THE hunt for Madeleine McCann could be shelved within three weeks as funding dries up, it has been claimed. The Sun reports that a request for fresh cash from the UK Home Office is yet to be made, despite financial support for the search expected to run out by the end of the month. More than £11 million ($A20 million) has been spent on the probe to find Maddie after she disappeared while on holidays with her family in Portugal more than a decade ago. But despite the global search, there has been no significant clues as to what could have happened with Maddie’s parents Kate and Gerry continually fighting for more funding. A source close to the family told the Daily Mail: “They have been here before. They simply have no idea if the search will abruptly come to an end or will carry on. It is a daunting prospect they face once more.” They added: “Kate and Gerry are grateful to the Metropolitan Police for everything they have done over the years and hope of course that the inquiry into their daughter’s abduction will continue if more funds are requested and made available.” It comes after it was revealed detectives involved in the case have been secretly visiting Portugal in the past year. Five return flights were booked to the country, where the toddler from Leicestershire disappeared in 2007, Met Police documents revealed. Officers have also poured through 40,000 documents filed by Portuguese officials who have been involved in the investigation. Maddie was three when she disappeared from a holiday apartment in the Algarve region of Portugal while her parents dined with friends nearby. She disappeared on the evening of May 3 from her bed in a holiday apartment in Rua Dr Agostinho da Silva, Praia da Luz, where she had been sleeping with her brother and sister. She would have turned 15 on May 12, 2018. A number of potential leads have emerged since the little girl vanished, but none amounted to anything and no arrests have ever been made. In 2010, Maddie’s distraught parents met with then-home secretary Theresa May to talk about the hunt for their daughter. The following year, Scotland Yard launched its own review, named Operation Grange, into the case at the behest of the future PM.

MEGHAN, Duchess of Sussex, has been labelled a “DuchASS” by half-sister Samantha Markle in her latest rant. She accused Meghan of “fake waves and smiles” in her most recent public tirade after it was revealed the Duchess of Sussex hadn’t spoken to their father in months, reports The Sun. The 37-year-old royal’s family has continually hit headlines in an ongoing saga after dad Thomas Markle pulled out of her wedding to Prince Harry after it was revealed he had staged photographs with the paparazzi. Mr Markle, who also recently underwent heart surgery, apologised but has since revealed his daughter has not spoken to him in months after the gaffe. Taking to Twitter, Ms Markle wrote: “I am not candy coating anything anymore! The DUCHASS should be humane to our father who has given her everything … and this media crap can stop! “He was the one who was always there for her. Fake waves and smiles can stop. The duchASS can bow to the daddy.” She added: “Sorry folks there is no valid or a good argument in favour of inhumane treatment of both sides of the family and a best friend of 30 years. “Snobbery and arrogance are not humanitarian traits. She has an obligation especially to treat our father with kindness.” In the series of bitter tweets, Ms Markle wrote: “She owes my father a lot of love and respect. No one wants to spoil her marriage and marriage is not at issue. “What is at issue is the kind treatment of our dad.” It comes after Mr Markle revealed his fears Meghan was masking the stresses of royal life with a smile. Mr Markle said the royals were freezing him out of his daughter’s life over his staged paparazzi pictures and controversial interview with Good Morning Britain. He said: “My thing about my daughter right now is that I think she is terrified. “I see it in her eyes, I see it in her face and I see it in her smile. “I’ve seen her smile for years. I know her smile. I don’t like the one I’m seeing now. “This one isn’t even a stage smile — this is a pained smile. “That might be just having a couple of bad days. I don’t know. It really worries me. I think she’s under too much pressure. “There’s a high price to pay to be married to that family.” Ex-Hollywood lighting director Mr Markle, was recuperating from heart surgery when Harry and Meghan married at Windsor Castle on May 19. Meghan’s mum Doria Ragland, who split with Mr Markle in 1988, was the only relative she had in church. Kensington Palace has not yet commented.

THEY say the wheels of justice turn slowly — but now they’ve ground to a virtual halt. The New York Post reports that seventeen years after they helped murder 2977 innocents in the worst terrorist attack on US soil, five 9/11 suspects — including self-avowed mastermind Khalid sheik Mohammed — have not faced trial. The other four are Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali, Waleed bin Attash, Ramzi Binalshibh, Mustafa Ahmad al-Hawsawi. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for all five men and have attempted for years to try the case, but a constantly shifting venue, questions over coerced evidence and the limitations of holding trials at Guantánamo Bay have slowed the case to a crawl. Victims’ families say the legal limbo puts them through hell. “It’s outrageous the length of time this has taken,” Debby Jenkins, who lost her brother Joseph Jenkins in the World Trade Center attacks, told the New York Post on Monday. “Thousands and thousands of people have been affected. Families have been destroyed. There will never be closure, but we would just love to see justice served. That’s what we’re waiting for.” Alice Hoagland, whose son Mark Bingham led the attempt to retake hijacked United Airlines Flight 93, said she respects due process but wants the suspects executed — the sooner the better. “These people were instrumental in torturing and killing almost 3000 people — one of whom was my son,” she told the New York Post. “They’re creepy people, and they murdered a lot of us, and they deserve to suffer and die.” The US had captured Mohammed and the four accomplices by 2003. They were shuffled among CIA “black sites” for interrogation before being arraigned in 2008. But former US President Barack Obama suspended the case when he entered office, and in 2010, the Pentagon dismissed the charges without prejudice, meaning the men could be charged again later. Then-Attorney-General Eric Holder tried to move the case to Manhattan federal court, but the plan was nixed, and the administration refiled charges at the military court at Guantanamo. The men were arraigned in 2012, and what has followed has been an endless procession of pre-trial hearings over their treatment in captivity and whether evidence gleaned using “enhanced interrogation” tactics was usable. “The fact that we can’t try these individuals is such an incalculable disservice to the citizens of this country,” said Karen Greenberg, director of The Centre on National Security at Fordham Law School. “The system is just flawed in every way.” In the latest setback, the military judge who had overseen the case since its inception stepped down. Now his replacement, Marine Colonel Keith Parrella, 44, has to read up on 20,000 pages of transcripts, plus an unknown number of classified records, according to the Miami Herald. With more pre-trial hearings scheduled for 2019, a trial is not expected to begin before 2020, the Herald reported. “If you look at it historically, how long its taking, I’m not confident it would be 2020,” Mr Jenkins said. “I’d like to see that happen.” Just two people have been sentenced in connection with 9/11 — Zacarias Moussaoui and Mounir el-Motassadeq. Moussaoui pleaded guilty in 2005 to six terrorism-related conspiracy charges tied to 9/11 and is serving life in prison without parole. In 2006, German courts convicted el-Motassadeq on 246 counts of accessory to murder for providing financial assistance to the 9/11 hijackers. He got 15 years in prison. The five suspects faced yet another hearing on Monday. Mohammed’s lawyer, David Nevin, did not return a request for comment. But Ms Greenberg said even the defence attorneys want to get the trial over with. “They’re the only defence attorneys asking for their clients to be tried,” Ms Greenberg said. LEADERS PAY RESPECTS ON 9/11 US President Donald Trump said the nation is recalling “the moment when America fought back” during a Pennsylvania ceremony marking the September 11 terror attacks. Mr Trump said during a sombre remembrance at the Flight 93 memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, that the fallen “joined the immortal ranks of American heroes.” The president was joined by first lady Melania Trump to honour those killed 17 years ago at the site where the fourth airliner crashed after 40 passengers and crew members realised what was happening and tried to storm the cockpit. He said the fallen “took control of their destiny and changed the course of history.” Mr Trump listened as the names of the victims were read aloud, followed by the tolling of bells. Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence has told family members of the 184 people killed at the Pentagon on 9/11 that the nation still grieves with them. Mr Pence spoke at the Pentagon Memorial. He said it’s important that each new generation know what happened. Mr Pence recalled the heroism of service members and civilians working in the Pentagon that day. They evacuated and went back into the building again and again to rescue survivors. He says the terrorists “hoped to break our spirit and they failed.”

WHEN Alexis Swinney went into labour with her fifth child, little did she know the intimate moment would be seen by thousands of people. The Texas woman, her husband Dominique and their four children jumped into their family car and frantically rushed to the hospital. But on their way Mr Swinney decided to film the whole thing. “Can you wait like two minutes?” he says in the video. But it seems the baby didn’t want to wait. The family only live about 15 minutes from the hospital, but even that wasn’t enough time to get there. The footage shows Mrs Swinney bending over in pain, then all of sudden, while the car is still moving, out pops a healthy baby on the front seat. “Oh, she had the baby! Oh my gosh! Oh my goodness, we just delivered a baby in the car,” Mr Swinney says as the new born baby cries in the background. “I feel like I’m dreaming,” an exhausted Mrs Swinney says while holding her newborn girl. The Swinneys posted the special moment on Instagram. It has been viewed more than 44,000 times. “There was something beyond special about getting to deliver my own baby,” Mrs Swinney said. “No doctors or nurses, no lights, or busy people, no one interrupting a moment that should be the most special moments for families as they bring life into the world. “The pain was there, but the joy and peace that followed in those minutes we got to spend alone with our sweet girl was more rewarding then anything I could have asked for.” The couple named their daughter Corbin.

Fat-free shakes and soups could be prescribed to diabetics as part of a "radical treatment" for the disease. Nearly 300 people suffering from Type 2 diabetes in the UK were given the 850 calorie-a-day diet and it could be rolled out wider. The Daily Mail newspaper said research found half of those following the four-meal-a-day diet were in remission within 12 months. The study's Jonathan Valabhji says the plans are "exciting". "The trial involved 300 people, of those in the intervention arm a staggering almost 50 per cent saw their diabetes go into remission. "Their blood glucose levels fell into the non-diabetic range." The idea of the diet is that it will help patients lose weight which will, in turn, lower blood glucose levels. At between 810 and 850 calories daily, the diet provides a lot less than the 2,000 calories recommended for a woman and 2,500 for a man. Patients will stay on the diet for three to five months and then will be allowed to replace a shake with a meal. Over the following six weeks, patients will gradually replace the shakes or soups with meals until they are back to eating normally again.

ASTRONOMERS around the world have been gearing up for a spectacle. Two stars in the constellation of Cygnus are locked in a death-spiral, swirling ever closer to one another. In 2022, it was predicted we could watch their brilliant fiery-red collision in real-time. Not any more. As is the narky nature of science, fellow astronomers have been trying to poke holes in the prophetic calculations ever since they were first published in 2017. The mud thrown failed to stick, consistently. Until now. And it’s not the calculation’s fault. STARRY EYED The KIC 9832227 system is 1800 light years away. There are two stars. And not much else. That’s because the stars are so close to each other. And their orbit is so fast, one year is the equivalent to just 11 of our days. They’re so close, their atmospheres have begun to blend. What makes this particular close binary star system so interesting to astronomers is they are neatly aligned with Earth. Every time they orbit, one star eclipses the other from our perspective. The resulting variation in brightness allows stargazers to track how fast the stars are merging. Their orbits are accelerating. And that enables the prediction when the stars will finally become close enough to tear each other apart. The data behind the equation used to calculate the collision date has been gathered since 1999. Ongoing observations between 2007 and 2016 demonstrated that a dramatic acceleration is indeed underway. Plugging the numbers into the right equations produced the 2022 end-date. But a team of researchers led by Quentin Socia, a graduate student at San Diego State University, has issued another challenge — this time published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. SHOOTING STARS The researcher who originally produced the prediction has conceded defeat. “Good science makes testable predictions,” Larry Molnar from Calvin College said. “There have been a few other papers that have tried to poke at our project, and we’ve been able to poke back — criticisms that just don’t fly. But this one does fly, and I think they have a good point. This illustrates how science can be self-correcting.” At the heart of the problem is a table of data relating to the 1999 observations of KIC 9832227. One typo changed the time of an observed eclipse by 12 hours. This error has since fed into every calculation made about the binary system’s orbits. And that single 12-hour discrepancy, even when combined with the many other observations made since, was enough to throw the end result out. KIC 9832227 won’t go boom in 2022. We know it will. Just not when. Yet. Astronomers will have to do the math all over again. And check all the data — again. “While this is disappointing from a public anticipation point of view, it’s an important scientific step that was necessary,” Socia says. “This is arguably the most important part of the scientific process. Knowledge advances the most when bold predictions are made, and people question and test those predictions”. Meanwhile, Molnar has dusted off his calculator. “The authors of the manuscript don’t question our fundamental premise, which is to say ‘this is something that you should be looking for, this is something that can be found’,” he said. “It’s actually because they agree with that fundamental premise that they dug deeper. And so the search for an impending stellar merger continues.”

BEIJING officials have stormed one of China’s largest “underground” Protestant churches for operating without a licence, part of a widespread move to impose state control over religious worship. In recent months, religious groups have raised concern the government is cracking down on congregations in Beijing and several Chinese provinces, destroying crosses, burning Bibles and ordering followers to sign papers renouncing their faith. In its latest act, around 70 police and Communist Party officials stormed into the Zion Church in Beijing — housed on the third floor of a nondescript office building in the north of the capital — after its Sunday afternoon service. “They chased everyone out and sealed off the place, even tearing down our signage on the wall,” church pastor Jin Mingri told AFP. “All our things have been confiscated and we have not been allowed to re-enter the building.” Chinese citizens are theoretically free to practise any religion — so long as it is officially recognised by the government, and meets Communist Party criteria. And that’s the catch. China’s officially atheist government is wary of any organised movements outside its own control, including religious ones, and analysts say oversight of such groups has tightened under President Xi Jinping. So Beijing has repeatedly cracked down on unauthorised religious activity. China has also been under heavy international scrutiny for its treatment of its mostly Muslim Uighur minority in the northwestern region of Xinjiang. Human rights groups have accused the Chinese government of conducting a crackdown that has detained of as many as one million ethnic Uighurs in internment camps. CHURCH OF ZION RAID Local authorities said the Zion Church and its affiliates have been banned. “After investigation, (we found) the ‘Zion Church in Beijing’ was not registered and carried out activities in the name of social organisations without authorisation,” the Chaoyang district civil affairs bureau said in a statement. On Monday, at least a dozen marked police vehicles and scores of officers both in uniform and plainclothes guarded the building where the congregation held its services. AFP journalists were barred from entering the building. The officers said the third floor was sealed off. The country’s Christians are split between those who attend unofficial “house” or “underground” churches and those who go to government-sanctioned places of worship. “Under Xi, the government has shifted its approach from allowing churches like Zion to operate as long as they don’t get political to now seeking to actively control them or shut them down,” said Brent Fulton, founder of the ChinaSource website and author of “China’s Urban Christians”. Fulton said Jin was probably targeted after he rejected a request by authorities in April to install government-controlled CCTVs in the sanctuary. He was among some 200 pastors from underground churches who put their name to a petition complaining of “assault and obstruction” by the government — including the tearing down of crosses — since new religious regulations came into effect in February. SINICIZATION OF RELIGION China’s top leaders have recently called for the “Sinicization” of religious practice — bringing it in line with “traditional” Chinese values and culture — sparking concern among rights groups. The measures increased state supervision of religion in a bid to “block extremism”, and in areas with significant Muslim populations, authorities have removed Islamic symbols, such as crescents, from public spaces. In the far western region of Xinjiang, Uighurs and other Turkic Muslim minorities are harshly punished for violating regulations banning beards and burqas, and even for the possession of unauthorised Korans. Up to a million minorities are believed to be held in extrajudicial re-education camps in Xinjiang, rights groups say. “These efforts … have effectively outlawed Islam in the region,” said Maya Wang, senior China researcher for Human Rights Watch. She added that Christians in Zhejiang and Henan have been suppressed, while Hui Muslims in northern Ningxia region have also been put under increased scrutiny. Asked what he would do going forward, Jin said they would return to the church’s location this weekend. “Longbaochen is our home … even if we can’t enter we will go there,” he said. “They can stop us from holding services, but they cannot stop us from praying.” WORSHIP ‘ILLEGAL’ ONLINE Beijing has drawn up new draft guidelines to crack down on the “chaotic” and illegal online promotion of religion, the official Global Times has reported. It’s part of the newly revitalised state campaign to bring religious worship into line with Communist Party dogma. All organisations engaged in the dissemination of religious information online will be obliged to apply for licenses from provincial religious affairs departments, the paper said. While the license will enable them to “preach and offer religious training”, they will not be allowed to live-stream or broadcast religious activities. The dissemination of religious information anywhere other than their own internet platforms is also forbidden. The guidelines also specifically prohibit online religious services from inciting subversion, opposing the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party and promoting extremism and separatism. GOING UNDERGROUND Zion Church, which was raided at the weekend, was one of the largest “house” churches in Beijing, with up to 1500 people attending its five weekly services. “I believe the government will continue to go after high profile unregistered churches … particularly those whose pastors signed the open letter, in order to send a strong signal to other churches,” Fulton said, adding that many churches might stop large services and instead have smaller group meetings in homes. The state-linked China Christian Council estimates the country has around 20 million Christians — excluding Catholics — in official churches supervised by the authorities. But the true number of worshippers could be higher, at least 40 million to 60 million, according to some estimates. China’s roughly 12 million Catholics are divided between a government-run association, whose clergy are chosen by the atheist Communist Party, and an unofficial underground church loyal to the Vatican.

A 12-YEAR-OLD girl in the US has opted for an unusual cancer treatment to enable her to continue dancing. Delaney Unger’s ankle now serves as her knee joint after being diagnosed with an aggressive bone cancer called osteosarcoma. Doctors found a mass on her femur in 2016. She was told treatment would require amputation of her left knee and chemotherapy. While most patients choose an artificial knee replacement, which limits activities like sports and dance, Delaney decided on a procedure called rotationplasty. “When we first heard I had cancer, all we thought about was saving the leg,” Delaney said. “But when found out that’s the worst option, I was like alright, you can take my leg. I just want to dance again, because I’ve never done anything else in my life but dance.” Dr Fazel Khan, an orthopedic surgeon at Stoney Brook Medicine in New York, who treated Delaney, explained why this procedure was possible. “Her cancer really was in the knee,” Dr Khan said. “Her ankle, her foot, the bottom part of her calf, all of those muscles, nerves and even the ankle joint were fully intact. “Rather than throw out the good ankle, leg, foot and some of the muscles in the bottom part of the calf, we actually take the ankle, calf, foot and we use that to make a new knee.” Her ankle was turned 180 degrees, with her foot facing backwards, and functions as her knee joint. The foot was kept intact because the toes provide sensory feedback to the brain, and having a natural joint, rather than a prosthetic, helps facilitate the movement required for dancing. The 13-hour operation took place early in 2017, with Delaney now thriving, is able to dance the way she used to and has even learned how to surf.

A SECRET West Wing recording taped President Trump joking during a White House meeting while speaking about four US soldiers who died in a terrorist ambush in Niger. The awkward comment was recorded by former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman during an October 2017 meeting. The president starts speaking about how his success on terrorism led to foreign fighters relocating to Africa. “But what happens is now they flee and they flee to Africa. And they flee to Niger and countries around there,” Trump said in the audio aried on MSNBC. “And that’s how these young people get attacked. And they got attacked by 50 real fighters,” Trump said - referring to the army special operations soldiers who were ambushed by militants. “So it’s a rough business. I wouldn’t — I don’t think I’d want to be a terrorist right now ... It’s not a good life.” The room erupts in nervous laughter. Ms Manigault Newman claims the recording and other conversations aired were proof that President Trump was unfit to lead. “Here it is, Donald Trump raw showing you just how unhinged and inappropriate he is, talking to junior staffers about something so serious,” she said. According to the New York Post, Ms Manigault Newman spoke about the tapes on The View on Monday (local time). Before she was fired by chief of staff John Kelly, Ms Manigault Newman was the highest-ranking African-American working in the White House. Ms Manigault Newman told The View, that he has taken desperate measures to shut her up. “He has sicced his entire legal team on me. They want to shut me down,” she said. But, she added: “I’m going to keep on fighting.” In another aired recording Trump is heard accusing Hillary Clinton of colluding with Russians before the 2016 presidential election. “I think Hillary is getting killed now with Russia. The real Russia story is Hillary and collusion,” the president said in this instance. “Somebody told me it was $US9 million they spent on the phony report. Yeah, someone just said she’s far worse for the country than we thought, she didn’t know her own campaign was spending nine, did you see?” he said, referring to money paid to Fusion GPS, which hired British ex-spy Christopher Steele to prepare a damaging dossier on Mr Trump. “Nobody knows who spent. I heard it was $5.7[million], now they say it was $9[million]. It was spent through a law firm so that way they can’t trace it. The reason they used a law firm, you don’t have to give any papers,” he continued. “It’s definitely illegal and it’s illegal from a campaign financing standpoint. So the whole Russia thing I think seems to have turned around. What do you think, Sarah?” he asked spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “Absolutely,” she replied. The comments came during a meeting of the White House press team and echo other public statements in which he accused Mrs Clinton of being in cahoots with the Kremlin. Ms Manigault Newman also claimed that Mrs Clinton “was robbed” in the 2016 presidential election and that she’s speaking out now because she felt complicit in what she called a robbery. Asked if she knew who wrote an unflattering op-ed about the president published a week ago in The New York Times, she pointed the finger at Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, Nick Ayers, without offering evidence. A day earlier, the former Apprentice star told US TV network MSNBC that she and other White House staffers and family members used a special hashtag to communicate when Mr Trump was acting more “insane” than usual. “Whenever he did something that was just so insane and so crazy and unhinged, when he would flip positions from one hour to the next, we’d just hashtag it ‘TFA’ and keep moving. I’m a little embarrassed to tell you how often when I went through my text chains from the White House I saw the hashtag,” she said. The hashtag referred to the “25th Amendment,” which includes a section that allows the vice president and a majority of cabinet secretaries to declare a president “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.” She repeated the allegation on The View. “It was the way we coped and the way we would deal with his flip-flops. In the morning he would take one position. By the afternoon it would be something completely different. The way we coped would be — and I’m embarrassed to say this. We would use the orange icon.” Ms Sanders knocked down Ms Manigault Newman’s claims in a statement: “Everyone, even the media, knows she has no credibility. The idea this ever happened is completely ridiculous and just further shows that she will say and do anything to try and be relevant,” Ms Sanders said. Ms Manigault Newman has also claimed that Mr Trump used a racial slur on the set of his reality show.

THE secretary-general of the UN has warned that the world is facing "a direct existential threat" and must rapidly shift from dependence on fossil fuels by 2020 to prevent "runaway climate change". Antonio Guterres called the crisis urgent and criticised the lack of global leadership to address global warming. "Climate change is moving faster than we are," Guterres said. "We need to put the brake on deadly greenhouse gas emissions and drive climate action." He said people everywhere are experiencing record-breaking temperatures, and extreme heatwaves, wildfires, storms and floods "are leaving a trail of death and devastation". He pointed the almost 3,000 deaths from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico last year, disappearing Arctic sea ice, oceans becoming more acidic threatening food chains, and high carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere threatening food security for billions of people. Guterres said scientists have been warning about global warming for decades, but "far too many leaders have refused to listen - far too few have acted with the vision the science demands". When 190 nations signed the 2015 Paris agreement on climate change they agreed to limit the global temperature increase by 2100 to less than 2C and as close as possible to 1.5C. "These targets were the bare minimum to avoid the worst impacts of climate change," Guterres said. "But scientists tell us that we are far off track." "According to a UN study, the commitments made so far by parties to the Paris agreement represent just one-third of what is needed. "We need to rapidly shift away from our dependence on fossil fuels. We need to replace them with clean energy from water, wind and sun. We must halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and change the way we farm." He appealed for leadership - "from politicians and leaders, from business and scientists, and from the public everywhere" - to break what he called the current "paralysis". "If we do not change course by 2020, we risk missing the point where we can avoid runaway climate change, with disastrous consequences for people and all the natural systems that sustain us," he warned. The alternative to moving to green energy, he said, "is a dark and dangerous future".

JOHN Legend has made history again. The Ordinary People singer became the first black man to earn the coveted EGOT — that is, to win all four types of awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony — status on Sunday at the Creative Arts Emmys. According to The New York Post, Legend won his Emmy for his role in the NBC musical Jesus Christ Superstar Live. He, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Time Rice all became EGOT winners — making them the 13th, 14th and 15th people in history to earn all major accolades. But the celebration may continue as Legend, 39, who played Jesus in the musical, is also up for another trophy for outstanding actor in a limited series or movie at the Primetime Emmys next week. Thus far, Legend has 10 Grammys to his name, an Oscar for Best Original Song for Glory (2015) and a co-producing Tony for Best Revival of a Play for the Broadway show Jitney (2017). He joins the ranks of Rita Moreno, Audrey Hepburn, Mel Brooks and Whoopi Goldberg, who is the first black woman to join the EGOT club. Before ending the night with a round of “EGOT pancakes,” Chrissy Teigen shared a video of her husband finding a place on his trophy shelf for his new hardware — then him looking on with pride at his achievements. “And I say hey, what wonderful kind of day,” she captioned the video.

A pint-sized cheerleader in California has pummelled another girl who challenged her to a fight while still in her uniform, a dramatic video shows. The footage purportedly shows Savannah Sprague, a cheerleader for Clayton Valley Charter High School, brutally beating an unidentified girl who had just challenged her to a fight as the cheerleader sat at a table surrounded by other youngsters, some still holding their backpacks, according to The New York Post. “Do you want to fight?” the girl tells Sprague, according to the 92-second video. “No, nobody wants to fight,” Sprague replies. “You guys want to fight us. Nobody speaks on you guys, nobody talks about you guys.” Sprague then told the girl standing over her to get her finger out of her face, quickly escalating tensions as several witnesses looked on. “What are you going to do?” the unidentified girl says. “Are you going to make me get back?” “Don’t f**king touch me,” Sprague replies. Seconds later, the unidentified girl slapped Sprague in the face, sparking a brutal fight in which Sprague got the best of her antagonistic counterpart. At one point, Sprague is seen on top of the other girl, pummeling her with vicious, repetitive, closed-fist blows to her back and face. “Break it up, break that s**t up,” one person says off-camera as the girls collect themselves after the fight. Other students at the scene reacted wildly after the melee, including one who spoke directly to the camera and said he loved “watching rumbles.” Officials at Clayton Valley Charter High School — home of the Ugly Eagles — did not have an immediate comment when reached Monday morning by The Post. Sprague and the school’s cheerleading coach also did not return messages seeking additional comment.

OSCAR-winning actor Cate Blanchett, 49, shared an amusing anecdote when she appeared on Britain’s The Jonathan Ross Show last weekend. Along with espousing the delights of living in the English countryside with her family and their two pigs, Benson and Hedges, Blanchett shared that she’d once been invited to Buckingham Palace for lunch — but the Aussie Oscar winner was not sure why she’d been invited. Although Blanchett didn’t specify when the visit to Buckingham Palace occurred, it seems it might have been in 1999, around the release of Elizabeth, in which she starred as Queen Elizabeth I, which earned her an Oscar nomination. Blanchett’s comic tale was inspired by stories that Paul Whitehouse and Ray Winstone, also guests on the show, shared about Prince Philip driving past their film set in his Range Rover and declining to meet anyone. Winstone revealed that Prince Philip had rather unceremoniously declined his offer to meet Sir Michael Caine. This prompted Blanchett to launch into her own story or her encounter with the Duke of Edinburgh, enthralling her fellow guests, which included Joanna Lumley and Jack Black. The Aussie actor, who has developed a reputation for her outspoken and mischievous media appearances — as well as some positively larrikin turns on US talk shows — revealed, “I went to their house once for lunch and there were twelve of us, and I couldn’t work out for the life of me why I’d been invited. “I played Queen Elizabeth, and I’m sitting next to her [Queen Elizabeth II], and maybe she’s seen the movie and wants to ask me about my interpretation, and I sat next to him [Prince Philip] and he said, ‘Oh I hear you’re an actor’ and I said, ‘Yeah, that’s right’ and he said, ‘Well I was given a DVD player for Christmas and I can’t work out whether I put the green cord in or the red cord in’,” said Blanchett hilariously. “And I said, ‘Well, sir it’s really not my area of expertise. I thought, ‘He’s invited me to lunch to tell me about his DVD player’.’’ At the time, Prince Philip, who is now 97, appeared not to recognise the rising star. Now retired from public life, the Duke still attends occasional engagements with the Queen. As for Blanchett, she has played her fair share of royalty, reprising her role as Queen Elizabeth I in The Golden Age, and as Galadriel, queen of the elves in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. An international, multi-award-winning A-list actor, Blanchett has achieved a level of grandness today that makes Prince Philip’s request even more outlandish than it was at the time.

THE Trump administration has ordered the closure of the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Washington, citing the refusal of Palestinian leaders to enter into peace talks with Israel. The Palestinians have accused the administration of dismantling decades of US engagement with them. The US State Department said the step on Monday — the latest in a series targeting the Palestinians — came after a review of the office of the Palestine Liberation Organisation centred on the fact that no “direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel” are underway despite previous warnings. “To the contrary, PLO leadership has condemned a US peace plan they have not yet seen and refused to engage with the US government with respect to peace efforts and otherwise,” spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. “As such, and reflecting congressional concerns, the administration has decided that the PLO office in Washington will close at this point.” The Trump administration had told the Palestinians last November that closure could be expected unless they agreed to sit to down with the Israelis. The administration, however, has yet to release its own much-vaunted but largely unknown peace plan although it said it still intends to do so. “The United States continues to believe that direct negotiations between the two parties are the only way forward,” Ms Nauert said in her statement. “This action should not be exploited by those who seek to act as spoilers to distract from the imperative of reaching a peace agreement. “We are not retreating from our efforts to achieve a lasting and comprehensive peace.” She also said the closure decision was consistent with US concerns about Palestinian attempts to prompt an investigation of Israel by the International Criminal Court. Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said the closure was “yet another affirmation of the Trump administration’s policy to collectively punish the Palestinian people, including by cutting financial support for humanitarian services including health and education.” It comes as the US pledged to use “any means necessary” to protect American citizens and allies from International Criminal Court prosecution. Mr Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, said the court is “illegitimate” and “for all intents and purposes, the ICC is already dead to us.” Mr Bolton delivered his remarks on Monday to the conservative Federalist Society in Washington. He said that the court threatens the “constitutional rights” of Americans and US sovereignty. The ICC, which is based in The Hague, has a mandate to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. President Bill Clinton signed the Rome Statute that established the court, but his successor, George W. Bush, renounced the signature, citing fears that Americans would be unfairly prosecuted for political reasons.

US President Donald Trump has received a request from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for a follow-up to their historic June summit, and planning is in motion to make it happen. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday that no details had been finalised, but that Trump had received a letter from Kim, which she described as “very warm, very positive.” “The primary purpose of the letter was to request and look to schedule another meeting with the president, which we are open to and are already in the process of coordinating that,” Sanders said. It comes after Kim said he had not planned unilateral steps to denuclearise and was instead awaiting a US response to steps he has already taken, according to a senior Russian official who met the North Korean leader. Valentina Matvienko, a Kremlin loyalist and speaker of the upper house of Russia’s parliament, met the North Korean leader in Pyongyang on Saturday, Russia’s RIA news agency reported. Relations between Trump and Kim have seemed to ebb and flow since Trump became the first sitting US president to meet a North Korean leader. Their historic, one-day summit in June in Singapore was held to discuss denuclearising the Korean Peninsula, and Trump emerged from their talks full of praise for the authoritarian Kim. Trump recently called off a planned visit by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to North Korea, citing lack of progress toward eliminating its nuclear arsenal. But on Sunday, the president offered fresh praise for Kim following a North Korean military parade that, unlike past parades, downplayed its missiles and nuclear weapons. “This is a big and very positive statement from North Korea,” Trump tweeted on Sunday about the parade. “Thank you To Chairman Kim. We will both prove everyone wrong! There is nothing like good dialogue from two people that like each other! Much better than before I took office.” Sanders also cited the parade in her comments on Monday. “The recent parade in North Korea, for once, was not about their nuclear arsenal,” she said, calling the parade “a sign of good faith.” Trump, she said, had achieved “tremendous success” with his policies so far toward North Korea “and this letter was further evidence of progress in that relationship.” North Korea’s position is clear as they have made two serious steps, showing that their intentions to eliminate nuclear weapons and stop the nuclear programs are serious, she said. “But reciprocal steps should be made then. It is not possible for the document signed (following the North Korean-US summit in Singapore) to be implemented by one party only,” Matvienko said. “They are of course negotiating with the US side so that there is some movement toward each other, so that the accepted obligations are fulfilled step by step, so that there is understanding that there cannot be any quick decisions there, as it takes patience, demeanour, a long time and the obligations’ fulfilment by the other side,” Matvienko continued. She also quoted him as saying he hoped for Russian backing in weakening US sanctions on North Korea. NORTH KOREA HOLDS TORCH PARADE Thousands of North Koreans wielding burning torches and shouting slogans filled Kim Il Sung square Monday in celebration of the country’s 70th birthday. North Korea’s torch parades are a unique spectacle, a display of formation marching and running and that requires strict discipline from the participants. Holding their elbows out at 90 degrees, they dash from position to position to form slogans and other shapes filling the square in the centre of Pyongyang. “Long live Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism,” they cried first as portraits of the country’s founder and his son and successor were driven through the plaza. “Long live the Supreme Leader Comrade Kim Jong-un,” they went on, referring to the third generation of the family to rule the country. “Long live the invincible Workers Party of Korea”. The display was part of the commemorations of the foundation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as the North is officially known, on September 9, 1948, three years after Moscow and Washington divided the peninsula in the closing days of the Second World War. The anniversary was also marked with a military parade, in which nuclear-armed Pyongyang — engaged in a diplomatic rapprochement with both Seoul and Washington — refrained from showing off the intercontinental ballistic missiles that have seen it subjected to multiple rounds of international sanctions. It has also staged its renowned Mass Games — a propaganda display on a vast scale — for the first time in five years, this time including footage of Kim meeting Seoul’s President Moon Jae-in at their summit in the Demilitarised Zone. At the torch parade, the paraffin wax candles are not especially heavy, say former participants. But unlike at the military parade or the subsequent civilian rallies, the same people — most of them students and workers — perform for the whole event, which lasts nearly an hour. “Let us defend the General Kim Jong-un with our lives,” they sang as fireworks filled the sky.

THE European Union’s Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier told a forum in Slovenia on Monday that it was “realistic” to expect a divorce deal with Britain in six to eight weeks, the British embassy to Slovenia said on Twitter. “I think that if we are realistic we are able to reach an agreement on the first stage of the negotiation, which is the Brexit treaty, within 6 or 8 weeks,” Mr Barnier said, according to an excerpt broadcast by Sky News. “Taking into account the time necessary for the ratification process, the House of Commons on one side, the European Parliament and the Council on the other side … we must reach an agreement before the beginning of November. I think it is possible.” Sterling jumped to a five-week high of $1.3052 ($A1.8321) on the report, up around 1 per cent on the day, and rose around 0.5 per cent against the euro. Downing Street insists there is no alternative to UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s “Chequers” blueprint for Brexit amid warnings she risks a “catastrophic split” in the Tory Party if she continues with the plan. With 200 days until Britain leaves the EU, former Brexit minister Steve Baker, who quit over the proposals earlier this year, said he was “gravely concerned” for the future of the party if she were to press ahead. Mr Baker, a leading figure in the pro-Brexit Tory European Research Group, said the party’s annual conference in Birmingham on September 30 could prove a decisive moment as Ms May is forced to acknowledge the scale of grassroots opposition to her proposals. Number 10, however, said critics of the plan had yet to come forward with a credible alternative which would avoid the return of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. Justice Secretary David Gauke said “an overwhelming majority within the Conservative Party” backed the government’s approach. “There isn’t an alternative credible plan out there,” he told BBC’s Radio 4. “I think that it is absolutely right that the Cabinet and the parliamentary party backs the prime minister. In challenging circumstances she is the right person to deliver the right deal for this country.” BORIS JOHNSON LAUNCHES NEW ATTACK ON MAY Boris Johnson launched another broadside against Theresa May on Monday amid rumours that he is preparing a leadership bid as Brexit tensions divide their party. Rumours about the former foreign minister’s marital infidelities also swirled, with his allies accusing government officials of leaking information to undermine Mr Johnson’s chances. Mr Johnson urged Mrs May to give Britain a post-Brexit economic boost by committing to not raising taxes or introducing new taxes, saying she should follow US president Donald Trump’s example. “Now is the time for this Conservative government to show how a post-Brexit Britain will be a happy and dynamic economy,” he wrote in his weekly column in The Daily Telegraph. The centre-right newspaper said that Mr Johnson’s remarks “will do little to dampen speculation that he is preparing to make his pitch to take over as Conservative leader”. Mr Johnson resigned from the government in July over Mrs May’s plan for Britain to retain close trade ties with the EU after Brexit. The plan is known as “Chequers” after the prime minister’s country retreat where it was agreed at a cabinet meeting. Steve Baker, a former junior Brexit minister who also resigned over the plan, on Monday warned that the Conservative Party faced a “catastrophic split” if May sticks to it. But May’s spokesman on Monday said it was “the only plan on the table” after opponents failed to propose alternatives. Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Johnson said the government’s strategy put the country in a “suicide vest” with Brussels holding the detonator. “This is not a language that the prime minister would choose to use. Beyond that, I don’t plan on giving this article further oxygen,” the prime minister’s spokesman said. The spokesman also rejected as “categorically untrue and offensive” accusations from Mr Johnson’s supporters that Downing Street had leaked details of his marital indiscretions. The Daily Mail and The Sun reported that Johnson had gone on “a series of high-class dates” with former Conservative Party communications director Carrie Symonds who quit her job abruptly last month. Some of the lurid details were said to have come from a dossier compiled by Mrs May’s office in 2016 when she was competing with Mr Johnson for the Conservative leadership. Following a series of revelations, Mr Johnson last week said that he and Marina Wheeler, his wife of 25 years, were divorcing. EU PORTS FEAR “CLIFF-EDGE” BREXIT TRADE CHAOS With arms flailing and raised voices, a shipping manager and a customs chief in the Belgian port of Zeebrugge talk through all the things that could go wrong if the Brexit talks fail: Trucks backed up for miles on the highway; car manufacturing plants idle as deliveries are delayed; mountains of paperwork paralysing small companies that can’t afford teams of lawyers. Not since the 1970s have port towns like this had to deal with customs in their massive trade with Britain, and that could change on Brexit day on March 30, 2019. Britain and the European Union are struggling to agree on the terms of business after that date, raising the chances of a sudden return of tariffs and border controls. And while Brexit has not so far been a big concern for many people in continental Europe, the prospect of there being no deal is starting to unnerve companies and authorities — particularly in places like ports that operate on the front lines of global trade. CEO of the Port of Zeebrugge, Belgium, Joachim Coens, is working with companies and customs officials at the port to prepare for the transition. Kristian Vanderwaeren, the administrator-general of Belgian customs, says, “It’s a huge, huge problem,” he says. Ominous warnings of what would happen if trade is suddenly disrupted between Britain and the EU have dominated headlines since the campaign before the Brexit vote in June 2016. The aim for both Britain and the EU is to agree on the terms of future trade as well as on two-year transition period after Brexit day that would give companies and governments more time to adapt to any new rules. The lack of progress is raising the risk of Britain falling out with no agreed terms, a feared situation called a “hard,” “no-deal” or “cliff-edge” Brexit. Everything from engine parts to orange juice is lined up for transport to Britain, part of the half trillion pounds ($A912 billion) in goods and services traded between the continent and the U.K. every year. Zeebrugge is now the port that handles the most cars anywhere in the world, with about 2.8 million rolling through every year — 1 million of which are to and from Britain. The local authorities are getting ready for the worst of Brexit outcomes to protect that business. Mr Coens says that if tariffs and customs checks on trade with Britain do in fact return, new digital technologies can be used to smoothen out border controls somewhat. Speed of transport is also key, not just for perishable goods like food that can rot if left in containers but also for manufacturing products. Modern car plants, for example, do not store many parts on location, meaning their production schedule depends entirely on the timely delivery of the parts, often from various countries. About 4,000 trucks drive through Zeebrugge to Britain, says Mr Coens. “If they are even blocked for a few hours then you have 60 kilometres of blockage,” said Mr Coens.

PRINCE Harry and wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will visit Sydney, Melbourne, Dubbo and Fraser Island on their tour of Australia next month. Kensington Palace last night released details of the royal tour, which is built around the Invictus Games, the international sporting event for injured and ill veterans founded by Prince Harry, and being held this year in Sydney. Their visit, part of a four-country tour of the Pacific, will attract huge crowds keen to get a glimpse of the popular prince and his glamorous American wife, whose wedding in May attracted a TV audience of several billion people. The royal couple will be in Sydney on October 16 for a day, and will then spend the 17th of October in Dubbo in rural New South Wales. They will spend October 18 in Melbourne, before returning to Sydney for Invictus Games events from October 19-21. The Invictus Games opening ceremony will be held on the 20th. On Monday, October 22, the royal couple will head to Fraser Island in Queensland, where they will see a completed Queen’s Canopy project, which aims to restore rainforest across the Commonwealth. They will then head to Fiji and Tonga, before returning to Sydney late on October 26, and spending the 27th in Australia, where they will attend the Invictus Games closing ceremony in Sydney. Prince Harry is a Commonwealth youth ambassador, and the couple will likely visit community groups involved with young people, focusing on employment, training and community leadership. They are also likely to give a boost to campaigns helping farmers struggling with the drought, and look at wildlife conservation projects. The 16-day tour is the couple’s first major overseas tour and will give Australia a huge profile internationally, with hundreds of British photographers and journalists flying to Australia to cover the event. Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace have had royal aides in Australia for some weeks working on the itinerary, and there will be several opportunities for members of the public to see the royal couple up close. Kensington Palace said last night the governments of Australia and New Zealand had invited the couple to visit. They had also decided to visit Fiji and Tonga at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK. “The programme across these four Commonwealth countries will focus on youth leadership, environmental and conservation efforts — including the dedication of several new Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy projects — and the recovery and rehabilitation of servicemen and women through the Invictus Games Sydney 2018,’’ a spokesperson said last night. Precise details of the royal appearances and what events they will attend are yet to be released. The Palace said Prince Harry and Meghan will spend October 23 and 24 in Suva in Fiji, then travel on the 25th to Nadi in Fiji, then on to Nuku’alofa in Tonga. They return to Sydney on the 26th, and will spend the 27th there before heading to Wellington in New Zealand, where they will no doubt meet New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her new baby Neve Te Aroha. October 28 will also be spent in Wellington, while the royal couple will head to the Abel Tasman National Park in New Zealand on the 29th before heading to Auckland on the 30th. They will head for home after a final visit to Rotorua in New Zealand on October 31. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he looked forward to welcoming Prince Harry and Meghan next month. “Their visit will be an opportunity to promote the incredible achievements of Invictus athletes from around the world, and showcase Australian programmes promoting youth leadership, environmental and conservation efforts,’’ he said. TOUR OUTLINE FOR AUSTRALIA Tuesday 16th October: Sydney Wednesday 17th October: Dubbo Thursday 18th October: Melbourne Friday 19th October: Sydney Saturday 20th October: Sydney Sunday 21st October: Sydney Monday 22nd October: Fraser Island Friday 26th October: Sydney Saturday 27th October: Sydney

A DALLAS police officer who was charged with manslaughter over the off-duty shooting of her black neighbour had been let off in another shooting last year. Officer Amber Guyger, who is white, fatally shot 26-year-old Botham Jean on Thursday at Jean’s apartment. She claims she mistook his apartment for her own. Guyger was booked into the Kaufman County Jail after being taken into custody, the Texas Department of Public Safety said. The department said the investigation is ongoing and that no additional information was available. A jail employee said Guyger was released on bond. It’s understood Guyger had only recently moved into the apartment complex and did not know Jean, according to US media. Lawyers for Jean’s family had been calling for Guyger’s arrest in the aftermath of the shooting, saying the fact that she had remained free days after the incident showed she was receiving favourable treatment. They held a news conference Sunday night, shortly before the arrest was announced, making another plea for the officer to be taken into custody and saying their team had presented new evidence — a witness and video footage — to prosecutors. They didn’t provide details. S. Lee Merritt, one of the lawyers for Jean’s family, said that the man’s loved ones weren’t calling on the authorities to jump to conclusions or to deny Guyger her right to due process. But Merritt said they wanted Guyger “to be treated like every other citizen, and where there is evidence that they’ve committed a crime, that there’s a warrant to be issued and an arrest to be made.” Guyger, 30, is a four-year veteran of the police force. The Dallas Police Department released her name on Saturday night. Police Chief U. Renee Hall - Dallas’s first female police chief - said the day after the shooting that her department was seeking manslaughter charges against Guyger. But she said on Saturday that the Texas Rangers, who have taken over the investigation, asked her department to hold off because they had learnt new information and wanted to investigate further before a warrant was issued. According to police, Guyger shot and killed Jean after returning in uniform to the South Side Flats, where they both had apartments, following her shift. She reported the shooting to dispatchers and she told officers who responded that she had mistaken Jean’s apartment for her own. Many questions remain about what led Guyger to shoot Jean. Hall said the officer’s blood was taken at the scene so that it could be tested for alcohol and drugs. Investigators haven’t released the results of those tests. Jean’s mother, Allison Jean, wondered whether race could have been a factor. Her son, who grew up in the Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia before attending college in Arkansas, is black. Guyger is white. “If it was a white man, would it have been different? Would she have reacted differently?” Allison Jean said on Friday. Jean wasn’t the first person shot by Guyger. She shot another man, Uvaldo Perez, on May 12, 2017, while she was on duty. According to an affidavit in the case filed against Perez, police were looking for a suspect when Guyger and another officer were called to assist a third. Perez got out of a car and became combative with Guyger and another officer. A struggle began and Guyger fired her Taser at Perez, who then wrested it away from her. She then drew her gun and fired, wounding Perez in the abdomen. Guyger was not charged in the 2017 shooting. Jean’s family has also hired lawyer Benjamin Crump, who is best known for representing the families of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. Martin, a black, unarmed 17-year-old, was shot and killed by a neighbourhood watch volunteer in 2012 in Sanford, Florida. Brown, a black, unarmed 18-year-old, was shot and killed by a white police officer in 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Crump has also represented the families of Stephon Clark and Terence Crutcher, both also black and unarmed. Clark, 22, was fatally shot earlier this year by officers in the backyard of his grandparents’ home in Sacramento, California. Crutcher, 40, was shot and killed by a white police officer in 2016 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Sgt. Mike Mata, president of Dallas’ largest police employee organisation, the Dallas Police Association, on Saturday called for an “open, transparent and full investigation of the event,” the Dallas Morning News reported. He described Jean as an “amazing individual” and said that “if the grand jury deems necessary, this officer should have to answer for her actions in a court of law in Dallas County.” Friends and family gathered Saturday at the Dallas West Church of Christ to remember Jean, who had been working for accounting firm PwC since graduating in 2016 from Harding University in Arkansas, where he often led campus religious services as a student. They described Jean as a devout Christian and a talented singer. “Botham did everything with passion,” Allison Jean told the prayer service. “God gave me an angel.” His uncle, Ignatius Jean, said the killing has devastated the family and left it searching for answers. “You want to think it’s fiction ... and you have to grapple with the reality,” he said.

VICTORIA Beckham has been mocked by fans after a marketing stunt backfired and suggested she wanted a divorce. The usually controlled star, 44, launched a robotic chat app with Facebook that allowed her to answer questions via her profile. But the online tool, which was intended to celebrate a decade of her designer brand, produced embarrassing answers when thousands of fans asked its software about Posh’s relationship with hubby David, The Sun reports. When asked, “Would divorcing David make you happy?” the automated Victoria replied “Very”. And “Does David’s money make you happy?” also got the answer “Very”. The chatbot gave its thoughts about politics, replying to the question “What do you think of Theresa May’s efforts to navigate Brexit?” with a thumbs-up. With other queries including “Are you happy with David?” the app quickly shut down fans’ questions, saying “I can’t tell you anything more”, adding a zipped mouth emoticon. It even refused to say if she loves David — replying with a “shush” face. In a video on the social media site, Victoria had told her 3.1million followers: “I wanted to let you know that the incredible team at Facebook have created a chatbot version of me, Victoria Beckham, so I can virtually keep you up to date with everything that’s happening during London Fashion Week.” The online messages mirror mum-of-four Posh’s response this month when she didn’t mention “love” in a magazine interview, saying only that she and 43-year-old David were “stronger together”. In June, the showbiz couple were forced to deny rumours that they were about to split. Victoria’s label lost $A15 million last year. The brand will showcase its next collection at London Fashion Week on Sunday.

The European Parliament has voted to pursue unprecedented disciplinary action against Hungary over alleged breaches of the EU's core values. Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government has been accused of attacks on the media, minorities, and the rule of law - charges which he denies. More than two-thirds of MEPs backed the censure motion - the first such vote against a member state under EU rules. If also approved by national leaders, Hungary could face punitive measures. They include stripping the country of voting rights at European Union level. What is Hungary accused of? Since coming to power, Mr Orban's government has taken a hardline stance against immigration. It introduced a law which made it a criminal offence for lawyers and activists to help asylum seekers, under the banner of "facilitating illegal immigration". But there have also been reports of pressure being put on the courts and the electoral system, and of widespread corruption. After the vote, the European Parliament said it was also concerned about: The constitutional and electoral system Privacy and data protection Freedom of expression and religion Academic freedom and freedom of association Equal rights, particularly for refugees and minorities such as Roma and Jews Mr Orban addressed the parliament on Tuesday in defence of his government, labelling the threat of censure as a form of "blackmail" and an insult to Hungary. He claimed a report by Dutch Greens MEP Judith Sargentini was an "abuse of power", and included "serious factual misrepresentations". Ms Sargentini's report into Hungary's ruling Fidesz party alleged such actions were "a clear breach of the values of our union". What could happen now? Under an EU rule called Article 7, breaching the union's founding principles can lead to the suspension of a member state's rights as a punitive measure. However, Hungary is currently facing "preventative" measures, which the parliament says are designed to avoid sanctions entirely. The BBC Reality Check team has explained the Article 7 process in detail. Broadly, the decision on Hungary will now be referred to the heads of the 28 EU member states to consider. However, because this step has never been taken before, it is not clear what will happen next, or when. Suspension of Hungary's voting rights is the most serious possible consequence - but is considered unlikely. Poland is also facing disciplinary proceedings, launched by the European Commission in December last year. The case has yet to reach the European Parliament. What has the reaction been? Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto reacted angrily to the vote, calling it the "petty revenge" of "pro-immigration" politicians. Some politicians from other countries also defended Mr Orban's government. Britain's Nigel Farage, a pro-Brexit MEP, wrote that the decision demonstrated "the authoritarian grip of the EU". Anti-Islam Dutch populist Geert Wilders tweeted: "Hungary is the example for all EU countries and Orban is a hero and deserves the Nobel Prize." But Ms Sargentini, who wrote the report on Mr Orban's government, said the decision sent an important message that the EU would stand up for citizens' rights. "Viktor Orban's government has been leading the charge against European values by silencing independent media, replacing critical judges, and putting academia on a leash," she said. "Individuals close to the government have been enriching themselves, their friends and family members at the expense of Hungarian and European taxpayers. The Hungarian people deserve better." Amnesty International's expert on human rights in the EU, Berber Biala-Hettinga, hailed the vote as "historic". "The European Parliament rightly stood up for the Hungarian people and for the EU. They made it clear that human rights, the rule of law and democratic values are not up for negotiation," she said. Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, said that he would have voted for the measure if he was an MEP. "The European Commission is using the tools we have, launching infringement procedures against countries that don't respect EU law. am in harmony with today's decision," he said through a spokeswoman's Twitter account.

There will be 18.1 million new cases of cancer and 9.6 million people will die with the disease this year worldwide, a report predicts. The rise, from 14.1 million cases and 8.2 million deaths in 2012, is partly due to a growing and ageing population. The figures suggest one in five men and one in six women will develop the disease in their lifetime. And as countries become wealthier, more people get cancers related to lifestyle rather than those linked to poverty. The International Agency for Research on Cancer provides regular snapshots of the scale of cancer around the world, looking closely at 36 different cancers in 185 countries. Researchers say while ways of measuring and collecting cancer data have improved over the years, the overall trend is that cancer rates and deaths have risen year on year. The latest report suggests lung cancer, female breast cancer, and bowel cancer are responsible for a third of all cancer cases and deaths worldwide. 'Tobacco control' And the authors say lung cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in women in 28 countries. The worst hit countries include the USA, Hungary, Denmark, China and New Zealand. George Butterworth, from the charity Cancer Research UK, said: "Tobacco is the single biggest reason why more women across the world are getting lung cancer than ever before. "In the UK smoking among women became more prolific later than it did for men, so it's not surprising that we're seeing increasing lung cancer rates now. "Similarly, cigarettes are now increasingly popular among women in low and middle income countries and the tobacco industry's aggressive marketing to them is influencing this." Meanwhile, Dr Freddie Bray, of the IARC, said: "The results highlight the need to continue to put in place targeted and effective tobacco control policies in every country in the he world." 'Extraordinary diversity' Overall, the report estimates, nearly half of all cases and most cancer deaths in the world this year will occur in Asia, partly because of the large numbers of people living in the continent and partly because some cancers with higher death rates are more common in this region. This includes, for example, high rates of liver cancer, which generally has a poor prognosis, in China. Beyond this, the authors say, there is "extraordinary diversity" in the types of cancer and patterns of illness around the world. They say because of this countries need to consider tailoring how they try to prevent and treat cancer.

A nine-year-old girl has stirred controversy after refusing to stand for Australia's national anthem in protest at alleged institutional racism. Harper Nielsen claimed the song "Advance Australia Fair" ignored the nation's indigenous people. "When it says 'we are young' it completely disregards the Indigenous Australians who were here before us," she told ABC news Australia. Controversial right-wing senator Pauline Hanson labelled Harper a brat. The schoolgirl was given detention last week for "blatant disrespect" over her failure to participate with classmates during a rendition of the song at Kenmore South State School in Brisbane. Harper, whose parents said they were "proud" of her for showing "incredible bravery", said she felt it was time to "raise awareness and get people thinking". "When it was originally written, Advance Australia Fair meant advance the white people of Australia," she said in an interview with ABC. Harper has taken issue with the opening lyrics to the anthem, which read: "Australians all let us rejoice, for we are young and free." But her protest has outraged some, including Ms Hanson, who posted a video response on Facebook describing Harper as "disgraceful". "Here we have a kid that has been brainwashed and I tell you what, I would give her a kick up the backside," the 64-year-old said. "We're talking about a child who has no idea," she says, adding: "This is divisive. "I'm proud of the national anthem. It's about who we are as a nation." Jarrod Bleijie, Queensland's shadow minister for education from the centre-right Liberal National Party, also criticised Harper's parents and called their daughter's actions a "silly protest". Others, such as Australian journalist and television host Georgie Gardner, praised Harper for her "strength and character". "I do applaud her for considering the words of the national anthem, a lot of people just rattle it off and don't consider the meaning," she said. On Twitter, users posted messages of support using the hashtag #HarperNielsen, calling the schoolgirl "Australia's most fantastic and brilliant brat" and "the hero Australia doesn't realise it needs". Harper's move echoes the controversial kneeling protests of NFL players during the national anthem in the US, which began with quarterback Colin Kaepernick. A spokesperson for the Queensland state education department said the school had offered Harper the choice of remaining outside the hall during the anthem or simply not singing. In June, Australian states took steps towards the nation's first treaties with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Many indigenous Australians have cited a treaty or treaties as the best chance of bringing them substantive as well as symbolic recognition - the subject of a long-running national debate. Australia is the only Commonwealth country that does not have a treaty with its indigenous populations.

Six people have been held this week over a string of vegan activist attacks in the city of Lille, officials said. Nine businesses, including a butcher, fishmonger, cheese shop and a McDonald's, have had windows smashed and fake blood thrown on their walls in recent months. Activists also spray-painted the slogan "Stop Speciesism", a term denouncing unethical treatment of other species. Five of the six detained people have since been or will now be released. However, the Lille prosecutor's office set a court date in December for a detained 21-year-old woman. Tensions are high in the region after the port city of Calais reportedly cancelled a planned vegan festival on 8 September after learning of "a series of operations" by meat-eaters "aimed at stirring up trouble". A court in Lille ordered for it to go ahead, however, after complaints by organisers. The vast majority of French people eat meat, with vegans representing a tiny percentage of the population. According to a 2016 survey, only around 3% of French people are vegetarian. But a number of recent incidents have sparked debate in a country that has a long culinary tradition of eating meat. In March, a vegan activist received a suspended prison sentence for a Facebook post saying the killing of a butcher by an Islamist militant was "justice". The French Federation of Butchers wrote to the government asking for protection against militant vegans, saying they aimed to "impose on the immense majority of people their lifestyle, or even their ideology". The French government this year has introduced new regulations that ban vegetable-based food products in France from using words like "steak" and "sausage".

The two suspects in the poisoning of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter are civilians, not criminals, Russian President Vladimir Putin says. The UK government had named them as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, and said they were from Russia's military intelligence service, the GRU. Mr Putin said he hoped the men would tell their story soon. Meanwhile, a minister has suggested airport checks were not good enough, as Novichok had been brought into the UK. "These two individuals travelled on a genuine Russian passport, making it harder to spot," Security Minister Ben Wallace has told the Commons. He added that "no doubt" there were some checks at the airport but "the baggage checks weren't probably as good as they might be." The prime minister's official spokesman said the government had "repeatedly asked Russia to account for what happened in Salisbury" but that Moscow "had replied with obfuscation and lies". "I have seen nothing to suggest that has changed," the spokesman said. Mr Skripal and Yulia were poisoned in Salisbury, in the UK, in March. "We know who they are, we have found them," Mr Putin said in the far eastern city of Vladivostok. "I hope they will turn up themselves and tell everything. This would be best for everyone. "There is nothing special there, nothing criminal, I assure you. We'll see in the near future," he added. BBC Moscow correspondent Sarah Rainsford called Mr Putin's words a "tantalising hint" that the two men will speak "very soon". "But the question of course is who will we see because don't forget that, in the UK, the suspicion is that the two names that were given are in fact aliases," our correspondent added. Russian state TV says one of the suspects, Mr Petrov, told the channel he might comment publicly on the case next week. Scotland Yard and the UK's Crown Prosecution Service have said there is enough evidence to charge the men, who are understood to have travelled to London from Moscow on 2 March on Russian passports. Two days later, police say they sprayed the nerve agent, Novichok, on the front door of Mr Skripal's home in the Wiltshire city of Salisbury, before travelling home to Russia later that day. UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid has warned the men, thought to be aged about 40, will be caught and prosecuted if they ever step out of Russia. The CPS is not applying to Russia for the extradition of the two men, as Russia does not extradite its own nationals. But a European Arrest Warrant has been obtained in case they travel to the EU. Det Sgt Nick Bailey also fell ill after responding to the incident in the city of Salisbury. He was later discharged from hospital, as were the Skripals. Police are linking the attack to a separate Novichok poisoning on 30 June, when Dawn Sturgess and Charlie Rowley became unwell at a house in Amesbury, about eight miles away. Ms Sturgess died in hospital on 8 July. UK police said the two men arrived at Gatwick Airport from Moscow on 2 March and stayed at the City Stay Hotel in Bow Road, east London. On 4 March they travelled to Salisbury - having also visited for reconnaissance the previous day - where Mr Skripal's front door was contaminated with Novichok. Officers believe a modified perfume bottle was used to spray the door. The pair flew back to Moscow from Heathrow later that night. Police said Ms Sturgess and Mr Rowley were later exposed to Novichok after handling a contaminated container, labelled as Nina Ricci Premier Jour perfume. Mr Rowley told police he found the box containing the small bottle and an applicator - all found to be counterfeit - in a charity bin. He tried to put bottle and applicator together and got some of the contents on himself. His partner, Ms Sturgess, applied some of the contents to her wrists and became unwell. The attack in Salisbury prompted an international row, with more than 20 countries expelling Russian envoys in solidarity with the UK, including the US, while Moscow expelled diplomats in response. Last month the US confirmed it was implementing fresh sanctions against Russia over the incident. UK Prime Minister Theresa May has also said Britain will push for the EU to agree new sanctions. Since the UK named the two suspects, US, France, Germany and Canada have agreed that the Russian government "almost certainly" approved the poisoning of the Skripals and have urged Russia to provide full disclosure of its Novichok programme. In response, Russia accused the British authorities of Russophobia, misleading the international community and UK citizens and of "disgusting anti-Russian hysteria".

A Turkish intelligence agency has captured in Syria the chief suspect in the 2013 twin bomb attack in the border town of Reyhanli, Turkish media report. State-run Anadolu news agency said the National Intelligence Organisation had apprehended Yusuf Nazik, a Turkish citizen, in the port city of Latakia. He had confessed to "acting on orders from Syrian intelligence", it added. The Syrian government has denied that it played any role in the Reyhanli attack, which left 53 people dead. The Turkish and Syrian governments are fighting on opposing sides in Syria's civil war, with Ankara backing rebel forces trying to oust President Bashar al-Assad. Anadolu said National Intelligence Organisation agents had brought Mr Nazik to Turkey after capturing him in Latakia - a stronghold of the Syrian government - in a "carefully planned and executed operation" that involved "no intelligence or logistical support from a foreign state". During questioning, the 34-year-old from the city of Antakya had confessed that in 2013, after receiving a "tip-off from Syrian intelligence units, he scouted the crime scene prior to the attack and moved explosives from Syria to Turkey", the agency added. He then procured two vehicles to move the explosives, according to Anadolu. A video published by Anadolu showed Mr Nazik standing next to a Turkish flag and saying: "I was not able to escape from the Turkish state." He also warned Syria's government that Turkey would "make you pay eventually". There was no immediate response from Syrian officials. Anadolu said that in February nine people were sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of involvement in the Reyhanli attack, and that 13 others were jailed for between 10 and 15 years.