Diane is a perfectionist. She enjoys searching the internet for the hottest events from around the world and writing an article about it. The details matter to her, so she makes sure the information is easy to read and understand. She likes traveling and history, especially ancient history. Being a very sociable person she has a blast having barbeque with family and friends.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said on October 3: “It is almost inconceivable and certainly societally unacceptable in the modern aviation era with 10 million passengers boarding commercial aircraft every day, for a large commercial aircraft to be missing and for the world not to know with certainty what became of the aircraft and those on board.
“Despite the extraordinary efforts of hundreds of people involved in the search from around the world, the aircraft has not been located.”
Their report reiterated estimates from December and April that the Boeing 777 was most likely located 25,000 sq km (9,700 sq miles) to the north of the earlier search zone in the southern Indian Ocean.
The two women suspected of murdering Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korea’s leader, have pleaded not guilty at their trial in Malaysia.
The brazen nature of Kim Jong-nam’s killing, using the highly toxic VX nerve agent as he waited for a flight at Kuala Lumpur airport in February, shocked the world.
Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, 29, and Indonesian Siti Aisyah, 25, are accused of rubbing the chemical on Kim Jong-nam’s face.
Doan Thi Huong and Siti Aisyah say it was a TV prank and they were tricked by North Korean agents.
North Korea has denied any involvement in the killing, but in court prosecutors said that four men – believed to be four North Koreans who fled Malaysia on the day of murder – were also charged in the case.
The incident led to a bitter diplomatic row and strained the once cordial ties between North Korea and Malaysia, which expelled each other’s ambassadors.
The trial has been eight months in the making and the two women are the only suspects actually charged so far with the murder of Kim Jong-nam.
After the charges were read to them in court in Indonesian and Vietnamese, the two women entered their pleas through interpreters.
If found guilty, the women face the death penalty. Their defense lawyers are likely to argue that the real culprits are North Korean agents, who left Malaysia.
However, in his opening remarks, the prosecutor said he aims to prove that the women, along with four people still at large, had the “common intention” to kill Kim Jong-nam.
The prosecutor said the women had carried out practice runs in Kuala Lumpur shopping malls before the attack, under the “supervision” of the four people, who were not named in court.
Dozens of witnesses, including airport staff who came into contact with Kim Jong-nam, are expected to take the stand in the trial which will run for weeks.
The murder is notable for its sheer audacity, taking place as it did mid-morning in full view of security cameras at Kuala Lumpur’s airport.
On February 13, the two women were seen threading through crowds of people and accosting Kim Jong-nam, before rubbing their hands on his face.
Then there was the speed with which Kim Jong-nam died. Immediately after the attack he sought help from airport staff, who led him to a clinic, but he collapsed and died just minutes later.
After a post-mortem examination, Malaysian authorities announced Kim Jong-nam had been killed by VX, a toxin so lethal that it is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations.
The two women, who were arrested days after the killing, have insisted that they were tricked by North Koreans into taking part in what they thought was a TV prank. Four North Korean men who fled Malaysia shortly after the incident are believed to suspects. In March, Interpol issued “red notices” for the North Koreans arrest.
Malaysia has named and questioned other North Koreans in relation to the case.
However, authorities also allowed three of them to leave the country in late March, in return for North Korea releasing nine Malaysian diplomats and their families.
Kim Jong-nam, who was in his mid-40s, was the estranged older half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
At the time of his death, Kim Jong-nam was believed to have been living in self-imposed exile in Macau and was thought to have had some links to China.
President of the Generalitat of Catalonia Carles Puigdemont says the Spanish region has won the right to statehood following a contentious referendum that was marred by violence.
Carles Puigdemont, 54, said the door had been opened to a unilateral declaration of independence.
According to Catalan officials, 90% of those who voted backed independence on October 1. The turnout was 42.3%.
Spain’s constitutional court had banned the vote and hundreds of people were injured as police used force to try to block voting.
Officers seized ballot papers and boxes at polling stations.
Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy said Catalans had been fooled into taking part in an illegal vote.
According to Catalan authorities, more than 2.2 million people were reported to have voted, out of 5.3 million registered voters. A Catalan spokesman said more than 750,000 votes could not be counted because polling stations were closed and urns were confiscated.
In a TV address, Carles Puigdemont said: “With this day of hope and suffering, the citizens of Catalonia have won the right to an independent state in the form of a republic.
“My government in the next few days will send the results of today’s vote to the Catalan parliament, where the sovereignty of our people lies, so that it can act in accordance with the law of the referendum.”
He said the EU could no longer “continue to look the other way”.
Meanwhile, PM Mariano Rajoy spoke of a “mockery” of democracy.
“At this hour I can tell you in the strongest terms what you already know and what we have seen throughout this day. There has not been a referendum on self-determination in Catalonia,” he said.
Large crowds of independence supporters gathered in the centre of the regional capital Barcelona on Sunday evening, waving flags and singing the Catalan anthem. Anti-independence protesters have also held rallies in Barcelona and other Spanish cities.
In another development, more than 40 trade unions and Catalan associations called a region-wide strike on October 3 due to “the grave violation of rights and freedoms”.
TV footage showed Spanish police kicking would-be voters and pulling women out of polling stations by their hair.
Catalan medical officials said 844 people had been hurt in clashes, including 33 police. The majority had minor injuries or had suffered from anxiety attacks.
In Girona, riot police smashed their way into a polling station where Carles Puigdemont was due to vote, and forcibly removed those inside. He voted at another station.
TV footage showed riot police using batons to beat a group of firefighters who were protecting crowds in Girona.
The national police and Guardia Civil – a military force charged with police duties – were sent into Catalonia in large numbers to prevent the vote.
The Catalan police – the Mossos d’Esquadra – have been placed under Madrid’s control, however witnesses said they showed little inclination to use force on protesters.
Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau condemned police actions against the region’s “defenseless” population, but Spain’s Deputy PM Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said police had “acted with professionalism and in a proportionate way”.
Catalan authorities said 319 of about 2,300 polling stations across the region had been closed by police while the Spanish government said 92 stations had been sealed off.
Since September 29, thousands of people have occupied schools and other buildings designated as polling stations in order to keep them open.
Many of those inside were parents and their children, who remained in the buildings after the end of lessons on September 29 and bedded down in sleeping bags on gym mats.
The anti-independence Societat Civil said there were voting irregularities, including the same people voting twice.
Catalonia is a wealthy region of 7.5 million people in north-eastern Spain and has its own language and culture.
However, Catalonia has a high degree of autonomy, but is not recognized as a separate nation under the Spanish constitution.
Catalonia’s independence referendum has begun despite Spanish police’s attempt to prevent the vote from taking place.
The Spanish government has pledged to stop a vote that was declared illegal by Spain’s constitutional court.
The interior ministry says police officers began seizing ballot papers and boxes as the polls opened.
Riot police blocked potential voters from entering a polling station in the regional capital Barcelona.
Thousands of separatist supporters occupied schools and other buildings that have been designated as voting centers ahead of the polls opening.
Many of those inside are parents and their children, who remained in the buildings after the end of lessons on September 29 and bedded down in sleeping bags on gym mats.
In some areas, farmers positioned tractors on roads and in front of polling station doors, and school gates were taken away to make it harder for the authorities to seal buildings off.
Police insisted polling stations would not be allowed to open, and that those inside would be evicted.
On October 1, dozens of national police vehicles left their base in the port of Barcelona as officers were deployed.
Referendum organizers have called for peaceful resistance to any police action.
Catalan government officials have predicted a big turnout.
The ballot papers contain just one question: “Do you want Catalonia to become an independent state in the form of a republic?” There are two boxes: Yes or No.
Ahead of the polls opening, the Catalan government said voters could use any polling station if their designated voting place was shut.
The referendum has been declared illegal by Spain’s constitutional court, and thousands of extra police officers have been sent to the region.
The Spanish government has put policing in Catalonia under central control and ordered the regional force, the Mossos d’Esquadra, to help enforce the ban.
In a show of force ahead of the poll, Spanish authorities have seized voting materials, imposed fines on top Catalan officials and temporarily detained dozens of politicians.
Police have also occupied the regional government’s telecommunications center.
The head of the Catalan police has urged officers to avoid using force.
Catalonia, a wealthy region of 7.5 million people in north-eastern Spain, has its own language and culture.
It also has a high degree of autonomy, but is not recognized as a separate nation under the Spanish constitution.
Pressure for a vote on self-determination has grown over the past five years.
However, Spanish unionists argue Catalonia already enjoys broad autonomy within Spain, along with other regions like the Basque Country and Galicia.
PM Mariano Rajoy says the vote goes against the constitution, which refers to “the indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation, the common and indivisible homeland of all Spaniards”.
Central government spokesman Iñigo Mendez de Vigo accused the Catalan government of being inflexible and one-sided, but it is a charge that Catalan nationalists throw back at Madrid itself.
Demonstrations by independence campaigners have been largely peaceful.
On the eve of the vote, thousands of demonstrators calling for Spanish unity held rallies in cities across the country, including in the Catalan capital Barcelona.
They waved Spanish flags and carried banners reading “Catalonia is Spain”.
President Donald Trump has lashed out at Puerto Rico officials over their criticism of US relief efforts on the island following Hurricane Maria.
Hurricane Maria a week ago killed 16 people in Puerto Rico and left millions in need of aid.
In a series of tweets, President Trump said that Puerto Rican officials showed “poor leadership ability” and “want everything to be done for them”.
His comments come after the Mayor of San Juan made a desperate plea for federal help.
In a news conference, Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz said: “We have no time for patience any more.
“I am asking the president of the United States to make sure somebody is in charge that is up to the task of saving lives.
“I am done being polite. I am done being politically correct. I am mad as hell.”
The mayor then appeared in a T-shirt that said “Help us, we’re dying” for a CNN interview.
Carmen Yulin Cruz, who is living in a shelter after her home was destroyed, said Puerto Rico is set to be without power for six to eight months after the storm damaged 90% of homes on the island.
More bad weather is in the offing, with the National Weather Service in San Juan warning that a strong thunderstorm would imminently affect the east of the island, with torrential rain and strong winds expected.
Almost half Puerto Rico’s 3.4 million-population is without drinking water, the Defense Department said on September 28.
Efforts are being made on the island to clear road access and restore hospitals to working conditions.
In a series of tweets on September 30, President Trump suggested the mayor had been told “to be nasty to Trump” by his Democratic opposition.
The president also said he would visit Puerto Rico on October 3 with First Lady Melania.
The visit comes after widespread criticism of his administration’s response to the hurricane.
Responding to President Trump’s tweets in an interview, Carmen Yulin Cruz said: “I was asking for help. I wasn’t saying anything nasty about the president.
“I will continue to do what I have to do, say what I have to say, compliment the people that I have to compliment, and call out the people that I need to call out.
“This isn’t about me. This isn’t about anyone. This is about lives that are being lost.”
On September 28, President Trump announced shipping restrictions had been lifted to help provide aid to Puerto Rico.
The US military general in charge of the relief operation said on September 29 that about 4,500 troops were already involved.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said 95% of Puerto Rico remained without power and 55% of people did not yet have access to drinking water, but that most petrol stations had reopened.
Concerns were raised on September 28 that thousands of shipping containers of aid were sitting in a San Juan undistributed. Ground transportation has been hindered by a lack of fuel and blocked roads.
The US navy has deployed a hospital ship and has assigned engineers to repair the island’s damaged power grid, the Department of Defense said on September 29.
Puerto Rico is a US territory but does not have direct voting representation.
Health Secretary Tom Price has been forced to resign after using expensive private planes for official business.
Tom Price previously apologized after making 26 private flights since May at a cost of $400,000 to taxpayers.
Government officials, except those dealing with national security matters, are required to take commercial flights for work related travel.
Three other members of President Donald Trump’s cabinet are under scrutiny for using private planes while on the job. According to Politico and the Washington Post, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke flew from Las Vegas to Montana last June on a private jet that cost taxpayers more than $12,000. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is accused of flying with his wife to view last month’s solar eclipse. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Scott Pruitt has spent more than $58,000 on non-commercial travel.
A White House statement said President Trump had accepted Tom Price’s resignation, adding that Don J. Wright had been designated as acting health secretary.
An investigation by the political news website Politico found that Tom Price’s travels had cost more than $1 million.
As well as the $400,000 for private flights, that figure includes the cost of military aircraft used for Tom Price’s trips abroad, Politico added.
President Trump had earlier said he was “not happy” with the expense.
Hours before Tom Price’s resignation, President Trump told White House reporters: “He’s a very fine man. We’re going to make a decision sometime tonight. He’s a very, very fine man.”
More than half of the people working for the US embassy in Cuba have been withdrawn in response to mysterious attacks which left its diplomats unwell.
Washington is also warning Americans not to visit Cuba because some attacks occurred in hotels.
At least 21 embassy staff reported health problems ranging from mild brain trauma and deafness to dizziness and nausea.
Describing the US decision as “hasty”, Cuba said it would affect bilateral ties but co-operation would continue.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the two countries would continue to co-operate in investigating the attacks and said diplomatic ties would be maintained.
Earlier reports suggested that sonic attacks were to blame, but Cuba denies any involvement.
At least two Canadians were also affected.
The US is ordering all non-essential staff in the embassy in Havana to leave, along with all family members. Only “emergency personnel” will remain.
The US has suspended visa processing in Cuba indefinitely.
A US state department official said: “Until the government of Cuba can ensure safety of our people, we will be reduced to emergency personnel.”
“At least 21 employees have been targeted in specific attacks,” the official said.
Despite an investigation involving the FBI, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Cuban authorities, there is still no full explanation as to the cause of the incidents since late 2016.
Earlier reports suggested there were sonic attacks in which staff in Havana were targeted by audio waves, leaving several with chronic hearing issues.
Using an inaudible sound device for a stealth attack “is quite plausible from a technical point of view”, Denis Bedat, a specialist in bio-electromagnetics, told AFP this week.
“Ultrasonic waves, beyond the acoustic capacity of humans, can be broadcast with an amplifier, and the device does not need to be large, or used inside or outside a house.”
He gave as an example the Active Denial System (ADS), an anti-riot gun used by US police forces that emits electromagnetic waves which produce a sudden unbearable burning sensation.
The US has not blamed Cuba for the suspected attacks.
According to the state department official, both the US and Cuban governments “have not yet identified the guilty party”.
“We have not ruled out the possibility of a third country as a part of the investigation but that investigation continues,” he added.
Cuban President Raul Castro had reportedly given his personal assurance to the then-US charge d’affaires in Havana that Cuba was not behind the attacks.
The US reopened its embassy in Havana in 2015 following decades of frozen relations.
China will close down the North Korean companies operating in its territory as it implements United Nations sanctions against the reclusive state.
The North Korean companies will be shut by early January. Joint Chinese and North Korean ventures will also be forced to close.
China, North Korea’s only major ally, has already banned textile trade and limited oil exports.
The move is part of an international response to North Korea’s sixth and most powerful nuclear test.
The UN Security Council, of which China is a member, voted unanimously for fresh sanctions on September 11.
China’s commerce ministry said it had set a deadline of 120 days from the passing of the resolution for any North Korean companies within its borders to close.
North Korea is politically and economically isolated, and the vast majority of its trade is with China.
China has traditionally been protective of North Korea, but has sharply criticized its nuclear tests and escalating rhetoric.
Earlier this year, China clamped down on its purchase of coal from North Korea and on seafood and iron trade across the border.
Coupled with the textile trade ban, Pyongyang has lost several of its scant sources of foreign currency income.
China has been under public pressure to take action from President Donald Trump, who has both applauded and denounced Chinese policy at different times.
President Trump has also been involved in a direct war of words with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, labeling him a “rocket man” on “a suicide mission”. He warned that he would have no choice but to “totally destroy” North Korea if forced to defend the US or its allies.
Kim Jong-un, in turn, has called Donald Trump “deranged” and a “dotard”, and said the US president’s comments have convinced him he is right to seek a nuclear deterrent, and has even accused President Trump of declaring war.
At a news briefing on September 28, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said: “We are opposed to any war on the Korean peninsula.”
“Sanctions and the promoting of talks are both the requirements of the UN Security Council. We should not overemphasize one aspect while ignoring the other.”
Mark Zuckerberg has rejected President Donald Trump’s comments that Facebook has always been against him.
President Trump accused Facebook of “collusion” on Twitter, branding it “anti-Trump”.
He made the same claim against the New York Times and the Washington Post.
Facebook will shortly hand over 3,000 political adverts to congressional investigators probing alleged Russian meddling in the US election.
The social network believes the ads were probably purchased by Russian entities during and after the 2016 presidential contest.
Facebook, Twitter and Google have been asked to testify before the US Senate Intelligence Committee on November 1 about the allegations of Russian interference.
Google and Facebook have confirmed they have received invitations to attend the committee hearing, but none of the social media giants have yet said they will be present.
In a Facebook post responding to President Trump’s criticism, the social network’s founder Mark Zuckerberg said he was striving to make “a platform for all ideas”. He said that aside from “problematic ads”, Facebook’s impact ranged from “giving people a voice, to enabling candidates to communicate directly, to helping millions of people vote”.
Mark Zuckerberg noted that both ends of the political spectrum were upset about content they disliked, and that liberals in the US had accused him of enabling President Trump’s victory.
The 33-year-old said the candidates’ campaigns had “spent hundreds of millions advertising online,” which he called “1000x more than any problematic ads we’ve found”.
Mark Zuckerberg said he regretted saying on the day Donald Trump was elected that it was “crazy” to say that misinformation on Facebook changed the election’s outcome, because it sounded dismissive.
He promised Facebook would “continue to build a community for all people” – and to “defend against nation states attempting to spread misinformation and subvert elections”.
Mark Zuckerberg’s response attracted 65,000 “likes” within two hours of being posted.
Russia has long denied any form of interference in the US election, and President Trump has railed against allegations that his staff had improper links to Russia.
However, US intelligence agencies have concluded Russia tried to sway the vote in favor of Donald Trump. Congressional committees and an FBI inquiry are currently probing the matter.
King Salman of Saudi Arabia has issued a new decree allowing women to drive for the first time.
Campaigners have hailed the decision with one female activist calling it a “great victory”, while another said things would “never be the same again”.
The US ambassador in Saudi Arabia has described the move as “the right decision at the right time”.
Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that bans women from driving – and women are still subject to strict dress codes and gender segregation.
Until now, only men were allowed licenses and women who drove in public risked being arrested and fined.
Meanwhile, Latifah Alshaalan, a member of the Shura council, a government advisory panel, told broadcaster Al Arabiya: “This is a great victory for many Saudi women. This was the one file and issue which Saudi women have fought not just years, but decades for.”
A ministerial body will be set up to give advice within 30 days and the royal order will be implemented by June 24, 2018.
Saudi Arabia’s US ambassador, Prince Khaled bin Salman, confirmed that women would not have to get male permission to take driving lessons, and would be able to drive anywhere they liked.
Rights groups in Saudi Arabia have campaigned for years to allow women to drive, and some women have been imprisoned for defying the rule.
Female activists organized collective protests in 1990, 2011 and 2013, and posted online videos of themselves driving.
In recent years, some members of Saudi Arabia royal family have expressed support for ending the ban.
In 2016, the government launched the Vision 2030 plan to modernize the economy – which was seen as a sign Saudi Arabia was moving towards reform.
The move was welcomed by the US state department, which called it “a great step in the right direction”.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres echoed that sentiment.
Manal al-Sharif, an organizer of the Women2Drive campaign who has also been imprisoned for driving, said on Twitter that Saudi Arabia would “never be the same again”.
Not everyone reacted positively, however, with conservative voices accusing the government of “bending the verses of Sharia”.
In a series of tweets, President Donald Trump has defended his reaction to the disaster in Puerto Rico, which has been ravaged by Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria.
Much of Puerto Rico territory has lost power, while residents say they are running low on medicines and food.
Critics have accused President Trump of being slow to respond, and of showing more concern for Texas and Florida after they were hit by hurricanes.
President Trump has announced he will visit Puerto Rico next week.
Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico on September 20, killing 16 people and knocking out electricity, water and telephone services.
The hurricane tore through the island as one of the most powerful storms in nearly 90 years.
About 44% of the 3.5 million residents living on the island are still without clean drinking water six days after the storm barreled through, the Defense Department said on September 26.
Puerto Rico’s government has asked a judge to defer key deadlines in its bankruptcy case as it grapples with Maria’s devastation.
President Trump came under fire after he spent the weekend focusing on a feud with NFL players and coaches, instead of acknowledging the Puerto Rico disaster.
He tweeted about the crisis on September 25 – but angered critics by suggesting that Puerto Rico’s $72 billion debt needed to be addressed amid its appeal for relief aid: “Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with. Food, water and medical are top priorities – and doing well. #FEMA.”
On September 26, the White House announced that President Trump had increased federal funding and assistance for debris removal and emergency protective measures in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of the storm.
The president said he would visit Puerto Rico on October 3 – nearly a fortnight after the storm struck – because it was the “earliest I can go without disrupting relief efforts”.
President Trump may also visit the US Virgin Islands, which was hit by both Hurricane Maria and Irma.
He said his administration was doing a “really good job” and that the Governor of Puerto Rico, Ricardo Rossello, was “so grateful”.
President Trump said rescue efforts were complicated because Puerto Rico was offshore.
“This is a thing called the Atlantic ocean, this is tough stuff,” he said.
He added: “Puerto Rico is very important to me. The people are fantastic. I grew up in New York so I know many Puerto Rican people.”
Ricardo Rossello told Reuters President Trump’s handling of the disaster had been “excellent” and that the government had “responded very quickly” to the crisis.
More than 10,000 US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) staff are on the ground in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands to assist with relief efforts, according to the agency.
President Trump frequently encouraged crowds at rallies to chant “lock her up”, and vowed to imprison Hillary Clinton over concerns she may have mishandled classified information. An investigation into the matter was closed without charges.
Dozens of emails were exchanged between Jared Kushner and other White House officials on topics including media coverage and event planning, according to Politico, which first published the story.
There is no indication that Jared Kushner shared classified or privileged information through his private email account.
His lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement: “Mr. Kushner uses his White House email address to conduct White House business.
“Fewer than a hundred emails from January through August were either sent to or returned by Mr. Kushner to colleagues in the White House from his personal email account.”
“These usually forwarded news articles or political commentary and most often occurred when someone initiated the exchange by sending an email to his personal, rather than his White House, address.”
Federal regulations specify how records related to the president and other government activities should be maintained.
The use of private accounts can put official records beyond the reach of journalists, lawmakers, and others who seek publicly-available information.
Angela Merkel has been re-elected for a fourth term as Germany chancellor while nationalists have made a historic breakthrough in federal elections, exit polls suggest.
According to local reports, support for her conservative CDU/CSU alliance has dwindled, but the bloc will remain the largest in the parliament.
CDU/CSU’s current coalition partner, the social democratic SPD, says it will go into opposition following big losses.
The nationalist AfD is on track to become the third party.
The AfD’s performance, better than forecast in opinion polls, means the right-wing, anti-Islam party will have seats in the Bundestag for the first time.
Dozens of protesters have gathered outside the AfD’s headquarters in Berlin, some with placards saying “Refugees are welcome”.
While Angela Merkel’s alliance has remained the largest party, the numbers, if confirmed, are the worst result for the alliance between the Christian Democrat (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU) under the chancellor’s leadership.
Addressing supporters, Angela Merkel, who has been in the job for 12 years, said she had hoped for a “better result”.
She added that she would listen to the “concerns, worries and anxieties” of voters of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in order to win them back.
Angela Merkel also said her government would have to deal with economic and security issues as well as addressing the root causes of migration – one of the main reasons behind the AfD’s result.
The chancellor is being punished for opening Germany’s door to almost 900,000 undocumented refugees and migrants.
The exit polls suggest the Social Democrats (SPD), led by Martin Schulz, have fallen to a new post-World War Two low. He said the result meant the end of the “grand coalition” with Angela Merkel’s alliance.
“It’s a difficult and bitter day for social democrats in Germany,” Martin Schulz told supporters.
“We haven’t reached our objective.”
With the possibility of an alliance with the SPD rejected, Angela Merkel’s options are narrow, and the process of forming a new coalition could take months.
The projections suggest that six parties will be in the German parliament for the first time since World War Two.
The most likely scenario is of a “Jamaica” coalition, so-called because of the colors of Jamaica’s flag. It includes the black CDU/CSU, the yellow, business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP) – who are returning to parliament after a four-year hiatus – and the Greens.
It is not a marriage made in heaven, as the Greens want to phase out 20 coal-fired power plants and the FDP disagree, but it is the only formation that would guarantee enough seats in the new Bundestag, German broadcaster ZDF says.
All parties have rejected working with the AfD.
The AfD has capitalized on a backlash against Angela Merkel’s policy towards migrants and refugees, many of them from war-torn, mainly Muslim countries like Syria.
The party’s program is heavily anti-immigrant, and particularly anti-Islam. It called for a ban on minarets and considered Islam incompatible with German culture.
Additionally, several of the AfD’s candidates have been linked to far-right remarks.
Prominent AfD figure Frauke Petry said on Twitter that Germany had experienced an incomparable “political earthquake”.
At least 26 people, including 21 children, died at a primary school which collapsed in Mexico City during September 19 earthquake, the Mexican government says.
The 7.1-magnitude earthquake killed at least 225 people in total and caused major damage across states in the center of Mexico.
Desperate searches for survivors under the rubble are continuing.
Dozens of buildings collapsed, including several churches where worshippers were killed.
The quake struck shortly after many people had taken part in an earthquake drill, exactly 32 years after another quake killed thousands in Mexico City.
Mexico is prone to earthquakes and earlier this month an 8.1 magnitude tremor in the south left at least 90 people dead.
Though it struck a similar region, September 19 earthquake does not appear to be connected with the quake on September 7, which was at least 30 times more energetic.
Enrique Rébsamen primary school collapsed in Mexico City’s southern Coapa district.
Confirming the death toll, Education Minister Aurelio Nuño said 11 people had been rescued while two children and an adult were missing.
Local media had reported a higher death toll earlier.
More than 500 members of the army and navy, along with 200 police officers and volunteers, have been working at the site, Milenio newspaper writes.
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto said after visiting the rescue operation: “Some voices have been heard.
“In the time I have been here, I have seen how at times they have asked for total silence, solidarity to listen for the voices.”
At least 209 schools were affected by the quake, 15 of which have suffered severe damage.
The epicenter of the latest quake was near Atencingo in Puebla state, about 75 miles from Mexico City, with a depth of 38 miles, the US Geological Survey (USGS) says.
The prolonged tremor hit at 13:14 local time on September 19 and sent thousands of residents into the streets.
Most of the victims died in the capital. According to government figures, 94 died in Mexico City, 71 in Morelos state, 43 in Puebla state, 12 in Mexico state, 4 in Guerrero, 1 in Oaxaca.
According to new reports, Paul Manafort, who was Donald Trump’s campaign chairman, was wiretapped by the FBI due to concerns about his links with Russia, according to US media.
The reported surveillance, granted under a court warrant, occurred both before and after the 2016 election.
Investigators wanted to know if Paul Manafort had sought Russian help with the campaign.
It is not known if the wiretap, which began in 2014, included conversations with President Trump. Paul Manafort is said to be facing an indictment.
The former political consultant, who had worked for Ukraine’s former ruling party, was chairman of the Trump campaign from June to August 2016. He has not commented on the CNN report, which has been confirmed by CBS News.
FBI special counsel Robert Mueller is leading an investigation into alleged attempts by Russia to influence the 2016 election.
However, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants were granted before his investigation started, and were first authorized as part of an investigation into Washington consulting firms working for Ukraine, CNN reported.
After the 2014 warrant ended, it was renewed again until earlier this year, in order to allow the FBI to investigate ties between Trump campaign associates and suspected Russian operatives.
Communications collected with the Manafort wiretaps sparked concerns among investigators that he had encouraged the Russians to help with the election campaign, CNN cited three sources as saying – although two of the sources said the evidence had not been conclusive.
The FBI, as well as several congressional committees, are investigating whether Russia attempted to interfere in the US election in order to help Donald Trump.
FBI agents raided Paul Manafort’s suburban Washington DC home on July 26, according to the New York Times.
Agents had picked the lock to his Virginia home as Paul Manafort lay in bed, and were looking for evidence that he had set up off-shore bank accounts, the newspaper reported.
Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton, who lost the election to Donald Trump, said that she “wouldn’t rule out” questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election if evidence emerged of Russian interference.
Hurricane Maria takes aim at Caribbean Islands devastated by Hurricane Irma just days ago.
Maria, now a category one hurricane, is expected to become a dangerous major hurricane as it nears the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean.
It will rapidly strengthen over the next 48 hours and will hit the islands on September 18, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) says.
Hurricane Maria is moving roughly along the same path as Irma.
Warnings have been issued for Guadeloupe, Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat and Martinique.
A hurricane watch is now in effect for the US and British Virgin Islands, St Martin, St Barts, Saba, St Eustatius and Anguilla.
Some of these islands are still recovering after being hit by category 5 Hurricane Irma, which left at least 37 people dead and caused billions of dollars’ worth of damage.
In its latest update, the NHC says Maria has maximum sustained winds of 85mph.
Maria’s eye is 140 miles north-east of Barbados, and Maria is moving west-northwest at about 13mph.
The NHC says: “On the forecast track, the centre of Maria will move across the Leeward Islands late Monday and Monday night and then over the extreme north-eastern Caribbean Sea Tuesday and Tuesday night.”
The most southerly point of the Leeward Islands – where Maria will first strike – include Antigua and Barbuda. The latter island was evacuated after being devastated by Irma.
The NHC says that “a dangerous storm surge accompanied by large and destructive waves will raise water levels by as much as 5-7ft above normal tide levels near where the centre of Maria moves across the Leeward Islands”.
It also forecasts a maximum potential rainfall of 20in across the central and southern Leeward Islands – including Puerto Rico and the US and British Virgin Islands – through to Wednesday night.
“Rainfall on all of these islands could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides,” it warned.
Earlier this month, Hurricane Irma left more than two-thirds of homes on the Dutch side of the island of St Martin (known as Sint Maarten) uninhabitable, with no electricity, gas or drinking water.
The French government has said its side of St Martin – known as Saint-Martin – sustained about €1.2 billion ($1.44 billion) in damage, with nine deaths across Saint-Martin and nearby St Barts.
On the British Virgin Islands, entire neighborhoods were flattened.
After a visit to the area, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson described the damage as something “you see in images of from the First World War”.
Virgin boss Richard Branson, who has a home in the Virgin Islands, has been tweeting ahead of the storm’s predicted arrival, warning people to stay safe.
Hurricane Irma also hit the US, with 11 deaths being linked to the hurricane. Nearly 6.9 million homes were left without power in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama.
A second hurricane, Jose, is also active in the Atlantic, with maximum sustained winds of 90mph.
The center of the storm was about 335 miles south-east of Cape Hatteras in North Carolina, the NHC said in its advisory on September 17.
Tropical storm watches have been issued for parts of the north-eastern US.
Top Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer say they have agreed to reach a deal with President Donald Trump to protect thousands of young undocumented migrants from deportation.
They said they also agreed to work on a border security package that would exclude President Trump’s proposed wall with Mexico.
However, the White House denied the wall had been excluded from proposals.
President Trump scrapped the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program earlier this month.
The Obama-era DACA scheme was put in place to protect so-called “Dreamers” – migrants brought to the US illegally as children – from deportation.
The DACA program, which protect some 800,000 people in the US, also provide temporary permits for work and study.
On September 4, PresidentTrump announced he would cancel the scheme, while giving Congress six months to enact a replacement plan for DACA recipients.
Following talks over dinner at the White House, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said: “We agreed to enshrine the protections of DACA into law quickly, and to work out a package of border security, excluding the wall, that’s acceptable to both sides.”
Democrats have repeatedly said that they will block any legislation that contains funding for the border wall – a key campaign pledge of President Trump’s.
A White House statement was more muted, simply saying that there had been a “constructive working dinner” where tax reform, border security and DACA had been discussed.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders later disputed the Democrats’ account.
She tweeted: “While DACA and border security were both discussed, excluding the wall was certainly not agreed to.”
Chuck Schumer’s aide replied: “The President made clear he would continue pushing the wall, just not as part of this agreement.”
Republican support would be needed in any immigration legislation, as they have a majority in both the House and the Senate.
Former model Hope Hicks has been named White House Communications Director for President Donald Trump.
The 28-year-old was the interim White House Communications Director and now she will serve in the role on a permanent basis.
The longtime Trump aide is the fourth person to fill the position, replacing Anthony Scaramucci, who was fired in July after just 10 days on the job.
Hope Hicks has served as President Donald Trump’s strategic communications director and campaign press secretary. She was one of the first staffers to join Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. The former Ralph Lauren model worked as a publicist for Ivanka Trump’s fashion label.
Her permanent appointment comes after a summer of staff shake-ups at the White House.
President Donald Trump has observed a moment of silence at his first 9/11 commemoration in office, marking the 16th anniversary of the attacks.
The president and First Lady Melania Trump observed a solemn moment of silence at the White House and later at the Pentagon.
Thousands are gathering nationwide to mark the deadliest attack on US soil.
Nearly 3,000 people died after hijackers crashed planes into New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a rural Pennsylvania field in 2001.
President Trump and the first lady observed a moment of silence at the Pentagon at 09:37, when US officials say American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building.
“Our values will endure, our people will thrive, our nation will prevail, and the memory of our loved ones will never, ever die,” Donald Trump said afterwards.
President Trump joined Defense Secretary James Mattis and General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the Department of Defense to remember the lives lost on 9/11.
“The terrorists who attacked us thought they could incite fear and weaken the spirit. Those who try will soon join the long list of vanquished enemies who dare to test our mettle,” he said.
President Trump acknowledged the more than five million young men and women who joined the military since 9/11 to “defend our country against barbaric forces of evil and destruction”.
“We are making plain to these savage killers that there is no dark corner beyond our reach, no sanctuary beyond our grasp, and nowhere to hide anywhere on this very large Earth,” he continued.
Earlier, President Trump appeared at the White House for a commemoration.
Meanwhile, relatives of 9/11 victims, survivors, rescuers and others gathered at New York’s 9/11 memorial at 08:46 to mark the exact time the first plane struck the World Trade Center’s North Tower.
The second plane slammed into the South Tower at 09:03.
The names of the 3,000 killed were read aloud at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum as bells rang out in memory of the dead.
Each year on the anniversary, two light beams illuminate the sky in place of the two towers.
The fourth plane went down at 10:03 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where crew members wrestled hijackers for control of plane, forcing it down in a rural field instead of its intended target in Washington.
VP Mike Pence and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke appeared in Shanksville, where ground was broken a day before for a 93ft tower at the Flight 93 National Memorial.
The Tower of Voices will remember the 33 passengers and seven crew members who died on Flight 93.
Some 6.3 million people in Florida had been told to evacuate.
Irma hit Marco Island at 15:35 local time. It had earlier barreled through the Florida Keys, a chain of low-lying islands to the south.
The whole of the southern tip of Florida has seen high winds, driving rain and storm surges,
About 2ft of water has been seen in Miami’s financial district, where one major street resembled a river, but the worst damage is expected on the west coast.
President Donald Trump described hurricane Irma as a “big monster”. He praised the federal agencies involved with the storm and said he would go to Florida “very soon”.
Hurricane Irma has hit Cuba with strong winds and heavy rain after devastating several Caribbean islands.
The monster storm made landfall on the Camaguey Archipelago, in Cuba’s north-east, as a category 5 storm but has now weakened to a category 3.
The Bahamas have largely been spared.
In Florida, 5.6 million people, or 25% of the state’s population, have been told to leave as the storm approaches. At least 20 people are known to have died so far across the Caribbean.
Hurricane Irma hit the Sabana-Camaguey Archipelago on September 8, threatening nearby coastal towns and villages.
It was the first category 5 hurricane to hit Cuba in decades. It weakened to category 3 by September 9 lunchtime but is expected to strengthen again as it approaches Florida.
According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), at 12:00 GMT, Irma had maximum sustained winds of 130mph.
Irma has brought vast amounts of rainfall to parts of Cuba, with extensive flooding reported in the fishing village of Caibarien.
Power lines have been brought down in several parts of the central province of Camaguey, and communication is becoming increasingly difficult with towns in more remote areas.
Thousands of people have been evacuated but many others stayed to ride out the storm.
Cuban officials reported “significant damage”, without giving further details, but said there were no confirmed casualties yet, AFP news agency reported.
About 50,000 tourists are fleeing or have fled Cuba, with resorts on the north coast now empty, Reuters reports.
Hurricane Irma is expected to hit Florida on September 10, but the outer bands are already affecting the south of the state and downtown Miami is being lashed by heavy rain.
About 25,000 people are currently without electricity, energy provider Florida Power and Light reported.
Florida Governor Rick Scott issued a stark warning to those in threatened areas on the west coast.
“Look, it’s getting late,” he told NBC.
“If you’re not on the road on the west coast by noon, you need to get to a shelter, get to a friend’s house if you’re in an evacuation zone. Get off the road.”
Governor Scott said that storm surges in coastal areas could be as high as 12ft, adding that people “cannot survive this”.
Some 50,000 people have gone to shelters throughout the state, he said.
Media reports say shelters in some areas have been filling up quickly and some people have been turned away.
A powerful earthquake has struck off Mexico’s southern coast killing at least six people.
The 8.1-magnitude tremor was described by Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto as the country’s strongest in a century.
Another person also died in neighboring Guatemala, the president has said.
The earthquake, measured at 8.1 by the US Geological Survey (USGS) but higher by Mexico, struck in the Pacific, about 54 miles south-west of Pijijiapan.
A tsunami warning has been issued for Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama and Honduras.
The earthquake was felt in Mexico City, with buildings swaying and people running into the street. The tremors there, about 1,000km from the epicenter, were reported to have lasted up to a minute.
President Enrique Peña Nieto said some 50 million Mexicans would have felt the tremor and that the death toll might rise.
Four deaths were reported in Mexico’s Chiapas state, near the epicenter, and two more in Tabasco state.
Severe damage was reported in southern Mexico and in western Guatemala.
Social media images showed collapsed buildings in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, including in the city of the same name and in Juchitan, where the municipal palace was leveled.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that tsunami waves “reaching more than three meters above the tide level are possible along the coasts of Mexico”. There is a coastal evacuation in Chiapas state.
The earthquake struck at a depth of 70km, the USGS said.
At magnitude 8.1, the quake outstrips the deadly 1985 tremor that hit close to Mexico City and caused thousands of deaths.
The Mexican interior ministry has given the latest quake a higher magnitude, of 8.4.
More than 10 aftershocks ranging from 4.3 to 5.7 in magnitude have been recorded closer to the Mexican coast, off the town of Paredon.
President Peña Nieto warned there might be more.
He also said the Salina Cruz refinery on the southern coast had temporarily suspended operations.
Schools have been closed in 11 Mexican states.
Some electricity cuts have been reported in the capital and social media video showed lampposts swaying violently, but there are no reports of major damage there.
Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales appealed for calm on national TV and in a Twitter post.
“We have reports of some damage and the death of one person, even though we still don’t have exact details,” Associated Press quoted Jimmy Morales as saying.
No tsunami warning has been issued for the US west coast.
Mexico is currently also being threatened on its eastern coast by Hurricane Katia.
The category one hurricane is about 300km south-east of Tampico and has sustained winds of 140km/h the National Hurricane Center says.
According to new reports, President Donald Trump has decided to scrap a program that protects young undocumented immigrants.
The president will give Congress six months to draw up legislation to replace the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), sources quoted by media say.
According to a Politico report, the decision is considered a compromise amid strong support for the scheme.
However, the sources cautioned that President Trump could still change his mind.
President Trump is due to formally announce his decision on September 5.
The Obama-era DACA program protects hundreds of thousands of so-called “Dreamers” from deportation and provides work and study permits.
According to Politico, the White House informed House Speaker Paul Ryan of President Trump’s decision on September 3.
Paul Ryan last week urged the president not to scrap the scheme, arguing it left many young people “in limbo”.
“These are kids who know no other country, who were brought here by their parents and don’t know another home,” he said.
Paul Ryan is one of a growing number of Republican lawmakers and business leaders to speak out against scrapping the program.
While campaigning for office, Donald Trump took a hard-line on immigration and said he planned to “immediately terminate” the DACA program.
However, since then Donald Trump has said he finds the subject “very, very tough”.
The president said he intends to show “great heart” in dealing with what he described as, in many cases, “incredible kids”.
The decision to give Congress six months to draft an alternative is seen as a compromise after Republican lawmakers and business leaders from companies including Google, General Motors and Microsoft urged President Trump to retain the program.
On September 3, former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton tweeted: “Thanks to Dreamers’ courage & resolve, #DACA has allowed thousands of young people to contribute to our society. We’re better for it.”
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Cuban-American Republican Representative from Florida, also took to Twitter to vent her frustration, saying: “After teasing #Dreamers for months with talk of his <<great heart>>, @POTUS slams door on them. Some <<heart>>.”
The DACA program protects roughly 750,000 people in the US from deportation and provides temporary permits for work and study.
In order to qualify for DACA, applicants under the age of 30 submit personal information to the Department of Homeland Security.
They must go through an FBI background check and have a clean criminal background, and either be in school, recently graduated or have been honorably discharged from the military.
In exchange, the US government agrees to “defer” any action on their immigration status for a period of two years.
The majority of so-called Dreamer immigrants in the US are from Mexico and other Latin American countries.
US officials said the expulsions were in protest at Cuba’s failure to protect its diplomats.
Sonic devices may have been used to emit inaudible sound waves that can cause deafness.
On September 1, the US government confirmed that an incident took place as recently as August and that the number of staff reporting problems had increased.
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said: “We can’t rule out new cases as medical professionals continue to evaluate members of the embassy community.”
In a statement, the American Foreign Service Association, which represents US diplomatic and international aid staff, said it had spoken to 10 people who had received treatment.
“Diagnoses include mild traumatic brain injury and permanent hearing loss, with such additional symptoms as loss of balance, severe headaches, cognitive disruption and brain swelling,” the statement said.
The American Foreign Service Association urged the government to do everything possible to help those affected and to “ensure that these incidents cease and are not repeated”.
The statement is the first time that the hearing loss has been described as permanent. It is understood that “mild traumatic brain injury” could include concussion or headaches.
The State Department is yet to blame anyone for the incidents.
The US mission in Cuba was reopened as a full embassy in 2015 following 50 years of hostilities between the two countries.
The result of Kenya’s presidential election has been annulled by the country’s Supreme Court after citing irregularities.
The court ordered a new election within 60 days.
The election commission had declared incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta the winner by a margin of 1.4 million votes.
His opponent, Raila Odinga, said the commission was “rotten” and demanded resignations and prosecutions.
President Uhuru Kenyatta said he would respect the court’s decision but also branded the judges “crooks”.
Other elections in Africa have been annulled or canceled but this appears to be the first time on the continent that an opposition court challenge against a presidential poll result has been successful.
Chief Justice David Maraga said the August 8 election had not been “conducted in accordance with the constitution” and declared it “invalid, null and void”.
He said the verdict was backed by four of the six Supreme Court judges.
The announcement drew cheers from opposition supporters both inside and outside the courtroom.
Justice David Maraga said the election commission had failed “to conduct the presidential election in a manner consistent with the dictates of the constitution”.
He said the commission had committed irregularities “in the transmission of results”, adding that the court would provide details in a full judgment within 21 days.
Dissenting judges said that the Nasa opposition alliance – which had petitioned the Supreme Court – failed to prove claims that the polls had been rigged.
The election sparked days of sporadic protests, in which at least 28 people were killed. The vote had raised fears of major political violence – as was the case after a disputed poll in 2007.
Raila Odinga, 72, said the ruling marked “a historic day for the people of Kenya and by extension for the people of the continent of Africa”.
He said: “It is now clear that the entire [electoral commission] is rotten.
“It is clear that the real election results were never shared with Kenyans. Someone must take responsibility.”
He added: “We won the elections and we are going to win them again.”
In a TV address, President Kenyatta said that it was “important to respect the rule of law even if you disagree with the Supreme Court ruling”.
He called for calm, saying: “Your neighbor will still be your neighbor, regardless of what has happened… My primary message today to every single Kenyan is peace. Let us be people of peace.”
Uhuru Kenyatta, 55, added: “We are ready to go back again to the people with the same agenda that we delivered to the people.”
The president was more combative later at a rally of supporters in a market in Nairobi.
He referred to Justice David Maraga and his fellow judges as wakora (crooks in Swahili), saying they had “decided to cancel the election”. He warned the chief justice that as the poll had been annulled he was now the president again, not president-elect.
“Do you understand me? Maraga should know that he is now dealing with the serving president,” the president said.
“We are keeping a close eye on them. But let us deal with the election first. We are not afraid.”
After the election, international monitors from the EU, the African Union and the US had said there was no major fraud on polling day and urged Raila Odinga to concede.
On September 1, Marietje Schaake, the head of the EU Observer Mission, said the court ruling represented “a historic day for Kenya and we have always said that people who feel aggrieved should seek the path of the courts”.
She said the monitors had at the time pointed to irregularities and encouraged the Kenyan authorities to deal with them.
Marietje Schaake said the monitors were awaiting the full details of the ruling.
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