Monsanto ordered to pay $2 bn in latest Roundup blow

Yahoo – AFP, Glenn CHAPMAN, May 14, 2019

Monsanto has suffered the latest in a series of court defeats for its glyphosate-based
weedkiller Roundup, which the company insists is not linked to cancer (AFP Photo/
JOSH EDELSON)

San Francisco (AFP) - In a third major legal blow to Bayer-owned Monsanto and its weedkiller Roundup, a jury in California has ordered the chemicals giant to pay more than $2 billion in damages to a couple that sued on grounds the product caused their cancer, lawyers said.

The ruling on Monday was the latest in a series of court defeats for Monsanto over the glyphosate-based product, but the company insists the weedkiller is not linked to cancer.

The couple's legal team described the damages award as "historic," saying it totalled $2.055 billion (1.8 billion euros) after adding in slightly more than $55 million in compensatory damages.

"The jury saw for themselves internal company documents demonstrating that, from day one, Monsanto has never had any interest in finding out whether Roundup is safe," said plaintiff's counsel Brent Wisner.

"Instead of investing in sound science, they invested millions in attacking science that threatened their business agenda."

The setback sent Bayer's shares tumbling 2.55 percent to 55 euros in Frankfurt in mid-morning trading on Tuesday.

The German chemicals giant has seen close to 45 percent of its market capitalisation evaporate since it bought Monsanto in June 2018 for $63 billion.

Bayer finalised its massive acquisition of Monsanto last year, but the blockbuster
purchase has turned out to be plagued with other massive costs (AFP Photo/
Odd ANDERSEN)

In a statement, Bayer said it was disappointed with the jury's decision and would appeal the verdict, which it argues was at odds with a recent US Environmental Protection Agency review of glyphosate-based weedkillers.

"The consensus among leading health regulators worldwide is that glyphosate-based products can be used safely and that glyphosate is not carcinogenic," Bayer said.

Bayer apologises

Glyphosate developer Monsanto was convicted in the United States in 2018 and 2019 of not taking necessary steps to warn of the potential risks of Roundup -- their weedkiller containing the chemical, which two California juries found caused cancer in two users.

Bayer announced last month that more than 13,000 lawsuits related to the weedkiller had been launched in the US.

Monday's stunning verdict came as Bayer admitted that its subsidiary Monsanto kept lists of high-profile people -- for or against pesticides -- in France and likely other European countries.

Bayer apologised on Sunday after it emerged that Monsanto had a PR agency collate lists of French politicians, scientists and journalists, with their views on pesticides and GM crops.

French authorities have opened a preliminary inquiry into the claims.

"It is clear that we apologise for what has come to light in France," Matthias Berninger, Bayer's head of public affairs, told journalists in a conference call.

Bayer has said that more than 13,000 lawsuits related to its 

glyphosate-based weedkiller Roundup have been launched in the 

US (AFP Photo/Alain BOMMENEL, Laurence SAUBADU, Kun TIAN)

But he admitted that "it's very likely that such lists also exist in other European countries."

"We consider what we have seen so far to be completely inappropriate," he said.

"We were of the opinion that the reports of these dealings with journalists, politicians and activists are not in order and not in agreement with what Bayer stands for."

Hidden costs

The German agro-chemicals and drugs giant finalised its massive acquisition of Monsanto last year, but the blockbuster purchase has turned out to be plagued with other massive costs.

Just two months after the acquisition was completed, Monsanto lost a case to a school groundskeeper suffering from terminal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He had sued the company over the glyphosate weedkillers Roundup and Ranger Pro.

Monsanto was initially ordered to pay $289 million to the groundskeeper, before the damages were reduced to $78.5 million.

In March, the company lost another case to an American retiree who blames his cancer on the weedkiller, and was ordered by a court to pay $80 million to the plaintiff.

Bayer is appealing both cases.

'Sex strike' call over Georgia abortion law fuels Hollywood boycott debate

Yahoo – AFP, Javier TOVAR, with Brian Knowlton in Washington, May 12, 2019

Actress Alyssa Milano is leading a campaign for film production companies to boycott
Georgia over the state's new abortion law -- and has called for a sex strike as well
(AFP Photo/Rich Fury)

Los Angeles (AFP) - The recent love affair between Hollywood producers and the US state of Georgia, with its low taxes and affordable lifestyle, is suddenly in jeopardy.

Strict new abortion laws passed in the southern state have prompted calls not only for a boycott of filming there -- but for a sex strike.

A coterie of film stars led by actress-activist Alyssa Milano, including Alec Baldwin, Don Cheadle, Ben Stiller, Mia Farrow and Amy Schumer, had threatened in March to refuse to work in Georgia if it adopted the new abortion restrictions.

But the state's Republican governor, Brian Kemp, signed the bill into law last week.

Several independent film and television production companies have since pledged to boycott the state unless the legislation -- which bans abortion as soon as a fetal heartbeat can be detected, generally in the sixth week of pregnancy -- is rescinded.

"Killer Films will no longer consider Georgia as a viable shooting location until this ridiculous law is overturned," the company's CEO Christine Vachon wrote on Twitter.

Milano -- the onetime star of "Charmed" and "Who's the Boss?" -- had said she would fight "tooth and nail" for her Netflix series "Insatiable" to stop filming in Georgia.

Singer and actress Bette Midler has voiced support for Alyssa Milano's call for a 

sex strike over the Georgia abortion law (AFP Photo/Angela Weiss)

But then she took it one step farther, urging women to join her in a sex boycott until the law was repealed.

"JOIN ME by not having sex until we get bodily autonomy back," she wrote on Twitter.

"Protect your vaginas, ladies. Men in positions of power are trying to legislate them. #SexStrike"

Somewhat inevitably, the call by Milano -- whose profile has risen as the #MeToo movement has taken hold -- has sparked controversy.

'Surprisingly effective'

Though her idea earned praise on social media, including from actress Bette Midler, and #Sexstrike trended on Twitter for a while, the idea also earned scorn -- from both sides of the political spectrum.

Liberals accused the actress of pushing the idea that women have sex to make men happy, which she denied, while conservatives mercilessly trolled her.

Milano did not waver, even noting: "History shows that a #sexstrike is surprisingly effective."

Georgia's Republican governor Brian Kemp defiantly signed a new abortion law 

that has angered some film companies and actors (AFP Photo/Kevin C. Cox)

Sex strikes -- usually in the cause of peace or an end to sexual mistreatment -- have been carried out in countries from Colombia to Kenya to the Philippines, with varying success.

Perhaps the earliest reference came from "Lysistrata," Aristophanes' comedy about women in ancient Greece withholding sex to pressure their men to end the Peloponnesian War.

The women prevailed.

What's at stake

Georgia offers filmmakers a number of enticements: a far lower cost of living than in Los Angeles, a variety of landscapes and tax credits of up to 30 percent.

Blockbuster movies like Marvel's "Black Panther" and "Avengers: Infinity War" were filmed in the state; television series including "Stranger Things" and "The Walking Dead" have been shot there.

Last year, more than 450 productions were set in Georgia, where they spent the non-negligible sum of $2.7 billion.

Kemp has stood firm, saying before he signed the legislation into law: "We protect the innocent, we champion the vulnerable, we stand up and speak for those unable to speak for themselves."

The new restrictions could mark a tipping point.

Several independent film and television production companies have pledged to
boycott Georgia state unless the legislation is rescinded (AFP Photo/ALEX WONG)

The Writers Guild of America, representing screenwriters, said the law would make Georgia "an inhospitable place" for industry people to work.

But the major studios -- with huge financial stakes at issue -- have remained largely quiet.

Chris Ortman, a spokesman for the Motion Picture Association of America -- which represents Hollywood heavyweights including Paramount, Sony, Universal, Disney, Warner Bros. and Netflix -- said the group would "monitor developments" and wait for the courts to decide.

The film industry, he added, supports 92,000 jobs in Georgia -- a fact that did not go unnoticed by some lawmakers who are worried about employment.

"I appreciate the calls to action... but please do not #boycottgeorgia," tweeted Stacey Abrams, a Democrat who nearly defeated Kemp in November's election.

"The hard-working Georgians who serve on crews & make a living here are not to blame. I promise: We will fight - and we will win."

With a nod to Abrams' plea, directors Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams told The Hollywood Reporter that they will proceed with filming their new show "Lovecraft Country" in the state -- but they will donate their "episodic fees" to groups fighting the abortion law.

Related Article:

Supreme Court blocks Louisiana abortion law

Sporadic clashes as 'yellow vests' rally in France

France24 – AFP, 11 May 2019

A yellow vest protester at one of the March protests in Montpellier, southern
France AFP/File

Paris (AFP) - "Yellow vest" protesters gathered in Paris and other French cities Saturday for the 26th straight week of rallies against President Emmanuel Macron, with scattered incidents of violence but overall a marked decline in the size of the crowds.

Several hundred people began marching near the Jussieu university in the centre of the capital, chosen to show solidarity with teachers who went on strike this week against an education reform project.

"It's going to be a day in support of parents, families and everyone in the education system," Jean-Christophe Valentin, a city hall worker at the rally, told AFP.

With protests outlawed on the Champs-Elysees and a large part of central Paris, organisers had called for "national" rallies in the cities of Lyon and Nantes.

Around 2,000 to 3,000 people turned out in both cities, AFP journalists estimated, confirming the decline in attendance since the protests began in November, when it hit a high of 282,000 across France.

The interior ministry, for its part, estimated just 2,700 protesters had turned out across France as of 2:00 pm (1200 GMT), including 600 in Paris, compared with 3,600 counted at the same time last Saturday.

Tensions flared in Nantes when police charged a group of people throwing rocks and other objects, with at least one person evacuated by "street medics" among the protesters.

Officials had said they were expecting up to 500 far-left agitators in the city near France's western Atlantic coast, rekindling fears of fresh violence by so-called "black blocs".

A video reporter for CNews in Nantes was injured after being hit by a rubber bullet while filming the skirmish. "I'm fine because my support belt softened the impact," Stephane Perrier told AFP.

In both Lyon and Nantes, police used tear gas to disperse crowds as some masked protesters attempted to build makeshift barricades.

'Fatigue'

The Saturday protests have often been marred by rioting and clashes with police, prompting a crackdown that critics say has led to a disproportionate use of violence by security forces.

Several videos taken by bystanders in recent weeks, including one showing an officer hurling a paving stone toward demonstrators at a May Day rally, have prompted inquiries by police investigators.

"There's a bit of fatigue along with the fear of police violence," said Thierry Boirivant, a 44-year-old accountant who travelled to Paris from the Lyon region.

"And then there's the economic factor: it's expensive to go protest in Paris or other cities," he said.

Initially launched over fuel tax increases, the movement quickly snowballed into a widespread revolt against Macron, accused of ignoring the day-to-day struggles of low earners in small-town and rural France.

Several protesters are planning to run the European Parliament elections later this month, hoping to turn their movement into a sustained political force.

"I'm calling on Europeans to make an anti-Macron vote, even if he just finishes in second place, it would take him down a notch, bring him back down to earth so he can serve us instead of the rich," Jerome Rodrigues said in Lyon.

Rodrigues has emerged as one of the government's fiercest critics. He was already a well-known figure in the yellow vest movement when he was hit by a rubber bullet during one of the January protests and lost an eye.

"If he doesn't want to listen to us, we will keep up until he hears us, even if it means ruining his term" as president," he said.

In April, Macron unveiled nearly 17 billion euros ($19 billion) in wage boosts and tax cuts for low earners to quell the protests, and vowed to better address voters' grievances after months of town-hall debates.

Pope changes Church law to make reporting sex abuse obligatory

Yahoo – AFP, Ella IDE, 9 May 2019

Pope Francis has been forced to respond to a global scandal over paedophilia in the church

Pope Francis on Thursday passed a landmark new measure to oblige those who know about sex abuse in the Catholic Church to report it to their superiors, in a move which could bring countless new cases to light.

Every diocese in the world will now be obliged to have a system for the reporting of abuse, under a new law published by the Vatican following a global clerical paedophilia scandal.

But the requirement will not apply to secrets revealed to priests in the confessional.

It is time to learn from the "bitter lessons of the past", Francis said in the text of the legal decree, which comes into effect on June 1.

It follows a series of clerical assault cases in countries ranging from Australia to Chile, Germany and the US.

The "Motu Proprio", a legal document issued under the pope's personal authority, declares that anyone who has knowledge of abuse, or suspects it, is "obliged to report (it) promptly" to the Church, using "easily accessible systems".

Under the new measure, every diocese around the world is obliged by June 2020 to create a system for the reporting of sexual abuse by clerics, the use of child pornography and cover-ups of abuse.

The law could see the Vatican inundated with reports of abuse or cover-ups, as it applies retroactively, meaning those who know about old cases are obliged to flag them up as well.

'Bring predators to justice'

The impact "likely will be felt most intensely outside the West, since places such as the US, Canada and some parts of Western Europe (though, ironically, not the pope's backyard in Italy), already have fairly robust reporting systems," said Vatican expert John Allen, on the online religious newspaper Crux Now.

The law only applies within the Church and has no force to oblige individuals to report abuse to civil authorities.

"The Motu Proprio shows Pope Francis expects swift and comprehensive progress," commented Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, head of the Bishops' Conference in the United States, where thousands have people have reported abuse.

It will "empower the Church everywhere to bring predators to justice, no matter what rank they hold," he said.

The US-based Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said "mandated reporting is a good thing" but added in a statement that "we would have been far more impressed if this new law required church officials to report to police and prosecutors".

The document focuses particularly on the sexual or psychological abuse of children and vulnerable adults, but also targets sexual abuse and violence resulting from an abuse of authority -- such as the exploitation of nuns by priests.

Pope Francis admitting publicly in February that priests have used nuns as "sexual slaves" -- and may still be doing so.

'Exhaustive in scope'

"The new norms... are exhaustive in scope, applying in some way to every ordained or vowed member of the 1.3 billion-person church," Vatican watcher Joshua McElwee wrote in the National Catholic Reporter.

That raises the question as to how realistic it is for the Vatican to promise a response to reports within 30 days, particularly considering there are scores of cases currently backlogged, Allen said.

Victims' groups have long called for Francis to put in place concrete measures to tackle clerical child abuse, but they want more, including the immediate dismissal of any cleric found guilty of even a single act of abuse, or of covering it up.

They also want all abusers or suspected abusers to be reported to police, and any abuse-related files handed over to them.

Some have called for priests who hear of abuse during confessions to be forced to report it. The new law stops short of that.

Catholics believe that within the confessional the penitent is talking to God, and everything in the confession is secret. A priest who reveals such secrets is automatically expelled from the Church.

Pope Francis has been forced to respond to a global scandal over paedophilia in the church.

Brunei says death penalty moratorium to cover sharia laws

Yahoo – AFP, May 5, 2019

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah's remarks on capital punishment appeared aimed at
assuaging worldwide criticism (AFP Photo/Andrea VERDELLI)

Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei) (AFP) - Brunei's sultan said Sunday a moratorium on capital punishment will also extend to sharia laws that include stoning to death for gay sex and adultery, after a furious backlash against the punishments.

It was the first time Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah had commented publicly on the new penal code since it fully entered force last month, and his remarks appeared aimed at assuaging worldwide criticism.

The laws, which also include amputation of hands and feet for thieves in the tiny sultanate on Borneo island, sparked fury from celebrities, including actor George Clooney, the United Nations and rights groups.

In a televised speech ahead of the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the sultan said: "I am aware that there are many questions and misperceptions with regard to the implementation of the (sharia penal code)."

"There should not be any concern on the sharia law as it is full of Allah's mercy and blessings," he said, according to an official translation of his address.

"As evident for more than two decades, we have practised a de facto moratorium on the execution of death penalty for cases under the common law.

"This will also be applied to cases under the (sharia penal code), which provides a wider scope for remission."

He also vowed Brunei would ratify the United Nations convention against torture which it signed several years ago.

Muslim-majority Brunei operates a dual-track legal system with civil courts operating alongside sharia courts that handle issues such as marital and inheritance cases.

Some crimes were already punishable with death by hanging under the civil code but Brunei has not executed anyone for decades, and the sultan's comments suggest this will not change with the introduction of the new sharia laws.

Rape and robbery are also punishable by death under the sharia code and many of the new laws, such as capital punishment for insulting the Prophet Mohammed, apply to non-Muslims as well as Muslims.

The sultan -- one of the world's wealthiest men -- announced plans for the sharia penal code in 2013.

The first section was introduced in 2014 and included less stringent penalties, such as fines or jail terms for offences including indecent behaviour or skipping Friday prayers.

But the introduction of the harsher punishments in the former British protectorate of about 400,000 people was repeatedly delayed after they sparked criticism.

#UPDATE Brunei's sultan has announced that a punishment of death by stoning for gay sex and adultery will not be enforced in the sultanate after a global backlash, but critics Monday called for harsh sharia laws to be abandoned entirely. https://t.co/Pz1DSJiNjr

— AFP news agency (@AFP) 6 mei 2019

Bolsonaro cancels New York gala trip as sponsors withdraw

Yahoo – AFP, May 4, 2019

A gala set to honor Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro in New York has lost
several sponsors (AFP Photo/Mauro Pimentel)

New York (AFP) - Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday cancelled plans to attend a New York gala in his honor after several companies withdrew their sponsorship and thousands of people demanded it be scrapped.

The gala, organized by the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce for May 14, had attracted widespread criticism over the far-right president's record, with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio describing Bolsonaro as "a dangerous man".

Bolsonaro decided to cancel the trip due to "resistance and deliberate attacks by the Mayor of New York and the pressure of interest groups" on organisers, a spokesman said in a statement.

The event had been due to be held at the New York Museum of Natural History, before it pulled out of hosting.

It was moved to the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square, where protesters have been gathering every night outside seeking the complete cancellation of the event.

On Friday, US airline Delta, British daily Financial Times and consulting firm Bain & Company all confirmed to AFP that they would not sponsor the dinner as planned.

Bolsonaro was to receive a Person of the Year award at the event.

Every year, the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce awards the prize to a Brazilian and an American at a gala dinner, with famous guests on hand. The event -- which costs $30,000 a plate -- was sold out.

Elected late October with an ultraconservative agenda, Bolsonaro has been widely criticized for his environmental policy.

Since taking office in January, he has reduced or eliminated funding for indigenous protection organizations.

He also placed them under the responsibility of the Minister of Agriculture, Tereza Cristina Dias, who is close to the massive agribusiness industry, which is accused of aggravating deforestation.

Brother of Algeria's Bouteflika, 2 ex-spy bosses arrested: security source

Yahoo – AFP, May 4, 2019

Said Bouteflika (centre), brother of Algeria's ex-president Abdelaziz Bouteflika,
pictured in 2012 (AFP Photo/FAROUK BATICHE)

Algiers (AFP) - Said Bouteflika, the powerful brother of deposed Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, was arrested Saturday along with two former intelligence chiefs, a security source told AFP.

General Mohamed Mediene, known as Toufik, who headed the secret service for 25 years and former intelligence coordinator Athmane Tartag were the two spy chiefs arrested, the source said, asking not to be named.

The security source did not provide a reason for the arrests.

There was no immediate comment from Algeria's police or army, despite efforts by AFP to reach them.

Said Bouteflika was seen as the guiding hand behind the rule of his ailing brother Abdelaziz, who resigned on April 2 following pressure from the military in the face of huge street protests.

The president's brother was frequently cited in the past as a likely successor as head of state.

He had exerted increasing influence behind the scenes, as the former president was rarely seen in public after a stroke in 2013.

Mediene headed the all-powerful DRS intelligence agency, until Bouteflika fired him and then dismantled the institution in 2016.

Algeria's army chief Ahmed Gaid Salah has in recent weeks accused Mediene of being involved in a plot against Algeria.

In mid-April he gave what he called "a final warning" to the former DRS chief whom he accused of conspiring to "hinder solutions to ending the crisis" in the protest-hit country.

Salah had helped Abdelaziz Bouteflika to neuter the DRS, which was long considered a "state within a state".

Tartag -- described by Algerian media as close to the former president's brother -- was fired just after Bouteflika's resignation.

Salah has spoken of a meeting attended by "known individuals, the identity of whom will be revealed at the right time, that sought to lead a virulent media campaign across various media and on social networks against the army."

According to Algerian media, this meeting was attended by Mediene, Tartag and Said Bouteflika.

Mediene said "I have never met, whether it be a single time, this person from the security forces who was cited as taking part in this pseudo-meeting, since I left my position" heading the DRS.

Algeria's former defence minister Khaled Nezzar meanwhile has recently claimed that Said Bouteflika wanted to declare a state of emergency and had considered firing Salah, ahead of the president's resignation.

Demonstrations are ongoing in the North African country, with people pouring onto the streets for the 11th consecutive week on Friday, to demand the resignation of regime insiders and the establishment of transitional institutions.

Chinese family say they were scammed over $6.5mn Stanford payment

Yahoo – AFP, 3 May 2019

Stanford was among the prestigious universities targeted in the elaborate
cheating scheme

The mother of a Chinese student admitted Friday she paid $6.5 million to the man at the heart of a US college admission scandal but said she was duped into believing the sum was a charitable donation.

American academia has been rocked by a colossal bribery scandal run by William "Rick" Singer who has pleaded guilty to working with corrupt coaches, university administrators and exam monitors to get the children of wealthy families into prestigious colleges.

The $25 million scam, which was revealed by US prosecutors earlier this year, has seen some 50 people charged including Hollywood actors and industry CEOs.

Most of the cases that have come to light through indictments or guilty pleas have involved parents paying anywhere between $15,000 and $600,000 to ensure their children got into college.

But earlier this week US media reported that Singer received a huge payment of $6.5 million from a wealthy Chinese family whose daughter Yusi Zhao got into Stanford in 2017.

On Friday, Hong Kong-based lawyers for Zhao's mother released a statement on her behalf in which she said the payment was made but that Singer had led her to believe it was a legitimate donation that would go towards Stanford's staff salaries and scholarship programme.

"The donation is in the same nature as those that many affluent parents have been doing openly to prestigious universities," the statement read, adding they had made it a month after their daughter was accepted into Stanford.

"Since the matters concerning Mr Singer and his foundation have been widely reported, Mrs Zhao has come to realise she has been misled, her generosity has been taken advantage of, and her daughter has fallen victim to the scam," it added.

Law firm Mayer Brown declined to give the mother's full name or say whether Yusi Zhao is still at the prestigious Ivy League college.

The New York Times said her father is a wealthy businessman who made his fortune in traditional Chinese medicine and health supplements.

A reporter from the paper who visited the family's home in an ultra-wealthy district on the outskirts of Beijing this week said a Ferrari, a Tesla, a Bentley and a Land Rover could be seen parked outside a California-style mansion.

Prosecutors in the US have not filed any charges against the Zhao family.

American colleges are highly sought after among Chinese families and a booming industry has flourished offering consulting and test preparation advice. Chinese students have also become a hugely lucrative demographic for those colleges.

US media have reported only one other family paid Singer a seven figure sum -- a Chinese family who allegedly paid $1.2 million to get their daughter into Yale.

Related Articles:

Behind the bribery: US university admissions favor the rich

Hollywood stars among dozens charged over college entrance scam

"Desperate Housewives" star Felicity Huffman (L) and fellow Hollywood actress

Lori Loughlin are among 50 people indicted in a nationwide university admissions

scam, court records showed (AFP Photo/LISA O'CONNOR, Tommaso Boddi)

UK's May sacks defence minister Williamson over Huawei leak

Yahoo – AFP, May 1, 2019

Gavin Williamson has been sacked as defence secretary (AFP Photo/Adrian DENNIS)

London (AFP) - British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday sacked Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson following a probe into the leak of news that Britain had conditionally allowed China's Huawei to develop its 5G network.

"The Prime Minister has this evening asked Gavin Williamson to leave the government, having lost confidence in his ability to serve in the role of Defence Secretary and as a member of her Cabinet," said a spokeswoman from her Downing Street office.

May said in a letter to Williamson that the investigation "provides compelling evidence suggesting your responsibility for the unauthorised disclosure" from the April 23 meeting of the National Security Council (NSC), although he "strenuously denied" responsibility.

"No other credible version of events to explain this leak has been identified," wrote May.

"This is an extremely serious matter and a deeply disappointing one," she added, with Williamson now facing the possibility of a criminal probe.

"This must now be referred to the Metropolitan Police for a thorough criminal investigation into breaches of the Official Secrets Act," said Liberal Democrat Leader Vince Cable.

Williamson responded in a letter to May, saying he was "sorry you felt recent leaks" originated from the defence ministry.

"I strenuously deny that I was in any way involved in this leak and I am confident that a thorough and formal inquiry would have vindicated my position".

He revealed that May had given him the chance to resign, but turned it down as it would have been an acceptance of guilt.

Downing Street later announced that Penny Mordaunt, the Minister for Women and Equalities, would replace Williamson and become Britain's first female defence minister, while continuing in her current role.

Britain's already splintered government was rocked by the scandal last month over who leaked news that May was to let Huawei develop Britain's 5G network.

The bitterly disputed decision was reportedly made at the April 23 meeting of the NSC.

NSC discussions are only attended by senior ministers and security officials who first sign the Official Secrets Act that commits them to keep conversations private or risk prosecution.

But The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that May approved granting Huawei permission to build up "non-core" elements of Britain's next-generation telecommunications network.

Political operator

The United States is adamantly opposed to Huawei's involvement because of the firm's obligation under Chinese law to help its home government gather intelligence or provide other security services when required.

May told Williamson it was "vital" that members of the NSC... were able to have "frank and detailed discussions in full confidence" that they would not be made public.

She added that she was "concerned by the manner in which you have engaged with this investigation", saying his conduct "has not been of the same standard" as other members of the NSC.

British media reported that Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill -- the country's most senior civil servant -- gave those present an ultimatum to deny responsibility for the leak.

Williamson was one of the first to do so, calling it "completely unacceptable".

His allies told Sky News reporter Kate McCann that they suspect Sedwill of engineering the sacking over historical disagreements between the pair.

The 42-year-old was a trusted ally of the prime minister.

He was May's parliamentary campaign manager when she successfully ran to become Conservative Party leader, and was rewarded with the job of chief whip -- tasked with enforcing discipline for the Conservative Party in parliament.

He was only elected to parliament in 2010, and was best known for keeping a pet tarantula, Cronus, in a glass-sided tank on his desk.

May raised eyebrows when she appointed Williamson to the key defence job in November 2017 after previous incumbent Michael Fallon resigned over allegations of sexual harassment.

The move raised questions about whether Williamson's whips' office had a role in preparing the dossier on ministers behind the scandal, and there were reports that Williamson advised May that Fallon may be facing further allegations.

"Make no mistake, Gavin Williamson wants to be prime minister. And he knows all the dirt on his colleagues," wrote Tim Shipman, political editor of The Sunday Times newspaper.

Related Article:

British PM approves Huawei role in 5G network: report

‘Death to gays’ preacher Steven Anderson banned from Netherlands

DutchNews, May 1, 2019

Steven Anderson preaching at his church. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Homophobic preacher Steven Anderson will not be allowed to enter the Netherlands as part of a speaking tour later this month. 

Gay rights campaign organisation COC, MPs from across the spectrum and Amsterdam’s mayor, Femke Halsema, all urged the government to block Steven Anderson after he announced his plan to speak in the capital on May 23. 

Junior justice minister Mark Harbers said on Wednesday that measures would be taken to stop Anderson at the border, though he did not specify what these were. 

Anderson has been banned from other countries, including the UK, South Africa and Botswana, for saying that gay people should be put to death. In 2016 he called the death of 50 people in an attack on a gay bar in Orlando ‘good news’ because ‘there’s fifty less pedophiles in this world’. 

The Israeli information centre CIDI also supported the ban because Anderson has disputed whether the Holocaust happened. 

Harbers said there was no place in ‘a democratic state such as ours’ for discrimination, incitement to hatred or intolerance or violence towards another group.