton 6-2 at Goodison Park on Sunday to narrow the gap to second-placed City to two points.
"I saw the game against Everton - who played absolutely more than OK - and then they [Spurs] hit pretty much everything and it was really impressive how Tottenham did," said Klopp.
"The same will happen to Arsenal and Chelsea.
"For me, they [Tottenham] were never out so why should people be surprised they are now in?
"A lot of teams are in whatever you call the title race, and that is how it should be."
- BBC
Trump savages Federal Reserve as stock plunge worsens
President Donald Trump has lashed out at America's central bank as a stock market whose gains he once took credit for continued a historic plunge.
In a tweet, Mr Trump said the Federal Reserve was "the only problem" of the American economy.
Mr Trump's treasury secretary meanwhile scrambled to calm investors.
However, the Dow Jones fell more than 650 points on Monday, and is on track for its worst December since 1931 during the Great Depression.
The turmoil comes amid a partial government shutdown, US-China trade tensions and reports the president has discussed firing Fed chairman Jerome Powell.
Mr Trump continually boasted about Wall Street's steep climb during the first year of his presidency, but has sought to deflect blame since markets hit a rough patch in 2018.
On Sunday US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin took the unusual step of calling the chief executives of America's six largest banks in a bid to soothe market jitters.
On Monday, he called top market regulators and officials from the US central bank to allay fears about the economy.
Mr Mnuchin hosted the call with the President's Working Group on Financial Markets to "discuss co-ordination efforts to assure normal market operations", according a treasury statement.
The board of governors of the US Federal Reserve System, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission are on the working group.
- BBC
Australia to set up drone-identifying systems
Drone "hot spots" in Australia are getting sensors to automatically identify the aircraft and their pilots.
Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (Casa) said it would install the equipment at the nation's airports starting next month.
The monitors have been planned for some time, but come in the wake of 72 hours of drone-related disruption at the UK's Gatwick airport last week.
In 2019, Australia will also start a scheme to register drone owners.
The UK is also due to introduce a scheme in November that will require recreational drones weighing 250g (0.55lb) or more to be registered.
Heavy fines
Almost 140,000 air travellers were delayed last week after reports of drone sightings caused huge delays at Gatwick Airport. UK police are still searching for the culprits, although they have also raised the possibility that witness reports of the aircraft were mistaken.
The incident "highlights" the need for a drone-spotting capability, Casa spokesman Peter Gibson told the news agency Agence France-Presse.
The surveillance system would be able to spot the types of drone being flown, read their serial numbers and work out where the pilot was located, he said.
Efforts to identify pilots would be aided by the introduction of the registration scheme for commercial and casual drone owners, he added.
"2019 will be a drone safety crackdown," said Mr Gibson.
As well as airports and other sensitive locations, the drone-spotting systems will be installed in other places known to be popular with drone owners such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Authorities in Australia have expressed worries about the number of drones being flown in restricted areas in recent months.
Anyone breaking rules could face fines of up to 10,000 Australian dollars ($7,058; £5,600) as well as checks on the safety of their craft.
"In 2019 it could be very expensive doing the wrong thing with your drone," said Mr Gibson.
Events at Gatwick were discussed by ministers in a Christmas Eve phone conference.
It is understood the Cabinet Office "pushed" the Ministry of Defence and the Home Office to update their rapid deployment protocol.
They also discussed defence systems across the UK's airports.
- BBC
Allyson Felix: Six-time Olympic champion reveals she gave birth to daughter prematurely
Six-time Olympic champion Allyson Felix has revealed that she gave birth to her daughter eight weeks premature last month.
The American, 33, had not publicly announced that she was pregnant.
Her daughter Camryn is still in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) after she had to be delivered by an emergency caesarean section on 28 November but Felix said she is "OK".
"I'm so, so grateful," said sprinter Felix in a first-person piece for ESPN.
"Every day I sit with my daughter in the NICU and watch her fight. Every day she gets stronger and more beautiful."
Felix, whose Olympic honours include 200m gold at London 2012 and five relay gold medals, said she competed twice in June, running the 400m in 51 and 52 seconds while eight and nine weeks pregnant respectively.
She said she felt if she "kept the news to herself" and kept training hard then she could still win races, citing tennis' 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams, who won the 2017 Australian Open in the early stages of her pregnancy.
Felix added the pressure of "trying to live up to" her "pristine nice girl image" contributed to her not announcing she was pregnant.
"Having a child felt like I'd be risking my career and disappointing everyone who expected me to always put running first," she said.
Subsequently Felix did make plans to reveal her pregnancy, until a check-up revealed the baby's heart-rate was decelerating, leading to the emergency C-section, with Camryn born at three pounds seven ounces.
"I didn't care if I ever ran track again, I was just praying that she would be OK," said Felix.
Felix has won nine Olympic medals in total - the most by a female track and field athlete alongside Merlene Ottey - and intends to race at her fifth Games at Tokyo 2020. She is also an 11-time world outdoor champion.
However, she said: "If I come back and I'm just not the same, if I can't make a fifth Olympic team, I'm gonna know that I fought, that I was determined, and that I gave it my absolute all."
'I am deeply sorry!'
Jamaica's Nesta Carter, who saw his appeal against the International Olympic Committee Disciplinary Panel (IOCDP) ruling thrown out by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), maintains his innocence.
In 2016, Carter was found guilty in a retest of his 2008 urine sample that was said to contain methylhexaneamine, and following his appeal in February 2017, CAS agreed with the IOC that he committed an anti-doping violation at the Beijing Olympics.
Carter's club, Maximising Velocity and Power (MVP), released a statement via their Twitter account on his behalf on Thursday following the ruling that proclaimed his innocence.
“I have always been a clean athlete and I would never knowingly do anything to risk my reputation or the reputation of my country or that would cause pain to Usain (Bolt), Asafa (Powell), Michael (Frater) and the Jamaican people,” Carter said.
Carter, who will be 33 years old in October, has been on a number of gold medal-winning Jamaican 4x100m relay teams, including the 2012 Olympics, plus three World Championship teams of 2011, 2013 and 2015.
Carter also won an individual medal by capturing bronze at the 2013 Moscow World Championship in Russia.
“The substance that was in my body is now recognised as having been a contaminant in many products and as CAS accepts, it was not named on the Prohibited List in 2008 and only became known after the 2008 Olympic Games.
“Even though I must take responsibility for what has happened, it is difficult to accept that I could be in breach of the rules when, even if I had known I consumed the substance (which I did not), I could not have known at the time that the substance was prohibited,” he reiterated.
“I am deeply sorry for what has happened and the pain and loss it brings,” he added.
With the disqualification, Carter not only lost a gold medal, but and effectively reduced Usain Bolt's perfect nine gold medals from three consecutive Olympic Games to eight.
In reacting to the CAS ruling, Bolt remained upbeat.
“...At the end of the day, the joy of winning that relay gold medal in Beijing 2008 with my teammates will last forever,” said the legend, who has retired from active competition.
Jamaica's loss means that Caribbean neighbours Trinidad and Tobago's team of Richard Thompson, Emmanuel Callender, Keston Bledman and Marc Burns are promoted to the gold, with Japan taking silver and Brazil, bronze.
— Howard Walker (Jamaica Observer)
IMF To Rescue Barbados Economy
WASHINGTON, CMC – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says it will be sending a delegation to Barbados on Tuesday to assist the island in its plans for revitalising the ailing economy.
Prime Minister Mia Mottley has already indicated that her administration would not be averse to seeking support from the Washington-based financial institution.
IMF managing director, Christine Lagarde, quoted Mottley as saying the Barbados economy has been going through significant challenges for some years.
“The authorities are developing an economic reform plan designed to address these challenges, and they have asked the international community and the International Monetary Fund to assist them as they put the economy back on a path to recovery,” the IMF head said.
Lagarde said that an IMF team led by Bert van Selm will be visiting Bridgetown to start discussions on how the Washington-based financial institution can support the authorities’ economic plan.
“Our ultimate goal is to help Barbados achieve higher living standards and more inclusive growth for the years ahead,” stated Lagarde
On Friday, Mottley announced that her new Barbados Labour Party (BLP) administration would suspend payments due to domestic and external creditors.
“Similarly we will endeavour to make scheduled domestic interest payments. However domestic creditors will be asked to roll over principal maturity until we reach a restructuring agreement,” Mottley said, following a meeting with the Social Partnerships.
“The truth is our debt has been unsustainable territory for some time. The arrears represent an effective default by the previous government to Barbadians,” she said, noting that these arrears were BDS$1.7 billion at the end of September last year and that new figures are expected next week.
“We have never taken this type of creditor action like that before and our action today are designed my friends to ensure that we will never ever have to do so again,” she said, hinting at stringent policies ahead for Barbadians.
She said the new measures would be introduced in a ministerial statement in two weeks and will place the public debt “on a sustainable footing".
The Central Bank of Barbados (CBB) had last month said the local economy had contracted by an estimated 0.7 per cent during the first quarter of this year and warned that the outlook “remains challenging”.
Mottley said public debt as a proportion of our national income is being regarded as high as 171 per cent of GDP (gross domestic product), the third highest in the entire world only Japan and Greece are above Barbados.
She said every year Barbados spends BDS$800 million in interest on debt and this year, the island will spend a further BD$1 billion on meeting promises to pay back what was borrowed.