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The Heathcote river as it rises to high levels in Christchurch, New Zealand. Heavy rain across the South Island in the last 24 hours has caused widespread damage and flooding with Dunedin, Waitaki, Timaru and the wider Otago region declaring a state of emergency.

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A mourner prays at a memorial during an event to commemorate the first anniversary of the shooting spree that one year ago left ten people dead, including the shooter in Munich, Germany. One year ago 18-year-old student David S. shot nine people dead and injured four others at and near a McDonalds restaurant and the Olympia Einkaufszentrum shopping center. After a city-wide manhunt that caused mass panic and injuries David S. shot himself in a park. According to police David S., who had dual German and Iranian citizenship, had a history of mental troubles.

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Palestinians react following tear gas that was shot by Israeli forces after Friday prayer on a street outside Jerusalem's Old City

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Ousted former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra greets supporters as she arrives at the Supreme Court in Bangkok, Thailand

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Marek Suski of Law and Justice (PiS) (C) party scuffles with Miroslaw Suchon (2nd L) of Modern party (.Nowoczesna) as Michal Szczerba of Civic Platform (PO) (L) party holds up a copy of the Polish Constitution during the parliamentary Commission on Justice and Human Rights voting on the opposition's amendments to the bill that calls for an overhaul of the Supreme Court in Warsaw

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A firefighter stands near a grass fire as he prepares to defend a home from the Detwiler fire in Mariposa, California

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Michael Lindell ,CEO of My Pillow reacts as U.S. President Donald Trump attends a Made in America roundtable meeting in the East Room of the White House

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Giant pandas lie beside ice blocks at Yangjiaping Zoo in Chongqing, China. Yangjiaping Zoo provided huge ice blocks for giant pandas to help them remove summer heat

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People ride camels in the desert in Dunhuang, China, as stage 10 of The Silkway Rally continues

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17th FINA World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Team North Korea practice under coach supervision

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IAAF World ParaAthletics Championships - London, Britain - July 17, 2017

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Workers check power lines during maintenance work in Laian, in China's eastern Anhui province

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Russia Kamaz's driver Dmitry Sotnikov, co-drivers Ruslan Akhmadeev and Ilnur Mustafin compete during the Stage 9 of the Silk Way 2017 between Urumqi and Hami, China

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Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull talks with Special Operations Command soldiers during a visit to the Australian Army's Holsworthy Barracks in western Sydney

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Men in traditional sailor costumes celebrate after carrying a statue of the El Carmen Virgin, who is worshipped as the patron saint of sailors, into the Mediterranean Sea during a procession in Torremolinos, near Malaga, Spain

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People participate in a protest in front of the Sejm building (the lower house of the Polish parliament) in Warsaw, Poland. The demonstration was organized by Committee for the Defense of Democracy (KOD). Members and supporters of the KOD and opposition parties protested against changes in the judicial law and the Supreme Court

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People prepare to swim with a portrait of late Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong on the bank of the Yangtze River in Yichang, Hubei province, China to celebrate the 51st anniversary of Chairman Mao swimming in the Yangtze River.

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A woman takes a selfie picture with her mobile phone next to the statue of Omer Halisdemir in Istanbul, in front of a memorial with the names of people killed last year during the failed coup attempt .

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French President Emmanuel Macron gestures next to US President Donald Trump during the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris.

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Philippine National Police chief Ronald Bato Dela Rosa holds an M60 machine gun during a Gun and Ammunition show at a mall in Mandaluyong city, metro Manila, Philippines

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Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker embrace before the EU-Ukraine summit in Kiev, Ukraine

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US President Donald Trump (R) and First Lady Melania Trump disembark form Air Force One upon arrival at Paris Orly airport on July 13, 2017, beginning a 24-hour trip that coincides with France's national day and the 100th anniversary of US involvement in World War I

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Iraqis walk on a damaged street in west Mosul a few days after the government's announcement of the liberation of the embattled city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters

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Iraqi boys wash a vehicle in west Mosul a few days after the government's announcement of the liberation of the embattled city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters

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Afghan policeman pour fuel over jerry cans containing confiscated acetic acid before setting it alight on the outskirts of Herat. Some 15,000 liters of acetic acid, often mixed with heroin, were destroyed by counter narcotics police

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Residents stand amid the debris of their homes which were torn down in the evicted area of the Bukit Duri neighbourhood located on the Ciliwung river banks in Jakarta

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Boys play cricket at a parking lot as it rains in Chandigarh, India

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Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the 22nd World Petroleum Congress (WPC) in Istanbul

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Police from the anti-terror squad participate in an anti-terror performance among Acehnese dancers during a ceremony to commemorate the 71st anniversary of the Indonesian police corps in Banda Aceh

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New Mongolia's president Khaltmaa Battulga takes an oath during his inauguration ceremony in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

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US army 1st Division, US air force, US Navy and US Marines, march down the Champs Elysees, with the Arc de Triomphe in the background, in Paris during a rehearsal of the annual Bastille Day military parade

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Participants run ahead of Puerto de San Lorenzo's fighting bulls during the third bull run of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, northern Spain. Each day at 8:00 am hundreds of people race with six bulls, charging along a winding, 848.6-metre (more than half a mile) course through narrow streets to the city's bull ring, where the animals are killed in a bullfight or corrida, during this festival, immortalised in Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises" and dating back to medieval times and also featuring religious processions, folk dancing, concerts and round-the-clock drinking.

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Iraqi women, who fled the fighting between government forces and Islamic State (IS) group jihadists in the Old City of Mosul, cry as they stand in the city's western industrial district awaiting to be relocated

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US President Donald Trump arrives for another working session during the G20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany

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People climb up on a roof to get a view during riots in Hamburg, northern Germany, where leaders of the world's top economies gather for a G20 summit

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A military helicopter rescues people trapped on the roof of the Ministry of Finance by an intense fire in San Salvador

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Donald Trump arrives to deliver a speech at Krasinski Square in Warsaw, Poland.

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A firefighter conducts rescue operations in an area damaged by heavy rain in Asakura, Japan.

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Anti-capitalism activists protest in Hamburg, where leaders of the worlds top economies will gather for a G20 summit.

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Crowds gather for the start of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain.

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A member of the Iraqi security forces runs with his weapon during a fight between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq.

A U.S. MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile is fired during the combined military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea against North Korea at an undisclosed location in South Korea

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North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un looks on during the test-fire of inter-continental ballistic missile Hwasong-14

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Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during a signing ceremony following the talks at the Kremlin

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Belarussian servicemen march during a military parade as part of celebrations marking the Independence Day in Minsk, Belarus

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Ambulance cars and fire engines are seen near the site where a coach burst into flames after colliding with a lorry on a motorway near Muenchberg, Germany

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Protesters demonstrating against the upcoming G20 economic summit ride boats on Inner Alster lake during a protest march in Hamburg, Germany. Hamburg will host the upcoming G20 summit and is expecting heavy protests throughout.

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Protesters carry a large image of jailed Chinese Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo as they march during the annual pro-democracy protest in Hong Kong. Thousands joined an annual protest march in Hong Kong, hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up his visit to the city by warning against challenges to Beijing's sovereignty.

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Jockey Andrea Coghe of "Selva" (Forest) parish rides his horse during the first practice for the Palio Horse Race in Siena, Italy June 30, 2017

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A man takes pictures with a phone with a Union Flag casing after Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) inspected troops at the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Hong Kong Garrison as part of events marking the 20th anniversary of the city's handover from British to Chinese rule, in Hong Kong, China June 30, 2017

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A protester against U.S. President Donald Trump's limited travel ban, approved by the U.S. Supreme Court, holds a sign next to protesters supporting the ban, in New York City, U.S., June 29, 2017

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Iran seizes Saudi Arabian fishing boat and arrests crew as tensions escalate in Persian Gulf - The Independent

This woman is posing at her peril.

Saba Homami, 25, was once a member of a group of women in Iran forbidden from modeling without wearing a hijab who charmed the camera in secret as part of the countrys underground modeling industry, according to a report.

Back in September 2015, Homami, who is based in Tehran, strutted down the catwalk in a bare-armed and bare-backed bridal dress for the first public fashion show since the countrys 1979 revolution.

It was so cool, so exciting, she told the Sunday Times of London. Unfortunately, it turned out it was the first and last.

After that show, models, stylists, designers and photographers were forced to appear before the countrys courts to apologize for moral degradation and a modeling school and agency were shuttered, the Sunday Times reported.

Now, modeling in Iran only takes place in private houses, and the images appear only on a private network. Bloggers who operate the modeling pages have both public sites featuring the women wearing hijabs and private ones showing them without the required head coverings, according to the report.

Homami no longer models underground because its too dangerous, she told the paper.

For $100 a day, the risks are high, she said.

She has decided to move to Paris to continue her modeling career.

Continued here:
Inside Iran's underground modeling industry - New York Post

After a contentious meeting with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson this week, President Donald Trump instructed a group of trusted White House staffers to make the potential case for withholding certification of Iran at the next 90-day review of the nuclear deal. The goal was to give Trump what he felt the State Department had failed to do: the option to declare that Tehran was not in compliance with the contentious agreement.

The president assigned White House staffers with the task of preparing for the possibility of decertification for the 90-day review period that ends in October a task he had previously given to Secretary Tillerson and the State Department, a source close to the White House told Foreign Policy.

The agreement, negotiated between Iran and world powers, placed strict limits on Tehrans nuclear program in return for lifting an array of economic sanctions.

On Tuesday, Trump relayed this new assignment to a group of White House staffers now tasked with making sure there will not be a repeat at the next 90-day review. This is the president telling the White House that he wants to be in a place to decertify 90 days from now and its their job to put him there, the source said.

FP spoke with three sources who were either invited to take part in the new process or were briefed on the presidents decision on certification. All described the new process as a way to work around the State Department, which the president felt pushed certification forward by giving him no other options.

All three sources said Trump specifically asked Tillerson at the previous review to lay the groundwork for decertification which the sources said Tillerson failed to do.

Trump is resolved to not recertify deal in 90 days, said a second source with detailed knowledge of this weeks meeting and the aftermath.

The three sources said its too early to tell how this will play out, stressing that all that is certain is that the staffers have gotten a new assignment and there wont be any more details until after the first meeting, tentatively scheduled for early next week.

Trumps decision follows months of friction between the White House and State Department over how to handle the Iran nuclear agreement, which Trump denounced as a presidential candidate. The administration was mired in similar divisions in April, when it had to decide whether to certify that Iran was complying with the deal. Every 90 days, the United States has to declare whether Iran is abiding by the agreement and whether sanctions that were waived should remain lifted.

On Monday morning, work was on track for the administration to again certify that Iran was meeting the necessary conditions, but the president expressed second thoughts around midday. A meeting between Trump and Tillerson that afternoon quickly turned into a meltdown.

A third source with intimate knowledge of that meeting said Steve Bannon, the White House chief strategist, and Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to the president, were particularly vocal, repeatedly asking Tillerson to explain the U.S. national security benefits of certification. They repeatedly questioned Rex about why recertifying would be good for U.S. national security, and Rex was unable to answer, the source said.

The president kept demanding why he should certify, and the answers Tillerson gave him infuriated him, the source added.

Tillersons communications advisor, R.C. Hammond, disputed the account, denying that Tillerson failed to deliver what the president had asked for or that he would be sidelined. That wouldnt match up with the conversations the president and secretary had, he said.

Not everybody in the room agreed with what the secretary was saying, Hammond added. But the president is certainly appreciative that someone is giving him clear, coherent information.

While Trump has spoken highly of Tillerson in the past, the source close to the White House said, the president was frustrated that the secretary failed to provide him the option not to certify.

This is about the president asking Tillerson at the last certification meeting 90 days earlier to lay the groundwork so Trump could consider his options, the first source said. Tillerson did not do this, and Trump is infuriated. He cant trust his secretary of state to do his job, so he is turning to the few White House staffers he trusts the most.

Hammond dismissed this. Fiction can be fun when youre an anonymous source, he said.

At the previous review in April, Trump had asked Tillerson for specific preparations, which included speaking with foreign allies and to make sure they were on board. Literally Tillerson did none of this, the source said. Simply, [Trump] no longer trusts the State Department to do the work he orders them to do, in order to provide him the options he wants to have.

The two other sources declined to go into specifics about what Tillerson did not do, only stressing that Trump no longer has faith in the secretary, who simply did not carry out an assignment from him.

But it was not only Tillerson who argued for certifying that Iran was living up to the deal. Defense Secretary James Mattis, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford, also backed the move.

One White House official acknowledged the presidents deep frustration at the options he was presented on the nuclear deal but argued that it was not fair to say Tillerson and the State Department were solely at fault. The White House National Security Council also bears responsibility for overseeing policymaking and preparing options for the president.

I wouldnt put all the blame on them, the official said of the State Department.

Trump, however, was clearly upset that Tillerson told him he had no choice but to certify Iran was in compliance, according to the source, and asked White House staffers to take over. Withholding certification wasnt a real option available to me, Trump reportedly told the staffers. Make sure thats not the case 90 days from now.

Trump may still choose to certify Irans compliance at the next deadline, a source said, but he does not want to be in the position of where he was this week, when he was told that he had to certify because no other option was made available.

He may not decertify, though I think he will, the source said. But he wants to make sure he never, ever, ever hears again that he cant do it.

The three sources told FP that, as of Friday, several NSC staffers are expected to be involved including top Middle East advisor Derek Harvey; Joel Rayburn, the director for Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, and Syria; Michael Anton, who handles strategic communications; and Victoria Coates, who works as Antons deputy on strategic communications. Bannon and Gorka, who are both regarded as Iran hawks, are also expected to take part.

Anton, who serves as the NSC spokesman, declined to comment.

Career diplomats at the State Department, who were involved in the negotiations and the initial implementation of the deal under former President Barack Obama, have argued that the agreement is vital as it blocks Irans path to a nuclear weapon. And they say the benefits outweigh the risks and uncertainties of entering into a confrontation with Tehran over the issue while also avoiding a rupture with European allies that are committed to the deal and that will oppose reimposing sanctions lifted under the accord.

Although most of Trumps deputies endorsed certifying that Iran was abiding by the deal, one senior figure has emerged in favor of a more aggressive approach CIA Director Mike Pompeo. At White House deliberations, the former lawmaker opposed certifying Iran while suggesting Congress weigh in on the issue, officials and sources close to the administration said. As a congressman, Pompeo was a fierce critic of the deal.

The CIA declined to comment about Pompeos stance on certifying Iran.

The move to sideline Foggy Bottom will likely confirm the worst fears of State Department officials, who expected some form of backlash from the White House given Trumps stance during the 2016 campaign and the appointment of those seen as Iran hawks.

Tillerson is trying to be a counterweight against the hard-liners, trying to save the [nuclear deal], but how long can that last? one senior State Department official told FP, speaking on condition of anonymity. The White House, they see the State Department as the swamp.

Photo credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images

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Trump Assigns White House Team to Target Iran Nuclear Deal, Sidelining State Department - Foreign Policy (blog)

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net

Games Today

(Taipei Peace Basketball Hall)

11 a.m. Atletas All-Stars Lithuania vs Iraq

1 p.m. Canada 150 vs Chinese Taipei B

3 p.m. India vs Japan

5 p.m. Gilas Pilipinas vs Iran

7 p.m. Chinese Taipei A vs South Korea

TAIPEI Out of the medal but already having gained a wealth of experience for his young players, coach Chot Reyes wants just one more thing as Gilas Pilipinas winds up its participation in the 39thJones Cup Invitational.

We have to finish strong, Reyes said as the Filipinos lock horns with an equally young Iran side in the second-to-last game that takes the curtains down on this 10-team, nine-nation event at Taipei Peace Basketballl Hallon Sunday.

We want to make sure that we finish this tournament on a high note, he added as his squad regarded as the Philippines future national team take on an Iranian team that also left its veterans and best players back home.

They have their upcoming players, just like us, Reyes went on as the match takes place at5 p.m.Its going to be a good test for both teams.

The Philippines will take a 5-3 card into the game, having lost to Canada 150, South Korea and Lithuania, teams that are really stronger than Gilas on paper with the Canadians parading an all-pro team, the Koreans represented by their national squad and the Lithuanians simply bigger and more talented.

Iran left the likes of Hamed Haddadi, Mohammad Jamshidi, Mahdi Khamrani and Nikka Bahrami back home, trying to keep them fresh for the World Cup Qualifying starting in November.

Team Philippines has all the momentum it needs coming into the game, having torn India to shreds, 101-70 on Saturday after getting its lesser lights to deliver.

Almond Vosotros and Von Pessumal came off the bench to shoot 14 points each as Reyes was able to rest some of his starters. They four triples each in a combined 17 attempts that helped the Filipinos break away.

We wanted to give a lot of minutes to the guys (young players), Reyes said. One of our objectives for participating here was to prepare our SEAG (Southeast Asian Games lineup) and Von and Almond are integral parts of that lineup.

Were just thankful for the opportunity to play, Pessumal, the former Eagle in the UAAP, said. We knew our teammates were tired after seven straight games and we had the mindset of helping the team. We just stayed ready while waiting for the opportunity.

Mike Tolomia, Ed Daquioag and Fonzo Gotladera also saw major minutes, with Carl Cruz giving out his usual contributions. All of them will be in Kuala Lumpur eyeing the Philippines 18thgold medal in the biennial meet.

It was just a great testament to our players that they are ready despite not getting the minutes (in the past games), Reyes said with pride. Thats why we brought the kind of players we brought here for depth.

Tolomia played 25 minutes and finished with eight points and five assists.

The Scores:

GILAS PILIPINAS101 Wright 19, Pessumal 14, Vosotros 14, Standhardinger 10, Cruz 9, Daquioag 8, Tolomia 8, Jalalon 7, Jose 4, Myers 4, Gotladera 2, Ravena 2.

INDIA70 Gill 25, Pandi 14, Sivakumar 7, Poiyamoshi 5, Philip 5, G. Hafeez 5, Gill 4, Gowda 3, Reddy 2.

Quarters: 27-24; 54-31; 80-55; 101-70.

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Gilas 'has to finish strong' as PH faces Iran in Jones Cup closer - Inquirer.net

A statement released by the White House Friday said the Trump administration is "redoubling" its efforts to bring home Americans "unjustly detained" abroad.

The statement mentioned three Americans specifically by name: Robert Levinson and Siamak and Baquer Namazi. Levinson has been held captive in Iran for over 10 years and The Namazis were taken during the Obama administration, according to the statement.

"The United States condemns hostage takers and nations that continue to take hostages and detain our citizens without just cause or due process. For nearly forty years, Iran has used detentions and hostage taking as a tool of state policy, a practice that continues to this day with the recent sentencing of Xiyue Wang to ten years in prison," the statement read.

The statement urged that Iran is responsible for the care and well being of all US citizens it has in its custody. It added that Trump is willing to impose new consequence unless all "unjustly imprisoned' American citizens are released by Iran.

The State Department announced on Friday it will authorize a geographical travel on US nationals visiting the country because of "mounting concerns over the serious risk of arrest and long-term detention."

The decision follows the June release of US citizen Otto Warmbier, who was arrested last year while on a sightseeing tour to North Korea. After being held prisoner by North Korea for 17 months, Warmbier was handed over to the US in a vegetative state. He died a few days later in Ohio.

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White House demands release of US prisoners in Iran or face 'serious consequences' - CNN