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TODAY:

Donald Trump has been formally nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, but the nomination appears premature for a number of reasons

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, issued a video today warning that his country will not renegotiate the nuclear accord

Hawaii has passed the world's first bill banning the sale of sunscreens containing chemicals that are believed to destroy coral and poison ocean life

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Peace prize

Donald Trump has been formally nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize — by 18 Republican members of Congress.

Luke Messer, a GOP representative from Indiana, penned the letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo, and posted it on his website yesterday.

Trump deserves the 2019 peace prize for "his work to end the Korean War, denuclearize the Korean peninsula, and bring peace to the region," it says.

"Since taking office, President Trump has worked tirelessly to apply maximum pressure on North Korea to end its illicit weapons program and bring peace to the region," Messer writes. "His Administration successfully united the international community, including China, to impose one of the most successful international sanctions regimes in history."

A decoration featuring the likeness of scientist Alfred Nobel at the 2017 Nobel Prize Award ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden. Nominations for the 2019 prize open in September. (Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images) South Korean President Moon Jae-in Moon Jae-in has also suggested that Trump would be a worthy winner for helping spark the thaw in relations with Kim Jong-un.

But the 2019 nomination appears premature — and not just because there isn't an actual Korean peace deal in place.

The Norwegian Committee won't name its 2018 prize winner until October. And the 2019 nomination process only opens in September. (The application deadline is next Jan. 31.)

Of course, American presidents have won before.

Theodore Roosevelt was the first in 1906, a rather controversial choice given that he was a key figure in the Spanish-American War and an ardent imperialist.

Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, circa 1905. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Woodrow Wilson won in 1919 for his efforts to establish won in 1919 for his efforts to establish the League of Nations

Former President Jimmy Carter became a laureate in 2002 for his "decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts."

And Barack Obama was honoured in 2009 "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples" — an expression of hope, more than accomplishments.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter flashes his Nobel Peace Prize at the award ceremony on Dec. 10, 2002. (Bjoern Sigurdson/Reuters) Nominations are cheap, however. This year, the committee received 330 of them — 216 individuals and 114 organizations — the second highest total ever, behind the record 376 in 2016. are cheap, however. This year, the committee received 330 of them — 216 individuals and 114 organizations — the second highest total ever, behind the record 376 in 2016.

They can even be submitted online, provided that the nominator meets the criteria of being a former winner, committee member, university professor, judge of the international courts in the Hague, or member of a national assembly or government.

As the organization notes, the submissions aren't invited or vetted, and "hence the Norwegian Nobel Committee has no influence on the quality."

Former U.S. President Barack Obama takes a peek at his medal during the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony on Dec. 10, 2009. (Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images) Under the rules that established the prize in 1901, the committee can't even confirm or deny whether a person or organization has been nominated committee can't even confirm or deny whether a person or organization has been nominated until 50 years after the fact . So when someone's name appears in the press as a "possible peace prize winner," it's because they — or their friends — want it that way.

Just last month, there were reports that Commonwealth leaders might nominate Queen Elizabeth for her six decades of service to the organization.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a.k.a. Lula, the incarcerated former president of Brazil, has had his name bandied about for the 2019 prize. More than 100,000 people have signed an online petition in support of the idea.

And an activist with Israel's Likud party is campaigning to have Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nominated for his efforts to tear up the Iran nuclear deal.

Former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, centre, among supporters at a Catholic mass for his late wife Marisa Leticia on April 7. A petition calling for him to receive a Nobel Peace Prize has been signed by more than 100,000 people. (Victor Moriyama/Getty Images) As it turns out, this is actually the third year in a row that Donald Trump third year in a row that Donald Trump has been nominated for the peace prize — something we only know because the Nobel committee called in the Oslo police.

In February, Olav Njolstad, the secretary of the five-member panel, announced that they had reason to believe the back-to-back nominations were forged, probably by the same person.

Norwegian police got in touch with the FBI and the letters were subject to "thorough and lengthy" forensic examinations.

No charges have been laid to date, and we don't even know if investigators have a suspect.

But a logical place to start might be with the guy who allegedly "made up" a December 2015 doctor's letter stating that Trump would be "the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency."

Iran turns up the temperature

Bluster, threats and "cartoonish allegations" won't get the United States a new, improved nuclear deal with Iran, warns the Islamic Republic's foreign minister, vowing to stand firm against Donald Trump's "bullying."

"Let me make it absolutely clear, once and for all," Mohammad Javad Zarif says in a video entitled a "Message from Iran" that was posted to his official YouTube channel today. "We will neither outsource our security, nor will we renegotiate or add on to a deal we have already implemented in good faith."

The five-minute speech, delivered in English from behind his desk, appears to be addressed directly at the U.S. president and former condo developer, even making use of a real estate analogy. Iran has already moved in, says Zarif, and America "cannot come back two years later and try to renegotiate the price."

Trump has set a May 12 deadline for a fundamental reworking of what he calls the "terrible flaws" in the 2015 agreement between the U.S., Russia, France, China, the U.K., Germany, the EU and Iran to limit the country's nuclear program. If the deal is not revamped, he threatens to reimpose strict economic sanctions.

Today, Zarif accused European powers, which have been discussing their own regime of renewed sanctions, of trying to appease America by making "concessions from our pocket."

"Iran stands firm in the face of futile attempts at bullying," he said, adding that the country reserves its right to respond "in a manner of our choosing" should the deal fall apart.

Yesterday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres issued a plea to preserve the agreement, saying there is a real risk of war if the accord cannot be saved.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, left, meets with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on April 24 in New York. Guterres said Wednesday there is a real risk of war if the Iran nuclear accord cannot be saved. (Mike Segar/Reuters) "We should not scrap it unless we have a good alternative," . "We face dangerous times." he told the BBC . "We face dangerous times."

But there are signs that hope for a last-minute solution is fading.

The Financial Times reports that the EU has already drawn up a "Plan B" — a series of regulations to try and shield European companies that do business in Iran from the worst effects of renewed sanctions.

Last year, European Union countries did $32 billion Cdn in trade with Iran, more than triple 2013's pre-nuclear-deal figure.

The value of American-Iranian trade was just $200 million US.

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Throwing shade on sunscreen

State legislators in Hawaii have passed the world's first bill banning the sale of sunscreens containing chemicals that are believed to destroy coral and poison ocean life.

An international 2015 study found that oxybenzone — a widely used ingredient in more than 3,500 brands of sunscreen — leaches nutrients from coral causing it to bleach and die, as well as disrupting fish development.

The research says that even minute amounts of the chemical are enough to cause damage. And the scientists estimated that 14,000 tons of sunscreen are being added to the world's oceans each year by burn-fearing swimmers.

Fish swim over a coral reef at Hanauma Bay in Honolulu, Hawaii. Many coral reefs are dying due to water pollution from a number of sources, including chemicals found in sunscreens. (Donald Miralle/Getty Images) The bill, , still needs the signature of Hawaii Gov. David Ige to become law, and won't take effect until the beginning of 2021. But it is nonetheless being hailed as a victory by environmentalists. passed earlier this week , still needs the signature of Hawaii Gov. David Ige to become law, and won't take effect until the beginning of 2021. But it is nonetheless being hailed as a victory by environmentalists.

The legislation had been in the works for more than a year and a half, opposed at every turn by a broad pro-sunscreen coalition that includes retailers, the Hawaii Medical Association, the state Chamber of Commerce, and Bayer (the maker of Coppertone). They criticized the science underpinning the 2015 study, and said that there are few available and effective alternatives to oxybenzone.

Sunscreen is big business, with the overall "suncare" industry — which includes self-tanners and "aftercare" products —estimated to be worth more than $15 billion US worldwide. It's forecast to grow to $25 billion by 2024.

There are already a number of sunscreens that advertise themselves as "reef safe," although it's not always clear whether their claims are true, or if they offer adequate sun protection.

The 'suncare' industry, which includes self-tanners and 'aftercare' products, is estimated to be worth more than $15 billion US worldwide. (Marianna Massey/Getty Images) One of the labs involved in the landmark 2015 study has been testing products and has come up with its own " protect land and sea" seal of of approval.

A non-profit group on Hawaii's Big Island is already busy trying to persuade consumers to switch, handing out free samples of approved brands in exchange for potentially polluting bottles and and cans. (Scientists say aerosol sprays are never safe at the beach because they scatter the chemicals over the sand, allowing them to enter the water regardless of whether you take a dip.)

There's also the non-chemical alternative: wearing long-sleeve rash guard shirts, or full-body swimsuits.

But a special type of sunscreen could also help protect endangered reefs.

Researchers in Australia have been testing a fully biodegradable film that can be applied to the surface of the ocean during heat waves, to protect reefs against the effects of heat and damaging UV rays.

People sun themselves on the beach in Waikiki, Hawaii. Researchers caution that even if people don't go into the water, chemicals from sunscreens that are sprayed on at the beach can coat the sand and find their way into the ocean. (Caleb Jones/Associated Press) The ultra-thin "sun shield" — one molecule thick, or 50,000 times thinner than a human hair — is made from calcium carbonate, the same substance corals use to build their hard skeletons. 50,000 times thinner than a human hair — is made from calcium carbonate, the same substance corals use to build their hard skeletons.

Small-scale trials show that the surface film reduces light by up to 30 per cent, keeping water temperatures cool enough to protect against coral bleaching.

Quote of the moment

"He attacked someone who came forward with a complaint. He also released details which could identify the individual. All of this makes it clear that a rehabilitative approach is no longer possible."

- Jagmeet Singh, leader of the NDP, explains why he has expelled Saskatchewan MP Erin Weir from caucus after an investigation found merit in four harassment complaints.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. (Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press)

What The National is reading

Video shows Air Canada plane's narrow 2017 escape from runway collision ( CBC)

CBC) India dust storms kill nearly 100 ( BBC)

BBC) Mobile phone cancer warning flags raised as malignant brain tumours double ( Telegraph)

Telegraph) U.S. Green Berets secretly helping Saudis fight missile threat from Yemen rebels ( NY Times)

NY Times) Elon Musk cuts off analysts' questions, Tesla loses $2 billion of value ( Financial Post)

Financial Post) Scotland to review Lockerbie plane bombing investigation ( CBC)

CBC) 27 more women say they were harassed by Charlie Rose ( Daily Beast)

Daily Beast) Naked Trump statue goes for $28,000 at auction ( AFP)

Today in history

May 3, 1988: Free trade and the Canadian film industry

Brian Mulroney's Conservatives promised to change film distribution rules to give a boost to Canadian movies and take business away from the big U.S. studios. But they hadn't thought about the response from former Hollywood star Ronald Reagan and his friends in the industry. The proposed bill became a big sticking point in Free Trade negotiations, and was ultimately watered down per American instructions.

Free trade gets the green light; the Canadian film bill dies. 2:47

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