Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, who was an al-Qaeda spokesman after 9/11, has been sentenced to life in prison for terrorism-related charges at a trial in New York.
Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, 48, is the highest-ranking al-Qaeda figure to face trial on US soil since 9/11 attacks.
The Kuwaiti clergyman was captured in Jordan last year and brought to the US.
In March, a jury found Sulaiman Abu Ghaith guilty of conspiracy to kill Americans and aiding al-Qaeda.
Sulaiman Abu Ghaith is the highest-ranking al-Qaeda figure to face trial on US soil since 9/11 attack
Addressing him directly, US District Judge Lewis Kaplan said it was his “assessment that you are committed to doing everything you can to carry out al Qaeda’s agenda to kill Americans”.
Videos showing Sulaiman Abu Ghaith threatening America with no end to the “storm of airplanes” were shown to jurors.
Sulaiman Abu Ghaith argued his role was a purely religious one, aimed at encouraging all Muslims to rise up against their oppressors.
He testified that Osama bin Laden had asked him to be al-Qaeda’s spokesman on the night of the 9/11 attacks.
Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, who is one of the highest-ranking al-Qaeda linked figures to face a civilian jury on terrorism-related charges, is married to Osama bin Laden’s eldest daughter Fatima.
Osama bin Laden, a founder of al-Qaeda, was killed by US forces in May 2011 at his hideout in Pakistan.
ISIS militants have released a second video showing British journalist John Cantlie, who is being held hostage by the jihadist group.
It comes less than a week after John Cantlie’s first appearance on screen following his kidnapping in Syria in 2012.
The release of the video showing John Cantlie comes as the US and its allies launch the first air strikes against ISIS in Syria.
Islamic State has killed three Western hostages and has threatened to kill another.
On September 22, the US and several Arab allies launched the first air strikes against the militants in Syria. UK forces are not involved but the government says it has not ruled itself out.
An experienced journalist and photographer, this is John Cantlie’s second time being held captive in Syria. Having been kidnapped in July 2012 and handcuffed and blindfolded for a week, he escaped with the help from the Free Syrian Army.
John Cantlie returned to Syria towards the end of 2012 and it was during this trip that his second kidnap occurred.
ISIS militants have released a second video showing British journalist John Cantlie, who is being held hostage by the jihadist group
The video, which lasts for almost six minutes, follows a similar pattern to the first video featuring the journalist.
It is introduced with the title Lend Me Your Ears and Messages From The British Detainee John Cantlie: Episode 1.
Dressed in an orange outfit like other ISIS hostages seen in videos, John Cantlie repeated that he had been abandoned by his government.
Reading from a pre-prepared script, John Cantlie also said Western governments “were caught napping by the sheer speed of the Islamic State’s growth” and they have underestimated “the strength and fighting zeal of the opponent”.
“Not since Vietnam have we witnessed such a potential mess in the making,” he says.
Islamic State has taken control of large areas of Syria and Iraq, imposed a harsh brand of Islam, and declared a caliphate.
The group has beheaded three Western hostages since August – US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and British aid worker David Haines. Their deaths were all filmed and posted online.
In the latest video showing the killing of David Haines, the militants threatened to kill Alan Henning, a taxi driver. Alan Henning, from Eccles in Salford, was seized while on an aid mission to Syria in December.
Bryan Singer will direct X-Men: Apocalypse, the next movie in the long-running blockbuster franchise.
The new movie, which is due for release in May 2016, will be the eighth in the comic book series and the fourth directed by Bryan Singer.
Bryan Singer took the helm for the first two X-Men releases and returned for this year’s Days of Future Past.
The film-maker had long been associated with taking the director’s chair for X-Men: Apocalypse.
Bryan Singer will direct X-Men: Apocalypse
After taking charge for the initial releases in the series, Bryan Singer handed over to other film-makers including James Mangold and Brett Ratner before returning for this year’s episode.
Apocalypse is set 10 years after Days of Future Past and will star Hugh Jackman as recurring character Wolverine, James McAvoy and Nicholas Hoult.
The superheroes have to face their most unrelenting foe yet.
The X-Men franchise – seven films to date – has so far taken more than $3 billion in box office receipts around the world.
Takings have increased with each release, and the most recent – Days of Future Past – has amassed $746 million internationally since its release in May.
An Indian white tiger has attacked and killed a teenager at Delhi zoo, officials and witnesses say.
According to zoo manager Riaz Khan, the young man “leapt over the railing into the tiger enclosure”. Initial reports described him as a schoolboy.
Television pictures showed the student crouching against a wall while the tiger stood near him.
An eyewitness said he was leaning over the barricade which was “very low” and may have fallen inside the enclosure.
“Around 1.30 pm, we were in the reptiles area when we heard loud screams,” eyewitness Himanshu told CNN-IBN news channel.
White tigers are a rare variant of the customary orange Bengal sub-species (photo Wikipedia)
“I ran to the tiger enclosure where we saw that a white tiger had caught the student by his neck and he was writhing in pain. Some children threw small sticks and stones at the tiger.
“He suffered for the next 10-15 minutes but nobody helped him.”
Himanshu said the police “came very quickly”, but could not save him.
White tigers are a rare variant of the customary orange Bengal sub-species.
Considered an endangered species, they are found in south and east Asia, particularly India, and owe their color to a recessive gene.
The US and five Arab allies – Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – have launched the first strikes against Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Syria.
The Pentagon said warplanes, drones and Tomahawk missiles were used in the attacks, which targeted several areas including ISIS stronghold Raqqa.
Syria’s foreign ministry said its UN envoy was informed about the strikes against IS, which controls large swathes of Syria and Iraq.
The US has already launched about 190 air strikes in Iraq since August.
Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm John Kirby confirmed the operation, saying “US military and partner nation forces” had undertaken military action in Syria.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the Sunni Arab countries “participated in or supported” the strikes.
It said a total of 14 strikes destroyed or damaged IS training compounds, command and control facilities, vehicles and storage sites.
The US military will continue to conduct air strikes against IS targets in Iraq and Syria, it added.
Separately, CENTCOM said US forces also attacked a network of al-Qaeda veterans named Khorasan who had established a safe haven west of Aleppo and were plotting imminent attacks against the West.
The Syrian government has not formally consented to the air strikes on its territory. However, it says it was informed before they took place.
The US and five Arab allies have launched the first strikes against ISIS militants in Syria
The strikes targeted Raqqa, an IS stronghold in eastern Syria the group captured in 2013, and the cities of Deir al-Zour, Hassakeh and Abu Kamal.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of activists on the ground, said more than 20 militants were killed in two strikes on ISIS positions in Raqqa.
It also said 30 al-Qaeda-linked fighters and 8 civilians, including three children, were killed in strikes west of Aleppo.
Jordan said its “air force jets destroyed a number of targets that belong to some terrorist groups that sought to commit terror acts inside Jordan”.
Analysts say it is significant that countries with a Sunni majority, like Jordan and Saudi Arabia, are among those supporting US efforts against IS.
ISIS members are jihadists who adhere to an extreme interpretation of Sunni Islam and consider themselves the only true believers.
The US and allies including the UK have ruled out co-operating against ISIS with Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, whom they accuse of responsibility for huge numbers of civilian deaths during Syria’s civil war.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said last month that any US action would be “considered aggression” unless it was co-ordinated with Syria.
Hadi al-Bahra, president of the National Coalition, Syria’s main opposition alliance, welcomed the military action but said “strikes alone cannot defeat extremism for good.”
“The long-term solution is moderate, inclusive Syrian governance that prevents the resurgence of extremism,” he said in a statement.
Islamic State has taken control of large areas of Syria and Iraq, imposed a harsh brand of Islam, and declared a caliphate.
The group, which the CIA says could have as many as 31,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria, has executed captive soldiers, aid workers and journalists, and threatened the mass killing of Iraqi religious minorities.
The ISIS advance in northern Syria has created a refugee crisis in neighboring Turkey, with about 130,000 Kurdish refugees crossing the border at the weekend.
Most refugees are from Kobane, a Syrian town close to the Turkish border that is under siege by IS militants.
Before the latest influx, there were already more than one million Syrian refugees in Turkey.
Omar Gonzalez, the man who broke into the White House on September 19, had 800 rounds of ammunition, a machete and two hatchets in his car, authorities have said.
Omar Gonzalez, 42, was carrying a knife when stopped by Secret Service officers just inside the building.
On September 22, officials said Omar Gonzalez was also arrested in July with two rifles and a map marking the White House.
The Secret Service says it has stepped up security and launched a comprehensive review of procedures.
Omar Gonzalez, a US military veteran who was decorated for his service in the Iraq war, faces charges of unlawfully entering a restricted building carrying a “deadly or dangerous weapon”.
During his court hearing on September 22, federal prosecutors also said Omar Gonzalez was stopped but not arrested in August after he walked past the White House with a hatchet.
Assistant US Attorney David Mudd said that the accused intruder was a danger to the president, and a judge agreed to hold him in jail until a hearing in October.
Video footage showed Omar Gonzalez running across a White House lawn after scaling a fence on September 19.
Omar Gonzalez was only stopped after entering the North Portico doors, the Secret Service said. He was later found to be carrying a 3.5in folding knife.
Omar Gonzalez served in the military from 1997 until his discharge in 2003, and again from 2005 to December 2012 (photo AP)
President Barack Obama and his daughters had just left the White House by helicopter before Omar Gonzalez entered, but White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the president was “obviously concerned” about what happened.
Immediately after the incident the Secret Service increased foot patrols along the perimeter fence, deployed additional surveillance resources, and changed the procedures for ensuring the entrance to the building is secure, Josh Earnest said.
“The president is confident the changes will be properly implemented,” he said.
The review of security was initiated by Secret Service director Julia Pierson, who also ordered “the immediate enhancement of officer patrols and surveillance capabilities” around the White House.
In July, police found two powerful rifles, four handguns and other firearms and ammunition in Omar Gonzalez’s vehicle along with a White House map when he was stopped in south-west Virginia, a local prosecutor told the Associated Press news agency.
He served in the military from 1997 until his discharge in 2003, and again from 2005 to December 2012, when he retired due to disability, the AP reported.
Family and friends told the Washington Post Omar Gonzalez was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving as a sniper in Iraq.
An apparently unrelated incident on September 20 saw a man drive up to a vehicle gate in the complex and refuse to leave.
Secret Service agents shut down nearby streets and searched the vehicle for explosives.
Officials said the incident was an “everyday occurrence”.
College dropout Kanye West is teaching at Los Angeles Trade Technical College for 250 hours as part of his mandated community service from his 2013 paparazzi mishap.
The community service stems from a paparazzi attack back in July of 2013, after a scuffle at LAX. The former Chicago State University student pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of battery against the photog.
Kanye West is teaching at Los Angeles Trade Technical College for 250 hours as part of his mandated community service
Los Angeles Trade and Technical College is attended for its classes in fashion design and technology which raises the question of what Kanye West is actually teaching.
Kanye West, 37, certainly knows a thing or two about fashion as he has his own line at A.P.C. A pair of Kanye Jeans will run you $280.
Kris Jenner filed for divorce from Bruce Jenner on September 22 in LA, citing irreconcilable differences.
The Keeping Up With the Kardashians matriarch is now ending her 22-year year marriage to the Olympic gold medalist.
Kris and Bruce Jenner’s relationship have been featured prominently on the reality show that focuses heavily on Kris Jenner’s daughters from a previous marriage, Kourtney, Kim and Khloe Kardashian.
Kris and Bruce Jenner were married in April 1991 (photo Instagram)
Kris Jenner’s filing seeks joint custody of the couple’s only minor child, 17-year-old Kylie Jenner. The couple did not have a prenup. They will also have to split their properties.
Neither Kris nor Bruce Jenner want to pay each other spousal support.
Bruce Jenner won the gold medal for men’s decathlon in the 1976 Olympics.
Kris and Bruce Jenner were married in April 1991 and according to court filings separated on June 1, 2013.
Sarah Palin has defended her family and, in particular, daughter Bristol Palin, after reports surfaced a week earlier that her kids had been involved in a brawl at a party in Anchorage, Alaska.
On September 19, the former governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate wrote in a message on Facebook: “I love my Bristol!
“My straight-shooter is one of the strongest young women you’ll ever meet. I have to say this as a proud mama: right up there with their work ethic and heart for those less fortunate, my kids’ defense of family makes my heart soar!”Â
As previously reported by ABC News, 23-year-old Bristol Palin allegedly got involved in the scuffle after her brother Track, 25, confronted one of his sister Willow’s ex-boyfriends. Partygoer Eric Thompson told ABC that Bristol Palin was “punching [another man] in the face” repeatedly.
Sarah Palin has defended her family after her kids had been involved in a brawl at a party in Anchorage (photo Facebook)
Sarah Palin made no mention of the fight in her Facebook post, but she did refer vaguely to media coverage of her children: “As you can imagine, they and my extended family have experienced so many things (liberal media-driven) that may have crushed others without a strong foundation of faith.”
“I’m thankful for our friends’ prayer shield that surrounds them, allowing faith to remain their anchor. Thank you, prayer warriors! I love you!,” she added.
Sarah Palin then linked to a blog post in which Bristol slammed rumors that her parents were getting divorced.
“I find something new about my family every day!” Sarah Palin quipped sarcastically.
A French tourist has been kidnapped while on holiday in eastern Algeria, the French foreign ministry has confirmed.
The man was seized on Sunday, September 21, in the restive Tizi Ouzou region in the east, the ministry said.
It did not confirm the authenticity of a video posted on the internet purporting to show the man reading out a statement.
In the video, the man calls on French President Francois Hollande not to intervene in Iraq.
Earlier, militants from the Islamic State (ISIS) group warned they would target France – and other countries – after it launched air strikes against them in Iraq.
ISIS militants warned they would target France after it launched air strikes against them in Iraq
The Algerian militant group Jund al-Khilifa, which has pledged allegiance to ISIS, said it carried out the kidnapping, AFP news agency reported, although this has not been confirmed,
An Algerian security official told AP news agency that the kidnap victim was a 55-year-old man who was hiking with two friends when he was abducted.
The area where the Frenchman was taken is a mountainous region, and there have been several kidnappings of Algerian businessmen for extortion in the area.
Most of those who were abducted were later freed by security forces, AFP said.
Al-Qaeda’s North Africa branch, AQIM, and other militant groups are known to operate in Algeria.
On September 22, France lifted the threat level for 30 of its embassies throughout the Middle East and Africa after beginning its first air strikes against IS targets in Iraq on September 19.
After thanking fans for their well wishes via Twitter, Bow Wow, 27, who started his professional life as Lil Bow Wow aged 13, proceeded to share the snap of the all important engagement ring.
According to reports, the couple met when Erica Mena appeared on Bow Wow’s BET show 106 & Park. After sharing a kiss on the famous couch, Bow Wow and Erica Mena became boyfriend and girlfriend.
Mike Tyson stopped traffic to rescue a man from a horrific motorcycle crash.
Ryan Chesley was heading to Las Vegas on his motorcycle when a cab cut him off on the freeway and led to his taking a dangerous spill on the side of the road, TMZ reported.
Mike Tyson stopped traffic to rescue a man from a horrific motorcycle crash
The man says Mike Tyson saw the whole thing and immediately pulled over to help, stopping traffic and then working to keep him calm until paramedics arrived.
Ryan Chesley reportedly suffered multiple injuries, including broken bones, nerve damage and a shoulder that will need surgery. He told TMZ he intends to send Mike Tyson a thank you card and a gift basket.
Sierra Leone’s three-day curfew aimed at containing the Ebola outbreak has been declared a success by authorities.
They say more than a million households were surveyed and 130 new cases discovered.
Sierra Leone is one of the countries worst affected by the outbreak, with nearly 600 of the almost 2,800 total deaths recorded so far.
Some health groups have criticized the lockdown, saying it would destroy trust between patients and doctors.
Nearly all of the deaths in the world’s worst Ebola outbreak have been recorded in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says the situations in Senegal and Nigeria have now been “pretty much contained”.
Sierra Leone’s three-day curfew aimed at containing the Ebola outbreak has been declared a success by authorities
According to the UN agency, the number of overall deaths from Ebola has risen to 2,793 and the disease remains “a public health emergency of international concern”.
The deadly virus is transmitted through sweat, blood and saliva, and there is no proven cure.
About 100 dead bodies believed to be of Ebola victims, which could otherwise have been secretly buried without homes being quarantined, were retrieved and buried, officials say.
Bodies of Ebola victims are highly contagious and their swift burial is considered key to containing the disease.
Many people have been reluctant to seek treatment for Ebola, on the basis that there is no cure, even though about half of those infected have recovered with the help of rest and rehydration.
Ambulances are in short supply, as are the isolation wards to look after patients, with almost all Ebola treatment centers confined to the east of the country.
There are also too few teams available to bury the dead, partly because of the social stigma attached to the role.
The curfew in Sierra Leone came into force on September 19, with the country’s six million inhabitants confined to their homes.
Around 30,000 medical volunteers travelled to affected neighborhoods to find patients and distribute soap.
South Park creators are set to skewer the Washington Redskins over its use of the name in an upcoming episode of the highly satirical show, currently heading into its 18th season.
A teaser trailer aired during Sunday’s Redskins-Eagles game, though it reportedly was limited to the Washington, D.C. market.
South Park creators are set to skewer the Washington Redskins over its use of the name in an upcoming episode of the highly satirical show
In the trailer, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder is depicted as furious at Eric Cartman for naming his new company the Washington Redskins, taking advantage of the trademark protection on the term being rescinded after being deemed offensive.
The faux Daniel Snyder argues that Eric Cartman’s use of the term is offensive and derogatory to the team, while Cartman contends he is using it as a token of respect for the Washington Redskins and out of his deep appreciation for “their people”. Much the same argument Daniel Snyder has used in defending his team’s continued use of a term many Native Americans consider a slur.
Mike Harari, one of Israel’s best-known spies, has died at the age of 87.
He oversaw a string of operations involving the assassination of Palestinian militants abroad.
Mike Harari orchestrated missions including the targeting of militants whom Israel held responsible for the massacre of its Olympics team in 1972.
The Mossad agent also played a key role in the rescue, by Israeli commandos, of hostages at Entebbe, Uganda, in 1976.
In 1998 he was indicted in Norway for a killing in a case of mistaken identity.
Mossad legend Mike Harari oversaw a string of operations involving the assassination of Palestinian militants abroad
It followed the shooting by suspected Mossad gunmen of a Moroccan waiter in the town of Lillehammer in 1973. The man was mistaken for one of the architects of the Olympics attack.
The killing was part of Operation Wrath of God, in which militants from the Black September group were targeted across Europe for nearly a year.
The group had killed two Israeli athletes in the Olympic Village in Munich. Nine others whom they had also taken hostage were killed during a gun battle between the militants and West German police at a nearby airfield. The group was trying to take the hostages out of the country.
Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon paid tribute to Mike Harari, saying his influence on Mossad was “still felt today and will be for years to come.”
Mike Harari was born in 1927 near Tel Aviv, in the British Mandate of Palestine, and served in Israeli paramilitary organizations before joining the intelligence agency.
An offer to resign in the wake of the Lillehammer killing was turned down by then Prime Minister Golda Meir, and Mike Harari continued in clandestine operations until retiring in 1980.
Ultrasonic CEO Qingyong Wu, who was reported missing last week along with most of the company’s cash, has spoken to Chinese media and denied wrongdoing.
Qingyong Wu said in an interview with Chinese news service Sina that he had been on holiday with his grandson and had lost his mobile phone.
Last week, the Chinese footwear company said it had dismissed Qingyong Wu from his post.
Ultrasonic said Qingyong Wu and his son, who is chief operating officer, had vanished.
The company, which is listed in Germany, said that both the men, Qingyong Wu and Minghong Wu, had “apparently left their homes and are not traceable”.
At the same time, its cash reserves in China and Hong Kong had been transferred and were “no longer in the company’s range of influence”.
Ultrasonic executives, Qingyong Wu and his son Minghong Wu, have apparently left their homes and are not traceable
In response to Qingyong Wu’s interview, Ultrasonic said the chief executive had contacted the company’s chief financial officer, Chi Kwong Clifford Chan, over the weekend to say he would return to the company and bring back the money.
Ultrasonic added that its supervisory board had been unable to speak to Qingyong Wu in person.
The Cologne-based firm has said that its German holding company still has a “relevant six-figure amount” of money under its control, so it is still able to meet its payment obligations as normal.
Ultrasonic specializes in the design, production and sale of shoe soles, sandals, slippers, urban footwear and high-end accessories.
With several facilities in the People’s Republic of China, it targets the country’s burgeoning middle class.
Ultrasonic had been enjoying steadily rising revenues and profits.
Revenues had grown nearly 10% to 163.8 million euros over the last five years, while net income had risen nearly 14% to 35 million euros.
In 2013, Ultrasonic had more than 100 million euros of cash reserves.
According to an Oxford University study, involving mice, roasted peanuts are more likely to trigger an allergic reaction than raw peanuts.
Scientists say chemical changes caused by dry roasting processes may prime the body’s immune system – sparking future allergic reactions.
However, much more work is needed before humans should consider swapping roasted nuts for raw ones, they say.
The research appears in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Mice were exposed to peanut proteins through the skin or the stomach.
Roasted peanuts are more likely to trigger an allergic reaction than raw peanuts
Animals given the dry roasted samples had a much stronger immune response – the body’s way of fighting things that appear foreign to it – than mice given the raw versions.
In humans, immune responses vary. Some can be mild, causing rashes for example, but others can be extremely dangerous, leading to swelling of the mouth and breathing difficulties.
Scientists say it is likely to be the high temperatures used to roast nuts that are responsible for the chemical changes that, in turn, prompt the allergic reactions.
Prof. Quentin Sattentau, who led the research, said: “This is the first time, to our knowledge, that a potential trigger for peanut allergy has been directly shown.”
And researchers believe the findings may explain the lower allergy rates in East Asian populations where boiled, raw or fried nuts are a more common part of the diet than roasted ones.
However, they warn that much more work is needed before doctors make any specific dietary recommendations.
Prof. Quentin Sattentau said: “We know that children in families with other allergies are more likely to develop peanut allergy.
“However our research is at an early stage and we think that it would be premature to avoid roasted peanuts and their products until further work has been carried out to confirm this result.”
Scientists are now exploring methods to get rid of the particular chemical changes that may be responsible for kick-starting the immune system.
People with peanut allergies are advised to avoid them and many carry auto-injector pens to reduce the severity of any reactions that do occur.
Ukraine will start the withdrawal of heavy weaponry from separatist rebel lines in the east, the military says.
The two sides agreed on September 20 to set up a buffer zone in eastern Ukraine, more than a fortnight after a shaky ceasefire came into force.
Although the truce is still in place, clashes have continued around the cities of Donetsk and Mariupol.
More than 3,000 people have died since fighting broke out in the two regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in April.
Ukraine’s parliament passed a bill last week granting three-year “self-rule” to parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions – a decision condemned by some lawmakers as “capitulation”.
Under the terms of the nine-point deal agreed in Belarus, both the pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian forces are to pull back their heavy artillery 9.5 miles from the line of engagement, creating a 20 miles buffer zone.
Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council spokesman Col Andriy Lysenko said pro-Russian rebels had for their part begun moving their heavy artillery, but it was “not as massive as we expected”.
Ukraine will start the withdrawal of heavy weaponry from separatist rebel lines in the east (photo Reuters)
Artillery and armored vehicles with a caliber greater than 100mm would be moved, but all other units and their weapons would remain in place, he said.
According to the deal, military aircraft are banned from flying over the conflict zone and “foreign mercenaries” are to be withdrawn on both sides.
Foreigners are known to be fighting on both sides and Russia has repeatedly insisted that any of its citizens fighting alongside separatists in Ukraine are doing so in a private capacity.
Checkpoints manned by Ukrainian forces had come under heavy shelling at Donetsk airport and near Mariupol, Ukrainian media reported on Monday.
Col. Andriy Lysenko said that two servicemen had been killed in the past day.
According to new reports, the Rockefeller family, which made its vast fortune from oil, is to sell investments in fossil fuels and reinvest in clean energy.
The Rockefeller Brothers Fund is joining a coalition of philanthropists pledging to rid themselves of more than $50 billion in fossil fuel assets.
The announcement will be made today, September 22, a day before the UN climate change summit opens.
Some 650 individuals and 180 institutions have joined the coalition.
It is part of a growing global initiative called Global Divest-Invest, which began on university campuses several years ago, the New York Times reports.
Pledges from pension funds, religious groups and big universities have reportedly doubled since the start of 2014.
Rockefeller Brothers Fund director Stephen Heintz said the move to divest from fossil fuels would be in line with oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller’s wishes.
The Rockefeller family is to sell investments in fossil fuels and reinvest in clean energy
“We are quite convinced that if he were alive today, as an astute businessman looking out to the future, he would be moving out of fossil fuels and investing in clean, renewable energy,” Stephen Heintz said in a statement.
The philanthropic organization was founded in 1940 by the sons of John D. Rockefeller. As of July 31, 2014, the fund’s investment assets were worth $860 million.
“There is a moral imperative to preserve a healthy planet,” Valerie Rockefeller Wayne, a great-great-granddaughter of John D. Rockefeller and a trustee of the fund, is quoted by the Washington Post as saying.
A climate change summit is due to start on September 23 at the UN headquarters in New York, with 125 heads of state and government members expected to attend.
It is the first such gathering since the unsuccessful climate conference in Copenhagen in 2009.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon hopes leaders can make progress on a universal climate agreement to be signed by all nations at the end of 2015.
On September 21, hundreds of thousands of marchers took to the streets in more than 2,000 locations worldwide, demanding urgent action on climate change and calling for curbs on carbon emissions.
Business leaders, environmentalists and celebrities also joined the demonstrations, which were organized by The People’s Climate March.
Turkey has decided to close some of its border crossings with Syria after about 130,000 Kurdish refugees entered the country over the weekend.
On September 21, Turkish security forces clashed with Kurds protesting in solidarity with the refugees. Some protesters were reportedly trying to go to Syria to fight Islamic State (ISIS).
Most refugees are from Kobane, a town threatened by the advancing militants.
ISIS has taken over large swathes of Iraq and Syria in recent months.
Before the latest influx, there were already more than one million Syrian refugees in Turkey. They have fled since the start of the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2011.
Some of the new arrivals are being sheltered in overcrowded schools, as Turkey struggles to cope with the influx.
On September 19, Turkey opened a 19-mile section of the border to Syrians fleeing the town of Kobane, also known as Ayn al-Arab.
Turkey has decided to close some of its border crossings with Syria after about 130,000 Kurdish refugees entered the country over the weekend
However, on September 22, only two out of nine border posts in the area remained open, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said.
Clashes broke out on Sunday after a demonstration by Kurds on the Turkish side of the border.
Some protesters threw stones at security forces, who responded with tear gas and water cannon. There were no reports of serious injuries.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a banned militant group that fought a civil war for autonomy within Turkey for decades, has called on Kurds to join the fight against ISIS.
The Syrian conflict has reawakened old hostilities and shaken a fragile peace between Kurds and Turkish authorities.
PKK-affiliated forces have been battling IS in northern Iraq for months.
ISIS is closing in on the predominantly Kurdish town of Kobane, having seized dozens of villages in the area in recent days.
It began the assault on Tuesday, and by Sunday militants were about 6 miles away, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Reports suggest that IS has used heavy weaponry, including tanks, in the attack.
The US has said it will attack the group in Syria as part of a strategy to destroy it, though so far it has carried out air strikes against ISIS only in Iraq.
Attacking ISIS in Syria is considered more complicated, partly because of the strength of the country’s air defense system and because foreign strikes do not have the approval of President Bashar al-Assad.
President Barack Obama has previously ruled out the involvement of US ground troops, and has instead promised to provide arms and training to local forces fighting against ISIS.
Air France pilots are extending their week-long strike over plans to expand low-cost operations abroad.
More than 80% of pilots from SNPL union voted to continue industrial action beyond deadline, September 22, according to Jean-Louis Barber, head of the union’s Air France section.
On Sunday, September 21, only 38% of flights were assured, the lowest proportion since the strike began.
Pilots are protesting against plans by Air France to fight competition from low-budget carriers and boost earnings by setting up foreign bases for its low-cost Transavia brand.
Air France pilots are extending their week-long strike over plans to expand low-cost operations abroad
The main pilots’ union fears the airline may abandon Transavia’s development in France altogether and move jobs out of the country.
Air France has condemned the move to continue the strike, insisting neither the airline nor its staff will be harmed by its plans.
It says the strike is costing the company 10-15 million euros a day.
According to Air France, the flights operated by other airlines, including HOP, KLM and Delta, are not affected by the strike.
Jesse Matthew, the man believed to be the last person to see Hannah Graham before she disappeared, was being sought on arrest warrants charging him reckless driving, a police chief said on September 21, adding authorities also want to ask him about the missing teen.
Virginia State Police have issued warrants for Jesse Matthew on a charge of misdemeanor reckless driving, Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo said at a news conference on September 21.
Jesse Matthew has not been charged in the disappearance of 18-year-old Hannah Graham, who was last seen early on September 13 in Charlottesville.
Timothy Longo said police want to talk to Jesse Matthew, who was seen with Hannah Graham before she disappeared.
“I believe Jesse Matthew was the last person she was seen with before she vanished off the face of the Earth because it’s been a week and we can’t find her,” Timothy Longo said.
“I’ve made no mistake about it. We want to talk to Jesse Matthew. We want to talk to him. We want to talk to him about his interaction with this sweet, young girl we can’t find,” he added.
Timothy Longo said Jesse Matthew had stopped by the Charlottesville Police Department’s station on September 20 with several family members and asked for a lawyer. He was provided with a lawyer but left in a vehicle, driving at a high rate of speed that endangered other drivers, according to the police chief. He said Jesse Matthew was there for about an hour.
Hannah Graham was last seen early on September 13 in Charlottesville
Virginia State Police said they have focused on Hannah Graham’s movements the night of September 12 and into the early morning hours of September 13.
Hannah Graham, a sophomore from northern Virginia, met friends at a restaurant for dinner, stopped by two parties at off-campus housing units and left the second party alone, police have said.
Surveillance videos showed her walking, and at some points running, past a pub and a service station and then onto the Downtown Mall, a seven-block pedestrian strip lined with shops and restaurants.
Hannah Graham’s parents appeared at the news conference and her father, John Graham, appealed for anyone with any information to call a police tip line.
“This is every parent’s worst nightmare,” John Graham said.
“We need to find out what happened to Hannah and make sure it happens to no one else.”
More than 1,000 volunteers participated in a weekend search for Hannah Graham, according to authorities.
Hannah Graham’s disappearance has sent a ripple of fear through the quiet college town of Charlottesville. Students have said they’ve begun walking in pairs at night and are paying closer attention to their surroundings.
At least three other young women have disappeared in the area in the last five years, though police have said they do not think Hannah Graham’s disappearance is linked to that of any of the other missing women.
University of Virginia President Teresa A. Sullivan issued a statement September 21 saying the university was committed to helping authorities in the search for Hannah Graham and “return her safely to her family”.
Thousands of students in Hong Kong have begun a week-long boycott of classes to protest against China’s stance on electoral reform in the territory.
The movement is a prelude to a larger protest on October 1 planned by pro-democracy group Occupy Central.
Beijing has rejected open nominations for the city’s leadership poll, dashing hopes of those seeking full democracy.
The boycott is being organised by groups such as the Hong Kong Federation of Students and Scholarism.
Student activists are also organising a series of rallies and public lectures in a park near government offices.
Thousands of students in Hong Kong have begun a week-long boycott of classes to protest against China’s stance on electoral reform in the territory
About 400 academics and non-teaching staff are also taking part in support of the students, according to the South China Morning Post.
A larger pro-democracy protest is due to take place next month. Occupy Central has pledged to stage a sit-in at Hong Kong’s financial district, which critics have said may shut down the area.
The issue of how Hong Kong can choose its leader gripped the city in recent months, sparking protests from both the pro-democracy and pro-Beijing camps.
The Chinese government has promised direct elections for Hong Kong’s leader, the chief executive, by 2017.
But in August, it ruled that voters would only have a choice from a list of two or three candidates selected by a nominating committee.
Democracy activists say China will use this committee to screen out candidates it disapproves of.
Pro-Beijing activists, meanwhile, believe the other camp is disrupting Hong Kong’s peace and stability.
The protesting students say Beijing’s decision does not amount to the greater democracy Hong Kong was promised when it was handed back from Britain to China in 1997.
However, the communist leadership in Beijing is turning firmly against ideas of political reform at home and has no interest in encouraging noisy critics.
General Motors is recalling more than 220,000 vehicles to correct a brake defect that could increase the risk of fire.
The carmaker says it is not aware of any deaths or injuries resulting from the defect.
GM recall affects Cadillac XTS model from 2013 and 2014 and recent versions of the Chevrolet Impala. Most of the owners are in the US and Canada.
It is the latest safety concern for GM, which is under investigation for taking more than a decade to identify a problem with ignition switches.
That fault has been linked to 19 deaths and it forced the company to recall more than 15 million cars worldwide this year.
GM recall affects Cadillac XTS model from 2013 and 2014 and recent versions of the Chevrolet Impala
In April GM’s chief executive Mary Barra apologized for the fault when she appeared at a congressional hearing over the issue.
“I cannot tell you why it took years for a safety defect to be announced… but I can tell you that we will find out,” said Mary Barra in April, testifying before a US House of Representatives panel investigating the issue.
Last week the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration David Friedman appeared before US lawmakers and was asked why his agency failed to detect the ignition problem.
David Friedman blamed GM for withholding critical information.
The latest recall is over the parking brake, which in some cases remained partially engaged causing the brakes to heat up.
Recalls have hit GM’s financial performance – in the second quarter profits fell 85% to $190 million, the company said.
