SEVENTEENTH DAY

US joins four rogue countries seen as likely forces for bad, poll finds
Russia, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iran and the US are also seen as less likely to use their influence for
good than they were 10 years ago
The United States has joined Russia, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Iran in a rogue’s gallery of countries
perceived as likely to use their influence for bad. All five countries are also seen as less likely to use their
influence for good than they were 10 years ago. The findings showing that Canada, Germany and the UN
are seen as mostly likely to use their international influence for good. The findings are being published to
accompany a major speech by the former British foreign secretary David Miliband who argues that
international relations are now governed by a new age of impunity in which war crimes and attacks on
humanitarian workers are typically left unpunished.
Miliband, currently president of the International Rescue Committee, will argue that a long retreat of liberal
democracy has ushered in a new divide in which some states abide by the rules ushered in after the
second world war, and other states regard such international law as “for suckers”.
He will say “the image of President Putin and Crown Prince bin Salman exchanging a high five at the G20
summit in Buenos Aires last November epitomised the new order, with domestic opponents dead and
foreign policy interests pursued outside international law”.
The poll was conducted amongst 17,000 adults around the world conducted by Ipsos Mori in 24 countries
on behalf of Policy Institute at Kings College London.
It shows Iran as the country seen as most likely to use its influence for bad, 31% followed by Israel 24%,
Russia 25%, Saudi Arabia 25% and the US 22%.
The survey also shows Britain is the country most likely to see Russia as a force for bad with two in five
(40%) saying Russia uses its influence mostly for bad, significantly higher than the global average of
25%.Although US is seen by a high number as going backwards in the past 10 years, a balancing 17% say
the US is more likely to use its influence for good now, higher than in Russia (13%), Israel (10%), Saudi
Arabia (9%) and Iran(7%).
British respondents were among the most likely, with Sweden (50%), Hungary (46%) and South Africa
(43%), to say a country’s human rights record should be an important factor in deciding relations with that
country: 41% in Great Britain mention this, versus 30% globally.
Over (36%) of people around the world think their country should only trade with countries with a good
human rights record, even if it hurts their economy – but 33% think their country should trade with any
country if it helps their economy, regardless of that country’s record on human rights. Globally, half (53%)
think their own country’s military should always put avoiding civilian casualties ahead of their national
interest. Only 14% disagree.
Fifty-one percent say that countries should intervene to stop war crimes even if it infringes on sovereignty.
Miliband will say: “The poll shows that around the world, large numbers of people are looking for
commitment to human rights and global engagement. However, it is striking that the US should be
perceived to have descended to the level of Russia as a global spoiler.”
He will argue that the rise of nationalist politics creates a new divide: between those who believe that the
laws and norms established after second world war are there to be observed and strengthened, and those
who say “the law is for suckers”.
Britain, Miliband argues, is at a crossroads because of two factors: the division within the western alliance
as the Trump administration attacks the multilateral system, and the consequences of Brexit.
“Britain needs a rules-based international order. It would be a tragedy if America decides it doesn’t. We
cannot afford a world that is a network of national fortresses, especially at a time when Brexit is separating
us from natural allies and rupturing our own political order.”
Two whales flown from Shanghai aquarium to sanctuary in Iceland
Female 12-year-old beluga whales Little Grey and Little White arrive at Klettsvik Bay
Two beluga whales from a Shanghai aquarium have arrived in Iceland to live out their days in a unique
marine sanctuary that conservationists hope will become a model for rehoming 3,000 of the creatures
currently in captivity.
Little Grey and Little White, two 12-year-old female belugas, left behind their previous lives entertaining
visitors at the Changfeng Ocean World and were flown across the globe in specially tailored containers.
The whales, which each weigh about 900kg and are four metres long, will continue their epic journey by
truck and ferry to the sanctuary at Klettsvik Bay at Heimaey, one of the Westman Islands off the south
coast of Iceland.
The conservation charity Sea Life Trust, which has been at the forefront of the project, said the bay is the
world’s first open water beluga sanctuary and had been selected to “provide a more natural sub-Arctic
environment and wilder habitat for these amazing whales to call home”.
Andy Bool, head of Sea Life Trust, said: “We have been working with Little White and Little Grey for the last
18 months to make sure that they will be prepared and ready for the long journey.”
After years in captivity, the whales will still be cared for in their new netted-off Icelandic sea pen, which
covers 32,000 square metres and is 10 metres deep, because it is thought they would not survive on their
own in the wild.
And they will still see tourists, with a visitor centre built at the site and plans for small groups to be able to
approach the whales by boat.
British-based Merlin Entertainments, which operates several aquariums, took over Changfeng Ocean
World in 2012 and started looking for a new home for Little Grey and Little White.
The whales are originally from Russian Arctic waters and it is thought they were two or three years old
when captured.
Klettsvik is where Keiko, the killer whale in the 1993 film Free Willy, was flown to in 1998. The orca was
fully released in 2002 but did not fully adapt to life in the wild and died 18 months later in a Norwegian fjord.
Campaigners have criticised Merlin for continuing the beluga whale shows ahead of the transfer and
pointed to the irony of choosing Iceland as a destination since it openly defies an international ban on
hunting whales.
The Shanghai whales have been trained to hold their breath for longer, become physically stronger to cope
with tides and currents, and are putting on blubber to help them cope with the colder water temperatures.
Belugas typically live for 40 to 60 years.

More than 3,000 whales and dolphins are kept in captivity and it is hoped that up to eight other
belugas could join Little Grey and Little White in the future. “We will be looking to potentially
bringing other belugas to the sanctuary in time once Little White and Little Grey settle in,” said
Cathy Williamson of the Whale & Dolphin Conservation charity. She added that conservationists
were “hoping that our sanctuary project will provide a blueprint for the development of sanctuaries
in other parts of the world”. Canada took in more refugees than any other country in 2018, UN says
Canada resettled 28,100 refugees last year, overtaking the US for the first time since the 1980
Refugee Act, UN report found
Canada took in more refugees than any other country in the world in 2018, according to a United Nations
report, knocking the US from its position as global leader in resettling people fleeing war, persecution and
conflict.
Canada resettled 28,1000 refugees in 2018, overtaking the US for the first time since the 1980 Refugee
Act, said the report from the UN high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) on Wednesday.
In contrast, the US – which has a population nearly 10 times that of Canada – took in 23,000 refugees – a
dramatic reduction from a recent high of 97,000 in 2016.
“The sharp drop in US refugee resettlement is in part due to the Trump administration’s decision to set a
considerably lower cap on the number of refugees allowed into the US than in previous years,” said
a report from the Pew Research Center on the decline, adding the president determines refugee caps.
Canada also leads in per-capita rates, resettling 756 refugees per million residents. Other countries,
including Australia (510), Sweden (493) and Norway (465) also had relatively high resettlement rates. The
US settled 70 refugees per million residents.
Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has made the resettlement of Syrian refugees a priority for the
country, publicly welcoming families at the airport in 2016. Last year, more than 18,000 refugees became
Canadian citizens.
While Canada led all other countries, it has also decreased its resettlement rate from a 2016 high of 47,000
refugees. Refugee resettlement globally dipped in 2018 to 92,000 people, down from 103,000 in 2017 and
a further drop from 189,000 in 2016.
The UNHCR reported on Wednesday that more than 70 million people have fled conflict and persecution:
the highest number since the second world war. Most of those displaced come from the Middle East and
are casualties of the Syrian civil war.
UNHCR’s representative in Canada praised the country’s effort so far – but called for more action. “It is
time for us to recognize what these refugees bring to Canada, culturally and economically: they make us a
stronger and more prosperous society,” said Jean-Nicolas Beuze in a statement. “The Canadian
experience shows that welcoming refugees is a win-win. This undoubtedly provides an antidote to the too-
often toxic and misleading narratives against displaced people we are hearing globally, and in Canada.”
Emiliano Sala: man arrested over death of Argentinian footballer
Police investigating death of player in plane crash arrest man aged 64 from Yorkshire
Detectives investigating the death of the Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala have arrested a 64-year-old
man from North Yorkshire on suspicion of manslaughter by an unlawful act, Dorset police have said.
The Argentinian forward, who had signed for the Welsh club, died in a plane crash in January.
Sala disappeared with David Ibbotson, the pilot of the Piper Malibu aircraft, after it crashed in waters north
of Guernsey on 21 January.
Sala’s body was brought to Portland Port in Dorset on 7 February after a private search, but Ibbotson, 59,
of Crowle, Lincolnshire, is still missing.
DI Simon Huxter of Dorset police’s major crime investigation team said: “We have carried out a wide-
ranging investigation into the circumstances of the death of Mr Sala and continue to work with partner
agencies including the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
“As part of this investigation, we have to consider whether there is any evidence of any suspected
criminality and, as a result of our inquiries, we have arrested a 64-year-old man from the North Yorkshire
area on suspicion of manslaughter by an unlawful act.
“He is assisting with our inquiries and has been released from custody under investigation.
“This matter therefore is still subject to a live investigation and I would ask the media and members of the
public to refrain from speculation, as this could cause additional distress to the families involved, as well as
potentially hinder the investigation.
“As is standard practice, we will not be releasing any further information as to the identity of the individual
who has been arrested unless that person is charged to appear in court, and again would discourage any
speculation in relation to this.”
An interim report from the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) said the plane fell thousands of feet in
the space of 20 seconds after making a 180-degree turn, four minutes after the pilot requested a descent,
apparently to avoid cloud and maintain vision. Investigators have not concluded what caused the plane to
crash.
The investigation is also considering the regulations applicable to the operation of the flight including
airworthiness requirements, flight crew licensing and the carriage of passengers.
These regulations allowed the aircraft to be flown by private pilots holding an appropriate licence, but it was
not allowed to be used for commercial operations without the owner or operator first obtaining permission
from the CAA and the Federal Aviation Administration in the US, where the plane was registered.
The owner of the plane has not been named. The AAIB said ownership had been transferred into an
American trust allowing it to be registered in the US. This trust had a contract with a UK company that
originally bought the plane. The company was responsible for the operation of the aircraft, ensuring it was
maintained in accordance with applicable regulations and met all airworthiness requirements. A third party
managed the aircraft.
When it published its interim report in February, the basis on which Sala was being carried had not yet
been established. It was known that previously the pilot had carried passengers on the basis of “cost
sharing”. Cost sharing allows a private pilot to carry passengers and for those passengers to contribute
towards the actual cost of the flight.
Wednesday’s arrest is not the first in connection with the tragedy. Earlier this month it emerged that two
people from Wiltshire will face charges over a photograph showing Sala in a mortuary.
Sherry Bray, 48, and Christopher Ashford, 62, have been summonsed to court after an image was
circulated extensively on social media which showed the Argentinian striker’s remains at the Holly Tree
Lodge mortuary in Bournemouth.
Wiltshire police said Bray, of Corsham, has been summonsed for three counts of computer misuse,
perverting the course of justice and sending an indecent or offensive message.
Ashford, of Calne, has been summonsed in relation to six counts of computer misuse. The pair, who were
arrested in February, will appear at Swindon magistrates court on 10 July.
Sala died of head and trunk injuries, a preliminary inquest hearing has been told.

UK's porn age-verification system faces indefinite delay

Change due on 15 July likely to be postponed over legal issues with European commission
The UK’s age-verification system for online pornography is expected to be delayed indefinitely, just weeks
before it is due to be launched.
The policy, which will require all adult internet users wanting to watch legal pornography to prove they are
over 18 by providing some form of identification, was due to come into force on 15 July.
However, it is set to be delayed for legal reasons after government officials failed to notify the European
commission of key details, according to Sky News. A government spokesperson did not deny that the age
verification had been indefinitely delayed and confirmed that the culture secretary, Jeremy Wright, would
deliver a statement on the issue in the House of Commons on Thursday morning.
A delay could see the issue of age verification fall under the responsibility of whoever wins the contest to
be prime minister, such as the frontrunner Boris Johnson.
The age block was due to be one of the first of its kind anywhere in the democratic world. Websites that
refused to implement the checks face being blocked by UK internet service providers or having their
access to payment services withdrawn.
However, the proposed system has come under repeated attack from privacy campaigners who have
raised fears that – despite the reassurances of age-verification sites – it would be possible to connect an
individual’s browsing habits to their identity, which could then be exposed in a data leak.
Jim Killock of Open Rights Group, which has campaigned against the law, warned last week that the data
protection standards under the proposed system were “pointless, misleading and potentially dangerous as
advice to consumers seeking safe products”.
Responsibility for checking ages under the system was given to private companies, who would be
overseen by the British Board of Film Classification – an organisation which has limited experience of
technical internet regulation.
There are also concerns about the effectiveness of some of the age-verification systems itself. Earlier this
year the Guardian showed how it was possible to bypass the age checks on one of the flagship age-
verification products in less than two minutes.
The government was also forced to exempt large social media sites from the ban owing to fears that a strict
implementation would result in the likes of Twitter, Reddit, and Imgur being blocked for adult content.
The law’s supporters say it is designed to stop young children accidentally stumbling across pornographic
content while browsing the internet and accept it will not be an effective ban on older, more persistent
teenagers.
The delay to one of the government’s flagship internet safety policies shows the enormous challenges
associated with attempting to regulate the internet. It also raises questions as to how a similar age-
verification system for all mainstream websites – as proposed by the information commissioner’s office –
could be implemented.
The delay is also damaging to many British age-verification businesses who had invested substantial sums
of money in developing systems to provide the tools required to check internet user’s identities. They were
relying on the launch going well in order to sell their product around the world and make the UK a hub for
global age-verification systems, with many backed by small investors who could lose out in the event of a
lengthy delay.
Age verification was first proposed in the run-up to the 2015 general election by Sajid Javid, when he was
culture secretary in the coalition government. However, despite coming close to completion the
government has struggled with the details of implementing the policy.