World AM News Briefs For Monday, 16 July 2018

Good Morning Australia!! - France wins the World Cup - Trump attacks his allies before meeting with Russia's Putin - A woman survives a hell week after driving off of a cliff - And more in your CareerSpot Global News Briefs:

France defeated Croatia to win the 2018 World Cup, although it didn't look like the sure thing that was predicted.  Unlikely finalists Croatia controlled the ball with more possessions (61 percent!) and goal attempts, especially in the first half.  And France's first two scores were an own goal and a penalty kick just before the end of the first half.  But France made it convincing in the second half with the amazing Paul Pogba's rocket and forward Kylian Mbappe's strike from the edge - making the 19-year old Mr. Mbappe only the second teenager to score a goal in a World Cup final, the other being the immortal Pele in 1958. 

All in all, the most exciting WC final in many years.  New stars were made.  France gets its second World Cup and Croatia gets bragging rights for getting farther than most had predicted.  It was also a powerful vindication for Multicuturalism and Immigration to Europe, seeing as well more than half the members of the French squad had either immigrated from Africa or are the French-borne children of African immigrants.  This is what the modern world really looks like.  And the French party, party, party.

The Russian protest group Pussy Riot reminded the world that they oppose the host of the 2018 World Cup, accusing Vladimir Putin of holding on to power by crushing dissent and barring serious opponents from running for office.  Four members of the group, dressed as police officers, invaded the pitch in the second half.  Croatia defender Dejan Lovren helped authorities detain one man, but one of the women reached the center of the field and shared a double high-five with Kylian Mbappe. 

They managed to get past security even though Russia had taken great efforts to keep the cup safe from its own soccer hooligans and terror threats from the southern Caucuses.  The last time Pussy Riot crossed Putin, members spent several months in prison.  For embarrassing Putin at his World Cup?  Good luck.

Putin will meet with Donald Trump in Helsinki, Finland, where thousands of protesters already displayed their opposition to these two.  Trump had set low expectations for the summit, which appears to have no agenda nor goal.  But he did managed to attack his own allies again, describing the European Union as a "foe" before Russia and China.  European Council President Donald Tusk said anyone claiming the EU and US are "foes" is spreading "fake news".  Trump claimed he would raise the issue of the US Justice Department indicting twelve Russian spies with meddling with the 2016 election with Putin, and "maybe some good" would come of it.

Trump apparently gave British PM Theresa May some incredibly bad advice, telling her to sue the European Union to get out instead of holding the current Brexit negotiations.  She laughed it off, but apparent he was serious.  But Ms. May is warning her Tory party that the Brexit may never happen if hard-liners continue to undermine her effort to achieve a "soft Brexit" with close trade ties with the EU on goods but not services. 

Haiti's Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant has resigned after nearly a week of violent protests against his governmentt's plan to raise fuel price rises by as much as 58 percent.  At least four people were killed with shops and buildings burnt and looted.  The International Monetary Fund (IMF) had demanded that Haiti ditch fuel subsidies for its impoverished population to pay for education and other services.

The twelve boys rescued from a cave in northern Thailand have now been told that one diver died setting up the rescue effort.  "All cried and expressed their condolences by writing messages on a drawing of Lieutenant Commander Saman and observed one minute of silence for him," said government spokeswoman Jedsada Chokdamrongsuk.  Volunteer diver Saman Gunan lost his life on 6 July while installing oxygen tanks in the flooded cave complex.  The boys are expected to get out of hospital this week.

A woman faces a long recovery after being rescued from a week long ordeal at the bottom of a California cliff.  Authorities on Monterey County had been looking for 23-year old Angela Hernandez for a week.  Hikers discovered her on Saturday, seven days after her white Jeep had plunged down 60 meters from a coast road to a remote beach on the Pacific Ocean. 



She suffered a concussion and survived by drinking water from the Jeep's radiator.  Once rescuers lifted her back up to the road, they airlifted her to hospital.