Soccer’s governing body chief Sepp Blatter and UEFA President Michel Platini are facing an investigation by FIFA’s ethics committee.
The move comes after the Swiss attorney general opened criminal proceedings against 79-yar-old Sepp Blatter.
Sepp Blatter is accused of signing a contract “unfavorable” to FIFA and making a “disloyal payment” to UEFA President Michel Platini, 60.
Photo Getty Images
The FIFA president denies wrongdoing and his lawyer says he is co-operating fully.
The ethics committee is looking into the circumstances of a payment of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.2 million) that Michel Platini received in 2011 for work said to have been carried out more than nine years previously, reported the Press Association.
Swiss prosecutors opened criminal proceedings against Sepp Blatter on September 25.
Michel Platini – who worked as Sepp Blatter’s technical advisor between 1999 and 2002 – was interviewed as a witness by officers from the attorney general’s office.
Michel Platini is yet to explain the nine-year delay in payment but he too denies any wrongdoing.
Catalonia is voting in regional elections that nationalist parties hope will set them on the road to independence from Spain.
Two separatist parties have joined forces, and are aiming to secure a majority of seats in parliament – 68 out of 135.
They say this would allow them to unilaterally declare independence within 18 months.
Spain’s central government in Madrid has pledged to block in court such moves.
Polls suggest a majority of Catalans favor a referendum on independence but are evenly divided over whether they want to secede.
Polling stations in the wealthy north-eastern province have opened open at 09:00 local and will close at 20:00.
More than five million people are eligible to cast their votes.
Artur Mas’ ruling Convergencia party and Esquerra Republicana have created a single list of candidates – under the banner “Junts pel Si” (Together for Yes).
They say that September 27 vote is a de facto referendum on independence from Spain.
They argue that the Spanish government has consistently refused to allow a legally recognized referendum, ignoring an unofficial vote backing independence in November 2014.
The anti-independence vote in Catalonia is split between a number of groups, including Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy’s Popular Party.
The centre-right government in Madrid has described any breakaway plans as “a nonsense”.
Mariano Rajoy argues that because the loss of Catalonia would affect all of Spain, the democratic approach would be for all of the country to vote in a referendum on Catalonia’s future.
At the same time, if “Together for Yes” fails to gain a majority it would be tantamount to a serious defeat for the pro-independence movement.
Addressing a UN summit on development goals, Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged to establish a $2 billion fund to assist developing countries and to significantly increase investment.
Xi Jinping said investment would reach $12 billion over the next 15 years.
He also said China would cancel debts to the world’s least developed nations, including small island nations.
Beijing, the Chinese leader added, would assist in 600 overseas projects in the next five years and offer more scholarships.
“Looking around the world, the peace and development remain the two major themes of the times,” Xi Jinping said.
“To solve various global challenges, including the recent refugee crisis in Europe, the fundamental solutions lie in seeking peace and realizing development.
“Facing with various challenges and difficulties, we must keep hold of the key of the development. Only the development can eliminate the causes of the conflicts.”
Xi Jinping’s pledges of aid give a big boost to the launch of the UN’s new Global Goals for Sustainable Development – the day after all members states committed themselves to a hugely ambitious program.
The plan aims to eradicate poverty and hunger by 2030.
It was China’s extraordinary record shifting so many families out the ranks of the poor which ensured that the overall global record in poverty reduction under the previous Millennium Development Goals was substantial.
Now China is offering to help other countries – particularly in Africa.
This new initiative also suggests China is willing to take on more of the responsibilities that go with its status as emerging superpower.
Bangkok bomb attack suspects Adem Karadag and Yusufu Mieraili have been forced to reenact their alleged role in bombing the Erawan Shrine, Thai police say.
Such re-enactments are standard police procedure in Thailand.
Earlier police said one of the men, named as Adem Karadag, was suspected of planting the bomb in the attack on August 17, contradicting what they had previously said.
The motive for the bombing, which killed 20 people, remains unclear.
Fourteen foreigners were among those killed.
Authorities now say they have enough evidence to prosecute the two men and say that Adem Karadag has confessed.
This contradicts earlier statements from police that neither of two men were the main suspects for the attack.
Adem Karadag, who has also been named as Bilal Mohammed, was arrested in late August in a raid on a flat on the eastern outskirts of Bangkok. His lawyer says he was not in Thailand at the time of the attack.
Police have released warrants for a total of 17 people over charges stemming from the attack.
The suspects are believed to carrying Chinese, Thai, Turkish and Pakistani passports, though their exact origins are unclear as some are thought to be using fake documents.
Many of the suspects named by Thai police have Muslim-sounding names, prompting speculation that they may be linked to jihadist networks or to Uighur separatist militants from China.
However, the police have not suggested that the attack was politically motivated.
The Erawan shrine – with its four-faced golden statue of the Hindu god Brahma – is considered sacred by Thai Buddhists, and attracts many foreign visitors.
The assets of General Gilbert Diendere, the leader of Burkina Faso’s failed coup, have been frozen by state prosecutors.
Another 13 people suspected of involvement have also had their assets frozen, the state prosecutor says.
Interim President Michel Kafando was reinstated on September 23 after an intervention from the army and West African leaders following last week’s coup.
On September 25, Michel Kafando’s government ordered the presidential guards’ unit that carried out the coup to be disbanded.
At least 10 people were killed and more than 100 injured in clashes during the take-over which Gilbert Diendere described as “the biggest mistake”.
In a statement announcing the latest move, state prosecutor Laurent Poda said that the assets of 14 people, including Gen. Gilbert Diendere and his wife Fatou Diendere, a lawmaker for the former ruling party, would be frozen for three months.
During this period, they would only be able to withdraw 300,000 CFA ($512) a month.
On September 25, the first full meeting of the government since Michel Kafando’s reinstatement decided to disband the presidential guard (RSP) and to dismiss the minister in charge of security.
The RSP – a unit of 1,200 well-armed and well-trained men – is loyal to Blaise Compaore, the country’s long-time ruler who was ousted in a popular uprising last year. They were unhappy about being integrated into the regular army.
Members of the unit stormed the cabinet room on September 16, seizing the interim president, the prime minister and others.
A week later, when it became clear they did not enjoy popular support and after a threat from the regular army to step down or be ousted by force, the RSP withdrew.
An emergency meeting of the regional bloc ECOWAS earlier in the week also helped to bring a smooth end to the crisis.
Blaise Compaore is currently in exile and was accused of committing widespread abuses, and trying to change the constitution to extend his term in office.
Japanese climber Nobukazu Kuriki, who lost nine fingers to frostbite in 2012, is nearing the final stage of an attempt to climb Mount Everest.
Latest contact suggests that Nobukazu Kuriki, 33, has reached the South Col, where he will rest before a final push on September 26 to reach the summit.
Nobukazu Kuriki is the first person to attempt the climb since Nepal’s devastating earthquake in April.
It will be his fifth try at reaching the summit in the past six years.
Nobukazu Kuriki is expected to rest on the South Col for about seven to eight hours before attempting the final leg of the climb.
Tackling the final stretch overnight allows climbers to reach the summit and descend in daylight, and the lack of heating from the Sun can mean lower winds.
Nobukazu Kuriki, who arrived in Nepal more than a month ago to begin acclimatizing, is so far the only person scheduled to climb Everest during the challenging autumn season.
He is following the same route used by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay when they became the first people to reach the summit in 1953.
Nobukazu Kuriki prefers to climb in winter, alone and with minimal gear.
“This is the purest form of climbing and it is worth the extra danger,” he has said.
He has taken on Everest alone four times in the previous six years but has been forced to abandon the climb each time with the summit in view.
In 2012, Nobukazu Kuriki lost all of his fingers and one thumb after spending two days in a snow hole at 27,000 feet (8,230m) in temperatures lower than -20C.
His injuries present significant challenges in even the most basic climbing maneuvers.
“I do feel nervous and afraid,” he told Reuters shortly after arriving in Nepal.
“This is only natural before attempting the challenge of climbing Everest, particularly after the earthquake and at this time of year.”
Nepal’s lucrative climbing industry was destroyed by the April 25 earthquake which killed more than 9,000 people and the avalanches that followed.
If Nobukazu Kuriki is successful, his climb may help to reinvigorate the ailing industry, correspondents say.
Construction and mining equipment maker Caterpillar has announced it could cut its workforce by more than 10,000 by 2018.
The US-based company – which employs more than 126,000 worldwide – said it would cut up to 5,000 jobs by the end of 2016.
Caterpillar is looking to reduce annual costs by $1.5 billion by the end of 2016.
The company has been hit by the collapse of commodity prices which have affected its key customers in the mining and energy sectors.
It has reduced its revenue forecast for this year by 2% to $48 billion and says 2016 earnings will fall 5%.
It will be first time in Caterpillar’s 90 year history that sales revenues have fallen for four years in a row.
Caterpillar shares were the biggest faller on the Dow Jones index on September 24, losing almost 6% as the market opened.
Doug Oberhelman, Caterpillar chairman and chief executive, said: “We are facing a convergence of challenging marketplace conditions in key regions and industry sectors – namely in mining and energy.”
The company has reduced its total workforce by more than 31,000 since mid-2012.
Caterpillar warned there could be a “total possible workforce reduction of more than 10,000 people” and said it expected to close some 20 manufacturing facilities over the next three years.
Doug Oberhelman said: “While we’ve already made substantial adjustments as these market conditions have emerged, we are taking even more decisive actions now.
“We don’t make these decisions lightly, but I’m confident these additional steps will better position Caterpillar to deliver solid results when demand improves.”
Japan’s core consumer price index (CPI), fell on an annual basis for the first time in over two years in August.
The CPI, which includes oil but not fresh food prices, declined 0.1% from a year ago – the first drop since April 2013.
The headline consumer price index rose 0.2% from a year ago, but remained flat from the previous month.
Photo Reuters
Deflation fears have plagued Japan, putting pressure on policymakers.
PM Shinzo Abe and Bank of Japan have pledged to get the economy out of the deflation it has been battling for years.
Even though the fall in prices in August was expected, economists said the latest reading would result in Japan’s central bank stepping up its pace of easing in October.
Japanese Economics Minister Akira Amari told the media on September 25 that it was up Bank of Japan to take appropriate steps on monetary policy after the data came out.
Nike’s profits have beaten expectations, helped by rapidly rising sales in China.
For Q3 2015, the world’s biggest sportswear maker reported a profit of $1.18 billion, up 23% from a year earlier.
Total revenues rose 5.4% to $8.41 billion, with sales in Greater China up 30% to $886 million.
The rise comes despite the slowdown in China’s economy, which is heading towards its weakest growth in 25 years.
Several global retailers have been hit hard by slowing sales in China.
However, Nike said sales in China were “amazing” and it had seen a strong performance in all categories.
“While we are very mindful of the macroeconomic volatility in China, our brand has never been stronger and our marketplace has never been more healthy,” said CFO Andy Campion.
The results mark the ninth consecutive time that Nike has beaten expectations for its profit.
Nike’s New York-listed shares were up 7.5% in after-hours trading in reaction to the results.
Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin-Abdullah al-Sheikh has said Thursday’s stampede that killed 717 people at the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca was beyond human control.
The country’s most senior cleric told the interior minister, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, that he was not to blame for the tragedy.
Iran and several other countries have criticized Saudi authorities for the way they handled safety issues.
It was the deadliest incident to occur during the pilgrimage in 25 years.
King Salman of Saudi Arabia has ordered a safety review.
Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin-Abdullah al-Sheikh was visited by the crown prince, who is also deputy prime minister and chairman of the Supreme Hajj Committee, on September 25, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
“You are not responsible for what happened,” the grand mufti said, the SPA reported.
“As for the things that humans cannot control, you are not blamed for them. Fate and destiny are inevitable.”
The cleric’s remarks came after Iran’s Supreme National Security Council accused the Saudis of “incompetence” and urged them to “take responsibility” for the deaths.
Iran has so far reported the greatest number of deaths among foreign nationals – 131.
Voices from other countries are also demanding answers from the Saudis, and the king’s promise of an investigation and review has done little to still the clamor for greater accountability.
The crush occurred on September 24 as two million pilgrims were taking part in the Hajj’s last major rite.
The pilgrims throw seven stones at pillars called Jamarat, which stand at the place where Satan is believed to have tempted the Prophet Abraham.
With temperatures around 46C, two massive lines of pilgrims converged on each other at right angles at an intersection close to the five-storey Jamarat Bridge in Mina, a large valley about 3 miles from Mecca.
It is also the second disaster to strike in two weeks, after a crane collapsed at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, killing 109 people.
Chinese President Xi Jinping met President Barack Obama at the White House during his trip in the US.
The two presidents have said they will take new steps to address cybercrime.
Speaking at a joint news conference at the White House, Barack Obama said they had agreed that neither country would engage in cyber economic espionage.
The deal covers the theft of trade secrets but not national security information.
Xi Jinping also pledged to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
Barack Obama said any escalation in China’s alleged cybercrimes against the US would prompt sanctions.
“It has to stop,” he said.
“The question is now, are words followed by action?”
Reflecting on the use of sanctions against either individuals, businesses or state-run companies, Barack Obama said: “We will apply those, and whatever other tools we have in our tool kit, to go after cybercriminals either retrospectively or prospectively.”
Both countries deny taking part in the cybertheft of commercial secrets.
Xi Jinping said the two countries would not “knowingly support” such practices and said they would both abide by “norms of behavior” in cyberspace.
“Confrontation and friction are not the right choice for both sides,” said Xi Jinping, speaking through a translator.
The cybertheft of intellectual property designed to benefit Chinese industry was described by former National Security Agency Director Keith Alexander as “the greatest transfer of wealth in history”.
US officials have alleged that the Chinese state was behind a massive data security breach of government databases as well as attacks on private firms. That kind of breach is not covered by this deal.
Barack Obama thanked Xi Jinping for introducing a cap-and-trade emissions trading system to limit greenhouse gas production.
The White House on September 25 put out a fact sheet on the US and China’s joint national carbon emissions trading scheme set to launch in 2017.
The “cap-and-trade” scheme would see Chinese companies charged to emit pollutants beyond a certain level.
China said it would commit $3.1 billion to help developing countries reduce carbon emissions, along with other initiatives outlined in the fact sheet that would align China’s climate work with that of the US.
There were also areas of sharp disagreement.
Barack Obama expressed concerns about the growing tensions in the South China Sea and criticized China’s human rights record, saying that preventing lawyers, journalists and others from operating freely is an obstacle to China living up to its potential.
Adem Karadag, who was arrested in Thailand over a deadly bombing at Bangkok’s Erawan shrine in August is indeed the bomber, say Thai police contradicting earlier statements.
A police spokesman said the man Adem Karadag was the figure in a yellow shirt seen on CCTV leaving a bag at the Erawan shrine.
Thai police had earlier said neither of two men in their custody were the main suspects for the August 17 attack.
The motive for the bombing, which killed 20 people, remains unclear.
Fourteen foreigners were among those killed.
Police have released warrants for a total of 17 people over charges stemming from the attack.
The suspects are believed to carrying Chinese, Thai, Turkish and Pakistani passports, though their exact origins are unclear as some are thought to be using fake documents.
Adem Karadag, who has also been named as Bilal Mohammed, was arrested in late August in a raid on a flat on the eastern outskirts of Bangkok.
Thai police had said DNA samples taken from him did not match the DNA found on evidence that the bomber is believed to have left behind on the night of the attack.
Police also appeared to rule out that a second man in their custody – identified as Yusufu Mieraili – was a main suspect in the attack.
However, on September 25, police spokesman Prawut Thornsiri said one of the warrants issued was for “Bilal Mohammed, who is the man in yellow who placed the rucksack at the Erawan shrine”.
“All the information we have leads back to him.”
Many of the suspects named by Thai police have Muslim-sounding names, prompting speculation that they may be linked to jihadist networks or to Uighur separatist militants from China.
However, the police have not suggested that the attack was politically motivated.
The Erawan shrine – centered around a four-faced golden statue of the Hindu god Brahma – is considered sacred by Thai Buddhists, and attracts many foreign visitors.
About 11 million VW vehicles worldwide have diesel engines with software “irregularities”.
The automaker plans to set aside 6.5 bn euros ($7.3 bn) in Q3 2015 to cover the costs of addressing the issue. The amount of provisions it needs could still change as the investigation continues, VW said.
United States: Scandal emerged following findings by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Department of Justice and New York regulators have launched criminal investigations
Germany: Transport Ministry to send fact-finding committee to Volkswagen
Canada: Environmental Agency investigating some 100,000 Volkswagen and Audi diesel cars
Switzerland: Task force set up to investigate. Switzerland has temporarily banned the sale of VW diesel-engine models which could have devices capable of tricking emission tests.
Italy: Spot checks to be carried out on at least 1,000 diesel vehicles, transport minister says
United Kingdom: Vehicle Certification Agency to re-run lab tests and compare with “real-world” driving emissions
France: Random checks on 100 diesel cars aimed at “ensuring the absence of fraud”, says Environment Minister Segolene Royal
South Korea: Environment Ministry to investigate 4-5,000 Jetta, Golf and Audi A3 vehicles, could extend to all German diesel cars if problems found
The sale of VW diesel-engine models which could have devices capable of tricking emission tests has been temporarily halted in Switzerland.
The move could affect 180,000 cars – not yet sold or registered – in the Euro5 emission category.
This comes after VW, the world’s largest automaker, admitted cheating on emissions tests in the US.
Meanwhile, Matthias Muller has been named new VW CEO in the wake of the scandal.
He succeeds Martin Winterkorn, who resigned on September 23.
The row erupted after it emerged that some VW cars being sold in the US had devices in diesel engines that could detect when they were being tested, changing the engine performance to improve results.
The ban was announced by the Swiss Federal Roads office on September 25.
In a statement, it said vehicles that have 1.2-litre 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre diesel engines of VW models – including VW’s Audi, Seat and Skoda brands – could be affected.
The ban does not apply to vehicles that are already in circulation or cars with Euro6 emission category engines.
The Swiss authorities have also set up a taskforce to fully investigate the issue.
After his appointment, Matthias Muller said restoring the company’s reputation was his top priority.
“My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group – by leaving no stone unturned and with maximum transparency, as well as drawing the right conclusions from the current situation.”
He also announced sweeping changes to the way the company was run, including handing greater autonomy to regional divisions.
Matthias Muller said he would tighten up procedures at the company: “At no point was the safety of our customers in danger. We will now have even stricter compliance. Our objective is that the people continue to use and drive our vehicles with confidence and pleasure. That’s 80 million people driving our cars worldwide.”
The EPA’s findings of the scandal cover 482,000 cars in the US only, including the VW-manufactured Audi A3, and the VW brands Jetta, Beetle, Golf and Passat.
But VW has admitted that about 11 million cars worldwide are fitted with the so-called “defeat device” – 2.8 million of them in Germany – and further costly recalls and refits are possible.
Half of VW’s sales in Europe – the company’s biggest market – are for diesel cars.
VW shares plunged around 30% in the days after the scandal broke.
Transport authorities in several countries have announced their own investigations.
According to revised official figures, the US economy expanded more than previously estimated in Q2 2015.
The US Commerce Department said the economy expanded at an annualized pace of 3.9%, rather than 3.7%.
The overall US economic growth was due to strong consumer spending, business investment and residential construction.
Photo Getty Images
It rate is much higher than the 0.6% rate recorded in Q1 2015.
The growth rate is expected to have slowed in the current quarter, but in a speech on September 24 Federal Reserve head Janet Yellen said economic growth appeared “solid” and the US remained “on track” for an interest rate rise this year.
Janet Yellen said as long as inflation was stable and the US economy was strong enough to boost jobs, the conditions would be right for a rise.
US interest rates have been held at near-zero since the 2008 financial crisis. When they finally do rise, it will be the first interest rate increase in nine years.
Stocks on Wall Street made a bright start in the wake of the GDP figures and Janet Yellen’s comments, with the Dow Jones rising 1% in morning trade.
Switzerland has opened a criminal proceedings against FIFA President Sepp Blatter.
The Swiss attorney general’s office said Sepp Blatter was suspected of criminal mismanagement or misappropriation over a TV rights deal and of a “disloyal payment” to European soccer chief Michel Platini.
Sepp Blatter, 79, was being questioned, and his office was searched, it added.
The world’s governing body said it was co-operating with the investigation.
Sepp Blatter has run FIFA since 1998 and has always denied any wrongdoing.
The attorney general’s office said the investigation surrounds a TV rights deal Sepp Blatter signed with former Caribbean soccer chief Jack Warner in 2005.
“Swiss criminal proceedings against the president of FIFA, Mr. Joseph Blatter, have been opened… on suspicion of criminal mismanagement… and – alternatively – misappropriation,” it said.
Sepp Blatter is also suspected of making a “disloyal payment” of two million Swiss francs ($2 million) in 2011 to Michel Platini, the head of the European soccer body UEFA, the statement said.
It said the payment was “at the expense of FIFA, which was allegedly made for work performed between January 1999 and June 2002”.
Sepp Blatter is due to step down in February and Michel Platini is widely expected to replace him.
In May, Swiss authorities arrested seven FIFA officials in Zurich at the request of the US. They face extradition.
The US then unveiled indictments against seven other people in their corruption case, nine of whom are high-ranking officials.
Among them was Jack Warner, president of the Caribbean football association CONCACAF and one of the most powerful men in world football. He is currently in Trinidad awaiting extradition to the US on charges of corruption.
The Swiss opened their own investigation into FIFA hours after the initial arrests.
FIFA owns the TV rights to the World Cup and sells them to regional federations which then sell them on to broadcasters.
Sepp Blatter’s lawyer, Richard Cullen, said he was confident the inquiry would clear Blatter of any wrongdoing regarding the contract with Jack Warner.
“We are confident that when the Swiss authorities have a chance to review the documents and the evidence, they will see that the contract was properly prepared and negotiated by the appropriate staff members of FIFA who were routinely responsible for such contracts, and certainly no mismanagement occurred,” he said.
Sepp Blatter won a fifth consecutive FIFA presidential election on May 29 but, following claims of corruption, announced his decision to step down on June 2. He is due to finish his term at a FIFA extraordinary congress on February 26.
FIFA canceled its news conference on September 25 only minutes before it was due to start.
Sepp Blatter would have been speaking in public for the first time since general secretary Jerome Valcke was suspended last week amid allegations regarding ticket sales at the 2014 World Cup.
Newspaper reports implicated Jerome Valcke, 54, in a scheme to sell tickets for above face value.
Jerome Valcke, who describes the allegations as “fabricated”, has been released from his duties pending an investigation.
FIFA also announced earlier that it had moved its next executive committee meeting from Tokyo to Zurich.
Correspondents say that, although Sepp Blatter has not been indicted, he might be more vulnerable to an extradition request outside of Switzerland.
German businessman Matthias Muller has been named as Volkswagen’s new CEO in the wake of the scandal of rigged emissions tests in diesel cars.
Matthias Muller succeeds Martin Winterkorn who resigned on September 23.
VW admitted cheating emissions tests in the US.
Some VW cars being sold in the US had devices in diesel engines that could detect when they were being tested, changing the performance accordingly to improve results.
Matthias Muller, who has been Porsche AG CEO since 2010, said restoring VW’s reputation was his top priority: “My most urgent task is to win back trust for the Volkswagen Group – by leaving no stone unturned and with maximum transparency, as well as drawing the right conclusions from the current situation.”
He also announced sweeping changes to the way the world’s largest carmaker was run, including handing greater autonomy to regional divisions.
Matthias Muller, 62, said he would tighten up procedures at the company: “At no point was the safety of our customers in danger. We will now have even stricter compliance. Our objective is that the people continue to use and drive our vehicles with confidence and pleasure. That’s 80 million people driving our cars worldwide.”
The US’s Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) findings of the scandal cover 482,000 cars in the US only, including the VW-manufactured Audi A3, and the VW brands Jetta, Beetle, Golf and Passat.
The automaker has admitted that about 11 million cars worldwide are fitted with the so-called “defeat device” – 2.8 million cars in Germany – and further costly recalls and refits are possible.
Half of VW’s sales in Europe – the company’s biggest market – are for diesel cars.
VW shares plunged around 30% in the days after the scandal broke.
Transport authorities in several countries – including the UK and Germany – have announced investigations in to the scandal.
In a speech in front of the world’s leaders at the United Nations in New York, Pope Francis has urged them to respect humanity’s “right to the environment”.
The pontiff also called on financial agencies not to subject countries to “oppressive lending systems” that worsen poverty.
In an allusion to the Church’s teachings on s**ual minorities, Pope Francis called for respect for the “natural difference between man and woman”.
Pope Francis went on to visit the 9/11 memorial for a multi-faith service.
He said the universe was “the fruit of a loving decision by the Creator” and that humanity “is not authorized to abuse it, much less to destroy it.”
The Pope also said he hoped a forthcoming summit on climate change in Paris would produce a “fundamental and effective agreement”.
In a wide-ranging speech, Pope Francis addressed topics including girls’ education drug trafficking, and welcomed the deal between Iran and world powers on its nuclear deal, calling it “proof of the potential of political goodwill”.
Earlier, he addressed UN staff after being greeted by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, telling them their roles were very important.
“Thank you for all you do… I bless each one of you from my heart. I will pray for you and your families,” the Pope said.
“I ask each of you to remember to pray for me. If anyone is not a believer, I ask you to wish me well.”
Photo Reuters
Later on Friday Pope Francis will visit a school in the heavily Hispanic neighborhood of East Harlem.
About 80,000 are expected to watch the procession as Pope Francis makes his way to Mass at Madison Square Garden on Friday night.
Nearly 20,000 are set to attend the service at the major sporting and concert arena.
Thousands lined Fifth Avenue on September 24 as Pope Francis made his way to St Patrick’s Cathedral for evening prayers.
The Pope arrived in New York from Washington, where he delivered the first-ever papal address to the US Congress.
In the speech, he urged a humane response to refugees, an end to the death penalty and better treatment of the poor and disadvantaged.
Next Pope Francis will go to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he will speak in front of Independence Hall and have Mass at a Catholic families’ rally.
The United Nations warns that a daily flow of about 8,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees to Europe is likely to continue.
The figure came from UN regional coordinator for refugees Amin Awad, who spoke to Reuters news agency.
More than 5,000 refugees are arriving daily in Greece.
That flow could continue during the winter if the weather remains good and the borders open, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said.
About half a million migrants – mostly from Syria and other conflict zones in the Middle East and Africa – have arrived in Europe this year.
The refugee influx has caused tensions between EU neighbors in Central Europe, which continued on September 25 despite a visit to Austria by Hungary’s PM Viktor Orban.
Viktor Orban and Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann did not appear together in public after their talks.
Werner Faymann had earlier likened Hungary’s tough handling of migrants to the policies of Nazi Germany – a comparison angrily dismissed by Hungary.
Speaking in Vienna, Viktor Orban said Hungary had to build a fence on its border with Croatia like the razor-wire fence completed on its border with Serbia.
What happens on the Croatia-Hungary border will be “decisive in the next few days” for the refugee crisis, he said. Hungary has nearly completed the fence on that border.
Hungary’s traditionally good relations with Austria must be maintained, Viktor Orban said, urging Vienna to show “clear support” for protection of the EU’s external borders.
Croatia – the EU’s newest member state – has struggled with an influx of migrants from Serbia, since they were blocked at the Hungarian border. Croatia-Serbia tensions escalated into a war of words.
On September 25, Croatia’s PM Zoran Milanovic said he was working to lift the country’s border restrictions “today or tomorrow”.
Vehicles have been blocked and Serbia – a candidate to join the EU – angrily compared the restrictions with “those of the World War Two fascist regime”.
Scars remain from the Serb-Croat fighting of the 1990s, when Yugoslavia disintegrated in inter-ethnic conflict.
The EU’s Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy, Johannes Hahn, visited a refugee camp in the border zone on September 25 with Serbia’s PM Aleksandar Vucic.
Deep divisions surfaced in the EU this week when ministers agreed to relocate about 120,000 refugees across Europe.
The refugees – from Syria, Iraq and Eritrea – will be transferred from Greece and Italy, to ease the pressure on overcrowded reception centers there.
However, there is still a dispute about the distribution plan. Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia voted against it. They resent the imposition of quotas, arguing that they are ill-equipped to integrate non-EU rrefugees.
Many of the refugees are determined to reach Germany, whose Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged EU partners to take in more refugees. Germany expects to have at least 800,000 asylum seekers in 2015.
Germany’s federal government has pledged €4 billion ($4.5 billion) to its regional states, double the current levels of funding, to help them cope with a record refugee influx.
Prince Majed Abdulaziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia has been arrested in Los Angeles for allegedly abusing a worker at a Beverly Hills mansion.
According to LAPD, Majed Abdulaziz al-Saud, 28, was arrested on September 23 and released the following day after posting a $300,000 bond.
The prince is scheduled to appear in court on October 19.
Majed Abdulaziz al-Saud does not have diplomatic immunity, police said.
According to the Los Angeles Times, a neighbor had spotted a bloodied woman calling for help and trying to climb over a wall surrounding the $37 million estate.
The Saudi Arabian embassy is yet to comment on the case.
John Boehner will resign from his position as speaker of the House and give up his seat at the end of October.
He has been under pressure from the conservative wing of the Republican Party, and in particular over government funding for Planned Parenthood.
Aides say John Boehner had planned to resign since 2014.
The announcement comes one day after the speaker hosted Pope Francis for a major address to the US Congress.
John Boehner is expected to make a public announcement at 10:30 local time.
He assumed the leadership position in January 2011, when Republicans took control of the House.
Photo AP
John Boehner’s resignation comes as Republicans have been deliberating over plans to defund women’s healthcare provider Planned Parenthood.
The organization has come under fire from anti-abortion activists who claimed its employees were selling fetal organs.
Hard-line conservatives have urged the leadership to stall a government funding bill – a move that could see the US government shut down next week for the second time in as many years – if language defunding the healthcare provider is not included.
Reuters is reporting that Rep Steve King has told reporters that Rep Kevin McCarthy is top pick to replace John Boehner as speaker.
Rep Bill Huizenga said in a tweet that the speaker made the announcement to his conference this morning.
In a statement, John Boehner’s staff said that he had intended to resign at the end of last year, but the surprise defeat of then House Majority Leader Eric Cantor “changed that calculation”.
On September 24, Pope Francis became the first pontiff to address a joint session of Congress following an invitation from the catholic House speaker.
King Salman of Saudi Arabia has ordered a safety review for the annual Hajj pilgrimage after at least 717 people died in a stampede near the holy city of Mecca.
Another 863 people were injured in the incident at Mina, which occurred as two million pilgrims were taking part in the Hajj’s last major rite.
It is the deadliest incident to occur during the pilgrimage in 25 years.
King Salman said there was a need “to improve the level of organization and management of movement” of pilgrims.
The crush occurred after two massive lines of pilgrims converged on each other from different direction at an intersection close to the Jamarat Bridge in Mina.
As part of the Hajj, pilgrims travel to Mina, a large valley about 3 miles from Mecca, to throw seven stones at pillars called Jamarat, which represent the devil. The pillars stand where Satan is believed to have tempted the Prophet Abraham.
The crush is the second disaster to strike in two weeks, after a crane collapsed at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, killing 109 people.
Photo Getty Images
Offering condolences to the relatives of the dead and injured, King Salman said: “We have instructed concerned authorities to review the operations plan and to raise the level of organization and management to ensure that the guests of God perform their rituals in comfort and ease.”
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayyef, who chairs the Hajj committee, has begun an inquiry into the tragedy.
Interior ministry spokesman, Major General Mansour al-Turki, said the reason for the unusual number of pilgrims at the site of the disaster was “not known yet”.
Health Minister Khaled al-Falih promised a “fast” investigation and said the crush occurred “perhaps because some pilgrims moved without following instructions by the relevant authorities”.
Iran has fiercely criticized Saudi Arabia’s handling of the pilgrimage.
Announcing three days of national mourning, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said: “The Saudi government should accept the responsibility of this sorrowful incident… Mismanagement and improper actions have caused this catastrophe.”
The disaster began at 09:00 local time on September 24.
Gen. Mansour al-Turki said: “The great heat and fatigue of the pilgrims contributed to the large number of victims.”
The temperature in Mina was 46C on September 24.
Photographs showed the bodies of dozens of pilgrims on the ground, some piled high. They were all dressed in the simple white garments worn during the Hajj.
Pope Francis, who is visiting the US, expressed his “sentiments of closeness” with Muslims, during a prayer service at St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York.
Four people have died after a duck boat and a charter bus carrying foreign students have collided in Seattle, Washington, officials say.
TV footage showed an amphibious “Ride the Ducks” vehicle smashed into the side of the bus on Aurora Bridge.
The four victims were foreign students from North Seattle College. Several people were critically injured.
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray described the crash as “a terrible tragedy”.
The tragedy happened at about 11:00 local time on September 24. Two smaller vehicles were also involved in the crash.
Most of the victims were on board the charter bus. Officials have not said which countries they were from.
Forty-five students and staff members from the school’s international programs were taking an orientation trip ahead of the school year starting on September 21.
Fifty-one people were taken to hospitals. Fire department officials said 12 had critical injuries.
“Today, the North Seattle College community learned devastating news that four of our students were tragically killed in a vehicle accident on the Aurora Bridge,” the school said in a statement.
“Additionally, several students remain in critical condition, and other students and a North employee sustained serious injuries.”
Government officials were working to contact next of kin.
A witness said the duck boat signaled to move left when it lurched and the front left wheel came off. It then clipped a vehicle before colliding with the bus.
Mayor Ed Murray said the company had voluntarily suspended trips for the time being.
“Ride the Ducks” tours, using vehicles which can drive on roads and float on water, are known for guides who play loud music and quack through speakers when leading tourist groups.
The amphibious vehicles have been involved in multiple fatal accidents.
Two people died when one collided with a barge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2010.
The “Duck” name is derived from DUKW, the six-wheel amphibious vehicles used by the US military during World War Two.
Hakubun Shimomura, the Japanese sports minister, has resigned over canceled plans for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Stadium.
British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid’s original design was ditched in July as estimated building costs almost doubled, reaching $2 billion.
Hakubun Shimomura said he had been asked to stay on until a planned cabinet reshuffle, but would repay some salary.
A new stadium design is due to be chosen by November.
Concerns have already been raised about whether that design will be completed in time for 2020 – the first time Tokyo has hosted the Summer Games since 1964.
As well as objections to its ballooning cost, Zaha Hadid’s design was criticized by some in Tokyo for its similarly huge size and its unusual shape.
A close ally of conservative PM Shinzo Abe, Hakubun Shimomura runs the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, which is in charge of overseeing the Olympic Games.
Speaking at a press conference at his ministry following a meeting with the prime minister, Hakubun Shimomura said he told Shinzo Abe he wanted to take responsibility for the stadium problems.
“It is true that this has caused much concern and inconvenience,” he said.
Hakubun Shimomura added that he had first heard of the inflating costs and delays in April, “which is why I have decided to return the six months’ worth of pay I have received from that day onwards”.
His offer to quit came after an independent investigation into the fiasco.
Local reports said the panel pinned responsibility on the government body overseeing the project, the Japan Sports Council, and Hakubun Shimomura’s ministry. Former PM Yoshiro Mori, president of Tokyo’s organizing committee, was also blamed.
Plans to host the 2019 Rugby World Cup have also been thrown into doubt by the cancelation of Zaha Hadid’s original plans, as organizers now have to find an alternative final venue.
Olympic organizers are also looking for a new logo, after a Belgian artist complained that a logo he designed for a theater had been copied.
Those allegations have been denied by both Olympic organizers and the Japanese logo designer himself but he admitted his team did copy other work in the past, and the Tokyo Games committee said too many doubts had been raised for it to be used.
