Category Archives: Liberal

To some degree, the politics of The Progressive Liberal Dan Richards align with those of the real Dan Richards. Given that this is pro wrestling, a big red sign displaying Is this a work? is always flashing, but Richards claims he leans hard left. Its not much of a stretch, he says on the phone. When he tells me that Democrats should be as ballsy and unapologetic about their beliefs as the Republicans are about theirs, it could be either the character or man talking, and it still makes sense.

Regardless of how much Richards plays up the left-wing politics to crowds in Kentucky and nearby states, it works. Look no further than the videos to see that those crowds despise him. Theres a kid in the crowd telling him to shut up, and relentless jeers, or Trump masks worn by attendees. And even the occasional death threat, according to Tennessee-based wrestler and booker Beau James, who met Richards in 2003 and has served as something like a mentor. As James and Richards tell it, at a 2016 show in West Virginia, where Richards spoke about taking everyones guns, a patron displayed a pistol in a holster on his right hip and started rubbing it.

Another time, one fan threatened that if that fucking liberal showed up at a different show, hed bring his gun.

The heat is real:

Richards came up with the germ for the Progressive Liberal in 2015, with Donald Trump a few months into his presidential campaign. James, who vouches for Richardss authenticity, says, he is what you see on the TV. He serves as a barometer for Richards, figuring out how to get under the crowds skin without cutting too close. Appalachia has real problems, like many parts of the country: A lack of jobs, drug addiction, poverty. Ridiculing those topics will anger people in ways that go beyond riling up a crowd before a bout. We could use national politics, James says. We dont touch local politics.

The details really make the gimmick, and theyre not as obvious as the Not My President shirt. Its the way the Progressive Liberal says Appalachia, pronouncing the third syllable with a hard A as in ate, instead of the flat A preferred by locals. The audience immediately understands that hes not from here. Richards was originally billed out of Richmond, Virginia, his actual hometown. But he and James realized that when performing in Kentucky, which has a Richmond of its own, the crowd would become confused. So his origin became Washington, D.C.

The industry has always been replete with guys working effete liberal gimmicks, but this is the perfect place and time, and Dan Richards has built a sustainable meal ticket, at least within the limited scope of the indie circuit. Test your mental constitution and imagine for a minute if Hillary had won; this character would still be popular and paying customers would still project their frustrations onto him, for a different reason. For the time being, its an absolutely foolproof heel. And hell always be the heel. As Richards points out in our conversation, he could face the scummiest, most vile opponent, who cheats to win in the most obvious ways and with outside interference, and the people will still refuse to support the Progressive Liberal.

This gimmick has an expiration date, because they all do, but for the time being, the Progressive Liberal is something as fresh as it is seemingly obvious, with a lot of potential to go wideror be copied elsewhere. From what Ive seen so far, people who identified as left-leaning find Richards amusing, and so do self-identifying conservatives and Trump supporters. Their reasons for enjoying the character are vastly dissimilar, but they are all able to get something out of it. The holy grail of wrestling is to straddle the line between face and heel, to be someone the crowds love to hate. In the fair grounds and school gyms of Appalachia, Dan Richards may have found a shortcut.

Excerpt from:

No One Is Pissing Off Local Wrestling Crowds Like The "Progressive ... - Deadspin

The tribunal members are paid up to $360,000 per year.

A failed Liberal candidate and a lifetime member of the Sydney University Liberal Club are among those who've been appointed to high paying jobs at an independent tribunal that had recently been purged by attorney-general George Brandis.

The names of the appointments to the powerful Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) were released on Wednesday, after news broke that several members of the tribunal would not have their contracts renewed.

Late last year BuzzFeed News revealed some of the Liberal party connections to those on the AAT the independent body of review for important government decisions around freedom of information requests, disability and veterans' appeals, child support arrangements and refugee applications.

Some of the jobs are full-time, others part-time, with tribunal members paid up to $360,000 a year. Both Labor and Liberal governments have attracted controversy in the past for appointing political allies to the tribunal.

Brandis announced 64 new appointments and reappointments to the tribunal on Wednesday, including a new president, Justice David Thomas from Queensland.

Among them is the National Australia Bank's senior government relations manager and part-time Spectator columnist Justin Owen, who is listed as a lifetime member of the Sydney University Liberal Club.

As reported by the Australian Financial Review last year, Owen took time off from his day job to campaign for Brexit in the UK, then wrote an essay for the Spectator called "Nude at 40,000 feet".

Failed New South Wales Liberal senate candidate and senior party official Hollie Hughes was named to sit for seven years on the tribunal.

As was Nora Lamont, the deputy mayor of the Victoria council of Maroondah, who wrote in a 2010 Facebook post: "I am a current member of the Liberal Party".

There's also barrister Rodrigo Pintos-Lopez, whose CV includes time as in-house counsel for Victorian Liberal premier Ted Baillieu, and consultant Helen Moreland, who once worked for Tony Abbott.

George Hallwood who was thanked in a South Australian Liberal MP's maiden speech for running a local Liberal party branch picked up a seven year term on the tribunal.

Several AAT members with Liberal connections were reappointed to their positions for another seven years, including Scott Morrison's former chief of staff Ann Brandon-Baker; former Tony Abbott staffer Helena Claringbold; and failed Liberal Party candidate Nick McGowan.

The full list of 64 new appointments and reappointments to the tribunal can be found here.

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George Brandis Taps Fellow Liberals For High Paying, Independent Tribunal Jobs - BuzzFeed News

When Republicans claim they can't get a fair shake from news media, they have weeks like this one in mind.

The new Congressional Budget Office report for the Senate's Obamacare repeal bill has revived a false claim, parroted by many once respectable media outfits, that millions of people (this time 22 million, one million fewer than the House version of the bill) will "lose their insurance."

An estimate that says $1 trillion more spending will insure only a million more people is obviously fishy. But let's set that smell-test aside. Let's also set aside the fact that the CBO arrived at its number by using an imaginary and unrealistic baseline number for what Obamacare was likely to insure years from now. Even without those two glaring problems, there remains the irreducible fact that CBO does not claim that anywhere near 22 million will "lose their insurance." It has said only that its best guess is that fewer people will obtain insurance than if Obamacare were to remain the law.

More galling yet is the claim that the Senate's modest proposals will "kill" nearly 29,000 additional people each year." This is the worst sort of fact-free appeal, and a good example of why there is little intelligent discussion of politics anymore.

There are so many things wrong with this argument that it's hard to deal with all of them. We'll only refer to the fact that the death rate increased for the first time in 20 years beginning at exactly the same time Obamacare went into effect. With very few exceptions, it's pretty safe to ignore predictions about how many lives a bill will take.

We could save far more than 29,000 people a year by banning the automobile, or setting a 3 mile per hour speed limit. Who will be the first to argue that Republicans in Congress are killing 40,000 people every year for failing to implement such a policy, which no one would accept? There are trade-offs for every new rule or law, no matter how good its intentions.

There are more serious problems than that with the claim that reforming Obamacare will increase deaths by a five-figure number. A big one is that the connection between being insured and being healthy is weak. Far weaker is the connection between having health coverage and not dying. Buying insurance doesn't make you healthier any more than buying travel insurance makes a vacation safer.

A 2008 study of Medicaid patients in Oregon has become famous because it demonstrated that you can give people insurance free in a controlled environment and they might still end up with worse health outcomes than similarly situated people who go uninsured at the same time. The insured in that study had less stress and greater peace of mind because health insurance is a financial product, a safeguard against expensive risks. It is not usually a safeguard against illness or early death.

Health coverage is not the same thing as healthcare. Tens of thousands of veterans who died of old age or sickness while waiting for appointments at the VA can attest to that. So can many Medicaid patients whom doctors won't agree to treat. Likewise, many Obamacare customers find that their networks are so narrow that they must drive more than an hour to get to the nearest hospital that will give them non-emergency care.

There are good reasons to criticize Senate Republicans' healthcare bill. Liberals can argue without stretching the truth that more people will go without health insurance if it passes. They can make the case that this is bad for society even if, as is the case with many of those people, they are choosing to do without insurance. But the hysterical claim that a piece of legislation will kill 29,000 people is one that no educated or thoughtful person should take seriously.

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Death by legislation? Left-liberal critics just tipped Granny Logic off the cliff - Washington Examiner

Sir Vince Cable looks set to become Liberal Democrat leader after all of his partys senior MPs ruled themselves out of the race to succeed Tim Farron.

Nominations for the contest are open for another three weeks but after former cabinet minister Sir EdDaveysaid he would not run for family reasons, Sir Vince appeared to be on course for a coronation as the only declared candidate.

The party is facing its second hunt for a new leader in two years following the post-election resignation of Mr Farron over the conflict between his faith and political career.

If elected, SirVince, 74,would be the party's oldest leader of a major party since Sir Winston Churchill, who was 80 when he stepped down as Conservative leader.

By the time of the next scheduled election in 2022 he would be 79 - older than anyone elected Prime Minister except William Gladstone, aged 82 in 1892.

The news also raises the prospect that three politicians, who are pensioners or near the state pension age of 66, will lead the three main parties into the next general election, which is expected in 2022.

In 2022, Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, will be 73 and Theresa May, the Tory leader, will be 65. In contrast, Nigel Farage, if he stands to be leader of the UK Independence Party, will be 58.

See the article here:

Vince Cable set to become new Liberal Democrat leader as Ed Davey says he will not stand - Telegraph.co.uk

The NDP and Green Party shot down two Liberal government bills Monday as they prepare to overthrow Premier Christy Clark in a confidence vote this week.

The Liberals introduced a bill to ban union and corporate donations to political parties despite rejecting similar legislation introduced by the NDP six times since 2005.

NDP and Green MLAs killed the bill immediately on introduction, outvoting the Liberals 44-42.

The NDP-Green alliance also quashed a surprise Liberal bill to give the Greens party status in the legislature.

Its first time in memory that a pair of government bills failed to make it past first reading, effectively barring them from even being described in the legislature, let alone debated.

Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver, who has signed an accord with the NDP to topple Clark, accused the premier of continuing to play partisan games when her first priority should be testing the confidence of the house rather than trying to pass legislation.

In our view, its not appropriate for us to be debating government business until such time as the confidence has been tested, he said.

Weaver said the Liberals had 16 years to reform campaign finance laws and failed to do so.

He said the Greens have already stopped taking union and corporate donations and will be pleased to pass legislation to get big money out of B.C. politics once the Clark government faces a confidence vote.

NDP Leader John Horgan introduced a confidence motion on the throne speech Monday, but the Liberals refused to give unanimous consent for an immediate vote.

Instead, government house leader Mike de Jong said he expects the vote will take place late Thursday afternoon according to the rules that govern the legislature.

The NDP and Green Party agreed to vote against the Liberals in a confidence motion after none of the parties won a majority of seats in the May election. The Liberals have 43 seats to 41 for the NDP and three for the Greens.

If the Liberals fall, Lt.-Gov. Judith Guichon would have the option of calling an election or asking Horgan to form a minority government based on his agreement with the Greens.

In an attempt to stave off defeat, the Liberals delivered a throne speech last week that borrowed heavily from the NDP and Green campaign platforms by promising, among other things, to hike welfare rates, develop a poverty-reduction strategy and tie disability assistance rates to inflation.

Horgan and Weaver have dismissed the speech as a last-gasp attempt by the Liberals to hang onto power.

Horgan challenged Clark in the legislature Monday to immediately call a confidence vote, noting that it has been seven weeks since the election.

When will she put the politics aside? he asked. When will she say and concede that 44 is a larger number than 43? Lets have a vote. Lets have a confidence motion and put in place a government that will focus on the challenges people are facing right across B.C.

Clark, however, urged the opposition parties to support the throne speech, saying that it contains ideas from all three parties.

The road to stability is not to defeat the throne speech and to risk an election, she warned. The road to stability and the road to being able to make sure that government, working together in this legislature, can get on with the business in this house, is to support the throne speech and ensure we can keep the business of government going on.

lkines@timescolonist.com

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NDP, Greens defeat Liberal political donations bill - Times Colonist

June 26, 2017: Two Knoxville men with completely opposing political views are on a 3,200-mile bike ride to inspire unity across the country.

Leslie Ackerson, WBIR 11:46 PM. EDT June 26, 2017

Andre Block and Jonathan Williams Courtesy Facebook The Unity Ride

KNOXVILLE - Biking 3,200 miles across the country, could you do it?

Its an impressive trek, and its one two Knoxville men are tackling.

The other challenge? The have different political views.

I voted for Trump, said Jonathan Williams.

And ... I did not vote for Trump, said Andre Block.

Williams and Block share a laugh.

The unlikely duo has embarked on a "unity ride" across the country. They say its an opportunity to show that people can come together whether they lean to the left or right.

"I feel in America we are sitting around complaining. I hope with what we are doing I can encourage people to get up and do something, said Block.

The pair started in California on Memorial Day, stopping in places like Colorado and Utah. They reached Knoxville on Monday and invited other bikers along for a 6-mile ride.

The plan is to finish in Washington D.C. on July 4.

"One of the things we talk about on this trip is the gray areas. You have people who live in the gray, you have some people very hard conservative, very liberal, explained Williams. Most of us live in the middle. If we can put those differences aside and just love one another. It all boils down to we are people.

Williams and Block stop in Knoxville on their journey.

From sea to shining sea, Block and Williams are biking their way across America to encourage people to move past political stereotypes.

It just brings together people with different backgrounds for one cause, to exercise and learn about one another, said cyclist Amanda Fox who joined Mondays night ride.

I think its especially important right now in the world, all aspects of the climate these days, said Meghan Goyer, another cyclist.

Beneath the spacious skies and purple mountain majesties, Williams and Block have learned the power of togetherness.

"We have actually talked about politics very little this entire trip, because we are out here trying to achieve a goal and working together to accomplish it is more important, said Williams.

"Its like as soon as you focus on those things we can agree on all the things we disagree on disappear, said Block.

The pair has a camera crew following them from start to finish. At the end of the journey, they plan on piecing together that footage to make a documentary so they can continue to share their vision with others.

You can follow their adventures on Facebook and Instagram.

2017 WBIR.COM

See the article here:

Liberal and conservative biking across the country to encourage political unity - WBIR-TV

Essex County College professor Lisa Durdens explosive debate with Fox News Tucker Carlson resulted in her eventual firing from the higher learning institution, but she wasnt going out without a bang.

In the segment which aired in early June with Carlson, Durden mocked white people over Black Lives Matters blacks-only Memorial Day party.

What I say to that is boo-hoo-hoo, you white people are angry because you couldnt use your white privilege card to get invited to the Black Lives Matters all-black Memorial Day celebration! Wow! she spat.

During their exchange, Carlson eventually cut the activists microphone, who insisted on interrupting him, disrespecting him, and mocking his comments.

Durden was initially suspended after the Carlson fracas, which she claims was done with no reason.

They did this to humiliate me, Durden said about the suspension. Essex County College publicly lynched me in front of my students.

After her suspension, Durden was fired on Friday.

In a statement from Essex County College President Anthony E. Munroe, Munroe revealed that a fair and thorough review of Durdens comments was assessed, and the end result was that the college came to the decision that they could no longer maintain an employment relationship with the adjunct.

About Durdens remarks directly, Munroe said, Racism cannot be fought with more racism.

During a Monday appearance with Roland Martin on News One, however, Durden was asked by the host if she felt remorse over the remarks that eventually saw her firing and wondered if she would consider apologizing.

No, she said, I am not going to.

She then went off on a rant about racism, and compared her rant to something Judge Jeanine Pirro would say on television.

I wasnt there to play games, I was there to take a bite out of crime, Durden said. When a black woman is on television who is direct, who is aggressive, were angry. Well, when Jeanine Pirro is on TV pointing and screaming and yelling, shes intelligent.

She added, Why cant I come on there and be aggressive and talk in the same vein as any expert in the fields of pop culture, politics and social issues? So now when I do it, Im not intelligent. When [white women] do it, theyre amazing, theyre intelligent, theyre fantastic!

See Durdens full explosive rant in the video below.

See the article here:

Fired black liberal professor who mocked white people goes on unhinged rant, cries 'racism' - TheBlaze.com

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Clay Travis - OKTC

Its no great surprise that ESPN finally decided to fire back at Outkick over our articles about ESPNs audience collapsing this year they hit a ten year ratings low as their number of subscribers also tanks down 13 million in the past six years, and accelerating rapidly, but it is a surprise that they would say they arent liberal because they hired Hank Williams, Jr. back to sing an opening for Monday Night Football.

Yet thats exactly what they argued in the Sports Business Journals evisceration of ESPNs business model that went up online today.

If ESPN decides to give Hank Williams, Jr. a TV show to combat the daily left wing rhetoric their programs toss around then maybe there will be one conservative viewpoint to combat the dozens of liberal ones, but until then hes just a guy singing a two minute introductory song. Hes not an opinionist, hes an entertainer.

Id encourage you to go read the SBJ cover storyon ESPN since its basically an endorsement of everything Outkick has been writing over the past several years, but the article that wont get as much attention as this one is in the same issue headlined, ESPN executive calls out competitor for giving voice to claims of liberal bias.

Since Im specifically named in the SBJ article Im going to pull some quotes from the article placed in bold and respond here. (Here is my Periscope from today as well. Youll enjoy my response.)

The whole narrative (that ESPN is liberal) is a false one that was seeded and perpetuated primarily by a direct business competitor, said Burke Magnus, ESPNs executive vice president of programming and scheduling. We have no political agenda whatsoever.

First, ESPN has a clear political agenda. They are liberal. Their top program, SportsCenter, is literally brought to you by MSNBC.

Thats fine, but the result, which is proven by clear data here, has been conservatives abandoning network viewership in droves.

Second, no executive at Fox Sports has ever suggested to me that ESPN was liberal. Not once. Fox executives have zero to do with my opinions at Outkick or my opinions on the radio. Whats more, I have no idea how Fox Sports could perpetuate this opinion when they have not controlled the distribution of my content for years.

I understand why my critics want to pretend that Im speaking for someone other than myself, but its just not true.

Full disclosure: I run Outkick as a 100% independent sports site. I make $0 from Fox Sports and have zero contractual relationship with anyone at Fox Sports right now. This is by my choice. I turned down my own TV show on FS1 this spring to stay independent and remain in Nashville instead of moving to LA and doing TV. Im happy here and making a good living. I love running the website, doing daily morning radio and controlling all content on my Periscope and Facebook Live shows. You can call me an idiot for turning down my own TV show and you can certainly criticize my opinions on issues, but you need to know that Im 100% independent and no one tells me what to say, think, or write. I own 100% of Outkick. For better or worse all opinions are my own.

Hell, no one else has even so much as edited my Outkick column for six years. I write and publish whatever I want when I want to publish it.

Now, its true that I have a radio contract, but Fox Sports Radio isnt owned by Fox Sports. Theres a licensing agreement between Fox Sports and Iheartradio to allow the Fox Sports name to be used by iheart. The only contract I have with any media company is with Iheart for radio. (And it represents about 25% of my overall income. The vast majority of my pay comes from Outkick and Outkick related events.)

And while my radio bosses are fabulous, they have never, in nearly a year of shows, told me what to say on any subject. And they certainly havent come to me to tell me to attack ESPN for being liberal. The idea itself is just preposterous.

Here are some additional quotes in the article.

It would be foolish in the business that were in to take sides on the political arena, Magnus said. Our business competitor perpetuates this narrative because in this highly partisan time, it suits them to highlight this distinction, even when it doesnt exist.

This is just not true, ESPN is liberal and Ill explain why below. But the most important thing for you to realize is how dumb they think you are. They are saying that the only reason you believe MSESPN is liberal is because I say it. Not because you see it with your own eyes, but because I say it. Frankly, its an incredibly insulting position to take, that you guys arent smart enough to make up your minds.

Remember that ESPN gave Caitlyn Jenner an ESPY for courage, treated Michael Sam as a modern day Jackie Robinson and has lauded Colin Kaepernick as a modern day Nelson Mandela for his anthem protest. Those are all incredibly liberal positions endorsed by the network. And to rebut that assertion they offer, what? The fact that Hank Williams, Jr. is singing, Are you ready for some football, for two minutes 15 times a week? Nope, not buying it. ESPN is a liberal network. This is a fact. As is clearly demonstrated by their programming.

I am flattered, however, if ESPN intends to consider Outkick to be a business competitor.

Right now I like the odds that we are still profitable in five years, unlike ESPN.

ESPN executives say the people who focus on a liberal bias ignore things like the recent rehiring of Hank Williams Jr. to sing the Monday Night Football opening

But this also comes amid reports and speculation that Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger is considering a run for president in 2020.

While ESPN executives dismiss the notion that the company is too liberal, sources said ESPN President John Skipper, himself a liberal-leaning executive, has made a point to meet with employees to let them know that nobody at ESPN will be punished for holding a political viewpoint.

The reason why the president of ESPN has to meet with employees to let them know that nobody at ESPN will be punished for holding a political viewpoint, is because conservatives have already been punished for holding political viewpoints, see Curt Schilling, while liberals are rewarded.

Indeed, ESPN just appointed a new executive as number two in the company who has publicly ridiculed Donald Trump on Twitter, and Tweeted that Trump discriminates against gays, women, and minorities.

The reason why ESPN is having this meeting?

Because there are many conservative people at ESPN many of whom are covertly reading this article at ESPN right now who are terrified to be outed publicly as conservative.

ESPN is a liberal company with collapsing ratings, fleeing subscribers, and an employee base that believes its bosses are complete and total idiots.

But at least they hired Hank Williams, Jr, yall.

Read more:

ESPN Says They Aren't Liberal Because Hank Williams, Jr. Sings MNF Open - Outkick the Coverage

Kentucky-based Appalachian Mountain Wrestling has graced the world with the presence of Progressive Liberal Dan Richards. He definitely isnt a face.

Here are some of Richardss promosone of them has him in a shirt covered in a bunch of Hillary Clinton facesas well as a tag-team match in which Richards has PROGRESSIVE LIBERAL plastered across the back of his briefs:

During a ring appearance earlier this year, Richards cut an in-ring promo in which he praised Hillary, and was interrupted by attendees chanting Feel the Bern! At about the 2:08 mark, some little kid yelled, You better shut up, always a mark of decent heat.

You know what, I think Bernie Sanders would make a great Secretary of State, Richards said before being jeered. Later on, he tried to persuade the crowd. I want to exchange your bullets for bullet points. Bullet points of knowledge. A few minutes later, Timmy Lou Retton came out to wrestle. (Richards lost. You know who would have won, though?)

The Progressive Liberal is a solid character. He strikes the right level of condescension and punchable smugness. His line deliverys a little suspect and his actual wrestling leaves something to be desired, but those can be remedied. At its root, this is a good gimmick. If youre in Kentucky and free on Friday, watch Richards against some guy in a sleeveless shirt in a Crybaby Match, where the loser will have to wear a diaper and suck on a bottle.

H/t to @MurderBryan

The rest is here:

The "Progressive Liberal" Is Maybe The Perfect Wrestling Heel - Deadspin

A man leaves after voting in the Mongolian presidential election at the Erdene Sum Ger (Yurt) polling station in Tuul Valley. Mongolians cast ballots on June 26 to choose between a horse breeder, a judoka and a feng shui master in a presidential election rife with corruption scandals and nationalist rhetoric

AFP/Getty Images

People attend Eid al-Fitr prayers to mark the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at a play ground in the suburb of Sale, Morocco

REUTERS

A plain-clothes police officer kicks a member of a group of LGBT rights activist as Turkish police prevent them from going ahead with a Gay Pride annual parade on 25 June 2017 in Istanbul, a day after it was banned by the city governor's office.

AFP/Getty Images

Pakistan army soldiers stands guard while rescue workers examine the site of an oil tanker explosion at a highway near Bahawalpur, Pakistan. An overturned oil tanker burst into flames in Pakistan on Sunday, killing more than one hundred people who had rushed to the scene of the highway accident to gather leaking fuel, an official said.

AP

Rescue workers search for survivors at the site of a landslide that occurred in Xinmo Village, Mao County, Sichuan province, China

REUTERS

Student activists shout anti martial law slogans during a protest in Manila on June 23, 2017

AFP/Getty Images

A diver performs from the Pont Alexandre III bridge into the River Seine in Paris, France, June 23, 2017 as Paris transforms into a giant Olympic park to celebrate International Olympic Days with a variety of sporting events for the public across the city during two days as the city bids to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Reuters

Debris and smoke are seen after an OV-10 Bronco aircraft released a bomb, during an airstrike, as government troops continue their assault against insurgents from the Maute group, who have taken over parts of Marawi city, Philippines June 23, 2017

Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) stands under pouring rain during a wreath-laying ceremony marking the 76th anniversary of the Nazi German invasion, by the Kremlin walls in Moscow, on June 22, 2017

AFP/Getty Images

Smoke rises following a reported air strike on a rebel-held area in the southern Syrian city of Daraa, on June 22, 2017

AFP/Getty Images

Iraqis flee from the Old City of Mosul on June 22, 2017, during the ongoing offensive by Iraqi forces to retake the last district still held by the Islamic State (IS) group

AFP/Getty Images

Girls stand in monsoon rains beside an open laundry in New Delhi, India

Reuters

People take part in the 15th annual Times Square yoga event celebrating the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, during classes in the middle of Times Square in New York. The event marked the international day of yoga.

Reuters

Faroe Islanders turn the sea red after slaughtering hundreds of whales as part of annual tradition

Rex

A firefighting plane tackles a blaze in Cadafaz, near Goes, Portugal

Reuters

A person participates in a journalists' protest asking for justice in recent attacks on journalists in Mexico City, Mexico, 15 June 2017

EPA

Poland's Piotr Lobodzinski starts in front of the Messeturm, Fairground Tower, in Frankfurt Germany. More than 1,000 runners climbed the 1202 stairs, and 222 meters of height in the Frankfurt Messeturm skyscraper run

AP

A runner lies on the ground after arriving at the finish line in Frankfurt Germany. More than 1,000 runners climbed the 1202 stairs, and 222 meters of height in the Frankfurt Messeturm skyscraper run

AP

A troupe of Ukrainian dancers perform at Boryspil airport in Kiev, on the first day of visa-free travel for Ukrainian nationals to the European Union

Getty Images

A troupe of Ukrainian dancers perform on the tarmac at Boryspil airport in Kiev, on the first day of visa-free travel for Ukrainian nationals to the European Union

Getty Images

French President Emmanuel Macron with his wife Brigitte Trogneux cast their ballot at their polling station in the first round of the French legislatives elections in Le Touquet, northern France

EPA

A Thai worker paints on a large statue of the Goddess of Mercy, known as Guan Yin at a Chinese temple in Ratchaburi province, Thailand. Guan Yin is one of the most popular and well known Chinese Goddess in Asia and in the world. Guan Yin is the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion in Mahayana Buddhism and also worshiped by Taoist

EPA

A Thai worker paints on a large statue of the Goddess of Mercy, known as Guan Yin at a Chinese temple in Ratchaburi province, Thailand. Guan Yin is one of the most popular and well known Chinese Goddess in Asia and in the world. Guan Yin is the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion in Mahayana Buddhism and also worshiped by Taoists

EPA

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem. An Israeli court has ordered a journalist to pay more than $25,000 in damages to Netanyahu and his wife Sara for libeling them. The magistrate court in Tel Aviv ruled Sunday that Igal Sarna libeled the couple for writing a Facebook post that claimed the prime minister's wife kicked the Israeli leader out of their car during a fight

AP

Parkour enthusiasts train on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Originally developed in France, the training discipline is gaining popularity in Brazil

Mario Tama/Getty Images

Volunteers spread mozzarella cheese toppings on the Guinness World Record attempt for the Longest Pizza in Fontana, California, USA. The pizza was planned to be 7000 feet (2.13 km) to break the previous record of 6082 feet (1.8 km) set in Naples, Italy in 2016

EPA

Jamaica's Olympic champion Usain Bolt gestures after winning his final 100 metres sprint at the 2nd Racers Grand Prix at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica

REUTERS/Gilbert Bellamy

Usain Bolt of Jamaica salutes the crowd after winning 100m 'Salute to a Legend' race during the Racers Grand Prix at the national stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Bolt partied with his devoted fans in an emotional farewell at the National Stadium on June 10 as he ran his final race on Jamaican soil. Bolt is retiring in August following the London World Championships

Getty Images

Usain Bolt of Jamaica salutes the crowd after winning 100m 'Salute to a Legend' race during the Racers Grand Prix at the national stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Bolt partied with his devoted fans in an emotional farewell at the National Stadium on June 10 as he ran his final race on Jamaican soil. Bolt is retiring in August following the London World Championships

Getty Images

Police officers investigate at the Amsterdam Centraal station in Amsterdam, Netherlands. A car ploughed into pedestrians and injured at least five people outside the station. The background of the incident was not immediately known, though police state they have 'no indication whatsoever' the incident was an attack

EPA

Police officers investigate at the Amsterdam Centraal station in Amsterdam, Netherlands. A car ploughed into pedestrians and injured at least five people outside the station. The background of the incident was not immediately known, though police state they have 'no indication whatsoever' the incident was an attack

EPA

Protesters stand off before police during a demonstration against corruption, repression and unemployment in Al Hoseima, Morocco. The neglected Rif region has been rocked by social unrest since the death in October of a fishmonger. Mouhcine Fikri, 31, was crushed in a rubbish truck as he protested against the seizure of swordfish caught out of season and his death has sparked fury and triggered nationwide protests

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A man looks on at a migrant and refugee makeshift camp set up under the highway near Porte de la Chapelle, northern Paris

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Damaged cars are seen stacked in the middle of a road in western Mosul's Zanjili neighbourhood during ongoing battles to try to take the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters

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Smoke billows following a reported air strike on a rebel-held area in the southern Syrian city of Daraa

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Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel gestures next to Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto during a welcome ceremony at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico

REUTERS/Carlos Jasso

Soldiers and residents carry the body of a Muslim boy who was hit by a stray bullet while praying inside a mosque, as government troops continue their assault against insurgents from the Maute group, who has taken over large parts of the Marawi City, Philippines

REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco

Opposition demonstrators protest for the death on the eve of young activist Neomar Lander during clashes with riot police, in Caracas

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Neomar Lander, a 17-year-old boy was killed during a march in the Chacao district in eastern Caracas on Wednesday, taking the overall death toll since the beginning of April to 66, according to prosecutors

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Former FBI director James Comey is sworn in during a hearing before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC

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Former FBI Director James Comey testifies during a US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC

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Usain Bolt of Jamaica trains at the University of West Indies in Kingston. Bolt says he is looking forward to having a party as he launches his final season on June 10 with what will be his last race on Jamaican soil. The 30-year-old world's fasted man plans to retire from track and field after the 2017 London World Championships in August

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Acquanetta Warren, Mayor of Fontana, California, reacts after US President Donald Trump introduced himself before the Infrastructure Summit with Governors and Mayors at the White House in Washington, US

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Frenchman Alain Castany, sentenced to 20 years on charges of drug trafficking in the 'Air Cocaine' affair, leaves the prison in Santo Domingo, on his way to France, where he is being transferred for medical reason

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A woman reacts at the place where 17-year-old demonstrator Neomar Lander died during riots at a rally against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas, Venezuela, June 8, 2017. The sign reads: 'Neomar, entertainer for ever'

REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado

Frenchman Alain Castany, sentenced to 20 years on charges of drug trafficking in the 'Air Cocaine' affair, leaves the prison in Santo Domingo, on his way to France, where he is being transferred for medical reasons

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Queen Maxima of The Netherlands visits Tobroco Machines in Oisterwijk, Netherlands. The company is a manufacturer of machines for use in agriculture, road construction and field maintenance. Tobroco is winner of the 2016 Koning Willem 1 Award for entrepreneurship

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A family member of an inmate tries to stop a truck used to transfer prisoners, outside a prison where a riot took place on Tuesday, in Ciudad Victoria, Mexico

REUTERS/Josue Gonzalez

An unconscious person is taken away on a motorcycle by fellow demonstrators after they clashed with riot police during a protest in Caracas, Venezuela

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Liberal mosque founder vows to keep it open despite Egyptian fatwa and death threats - The Independent