According to Turkish officials, some 45,000 mainly Syrian Kurds have crossed into Turkey in the past 24 hours as Islamic State (ISIS) militants advance in northern Syria.
Turkey opened its border on September 19 to Syrians who had fled the Kurdish town of Kobane in fear of an IS attack.
Activists say some 300 Kurdish fighters have crossed into Syria from Turkey to help defend the strategic town.
ISIS controls large areas of Syria and Iraq and has seized dozens of villages around Kobane, also called Ayn al-Arab.
Turkey – which shares a border with Iraq and Syria – has taken in more than 847,000 refugees since the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began three years ago.
Turkish Deputy PM Numan Kurtulmus confirmed on Saturday that 45,000 refugees had crossed the border within a 24-hour period.
“No country in the world can take in 45,000 refugees in one night, bring them here unharmed and find them a shelter without a problem,” he said.
Some 45,000 mainly Syrian Kurds have crossed into Turkey in the past 24 hours as ISIS militants advance in northern Syria
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 300 Kurdish fighters had joined Syrian Kurdish ranks in the Kobane area to fend off the IS advance. The activist group did not specify which Kurdish group the fighters belonged to.
“Islamic State sees Kobane like a lump in the body, they think it is in their way,” the Observatory’s Rami Abdulrahman said.
Syrian activists say IS has seized as many as 60 villages surrounding Kobane since fighting began earlier this week.
The head of Syria’s Kurdish Democratic Union, Mohammed Saleh Muslim, has appealed for international assistance in the battle against the jihadists.
“Kobane is facing the fiercest and most barbaric attack in its history,” Reuters news agency quoted him as saying.
“Kobane calls on all those who defend humane and democratic values… to stand by Kobane and support it immediately. The coming hours are decisive,” he added.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has received a record $490 million fine after a Chinese court found it guilty of bribery.
The record penalty follows allegations the pharmaceutical giant paid out bribes to doctors and hospitals in order to have their products promoted.
The court gave GSK’s former head of Chinese operations, Mark Reilly, a suspended three-year prison sentence and he is set to be deported.
Other GSK executives have also been given suspended jail sentences.
The guilty verdict was delivered after a one-day trial at a court in Changsha, according to the Xinhua news agency.
GSK has received a record $490 million fine after a Chinese court found it guilty of bribery
Chinese authorities first announced they were investigating GSK in July last year, in what has become the biggest corruption scandal to hit a foreign firm in years. The company was accused of having made an estimated $150 million in illegal profits
GSK said it had “published a statement of apology to the Chinese government and its people”.
“Reaching a conclusion in the investigation of our Chinese business is important, but this has been a deeply disappointing matter for GSK,” said GSK CEO Andrew Witty in a statement.
“We have and will continue to learn from this. GSK has been in China for close to a hundred years and we remain fully committed to the country and its people,” he said.
“We will also continue to invest directly in the country to support the government’s health care reform agenda and long-term plans for economic growth.”
Keyshia Cole was arrested early Friday morning after being charged with battery, Entertainment Tonight reported.
According to the LAPD, Keyshia Cole was brought in Friday on a private person’s arrest, and charged with battery.
Keyshia Cole was arrested after allegedly assaulting a woman at her rumored boyfriend Birdman’s condo
The incident took place at 5 a.m. at the home of Keyshia Cole’s rumored boyfriend, rapper Birdman, where Cole allegedly assaulted a woman she found there, TMZ reported.
Keyshia Cole attacked the woman and left scatches on her faces.
Keyshia Cole has since posted a $46,000 bail and been released.
The body of missing Central Texas sheriff’s deputy Jessica Hollis has been found in Lake Austin on September 19.
On Thursday, September 18, Jessica Hollis’ patrol car was found swamped by floodwaters minutes after she radioed for help while checking flooded low-water crossings.
Efforts to locate the deputy had been suspended before nightfall Thursday because of the storms, which were remnants of Hurricane Odile.
The National Weather Service forecasts more heavy rain through Saturday over much of West Texas, with flash flood watches issued through Friday night. Rain fell Friday in Southeast Texas and elsewhere in the state, with high waters clogging roadways and impeding traffic in metro areas such as Austin and Houston.
Deputy Jessica Hollis worked with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office for seven years (photo Travis County Sheriff’s Office)
Jessica Hollis, 35, a seven-year veteran of the department, was checking low-water crossings during storms. She radioed shortly before 2 a.m. CDT Thursday to say her patrol car was being washed away in an Austin-area subdivision, Travis County sheriff’s spokesman Roger Wade said.
Her empty car was found a short time later, but she could not be located.
Earlier this week, rainfall pelted parts of the state. In Plainview, about 45 miles north of Lubbock, 4½ inches of rain was reported over 24 hours ending at 2 p.m. CDT Thursday.
The Austin area received 5 to 7 inches of rain early Thursday, Van Pelt said. About 40 miles north of Austin, near Jarrell, a weather service observer measured almost 1½ inches of rain within 30 minutes.
The $30 million lawsuit filed against Nicki Minaj by her former wig designer Terrence Davidson has been rejected by District Judge Harold Murphy in Atlanta.
In the lawsuit filed in February 2014, Terrence Davidson accused Nicki Minaj and Pink Personality LLC of breaking verbal contracts.
Terrence Davidson also claimed Nicki Minaj went back on talks to launch a reality TV show and a wig line and that she stole his designs.
Lawyers for Nicki Minaj filed a motion in May to dismiss the lawsuit.
Judge Harold Murphy agreed that Terrence Davidson did not have grounds to claim.
Terrence Davidson said in the $30 million lawsuit that he began working as Nicki Minaj’s hair stylist in early 2010.
He created various wigs for the rapper, known for her flamboyant hairpieces that she wore to a pre-show for MTV’s Video Music Awards, during media appearances in London and for her video SuperBass.
Terrence Davidson said he turned down a contract for a reality TV show after talking to a representative of Nicki Minaj.
Terrence Davidson claims Nicki Minaj launched a reality TV show and a wig line after stealing his designs
The hair stylist, whose celebrity clients include singers Patti LaBelle and Jennifer Hudson, said Nicki Minaj and her team shut him out months into talks about a reality show and a line of wigs.
Terrence Davidson stopped working as Nicki Minaj’s stylist in early 2013.
He said Nicki Minaj took his designs without his consent and used them to start her own wig line.
Nicki Minaj’s lawyers said that Terrence Davidson was “upset because he lost his most famous client” and was seeking to force himself into a business relationship that Minaj and Pink Personality developed without him to get money from them that he didn’t earn.
The judge wrote in his order that the verbal promises of future business Terrence Davidson said he got from Nicki Minaj and her team were too vague and that it was unreasonable for Davidson to rely on them as a done deal.
The judge said that Terrence Davidson claimed his wigs were distinctive because of their design and color.
He added that there was no evidence that Terrence Davidson made any attempt to connect them to himself in the public mind or that anyone was confusing the wigs sold by him with wigs sold by Nicki Minaj.
Forty nine hostages seized by Islamic State (ISIS) from the Turkish consulate in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul have been freed and are back in Turkey.
Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the 49 had been taken to the southern city of Sanliurfa by the Turkish intelligence agency.
Details are unclear but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it had been a “detailed and secret operation”.
The hostages were seized after ISIS militants overran Mosul in a rapid advance in June.
Turkey has refused direct involvement in the military campaign against ISIS partly because of fears over the hostages’ safety.
Deputy PM Bulent Arinc said the 49 hostages were employees from the consulate – 46 Turks and three local Iraqis – and included Consul General Ozturk Yilmaz, other diplomats, children and special forces police.
Ahmet Davutoglu said they were all in good health and that they were released early on Saturday.
“I am sharing joyful news which as a nation we have been waiting for,” he said.
PM Ahmet Davutoglu said the hostages had been taken to the southern city of Sanliurfa by the Turkish intelligence agency (photo AP)
“In the early hours our citizens were handed over to us and we brought them back to our country. They have crossed into Turkey and I am on my way to see them.”
Ahmet Davutoglu was cutting short a visit to Azerbaijan to meet the released hostages.
He did not give details on the circumstances of their release but broadcaster NTV reported that Turkey had not paid a ransom. It did not say how it obtained the information.
More than 30 Turkish truck drivers, who were also seized in Mosul in June, were freed a month later but details of their release were not made public.
ISIS has seized large areas of Iraq and Syria. Estimates say the group could have up to 30,000 fighters.
The US has carried out more than 170 air strikes against the jihadists in Iraq since mid-August, supporting Iraqi government and Kurdish ground troops.
French jets carried out their first strikes on Friday, hitting an ISIS depot in north-eastern Iraq.
Also on September 19, Turkey opened a stretch of its south-eastern border to thousands of Syrian Kurds fleeing an ISIS advance.
Turkish troops had earlier blocked them from crossing, triggering angry protests from Turkish Kurds in the border village of Dikemetas.
Turkey has been under pressure from Western countries to tighten up its borders with Syria and Iraq and to stem the flow of foreign fighters joining the militants.
More than 847,000 Syrian refugees have crossed into Turkey since the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began in 2011.
More than 30 nations have joined a US-led coalition to take on ISIS militants, but Turkey has said it will only allow humanitarian and logistical operations from a NATO air base on its soil.
Syria and Iran have been excluded from the coalition.
Kiev and pro-Russia rebels have agreed a memorandum on a peace plan for the conflict in east Ukraine.
The nine-point deal includes setting up a 19-mile buffer zone, a ban on overflights of part of eastern Ukraine by military aircraft and the withdrawal of “foreign mercenaries” on both sides.
The agreement was announced at talks in the Belarusian capital Minsk, where a ceasefire was agreed on September 5.
More than 3,000 have died in fighting in two eastern regions since April.
The original cease-fire has been frequently violated but is still holding.
Ukraine accuses Russia of arming separatists and sending Russian troops to the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Kremlin denies it has any role there.
In a separate development on Saturday, a humanitarian convoy of about 200 trucks from Russia has arrived in the city of Donetsk, Russian news agencies report.
They say the convoy – Russia’s third in recent weeks – delivered food, water and generators, but this was done without Ukraine’s authorization.
Former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, representing Kiev at Minsk talks, said that all sides had agreed to move back some of their heavy weapons (photo AP)
The deal was reached after late-night talks between representatives of Ukraine, Russia, eastern separatists and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Correspondents say it is an effort to add substance to the fragile ceasefire agreement.
Former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, representing Kiev at Minsk talks, said that all sides had agreed to move back some of their heavy weapons.
“Heavy artillery will be moved 15 km away from the front line,” he said.
He added that the deal would be implemented within 24 hours and monitors from the OSCE would travel to the buffer zone to check for compliance.
Separatist leader Alexander Zakharchenko said that the two sides did not discuss the status of the rebel-held areas of Luhansk and Donetsk.
“We have our opinion on it while Ukraine has its own,” he said.
Earlier this week, Ukraine’s parliament passed a bill granting a three-year “self-rule” to parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions – a move described as “capitulation” by some Ukrainian lawmakers.
The Russian ambassador to Ukraine, Mikhail Zurabov, representing Moscow at the talks, said that “mercenaries” were fighting on both sides, and called on OSCE to oversee their removal.
Russia has repeatedly said that any of its citizens fighting alongside separatists in Ukraine are doing so in a private capacity.
The Catalan parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favor of giving its regional president the power to call an independence “consultation”.
Spain’s government opposes the Catalan “consultation” vote and is taking the dispute to the Constitutional Court.
The move comes a day after Scotland voted against independence from the United Kingdom.
Catalan President Artur Mas said Scotland’s referendum had “shown the way” for Catalonian independence.
Artur Mas is preparing Catalonia for a similar vote on November 9, with large-scale support for independence from Spain.
Catalonian lawmakers voted by a margin of 106 to 28 in favor of authorizing the consultation.
Spain’s Constitutional Court is expected to consider the Catalan case on September 23 and could suspend the region’s vote on independence.
Artur Mas earlier said Scotland’s rejection of independence was “not a setback” and that having the chance to vote was “the key point”.
Catalonia has a large-scale support for independence from Spain (photo AFP)
“This is a powerful and strong message that the UK is sending to the entire world – that if there is such a conflict elsewhere in the world you have the right way to try to resolve these differences,” he said.
Scotland “has shown the way to others – the Catalan process continues”, he added.
“My main commitment is to… organize the referendum and let the Catalan people vote,” Artur Mas said.
“If they think in Madrid that by using legal frameworks they can stop the will of the Catalan people, they are wrong.”
Spain’s PM Mariano Rajoy warmly welcomed the Scottish “No” to independence.
“With their decision, the Scottish have avoided the grave economic, social, institutional and political consequences that would have resulted from its separation from the United Kingdom and Europe,” he said.
“They chose between integration and segregation, between isolation and openness, between stability and uncertainty, between security and a real risk, and they have chosen the most favorable option for everyone, for them, for the rest of the British citizens and for Europe.”
Catalonia is one of Spain’s richest and most highly industrialized regions, and also one of the most independent-minded.
Until recently, few Catalans had wanted full independence, but Spain’s painful economic crisis has seen a surge in support for separation, correspondents say. There is resentment over the proportion of Catalan taxes used to support poorer regions.
Artur Mas can count on support from 79% of the deputies in Catalonia’s parliament, the Spanish news agency EFE reports.
The pro-independence movement in Catalonia believes that once Artur Mas signs the new law, the region can go ahead with the independence vote.
Alibaba’s shares closed significantly above their initial price on the NYSE on Friday, September 19.
Shares in the company made their debut in the US at $92.70, after being priced at $68 late on Thursday.
They ended the $93.89 – 38% above the initial asking price.
More than 100 million shares were traded in the minutes after the stock was launched – more than Twitter.
Earlier in the day, founder and chairman Jack Ma rang the opening bell.
The NYSE was festooned with the orange and white logos of the company to herald its arrival on public markets.
The company raised nearly $21.8 billion in its share sale, indicating strong investor appetite for China’s e-commerce giant.
Alibaba is now valued at $231.4 billion – making it significantly larger than Amazon and Facebook.
Alibaba’s shares closed significantly above their initial price on the NYSE (photo Reuters)
If Alibaba’s bankers decide to take up an option in which they can purchase 48 million shares themselves, then Alibaba’s launch will have raised nearly $25 billion – breaking the previous $22.1bn record set by China’s Agricultural Bank in 2010.
Alibaba operates a series of online marketplaces in China and elsewhere, handling more transactions than Amazon and eBay combined.
It is responsible for more than 80% of online e-commerce in China.
Alibaba’s share sale is being viewed as a way to invest in e-commerce growth in China.
Already, the country is home to the largest population of internet users on the planet – and most estimates say that only half of China’s 1.3 billion residents have signed online.
That is why investors have been angling for some time to get a piece of Alibaba – long the market leader in e-commerce in China.
However, investors are not buying shares directly in Alibaba’s companies operating in China, but rather in a holding company in Cayman Islands which has a profits contract with Alibaba.
That has made some wary, and it is one reason why Alibaba did not list on Hong Kong’s stock exchange.
Either way, the sale is expected to make millionaires out of a large number of the company’s managers, software engineers and other staff.
Currently Alibaba’s single largest shareholder is Japan’s Softbank which holds a 32% stake. Yahoo also has a stake.
Alibaba made a profit of almost $2 billion in the three months to the end of June, with sales up by 46% year-on-year to $2.54 billion.
Adel Abdul Bary, who is accused of helping to plan the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, has pleaded guilty in Manhattan Federal Court.
However, Judge Lewis Kaplan has not yet accepted a plea deal for the 54-year-old Egyptian that would see him serve 25 years in prison.
Adel Abdul Bary was charged with conspiracy to murder and the use of weapons of mass destruction, among other counts.
More than 200 people were killed when the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam were attacked in August 1998.
Adel Abdul Bary was extradited from the UK in 2012 along with Mustafa Kamal Mustafa, also known as Abu Hamza.
He pleaded guilty on September 19 to several of the lesser of the more than 285 charges against him, including threatening to kill by means of explosive and conspiracy to murder US citizens abroad.
The judge has yet to rule on hundreds of other charges against him, including the murders of each person killed in the attacks and conspiracy to attack US national defense utilities.
On September 19, Adel Abdul Bary wiped tears from his eyes and shook his head as he made the plea, according to Reuters news agency.
Adel Abdul Bary is accused of helping to plan the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania (photo AP)
Adel Abdul Bary admitted to using fax machines and phone calls to deliver messages of responsibility for the attacks to the news media, messages which included future threats against Americans.
Judge Lewis Kaplan said he wanted to hear further arguments before the more serious charges could be dropped.
He gave lawyers for both sides one week to submit arguments on why he should accept the deal, which would see Adel Abdul Bary sentenced to 25 years, potentially with credit for time served in the UK.
“You can well appreciate why I have questions in my mind,” Lewis Kaplan said.
Adel Abdul Bary would be permitted to withdraw the plea and proceed to trial if the judge rejects the deal.
Prosecutors told the hearing the US Attorney’s office felt the plea deal was “appropriate with regard to this defendant and the role he played in a much larger conspiracy”.
He was originally set to go on trial in November, alongside two others charged in terrorism cases.
Adel Abdul Bary was arrested in the UK in 1999. The US requested his extradition soon after, alongside radical preacher Abu Hamza and three others accused in a lengthy terrorism indictment.
Adel Abdul Bary is the father of the British man suspected to kill American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff.
Six people have been arrested in Iran for appearing in a video dancing to Pharrell Williams’ song Happy.
They have been sentenced to up to one year in prison and 91 lashes, their lawyer says.
The sentences were suspended for three years, meaning they will not go to prison unless they reoffend, he adds.
The video shows three men and three unveiled women dancing on the streets and rooftops of Tehran.
In six months, it has been viewed by over one million people on YouTube.
The majority of people involved in the video were sentenced to six months in prison, with one member of the group given one year, lawyer Farshid Rofugaran was quoted by Iran Wire as saying.
The Happy we are from Tehran video was brought to the attention of the Iranian authorities in May 2014, after receiving more than 150,000 views
The Happy we are from Tehran video was brought to the attention of the Iranian authorities in May 2014, after receiving more than 150,000 views.
Members of the group behind the video were subsequently arrested by Iranian police for violating Islamic laws of the country, which prohibit dancing with members of the opposite gender and women from appearing without a headscarf.
They later appeared on state-run TV saying they were actors who had been tricked into make the Happy video for an audition.
The arrests drew condemnation from international rights groups and sparked a social media campaign calling for their release.
Pharrell Williams, whose song was nominated for an Oscar earlier this year, also protested at the arrests.
The singer wrote on his Facebook account: “It is beyond sad that these kids were arrested for trying to spread happiness.”
Ukraine has announced its withdrawal from next year’s Eurovision Song Contest due to limited finances.
“We don’t want to do something badly, and we don’t have the money to do something well,” said Zurab Alasania, of the state broadcaster NTU.
Zurab Alasania said the broadcaster had to “optimize” its funds given the unstable financial and political situation caused by the conflict in east Ukraine.
Ukraine came sixth at the event this year in Copenhagen.
The 2015 Eurovision contest will be held in May in Vienna
The NTU (National Television Company of Ukraine) said it was focusing funds on creating public service broadcasting.
A statement said it had made a deal with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to exit the competition for the coming year, with a view to returning in 2016.
The 2015 contest is being held in May in Vienna, following the triumph of Austria’s Conchita Wurst at the event earlier this year.
The Denmark contest was overshadowed by the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, with Russia’s entry – The Tolmachevy Sisters – being booed by sections of the audience during the results.
Russia ended the night in seventh place with 89 points, behind Ukraine’s entry – singer Mariya Yaremchuk – with 113.
Ukrainian singer Ruslana won the event in 2004 and has subsequently become one of the leading voices of protest in opposition to Russia’s influence in her country.
Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond has announced his resignation after voters rejected independence in the recent referendum.
Alex Salmond will also resign as leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), which he has led for a total of 20 years.
Scottish voters backed the country staying in the UK by 2,001,926 votes to 1,617,989 in Thursday’s referendum.
Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth II has said Scotland’s vote to stay in the Union was “a result that all of us throughout the United Kingdom will respect”.
She added: “Knowing the people of Scotland as I do, I have no doubt that Scots, like others throughout the United Kingdom, are able to express strongly-held opinions before coming together again in a spirit of mutual respect and support.”
Dozens of rival Union and independence supporters have gathered in George Square, in the centre of Glasgow, where they are being separated by police. Officers on horseback are also at the scene.
A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said there were about 100 people in each of the two groups, and although there had been some “minor disorder” it had been dealt with quickly, with no arrests so far. The square is closed to traffic with local diversions in place.
The square had hosted a party by “Yes” supporters ahead of the referendum.
Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond has announced his resignation after voters rejected independence (photo AP)
UK’s PM David Cameron said the three main Westminster parties would now deliver their campaign pledge to boost the powers of Scotland’s devolved parliament.
Alex Salmond, 59, is Scotland’s longest-serving first minister, having held the post since the SNP won power at the Scottish Parliament in May 2007.
Speaking from his official residence at Bute House in Edinburgh, the first minister told journalists: “For me as leader my time is nearly over, but for Scotland the campaign continues and the dream shall never die.
“I am immensely proud of the campaign that Yes Scotland fought and particularly of the 1.6 million voters who rallied to that cause.”
Alex Salmond said he would resign as SNP leader at the party’s conference in November, before standing down as first minister when the party elects its next leader in a membership ballot.
He said there were a “number of eminently qualified and very suitable candidates” to replace him.
Nicola Sturgeon, the current deputy first minister and deputy SNP leader, is seen as a clear frontrunner.
Alex Salmond, who will stay on as MSP for Aberdeenshire East, added: “It has been the privilege of my life to serve Scotland as first minister.
“But, as I said often during the referendum campaign, this is not about me or the SNP. It is much more important than that.
“The position is this. We lost the referendum vote but can still carry the political initiative. More importantly Scotland can still emerge as the real winner.”
Nicola Sturgeon said she could “think of no greater privilege than to seek to lead the party I joined when I was just 16,” but said she would not make an announcement today.
She added: “Alex Salmond’s achievements as SNP leader and Scotland’s first minister are second to none. He led the SNP into government and has given our country a renewed self confidence.”
Alex Salmond also used his resignation statement to question David Cameron’s more powers pledge.
“We now have the opportunity to hold Westminster’s feet to the fire on the ‘vow’ that they have made to devolve further meaningful power to Scotland,” he said.
“This places Scotland in a very strong position.
“I spoke to the prime minister today and, although he reiterated his intention to proceed as he has outlined, he would not commit to a second reading vote (in the House of Commons) by 27 March on a Scotland Bill.
“That was a clear promise laid out by Gordon Brown during the campaign.
“The prime minister says such a vote would be meaningless. I suspect he cannot guarantee the support of his party.”
On referendum night, 28 of Scotland’s 32 local authority areas voted in favor of staying in the UK.
Glasgow, Scotland’s largest council area and the third largest city in Britain, voted in favor of independence by 194,779 to 169,347.
The 75% turnout in Glasgow was the lowest in the country, and hoped for breakthroughs in other traditional Labour strongholds such as South Lanarkshire, Inverclyde and across Ayrshire never materialized for the nationalists.
Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital, clearly rejected independence by 194,638 to 123,927 votes, while Aberdeen City voted “No” by a margin of more than 20,000 votes.
Across Scotland, 84.6% of registered voters cast their ballot in the referendum – a record for a national election.
France has launched its first air strikes against Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Iraq, the office of President Francois Hollande says.
A statement said planes had attacked an ISIS depot in north-east Iraq, and there would be more raids in the coming days.
The US has carried out more than 170 air strikes against the jihadist group in Iraq since mid-August.
ISIS remains in control of dozens of cities and towns in Iraq and Syria, where it has declared a caliphate.
Friday’s air strike comes a day after President Francois Hollande said he had agreed to an Iraqi request for air support, but it would only target IS in Iraq and not in neighboring Syria.
Francois Hollande also insisted that he would not send ground troops.
France has launched its first air strikes against ISIS militants in Iraq
France had already been carrying out reconnaissance flights over Iraq and providing weapons to Kurdish fighters in the north.
Francois Hollande’s office said Rafale planes had carried out the attack and “the objective was hit and completely destroyed”.
It did not give details on the type of material at the depot, or its exact location.
However, Qassim al-Moussawi, a spokesman for the Iraqi military, said four French air strikes had hit the town of Zumar, killing dozens of militants, AP news agency reported.
On September 15, France – which opposed the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq – hosted an international conference on the crisis.
It saw 26 countries pledge their commitment to supporting the new Iraqi government in its fight against ISIS “by any means necessary, including appropriate military assistance”.
Nicolas Sarkozy has announced his return to French politics.
On his Facebook page, the former French president said he would seek the leadership of the opposition UMP party, widely seen as a first step towards a presidential bid in 2017.
Nicolas Sarkozy, 59, wrote: “I am a candidate to be president of my political family.”
The statement ends months of speculation about the intentions of Nicolas Sarkozy, who vowed to give up politics after he failed to be re-elected as president in 2012.
The UMP party elections are due to be held in November.
“After a lengthy period of reflection, I have decided to offer the French people a new political choice,” Nicolas Sarkozy wrote.
Nicolas Sarkozy has announced his return to French politics (photo Facebook)
He said he could not “remain a spectator given the situation in which France finds itself, given the destruction of political debate and the persistence of the derisory splits within the opposition”.
Nicolas Sarkozy has many supporters who believe his energy are essential to pull France out of its current difficulties.
However, Nicolas Sarkozy remains a divisive figure. He was defeated by Francois Hollande in the 2012 election, becoming the first French president not to be re-elected for a second term since 1981.
Meanwhile, opinion polls suggest President Francois Hollande has now become the most unpopular French president in modern times.
Although Nicolas Sarkozy has kept a low profile since leaving office, he has faced a series of legal investigations that involve him in some capacity.
In July, he was placed under formal investigation on suspicion of seeking to influence judges who were looking into his affairs.
Other inquiries include one into Nicolas Sarkozy’s links with former Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi and another into illegal campaign funding in 2012. He denies any wrongdoing.
Duck Dynasty’s Si Robertson became a collectable figurine which is available on A & E online store.
Si Robertson became a collectable figurine available on A & E online store
The small vinyl figurine features Uncle Si Robertson in a camo hat, with his frames and incredible grey beard. He wouldn’t be complete without his instantly recognizable turquoise cup.
The figurine is up for sale on A & E Shop website for $3.99.
Alibaba shares have been priced at $68, the top end of the range, in a sign of strong investor appetite for the Chinese e-commerce giant.
With trading starting on the New York Stock Exchange later on Friday, September 19, the share sale will raise $21.8 billion, making it one of the largest flotations ever.
It values Alibaba, which accounts for 80% of all online retail sales in China, at $167.6 billion.
That value surpasses such corporate titans as Walt Disney and Boeing.
The final amount raised from the sale could change, depending on the final allotment allocation. If underwriters exercise an option to sell more shares, the money raised could increase to $25 billion, beating the record listing held by Agricultural Bank of China. That flotation in 2010 raised $22 billion.
Alibaba operates a series of online marketplaces in China and elsewhere, handling more transactions than Amazon and eBay combined.
The company was formed 15 years ago by former teacher Jack Ma, who wants to use some of the proceeds to expand in the US and other markets.
Alibaba shares have been priced at $68 ahead of NYSE flotation
Trading in Alibaba shares is expected to be frenetic in the early hours after the market opens. Many experts expect the share price to go higher once trading begins as institutions add Alibaba stock to their investment portfolios.
US search giant Yahoo, already a shareholder in Alibaba, is selling some $8 billion worth of its holding in the offering, leaving it with about 16% of the company.
Japan’s Softbank is not selling for now and will be left with a 32% stake, making it the largest single shareholder.
However, control will remain in the hands of Jack Ma and other company veterans. A group of 27 manager dubbed the “Alibaba Partnership” will have the power to nominate a majority of board members.
Regulators at the Hong Kong stock market objected to this structure, which resulted in Alibaba deciding to list in New York.
Alibaba says the arrangement will help it to preserve its innovative culture.
Jack Ma’s stake is reportedly worth about $14 billion, while the sale is expected to make millionaires out of a large number of the company’s managers, software engineers and other staff.
Alibaba acts as an online marketplace for wholesalers, retailers, and small businesses, and handles e-payments and financial transactions. The company has also branched out into cloud computing and instant messaging.
Alibaba has about 279 million active buyers visiting its sites at least once a month.
Online spending by Chinese shoppers is forecast soar over the next few years. And Alibaba has plans to expand into emerging markets as well as Europe and the US.
Alibaba made a profit of almost $2 billion in Q2 2014, with sales up by 46% year-on-year to $2.54 billion.
Linda Louise Culkin, who engaged in a “persistent and malevolent” cyberstalking campaign against Kevin Spacey, has been sentenced to four years in prison.
Linda Louise Culkin, 55, threatened to cause physical harm to Kevin Spacey.
Last November, Linda Louise Culkin pleaded guilty to charges including posting threatening letters and sending false information regarding explosives.
Kevin Spacey, 55, said it was “difficult to measure the degree of terror” caused.
The actor was not present in the District Court in Boston but his victim impact statement was read out in court.
Kevin Spacey is best known for his Oscar-winning roles in The Usual Suspects and American Beauty (photo Facebook)
Responding, Linda Louise Culkin apologized for her actions: “I have some mental health issues.”
“I was overzealous. I cop to that. I fully apologize to him. I didn’t mean it to be so harsh,” she said.
Linda Louise Culkin was arrested in January 2012. Her apartment, in the town of Quincy, Massachusetts was reported to have images of Kevin Spacey with his eyes blacked out and numerous copies of a page entitled Killing Kevin Spacey.
The judge ordered her to pay Spacey $124,000 to compensate him for the bodyguards he hired during the two-year stretch when she harassed him.
Given the time already spent in prison following her arrest, Linda Louise Culkin has approximately 18 months left of her four-year sentence.
Chinese tennis player Li Na has announced her retirement at the age of 32, citing injury problems.
Li Na, who has taken both the French and Australian Open titles, made the widely expected announcement in a statement on social media.
After four knee surgeries, “my body is begging me to stop the pounding”, Li Na wrote.
The Chinese Tennis Association thanked her for the “shining moments” Li Na had given to the sport.
Li Na is one of China’s most high-profile athletes and a national hero.
She is well-known for her outspoken independence, her humor and her reluctance to embrace the state-run training system.
Li Na won the Australian Open in January to add to her 2011 French Open title, but the world number six has not played since losing in the third round at Wimbledon in June.
In a letter posted on Facebook, Li Na said that making the decision to retire had taken “several agonizing months”.
Li Na has announced her retirement from tennis at the age of 32, citing injury problems
“Representing China on the tennis court was an extraordinary privilege and a true honor,” she wrote.
“Having the unique opportunity to effectively bring more attention to the sport of tennis in China and all over Asia is something I will cherish forever.
“But in sport, just like in life, all great things must come to an end.”
On China’s microblog service Weibo, tens of thousands of Chinese fans inundated Li Na’s page with positive comments.
Many thanked her for representing the country and wished her well, often using an affectionate term for Li. “Good luck Sister Na!” and “Go Sister Na!” were among the more common comments.
“You once said that all you wanted to do is just play tennis, but in reality because of you, so many people have begun to understand what tennis is really about… I sincerely wish you the best. Thank you for guiding and encouraging us,” said one user.
“She never boasts of her patriotism, because all along she has been quietly doing things for this country that are greater than what you and I have ever done… she has refused to flatter others, but now she has expressed her deepest thoughts. I am deeply moved by her discipline and honesty,” said another user.
Don Charles Spirit, a grandfather from Florida, shot dead his daughter and her six children before taking his own life at a home in the town of Bell, police have said.
The children range in age from three months to 10 years old, said Gilchrist County Sheriff Robert Schultz.
Robert Schultz said a colleague responded to reports of a shooting on Thursday afternoon and on arrival made contact with Don Charles Spirit, 51, before he killed himself.
“I haven’t seen anything like this at all,” said Robert Schultz.
“This county, this community is going to be devastated from this. It is a small county, we are all family here.
Don Charles Spirit shot dead his daughter and her six children before taking his own life at a home in the town of Bell
“We’re asking for prayers for this community and the families involved.”
After Don Charles Spirit took his own life, police found the other seven bodies in the house, although there were other people there who were still alive.
Don Charles Spirit, who was known to police previously, was the only suspect, said Robert Schultz.
According to the Florida Department of Corrections, the grandfather was once behind bars for a gun charge, and was released in February 2006.
Bell is a town of about 350 people located 30 miles west of Gainesville.
Multiple shootings in the US have happened in schools, colleges, military institutions, shopping malls and homes.
It is likely to reopen a painful debate about gun ownership, but is unlikely to change deeply entrenched polarized views.
Scottish voters decisively rejected independence after voting to stay in the UK.
With 31 out of the country’s 32 council areas having declared after Thursday’s vote, the “No” side has an unassailable lead of 1,914,187 votes to 1,539,920.
Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond called for unity and the unionist parties to deliver on more powers.
UK’s PM David Cameron said he was delighted the UK would remain together and called for national unity.
The result became a mathematical certainty at 06:08, as the returning officer in Fife announced a comfortable “No” vote.
Shortly afterwards, Alex Salmond said he accepted the defeat and called for national unity.
He said the referendum and the high turnout had been a “triumph for the democratic process” and promised to keep his pledge in the Edinburgh Agreement which paved the way for the referendum to respect the result and work for the benefit of Scotland and the UK.
He told supporters: “The unionist parties made vows late in the campaign to devolve more powers to Scotland.
Scottish voters decisively rejected independence after voting to stay in the UK (photo Bloomberg)
“Scotland will expect these to be honored in rapid course – as a reminder, we have been promised a second reading of a Scotland Bill by March 27 next year.
“Not just the 1.6 million Scots who voted for independence will demand that timetable is followed but all Scots who participated in this referendum will demand that timetable is followed.”
Alex Salmond said he would shortly speak to the prime minister on the results.
He highlighted the “empowerment” of first-time voters, including 16 and 17-year-olds.
And the First Minister said: “Whatever else we can say about this referendum campaign, we have touched sections of the community who have never before been touched by politics, these sections of the community have touched us and touched the political process.
“I don’t think that will ever be allowed to go back to business as usual in politics again.”
In a rallying call to his supporters, Alex Salmond urged the “Yes” voters to reflect on how far they had come.
“I don’t think any of us, whenever we entered politics, would have thought such a thing to be either credible or possible,” he said.
“Over the last few weeks we have seen a scare and a fear of enormous proportions – not a scaremongering directed at the Scottish people but the scare and the fear at the heart of the Westminster establishment as they realize the mass movement of people that was going forward in Scotland.
“Today of all days as we bring Scotland together, let us not dwell on the distance we have fallen short, let us dwell on the distance we have travelled and have confidence the movement is abroad in Scotland that will take this nation forward and we shall go forward as one nation.”
This margin of victory for the Better Together campaign – 55% to 45% – was greater by about 3% than that anticipated by the final opinion polls. The winning total needed was 1,852,828.
Speaking in Downing Street, David Cameron said the result was decisive.
He said: “Now the debate has been settled for a generation, or as Alex Salmond has said: <<Perhaps for a lifetime>>.
“So their can be no disputes, no re-runs, we have heard the will of the Scottish people.”
David Cameron said the three main unionist parties at Westminster would now follow through with their pledge to deliver more powers to the Scottish Parliament.
A three-day lockdown has come into effect in Sierra Leone in a bid to stop the spread of the Ebola virus.
The aim of the move is to keep people confined to their homes while health workers isolate new cases and prevent Ebola from spreading further.
Critics say the lockdown will destroy trust between doctors and the public.
Sierra Leona is one of the countries worst hit by West Africa’s Ebola outbreak, which has killed more than 2,600 people.
The UN Security Council on Thursday declared the outbreak a “threat to international peace and security”.
The Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution calling on states to provide more resources to combat it.
A three-day lockdown has come into effect in Sierra Leone in a bid to stop the spread of the Ebola virus (photo Reuters)
The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has been strongly critical of the lockdown, arguing that ultimately it will help spread the disease.
MSF, whose staff is helping to tackle the outbreak, said in a statement this month that quarantines and lockdowns “end up driving people underground and jeopardizing the trust between people and health providers”.
“This leads to the concealment of potential cases and ends up spreading the disease further.”
But the authorities insist that the measure “will minimize the spread of the virus”, and that thousands of officials would be deployed to make sure residents stayed indoors.
Volunteers will go door-to-door to test people for the virus and take infected people to treatment centers.
The Ebola virus infects humans through close contact with infected animals, including chimpanzees, fruit bats and forest antelope.
It then spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments.
Guinean authorities searching for a team of health workers and journalists who went missing while trying to raise awareness of Ebola have found several bodies.
A spokesman for Guinea’s government said the bodies included those of three journalists in the team.
They went missing after being attacked on Tuesday, September 16, in a village near the southern city of Nzerekore.
More than 2,600 people have now died from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
It is the world’s worst outbreak of the deadly disease, with officials warning that more than 20,000 people could ultimately be infected.
The three doctors and three journalists disappeared after being pelted with stones by residents when they arrived in the village of Wome – near where the Ebola outbreak was first recorded.
One of the journalists managed to escape and told reporters that she could hear the villagers looking for them while she was hiding.
A government delegation, led by the health minister, had been dispatched to the region but they were unable to reach the village by road because a main bridge had been blocked.
On Thursday night, government spokesman Albert Damantang Camara said eight bodies had been found, including those of three journalists.
Guinean authorities searching for a team of health workers and journalists who went missing while trying to raise awareness of Ebola have found several bodies (photo WHO)
He said they had been recovered from the septic tank of a primary school in the village, adding that the victims had been “killed in cold blood by the villagers”.
The reason for the killings is unclear, but correspondents say many people in the region distrust health officials and have refused to co-operate with authorities, fearing that a diagnosis means certain death.
Last month, riots erupted in the area of Guinea where the health team went missing after rumors that medics who were disinfecting a market were contaminating people.
Speaking on September 18, French President Francois Hollande said his country was setting up a military hospital in Guinea as part of his country’s efforts to support the West African nations affected by the outbreak.
Francois Hollande said the hospital was a sign that France’s contribution was not just financial, adding that it would be in “the forests of Guinea, in the heart of the outbreak”.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on September 18 that more than 700 new cases of Ebola have emerged in West Africa in just a week, showing that the outbreak was accelerating.
The WHO said there had been more than 5,300 cases in total and that half of those were recorded in the past three weeks.
The Ebola epidemic has struck Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Nigeria and Senegal.
A three-day lockdown is starting in Sierra Leone in a bid to stop the disease spreading.
As the polls have closed, counting is under way in the referendum to decide whether Scotland should stay in the UK or become an independent country.
Counting will be carried out through the night, with individual results announced for each of Scotland’s 32 local authority areas.
The final national result is expected after 06:30 BST on September 19.
A YouGov on-the-day poll published shortly after polls closed suggested “No” was on 54% and “Yes” on 46%.
The survey questioned 1,828 people after they voted, together with the postal votes of 800 people, although is not a traditional exit poll.
Turnout is widely predicted to top the 83.9% recorded in the 1950 general election – the highest in the UK since the introduction of universal suffrage in 1918.
Blair McDougall, director of the pro-Union Better Together campaign, said he believed a “No” vote would be revealed over the course of the night.
Counting is under way in the referendum to decide whether Scotland should stay in the UK or become an independent country
A “Yes” vote in the ballot would end the 307-year-old union between Scotland and the rest of the UK.
A record turnout is anticipated, with 4,283,392 people – 97% of the electorate – having registered to vote.
As soon as Scotland’s 2,608 polling places closed, work began to transport hundreds of ballot boxes to counting centers in each of Scotland’s 32 local authorities.
The bulk of the local results are expected to come between 03:00 and 05:00 BST on September 19.
These will include votes cast from the 789,024 postal vote applications, which was the largest volume of registration for postal votes ever in Scotland.
Once the results from all the local authority areas are known, chief counting officer Mary Pitcaithly will declare the result of the referendum at the Royal Highland Centre outside Edinburgh.
However, running totals – which can be made from the first declaration onwards – may indicate a result earlier in the morning.
Opinion polls released before the vote suggested the referendum was too close to call, although most had the “No” campaign – which backs staying in the UK – holding a slight lead.
For the first time, 16 and 17-year-olds all across Scotland were able vote.
Many councils have reported busy polling stations were busy throughout the day, with some seeing queues both ahead of the polls opening and throughout the morning.
