Verdict Looms For Italian Accused Of Infecting 30 Women With HIV

An HIV-positive man accused of intentionally infecting 30 women is set to learn the verdict on Friday in his trial for allegedly targeting victims for unprotected sex over nearly 10 years.

Under the pseudonym "Hearty Style", 33-year-old accountant Valentino Talluto seduced dozens of young women on social networks and internet dating sites, often dating several at a time.

Out of 53 sexual conquests known to have taken place between 2006 -- when he discovered he was HIV positive -- and his arrest in 2015, 30 women were allegedly infected by him with the virus which damages the immune system and causes AIDS.

The male companions of three of the women were also infected, as was the baby of a fourth, investigators say.

Throughout the trial, which opened in March in Rome's Rebibbia prison, the women described how Talluto had wined and dined them, claiming to fall in love before persuading them to have unprotected sex.

The women who had asked him to wear a condom said he told them he was allergic or had just been tested for HIV.

When the women discovered they were HIV positive -- by chance, due to health problems or after other women he dated raised the alarm -- they said he said it had nothing to do with him.

The defence maintains Talluto's actions were "imprudent, but not intentional".

Some women stayed with Talluto for months after discovering they were sick. In the end, it was above all his chronic cheating -- he juggled up to six relationships at the same time -- that drove them away.

Many were students, some mothers. The youngest was 14 at the beginning of their relationship, the oldest around 40.

Each described the horrors of HIV, from the stigma which distanced even family members, to the trials of treatment.

The prosecution has demanded the bespectacled, stocky accountant get life behind bars for "wilful injury" and causing an "epidemic".

- 'Still love him' -

"Talluto has never cooperated, he has made false statements, he has always denied any responsibility, even in the face of the evidence. His actions were intended to sow death," prosecutor Elena Neri told the court last month.

The defence painted a picture of a young man eager for affection who never knew his father and whose mother -- a drug addict who was HIV positive -- died when he was just four years old.

"He did not intentionally seek to transmit the virus," his lawyer Maurizio Barca said, insisting that Talluto used condoms "most of the time" and only had sex without them a few times after being "caught in the heat of the action".

He also claimed it was impossible to prove it was his client and not other partners who had infected the women.

The strain of the virus they share with Talluto is the most widespread in Europe.

After months of silence, Talluto finally spoke out at the end of September, his voice breaking with emotion and his eyes brimming with tears after hearing the testimony of one of the women.

"Many of the girls know my friends and family. They say that I wanted to infect as many people as possible. If that had been the case, I would have gone for casual sex in bars, I would not have brought them into my life," he insisted.

One of the women still refuses to give up on him. She told the court in July of their meeting in 2014, how he told her immediately that he was HIV positive, and how she forgave his infidelities.

"We want to get married. I'm still in love with Valentino, he's not the monster that everyone describes," she said.

South African Pair Jailed For Forcing Black Man Into Coffin

A South African judge on Friday handed down jail terms of 19 and 16 years to two white farmers who filmed themselves forcing a black man into a coffin and threatening to burn him alive.

Willem Oosthuizen and Theo Martins Jackson, who both shifted nervously in the dock, laid their heads on the bench after their sentencing while female family members wept in the public gallery.

"The conduct of the accused was most dehumanising and disgusting," said judge Segopotje Mphahlele, handing down sentence in the High Court sitting in Middelburg, 165 kilometres (100 miles) east of Johannesburg.

They had pleaded not guilty over the incident last year in the eastern province of Mpumalanga, saying they only intended to scare Victor Mlotshwa whom they accused of stealing copper cables from their farm.

They were convicted on August 25 of attempted murder as well as kidnap, intimidation and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

Oosthuizen, 29, was sentenced to a 16-year term with five years suspended, while Jackson, 30, was jailed for 19 years, with five also suspended.

"The most appalling act of the accused was to put the complainant in a coffin against his will," said Mphahlele.

"Whilst in the coffin they threatened to set it alight. They asked him how he wanted to die -- quickly or slowly."

The judge said it was not the first time that the men had forced someone into a coffin against their will, saying their behaviour "raised and fuelled racial tension" in South Africa.

- 'Lack of remorse' -

The judge ruled that the convicted men could not appeal the sentence following a bid by their legal team.

A lawyer for the men, Wayne Gibbs, called the jail terms "shockingly inappropriate," arguing that they were a result of intense media attention and public pressure.

Two clips of footage taken on their mobile phones showed the assailants shoving Mlotshwa down into the wooden coffin and pressing the lid closed with their boots as he begged for mercy.

When the first phone footage emerged several months ago, it triggered national outrage and led to the arrest of the two men.

"Please don't kill me," Mlotshwa begged the men while in the coffin, the footage showed.

"Why shouldn't we, when you are killing our farm?" one of the convicted men replied.

Throughout the case, the men denied that their actions had caused the victim to fear for his life.

"The evidence of the accused and the conduct of the accused during their trial clearly displays a lack of remorse," said Mphahlele.

Mlotshwa was in court to hear the sentences against the two men, who had alleged that he had threatened to kill their families and burn farm crops before being forced into the coffin.
He said he was simply walking to the town of Middelburg to buy provisions for his mother and had decided to use a short cut when the two men spotted him.

On the phone footage, which was shown in court during the trial, one of the men said "Come, come. We want to throw the petrol on".

They are also seen threatening to put a snake in the coffin.

Mlotshwa, who sat in court directly behind the families of the convicted men, smiled following the sentencing.

Members of rival political parties -- including ruling African National Congress -- celebrated inside the courtroom and outside, where some activists held up a cardboard coffin to protest against the crime.

Others brandished placards emblazoned with slogans calling for lengthy sentences for the accused and for better treatment of labourers.

South Africa is beset by deep-rooted racial inequality 23 years after the end of white-minority rule and racist incidents regularly erupt on social media.

Indian Doctors Separate Twins Joined At The Head

Handout The two-year-old conjoined twins suffered a rare condition occurring once in about 2.5 million births

Doctors in India have successfully separated conjoined twin boys who were attached at the skull in a marathon surgical procedure that lasted more than 36 hours and involved 40 doctors.

The two-year-old twins, who suffered a rare condition occurring once in about 2.5 million births, underwent the operation at a government-run hospital in New Delhi on Wednesday.

"It was a team work of 40 doctors, 20 nurses and many other paramedical staff. Without their help this would not have been possible," the All India Institute of Medical Science hospital said in a statement.

One of the surgeons involved said the most challenging aspect was repairing the holes left in the young boys' heads after they were separated.

The twins were born in a village in the eastern state of Odisha with shared blood vessels and some shared brain tissue. They had undergone the first phase of the separation surgery in August.

"The most challenging job after the separation was to provide a skin cover on both sides of the brain for the children as the surgery had left large holes on their heads," said Maneesh Singhal, a plastic surgeon who was a part of the operating team.

"The skin was generated from the expansion of two balloons which were placed inside their heads during the first surgery in August," Singhal told AFP on Friday.

"The next step will be reconstruction of their skulls," he added.

Conjoined siblings are identical twins who are born with their skin and internal organs fused together, according to the University of Maryland Medical Centre website.

About half are stillborn, and the survival rate is between five and 25 percent.

They develop from a single egg, which splits in the case of healthy twins, but not fully in the case of conjoined siblings.

One Dead As Fresh Protests Erupt After Kenya's Divisive Vote

One person was shot dead as fresh protests hit western Kenya on Friday, a day after a deeply-divisive election re-run which was marred by low voter turnout and violence, taking the death toll to six.

The latest bloodshed occurred as angry opposition supporters took to streets in several western towns to protest plans by the IEBC election board to stage a poll on Saturday in four areas where voting had been blocked by election day unrest.

The region is a hotbed of support for opposition leader Raila Odinga, who boycotted Thursday's vote in a move that has all but assured his rival President Uhuru Kenyatta a landslide victory.

But as polling officials carefully counted the ballots, difficult questions remained over the credibility of an election boycotted by a large part of the 19 million registered voters, with initial turnout figures suggesting only a third of registered voters turned up.

The country's second presidential election in three months has sharply divided east Africa's flagship democracy, and the result may spark further legal battles.

By Friday morning, angry protesters had taken to the streets, blocking roads in the western towns of Homa Bay, Migori and Bungoma, where one man was shot dead during a confrontation with police.

 "People were running away from police and that is when they started shooting and he fell down and started bleeding heavily," witness Maurice Wafula told AFP.

"We are not voting and it is our right to demonstrate, they should not kill us."

But police denied the account, claiming he was one of a group of youths who cornered an officer and tried to grab his gun. "That's when he was unfortunately shot dead," said local police chief Moses Nyakwama.

Earlier, there were also chaotic scenes in Migori where police were engaged in running battles with youths, a correspondent said.

At least four people were killed during Thursday's vote and around 50 others wounded, most of them by live bullets, according to an AFP tally of figures from officials and medics. Another who was injured in Homa Bay succumbed to his injuries on Friday morning, medics said, raising the toll to six.

- More unstable than ever -

Kenya is now "more fractured and unstable than ever before", the Daily Nation warned in an editorial on Friday. "There is a need to forge inclusivity."

The vote came after a two-month political drama that began when the Supreme Court overturned the victory of President Uhuru Kenyatta in August 8 elections due to "irregularities".

Although the ruling was initially hailed as a chance to deepen democracy, reaction quickly soured with weeks of angry protests, acrimonious political rhetoric and intimidation of election officials.

Odinga refused to take part in the re-run, on grounds the election commission had failed to make the necessary changes to ensure a free and fair vote.

But many of his supporters ignored his call to stay peacefully at home and instead attempted to block the vote, clashing angrily with police who fired tear gas, water cannon and live bullets in the west and in Nairobi's hotspot slums.
 
While the August election saw long queues of voters, Thursday's vote was a different story with many polling stations empty or welcoming only a trickle of people.

Election chief Wafula Chebukati said data from over 90 percent of constituencies showed less than 35 percent of 19.6 million voters had cast their ballot.

That figure is a huge drop from the nearly 80 percent rate in the August poll and proof the boycott had held.

With voting disrupted in four protest-hit counties where Odinga enjoys overwhelming support, Chebukati said he was postponing the vote there until Saturday, citing "security-related" challenges.

But the governor of Kisumu, an Odinga stronghold in western Kenya where violence raged on Thursday, rejected the move, saying people would not vote while they were "mourning".

- 'We won't vote tomorrow' -

Outside Kisumu's morgue, a group of about 30 women stood weeping, with some holding up a sign saying: "Stop killing our sons".

"The police should stop killing us. Our sons are not for sacrifice," said Rose Nyadera, a 45-year-old butcher.

"Tomorrow we won't go to the election. We do not want it to happen."

Elsewhere in Kisumu, things were slowing getting back to normal.

Many shops were open and traffic was once again seen on the streets, although the remains of the barricades thrown up on Thursday were still visible and in some cases, roads were only partially open, with scraps of burnt tyre littering the floor.

"Today, we are going back to normal. We rest, but tomorrow we will strike again. Because we do not want this election," explained Daniel Ayoga, 38, who sells second-hand bags.

"Business is difficult for the moment. But we think it is worth it," he added, saying people were waiting for Odinga's instructions.

After Thursday's chaos, the night was relatively calm, although witnesses reported sporadic shooting in the slums shortly before midnight.

The confirmed casualties raised to 46 the total number of people killed in election-related violence since the August poll.

The crisis is the worst since a 2007 election sparked politically-driven ethnic violence that left 1,100 dead.

Trump Declares Opioid Crisis A Public Health Emergency

US President Donald Trump has declared the country's opioid crisis a "public health emergency", but stopped short of issuing an order that would allocate more federal funds to address the epidemic.

Opioids are a type of drugs that include illegal substances, such as heroin, and legal painkillers - medications such as oxycodone, codeine and morphine are all types of opioids.

"Effective today, my administration is officially declaring the opioid crisis a national public health emergency under federal law," Trump said during a speech addressing the issue on Thursday.

"I am directing all executive agencies to use every appropriate emergency authority to fight the opioid crisis," he said.

"We can be the generation that ends the opioid epidemic."

According to the latest figures from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), deaths from opioid overdoses - either prescription or illegal - have quadrupled in the US since 1999.

The CDC recorded 33,091 deaths in 2015.

Since 2000, more than 200,000 Americans have died from overdoses of prescriptionopioids.

Photos From President Buhari's Dinner With The Leadership Of National Assembly At The State House

President Muhammadu Buhari last night hosted the leadership of National Assembly to a Dinner at the State House Residence.

Present at the dinner were' Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Senior Special Assistants Nass Matters Senator Eta Enang.

'Labeling Every Young Man Seen In A Car As Being A Yahoo Boy Should Stop Forthwith' Kwara Commissioner Of Police Warns SARS Officials In The State

The Commissioner of Police in Kwara state, Lawan Ado, issued this warning when he met with operatives of the F-SARS (SPECIAL ANTI-ROBBERY SQUAD) at the Police Headquarters Ilorin, the state capital.

Read a statement from the command below

'The Commissioner of Police Kwara State Command, Cp Lawan Ado, while meeting with Kwara State Command's officers and operatives of the F-SARS (SPECIAL ANTI-ROBBERY SQUAD) at the Police Headquarters Ilorin today, declared to the operatives that enough was enough, that they either sit up or get booted out of the outfit.

This was consequent upon different misconducts attributed to the outfit in recent times, which has brought some level of disrepute to the image and the good name the command has toiled so much to maintain, allegations of extortion, checking of telephone sets of citizens, laptops and labelling every young man seen in a car as being a yahoo boy should stop forthwith, drunkenness especially while on duty is an offence against discipline, he reiterated that, he would not hesitate to wield the big stick on any officer whose actions or inaction would drag the jealously guarded name of the Police in the mud.

He, for the Upteen time, re-echoed the directive of the Inspector General of Police to the effect that, the ban on road blocks on our high ways remains in force, any police officer arrested for disobedient to this directive will be severely dealt with.

While also assuring the men of the support and protection of the Police authority at all times, he promised that the Command would do everything within its powers to make their work easy, he admonished the officers to be civil in all their dealings with the members of the public, while also telling them that, their being members of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad does not in any way differentiate them from other policemen and as such they must at all times abide by their rules of engagement, dress code and must be neatly turned out as they were not immuned against sanctions.

He also reminded the officers that, a male police searching a female suspect is a misnomer, searching of telephone set belonging to accosted citizens by SARS operatives, escorting suspects to the ATM machine to collect money, or forcing suspect to make electronic money transfer is robbery, he further declared that any officer arrested doing any of the above will be dismissed and charged to court.

He told the officers that their welfare is a priority to the Police management, saying their job was not an easy one. He admonished the good people of Kwara state to continue to support the team and volunteer information so as to enable the police discharge its responsibility adequately'.

Nigeria Returns Loaned Aircraft To Pakistan

Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says it has returned four Super Mushshak aircraft loaned to it by Pakistan Government.

Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya, the Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

He stated that the aircraft were for ab-initio flying training of pilots at 401 Flying Training School, Kaduna State.

Adesanya added that “the disassembled aircraft were loaded aboard cargo aircraft and flown out of Air Force Base, Kaduna State on Oct. 23.

“The aircraft were temporarily made available by Pakistan Government at no cost to NAF for training of pilots in December 2016, prior to delivery of 10 trainer aircraft ordered by NAF.”  

The director explained that NAF used the four Super Mushshak trainer aircraft to train four instructor pilots and graduated 16 ab-initio student pilots, including two female pilots.

He explained further that the training took place at the 401 Flying Training School, Kaduna State.

Adesanya said the training had enhanced NAF’s ability to train its pilots locally, thereby helping to build the needed capacity to further prosecute the fight against insurgency in the North-East.

He said “having taken delivery of the first batch of five new trainer aircraft, there was no need any longer to retain the aircraft, hence their return, in line with the agreement between the two countries.”  

The director added that NAF was expecting to receive the remaining five new Super Mushshak aircraft it ordered before the end of December.

Senate President Saraki Shuts Down Ilorin With Daughter’s Wedding (photos)

The first leg of the wedding ceremony between Tosin and Adeniyi Olatunde Olukoya, kicked off with an Introduction (Writing-in), place last Saturday, 21 October, 2017, in Ilorin, Kwara State.

The bride is the daughter of Dr Bukola Saraki, President of the Senate and his wife, Toyin, the Founder-President of Wellbeing Foundation Africa.

Friends and associates of the bride’s parents, were on ground to lend their supports. The female guests shared a lilac Ankara.

Notable among some of the close friends and associates of the bride’s mother, who were sighted at the event were, Ekua Abudu, Ruth Osime, Sola Coker, Nike Animashaun, Onikepo Braithwaite, Furo Hart, Gbemi Shasore, Yewande Zaccheaus, Debbie Oghene and many others.


Also present were Senators including Senator Dino Melaye.

Here are pictures from the event.

EFCC Seals Abdulrasheed Maina’s $2m Mansion In Abuja

Yesterday, operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) sealed-off a palatial mansion owned by the embattled former chairman of now defunct Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina.

The property, located at No. 10 Amisi Musa Street within the Jabi Lake area, had “EFCC keep off” inscriptions on the extended fence.

The EFCC is investigating Maina over alleged mismanagement of N2 billion pension funds. The whopping sum was alleged to have been misapplied through fraudulent biometric contracts in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.

President Buhari has demanded for a report from the Head of Service of the Federation on the processes which led to the sack of the embattled former chairman.

 In a memo to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the President equally demanded a full report of the circumstances of Maina’s recall and posting to the Ministry of Interior. “

2 Pastors Arrested For Raping Minors In South Africa

The South African Police Service (SAPS) have arrested two Limpopo pastors in two separate incidents of rape involving minor girls in the Phalaborwa area.

Limpopo police spokesperson, Lt-Col Moatshe Ngoepe who confirmed the incidents on Sunday, said a 52-year-old (Name withheld) pastor in a village near Lulekani township was arrested for allegedly raping his 14-year-old half-sister,

"It is alleged that the victim started living with the suspect and his wife since she was three years old following the death of her mother.

According to him. the suspect, who is a pastor at a local church, allegedly started raping the victim when she was 11 years old up to date until the victim reported the matter to the police who immediately started tracing the suspect and arrested him.

The man is expected to appear in the Lulekani Magistrate's Court today, on charges of rape and sexual assault.

While the second pastor, aged 46, was arrested by police in Namakgale outside Phalaborwa. He briefly appeared in the Namakgale Magistrate's Court and was remanded in custody with no bail until the October 26 for a bail application and for further police investigations, Ngoepe said.

"It is alleged that the suspect raped his 14-year-old stepdaughter at a village near Namakgale township; following the gruesome discovery by the victim's mother who immediately reported the ordeal to the police which led to this arrest."

The spokesman said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect started raping the victim in February 2015.

Also reacting to the alleged rape cases, Limpopo acting police commissioner Maj-Gen Bafana Linda condemned the act of criminality perpetrated against children in the strongest terms. She warned all perpetrators of such crimes to "repent immediately, not so, we are going to deal with them mercilessly and without compromise".

Source:ANA

Nigerians, Somalians, Others Arrested In More Raids Targeting Africans In Bangkok, Thailand

Fourteen African nationals were arrested on Saturday evening, October 21, as raids targeting a specific racial group continued across Bangkok, Thailand.

Sweeps for people of African origin were conducted in 32 areas including the Bang Na, Udomsuk and Lat Phrao areas.

They resulted in the arrests of nine people, two from Nigeria and seven from Somalia, accused of being in the kingdom illegally. Another four Nigerians were charged with overstaying their visas.

The raid was headed by the same police commander who last week arrested 52 people in a raid targeting black people. The authorities have acknowledged they are identifying potential suspects by race.

Surachet Hakpan, head of the 191 emergency response unit, said the operations were being carried out at the government’s behest.

He said they were aimed at cracking down on criminals involved in currency counterfeiting, online romance scams and credit card skimming.
Fingerprints and DNA were collected from the suspects, and they were barred from reentering the country.

Room owners at The IRIS Rama 9-Srinakarin condominium, where many of the suspects were staying, will be charged with sheltering foreigners without notifying the authorities.

After the Oct. 16 raids, Surachet said it was part of the tightened security measures ahead of the royal cremation ceremony.

Photos From The FIFA Best Player Award In London As Ronaldo, Messi And Others Step Out With Their WAGs For The Gala In London

Cristiano Ronaldo was crowned the Best player in the world for the second time running at the just concluded FIFA's The Best men's player award in London yesterday.

But the striker stepped out in style as he was accompanied to the event by his son Cristiano Jnr and his pregnant girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez, who looked ravishing in her outfit.

Barcelona star Lionel Messi also arrived in grand style with his wife Antonella Roccuzzo, as well as Argentine icon Diego Maradona who storm the event with his partner Rocio Oliva.

Paris Saint-Germain defender Dani Alves attended the high-profile gala in a stylish black jacket with his wife Joana Sanz. Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka was at the gig with his wife Leonita Lekaj.

Tottenham Hotspur and England international striker, Harry Kane was also present at the venue with his fiancee Katie Goodland, while Real Madrid defender Marcelo brought his family (Wife and two sons.)

See more photos below...

Crocodile Smile: Troops Arrest Bishop And 18 Others For Robbery, Kidnapping

Troops of the Nigerian Army in the ongoing Operation Crocodile Smile II in the South-South and South-West regions have arrested a bishop, Uwah Mfon, and 18 others for armed robbery, kidnapping and cult activities in different areas of Akwa Ibom State.

Punch reports that the suspects – some of them were identified as Saviour Friday, Nsika Udoh, Akan Monday, Abak Obong and Oyobong Frank – were arrested by troops of 2 Brigade and had been handed over to the police.

The Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, and 6 Division spokesman, Colonel Aminu Iliyasu, said Mfon and the other suspects were arrested for allegedly terrorising Abak Obong, Oruk Atai and Ikot Obong areas in the Etim Ekpo Local Government Area of the state.

Iliyasu said the bishop was believed to be an alleged financier of “wanted criminals terrorising” the areas.

He said, “The increased presence of troops both on land and on waterways helped to prevent any criminal activity.

“The troops arrested Mfon on October 14. He is believed to be the financier of wanted criminals and he was arrested at Ikot Ibekwe community in the Ukanafun LGA. The suspect is volunteering information about gangs of kidnappers and cult members linked to him.” 

The spokesman said more than 120,000 litres of stolen fuel was recovered from oil thieves in Rivers State.

Punch correspondent learnt that troops of 29 Battalion intercepted two trucks in the Uzuaku area, laden with 55,000 and 30,000 litres of fuel.

“A patrol team also discovered a re-activated illegal refinery in the Doroko area on October 17; and the site was destroyed by the troops. The troops also destroyed 53 jerrycans of 25 litres and 20 drums of 250 litres in the Akinima and Okrika areas respectively,” Iliyasu added

Cristiano Ronaldo Beats Messi And Neymar To Win Best FIFA Men’s Player Of The Year Award

The Best FIFA Football Award held in London a few moments ago where Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane were awarded the leading honors for The Best FIFA Men’s Player and Men’s Coach respectively.

Ronaldo was named The Best for the second successive year while Dutch duo Lieke Martens and Sarina Wiegman were rewarded as The Best FIFA Women’s Player and Women’s coach.

Despite approaching his 40th birthday, Gianluigi Buffon proved that age is just a number by being named The Best FIFA Goalkeeper, with the Italian custodian on hand to pick up the inaugural award to celebrate the men between the sticks.

After picking up The Best FIFA Goalkeeper, he was also named the top goalkeeper by his peers, in a FIFA FIFPro World11 dominated by Real Madrid players. Cristiano Ronaldo was joined in the star-studded XI by club team-mates Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, with Dani Alves, Leonardo Bonucci, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi and Neymar completing the dream team.

See the full list of winners below...

Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Women’s Player: Lieke Martens
Men’s Coach: Zinedine Zidane
Women’s Coach: Sarina Wiegman
Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon
Puskás Award: Olivier Giroud
Fan Award: Celtic supporters
Fair Play Award: Francis Kone

World11: Gianluigi Buffon; Dani Alves, Leonardo Bonucci, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Toni Kroos, Andres Iniesta, Luka Modric; Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar

Trump Disputes Widow’s Account Of Call, Says t was 'respectful conversation'

President Trump says he was “very respectful” in his condolence call with Myeshia Johnson, the widow of Sgt. La David T. Johnson and rejected her claim that he did not appear to know the slain soldier’s name.

“I had a very respectful conversation with the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson,” Trump tweeted on Monday, “and spoke his name from beginning, without hesitation!”

-Trump Conversation-

I had a very respectful conversation with the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, and spoke his name from beginning, without hesitation!

In an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Myeshia Johnson said that Trump struggled to remember her husband’s name on the call, leaving her “very angry.”

“I heard him stumbling on trying to remember my husband’s name,” Johnson said. “And that’s what hurt me the most, because if my husband is out here fighting for our country and he risked his life for our country, why can’t you remember his name?” 

“That’s what made me upset and cry even more because my husband was an awesome soldier,” she added.

The deaths of Johnson and three other U.S. service members killed in an ambush in Niger on Oct. 4 are under investigation, U.S. officials said last week.

Trump’s condolence calls with the families of four Green Berets on Tuesday stirred controversy after Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., who was in a car with Johnson when Trump spoke with her, said the president told the grieving mother of two that the 25-year-old soldier “knew what he signed up for.”

“How could you say that to a grieving widow?” Wilson told a Miami television stationshortly after the call. “And he said it more than once. I said this man has no feelings for anyone. This is a young woman with child who is grieved to her soul.”

Trump said the Florida congresswoman “totally fabricated” what he had said on the call. But on ABC, Myeshia Johnson said Wilson’s account was “100 percent” accurate. Last week, La David Johnson’s mother, Cowanda Jones-Johnson, said the same to the Washington Post.

Trump’s response to the soldiers’ deaths came under intense scrutiny last week following a Rose Garden press conference Oct. 16 in which he falsely claimed that former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush did not call families of fallen soldiers.

“If you look at President Obama and other presidents, most of them didn’t make calls,” Trump told reporters in that press conference. “I like to call when it’s appropriate, when I think I’m able to do it.”

In a Fox News Radio interview the next day, Trump refused to clarify the remarks — and in the process invoked chief of staff John Kelly’s dead son, who died while serving in Afghanistan in 2010.

“There’s nothing to clarify,” Trump said. “I think I’ve called every family of somebody that’s died, and it’s the hardest call to make. 

And I said it very loud and clear yesterday. The hardest thing for me to do is do that. Now, as far as other representatives, I don’t know. I mean, you could ask Gen. Kelly — did he get a call from Obama?”

Kelly defends Trump on casualties, attacks 'selfish' congresswoman

At a White House briefing on Thursday, chief of staff John Kelly delivered an impassioned defense of Trump’s outreach to those families and denounced Wilson’s criticism of the call as “selfish.”

Kelly said that Obama did not call him when his son was killed but stressed it was “not a criticism” of the former president.

“I appeal to America,” Kelly said. “Let’s not let this, maybe, last thing that’s held sacred in our society: a young man, young woman going out and giving his or her life for our country. Let’s try to somehow keep that sacred.”

All Five Living Former U.S. Presidents Gathered In Texas To Raise Money For Hurricane Victims (Video)

All five living former U.S. presidents took to the stage in College Station, Texas, on Saturday night for a benefit concert raising funds for hurricane victims in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama first came together last month to launch the hurricane relief fund “One America Appeal.” The initiative has raised $31 million to date, with contributions from more than 80,000 donors. One hundred percent of proceeds has been pledged to helping hurricane victims recover.

On Saturday, 10,000 people gathered at Texas A&M University’s Reed Arena for the sold-out “Deep from the Heart: One America Appeal” concert, reported the Texas Tribune. Lyle Lovett, Lee Greenwood and Gospel legend Yolanda Adams were among the performers who regaled the crowd. Pop star Lady Gaga also made a surprise appearance, and announced she was donating $1 million to the hurricane relief fund.

-Trump Conversation-

Nothing more beautiful than everyone putting their differences aside to help humanity in the face of catastrophe. 

 Presidents Hurricane Concert For Hurricane Victims

The audience cheered wildly when the five former presidents appeared on stage. They last gathered together in 2013, when Obama was still in office.

“We could not be prouder of the response of Americans when they see their neighbors, when they see their friends, when they see strangers in need, Americans step up,” Obama told the audience. 

“And as heartbreaking as the tragedies that took place here in Texas and in Florida and in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have been, what we’ve also seen is the spirit of America at its best.”

Obama went on to highlight the charitable efforts of George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush, calling the senior Bush an “outstanding American who has always shown grace and character and courage and served America nobly throughout the years.”

President Donald Trump did not attend the show, but sent a prerecorded message that was screened during the event.

“This wonderful effort reminds us that we truly are one nation under God, all unified by our values and devotion to one another,” Trump said in his greeting

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'I Was very Angry' At Trump, Says Myeshia Johnson, Widow Of Fallen Soldier

The pregnant widow of U.S. Army Sgt. La David Johnson, who was among four U.S. service members killed in Niger earlier this month, expressed a mix of blame and sorrow today on "Good Morning America," saying she was "very angry" about President Donald Trump's condolence phone call and upset because she says he struggled to "remember my husband's name."

ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos spoke to Myeshia Johnson, who criticized Trump's handling of the phone call that started a firestorm of controversy.

Trump hits back at Army widow's account of his condolence phone call

Myeshia Johnson is presented with a folded U.S. flag by a military honor guard member during the burial service for her husband U.S. Army Sgt. La David Johnson at the Memorial Gardens East cemetery, Oct. 21, 2017, in Hollywood, Fla.

"I heard him stumbling on trying to remember my husband's name, and that’s what hurt me the most because if my husband is out here fighting for our country and he risked his life for our country why can’t you remember his name," said Johnson, who had known her husband since she was 6 years old. 

"That’s what made me upset and cry even more because my husband was an awesome soldier."

After Johnson’s interview aired, Trump argued on Twitter today that he spoke Sgt. Johnson’s name “from the beginning” and “without hesitation.”

-Trump conversation-

I had a very respectful conversation with the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, and spoke his name from beginning, without hesitation!

Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., last week adamantly defended her version of Trump's phone call to Johnson in an interview with ABC News.

Wilson, who was accompanying Johnson to Dover Air Force Base when the president called, heard Trump on speakerphone attempting to console her.

PHOTO: Myeshia Johnson, the wife of Army Sgt. La David Johnson, looks down at his casket after the burial at Hollywood Memorial Gardens, Oct. 21, 2017, in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/Polaris)More

"I heard him say, 'Well I guess you know he knew what he was signing up for, but it still hurts,'" Wilson told ABC News.

Trump called the congresswoman’s description a "total fabrication."

But Johnson today said the congresswoman was "100 percent correct" about the call from Trump. “Why would we fabricate something like that?” she said this morning.

PHOTO: Sgt. La David Johnson, 25, died from wounds sustained during enemy contact. He was assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) on Fort Bragg. (U.S. Army)More

Johnson, days after being informed of her husband’s fatal firefight, said she was barred from seeing her husband’s body or given any straight story on how he died in Niger.

"I need to see him so I will know that that is my husband," Johnson, who's expecting to give birth to their daughter in January, said. 

She added: “They won’t show me a finger, a hand; I know my husband’s body from head-to-toe and they won’t let me see anything.”

PHOTO: Myeshia Johnson, the wife of Army Sgt. La David Johnson at his casket after the burial at Hollywood Memorial Gardens, Oct. 21, 2017. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/Polaris)More

She said the casket her husband came home in, adorned with a U.S. flag, remains a mystery box for her. "I don’t know what’s in that box," she said. “It could be empty for all I know.”

Johnson added, "I need to see my husband," who was 25.

As for the circumstances of her husband's death, Johnson said she wants "to know why it took [soldiers] 48 hours to find my husband."

PHOTO: Myeshia Johnson spoke with ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos for the first on-air interview since her husband's death in Niger. (ABC News)More

"I don’t know how he got killed, where he got killed or anything," she said. "I don’t know that part; they never told me and that’s what I’ve been trying to find out since day one, since October fourth."

When asked today what she wants people to know about her husband, she said, "I want the world to know how great of a soldier my husband was and a loving and caring father and husband he was to our family."

G7, Tech Giants Agree On Plan To Block Jihadist Content Online

G7 countries and tech giants including Google, Facebook and Twitter on Friday agreed to work together to block the dissemination of Islamist extremism over the internet.

AFP / Andreas SOLAROThe G7 interior ministers are meeting on the island of Ischia off the coast of Naples.

"These are the first steps towards a great alliance in the name of freedom," Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti said after a two-day meeting with his Group of Seven counterparts, stressing the role of the internet in extremist "recruitment, training and radicalisation."

French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said the goal was to ensure pro-jihadist content "is taken down within two hours of it going online".

"Our enemies are moving at the speed of a tweet and we need to counter them just as quickly," acting US Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke said. 

While acknowledging progress had been made, Britain's Home Secretary Amber Rudd insisted "companies need to go further and faster to not only take down extremist content but also stop it being uploaded in the first place".

Senior executives from the internet giants and Microsoft attended the ministerial session devoted to the issue but did not offer any explanation on how they might go about clamping down on web extremists.

- Jihadists fleeing Syria -

The meeting on the Italian island of Ischia off Naples also focused on ways to tackle one of the West's biggest security threats: jihadist fighters fleeing Syria. The European Union has promised to help close a migration route considered a potential back door for terrorists.

Tens of thousands of citizens from Western countries travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight for the Islamic State group between 2014 and 2016. Some then returned home and staged attacks that claimed dozens of lives.

Minniti warned last week that fighters planning revenge attacks following the recent collapse of the IS stronghold in Raqa could hitch lifts back to Europe on migrant boats from Libya.

The US and Italy signed an agreement on the sidelines of the G7 meeting to share their fingerprint databases in a bid to root out potential extremists posing as asylum seekers.

The group also said international police agency Interpol -- which currently holds details of nearly 40,000 foreign fighters -- would play a bigger role in information sharing.

Interpol's secretary general Juergen Stock said the agency's global databases could "act as an 'early warning system' against terrorists and crime threats and help close potential loopholes for terrorists".

- 'De-radicalisation' -

Earlier, EU President Donald Tusk promised the bloc would fork out more funds to help shut down the perilous crossing from Libya to Italy -- a popular path for migrants who hope to journey on to Europe.

The EU would offer "stronger support for Italy's work with the Libyan authorities", and there was "a real chance of closing the central Mediterranean route", he said.

Italy has played a major role in training Libya's coastguard to stop human trafficking in its territorial waters, as well as making controversial deals with Libyan militias to stop migrants from setting off.

Minniti said the G7 ministers had discussed how to go about "de-radicalising" citizens returning from the IS frontline, to prevent them becoming security risks in jails.

- UK's hard approach -

The Group of Seven --- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US -- said it had also called on the web giants to work with their smaller partners to bolster the anti-extremism shield.

Rudd said the UK government would do its part by changing the law so that those accessing and viewing extremist material on the web could face up to 15 years behind bars.

But Julian Richards, security specialist at BUCSIS (Buckingham University Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies), said the rest of the G7 was unlikely to get behind her on that front.

"The UK's fairly hard approach of introducing legislative measures to try to force companies to cooperate... and suggestions that people radicalising online should have longer sentences, are often considered rather unpalatable and too politically sensitive in many other advanced countries,

AFP

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