USA – Hip hop star Wyclef Jean came to Miami to help Haitians celebrate their pride and their Little Haiti neighborhood. But the Haiti-born star, concerned about the plight of tens of thousands of Haitians who could face deportation as the Trump administration decides whether to extend the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program or terminate it, also turned his high energy eclectic performance into a plea.

Shortly after taking the stage after midnight Friday at the same Little Haiti Cultural Complex where Trump, on a campaign stop in September, promised to be Haitians biggest champion, Jean, rapped, “Donald Trump renew TPS.”

Then minutes later to the Fugees’ hit “Ready or Not,” rapped: “You need to renew that TPS; too many Haitians are feeling that stress.” Haitian advocates like Marleine Bastien had been hoping that Haiti’s biggest celebrity, known for rocking Haitian pride and peppering his rap and song lyrics with Creole narrations, would say something about TPS. “We are so encouraged,” she said, “by his strong stance for renewal…I know it warmed the heart of thousands of TPS recipients. (miamiherald)[+]

COLOMBIA – The fiancé of accused drug mule Cassandra Sainsbury has fled Colombia ahead of an explosive interview to be aired on Seven’s Sunday Night. Lawyers for the Australian prisoner tried to stop the interview from being shown, but late Sunday afternoon their injunction application made to the Supreme Court was dismissed.

As lawyers fight for Cassie Sainsbury in Colombia, it was an advertisement for Seven’s Sunday Night programme that ignited her legal team back home – specifically, comments from the alleged drug mule herself. Her lawyers argued comments made by Ms Sainsbury would jeopardise not only her life, but also her family’s. The 22-year-old South Australian’s lawyers also tried to suppress comments made in phone conversations with fiancé Scott Broadbridge, who was also interviewed by Sunday Night.

Details of Ms Sainsbury’s comments were so sensitive that Justice John Sackar closed the court so arguments could be made in private. He said if there was even a shred of suggestion airing the material would endanger her life, he would shut it down. He did not. “I propose to dismiss the application,” the judge ruled. Scott Broadbridge left Colombia on Sunday fearing for his life while fleeing a country that has reportedly identified him as a person of interest in his fiancée’s drugs case. (Yahoo7)[+]

USA – As the weekend approached, the question lingered if “Alien: Covenant” would be able to unseat “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” from the top spot at the domestic box office.

Now, we have an answer. As of Sunday morning, “Covenant,” from 20th Century Fox and Scott Free Productions, looks to be the winner with a three-day estimate of just over $36 million from 3,761 locations. That’s just above Disney’s “Guardians” sequel which is raking in an additional $35.3 million from 4,347 spots. The super sequel is seeing only a 46% drop from last weekend, and its total domestic earnings now exceed $300 million.

While “Alien” may have won, the film’s price tag in the $100 million range and marketing costs detract from the victory. The sixth installment in the Alien franchise (not counting the two Alien vs. Predator films) was directed by Ridley Scott and stars Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, and Danny McBride. It holds a 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is in line with 2012’s “Prometheus.” Although it came in already having made $42 million overseas and $36 million was enough to land in the top slot, “Alien” grossed less during its first weekend in the U.S. than “Prometheus” did in 2012 ($51 million). Its final domestic earnings also came in below earlier projections, which pegged the horror flick at at least $40 million. (Variety)[+]

PORTUGAL    –  People who are obese run an increased risk of heart failure and stroke even if they appear healthy, without the obvious warning signs such as high blood pressure or diabetes, according to a major new study.

The findings, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Porto, Portugal, may be the final death knell for the claim that it is possible to be obese but still metabolically healthy or “fat but fit” say scientists.  Several studies in the past have suggested that the idea of “metabolically healthy” obese individuals is an illusion, but they have been smaller than this one. The new study, from the University of Birmingham, involved 3.5 million people, approximately 61,000 of whom developed coronary heart disease.(The guardian)[+]

GERMANY   –  The German Air Force this month sent the U.S. military a written request for classified data on the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jet as it gears up to replace its current fleet of fighter jets from 2025 to 2035.

The letter, sent by the Air Force’s planning command and seen by Reuters, makes clear that the German government has not yet authorized a procurement program and is not committed to any particular aircraft to replace its current warplanes. It said the defense ministry would carry out “an in-depth evaluation of market available solutions, including the F-35, later this year,” with a formal “letter of request” to be issued in coming months.

Germany’s interest in the F-35 – the Pentagon’s most advanced warplane and its costliest procurement program – may surprise some given that it is part of the four-nation consortium that developed the fourth-generation Eurofighter Typhoon, which continues to compete for new orders.(Reuters)[+]

UK   –  Andy Street’s mayoral victory in Britain’s second largest metropolitan area may give the best indication yet of just how far Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservatives are poaching traditional Labour supporters ahead of the June 8 national vote.

Street quit his $1-million-a-year job as managing director of department store chain John Lewis to stand for the top political job in the West Midlands region of central England, which has a population of about 3 million. His victory this month was a surprise because the seven cities and boroughs, including Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton, that make up the West Midlands Combined Authority are a traditional stronghold of the opposition Labour Party.(Reuters)[+]