Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan speaks during a conference on foreign affairs in Ottawa on Friday, Jan. 29, 2016. (Sean Kilpatrick/CP)

A day before he backtracked from his false claim that he was the architect of Operation Medusa, one of the biggest and most dangerous missions of the war in Afghanistan, Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan inexplicably and stubbornly stood by them in a correspondence with me. What happened over the last five days might be called the anatomy of an apology.

The controversy stems from an April 18 speech the Minister delivered at Conflict Prevention and Peacekeeping in a Changing World, a conference in New Delhi, India. On my first deployment to Kandahar in 2006, the Minister said, I was the architect of Operation Medusa where we removed 1,500 Taliban fighters off the battlefield and I was proudly on the main assault. It was an odd comment. Though Sajjan was a veteran of the 2006 operation, he was in no way the key planner. That role is typically credited to retired Major General David Fraser, then the commander of the Multinational Brigade for Regional Command South, and the man who organized and led Operation Medusa.

On Monday, April 24, I began hearing from a number of senior military veterans who called Sajjans claim about his role in Medusa an exaggeration and demanded that he correct the record. None of the sources would go on the record because none wanted to question the legitimate bravery Sajjan showed during the 2006 battle and his three tours of duty in Afghanistan. Still, they regarded his comments in India as an inappropriate embellishment of his role. Sajjan had as much to do with designing Medusa as I did with designing NAFTA, one source told me.

What did Sajjan really do in Medusa? Back in 2006, then-Brigadier General Fraser wrote a letter commending Sajjanspersonal bravery in battle. Fraser wrote that Sajjans analysis was so compelling that it drove a number of large scale theatre-resourced efforts, including Operation Medusa that resulted in the defeat of the largest Taliban cell yet identified in Afghanistan, with over 1,500 Taliban killed or captured. So Sajjans bravery as an intelligence officer was never in question. But thats a long way from being the architect of the operation. I contacted Fraser to ask about Sajjans recent claim, but he flat out refused to comment.

On Wednesday, April 26, I wrote to the Department of National Defence and asked why the Minister had called himselfthe architect of Medusa. I do not want to diminish the extraordinary role the Minister played, I wrote. However, I have had feedback from several sources who suggest the use of the term architect is an exaggeration.I can find no citation where the Minister is credited as the architect of Operation Medusa. He was an important member of the team, but no one I spoke to saw him as the architect. That role has been credited to the General, in this case, Fraser. As this was a major military operation with many senior military planners, can you please tell me if it is accurate for the Minister to say he wasthe architect of the operation? Did he plan it? Did he originate the plan? Was he the leader of the operation plan? Was he involved in the planning or did he provide Intel that was then verified and used? Why did the Minister call himself the architect of Medusa?

MORE: Behind the sunglasses: Harjit Sajjans rise to cabinet

I fully expected the Minister to clarify his role, thinking he would repeat what Fraser had written back in 2006that his intelligence had played a key role in the operation. Instead, he avoided the question and tried to skate. Operation Medusa wassuccessful because ofthe leadership,service and sacrificeof many dedicated women and men in the Canadian Armed Forces, Minister Sajjan wrote. I was proud to have served with extraordinary Canadians, US and Afghan soldiers who made Operation Medusa successful.

I immediately wrote back to say that this did not address the fundamental question: Why did the Minister call himself the architect of Medusa? I asked his department to further clarify, but they refused to say anything else. I dont have anything to add beyond what I just sent, the Ministers communications person wrote.

It was odd that they were sticking by the Ministers original statement in India, which was so patently misleading. Medusa involved over 1,000 Canadian soldiers working in a coordinated attack with British and Dutch troops against the Taliban position in Panjwai district. It was a complex, high-level operation led and developed by Fraser and his planning department. Other key planners of Medusa included the highly-respected Lieutenant-Colonel Omer Lavoie, then commander of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment. At the time, Sajjan was a major, nowhere close to the top of the command structure and so nowhere close to being the architect of the operation. Sajjans second claim has a grain of truth to it being on the final assault but he was present like thousands of other soldiers, one source said. But from what I gather, he [was] not engaged in combat. The military personnel I spoke to were clearly furious about the Ministers comment.

As the week wore on, more veterans contacted reporters about the Ministers claim. Suddenly, on Thursday, I got another message from Minister Sajjans office. They had a new, updated statement from the Minister. He was no longer going to try to spin his way out of it. My comments were in no way intended to diminish the role that my fellow soldiers and my superiors played in Operation Medusa, Sajjan wrote. What I should have said was that our military successes are the result of the leadership, service and sacrifice of the many dedicated women and men in the Canadian Forces. I regret that I didnt say this then, but I want to do so now. Operation Medusa wassuccessful because of[the] leadership of General Fraser and the extraordinary team with whom I had the honour of serving.

Within hours of that email landing in my inbox, the brilliant Postmedia reporter Matthew Fisher published a story about the military backlash against Minister and his apology. The controversy erupted immediately.

It remains a mystery as to why the Minister would make the false claim in the first place and even more baffling why, when I asked him to clarify earlier in the week, he decided to stick to it. There is an old saying: Victory has a thousand fathers, defeat is an orphan, one source wrote to me. There were tens of thousands of architects for Medusa in Canada, NATO, Kabul and Kandahar. Dave Fraser was key to it, influenced by those thousands, and he wrote and spoke many complimentary things about all of them. They all of them could and should receive the credit. God knows, they would have received the blame if things had not worked out.

Minister Sajjan did heroic things in the service of Canada during a dangerous period of war. He risked his life. There was simply no need to embellish that. It is a terrible shame that might tarnish his service.

More:
The anatomy of Harjit Sajjan's Afghanistan operation apology - Macleans.ca

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Frederick Manion (Ben Gazzara), a lieutenant in the army, is arrested for the murder of a bartender, Barney Quill. He claims, in his defense, that the victim had raped and beaten up his wife Laura (Lee Remick). Although Laura supports her husband's story, the police surgeon can find no evidence that she has been raped. Manion is defended by Paul Biegler (James Stewart), a rather humble small-town lawyer. During the course of interviews, Biegler discovers that Manion is violently possessive and jealous, and also that his wife has a reputation for giving her favors to other men. Biegler realizes that the prosecution will try to make the court believe that Laura was the lover of the bartender and than Manion killed him and beat her up when he discovered them together. Manion pleads "not guilty" and Biegler, who knows that his case is weak, sets his assistants to try to find a witness who will save Manion. Written by alfiehitchie

Link:
Anatomy of a Murder (1959) - IMDb

BALTIMORE -- To heck with the math.

According to the math, and the experts who like to use it to crunch numbers and make projections, the Baltimore Orioles weren't supposed to be very good this season. According to the math, they were supposed to win anywhere from not a lot of games to slightly more than not a lot of games. According to the math, they were supposed to be an afterthought in the AL Beast. Instead, they have the best record in the Son of Senior Circuit.

Are the O's a mirage? Maybe. After all, we're only at the one-eighth mark (is that even a thing?). Not to mention, their ho-hum run differential (plus-9) suggests they should be barely above .500 (a Pythagorean 11-9 record). Then again, the same thing happened last season too, when Buck Showalter's club parlayed a surprisingly hot start all the way to the postseason. Regardless, you don't jump out to a 14-6 start without the ball bouncing your way more often than not. You don't have a month like this without a little help from Lady Luck.

By beating Tampa Bay 5-4 in 11 innings on Wednesday, the first-place Birds improved to 6-1 in one-run games. They upped their mark to 3-0 in extra-inning games.

Not to take anything away from Dylan Bundy, who made his fifth straight quality start to kick off the season. Or Brad Brach, who threw up two more goose eggs and continues to do the best Zach Britton impression this side of Zach Britton. Or Chris Davis, who reached base three times, including a leadoff single that started the winning rally in the bottom of the 11th. But if weren't for Kid Karma, who paid an extra-special visit early on in this one, Baltimore might never have been in position to pull out a wild and wacky W that culminated in ... wait for it ... a walk-off walk.

Officially, the final box score will show that LongBalltimore, which led the majors in bombs last season and came into Thursday ranked third in the AL, did not go deep. Unofficially, Seth Smith hit a Little League homer -- a two-run shot that had the exit velocity of a Volvo on a crowded off-ramp, the launch angle of an Acme stomp rocket, and the distance of a sand wedge into high winds.

Actually, that's not entirely true. According to Statcast, Smith's hit off of Rays starter Alex Cobb left the bat at 96 miles an hour, which in theory could be dinger material. Except that it featured just a 15-degree arc and traveled only 322 feet -- to straight away center field. In other words, it had single written all over it. Until it didn't.

Here's how it went down:

With one out and the O's leading 1-0 in the second inning, Smith lined a 2-2 changeup into center field toward Kevin Kiermaier. Ryan Flaherty, on first following an RBI single, was running on the play.

Third baseman Evan Longoria, who had been positioned at shortstop as part of Tampa Bay's shift and was headed to second to cover the steal, had to scurry back toward third to receive the throw from center and didn't quite make it in time. Instead, he and a sliding Flaherty got tangled up, and Kiermaier's throw -- which was actually a pretty good one -- squirted away in the direction of the third-base dugout.

Flaherty started to go for home but then reversed course when he saw that Cobb, backing up third base, had picked up the ball and was about to make a play on him at third. Cobb threw to Longoria at third, but the ball glanced off Flaherty's helmet and caromed into left field.

While Flaherty was busy strolling home, Smith was steaming around second. And third. Left fielder Shane Peterson corralled the ball and made what could loosely be described as a "throw" to relay-man Longoria, who then fired home, where Smith slid in juuuuust ahead of the tag.

Got all that?

Perhaps the most unbelievable thing about the play -- ya know, besides the fact that a guy with three steals in the past five years made it all around the bases on a ball that landed in front of, was hit directly at, and was fielded cleanly by the center fielder -- was the defenders who were involved.

The center fielder in question was Kiermaier, a human web gem who has won back-to-back Gold Gloves. The pitcher in question was Cobb, who ranks in the top 10 among AL starters in runs saved over the past five years. The third baseman in question was Longoria, who isn't the defender he once was but has still saved more runs over the past decade than any third baseman not named Arenado, Machado, or Beltre. Not that it mattered.

"I never touched the ball the whole time," said Longoria after the game, maintaining a sense of humor about the whole thing. "Well, not until I got it and relayed home. It just got out of control. That's a homer in Little League, but in the big leagues it's just a bad play."

Flaherty would've scored it a little differently.

"We can give Seth a homer," Baltimore's utility man said. "If you're starting in the batter's box and you get all the way around to home, that's pretty cool."

Although Flaherty didn't cover quite as much ground as Smith did on the play, between all the starting and stopping and the shenanigans at the hot corner, he felt as if he did. And then some.

"That was more running that I did all of spring training," he said.

As crazy as the play was, Smith is in no hurry to do it again anytime soon.

"I hope that's the last time it happens," said the O's outfielder, who drew the walk-off walk in the 11th and who claims that he never has hit a Little League homer in his life -- not even in Little League. "I dont ever remember that happening."

As for how his four-base single should be classified, it depends on who's keeping score.

"My children will probably think I hit a home run," said the 34-year old father of three. "Then again, they think any time I put the ball in play, it's a hit."

The rest is here:
Anatomy of a Little League homer - ESPN (blog)

Sisters before misters! Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) might end her latest fling to make things right with Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary) on Greys Anatomy. Also, a few couples reconnected during the Thursday, April 27, episode, so love was definitely in the air at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Check out the five biggest moments from the episode!

Meredith and Maggie Drama

Meredith decided it was finally time for her to tell Pierce about her relationship with Nathan Riggs (Martin Henderson). However, before she got a chance, Pierce saw the two flirting during a press conference and figured it out. She gave Meredith the cold shoulder all day.

This isnt about Nathan. Its you. I trusted you to be honest with me, Pierce said. I thought I could count on you. Mer, dont let your girl down. You have to fix this.

Matchmaker in Heaven

Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) was obsessed with fixing Richard Webbers (James Pickens Jr.) marriage. Her husband, Ben Warren (Jason Winston George), told her to stay out of it, but she couldnt help herself and enlisted April Kepner (Sarah Drew) for help.

Just because you feel responsible doesnt mean you have to fix it. Stay out of it, Catherine Avery (Debbie Allen) told Bailey.

I know it can feel impossible at times, but you can figure it out, Bailey said.

A Short Reconnection

After Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) performed a heart-wrenching surgery, she could not keep it together. She stayed cool in front of the patients, but once it all was over, she broke down in an elevator. Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) got on the elevator and saw her, and the two stood there hugging in silence as Amelia sobbed. When Hunt got to his floor, he got off without saying a word. Although it wasnt much, maybe these two can get back on track.

Working With Worms

Webber had a busy day extracting worms from a patients body. It seemed like Bailey actually got through to Catherine, and Webbers wife visited him as he was getting ready to sleep in the hospital.

I was wrong, she said. The two didnt really discuss their problems, but at least they bonded over the photos Webber took of the worm surgery. They are totally meant for one another.

Breaking Up?

Meredith came home to Maggie sitting on the couch and told her they were going out. Maggie didnt want to, but Mer wouldnt take no for an answer.

I am very sorry that I screwed up and I hurt you, Meredith said. But youre my sister and Im sure as hell not losing you over a guy.

That must have been exactly what Pierce wanted to hear, because she agreed to go. Hopefully, this will finally be the end of the Meredith-Riggs rollercoaster. They keep trying to be a thing, but it just doesnt work. Plus, Meredith and Pierce are sisters. They cant ruin that over a guy.

Tell Us: Do you think Meredith will finally break up with Riggs?

Greys Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

See the original post here:
'Grey's Anatomy' Recap: Maggie Finds Out About Meredith and Riggs - Us Weekly

One patient had worms breeding inside her. The end.

Just kidding. There was more to this episode, but honestly, the pasta-like worms were everywhere even in scenes most definitelynotabout the worms, you were thinking about the worms. Or if, like me, you are getting over a stomach bug, you were thinking, Please dont throw up, please dont throw up, please dont throw up. Also? Spaghetti is ruined. Forever.

All you really need to know about the worms is that a patient had them, her new boyfriend ditched her once he found out, and then he returned later (after the worms were cleared from his girlfriend, it should be noted), once he realized he was being a butthead. Oh, and April got one in her hair. And you thought licewere bad!

In non-worm news, Bailey notices Richard and Catherine arent speaking, and she wants to fix it because of course she does. She spends the entire episode trying to figure out how to get them back on speaking terms. April eventually clues Bailey in on something: She and Catherine are very, very alike. Soon after, Baileys confronting her sort-of twin about how she needs to woman up and talk to her husband. Shes pretty convincing, too, both because shes Bailey, and Bailey could probably convince you breeding worms in your intestines is a good idea (sorry), and because she knows a thing or two about marriage shes been through two, after all.

So she does her Bailey thing, telling Catherine things like, You dont know how to be married, and, in the episodes best moment, I plan to grow old with my man and have old people sex. Dont you want to have old people sex, Catherine? she asks. She tells Catherine to set her ego aside and talk to her husband, make up with him. Very quickly we find out that Catherinedoeswant to have old people sex, because shes visiting Richard and joyfully looking at his pictures of the worms. At least something good came out of them?

See the original post here:
Grey's Anatomy recap: 'Don't Stop Me Now' - EW.com

PHOTO: Scott Garfield/ABC/Getty Images

Grey's Anatomy, the anchor of Thursday night television that will probably never end, was almost an entirely different show. As in, it didn't take place in Seattle, it didn't have Alex Karev, and it didn't even have Grey's in the title. If you're feeling shook right now, don't worrywe are too.

The creator of the famous medical drama (along with its Thursday night buddies Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder), Shonda Rhimes, recently revealed all of those secrets and more to the students of her writing-for-television master class. By sharing the original pitch she wrote for Grey's Anatomy, along with early script drafts and alternate scenes, Rhimes gave a peek at just how different the drama could have been.

For starters, as reported by Elle, the show wasn't even initially called Grey's Anatomy. Instead, it was named Surgeons, which is about as bland of a title as it gets. (No offense.) Sure, its long-running medical predecessors ER and House both had simple, one-word titlesbut the double entendre that is Grey's Anatomy works so much better.

Other shocking revelations include: It was originally going to be set in either New York, Philadelphia, or Boston. ("Big city, big medical center, big surgical opportunities," Rhimes wrote.) Karev wasn't in the original pitch and wasn't added in until after the pilot was shot. (Thirteen seasons later, he still hasn't been killed off.) Miranda Bailey was originally described as a "tiny blond with curls." (She's now played by the spectacular Chandra Wilson.) Cristina was supposed to fall for Denny, McDreamy was supposed to have a teenage daughter, and Preston Burke was supposed to be married. In other words, our Thursday nights could have taken an entirely different turn.

But with Rhimes at the helm, we probably would have loved it nonetheless.

Related: Sarah Drew Asked Grey's Anatomy to Include a Breast Pump Scene, and We're All for It

See the original post:
*Grey's Anatomy* Almost Had a Totally Different (and Really Bad ... - Glamour

Can you imagine turning on ABC on a Thursday night and not seeing Meredith Grey in Seattle saving lives and breaking hearts? Well that was almost the case. In fact, the widely popular medical drama wasn't even originally supposed to be called Grey's Anatomy. Find out all the secrets you probably never knew about Shonda Rhimes' hit below.

Should Grey's Anatomy Fans Be Worried for the Season 13 Finale?>>>

According to Elle, Shonda Rhimes' online Masterclass in television writing offered lots of insight into the writer-producer's original vision for the show and how those changed into what we see every Thursday now. For one thing, the original name of the show was Surgeons, which sounds more like a boring medical documentary that would definitely not have the viewership that Grey's does.

As if that's not enough, the show almost didn't even take place in Seattle. Rhimes originally envisioned her drama in either Boston, Philadelphia or New York City. "This is not a small town life," she wrote. "Big city, big medical center, big surgical opportunities."

And can you imagine Grey's Anatomy without Dr. Alex Karev? Though he's been a central character for 13 seasons now, the character was only added in after shooting the pilot. He, along with all the other doctors (and especially Meredith), were also first written in with a terrible habit -- smoking.

For all you McDreamy fans, here's some insight into what Derek Shepherd first looked like to Shonda -- a divorced man with a teenage daughter who actually convinced him to take the job at the hospital. That would definitely have thrown all sorts of new wrenches into the already complicated works of his relationship with Meredith, don't you think? Additionally, the iconic voiceovers throughout the show by Meredith were originally meant to be from trips she made to visit her Alzheimer's diseased mother.

Which of these changes made by Shonda Rhimes surprised you the most? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Do Meredith and Nathan Have a Future on Grey's Anatomy?>>>

Grey's Anatomy season 13 airs Thursdays at 9/8c on ABC. Want more news? Like our Grey's Anatomy page on Facebook!

(Image courtesy of ABC)

See the original post:
'Grey's Anatomy' Could Have Been a Totally Different Show - BuddyTV (blog)

Associated Press, FOX NEWS

SEOUL, South Korea North Korea observers have long marveled at the ability of a small, impoverished, autocratic nation to go toe-to-toe with the world's superpowers.

Part of the secret to North Korean success has always been the ruling Kim family's mastery of the art of brinkmanship.

What looks to outsiders like bluster, bombast and recklessness is actually a proven technique that over the years has won North Korea grudging respect from Washington and its allies, and at times filled its coffers with aid offered by rivals relieved to see animosity on the Korean Peninsula ease.

In recent weeks, however, the roles may have reversed, with a new administration in Washington bulldozing its way to the brink before finally backing away.

Korean war jitters made global headlines after U.S. President Donald Trump issued repeated, ambiguous warnings about his willingness to take unilateral action and sent U.S. military vessels to Korean waters. This week, however, Trump announced a much softer policy that combines diplomacy and economic sanctions and is strikingly similar to what frustrated past presidents embraced.

North Korea used to employ a comparable method: Forcing the world to pay attention by staging nuclear and missile tests, issuing outrageous threats and occasionally lashing out with violence and then offering up negotiations.

For decades, the tiny, Third World dictatorship sandwiched between rich behemoths played the game remarkably well. But some now see North Korea entering a frightening new phase, barreling across what were once considered red lines in a dash to build nuclear-armed missiles that can reach the U.S. mainland.

Here is a brief examination of North Korea's mastery of brinkmanship, and what might be coming next:

___

US BRINKMANSHIP?

Brinkmanship can be defined as the technique of pushing a dangerous policy to the edge of safety before stopping.

Some Korea experts, analyzing what happened in recent weeks on the Korean Peninsula, believe that this time Washington engineered the brinksmanship.

Presumably worried that North Korea would soon conduct its sixth nuclear test, the Trump administration threatened a possible attack, ordered a supercarrier and nuclear-powered submarine to Korea and linked the recent U.S. bombing of Syria to North Korea.

Here is the original post:
Anatomy Of A Growing Threat: North Korea's Evolving Brinkmanship - Fox News

Final broadcast primetime live + same-day ratings for Thursday, April 27, 2017

The Big Bang Theory avoided a new series low among adults 18-49 and finished ahead of its last episode by adjusting up from Thursdays early ratings to the finals. The shows 18-49 rating came up two tenths of a point to 2.6, 0.1 higher than its previous series low two weeks ago.

Greys Anatomy (1.8) and Masterchef Junior (0.8) also adjusted up. The Catch came down a tenth to 0.6.

Upward adjustments in adults 18-49 are in blue; downward adjustments are in red.

Network averages:

Definitions: Rating: Estimated percentage of the universe of TV households (or other specified group) tuned to a program in the average minute. Ratings are expressed as a percent. Fast Affiliate Ratings: These first national ratings are available at approximately 11 a.m. ETthe day after telecast. The figures may include stations that did not air the entire network feed, as well as local news breaks or cutaways for local coverage or other programming. Fast Affiliate ratings are not as useful for live programs and are likely to differ significantly from the final results, because the data reflect normal broadcast feed patterns. Share (of Audience):The percent of households (or persons) using television who are tuned to a specific program, station or network in a specific area at a specific time. Time Shifted Viewing:Program ratings for national sources are produced in three streams of data Live, Live +Same-Day and Live +7 Day. Time-shifted figures account for incremental viewing that takes place with DVRs. Live+SD includes viewing during the same broadcast day as the original telecast, with a cut-off of 3 a.m. local time when meters transmit daily viewing to Nielsen for processing. Live +7 ratings include viewing that takes place during the 7 days following a telecast.

Source: The Nielsen Company.

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'Big Bang Theory,' 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Masterchef Junior' adjust up; 'The Catch' adjusts down: Thursday final ratings - TVbytheNumbers

Did you hear the one about how Anne Aly, Australias first female Muslim federal MP, refused to lay a wreath at a recent Anzac Day service?

If youre a traveller in right wing Australian Facebook circles, theres a fair chance you did. From the Kim Vuga Love Australia Or Leave Party page to the Bolt Report Supporters group, rumours of Alys disrespect have been circling for a few days.

The only problem is, its just not true.

The rumour appears to have kicked off at around 8:30pm on Anzac Day which marks the anniversary of Australia and New Zealands first major battle in WWI when it was posted to the Kim Vuga Love Australia or Leave Party page.

The must read story was posted by Vuga, the founder and president of the Love Australia or Leave Party and posed the question: What the hell are they doing in our country? You can guess who they refers to.

The story came to Vuga from Gary, a regular commenter on the page who apparently sent it to her via direct message. It claimed that Gary was at the Wanneroo RSL dawn service, north of Perth in Western Australia.

Everything went very well until the Wreath laying ceremony when the guy announcing the people laying Wreaths said the Local Member Anne Ally would not be presenting the Wreath for the local government, the post said.

What a bitch.

A few hours later Vugas post was picked up by the Fair Suck Of The Sav, Mate Facebook page, where Alys failure to lay a wreath had now become a refusal.

That post was shared more than 450 times by the pages 49,000 followers, and from there it took off, bouncing around the right wing Facebook echo chamber, whipping conservatives into a fevered frenzy about the Muslim MP who disrespected our Diggers.

Alys WA electorate of Cowan has two dawn services one at Wanneroo and one at Ballajura and because the sun only rises once a day, she can only attend one.

Last year it was Wanneroo, so this year she attended the Ballajura ceremony and sent a wreath to Wanneroo, where state MP Sabine Winton laid it on her behalf.

Alys been to three Anzac ceremonies this week, and shell attend three more before the week is out.

Aly, who was a counter terror and deradicalisation expert before entering parliament, says the claims are offensive and distracting.

I have a strong relationship with the RSL, she told BuzzFeed News. I take a lot of pride in it. I work a lot with victims of terror and with first responders, with people who have sacrificed. I have a lot of respect for our service men and women.

The news has now seeped into the mainstream. Aly says shes heard it being reported on some local talkback stations.

Its absolutely disgusting that the very people who are falsely claiming outrage are the same people who are disrespecting Anzac day for their own agenda, she said.

I dont look at my life through the lens of my religious identity. I dont look at everything only through the lens of Islam. But people look at me only through that lens and cant see me as anything else.

When contacted by BuzzFeed News Kim Vuga was unrepentant about any role she played in the spreading of a false rumour.

She said she had never claimed that Aly had refused to lay a wreath, only that she had failed to lay one, and said she trusted her friend Gary to tell the truth.

I only shared what I was given, she told BuzzFeed News.

When asked why she hadnt checked her facts before posting, she said that that was the job of journalists, and perhaps BuzzFeed News would be better off investigating the recent controversy surrounding Muslim writer and TV host Yassmin Abdel-Magied.

Vuga hasnt yet passed on Garys details to us, but if she does, well update this post.

More here:
Anatomy Of A Fake News Story: How A Muslim Politician Became A ... - BuzzFeed News