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Yemen's separatists declare ceasefire in clash with government forces in Shabwa

ADEN (Reuters) – Yemen’s southern separatists declared a ceasefire in their clashes with government forces in the oil-producing province of Shabwa after two days of fighting.

“The Southern Transitional Council (STC) calls upon all parties in the Shabwa governorate to exercise restraint and abide by the ceasefire called for by the Arab coalition,” the council said in a statement early Saturday.

The council also called on its forces to remain in their positions and maintain control over the institutions and property they overtook.

However, it warned against any attacks on the Saudi-led coalition forces.

The United Arab Emirates-backed separatists earlier this month took over the southern port city of Aden, the interim seat of Yemen’s Saudi-backed government, and last week extended their control to neighboring Abyan.

Both sides are part of a Saudi-led coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 against the Iran-aligned Houthi group that ousted the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi from power in the capital Sanaa in late 2014.

But the STC, who seek self-rule in the south, turned on the government after accusing a party allied to Hadi of being complicit in a Houthi attack on southern forces.

Saudi Arabia has called for a summit to end the standoff, which has complicated U.N. efforts to end the war in Yemen. But Hadi’s government said it would not participate until the separatists cede control of sites they have seized.

The standoff has exposed differences between regional allies Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which in June scaled down its presence in Yemen while still backing thousands of southern separatist fighters.

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‘I get to choose the bag I like’: Oshawa students pick up backpacks ahead of school year

Excitement for the first day of school is starting to build but with that comes the added stress of spending money on new supplies and clothing.

A program in Oshawa that provides children with backpacks full of school supplies is helping to relieve some of that stress.

Sadisha Cousins is gearing up for Grade 8. She’s heading into her final year at Village Union Public School and she’s at Simcoe Hall Settlement House to pick up the supplies she needs to succeed in the classroom.

“It’s kind of fun — I get to choose the stuff that I want and my mom doesn’t just get to choose a bag whether I like it or not. I get to choose the bag I like,” said Sadisha.

This is the third year Sadisha and her family have used the backpack program in Oshawa.

“It was actually quite stressful because I always had to check to see how much the backpacks were, the shoes were, the school supplies, never mind where I could get them at a reasonable price,” said Kathleen Geldart, Sadisha’s mom, describing what back-to-school was like before the program.

“It lets me know that all the stuff that I need is in the bag and normally I have trouble fitting everything into one bag,” said Sadisha.

The Simcoe Hall Settlement House gave out more than 1,000 backpacks last year. Leading up to this school year, they expect to give out more than 1,100, the most since the program began.

“Getting your children back to school is an expensive venture at any point,” said backpack program co-ordinator Pat Savage. “So we have asked the community over the past 10-12 years to help us out to aid these children so that they can start the new school year fully equipped with everything that they need.”

Savage has been helping out with the program for the past 11 years. In that time, she says the community has stepped up contributions significantly.

“The first year I distributed 67 filled backpacks. We had to turn a lot of children in the community away because we just didn’t have the donations,” she said. “Each year it’s grown and the last four years we haven’t had to say no to any child — we’ve been able to meet the needs of the community.”

Thanks to a helping hand from the program, students can concentrate on class and feel confident on the first day back.

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2 injured after failing to stop for police in Hunstville, SIU investigating: OPP

Two people have been injured after they failed to stop for police at a RIDE check in Huntsville in the early morning hours of Friday, OPP say.

Officers were conducting a RIDE program on Main Street shortly before 2 a.m. when a vehicle drove straight through it, police say.

According to officers, the suspect vehicle was subsequently found abandoned after it was involved in a collision with a parked car.

The occupants of the vehicle fled the scene but were found a short distance away and transported to a local hospital with serious injuries, police say.

The driver, 32-year-old Tyler Shakespeare from Bracebridge, was charged with dangerous operation of a vehicle causing bodily harm, refusal to supply a blood sample, failure to stop at the scene of a collision, flight from police, possession of an opioid for the purpose of trafficking and numerous other Highway Traffic Act offences, police say.

According to officers, the passenger, a 24-year-old woman from Huntsville, is in the hospital with serious injuries.

The OPP say they’ve notified the province’s Special Investigations Unit – an agency that investigates incidents involving police and civilians that have resulted in serious injury, death or sexual assault – and that it’s invoked its mandate and is investigating.

WATCH: SIU investigates fatal shooting of man wanted on Canada-wide arrest warrant in Peterborough


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France, Britain aim to show unity on Iran as G7 looms

BIARRITZ, France (Reuters) – France and Britain aimed on Friday to present a united front on how to deal with Iran, where they have been at odds with the United States, as world powers prepare to discuss tensions on the issue during the G7 leaders’ summit.

European states have been scrambling to save a 2015 nuclear deal between world powers and Iran since U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of the accord last year and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran that have crippled its economy.

Trump is due to meet British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the sidelines of the G7 in southwest France, as Britain’s exit from the European Union nears and London’s European allies watch to see how the Trump-Johnson dynamic plays out.

They are also looking to see if there is any change of course from Britain, notably on Iran.

“We are strong supporters of the JCPOA (Iran deal),” said a British diplomatic source in Biarritz. “We think that it is very important that Iran doesn’t get the nuclear weapons … It is important that it continues and I don’t think you will find any change in the British government position.”

The source said it was critical that Iran complies fully with the accord, but that while Johnson would listen to the U.S. position there would not be a radical change in approach.

“If the U.S. president has other ideas on how we can achieve that (Iran not getting nuclear weapons), we are very happy to talk about it,” the source said.

European powers party to the deal – France, Britain and Germany, known as the E3 – have remained united despite pressure from Washington, with Paris leading efforts to defuse tensions as Iran gradually reduces some of its commitments to the accord.

“Great Britain is sticking to its classic European choices … be it in climate, biodiversity, Iran or defense,” said a French official in Biarritz. “It’s important to keep the E3 together on Iran.”

French President Emmanuel Macron met Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Friday in a closed-door session with the aim of discussing proposals that could ease the crisis, including the idea of reducing some U.S. sanctions or providing Iran with an economic compensation mechanism.

Zarif said the talks had been productive.

Related Coverage

  • Iran's Zarif says nuclear talks with Macron were 'productive': ILNA agency

“France presented some suggestions and we presented some suggestions about how to carry out (the nuclear deal) and the steps that both sides need to take,” Zarif was quoted as saying by ILNA news agency.

“Of course it depends on how the European Union can carry out the commitments within (the nuclear deal) and also the commitments that they made after (the nuclear deal) and America’s exit,” Zarif said.

Macron is due to discuss his proposals with Trump at the weekend.

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Susanna Reid: ‘Shall I…? GMB presenter unsure to reveal news to co-star Piers Morgan

Susanna Reid, 48, has no doubt been enjoying her time off away from Piers Morgan, 54, on Good Morning Britain.

But the presenter couldn’t help but think of her co-star when news emerged about bakery chain Greggs’ plans of introducing more vegan products.

Piers has long mocked their vegan sausage rolls when they were launched and always declared he will never touch one.

Susanna retweeted an article from Sky News on Twitter with the headline: “Greggs plans to release vegan versions of all top-selling products.”

Will you tell him, or shall I…?

Piers Morgan

The Good Morning Britain favourite appeared unsure whether to spill the news to Piers as she wrote: “Will you tell him, or shall I…?”

Piers simply replied with a series of vomit emojis.

One person commented saying they wished they could have seen Piers’ reaction to the news on the ITV show.

They wrote: “Could they have announced this at 6am on the 2nd September? Would have been TV gold.”

Another said: “They’re relying on his outrage to sell them.”

A third joked: “He’s going to go off his head!”

Earlier this month, Susanna and Piers had some more interaction on Twitter, as the former revealed some exciting news.

Susanna revealed she had been nominated for not one but two nods at the National Reality TV Awards 2019.

However, Piers was left out of the shortlist and had failed to be nominated for the gong.

Addressing his co-star’s news, the host wrote in a seemingly sarcastic manner: “Couldn’t be happier for her,” with two angry red emojis.

Taking his message of congratulations in good humour, Susanna shared his tweet and said: “Thank you lovely people.”

Despite not getting the personal recognition, Good Morning Britain is up for best talk show.

Meanwhile, Piers is currently making the most out of the rest of his summer holidays in the South of France.

He has uploaded pictures to his Instagram account of himself enjoying some quality time with his three sons.

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV from 6am.

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Greenpeace: G7 leaders cannot use Amazon fires to distract from own climate plans

Greenpeace officials in Canada and abroad say G7 leaders wanting to help stop the Amazon rainforest from burning need to look at their own backyards as the place to start.

A record number of fires burning in the rainforest in Brazil this month is raising serious concerns about the planet’s health.

About one-fifth of the world’s oxygen is produced in the Amazon rainforest, which is also home to more than half of Earth’s 10 million species of plants, insects and animals, and one-fifth of its fresh water.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is on his way to France for the G7 leaders’ summit where he is joining French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in calling for an emergency discussion about the fires.

Greenpeace International executive director Jennifer Morgan says the leaders can’t use the Amazon fires to distract from their own failures to do enough to reduce climate change at home.

A report card issued this week by Climate Action Network International said the G7 countries are all lagging on acting to cut their own emissions.


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Ming-Na Wen Joins Cast of ‘The Mandalorian,’ Achieves Disney Trifecta

ABC

Actress Ming-Na Wen is joining the cast of the Disney+ “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian.”
This gives her a rare “Disney trifecta,” as she stars in ABC’s “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and previously voiced the title character in “Mulan.”
Disney CEO Bob Iger announced the news Friday during the annual fan gathering D23 Expo.
Wen was one of the Disney Legends recipients, which this year also honored Wing Chao, Robert Downey Jr., Jon Favreau, James Earl Jones, Bette Midler, Kenny Ortega, Barnette Ricci, Robin Roberts, Diane Sawyer and Hans Zimmer.
“Please just keep acquiring all these different franchises,” Wen said during her speech, “because I just keep getting employed by them. I have hit every bucket list thanks to Disney.”
“The Mandalorian,” which is written and produced by Favreau, is set after the fall of the Empire in “Return of the Jedi” and before the emergence of the First Order. The series follows the travails of a lone gunfighter (Pedro Pascal) in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.
Episodes will be directed by Dave Filoni, Bryce Dallas Howard, Deborah Chow, Rick Famuyiwa, and Taika Waititi.For more coverage from the D23 Expo 2019, click here!
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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro may send troops to battle Amazon fires

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said Friday that he may use his country’s military to battle the record number of wildfires burning out of control in the Amazon rainforest — where an indigenous tribe vowed to do anything and everything to save their home.

“That’s the plan,” Bolsonaro told reporters as the 75,000  fires — up 85 percent from the same period last year according to Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research– continued to ravage the rainforest, where they’ve been raging since January.

Bolsonaro didn’t offer specifics about his plan yet, but did hint that action by the military — which regards the so called “lungs of the Earth” as its chief responsibility — could be imminent.

The fires have destroyed 7,192 square miles of rainforest in the first seven months of 2019–doubling the area destroyed just two years ago, according to the institute. Bolsonaro, who is backed by the country’s beef caucus, has resisted fighting the blazes, sparked by loggers and ranchers clearing land for cattle.

His decision to act comes as foreign leaders, such as French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, turned the heat up on him for not doing more to contain the widespread deforestation.

Both France and Ireland have said that they wouldn’t ratify a huge Europen Union trade deal with Brazil and other Southern America countries unless a serious commitment is made to tackle the devastating wildfires.

Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne, whose country holds the European Union’s rotating presidency, said that he’s “truly worried about the attitude Brazil seems to have adopted right now regarding” fires in the Amazon.”

“Brazilian rainforests are vital for the world’s climate” and Brazil should do whatever it can to stop the blazes,” Rinne said.

Merkel also called the fires an “acute emergency” while Macron accused Bolsonaro of deciding “to not respect his commitments on the climate, nor to involve himself on the issue of biodiversity.”

The French leader said the raging fires were an international crisis and called on the leaders of the Group of 7 nations to address them at their summit in France this weekend.

“Our house is burning. Literally. The Amazon rain forest — the lungs which produces 20% of our planet’s oxygen — is on fire,” Macron tweeted Thursday.

Bolsonaro ripped international outrage as symptomatic  of a modern day “colonialist mentality.”

He’s been defiant that the media is exaggerating reports, fired back in a tweet: “I regret that Macron seeks to make personal political gains in an internal matter for Brazil and other Amazonian countries. The sensationalist tone he used does nothing to solve the problem.”

Meanwhile Friday, a B747-400 SuperTanker arrived in Bolivia on Friday to help to fight the fires. The U.S.-based aircraft has the ability to spew nearly 20,000 gallons of a fire retardant chemical.

And leaders of Brazil’s indigenous Mura tribe have also offered to defend the world’s largest rainforest.

“It’s destruction,” leader Raimundo Mura told the BBC. “What we want for this place, all our efforts, if needed, I’ll give my last drop of blood for this forest.”

With Post wires

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Liverpool vs Arsenal: Live stream, TV channel, kick-off time and team news for Premier League clash at Anfield – The Sun

THERE's a heavyweight clash set for Saturday evening at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool welcome big-spending Arsenal to Merseyside with both sides looking to continue their flawless start to the new campaign.

The Reds were victorious at Southampton last time out – despite a howler from stand-in keeper Adrian who gifted Danny Ings a late consolation.

Unai Emery's side have seen off Newcastle and Burnley, with this clash potentially indicating if they're in with an outside run at the title this season.

What time is kick-off?

THIS is the late Premier League offering on Saturday, August 24.

Kick-off at Anfield is at 5.30pm.

When the Gunners visited here last season, they were on the end of an embarrassing 5-1 thrashing.

Which TV channel and live stream can I watch Liverpool vs Arsenal on?

YOU can catch this game live on Sky Sports Main Event, Premier League and Ultra HD.

Coverage will begin at 5pm.

If you're a Sky customer, download the Sky Go app to watch wherever you are.

Whilst non-subscribers can watch on their mobile, tablet or PC by grabbing a NOW TV pass from just £8.99.

What is the team news?

ARSENAL look set to go attacking at Anfield and will start record-signing Nicolas Pepe.

David Luiz was assured against Burnley and will likely get the nod at centre-back, whilst Dani Ceballos earned rave reviews for his home debut.

Liverpool are still without first-choice keeper Alisson, with Adrian set to start between the sticks again.

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Who is Steve Dale, Bury FC owner, how many companies has he owned and what is his net worth? – The Sun

BURY owner Steve Dale has the future of the club in his hands as the EFL give him until tonight to prove the club can play the League One season.

Dale must show he has the finances in place to see out the campaign or agree to sell the club before 11.59pm – or Bury will be thrown out of the league.

He is currently talking to up to three interested groups – and has issued a late plea for public funding to save the Shakers.

How have Bury got in this position and what do the EFL want?

Bury have been fighting against financial problems for several years, and were taken over by businessman Steve Dale last December to save them from going bust.

Dale bought the club for just £1 – but since then there have been a string of unpaid bills to companies while players and staff have also missed out on wages.

Over the summer, the EFL sought assurances and proof that the Shakers were in a position to be able to play the entire 2019/2020 League One season.

Despite repeated attempts, Dale has been unable to come close to showing the finances are in place as required.

In an effort to give the club more time, the EFL have suspended their first five league matches of the season and also the Carabao Cup tie with Sheffield Wednesday.

What Bury's EFL Exit Means For League 1 and League 2 Promotion And Relegation

BURY have until 11.59pm tonight to save themselves from expulsion from the EFL.

If the Shakers are thrown out, it would leave League One down to 23 teams and affect promotion and relegations in two division.

Here's everything you need to know

But they cannot continue the temporary measures for the fairness of the rest of the competition, and issued a deadline of August 23 for proof of funds or they will strip them of their licence in the EFL.

That deadline will pass at 11.59pm today.

Who is Steve Dale?

Steve Dale is a businessman who took over control at Bury in December 2018, buying the club from former chairman Stewart Day for £1.

A worrying 43 of the 51 companies Dale has been associated with have been liquidated.

Dale promised to work closely with the community to ensure the club became financially viable after years of cash problems.

The EFL have admitted they did not put him through the usual process of due diligence when he took control because the club's future was under threat at the time.

Dale now wants to sell the club, and initially came up with an asking price of £2million. He has since dropped his demands to £810,000 for his "hard work".

There are three interested groups looking to buy Bury, but Dale has so far failed to agree a deal with any of them.

He is now thought to be willing to accept an initial payment of £560,000 to relinquish control, with Bury saddled with overall debts of £9million.

What happens to Bury if they prove their finances before the deadline?

If the EFL are satisfied the club is solvent, or if a takeover is completed, the club will retain its place in League One as usual.

They will play out the season as planned, and would have to squeeze in the five postponed fixtures between now and the end of the campaign.

Bury were already starting this season with a 12-point deduction for entering into a Company Voluntary Arrangement to avoid a winding-up order.

They would also be facing further potential punishment for failing to fulfil their Carabao Cup fixture against Sheffield Wednesday, who were awarded the tie.

The EFL would then have to decide if further breaches of regulations have taken place in the forcing of the suspension of their opening five matches.

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