True Blood actor Nelsan Ellis dies at 39

Nelsan Ellis, the actor known for his role of Lafayette on the HBO series True Blood, died at the age of 39.

His manager, Emily Gerson Saines, confirmed the news to EW. “Nelsan has passed away after complications with heart failure,” she said in a statement. “He was a great talent, and his words and presence will be forever missed.”

As Lafayette, the sassafras cook at Merlotte’s Bar and Grill, Ellis was one of the cast members who stayed with True Blood up until the final season, which capped in 2014. “We were extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Nelsan Ellis,” HBO said in a statement. “Nelsan was a long-time member of the HBO family whose groundbreaking portrayal of Lafayette will be remembered fondly within the overall legacy of True Blood. Nelsan will be dearly missed by his fans and all of us at HBO.”

True Blood creator Alan Ball called working with Ellis “a privilege.” He said in his own statement, “Nelsan was a singular talent whose creativity never ceased to amaze me.”

Octavia Spencer, who starred alongside Ellis in The Help and the James Brown biopic Get On Up, wrote in a post on Instagram, “Just got word that we lost @nelsanellisofficial. My heart breaks for his kids and family.”

Ellis’s True Blood costar Deborah Ann Woll called the news of his death “heartbreaking.”

Donald Trump 'behaving like a dictator by leaving underqualified socialite daughter to fill in for him at G20'

The reaction was immediate, horrified and not at all complimentary.

As America woke to the news that Donald Trump had dispatched his eldest daughter, Ivanka, to fill in for him at a G20 meeting with world leaders, the response of people ran from outraged to stunned, and then back to outraged.

“Why the hell is Ivanka Trump sitting in for daddy at G20 meetings?! What are her qualifications? Who voted for her?” the writer Charles Blow said on Twitter.

Pulitzer-winning journalist Anne Applebaum, said: “Because an unelected, unqualified, unprepared New York socialite is the best person to represent American national interests.”

Nicholas Kristoff, a columnist for the New York Times, said: “Ivanka fills in for her dad beside Xi Jinping. To me, it feels banana-republicky for the US to be represented by an inexperienced daughter.”

    Because an unelected, unqualified, unprepared New York socialite is the best person to represent American national interests https://t.co/hmRCfwebCc
    — Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum) July 8, 2017

The outcry was sparked after a Russian official, Svetlana Lukash, posted an image of Ms Trump - later apparently deleted - sitting at a table of world leaders alongside British Prime Minister Theresa May and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“2nd day of #G20 Hamburg summit starts with Africa, Migration & Health. Ivanka accompanies Pres Trump,” wrote Ms Lukash. “And replaces Pres Trump at the #G20 table as he leaves for bilateral meetings.”

    This kind of thing happens all the time. In dictatorships. https://t.co/CKiLwhvjDz
    — Amy Siskind (@Amy_Siskind) July 8, 2017

Matthew Dowd, a political strategist who led George Bush’s reelection campaign in 2004, said there would have been outcry among supporters of Mr Trump had Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton sent in their children.

"Can you imagine what the GOP/Trump fans would be saying if this was Chelsea or Malia doing this? We are a Republic, not a monarchy,” he said.

Brian Katulis, said: “Trump running things like a corrupt Arab dictator.”

    The #G20Summit is highlighting how weak Trump is on the world stage

    First Trump caves to Putin, and now he is giving up his seat to Ivanka. pic.twitter.com/v9CaZZvoZU
    — Red T Raccoon (@RedTRaccoon) July 8, 2017

A White House official later told CNN: “Ivanka was sitting in the back and then briefly joined the main table when the President had to step out.”

Bloomberg News said that Ms Trump had taken her father’s position at the table on at least two occasions on Saturday.

A spokesman for Ms Trump said told the news agency she had been sitting in the back of the room and then briefly joined the main table when the President stepped out. He said the president of the World Bank addressed the meeting, which was about African migration and health - areas that would benefit from a facility that Mr Trump and the World Bank had announced shortly before the meeting.

Mr Trump has repeatedly been accused of blurring the line between family and his official business since he entered the White House and failed to establish a blind trust for his business interests. He also insisted on his daughter and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, joining him in the West Wing.

It was reported that later in the meeting where Ms Trump took her father’s chair, the First Lady, Melania Trump, also joined the US delegation.

Earlier, Trump took part in a World Bank event on a fund for women entrepreneurs. The US President praised her work on the fund at the event.

“I’m very proud of my daughter Ivanka, always have been from day one. I have to tell you that, from day one,” Mr Trump said. “If she weren’t my daughter it’d be so much easier for her. It might be the only bad thing she has going if you want to know the truth.”

Shameless !!! Trump Just Got Rejected By The Polish First Lady

While President Trump may have been facing a friendly crowd for today’s speech in Poland, he did not get such a warm reception from Polish First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda, who pointedly refused to shake his hand but instead went right past to greet Melania.

The sulky and petulant look of rage on President Trump’s face speaks volumes about the man’s character.



President Trump has become infamous for his handshakes – and the constant gaffes that seem to come with them.

His last foreign trip was marked by his wife’s constant refusal to hold his hand in public – and it seems she isn’t the only woman who doesn’t want to be touched by the vile misogynist and sexual predator we somehow elected to the presidency.

Panda power! China is building the world's cutest solar station

“Designing the plant in the shape of a panda could inspire young people and get them interest in the applications of solar power,” said Panda Green Energy’s CEO, Li Yuan, last year.
panda
They could also be built in other countries  Credit: Panda Green Energy Company 

Young candidates from around China will be recruited to participate in summer camps at the panda power stations, with a focus on providing them with a deeper understanding of green energies.

There are also plans to bring panda power stations to Fiji and the Philippines, with the aim of building 100 across the globe over the next five years.

Panda power! China is building the world's cutest solar station

China really loves its giant pandas and the adorable black and white bear is the inspiration behind a new green energy station helping power the Asian nation.

The world’s first panda solar station in Datong, Shanxi, has just been connected to the grid, covering a total area of 248 acres.

It will have a capacity of 100MW when fully connected, providing 3.2 billion kWh of green electricity in 25 years. That’s equivalent to saving 1.056 million tons of coal, or reducing 2.74 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

The panda-shaped power plant, a project backed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will also play a crucial role in getting young people to engage with sustainable development.

Continue Reading >>>

 

Russia behind cyber-attack, says Ukraine's security service

Ukraine says it has proof that Russian security services were involved in the cyber-attack that targeted businesses around the world earlier this week.

The country's security service, the SBU, said it had obtained data that points to a link with an attack on the nation's capital, Kiev, in December.

Ukrainian firms were among the first to report issues with malicious software on Tuesday, before the virus spread.

Moscow denied any involvement, adding that the allegations were "unfounded".
The virus, which disrupted IT systems across the globe, froze computers and demanded a ransom be paid in the digital currency Bitcoin, which is untraceable.

However, the attack also hit major Russian firms, leading some cyber security researchers to suggest that Moscow was not behind it.

But on Saturday, Ukraine's SBU said in a statement that - through data obtained from international anti-virus companies - it had established a connection with a previous attack involving the so-called Petya virus, which it alleges was not designed to secure ransom payments.

The SBU later said the ransom demand was a cover, adding that the attack was aimed at disrupting the operations of state and private companies in Ukraine and causing political destabilisation.
The lack of any real mechanism for securing financial payments, the SBU said, led the agency to this assumption.

Ukraine appears to have been particularly badly hit in the recent attacks.

The police received about 1,000 messages on intrusions in the operations of computer networks over a 24-hour period. A total of 150 companies filed official complaints with the police.
In December, the country's financial, transport and energy systems were targeted by what investigators judged to be a cyber-attack. The incident resulted in a power cut in Kiev.
The attack earlier this week comes two months after another global ransomware assault, known as WannaCry v2, which caused major problems for the UK's National Health Service.

UK to withdraw from international fishing arrangement

The government is to end an arrangement that allows other countries to fish in UK waters, it has been announced.

The convention allows Irish, Dutch, French, German and Belgian vessels to fish within six and 12 nautical miles of UK coastline.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove said the move would help take back control of fishing access to UK waters.
But Greenpeace said ending the arrangement would not alone improve the future of the UK's fishing industry.
The London Fisheries Convention sits alongside the EU Common Fisheries Policy, which allows all European countries access between 12 and 200 nautical miles of the UK and sets quotas for how much fish nations can catch.

'Historic step'

Withdrawing from the convention, which was signed in 1964 before the UK joined what became the EU, means UK vessels will also lose the right to fish in waters six to 12 nautical miles offshore of the other countries.
How would Brexit affect fishing waters?
Mr Gove said leaving the convention meant "for the first time in more than 50 years we will be able to decide who can access our waters".
He added: "This is an historic first step towards building a new domestic fishing policy as we leave the European Union - one which leads to a more competitive, profitable and sustainable industry for the whole of the UK."
The industry body, the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations, welcomed the decision.
Chief executive Barrie Deas said: "This is welcome news and an important part of establishing the UK as an independent coastal state with sovereignty over its own exclusive economic zone."

'Aggressive tactic'

But Will McCallum, Greenpeace UK head of oceans, said leaving the convention would not in itself deliver a better future for the UK fishing industry, and that for years governments had blamed the EU for their "failure" to support the small-scale, sustainable fishers.
He said Mr Gove needed to keep the 2015 Conservative Party manifesto commitment to "re-balance fishing quotas in favour of small-scale, specific locally based fishing communities".
Environmental law firm ClientEarth consultant Dr Tom West said the move appeared to be an aggressive negotiating tactic.
"As a country outside the EU we need to consider how we can best co-operate with our neighbours, rather than unilaterally withdrawing from all agreements in the hope that standing alone will make us better."