People
S.Korea's top court orders review of ex-president Park's graft case
Park had been sentenced to a 25-year prison term, with 20 billion won ($16.4 million) in fines for various forms of corruption, including abuse of power and taking bribes from businesses. Lee had been sentenced to a 30-month jail term, stayed for four years. But in the appeal trial past year, his sentence was halved and the court gave him a suspended sentence which ultimately set him free. [Full Article...]
Burmese migrants have convictions upheld over Hannah Witheridge murder
Burmese pair Wai Phyo and Zaw Lin had denied killing and raping Miss Witheridge, from Hemsby, who died aged 23 while backpacking on the Thai island of Koh Tao in 2014 . Andy Hall, a migrant worker rights specialist who advised the team, told The Irrawaddy by email that, "I respect the verdict delivered by Thailand's Supreme Court in the Koh Tao murder case today". [Full Article...]
Barbie Highlights Iconic Women in History with New Releases
Forget the typical Barbie attire and accessories, these legends will include educational materials about their stories and will be dressed appropriately. According to Mattel, research has shown that starting at the age of five, many girls are less likely than boys to view their own gender as smart and begin to lose confidence in their own competence - this is coined the "Dream Gap". [Full Article...]
The Farmer's Almanac Predicting a Wyoming Polar Roller Coaster
The Old Farmer's Almanac echoes that prediction and adds the "frigid and frosty conditions will last well into spring". Peter Geiger, an editor for the periodical, said the 2019-20 winter season will be intense. The new extended forecast for winter in Wyoming by The Farmer's Almanac claims it will be the equivalent of being on a "polar coaster". Between Jan. [Full Article...]
Brazil President Bolsonaro open to G7 aid if Macron `withdraws insults`
While numerous recorded fires this year were set in already deforested areas by people clearing land for cultivation or pasture, the Brazil government's figures show that they are much more widespread this year. Forest fires continue in neighboring Bolivia. The offer, which was made at a summit in France on Monday, has stirred up emotions within Bolsonaro's nationalist government. [Full Article...]
U.K.'s Johnson says he's still striving for new Brexit deal
Prime Minister Johnson has described the backstop as "anti-democratic" and demanded its removal from the divorce deal. It involves the United Kingdom staying in a form of customs union with the EU if no trade agreement is reached. The backstop is essentially an insurance policy or safety net that would prevent the reintroduction of a hard border with customs checks on the island of Ireland after... [Full Article...]
MSNBC's O'Donnell: I Shouldn't Have Reported Trump Story
It was based off a "single source", O'Donnell's employer never confirmed the story, and even Deutsche Bank is refusing to confirm the story. "The source says that Deutsche Bank is in possession of loan documents that show Donald Trump has obtained loans with co-signers, and that he would not have been able to obtain those loans without co-signers", O'Donnell said. [Full Article...]
Brussels fires warning shot at Boris Johnson over £39bn Brexit bill
Later on Tuesday, Johnson will speak by phone to outgoing EU Commission President Jean Claude Juncker to press his position, and next month he's due to visit Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar in Dublin. Even if Britain became part of the European Economic Area - as close as you can get to the EU without being a member - the forecast was it would cost the economy £4 billion or the equivalent of £... [Full Article...]