July 2020 – Page 104

DAILY UPDATE

Latest News:

WWE SmackDown ratings down slightly this week
NXT UK results: TakeOver Cardiff go-home show
Warner vs. Havoc Bunkhouse match announced for MLW tapings
Awesome Kong set for Casino Battle Royale at AEW All Out
WWE SmackDown video highlights: Reigns reveals new evidence
Cruiserweight title match added to WWE Clash of Champions
WWE 205 Live results: Number one contender’s match
Quarterfinal matches set for WWE King of the Ring tournament
The Fiend advertised for WWE Hell in a Cell Universal title match
WWE SmackDown live results: Ali vs. Murphy, Gable vs. Benjamin

Latest Audio:

WOL: Bryan/Roman/Two Vintners follow-up, All Out, tons more! 8/28
B&V&C: Retro Raw and Nitro from 19 years ago this week! 8/27

F4W NEWSLETTER: NXT moving to USA Network Joseph Currier looks at the implications of NXT going head-to-head with AEW. Plus, Vinny’s TV reviews and live NJPW report.

The early stages of the modern-day pro wrestling war between WWE and AEW picked up last week as NXT’s move to the USA Network was officially announced.

The move will begin on Wednesday, September 18, meaning that NXT on USA will get a two-week head start before AEW premieres on TNT on October 2. NXT will become a two-hour show and will be live on USA Network, with NXT and AEW going head-to-head and airing from 8-10 p.m. Eastern time.

After debuting on USA, the NXT episodes will be made available on demand on the WWE Network every Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern. TakeOver events will continue to stream live exclusively on WWE Network.

Full Sail University will also remain the home venue of NXT, with WWE announcing NXT TV dates at Full Sail through the remainder of the year.

“The move to USA Network provides an opportunity to deepen our relationship with NBCUniversal and further build the NXT brand,” Vince McMahon said in a press release. “Over the long term, our goal is to develop a following that can be monetized to the same level as our flagship programs, Raw and SmackDown.”

“Can’t describe this announcement in any other word than PROUD,” Paul “Triple H” Levesque tweeted. “Proud of everyone involved from day one. Proud you’ve let your voice be heard and carried the banner of this brand. Proud you’ve loudly & clearly said #WeAreNXT. And I’m proud to say, we’re just getting started.”

WWE has denied that NXT going to USA is a response to AEW, with a WWE spokesman telling Deadspin that “It isn’t called counter-programming if you continue to air a series on the same day/time as it has been on for nearly five years.” Though it may be spin, the statement has enough truth to it that WWE doesn’t look completely ridiculous. NXT (in its one-hour taped format on the WWE Network) has long been a Wednesday night show, but it’s hard to believe that WWE wouldn’t have counter-programmed AEW regardless of what night it aired on.

It’s a smart business move for WWE to give AEW competition on Wednesday nights. It’s been estimated that USA is paying WWE $30-50 million per year, though the length of the deal isn’t known. When TNA would face any competition from WWE, the ratings for Impact would decrease. AEW is going to need to put on a must-see show that has a broad coalition of viewers. They have a significant core fanbase made up of those who are already invested in The Elite, but they have to go beyond that and draw casual fans, lapsed fans, people who are dissatisfied with WWE, and others who like WWE but are willing to try out a new product. The most important thing for the future of AEW is that they build their audience and make as much money as possible on their second TV deal. Having to go against NXT is inevitably going to cannibalize some of their viewership. The only question is how big of a hit AEW is going to take.

WON NEWSLETTER: August 26, 2019 Observer Newsletter: Birth of the Wednesday Night War Details on NXT and AEW competing on Wednesday nights, plus tons of news.

The birth of the Wednesday Night War is the top story in the new edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

We discuss how the NXT to USA deal came about, when NXT wrestlers were told, how this impacts the WWE/Fox relationship, and what this means for the NXT brand, going forward.

We have details on the finances of the NXT to USA deal, and we break down the head-to-head aspect of NXT vs. AEW. We also have comments from a major television executive who gives his perspective on the deal, as well as the potential for audience burnout.

A story on the latest AEW TV taping sellouts is also featured in the new issue. We also have notes on the secondary ticket market demand for all of the AEW shows.

An obituary for Eddie Marlin is also in the new issue, with a ton of details on his life.

Also in this issue, Ryan Frederick covers this past weekend’s UFC show, and we have detailed TV ratings and business notes on the show.

We also wrap up our G1 coverage with a detailed breakdown of each individual’s star ratings for the tournament.

We have full coverage of all the WWE television shows from the past week.

As always, we have in-depth looks at the ratings of all the major shows,the key demos for the WWE shows and what can be learned from them.

We also have the results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.

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WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE
On last night’s SmackDown, The Miz challenged Shinsuke Nakamura to an Intercontinental title match at Clash of Champions. WWE has yet to officially add it to the card for the PPV.
Drake Maverick won the 24/7 title from Elias on SmackDown. The title change happened after Kevin Owens stunned Elias.
Owens tweeted out an explanation for why he didn’t go after the 24/7 title: “I have a family. I have 3 dogs and 3 cats. I have responsibilities. I can’t worry about being rolled up by some dude while I’m dropping my kids off at school or enjoying a lovely night out with my wife. Congrats @WWEMaverick, though. Have fun with all of that.”
WWE posted a video setting up Humberto Carrillo vs. Lince Dorado for next week’s 205 Live. Carrillo is challenging for Drew Gulak’s Cruiserweight title at Clash of Champions.
Cesaro got his braces off for the first time since injuring his teeth nearly two years ago.
Triple H took part in a FOX Sports town hall today.
Toni Storm spoke to Sportskeeda about the shoulder issue she dealt with prior to UK TakeOver: Cardiff: “But yeah, I did have a little bit of an issue with my shoulder and I just needed to take a break because there’s so much at stake. I’m going into the biggest match of my career so far. My biggest title defence since being champion. So I just have to actually take care of myself for a few weeks leading into this. I can’t take any risks at the moment because what we do to our bodies can be so dangerous so I’m basically just getting myself in proper condition because there’s so much at stake.”
Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was asked about potentially appearing in WWE: “With wrestling, I don’t feel like I would be a full-time wrestler, but there is one thing I’m down for. And that’s to do one crazy match. Practice it for a little bit, go out there, like in a Royal Rumble, go out there, I got my friend in WWE [Mojo Rawley], practice it and do a full-on WWE match. I’m not saying when. Maybe five years. I got the rest of my life to do that. I’ve always dreamed about doing that, just one time, going in there and going full out. That may be a possibility, one time, down the road.”
WWE uploaded the second video in their two-part series on Karen Q and the broken leg she suffered at an NXT house show last month.
Alexa Bliss wrote about the meaning of her new tattoo.
AJ Styles, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson appeared on this week’s episode of Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia.
Pro Wrestling
The semifinals and finals of ROH’s number one contender’s tournament will take place at Glory By Honor in New Orleans on October 12. The tournament will begin at next month’s Death Before Dishonor PPV and post-PPV TV tapings, with the winner getting a World title shot at Final Battle. The participants for the tournament will be revealed tomorrow and Friday.
In a post on Instagram, Brian Cage wrote that he’s in Colombia for stem cell therapy: “I know many might be upset with my inactive title reign. Trust me, no one is more disappointed than me. Right when I reach the top of the iceberg I’m dealt with nothing but set back after set back due to injury. Everytime I try to push through, I get another set back. This is not the champion I wanted to be. I wanted to be a fighting champion, not a once in a while attraction you’d see else where. And I’ve done everything possible to heal and recover, and in a timely manner. And that’s why I’m in Colombia seeking the world’s best stem cell therapy from @bioxcellerator_. I’m not gonna stop and to quote another machine, ‘I’ll be back.’” Rey Mysterio is also in Colombia getting treatment.
The Women’s title match at PROGRESS Wrestling’s Still Chasing show at Alexandra Palace on September 15 will officially be Jordynne Grace defending against Meiko Satomura.
AEW uploaded a brief ad for their Countdown to All Out special that airs on TNT at 10 p.m. Eastern time this Friday.
Starrcast posted a new promo video for CM Punk’s appearance at Starrcast III.
UFC/MMA
TMZ posted two videos of BJ Penn getting into a fight in Hawaii. One video shows Penn getting knocked out with punches on the street, while the other shows Penn later raining down punches on the same person from the other video outside of a bar. A representative for Penn told MMA Junkie that Penn was attacked first. Penn previously got into a fight with a bouncer at a strip club in June.
TMZ also reported that Anthony “Rumble” Johnson has reached a deal where he won’t have to serve jail time in his domestic violence case.
Dana White addressed the sexual assault allegation against Conor McGregor that the New York Times reported on in March: “I know zero about that. To be honest with you, the back and forth that I’ve had with him about that, it’s not him. It’s somebody else so I don’t know.”
Dana White responded to Paige VanZant saying she can make more money from sponsorships on social media than fighting in the UFC: “Good for her. That’s awesome. If a fighter can make more money doing other things, good for her.”
White said Kelvin Gastelum vs. Darren Till was booked for Till’s middleweight debut because it was the fight that Till insisted on.
Paulo Costa won’t be able to fight at middleweight in California again unless he gets clearance from the commission by proving he can fight safely at that weight.
Dustin Poirier thinks Tony Ferguson “100 percent” deserves the next lightweight title shot after UFC 242.
Carlos Condit vs. Mickey Gall is set for the UFC’s ESPN show in Washington, D.C. on December 7.

Daily Pro Wrestling History: WWF SummerSlam 1989

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The Dutch railway service NS is to pay “tens of millions” in compensation for its role in transporting 100,000 people on their way to death camps in the Second World War.

A commission established last November has recommended the railway pay €15,000 to each direct survivor, €7,500 to widows or widowers and €5,000 or €7,500 to children of the victims.

NS was commissioned by the Nazis to run special trains to Westerbork, Vught and Amerfoort – something the firm describes as “a black page” in its history.

The state-owned company was paid €2.5million in return.

Around 500 of the Jewish, Roma and Sinti people transported out of the Netherlands during the Holocaust still survive, said chairman Job Cohen.

The commission estimates that there are up to 5,500 next of kin entitled to payment, meaning the total is likely to exceed €35 million.

Roger van Boxtel, chief executive of the NS, said in a press conference that the company will make these payments. “We want to make a gesture towards those directly involved, and the question of how the NS deals with its war history is a difficult one,” he said.

“We realise though that any amount of money does not take away individual suffering.” The tax office has agreed the money will not be subject to income tax or affect any other benefits, he added.

Salo Muller, an 83-year-old Holocaust survivor whose parents were arrested and transported to the transit camp of Westerbork, then on to Auschwitz, has fought a three-year battle for individual suffering to be recognised financially.

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The former physiotherapist for the Ajax football team said he had mixed feelings. “I am happy that after six months the commission has come up with individual compensation. [But] I am not at all happy about the reason for it. This is about thousands of people who feel the suffering of the war every day – people who lost their parents, brothers, nieces, nephews. It is a tragic situation.”

Liesbeth Zegveld, Mr Muller’s laywer, told The Daily Telegraph that he and his wife Conny van der Sluijs would receive €30,000, as her parents were also deported.

“This is a recognition,” she said. “It is a small piece in a process that will never end, but for Salo and perhaps for others who believe in their own rights, this indicates that justice does exist.”

She added that the level of compensation was a baseline, but they were happy that it would go to all next of kin: “The compensation could be higher – but we don’t want the Dutch railways to go bankrupt!”

Kamala Harris, one of two African-Americans in the race for the Democrat presidential nomination, staked her claim as a leading candidate with an attack on front-runner Joe Biden’s race record.

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Ms Harris, the US senator from California, drew much of the attention in the second round of opening debates when she challenge Mr Biden on his past comments about segregationists.

Mr Biden has faced a swirl of controversy in recent weeks after touting his ability to work with politicians he vehemently disagreed with during his long career in the Senate – including Republicans who supported segregation.

During an emotional exchange, Ms Harris turned to Mr Biden unprompted and said "I do not believe you are a racist" but added that she had found his comments personally "hurtful".

She went on to question why in the past he had opposed "bussing" – the policy of transporting children of different races by buses to break down segregation in schools – and noted that she had personally benefited from the policy as she appeared close to tears.

Kamala Harris came out on top after a surprise attack on Joe BidenCredit:
CARLO ALLEGRI/ REUTERS

"That is a mischaracterisation of my position across the board. I did not praise racists. That is not true," Mr Biden said of the attack over his comments about working with Republicans.

He added that he had opposed the policy of busing being adopted by the federal government but backed the right for local authorities to take the move if wanted. Mr Biden also defended his civil rights record during the Obama years.

The exchange – the most heated of the night – exemplified the difficulty Mr Biden faces as he attempts to convince Democrat voters he is the person to reform America in 2020 while defending a political record stretching back almost half a century.

There was a little girl in California who was bussed to school. That little girl was me. #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/XKm2xP1MDH

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) June 28, 2019

In a bruising night for the former vice president, Mr Biden was told to "pass the torch" of Democratic leadership by a younger rival as he was repeatedly pinned back by other candidates.

Many of the attempts to put the spotlight on Mr Biden, who consistently enjoys a substantial lead over the rest of the pack in opinion polls, appeared to be premeditated.

The 76-year-old pushed back by defending his more moderate positions on healthcare, tax reform and climate change, often pointing to his record as Barack Obama’s deputy for eight years to show he can deliver.

Away from the ‘blue-on-blue’ attacks, there were other moments of unity – not least when all 10 candidates on stage at the Miami debate said their healthcare plans would cover undocumented migrants.

The show of hands prompted a gleeful response from Donald Trump, the US president who managed to follow events despite being in Japan for the G20 summit. He tweeted: "That’s the end of that race!"

But many of the standout moments in the second night of debates between Democrats hoping to take on Mr Trump in the 2020 election involved Mr Biden being challenged by others on the stage.

Democrat candidates

In one such clash, Eric Swalwell, the 38-year-old US congressman from California, quoted comments Mr Biden made in the 1980s when he first sought the White House.

"I was six years old when a presidential candidate came to the California democratic convention and said it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation of Americans," Mr Swalwell said.

"That candidate was then-senator Joe Biden. Joe Biden was right when he said it was time to pass the torch to a new generation of Americans 32 years ago, he’s still right today."

Mr Swalwell added that the only way to tackle issues like climate change, gun violence and student loan debt was to "pass the torch", deploying the phrase repeatedly. Mr Biden shot back: "I’m still holding on to that torch."

Bernie Sanders, the democratic socialist senator who came second in the party’s 2016 nominee race, also attacked Mr Biden on the issue of Iraq.

Democratic presidential candidates former vice president Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie SandersCredit:
AP

As Mr Biden explained away his decision to support the Iraq invasion in 2003, Mr Sanders said: "Joe voted for that war. I helped lead the opposition to that war." Mr Sanders is currently second in most polls behind Mr Biden.

Elsewhere during the two-hour debate, the other candidates attempted to introduce themselves to the millions of Americans watching along on television – many of whom will be unfamiliar with their policy stances.

The other six candidates present were US senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Michael Bennet, South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper, entrepreneur Andrew Yang and author Marianne Williamson.

Healthcare proved one issue that split the field. Some candidates like Mr Sanders backed replacing all private health insurance with a public option while others – such as Mr Biden – supported more incremental change, building on Barack Obama’s flagship ‘Obamacare’ legislation.

When candidates were asked by moderators at NBC, the TV broadcaster hosting the event, whether their healthcare plan would cover undocumented migrants all 10 politicians raised their hand.

It led Mr Trump to tweet: "All Democrats just raised their hands for giving millions of illegal aliens unlimited healthcare. How about taking care of American Citizens first!? That’s the end of that race!"

All Democrats just raised their hands for giving millions of illegal aliens unlimited healthcare. How about taking care of American Citizens first!? That’s the end of that race!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 28, 2019

It was his only tweet during the debate. Mr Trump has repeatedly said during campaign rallies that he sees the Democratic position on immigration as a voter winner for his re-election campaign.

Other areas of common ground included rejoining the Paris climate change agreement, ending child migrant detention centres, protecting abortion rights and acting to tackle gun violence.

One question that split candidates was which ally they would call first to improve relations after four years of the Trump presidency. Numerous candidates said the members of Nato, the UN and China. Others named Russia and Iran.

It remains to be seen if the skirmishes dent Mr Biden’s poll lead. Around 30 per cent of Democrats currently would vote for him to be the party’s nominee, according to nationwide opinion polls. The second place candidate tends to be at least 10 percentage points behind.

More debates are to be held in almost every remaining month of this year before the first states begin voting for their nominee in February 2019.

A victor will be crowned at the Democratic national convention in July 2020, ready to take on Mr Trump at the presidential election on November 3.

Khalid Al Qasimi – a fashion designer and son of the Emir of Sharjah – has died aged 39.

The Crown Prince and second son of Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi founded an eponymous fashion brand in 2016 and had shown collections at London and Paris Fashion weeks.

Three days of mourning have been announced in the United Arab emirate following the death of the "great philosopher and artist" in the UK.

Photographer Mariano Vivanco was among those paying tribute, calling him "my angel".

His father posted on Instagram about the death, saying: "The arrival of the body of the deceased and prayers upon him will be announced."

Khalid Al Qasimi studied architecture and fashion design at Central Saint Martins in London and was the brother of Sheikh Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, who died of a heroin overdose in 1999.

The ruler of the Emirate state of Sharjah found his eldest son dead on the floor of his quarters in the family’s £3 million English manor house in Sussex, an inquest heard.

A statement on the Qasimi website said: "Khalid was praised for his tenacious yet sensitive exploration of social-political issues, particularly pertaining to the Middle East and its sometimes strained relationship with the West, a subject very close to his heart and upbringing.

"His goal was to create ‘a world of beautifully crafted products infused with cultural, social and political undertones to inform and inspire’.

"The design world has lost a great philosopher and artist."

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California has become the first US state to ban discrimination against black hairstyles such as braids, twists and locks.

California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, signed the law yesterday making it illegal to discriminate against natural black hairstyles in schools and workplaces.

The law makes California the first state to explicitly recognise that those hairstyles are associated with race and therefore protected against discrimination in the workplace and in schools.

It comes after years of nationwide reports of African American school students being sent home over braids or natural styles that violated dress code rules.

"We are changing the course of history, hopefully, across this country by acknowledging that what has been defined as professional hair styles and attire in the work place has historically been based on a Euro-centric model – based on straight hair," said Holly Mitchell, the state senator who introduced the bill.

Alikah Hatchett-Fall, who runs Sacred Crowns Salon in Sacramento, said she has black men come into her salon asking to have their hair cut off because they cannot find jobs.

She said the new legislation "means that psychologically and mentally people can be at ease and be able to get the jobs they want, keep the jobs they want, and get promoted at the jobs they want."

The law, which takes effect on January 1, is significant because federal courts have historically held that hair is a characteristic that can be changed, meaning there’s no basis for discrimination complaints based on hairstyle.

The US Supreme Court recently declined to hear the case of an Alabama woman who said she did not get a job because she refused to change her hair.

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The issue gained exposure last December, when a black high school wrestler in New Jersey was told by a referee that he had to cut off his dreadlocks if he wanted to compete.

California’s Democratic governor said the incident was a clear example of the discrimination black Americans face.

Britain is planning to send more troops to Syria to support partner forces in the fight against Isil, after pressure from the US to pick up slack as it begins its drawdown, it has been reported.

The UK has never made public the number of special forces it has operating in Syria, but it is thought to be several dozen.

Both the UK and France – the only other US allies on the ground – are said to be prepared to increase their commitment by 10-15 per cent each, according to US official quoted in Foreign Policy, who said they would be asking for financial assistance in return.

The Ministry of Defence declined to comment. Germany on Monday rejected a similar request from Washington to increase their military contribution, saying it was only prepared to offer “non-combat assistance”.

The official told Foreign Policy that “overall we have been disappointed” in efforts to persuade America’s allies to commit additional resources to the country, where the war has been raging for more than eight years.

A female sniper of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) monitors the area during a celebration at the iconic Al-Naim square in Raqqa on October 19, 2017,Credit:
AFP

President Donald Trump in December declared a complete withdrawal of the US’s some 2,000 troops from Syria, an announcement that took even his own advisers by surprise.

Senior officials and diplomats privately called the decision hasty, warning the Islamic State would continue to pose a serious threat even after its territorial defeat.

The move prompted the resignation of James Mattis, then the Defense Secretary, Brett McGurk, the former special presidential envoy for the global coalition to counter Isil, and a number of other top officials. Mr Trump later partially reversed the decision, saying several hundred troops would remain to support the coalition’s ally, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The Pentagon and the US intelligence community have warned that Isil still has thousands of sympathisers across northeastern Syria, and a swift withdrawal risked leaving a power vacuum they could exploit.

The Kurdish-led SDF has also called for Western troops to remain on the ground in northeastern Syria, where Kurdish fighters are battling to defeat sleeper cells.

A US soldier, left, sits on an armored vehicle behind a sand barrier at a newly installed position near the front line in Manbij, northern SyriaCredit:
AP

“The US is repeating a critical mistake by deprioritising this effort at a pivotal moment when our gains are at their most fragile,” warned a new report by the Institute for the Study of War.

“The US must take immediate steps to dampen ISIS’s resurgence in Iraq and Syria, including halting and reversing America’s ongoing withdrawal from Syria.” Britain has maintained troops in Syria since 2014, largely operating out of a US base in the east of the country and carrying out reconnaissance missions.

However, it is also thought to have taken part in frontline fighting with the jihadists in key battles in Isil’s former “capital” Raqqa and their final stronghold in Deir Ezzor. A unit came under attack by Isil RPG fire earlier this year, which left two injured.

Isil fighters escaping the jihadists' remaining territory in Syria walk to where they will be interrogated by coalition forces near Baghuz, in northeastern SyriaCredit:
Sam Tarling

And in March 2018, Sergeant Matt Tonroe, 33, from the 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, was killed in Syria while embedded with US forces as part of a counter-terrorism operation.

Earlier this week, Theresa May, Prime Minister, paid tribute to British forces in Syria, hailing troops who “have helped destroy the territorial caliphate of Daesh (Isil), and who continue the fight against the evil it stands for”.

The commitment is being portrayed as a major victory for Mr Trump, who had campaigned on reducing US footprint in the Middle East.

Some even suggested yesterday that the UK’s decision was made to remind the US that Britain remained an important ally after an embarrassing leak of diplomatic cables revealed unfavourable remarks about Mr Trump made by Sir Kim Darroch, the UK’s ambassador to the US.

The opening of two tombs inside the Vatican in the search for the possible remains of a girl missing for three decades on Thursday led to yet another mystery: the tombs were completely empty.

The inspection, which took about two hours early on Thursday, sprung from the tireless efforts of the family of Emanuela Orlandi, a 15 years-old Vatican citizen who disappeared in the summer of 1983, to shed light over the fate of the girl.

The Vatican gave the green light to the exhumations after the Orlandi family received an anonymous note last summer, hinting that the girl’s remains might be in one of the two graves located in the Vatican’s Teutonic Cemetery.

According to the letter, Ms Orlandi’s body would have been found in the tomb which is pointed to by an angel on the cemetery wall holding a sheet saying: “Rest in peace.”

The two adjacent tombs unsealed were the “Tomb of the Angel,” of Princess Sophie von Hohenlohe, who died in 1836, and the tomb of Princess Carlotta Federica of Mecklemburg, who died in 1840.

The case of Emanuela Orlandi is one of Italy's most high-profile mysteriesCredit:
FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images

The heirs of one of the two princesses, Ms Orlandi’s relatives and their lawyer, forensics experts and the Vatican police were all present as the tombs were unsealed.

In a statement released after a couple hours of work, Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said the operation had “produced negative results: no human findings or funerary urns were found” in either of the tombs.

Not only did the tombs not contain any remains appearing to belong to a teenager from the 1980s, but neither were any belonging to the 19th century princesses recovered.

“That was a real surprise, the least expected outcome of this search,” said Laura Sgro, the Orlandi family lawyer, talking to reporters after the inspection.

The Vatican said on Thursday it will make further checks to understand if the remains of the two princesses have been somehow moved over the years during the cemetery’s renovation works.

Orlandi, the daughter of a Vatican bank’s employee, disappeared after leaving her family’s Vatican City apartment for a music lesson in Rome on June 22,1983.

Her fate has been one of Italy’s most persistent mysteries. Over the years, many rumours have swirled about what happened to her – including conspiracies tied to the Mafia, the Vatican bank scandal and the plot to assassinate Pope John Paul II.

Iran will waive visas for Chinese visitors as early as the end of July in a bid to boost the economy, faltering under the weight of US sanctions.

Tourism officials have said they hope to attract as many as two million Chinese a year to Iran, a massive increase from the 52,000 Chinese visiting last year.

Tapping into the Chinese tourism market could pay off in the long run. China has the world’s most outbound tourists. Last year the Chinese made nearly 150 million trips abroad, spending a whopping £233 billion overseas. And those numbers are expected to grow as more Chinese apply for passports. Now only nine per cent of the country’s 1.4 billion people hold passports.

Iran’s economy has been sliding toward recession after the US reimposed sanctions last November, heavily targeting vital oil exports and international financial transactions.

The country’s GDP is expected to shrink by 6 per cent this year, a further slide from last year’s 3.9 per cent contraction; inflation could reach 40 percent, according to the International Monetary Fund.

In response, Tehran has been looking for other ways to boost the government’s non-oil revenues. Tourism is seen as an “unsanctionable” sector,” tourism board chief Ali Asghar Mounesan told IRNA, a state media agency, in June.

In an earlier move to support tourism, Iran announced last August that it would no longer stamp visitors’ passports, allowing some to bypass a US entry ban on travellers who have visited the country.

China, one of the remaining partners in the nuclear deal that the US withdrew from last year, has openly defied the sanctions and continued to buy Iranian oil.

Tehran has threatened to abandon commitments under the nuclear deal, such as uranium stock limits, unless other countries still part of the deal – including the UK – help it to circumvent sanctions.

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Air France should stand trial for negligence and manslaughter over the 2009 crash of a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris in which 228 people died, French public prosecutors have advised.

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After a 10-year investigation into the disaster, prosecutors have concluded that the airline was aware of technical problems with a key airspeed monitoring instrument on its planes but failed to train pilots to resolve them, a judicial source said on Wednesday.

Air France and the aircraft manufacturer Airbus were both placed under formal investigation for manslaughter in 2011 but prosecutors have now recommended that investigating judges drop the case against Airbus while Air France should be charged with both manslaughter and negligence.

Their advice will anger families of victims who want the European plane maker to be tried alongside Air France.

The judges in charge of the case are not bound to follow the prosecutors’ advice, but must take it into account in deciding whether to order a trial.

Air France will be able to appeal against any decision to bring the case to court.

The French air crash investigations agency, BEA, concluded in 2012 that the ill-prepared crew had failed to react correctly when flight AF447 stalled and lost altitude after the speed sensors froze up during a storm on June 1, 2009. Instead of levelling off or descending to pick up speed, the crew ignored repeated stall alerts and kept trying to climb.

The Airbus A330 plunged into the Atlantic in a crash likely to have been caused by ice crystals obstructing the plane’s Pitot tubes, which are small, forward-facing ducts that use airflow to measure airspeed, the investigators said.

It was Air France’s deadliest plane crash and the worst accident involving an Airbus 330. There were no survivors.

The Brazilian navy recovered some wreckage and two bodies within five days of the disaster, but the investigation was delayed because the aircraft’s flight recorders were not retrieved from the ocean floor until nearly two years later. Remote-controlled submarines eventually found remaining wreckage at a depth of 3,900 metres (12,795 ft).

Aircraft safety has been thrust into the spotlight following two crashes of 737 Max airliners made by the US manufacturer Boeing this year, leading to the grounding of the jets worldwide.

Month: July 2020

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