Sunday, December 8, 2019

Bob Hawke 'asked daughter to keep rape claim secret'

The daughter of former Australian PM Bob Hawke has alleged she was raped in the 1980s but he asked her to stay silent to avoid harming his career.
Rosslyn Dillon's allegations are made in court documents seen by Australian site the New Daily.
She says she was raped by Bill Landeryou, an MP in Hawke's Labor Party. Both men are now dead.
Ms Dillon, 59, is currently pursuing an A$4m (£2m; $2.7m) claim on her father's estate.
In an affidavit, Ms Dillon alleges she was raped by Landeryou while working for his office. At the time Hawke was attempting to become Labor leader.
According to the papers, Ms Dillon says she was sexually assaulted three times, in 1983.
After the third time she told her father she had been raped and wanted to go to the police, but he responded by saying: "You can't. I can't have any controversies right now. I am sorry but I am challenging for the leadership of the Labor Party," the documents show.
Ms Dillon's sister, Sue Pieters-Hawke, told The New Daily the family was aware of the allegation.
"She did tell people at the time. I believe there was a supportive response but it didn't involve using the legal system," she told the site. Other family members have not commented to Australian media.
A former union official, Landeryou served as an MP from 1976-1992. He and Hawke are said to have been on good terms throughout Hawke's premiership.
Hawke was the dominant figure in 1980s Australian politics, winning four general elections.
He introduced sweeping economic and social change to his country, while cultivating a public persona of a down-to-earth, beer swigging rogue. 

Pensacola attack: US to review screening of foreign military

US Defence Secretary Mark Esper has ordered a review of the screening process for foreign military in the US after a Saudi soldier launched a deadly attack at a Florida navy base.
The gunman - who was training at the Pensacola site - killed three sailors on Friday.
Mr Esper told Fox News Sunday he had instructed top defence officials to look into security measures at bases.
President Donald Trump has also pledged to review foreign military programmes.
The victims of the attack have been named as Joshua Kaleb Watson, 23, Mohammed Sameh Haitham, 19, and Cameron Scott Walters, 21.
The US Navy said the sailors "showed exceptional heroism and bravery in the face of evil".

Who has been detained?

Several Saudi trainees have reportedly been held for questioning, though so far there has been no claim that they were involved in the attack.
The attacker, Mohammed Alshamrani, was shot dead during the attack.
Alshamrani had played mass-shooting videos to others at a dinner earlier in the week, several US media outlets report, quoting an anonymous official briefed on the investigation.
A Twitter user appearing to match Alshamrani's identity had also made a series of anti-US posts before the shooting, an online monitoring group says.
Speaking to Fox News Sunday, Mr Esper confirmed reports that one or two of the detained Saudis filmed the attack. "What is unclear is - were they were filming it before it began or was it something where they picked up their phones once they saw it unfolding?" he said.
He previously said he would not label the incident "terrorism" while the investigation was in its early stages.

Why were Saudis at the US base?

The Pensacola base has long offered aviation training to foreign military forces.
Saudi pilots started training there in 1995, alongside other personnel from Italy, Singapore and Germany.
Cpt Kinsella Jnr said that about 200 international students were enrolled in programmes there. According to its website, the base employs more than 16,000 military and 7,400 civilian personnel.
Alshamrani was a second lieutenant in the Saudi Air Force.



What happened on Friday?

Authorities were alerted to the shooting at the Pensacola base at 06:51 (11:51 GMT).
It took place across two floors of a classroom building and ended when a sheriff's deputy killed Alshamrani.
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Eight people were also injured in the shooting, including two officers, who are expected to recover.

Family members of Joshua Kaleb Watson said he was shot several times but made it out of the building to alert first responders.
On Facebook, his brother Adam Watson wrote: "He died a hero and we are beyond proud but there is a hole in our hearts that can never be filled."
Capt Tim Kinsella, the base's commanding officer, said of the three sailors killed: "When confronted, they didn't run from danger; they ran towards it and saved lives."
Saudi Arabia is a key US ally in the Middle East and President Trump said the Saudi king called him after the attack to "express his sincere condolences and give his sympathies to the families and friends of the warriors who were killed".



Questions over the US-Saudi relationship

Just as he did in the wake of the murder of the dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in his country's consulate in Istanbul, President Trump is seeking to play down the significance of the Pensacola shooting.
For a president who largely sees foreign policy in transactional terms, Saudi Arabia is a great customer for the US. Billions of dollars in weapons sales translates into more than 5,500 temporary visas being issued to the Saudi military to come to the US. Saudi personnel make up about 16% of the foreign personnel being trained at US military schools and other facilities. The Pensacola shooting is already raising questions about the vetting of these individuals.
But more broadly it once again highlights the long-standing relationship between Washington and Riyadh - a relationship that many critics in Congress see as increasingly dubious in the wake of the Khashoggi murder and the Saudi military onslaught in Yemen. 

Newcastle defender Federico Fernandez scored a late winner


Newcastle defender Federico Fernandez scored a late winner as his side came from behind to beat Southampton at St James' Park.
Fernandez fired in a rebound from close range after Sean Longstaff's shot was parried by keeper Alex McCarthy.
His 87th-minute winner came after Jonjo Shelvey had cancelled out Danny Ings' opener with a second-half header.
Newcastle have not lost at home in the Premier League since the opening weekend.
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Ings, scoring in his fifth successive match for Southampton, latched on to a long ball which Newcastle had failed to clear and slotted it past Martin Dubravka.
That came after a bright spell for Newcastle at the start of the second half but the hosts were dragged back into the match by Shelvey - now the team's top scorer in the Premier League with five goals - who was set up by a curling cross from substitute Andy Carroll.
Southampton responded and should have regained the lead through Ryan Bertrand, who missed a header from a few yards out at the back post before Ings came close to connecting with Shane Long's low cross.
Nathan Redmond also missed chances for Southampton in the first half - he fired straight at Dubravka after picking up a loose pass and was denied again by the keeper when he struck powerfully inside the box.
Defeat leaves Southampton in the relegation zone - level on points with Aston Villa - while Newcastle break into the top 10.

Shelvey stars again as Magpies keep climbing


Before the match Newcastle boss Steve Bruce described their run of fixtures in December - which, including Southampton, contained three teams in the bottom half of the table - as "season defining."
They began the month with a 2-0 win at Sheffield United and go into next Saturday's game at Burnley on the back of successive victories, scoring twice in each game.
Crystal Palace come to St James' Park after that, before two potentially tricky fixtures against a revived Manchester United and Everton but Newcastle will be brimming with confidence after this energised run of results.
Things have slotted into place since Shelvey's late equaliser against Manchester City and the midfielder was to thank again for his side's turnaround in this match.
He keeps delivering big goals when it matters and Bruce will be boosted by Carroll's cameo from the bench which included an assist.
Allan Saint-Maximin must be given huge credit too - he was the best player in the first half and remains a constant threat for Newcastle on the wing.

Missed chances costly for Saints



It was a heavy blow for Southampton, who drop back into the relegation zone despite creating numerous chances away from home.
They should have lead at half-time when Redmond failed to put away his opportunities and when the ball came to Bertrand late on in the second half, he did not react quick enough to direct his header.
Chances came and went for Ings and Long but they were punished for their lack of clinical edge.
Ings, who has now scored eight of Southampton's last 13 goals in the Premier League, was lively throughout but his side cannot rely on him alone to deliver goals.
And since Ralph Hasenhuttl's first game in charge exactly a year ago, Southampton have lost five league games in which they have opened the scoring - more than any other side.

'Big Andy was a huge help' - what they said

Newcastle boss Steve Bruce, speaking to Match of the Day: "In the first half we looked like we had played three games in six days. I felt we were flat and it was not really until we changed things at half time and went higher up the pitch we caused them some problems. They stuck at it, they showed a bit of spirit.
"The introduction of 'Big Andy' [Carroll] had glimpses today of what he had 10 years ago. He looks well at the moment. Big Andy Carroll coming on was a huge help."
Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl, speaking to Match of the Day: "I thought [defeat] was not deserved. It was our best away performance of the season. We had chances to be more than 1-0 up. It was a pity. Really frustrated for the guys.
"After we scored, I think we stopped a little bit playing. They had a big guy in front and only went for long balls. The first goal we didn't defend well and the second was a shot from outside the box. It is a pity, I didn't see a lot of chances for Newcastle today, plenty for us. We didn't get the result but it was a very good game from us."

Man of the match - Allan Saint-Maximin



Surpassing expectations - the best of the stats

  • Newcastle are unbeaten in seven Premier League games at St James' Park - they never surpassed this number under Rafael Benitez, last having a longer such run in April 2012 under Alan Pardew (nine games).
  • They have also earned 22 points from their opening 16 games this season, nine more than they had at the same stage last season.
  • Ings is the third player to score in five consecutive Premier League games for Southampton, after James Beattie and Matt Le Tissier, who both did so twice.
  • Southampton's last 13 Premier League goals have been scored by Englishmen.
  • Shelvey has netted six goals in his last 12 appearances - his previous six Premier League goals were spread across 116 matches.
  • Saint-Maximin attempted 18 dribbles against Southampton, the last Newcastle player to attempt as many in a Premier League game was Hatem Ben Arfa in December 2013 against Stoke City (also 18).

Leicester City thrashed Aston Villa to make it a club-record eight Premier League


Jamie Vardy scored twice as Leicester City thrashed Aston Villa to make it eight Premier League wins in a row and keep alive their hopes of catching leaders Liverpool.
Brendan Rodgers' side reduced the deficit on top spot to eight points once more with a clinical display at Villa Park, in which former England striker Vardy netted for the eighth successive match.
Vardy linked up with Kelechi Iheanacho to open the scoring after 20 minutes, skipping round Villa keeper Tom Heaton and finishing at the second attempt.
Iheanacho added the Foxes' second from close range as the visitors looked to have taken control before the break, only for Villa captain Jack Grealish to whip an effort into the bottom corner on the stroke of half-time.
The hosts' comeback was short lived, however, with Jonny Evans heading in from a corner shortly after the interval.
Vardy then dashed clear with 15 minutes remaining to slide an effort beyond Heaton and put the game out of Villa's reach.
Leicester remain second in the top flight, but now have a six-point advantage over Manchester City after Pep Guardiola's side were beaten by Manchester United on Saturday.

Foxes make it eight on the bounce

The last time Leicester City visited Villa Park they were en route to the most remarkable of Premier League triumphs, while the hosts were heading towards the Championship.
Four seasons on and, while no bookmaker will give you odds of 5,000-1, a repeat of those league-winning heroics would seem almost as unlikely, despite their lofty position.
Liverpool's dominance means any talk of Leicester's name being etched on the trophy again has been little more than a whisper, but is it time to start shouting about the Foxes' chances?
This victory means Rodgers' side have now won more top-flight games in a row than at any time in their history and have more points at this stage of the season than when Leicester won the league.
In fact, in 15 of the past 27 Premier League seasons they would be sitting top of the table after 16 games with such a tally.
Rodgers, who signed a new contract this week, is leading a side in ruthless form.
Vardy pounced for his first after a neat ball from Iheanacho, making the most of the space left behind by a limping Tyrone Mings to open the scoring - after which the Villa defender was immediately replaced.
He might have had another moments later after another neat Iheanacho pass, but instead it was the Nigerian who bundled home from close range to double the Foxes' lead.
Leicester seem to have a knack of scoring in timely fashion this season, too.
Evans' header from a deep Maddison corner stemmed Villa's fightback after Grealish had struck before the break and Vardy's second from Dennis Praet's assist ensured a club record-breaking eighth successive win in the top flight.
Many might be writing them off but no-one has told Leicester, who face their title rivals as part of a packed Christmas schedule.