Theresa May protest song 'liar liar' hits No 1 on iTunes

A song describing Prime Minister Theresa May as a "liar" and calling the country "broken" has become the most downloaded on iTunes.

But although Captain Ska's anti-Tory song Liar Liar is proving popular among downloads, it is unlikely to be playing on a radio near you any time soon.

Liar Liar is set be the highest new entry on the UK Official Singles Chart this week, but impartiality rules during the election period mean it is unlikely to get radio air time, regardless of chart position.

The Big Top 40 show on Heart and Capital FM has banned the song from being played.

Image:In her bid to stay in No 10, Theresa May may be unintentionally making her way to No 1

The song samples clips of Tory speeches and has the chorus "She's a liar liar, you can't trust her, no, no, no".

Another lyric talks about the NHS, saying: "When there's nurses going hungry and schools in decline, I don't recognise this broken country of mine."

Other lyrics by the London-based ska band focus on poverty levels, schools and police cuts.

The seven-piece group is made up of session musicians who have performed with Vampire Weekend, Paloma Faith and The Streets.

Describing their music as "new wave political", the band said: "The success of this song shows people are fed up with this government of the rich, for the rich.

"We're overwhelmed with the support and our message is that people do have the power to change society if we act together."

All proceeds raised from the song between now and election day will be split between food banks and campaign group The People's Assembly Against Austerity.

The song was released on Friday, but an earlier version of the song released in 2010 in response to the coalition government reached number 1 in the UK reggae chart and number 89 in the official charts.

Meanwhile, a host of grime artists have come out in support of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Mr Corbyn has received the support of rappers Stormzy, JME and Akala among others, who have been urging their social media followers to vote Labour.

There has even been a #Grime4Corbyn campaign offering those who sign up the chance to win tickets to a secret rave due to take place before the General Election.

US test-fires interceptor at intercontinental ballistic missile

The US military has carried out the first test of a missile defence system against an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Officials said the test of the Ground Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California was successful.

Pentagon officials said the test was to simulate the capability for responding to a hypothetical North Korean ICBM.

The ICBM was launched from Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific and was be equipped with a warhead which would approximate the qualities of a nuclear warhead.

The GMD interceptors carry no warheads themselves but rely on the kinetic energy of their impact to destroy the incoming missile.

Kinetic energy hits are intended to minimise the risk of detonating conventional warheads, including nuclear tipped ballistic missiles.

Image:The missile defence system is similar to the THAAD deployed in South Korea. File pic

It is a similar missile defence system to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system, which was recently deployed in South Korea.

North Korea's ballistic missile tests have created tensions between Pyongyang and Washington, with Kim Jong Un featuring commonly in discussions between President Donald Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

The California test came as the US ambassador to the UN said the Trump administration believed Beijing was using back channels with North Korea in an attempt to get it to stop missile and nuclear tests.

Despite UN and unilateral sanctions, North Korea has continued with its missile tests. It has argued the sanctions are an infringement of its right to self-defence.

Its most recent test of a medium-range Scud missile was claimed as a success, although North Korea's ability to launch a ballistic missile capable of hitting intercontinental targets has been disputed.

The state has stressed that it will continue to develop a pre-emptive strike capability.

Royal Navy escorts Russian ships through English Channel

A Royal Navy warship has escorted several Russian ships through the English Channel over the bank holiday weekend.

The HMS Mersey was called on to shadow the vessels as they passed through British waters.

The incident - described as "routine business" for the navy - is the fourth such incident in the past two months,

The Portsmouth-based patrol vessel was tasked to locate, monitor and escort intelligence ship Vasily Tatishchev and the depot ship PM82.

A Russian tug and the frigate Severomorsk were also shadowed. The Severomorsk was later handed over to fellow Navy ship HMS Iron Duke to be escorted out of the UK area of interest.

HMS Mersey is one of four River Class patrol ships, three of which conduct fishery protection, general patrols and other maritime security duties around the UK.

A fourth, HMS Clyde, is permanently deployed to the Falkland Islands.

In January a Royal Navy frigate closely shadowed a Russian warship which was sailing through British waters on its way back from Syria.

In April the navy kept a "vigilant watch" on two Russian warships as they passed through the English Channel.

And a month later navy warships shadowed a surfaced Russian submarinethrough the Strait of Dover.

RAF jets are also often scrambled to watch Russian military planes that fly close to UK airspace.

In February, Typhoons were deployed from Lossiemouth in Scotland and Coningsby in Lincolnshire to monitor two nuclear-capable Tupolev TU-160 Blackjack bombers

Trudeau invites pope to Canada

Pope Francis meets Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a private audience at the Vatican on Monday [Ettore Ferrari/Reuters]


Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged Pope Francis to visit Canada to apologise to indigenous peoples for the Catholic Church's treatment of aboriginal children in schools it ran there.

Starting in the late 19th century, about 30 percent of children of Canada's native peoples, or about 150,000 children, were placed in what were known as "residential schools" in a government attempt to strip them of their traditional cultures and ancestral languages.

For more than a century the schools were government-funded, but many were administered by Christian Churches, the majority by Roman Catholics. Many children were physically and sexually abused.

READ MORE: Canada's dark history of abuse at residential schools

Canada accused of 'cultural genocide'

"I told him how important it is for Canadians to move forward on real reconciliation with the indigenous peoples and I highlighted how he could help by issuing an apology," Trudeau told reporters after meeting the pope on Monday.

He said he had invited the Argentine-born pontiff to make the apology in Canada.

Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission said in a 2015 report that the practice, which kept children from the First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples far from their parents, amounted to "cultural genocide".

The commission made 94 recommendations, including that the pope issue a formal apology in Canada to survivors and their descendents for the Church's "role in the spiritual, cultural, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse" of the children.

Trudeau said in their private talks, the pope "reminded me that his entire life has been dedicated to supporting marginalised people in the world, fighting for them, and that he looks forward to working with me and with the Canadian bishops to figure out a path forward together".

Canadian bishops have said the pope might visit next year.

READ MORE: Canada accused of 'cultural genocide'

Trudeau said he and the pope also discussed climate change. Unlike US President Donald Trump, who met the pope last week, Trudeau and Francis agree that climate change is caused by human activity.

"We talked about how important it is to highlight the scientific basis of protecting our planet and the moral and ethical obligations to lead, to build a better future for all people on this Earth," Trudeau said.

At last week's Group of Seven (G7) summit in Sicily, Trump refused to back a landmark international agreement reached in Paris in 2015 to reduce global warming.

Trump said he would decide this week on whether to pull out of the accord, which was backed by his predecessor Barack Obama.

Trudeau, who is Catholic, said he had "a deeply personal and wide-ranging, thoughtful conversation with the leader of my own faith".

Panama ex-strongman, dies at 83

General Manuel Antonio Noriega, former military leader of Panama, has died aged 83, officials have announced.

Noriega recently underwent an operation after suffering a haemorrhage following brain surgery.

Noriega had been a key US ally but was forcibly removed when American troops invaded in 1989 and was later jailed in the US on drugs and laundering charges.

He spent the rest of his life in custody, latterly in Panama for murder, corruption and embezzlement.

But the former leader was released into house arrest in January to prepare for the operation in early March to remove a brain tumour.

Noriega, from US ally to convict

He underwent further surgery after cerebral bleeding but died late on Monday local time in Panama City's Santo Tomas hospital, Secretary of State for Communication Manuel Dominguez announced.

President Juan Carlos Varela tweeted: "The death of Manuel A Noriega closes a chapter in our history; his daughters and relatives deserve a funeral in peace."
Heavy metal music

Although he was never elected to office, Noriega became the de facto leader of Panama, serving a six-year tenure as military governor in the 1980s.

A strong supporter of the United States, he became a key ally in Washington's attempts to battle the influence of communism in central America.

But the US tired of his increasingly repressive role internally in Panama, and there were indications he was selling his services to other intelligence bodies, not to mention drug-trafficking organisations.

Noriega was indicted in a US federal court on drug-trafficking charges in 1988 and, after US observers declared he had stolen the 1989 election, President George HW Bush launched an invasion.

Noriega sought refuge in the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Panama City.

US troops flushed him out by playing deafening pop and heavy metal music non-stop outside.
Born in Panama City on 11 February 1934
Studies at a military academy in Peru. Begins a three-decade relationship with the CIA
Backs Gen Omar Torrijos in the coup that topples President Arnulfo Arias in 1968
Rises in influence after mysterious plane-crash death of Gen Torrijos in 1981, becoming de facto ruler in 1983
Plays key role in mid-1980s Iran-Contra affair, which involves smuggling weapons and drugs to aid US undercover efforts to support forces opposing the Sandinistas government in Nicaragua
Ousted in 1989 after US invasion and jailed in US
US trial reveals he wore red underwear to ward off the "evil eye"
In Panama's El Renacer prison in 2014, unsuccessfully sues company behind the video game, Call of Duty: Black Ops II for using his image without permission

By 3 January 1990, Noriega surrendered and was flown to the US to face drug-trafficking, money-laundering and racketeering charges, serving 17 years in jail there.

While in jail he was convicted in absentia in France of money-laundering and sentenced to seven years. After the US extradited him to France, a court there approved a request from Panama in December 2010 to send him back home, where he was convicted again.

In an interview on Panamanian TV two years ago, Noriega read out a statement of apology.

He said: "I apologise to anyone who feels offended, affected, harmed or humiliated by my actions or those of my superiors whilst carrying out orders, or those of my subordinates, during the time of my civilian and military government."

A US Senate sub-committee once described Washington's relationship with Noriega as one of the United States' most serious foreign policy failures.
The life and colourful times of Manuel Noriega

Kim Jong-nam murder case moves to Malaysian high court

Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong (L) and Indonesian Siti Aisyah [File: Police handout/EPA]

The case of two women charged in Malaysia with killing the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader was transferred to a higher court on Tuesday, as a defence lawyer complained of not getting all of the documents he had requested.

Indonesian Siti Aishah, 25, and Doan Thi Huong, 28, from Vietnam, face the death penalty if convicted of murdering Kim Jong-nam at Kuala Lumpur airport on February 13.

The two women are accused of smearing Kim's face with VX nerve agent, a chemical described by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction.

Aishah and Huong have told diplomats from their countries that they were unwitting pawns in what US officials and South Korean intelligence have said was an assassination orchestrated by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

WATCH: North Korea: The Death of Kim Jong-nam

Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, had spoken out publicly against his family's dynastic control of the isolated, nuclear-armed nation.

Aishah and Huong were charged on March 1 but the Sepang district magistrate court had twice deferred prosecutors' requests for the case to be moved to a higher court pending collection of documents.

On Tuesday, the district court judge moved the case to the Shah Alam High Court. No date was given for the first High Court hearing but prosecutor Iskandar Ahmad told reporters the court should notify them "within a month".

Aishah and Huong were present for the hearing, their third court appearance, both wearing bullet-proof vests.

Aishah's lawyer, Gooi Soon Seng, told the court the police and prosecution had yet to supply the defence with documents and other evidence needed for the case.

"The concept of a fair trial demands that all material documents should be supplied to the defence at the earliest opportunity," Gooi said.

Gooi said last month he feared a "trial by ambush" and said police had not responded to requests to provide evidence such as CCTV recordings and statements from other suspects.

READ MORE: Kim Jong-nam: N Korea accuses US and S Korea of murder

Three North Korean suspects - including a diplomat - were allowed to go home in March, along with the body of Kim Jong Nam, as part of a swap deal with North Korea, which had banned nine Malaysians from leaving there.

Four other North Koreans have been identified by Malaysia as suspects. Malaysian police have said the four left Kuala Lumpur for Pyongyang on the day of the killing.

North Korea has refused to accept the dead man was leader Kim Jong-un's half-brother, and has suggested the victim died of a heart attack. It has accused Malaysia of working with South Korean and other "hostile forces".

Manchester Victoria reopens for first time since terror attack

Manchester Victoria has reopened to the public - more than a week after a terror attack killed 22 people.

The train station, which is connected to the Manchester Arena targeted by suicide bomber Salman Abedi, had suffered structural damage in the explosion.

Investigators had also been performing a forensic search of the area in recent days.

On Monday night, hundreds of people gathered in pouring rain for a vigil to mark exactly one week since the attack targeting a sold-out Ariana Grande concert.

Holding candles, children and adults fell silent as the church in St Ann's Square struck 10.31pm. They then erupted into a round of applause to remember those who lost their lives.

Many of those who attended kneeled to read the many thousands of messages laid beside a sea of flowers.

Families huddled together, and strangers supported each other with a hug.

:: Bombing victim's family: Government must open its eyes

Image:Many knelt to read the thousands of messages left by mourners

Some of those who attended the vigil told Sky News why they felt they needed to be there.

One attendee said: "It's the first opportunity we've had as a family to come together. I think it's important to come and pay your respects.

"Manchester is where we are from and this is what Manchester is all about, coming together at times when we need to be and quite honestly there was nowhere else we were going to be tonight.

"The feeling of peace here is incredible. Despite the atrocity and the evil that's clearly gone on, the peace and love is just so evident and I just needed to take time to just pray for all the people that have been affected by it."

:: Police hunt for suitcase used by Manchester bomber

Image:Police are trying to find a suitcase used by Salman Abedi hours before his attack

At a vigil held earlier in the day, Trafford Youth Trust director Dan Kupusarevic said Monday's attack has brought unity.

He added: "The aim of terrorism is to divide us, to make us feel scared and hurt.

"But on Monday evening and in the days since, the city of Manchester and the citizens of Trafford have shown that it has done one thing alone - and that is unite us."

As the evening vigil came to an end, an impromptu rendition of Don't Look Back In Anger by Oasis broke out.

Lining the outside of the gathering, police - both armed and unarmed - watched on. About 1,000 officers are involved in this ongoing investigation.

Fourteen people are in police custody after being arrested in connection with the attack.