VW has reported a €3.48 billion operating loss for Q3 of 2015, and a €2.52 billion pre-tax loss triggered by its emissions scandal.
The German automaker has taken a charge of €6.7 billion ($7.4 billion) to cover the costs of the scandal.
In September, Volkswagen admitted installing software designed to cheat emissions tests in 11 million of its diesel cars worldwide.
VW CEO and chairman of the Board of Management, Matthias Müller, said: “The figures show the core strength of the Volkswagen Group on the one hand, while on the other the initial impact of the current situation is becoming clear. We will do everything in our power to win back the trust we have lost.”
The company said it expects profits for the full year to be “down significantly” as a result of the costs of dealing with the emissions scandal, but it said that it is still forecasting a rise of up to 4% in sales revenue.
Meanwhile VW has started retrenching and announced earlier this month it would reduce its research and development budget. In the last three months it has reduced R&D by over €1 billion.
Walgreens Boots Alliance has agreed to buy its rival Rite Aid in a $17.2 billion all-cash deal.
If approved by regulators, the deal would see two of the biggest US drug stores combined.
Walgreens Boots Alliance was created when UK-based Alliance Boots merged with Walgreens in 2014.
Rite Aid is expected to initially continue operating under its own name.
The Pennsylvania-based company, which has been in operation since 1962, saw its shares soar more than 40% on October 27 after the Wall Street Journal reported that a deal may be in the wings.
Photo Fox Business
Walgreens Boots Alliance said Rite Aid shareholders would receive $9 per share under the deal. Both companies said the transaction was expected to be completed half way through 2016.
Walgreens Boots Alliance said it expected to finance the transaction “through a combination of existing cash, assumption of existing Rite Aid debt and issuance of new debt”.
“Today’s announcement is another step in Walgreens Boots Alliance’s global development and continues our profitable growth strategy,” said CEO Stefano Pessina.
Rite Aid CEO John Standley said the deal would deliver “significant value” to the company’s shareholders. The retail chain has some 4,600 stores across the US and is the largest drugstore chain on the East Coast.
Walgreens Boots Alliance already employs more than 370,000 people and has a presence across some 25 countries. Walgreens is set to release its fourth quarter results on October 28.
Alassane Ouattara has won a second five-year term as Ivory Coast’s president with nearly 84% of the vote, electoral commission officials say.
He won a total of 2,118,229 votes, or 83.66% of votes cast, the commission said. Turnout was 54.63%.
Several opposition candidates pulled out of the campaign, complaining that it was not free and fair.
The last vote in 2010 was bitterly contested and resulted in a civil war in which 3,000 people lost their lives.
Alassane Ouattara required more than 50% of the vote to avoid a run-off. His closest opposition rival, Pascal Affi N’Guessan, got just 9%.
In the 2010 vote, Alassane Ouattara defeated then-President Laurent Gbagbo, whose refusal to step down triggered months of violence in which thousands of people were killed.
Alassane Ouattara’s campaign this year centered around his economic program. Critics accused him of failing to foster reconciliation or reduce poverty.
The 54% turnout in Ivory Coast’s election was down from the 2010 first-round turnout of about 80%.
A helicopter has crashed in Libya’s capital Tripoli killing at least 12 people, security sources say.
The helicopter had been carrying cash for a local bank on the way out and was returning with passengers to Tripoli.
According to local media, the dead may include high-ranking militia members. Bank workers were also reportedly on board.
The civilian bank staff were from the town of Surman, a militia spokesman said.
Libya has been hit by instability since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, with numerous militias each governing their own patches of territory.
Walmart has sparked outrage among customers by stocking an Israeli army Halloween outfit for kids.
The costume is available on the store’s website for $28.81 ahead of this year’s Halloween.
Some users of social media expressed outrage at the costume. It comes at a time of spiraling violence between Israelis and the Palestinians.
The store’s “Sheikh Fagin nose”, also available on Walmart’s website, has likewise drawn criticism.
Photo Walmart
Its large, hook-nosed appearance and the use of the name Fagin – referring to a character in Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist – appear also to play into anti-Semitic stereotypes.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) costume was also heavily criticized by many on Twitter. Walmart has not as yet reacted to the criticism.
More than 40 Palestinians have died in unrest in Israel and the Palestinian territories in October 2015, many killed carrying out attacks on Israelis. Nine Israelis have been killed and dozens wounded in stabbings and some gun attacks.
Earlier this year, an outfit inspired by transgender reality star and former athlete Caitlyn Jenner’s Vanity Fair cover was condemned as “transphobic” and “deplorable.”
Another costume based on famed Zimbabwean lion Cecil, who was shot by American dentist Walter Palmer, was criticized by an animal welfare charity.
While we all try to limit the amount of toys we buy our children, it’s not long until there’s a huge buildup of clutter in their bedrooms. As other family members start chipping in with gifts, it’s surprising just how many options kids can have today. This is why coming up with unique storage solutions for children’s rooms is so important.
Make the Most of What You Have
Keeping stuff stored under the bed might seem an obvious choice, but when it’s time to get them back out kids will often end up pulling out everything available and you can be certain that tidying up won’t be their first priority. Fortunately, there are lots of bed frames that come with built-in storage options. These Stompa singles found here give you a greater range of drawers, shelves and openings to keep things neat. Mid-level or high sleeper beds are also another great way to utilize the most of your space. These place the bed high up, like a bunk bed, but use the underlying space for a desk or other useful solutions.
Remember to Think Vertically
If you don’t have any more floor space to utilize, remember to think vertically and add some shelving. While it might be tempting to build all the way to the ceiling, a small child could easily try to scale the shelves trying to get a specific toy on the highest shelf. Keep it safe and be careful of what you place on the highest points. A more unique way of doing this is to use magnetic strips to hold metal toys, like toy cars. You can use the same strip as what you’d use for a magnetic knife holder in the kitchen. Not only does this provides a great way to keep things organized, but it’s also inexpensive.
Favor Dual-Role Solutions
Finally, finding good storage containers for your child’s room can be harder than you’d imagine. You’ll need something that’s sturdy enough to withstand some wear and tear and preferably that could double up as another piece of furniture. Large trunks are a great way to store a large amount of toys. They can also be used to fit in with a variety of different themes in the bedroom, too, like pirates or fantasy. Similarly, if you regularly read to your child in bed, rather than using a standard bedside table consider using a small storage cabinet to give yourself the a few more options instead.
Congo-Brazzaville’s controversial referendum has approved constitutional changes to allow President Denis Sassou Nguesso to run for a third term with more than 92% of votes.
Under the current constitution, President Denis Sassou Nguesso, one of Africa’s longest-serving ruler, has been unable to seek re-election because he is over the age of 70 and has already served two terms.
The opposition say turnout was low and the vote should be annulled.
However, official results put the turnout in October 25 referendum at 72%.
More than 1.2 million people voted in favor of the change (92.3% of voters) while nearly 102,000 rejected it, the electoral commission said.
The opposition called for a boycott of the poll and one of its leaders described the official results as a “fraud”.
“From what we could see on the day of the vote, the announcement that turnout was more than 72% is extremely scandalous,” Clement Mierassa told the AFP news agency.
Photo Reuters
Denis Sassou Nguesso, 71, is one of Africa’s longest-serving rulers, first coming to power in 1979 and ruling until 1992 when he lost elections.
He returned as president in 1997 after a brief civil war and has since won two elections.
Denis Sassou Nguesso is now coming to the end of his second seven-year term.
Tens of thousands of people took part in a peaceful demonstration against the referendum in September.
Four people died last week, when security forces dispersed angry protesters in the capital, Brazzaville, and the economic hub of Pointe-Noire.
Congo-Brazzaville’s presidential election is due to take place in 2016.
ISIS militants have executed three captives in Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra by tying them to columns and blowing them up, activists say.
The identities of those reportedly killed on October 25 have yet to be given.
However, they are thought to be the first to have been killed in that way since the jihadist group seized the ruins in May.
ISIS has destroyed two 2,000-year-old temples, an arch and funerary towers at Palmyra, one of the most important cultural centers of the ancient world.
The Islamic State believes that such structures are idolatrous. The UN cultural agency, UNESCO, has condemned the destruction as a war crime.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based group that monitors the conflict in Syria, cited local sources in Palmyra as saying that on October 25 ISIS militants tied three detainees to Roman-era columns and then blew up the structures with explosives.
An activist from Palmyra, Khaled al-Homsi, said ISIS had yet to tell locals the identities of the three individuals or say why they had been killed.
“There was no-one there to see [the execution]. The columns were destroyed and IS has prevented anyone from heading to the site,” he told the AFP news agency.
Another activist, Mohammed al-Ayed, said ISIS was “doing this for the media attention”.
After overrunning the ruins of Palmyra and the adjoining modern town, also known as Tadmur, ISIS militants used the ancient theatre for the killing of 25 Syrian soldiers.
They also beheaded archaeologist Khaled al-Asaad, who looked after ruins for 40 years, after he reportedly refused to reveal where artifacts had been hidden.
Earlier this week, ISIS posted images online purportedly showing militants driving a tank over a captured soldier, who it alleged had himself driven over militants.
Prince Abdel Mohsen Bin Walid Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia and four other people have been arrested in Lebanon in the largest drug seizure in the history of Beirut airport, a security source has said.
The prince was among those detained by airport security while allegedly “attempting to smuggle about two tonnes of Captagon pills and some cocaine,” the security source said.
“The smuggling operation is the largest one that has been foiled through the Beirut International Airport,” the source told the AFP news agency on condition of anonymity.
Captagon is the brand name for the amphetamine phenethylline, a synthetic stimulant.
Manufacturing of the substance thrives in Lebanon and war-torn Syria, which have become a gateway for the drug to the Middle East and particularly the Gulf.
The UN Office of Drugs and Crime said in a 2014 report that the amphetamine market is on the rise in the Middle East, with seizures mostly in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria accounting for more than 55% of amphetamines recovered worldwide.
The security source said the drugs had been packed into cases that were waiting to be loaded onto a private plane that was headed to Saudi Arabia.
Lebanon’s state news agency said the private plane was to head to Riyadh and was carrying 40 suitcases full of Captagon.
The five Saudi citizens were still in the airport and will be questioned by Lebanon’s customs authority, the source added.
India’s largest airline, IndiGo, plans to conduct an initial share offering this week as it seeks to raise as much as 32.68 billion rupees ($500 million).
The share offering would be India’s largest since 2012.
Owned by InterGlobe Aviation, IndiGo is India’s largest domestic airline by market share.
The public offer is set to open on October 27 and close on October 29.
It proposed to list on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India.
Global coordinators of the share sale include JP Morgan, Barclays and UBS, according to the company’s preliminary prospectus filed in June.
The budget airline warned in its initial prospectus that there was “no assurance that the new routes which we expand into will be profitable or become profitable.”
IndiGo’s international destinations currently include Singapore, Dubai and Bangkok.
According to Centre of Aviation (CAPA), IndiGo has been the only consistently profitable carrier in India for the past seven years.
IndiGo said it may not be able to successfully implement its planned expansion of its route network “due to factors beyond our control” – including economic, political and business conditions.
In August 2015, IndiGo finalized a deal with Airbus to buy 250 A320neo aircraft.
The deal followed a series of orders Indigo has placed with Airbus, as it continues to win a bigger share of India’s fast growing aviation market.
The agreement was Airbus’ single largest order by number of aircraft and was worth a $26.5 billion at list prices.
IndiGo was founded in 2006 by travel entrepreneur Rahul Bhatia and Rakesh Gangwal, a former CEO of US Airways.
According to multiple reports, Lamar Odom is “definitely” in need of a kidney transplant.
Lamar Odom, 35, is suffering from major kidney failure and is currently on dialysis. His days are full of good and bad moments, Us Weekly reports.
His brain functions are of the utmost concern, considering the multiple strokes he had while in the hospital, the publication says.
Photo Khloe Kardashian
People magazine is reporting that the former NBA star severely damaged his lungs, as well.
According to police report, Lamar Odom had cocaine in his system when he was found unconscious in Nevada earlier this month.
Meanwhile it was reported that Lamar Odom’s brother-in-law, Rob Kardashian, 28, is ready to donate one of his kidney’s in order to save the former NBA star‘s life.
Rob Kardashian and Lamar Odom were once as close as brothers.
Donald Trump has revealed he got his start in business with a “small loan” of $1 million from his father.
Speaking at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire, voters asked the tycoon to show some humility and common ground with average Americans.
The Republican presidential candidate said he “often drives himself” and recently ate at McDonald’s.
Donald Trump’s father, Fred Trump, was a successful real estate developer who gave him seed money to begin investments.
“It has not been easy for me,” the GOP front-runner said.
Photo AP
“And I started off in Brooklyn, my father gave me a small loan of $1 million. I came into Manhattan and I had to pay him back, and I had to pay him back with interest.”
The town hall’s host, NBC’s Matt Lauer, said most people would not consider that a small amount.
One woman at the town hall said some would only vote for Donald Trump if he would “eat a piece of humble pie once in a while”, to which he responded that doing so would expose weaknesses to foes like Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Opponent Ben Carson, a former neurosurgeon, has been gaining on Donald Trump in some polls.
In the last few days, he has been on the receiving end of attacks from the billionaire businessman, who says Ben Carson is “low energy”.
Voting in the party primary contests begins in February and the presidential election is in November 2016.
Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince Harry have joined Spectre stars for its world premiere in London.
Daniel Craig, Monica Belluci and Lea Seydoux walked the red carpet ahead of the Royal Albert Hall screening.
Spectre is the first James Bond movie to open in theaters on the same day as its premiere.
The movie goes on general release in the UK and Ireland on October 26.
Cast members Christoph Waltz, Naomie Harris, Andrew Scott, Ben Whishaw, and Ralph Fiennes also attended the screening.
The 24th official entry in the franchise sees James Bond battling a criminal syndicate led by Franz Oberhauser, played by Christoph Waltz.
Spectre is directed by Skyfall‘s Sam Mendes, who is also on the red carpet with producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
Daniel Craig said Sam Mendes was “one of the best directors there is” and that he had enjoyed being “creatively involved from the very beginning”.
Spectre is the third James Bond movie chosen for the Royal Film Performance since its inception in 1946. It follows previous premieres for Die Another Day (2002) and Skyfall (2012).
Early reviews have been positive.
Spectre was shot at Pinewood Studios and filmed on location in London, Mexico City, Rome and Tangier and Erfoud, in Morocco.
The shadowy organization SPECTRE – which was previously an acronym for the Special Executive for Counter-Intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion – last made an appearance in 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever, with Sean Connery as James Bond.
A 7.5-magnitude earthquake has struck northern Afghanistan, with tremors felt in Pakistan and northern India.
At least 51 people are said to have been killed in Pakistan, with 19 deaths reported in Afghanistan.
According to the US Geological Survey, the tremor was centered in the mountainous Hindu Kush region, 46 miles south of Faizabad.
Buildings were evacuated in the capitals of all three countries and communications disrupted in many areas.
In the Afghan province of Takhar, a stampede at a girls’ school triggered by the quake left 12 students dead and another 25 were injured, local reports said.
Seven people have been reported killed and 71 injured in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar.
In Pakistan, 28 people have been killed in the northern tribal areas, another 20 in the north-west and three more in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, officials told AFP news agency.
Officials said the quake happened at a depth of 212km. The magnitude was initially put at 7.7 but later downgraded.
An aftershock measured at 4.8-magnitude struck shortly afterwards.
People in the Indian capital Delhi ran into the streets after the tremor struck, and schools and offices were evacuated. The Delhi metro was also briefly halted.
Indian PM Narendra Modi tweeted that he had ordered an urgent assessment of any damage.
“We stand ready for assistance where required, including Afghanistan and Pakistan,” he said.
The region has a history of powerful earthquakes caused by the northward collision of India with central Asia.
In 2005, a magnitude 7.6-magnitude earthquake in Pakistan-administered Kashmir left more than 75,000 people dead.
According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, processed meats – such as bacon, hot dogs, sausages and ham – do cause cancer.
The WHO’s report said 50g of processed meat a day – less than two slices of bacon – increased the chance of developing colorectal cancer by 18%.
Meanwhile, the health agency said red meats were “probably carcinogenic” but there was limited evidence.
The WHO did stress that meat also had health benefits.
Processed meat is meat that has been modified to increase its shelf-life or alter its taste – such as by smoking, curing or adding salt or preservatives.
It is these additions which could be increasing the risk of cancer. High temperature cooking, such as on a barbeque, can also create carcinogenic chemicals.
The WHO has come to the conclusion on the advice of its International Agency for Research on Cancer, which assesses the best available scientific evidence.
The International Agency for Research has now placed processed meat in the same category as plutonium, but also alcohol as they definitely do cause cancer.
However, this does not mean they are equally dangerous. A bacon sandwich is not as bad as smoking.
“For an individual, the risk of developing colorectal [bowel] cancer because of their consumption of processed meat remains small, but this risk increases with the amount of meat consumed,” Dr. Kurt Straif from the WHO said.
Estimates suggest 34,000 deaths from cancer every year could be down to diets high in processed meat.
That is in contrast to one million deaths from cancer caused by smoking and 600,000 attributed to alcohol each year.
Red meat does have nutritional value too and is a major source of iron, zinc and vitamin B12.
However, the WHO said there was limited evidence that 100g of red meat a day increased the risk of cancer by 17%.
The WHO said its findings were important for helping countries give balanced dietary advice.
David Bowie has announced his new album, Blackstar, will be released on his 69th birthday on January 8, 2016.
David Bowie made the announcement on his official website and Facebook page, adding that Blackstar will also be the title of his forthcoming single.
The singer said the single, released on November 20, will not be part of his theatre piece Lazarus.
Blackstar will follow-up 2013’s The Next Day.
Photo Getty Images
The Next Day was David Bowie’s first album release for a decade, and was announced on the singer’s 66th birthday.
David Bowie is yet to release details regarding the sound and content of the album, stating on Facebook that there had been inaccurate reporting on the subjects.
The singer has co-written Lazarus with Irish playwright Enda Walsh, the award-winning writer of the musical Once.
Lazarus is based on the 1976 sci-fi film starring David Bowie – The Man Who Fell to Earth – and is set to premiere at the New York Theatre Workshop in December.
David Bowie has confirmed he will not be appearing on stage in the play.
Steve Jobs biopic has failed to impress at the North American box office, taking just $7.3 million in its first general week of release.
Danny Boyle’s movie, for which Michael Fassbender has been tipped for a best actor Oscar, entered the chart at number seven.
Ridley Scott’s The Martian reclaimed the top spot taking $15.9 million.
Elsewhere, Jem and the Holograms made one of the worst debuts of all time for a major studio release opening in over 2,000 locations with $1.3 million.
The adaptation of the 1980s cartoon about the quest of a group of aspiring musicians to become global superstars, entered the chart in 15th place.
The Steve Jobs biopic cost around $30 million to make and has taken $9.98 million to date, after two limited release weeks and one week on full release.
Co-starring Kate Winslet and Seth Rogen, the movie is the most high-profile of half-a-dozen documentaries and films about the Apple founder since his death in 2011 and has generally received strong reviews.
Vin Diesel’s The Last Witch Hunter also failed to meet expectations, earning $10.8 million, while Bill Murray’s Rock the Kasbah pulled in just $1.5 million.
Rock the Kasbah, which features Bill Murray as a rock promoter in Afghanistan, cost $15 million to make.
Goosebumps, based on the popular children’s book series and starring Jack Black, fell a place to number two on the chart, earning $15.5 million.
Toyota has overtaken VW in global vehicle sales after releasing figures for the first nine months of 2015.
The Japanese automaker sold 7.5 million in the first three quarters of 2015, beating VW’s 7.43 million and General Motors’ 7.2 million.
After six months of 2015, VW was ahead of Toyota, in pole position for the first time.
VW’s emissions scandal emerged towards the end of September.
The discovery of software that was able to mislead emissions tests on diesel cars may have more effect on VW’s sales in the remainder of the year.
Toyota’s sales for the first nine months were 1.5% below the level at the same stage last year.
Toyota first overtook GM to take the top slot in 2008 and has kept it every year since, except 2011 when GM was the top seller after a tsunami in north-eastern Japan disrupted Toyota’s production.
Separately, there was relief for General Motors on October 25 when it reached an agreement with the United Auto Workers union, averting a threatened strike.
Details of the four-year labor deal were not released. It will now go to a vote of UAW leaders and then the union’s 52,700 workers at GM.
“We believe that this agreement will present stable long-term significant wage gains and job security commitments to UAW members now and in the future,” said UAW president Dennis Williams.
The union had threatened that it would terminate its existing contract at midnight Eastern time on October 25, meaning there could have been a strike.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is to reveal whether some meats should be classed as carcinogens.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is part of the WHO, has been reviewing evidence on whether red and processed meats increase the risk of bowel and other cancers.
According to experts, eating a lot of red and processed meat probably increases the risk of bowel cancer.
However, red meat can be part of a healthy diet.
Red meat includes beef, lamb, and pork. It looks darker in color than white meat, like poultry, because of higher levels of hemoglobin and myoglobin, the iron and oxygen-binding proteins you find in blood and muscle.
Processed meat is not fresh meat, in other words something has been done to it to extend its shelf life or change its taste such as smoking, curing or adding salt or preservatives.
Processed meat includes bacon, sausages, salami and ham. Simply putting fresh meat through a mincer does not make it processed
Meat is a good source of protein, B vitamins and minerals such as iron and zinc.
Expert scientists’ advice is to consume healthier meat or meat products, such as lean cuts and lean mince, and cut down on processed meat.
Since 1971, more than 900 agents, including lifestyle factors and chemicals, have been evaluated by expert scientists for the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
More than 400 have been identified as carcinogenic, probably carcinogenic, or possibly carcinogenic to humans.
Bacon, ham and sausages are set to be classed alongside cigarettes, arsenic and asbestos as cancer-causing by global health experts.
Adacia Chambers, who drove into a crowd of spectators at the Oklahoma State University homecoming parade, killing four people, has been charged with second-degree murder.
However, the woman’s lawyer said the 25-year-old was not drunk at the wheel of her car, as police suspected, when she hit the people in Stillwater.
“I absolutely can rule out alcohol,” said attorney Tony Coleman, adding his client might have mental problems.
Adacia Chambers is due in court on October 26.
Witnesses described dozens of bodies being flung into the air, after Adacia Chambers’ car hit a parked police motorbike before plunging into spectators at the OSU homecoming parade.
Three adults and a two-year-old boy died, with nine children among about 50 people injured. Five people remain in critical condition.
Adacia Chambers was detained on suspicion of DUI. Police are still awaiting the results of blood tests.
Tony Coleman said she was not intoxicated but added: “I have deep concerns about her competency at this point. I’m not a psychologist or psychiatrist, but I can tell you she’s suffering from mental illness.
“She doesn’t remember a whole lot about what happened. There was a period where I think… she could have even blacked out,” the attorney said.
The four counts of second-degree murder each carry a possible penalty of 10 years to life imprisonment.
Adacia Chambers lives in Stillwater, a town 65 miles north-east of Oklahoma City, but is not believed to be an OSU student.
Her father, Floyds Chambers, told The Oklahoman newspaper his daughter was timid and not an alcoholic.
A vigil to remember the victims was held at the OSU campus on October 25.
North Korea has returned the remains of an American soldier missing since the Korean War to his family in California.
Army Cpl. Robert V. Witt of Bellflower was believed captured when his unit was attacked by Chinese forces in late November 1950, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reports.
Fellow troops later repatriated to the US said Robert Witt died from malnutrition in January 1951.
The US lists more than 8,000 soldiers as missing in the Korean War.
Robert Witt’s remains were found, along with those of other soldiers, in a joint US-North Korea excavation in North Korea in 2000.
Photo Tumblr
However, it took many years since for them to be conclusively identified.
They have now been returned to his sister, 82-year-old Laverne Minnick.
Laverne Minnick told the local newspaper: “I am so happy. He’s going to be home, where he belongs, with his family.”
Robert Witt, 20-years-old when he went missing, will be buried with full military honors in Rose Hills Memorial Park in Los Angeles on October 30.
The Battle of Chosin Reservoir, during which he went missing, was part of a Chinese offensive early in the Korean War that succeeded in driving US and other UN forces out of north eastern Korea.
The Korean War lasted from June 1950 until July 1953 and pitted the US and its allies against the USSR, North Korea and communist China.
At least two million Korean civilians, up to 1.5 million communist forces, and around 30,000 American, 400,000 South Korean and 1,000 UK troops are believed to have died.
A peace treaty has never been signed and the two Koreas would remain technically at war.
Jimmy Morales has been elected as Guatemala’s president after winning the runoff vote in the country’s presidential election.
The former comedian has no experience in government.
Jimmy Morales polled 72% against former Guatemala first lady Sandra Torres, who is seen by many as part of the country’s unpopular political elite.
Sandra Torres admitted defeat before all the votes were counted, as the margin of Jimmy Morales’ lead became clear.
The vote took place a month after the resignation and arrest of President Otto Perez Molina.
Otto Perez Molina is accused of leading a corrupt network of politicians and customs officials.
Photo TeleSUR
The former president denies involvement in a scheme which saw businessmen pay bribes to evade customs charges.
Many voters see Jimmy Morales as a fresh start following nationwide protests that ousted Otto Perez Molina.
“As president I received a mandate, and the mandate of the people of Guatemala is to fight against the corruption that is consuming us. God bless and thank you,” said Jimmy Morales after the count.
However, turnout was low, despite calls for voters to help Guatemala overcome a serious political crisis.
Sandra Torres ran government social programs when her ex-husband Alvaro Colom was president between 2008 and 2012.
Jimmy Morales has regaled voters with stories about his humble origins and jokes from a 14-year period on a TV comedy show.
He has been criticized for some of his more far-fetched policies which include the tagging of teachers with a GPS device to ensure they attend classes and giving each Guatemalan child an iPhone.
Jimmy Morales’ manifesto is only six pages – giving few indications as to how he might run the country – but he is known to favor low taxes and limited government.
One of his most famous comedy roles was that of a useless cowboy who becomes president by accident.
Jimmy Morales faces a difficult task as his National Convergence Front (FCN) will have just 11 out of 158 seats in the next Congress.
Critics accuse Jimmy Morales of having no program and no team, just the ability to exploit voter grievances.
His rise in the polls has been attributed to his targeting of public sector corruption which has engulfed the government.
One investigation found that former President Otto Perez Molina and his vice president were at the center of the customs scam. Both deny any involvement.
Otto Perez Molina was impeached, deprived of his presidential immunity and arrested in September. He is now in jail awaiting trial.
Pop star Justin Bieber was the big winner at MTV’s European Music Awards (EMAs) scooping five awards.
Justin Bieber won best male, best North American act, best collaboration for Where Are You Now?, with Skrillex and Diplo, biggest fans and best look.
Accepting his best male award, Justin Bieber said: “It’s been a long couple of years, um, I just feel like this is pretty awesome to be recognized for my music.”
He has had a number of legal run-ins, including being arrested last year on suspicion of driving under the influence.
One Direction won the prize for best pop, Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood won best song and Rihanna was named best female.
Ed Sheeran hosted the ceremony at Mediolanum Forum in Milan on October 25 – and took home the prize for best live act.
He also won the best world stage award for his performance at last year’s V Festival.
Duran Duran members were honored with the inaugural MTV Video Visionary Award.
“When we started there was us and MTV and we blazed a trail and we were there for each other,” said Simon Le Bon as he collected the award.
A surprise winner in the best video category was hip-hop duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.
“I had no idea we were going to win an award,” said Macklemore.
“We’re not on a major label; we don’t have a big budget. What you guys give to us, we give back to you in the art we make.”
Poland’s Law and Justice party has secured a decisive win in the country’s parliamentary elections.
According to exit polls, the conservative opposition party has enough seats to govern alone, with an anticipated 39% of the vote.
Law and Justice’s eurosceptic leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski has claimed victory, and the outgoing PM Ewa Kopacz of the centrist Civic Platform party, has admitted defeat.
Law and Justice party has strong support in Poland’s rural areas.
If the numbers suggested by the exit poll are confirmed, it will be the first time since democracy was restored in Poland in 1989 that a single party has won enough seats to govern alone.
Photo Reuters
“We will exert law but there will be no taking of revenge. There will be no squaring of personal accounts,” said Jaroslaw Kaczynski.
“There will be no kicking of those who have fallen through their own fault and very rightly so.”
Europe’s refugee crisis also proved to be a key topic of debate before the election. While the government has agreed to take in 7,000 refugees, opposition parties have spoken out against the move.
Last week, Jaroslaw Kaczynski was criticized for suggesting refugees could bring diseases and parasites to Poland.
The 66-year-old is not running as prime minister and has instead nominated Beata Szydlo, a relative unknown, as the party’s choice for the post.
However, some observers said Jaroslaw Kaczynski could take on the top job himself in the months to come.
The Law and Justice party is close to Poland’s powerful Roman Catholic Church and has promised increased benefits and tax breaks.
Civic Platform for its part sought closer ties with the EU.
Despite overseeing eight years of impressive economic growth it was beaten into second place and will become the main opposition party.
Only three other parties are projected to win enough votes to get seats in parliament: the Polish Peasants’ Party, and two new groups, a right-wing party led by rock star Pawel Kukiz and Modern Poland, a pro-business party.
