• Former President Barack Obama arrived in Kenya on Sunday, the country of his father's birth, his first visit to the East African country since leaving office. Obama is in Kenya to help launch the sports and training center founded by his half sister, Auma Obama, through her foundation Sauti Kuu. In Nairobi, Obama met President Uhuru Kenyatta at the official residence, according to Kenyatta's Twitter account. Obama was also expected to meet Raila Odinga, the opposition leader now working with Kenyatta's government. Obama's visit to Kenya is low key, unlike his previous visits where he electrified thousands of Kenyans who lined the streets to see him when he was a senator in 2006 and then as president in 2015. Many Kenyans consider Obama native to their country -- a local kid made good -- and bask in the glory of his success, despite the fact that Obama never lived in Africa. Large crowds are however expected in Kisumu, Kenya's third-largest city, where Obama will fly today before driving to his father's home village of Kogelo in Siaya County, a journey of about 43 miles. Big screens will be set up in towns in Siaya County to show the launch of the vocational center and prevent overcrowding at the venue, said Siaya County Governor Cornell Rasanga on Nation Television.
• Rebel Wilson applied to Australia's highest court to increase the comic actress's payout from a defamation case against a magazine publisher. The 38-year-old, best known for parts in the Pitch Perfect and Bridesmaids movies, was awarded in September an Australian record $3.5 million in damages. A Victoria state Supreme Court jury found that that German publisher Bauer Media defamed her in a series of articles in 2015 claiming she lied about her age, the origin of her first name and her upbringing in Sydney. But three judges on the Court of Appeal last month upheld an appeal by Bauer and slashed Wilson's payout to $454,000. The appeal court ruled that trial Judge John Dixon should not have compensated Wilson for film roles, including Trolls and Kung Fu Panda 3, which she testified she had lost due to the damage the articles had done to her reputation. Wilson lodged an application to the High Court to restore Dixon's ruling. According to court documents, Wilson's lawyers will argue Dixon was correct, and that he was also correct in finding the articles caused a "huge international media firestorm" affecting Wilson's career and reputation.
A Section on 07/16/2018