President Obama called Duterte to congratulate him on his election success Duterte recently called for the introduction of a 'shoot to kill' policy in the Philippines President Obama has personally called his counterpart in the Philippines with a subtle message about the importance of human rights. Just weeks ago, in his last campaign speech, President-elect Rodrigo Duterte told a crowd to “forget the laws of human rights.” Duterte’s tough-on-crime stance proved popular with Filipino voters as he won by a landslide, with his two closest rivals pulling out within 24 hours. Duterte vows to be ‘dictator’ against evil According to a statement issued by the White House, Obama commended the country for its “vibrant democracy.” But he also highlighted “enduring values” that underpinned their “longstanding ties,” including “shared commitments to democracy, human rights and rule of law.” Many of Duterte’s inflammatory comments have drawn criticism from election opponents and human rights groups. “If I make it to the presidential palace, I will do just what I did as mayor. You drug pushers, hold-up men and do-nothings, you better go out. Because as the mayor, I’d kill you,” Duterte said. Could Duterte’s ascent cool Philippine-U.S. ties? In Davao City, where Duterte held office for decades, he has long been dogged by allegations of ties to death squads and extrajudicial killings. Last year the New York-based Human Rights Watch estimated that more than 1,000 people had died in Davao since the 1990s under Duterte’s leadership and urged the Philippines government to investigate the killings. In April, a YouTube video surfaced appearing to show him joking about the 1989 rape and murder of an Australian missionary in Davao City, saying as mayor he should have been first in line. He later described it as “gutter language” but refused to apologize, motivating Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch, to say on Twitter that Duterte’s comments were “a disgusting endorsement of sexual violence.” On the campaign trail he vowed to execute 100,000 criminals and dump them into Manila Bay, and more recently, he said he wanted to bring back the death penalty and empower security forces to ‘shoot to kill’ those who resist arrest. Opinion: Why fatigued voters yearn for ‘strongman’ leader The United States and the Philippines signed a treaty of mutual defense in 1951 and are deepening military cooperation in the face of China’s increasingly assertive claims to disputed land features in the South China Sea. Related video Tensions Rise in the South China Sea. Last month, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced an “enhanced military alliance” between the two nations. Carter made the announcement while visiting the Philippines where American and Filipino troops were holding annual joint military drills. Showdown in the South China Sea: How did we get here? Speaking with Philippines Defense Minister Voltaire Gazmin, Carter said the two countries have been conducting joint patrols in the South China Sea and would increase them going forward to ensure security for the region’s waters.


US officials in Vienna pressed European allies for changes to the Iran deal Friday, as President Donald Trump wrapped a turbulent week at home that could have big implications for the international pact to constrain Tehran’s nuclear program. Trump explained his decision to summarily replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo on Thursday by citing one specific area of disagreement: Iran. “When you look at the Iran deal, I think it is terrible,” Trump told reporters after the announcement of Tillerson’s ouster. “I guess he thinks it was ok. I either wanted to break it or do something and he felt a little bit different.” He added: “With Mike, Mike Pompeo, we have a similar thought process. I think it is going to go well.” Iran watchers, analysts, administration officials and diplomats say they’re fairly sure they know how “it is going to go.” They’re readying for a harder turn on Iran after months of watching Trump abide by the agreement and a related US law, but with clear resentment and impatience after his campaign promises to “rip it up.” Related article Pompeo expected to reinforce Trump's hardline instincts on Iran and North Korea Changes are expected by May 12 – the next deadline for Trump to waive sanctions against Iran and the date he has set for US allies to make changes to the Joint Commission Plan of Action, as the Iran deal is formally known, to address what he sees as its flaws. It’s a step that European allies, Iran and other signatories to the deal have said they won’t accept, setting up a showdown that Trump seems eager to take on. Administration officials say Trump will happily walk away from the deal if he doesn’t get what he wants. A canceled deal would thrill critics in Washington and the Middle East, but it would dismay US military leaders who say the agreement is in US national security interests, and roil relations with Europe. Analysts add that walking away from the deal will not only undermine US credibility, but validate Iranian claims that the US can’t be trusted and complicate the administration’s highest foreign policy priority: getting North Korea to relinquish its nuclear program. “I think Trump’s answer would be, ‘I don’t care,’” says James Carafano, vice president for foreign policy at the Heritage Foundation, who ran the State Department for the President’s transition team. “The President’s already made the decision: He gets what he wants from the Europeans or he walks away. That’s done.” Ahmad Majidyar, director of the Iran Observed Project at the Middle East Institute, said that, “Tillerson’s exit and the appointment of Pompeo makes it more likely that the Trump administration will scrap the Iran deal. Already, it hangs by a very thin thread and with Pompeo, it becomes more likely that Trump cancels the deal.” Friday, a team of US officials in Vienna for talks about the deal indicated the door wasn’t entirely closed. “We can work within the Iran nuclear deal to strictly enforce it, while working on all the aspects outside of the Iran nuclear program. … the range, the totality, of the threats Iran presents,” said Brian Hook, the State Department’s Director of Policy Planning, who led a team from his agency and the National Security Council. Hook said US concerns not covered by the deal include Tehran’s ballistic missiles, its presence in Lebanon, backing for Hezbollah, cyberattacks and “maritime aggression,” as well as the powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps that the US says is behind much of the Mideast’s destabilization. Related video Two years of Trump panning the Iran deal Issues within the deal that Trump wants changed include so-called “sunset clauses,” or provisions that wind down after a few years, “and a much stronger inspection regime,” Hook said. He and his team also traveled to Berlin this week to meet counterparts from Europe, “to see if we can secure a supplemental agreement addressing the deficiencies of the Iran nuclear deal,” he said in Vienna. European officials stress that they share the US concerns, and say they’re making progress with the US, particularly on measures to address Iran’s ballistic missiles. On most issues, one European diplomat said, “we are close. In the end, we’re pretty confident we can work on a critical mass where we can cooperate with the US.” But this diplomat drew a red line at Hook’s suggestion of a supplemental to the deal. “The idea is that there is no side deal, no supplemental,” this diplomat said, adding that re-opening or “disregarding the JCPOA would put us in the worst place with regard to the other concerns.” A second European diplomat, referring to the six countries involved in negotiations with Iran, said the group was looking at what could be done “that would not fundamentally undermine the deal.” But this diplomat also made clear that Europe will not re-open the JCPOA. “We can’t rewrite this,” the diplomat said. There are no legal consequences to leaving the deal, since it’s not a treaty. “It’s just that it would have massive consequences for our partners, for our credibility, for North Korea, for validating Iran’s argument that we can’t be trusted,” said one US official. If Trump doesn’t sign the waiver on May 12, the US sanctions go back into force, putting the US in violation of the terms of the deal. “My guess is Europe would take us to the WTO because they wouldn’t want to comply with sanctions,” the official said, adding that sanctions “would hit Russia, China, Europe, everyone else.” That would start in May, the same month Trump plans to meet with North Korea’s leader in an unprecedented summit. Any effort to squeeze Pyongyang on its nuclear program will need a unified international front, not one riven by internal dissension over other issues. Related video Explaining the Iran nuclear deal Even so, Trump and other administration officials have been clear that they intend to walk away from the deal unless it can be altered. “The President made clear his view that the JCPOA gave too much to Iran for too little,” a senior administration official told CNN. “He also pledged that if we were unable to secure an agreement with our allies, then he would not again waive sanctions in order to stay in the Iran nuclear deal,” the official said. Military leaders, including Defense Secretary James Mattis, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford, and Gen. Joseph Votel, commander US Central Command, all believe it’s within US security interests to remain in the deal and have used public appearances to make that point. Asked during March 13 testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee whether he agreed with Dunford and Mattis that the Iran deal served the US, Votel agreed. “From my perspective, the JCPOA addresses one of the principle threats that we deal with from Iran,” he said, “so if the JCPOA goes away then we will have to have another way to deal with the nuclear weapons program, so yes I share their position.” But the personnel shifts that Trump is making within his national security team are likely to deepen his impulse to pull out. While Tillerson had been seen as a moderating influence, Trump appears to be courting harder line hawks. The President has been consulting with former Ambassador to the UN John Bolton, an advocate for abandoning the deal and executing regime change in Iran. Bolton is rumored to be a candidate to be Trump’s next national security adviser. Pompeo has been no less hawkish, calling for an end to the talks and the use of 2,000 airstrikes to obliterate Iran’s nuclear program as negotiations neared their completion in 2014. Before joining the CIA, Pompeo called for “rolling back this disastrous deal,” which he argued left Iran with the ability to quickly move toward nuclear weapons capability. The first European diplomat said their side sees some advantages to Pompeo’s appointment. “I think we will have a more difficult interlocutor, but someone who is more likely to deliver Trump,” the diplomat said. He “will be more aligned.” But the second diplomat flagged a nagging concern in Washington and Europe. “There’s an ongoing question mark … around what exactly will be enough for the President,” this diplomat said. CNN’s Atika Shubert in Vienna and Ryan Browne in Washington contributed to this report


Editor’s Note: Alice Stewart is a CNN political commentator and former communications director for Ted Cruz for President. The views expressed in this commentary are her own. Alice Stewart: Idea that the base will abandon Trump for changing his stances is simplistic Parts of the base are very happy with him and others are taking a wait-and-see attitude A series of policy reversals by President Donald Trump has supporters and critics alike asking the question: Is the candidate who vowed to drain the swamp getting swamped in Washington?  Those on the left say he’s abandoning his base and that in turn, they will abandon him. In other words: it’s about to get real for the reality star turned president. But not so fast. Before you write off the base, you have to understand who the base is. Trump got the most primary votes of any Republican in history. He did that by expanding the GOP establishment vote to solidify support from three key groups: social conservatives, the “alt-right,” and the Rust Belt coalition. All of which are responding to the recent course corrections by the president. In a little over a week, Trump reversed on several key policy positions: he ordered missile strikes in Syria after opposing military action there for many years, he dropped his view that NATO is obsolete, he walked back the claim that China is a currency manipulator and indicated he is no longer certain he will replace Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen when her term expires next year. Keep in mind, if voters thought that Trump’s tendency to change his positions was an unforgivable sin, he never would have won the GOP nomination and never would have been elected president. Related article Democrats are being hypocritical about Trump's war powers First, social conservatives have felt burned by the GOP over the past decade. They did not get their candidate of choice in 2008 or 2012, but the party relied on them to man phone banks, knock on doors and get out the vote in the general election. While Trump was not the first choice for many of them, they quickly came to see him as a willing advocate. The Trump transition team brought them into the conversation and truly listened to them. In 2016, social conservatives no longer felt like a GOP afterthought. Social conservatives wanted a Scalia-like Supreme Court justice and they got it with the confirmation of Justice Neil Gorsuch. For many, this was the single biggest factor in their support of the president. These pro-life conservatives also wanted Trump to honor the anti-abortion message he campaigned on, which he did last week with the signing of an order allowing states to withhold federal money from abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood. Victory on these issues was like eating dessert before dinner for them; they got the sweet stuff they wanted and they didn’t have to wait. They are not troubled by recent head fakes by the President – they are playing long ball. Secondly, the “alt-right” movement, viewed as anti-intervention and anti-multiculturalism, embraced candidate Trump’s populist isolationism message. The movement had lived largely online, but came out to campaign events and voting booths for Trump. Many ardent supporters are now vocal opponents of Trump’s decision to order the missile strike against Syria. Some question whether he should have the nuclear codes if he’s making military decisions based on emotions. These people want a lot more, a lot faster from the administration. Related article Trump demonstrated the Art of the Show with Xi Alt-right leaders are also up in arms over Trump’s chief strategist Steve Bannon losing his seat at the National Security table and rumors of Bannon’s departure due to infighting with the President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. It’s not the end of the world if Bannon is shown the door, but it would be problematic with this portion of the Trump base. The third facet of Trump’s support is the Rust Belt coalition that voted for President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 but switched to Trump in 2016 because they saw him as the working man’s champion. The Rust Belt’s revenge turned blue states to red for Trump. Working-class voters in the nation’s heartland supported the President’s trade and economic message. These are not hard-core issue conservatives, but they like knowing their president is going to stick it to China and roll back burdensome federal regulations that stifle the economy. Sign up for CNN Opinion’s new newsletter.Join us on Twitter and Facebook Trump must not forget his power base is the American worker. If he delivers on the economy, the Rust Belt coalition is not going anywhere. Related article Bannon's departure would rip the mask off the 'blue-collar Trump' The West Wing reversals are clearly ruffling some feathers in the base. Asked about the President’s shifting positions, White House press secretary Sean Spicer says it’s the various circumstances, not Trump, that have changed. He even made the dubious claim that “some cases or issues, are evolving towards the President’s position.” Draining the swamp is an easy campaign slogan, but  Trump is learning that successful governing is much more difficult than winning campaigns.


Senate Democrats called an "emergency meeting" Wednesday to discuss investigating Russia Senate Republicans say they are confident in the investigation under way Senate Democrats on Wednesday sought to ride the latest revelations of coordination between President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russian officials while Senate Republicans – even some of the most hawkish on Russia – sought to hold the line against new investigations. Democrats called an “emergency” caucus meeting at the Capitol to discuss their options roughly 12 hours after new reports that the FBI is investigating extensive communications between the Trump campaign and Russian intelligence officers. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse himself from the investigation into Russia’s connections to the Trump campaign and other facets, including the phone calls that led to the resignation of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn this week. “We need to get all the facts, so in the days and weeks ahead, the Trump administration needs to answer some serious questions,” the New York Democrat said Wednesday morning. “These questions must be asked by an independent and unbiased law enforcement authority.” As he headed to the meeting, Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, said anything less than a complete investigation would amount to a “coverup.” “We’ve got to look at what our options are to send a message that a cover-up is not OK,” Murphy said. “By stopping a bipartisan, independent investigation from moving forward, we will continue to incentivize the separation of the intelligence forces from the executive. That’s terrible for this country.” But Senate Republicans, including those who have been hawkish on Russia, held their ground against Democratic calls for deeper investigations. “I think that first questions have to be answered and then to go from there,” said Sen. John McCain, one of a handful of Republicans who has broken with his party in calling for a tough stand against Russia. “We need to find out a lot of basic information, because it is just the beginning of this, before we decide to move forward.” When asked if there should be an independent investigation of Flynn and the latest Russian revelations, Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican who frequently breaks with her party, dismissed the idea. “There is an independent investigation, it’s being done by the Intelligence Committee,” she said. Members of the Senate Intelligence Committee who met yesterday to discuss Flynn’s stunning resignation, said they were still plotting the timeline of their investigation but hoped to briefed soon by intelligence officials. Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, said he was looking forward to reading the transcripts of Flynn’s calls with the Russian ambassador to the US and having Flynn testify before the committee. “Right now we’re going for everything we can to make sure the committee’s up and running and does it job,” he said. “Once we get into it, all the different intelligence people will come in.” Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican member of the intelligence panel, said he was confident in the investigation already underway. “That’s an ongoing situation and Flynn will be a part of it,” said the Florida senator, who is scheduled to have dinner with Trump on Wednesday. “I’m confident in the process we put in place. It’s bipartisan. There is strong support for it.” House Democrats are also pressing for an aggressive investigation, including asking for transcripts and calling for Flynn to testify. However, House Speaker Paul Ryan and other top Republicans insist that any probe should be part of the existing House Intelligence Committee investigation. Chairman Devin Nunes, of California, dismissed any move last night to create any outside panel, and all top GOP leaders continue to back him up and defer any questions on next steps to him. California Rep. Adam Schiff, ranking member of that House committee, told reporters Wednesday he’s meeting later with the chairman.

Senate Democrats' call for investigation into Russia-Trump campaign connections


On Sunday morning, President Donald Trump referenced an impending series of immigrant ‘caravans’ moving through Mexico to spark his call for Congress to pass strict border laws. “Border Patrol Agents are not allowed to properly do their job at the Border because of ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws like Catch & Release. Getting more dangerous. ‘Caravans’ coming. Republicans must go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws NOW. NO MORE DACA DEAL,” Trump tweeted Sunday morning. Border Patrol Agents are not allowed to properly do their job at the Border because of ridiculous liberal (Democrat) laws like Catch & Release. Getting more dangerous. “Caravans” coming. Republicans must go to Nuclear Option to pass tough laws NOW. NO MORE DACA DEAL! Trump appears to be referring to a migrant caravan assembled by the group Pueblo Sin Fronteras (People without Borders), which was discussed on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” shortly before he published his tweet. It’s not known if the President watched the specific segment, but he indirectly referenced claims mentioned in an on-air interview with a Border Patrol union representative. While Trump said “no deal” for the DACA program, it is still operational. Federal courts have issued restraining orders keeping it active despite the expiration of the administration’s six-month deadline for Congress to push through a DACA deal. It is not clear what the President was referring to when tweeting about “big flows” of individuals taking advantage of DACA, since the program is not accepting new applications right now. The White House did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment. Related article How Trump is quietly rewriting US immigration policy Alex Mensing, one of the US collaborators who works for Pueblo Sin Fronteras, started in the city of Tapachula, which is located in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, and borders Guatemala. The caravan of about 1,100 people is currently in Oaxaca, Mexico, about 420 miles from their starting point. Mensing said the migrants would turn themselves in and request asylum. Pueblo Sin Fronteras said they would not respond to Trump’s tweet, but stated that the refugee caravan “is a movement made of people who were forced to flee their countries of origin due to persecution and violence.” Mensing said the caravan’s primary goal is to “flee Central America” and seek asylum either within Mexico or the United States. About four or five different immigration rights groups are working with the asylum seekers, informing and preparing them on their journey to seek refuge. This is the fifth year the group has done the caravan. Two caravans were mobilized in 2017 with fewer people and many of their cases have yet to be resolved. Out of the 200 people who marched with the caravan, three have successfully been granted asylum in the US so far, while cases for the others are either in the court system or awaiting decisions. Luis Videgaray Caso, Mexico’s secretary of foreign affairs, tweeted a response to today’s statements by President Trump. “Every day Mexico and the US work together on migration throughout the region. Facts clearly reflect this,” he said. “An inaccurate news report should not serve to this question cooperation. Upholding human dignity and rights is not at odds with the rule of law. Happy Easter.” Every day Mexico and the US work together on migration throughout the region. Facts clearly reflect this. An inaccurate news report should not serve to question this strong cooperation. Upholding human dignity and rights is not at odds with the rule of law. Happy Easter.


Jeff Sessions maintained his meetings with the Russian ambassador were in his capacity as a senator The attorney general received a question about Russian ties during his confirmation hearing Attorney General Jeff Sessions defended his answers about Russian contacts to the Senate Judiciary Committee as “correct” in a letter Monday, as he sought to tamp down questions after it came to light that he had met with the Russian ambassador twice last year. Sessions defended his response to Minnesota Democratic Sen. Al Franken at his confirmation hearing in a letter the Department of Justice released Monday, saying his answer was “correct,” and he “did not mention communications (he) had had with the Russian ambassador over the years because the question did not ask about them.” What Jeff Sessions said about Russia ties during confirmation hearings The attorney general had been under fire since late last week, when it was reported that he met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak twice during the course of the election, during which he was a surrogate for President Donald Trump. But Sessions maintained that his meetings with Kislyak were in his capacity as a senator, not related to the campaign. Related video Jeff Sessions defends testimony in new letter Sessions said in the letter that he “spoke briefly” to Kislyak on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July and also met with Kislyak in his office in September, a meeting that was attended by his Senate staff, he said. Sessions said he does not recall talking about the campaign. “I do not recall any discussions with the Russian ambassador, or any other representative of the Russian government, regarding the political campaign on these occasions or any other occasion,” he wrote in the letter. Sessions did not disclose meetings with Russian ambassador Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, a Democratic member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he thought it would be better for Sessions to face the committee in person, adding that he was “disappointed” in the answers Sessions provided in response to his questions. “The longer there are unresolved questions about the attorney general – his conduct and his independence – the longer we’re going to be distracted working on that issue,” Coons said. Sessions recused himself last week from any investigation of Russian contacts related to the presidential campaign after his meetings with the Russian ambassador were disclosed. In Monday’s letter, he also said his recusal covers investigations of “Russian contacts with the Trump transition team and administration.” The attorney general noted that Franken asked him during his confirmation hearing what he would do “if there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of this campaign.” Sessions isn’t the only Cabinet member who gave testimony that turned out not to be true Sessions had replied: “I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign, and I didn’t have – did not have communications with the Russians, and I’m unable to comment on it.” “I did not mention communications I had had with the Russian Ambassador over the years because the question did not ask about them,” Sessions said in his letter. The attorney general did not address a written question he had answered from Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, which asked explicitly: “Have you been in contact with anyone connected to any part of the Russian government about the 2016 election, either before or after election day?” The question was presaged by a statement that some of Trump’s nominees or senior advisers had ties to Russia. Sessions replied “no,” without any elaboration. The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a question about why Sessions’ letter did not address his written response to Leahy. Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley thanked Sessions for his letter, saying it helped to “clear up confusion.” “I appreciate Attorney General Sessions’ quick action to clear up confusion about his statement and I look forward to confirming the team who can help him carry out the functions of the department, like going after sex offenders, protecting Americans against terrorists and criminal activity, and stopping drug traffickers,” the Iowa Republican said. CNN’s Manu Raju and Laura Jarrett contributed to this report.


The incident occurred at a Trump rally in San Jose The Trump supports says she is glad it was rocks thrown at her A Donald Trump supporter says she may have been pelted with eggs by protestors because she was taunting them. Rachel Casey was asked by Inside Edition if she had been taunting the anti-Trump protesters in San Jose, California, last week. “Yeah, maybe I egged them on, but I was just sticking up for myself,” the 29-year-old bodybuilder said. “They started it with me. I stood up for myself like any other American would.” A video shows her making an obscene gesture to a protester. She was then hit by an anti-Trump sign after walking into an angry crowd. Eggs and tomatoes were tossed at her. “Thank God it wasn’t bricks and rocks,” she said. Casey said she plans to appear on stage at future rallies with the presumptive Republican nominee after his campaign contacted her following the incident. RELATED: Protesters take to streets after Trump rally in San Jose After a Trump rally last week, protesters waved Mexican flags and one could be seen setting an American flag on fire, with another burning Trump’s “Make America Great Hat.” Some chanted “F— Donald Trump” and “Donald Trump has got to go” outside the San Jose Convention Center.As Trump supporters exited the rally, protesters shouted insults at them and accused them of being racists. As the demonstrators bunched up, riot police pushed many of them back.


In the British Isles, it's traditional for women to propose to men on February 29 There are few engagement rings made for men specifically We asked independent designers which rings they would recommend For most of us, February 29 is just an extra day on the calendar. But in the British Isles, it’s traditionally been the one day that, instead of waiting patiently for Prince Charming to pop the question, a damsel is allowed to ask a man for his hand in marriage. Well, one day may have sufficed in fifth-century Ireland or in today’s more anachronistic circles, but these days, it’s becoming more and more common for a man to be proposed to, thanks to continued steps toward gender parity and the growing acceptance of gay marriage. But what exactly does one give to a man once you’re down on one knee? Cartier and Tiffany & Co. have several lines of engagement rings for women, but when it comes to men, you’d be hard pressed to find a brand with even one dedicated collection. L. Bamburger & Co., the department store that would become Macy’s, tried to make the male engagement ring happen in 1920’s, but it never stuck. This isn’t helped by the fact that there aren’t set standards for what constitutes a proper engagement ring for a man. One stone or several? Diamonds or no diamonds? And if it’s a “yes” to diamonds, what are the politics of a princess cut versus an emerald cut? For some independent jewelers, this is an opportunity to define the masculine engagement ring – sometimes called a “mangagement” ring – on their own terms. Instead of appropriating their ostentatious female counterparts, these rings are often based on the tenants that define design for men today: comfort, practicality, and simplicity. “We always suggest something really wearable, not too heavy with a low profile on the finger,” said Andy Henson and and Brent Gold of Sydney-based Henson. “Men tend to wear jewelery less, so having something that is comfort driven and that will wear well is a big factor for us.” Runway revolution: Can we tie unisex fashion trends to gender equality? “Often the look is clean, bold and modern, but with a flourish that makes it special,” says Andrew Schloss, creative director of New York jewelers Reinstein/Ross, Goldsmiths. “Some men want a ring with a central stone, and some men prefer a band. Either way, our intent is to make this a special and significant piece.” Similarly, Leign Batnick Plessner, co-creative director of cult Brooklyn brand Catbird, usually steers clients towards less ostentatious designs with subtle embellishments. “I’d suggest a chunkier eternity band, like the Saturn’s Ring in black diamonds, or something sentimental, but not saccharine,” she says. But in the end, most jewelers agree that the most important thing to consider is not what society says is appropriate, but what your partner will like most. After all, if you’re a traditionalist, the opportunity to propose to your man only comes around once every four years.


The monks, clad in vermillion robes and flip flops, line up from old to young to receive a meal in their alms bowls – rice, vegetables, cookies – all donated by local villagers. It’s a potent act of religious devotion that takes place every day across countless communities in Myanmar, an overwhelmingly Buddhist country. But powerful clerical voices here believe their faith – and by extension, these traditions – is in danger. The main threat? Islam, says Thaw Parka, a monk who speaks for a hardline, monk-led Buddhist nationalist group known as Ma Ba Tha  – the Association for the Protection of Race and Religion. Its role in sowing anti-Muslim sentiment is coming under scrutiny as a brutal crackdown unfolds in Rahkine State in western Myanmar, sending more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh. “It is not like what the international community is saying. It is not genocide at all,” the 46-year-old abbot told CNN in September from ZayTaWon DammarYone Monastery on the outskirts of Yangon, where he leads more than 100 monks. Myanmar’s military also denies genocide, saying it is targeting Rohingya militants that launched deadly attacks on police posts on August 25. Rohingya refugees speak of indiscriminate killings, rape and torched villages – charges the military also reject. The UN has described it as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing.” Thaw Parka describes these claims as “wild accusations” and believes Buddhists in the state are the main victims of the violence. “Our ethnic people are starving. They abandoned their villages. It is impossible to make a living, (If) they remain in their village.” It’s a view shared among many of the country’s Buddhist majority, who have little sympathy for the Rohingya and have reacted defensively to the international outcry. Few use the term Rohingya, instead calling them “Bengali” – a popular slur that compounds their reputation as illegal immigrants. These attitudes confound the romantic image many in the West have of Buddhism as a tolerant faith whose adherents wouldn’t hurt a fly.  Monks, however, do have a long history of political activism in Asia that more recently has taken on an ultra-nationalist and extremist hue in places like Myanmar and Sri Lanka. It’s difficult to see how Muslims, or any other religious group, could pose a threat to Myanmar’s dominant religion. Almost nine in every 10 people in this country of 51.5 million are Buddhist, compared to a Muslim population of just 1.2 million. This doesn’t figure include the estimated 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims, who are stateless as Myanmar refuses to recognize them as citizens, and they are not officially included in Myanmar’s 2014 census data. Thaw Parka says that he and his group work in harmony with “educated Muslims who live among the indigenous people of Myanmar” and he only opposes Muslim extremists and terrorists that threaten Myanmar’s sovereignty. “We have many Muslims among our friends. We hang out. We work together. We do charity work together. There was no problem. But with some Muslims who are in contact with a form of extremist terrorist, it is very difficult for peaceful existence.” The monks say their fears for their faith are also fed by wider concerns about a resurgent radical Islam and the belief that Buddhism is under siege. One English-language pamphlet produced in 2015 by the group as a “must-know, must-read, must-keep booklet for every Myanmar citizen,” says different religions are “devouring” the faith of Myanmar. It warns that if Buddhist leaders don’t take care “Buddha’s teaching will soon disappear” – something the booklet says already happened centuries ago in nearby Mulism-majority Malaysia and Indonesia. Richard Horsey, a political analyst and one of the authors of a new report on Buddhist Nationalism by the International Crisis Group, says these fears are also a reflection of what modernity could mean for the monkhood as Myanmar opens up to the world under the new government of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. “These monks look at Thailand, which has embraced a Western outlook and consumerism, and that has affected the standing of monks there,” he says. “They feel the (Myanmar) government is weak on the protection of Buddhism and keeping the morals of the country intact.” Ma Ba Tha has been at the forefront of anti-Rohingya protests since it first rose to prominence in 2014, It has also emerged as a political force, successfully lobbying for a series of laws aimed at restricting interfaith marriage. Its most prominent face has been Ashin Wirathu, a controversial monk based in Mandalay. He spent time in jail for inciting anti-Muslim violence before founding the now banned “969” movement that called for a boycott of Muslim businesses. In 2015, he told CNN that Muslims “take many wives and they have many children. And when their population grows they threaten us.” “And,” he concluded, “they are violent.” Thaw Parka said Wirathu had worked “hand in hand”  with Ma Ba Tha since its inception. However, he stressed the firebrand monk didn’t officially represent Ma Ba Tha – a fairly loose coalition of monasteries and supporters. “People want to attack U Wirathu, they cherry pick his extreme words,” he said. Related article Rohingya crisis: How we got here The monks view international media and their coverage of the Rohingya crisis with deep suspicion and carefully took notes during our hour-long interview. “When we look at them, the news sources, (we find) that they did not investigate themselves. They fell for what (the Rohingya) said. They believed them and made accusations.” “We don’t want to have these kind of grievances. You have to go to the affected areas and investigate yourselves.” Myanmar has largely blocked international media from traveling to the affected northern areas of Rakhine State and journalists that  have been allowed to go have do so under government escort. Ma Ba Tha remains popular in Myanmar despite efforts by the civilian government led by Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace prize winner who spent years under house arrest, to limit its influence. In May, Myanmar’s highest Buddhist authority, the Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, a government appointed body, cracked down on the group, ordering it to take down signs.  It’s also tried to ban Wirathu from giving sermons for one year. In response, the group decided  to change its official name to “Buddha Dhamma Parahita Foundation” but on the ground there’s been little impact on the way the group operates, says Thaw Parka. “There is no change. It is just taking down sign boards. Some do, some don’t.” “We are in compliance with the constitution and we have a righteous stand,” he adds. Thaw Parka says his group supports Suu Kyi and the country’s transition to democracy. As international pressure mounts, the Myanmar leader has shown scant solidarity for the plight of the Rohingya Muslims and there was little in her national address in September and subsequent comments on the crisis that would upset Buddhist nationalists like Ma Ba Tha. Suu Kyi hasn’t denounced the alleged atrocities against the Rohingya community and claimed the government needed more time investigate the exodus from Myanmar of more than 600,000 members of the minority Muslim group. Next week, she’ll host Pope Francis, who visits Myanmar for the first time.  In the past, he has described the Rohingya as his persecuted “brothers and sisters” – language that could inflame tensions in Myanmar where few use the word Rohingya, a politically and emotionally charged term. The government’s moves to rein in the group fail to take account of the fact that Ma Ba Tha is a social movement that appeals to many ordinary Buddhists, says Horsey, the political analyst. Ma Ba Tha runs religious education classes, provides disaster relief, legal aid and “engages in a wide range of good causes at the community level,” says the report he authored for the International Crisis Group. Thaw Parka’s monastery, like others, takes in orphans and educates the sons of poor families. Posters at the nearby Insein Ywama Monastery, which serves as the headquarters for Ma Ba Tha, offer classes in English, computing and coding for members of the local community. “It’s much more than an extremist group and efforts to ban it miss this point. It doesn’t take account of the fact these monks are extremely revered,” Horsey says. “Wirathu has notoriety but many others involved in the group are seen as the leading monks in the country and they have enormous religious legitimacy.”


More women are needed to change the culture of Britain's intelligence agencies, report says Mumsnet, an online parenting forum, could be used to reach a new pool of talent, it suggests Britain needs more women as spies – and it could do worse than look to recruit them on popular parenting website Mumsnet. That’s according to a report released Thursday by Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee. The report recommends targeting women, including mothers and those who are middle-aged or mid-career, to help break through “the permafrost” of men in middle management “who have a very traditional male mentality and outlook.” The idea that a new cohort of British spies could be signed up via Mumsnet, more usually associated with debates on pregnancy, childcare and homemaking, may surprise some. But lawmaker Hazel Blears, a committee member, said recruiting more women to the three intelligence and security agencies the committee oversees is a crucial way to change the intelligence agencies’ sometimes hidebound culture. The current setup fosters “a management culture which rewards those who speak the loudest or are aggressive in pursuing their career and does not fully recognise the value of a more consultative, collaborative approach,” she said. But women’s life experience and other qualities should not be overlooked, she said. In a sign of the changing times, the latest film iteration of British spy James Bond has had a female boss – “M,” played by Judi Dench. But while women currently make up about 37% of the employees across the UK intelligence agencies, according to the Intelligence and Security Committee report, they make up fewer than one-fifth of those in senior roles. The recruiting idea has met with some amusement in the Mumsnet community. “If they need someone whose special skill is getting melted chocolate down her dog-haired jumper and not noticing, I’m their woman,” posts one Mumsnet user. “I would LOVE to be a spy. Like actually LOVE it. And no one would suspect me. I am too boring and frumpy,” writes another. A third, more skeptical, comments: “Yes, people who can’t help but type their every passing thought into an online forum would make great spies.” Besides using women-focused outlets like Mumsnet to reach a new pool of talent, the committee recommends certain steps to make working for MI5, MI6 and Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) more tempting for women. These include offering better career management, encouraging women to set up their own informal support networks and not limiting their options if they have children. “Women who have successfully been filling operational roles mustn’t be sidelined after they have children. They still have the first class skills that the Agencies helped them to build, so these should be used,” Blears said. Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright – who similarly looked into the position of women in the CIA – backed the UK report and what it said about the value of women in the intelligence agencies. “Diversity should be pursued – not just on legal or ethical grounds, important as these are in their own right – but because it will result in a better response to the range of threats that threaten national security,” she said.


Boko Haram reportedly has a new leader who has assured an ISIS interviewer the group would not be targeting Muslims. ISIS’ magazine al-Naba announced that Sheikh Abu Musab  al-Barnawi is the new leader of Boko Haram, an ISIS affiliate in Nigeria, in an interview with him in its recent issue. Barnawi didn’t promise to quit enslaving girls, nor to quit ambushing relief columns bringing food to 244,000 starving children, nor to quit slaughtering people who will not convert to Islam or fight for Boko Haram, nor to quit using children as bombs. But in an interview with Naba, he did deny responsibility for attacks on Muslims, saying they were perpetrated by people with other agendas. “We do not target prayer places or markets for people who belong to Islam,” he told Naba. Related video Who are Boko Haram? The group was blamed – although it did not take credit – for  twin market bombings in the cities of Kano and Yola last November, using children as young as 11 as suicide bombers. Boko Haram does not consider all Muslims supporters and allies. There have been suggestions it attacks certain mosques because members have spoken against it and helped federal officials with their crackdown. Its attacks are aimed at striking fear at the heart of the local population to prevent cooperation with the government, analysts say. It has bombed schools, churches and mosques, kidnapped women and children, and assassinated politicians and religious leaders. The militant group said its aim is to impose a stricter enforcement of Sharia law across Africa’s most populous nation, which is split between a majority Muslim north and a mostly Christian south. In recent years, Boko Haram attacks have intensified in an apparent show of defiance amid the nation’s military onslaught. Its ambitions appear to have expanded to the destruction of the Nigerian government. Nine months ago, CNN reported that Boko Haram had surpassed its affiliate ISIS in killing, at least in the previous year. In 2014, Boko Haram was responsible for 6,644 deaths, an increase of 317% from the previous year, according to the Global Terrorism Index. By contrast, ISIS, the terror group to which Boko Haram reportedly pledged allegiance in March 2015, was responsible for 6,073 deaths. The Barnawi interview left unanswered the fate of Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram’s previous leader, who took over in 2009. His insurgency killed an estimated 20,000 people and drove 2.7 million people from homes in Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad, according to Amnesty International. Questions have swirled about Shekau, including whether he’s dead. Even his age is unknown; estimates range between 35 and 44. In recent years, the Nigerian military has touted his death, only to retract its claim after he appeared alive and vibrant in propaganda videos. He uses the alias Darul Tawheed, and analysts describe him as a ruthless loner and master of disguise. He does not speak directly with members, opting to communicate through a few select confidants. The United States has put a $7 million bounty on Shekau. CNN’s Merieme Arif contributed to this report


Ken Starr, the former independent counsel whose investigation of former President Bill Clinton’s real-estate investments and extramarital affair led to Clinton’s impeachment, said Saturday that he has “a sense” there will be indictments in the federal investigation into allegations of possible collusion by the Trump campaign in Russia’s efforts to influence last year’s election. “Given what we do know, especially given what happened this summer with respect to the FBI’s intrusion into Paul Manafort’s condominium, in light of the revelations that we’ve seen about General Flynn, I have a sense that there will, in fact, be indictments,” Starr told CNN’s Michael Smerconish. Manafort was the President’s campaign chairman and Michael Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general, was his first national security adviser. Starr added that there “may be guilty pleas” from some of those under investigation. “What I find very interesting … is in light of the information that is now coming out with respect to Russian attempts to influence both the national election and 21 different states, what I expect to see is serious consideration of indicting one or more foreign nationals,” Starr said. Starr additionally said that he thought it should be legal to indict the US President, saying “everyone is equal under the law,” although the Justice Department has an informal policy that the sitting President can’t be indicted, he said. FBI agents raided one of Manafort’s homes this summer and seized materials as part of the ongoing Russia investigation, led by special counsel Robert Mueller, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. Mueller’s team also met with Christopher Steele, the former British spy whose dossier on alleged Russian efforts to aid the Trump campaign spawned months of investigations. The former FBI director’s team is also sifting through Russia-linked ads handed over by Facebook.


Tripoli, Libya (CNN) – “Eight hundred,” says the auctioneer. “900 … 1,000 … 1,100 …” Sold. For 1,200 Libyan dinars – the equivalent of $800. Not a used car, a piece of land, or an item of furniture. Not “merchandise” at all, but two human beings. One of the unidentified men being sold in the grainy cell phone video obtained by CNN is Nigerian. He appears to be in his twenties and is wearing a pale shirt and sweatpants. He has been offered up for sale as one of a group of “big strong boys for farm work,” according to the auctioneer, who remains off camera. Only his hand – resting proprietorially on the man’s shoulder – is visible in the brief clip. After seeing footage of this slave auction, CNN worked to verify its authenticity and traveled to Libya to investigate further. Carrying concealed cameras into a property outside the capital of Tripoli last month, we witness a dozen people go “under the hammer” in the space of six or seven minutes. “Does anybody need a digger? This is a digger, a big strong man, he’ll dig,” the salesman, dressed in camouflage gear, says. “What am I bid, what am I bid?” Buyers raise their hands as the price rises, “500, 550, 600, 650 …” Within minutes it is all over and the men, utterly resigned to their fate, are being handed over to their new “masters.” After the auction, we met two of the men who had been sold. They were so traumatized by what they’d been through that they could not speak, and so scared that they were suspicious of everyone they met. Each year, tens of thousands of people pour across Libya’s borders. They’re refugees fleeing conflict or economic migrants in search of better opportunities in Europe. Most have sold everything they own to finance the journey through Libya to the coast and the gateway to the Mediterranean. But a recent clampdown by the Libyan coastguard means fewer boats are making it out to sea, leaving the smugglers with a backlog of would-be passengers on their hands. So the smugglers become masters, the migrants and refugees become slaves. Watch full documentary: Libya’s migrant slave trade The evidence filmed by CNN has now been handed over to the Libyan authorities, who have promised to launch an investigation. First Lieutenant Naser Hazam of the government’s Anti-Illegal Immigration Agency in Tripoli told CNN that although he had not witnessed a slave auction, he acknowledged that organized gangs are operating smuggling rings in the country. “They fill a boat with 100 people, those people may or may not make it,” Hazam says. “(The smuggler) does not care as long as he gets the money, and the migrant may get to Europe or die at sea.” “The situation is dire,” Mohammed Abdiker, the director of operation and emergencies for the International Organization for Migration, said in a statement after returning from Tripoli in April. “Some reports are truly horrifying and the latest reports of ‘slave markets’ for migrants can be added to a long list of outrages.” The auctions take place in a seemingly normal town in Libya filled with people leading regular lives. Children play in the street; people go to work, talk to friends and cook dinners for their families. But inside the slave auctions it’s like we’ve stepped back in time. The only thing missing is the shackles around the migrants’ wrists and ankles. Anes Alazabi is a supervisor at a detention center in Tripoli for migrants that are due to be deported. He says he’s heard “a lot of stories” about the abuse carried out by smugglers. “I’m suffering for them. What I have seen here daily, believe me, it makes me feel pain for them,” he says.  “Every day I can hear a new story from people. You have to listen to all of them. It’s their right to deliver their voices.” One of the detained migrants, a young man named Victory, says he was sold at a slave auction. Tired of the rampant corruption in Nigeria’s Edo state, the 21-year-old fled home and spent a year and four months – and his life savings – trying to reach Europe. He made it as far as Libya, where he says he and other would-be migrants were held in grim living conditions, deprived of food, abused and mistreated by their captors. “If you look at most of the people here, if you check your bodies, you see the marks. They are beaten, mutilated.” When his funds ran out, Victory was sold as a day laborer by his smugglers, who told him that the profit made from the transactions would serve to reduce his debt. But after weeks of being forced to work, Victory was told the money he’d been bought for wasn’t enough. He was returned to his smugglers, only to be re-sold several more times. The smugglers also demanded ransom payments from Victory’s family before eventually releasing him. “I spent a million-plus [Nigerian naira, or $2,780],” he tells CNN from the detention center, where he is waiting to be sent back to Nigeria. “My mother even went to a couple villages, borrowing money from different couriers to save my life.” As the route through north Africa becomes increasingly fraught, many migrants have relinquished their dreams of ever reaching European shores. This year, more than 8,800 individuals have opted to voluntarily return home on repatriation flights organized by the IOM. Opinion: Abuse of migrants in Libya is a blot on world’s conscience While many of his friends from Nigeria have made it to Europe, Victory is resigned to returning home empty-handed. “I could not make it, but I thank God for the life of those that make it,” he says. “I’m not happy,” he adds. “I go back and start back from square one. It’s very painful. Very painful.” CNN’s Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Byron Manley, Henrik Pettersson, Mark Oliver, Muhammad Darwish and Edward Kiernan contributed to this report.


There’s a running joke that one has to sport a beard to conduct scientific research in Antarctica. Except it isn’t really a joke, because until the mid-20th century women were widely discouraged from exploring the continent, and the United States didn’t allow American women to work in the region until 1969. But history was recently turned on its head when 76 women with backgrounds in science set sail to the bottom of the Earth. The Homeward Bound 2016 expedition was the largest-ever female voyage to Antarctica. The trip was not an adventurous holiday. Nor was it a chance to slide on the ice and play with the penguins. It was part of an ambitious 10-year mission to mold 1,000 women in science to lead, influence and contribute to policy and decision-making at the highest levels. It was about the necessary role women have to play in protecting the planet. “We just really can’t afford to have the voice of women missing at the leadership table,” Homeward Bound co-founder and ecosystem modeler, Jessica Melbourne-Thomas, 35, tells CNN. “Women bring a diversity of approaches and a whole range of complimentary skills and styles in terms of science, and leadership more generally.” The idea began with Fabian Dattner. In 2016, the Australian leadership activist decided she wanted to send a boatload of women to Antarctica, and invited her fellow Australian colleague, Melbourne-Thomas, to coordinate the science program for Homeward Bound 2016. Before setting sail, participants underwent nearly a year of training to develop their leadership and strategic capabilities, and learn about the latest scientific research around environmental change. In the lead-up to the voyage, Dattner and Melbourne-Thomas were struck by how eager the participants were to connect with the other women, and lead as a team, despite having never previously met one another. We just really can’t afford to have the voice of women missing at the leadership table. Jessica Melbourne-Thomas “I think that’s a style that women gravitate to often – working collaboratively,” says Melbourne-Thomas. Participant Deborah Pardo, 30 – a population modeler from France – also believes her gender influenced her perspective on the mission: says her interest in protecting the environment developed around the time she became a mother. “You feel something inside you that makes you want to take care of people and the planet,” she explains. “Women have this drive to ensure the sustainability of the environment and the welfare of their families.” That propensity is reflected in the tagline for Homeward Bound: “Mother Nature needs her daughters.” Melbourne-Thomas, however, believes there is a more practical reason why women specifically should lead the world towards a more sustainable future. “There is lots of evidence that it’s actually women and children who could stand to be most affected by climate change,” she says. Indeed, in developing countries reports show natural disasters and extreme weather typically kill more women than men. Of the 150,000 people killed by the 1991 Bangladesh cyclone, for example, 90% were women. On December 2, the 76 women from around the world set sail from Ushuaia, in Argentina, headed for the Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean. In the subsequent two-and-a-half weeks, the team landed at numerous locations including the Argentinian and American research stations. Abandoned at birth, she fought racism to the topMeet Nepal’s rock star nunWhy this female chef fired 5 men in 1 weekGraffiti queen delivers justice with spray canShe sued Rolling Stone – and wonIs she the Mike Tyson of MMA? Abandoned at birth, she fought racism to the topMeet Nepal’s rock star nunWhy this female chef fired 5 men in 1 weekGraffiti queen delivers justice with spray canShe sued Rolling Stone – and wonIs she the Mike Tyson of MMA? “Antarctica represents the relative fragility of the natural world, but it is also an environment that can provide us with a lot of information about what’s happening on the global scale,” says Melbourne-Thomas, who chose to stay home with her infant during the voyage. “Antarctica is an important system in terms of providing us with early warnings about climate change, but also a way to untangle the effect of multiple changes in the environment.” In between exploring landmarks, natural features, animal colonies, and learning about the science behind and impact of climate change, the participants – ranging in professions from marine ecologists to doctors, physicists and astronomers – received intense strategic capability and leadership training. “Landings were times to reflect on the training each day on the ship and connect with others and this beautiful content,” says Pardo. You witness how Antarctica is the symbol of the human footprint on the planet and you want to protect it even more. Deborah Pardo She recalls how Antarctica’s vast white mountains of ice made her feel like she was hallucinating. “You are completely blown away by the beauty and scale of things,” she says. “You witness how Antarctica is the symbol of the human footprint on the planet and you want to protect it even more.” Two of the most majestic moments for Pardo included walking on ice – which quite literally cracks beneath your feet – and a zodiac cruise between icebergs. “We had no words to describe the beauty, scale, sounds, colors, shapes of the icebergs we saw and the ambiance we felt,” she says. Plans are now underway for a second all-female trip to Antarctica in February 2018. In order to secure their place on-board hopeful participants need to submit a written application and short video pitch. Once selected, each participant is expected to raise approximately $15,000 to pay for their spot on the ship. This time the organizers are seeking funding for scholarships to try to make the program more accessible to women from developing countries, adds Melbourne-Thomas. The 10-year goal – starting with Homeward Bound 2016 – is to engage, encourage and support a diverse pool of women into leadership roles where they can shape policy and decision making. The hope is to establish one great network of 1,000 women with backgrounds in science collaborating for a shared vision. According to the UNESCO Science Report: towards 2030, women make up just 28% of the world’s research scientists, and Melbourne-Thomas says there is a high rate of attrition as women in science move from junior to senior positions. “There’s evidence of a ‘leaky pipeline’ where women just drop out,” she explains. However, with women accounting for 53% of of the world’s Bachelor’s and Master’s graduates in science and 43% in PhDs, globally, the groundwork is there for women to become much-needed leaders in the field of science. “We are the role models for the next generation and we need to prove that by being in more leadership positions that we have a really important role to play,” says Pardo. “Because you can’t really address environmental problems unless you solve social problems like the huge inequalities in the world.”


Delayed flight cost you that big deal, ruin your family get-together or just plain consume you with apoplectic rage? Take a deep breath, count to 10, punch your travel pillow and then read on. Because here’s news that could help prevent it ever happening again. Travel analyst OAG has just revealed its Punctuality League for 2018, naming the airlines and airports with the world’s best timekeeping. And it’s potentially good news for anyone flying via Tokyo (or looking for a cheap ticket to Latvia). Drawing on full-year data from 57 million flight records in 2017 – the most OAG has ever tracked in a single year – the UK-based analyst has created a ranking of the best on-time performance for the world’s largest airlines and airports. Its definition of on-time performance, or OTP, is flights that arrive or depart within 14 minutes and 59 seconds of their scheduled times. The most punctual airline in the world – with 90.01% of flights on time – is Latvian flag carrier airBaltic. Headquartered in Riga International Airport, airBaltic flies to 68 destinations in Europe, the US and the Middle East. 1. airBaltic (90.01%). (Top Mainline Airline and Top Airline in Europe). 2. Hong Kong Airlines (88.83%). (Top Airline in Asia-Pacific). 3. Hawaiian Airlines (87.24%). (Top Airline in North America). 4. Copa Airways (86.39%). (Top Airline in Latin America). 5. Qantas Airways (86.18%). 6. Japan Airlines (85.27%). (Top Mega Airline). 7. Vueling Airlines (85.35%). (Top Low-Cost Carrier). 8. Jetstar Asia (85.08%). 9. Skymark Airlines (85.00%). 10. Aer Lingus (84.46%). Qatar Airways, in 15th place with an OTP of 82.95%, is the Top Airline in the Middle East and Africa category. OAG notes in its report that the gap is closing between the service offered by low-cost carriers and mainstream airlines. “This year, six of the Top 20 airlines are LCCs, up from four last year and two in 2015,” it says. OAG ranked airports around the world with an annual minimum of 2.5 million departing seats. As with airlines, the higher the passenger traffic, the tougher the challenges, so OAG has broken down the rankings according to the size of the airport. For the third year in a row, the most punctual mega airport (30 million+ seats) is Japan’s Tokyo Haneda (86.75%). The top major airport (20 - 30 million seats) is Minneapolis-Saint Paul (85.72%) while the top large airport (10 - 20 million seats) is Japan’s Osaka Airport (88.45%). The UK’s Birmingham Airport is the top medium airport (5 - 10 million seats), with on-time performance of 89.52%. Spain’s Tenerife North is the top small airport (2.5 - 5 million seats), with 90.05% of flights arriving or departing on schedule. Tenerife North “is the only airport in the world to achieve OTP of over 90% in 2017,” notes OAG. Elsewhere in Spain, “Fuerteventura (FUE) has really climbed the rankings this year, making it into the Top 20 for the first time, as has Bilbao (BIO).” Related article 18 best places to visit in 2018 E-Commerce Guide by CNN Underscored: Convenient carry-on essentials For the first time, this year OAG has also released data on the on-time performance of the world’s busiest international and domestic routes: Busiest international routes: 1. Hong Kong to Taipei: 29,494 flights with an OTP of 70.92%. 2. Kuala Lumpur to Singapore: 29,383 flights with an OTP of 78.52%. 3. Jakarta to Singapore: 26,872 flights with an OTP of 77.38%. Busiest domestic routes: 1. Jeju to Seoul Gimpa (South Korea): 64,991 flights with an OTP of 74.06%. 2. Melbourne to Sydney (Australia): 54,519 flights with an OTP of 74.10%. 3. Mumbai to Delhi (India): 47,462 flights with an OTP of 59.14%. With record-breaking passenger volumes and ever-expanding flight networks, airlines and airports have faced a big challenge keeping everything on track in 2017. Aside from maintaining impressive punctuality records, the aviation industry is also to be commended for what was the safest year in flying history.


NEW: Tunisians turn out in a show of unity outside the hotel Tunisian authorities say of 38 people killed, most were Europeans Tunisia identifies the gunman as a 24-year-old from a nearby region Tourists fled a Tunisian seaside resort on Saturday, a day after an attack killed at least 38 people and wounded at least 39 others. A stream of buses quietly ferried out thousands of guests who abruptly ended their beach holidays in the coastal city of Sousse. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack that started on the beach outside the Hotel Riu Imperial Marhaba, but it wasn’t clear if the Islamist group had any direct role in it. ISIS posted a photo of the alleged attacker, whom Tunisian authorities identified as 24-year-old Saif Al-Deen Al Rezgui from the town of Gaafour, about 100 miles northeast of Sousse. Al Rezgui’s uncle and neighbors identified him as the man in the ISIS photo. His uncle told CNN that Al Rezgui visited his hometown and parents’ home Thursday, the day before the attack. Friday evening, Al Rezgui’s mother and father were taken from their home to Tunis as part of the investigation, the uncle said. Al Rezgui lived in Gaafour until 2011 and later moved to the nearby region of Kairouan to go to college. Police described him as a normal young man who participated in a music group while he lived in Gaafour. “He used to love soccer,” one neighbor said. “Always him and his father, playing in front of the house.” Said another, “He couldn’t have done it. It’s like some radicals kidnapped his mind.” Al Rezui was not known to have problems in Gaafour and was seen as an introvert who came from a poor family, police said. They added that his younger brother died in 2010 when struck by lightning, a death they believe may have affected Al Rezgui. Initial reports Friday about the attack suggested there had been three gunmen, but a Tunisian Interior Ministry spokesman later said they were aware of only one and that he had been killed. The spokesman, Mohammed Ali Aroui, told CNN on Saturday that the gunman specialized in electronics in pursuing his masters degree and didn’t have any known relationship with a terror group He worked in the past for an entertainment organization involved in tourism, which may explain how he knew the hotel layout, Aroui said. It is not yet clear what his current job was, if he had one, the spokesman added. His first passport was issued in 2013 and there was no sign of foreign travel on it, he said. Two U.S. officials said they believe the attack may have been inspired by ISIS, though not directed by the terrorist group. Saturday night, a large crowd of Tunisians turned out at the hotel in a display of unity after the attacks. They chanted and sang, waved the red and white Tunisian flag, and lit candles at the spot where the dozens of victims had been shot the day before. The attack lasted about five minutes, starting on the beach, continuing at the pool and in the hotel lobby, and ending when the gunman was killed in the hotel’s parking lot, Aroui said. Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid said the gunman hid an AK-47 machine gun under an umbrella to smuggle it onto the beach, which overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. British tourist Ellie Makin watched him carry it. Related video British tourist trapped in hotel: 'It was a masscare' “A guy had walked onto the beach and had dropped what I’d seen as an umbrella and underneath (it) was a massive gun of some sort and it was like in the army,” she said. “He was just firing left and right and center.  I got up quick as possible … and shouted, ‘Run, there is a gun.’” A British man wounded in the arm described running into the sea to escape. “I heard someone firing a gun and then I looked at my wife, and she got up and ran,” the man, whose name wasn’t given, told Tunisia’s Watania 1 TV. “As I turned, the bullet just hit me in my arm. … My wife ran to the hotel, and I just saw the gunman firing shots randomly at people laying on the sunbeds on the beach.” Speaking to CNN from a hospital bed in Sousse, 76-year-old Ukrainian vacationer Nadezhda Vasilievna said she was lying on the beach reading a newspaper when she heard an explosion. “My husband went to swim, and I was lying and reading the newspaper by the sea. Suddenly I heard an explosion,” she said. “I saw the man running and shooting. He shot at us. For those who moved, he fired again. I looked where he pointed the gun. When he aimed the weapon in my side, I felt a kick. The bullet went right through my soft tissues.” She said she watched, stunned, as the gunman – whose appearance she can’t recall except that he was dressed in black – carried on firing. Those who were standing or sitting, were in the center of the beach, or were closest to the water bore the brunt of the attack, she said. “I was lucky,” Vasilievna said. “I had no fear. It was like a movie. I just watched him and tried to deceive him. I just lost a lot of blood.” After the rampage ended, she was helped to a medical unit in the hotel and then on to the hospital. Her husband, Igor Vladimirovich, age 78, was swimming at the time and said he watched the attack from the water in disbelief. “The terrorist fired almost without stopping. He moved quickly,” he said. It was the couple’s second trip to Tunisia. Tunisian authorities on Saturday began transferring the bodies from Sousse to the capital, Tunis, the Ministry of Health said. It updated the death toll to 38 and said 39 people were wounded. “The nationalities of the killed, most of them are British, German, and French, this is the 95% of them,” according to Prime Minister Essid. “The majority of them are British, then the second in number were German, then third in numbers were French.” Fifteen of the dozens killed were British, and the number may rise, the UK Foreign Office said. Related gallery Terrorist attack in Tunisia British Foreign Minister Tobias Ellwood called it “the most significant attack on British people since 7/7,” the day in 2005 when suicide bombers struck the London transport network, killing 52 and wounding hundreds. One Belgian, a German and a woman from Ireland were also among the dead, with the Irish government indicating Saturday that there is also “grave concern for two other Irish citizens who had been at the scene.” The Irish victim, Lorna Carty, was a nurse from County Meath on holiday with her husband, Declan, who was recovering from a recent illness. She was very involved with the local Gaelic Athletic Association club, acting as a physical therapist and taking a big role in fund-raising, said club chairman Liam O’Farrell. He said she was helping to sell raffle tickets for the club right up to last week, before she went on the trip. “Lorna was very popular here,” he said. “She’s been with the club for many, many years. Her own little lad, Simon, started off at under-8s.” Carty’s son, Simon, is now a well-known local Gaelic soccer player and a member of the Meath senior county team. He was due to play in an inter-county match Sunday with his family watching, O’Farrell said. “Lorna would have been so proud tomorrow of Simon, and it’s just heartbreaking,” he said. German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke with Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi on Saturday, a German government spokesman said. Merkel expressed her condolences, the spokesman said, and both leaders agreed to cooperate more closely on the issue of terrorism. In the wake of the resort attack, Essid announced a crackdown on what he called “illegal mosques.” The mosques were “spreading rumors and poisons to encourage terrorism,” he said Saturday  “About 80 (mosques) will be closed … within one week.” Tunisia’s nightmare came the same day as at least two fatal terrorist attacks in other countries. A man caused an explosion at a chemical plant near Lyon in southeastern France after having beheaded his boss and leaving the head hanging on a fence, French officials said. Authorities detained the suspect. And ISIS claimed responsibility for an apparent bomb blast at the Shiite-affiliated Al-Sadiq mosque in Kuwait’s capital during Friday prayers, leaving at least 27 dead and more than 200 wounded. Spain raised its terror alert in light of the three attacks, the country’s interior minister, Jorge Ferandez, said. Other leaders, like British Prime Minister David Cameron, reacted as well. “I am sickened by the attacks in Tunisia, France and Kuwait,” Cameron tweeted. “Our countries stand together in combating the horrors of terrorism.” I am sickened by the attacks in Tunisia, France and Kuwait. Our countries stand together in combatting the horrors of terrorism. CNN’s Phil Black and Nick Paton Walsh reported from Sousse and Gaafour, while Laura Smith-Spark from London. CNN’s Vasco Cotovio, Melissa Gray, Ed Payne, Greg Botelho, Lindsay Isaac, Lucy Pawle, Yousuf Basil, Brian Walker, Raja Razek and journalist Peter Taggart contributed to this report.


"Rogue One" locations include Iceland and the Maldives Luke Skywalker's igloo still sits outside Nefta, Tunisia You don’t have to wait for May 4 – or “Star Wars” Day – to celebrate the many worlds of the legendary sci-fi franchise. From a desert trek on Jedha to dinner at Luke Skywalker’s childhood home, here are some of the real-world destinations where “Star Wars” comes to life all year round. Another “Star Wars” film, another desert country pressed into service. Welcome to Wadi Rum, Jordan, the russet sandy locale that serves as a backdrop in the final “Star Wars” movie, “The Rise of Skywalker.” This dramatic landscape in the country’s south, also called The Valley of the Moon, stood in for the moon of Jedha in “Rogue One.” Wadi Rum is a frequent location for otherworldly film shoots. It doubled for Mars and hosted a profane Matt Damon in “The Martian.” Meandering paths. Mossy rocks. Twisted trees and gulleys. No wonder Puzzlewood, which sits in the Forest of Dean not too far from Wales, is such a draw. And not just for “Star Wars.” You’ve also seen it in “Merlin,” “Doctor Who” and other TV and film productions. But it’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” that’s really put Puzzlewood on the travel map. It’s here, as battle rages in the surrounding forests of Takodana, that Rey first encounters her nemesis Kylo Ren. Perhaps the most famous “Star Wars” landmark in the world, this is where the interiors of Luke Skywalker’s childhood home on planet Tatooine were filmed. Centuries ago, Berbers built the underground structure as a real home. Eventually it became a hotel, which George Lucas used to film the first “Star Wars” film. The set decorations came down when the crew left, but were rebuilt in 2000 for “Attack of the Clones.” Since then, they’ve remained, so guests can eat at the table where young master Luke did. The igloo exterior of Luke’s house was filmed about 300 kilometers away on the dried-up salt lake of Chott El Jerid. The igloo is still there, reachable with a decent car at the GPS coordinates 33°50’34.42″N,  7°46’44.48″E. The surrounding craters are man-made, to create the illusion that the underground house is next to it. The igloo from the 1977 movie was dismantled, but again rebuilt for “Attack of the Clones,” and later restored by a fan. Nearby is La Grande Dune, site of the Dune Sea. About 30 minutes from the igloo is the set of Mos Espa, the spaceport town where Anakin was discovered as a young slave. This spectacular salt flat in Bolivia is rendered even more spectacular for a battle scene between the Resistance and the First Order in “The Last Jedi.” The desert doubles as the the remote mining planet of Crait, a rebel outpost. In the movie, the barren terrain’s blindingly white salt surface covers blood-red minerals, producing violent bursts of color with every explosion and footprint. The otherworldy landscape of Iceland is fast becoming the go-to destination for sci-fi movies, and “Rogue One” joined the club in 2016. The black sand beach of Reynisfjara, a wild stretch of North Atlantic coastline close to the small town of Vik and Iceland’s southernmost tip, stands in for the stormy planet of Eadu. It’s here the movie’s lead, Jyn Erso, played by Felicity Jones, unsuccessfully tries to save her grievously wounded father. Endor, the forest moon home of the furry Ewoks, was filmed among giant redwoods of California. Most of the well-known scenes were shot on private land owned by a lumber company. Since the cast and crew worked on “Return of the Jedi” in 1982, heavy logging has left most of the landscape unrecognizable. But driving through the parks still gives a feel for the set, especially along the Avenue of the Giants highway. In Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park and the Humboldt Redwoods State Park, plates were filmed for some chase scenes. We stay on “Rogue One’s” Eadu for another visit to Iceland, this time Krafla, an active volcano in the country’s remote northeast. A source of geothermal energy, Krafla’s seething crater and nearby Lake Mývatn have also made an appearance in “Game of Thrones.” Oscar-worthy travel: 8 destinations every film buff should visit Exteriors of the ice world Hoth in “The Empire Strikes Back” were shot in the tiny village of Finse, Norway. The cast and crew stayed at the Finse 1222 Hotel, where snowstorm scenes were shot from the back door. But the main battlefield scenes were shot on the nearby glacier. In March and April, skies are normally clear and there’s still plenty of snow. Guides in Finse can help with hikes to see the exact locations. London’s squished commuters would probably welcome a Galactic Empire takeover of the city’s under-strain metro system if its stormtroopers could get the trains to run to schedule. It’s a scenario that almost plays out in “Rogue One,” when Canary Wharf, a modern London Underground interchange serving a key financial district, doubles as an Imperial base. The futuristic steel, glass and concrete station is filled with stormtroopers rather than bankers for scenes on the Imperial planet of Scarif. In “Attack of the Clones,” Anakin and Padme go into hiding at a lake retreat that in real life is a popular choice for destination weddings on Italy’s Lake Como. At the tip of a wooded peninsula reachable only by boat, Villa del Balbianello was built in 1787 for Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini. James Bond came here for a bit in “Casino Royale.” The villa’s exteriors were digitally altered for the Star Wars movie, but it’s easy to find and recognize the balcony where Anakin and Padme kiss. Everyone’s favorite Wookiee was born on planet Kashyyyk, seen in “Revenge of the Sith” as a lush world of one endless season. The images in real life were mostly taken as plate photography near Phuket, Thailand. Some shots were digitally combined with places in Guilin, China. The forest of Naboo, where Jar Jar Binks first meets Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn in “The Phantom Menace,” was filmed in England near the Leavesden Film Studios. Gungans like Jar Jar live in underwater cities, but there’s no lake in Whippendell Woods. All the shots with water were created with digital effects. Being sent to the planet of Scarif, a tropical planet linked to the development of the first Death Star, was probably a dream posting for Galactic Empire engineers. In “Rogue One,” Scarif is played by the Laamu Atoll, a string of islands that form part of the Maldives archipelago. The idyllic location witnesses explosive battle scenes as Jyn Erso leads a rebel squad on a mission to steal Death Star plans. When Padme and Anakin arrive in Theed at a plaza outside the palace, they were actually in this plaza built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition. The real plaza is a half-circle ringed by a moat with four bridges. For the scenes in “Attack of the Clones” and “The Phantom Menace,” the plaza was dramatically expanded to a full circle, and the building altered to include the towers and green domes of Naboo. No, the actors didn’t actually battle among the lava flows on the Sicilian volcano. But it was used for plate photography to create the battle scene on Mustafar between Obi-Wan and Anakin in “Revenge of the Sith.” Although most of Tatooine was shot in Tunisia, crucial scenes in “A New Hope” were filmed in Death Valley between the Sierra Nevada mountains and Mojave Desert. Twenty Mule Team Canyon was used for “Return of the Jedi” scenes with C-3PO and R2-D2 traveling to Jabba the Hut’s palace. Other stops in the park that seem familiar from the movies: Dante’s View and the Mesquite Sand Dunes. Thousand-year-old Mayan ruins are the backdrop to the Rebel Alliance’s Massassi outpost on the fourth moon of Yavin. Temples II and III reach over the jungle canopy, just as they do in the first shot of Yavin in “A New Hope.” The Great Pit of Carkoon, home to the sarlacc that eats Jabba’s prisoners in “Return of the Jedi,” was filmed in Arizona rather than Tunisia. The sail barge was constructed here, behind fences to keep out prying fans. It was so big that the crew used the space underneath for offices, trailers and a commissary with 150 seats. They didn’t blow up the barge here, but fans still like to come hunting for pieces of the set in the sand. When Anakin was a slave boy in “The Phantom Menace,” his quarters were filmed on this real-life Tunisian street. The distinctive buildings with vaulted ceilings are ghorfas, used by Berbers to store their grain. They were fortified and grouped into ksour.  These are among the best-preserved examples. The cantina where Luke and Obi-Wan get stopped by sandtroopers is in the middle of the island town of Ajim. The building, once a bakery, went out of use and can be hard to find. The GPS coordinates are 33°43’26.69″N, 10°44’59.95″E. Obi-Wan’s home is easier to find, ironically located right on the Mediterranean Sea and much more beautiful than its desolate film locale. A lovely spot for a building that’s used by fishermen as a storeroom. For the “The Force Awakens,” director J.J. Abrams chose the desert of the United Arab Emirates rather than Tunisia.  The cinematic sandy expanses stood in for the planet Jakku. The epic climax of “The Force Awakens” was filmed at the ruins of this seventh-century monastery, which sits on the steep sides of the island Skellig Michael. New edition to the franchise “The Last Jedi” returns to this spectacular location, as Rey catches up with Luke Skywalker in his mysterious hiding place. Even though it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, its hard-to-reach location 12 kilometers off the coast of southwest Ireland discourages many visitors. Exploring the Skelligs: Irish islands feel the Force Dubrovnik has become a regular on TV screens in recent years – thanks to its starring role in “Game of Thrones.” Now it’s standing in for the gambling city of Canto Bight in “The Last Jedi.” The medieval walled city’s well-preserved center gets a futuristic makeover to transform it into the “Star Wars” equivalent of Vegas. The Adriatic port already trades heavily on its GoT connections with some complaining the screen role has brought in too many visitors. Let’s hope this additional exposure doesn’t create much more of a disturbance – in the streets, let alone the Force. This former military base was used by US and British forces during World War II but closed in 1993. In “The Force Awakens,” it enters active service once more, as a base for Resistance X-Wing Fighters. The former nuclear bunker is usually closed to the public, but visits have been allowed during the country’s annual Heritage Open Days. An error in an earlier version of this story created a disturbance in the Force. Luke Skywalker himself set us straight: #CorrectingCNN "Obi-Wan's 1st meeting w/ Luke filmed in Death Valley" No-it was shot in Tunisia, North Africa. (Sir Alec never shot in USA) Brekke Fletcher contributed additional reporting.


A bishop in the Church of England has chastised some American religious leaders for their unwavering support of US President Donald Trump. In an interview with the Guardian, Bishop of Liverpool Paul Bayes accused “self-styled” evangelists of “colluding” with an administration in the White House that, he claimed, fomented division and intolerance. “Some of the things that have been said by religious leaders seem to collude with a system that marginalizes the poor, a system which builds walls instead of bridges, a system which says people on the margins of society should be excluded, a system which says we’re not welcoming people any more into our country,” he said. Bishop Bayes encouraged those leaders to reflect on their faith, adding that the acceptance and endorsement of right-wing populism was irreconcilable with Christian values. “Whenever people say those kinds of things, they need to be able to justify that they’re saying those things as Christians, and I do not believe it’s justifiable,” he said. Bayes noted that not all evangelical Christians were Trump supporters, saying that there were “many, many Christians who are trying to proclaim the gospel as we’ve received it, even if that means political leaders have to be challenged,” he said. Related article Trump retweets anti-Muslim videos The bishop’s comments coincide with the launch of the Ozanne Foundation, a UK charity he supports that focuses its work “to eliminate discrimination based on sexuality or gender, in order to embrace and celebrate the equality and diversity of all,” according  to director Jayne Ozanne, a gay Christian evangelical leader and LGBTI activist. Catholic journal criticizes Trump ‘value voters’ It’s not the first time senior leaders of the Church of England have been critical of the US president and his allies. During his Christmas sermon, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby criticized “populist leaders,” although he did not name Trump specifically. In November, the Archbishop said it was “deeply disturbing that the President of the United States has chosen to amplify the voice of far-right extremists” and called on him to “make clear his opposition to racism and hatred in all forms” after Trump retweeted three non-verified anti-Muslim propaganda videos from the British far-right group Britain First. A spokesman for Bishop Bayes said he would not give any further comments beyond his Guardian interview.


KT McFarland's confirmation is in doubt over her role during the Trump transition Foreign Relations Chairman Ben Corker said there is a pause on her nomination Democrats have placed a hold on the nomination of KT McFarland to be ambassador to Singapore until she answers their questions about her knowledge of communications between former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, a Democratic source told CNN. McFarland told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in written comments that she “was not aware” of any communications between Flynn and the Russian ambassador — an assertion that appears to be contradicted by court documents unsealed Friday after Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. The Democratic hold on McFarland’s nomination means that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would have to take procedural steps in order to overcome the hold and confirm her nomination, which would eat up valuable floor time. Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told CNN he thinks McFarland’s nomination is imperiled. “I think there should be no action on this nomination until we get the information,” Cardin said. Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker of Tennessee said that he didn’t anticipate McFarland would have to return to the committee, but he acknowledged there now was a “major pause” on her nomination. “There’s no question that this is going to create a major pause in her nomination. I mean, that’s at a minimum,” Corker said. “I doubt we’ll bring her back to the committee but I know that, you know, people will have questions about what happened, but I don’t think we will do a committee hearing on it.” He added later, “If she did testify inappropriately, that’s a big, big problem. I just don’t know … but look: it’s a problem. And her nomination is frozen for a while until that gets out.” CNN has reached out to a McFarland representative for comment on the hold and has not yet received a response. McFarland’s confirmation is in doubt over her role during the Trump transition and as the deputy to Flynn at the National Security Council. She left the National Security Council to take the ambassador post in Singapore not long after Flynn resigned as national security adviser. Court documents laying out the charge against Flynn state that he spoke to a senior transition team official about what to discuss with Kislyak after the Obama administration issued new sanctions against Russia. McFarland was not mentioned in the court filings, but CNN has reported, citing sources familiar, that she was the transition official who spoke to Flynn. Her written questions to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee did not acknowledge that conversation. “Did you ever discuss any of General Flynn’s contacts with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak directly with General Flynn?” Sen. Cory Booker asked McFarland in July in written correspondence with the committee, which is overseeing her nomination. “I am not aware of any of the issues or events as described above,” McFarland wrote. The foreign relations panel approved McFarland’s nomination in September, but it has not moved for a floor vote. Her nomination is the longest pending State Department nomination for the administration – 173 days and counting, tied with a nominee for an undersecretary position selected on the same day as McFarland. CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correctly identify Sen. Bob Corker. CNN’s Laura Koran contributed to this report.


In New Delhi, the heat is oppressive, with burning pyres of rubbish assaulting your nose. In São Paulo and Beijing, thick smog shrouds the city and stings your eyes. In London, the diesel engines of black cabs have become the ambient background noise of the capital. Yet on the quiet shores of Norway’s Tautra island, the air is clean and delicately perfumed with pine. These locales are central to British artist Michael Pinsky’s new work. For “Pollution Pods,” Pinsky has painstakingly recreated the air quality, smell and temperature of each one in a series of connected domes, now on display in the Norwegian city of Trondheim. Until July 7, visitors to Pinsky’s highly sensory installation will go on a virtual trip around the world – so long as they sign the health disclaimer beforehand. The end of air conditioning? Asia architects use green solutions to cool buildings The shape of Pinsky’s pollution pods is an ode to Buckminster Fuller, the celebrated architect who pioneered the geodesic dome and wrote extensively about climate change. It is also a nod to the efforts of the Italian architect Paolo Soleri, who attempted to create an eco-utopian city in the Arizona desert in the 1970s. The installation is the apex of Climart, a four-year scientific project that aims to uncover whether visual art can change people’s perceptions around climate change. Conducted by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), the venture needed an artwork to rigorously study, and chose Pinsky’s proposal out of 120 global submissions. Visitors to Pinsky’s installation will complete extensive surveys, the results of which will be analyzed and contributed to a paper that will be published this December to conclude the research. “My job is to do an artwork in the way I always do and not to alter it because of the study, otherwise it makes the study unsound,” said Pinsky, who was privy to more two years’ worth of Climart’s research. By posing challenging and often controversial questions through their work, artists have often been the left-field propagators of wider social and political change. Pinsky himself identifies as one such figure. “My work has always been quite political,” he said. “My primary objective is about pushing the boundaries of what art can do and how it functions on a political, intellectual and aesthetic level.” The Climart team came to him with data they’d collected from studying audience responses to more than 37 environmentally conscious artworks during the 2015 ArtCOP festival in Paris. The team went so far as to measure the electrical brain activity of a select handful of participants. Recycling never looked so good: Luxury-quality materials made from waste Over the course of his work, Christian A. Klöckner, the environmental psychologist heading Climart, has discovered that Pinsky is part of a wider global movement. “So far in our studies, we have found that artists are increasingly responding to the threat of climate change within their work. What we expect to see in this project is that art, which is less dogmatic than scientific texts or political discussion, speaks to people on a more emotional level,” he said. Whether art can actively elicit change remains to be seen. But with the continued threat of climate change, and the US expected to pull out of the Paris climate agreement, Klöckner and Pinsky’s project will at the very least, spark crucial debate. For Klöckner, it’s a humble start for a much bigger mission. “The most important thing in this project is to understand whether art can change the behavior of people and perhaps, from our studies, artists will take up our ideas and use them in the creation of new art pieces,” he said.

art as a medium for climate change awareness


Here’s what you might have missed on CNN on Friday: – The US economy added 235,000 jobs during President Donald Trump’s first full month in office, and the unemployment rate ticked down, too. – Speaking of jobs, CNN Money created this nifty job tracker to see how Trump is pacing on his promise to deliver 25 million jobs in 10 years. – The South Korean President Park Geun-hye was forced out of office over a corruption scandal and chaotic scenes erupted in Seoul. Two people died amid protests. – Pope Francis said he is open to married men becoming priests to combat the Roman Catholic Church’s shortage of clergy. – NASA found a lunar spacecraft that vanished eight years ago. – Did you know the command center in the war against fake news is a ranch house by the Santa Monica Mountains? – If you are tired of reading the news, take a minute to flip through the week in photos. – Staying in Friday night? Check out our CNN Special Report “Melania Trump: The Making of a First Lady” at 9 p.m. ET. – And don’t forget to set your clocks forward this weekend. Daylight saving (not ‘savings’) time starts at 2 a.m. Sunday.