TIME magazine’s latest edition calls out to Donald Trump and 100,000 Chinese tourists visit in Russia for World Cup.
Sara Netanyahu has been charged with fraud and breach of trust
Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has been charged with fraud and breach of trust over the “misuse of state funds”, reports CNN. If convicted, she faces a maximum jail sentence of eight years.
Prosecutors say that she used state money to pay for $100,000 worth of meals at the Prime Minister’s residence, in what has come to be known as the “Meals Ordering Affair”. She also allegedly paid exorbitant amounts to private chefs.
Sara’s legal team has criticised the indictment as “false and hallucinatory”, and denied felony.
The charges come at a time when Netanyahu himself is facing criminal investigation in two separate cases.
Trump asks for separated families to be reunited as Melania Trump visits camps
President Donald Trump has asked federal agencies to begin reuniting children separated from illegal immigrants at the US-Mexico border.
“Trump’s announcement came as his wife, Melania, made a damage-control visit to a border detention facility in Texas where children are being held. Video footage of children sitting in cages and an audiotape of wailing children had sparked anger as the images were broadcast worldwide,” reports Reuters. The First Lady’s trip to the border city of McAllen was unannounced.
Melania’s sartorial choice during the visit — a coat with the words ‘I really don’t care, do u?’ written on it — sparked uproar across social media, and has been labelled inappropriate. Her husband later tweeted that the coat’s text was in reference to “fake news media”.
“I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” written on the back of Melania’s jacket, refers to the Fake News Media. Melania has learned how dishonest they are, and she truly no longer cares!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2018
On Wednesday, Trump signed an executive order to keep families together during immigration proceedings. The directive Thursday was the first step towards implementing the executive order.
TIME magazine lashes out at Trump in its latest edition
The latest edition of TIME magazine bears a powerful cover that shows President Trump’s indifference towards the plight of immigrant families: A photograph by Pulitzer winner John Moore that shows a two-year-old Honduran girl crying as her mother is detained in McAllen, Texas. The picture became the most visible symbol of the immigration debate in America, writes Time.
The cover shows Mr Trump looming over the crying toddler in a manipulated version of the photo, with the headline, “Welcome to America”, UK-based The Independent reported.
The cover was revealed the day after Trump signed an executive order to stop the separation of families at the border after widespread criticism from across the political spectrum.
People are surprised by ‘relaxed policing’ during the World Cup
The Russian police have reportedly surprised football fans arriving in Russia for the FIFA World Cup. “For many visitors expecting a police state, the laxity of police and the authorities in the last week has been a revelation. One video of Russian policemen fretting over a pair of passed-out Swedes has gone viral,” reports The Guardian.
However, only foreigners are allowed to spontaneously gather on the streets — and not Russians themselves. Locals have said that the World Cup shows how Russia “could look”, adding, however, that once it ends, “the process of cracking down will continue”.
Chinese football fans flood Russia
As many as 100,000 Chinese tourists are expected to travel to Russia during the 2018 #WorldCup, bringing more than 3 billion yuan ($460 million) in revenue to the host country, a latest report released by China's travel services provider Ctrip says pic.twitter.com/oAwm17TkLT
— People's Daily, China (@PDChina) June 21, 2018
According to People’s Daily, Chinese tourists flocking to Russia to attend the World Cup will bring about $460 million in revenue to Russia. As many as 100,000 Chinese tourists are expected to attend World Cup matches in the country.
Chinese company begins testing Mecca Light Rail ahead of Hajj
The Chinese Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC) has begun testing the Mecca Light Rail in preparation for the Hajj in August, reports Global Times.
The light rail is the first to be constructed by a Chinese company in the Middle East. The CRCC won the $93 million contract over a Saudi Arabian company in 2009. The railway line extends for nearly 20 km and includes nine stations. Construction was completed in 16 months.
The train is expected to ease road congestion during the Hajj, and provides easy mobility for pilgrims since it links the three main Hajj destinations.
Chinese company starts testing Mecca Light Rail for upcoming Hajj pilgrimage https://t.co/1Vnj45KKNO pic.twitter.com/o4ATbDoC2B
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) June 21, 2018
Central European states will boycott migration meeting in Brussels
The leaders of the four central European Visegrad states — Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic — will not attend an informal meeting organised by the European Union to discuss migration policy, reports AFP.
At a summit Thursday also attended by Austria, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki described the meeting, scheduled for Sunday, as “unacceptable”. Hungary’s Viktor Orban said the meeting was against the customs of the EU. Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz, meanwhile, called for a tougher migration policy and supported the Visegrad states.
The meeting of the five countries was hosted by Orban in Budapest, a day after Hungary passed a controversial law to criminalise NGOs that help migrants and refugees.
China celebrates International Yoga Day
The fourth International Yoga Day was marked in China on 21 June 2018 and people across the country performed asanas to celebrate the occasion, Xinhuan reported.
