OP's News

Bali’s battle against plastic pollution

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Media captionRich Horner filmed himself swimming through rubbish off the island of Nusa Penida near Bali

A video of a British diver swimming through swathes of rubbish off the coast of Bali has shown the extent of plastic waste floating in Indonesia’s waters.

The footage captured earlier this week by Rich Horner showed him swimming in Manta Point, a famous diving site about 20km from the popular tourist island.

He told the OP’S NEWS the sight was “horrifying”.

Is it normal to see so much plastic in Bali’s waters?

It’s no secret that Bali has a problem with rubbish, but even Mr Horner, a Bali resident, said he had “never seen anything on this scale” before.

Similarly, a diving travel consultant in Bali told the OP’S NEWS that it was “quite uncommon” to see such a large amount of trash.

“We had visitors go out to Manta Point just one day before Mr Horner did and they experienced beautiful waters,” said Adriana Simeonova of the Aquamarine Diving Site.

Where is it all coming from?

Bali sits in the middle of the Indonesian Throughflow, a current that streams from the Pacific Ocean into the Indian Ocean through the straits of Indonesia.

This means that trash could either be local or brought in from as far away as the Pacific Ocean.

“The plastic I saw mainly had Indonesian labelling but because of the current, [the trash] could be coming from anywhere in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia [or] beyond,” said Mr Horner.

This also means that the plastic could be swept away in a matter of a few hours or days – it all depends on the currents.

“The next day, divers who went to Manta Point report that they saw no plastic at all. Sadly [this means] the plastic is continuing its journey, off into the Indian Ocean,” added Mr Horner.

What is the government doing about this?

Earlier last year, officials in Bali declared a “garbage emergency” across 3.7 miles (6km) of the island’s beaches , deploying 700 cleaners and 35 trucks. On some days they collected up to 100 tons of trash.

But Ms Simeonova says the problem isn’t just limited to Bali.

“There’s a lot of cleaning initiatives around Bali and regular beach clean ups, but the thing is that a lot of the rubbish is coming here from Java (Indonesia’s main island).”

Person collecting rubbish at Kuta beach — Image captionBali’s popular Kuta Beach has a fair share of rubbish on its shores

Indonesia’s Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in a statement sent to the BBC, expressed sadness at the pile-up of rubbish in Manta Point, saying Indonesia “must make the ocean our front porch, not our backyard”.

Indonesia is currently the second-largest plastic polluter in the world, coming just behind China.

It has said it aims to reduce marine plastic waste by 70% by 2025, but there is clearly a lot more work to be done.

Russia MP: ‘I don’t feel people up. Well, OK, just a little’

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Leonid Slutsky speaks during a press conference in Moscow, Russia in December 2016 — Image captionLeonid Slutsky is a member of the Duma and the conservative Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR),

A BBC journalist has alleged that she was sexually harassed by the senior Russian politician Leonid Slutsky.

OP’S NEWS Russian Service’s Farida Rustamova is the third journalist to openly accuse him of improper behaviour.

The Duma deputy denied the accusations and has threatened to take the women to court for defamation.

Russia has not seen the same backlash against sexual harassment as the US and Western Europe have seen in the wake of high profile scandals.

‘Lost for words’

Ms Rustamova recorded audio of the incident, which took place a year ago.

The recording is in the BBC’s possession, but it has decided not to publish it.

On 24 March 2017, Farida Rustamova visited Leonid Slutsky at his parliamentary office to get a comment about the then French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen’s visit to Russia.

During the conversation, Mr Slutsky unexpectedly changed the subject and asked if she would like to leave the BBC to work for him.

When Ms Rustamova refused, he complained: “You’re trying to get away from me, you don’t want to kiss me, you’ve hurt my feelings.”

In the recording, Ms Rustamova can be heard explaining that she has a boyfriend that she hopes to marry.

“Great, you’ll be his wife, and my mistress,” Mr Slutsky says.

Our correspondent says the politician then approached her and, in her words, began “running his hand, the flat of his palm, up against my nether region”.

Sexual harassment in Russia

Russia does not have laws that cover sexual harassment
Victim blaming is very strong in Russia; even rape victims are often told they “brought it upon themselves”
Awareness is on the rise thanks to social media. In 2016 a campaign around a hashtag that translated as “I am not afraid to tell” spread across Russian Facebook. Women and men of all ages and backgrounds openly wrote about their encounters with sexual violence
Activists are now talking about the need for modern sexual education for teenagers. Lawyers are looking at introducing the idea of consent into the law

“I didn’t understand what had happened,” Ms Rustamova says.

“I was just lost for words, muttering funny noises, I just went numb. I blurted out something about not coming to him again, that he had felt me up.”

Judging by his response, which was also caught on the recording, Mr Slutsky did not agree with her description of events.

“I don’t feel people up. Well, OK, just a little. ‘Feel people up’ is an ugly expression,” he said.

The OP’S NEWS has asked Mr Slutsky to comment on the events of 24 March 2017, but he has not responded.

Ms Rustamova joins two journalists – TV channel RTVI deputy editor Yekaterina Kotrikadze and TV Rain producer Daria Zhuk – who have both, in the last two weeks, accused deputy Leonid Slutsky of sexual impropriety.

Mr Slutsky acknowledged the scandal after President Putin’s state address last week, suggesting it was a political plot. “They’ve made them write about this,” he told BBC correspondents.

“People are unhappy that the authority of the foreign affairs committee, including the committee chairperson, has increased.

“This is a typical example, I’m afraid, of made-to-order journalism that, instead of diminishing our authority, has probably strengthened it.”

The State Duma – Russia’s lower house – has emphasised that the Mr Slutsky’s guilt has not been proven and encouraged alleged victims to file a report with the parliament’s ethics committee.

Ms Rustamova is currently preparing her statement to the State Duma MPs’ ethics committee. She says that Leonid Slutsky has made no attempt to apologise to her over the past year.

Russian law does not cover sexual harassment. Moreover, according to Oksana Pushkin, a deputy at the State Duma, the law that prohibits coercive actions of a sexual nature (article 133 of Russia’s Penal Code) “does not, in reality, work”.

Australia and East Timor sign historic maritime border deal

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An Australian government map shows a green line defining the new maritime boundary and jurisdictions over oil reserves — Image captionThe new border – marked by the green line – will bring economic benefits to East Timor

Australia and East Timor have signed a historic treaty on a permanent maritime border in the Timor Sea.

The deal ends a decade-long dispute between the neighbours over rights to the sea’s rich oil and gas reserves.

East Timor, one of the world’s poorest nations, will now gain the majority of any future revenue.

The countries signed the deal at the UN headquarters in New York, after negotiations in the international court of arbitration.

UN Secretary General António Guterres praised the “vision and determination” of both nations in achieving the agreement.

How did conflict arise?

After East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, gained independence from Indonesia in 2002, no permanent maritime boundary was established between Australia and the new nation.

Instead, the two sides agreed on a temporary boundary, but East Timor later argued that deal had been unfairly forced upon them.

It believed its more powerful neighbour had an unfairly large share of access to oil and gas fields that are estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars.

In 2016, East Timor contested the arrangementsin the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague. Mediation between the nations concluded last week.

What is in the new deal?

The landmark treaty sets out the maritime border at the midway point between the countries, in line with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Australia had pushed for a border at the edge its continental shelf, which would have put the boundary closer to East Timor.

Dili protests over Australia oil dispute

Hundreds of East Timorese activists rallied in 2016 outside the Australian embassy in Dili over the the Timor Sea boundary dispute — Image captionA protest outside Australia’s embassy in East Timor in 2016 over the border dispute

The new deal means East Timor will receive at least 70% of the largest oil field, Greater Sunrise, which is worth an estimated $40bn (£28bn; A$51bn). Previously, revenue was to be split evenly between the countries.

Australia will lose its jurisdiction in oil fields currently shared by both nations.

How did each nation react?

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said her nation had an “enduring interest” in East Timor’s prosperity, acknowledging the treaty as an important step.

“As good friends and close neighbours, we want Timor Leste to achieve its economic potential,” she said.

It was “momentous day” for East Timor, said Augusto Cabral Pereira, Deputy Minister of the Prime Minister for the Delimitation of Borders.

What will happen now?

The new deal is a big win for East Timor, which relies heavily on oil and gas for its economy, but had been running out of resources..

The Greater Sunrise oil field is yet to be mined, with a consortium of miners blaming delays on the long-running border dispute.

Canberra had faced accusations it was colluding with oil companies to have gas processed in Australia, according to media reports – an assertion Ms Bishop denied.

Under the agreement, East Timor will receive a greater slice of revenue – 80% – if gas is processed in Australia.

North Korea used VX nerve agent to kill leader’s brother, says US

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Picture shows an immigration officer escorting Kim Jong-Nam, son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, getting off a bus to board an ANA905 (All Nippon Airways) airplane at Narita airport near Tokyo — Image captionKim Jong-nam (pictured in 2001) was late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s oldest son

The half-brother of Kim Jong-un was killed by a chemical attack in Malaysia on the orders of the North Korean government, the US has concluded.

Kim Jong-nam died after a bizarre encounter at Kuala Lumpur airport in 2017, when two women smeared his face with VX nerve agent.

The women, who say they believed they were carrying out a prank for a TV show, are on trial for murder.

The US said it would impose new sanctions on North Korea in response.

“This public display of contempt for universal norms against chemical weapons use further demonstrates the reckless nature of North Korea and underscores that we cannot afford to tolerate a North Korean WMD program of any kind,” said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert.

The US has consistently accused North Korea of being behind the attack on Kim Jong-nam.

North Korea denies any involvement.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un greets a member of the delegation of South Korea's president on March 6, 2018 — Image captionKim Jong-un has been pictured smiling with South Korea ministers in Pyongyang in recent days

The new sanctions, which came into force on 5 March, are largely symbolic, joining a vast array of punitive economic measures the US has taken against North Korea.

The announcement comes a day after a high-level South Korean delegation returned from Pyongyang where they had cordial meetings with Mr Kim.

Capitalising on warmer ties after the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Mr Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in have arranged a landmark meeting for next month.

It would be the first such meeting for more than a decade and the first since Kim Jong-un took power in North Korea in 2011.

US President Donald Trump has said the developments, including North Korea’s suggestion that it might discuss getting rid of its nuclear weapons, “are positive” but might be a “false hope”.

In previous programmes to halt its nuclear ambitions, the North has failed to keep its promises.

Kim Jong-nam was largely estranged from his family and was bypassed for the leadership in favour of his younger half-brother, Kim Jong-un. He spent most of his time overseas in Macau, mainland China and Singapore.

Media captionCCTV footage shows the alleged attack at the airport in February 2017

He had spoken out in the past against his family’s dynastic control of North Korea and in a 2012 book was quoted as saying he believed his half-brother lacked leadership qualities.

He died in February 2017, shortly after Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong accosted him as he checked in for a flight at Kuala Lumpur airport.

Stormy Daniels sues Trump over ‘hush agreement’

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Ms Daniels hosted a Super Bowl party last month — Image captionStormy Daniels says she began an intimate relationship with Mr Trump in 2006

An adult film actress embroiled in allegations of an affair with Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against him alleging that a nondisclosure contract she signed is invalid.

Stormy Daniels says the agreement, drawn up before the 2016 election, is “void” because he did not sign it.

Mr Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, confirmed last month he had privately paid her $130,000 (£95,000).

The lawsuit alleges that Mr Cohen tried to “intimidate her into silence.”

In a 2011 interview with InTouch magazine, the actress said she began a sexual relationship with Mr Trump in 2006, shortly after his wife Melania had given birth to his son Barron.

The reports re-emerged in January when the Wall Street Journal reported that she was paid to sign a non-disclosure agreement in the run up to the 2016 election, which prevented her from discussing the alleged liaison.

Mr Cohen has said the president “vehemently denies” any romantic involvement with the adult film star.

The civil lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles on Tuesday, says that only days before the election, Ms Clifford and Mr Cohen signed the “hush agreement” but Mr Trump did not, “thus rendering it legally null and void and of no consequence”.

It adds: “To be clear, the attempts to intimidate Ms Clifford into silence and ‘shut her up’ in order to ‘protect Mr Trump’ continue unabated.”

Although Mr Cohen confirmed that he paid the money to Ms Clifford, he did not say what it was for.

He said last month that neither Mr Trump nor the Trump Organization was a party to the transaction.

“The payment to Ms Clifford was lawful, and was not a campaign contribution or a campaign expenditure by anyone,” he said.

Grenfell survivor sentenced after drugs factory found in flat

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A Grenfell Tower fire survivor has been given a suspended prison sentence after the remains of a cannabis oil factory were found in his burnt-out flat.

Officers combing the shell of the tower block found a store of cannabis cuttings and flammable butane gas canisters in Eamon Zada’s home.

The 35-year-old had produced enough cannabis oil to last one user 140 days, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.

Zada previously pleaded guilty to producing a controlled Class B drug.

He was given a 12-week suspended prison sentence and ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid community work.

Zada was also ordered to undergo 40 days of rehabilitation and pay a £115 victim surcharge and £85 costs.

Grenfell Tower — Image captionSeventy-one people died in the fire in June 2017

Prosecutor Katie Bryan said the case came to light after Zada told police that 4,500 euros (£4,022) had been stolen in a burglary and his two-bedroom flat was searched by police.

Officers then found £1,000 in £50 notes hidden in the bedroom ceiling and cannabis was found in the second room and in the kitchen freezer.

Equipment to create cannabis oil including an oven was also seized by police, the prosecutor said.

The court heard Zada was also previously sentenced to five years in prison in 2009 for conspiracy to defraud.

In a statement Zada, who is currently housed in a Marylebone hotel, told police the found items were for his personal use.

His lawyer Robert Berg said his client had a “fragile history of mental health in recent years” but had “made a very positive contribution” to working with Grenfell survivors since the disaster which killed in 71 people in June last year.

In sentencing, deputy chief magistrate Tan Ikram said: “What has happened since [the Grenfell fire] does not make this offence any less serious but it does tell me about who you are today and where you are today.”

Investigator ‘targeted politicians’ for Sunday Times stories

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Media captionJohn Ford: “I did their bank accounts, I stole their rubbish”

An ex-private investigator who was used by The Sunday Times has spoken about the criminal activity he was involved in to obtain information for the paper.

John Ford said he targeted politicians such as Tony Blair and Gordon Brown when they were in government.

He said his methods included “blagging” or pretending to be a bank or utilities account holder to get information.

The Sunday Times said it “strongly rejects” the claim that it had ever commissioned anyone to act illegally.

Mr Ford claims he was contracted by the paper between 1995 and 2010, during which time he said he targeted members of the Labour government elected in 1997 and members of the public.

‘Stolen rubbish’

Asked to describe the nature of his attacks on members of the cabinet, he responded: “Aggressive, unprincipled. Fishing expeditions often.”

Talking about the techniques he used to get information, he said: “I did their phones, I did their mobiles, I did their bank accounts, I stole their rubbish.

“Hundreds of telephone interceptions, hundreds of bank interceptions.

“Utilities. I’ve been through mortgages. I’ve stolen rubbish. I’m afraid the list is endless.”

Tony Blair and Gordon Brown pictured at the Labour Party conference in 2006 — Image captionJohn Ford said Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were among the politicians he targeted

A spokesperson for The Sunday Times said the paper had “a strong record of investigative journalism over decades and has employed many contributors and researchers to work on stories, or parts of stories.

“The paper strongly rejects the accusation that it has in the past retained or commissioned any individual to act illegally.

“Some allegations related to the research work of John Ford have been aired previously and we cannot comment on the specifics of these new allegations which all predate 2011.”

The Sunday Times has also said it has always been its expectation and practice that its contractors work within the law.

Mr Ford’s admissions come just days after the government scrapped the second phase of the Leveson Inquiry.

The first phase of the inquiry looked into the broad area of press ethics and the relationship between the press, politicians, police and the public.

The second phase was withheld in order to avoid prejudicing criminal trials which are now complete.

Explaining his decision to the Commons last week, Culture Secretary Matt Hancock said the second stage should not go ahead because it would be costly and deal with past failures.

Instead, he argued, the more urgent task was to sustain newspapers – particularly local titles – at a time when they are under immense strain.

Victims of press abuse argue that they were promised the second phase by David Cameron when he was prime minister.

Fraudsters jailed for £37m copycat web scam

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Peter Hall and including his wife Claire Hall — Image captionPeter Hall and his wife Claire Hall have both been sentenced to prison

A group of fraudsters who conned UK consumers out of £37m by selling passports and driving licences through copycat websites have been sentenced to more than 35 years in jail.

The six people, led by Peter Hall and including his wife Claire, operated websites that impersonated official government services.

They then sold key documents to people for inflated prices.

The illegal profits were used to fund luxury holidays and cars.

Mike Andrews, lead co-ordinator of the eCrime team at National Trading Standards, which investigated the fraud, said: “This was a crime motivated by greed. This group defrauded people so they could enjoy a luxury lifestyle.

“They showed no regard for the unnecessary costs they imposed on their victims – I would say they treated them with contempt.”

National Trading Standards said that the defendants set up copycat websites between January 2011 and November 2014 that mimicked government services such as applying for or renewing passports, visas, birth or death certificates, driving licences and tests, car tax discs and the London Congestion Charge.

The group also set up sites that copied the American, Turkish, Cambodian, Vietnamese and Sri Lankan official visa sites where people could apply and pay for electronic visas to visit those countries.

National Trading Standards said that in all cases the sites offered little or no additional value to consumers using them, adding that it is believed Indian, Turkish and US citizens have also been defrauded.

It said that the “illegal profits funded a glamorous lifestyle for the defendants”. At one point, Claire Hall was preparing to buy a house for £1.4m when the authorities intervened.

Mr and Mrs Hall were arrested on 27 June 2014.

The National Trading Standards eCrime team and the police raided properties across Hampshire.

Mr Hall, aged 47, was sentenced to a total of 15 years following two trials which took place in July 2017 and March this year.

In the first trial, His Honour Judge Sean Morris said: “Mr Hall was a highly manipulative and controlling individual and it was a determined, sophisticated long running fraud. He was a charming man but did not charm the jury.

“We live in a computer age, and crime is developing to meet that age. People live by their computers and need to know that the services they purchase online are genuine services.”

Peter Hall, 47, sentenced to a total of 15 years in prison. Disqualified as a company director for 10 years
Claire Hall, 41, sentenced to four years in prison
Syed Bilal Zaidi sentenced to six years in prison in his absence. Whereabouts unknown
Collette Ferrow, 50, sentenced to four years in prison
Liam Hincks pleaded guilty at July 2017 trial, sentenced to three years. He has pleaded guilty at the March 2018 trial and will be sentenced at a later date
Kerry Mills, 49, sentenced to five years. Disqualified as a company director for eight years

Mr Andrews said: “I would urge people to always use the GOV.UK website when looking to apply for any kind of government service such as a passport, driving licence or EHIC card.

“Search engines may seem the easiest route but searching using the GOV.UK website is the safest way of ensuring you do not fall victim to a copycat website.”

Lord Toby Harris, chairman of National Trading Standards, said: “I would urge members of the public to report any copycat websites they spot to the Citizens Advice consumer service by calling 03454 04 05 06.”

Canadian man pleads guilty to US terrorism charges

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A Canadian man has admitted aiding jihadists held responsible for a 2009 suicide attack in Iraq that killed five US soldiers.

Faruq Khalil Muhammad ‘Isa pleaded guilty in New York City to providing money to Tunisian suicide bombers.

The charges carried a maximum life sentence, but he will face 26 years in prison then deportation, AP reports.

The 50-year-old moved to Toronto in 1993 as a Kurdish refugee before becoming a Canadian citizen.

Muhammad ‘Isa was arrested in 2011 following an investigation by Canadian, US and Tunisian authorities.

He lost his fight against extradition in 2015 when Canada’s Supreme Court refused to hear his case, and was sent to the US.

Two Iraqi policemen also died in the explosion in Mosul in April 2009 that killed the American troops.

Muhammad ‘Isa admitted to emailing two of the attackers, and wiring a middleman $700 (£504) to help get them into Iraq.

US officials also said he sought to become a suicide bomber himself, telling his mother in 2009 that his greatest wish was to die a martyr.

Nashville mayor resigns and pleads guilty to felony theft

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Image captionFormer Nashville Mayor Megan Barry (L) and former Sgt Rob Forrest (R)

The mayor of Nashville, Tennessee has resigned and pleaded guilty to theft from the city during a two-year affair with her police bodyguard.

Democrat Megan Barry, 54, had been seen as a rising star before she admitted to an extramarital affair last month.

Prosecutors say she racked up thousands of dollars in expenses with her head of security Sgt Rob Forrest. She initially denied abuse of taxpayer money.

Barry has promised to repay the city and serve three years’ probation.

“While my time today as your mayor concludes, my unwavering love and sincere affection for this wonderful city and its great people will never come to an end,” Barry said on Tuesday shortly after a court appearance.

District Attorney Glenn Funk argued that she had improperly used between $10,000 (£7,000) and $60,000 (£43,000) in city funds while carrying out an affair with the head of her security detail.

Forrest’s overtime pay more than doubled from 2014-15 to the 2016-17 budget year, according to Metro Nashville Police records.

Sgt Forrest is seen with the mayor — Image captionSgt Forrest (C) had been a constant presence alongside the mayor (R)

When the judge asked if the accusations were true, she responded: “Yes sir”.

As part of her plea deal, she has agreed to repay the city $11,000 in restitution.

Forrest also pleaded guilty to same felony theft charge and agreed to reimburse the city $45,000 shortly after Barry resigned.

Both Barry and Forrest had been married during the affair.

Forrest resigned from the force when the affair was first revealed in January.

But Barry – who was elected as the city’s first female mayor in September 2015 – refused to quit, insisting that no professional misconduct had taken place.

“This is a consensual relationship between two middle-aged people who had feelings for each other,” she said at the time.

According to the Tennessean newspaper, Barry and Mr Forrest attended 10 city-funded trips together without any other mayoral staff present.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigations also found a nude photo and a partially nude photo of a woman that appeared to be taken on Forrest’s phone.

The photos, which do not show the woman’s face, were taken and then deleted while the sergeant was on duty. Barry has said if the photos were of her, they were taken without her knowledge.

The city’s vice-mayor is due to be sworn in as mayor later on Tuesday.

Before the scandal broke Barry enjoyed a 70% approval rating, according to the Tennessean newspaper.

Barry made headlines last year after she revealed that her 22-year-old son had died from an opioid drug overdose in July 2017.

Media caption‘Our hearts will always be empty’

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam called Tuesday a “sad and hard day” for the city.

“But Nashville has had a lot of great days in the past and will have a lot more in the future,” Mr Haslam said in a statement.