Denmark’s center-right opposition parties have beaten the ruling coalition after a close general election in the country.
With all mainland votes counted, ex-PM Lars Lokke Rasmussen’s center-right group beat PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt’s center-left coalition, although her party is the largest.
Helle Thorning-Schmidt has now stood down as Social Democratic Party leader.
The right-wing, anti-immigration Danish People’s Party will become the second-largest in parliament.
The DPP’s leader Kristian Thulesen Dahl had previously poured cold water on the idea of going into government.
Kristian Thulesen Dahl told Denmark’s Politiken he preferred “the little free bird role, which can make the Danish People’s Party come closer to getting our policy through in the real world than you think”.
He could yet be in a position to make a bid to become prime minister.
In a victory speech just before 01:30 local time, Lars Lokke Rasmussen – who led Denmark between 2009 and 2011 – said: “Four years ago, we returned the keys to the PM’s office. I said that time that they were only a loan.”
He said he would push for “control of the flow of refugees”.
Helle Thorning-Schmidt’s governing Social Democratic Party was the biggest party, winning at least 26.3% of the vote, according to Danish broadcaster DR.
Her allies failed to gain as much of the vote as those of the opposition and she stood down as leader after conceding defeat.
Helle Thorning-Schmidt said she was proud to have led the Social Democratic Party to the highest percentage of the vote, adding: “We lost at the finish line.”
According to DR, the Danish People’s Party won 21.1% of the vote, and Lars Lokke Rasmussen’s Denmark Liberal Party came third on 19.5%.
A meeting of European finance ministers in Luxembourg ended with no agreement on Greece’s debt.
The head of the Eurogroup, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, has said that Greece needs to seize a “last opportunity” to reach a deal with its creditors.
Jeroen Dijsselbloem called on Greece to submit “credible” proposals in the coming days.
To help tackle the crisis, an emergency summit of leaders from Eurozone nations has been called for June 22.
Jeroen Dijsselbloem highlighted that “very little time remains” as Greece’s current bailout program runs out this month.
“It is still possible to find an agreement and extend the current program before the end of the month, but the ball is clearly in the Greek court to seize that last opportunity,” he said.
The Greek finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, said his nation had presented a “comprehensive” proposal and that disagreement only existed over spending equivalent to 0.5% of Greek GDP, which he says does not constitute a “dangerous impasse”.
Yanis Varoufakis highlighted that Greece has already made a “gigantic adjustment” over the last five years and rejected any measures that would “jack-up” taxes and reduce benefits further.
He warned that negotiations were “dangerously close to a state of mind that accepts an accident”.
Greece has less than two weeks remaining to strike a deal with its creditors or face defaulting on an existing €1.6 billion loan repayment due to the IMF.
The country has already rolled a €300 million payment into those due on June 30.
If it fails to make the payment, Greece risks has to leave the eurozone and possibly also the EU.
The European Commission, the IMF and the European Central Bank (ECB) are unwilling to unlock bailout funds until Greece agrees to reforms.
They want Greece to implement a series of economic changes in areas such as pensions, VAT and on the budget surplus before releasing €7.2 billion of funds, which have been delayed since February.
Pressure was also raised on Greece today when the boss of the International Money Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, warned there was “no period of grace” for Greece over its impending debt repayment deadline.
Christine Lagarde said Greece would be in default on its loans from the IMF if it failed to make a €1.6 billion ($1.8 billion) payment on June 30.
Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church shooting suspect Dylann Storm Roof had recently been given a weapon as a birthday present, according to the gunman’s uncle.
Dylann Roof’s uncle, Carson Cowles, told Reuters that Dylann’s father gave him a .45-calibre handgun.
Carson Cowles said he tried to mentor his 21-year-old nephew, who had no job or driver’s license, but Dylann Roof was not receptive to this idea.
Describing a phone call around the time of Dylann Roof’s birthday in April, Carson Cowles said: “I actually talked to him on the phone briefly for just a few moments and he was saying well I’m outside target practicing with my new gun.”
Dylann Roof’s jacket in a photo on his profile page prominently bears the flags of South Africa and Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, from when the African nations were ruled by the countries’ white minorities.
Richard Cohen, president of Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama, says Dylann Roof wasn’t known to his organization, and it is unclear whether he is connected to any of the 16 white supremacist organizations SPLC has identified as operating in South Carolina.
He says Dylann Roof appears to be a “disaffected white supremacist” based on his Facebook page.
According to the suspect’s Facebook page, he went to White Knoll High School in Lexington, South Carolina, a two-hour drive from Charleston. It says he lives in the state capital Columbia.
A woman who answered a mobile phone belonging to his mother, Amelia Roof, declined to comment to Reuters.
“We will be doing no interviews ever,” she said, before hanging up.
Dylann Roof’s childhood friend, Joey Meek, alerted the FBI when he saw the grey top he was wearing, according to Meek’s mother, Kimberly Kozny.
She told the Associated Press that Roof had worn that sweatshirt over to their house many times as they played Xbox videogames in recent weeks.
Dylann Roof reportedly displayed a Confederate flag on his car license plate.
Court records in South Carolina show he was facing a drug charge and had previously been arrested for trespassing.
Police identified Dylann Roof after receiving tip-offs from friends and family who claimed to recognize him in surveillance footage from the church.
Officials circulated the image, appealing for help finding a suspect in a grey sweatshirt, blue jeans and Timberland boots.
The DoJ says it is investigating the shooting at the Emanuel AME Church as a hate crime.
Dylann Roof, who is suspected of killing nine people at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, has been arrested.
Police said 21-year-old Dylann Roof, from Lexington, South Carolina, was detained during a traffic stop in Shelby, North Carolina.
Dylann Roof is reported to have sat in on a bible study meeting for a full hour before opening fire on the group.
Six women and three men, including the church pastor, were killed. A hate crimes investigation has been launched.
President Barack Obama said he and his wife had known several members of the Emanuel AME Church, including the pastor, Clementa Pinckney.
Barack Obama called the church a “sacred place” in the history of Charleston and spoke of his confidence that the congregation and the community would “rise again”.
He also raised the issue of gun ownership, saying “communities like this have had to endure tragedies like this too many times”.
“At some point, we as a country have to reckon with the fact that this type of massacre does not happen in other advanced countries,” the president said.
The weekly bible study meeting was under way in the church on Calhoun Street when the shooting unfolded at about 21:00 local time on Wednesday, June 17.
Charleston Police Chief Gregory Mullen said that when police arrived at the scene eight people were already dead in the church and one other person died later in hospital. There were three survivors, he added.
Police released images from surveillance cameras showing a suspect they described as white and clean shaven with a slender build, entering the building an hour before the shooting.
The man was later seen driving away in a black four-door saloon car.
Police and officials were quick to call it a hate crime, and the DoJ said it would open a federal hate crimes investigation.
Speaking after the arrest, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said they would be “looking at all of the facts, all of the motivations” to determine the best way to prosecute any case.
The killings have sent shockwaves through a community that has already experienced heightened racial tension in recent months.
A six-year-old girl named Maisie Gregory was hit in the face by a saluting soldier after she met Queen Elizabeth II in Cardiff.
The Queen was presented with a posy by Maisie as part of a regimental tradition.
Dressed in a traditional Welsh costume, and giving an adorably wobbly curtsy, Maisie Gregory performed her bouquet-giving duties to perfection. But she had reckoned without the private standing next to her. As the Queen walked out of the Millennium Stadium, a uniformed army private raised his gloved hand enthusiastically to salute the monarch, and caught Maisie in the face.
The accident happened as the Queen honored The Royal Welsh with new colors during a ceremony at the Millennium Stadium.
Maisie’s father, Regimental Sergeant Major Martin Gregory, said his daughter has since seen the funny side.
Martin Gregory said: “She was a little bit upset but I let her wear my hat and carry my sword. She was soon cheerful and she’s running around now.”
E.L. James has released her new novel, Grey, that re-tells the events of Fifty Shades of Grey from the perspective of its antagonist, Christian Grey.
The new book could make the author even richer as stores scramble to order enough copies for fans.
Based on “unprecedented” pre-order figures, it is thought the book could achieve a similar level of success to the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, with more than 20 million copies sold worldwide.
Tom Tivnan, features and insight editor of The Bookseller, told The Guardian: “Fifty Shades of Grey is the biggest-selling book in Britain since records began, so even if the new book can manage only 20 per cent of what that sold, she will still sell almost a million copies.
“So, this is a huge, huge deal for Penguin Random House. I think we can comfortably say it will be the biggest book of the year, no problem.”
There are a number of scenes in the first book which fans are begging to be told by Christian’ Greys perspective, including his first meeting with Anastasia Steele and the night he randomly turned up at a night club to save her after she drunk dialed him.
Grey has been released on Christian Grey’s official birthday.
The trailer for Robin Williams’ final movie, Boulevard, has just been released.
Robin Williams made his final on-screen appearance as a middle-aged married man with a monotonous life who falls in love with a troubled young man (Roberto Aguire). The character finds himself breaking from the confines of his old life and coming to terms with who he really is.
Before his death, Robin Williams described Dito Montiel’s Boulevard as a “beautiful, sad movie” that was “powerful to do”.
Sony Pictures Entertainment has failed to dismiss a legal action brought by nine ex-employees over the last year’s cyber attack.
A judge said the plaintiffs could pursue claims that the film unit of the Sony corporation had been negligent.
The plaintiffs are seeking to hold Sony liable for not bolstering security after previous breaches.
“We are pleased that the court has properly recognized the harm to Sony’s employees,” said lawyer Michael Sobol.
Many Sony employees had their personal details made public in 2014 when a group calling itself Guardians of Peace leaked data from the studio’s computers.
The attack was described as an act of revenge motivated by Sony’s release of The Interview, a comedy about an assassination attempt on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The nine plaintiffs claim Sony Pictures Entertainment violated a California confidentiality law by spurning security measures to stop the theft of employees’ salary and health data, Social Security numbers and other sensitive information.
Without ruling on their action’s merits, US District Judge Gary Klausner said Sony had created a “special relationship” with its employees by requiring them to provide personal information to be eligible for salaries and benefits.
The former workers said Sony’s negligence caused them economic harm and that the hack had been “an epic nightmare, much better suited to a cinematic thriller than to real life”.
The Interview, starring James Franco and Seth Rogen as journalists recruited by the CIA to assassinate Kim Jong-un, was initially withdrawn from cinemas but was later made available online.
Pope Francis has issued an encyclical, calling for fossil fuels to be “progressively replaced without delay”.
The pontiff urges the richer world to make changes in lifestyle and energy consumption to avert the unprecedented destruction of the ecosystem.
Environmentalists hope the message will spur on nations ahead of the UN climate conference in Paris in December.
However, parts of the document, leaked earlier this week, have already been criticized by some US conservatives.
The document has been dismissed by two Republican presidential candidates.
The encyclical, named “Laudato Si (Be Praised), On the Care of Our Common Home”, aims to inspire everyone – not just Roman Catholics – to protect the Earth.
The 192-page letter, which is the highest level teaching document a pope can issue, lays much of the blame for global warming on human activities.
Pope Francis writes that: “We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will.
“The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life.”
The Pope criticizes what he calls a “collective selfishness”, but says that there is still time to stop the damage, calling for an end to consumerism and greed.
Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi launched the pontiff’s second encyclical at a news conference on June 18.
The release comes six months before international leaders gather in Paris to try to seal a deal to reduce carbon emissions.
It has been widely welcomed by environmental groups, with WWF president Yolanda Kakabadse saying it “adds a much-needed moral approach” to the debate on climate change.
Greenpeace leader Kumi Naidoo highlighted passages calling for policies that reduce carbon emissions, including by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy.
But a leak of the document, published by Italy’s L’Espresso magazine on June 16, got a frosty response from skeptical conservatives in America, including two Roman Catholic presidential candidates.
Presidential hopeful Jeb Bush said he did not get his economic policy from his bishops, cardinals or pope.
Meanwhile Rick Santorum questioned whether Pope Francis was credible on the issue of climate science.
However, many academics have welcomed the pontiff’s input.
The UN’s climate change chief Christiana Figueres says the Pope’s message will influence talks in Paris this year on a deal to tackle global warming.
Developing countries are demanding firmer promises of financial help from rich countries so they can adapt to inevitable changes in the climate and get clean energy to avoid contributing to further warming.
Christiana Figueres said their position would be strengthened by Pope Francis’ insistence that this was the clear moral responsibility of the rich.
The encyclical will be welcomed by poor countries in Africa and Latin America.
The big question is how it will play in the USA, where it has already been dismissed by a Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush, who is a Catholic.
Leading Republicans have warned the UN that they will undo President Barack Obama’s climate policies – so if the encyclical sways any of the conservative Catholics in Congress that could prove significant.
Every business owner has struggled through a restless night wondering how to pay the bills. There are plenty of benefits to running a company and being your own boss. Unfortunately, it comes with the terrifying prospect of balancing the books and raking in a profit. In the early days, the outgoings can get on top of you quickly, and the budget is stretched to the limit. Sometimes, all you need is a quick injection of money. A short safety net could be just what you need to get things back on track.
In this post, we’ll show you a few ways to find money fast. It might just be enough to pay those invoices and give you some breathing room. However, it’s crucial that you set a realistic budget for yourself. Before you follow this advice, ensure you have a plan that draw real profit in the following months. If you don’t, you’ll just end up in the same position in the future.
The first option is seeking a loan from the bank. Small business loans are fairly easy to come by, and your current bank will be more than happy to set a meeting. Of course, this isn’t just free money, and there will be conditions attached. The lender may want to see your existing accounts to assess your business acumen thus far. They’ll certainly ask for a thorough business plan. The bank needs to know that you have a strict plan for monetization so they’ll get their money back.
Borrowing from friends and family is often a less daunting prospect. With a bank or lender, you may be subject to high interest levels. The loan itself may be secured against the business which could leave you bankrupt. Asking friends or family could provide you with a little more breathing room. Of course, your pride might take a hit, but in most cases, your family will be happy to help. Again, approach them with a full plan and repayment option.
You could always sell any existing business assets. If you’ve been trading for a while, you may have a stockpile of equipment or stock that is no longer needed. A company like Capital Asset Exchange and Trading can help you trade your old capital assets. This is perhaps the fastest route to a cash injection. It will also help you avoid any lingering debt and clear your business of unnecessary equipment.
Another alternative is seeking angel investment. You will exchange a percentage stake in your company for the money and skills of an investor. For many businesses, this is a big milestone and requires a fantastic pitch. You’ll need a good network to find the right investors too. Before you approach them, make sure your company is ready for the next step. Get the pitch right and you could bring a healthy cash flow and an experienced board member to the team.
Every business struggles through a rough patch. A quick injection of cash can help you ride the storm and get back on your feet. Just ensure that you are aware of the consequences and can afford any repayments. Good luck with your venture!
The new $10 bill will feature a woman, the Department of the Treasury has confirmed on June 17.
However, she has not been decided, the DoT said.
The redesigned $10 bill will debut in 2020 to mark the 100th anniversary of the US Constitution’s 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote.
The treasury will seek the public’s input in the selection, looking for a “champion for our inclusive democracy”.
Former political leaders – all white men – currently headline US banknotes.
The woman who the DoT ultimately selects will replace Alexander Hamilton, a key figure in the American Revolution and the first secretary of the US Treasury.
Alexander Hamilton began appearing on the $10 bill in 1929. He along with diplomat and inventor Ben Franklin are the only non-presidents featured on current notes.
Women have been featured on US money before, but the notes and coins were not widely used. Most recently women’s rights activist Susan B. Anthony and Native American Sacagawea appeared on dollar coins, but both coins quickly went out circulation.
The primary goal of the redesign is to add measures to thwart counterfeiters, the DoT said. But women’s groups have recently pressed for more representation on US bills.
“We have only made changes to the faces on our currency a few times since bills were first put into circulation, and I’m proud that the new 10 will be the first bill in more than a century to feature the portrait of a woman,” said Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew.
In March, an independent group held a contest to select a woman to headline the $20 bill, replacing former President Andrew Jackson.
Abolitionist Harriet Tubman was the public’s top choice, beating out finalists, former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, civil rights activist Rosa Parks and leader of the Cherokee nation Wilma Mankiller.
Harriet Tubman was known as the “conductor” of the Underground Railroad that allowed many slaves to escape to freedom in the 1850s.
Jacob Lew says the DoT will make a decision about the selected woman by the end of year.
Denmark is voting in a general election on Thursday, June 18.
According to opinion polls, PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt’s center-left coalition and the centre-right opposition led by ex-PM Lars Lokke Rasmussen, appear to be neck and neck.
However, the pollsters have only canvassed the Danish mainland – and voters in Greenland and the Faroe Islands may decide the vote.
Minor issues like a Faroes fishing dispute could influence the result.
The islands’ fishing community is still angry at Helle Thorning-Schmidt for barring its boats from Danish ports in a 2013 dispute over alleged overfishing.
In reality it is the economy, rather than mackerel quotas, that tends to swing elections, and Helle Thorning-Schmidt’s Social Democrat party has staged a remarkable comeback in recent weeks as Danish finances improve.
Welfare and immigration are exercising Danish voters even more than the economy, with anger at perceived benefit tourism leading the traditionally pro-immigration Social Democrats to launch an advertising campaign with the slogan: “If you come to Denmark you should work.”
Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who led the country between 2009 and 2011, has suggested that benefits are so high that there is barely any incentive for Danes or immigrants to work.
Hours before the polls opened, party leaders took part in the final debate on Danish TV.
A poll released on June 16 put the centre-left bloc – the Social Democrats and their four coalition partners – on 50.1% and the centre-right bloc led by Lars Lokke Rasmussen on 49.9%.
Either one of Helle Thorning-Schmidt’s and Lars Lokke Rasmussen’s parties could win the most seats, only to find themselves the loser if the other can muster a larger coalition.
Polling suggests that Danes are looking outside of the two main parties for alternatives.
One of them, called the Alternative, is a green party that has the potential to tip the balance in the favor of the centre-left coalition.
On the other side, the Liberal Alliance is drawing young libertarians away from the centre-right.
Specialists investigating the balcony collapse at University of California’s Berkeley campus that killed six people and injured seven others say water damage may have caused the structure to give way.
The balcony collapse happened during a 21st birthday party in the early hours of June 16.
Authorities said 13 people were on the fourth-floor balcony when it collapsed.
The victims were mostly Irish students who were living temporarily in the US as part of a work exchange program.
An initial investigation found that the balcony support’s wooden beams may not have been sealed properly at the time of construction, Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates said.
The mayor said: “More than likely, it was caused by rain and water damage.”
However, Tom Bates later stressed that this was not an official conclusion and that an investigation was still under way.
Building inspectors also ordered that two other balconies at the Library Gardens apartment building be demolished, saying they were unsafe and could collapse.
A former city official familiar with the apartment complex told the San Francisco Chronicle that the 5ft by 10ft balcony was “decorative” and not designed to hold a large number of people.
“This was meant just to be a place where someone could stand out for bit,” Carrie Olson told the publication.
“Not for something like 13 people.”
People left flowers and other tributes at the scene on June 17 as flags on both sides of the Atlantic flew at half-mast.
A memorial service was planned for June 17 in nearby Oakland, with victims’ relatives travelling from the Irish Republic to California.
Meanwhile, many in the Irish Republic and the US criticized coverage of the story in the New York Times, accusing the newspaper of “victim-blaming”.
The New York Times wrote a story about the work-visa program that some of the victims were on, mentioning “a series of high-profile episodes involving drunken partying and the wrecking of apartments”.
The newspaper’s public editor said in a blog that many of the complaints were valid. New York Times spokesperson Eileen Murphy said in an email: “It was never our intention to blame the victims and we apologize if the piece left that impression.”
Nine people have been killed in a shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston in the US state of South Carolina, officials say.
City police chief Gregory Mullen said eight of the victims were killed inside the historic African-American church on Wednesday evening, while another person died shortly afterwards.
Police are now searching for a white male suspect in his 20s.
“I do believe it was a hate crime,” Gregory Mullen said.
The church’s pastor, state Senator Clementa Pinckney, was among those killed, civil rights activist the Rev Al Sharpton tweeted.
A prayer meeting was going on at the time of the shooting at about 21:00 local time on June 17 at the church on Calhoun Street.
Charleston police tweeted: “Suspect in shooting on Calhoun St is a w/m approx 21 slender small build wearing a grey sweat shirt blue jeans timberland boots clean shaven.”
Speaking at a news briefing later, Gregory Mullen said: “There were eight deceased individuals inside of the church. Two individuals were transported to [the hospital]. One of them has died.
“At this point, we have nine victims in this hideous crime that has been committed.
“It is unfathomable that somebody in today’s society would walk into a church when people are having a prayer meeting and take their lives.”
A woman who survived the shooting told her family the gunman said he was letting her live so she could report what happened, the Charleston Post and Courier reported.
She said the gunman had sat in the church before standing and opening fire, according to an official from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Charleston Mayor Joe Riley described the shooting as “the most unspeakable” tragedy.
South Carolina Senator Tim Scott tweeted: “My heart is breaking for Charleston and South Carolina tonight.”
Jeb Bush’s campaign cancelled an event planned in Charleston for June 18 due to the shooting.
“Governor Bush’s thoughts and prayers are with the individuals and families affected by this tragedy,” Jeb Bush’s team said in a statement.
Helicopters were seen hovering above the area and a police chaplain was at the scene.
At one point police asked residents to move away because of reports of a bomb – but police later gave the all-clear.
A group of worshippers was seen praying near the church.
The attack comes two months after unarmed black man Walter Scott was shot and killed by a white police officer in North Charleston.
The shooting prompted angry protests and highlighted racial tension in the city. The officer has since been charged with murder.
Charleston was also due to hold a ceremony on June 18 marking the eighth anniversary of another tragedy – the death of nine firefighters in a blaze at a furniture store in 2007.
Duck Dynasty’s Reed Robertson has launched his new single Catching Light EP on iTunes and Spotify.
Jase and Missy Robertson’s eldest son tweeted: “Catching Light EP is officially LIVE on iTunes. Go check it out! Very grateful for all the support so…”
Reed Robertson, 20, who is a talented musician, first appeared on Duck Dynasty in 2012 in the episode called High Tech Redneck.
He graduated from high school in West Monroe, Louisiana and moved to Nashville, Tennessee to follow his dreams as a musician.
The Bank of Greece has warned for the first time that the country could be on a “painful course” to default and exit from both the eurozone and the EU.
The central bank’s warning comes as the government and its international creditors blamed each other for failing to reach a deal over economic reforms.
That failure is holding up the release of €7.2 billion in bailout funds.
About €30 billion was withdrawn from Greek bank deposits between October and April, the central bank added.
The central bank also warned Greece’s economic slowdown would accelerate without a deal.
“Failure to reach an agreement would… mark the beginning of a painful course that would lead initially to a Greek default and ultimately to the country’s exit from the euro area and, most likely, from the European Union,” the Bank of Greece said in a report.
“Striking an agreement with our partners is a historical imperative that we cannot afford to ignore.”
Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, when asked if there could be an agreement at the meeting of euro zone finance ministers in Luxembourg on June 18, said: “I do not believe so.”
He said preparatory work for the meeting had not gone far enough for a deal.
Greek shares fell sharply again. The Athens General Index closed 3.2% lower which takes its loss for the past four trading sessions to almost 19%.
Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann was in Athens on June 17 in a last-ditch bid to end the standoff.
“For Europe to be stronger, it must show solidarity and support to any country which needs it,” Werner Faymann said during a meeting with Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos.
That came ahead of a meeting of euro zone finance ministers on June 18 although officials have played down expectations of a make-or-break decision being reached.
The Austrian chancellor’s comments followed a harsher critique from European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who on June 16 accused the Greek government of misleading voters, as Greek PM Alexis Tsipras accused the EU and International Monetary Fund (IMF) of trying to “humiliate” his country.
Greece has two weeks remaining to strike a deal with its creditors or face defaulting on an existing €1.6 billion loan repayment due to the IMF.
The country has already rolled a €300 million payment into those due on June 30.
Jean-Claude Juncker said the Greek government had not told the truth about its latest reform proposals.
“I am blaming the Greeks [for telling] things to the Greek public which are not consistent with what I’ve told the Greek prime minister,” he said.
PM Alexis Tsipras has said that the lenders wanted to raise VAT on electricity.
Other Greek ministers have criticized suggestions to increase sales tax on medicines.
Jean-Claude Juncker said: “I’m not in favor, and the prime minister knows that… of increasing VAT on medicaments and electricity. This would be a major mistake.”
“The debate in Greece and outside Greece would be easier if the Greek government would tell exactly what the Commission… are really proposing,” he added.
YanisVaroufakis claimed that EU proposals did include VAT increases: “Juncker either hadn’t read the document he gave Tsipras – or he read it and forgot about it.”
Elsewhere in the eurozone, Portugal’s short-term borrowing costs rose sharply on June 17, with yields on six-month treasury bills jumping from minus 0.002% to 0.044% at the country’s latest debt auction.
The rise came despite an assurance to investors from Portuguese PM Pedro Passos Coelho that his country would not be “the next to fall” in the event of a Greek default.
A Georgian man was killed and another one wounded by a tiger after escaping from a flooded zoo in the capital Tbilisi.
The animal was later shot dead, the Georgian interior ministry says.
The tiger was one of several to break free from enclosures at Tbilisi Zoo last weekend following severe flooding.
Georgian police said they tracked the tiger to a disused warehouse but could not sedate it because it was too aggressive.
The flash floods devastated parts of Tbilisi, claiming the lives of 13 people, including three zoo keepers.
There was uncertainty on June 17 about the number of dangerous animals still on the loose, with reports on Twitter of another tiger being cornered in a city centre cafe after the first was shot dead.
The zoo had said on June 16 that all of the missing lions and tigers had been found dead, with one jaguar unaccounted for – sparking confusion when news of the tiger attack on the two men emerged.
Internal Affairs Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri told the press that the animal was found “hiding in an unused store room”.
“We tried our best to sedate the tiger, but it was not possible because the animal was too aggressive. So unfortunately we had to liquidate it,” he said.
Special police units drafted in to deal with the threat posed by dangerous animals have faced criticism, with zoo workers alleging that animals have been killed unnecessarily.
The zoo’s website says two white Bengali tigers live at the facility, one male and one female.
The flash floods devastated parts of Tbilisi, claiming the lives of 13 people, including three zoo keepers.
Up to six people are still missing and about 40 families lost their homes.
Hundreds of volunteers took to the streets on June 17 to help clear up the mess left by the floodwater.
The volunteers, many dressed in trainers and ordinary clothes and armed only with shovels, helped dig animals from the mud and carry them away.
Hundreds of animals drowned when the zoo was swamped by floodwater, while many others escaped.
Lions, hippos and bears were pictured roaming the streets, with residents urged to stay indoors and avoid contact with any of the animals.
So, you’ve found The One… and you’re pretty sure he feels the same. When is that question going to make its enlightening entry, bringing you both together in unity until your old age together? You’re almost certain it will be soon, and while your emotions are running wild with excitement, so many questions come to mind. But, most importantly, the main question remains: Which ring will you find wrapped up in that perfect package?
This is the moment in every woman’s life when a piece of jewellery has never been more important. Of course, as you will showcase this piece of beautifully crafted jewels for the rest of your life!
While you can never know exactly what it looks like (unless you’re shopping together), let’s take a look at what it could look like. And how would we do that? Well, considering you must know your partner quite well by now, let’s dive into the possibilities… based on his personality!
The Creative Type
While in profession, he may be an artist or a designer, or just possibly the type of guy who loves to think “outside of the box”, you can imagine whichever special engagement ring he gets you is going to reflect something truly unique.
Whether it be multiple colors, various stone sizes, or a unique type of band, it certainly won’t be the traditional type. If this describes your mate, you may expect the likes of a bespoke ring, which truly centralizes his passion for creativity… and his passion for you.
So, He’s Going To Propose… (And What To Expect?!)
The True Romantic
He brings you flowers when you least expect it… boxes of chocolates in a well-crafted heart shaped box is a regular event; does this sound familiar? If so, you can probably guess your partner is what they call ‘a true romantic’. This is every little girl’s dream, and you’ve found your Knight in shining armor… so what does that tell us when it comes to the ring?
If I could make an educated guess, this type of partner will almost certainly go for the classic diamond ring; a timeless work of art that will truly signify the neverending love you have for eachother. And isn’t that every little girl’s dream, come true?
The Outgoing Showstopper
He’s the life of every party, the flashiest of them all, and he sure isn’t afraid to show it. He does everything BIG and bold, whether that is in regards to his car purchase, his play on the field, in the bedroom … or in his moment of dedication to the one and only: You!
You never really know what to expect with this personality type, but one thing you do know is, it’s going to be spectacular. A fair guess, is that your ring will not only be big, but unique in every sense of the word; a real showstopper! Expect some kind of fancy coloured diamond in a non-traditional shape, to show just how much he wants the woman of his world to ‘stand out’!
The Perfectionist
We all know these types; everything has to be perfect and in-order, plans are always organized and nothing goes unnoticed. While this can sometimes be overwhelming, you can’t help but love this perfectly imperfect person who will lead your lives into loving bliss (on a schedule, of course). If this sounds like your partner, you may be in for a real treat.
Given their nature to have everything just perfect, he may think well ahead on this one and decide that there is no better way to give the perfect girl the perfect ring, then to let her choose it, herself! This may slightly take away from the ‘surprise’ factor (although I am sure he has something planned to cover that base, too), but you surely can’t deny the excitement and joy of purchasing the most important piece of jewellery, together. After all, it has to be just perfect!
No matter what the personality of your partner, the important thing to remember, is that you found that perfect person. The one who makes you laugh, picks you up when you’re down, and carries you across the finish line. And, while your ring is so very important, at the end of the day, all will be perfect when with that perfect someone… and that is truly priceless.
The new Top Gear co-host will be a woman, Chris Evans has confirmed.
Chris Evans, who was announced as Jeremy Clarkson’s replacement on June 16, said Top Gear would star at least one woman, chosen not “for the sake of it” but because of their passion for cars.
Former model Jodie Kidd, who presents Channel 5’s Classic Car Show, has already been tipped for the role.
Formula One presenter Suzi Perry has also been rumored for the show.
Suzi Perry appeared prominently in the audience of Chris Evans’ TV show TFI Friday last week, shortly after he agreed to host Top Gear.
However, bookmakers have made Jodie Kidd the favorite to fill one of the two slots left by James May and Richard Hammond, who quit the show in the wake of Jeremy Clarkson’s sacking.
Jodie Kidd currently attracts odds of 1/3, with former motorcycle racer turned broadcaster Guy Martin at 5/2, and Suzi Perry, Philip Glenister and Demot O’Leary all at 4/1.
In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live’s Nicky Campbell, Chris Evans said he wanted his co-stars to be “extremely knowledgeable about cars… people who have great energy, good timing… who are keen to do things differently”.
Asked if one of the presenters would be female, Chris Evans replied: “I can confirm that definitely, 100 per cent.”
The BBC has not given a timescale for announcing a replacement, but filming on Top Gear new series is expected to begin in a few weeks.
Florence and the Machine will replace Foo Fighters as the headliner of this year’s Glastonbury Festival.
Foo Fighters cancelled their Friday’s appearance at the Pyramid Stage after Dave Grohl broke his leg in a stage fall in Sweden.
Glastonbury organizer Emily Eavis said: “Once we heard… Foo Fighters had been forced to pull out, there was only one person we wanted to call and that was Florence.”
Florence Welch, 28, had already been confirmed to perform with her band before Foo Fighters on June 26.
She last performed at the Somerset event in 2010.
Ironically, Florence Welch’s recent concerts have been hampered by her breaking her foot on stage at the Coachella music festival in April.
This summer will mark Florence Welch’s first performance on Glastonbury’s famed main stage.
“Every time she has played here she’s done something spectacular and we always knew she would headline the Pyramid one day,” said Emily Eavis, who runs Glastonbury with her father Michael.
“I’m delighted she’s agreed to step up to it – she’s going to smash it!”
Michael Eavis added: “I’m absolutely delighted. She’s a fantastic girl, and she’s English as well.
“It’s a moment for her and she will be triumphant.”
Michael Eavis added that he hoped to book Foo Fighters for next year’s festival, but nothing was confirmed yet.
Kanye West is the headline act on June 27, while The Who will close this year’s festival the following night.
According to organizers, revised Pyramid Stage set timings for June 26 would be announced soon.
French Ecology Minister Segolene Royal has urged people to stop eating Nutella and save forests.
She said the chocolate-hazelnut spread damages the environment because it is made with palm oil.
Segolene Royal said Nutella contributed to deforestation because oil palms were replacing trees.
Nutella producer, Italian company Ferrero, said it has made commitments to source palm oil in a responsible way.
French senators tried unsuccessfully to impose a 300% tax on palm oil in 2011.
They argued that the oil was dangerously fattening and that its cultivation harmed the environment.
On June 16, Segolene Royal said that Nutella should be made from “other ingredients”.
“We have to replant a lot of trees because there is massive deforestation that also leads to global warming. We should stop eating Nutella, for example, because it’s made with palm oil,” she said, during an interview with French television network Canal+.
Ferrero gets almost 80% of its palm oil from Malaysia, according to AFP news agency. The rest of its supply comes from Brazil, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
The Italian group said that it was aware of the environmental stakes involved.
In February, Ferrero announced that all of its products were produced with palm fruit oil that was 100% certified as sustainable according to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) supply chain.
Swiss banks have reported suspicions of money laundering by soccer’s governing body FIFA.
Local prosecutors are investigating 53 cases of possible money laundering in their inquiry into bidding for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.
Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber said the incidents had been reported by Swiss banks.
He said his office was analyzing a “huge amount” of seized FIFA data in its inquiry.
The Swiss investigation is running in parallel to one being carried out by the US.
The 2018 and 2022 World Cups were awarded to Russia and Qatar respectively. But leading FIFA official Domenico Scala has said the awards could be cancelled if evidence emerges of bribery.
Russia and Qatar deny any wrongdoing.
FIFA is facing claims of widespread corruption after Swiss police raided a hotel in Zurich – where the soccer’s governing body is based – and arrested seven of its top executives last month.
The seven were held at the request of the US DoJ which has charged 14 current and former FIFA officials and associates on charges of “rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted” corruption.
The charges follow a three-year inquiry by the FBI.
Also in May, Swiss prosecutors opened separate criminal proceedings “against persons unknown on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and of money laundering” in connection with the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
However, until now, much less has been revealed about the Swiss investigation than the inquiry being led by the FBI.
Michael Lauber told a news conference that the investigation was “huge and complex on many levels” and would take a long time.
“We note positively that banks in Switzerland did fulfill their duties to file suspicious activity reports. Partly in addition to 104 banking relations already known to the authorities, banks announced 53 suspicious banking relations via the anti-money-laundering framework of Switzerland,” he said.
Michael Lauber said he did not rule out interviews with FIFA president Sepp Blatter as part of his investigation.
Sepp Blatter has denied any wrongdoing and announced earlier this month that he will resign.
The attorney said his investigation was separate from that being carried out by the FBI and that documents and data would not be shared automatically with the US.
Michael Lauber added: “The world of football needs to be patient. By its nature, this investigation will take more than the legendary 90 minutes.”
A female kangaroo has survived for four days with an arrow stuck in her head after being shot in Queensland, Australia.
The mother kangaroo was finally captured north of Brisbane on June16. She was also carrying a baby kangaroo, Australia Zoo said in a statement.
Doctors performed surgery to remove the arrow, which came very close to her skull and brain.
The kangaroo and her joey (baby) were released back into the wild after the operation.
Photo Australia Zoo Wildlife
She was captured by Australia Zoo and the RSPCA near Toorbul and taken to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital for treatment.
The arrow “actually grazed the skull and came millimeters from her eye socket and optical nerves”, the Australia Zoo statement said.
According to the statement, the kangaroo was sedated from when she arrived until when she was released back into the wild.
“She wouldn’t have even known she was there, but she will be waking up in the wild much more comfortably without the arrow,” the statement said.
“This type of deliberate cruelty towards animals is horrific, illegal and could have caused a certain slow, painful death for this mother kangaroo and her young joey.”
RSPCA Queensland spokesman Michael Beatty urged anyone with information on the case to contact it on 1300 852 188.
Michael Beatty said in most cases animals shot with arrows either died a slow death or lived long enough to be rescued but ultimately had to be euthanized.
