The disclosures sparked widespread outrage, led by Chancellor Angela Merkel who strongly condemned the latest controversy to engulf the nation’s powerful but scandal-tainted auto industry.

“These tests on monkeys or even humans are in no way ethically justified,” said Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert.

“The indignation felt by many people is completely understandable.”

Earlier Monday the Sueddeutsche and Stuttgarter Zeitung dailies reported that a research group funded by Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW had ordered a study in Germany measuring the effects of inhaling nitrogen oxide gases on 25 healthy human beings.

The revelation came just days after the New York Times wrote that the same organisation carried out tests on monkeys in the United States in 2014.

According to the NYT article, the researchers locked 10 monkeys into airtight chambers and made them breathe in diesel exhausts from a VW Beetle while watching cartoons.

Volkswagen apologised for the animal testing at the weekend, saying the group “distances itself clearly from all forms of animal abuse”.

– Special meeting –

The German government has called a special meeting with the affected car companies to ask them to explain themselves, said acting transport minister Christian Schmidt.

“This has once again damaged trust in the auto industry,” he said.

It was VW’s admission in 2015 that it had manipulated 11 million diesel cars with cheating software to make them seems less polluting than they were that brought close scrutiny to the industry, which had long touted diesels as better for the environment than gasoline-powered engines.

All three German carmakers scrambled to distance themselves from the research body in question — the now defunct European Research Group on Environment and Health in the Transport Sector (EUGT) — and promised to launch internal investigations.

“We are appalled by the extent of the studies and their implementation,” a Daimler spokesman told AFP.

“The BMW Group did not participate in the mentioned studies,” the luxury carmaker said in a statement, while VW said the EUGT was set up to be an “independent” research body.

Although it was the EUGT that commissioned both tests, the organisation itself was financed by the trio of car giants hoping its research would defend diesel’s green reputation — and the valuable tax breaks that go with it.

The car companies decided in late 2016 to dissolve the EUGT, which shut its doors last year.

– ‘No significant effects’ – 

The tests involving 25 human volunteers were carried out at a university hospital in the German city of Aachen in 2013 and 2014.

As part of the study, the participants were exposed for several hours to different levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) — the most toxic form of nitrogen oxide and commonly found in diesel exhausts.

The researchers detected “no significant effects”, according to a summary of the study.

But Thomas Kraus, the head of the relevant department at the university hospital in Aachen, told German media the findings were limited as they weren’t representative of the wider population and didn’t take into account general air pollution.

The institute separately released a statement stressing the study had been approved by the university hospital’s ethics commission and was not linked to any diesel emissions testing.

The study was about improving “workplace safety” for people like truck drivers, mechanics or welders, it said, adding that the levels of NO2 inhaled by the test subjects were “well below those found in many workplaces in Germany”.

The World Health Organization says on its website there is “growing evidence” that nitrogen dioxide exposure “can increase symptoms of bronchitis and asthma, as well as lead to respiratory infections and reduced lung function and growth.”

Exposure is “linked to premature mortality… from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases,” it states.

– ‘Absurd’ –

The premier of Lower Saxony, whose state is home to VW’s Wolfsburg headquarters and is one of the group’s biggest shareholders, echoed Berlin’s repudiation of the tests.

The experiments are “absurd and disgusting” said Stephan Weil, whose state holds two seats on VW’s supervisory board.

He reminded the VW group that it “must meet all ethical requirements”.

The latest scandal “will have a lasting impact on the public’s trust in the auto industry,” predicted analyst Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer of the Center for Automotive Research.//AFP

    VW chief executive Matthias Mueller labelled the 2014 animal testing “wrong … unethical and repulsive” and promised the company would take “all necessary consequences”, reported Spiegel Online.

And in the top-selling Bild daily, VW’s public relations chief Thomas Steg said that “what happened should never have happened, I regret it very much”.

The scandal follows VW’s admission in 2015 that it had manipulated 11 million diesel cars worldwide, equipping them with cheating software to make them seem less polluting than they were.

According to the New York Times, US researchers in 2014 locked 10 monkeys into airtight chambers and made them breathe in diesel exhaust from a VW Beetle while the animals were watching TV cartoons.

Separately, it emerged that a research group funded by VW, Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler and BMW had ordered a study in Germany measuring the effects of inhaling nitrogen dioxide on 25 human volunteers.

The disclosures sparked widespread outrage, led by Chancellor Angela Merkel who strongly condemned the latest controversy to engulf the nation’s powerful auto industry.

“These tests on monkeys or even humans are in no way ethically justified,” said Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert on Monday. “The indignation felt by many people is completely understandable.”

Steg admitted to Bild that he had been informed in advance of the US monkey experiment but insisted he prevented a plan to carry these tests out on humans.

– No harm? –

As for the German tests conducted in an institute in Aachen in 2013 and 2014, Steg said the volunteers had been exposed to “much lower levels than those found in many workplaces” and that no-one suffered any harm.

All three German carmakers scrambled to distance themselves from the research body in question — the now defunct European Research Group on Environment and Health in the Transport Sector (EUGT) — and promised to launch internal investigations.

The German government has called a special meeting with the affected car companies to ask them to explain themselves.

Although it was the EUGT that commissioned both tests, the organisation itself was financed by the trio of car giants hoping its research would defend diesel’s green reputation.

The car companies decided in late 2016 to dissolve the EUGT, which shut its doors last year.

Amid the controversy, Berlin’s Tageszeitung daily said that “while these experiments are doubtless scandalous, the bigger scandal is the experiment the car industry has been conducting on the wider population for decades”.

“While the monkeys and human volunteers only had to inhale exhaust fumes for a few hours, people with the misfortune to walk along arterial roads have been breathing in levels of nitrogen oxide far higher than EU limits for years.”

In Brussels, the EU Commission on Tuesday summoned Germany and eight other EU countries to explain how they plan to lower toxic emissions to meet the bloc’s air quality standards if they want to avoid action before the European Court of Justice.//AFP

VietJet – best known for its bikini-clad air hostesses – came under fire for sending models in barely there costumes to join the footballers heading home from China, where the team suffered a 2-1 defeat after extra time by Uzbekistan in the Under-23 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Championship on Saturday (Jan 27).

Social media in the communist nation erupted over the photos, including one of an awkward-looking young man being embraced by a model in a low-cut silver belly top and red underpants.

Others showed the sequin- and feather-adorned pin-ups posing on the private flight that VietJet chartered for the team after the tournament.

But netizens in Vietnam were not impressed with the airline models.

“VietJet’s move was so rude, cheap, and offensive to the team, the fans and even its passengers,” Facebook user Nguyen My Linh wrote in a post that received 1,700 likes and more than 100 shares by midday on Monday.

Though the airline has grabbed headlines by staffing some of its inaugural flights with air hostesses in nothing more than bikinis, many online users said it was inappropriate to send the lingerie models to accompany the young men.

“It’s disgusting. I will boycott VietJet for this,” Le Nguyen, an office worker, told AFP on Monday.

The players were treated to a rock-star welcome after they returned home on Sunday. Hordes of flag-waving fans packed the streets of Hanoi to catch a glimpse of the team, who were crushed by Uzbekistan’s winning goal in the final minute of extra time.

VietJet apologised for the stunt on Sunday, saying it was an “improvised move” and not a well-thought out marketing strategy. It said “relevant staff” had been disciplined.//AFP

The first phase of the project involves improving traffic system with the help of artificial intelligence and cloud computing. This is the first project implemented outside China.Malaysia Digital Economic Corporation (MDEC), city hall and cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group are collaborating on a project named as Malaysia City Brain to improve on the governance of the city.

The first phase of the project is to use Malaysia City Brain to manage traffic and improve improve the speed of vehicles in the city.Based on Alibaba Cloud’s large-scale computing where it gathers traffic data in real-time including analysis of traffic conditions, volumes, lane speeds, optimisation of traffic signals by calculating the time to reach intersections, providing better city services.

The Malaysia City Brain is also capable of co-ordinating multiple systems managed in the city such as emergencies, ambulance service system, traffic navigation system and traffic light control system. By conducting integrating and analysis on data of these systems, vehicles on emergencies are given the fastest route and traffic volume along the route would be managed at the same time for the vehicles to reach destinations with fastest speed.

It is statement in the statement that the Malaysia City Brain is the first project used outside China.The statement also said functions of Malaysia City Brain would continue to expand while corporations, new start-ups, entrepreneurs, universities and research agencies would have opportunities to utilise the artificial intelligence technology of Malaysia City Bran for a series of innovations.

Alibaba Group senior VP and Alibaba Cloud president Simon Hu said cloud computing, artificial intelligence and smart data are part of basic tools for corporations and agencies to function effectively. Alibaba Cloud is extremely happy that Malaysia is the first country outside China to use city brain.“We hope through this collaboration, we can help to upgrade tool efficiencies needed by people in both private and government sectors, implement innovation and assist them to achieve success in digital economy. To Alibaba Cloud, this is the true meaning of generalising technology for the benefit of everyone.

    It is the first time it has ever allowed a restaurant to withdraw from its pages.

Sebastien Bras, whose Le Suquet restaurant in the rural Aveyron region has held the maximum three-star rating from the gastronomic bible for 18 years, told AFP in September that he could no longer put himself through the ordeal of knowing that one below-par dish could cost him his reputation.

“It is difficult for us to have a restaurant in the guide which does not wish to be in it,” Claire Dorland Clauzel of Michelin told AFP.

“It is the first time we have had a public withdrawal of this sort,” she added, saying other restaurants had dropped out when chefs retired or the concept had changed.

Le Suquet, at Laguiole in south central France, will not feature in the guide’s 2018 edition, which will be published next Monday, Dorland Clauzel confirmed.

Bras, 46, caused shockwaves worldwide when he announced he was relinquishing the three stars currently held by an elite club of 27 French restaurants.

“You’re inspected two or three times a year, you never know when. Every meal that goes out could be inspected,” he told AFP.

“That means that every day one of the 500 meals that leaves the kitchen could be judged.

– Agony of perfection –

“Maybe I will be less famous but I accept that,” said the chef, who took over the famed restaurant from his father a decade ago.

He said he wanted to “start a new chapter” in its history “without wondering whether my creations will appeal to Michelin’s inspectors”.

Bras confessed that like “all chefs” he sometimes found himself thinking of fellow Frenchman Bernard Loiseau — who committed suicide in 2003, an act widely seen as linked to rumours that he would lose his third Michelin star.

But “I’m not in the frame of mind”, he insisted.

Bras is not the first chef to walk away from the ultra-competitive world of Michelin-star cooking.

A handful of French restaurateurs have relinquished their prized three-star status.

In 2005, the late Alain Senderens — one of the pioneers of Nouvelle Cuisine — closed his three-star Art Nouveau Paris restaurant claiming he had enough of the agony of perfection and wanted to do “beautiful cuisine without all the tra-la-la and chichi”.

Three years later, Olivier Roellinger closed his luxury eatery in the Breton fishing village of Cancale, saying he wanted a quieter life.

And last year Danish chef Rene Redzepi forfeited the two stars he won for his Noma restaurant when he closed it in order to move it to another part of Copenhagen, saying it was “necessary to break down a castle in order to build a new one”.//AFP

Some 14 camels have been disqualified from the month-long King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, an annual bedouin tradition supported by the Saudi royal family that lures breeders from around the Gulf with prize money of up to $57 million (46 million euros).

Organisers of the festival — with 30,000 participating camels — are cracking down on cosmetic enhancements, a malpractice that has thrived amid stiff competition and despite strong penalties as some stake millions on acquiring top breeds.

“Some breeders cannot afford to buy expensive camels,” said Abdullah bin Naser al-Dagheri, one of the judges, scribbling scores on sheafs of papers as he stood on tracks littered with camel droppings.

“They buy cheap, not so good-looking camels and try to beautify them artificially. We’re cracking down on such fraud.”

Droopy lips, a tall neck and a perfectly placed hump are all winning attributes in camel pageantry.

– Lure of lucre –

The lure of cash prizes and the prestige of winning propels some to tweak the natural look of camels, an offence that could get the animals banned from the competition for three to five years.

Days before the festival began, Saudi authorities caught one vet performing plastic surgery on camels, media reported, prompting furious calls for new penalties on cheats.

Camels were given botox injections at his clinic and some went under the knife to make their ears more perky, also considered a winning trait.

“Cheating is inevitable — even in a contest about beauty,” said chief judge Fawzan al-Madi.

“It is prevalent just like any other animal sport such as horse racing where steroids have found their way.”

Madi added that specialised vets and a team from the agriculture ministry had been deployed to catch violations, which include beauty products such as oils, anaesthetic creams and fillers.

Saudi Arabia is in the midst of historic social and economic change as it seeks to leapfrog into a modern, post-oil era.

Women will be allowed to drive from June, and the ultra-conservative kingdom is gearing up to reopen cinemas for the first time in decades.

But simultaneously it is also seeking to preserve its bedouin traditions and cultural heritage.

– Pride before profit –

“Camels are a symbol of the Arabian peninsula, a symbol of Saudi Arabia,” Madi said.

“They are our pride.”

Thousands of visitors have attended this year’s festival, which last year relocated from the remote desert to Al-Rumhiya on the outskirts of the capital Riyadh.

The spectator stands erupted in whistles and howls as camels strode down the racetrack, their humps draped in golden belts adorned with tassels and bells.

Revellers waved makeshift flags, mounting their chequered headgear on sticks as camels representing their tribes appeared.

The festival, which ends with a closing ceremony presided over by King Salman on February 1, also features camel racing and milk tasting, as well as a petting zoo featuring the world’s tallest camel which stands at nearly three metres (10 feet).

Desert storms frequently interrupt the festival, forcing VIP visitors inside luxury air-conditioned tents offering sugary pastries, Arabic coffee and dried fruit.

The spirit of the festival should not be overshadowed by some cases of cheating, said camel owner Howashel al-Dosary, displaying to AFP the most expensive among his flock of 100 camels, worth five million riyals ($1.3 million).

“If I catch a cheat I will tell him: ‘May God never help you! I don’t want to see your face again.'”

“Our pride is more important than profit.”//AFP

The moon’s copper color during the eclipse is expected to appear more stark as the suspended dust from the volcano’s eruption may act as a “filter,” making the red color appear deeper, said Mario Raymundo, chief of the Pagasa Astronomical Observation and Time Service Unit.

Good weather is forecast for Albay province on Jan. 31, according to Robert Sawi, Pagasa assistant weather services chief.

Observation stations

Stargazers hoping to get a closer glimpse of the super blue blood moon may head to observation stations to be put up in various parts of the country.

Telescopes will be available to the public at the stations free of charge.

The stations, the locations of which have been posted by Philippine Astronomical Society Inc., highlight the excitement generated by the astronomical trifecta.

In Metro Manila, viewers may make their way to the following areas:

Manila: Rizal Park from 6 p.m. to midnight and San Beda College from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Quezon City: SM North Edsa from 7 p.m. onward, the Astronomical Observatory at UP Diliman from 6 p.m. to 12:10 a.m. and Trinoma Park from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

San Juan City: Pinaglabanan Shrine from 6 p.m. to midnight.

Pasay City: SM by the Bay Central Park at SM Mall of Asia from 6 p.m. to midnight.

Muntinlupa City: Alabang Town Center from 6 p.m. to midnight.

Other viewing sites

In Cavite province, viewers may witness the super blue blood moon at SunTech iPark Lancaster Square New City from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

In Laguna province, stargazers may make their way to Sampaloc Lake Park, San Pablo City, from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. or the Carabao Park, UP Los Baños, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

In Batangas province, the public may go to Kapusod at Sitio Kinalaglagan, Mataas na Kahoy, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Cebuanos may view the celestial event at Indiana Aerospace University Sports Arena from 7 p.m. to midnight.

Three lunar events

Davaoeños may watch the spectacle at Abreeza Ayala Mall, Davao City, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The super blue blood moon refers to the simultaneous occurrence of three lunar events: the blue moon, supermoon and lunar eclipse.

A blue moon refers to the second full moon of the month. The moon on Wednesday night will actually be blood red due to sunlight reflected by the Earth’s atmosphere during the lunar eclipse.

A supermoon happens when the moon comes within at least 361,000 kilometers from the Earth. The moon will be 358,995 km from Earth at 9:27 p.m. on Wednesday, making it appear 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than usual.

The lunar eclipse will begin at 6:49 p.m. and reach its peak at 9:29 p.m. A partial eclipse can still be viewed at 11:11 p.m. The penumbral eclipse will end by 12:09 a.m. on Feb. 1.

The moon itself will rise at 5:42 p.m. on Wednesday and set at 6:47 a.m. the next day, according to Pagasa.

The Pagasa Astronomical Observatory will also livestream the event on its Facebook page.

In a press briefing on Monday, Pagasa said the super blue blood moon was last seen in the Philippines 36 years ago on Dec. 30, 1982. Earlier news reports said the phenomenon last occurred in North America some 150 years ago.

Pagasa has forecast light to moderate rains over northeastern Luzon. The rest of the country is forecast to experience partly cloudy to at times cloudy with passing light rains

Leo Varadkar, who as the country’s youngest ever prime minister is regarded as relatively liberal on social issues, made the announcement late Monday, accepting it would be a difficult decision for Irish voters.

“This is a decision about whether we want to continue to stigmatise and criminalise our sisters, our co-workers, and our friends,” he told a press conference in Dublin.

The referendum will ask voters if they want to keep the constitutional restriction on abortion or repeal it and allow the Irish parliament to legislate on the issue.

The plebiscite would come three years after a referendum in which Ireland voted by a landslide to legalise same-sex marriage — a seismic change in Ireland, where the Church has historically been a powerful force.

It would also take place shortly before Pope Francis visits the island of Ireland in August.

“This evening, the cabinet gave formal approval to the holding of a referendum on abortion, which will be held at the end of May,” said Varadkar, who is also the country’s first openly gay prime minister.

Advocating a Yes vote, Varadkar said he believed the time had come for the public to make a decision on some of Europe’s toughest laws on pregnancy termination.

‘Personal, private issue’

Abortion has always been illegal in Ireland and in 1983 an eighth amendment was added to the constitution after a referendum, giving equal rights to the life of the unborn child and the mother.

The law was changed three decades later to allow terminations when the mother’s life is at risk, following public outrage at the death of a pregnant woman in 2012 who was refused an abortion.

The referendum would ask voters whether they wanted to repeal the eighth amendment and allow parliament to legislate on abortion. Ireland’s constitution can only be amended by a plebiscite.

Varadkar said debates and votes on a referendum bill would be held in the lower and upper houses of parliament in the coming months, after which a precise referendum date could be set.

The Irish Times newspaper said its research in recent weeks found comfortable majorities in both houses in favour of a referendum.

An Ipsos/MRBI survey for the same newspaper found 56 per cent in favour of access to abortion up to 12 weeks and 29 per cent against.

The prime minister said if people voted to repeal the eighth amendment, his government would then table draft laws that would allow for unrestricted abortion up to 12 weeks into pregnancy.

In Britain, terminations are legally allowed up until 24 weeks or at any time during pregnancy if the mother’s health is at risk or if the child would be born with a severe disability.

“I know this will be a difficult decision for the Irish people to make,” said Varadkar, who leads the centre-right Fine Gael party in a minority government.

“It is a very personal and private issue and for most of us, it’s not a black and white issue; it’s one that is grey. A balance between the rights of a pregnant woman and the foetus or unborn.

“And it’s a matter for people to make their own decision, based on the evidence they hear, compassion and empathy.”

Abortion abroad, internet pills

Varadkar, a former medical doctor and health minister, said abortion options for women in Ireland were “unsafe, unregulated and unlawful”.

Thousands of Irish women currently travel abroad for abortions every year, mainly to Britain, while around two thousand others use medical abortion pills bought online.

“The saddest and loneliest journey is made by Irish women who travel to foreign countries to end their pregnancies. That doesn’t have to happen,” said Varadkar.

“We cannot continue to export our problems and import our solutions.”

Minister for Children Katherine Zappone told the press conference: “I hope we will live in an Ireland someday soon where abortion is safe, legal and rare.”

Ireland’s May 2015 referendum in favour of gay marriage showed how the country had dramatically changed, confirming its emergence from the shadow of the traditionally powerful Catholic Church.

Although the majority of Irish people still identify themselves as Catholic, the Church’s influence has waned in recent years amid growing secularisation and after a wave of clerical child sex abuse scandals.

McCabe is stopping work immediately but will remain on the FBI payroll until March to obtain retirement benefits, the source confirmed.

McCabe, 49, was expected to leave sometime early this year when he became fully eligible for a pension, after two decades in the bureau.

The New York Times reported that McCabe had hoped to stay active in his position up to his retirement, but was pressured to leave earlier by FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Wray, who was appointed by Trump in August, had not intended to include McCabe on his revamped management team, according to the report. McCabe was a career FBI official, not a political appointee.

The FBI had no official comment. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Trump had no role in the move.

“The president wasn’t part of this decision-making process,” Sanders said.

Comey loyalist

The early departure comes after McCabe endured months of tough criticism from Republicans for his loyalty to fired FBI director James Comey and alleged bias against Trump.

Comey himself praised McCabe’s FBI service, saying he “stood tall over the last 8 months, when small people were trying to tear down an institution we all depend on.”

“I wish Andy well. I also wish continued strength for the rest of the FBI. America needs you,” Comey added in a tweet.

McCabe and Comey had key roles in the FBI’s probe of Trump’s rival Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election, which ultimately cleared the Democrat of criminal wrongdoing in her misuse of a personal email server while she was secretary of state.

The president has repeatedly assailed that decision as wrong, and recently released text messages between two investigators involved in the Clinton probe that showed them strongly opposed to Trump.

An FBI inspector general is currently investigating the handling of the Clinton case.

McCabe and Comey were also involved in the initial stages of an ongoing investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russians during the election, which Trump calls “fake news.”

Angered by that investigation, Trump fired Comey on May 9.

McCabe became acting FBI director and days later, in testimony to Congress, he rebutted Trump’s claim that Comey had left the bureau “in turmoil” and had lost the confidence of the FBI staff.

Comey “enjoyed broad support within the FBI and still does,” McCabe said.

– Sharp attack from Trump –

Accusations of bias also arose from McCabe’s wife having run as a Democrat for local Virginia political office as a Democrat in 2015, receiving financial support from the party.

In July 2017, Trump questioned why Attorney General Jeff Sessions did not dismiss him.

“Why didn’t A.G. Sessions replace Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, a Comey friend who was in charge of Clinton investigation but got big dollars ($700,000) for his wife’s political run from Hillary Clinton and her representatives,” he wrote on Twitter.

Trump named Wray the new FBI director in August, and kept up the pressure on McCabe. He tweeted again in December about McCabe’s wife, and his role in the Clinton probe. He added a hint that McCabe was soon to depart, before it was publicly known.

“FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is racing the clock to retire with full benefits. 90 days to go?!!!” Trump wrote.

Republican legislator Matt Gaetz called the move “a step forward” for the FBI.

“The past several weeks and months have seen worrisome evidence of bias and wrongdoing at the FBI come to light,” said, referring to the investigators’ anti-Trump text messages.

But McCabe retained strong support from within the Justice community, and Democrats have called Trump’s pressure a part of a broader campaign to tarnish the bureau and weaken the Mueller collusion investigation.

Former attorney general Eric Holder lauded McCabe.

“FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is, and has been, a dedicated public servant who has served this country well,” Holder said.

“Bogus attacks on the FBI and DOJ to distract attention from a legitimate criminal inquiry does long-term, unnecessary damage to these foundations of our government.”

Tickets to the prime-time speech before a joint session of Congress were printed inviting lawmakers and guests to the State of the “Uniom,” lawmakers and officials said Monday.

“Just received my ticket for the State of the Union. Looks like @BetsyDeVosED was in charge of spell checking… #SOTUniom,” tweeted House Democrat Raul Grijalva, referring to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who has advocated policies that critics say undermine the public education system.

Grijalva’s tweet also included a photograph of the offending ticket.

The White House is not responsible for the error. The printing is overseen by the Sergeant at Arms of the US House of Representatives, whose office on Monday acknowledged the snafu.

“There was a misprint on the ticket,” a Sergeant at Arms spokesman told AFP.

“It was corrected immediately, and our office is redistributing the tickets.”

But not before a few lawmakers got some ribbing in.

“Looking forward to tomorrow’s State of the Uniom,” tweeted Republican Senator Marco Rubio.

On the spelling front, Trump has been a presidential trailblazer. He has routinely posted tweets containing errors, including one on the day after his January 20, 2017 inauguration, in which he wrote he was “honered to serve” as the nation’s 45th president.