The director of the Sistine Chapel Choir, which has provided the musical backdrop to papal events for centuries, has resigned following allegations of fraud and embezzlement. Monsignor Massimo Palombella has "concluded his service" after Pope Francis approved his request to end his tenure, the Vatican said in a statement on Wednesday. Palombella, 51, has held the post for nine years. The choir, made up of men and boys and one of the world’s oldest, sings at papal Masses, records for a major label, and tours. Wednesday’s statement made no mention of an internal investigation involving Mr Palombella and Michelangelo Nardella, a layman who was once the choir’s administrative director and tour manager.…

Angela Merkel on Wednesday named the woman widely seen as her chosen successor as the new German defence minister, one of the toughest jobs in German politics.  In a surprise move, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was appointed at a ceremony in Berlin to succeed Ursula von der Leyen, who is moving to Brussels to become head of the European Commission. The appointment sent schockwaves through the German political establishment, where it was viewed as a political gamble full of risk for the ambitious Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer. It was also a U-turn. Popularly known as "mini-Merkel", Ms Kramp-Karrenbuaer pledged when she was elected leader of Mrs Merkel’s Christian Democrat party (CDU) last year that…

Australia is set to pass laws that would allow the government to prevent suspected extremists from returning home for up to two years while Australian supporters of the Islamic State group are demanding to be repatriated from crowded Syrian refugee camps. The bills based on British law were debated in the Senate on Wednesday after they were passed Tuesday night in the House of Representatives where the conservative government holds a majority. The centre-left Labor Party opposition wants the legislation made more consistent with the British model with amendments that would allow a judge rather than Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton to decide which Australians are banished. But the opposition supported…

Click:Hyperbaric Chamber For Sale 2 ATA Russia on Monday declared a state of emergency in two regions of Siberia as wildfires rage across 12,000 square miles of countryside. Terrified residents in the Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk regions called on the state to act as flames engulfed an area the size of Belgium.  There are few inhabited zones in the path of the inferno but smoke has blanketed major cities in Siberia and the Far East, making it hard to breathe and posing health risks for the population.  Over 720,000 people have signed a petition on Change.Org calling for a state of emergency to be declared across the whole of Siberia in order…

Beggars in a Swedish town will have to a permit before being allowed to panhandle for money. The scheme, the first of its kind in the country, has been introduced in Eskilstuna, a town of nearly 70,000 inhabitants about 90 miles west of Stockholm. Costing 250 Swedish Kroner (£21), the permit will be valid for three months and is available online. Unlicenced beggars can be fined up to SEK 4,000 (£342). The scheme was approved by the city council in June 2018.  Backed by the majority Social Democrat, Moderate and Centre coalition, it was opposed by the Left Party, Green Party, Liberals and Christian Democrats. Begging in Sweden has been…

Click:haas machining Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel agree that Ferrari’s SF1000 is lacking performance in all areas, a weakness that only a full package upgrade will solve according to the Monegasque. The Scuderia endured a low-profile start to its Austrian Grand Prix weekend, with Leclerc and Vettel clocking in respectively P10 and P12 in Friday’s opening practice session. Improvements were in order for FP2, with Vettel securing a spot among the top four, but over half a second behind Mercedes pacesetter Lewis Hamilton. Leclerc was a lowly 9th in the afternoon session, admitting that Ferrari’s big upgrade scheduled for the Hungarian Grand Prix later this month can’t come soon enough.…

NEW HYDE PARK, NY — A New York state senator who called on a New Hyde Park venue to cancel a fundraiser for the National Rifle Association plans to introduce legislation that would ban gun raffles. Democratic State Sen. Jim Gaughran, who has an office in Syosset and whose district includes the northern portions of the Towns of Huntington and Oyster Bay, asked The Inn at New Hyde Park to reconsider hosting the fundraiser. The event, slated for Thursday, is meant to celebrate a legacy of shooting sports traditions, and will feature dinner, raffles and auctions, according to a flyer from the Nassau County Friends of NRA. Attendees could win…

MORENO VALLEY, CA —When Diego showed up to school on Sept. 16, it would be the last time he walked through the doors of Landmark Middle School in the Southern California city of Moreno Valley. It would be the last time he walked at all. It was on that day, while at the school located about 90 minutes inland of Los Angeles, that the 13-year-old boy was attacked by two other students, sucker-punched and knocked unconscious on school grounds. He died nine days later. Sheriff’s officials said the teen, identified only as Diego, was declared “clinically dead” Tuesday night, but he remains on life support while his family makes arrangements…

The Guillotine Action Photos from the 2018 USA Wrestling Men’s Cadet Greco-Roman National Championships. July 18th-19th at Fargo, North Dakota. Photos by Jeff Beshey The Guillotine Photos on Flickr Click Here: Maori All Blacks Store

At last night’s ROH 17th Anniversary PPV, Bully Ray interrupted Rapper Mega Ran during his performance and issued an open challenge to any wrestler from any company, retired or not, to a Street Fight at The ROH / NJPW G1 Supercard on April 6th in Madison Square Garden. Below is what the current G1 Supercard looks like: – Jay White (c) vs. New Japan Cup 2019 Winner (IWGP Heavyweight Championship) – ROH World Champion (currently Jay Lethal) vs. Marty Scurll – ROH World Tag Team Champions The Briscoes vs. IWGP Tag Team Champions Guerrillas Of Destiny (Titles vs. Titles Match) – Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. Dragon Lee vs. Bandido (IWGP…