Actor Hilary Duff has shut down a disgusting conspiracy theory trending on Twitter that claimed she was involved in child trafficking.
On Saturday, Duff started trending on the microblogging site when a number of users made accusations of child trafficking against her, based on an Instagram story she posted containing photographs of her eight-year-old son Luca Cruz Comrie, whom she shares with ex husband Mike Comrie.
Duff responded to the claims stating that the accusations were not only untrue, but also disgusting.
"Everyone bored af right now I know..but this is actually disgusting," she wrote. "Whoever dreamed this one up and put this garbage into the universe should take a break from their damn phone. Maybe get a hobby, she posted on Twitter.
The Lizzie Maguire star also has daughter Banks Violet Bair, born in 2018, with husband Matthew Koma.

Hilary Duff hits out at disgusting' child trafficking Twitter conspiracy

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Former Pakistan opener Taufeeq Umar has tested positive for COVID-19 but said his "symptoms are not at all severe".
The 38-year-old is the fourth cricketer to be infected with the coronavirus after Majid Haq (Scotland), Zafar Sarfraz (Pakistan) and Solo Nqweni (South Africa).
"I got myself tested last night after feeling a little sick last night, and the result came positive. My symptoms are not at all severe," Umar told Geo News.
"I have isolated myself at home. I appeal to everyone to pray for my swift recovery," added the southpaw.
Umar played 44 Tests and 12 ODIs, scoring 2963 and 504 runs respectively for Pakistan.
His last game for Pakistan was in 2014, a Test against New Zealand in Dubai.

Former Pakistan opener Taufeeq Umar tests positive for COVID-19

An alligator that many people believe once belonged to Adolf Hitler has died in the Moscow Zoo.
The zoo said the alligator, named Saturn, was about 84 years old when died on Friday.
According to the zoo, Saturn was born in the United States and later sent to the Berlin Zoo, from which he escaped when the zoo was bombed in 1943. His whereabouts were unknown until 1946, when British soldiers found him and gave him to the Soviet Union, the zoo said.
Almost immediately, the myth was born that he was allegedly in the collection of Hitler and not in the Berlin Zoo, the zoo said in a statement.
But, it noted, animals are not involved in war and politics and it is absurd to blame them for human sins.

Alligator rumoured to have been Hitler's dies in Moscow

North Carolina has failed to change its election laws to ensure that voters can safely cast ballots during the COVID-19 pandemic, voting rights advocates claim in a federal lawsuit.
The nonprofit Democracy North Carolina and the League of Women Voters of North Carolina sued Friday on behalf of several elderly or disabled residents whose medical conditions make them more vulnerable to coronavirus.
The lawsuit alleges that several aspects of North Carolina's absentee vote-by-mail requirements are unconstitutional because voters will have to risk exposure to COVID-19 to successfully vote.
For example, mail-in absentee voters are required to complete the ballot in the presence of two witnesses or a notary.
State law also requires voters to submit their registration applications at least 25 days before the election or else register in-person at an early voting site, the suit notes.
The lawsuit says that will result in millions of state residents either losing their right to vote or being ..

N Carolina failed to change election laws to ensure voters safety, says lawsuit

The University of Delaware says it is laying off more than 1,100 part-time employees, mostly students, in a move to cut costs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The News Journal reports that students account for 805 of the 1,146 part-time employees who were notified of their layoffs on Thursday.
An email to employees said the layoffs, which take effect on June 1, do not affect adjunct faculty, graduate students, work-study students or employees whose wages are paid through external funding.
But many adjunct professors will not have a teaching position in the fall due to a hiring freeze.
In April, the university announced that it faced a $65 million budget shortfall due to pandemic's financial toll, including revenue lost from prorated housing and canceled athletic events.
The university hopes to reopen campus in phases starting June 1 with certain research facilities.

Delaware varsity says laying off over 1,100 part-time employees, mostly students

New York state reported its lowest number of daily coronavirus deaths in weeks in what Gov. Andrew Cuomo described Saturday as a critical benchmark.
The daily death tally was 84 after a peak of 799 on April 8.
Reducing the state's daily death count to fewer than 100 seemed almost impossible several weeks ago, the Democratic governor said.
That figure has remained stubbornly high even amid other signs of encouragement.
In my head, I was always looking to get under 100, Cuomo said.
For me, it's a sign that we're making real progress.
The number of hospitalized patients in the state that has been the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S. continued to fall, dropping to over 4,600.
Cuomo also announced that the region along the Hudson River north of New York City and south of Albany is set to begin reopening Tuesday, and that Long Island could follow suit Wednesday.

New York reports lowest number of daily COVID-19 deaths in weeks

Two fatalities from COVID-19 were reported in Greece during the most recent 24-hour period, bringing the death toll to 171, health authorities announced Saturday.
Another three new infections have been recorded since Friday afternoon, raising the nation's total to 2,876. The number of patients on ventilators stands at 20, while 99 have left intensive care.
Greek authorities say they have performed 152,998 tests for the disease.

2 fatalities from COVID-19 reported in Greece in 24 hours

Hong Kong police fired tear gas and a water cannon at protesters in a popular shopping district on Sunday, as thousands took to the streets to march against China's proposed tough national security legislation for the city.
Pro-democracy supporters in Hong Kong have sharply criticised the proposal last week to enact a national security law that would ban secessionist and subversive activity, as well as foreign interference, in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
Critics say it goes against the one country, two systems framework that promises the city freedoms not found in mainland China.
Crowds of demonstrators dressed in black gathered Sunday afternoon in Hong Kong's Causeway Bay district to protest the proposed legislation.
Protesters chanted slogans including Stand with Hong Kong," Liberate Hong Kong and Revolution of our times.
The protest was a continuation of a monthslong pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong that began last year and has at times descended into violence between 

Hong Kong police fire tear gas, water cannon at protesters

Iraq's Health Ministry is reporting the steepest single-day spike in confirmed coronavirus cases since the government began recording cases in late February.
The ministry reported 308 new cases Saturday, one day ahead of celebrations to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Curfew hours had been relaxed during the month of fasting, which contributed to higher daily rates of infection.
According to ministry figures, more than 4,200 people have tested positive for the virus in Iraq. At least 152 people have died.
Roads have been clogged with traffic and supermarkets and shops have been packed with people preparing for the celebrations, likely contributing to the increase in infections.

Iraq reports steepest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases

A hairstylist served 84 clients over eight days recently while experiencing symptoms of coronavirus, Missouri health officials say.
The Springfield-Greene County Health Department said in a news briefing that the stylist worked between May 12-20 and announced in a Facebook post Saturday that 56 other clients were potentially exposed by a second stylist who worked five shifts from May 16-20 while experiencing very mild symptoms of the coronavirus.
All clients of the two stylists wore masks and will be tested.
The owner of the business said in a statement that the salon will be closed until it goes through sanitizing and deep cleaning The state health department reported 218 new confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, bringing the total to 11,558 since the pandemic began.
That was the largest one-day total since 319 cases were reported May 1. Ten new deaths brought that total to 671.

US hairstylist served 84 while experiencing COVID-19 symptoms

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is scrapping his 10-person limit on group gatherings and allowing churches to open at 25 per cent occupancy if certain safety guidelines are met.
Walz's decision comes after the state reported a record number of COVID-19 cases.
He says the issue has been a challenging one because large gatherings raise the risk of spreading the virus.
Walz says he understands the toll the pandemic has taken on the spiritual health of residents. His new executive order applies only to religious gatherings and not receptions.
While the leader of the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis welcomed the change, the governor said parishes should not open if they don't feel they can meet safety measures.
Archbishop Bernard Hebda said in a letter to parishioners that limiting gatherings to 10 people had burdened the Church's ability to fully meet the sacramental needs of our faithful.

Minnesota Guv scrapping 10-person limit on gatherings

A woman who raised questions about Florida's COVID-19 data after being ousted as the data's curator had been reprimanded several times for violating Health Department policy, including for posting political commentary about the information, state records show.
Rebekah Jones' comments over the past week and a half in emails to researchers, interviews with a handful of media outlets, and blog posts have sought to sow doubt about the credibility of the data now that she is no longer in that role.
State health officials strenuously deny any issue with the information's accuracy as Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis seeks to make a data-driven case for a step-by-step reopening of the state's battered economy following safer-at-home orders.
Jones has not alleged any tampering with data on deaths, hospital symptom surveillance, hospitalizations for COVID-19, numbers of new confirmed cases, or overall testing rates.
She has, however, suggested Health Department managers wanted her to manipulate ...

Woman questioning Florida's COVID-19 data was reprimanded for violating health dept policy

Actor Eva Green says she can't visualise herself embracing motherhood any time soon as she believes it would be "difficult" for her to bear the scrutiny.
However, the "Penny Dreadful" star said one can't predict the future.
"I don't know. For now, no. What will be, will be. It's difficult - it's the judgement of other people, really," Green told Town & Country magazine.
The French actor, who will next be seen as an astronaut-in-training in "Proxima", said she developed a close bond with child actor Zelie Boulant-Lemesle, who plays her eight-year-old daughter in the film.
"There was something raw about her, very shy, very internal, and we really connected on that level. I'm always attracted to people who are not completely outgoing," Green, 39, said.
Directed by Alice Winocour, the French drama also stars Lars Eidinger, Matt Dillon and Sandra Huller.

Eva Green doesn't want children because she fears being 'judged'

Eighteen soldiers assigned to the US Army's 101st Airborne Division have returned to Fort Campbell after spending more than a month in New Jersey helping with COVID-19 response operations.
Fort Campbell officials say the soldiers deployed April 14 to help provide logistical support for the response to the new coronavirus outbreak throughout the Northeast.
The troops helped receive, process and move supplies, equipment and personnel in critical areas affected by the virus outbreak.
The soldiers will undergo a precautionary quarantine under medical supervision. An official welcome-home event is being planned, officials said.
The Fort Campbell Army post is located along the Kentucky-Tennessee border.

US soldiers return to Fort Campbell after helping with COVID-19 response operations

Coronavirus outbreaks at meat processing plants are forcing North Carolina farmers to euthanize 1.5 million chickens, according to a state official.
Assistant Agriculture Commissioner Joe Reardon told The News & Observer that this is the first time during the pandemic that farmers in the state have had to euthanize their animals.
Roughly a third of the 1.5 million chickens already had been killed, Reardon said.
Chicken and hog farmers in other states also have been euthanizing millions of animals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
North Carolina hog farmers have not taken steps to euthanize their animals, Reardon said.

COVID-19 forcing N Carolina farmers to euthanise 1.5 mn chickens

Israel's longest serving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces the ignominy of becoming the first sitting premier of the country to go on trial for corruption on Sunday, days after he returned to power following months of political deadlock.
Netanyahu, who is set to appear at the opening hearing at a Jerusalem court, is accused of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three different cases, dubbed Case 1000 (fraud and breach of trust), Case 2000 (fraud and breach of trust) and Case 4000 (bribery, fraud and breach of trust).
He has denied all the charges, claiming that he is the victim of an "attempted coup by overaggressive police, biased prosecutors and a hostile media".
A three-judge panel on Wednesday rejected a request for exemption and  directed him to appear in person during the reading of the chargesheet. The panel ruled that the reasoning behind Netanyahu's request for exemption from personal appearance "did not justify such a deviation from the norm", which ...

Israeli PM Netanyahu's corruption trial set to open

The Department of Agriculture in Guam has invited hunters to participate in a pig-hunting derby to provide food for families in need during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Pacific Daily News reported that the department announced that the two-day derby is scheduled to begin next Saturday.
The department released a statement saying the derby is intended to feed families, foster familial hunter development and reduce the feral pig population.
Event organizers are working with mayors to distribute pigs whole and unprocessed to residents within their villages and provide safe handling guidelines.

Guam invites hunters for pig-hunting to provide food for families during COVID-19

Hundreds of protesters rallied outside California's state Capitol on Saturday to protest stay-at-home orders even as residents entered the Memorial Day weekend with newly expanded options for leisure.
California Highway Patrol officers closed the Capitol lawn to demonstrators, so speakers addressed the crowd from the back of a flatbed truck as an airplane flew above towing a banner with a picture of Gov. Gavin Newsom and the words End his tyranny! Protesters waved dozens of flags and signs, many in support of President Donald Trump.
Few people wore masks and there was little room for social distancing.
The protest came as restrictions eased across much of the state.
Some 45 of 58 counties have received permission to reopen most stores and many public spaces by meeting state standards for controlling the novel coronavirus.
Authorities continue to warn people to practice social distancing and other anti-virus measures, noting that the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths continues to ...

Hundreds in US protest outside California's state Capitol against stay-at-home orders

The New York Times has devoted Sunday's entire front page to a long list of names of people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic.
The names and brief descriptions culled from obituaries from around the country fill six columns under the headline U.S. Deaths Near 100,000, an Incalculable Loss, with a subheadline reading: They Were Not Simply Names on a List. They Were Us.
The all-text list takes the place of the usual articles, photographs and graphics in an effort to convey the vastness and variety of lives lost, according to Simone Landon, assistant editor of the graphics desk.
A tally kept by Johns Hopkins University says more than 96,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the United States.
Tom Bodkin, chief creative officer of The Times, said he did not remember any front pages without images, though there have been pages with only graphics, during his 40 years at the newspaper.

New York Times' front page lists virus victims

A New Mexico state official says gatherings of more than 100 people may not be possible for more than a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tourism Secretary Jen Paul Schroer said it could be a year or 18 months before there's either a vaccine or herd immunity.
That creates the prospect that sports stadiums, concert halls and conference centers in the state could remain empty for months.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that Schroer spoke during a webinar Thursday on reopening the state's hospitality industry.
The state had nearly 6,800 cases of COVID-19 with 308 deaths as of Saturday.

US' New Mexico says gatherings of over 100 not possible for 1 yr

Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov has released a video calling for divine help in overcoming the pandemic after Russian media reported he had been hospitalised for suspected COVID-19 symptoms.
But the video, posted Saturday on the Telegram messaging app and marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramzan, does not show Kadyrov and uses only his voice, Russian news reports said.
However, state news agency Tass cited Akhmed Dudayev, the head of Chechnya's broadcasting company, as saying Kadyrov took the video himself.
Russian news media last week cited unnamed medical sources as saying Kadyrov had been flown to Moscow for coronavirus treatment, but Chechen officials denied the reports.

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