Category Archives: headline

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UK: Jamaican Artist Basil Watson Chosen to Design Nat. Windrush Monument

BBC- Renowned Jamaican sculptor and painter, Basil Watson has been chosen to design the United Kingdom’s National Windrush Monument, which will stand at London Waterloo station. He was selected from a group of four artists, all of whom are of Caribbean heritage.

The monument, which is backed by £1 million of government funding, will pay tribute to the Windrush generation of Caribbean migrants, who arrived in Britain after the Second World War and the generations that followed over the years.

The UK government says the monument delivers on a manifesto commitment that aligns with the nation’s Black History Month celebrations. It is expected to be unveiled on Windrush Day 2022, on June 22.

UK Communities Minister Kemi Badenoch MP, congratulated Watson on being selected, saying the government was very pleased to sponsor the monument.
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“His design will celebrate and honour the contribution of the Windrush generation, right at the centre of our nation’s capital. The Monument will become a permanent place of reflection and inspiration for all, reminding us of our shared history and heritage,” he said.

Basil Watson has designed public sculptures and monuments across the world including statues of Martin Luther King Jr, Usain Bolt and Merlene Ottey. This will be his first public artwork in the United Kingdom, where he lived for part of his childhood with his family, who are part of the Windrush generation.

He said that he was honored to be chosen to design the monument.

“I feel privileged that I now have this opportunity to express the aspirations, vision and courage of my parents, who took the long sea voyage to England in 1952 as part of that Windrush generation in search of a brighter future. I look forward to bringing my design to life, because I know how much this means to the Windrush community,” Watson said.

Basil, who was awarded the Order of Distinction (Commander Class) in 2016 by the Jamaican government in recognition of his artistic accomplishment, will now begin work to convert his maquette into the 12-foot-high bronze monument.

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WORLD VIEW: Haiti Hostage Drama, Biden’s Woes, Japan’s Success, China’s Slowdown, More

Oct 18, 2021

Alternate text
  • U.S. officials are working with Haitian authorities to try to secure the release of 12 adults and five children with a U.S.-based missionary group who were abducted over the weekend by a gang notorious for killings, kidnappings and extortion.
  • Japan has become a surprise and somewhat mysterious coronavirus success story.
  • President Joe Biden is heading into a crucial two weeks for his ambitious agenda.
  • Jury selection set to start in Ahmaud Arbery shooting trial
  • Taliban’s victory emboldens Pakistan’s radicals
  • China’s economic growth weakens amid construction slowdown

Mike Corder

The Hague, Netherlands

The Associated Press

Advancing the Power of Facts

The Rundown

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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — U.S. officials are working with Haitian authorities to try to secure the release of 12 adults and five children with a U.S.-based missionary group who were abducted over the weekend by a gang notorious for killings,…Read More

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is entering a crucial two weeks for his ambitious agenda, racing to conclude contentious congressional negotiations ahead of both domestic deadlines and a chance to showcase his administration’s accomplishm…Read More

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TOKYO (AP) — Almost overnight, Japan has become a stunning, and somewhat mysterious, coronavirus success story. Daily new COVID-19 cases have plummeted from a mid-August peak of nearly 6,000 in Tokyo, with caseloads in the densely populated ca…Read More

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Hundreds of people were ordered to report for jury duty Monday in Georgia for what could be a long, laborious effort to find jurors to hear the trial of three white men charged with fatally shooting Ahmaud Arbery as he was running in their neig…Read More

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BEIJING (AP) — China’s economic growth sank in the latest quarter a a slowdown in construction and curbs on energy use weighed on its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. The world’s second-largest economy grew by 4.9% over a year ago in the…Read More

OTHER TOP STORIES

WOJSLAWICE, Poland (AP) — The Polish witnesses of the German crime in Wojslawice lived for decades with the memories of their Jewish neighbors executed in 1942. They remembere…Read More

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — In Pakistan’s rugged tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan, a quiet and persistent warning is circulating: The Taliban are returning. Pak…Read More

ABOARD THE SEABIRD (AP) — As dozens of African migrants traversed the Mediterranean Sea on a flimsy white rubber boat, a small aircraft circling 1,000 feet above closely monit…Read More

Investigators believe a 1,200-foot (366-meter) cargo ship dragging anchor in rough seas caught an underwater oil pipeline and pulled it across the seafloor, months before a le…Read More

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Iranian Supertanker Departing from Venezuela with Heavy oil

HOUSTON/CARACAS, Oct 16 (Reuters) – An Iran-flagged supertanker on Saturday was about to set sail from Venezuelan waters carrying 2 million barrels of heavy crude provided by state-run oil firm PDVSA (PDVSA.UL), according to documents seen by Reuters and vessel tracking services.

The shipment is part of a deal agreed by PDVSA and its counterpart National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) that exchanges Iranian condensate for Venezuela’s Merey crude. The swaps aim to ease an acute shortage of diluents that has cut Venezuela’s oil output and exports, Reuters reported last month.

Dino I, a very large crude carrier (VLCC) owned and operated by NIOC’s National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC), finished loading the Venezuelan oil at PDVSA’s Jose port late Friday, according to the documents, a source and monitoring service TankerTrackers.com.

The bilateral oil trade could be a breach of U.S. sanctions on both countries, the U.S. Treasury Department told Reuters last month, citing government orders that establish the punitive measures.

A Treasury spokesperson on Saturday declined to comment further on the latest development.

The vessel arrived in Venezuela in September with its transponder turned off while carrying 2.1 million barrels of Iranian condensate. The light oil fed PDVSA’s Petrolera Sinovensa, Petropiar and Petrocedeno projects in the country’s Orinoco Belt. read more

A second condensate cargo of similar size is expected to be delivered to Venezuela in the coming weeks as part of the swap routine, which will be in effect for six months in its first phase.

Venezuela’s oil ministry, PDVSA and NIOC did not reply to requests for comment.

PDVSA first launched the exchange last month by sending 1.9 million barrels of Merey heavy crude on the Iran-flagged supertanker Felicity.

The exchange provides the OPEC nation with a stable supply of blending material needed to convert its extra heavy oil into exportable grades. The pact also delivers heavy oil to Iran for blending, refining or marketing to Asian customers.

Iran and Venezuela have strengthened their cooperation in the last year even under the watchful gaze of the United States, which has in recent years reimposed sanctions on Iranian state entities, including NIOC, and in 2019 blacklisted PDVSA.

Reporting by Marianna Parraga in Houston, Deisy Buitrago in Caracas, and Matt Spetalnick in Washington; Editing by Gary McWilliams, Andrea Ricci and Jonathan Oatis

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Thousands in El Salvador Join Protests Against Bukele Government

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SAN SALVADOR, Oct 17 (Reuters) – Thousands of people in El Salvador took to the streets on Sunday in protest against President Nayib Bukele, who has stoked concern that he is steadily concentrating power and who responded with changing his Twitter profile late in the day to “Emperor of El Salvador”.

Local media estimated at least 4,000 people marched through capital San Salvador. They bore banners and signs decrying Bukele’s ouster of Supreme Court judges, the potential for the president to seek a second consecutive term and the adoption of bitcoin as legal tender.

Bukele’s apparent joke with his Twitter profile follows an update last month when he changed it to say “Dictator” of El Salvador.

Sunday’s protesters chanted slogans including “What does El Salvador want? Get rid of the dictator!” Near the capital’s main square, some set fire to an effigy bearing the likeness of the 40-year-old president.

It was at least the second large protest in just over a month, following marches in September that denounced bitcoin being made legal tender alongside the U.S. dollar.

A demonstrator wearing a military uniform with signs reading "UN, rights" and "OAS, rights" takes part in a protest against actions by the government of El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, as the use of bitcoin and legal reforms to extend his term, in San Salvador, El Salvador October 17, 2021. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

People take part in a protest against actions by the government of El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, as the use of bitcoin and legal reforms to extend his term, in San Salvador, El Salvador October 17, 2021. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

In May, a Congress dominated for the first time by Bukele’s New Ideas party voted to fire the judges on the constitutional panel of the Supreme Court, among the most senior jurists in the country, as well as the then-attorney general. Replacements seen as friendly to Bukele were swiftly voted in to replace them, which generated harsh criticism from the United States as well as top international rights groups.

Bukele’s administration then came under fire from the United States after the Supreme Court judges ruled that the president could seek a second consecutive term, which Washington saw as unconstitutional.

“We are totally losing rights because today they do not respect the laws. Here, what’s done is the will of Nayib,” said Rosa Granados, a labor union member who participated in the protests.

“If he raises his hand, all the deputies approve it and there is no law and no legal process that is respected,” she added.

Bukele, a seasoned and often provocative user of social media, dismissed the protests as a “failure” on Twitter.

“The march is a failure and they know it….. Nobody believes them here anymore,” he wrote.

Reporting by Nelson Renteria, writing by Cassandra Garrison, Editing by Nick Zieminski and Edwina Gibbs

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U.S. Missionaries Kidnapped in Haiti as Gangs Grow More Brazen

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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Oct 17 (Reuters) – A U.S. Christian aid organization on Sunday said a group of its missionaries had been kidnapped in Haiti, a further sign the Caribbean nation’s gangs are growing increasingly brazen amid political and economic crises.

The group was in Haiti to visit an orphanage when their bus was hijacked on Saturday outside the capital Port-au-Prince, according to accounts by other missionaries, amid a spike in kidnappings following the murder of President Jovenel Moise.

Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries said it had no information on who was behind the abduction nor where they took the group, which includes 16 Americans and one Canadian.

“We are seeking God’s direction for a resolution, and authorities are seeking ways to help,” it said in a statement.

A spokesperson for Haiti’s police said they did not have any information to provide about the incident.

The U.S. State Department said it was aware of the reports. U.S. embassies typically do not release information about citizens due to privacy regulations.

The Canadian government said it was working with local authorities and groups to gather more information.

Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) speaks during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 10, 2021. Ting Shen/Pool via REUTERS
A sign marks the entrance of the home office of Christian Aid Ministries in Millersburg, Ohio, U.S., October 17, 2021. REUTERS/Aaron Josefczyk

A sign marks the entrance of the home office of Christian Aid Ministries in Millersburg, Ohio, U.S., October 17, 2021. REUTERS/Aaron Josefczyk

Kidnapping has been on the rise for months in Haiti as the impoverished country’s economy worsens, though abductions of foreigners are relatively rare.

Victims generally come from the Haitian middle class – teachers, priests, civil servants, small business owners – who cannot afford bodyguards but can scrape together a ransom.

Haitian migrants in September gathered at the U.S. border with Mexico in hopes of finding economic opportunities, only for U.S. authorities to deport some 7,000 of them.

Security experts believe a gang called 400 Mawozo was involved in the abduction of the missionaries.

The group dominates the Croix-des-Bouquets area, east of Port-au-Prince, and is near where the missionaries were reported to have been abducted.

400 Mawozo is suspected being involved in the April kidnapping in the same area of a group of priests and nuns that included French citizens.

U.S. Congressman Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican, told CNN the United States must find the missionaries and seek to negotiate their release without paying a ransom, or should use the military or police to secure their freedom.

“We need to track down where they are and see if negotiations – without paying ransom – are possible. Or do whatever we need to do, on a military front or a police front,” said Kinzinger who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Reporting by Caribbean newsroom; Additonal reporting by Barbara Goldberg and Kanishka Singh; Writing By Cassandra Garrison, Arshad Mohammed and Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Nick Zieminski, Christian Plumb and Daniel Wallis

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Colombia Sterilising Escobar’s Growing Hippo Herd

A herd of 80 hippos – an unwanted legacy following the death of notorious Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar – are being sterilised.

Escobar, who was shot dead by police in 1993, illegally imported exotic animals, including a male and a female hippo – dubbed the “cocaine hippos”.

Since then, a growing population has been taking over the countryside near his former ranch, Hacienda Nápoles.

The Colombian government has so far sterilised 24 of more than 80 animals.

They have been treated with a chemical that will make them infertile.

Colombian environmentalists say the hippos, believed to be the biggest herd outside Africa, are an invasive species and have pushed away the native fauna.

Many have campaigned for the animals to be culled or sterilised.

Back in 1993, when authorities seized Hacienda Nápoles – Escobar’s luxury estate situated about 250km (155 miles) north-west of the capital Bogotá – most of the animals found there were distributed to zoos across the country.

But not the hippos.

“It was logistically difficult to move them around, so the authorities just left them there, probably thinking the animals would die,” Colombian biologist Nataly Castelblanco told the BBC earlier this year.

However, with no natural predators in South America, the hippos multiplied.

Hippos at Hacienda Nápoles, once the private zoo of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, in Colombia, 12 September 2020Image source, RAUL ARBOLEDA/Getty Images

According to experts, they started spreading through one of the country’s main waterways – the River Magdalena.

Scientists studying the hippos’ environmental impact say the animals could affect the local ecosystem in a number of ways: from displacing native species already under threat of extinction, like the manatee, to altering the chemical compositions of waterways, which could endanger fisheries – though other studies suggest they might help the environment too.

Escobar, one of the most notorious South American criminals of all time, was the founder of the infamous Medellín drugs cartel in the 1980s, responsible for kidnappings, bombings and indiscriminate assassinations. At one point he was thought to be one of the world’s richest men.

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UK: COVID Creates Mental Disease Spike, Pandemic Behind S. America immigration, World Stats, More

UK Covid Mental crisis – Cases of psychosis have soared in England over the past two years as an increasing number of people experience hallucinations and delusional thinking amid the stresses of the Covid-19 pandemic.

There was a 75% increase in the number of people referred to mental health services for their first suspected episode of psychosis between April 2019 and April 2021, NHS data shows.

The rise continued throughout the summer, with 12,655 referred in July 2021, up 53% from 8,252 in July 2019, according to the charity Rethink Mental Illness.

Pandemic behind South American immigration North

A coronavirus-era financial crisis is driving a new, perilous exodus from South America to the United States as middle- and lower-middle-class families flee the hardship, unemployment and inflation wrought by the health crisis.

The death of a Brazilian nurse, Lenilda dos Santos, whose body was found hunched in the New Mexico desert by border police, has illustrated how desperation is spreading from countries such as Mexico and Guatemala to once more prosperous Latin American nations.

Sydney eases more COVID-19 curbs

Thousands of children returned to school in Sydney on Monday, putting an end to months of home learning, as Australia’s largest city eased more COVID-19 curbs, thanks to rising rates of vaccinations. Masks are no longer mandatory in offices and larger groups are to be allowed in homes and outdoors after the state of New South Wales, home to Sydney, hit a double-dose inoculation rate of 80% at the weekend among those older than 16.

The latest in a series of planned easing of restrictions marks a shift by Australia’s largest cities to living with the virus, a strategy officials have warned will bring a greater number of COVID-19 cases in coming weeks. read more

New Zealand PM Ardern extends COVID-19 lockdown in Auckland

New Zealand Prime Minster Jacinda Ardern said on Monday that the country’s biggest city Auckland will remain in lockdown for another two weeks as it looks to control the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.

There will be no changes in the social restrictions that have already been in place for over two months in Auckland under alert level 3, Ardern said at a news conference. read more

Melbourne to ease world’s longest COVID-19 lockdowns

Melbourne, which has spent more time under COVID-19 lockdowns than any other city in the world, is set to lift its stay-at-home orders this week, officials said on Sunday.

By Friday, when some curbs will be lifted, the Australian city of 5 million people will have been under six lockdowns totalling 262 days, or nearly nine months, since March 2020. read more

U.S. to lift restrictions Nov 8 for vaccinated foreign travellers

The White House on Friday will lift COVID-19 travel restrictions for fully vaccinated international visitors starting Nov. 8, ending historic restrictions that had barred much of the world from entering the United States for as long as 21 months.

The White House, which held a meeting late Thursday to finalise the Nov. 8 date, faces some remaining questions, including how and what exemptions the Biden administration will grant to the vaccine requirements. Children under 18, for example, are largely expected to be exempt from the requirements, an official said. read more

Valneva reports positive results for its vaccine candidate

Vaccine company Valneva reported on Monday positive Phase 3 results for its inactivated, adjuvanted COVID-19 vaccine candidate VLA2001, for which it is hoping to get a licence.

Valneva added it was preparing for trials in children aged between 5-12 years and for a Valneva sponsored booster trial to evaluate VLA2001’s booster performance for people in need of a COVID vaccine booster shot. read more

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WORLD STATS

Coronavirus Cases:

241,504,038

Deaths:

4,914,586

Recovered:

218,749,711
Highlighted in green
= all cases have recovered from the infection
Highlighted in grey
= all cases have had an outcome (there are no active cases)
Compiled by Karishma Singh

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Neighbours in Western Sydney win over $3m together in the lotto

Neighbours in Western Sydney have won more than $3 million together in the lottery.

The two friends entered the Saturday Night Lotto that was drawn on October 16 and became one of the six division one winners.

One of the winners told The Lott that he was still in disbelief.

READ MORE: International travel 'vaccine passports' to be available this week

A Sydney man has won $2 million in the Lotto.

"We both had knots in our stomachs when we checked the ticket on Saturday night," he said.

"We just kept checking it over and over again and really thought this could not happen to us."

The two have been playing together for almost two years – and it has now paid off.

By splitting the winnings, the pair will receive around $1.6 million each.

One of the winners said they both planned on using the money to buy new homes.

"We won't have a mortgage, and I will be able to retire a lot earlier," he said.

"It will be incredible to know that my salary will not be going to a mortgage.

"I am so happy with my life and what I have, but this will just make things so much easier and it will be the same for my neighbour as well."

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Costa Rica, Bahamians Among 5 Winners of First ‘Save the Planet’ Earthshot Prizes

BBC- Two best friends who grow coral and the country of Costa Rica are among the winners of the first ever Earthshot Prizes.

The annual awards were created by the Duke of Cambridge to reward people trying to save the planet.

There were five winners announced in London, each receiving £1m.

Prince William was joined by stars including Emma Watson, Dame Emma Thompson and David Oyelowo for the ceremony at Alexandra Palace.

Ed Sheeran, Coldplay and KSI were among the acts that performed – and in keeping with the eco message, the music was powered by 60 cyclists pedalling on bikes.

No celebrities flew to London for the ceremony, no plastic was used to build the stage and guests were asked to “consider the environment” when choosing an outfit – with Watson wearing a dress made from 10 different dresses from Oxfam.

Emma Watson arrives for the first Earthshot Prize awards ceremony at Alexandra Palace in London. Picture date: Sunday October 17, 2021.
Harry Potter actress Emma Watson has previously used her platform to call for climate change action

The Earthshot prize’s name is a reference to the “Moonshot” ambition of 1960s America, which saw then-President John F Kennedy pledge to get a man on the Moon within a decade.

Each year for the next decade, the prize is awarding £1m each to five projects that are working to find solutions to the planet’s environmental problems.

The inaugural winners were selected from five different categories, and were chosen from a shortlist of 15 by judges including broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, actress Cate Blanchett and singer Shakira.

Representative from the Republic of Costa Rica
The Republic of Costa Rica won the Protect and Restore Nature award
Emma Watson and representatives of the AEM Electrolyser
Emma Watson (left) announces the AEM Electrolyser as the winner of the Fix Our Climate award
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The winners

Protect and Restore Nature:

  • The Republic of Costa Rica: Costa Rica was a country that once cleared most of its forests, but it has now doubled the number of trees and is seen as a role model for others to follow. The winning project is a scheme paying local citizens to restore natural ecosystems that has led to a revival of the rainforest

Clean our Air:

  • Takachar, India: A portable machine created to turn agricultural waste into fertiliser so that farmers do not burn their fields and cause air pollution

Revive our Oceans:

  • Coral Vita, Bahamas: A project run by two best friends who are growing coral in the Bahamas, designed to restore the world’s dying coral reefs. Using special tanks, they have developed a way to grow coral up to 50 times faster than they normally take in nature

Build a Waste-Free World:

  • The City of Milan Food Waste Hubs, Italy: Another challenge is waste – and the city of Milan in Italy wins a prize for collecting unused food and giving it to people who need it most. The initiative has dramatically cut waste while tackling hunger

Fix our Climate:

  • AEM Electrolyser, Thailand/Germany/Italy: A clever design in Thailand using renewable energy to make hydrogen by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen is a clean gas but it is usually produced by burning fossil fuels
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In a recorded message played at the ceremony – which was broadcast on BBC One and iPlayer at 20:00 BST – Prince William said the next 10 years was a “decisive decade” for the planet.

“Time is running out,” he said. “A decade doesn’t seem long enough, but humankind has an outstanding record of being able to solve the unsolvable.”

Earlier this week, the duke suggested that rather than the world’s top minds setting their sights on space tourism, they should instead focus on saving Earth.

Media caption, Watch: Prince William says the world’s greatest minds are needed to “repair this planet, not find the next”
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Analysis box by David Shukman, science editor

With stars from the worlds of football and music arriving on a green carpet, the message was that environmental challenges deserve the same kind of attention as the Oscars.

And the winning teams were obviously thrilled to get such high-profile recognition.

The test now is whether their projects will be scaled up in a way that makes a difference worldwide.

Whether it’s restoring corals and forests or reducing waste and carbon emissions, the plan is for big name companies to support these mostly small-scale schemes and help them to become global.

It may well be years before we see how well that works out in practice, and inevitably some projects may prove more effective than others.

In any event, in the countdown to the vital Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow next month, the winners offer something that’s been in short supply recently: a sense of optimism.

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Among the celebrities at Sunday night’s ceremony was Love Actually actress Dame Emma, who criticised throwaway culture as she made her way to the event.

“If we had shown my parents how people live (today), how they will wander down the streets with a coffee cup, immediately throw it away, eat, throw away, everything throw away, they would’ve gone, ‘what’s going on?’” said Dame Emma.

Nigerian Afro-pop singer Yemi AladeImage source, PA Media
Image caption, Nigerian Afro-pop singer Yemi Alade performed on stage during the ceremony
Around the BBC iPlayer banner

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ICAC hears Gladys Berejiklian 'in shock' when forced to sack boyfriend

The opening day of a corruption inquiry into Gladys Berejiklian has been played private evidence of the then-premier saying she was "in shock" when she was forced to sack her then-boyfriend Daryl Maguire.

The video evidence, recorded a month ago, shows Ms Berejiklian being grilled by ICAC Counsel Assisting Scott Robertson, over what she knew about Mr Maguire's allegedly corrupt dealings when she asked him to resign as Parliamentary Secretary in 2018.

"Did you suspect Mr Maguire was engaged in corrupt conduct?" Mr Robertson asked, via video link.

READ MORE: 'I have been given no option': NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian resigns

"I couldn't make any assumption at that stage, he was professing his innocence," Ms Berejiklian answered.

She was repeatedly pressed on her suspicions, eventually answering "no".

Mr Robertson then told the Commission there was a question about whether that evidence should be accepted.

Lying or making deliberately misleading ICAC is an offence and can attract a six-month jail term.

The commission is looking at whether Ms Berejiklian breached her own ministerial standards by not disclosing the secret relationship, either to Mike Baird when she was his Treasurer or her own cabinet when she took the top job.

"There will be evidence to the effect that a number of public officials would have acted differently if they knew about Ms Berejiklian's relationship with Mr Maguire," Mr Robertson said in his opening address.

READ MORE: The road to resignation: How Gladys Berejiklian came to this point

Former NSW MP Daryl Maguire fronts ICAC.

Ms Berejiklain had previously disclosed conflicts of interests around board appointments, and the employment of her cousins as public servants, but "never gave a disclosure to the NSW ministerial code of conduct about Mr Maguire".

The inquiry is looking at Ms Berejiklian conduct in relation to the approval of two grants for Mr Maguire's electorate; $30 million for the Riverina Conservatorium of Music and $5.5 million to the Australian Clay Target Association in Wagga Wagga.

The latter was a project rubbished today by a top bureaucrat, Michael Toohey from the Office of Sport.

"There wasn't any real design work… it didn't stack up," Mr Toohey told ICAC.

Gladys Berejiklian resigned as NSW Premier after ICAC announced it was investigating whether she breached public trust between 2012 and 2018.

Mr Maguire publicly touted the project, saying if the money was spent on the range, it could become a venue for the 2018 Sydney Invictus Games.

"Invictus Games doesn't have shooting events," Mr Toohey said.

An email shown at ICAC suggested the then-Treasurer's office had requested the funding submission be put on the agenda for approval.

Ms Berejiklian has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

The inquiry is ongoing.

Mr Baird will give evidence on Wednesday, then-Sports Minister Stuart Ayres on Friday, and former Deputy Premier John Barilaro next week, along with the former premier herself.