Russian government stops Nigerian fans from bringing live chicken to match venues

Nigeria begin their 2018 FIFA World Cup campaign
against Croatia this weekend
- The Super Eagles will be playing their opening Group
D game at the Kaliningrad Stadium
- Meanwhile, the region's minister Andrei Ermak has
informed Nigerian fans not to bring live chicken into
the stadium

Nigerian football fans have been informed that
they will not be allowed to bring live chickens to
match venues when the Super Eagles play.
The three-time African champions open their
Group D opening campaign on Saturday, June 16,
against European giants Croatia at the
Kaliningrad Stadium.
According to Russian news outfit, Interfax.ru,
Kaliningrad region’s Minister of Culture and
Tourism Andrei Ermak told reporters
 Our information center MCH-2018 receives a lot of various
questions: fans from Nigeria asked if it’s possible to go to
the stadium with a chicken, it’s their symbol, the citizens
are sick with them at all matches, we told them that to pass
a live chicken, in any case, it is impossible “, – said
Ermak.
He further stated explained that the Super Eagles
fans will be shown where they can buy live
chickens should they be taken to other regions:
“ we will, of course, advise them where the chicken can be
bought.”
“We are ready to satisfy the most eccentric inquiries ,” the
regional minister added.
Nigeria’s fans are known for going into match
venues with live chickens, which is one of the
ways they cheer on the team to victory.
In 2010, the South African government also
denied the country’s fans the opportunity to
bring chickens, painted in the nation’s colours
into the stadium.

High school stops selling yearbook over Nazi quote

ANDOVER, Mass. — A Massachusetts high school has pulled
its yearbook after the principal found out that a student had
used a quote generally attributed to Adolf Hitler or Joseph
Goebbels under his picture.
Andover High Principal Philip Conrad says he was “horrified”
to learn of the Nazi origins of the quote about making people
believe lies, which made it through a painstaking vetting
process.
Conrad says the student, whom he did not identify, did not
know the origin of the quote used under his senior picture. He
says the student “sincerely regrets his choice.”
The school has stopped selling yearbooks, but some have
already been distributed. Students who already have a
yearbook can either get a custom sticker to cover the quote,
or they can return their book and get a replacement.

Your sacrifices will not be in vain - Buhari tells Nigerians as Muslims celebrate Sallah

President Muhammadu Buhari reminds Nigerians
about where he met the country in 2015
- Buhari asks Nigerian Muslims to reflect on the
benefits and blessings of Ramadan
- He says he understands the sacrifice of Nigerians



President Muhammadu Buhari, on Thursday,
June 14, expressed appreciation to Nigerians for
their patience with his government. He also
assured the citizens that all their sacrifices would
not be in vain.
In his Sallah message to Nigerians, released by
Garba Shehu, his spokesperson, the president
said that reforming a country that had been
pushed to the brink of near decay on account of
corruption, was always going to come with pains.
Read the full statement below:
LESSONS OF RAMADAN SHOULD NOT BE
FORGOTTEN, SAYS PRESIDENT BUHARI
In his Sallah message to mark the end of the
Ramadan fasting period, President Muhammadu
Buhari has stressed the importance of putting the
virtues of Islam into practice beyond the fasting
season.


While congratulating Muslims on completing "this
spiritually significant month of sacrifice" , the president
urged them to reflect on the importance of
Ramadan in becoming good ambassadors of
Islam at all times.
According to the president, “religion should be the
moral compass for all believers in their public and personal
lives,” adding that "if people allow the teachings of their
religions to influence their conducts, problems such as
corruption, which diverts public funds to private pockets,
would have been eliminated in the society."
He regretted, however, that "selfishness and greed
have overcome people's conscience so much that they don't
have moral inhibitions in the pursuit of their greed."
He said: "it is impossible to separate morality from
religion, and removing this connection encourages corrupt
leaders and other exploiters to commit atrocities against
the society.
"I always wonder why any true believer, be they politicians,
civil servants or businessmen, would seek to make profits
from the misfortunes of others."
He also urged ordinary Nigerians to stop
glorifying thieves by treating them with disdain
for bringing hardships to others.
President Buhari enjoined religious leaders to
always pray for peace and unity in the country
and avoid making inflammatory utterances that
endanger peace or promote conflicts.
The president also appealed to fellow citizens to
forgive one another and embrace peace.
In this respect, President Buhari lauded the
families of recipients of national honours for
showing good examples to Nigerians and urged
our country men and women to copy their good
examples.


He thanked Nigerians for their patience and
assured that their sacrifices will not be in vain,
adding that reforming a country that was pushed
into near decay on account of corruption comes
with teething pains.
"But these pains are temporary, the APC administration
which I am privileged to lead, is beholden to the ordinary
Nigerians and will leave no stone unturned to make their
security, welfare and happiness our priority," the

president further reassured.

Trump and Sessions have created prisons for Spanish-speaking children

USA NEWS  NOW
ACCORDING FROM THE INTERNATIONAL NEWS PAPPER

The moral outrages from the Trump
administration come so fast that they blur
together, but this one stands out: the
unconscionably cruel policy of ripping the
children of would-be immigrants away from
their parents at the border .
Officials do not even try to hide the fact that
the purpose of this abhorrent and inhumane
practice is to instill fear. “ If you cross the
border unlawfully, even a first offense, we’re
going to prosecute you,” Attorney General Jeff
Sessions said last month. “If you’re smuggling
a child, we’re going to prosecute you, and that
child will be separated from you, probably, as
required by law. If you don’t want your child
separated, then don’t bring them across the
border illegally.”
“Smuggling” a child, Sessions said, as if
referring to chattel. There was a time when
my ancestors were forcibly taken from their
mothers’ arms and sold on the auction block.
Make America Great Again!
According to CNN , a Honduran woman at a
Texas detention center was breast-feeding her
daughter recently when the child was
snatched away. Other migrant families have
said their children were purportedly led away
for showers and clean clothes — but never
returned. This is the kind of behavior we
expect from monstrous totalitarian regimes
such as the one led by President Trump’s
“ talented ” new friend, North Korean dictator
Kim Jong Un. It is certainly not the policy of
any nation that strives to be a “ shining city on
a hill .”
Trump has no such aspiration, of course, and
Sessions has been a consistent anti-immigrant
xenophobe throughout his political career. But
most Americans — and, pertinently, virtually
all Republican officeholders — once at least
professed belief in U.S. exceptionalism.
I suppose the Trump-Sessions border policy
might be called exceptional, but only in the
sense that the rest of the world can be nothing
but appalled.
The practice of separating parents from their
children flows regrettably but inevitably, the
administration says, from its “zero-tolerance”
policy of prosecuting every single would-be
migrant caught crossing the border without
proper documents — a misdemeanor offense.
The parents are hauled away to detention to
await a court appearance. Minor children
cannot be left to fend for themselves, so the
government steps in. “ The children will be
taken care of — put into foster care or
whatever,” White House Chief of Staff John F.
Kelly told National Public Radio last month .
“But the big point is [the parents] elected to
come illegally into the United States. And this
is a technique that no one hopes will be used
extensively or for very long.”
How extensively the “technique” is being
applied is unclear, since officials refuse to
release comprehensive numbers. Whether it is
being used legally in all cases is doubtful. By
law, would-be migrants who are seeking
asylum — a group that includes many Central
American families fleeing rampant gang
violence — must be admitted to the country
and should be released pending a hearing.
This distinction, however, reportedly is not
being properly respected.
Clearly this does not bother Sessions, who
wants to erase the distinction entirely. On
Monday, abusing his authority over the
nation’s immigration courts, Sessions ruled
that asylum claims on the grounds of gang or
domestic violence “ generally . . . will not
qualify .” Sessions proclaimed that few such
applicants will even meet the “ credible fear ”
standard for obtaining a hearing — meaning
they can just be turned away at the border,
and then arrested, of course, if they later
enter the country without permission.
In the barrios of Guatemala, Honduras and El
Salvador, gang leaders often give teenage boys
a choice: join or be killed. For girls, the choice
is join or be raped and possibly killed. Parents
trying desperately to save their children’s lives
are not welcome in Trump’s America.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) brought the
separation issue into the spotlight this month
when he tried to visit a Brownsville, Tex.,
detention center where immigrant children are
being held — he was turned away. The
Facebook Live video of this outrage went viral.
This week, reporters were allowed into that
center , where nearly 1,500 boys were being
held. Most were unaccompanied by adults
when caught trying to cross the border; the
rest, though no one would say precisely how
many, had been taken from their parents.
The center, a converted former Walmart, was
clean and orderly, if overcrowded. The boys,
ages 10 to 17, were well cared for — but could
not leave. It was a prison for Spanish-speaking
children. Trump and Sessions must be proud

French, Spanish FMs discuss European migrant crisis

From Paris news souce

PARIS, June 14 (KUNA) -- French Foreign Minister
Jean-Yves Le Drian discussed on Thursday the current
European migrant crisis with Spanish counterpart
Josep Borrell and both sides urged "a broad
discussion" of this difficult issue at the European
Union summit on June 28-29, a French foreign ministry
source said.
Spain this week agreed to take in a humanitarian
vessel carrying more than 600 mainly African migrants
after the vessel was refused access to a dock by both
Italy and Malta.
France had criticized the Italian refusal, provoking a
diplomatic spat between Paris and Rome and the
cancellation of high-level meetings between Finance
Ministers, although a summit meeting between the
two countries leaders is to go ahead on Friday.
Le Drian told his Spanish counterpart, during a phone
call, that France was "ready to give support to Spain
by accepting in France passengers on the Aquarius
(humanitarian vessel) who answered the criteria for
asylum" here.
Le Drian praised the Spanish decision to allow the
troubled ship to dock in Valencia where it is to receive
badly-needed assistance and Spain welcomed the
French offer to take some of the more than 600

passengers on board. (end) jk.mb

Sultan of Sokoto announces sighting of new moon

The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar,
has declared Friday, June 15, as Sallah day following
the sighting of the new moon for the Islamic month of
Shawwal.



The Sultan's announcement is sequel to a tweet
by the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic
Affairs (NSCIA) on Thursday, June 14, about the
impending official announcement on the new
moon sighting.
“There have been positive sightings of the Shawwal
crescent in Nigeria. His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, will
make an official announcement shortly. Eid Mubarak,” the
council headed by the Sultan of Sokoto said
Daily Trust reports that the monarch said the
new crescent was sighted in Borno, Sokoto,
Kaduna, Plateau, Kano, Nasarawa among others.
He noted that the reports about the sighting of
the new moon of Shawwal in many places across
the country were true.
Sa'ad Abubakar prayed Allah to answer all the
prayers for the leaders and the country and
called on Muslims to live in peace with one
another irrespective to their differences.

Pro-Trump school board member tries to defend racist Valerie Jarrett post — by blaming ‘disgraceful’ Michelle Obama

After a Republican school board member in Alabama
was called out for sharing racist posts on Facebook,
she doubled down by blaming former First Lady
Michelle Obama and kneeling NFL players for being
unpatriotic.
The Root reported that Jefferson County, AL school
board member Donna Pike shared a racist post about
Valerie Jarrett, an Obama-era White House official
that was the subject of a similarly racist post made
by Roseanne Barr.

“No! I’m not black!” reads the meme Pike shared

about Jarrett on June 1. “I’m Valerie Varrett [sic] and

I’m a Muslim, born in Iran.”

A screenshot from another post Pike shared from a

page called “Trump’s Deplorables” calls the former

First Lady “a disgrace” because she does not appear

to have her hand over her heart during the national

anthem. Light research conducted by The Root

suggested the photo was edited, as other photos

from the same event show Obama with her hand over

her heart.

Nelson up with first Spanish- language ad

Sen. Bill Nelson has released his first Spanish-
language ad, which will begin today on Facebook
and Twitter and other digital platforms, the
campaign said.
It follows Gov. Rick Scott's latest Spanish-
language ad, one tied to the World Cup. And like
Scott, Nelson shows off his bilingual skills in the
spot. It highlights Nelson's voyage into space.
The campaign did not say how much money is
behind the ad.
Politico today reported on Nelson's struggle with
name ID among Hispanics , another worry for
Democrats.

Just in: Many years after her son took to terrorism, Shekau’s mother finally speaks out

Falmata Abubakar, the mother of Boko Haram leader,
Abubakar Shekau, has reportedly spoken for the first
time since her son became terrorist, leading ferocious
attacks on communities and towns in the north-
eastern part of Nigeria.

Falmata spoke with Hausa service of the Voice of
America (VOA) in the village of Shekau, Yobe
state.
Quoting a report published on Thursday, June 14
by the VOA, Premium Times said Shekau’s late
father was the Imam of the village mosque
before his death while Falmata said she had no

idea where her son was or his situation.

I don’t know whether he is dead or alive, only God knows,
I have not seen him in the last 15 years,” she reportedly
said adding that Shekau left the village for
Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state as a young
boy in search of Islamic knowledge.
She added that the leader of the Boko Haram sect
was an ‘almajiri boy’ who walks around the
streets of Maiduguri looking for food.
According to her, it was in the course of seeking
Islamic knowledge that Shekau came into contact
with the founder of Boko Haram, Mohammed
Yusuf, who indoctrinated her son.
“I did not set my eyes on him since he came into contact
with Mohammed Yusuf.
“I know he is my son, and everyone knows a mother’s love
for her son, but our attitude to life is different.
“He has put so many people in serious difficulty, I pray that
God guides him right,” she said adding that she will
not curse his son.
“He has chosen a path different from the one we put him

on, only God knows what he has become now,” she said

CCT denies appointment of Justice Banjoko who jailed 2 ex-governors as new chairman

The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) has clarified that
Justice Danladi Yakubu Umar remains its chairman
after some media reports claimed a new judge has
been appointed.

The head of press and public relations of the
tribunal, Malam Ibraheem Alhassan made the
clarification while speaking to PRNigeria today,
Thursday, June 14.
He said the Justice Umar is still in his position
and has in-fact fixed Wednesday, June 20 and
Thursday, June 21, for the trial of public officers
from Bauchi and Kwara states who violated
various provisions of the Code of Conduct Bureau

and Tribunal Act
He further hinted that Justice Danladi had
promised that all the forthcoming cases in Kwara
and Bauchi state would be treated
dispassionately to ensure that justice is done,
adding thatdefaulters to be arraigned for
prosecution by Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) are
mostly political appointees and civil servants.
He urged the general public to disregard the
insinuations concerning the status of Justice
Umar in the tribunal adding that contrary to the
media reports, the position of chairman and
members of CCT are guaranteed by the
constitution.
Some media reports had previously reported that
President Muhammadu Buhari had appointed
Justice Adebukola Banjoko to lead the tribunal,
following her recent sentencing of two ex-
governors to jail on corrupt charges.

Court fixes date for ruling on suit seeking proscription of suspected herdsmen as terrorist group

A Federal High Court in Abua has fixed a date for the
ruling on a suit on the proscription of suspectedherdsmen as terrorist
- The court reserved the ruling for Thursday, June 21 The suit was filed by Makurdi- based legalpractitioner, Matthew Nyiutsa

The Federal High Court, Abuja has fixed
Thursday, June 21, to rule on a suit seeking the
proscription of suspected herdsmen as a terrorist
organisation.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole fixed the date after
listening to an ex-parte application filed by a
Makurdi- based legal practitioner, Matthew
Nyiutsa.
Nyiutsa is seeking the leave of court to compel
President Muhammadu Buhari and the Attorney
-General of the Federation (AGF) to move a court
of competent jurisdiction to proscribe herdsmen
as a terrorist group.
He said that this was with particular reference
the herdsmen operating in Benue.

Nyiutsa, who appeared in person, told the court
that he was a victim of the continued attacks by
suspected herdsmen on communities in Benue
which resulted in the death of more than 200
persons and the destruction of private and public
properties.
“Properties such as residential houses, hospitals/clinics,
churches, schools, bridges and markets worth billions of
naira have been destroyed.
“The herdsmen have also caused grievous bodily injuries to
several hundreds of people as well as take-over ancestral
houses of displaced persons in Mbadwen, Uvir, Mbabai,
Nyier and Mbayer/Yandev among others."
He submitted that the series of armed attacks
particularly from January 1, to May, on
inhabitants of communities in Guma, Logo,
Makurdi, Gwer-East, Buruku, Tarka, Katsina-Ala
and Ukum Local government Areas of Benue
were acts of terrorism.

This according to him is as defined under Section
1(3) of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2011 as
amended.
Nyiutsa further submitted that his right to
ventilate his predicament under Section 6 of the
1999 Constitution must be preserved and
protected by the court.
He urged the court to grant the application so
that it could be heard on its merits.
The plaintiff in the suit is demanding the sum of
N50 million as exemplary damages against the
respondents.
He further prayed the court to declare that the
AGF and the president had mandatory statutory
duties and obligations under the act to prevent
acts of terrorism perpetuated by the Fulani
herdsmen.
Justice Kolawole, after listening to his
submission, reserved ruling until June 21.

Order IGP to unseal our office - Peace Corps begs Buhari

The national commandant of the Peace Corps ofNigeria has appealed to President Muhammadu Buharito order the IGP to unseal their officeDickson Akoh said the PCN has secured over 15 valid
court judgement against the Police and other securityagencies in Nigeria
- According to Akoh, the organisation pays as much asN13.5 million as rent annually on the sealed office


The Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN) has urged
President Muhammad Buhari to prevail on the
Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris,
to unseal its corporate headquarters, in line with
various court orders to that effect.
The Corps also claimed it had secured over 15
valid court judgement against the Police and
other security agencies in Nigeria, which none
has been appealed against.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, June 13, the
national commandant of PCN, Dickson Akoh said
the organisation pays as much as N13.5 million
as rent annually on the sealed office.
Akoh said his group remains a non-
confrontational and law abiding organisation
and has explored all lawful means, including
seeking political solutions to its ordeal, but to no

avail.


"In view of the landmark ruling yesterday coupled with
other previous judgement and the resolution of the House of
Representatives, we wish to renew our appeal, as part of
our last resort, to President Muhammadu Buhari, to please
direct the Inspector General of Police to order his men to
vacate the premises of the headquarters of our organisation
in the interest of equity, fairness and justice," Akoh said.
"We are also appealing to the Attorney-General of the
Federation, the National Human Rights Commission, Civil
Society Organisations, Human Rights Activists and other
well-meaning Nigerians to urgently intervene in this regard,
especially in prevailing on the Nigeria Police to respect the
rule of law as a frontline Law Enforcement Agency," he
said.
He said the police and its allies have achieved
their overall intent by stopping the Nigerian
Peace Corps Establishment Bill from seeing the
light of the day.
Akoh said: "The clamp down and the purported charges
against me and indeed this organisation were essentially to
stop Mr President from assenting to the NPC Bill and
stopping the Legislative Arm of Government from doing the
needful."
Akoh noted that his organisation and his person
have not committed any known crime under the
laws of Nigeria, vowing to present himself for
prosecution when the Police comply with court

orders.

He said: "We are ever ready to defend ourselves before
any court of law as it is our wish to clear ourselves of any
allegation.
"In a civilized society where the Rule of Law is supreme and
respected by institutions of government and individuals, it is
expected that the Police comply with valid Court Orders and
subsequently come before the Court to prove its allegations
against us, if any at all".
The Peace Corps boss also expressed regrets after
securing over 15 valid court judgement, the
Police and other security agencies have
continued to clampdown on his organisation,
this, he said would only paint the country in bad
light before the international community.
"The action of the IGP in disobeying valid court orders with
brazen impunity and his selective victimization of innocent
Nigerians must be quite disturbing to all lovers of
democracy.
"The truth is that, he is only courting more enemies for this
administration that is known for its strong aversion to all
manner of impunity, which is injurious to our President,
who is doing all that is humanly possible to place Nigeria
on the path of economic and political recovery," Akoh

stated.

NLC protests Mimiko’s return to Labour Party

The NLC has said it will reject plans by a formergovernor of Ondo state to return to its party, Labour
Party- The congress said there would be no room toaccommodate Mimiko in the party- They said Olusegun Mimiko plans to use Labour Partyto launder his sagging political image"

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the
Labour Party (LP) has said they will reject every
attempt by a former Ondo state governor,
Olusegun Mimiko, to return to the party.
The national chairman of LP, Mike Omotosho
said with the former governor’s political
antecedents, there would be no room to
accommodate Mimiko in the party.
Vanguard reports that Omotosho said Nigerian
workers wish to put a disclaimer to this "ill-fated

adventure."

He said: " The Nigerian Labour Congress is fully aware of
plans by Mimiko to destabilise the current gains made by
workers to reclaim and reposition the party. It is very
obvious that the sole purpose of Mimiko’s re-approach to
the Labour Party is to use the workers’ party to launder his
sagging political image.”
“Nigerians would recall that Mimiko abandoned
the Labour Party for the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) a few days to Labour Party’s October
2015 National Convention.
Such a treachery and betrayal of a party that gave the
former governor succour in the darkest hour of his political
career especially as manifest in his two term victory on the
ticket of the party is to say the least, cheap and callous
June 14
It also revealed paucity of knowledge of the philosophy of
the Labour Party as a people’s rooted party and dearth of
class consciousness on his part.
While the leadership of NLC continues to work to rebuild
the Labour Party especially through the instrumentality of
our political commission, we urge all workers and indeed
genuine lovers of popular democracy to ignore the political
theatrics of people like the former Governor of Ondo state,"
Omotosho said.

European Commission: US tariffs on Spanish olive 'unacceptable'

According to the international news

The European Commission, the executive arm of the

European Union, has censured a decision by the United States

to impose high tariffs on the import of olive from Spain,

saying the “unacceptable” move would eventually hurt

American consumers.

“The decision by the United States Department of

Commerce to impose unreasonably high and

prohibitive duties, anti-subsidy and anti-dumping

duties, on Spanish olives is simply unacceptable,” a

Commission spokesman said on Wednesday, adding,

“This is a protectionist measure targeting a high-

quality and successful EU product popular with US

consumers.”

Washington has yet to officially confirm the new tariffs on

Spanish olive but many expect it to be rubber-stamped by the

US International Trade Commission in July.

The tariffs come amid some unprecedented tensions between

the European Union and the United States over President

Donald Trump’s controversial metal tariffs. The EU failed to

gain a permanent exemption from the tariffs, which are

expected to hurt many jobs in the continent.

The EU has announced that it would impose its own tariffs on

American products and says a series of such tariffs on US

imports, including bourbon and jeans, would be implemented

as of July to target 2.8 billion euros' worth of American

imports.

Many fear Trump’s consistent threats for imposing more tariffs

on trade with the European Union would trigger a trade war

between the two sides of the Atlantic.

European powers had hoped that a recent summit of the G7

group of industrialized countries in Canada could provide an

opportunity to mend ties with the US. However, Trump dashed

those hopes by pulling out of a joint communiqué of the

summit and mocked a call in the statement for “free, fair and

mutually beneficial trade”.

“Fair trade is now to be called fool trade if it is not reciprocal,”

read a Monday posting on Twitter from the US president, who

has repeatedly criticized key allies for maintaining a large

trade deficit with the United States.

Federal High Court sacks Kogi senator from National Assembly

Atai Aidoko, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
senator representing Kogi East in the upper legislative
chamber, has been sacked by Justice Gabriel Kolawole
of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

8
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, June 13, the
judge held that Aidoko was not properly
nominated by the PDP for the March 2015
election, The Nation reports
gathers that Kolawole also ordered that
the clerk of the National Assembly should
immediately swear in Aidoko’s challenger, Air
Marshall Isaac Alfa.
The judge also ordered that a fresh certificate of
return should be issued to Alfa, by the
Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC); as it declared him the winner of the
December 7, 2014 PDP primaries for the National
Assembly.

Spanish minister resigns over tax fine

According to the international news surce




Spain’s culture minister
resigned on Wednesday from a week-old
government following local media reports that
he had avoided paying taxes while working as
a TV journalist 10 years ago.
Maxim Huerta, who was named to the cabinet
of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez last week,
said he had paid a fine related to his declared
income in 2006 and 2008, and was
“absolutely innocent”.
“I have paid the fine twice, at the time and
now, here,” he told a news conference in
Madrid, saying the penalty had resulted from
a change in the tax authority’s criteria.
Huerta added that he was fully up to date
with his tax payments.
Sanchez toppled his predecessor, Mariano
Rajoy, in a confidence vote over a long-
running corruption scandal.
El Confidencial newspaper had reported that
Huerta had been found to have avoided
paying tax amounting to more than 200,000
euros (176,180.51 pounds).
Spaniards have been enthusiastic so far in
their reception of Sanchez’s Socialist
government, which broke with six years of
right-wing domination and contains more
women than men in ministerial posts for the
first time in the country’s history.
His party rebounded in opinion polls after
taking power, overtaking rivals which had
poached its voters in recent years, including
market-friendly Ciudadanos and anti-austerity
Podemos.
Despite these encouraging signs, Sanchez will
have his work cut out to make any major
policy changes, as he controls less than a
quarter of the seats in parliament.

Spain’s new PM appoints two gay ministers to cabinet

Cabinet now has more women and gay men
than heterosexual men

Spain’s newly installed government has appointed two
openly gay men as cabinet ministers.
It’s the first time the country has had such a large LGBT
representation in the government’s cabinet office.
Mariano Rajoy, the previous prime minister, stepped down
last week. He left following a vote of no confidence. He
was replaced by Pedro Sanchez, who put together a new
cabinet team.

Gay ex judge and a journalist take up
positions in cabinet

Fernando Grande Marlaska has taken up the role of
Spain’s new interior minister, and Maxim Huerta, is
Spain’s new minister of culture and sports.

Marlaska is a former judge and hard liner against the now-

disbanded Basque terrorist group ETA. He will of Spain’s

local and regional police forces as well as the national

Guardia Civil.

Huerta is a journalist and award-winning author, and his

role will be to oversee Spain’s museums, libraries, arts,

and cultural programming needs. He will also be in charge

of the nation’s various sports bodies and programs.

Huerta’s appointment has proved controversial. He

immediately faced calls for his resignation over claims

that he had previously insulted women, Catalans and

sports fans.

In a tweet from 2010, Mr Huerta said: “I shit on damned

[Catalan] independence.” The Times newspaper reported.

Prime minister Sanchez has also appointed 11 women to

the cabinet, which means Spain now has one of the most

Female and LGBT friendly governments in the world.

King Felipe VI swore all 17 new cabinet ministers into

office.

Europe now has at least five openly LGBT leaders,

including the prime ministers of Belgium, Iceland, Ireland

(Taoiseach), Luxembourg and Serbia.