Billionaire James Packer has resigned from 22 Australian company directorships (Reuters)
Thousands Evacuated From pro-Assad Syrian Villages Beseiged by Rebels
Over 100 buses arrived to evacuate some 7,000 Syrians from twp Shi'ite villages in the war-torn country's northwest, war monitor says
An evacuation began overnight of thousands of people from two loyalist Syrian villages that are besieged by rebels in the northwest, a war monitor said, with the government expected to release hundreds of detainees in return.
The Shi'ite villages of al-Foua and Kefraya are expected to be emptied of all their residents and fighters. More than 100 buses arrived to transport out residents and fighters from the villages to nearby government-held territory in Aleppo province.
The evacuation began with ambulances ferrying out the sick, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported.
The Syrian state-run al-Ikhbariya TV said five ambulances carrying six people in critical condition had arrived at a government checkpoint in al-Eis. Al-Manar TV, run by the pro-Damascus Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah, said the last phase of the agreement was due to be completed this evening.
https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/syria/thousands-of-syrians-evacuated-overnight-from-their-homes-1.6291125
Judge denies Manafort's request to suppress evidence
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge on Wednesday denied a request by President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort to suppress evidence seized by the FBI from his home as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing probe into whether Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Russia.
Manafort’s lawyers had sought to limit the scope of evidence that prosecutors can rely on for his upcoming September trial in Washington, D.C., claiming that the search warrant was overly broad and unconstitutional.
“Given the nature of the investigation, the warrant was not too broad in scope,” wrote Judge Amy Berman Jackson for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in her ruling.
Wednesday’s decision marks the latest in a string of setbacks for Manafort, who is facing two criminal trials in Washington and neighboring Alexandria, Va. in connection with lobbying work he performed for the pro-Russia Ukrainian government.
His Virginia trial is slated to begin next week, though his lawyers are seeking to delay it and will argue for the delay in a hearing on July 23 before Judge T.S. Ellis for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Between the two cases, he faces a slew of charges ranging from bank and tax fraud, to conspiring to launder money and failing to register as a foreign agent for Ukraine.
He is currently being held in an Alexandria jail, after Jackson revoked his bail after prosecutors filed new charges alleging he was trying to tamper with witnesses while under house arrest.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-manafort/judge-denies-manaforts-request-to-suppress-evidence-idUSKBN1K82W4
Not really Q related, but cool nonetheless. Or perhaps this is where HRC's emails are?
Impending apocalypse? Egypt poised to open mystery black sarcophagus & Twitter fears worst
Egyptian archaeologists have discovered a massive 2,000-year-old sealed tomb and now they want to open it to see what (or who) is inside – much to the horror of easily-spooked tweeters.
The black granite sarcophagus was uncovered in a tomb deep beneath the Egyptian city of Alexandria in early July. It’s believed to be the largest sarcophagus ever discovered in Alexandria, at 9ft long, 5ft wide and 6ft deep, says Mostafa Waziri, general secretary of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities.
Look, I realize that by saying this I am dooming myself to be among the first victims of whatever ancient beast emerges from it, but I don't buy the idea that there's anything in that sarcophagus other than a very old mummy. OF COURSE they should open it.
— Mike Madden (@MikeMadden) July 17, 2018
The sarcophagus discovery, while intriguing, has raised many questions about why a person would require such a large tomb, what artifacts it could be hiding, and what opening the vault could unleash.
An all black sarcophagus was discovered in Egypt. It dates back ~2000 years and was found with an alabaster head. Alexander the Great’s body was never found and was rumored to be buried in this area…. I wonder…? pic.twitter.com/uoXwuCp0wR
— abdul (@Advil) July 12, 2018
Egypt after opening that mysterious Black Sarcophagus pic.twitter.com/GQfIX2Tn0U
— F.A.C. (@ROTLD_2) July 17, 2018
This is probably fine, and definitely not the thing that happens right before the foolhardy archaeologists ignore the ancient prophesy and unleash our doom.https://t.co/PTmcZfkT8H
— Robert McNees (@mcnees) July 11, 2018
More:
https://www.rt.com/news/433605-black-sarcophagus-egypt-mystery/