Singaporean who tortured and killed Myanmar maid gets 30 years in jail

Ms Murugayan, 40, had pleaded guilty to a number of charges including culpable homicide against Ms Piang. The judge said the prosecution had painted a "shocking" picture of how the 24-year old woman was tortured, humiliated, starved and ultimately killed. He said the case was "one of the worst cases of culpable homicide" in the city-state and that words could not accurately describe the level of abuse the young woman had to endure in the month before her death.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vetoes bipartisan anti-cruelty bill for dogs, earning AbbottHatesDogs hashtag

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) vetoed 20 bills passed by the GOP-controlled state Legislature, most of them announced Monday, The Texas Tribune reports. Abbott canceled two criminal justice reform bills prioritized by House Speaker Dade Phelan (R), a bill requiring schools to teach high school and middle school students about child abuse prevention and domestic violence, another one expanding rural broadband access, and legislation offering reduced penalties for criminal trespassing, arguing it would hurt tools to arrest homeless people and immigrants at the border.

British exports of EU goods to Northern Ireland incurring Brexit tariffs

Businesses are paying tariffs on EU goods sent to Northern Ireland via Britain because of the customs border in the Irish Sea created by a Brexit withdrawal agreement. Companies have to pay more money to send the goods from Britain to Northern Ireland, even though they meet EU standards because they were made in Europe. A government reimbursement scheme on tariffs paid on goods sold in Northern Ireland is not yet up and running, which risks causing additional cash flow problems for businesses.

Trump's ex-bodyguard Matthew Calamari has lawyered up, on New York prosecutors' advice

New York prosecutors investigating former President Donald Trump's business have advised Trump's former bodyguard and current chief operating officer, Matthew Calamari, and his son that they should get their own lawyers, not use the Trump Organization's attorneys, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing people familiar with the matter. Prosecutors are reportedly looking into whether the Calamaris have illegally avoided paying taxes on benefits provided by the Trump Organization, including housing and cars. New York City District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. has been investigating the Trump Organization for a few years, focused most recently on whether the company manipulates the value of its properties to get loans and lower its taxes.

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  New York Prosecutors Reportedly Investigating Trump's Former Bodyguard

  HuffPost
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  Prosecutors are reportedly frustrated by lack of cooperation from Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg

  The Week

Vladimir Putin uses 80th anniversary of Nazi invasion to lash out at Nato

Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has used the anniversary of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union to lash out at Nato's expansion in Europe in a clear message to Ukraine. The Russian leader in an opinion piece published by Germany's Die Zeit newspaper on Tuesday, exactly 80 years after Nazi troops invaded the Soviet Union, criticised the expansion of Nato as threatening Russia's security and fostering “Cold War-era dividing lines” in Europe. Moscow has been rattled by the fact that former Soviet allies such as Poland and even ex-Soviet republics including Latvia have become members of the Euro-Atlantic military alliance since the fall of the Soviet Union.

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  Putin marks 80th anniversary of Nazi invasion

  Reuters Videos
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  Putin hails WWII heroes, warns of degrading Europe security

  Associated Press

Philippines community raffles off bags of rice to boost vaccine drive

A community in the Philippines has been raffling off huge sacks of rice in exchange for getting vaccinated against COVID-19, after finding it hard to persuade people to get their shots. Twenty weekly winners who get their shots in Sucat on the outskirts of the capital Manila have been taking home a 25 kg (55 pound) sack of rice each. Local official Jeramel Mendoza said the initiative was targeting mainly poorer residents, who were not so keen on vaccinations.

Why Kyrsten Sinema's fears about a post-filibuster GOP may be exaggerated

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) explained why she opposes nuking the filibuster in an op-ed published by The Washington Post on Tuesday night, citing fears that the Republican Party would rescind major Democrat-backed legislation, like sweeping voting reform measures or expanded health-care access or retirement benefits, and replace them with pared down, more restrictive laws. In a rebuttal, New York's Jonathan Chait argues that Sinema's filibuster defense "relies on utterly false grounds."

7-week-old baby killed after dad throws her to the ground, Kentucky police say

A father who took his 7-week-old daughter to a medical center with severe head injuries is now accused of killing the infant, Kentucky police say. Del'Shawn Banks, 23, took his baby to a Norton Children's pediatrician office, whose staff notified officials after seeing the child's injuries, Louisville police said. The girl was unresponsive and medical staff were attempting life-saving measures when police arrived, according to an arrest citation.

Clean Up With the Best Vacuum Deals Prime Day Has to Offer

Roomba, Dyson, Bissell, and Shark are on sale across the internet Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

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  Amazon shoppers say this cordless vacuum is just as powerful as the Dyson — and it's only $155 for Prime Day

  In The Know
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  Thousands say this 2-in-1 robot vacuum is 'miles ahead' of the Roomba — and it's $180 off for Prime Day

  In The Know

Tropical Storm Claudette is back over water, and there’s another Atlantic disturbance

Tropical Storm Claudette is in the Atlantic Ocean, leaving flooding and rain over the Carolinas as it rapidly continues northeast. The National Hurricane Center said the storm will likely peter out in the next 24 hours. The remnants of Claudette, the third named storm of the season, are moving east-northeast at 29 mph with maximum sustained winds at 45 mph with higher gusts, according to the 11 p.m. advisory.

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  A storm returns and rages

  USA TODAY
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  Claudette Strengthens to Tropical Storm as It Moves Across North Carolina

  Storyful

Three injured trying to save California teenager who drowned in lake, rescuers say

Despite a harrowing rescue attempt by his friends, a 16-year-old boy drowned Sunday on Lake Havasu on the California-Arizona border, authorities say. Divers on Monday recovered the body of Isaiah Benz of Canoga Park, California, under 35 feet of water in the lake's South Basin, the Mohave County Sheriff's Office reported. Benz and others had gone swimming in the basin from a rented pontoon boat Sunday morning, but high winds pushed the boat away and he began to struggle in the water, according to the sheriff's office.

US could slow Afghanistan withdrawal amid Taliban gains

The US military has said it could slow down its withdrawal from Afghanistan in light of recent battlefield victories by the Taliban. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the deadline for a full withdrawal by 11 September was still in place, but the pace may change. Officials said last week that the withdrawal is about half-way done.

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  Taliban take key Afghan district, adding to string of gains

  Associated Press
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  Taliban launch major offensives in northern Afghanistan

  Reuters

Covid antibody rates more than 50 per cent higher than roadmap predictions

But the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that eight in 10 people over the age of 16 now have antibodies to Covid. For the whole population, including children, nearly seven in 10 have immunity – 54 per cent higher than the modellers predicted. The percentage of those with immunity is likely to be higher still because many under-16s will have had a previous infection and the data only runs up to June 7, meaning it does not include vaccinations and infections in the last fortnight.

Miami teen mysteriously shot during a police car chase. A Doral cop is now under scrutiny

Two young men and a woman, suspected of an armed robbery outside a Hialeah hotel, led police officers on a dramatic car chase that wound up in Broward County. Their silver Mercedes-Benz was eventually stopped in Hollywood, the three were taken into custody and the case might have remained largely anonymous, except for one thing. The backseat passenger, an 18-year-old named Gabriel Rodriguez, was discovered with a gunshot wound to the neck — presumably from a police bullet.

Prosecutors are reportedly frustrated by lack of cooperation from Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg

Manhattan prosecutors are getting frustrated with Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg and his lack of cooperation with their investigation into the company, a person familiar with the matter told The Washington Post on Monday. Weisselberg, 73, is the most senior executive at the Trump Organization who isn't a member of the Trump family. Prosecutors are looking into whether he paid taxes on benefits he received from former President Donald Trump, including leased cars and apartments, the Post reports.

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  Trump Org CFO Allen Weisselberg is still talking to Trump and giving signs of loyalty despite pressure to flip, report says

  Business Insider
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  New York prosecutors now investigating Trump Organization’s chief operating officer

  The Independent

Covid vaccine: Why are Australians cancelling AstraZeneca jabs?

Australian doctors have reported a surge in the number of people cancelling their vaccine appointments, amid a new wave of caution over the AstraZeneca jab. It comes after the government updated guidance last week to recommend only those aged over 60 get the shot, due to the risk of a rare blood-clotting syndrome. Under-60s have been advised to get the alternative Pfizer shot, of which there are limited supplies.

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  Australian PM promises more COVID-19 shots to states as Sydney cluster grows

  Reuters
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  Japan to donate AstraZeneca vaccines to Thailand

  Reuters

DOJ national security official says he didn't know of subpoena for lawmakers' records

John Demers, the top national security official at the Department of Justice, says he was unaware federal prosecutors had secretly obtained records concerning Democratic lawmakers, a move that generated intense controversy when it became public this month. Demers, the highest-ranking Senate-confirmed Trump appointee still at the Justice Department, is stepping down later this week. He spoke Monday to the Los Angeles Times in a wide-ranging interview about his three-year tenure, including his division's efforts to crack down on China's intelligence-gathering, stymie foreign influence in elections and U.S. politics and improve oversight of how the U.S. government obtains warrants from an intel...

California kids visiting Florida tried to tame an alligator. That was a problem

Three California kids vacationing in Florida tied a rope around an alligator and dragged it to shore from the water at Fay Lake Wilderness Park in Brevard County, FOX 11 Los Angeles and Florida Today reported. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Brevard County Sheriff's Office responded Thursday evening, according to Florida Today. The incident involved California youths who are 16, 8 and 6.

Canada: Fire destroys two Catholic churches on indigenous land

Police in Canada say they are treating fires that destroyed two Catholic churches on indigenous community land in British Columbia as suspicious. Sacred Heart Church and St Gregory's Church burnt down at about the same time early on Monday, as Canada marked National Indigenous People's Day. The two churches - built more than 100 years ago - are located about 40km (25 miles) apart in the western province.

Missouri Gov. Parson ultimatum to lawmakers: deep cuts if Medicaid tax not renewed

Gov. Mike Parson on Monday promised deep and painful budget cuts to colleges, schools and social services if the General Assembly doesn't renew a tax critical to funding Medicaid, while warning that lawmakers standing in the way would “own” the destruction. Missouri faces a budget shortfall of $1.4 billion over the next two years without the tax, the Republican governor said in an afternoon news conference, where he outlined a raft of draconian reductions he said would begin July 1 unless lawmakers act quickly. Parson's ultimatum came as Republicans remain divided over renewing a tax on hospitals that provides billions each year for Medicaid, health coverage program for low-income and disabled Missourians.

After saving his best friend’s life, Central Kentucky fireman fights brain cancer

When Bobby King's foot “exploded” in a New Orleans hotel room in 2016, he had fellow Central Kentucky firefighter Allen Vann to thank for keeping him alive. Now King is trying to return the favor after Vann came home from his honeymoon in Mexico to discover he had a tumor the size of a lime in his brain. The two best friends had just arrived in New Orleans, where they planned to celebrate the Fourth of July that year, the pair said, describing the trip.

After ‘smashing it’ in Meridian, this new restaurant just opened a Boise location

Primavera calls the burgers “comfort food to the extreme. Try the Jekyll & Hyde if you want a true monster — of flavor. The hunkin', 1/2-pound patty is a 20/80 blend of American Wagyu and Black Angus topped with Swiss cheese, stone-ground mustard, bacon-onion jam (made in-house), mixed greens tossed in vinaigrette — and a grilled peach.

India economy: Seven years of Modi in seven charts

Mr Modi's government has also created far short of the 20 million jobs the economy needs every year, Mr Ranade said. India has been adding only around 4.3 million jobs a year for the last decade. India is not making or exporting enough 'Make in India' - Mr Modi's high-octane flagship initiative - was supposed to turn India into a global manufacturing powerhouse by cutting red tape and drawing investment for export hubs.