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As Singapore grapples with rising number of the mosquito-borne disease, Indian High Commission here said they are in regular contact with Singapore Health Ministry which has confirmed 26 new cases of locally transmitted Zika virus as of yesterday noon, bringing the total cases to 215. Most people who are infected with Zika have mild symptoms but infections in pregnant women have been shown to cause microcephaly - a severe birth defect in which the head and brain are undersized - as well as other brain abnormalities. The IMA has also asked people to be aware about the Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare disorder that can cause muscle weakness and paralysis for a few weeks to several months. There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is a close cousin of dengue and chikungunya and causes mild fever, rash and red eyes. Another factor for reviewing the practice of isolating patients is that “there are people in the community who are infected but do not know they are”, so isolating the infected ones may not be effective, she added.

The Zika virus outbreak in Singapore which has infected over 200 people likely evolved from Southeast Asia.

In a lengthy editorial posted late Saturday night, the newspaper said the former New Mexico governor is a man of “good integrity, apparently normal ego and sound ideas.” Johnson met with the newspaper’s editorial board last week. "Neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton meets the fundamental moral and professional standards we have every right to expect of an American president," the paper's editorial board wrote. Add Interest The Richmond Times-Dispatch's endorsement is the first from a major newspaper for the former New Mexico governor, who is running out of time to reach the polling threshold necessary to join Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on the main debate stage this fall.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch of Virginia is first to endorse Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson for president and the first newspaper media endorsement of a third-party nominee in this election cycle.

BERLIN, Sept 4 (Reuters) - The anti-immigrant Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) party is expected by polls to make huge gains in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election on Sunday, reflecting a growing discontent with Chancellor Angela Merkel and her open-door refugee policy. In a stinging defeat for Merkel in her home district that could weaken her chances of a fourth term in next year’s federal elections, the upstart AfD took 21.9 percent of the vote behind the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) in their first election in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern by campaigning hard against the chancellor’s policies on refugees, according to a projection by ARD TV at 1.15 p.m. All my congratulations!” The SPD, which has ruled the rural state on the Baltic coast with the CDU as junior coalition partners since 2006, won 30.2 percent of the vote, down from 35.6 percent in the last election in 2011. This put her in her place.” The AfD’s win was cheered by the leader of France’s far-right National Front party, Marine Le Pen, who posted on Twitter: “What was impossible yesterday has become possible: the patriots of AfD sweep up the party of Ms Merkel.

Voters in the federal German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern head to the polls in a regional election to elect members to the Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The latest polling indicates the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) are expected to gain strongly.

Student Nathan Law (centre) who helped lead the 2014 protests, celebrates after winning a seat at the legislative council elections in Hong Kong, on Monday (AP photo) HONG KONG — Several pro-independence candidates won seats in Hong Kong's first major election since pro-democracy protests in 2014, prompting a robust warning from China that any independence would damage the city's security and prosperity. The former British colony was handed back to China in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" agreement that promised to maintain the global financial hub's freedoms and separate laws for at least 50 years, but gave ultimate control to Beijing. A spate of incidents, including the disappearance of five Hong Kong booksellers who later resurfaced in detention in mainland China, has aroused fears that Beijing is reneging on its promise of wide autonomy for Hong Kong under a "one country, two systems" framework. “Hopefully this will not be their main objective.” Slideshow (13 Images) Voters flocked to cast ballots in record numbers with some having to wait several hours after polls closed, leading to some delays in vote counting on Monday. “It’s to help the next generation and to help myself.” The Electoral Affairs Commission said 58 percent of an eligible 3.8 million voters had cast their ballot, up from 53 percent in 2012 and the highest legislative election turnout since 1997.

Voters in Hong Kong go to the polls for a Legislative Council election, the first major election since the 2014 pro-democracy street protests. Several young pro-independence candidates win seats in the election.

Explosions in Afghan capital Kabul kill at least 24 KABUL, Sept 5 (Reuters) - A loud explosion hit the centre of Kabul late on Monday, just hours after a Taliban suicide attack near the Defence Ministry killed at least 24 people, including a number of senior security officials, and wounded 91 others, officials said. Sporadic gunfire could be heard in an area of the city near to embassies and government buildings, including the Interior Ministry but there was no immediate claim of responsibility and no word on any casualties. Just a month before a conference in Brussels where international donors are expected to pledge continued financial support to Afghanistan, the attacks highlighted the precarious security climate in the capital. Hours before the attack in Share Naw late on Monday, at least 24 people were killed and 91 wounded when twin blasts in quick succession tore through an afternoon crowd in a bustling area close to the Defence Ministry. The Taliban immediately claimed responsibility for that attack, in which a suicide bomber caught security forces personnel and civilians who rushed to help victims of the first explosion. "When the first explosion happened people crowded to the site and then the second blast occurred, which was really powerful and killed lots of people," said Samiullah Safi, who witnessed the attack. An army general and two senior police officers are among the dead, a ministry of defence spokesperson told the BBC. President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack saying it had been carried out by "the enemies of Afghanistan who have lost their ability to fight the security and defence forces". The attack comes 11 days after 13 people, including seven students, died in an attack by gunmen on the American University in Kabul. In July a suicide bomber from the self-styled Islamic State (IS) targeted a protest march by members of the Shia Hazara minority in Kabul, killing 80 people. That assault was claimed by Islamic State. Afghanistan's foreign partners, concerned about the ability of the security forces to withstand Taliban violence, are expected to pledge support over coming years at the Brussels conference, three months after NATO members reaffirmed their commitment at a meeting in Warsaw. The militants are now threatening to capture Lashkar Gah, the capital of the southern province of Helmand, in addition to the northern city of Kunduz - which they briefly captured last year in their biggest military offensive since the US-led 2001 invasion.

Two successive suicide bombers on foot kill at least 24 people and injure 91 others, including senior security and police officials, after striking close to the Afghan Ministry of Defence in Kabul. The Taliban claims responsibility by disclosing the death of 58 officers and commanders. Another bombing took place not long after.

Blasts kill dozens in Syria as U.S.-Russia truce talks make little progress BEIRUT/HANGZHOU, China, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Explosions in government-controlled areas of Syria and a province held by Kurdish militia killed dozens on Monday, while the United States and Russia failed to make concrete progress towards a ceasefire. It was not immediately clear if there was any link between the blasts reported along a road outside Damascus, in the state-held cities of Homs and Tartous - which hosts a Russian military base - and in northeastern city of Hasaka, which is controlled by Kurdish YPG fighters. More than five years of civil war have cut Syria into a patchwork of territories held by the government and an often competing array of armed factions, including Kurdish militia fighters, a loose coalition of rebels groups, and Islamic State. Two of the explosions on Monday hit the Arzouna bridge area at the entrance to the Mediterranean city of Tartous, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and state news agency Sana said. The Britain-based Observatory, which maintains a network of contacts in Syria, put the overall death toll at 53, although Syrian state TV said 48 were killed. Syria's official Sana news agency reported that 30 civilians had been killed and 45 others injured in the Tartous countryside. The blasts targeted the Arzuna bridge, 'the first a car bomb and the second a suicide bomber who detonated his explosive belt when people gathered to help the wounded,' according to state television. A car bomb struck a military checkpoint in the central provincial capital of Homs, killing three soldiers and a civilian, and wounding 10 others, according to the governor of Homs. Image copyright EPA Image caption The bomb in Homs targeted a military checkpoint, according to the provincial governor The governor of Homs province said the car bomb targeted a military checkpoint and that the casualties were soldiers. In the northeastern city of Hasakeh, a bomber on a motorbike killed six members of the Kurdish security forces and two civilians. Image copyright EPA Image caption The area targeted in Saboura is home to security officers and their families The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based group that monitors the conflict in Syria through a network of sources, said three of the dead were Kurdish security personnel, known as the Asayish.

Several bombings kill at least 40 people in government and Kurdish held territory across Syria, including Tartus, Homs, Al-Hasakah and Damascus. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claims responsibility.

She told Reuters that when the police entered their home without a warrant they even removed her toddler's underwear to search for drugs. These are rare tokens of protest against a surge of killings unleashed since Rodrigo Duterte became president of the Philippines just over two months ago and pledged to wage war on drug dealers and crush widespread addiction to methamphetamine. Rights groups documented hundreds of suspicious murders in Davao on Duterte's watch and say death squads operated with impunity there. "A lot of support.

With 2,400 people dead so far, Rodrigo Duterte, the President of the Philippines, says that "plenty will be killed" in the war against drugs.

Celebrations to mark Freddie Mercury’s 70th birthday received a cosmic boost on Sunday night as Brian May, Queen’s lead guitarist, announced that an asteroid nearly half a billion kilometres away had been named after the late singer. “In celebration of his 70th birthday, an asteroid has been named Freddiemercury in honor of the charismatic singer for the band Queen.” Asteroid names are governed by the International Astronomical Union and published by the Minor Planet Center. In a move that links one of the most dazzling stars in history to one of the darker rocks in the solar system the International Astronomical Union confirmed that asteroid 17473, a 3.5km-wide ball of black rubble on the other side of Mars, shall henceforth be known as “Freddiemercury” May, who has a PhD in astrophysics and an asteroid named after him already, revealed the name by video message to more than 1200 guests at the “Freddie for a Day” party at the Montreux Casino on Lake Geneva in Switzerland. “We have a nice certificate of ‘adoption’ issued by the International Astronomical Union and the Minor Planet Center, which says ‘This name is in honor of Freddie Mercury, with the following citation: “Freddie Mercury (Farrokh Bulsara, 1946-1991) was a British songwriter, and the lead singer for the legendary rock group Queen. May says the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Centre has designated an asteroid discovered in 1991, the year of Mercury’s death, as “Asteroid 17473 Freddiemercury.” May, who has a doctorate in astrophysics from Imperial College, London, says the newly named asteroid is “just a dot of light, but it’s a very special dot of light” and recognizes Mercury’s musical and performing talents. “Viewed from the Earth it is more than 10,000 times fainter than you can see by eye, so you need a fair-sized telescope to see it and that’s why it wasn’t discovered until 1991.” Issuing the Certificate of Designation, Joel Parker of the Southwest Research Institute, said: “Singer Freddie Mercury sang, ‘I’m a shooting star leaping through the sky’ – and now that is even more true than ever before.

An asteroid is named in honour of Freddie Mercury on what would have been his 70th birthday.

WASHINGTON, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Phyllis Schlafly, who became a "founding mother" of the modern U.S. conservative movement by battling feminists in the 1970s and working tirelessly to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment, died on Monday at the age of 92, her Eagle Forum group said. She was 92. Schlafly, who lived in the St. Louis suburb of Ladue, Missouri, died at her home in the presence of her family, Eagle Forum said in a statement. The Radcliffe graduate who married a member of a wealthy Illinois family came to prominence in the 1960s with her self-published book "A Choice, Not an Echo," supporting the presidential campaign of senator Barry Goldwater, who helped lay the future foundations of an increasingly hardline Republican Party. The book, which sold three million copies, chronicled the history of the Republican National Convention and is credited for helping conservative Sen. Barry Goldwater of Arizona earn the 1964 GOP nomination. Yet she told The Associated Press in 2007 that perhaps her greatest legacy was the Eagle Forum, which she founded in 1972 in suburban St. Louis, where she lived. The Eagle Forum called Schlafly an "iconic​ American​ leader​ whose love for America was surpassed only by her love of God and her family​​" whose focus "from her earliest days until her final ones was​ protecting ​the​ ​family, which she understood as the building block of life." Schlafly was most well-known for her work fighting the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970's, emerging as one of the leading female critics of the feminist movement. She had a pie smashed into her face and pig’s blood thrown on her, and feminist Betty Friedan once told Schlafly: “I’d like to burn you at the stake.” She was chastised in a 1970s “Doonesbury” — a framed copy of which hung on her office wall. Schlafly once called feminists "a bunch of bitter women seeking a constitutional cure for their personal problems," Time said, while insisting that "women find their greatest fulfillment at home with their family." A deeply polarizing figure for decades, the constitutional lawyer campaigned against communism, abortion rights and, most famously, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which died after it was already passed by both houses of Congress in 1972 and ratified by 35 of the required 38 states. 'They were never able to show women would get any benefit out of it,' she told the AP in 2007. Her crowning achievement was crusading to prevent the Equal Rights Amendment from being added to the U.S. Constitution and it made Schlafly a leader in the modern American conservative movement. "The pay gap between men and women is not all bad because it helps to promote and sustain marriages," she said. Women already have all the rights that men have.” Saint Louis University history professor Donald Critchlow, who profiled Schlafly in his 2005 book, “Phyllis Schlafly and Grassroots Conservatism: A Woman’s Crusade,” said the defeat of the amendment helped revive conservatism and helped pave the way for Ronald Reagan’s election in 1980. Phyllis Stewart was born Aug. 15, 1924, in St. Louis and grew up in a home she described as Republican but not activist. Shortly after marrying lawyer Fred Schlafly in 1949, she became active in Republican Party politics in Alton, Illinois, and ran unsuccessfully for Congress twice. She put herself through Washington University by firing weapons as an ammunition factory tester and later earned a master's degree in political science from Radcliffe. She enrolled in Washington University School of Law in 1976, and at age 51, graduated 27th in a class of 204. "Phyllis Schlafly is a conservative icon who led millions to action, reshaped the conservative movement, and fearlessly battled globalism and the 'kingmakers' on behalf of America's workers and families," Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump -- whom she had endorsed -- said in a statement Monday night. She backed Trump partly because he was the only candidate talking about illegal immigration, which she said was "the most important issue in the country."

American Conservative icon Phyllis Schafly dies at the age of 92.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Saudi Arabia Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (left) meet during the G-20 Summit in Hangzhou, China on Sunday (Anadolu photo) HANGZHOU, China — The world's two biggest oil producers Saudi Arabia and Russia said Monday they had agreed to "act together" to try to stabilise oil prices, but failed to make headway on a production freeze.

Russia and Saudi Arabia agree on a plan to manipulate oil output.

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines will suspend more of the country’s mines for violating environmental regulations after already halting operations at 10 sites, the mining minister said on Monday, as the government wrapped up a seven-week review. The Southeast Asian nation, the world’s top nickel ore supplier, launched a review of the country’s 40 metallic mines on July 8. Eight of the 10 suspended so far produced nickel ore, and the closures and the risk of more mines being shuttered lifted nickel prices to a one-year high last month. Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Regina Lopez declined to say how many more mines will be suspended but told Reuters that “there will absolutely be more suspensions”. “All the suspensions are absolutely due to environmental reasons, and my particular interest is the wellbeing of the community, that’s my benchmark,” Lopez said in a text message. “There will be large-scale mines to be suspended,” she told reporters later at a congressional hearing, without disclosing any names. Three-month nickel on the London Metal Exchange was trading just above $10,000 a tonne on Monday, up about a third from February’s $7,550, its lowest since 2003. Instead of this week as she had said earlier, Lopez said the additional mine suspensions will be announced next week. “The audit is done. And it’s important to say that even as we suspend mines, we have put up an area development program. The commitment is in any suspended mines the people there will not lose work,” she said at the congressional hearing. ‘GAPING OPEN HOLES’ Lopez’s stance on mining is backed by President Rodrigo Duterte, who has previously warned miners to strictly follow tighter environmental rules or shut down, saying the nation could survive without a mining industry. “We have had mining in this country for over a hundred years. And until now we don’t even have one rehabilitated mine site, not one,” Lopez said in the text message. “Just gaping open holes, destroyed rivers, children with brain disease, so very sad,” she said, referring to sick children in the province of Marinduque, where a 1996 tailings leak at Canadian-owned Marcopper Mining Corp’s copper mine contaminated rivers. Miners have claimed that the government’s environmental crackdown is a “demolition campaign” against them and have sought a meeting with Duterte. The Philippines is the top nickel ore supplier to China, shipping 34 million tonnes in 2015.

The Duterte administration suspends more Philippine mines for violating environmental regulations.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A multilevel parking garage under construction in the city of Tel Aviv collapsed on Monday, killing at least two people and injuring about 17 others, Israeli police and rescuers said, as rescue teams worked all day and into the night to locate several people believed trapped under the rubble. Up to 30 people are missing and feared dead after a building under construction in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv collapsed sending a large plume of dust over the area. Officials are trying to determine the cause of the collapse as rescue crews and medical workers converged on the scene, fearing there were people trapped in the ruins. The Israeli military later said soldiers and rescue forces managed to extract five civilians from the rubble and that efforts were underway to rescue another five. Lior Teherani, a fire official, told Channel 10 TV that the incident began with the collapse of a multi-level underground parking garage that was under construction. Israeli TV broadcast footage showing a large, crater-like hole in the ground, and twisted support beams as rescue teams, accompanied by search dogs, dug through the rubble. Earlier in the day, Col. Golan Vach, a commander in the unit, said seven people were believed to be trapped in the rubble at several different locations. Israeli police said 18 people were injured, and Eli Bin, director of the national rescue service, said one was in serious condition with head injuries. Images of the scene showed an underground car park that had caved in and dozens of rescue workers and security forces at the site in Tel Aviv's Ramat Hahayal neighbourhood. Ramat Hahayal is home to a number of high-tech offices in Israel's booming technology industry.

A Tel Aviv, Israel, four story parking lot under construction collapses and kills at least two people and injures 18 others.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Political activists from the Oromo ethnic group are believed to be held in the jail At least 23 inmates have died after a fire at an Ethiopian prison where anti-government protesters are reportedly being held, the government has said. State media, quoting an exclusive statement sent to it from the Government Communications Affairs Office (GCAO), said that 23 inmates had died, among which 21 from a stampede, burns and suffocation, while two were shot dead as they were apparently trying to escape. This East African country has seen months of sometimes deadly protests calling for wider freedoms, while the government has been accused by opposition activists and rights groups of killings, beatings and internet blockages. "The government has a responsibility to explain to the public, no less their families. Families and relatives of prisoners are desperate for answers after Ethiopia’s high-security prison, Kilinto, located on the outskirts, south of the capital Addis Ababa, caught fire on Saturday. There have been numerous protests in the Oromia region by members of the country's largest ethnic group since November 2015. any Oromo activists are being held at the Qilinto facility, according to pro-opposition media. This is the main cause for the unrest, which, according to the New York-based Human Rights Watch group, has seen at least 500 people killed by security forces since the protests began in November.

At least 23 inmates are killed in a fire and stampede at Kaliti Prison near Addis Ababa in Ethiopia during an attempted jailbreak.

HANGZHOU, China (AP) — President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday failed to force a breakthrough in negotiations over a cease-fire for Syria, but agreed to keep looking for a path to provide humanitarian relief to thousands of besieged civilians in the civil war-ravaged country. In the same way, Obama’s White House aides maintained a sense of reserve as Secretary of State John F. Kerry met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in an effort to work out a ceasefire between Syria’s government and at least some rebel groups as well as possible enhanced military cooperation between Russia and the U.S. in Syria. “Given the previous failures of cessations of hostilities to hold, we approach it with some skepticism,” Obama said, “but it is worth trying.” Hours later, Obama engaged in delicate talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose military has recently clashed with U.S.-backed fighters in Syria, complicating the American strategy there and in Iraq.

U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin fail to agree on a peace deal regarding the Syrian civil war.

VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte defiantly reaffirmed his controversial campaign against illegal substances Tuesday and called for a redoubling of crime-fighting efforts across Southeast Asia as he prepared to face two prominent critics of his policy: President Barack Obama and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. White House officials previously said Obama would confront the Philippines President about his country's handling of drug dealers, including extra-judicial killings , or government executions without the benefit of judicial proceedings or due process. Duterte made the remark about Obama while explaining that he would not be lectured over extrajudicial killings in the war against drugs he has launched since taking two months ago and which has killed about 2,400 people.

U.S. President Barack Obama cancels a scheduled meeting with the President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, after Duterte referred to Obama as a "son of a whore", while adding "I am no American puppet", in response to Obama's recent criticism of his war on drugs.

It also comes at a potentially embarrassing time for North Korea's only real ally , China, which is currently hosting the Group of Nations summit in Hangzhou At the G20, Chinese President Xi Jinping told his South Korean counterpart on Monday that Beijing opposes the deployment of the United States' THAAD missile defense system to South Korea, according to China's official Xinhua News Agency. President Obama vowed Tuesday to toughen international sanctions against North Korea after its government conducted a test missile launch as world leaders gathered for summits in Asia. The missiles were launched from a region called Hwangju and came just hours after the leaders of South Korea and China met on the sidelines of the Group of 20 leaders' meeting in Hangzhou, China. Key points: Pyongyang's latest missile launches violate UN Security Council resolutions Seoul has told Beijing Pyongyang's actions harm South Korea-China ties Beijing says it is committed to a denuclearised Korean peninsula The missiles were fired from a western region south of the capital Pyongyang, just after noon local time, South Korea's Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. Speaking with reporters after a meeting here with South Korean President Park Geun-hye, Obama said that the two agreed to work “diligently together” on the most recent United Nations sanctions against North Korea to close loopholes “and make them even more effective.” "The entire international community needs to implement these sanctions fully and hold North Korea accountable," Obama said on the sidelines of a summit of southeast Asian leaders in his last presidential trip to the continent. In March, the U.N. Security Council imposed the toughest sanctions in decades on North Korea after it began a round of nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

South Korea reports that North Korea has fired three ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan.

Ahead of summit, Philippines shows images of Chinese boats at disputed shoal VIENTIANE, Sept 7 (Reuters) - The Philippines' defence ministry released pictures on Wednesday showing what it said were Chinese boats near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, just hours before Southeast Asian nations were due to meet China's premier at a summit in Laos. Officials say Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte plans to ask Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the summit in the Laotian capital on Wednesday whether the vessels were on another island-making mission on the Scarborough Shoal. If the Chinese government confirms the suspicion, the Philippines would lodge an official protest, according to Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. Duterte has taken a more reconciliatory track to rebuild relations with the Asian economic powerhouse and has said he would not raise the long-simmering territorial disputes in the South China Sea in an adversarial manner that might upset the Chinese government. Duterte’s government released surveillance photos of the Chinese ships and barges along with a diagram showing the vessels’ exact locations at the Scarborough Shoal, which the Chinese coast guard seized after a tense standoff with Philippine vessels in 2012. Hours after the Philippines released the pictures, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, met with Li and his aides. China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei claim parts or all of the resource-rich South China Sea, making it a hotspot of regional tension. The dispute has become more significant since the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled on July 12 that no one country had sovereign rights over activity in the Scarborough Shoal, a traditional fishing ground for Chinese, Filipino and Vietnamese.

Chinese vessels are seen positioned near the disputed Scarborough Shoal off the coast of the Philippines.

Kerry Brown is professor of Chinese Studies and director of the Lau China Institute at King's College, London, and an Associate Fellow of the Asia programme at Chatham House. The opinions expressed in this article belong to the author. (CNN) The Hong Kong elections for the city's Legislative Council held Sunday -- the parliament for Hong Kong's Special Administrative Region -- were always going to be significant: they are the first to have been held since the anti-Beijing Occupy Central protests that attracted international attention in 2014. Law was representing new party Demosisto -- which he founded with fellow Umbrella Movement leader Joshua Wong -- calling for Hong Kong people to have the right to vote in a referendum on independence from Beijing. Having formal representation by people previously regarded as anathema to the mainstream electorate in Hong Kong even a few years ago is a clear sign of how much confidence towards Beijing -- and the government it supports in Hong Kong -- has eroded in the last few years. But before predicting imminent revolution, a couple of things need to be considered. Al Jazeera spoke to Law who has become the youngest legislator in Hong Kong's history. There were riots by sympathizers to the radical Maoist leadership during the Cultural Revolution half a century ago. In the final years of the British colonial era, strong divisions against the 1997 handover deal with Beijing appeared. That pro- and anti-mainland fault line exists to this day. All that's changed is that it has become deeper. Throughout the last 20 years, there have been massive protests against issues running from Chinese attempts to introduce patriotic education, to the attempts to impose anti-secession legislation a decade ago. What happened on Sunday is simply a further manifestation of this often contrarian local political atmosphere. The element that is new is the deeper role of Beijing and its ideas in local politics. The leadership of Xi Jinping has shown a hard edge towards the city. Officials in his administration have made it clear that the only option in Hong Kong is to work within the framework they supply. There can be dabbling around the edges, and some compromise. But on the main issues, Beijing's fiat rules. Activists in Hong Kong would be naïve in the extreme to believe that moves towards unilateral independence would ever be permitted by Beijing. It has reacted with extreme harshness to any such talk in Tibet and Xinjiang. Even over Taiwan, which enjoys de facto independence, it makes loud and intolerant noises when anyone so much as mentions the possibility of the island being a separate sovereign entity. For Hong Kong, therefore, the context in which it exists is set in stone. It is, and will remain part of the People's Republic. I will be one of the few in the legislative council with that kind of experience in terms of that framework. This is not to be dismissive of the clear sign offered by these elections that many people living in Hong Kong are frustrated, angry, and want a better political deal. For these people, the same challenges of stagnant wages, rising living costs, and constant economic pressure are shared with communities across the planet. So, too, is real anger at the very poor quality of leadership they have seen in the city's political elite in the last few years. They don't feel they have been represented well -- and they are probably right. C Y Leung has proved a weak and often ineffective chief executive. The possibility of his standing for a second term next year will only create even more frustration. The simple fact is that the people of Hong Kong have sent a message in supporting more radical parties. The authorities can either dismiss that, or try to work out a way of solving it. For Hong Kong's future, there are two stark issues that need to be addressed by the parties involved. Pursuing a more confrontational stance towards Beijing by local politicians creates the kind of uncertainty that risks weakening the principle assets the city has: a strong, global finance and services-based economy. But that does not mean that the government can simply ignore the clear evidence these elections give of a divided, unhappy electorate and do nothing about the underlying causes. The brutal fact remains that unless the government, which has a key role in all of this, can find a constructive way out of the current impasse, there is a real possibility that Hong Kong's best days will be behind it. And that is a lose-lose scenario for everyone.

Nathan Law becomes the youngest-ever Hong Kong legislator at age 23.

Despite unprecedented discomfort with the Republican nominee, Johnson, the Libertarian candidate and a former Republican governor of New Mexico, has so far failed to sufficiently consolidate the support of Republicans opposed to Donald Trump. The poll found Johnson is preferred by 13 percent of Indiana voters, compared with 46 percent of Hoosier voters who favor Republican Donald Trump, 30 percent who favor Democrat Hillary Clinton, 5 percent who favor Green Party nominee Jill Stein and 6 percent who have no opinion.

Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson qualifies in Connecticut giving him ballot access to 48 states.

Europe’s Rosetta space probe has located its lost Philae lander, wedged in a “dark crack” on a comet, the European Space Agency said Monday.Rosetta’s camera finally captured images on Friday of the lander on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, weeks before the probe’s own mission ends, the agency said. The photo released by European Space Agency ESA on Monday, Sept. 5, 2016 shows a photo of the comet lander Philae in a crack on the right side of a photo taken by Rosetta's OSIRIS narrow-angle camera on Sept. 2, 2016 from a distance of 2.7 km of the Comet 67P/Churyumov¿Gerasimenko. Philae landed on the comet in November 2014 in what was considered a remarkable feat of precision space travel but the metre-sized, 100 kg (220 lb) probe bounced several times before getting stuck against a cliff wall. While Philae did not have as much time as was hoped for experiments, information it has collected is reshaping thinking about comets and the project has helped in designing future missions. “This wonderful news means that we now have the missing ‘ground-truth’ information needed to put Philae’s three days of science into proper context, now that we know where that ground actually is,” ESA’s Rosetta project scientist, Matt Taylor, said in a statement.

The European Space Agency's robotic lander Philae is discovered wedged in a crack between some rocks in the shadow of a cliff on 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko by the Rosetta space probe after being lost since 2014.

Duterte, Obama shake hands and chat after rift over insult VIENTIANE, Sept 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte shook hands and had a brief chat on Wednesday, officials said, easing a standoff after Duterte called Obama a "son of a bitch" ahead of a summit of Asian leaders in Laos. “I’m very happy that it happened.” In a terse statement, the White House said only that “Obama had a brief discussion with President Duterte before the ASEAN Gala Dinner in the leaders’ hold space.” “The exchange consisted of pleasantries between the two.” Obama cancelled Tuesday’s planned meeting with Duterte on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-hosted summit after the notoriously acid-tongued Philippine president launched a barrage of insults the previous day. I can’t say how long they met,” Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay, travelling with Duterte, told reporters shortly afterwards. "I don't take these comments personally because it seems as if this is a phrase he's used repeatedly including directed at the pope and others," adding that such choice words were "a habit, a way of speaking for him".

Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte declares a state of emergency in the whole country. In a warning to Abu Sayyaf, Duterte says "I will eat you alive."

Global charity attacked in wave of violence in Kabul KABUL: Explosions rang out yesterday during an hours-long attack on an international charity in Kabul, the latest assault in a wave of violence in the Afghan capital that has killed at least 24 people and wounded dozens. A plume of smoke rose over the upscale neighborhood of Shar-e Naw after the raid on the charity, located next to the office of Afghanistan’s former intelligence chief Rahmatullah Nabil. "We believe two attackers have entered the building. A government spokesman told the BBC that six other civilians were injured in the hours-long standoff. That blast came just hours after high-level officials, including an army general, were killed in the twin blasts near the defence ministry, as the Taliban ramp up their nationwide offensive against the US-backed government. The attack on a charity called Pamlarena began late Monday, hours after a Taliban double bombing killed at least 24 people and left 91 others wounded, said ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi. The recent attacks highlight the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, which has left dozens of civilians dead.

A suicide bomber attacks a charity in the Kabul suburb of Shāre Naw with the Taliban claiming responsibility.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - A motorcycle bomb killed a father and daughter in front of a Thai elementary school as parents were dropping off their children on Tuesday, officials said, the latest in a series of attacks in the troubled south. The bomb went off in Narathiwat province, one of three Muslim-majority provinces in predominantly Buddhist Thailand where a separatist insurgency has been raging since 2004. The device, packed in the fuel tank of the parked motorcycle, struck as pupils and teachers filed into the school in Tak Bai district of Narathiwat province for the start of the day. The under-reported conflict in Thailand’s southernmost provinces hit the headlines last month after rare bomb attacks in tourist hotspots inside the kingdom killed four people and wounded dozens, including foreigners.

A motorcycle bomb kills a father and daughter outside an elementary school in Narathiwat province.

"In total there are less than a handful of URLs out of millions of proven piracy URLs reported for taking down by error," Wang said in an email. "None of the four URLs on legitimate sites were ever removed because it's an obvious error."

Warner Brothers is accused of self-censorship after it tagged its own websites for copyright infringement through the search engine Google.

Bayer AG BAYRY 1.19% raised its offer to buy Monsanto Co. and create a new global leader in seeds and pesticides, though the German firm said the higher price depended on achieving a “negotiated transaction.” Bayer, which has been discussing a deal with Monsanto since mid-May, said it would pay $127.50 a share for the St. Louis-based biotech seed giant, up from its previous offer of $125 a share. That would bring the deal's total value to almost $66 billion including debt. Monsanto acknowledged the improved offer, and called the discussions with Bayer “constructive.” “Monsanto is continuing these conversations as it evaluates this proposal, as well as proposals from other parties and other strategic alternatives to enable its Board of Directors to determine if a transaction in the best interests of its shareowners can be realized,” officials for the company said. Bayer has said the combining the companies -- which would need regulatory approval -- would generate synergies of $1.5 billion over three years. Monsanto shares in New York closed Friday at $107.44, suggesting investors were cautious about the prospects of a successful deal.

Bayer reproposes to buy Monsanto at a new exchange of US$65 billion including debt.

FOX News Channel's (FNC) senior political analyst Brit Hume will take over as anchor of On the Record (7PM/ET) starting Tuesday, September 6th and running through the election, announced the network's co-presidents Jack Abernethy and Bill Shine. Fox did not publicly explain Van Susteren's abrupt exit after 14 years, although a person close to the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity described it as a financial disagreement. Van Susteren was not immediately available for comment, and the news wasn't reflected on her popular blog or Twitter feed. A former criminal defense and civil trial lawyer, she joined Fox News from CNN in 2002 and has hosted "On The Record" ever since. Hume previously served as the anchor of "Special Report," and stepped down in December 2008 after more than 10 years anchoring the program. In 2013, her Washington D.C., based primetime program was moved to 7 p.m. in the wake of a primetime shuffle that welcomed the launch of Megyn Kelly's program in Van Susteren's original time slot. Van Susteren, who hosted shows for the network across different time-slots since 2002, will be replaced by senior political analyst Brit Hume immediately on On the Record, a statement read. Brit Hume, the former 6 p.m. host who now serves as a Fox political analyst, is taking over Van Susteren's 7 p.m. time slot until election day. Van Susteren's departure creates the first big programming challenge for Bill Shine and Jack Abernethy, the network's new co-presidents, who were elevated to those roles after Ailes left.

Fox News On The Record host Greta Van Susteren leaves the channel after 14 years.

Hurricane Newton on path toward Mexico's border with Arizona CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Newton swept onto the Gulf of California after slamming the resorts of southern Baja and headed on a path expected to take it to the Mexican mainland by Wednesday morning and then on to the U.S. border with potentially dangerous rains for Arizona and New Mexico. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo) The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Newton's winds Tuesday morning were around 90 mph (150 kph) and the storm is expected to still be a hurricane when it makes its second landfall on the northwest coast of mainland Mexico early Wednesday. About 14,000 tourists had remained in Los Cabos as of Monday night as airlines cancelled flights out as the storm approached, said Genaro Ruiz, the state tourism secretary. He said the hotel's windows and balconies had been sufficiently protected from the storm and tourists were fine in the morning, although without cellphone or internet service. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Newton’s winds Tuesday morning were around 90 mph (150 kph) and the storm is expected to still be a hurricane when it makes its second landfall on the northwest coast of mainland Mexico early Wednesday. The Category 1 storm was centered about 125 miles (200 kilometers) south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo and was moving northwest at 16 mph (26 kph) on a forecast path that would bring it near or over the area Tuesday morning. “There is enough food and fuel for the next 20 days.” Los Cabos police were stationed at shopping malls to guard against the kind of looting that occurred after Hurricane Odile. Newton was forecast to dump 8 to 12 inches of rain on Baja California Sur state with isolated maximums up to 18 inches, and heavy rains were also expected for five other states. After passing over the resort area, Newton headed northward up the sparsely populated interior of the peninsula and then sput out over the gulf during the night.

Hurricane Newton makes its way towards the resort town of Los Cabos, Mexico.

Flooding following heavy rain has killed 60 people and left over 44,000 homeless in North Korea, the United Nations said on Tuesday, after the country reported that a northeastern river suffered its worst-ever flood. Advertising Pyongyang said the Tumen river, which partially marks the border with China and Russia, experienced the biggest flood ever recorded due to a rainstorm that began four days earlier. Nearby areas including Musan and Hoeryong were hard hit, with 60 dead and five percent of the population homeless, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement. It cited data from the North’s government. “Communication with and access to affected areas remains a challenge… immediate needs have been identified as emergency shelter, food, medication, water and sanitary items,” it said. Advertising Nearly 9,000 buildings were destroyed or damaged with 10,000 hectares (24,711 acres) of farmland flooded, it said, adding joint relief efforts involving the UN and the North were underway. The North’s state media said Friday that 15 people were missing after over 17,000 houses were destroyed or damaged. The impoverished nation is vulnerable to natural disasters, especially floods. At least 169 were killed by a massive rainstorm in the summer of 2012. Its territory is largely composed of mountains and hills that have long been deforested for fuel or turned into terraced rice fields. This allows rainwater to flow downhill unchecked. A series of floods and droughts was partially responsible for a famine that killed hundreds of thousands between 1994-98, with economic mismanagement and the loss of Soviet support exacerbating the situation.

The death toll rises to at least 114 as 60 more people are killed in floods after the typhoon hits North Korea, displacing over 44,000 people. Fifteen people are also missing.

In a statement, the Health Ministry said the presence of Aedes mosquitoes that carry the virus, as well as the fact that most people do not display symptoms, meant isolating patients already infected would have limited effect.

A new infection of the Zika virus spreads to the Philippines.

Isabelle Dinoire, a Frenchwoman who received the world’s first partial face transplant, has died more than a decade after a complex and daring operation that set the stage for dozens of similar transplants worldwide. In this February 6, 2006 file photo, Isabelle Dinoire, the woman who received the world's first partial face transplant with a new nose, chin and mouth, in an operation on Nov. 27, 2005, addresses reporters during her first press conference since the transplant at the Amiens hospital, northern France. It was announced yesterday that Isabelle Dinoire, 49, who underwent the historic operation in 2005 after being maimed by her dog, had died in April following a long illness that was thought to be linked to the medication. These were designed to prevent her body rejecting new tissues, but they always threatened to make Ms Dinoire seriously ill. Miss Dinoire, from Valenciennes, northern France, captured the imagination of the world in November 2005 when she was given a new nose, mouth and chin at the nearby Amiens Hospital. Dinoire gave a remarkable news conference in February 2006, just three months after the operation, when the blonde, blue-eyed mother of two appeared before a scrum of TV cameras. When she first appeared in public with her new face four months later, her speech was slurred and a scar clearly visible – but the fact that she could speak to reporters of having a “face like everyone else” and almost smile was seen as a medical breakthrough.

Isabelle Dinoire, who received the world's first face transplant, is reported to have died from cancer at the age of 49 in April 2016.

In Laos, Duterte said he and Asean leaders would also discuss the way forward in realizing the “Asean Community Vision 2025” of a “rules-based, people oriented, people centered Asean.” “The security of our region hinges at the cooperation of Asean member states as well as our dialogue partners.

Laos prepares to host the 28th and 29th ASEAN Summit.

Aiming for closer ties to Laos, Obama honors its culture LUANG PRABANG, Laos (AP) — Aiming to cement closer ties to Laos and its people, President Barack Obama toured a Buddhist temple Wednesday and paid tribute to Lao culture after pledging the U.S. would fulfill its "profound moral and humanitarian obligation" to clean up millions of unexploded bombs. Obama is one of several world leaders going to Laos, where the one-party communist state tightly controls public expression among the country's nearly 7 million people and is using its moment in the spotlight as host of the annual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to open up to outsiders.

Barack Obama pledges US$90 million to clear Laos of unexploded ordnance dropped by the United States during the Vietnam War.

Nearly 27 Years After Abduction, Jacob Wetterling's Remains Have Been Found Enlarge this image toggle caption Craig Lassig/AP Craig Lassig/AP Nearly 27 years ago, Jacob Wetterling was abducted at gunpoint while out for a bike ride with his brother and a friend in St. Joseph, Minn. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota man confessed Tuesday to abducting and killing 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling nearly 27 years ago, recounting a crime that long haunted the state in chilling detail that included a handcuffed Jacob asking him: “What did I do wrong?” Danny Heinrich, 53, of Annandale, made the admission as he pleaded guilty to a federal child pornography charge that will likely keep him locked up for 20 years, with civil commitment possible after that, meaning he could spend the rest of his life in custody. Heinrich says when he took Jacob, the boy asked, “What did I do wrong?” A Minnesota man has confessed to kidnapping and killing 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling nearly 27 years ago. Heinrich had been charged with 25 counts of possessing and receiving child pornography; he pleaded not guilty to those charges in February and was set to go to trial in October. Heinrich last year was named as a “person of interest” in the abduction of Jacob Wetterling, the 11-year-old St. Joseph, Minn., boy who was abducted from a rural road near his house on Oct. 22, 1989, and never seen again. Court documents filed earlier this summer in the Heinrich case detailed the similarities between Jacob's kidnapping on Oct. 22, 1989; the Jan. 13, 1989, abduction and sexual assault of a 13-year-old Cold Spring boy; and "a string of sexually motivated assaults of young boys in the Paynesville, Minn., area in the mid- to late 1980s." Using technology that wasn’t available in 1989, investigators found Heinrich’s DNA on Scheierl’s sweatshirt, and used that evidence to get a search warrant for Heinrich’s home, where they found a large collection of child pornography. The AP typically doesn't identify victims of sexual assault, but Scheierl has spoken publicly for years about his case, saying it helped him cope with the trauma and that he hoped it could help investigators find his attacker and Jacob's kidnapper. Last Wednesday, Heinrich led a team of FBI agents and state and county investigators to a pasture near Paynesville where Wetterling's skeletal remains were buried, according to a source with direct knowledge of the search.

About 27 years after his abduction, the remains of Jacob Wetterling are discovered.

Fox News has reached a $20 million (€18 million) settlement of former anchor Gretchen Carlson’s sexual harassment lawsuit against the network’s former chief Roger Ailes, Vanity Fair said on Tuesday, citing three people familiar with the settlement. In a statement, Fox parent company 21st Century Fox said, “We regret and apologize for the fact that Gretchen was not treated with the respect and dignity that she and all of our colleagues deserve.” Carlson was paid $20 million, according to a person familiar with the settlement who spoke on condition of anonymity because the terms of the agreement were confidential. FILE - In this Jan. 30, 1996 file photo, Roger Ailes, left, speaks at a news conference as Rupert Murdoch looks on after it was announced that Ailes will be chairman and CEO of Fox News. In the statement, Carlson said she was "gratified" with the settlement and added, "I'm ready to move on to the next chapter of my life in which I will redouble my efforts to empower women in the workplace."

21st Century Fox, the parent company of Fox News, settles a sexual harassment case by Gretchen Carlson for US$20 million.

Judge Steven O’Neill set the date after the 79-year-old pioneering black comedian made multiple attempts to head off the possibility of a trial stemming from one alleged incident at his Philadelphia home in 2004. Up to 13 other women may testify at the trial if Montgomery County prosecutor Kevin Steele gets his way, although Cosby’s legal team will likely put up fierce resistance to any such attempt. In January 2004, Andrea Constand, then a 31-year-old staffer for the women's basketball team at Temple University -- Cosby's alma mater -- was at the comedian's Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, home when Cosby provided her medication that made her dizzy, she alleged the next year.

A judge in Pennsylvania schedules the dates for the trial of accused U.S. comedian Bill Cosby.

FILE - In this Oct. 7, 2011 file picture Bavarian State Governor and Chairman of German Christian Social Union party, CSU, Horst Seehofer, looks on during a party convention of the German Christian Social Union, CSU, in Nuremberg, southern Germany. Merkel, whose conservative party lost significant ground to the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in a regional election on Sunday, struck a defiant tone in a speech to parliament, denying that the influx of hundreds of thousands of migrants would cut benefits for Germans as some have feared. She said that voters' concerns "whether founded or unfounded, should be taken seriously" by "all of us in this house," noting that the party had taken away support from all other main parties.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel defends her stance regarding the European migrant crisis despite her party losing in the key election.

Announcing his resignation, the Labour MP said: “Those who hold others to account must themselves be accountable.” Mr Vaz’s departure as chairman of the home affairs committee comes days after reports emerged claiming that he paid two male escorts he met at a flat he owns near his family home in north London last month. Keith Vaz biography Born in 1956 to Goan parents in Aden in what is now Yemen, he went to Cambridge University where he studied law and then became a solicitor The Labour Party politician has been MP for Leicester East since 1987 He is Parliament's longest-serving British Asian MP and has chaired the influential Home Affairs Select Committee since 2007 He was Britain's Minister for Europe under Tony Blair and said the vote to leave the EU was a "catastrophe" His sister Valerie is Labour MP for Walsall South Keith Vaz - the 'Teflon politician' In his statement announcing his resignation from the chairman role he has held for nine years, Mr Vaz said: "The integrity of the select committee system matters to me. “He has clearly acted in the best interests of the Home Affairs Select Committee and the important work that we do and with sadness we all accepted that was the appropriate course of action that he has taken and we also appreciate the many challenges facing him personally and his family. An informed source told the Guardian the Labour MP will tell the home affairs select committee that he will step down as chair at a meeting in parliament on Tuesday. He said: “Those who hold others to account, must themselves be accountable.” But his resignation statement only said sorry for “recent events” - and failed to mention the behaviour which triggered his spectacular downfall, making no apology for the shame he has brought on his family, the committee and the House of Commons. “I’m pleased he’s done what I think we all expected he would do and has stood down.” Asked whether Prime Minister Theresa May backed his resignation, a spokeswoman said: “It is a decision for him.” A new chairman is set to be elected next month, with Labour’s Chuka Umunna tipped to take over. Mr Loughton, who is currently the longest serving Conservative on the committee, said: “Keith Vaz came to the meeting of the select committee.

British MP Keith Vaz quits the Home Affairs Select Committee following allegations that he had engaged in sexual activity with male prostitutes.

"The intensification is strongest for typhoons that tend to make landfall because of the stronger warming of the coastal waters near east and south-east Asia," said Wei Mei, a researcher in the department of marine sciences at the University of South Carolina and co-author of the paper. Here, we apply cluster analysis to bias-corrected data and show that, over the past 37 years, typhoons that strike East and Southeast Asia have intensified by 12–15%, with the proportion of storms of categories 4 and 5 having doubled or even tripled.

A study concludes that typhoons in Asia are becoming stronger.

“If we downgrade their conservation status, or neglect or relax our conservation work, the populations and habitats of giant pandas could still suffer irreversible loss and our achievements would be quickly lost,” China’s State Forestry Administration, which spearheads the giant panda survey, said in a statement to the Associated Press on Monday. HONOLULU – The world’s largest living primate has been listed as critically endangered, making four of the six great ape species only one step away from extinction, according to a report released Sunday at the World Conservation Congress in Hawaii.

The giant panda is removed from IUCN's endangered species list but is replaced by the Eastern gorilla.

Ex 49er was in sandwich fight before later assault arrest SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Hours before former 49er Bruce Miller was arrested for assault, a manager at a San Francisco restaurant says he had to kick him out after the player got in a fight over a sandwich. The police said they were called to the hotel at approximately 2:45 a.m. after Miller tried to enter a hotel room occupied by an elderly couple. Later Monday police were called to a hotel after Miller tried to enter the room of an elderly couple, attacking the 70-year-old man who was staying there and his son, who came to his father's aid. The father was punched by Miller and both men were taken to the hospital for their injuries, police said. Miller was charged with aggravated assault, elder abuse, threats and battery after an early-morning fight at a San Francisco hotel, according to the San Francisco Police Department. Sept 5 (The Sports Xchange) - The San Francisco 49ers released fullback Bruce Miller on Monday just hours after he was arrested on suspicion of assault charges. San Francisco 49ers fullback Bruce Miller has been arrested for assault, reports KTVU, Fox's local affiliate in San Francisco. Miller pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charge of disturbing the peace, and was required to attend a 16-week anti-domestic-violence counseling course. In March 2015, Miller was arrested after he was accused of shoving his ex-fiancee and destroying her cellphone during an argument in Santa Clara. Miller joined the 49ers in 2011 as a fullback after playing defensive end in college.

San Francisco 49ers football player Bruce Miller is charged with assault.

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian activists and rescue workers in the rebel-held part of the contested city of Aleppo are saying that government warplanes have dropped suspected chlorine bombs on a crowded neighborhood, injuring dozens. The report could not be independently verified and it was not clear how the activists determined that chlorine gas was released. Accusations involving use of chlorine and other poisonous gases are not uncommon in Syria's civil war, and both sides have denied using them while blaming the other for using it as a weapon of war. UN confirms previous chlorine attacks The Assad regime has been repeatedly accused of using chlorine gas as a chemical weapon, and a UN investigation in August found that regime forces had twice carried out chlorine attacks. It said at least 71 people, including 37 children and 10 women, were treated for breathing difficulties and dry cough, and that "a strong smell of chlorine emanated from their clothes." Most were discharged after several hours, but ten people remained in intensive care, including a pregnant woman in her last trimester whose unborn child was showing a weak pulse, the committee claimed. Ibrahem Alhaj, a member of the Syria Civil Defense first responders' team, also known as the White Helmets, said he got to the scene in the crowded al-Sukkari neighborhood shortly after a helicopter dropped barrels containing what he said were four chlorine cylinders. The video also shows a boy being washed with a hose by rescuers after being pulled from the rubble as the sirens of ambulances wail around him. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported the attack, saying that medical sources accused regime warplanes of pounding the Sukkari neighborhood with barrel bombs "laden with poison gas." A United Nations and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons inquiry seen by Reuters last month found that Syrian government forces were responsible for two toxic gas attacks in 2014 and 2015 involving chlorine. Expert sees resurgence in chemical weapons Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a chemical weapons expert who is an adviser to nongovernmental organizations in Syria and Iraq, said chlorine gas could be deadly, and was a powerful psychological weapon.

A chlorine attack in Aleppo on Tuesday injures more than 100 people. The blast from barrel bombs dropped kills one person.

MEXICO CITY, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Suspected gang members shot down a helicopter in a clash with police in the dangerous western Mexico state of Sinaloa on Tuesday, killing four people, the state's governor said. The aircraft was backing an operation to arrest leaders of criminal groups when the "official helicopter was downed" in an area with rough terrain, Governor Silvano Aureoles wrote on Twitter. It was not immediately clear which gang was responsible. "During the operation, an official helicopter which was supporting the patrol in area of difficult access was shot down," he said. "We lament the death of the pilot, three police officers and a police officer who was injured."

A gang shoots down a police helicopter near Apatzingán, Michoacán, killing four people. The police had been conducting an operation against criminal groups and drug cartels.

Image copyright PA Image caption Madonna and Ritchie married in 2000 and divorced eight years later Madonna and ex-husband Guy Ritchie have settled a court dispute over the custody of their 16-year-old son Rocco. She captioned the snap: "Because sometimes soccer Mom's need to be a ..." Madonna and former husband Guy have been locked in a legal battle since December, after Rocco defied a court order to fly to New York to be with his mother. The "Material Girl" singer, who concluded her worldwide "Rebel Heart" tour in March, and Ritchie, director of 2009 film "Sherlock Holmes," married in 2000. “We hope to put an end to this as soon as possible without exposing him to more litigation, press innuendo, any of that kind of thing.” Ritchie and Madonna divorced in 2008. In March, a New York judge and a British judge both separately urged the former spouses to find an amicable resolution for Rocco's sake. "Their custody case is resolved," Lucian Chalfen, spokesman for the New York court where the divorced couple had fought for custody of their son Rocco, told AFP on Thursday. Attorneys for Ritchie did not immediately return calls for comment and a representative for Madonna's lawyers said they do not comment on cases involving children.

The American pop star Madonna agrees on a settlement with her former husband Guy Ritchie over their son.

This means there will be no interment at the Heroes’ Cemetery in Taguig this month as planned by the late strongman’s family with the permission of President Rodrigo Duterte, who promised to allow the burial during the election campaign to put an end to a lingering issue.

The Duterte administration defends its decision to bury the former dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippine heroes' cemetery.

Image copyright Mbl.is/Hallur Mar Hallsson Image caption The sword was handed over to heritage officials on Monday A group of Icelandic goose hunters got more than they bargained for during a recent outing - they didn't catch a single bird, but stumbled upon a Viking sword thought to be more than 1,000 years old. The five men were in Skaftarhreppur in southern Iceland when they found the sword, which they think may have washed up during a recent flood, the Visir news website reports. "It was just lying there, waiting to be picked up - it was obvious and just lying there on the ground," one of them, Runar Stanley Sighvatsson, tells Iceland Monitor. One of the men, Arni Bjorn Valdimarsson, shared a photo of it on his Facebook page and swiftly received a call from Iceland's Cultural Heritage Agency, which took possession of the artefact on Monday morning. Image copyright Arni Bjorn Valdimarsson Image caption The sword is largely intact The agency's director, Kristin Huld Sigurdardottir, says only 20 swords of this age have been discovered in Iceland before, making it a significant find. The point is broken off and a small part missing, but apart from that it is relatively well preserved, although of course corroded.' The team excavated a farmstead called Hrísbrú in Iceland’s Mosfell Valley, including a chieftain’s longhouse nearly 100 feet long with a ‘feast-worthy’ great hall, a church and a cemetery of 26 graves.

Hunters discover a 1000-year-old sword in Iceland.

LOS ANGELES, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Yosemite National Park on Wednesday announced its largest expansion in seven decades with the donation by a conservancy group of a large meadow surrounded by trees that will be home to dozens of endangered species. The addition to the park in California features wetlands and a grassy meadow surrounded by tall pine trees on rolling hills that are home to endangered wildlife. Ackerson Meadow is located along Yosemite's western boundary. Ackerson Meadow at the western edge of the current park was purchased from a private couple earlier this year by the Trust for Public Land for $2.3 million and donated to the National Park Service, a Yosemite spokeswoman said. (Robb Hirsch/The Trust for Public Land via AP) Officials told The Associated Press that Yosemite will preserve the land — historically used for logging and cattle grazing — as habitat for wildlife such as the great grey owl, the largest owl in North American and listed as endangered by California wildlife officials. Wainwright and his wife Nancy, however, decided to take a slight loss on their investment and sold it to a land trust, which donated it Wednesday to Yosemite. Robin Wainwright said they lost a "few hundred thousand dollars" selling to the trust, and the couple also passed up a lucrative offer from a developer to build a resort. He said he often saw bears strolling through the meadow and owls soaring over fields of vibrant wildflowers blooming in the springtime. Image copyright AP Image caption The land was historically used for logging and grazing cattle Mr Wainwright said he hadn't wanted that experience to be available only to visitors who could afford to stay in a resort. "To have that accessible by everyone to me is just a great thing," Robin Wainwright said. “It was worth losing a little bit of money for that.” The park’s boundary has seen some minor changes over the years, but this expansion is the largest since 1949 to the park of nearly 750,000 acres total, park spokesman Scott Gediman said. More than 4.5 million people are expected to visit Yosemite this year, which spokesman Scott Gediman said would set a record for the park, which celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2015. Visitors pass Ackerson Meadow on their way to Hetch Hetchy reservoir, which provides drinking water to San Francisco. The land was bought with $1.53 million from the Trust for Public Land and $520,000 from the Yosemite Conservancy, which supports a variety of projects in the park. He said the Trust for Public Land had put up $1.53m for the purchase with the Yosemite Conservancy and anonymous donors making up the rest. "Donating the largest addition since 1949 to one of the world's most famous parks is a great way to celebrate the 100th birthday of our National Park Service -- and honor John Muir's original vision for the park," said Will Rogers, President of The Trust for Public Land. Frank Dean, president of the Yosemite Conservancy, said in a statement that Ackerson Meadow had been included in the original boundary plans for the park, which was inspired by the advocacy of Scottish-American naturalist John Muir. “It’s a stunning open meadow surrounded by forest habitat, which supports a wide variety of flora and fauna,” said the park superintendent, Don Neubacher.

The U.S. Yosemite National Park expands by 400 acres.

• iPhone 7: Release date, price, images and key features of Apple's new iPhone These can connect to both the iPhone 7 and Apple Watch 2 with just a tap, according to Apple, and switch "seamlessly" between entertainment and calls. “We are taking the headphones in iPhone 7 and 7 Plus to lightning, and including them in the box with the device.” Apple will also include an adaptor to allow consumers to use existing headphones with the iPhone.

Apple announces the release of the iPhone 7 along with the Apple Watch 2.

The main article in the Wings of China in-flight magazine hails Britons’ fondness for hats, before a sidebar offers tips for visiting the English capital, with the paragraph: “London is generally a safe place to travel, however precautions are needed when entering areas mainly populated by Indians, Pakistanis and black people.” The article also warns: “We advise tourists not to go out alone at night, and females always to be accompanied by another person when travelling.” Virendra Sharma, MP for Ealing, Southall, which has a large Indian population, complained of Air China’s “blatantly untrue and racist statements ” . The text, tweeted by Beijing-based producer Haze Fan of US news channel CNBC, added: “We advise tourists not to go out alone at night, and females always to be accompanied by another person when travelling.” Two MPs have urged Liu Xiaoming, China’s ambassador to the UK, to secure an apology to their London constituents. "I am shocked and appalled that even today some people would see it as acceptable to write such blatantly untrue and racist statements," said Virendra Sharma, the member of parliament for an ethnically diverse district in western London. “I will await their response, and if an appropriate one is not forthcoming I shall feel forced to question whether Air China is a fit company to operate in the UK.” Rosena Allin-Khan, Labour MP for Tooting, which has one of the largest south Asian populations in London, said: “I think it is offensive to all Londoners, not just the ethnic minorities mentioned.” Speaking to the Evening Standard she said: “I am going to be writing to the Chinese ambassador to invite him to visit Tooting in London, where all races live side by side. China says it opposes all discrimination after Air China London warning SHANGHAI, Sept 8 (Reuters) - China said on Thursday it opposes all racial discrimination after state-owned Air China withdrew an in-flight magazine that warned visitors to be careful in parts of London populated by members of ethnic minorities. The state-owned airline, China's flag carrier, said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that the September issue of "Wings of China" used "inappropriate" language and that the article didn't represent the airline's views.

Air China receives criticism in the United Kingdom after it releases an advertisement warning passengers from visiting areas of London populated by blacks, Indians and Pakistanis.

* Agreed to acquire Formula One from a consortium of sellers led by CVC capital partners * Transaction price represents enterprise value for Formula One of $8.0 billion * Initial sale of 18.7 percent minority stake in Formula One, with 100 percent sale subject to satisfaction of conditions * Acquisition will be effected by liberty media acquiring 100 percent of shares of Delta Topco, parent company of Formula One * Transaction price represents an equity value of $4.4 billion * Liberty Media Corp says Bernie Ecclestone will remain formula one's CEO * Prior to completion, CVC funds will continue to be controlling shareholder of Formula One * Upon completion of acquisition, Liberty Media Group will be renamed Formula One Group * Formula One will remain based in London * Liberty Media Corp says funding for cash component of acquisition is expected to come from cash on hand at Liberty Media Group * Ticker symbols for series A, series B and series C Liberty Media Group tracking stocks will be changed from LMC (A/B/K) respectively * Selling stockholders will get $1.1 billion in cash, 138 million newly issued shares of LMCK and a $351 million exchangeable debt instrument Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: Chase Carey, the executive vice-president of 21st Century Fox, has been appointed chairman of the Formula One Group, while Bernie Ecclestone, currently the chief executive, will remain in his position. Liberty Media, which is owned by American media mogul John Malone, and its sister companies have interests that span from baseball's Atlanta Braves to Virgin Media, and Malone owns shares in ITV, Eurosport and Formula E. Liberty Media president and chief executive Greg Maffei said: 'We are excited to become part of Formula One. Liberty Media will initially acquire an 18.7 per cent minority stake before completing a full takeover if the deal is approved by regulators and the FIA.

Liberty Media confirms it is buying Formula One for US$4.4 billion; however, Bernie Ecclestone will remain as chief executive.

PTI By NIAMEY: At least 38 people have been killed and more than 92,000 left homeless since June in disastrous floods in Niger, the United Nations have said. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the deaths, up from a previous government toll of 14, followed torrential rains in August. More than 26,000 livestock have been lost and more than 9,000 homes destroyed, the UN said, citing government figures. Authorities and NGOs have already given out aid to more than 50,000 people, the UN added, with many of the homeless sheltering in schools and public buildings. Despite being in the middle of the desert, Agadez in the north and Tahoua to the west are among the worst hit regions, along with Maradi in the south. Niger is in the midst of its annual rainy season, having struggled to overcome a severe food crisis caused by drought. One of the poorest countries on the planet, its authorities are also struggling with 300,000 refugees and internally displaced people who have fled the Boko Haram insurgency in Niger's southeast and in neighbouring Nigeria.

Flooding in Niger kills at least 38 people and leaves more than 92,000 people displaced.

On Wednesday, the WHO updated its assessment of the Zika virus as a cause of congenital brain abnormalities in babies and the Guillian-Barre syndrome, after considering months of research into the mosquito-borne disease.

Malaysia reports its first pregnant woman infected with the Zika virus.

China has in recent days and weeks ramped up its activity around the Scarborough Shoal, with Philippines’ Defense Ministry releasing pictures Wednesday showing what it said were Chinese boats near the chain of rocks and reefs just 230 km (140 miles) from the Philippine coast. On Wednesday, the Philippines released what it says are surveillance pictures of Chinese coast guard ships and barges at the disputed Scarborough Shoal, an apparent attempt to publicize its concerns before ASEAN leaders met with Chinese Premier Li Kequiang in Vientiane. “I recognize this raises tensions but I also look forward to discussing how we can constructively move forward together to lower tensions and promote diplomacy and stability.” The verdict by an international tribunal in The Hague said China’s claims to most of the waters—through which $5 trillion in global shipping trade passes annually—had no legal basis. Photo courtesy Philippine Department of Defense Tensions have escalated sharply in recent years as China has built islands on reefs and islets in the Spratlys archipelago – another strategically important location – that are capable of supporting military operations. The dispute has raised fears of military confrontation between the world’s superpowers, with China determined to cement control of the strategically vital waters despite a July verdict that its claims have no legal basis. VIENTIANE: US President Barack Obama warned Beijing Thursday it could not ignore a tribunal’s ruling rejecting its sweeping claims to the South China Sea, driving tensions higher in a territorial row that threatens regional security. But, hours before the meeting, the Philippines' defence ministry released photographs and a map showing what it said was an increased number of Chinese vessels near Scarborough Shoal, which China seized after a standoff in 2012. “Should China build up the shoal with radars, missiles and an airstrip, it would enhance China’s anti-access, area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities as well as improve its power-projection capabilities in the region, particularly vis-a-vis the U.S.” Hornung said this matters because a new base that forms a strategic triangle with its facilities and runways in the Paracels and Spratlys would bring the entire region under Chinese radar, missile and air coverage — effectively creating a “Chinese lake.” “This would enable China to control the sea lines of communication, monitor foreign naval and air activities, enforce a South China Sea air defense identification zone and could work to blunt America’s freedom of action in times of conflict. China was prepared to initiate land-reclamation at Scarborough in March, according to a Financial Times report citing current and former U.S. officials, but backed down after U.S. President Barack Obama warned Chinese leader Xi Jinping of serious consequences if it began dredging work there. “Because the Philippines is a treaty ally of the U.S., if China can act freely with no U.S. response beyond a diplomatic protest, its credibility as an ally will be under severe stress,” said Hornung. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was set to ask Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at Wednesday’s summit whether the vessels were on another island-making mission on the Scarborough, just a few hundred kilometers from Philippine military bases hosting U.S. troops. Officials said talks between Southeast Asian leaders and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang went smoothly and there was no tension over a recent ruling by an arbitration court in The Hague that invalidated China's claims to the waterway. Obama was right to respond to Duterte's intemperate babbling at an Asian summit in Laos by canceling a bilateral meeting with the Philippine leader, who now says he regretted what he said. Duterte launched a tirade against Obama on Monday after being told the US president planned to raise concerns about a war on crime in the Philippines that has claimed 3,000 lives in just over two months.

The Duterte administration accuses China of building a "secret island" on the Scarborough Shoal.

Image copyright AP Image caption Nabeel Rajab says he has been detained since the beginning of the summer The US State Department has urged Bahrain to immediately release the prominent human rights activist Nabeel Rajab. A spokesman said the US was "very concerned" about Mr Rajab's detention and charges filed against him. Mr Rajab is reported to be facing fresh charges for writing a letter to the New York Times. He has served several prison sentences since setting up the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights in 2002. In his letter published in the New York Times on Sunday, Mr Rajab said he had been detained, mostly in isolation, in Bahrain since the beginning of the summer. He said Bahrain had some 4,000 political prisoners and the highest prison population per capita in the Middle East. "This is a country that has subjected its people to imprisonment, torture and even death for daring to desire democracy," he wrote. Following the article, Bahraini prosecutors filed new charges against an unnamed man, who rights activists say is Mr Rajab, for "publishing a column in a foreign newspaper in which he deliberately broadcast news, statements and false rumours that undermine the kingdom's prestige and stature". US State Department Mark Toner said in Washington: "We call on the government of Bahrain to release him [Mr Rajab] immediately. "We have concerns about the state of human rights in general in Bahrain and we're engaging with the government... on all these issues." Image copyright AFP Image caption Anti-government protests in Bahrain often feature images of Nabeel Rajab Bahrain is home to the US Navy Fifth Fleet. Mr Rajab has been a fierce critic of the Bahraini authorities and helped to lead anti-government protests which erupted in March 2011. Demonstrators took to the streets, demanding more democracy and an end to discrimination against the majority Shia Muslim community by the Sunni Muslim royal family. The protests were quelled by security forces after the authorities brought in troops from neighbouring Sunni-led Gulf states to restore order.

The Obama administration urges Bahrain to free Nabeel Rajab, a human rights activist.

Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Sheikh, the highest religious authority in the country, said in remarks published on Wednesday that the leaders of regional rival Iran were not Muslims and saw Sunni Muslims as their enemy. This story is from September 7, 2016 the annual haj pilgrimage logistics fell apart war of words 'Evil' Saudi royals don't deserve to manage holy sites criticised Saudi Arabia crush last year Sons of "magus" "Bigotry" DUBAI: The bitter war of words between Iran and Saudi Arabia intensified on Wednesday ahead offrom which Iranians have been excluded for the first time in decades.Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blasted the "incompetence" of the Saudi royal family as he met with the families of victims of a deadly stampede during last year's haj Iranians have been blocked from the event after talks on safety andin May.Theon the eve of the mass pilgrimage will deepen a long-running rift between the Sunni kingdom and the Shia revolutionary power. "We have to understand that they are not Muslims ... Their main enemies are the followers of Sunnah (Sunnis)," Al al-Sheikh was quoted as saying, remarks republished by the Arab News.He described Iranian leaders as sons of "magus", a reference to Zoroastrianism, the dominant belief in Persia until the Muslim Arab invasion of the region that is now Iran 13 centuries ago.Al al-Sheikh's remarks drew an acerbic retort from Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, who said they were evidence of bigotry among Saudi leaders.

The top cleric of Saudi Arabia says Iranians "are not Muslims."

Russian jet came within 10 feet of U.S. spy plane: U.S. officials WASHINGTON/BERLIN, Sept 7 (Reuters) - A Russian fighter jet carried out an "unsafe and unprofessional" intercept of a U.S. spy plane flying a regular patrol over the Black Sea, coming within 10 feet (3.05 meters) of the American aircraft, two U.S. defense officials told Reuters on Wednesday. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, says the Russian SU-27 Flanker fighter made the unsafe maneuver Wednesday near a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft that was conducting routine operations in international airspace. "During the intercept, which lasted approximately 19 minutes, the SU-27 (Flanker jet) initially maintained a 30-foot separation distance, then closed to within 10 feet (3 meters) of the P-8A (Poseidon), which is considered unsafe and unprofessional," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of a Pentagon announcement. 'These actions have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions between countries, and could result in a miscalculation or accident, which results in serious injury or death.' A video of the encounter released by the U.S. Navy showed the aircraft repeatedly buzzing the ship, including one pass where a Russian fighter flew as close as 30 feet to the American ship.

A Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet makes an "unsafe close-range intercept" of a United States Navy P-8A Poseidon over the Black Sea in international airspace, coming within 10 feet (3.3 m) of the U.S. aircraft.

Stein, a 66-year-old doctor and environmental activist from Massachusetts, said in a statement that she had spray-painted the words "I approve this message" onto a bulldozer, a nod to the phrase American politicians append to their advertisements to comply with transparency laws. In this photo provided by LaDonna Allard, Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, second from right, participates in an oil pipeline protest, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016 in Morton County, N.D. North Dakota authorities plan to pursue charges against Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein for spray-painting construction equipment at a Dakota Access Pipeline protest. Before the charges were filed, Stein said in a statement said she hoped North Dakota authorities "press charges against the real vandalism taking place at the Standing Rock Sioux reservation: the bulldozing of sacred burial sites and the unleashing of vicious attack dogs." The project sparked violent clashes during the weekend between tribe members and other protesters and security officers near the construction site, and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is seeking a court order to block construction.

The sheriff's department of Morton County, North Dakota, issues arrest warrants for United States Green Party presidential candidate, Jill Stein, and her running-mate, Ajamu Baraka on charges of criminal trespass and criminal mischief. The county sheriff's department says that Stein and Baraka vandalized equipment at a controversial pipeline construction site.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mossack Fonseca said it had been hacked by servers based abroad Denmark will buy data leaked from the law firm at the heart of the Panama Papers scandal, Taxation Minister Karsten Lauritzen has announced. The Danish government official who spoke anonymously said that the country's Customs and Tax Administration had received an anonymous offer over the summer from a party willing to sell the data, and that the data involved 320 cases concerning up to 600 Danish taxpayers. He added: “The material contains relevant and valid information about several hundred Danish taxpayers.” The Panama Papers, published in April, were the biggest leak in history. “Therefore, we agreed that it is wise to buy the material.” He said, without elaborating, that “there may be fundamental problems associated with buying leaked information,” and taxation authorities “should be cautious.” He added that other parties in the 179-seat Parliament supported buying the documents, which are part of a stash of documents leaked from law firm Mossack Fonseca. The proposal by the centre-right Venstre party – which rules as a minority government – is said by Danish media to have the support of the other two main parties in parliament, the centre-left Social Democrats and anti-immigration Danish People’s Party. Panama Papers - tax havens of the rich and powerful exposed Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A huge leak of confidential documents has revealed how the rich and powerful use tax havens to hide their wealth Eleven million documents held by the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca were passed to German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, which then shared them with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. An international consortium of journalists from 180 media organisations including the Guardian examined the leaked files, which featured several heads of state and politicians.

Denmark's government plans to buy the leaked Panama Papers containing Danish citizens.

Post election violence in Gabon has killed between 50 and 100 people, the opposition presidential candidate said Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016, a toll much higher than the government's count of three in days of violent demonstrations against the president's re-election. Bongo has rejected accusations that results were altered to ensure his victory but has come under increasing international pressure to back a recount of votes, including from former colonial power France, which has a military base in Gabon.

Ali Bongo Ondimba rejects calls for a recount.

Dinosaur footprints dating back to the cretaceous period have been uncovered on a beach in far-north Western Australia after being buried in sand for almost 50 years. The three-toed tracks were found on Cable beach in Broome, 2,240km north of Perth, on Sunday, when a woman who was collecting shells with her family felt an indent beneath her foot. He said the density of tracks was based on a combination of the environment that existed in that area 130 million years ago that attracted the dinosaurs and the particular rock which preserved the footprints. Paleontologist Dr Steven Salisbury, a senior lecturer with the school of biological sciences at the University of Queensland who leads a project to map out the dinosaur footprints on the Dampier Peninsula, said these particular tracks belonged to a carnivorous theropod, bigger than a velociraptor but smaller than a Tyrannosaurus rex.

A beachgoer in Australia discovers dinosaur footprints believed to be around 130 million years old while combing the shore for shells.

All you need to know as Team GB prepare for Rio 2016 games Paralympic fact: Paralympic archer Zahra Nemati was Iran's flag bearer at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Later, Sport Minister Vitaly Mutko told reporters that he was feeling guilty for the fact that the Russian athletes were excluded from the Paralympic Games in Rio. RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept 7 (Reuters) - International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach will not attend any of the Paralympic Games which start in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said.

The 2016 Summer Paralympic Games, i.e., (parallel Olympic Games), open in Rio de Janeiro.

Afghan forces encircled by Taliban in provincial capital, officials say KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Exhausted Afghan security forces were surrounded on Friday by Taliban fighters in the capital of Afghanistan's south-central province of Uruzgan, a day after fighting off a concerted push by the militants, officials said.

Taliban militants storm the city of Tarinkot, the provincial capital of Afghanistan's Urozgan Province, with fighting reported on multiple fronts throughout the city. Local officials flee to the nearby Tarinkot Airport for shelter.

U.S. returns to 1 World Trade Center 15 years after attacks NEW YORK, Sept 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. federal government on Friday marked its return to the rebuilt 1 World Trade Center, moving its New York City offices back to Lower Manhattan 15 years after the Sept. 11 attacks that had reduced the site to rubble. “In a museum that’s filled with such deeply powerful artifacts, this newest of artifacts is certainly one of the most emotionally and historically powerful,” museum President Joe Daniels said as the display was unveiled Thursday, three days before the 15th anniversary of the terror attacks. Go inside the chaos and courage of the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York in "9/11: Fifteen Years Later," airing Sunday, September 11, at 8p ET (CNN) On September 11, 2001, amid the burning ashes of the World Trade Center, three New York City firefighters hoisted a small American flag removed from a nearby yacht. NEW YORK (AP) - An American flag raised at Ground Zero on Sept. 11 in a defining moment of patriotic resolve took its place at the site Thursday after disappearing for over a decade. The police investigation began in November 2014 when a man, who identified himself as “Brian,” dropped off a flag in a plastic bag that he said was given to him by a widow of a 9/11 victim at an Everett fire station.

The Police Department of Everett, Washington, identifies and returns the American flag from the September 11 attacks to Ground Zero, the World Trade Center site in New York City.

NATIONAL NEWS - Questions are being asked after the Greater Tzaneen Municipality purchased vehicles worth R1.6 million for the new mayor and speaker, despite owing creditors more than R20 million.A court order has also been issued to attach the municipality’s assets.This comes a day after Tshwane Mayor Solly Msimanga announced that his municipality would not spend any more money on luxury cars, and employees would have join other citizens in driving similar cars. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The ruling African National Congress has got the lowest share of the vote since 1994 He said in a statement: "No new luxury cars will be bought or leased for politicians‚ and if vehicles currently owned by Tshwane require replacement‚ sensible and low-cost vehicles will be procured. "I will not allow public money to be spent on luxury cars‚ while our people struggle for services‚ houses and jobs. Mr Msimanga said no more luxury cars would be bought under his leadership. A Hyundai i20 or Toyota Corolla can do the same job for a politician as an expensive sedan‚” Msimanga said.

Solly Msimanga, newly elected Democratic Alliance mayor of Tshwane, South Africa, rejects a fleet of luxury cars for himself and instead donates it to the city's police.

NEW YORK (AP) — California and federal regulators fined Wells Fargo a combined $185 million on Thursday, alleging the bank’s employees illegally opened millions of unauthorized accounts for their customers in order to meet aggressive sales goals. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said employees at Wells Fargo, the world's largest bank by market value, had illegally boosted sales figures by opening unauthorized deposit and credit accounts and then covertly funding them with customers' money, sometimes creating phony email addresses to enroll them. “Based upon that review, we determined that the matter was not material.” Thousands of employees at Wells Fargo were involved in opening accounts and moving funds that resulted in customers getting charged fees for services they didn’t seek, according to the regulators. “Because of the severity of these violations, Wells Fargo is paying the largest penalty the CFPB has ever imposed.” The bank agreed to resolve the allegations without admitting or denying the agencies’ accusations, and said in a statement that it had set aside $5 million for customer remediation. In a statement, Wells Fargo said: “We regret and take responsibility for any instances where customers may have received a product that they did not request.” Wells Fargo said they’ve refunded $2.6 million in fees associated with any product that was opened without authorization. Wells Fargo, which fired 5,300 employees over the improper sales practices, agreed to pay a record $100 million fine to the CFPB, $35 million to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and $50 million to the Los Angeles city attorney to settle the matter.

International banking company Wells Fargo agrees to pay $190 million, including $100 million to the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (largest ever for the agency), to settle a case involving deceptive sales that pushed customers into fee-generating accounts they never requested. The bank fired 5,300 employees over "inappropriate sales conduct." The firings took place over a five-year period.

The search for the bacteria Yersinia pestis, which causes plague, in a selection of skeletons from the dig continued last year in the osteology department at Mola where all the Liverpool Street finds were stored and examined by Michael Henderson. Professor Vanessa Harding, an expert in London history at Birkbeck, University of London, said: 'This is a very exciting finding, for the history of London, the history of disease, and the history of burial. DNA sequenced from ancient skeletons dating back to the 17th century was found to match that of the bacteria responsible for the plague, known as Yersinia pestis. (CNN) In 1665, the Great Plague of London killed more than 75,000 people in the space of a year, almost a quarter of the city's population back then. Evidence of the pathogen had eluded archaeologists but seemed tantalisingly close when a suspected mass grave was discovered last year during a Crossrail dig at the Bedlam burial ground, also known as the New Churchyard, in East London. Any Yersinia bacteria on the surface of the skeletons would have died long ago, meaning scientists had to extract DNA from teeth, where enamel helps protect and preserve DNA with less risk of contamination. "We don't know why the Great Plague of London was the last major outbreak of plague in the UK and whether there were genetic differences in the past, those strains that were circulating in Europe to those circulating today; these are all things we're trying to address by assembling more genetic information from ancient organisms." Scientists from the Max Planck Institute in Jena, Germany, analyzed DNA extracted from 20 skeletons found in the mass burial pit, as well as 20 skeletons from other parts of the burial ground to compare. The mass grave is one of around 3,300 burials that have been uncovered during excavations at the New Churchyard.

German scientists confirm that the cause of the Great Plague of London from 1665–1666 was Yersinia pestis (cause of the Bubonic plague).

The bank believed Zimbabwe was committed to "major change", with 92-year-old Robert Mugabe - Zimbabwe's only leader since independence from Britain in 1980 - recognising the need for outside help to resuscitate a moribund economy, the report said. On Friday, a different court denied bail to 58 people arrested during protests on August 26 when riot police fired tear gas, beat up several people and blocked off the site of an opposition demonstration in Harare.

The High Court of Zimbabwe overturns bans on protests in Harare.

Image copyright Courtesy: Hindustan Times Image caption Preeti Rathi's parents grieve over a photograph of their daughter A man in the Indian city of Mumbai has been sentenced to death for a fatal acid attack on a woman at a busy railway station three years ago, in what is being seen as a legal landmark. Ankur Panwar was found guilty on Tuesday of hurling sulphuric acid on 24-year-old Preeti Rathi in a fit of jealousy outside a railway station in the financial capital Mumbai in May 2013. Special public prosecutor Ujwal Nikam sought death penalty as he said the tendency of the accused may cost the lives of many other girls Preeti had secured a nursing job at the INHS Asvini Hospital and had just reached Mumbai from New Delhi when acid was thrown at her. Prosecutors said the Mumbai court sentenced Ankur Panwar on Thursday after finding him guilty of killing the 23-year-old woman, who died of serious burn injuries. Police alleged Panwar, reportedly 26, and a hotel management graduate, had committed the crime out of jealousy after she rejected his marriage proposal and had wanted to disfigure her face to destroy her career. Special Judge Anju S. Shende said: “According to the mitigating and aggravating circumstances, the facts of the case and the recent acid attack judgments by the Supreme Court, the accused is sentenced to death… , subject to confirmation by the Bombay High Court.” She said the accused could appeal against the judgment within 30 days. There is no second thought about it,” Apeksha Vora told Agence Fance-Presse.

A court in the Indian city of Mumbai convicts and sentences Ankur Panwar to the death penalty for a fatal acid-throwing attack.

Brewster County Sheriff Ronny Dodson told radio station KVLF that the injured student ran outside seeking help and was taken to a hospital with injuries that weren't considered life threatening. A law enforcement officer was also injured during the incident, which began shortly before 9 a.m. at Alpine High School in the town of 5,900 in Texas' Big Bend region. The student and officer who were injured have not been identified and it's unclear how serious their injuries are. All of the surrounding schools were placed on 'critical lockdown' in response to the shooting reports this morning. Dodson said the shooting at the high school was part of a chaotic series of events that included a bomb threat called in at nearby Sul Ross State University, which required law enforcement personnel to rush there from the high school. ALPINE, Texas (AP) — A female student died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound Thursday after shooting and injuring another female student inside a high school in West Texas, according to the local sheriff. Ruth Hucke (HOOK’-ee), a spokeswoman for Big Bend Regional Medical Center in Alpine, said hospital personnel were tending to three “victims.” Hucke declined to say how the victims were injured or further identify them. Police dispatcher Scarlet Eldred said an unspecified incident took place at the high school shortly before 9 a.m. Eldred says police were seeking an “active shooter.” Eldred didn’t immediately provide additional information, other than the person being sought was a male. Local reporters are now saying that cops have been diverted to nearby Sul Ross State University, after someone called police and threatened the school with a bomb.

A female student at Alpine High School in Texas, U.S., shoots herself dead in what appeared to be an "active shooter" event, resulting in a student and police officer being injured.

Turkey suspends 11,500 teachers over alleged links to Kurdish militants -official ANKARA, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Turkey has suspended 11,500 teachers over alleged links to the outlawed Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK), a Turkish official said on Thursday, confirming an earlier report from broadcaster CNN Turk that cited the education ministry. The Democratic Regions Party (DBP), which runs the councils and many across the region, has been dubbed by President Tayyip Erdogan as an extension of the PKK, which has fought a three-decades-old conflict in the mainly Kurdish southeast. The crackdown comes as Ankara also pushes ahead with a purge of tens of thousands of supporters of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, accused by Turkey of orchestrating an attempted coup in July. However earlier this year, 15,200 education ministry officials lost their jobs and 21,000 private school teachers had their licences revoked, amid a crackdown on followers of cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed for the failed 15 July coup. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim visited the mainly Kurdish southeast over the weekend and said in a speech there that an estimated 14,000 teachers had links to the PKK, which is considered a terrorist organisation by Ankara, the European Union and the United States.

Turkey suspends 11,500 teachers over alleged links to separatist terrorist organization Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) a week before the start of school.

Move follows standoff in capital Yerevan between police and armed men, and could pave way for a coalition government This article is more than 3 years old This article is more than 3 years old The prime minister of Armenia has announced his resignation following weeks of civil unrest and a sharp economic downturn. Armenian prime minister resigns, says country needs new approach YEREVAN, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan tendered his resignation at a government meeting on Thursday, saying the country needed fresh policies, after an economic slowdown this year and outbreaks of violence. Last month, Armenia’s president, Serzh Sargsyan, promised to create a government of national accord after a two-week standoff at a police compound in the capital, Yerevan, which left two police officers dead and shook the nation. Several dozen armed men stormed the building and demanded the release of Zhirair Sefilyan, the leader of the New Armenia Public Salvation Front opposition group, who was arrested in June on suspicion of preparing to seize government buildings and telecoms facilities in Yerevan. The standoff triggered rallies in support of the gunmen and clashes with police in what appeared to be the biggest political crisis in this country in years. The government has also faced political challenges, including a flare-up of violence in Azerbaijan's breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region in April between Armenian-backed separatists and Azeri forces. It was not clear from Prime Minister Ovik Abramyan's statement on Thursday who will lead the new government. Local media reported that Abrahamyan might be replaced by 53-year-old technocrat Karen Karapetyan, the former head of national gas distributing company ArmRosGazprom and later Yerevan mayor.

Hovik Abrahamyan resigns as Prime Minister of Armenia citing civil unrest and a sharp economic downturn.

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A high court in the State of Palestine suspends upcoming municipal elections.

Nearly a week after Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan's longtime autocratic president, was officially declared dead after suffering a stroke, the country's parliament appointed Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev as acting president on Thursday, setting the stage for the experienced bureaucrat to assume the role permanently in the latest sign of consensus among the country's elites over succession. According to a statement released on the Uzbek government's official website, Yuldashev broke with procedure during the parliamentary session and in an indication of Mirziyoyev's growing behind-the-scenes power, asked lawmakers to appoint the prime minister instead of himself due to the prime minister's "many years of [government] experience." Election monitors for the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) reported that the elections did not show “genuine competition” and that the “rigidly constrained media did not provide political debate.” Karimov, the country’s authoritarian ruler of 27 years, died of a brain hemorrhage last week at the age of 78. Under the Uzbek constitution, a presidential election must now be held within three months, and Mr Mirziyoyev, who was the official mourner-in-chief at Karimov’s funeral and met Russian president Vladimir Putin this week, is widely expected to be elected.

Uzbekistan’s parliament appoints Shavkat Mirziyoyev as interim president after the death of President Islam Karimov.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday named a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general as the government’s first federal cyber security chief, a position announced eight months ago that is intended to improve defenses against hackers. Gregory Touhill’s job will be to protect government networks and critical infrastructure from cyber threats as federal chief information security officer, according to a statement. U.S. intelligence officials suspect Russia was responsible for breaches of Democratic political organizations and state election systems to exert influence on the Nov. 8 presidential election. The Obama administration first announced the creation of the position in February as part of a $19 billion “cybersecurity national action plan” that included IT investments and new hires. General Touhill is currently the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity and Communications in the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications (CS&C) at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where he focuses on the development and implementation of operational programs designed to protect our government networks and critical infrastructure. The pair will likely start in their new roles later this month, a person familiar with the hirings told Fortune. Grant currently serves as the Director for Cybersecurity Policy on the National Security Council staff at the White House where he focuses on development and oversight of cybersecurity policies to protect government data, networks, and systems, and brings over 20 years of technical skills to the role.

The Obama administration chooses retired United States Air Force Brigadier General Gregory Touhill the first federal CISO chief, who reports to the CIO of the U.S. Tony Scott.

This story is from September 8, 2016 GSLV-F05 lifts off from Sriharikota on Sept 8, 2016 (TOI pic by B A Raju) INSAT-3DR Mastering cryogenic technology SRIHARIKOTA: More than two decades after the Indian cryogenic engine programme was formalised, an indigenous cryogenic engine developed by Indian Space Research Organisation successfully propelled for the first time an operational flight of GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) lifting into space the country’s third exclusive meteorological satellite on Thursday evening.INSAT-3DR, an advanced weather satellite , was placed in orbit around 17 minutes after GSLV-F05 took off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 4.50pm. However, it was delayed by 40 minutes as scientists were “rechecking observations made during propellant filling." The rocket, with the indigenously developed cryogenic upper stage as its fourth stage, will place the satellite, weighing 2,211-kg, in the Geostationary Transfer Orbit. On the eve of its flight carrying the weather satellite INSAT-3DR, A.S.Kiran Kumar, ISRO Chairman and the fifth to preside over the GSLV programme, speaks to Madhumathi D.S.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launches its meteorological satellite INSAT-3DR into a geostationary transfer orbit atop its GSLV Mk II launch vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Sept 8 (Reuters) - An Atlas 5 rocket blasted off from Florida on Thursday carrying a space probe on NASA's first quest to collect samples from an asteroid and return them to Earth in hopes of learning more about the origins of life. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Sept 6 (Reuters) - A U.S. space probe was cleared for launch on Thursday to collect and return samples from an asteroid in hopes of learning more about the origins of life on Earth and perhaps elsewhere in the solar system, NASA said on Tuesday. The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is scheduled to blast off Thursday at 7:05 pm (2305 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, near the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “We expect these samples will contain organic molecules from the early solar system that may give us information and clues to the origin of life.” The Lockheed Martin-made spacecraft will be carried aboard an Atlas V rocket made by United Launch Alliance, a 50-50 joint venture owned by Lockheed and Boeing. Perched on top of the 19-story rocket was NASA's robot explorer Osiris-Rex, built by Lockheed Martin to carry out the seven-year, $1 billion mission to and from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. After gathering at least 2 ounces (60 grams) of material, Osiris-Rex will fly back to Earth, jettisoning a capsule bearing the asteroid-sample container for a parachute descent and landing in the Utah desert in September 2023. The mission has been described as a ‘slow high-five’ with a nearby asteroid to collect material that could date back to the origins of the solar system Nasa launched a spacecraft on Thursday for a mission to slap an asteroid, capture some of the debris that shakes off, and return more interstellar samples to Earth than any mission since the Apollo era. So why spend $800 million, not counting the launch vehicle, to chase an asteroid moving 63,000 miles per hour for seven years and grab a small sample in a five-second span?

The United Launch Alliance successfully launches NASA's OSIRIS-REx from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Space Launch Complex 41 in Florida. The mission is to study asteroid 101955 Bennu and in 2023 to return a sample to Earth for detailed analysis. If successful, OSIRIS-REx will be the first U.S. spacecraft to return samples from an asteroid.

There are four species of giraffe, not one: scientists There are actually four species of giraffe, not one as previously believed, researchers said Thursday in a discovery that could change conservation efforts for the world's tallest mammal. Scientists on Thursday unveiled a comprehensive genetic analysis of giraffes using DNA from 190 of the towering herbivores from across their range in Africa. The giraffe currently is not listed as endangered, although its population has declined dramatically over the past three decades from more than 150,000 to fewer than 100,000, the researchers said. Until now, researchers believed there was one species of giraffe, and as many as nine subspecies. The genetic data showed that four separate species of giraffes that do not interbreed in the wild inhabit various parts of the continent. The study identified the four separate species as: the southern giraffe (Giraffa giraffa), with a population of 52,000; the Masai giraffe (Giraffa tippelskirchi), with 32,500; the reticulated giraffe (Giraffa reticulata), with 8,700; and the northern giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), with 4,750. While giraffes had always been thought to be of one species, Dr Janke likened the difference between one species and another - in terms of their genetic code - to that of a Polar bear compared with a brown bear. "We were extremely surprised, because the morphological and coat pattern differences between giraffe are limited," says Axel Janke, a geneticist at the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre and Goethe University in Germany. "It turned out, he told BBC News, that, for example, "the whole clade of northern giraffes was very different from reticulated giraffes." But the low population levels of the northern giraffe and reticulated giraffe make them some of the world's most endangered large mammals and of high conservation importance, Mr. Fennessy said.

Genetic tests show that the genus giraffa, previously thought to contain one extant species, actually consists of four.

READ MORE: * US swimmer Ryan Lochte gets 10-month suspension over Rio Olympics scandal * Lochte could be axed from US team * Swimmer takes blame for 'robbery' claim * Bentz blames Lochte for fake robbery "Unfortunately, this storyline took attention away from the athletes who deserved it the most," USA Swimming CEO Chuck Wielgus said in a statement. Ryan Lochte's future as a competitive swimmer has been called into question, with the US Olympic Committee and USA Swimming jointly announced the 12-time Olympic medallist has been suspended for 10 months and barred from the 2017 World Championships. Ryan Lochte is banned from swimming through next June and will forfeit $100,000 in bonus money that went with his gold medal at the Olympics, part of the penalty for his drunken encounter at a gas station in Brazil during last month’s games. The US Olympic Committee and USA Swimming, in a joint release, announced the punishment against the swim superstar, as well as four-month suspensions against three other Americans. Sources also confirmed that Lochte's suspension will be longer than that handed out to teammates Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen, though their punishments have not been revealed yet. Despite his embarrassment, Lochte has maintained a high profile, posting regularly on social media and accepting a spot on the upcoming season of “Dancing With The Stars.” Last month, Brazilian police charged Lochte with filing a false robbery report, but Lochte has not said whether he’ll return to Brazil to defend himself.

American swimmer Ryan Lochte agrees to a 10-month suspension while his other colleagues get four.

Story highlights There was a firefight on the ground in which seven enemy fighters were killed The university has become a target of Taliban-linked insurgents in recent weeks Washington (CNN) A few days after an American and Australian were kidnapped from American University in Kabul last month, US Special Operations Forces from SEAL Team 6 attempted to rescue them but failed to find them at the location they went to, according to three administration officials. Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said President Barack Obama, acting on a recommendation from Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, authorized the August mission to rescue the two civilian hostages in an unspecified area of Afghanistan. Cook said no U.S. personnel or civilians were injured and added that he would not provide any more details “in order to protect the safety of hostages and operational security.” According to defense officials, the mission was delayed one day because of questions about the intelligence and whether the hostages, an American and an Australian who worked at the American University of Afghanistan, were there. The hostages were not there, but a group of militants was, leading to a firefight in which seven militants were killed, officials said.

United States Navy SEALs, by high altitude parachuting, fail in a rescue attempt after the team does not find the American and Australian hostages who were kidnapped in Kabul last month.

Iraqi security forces clean up the site in the aftermath of car bomb explosion in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday (AP photo) BAGHDAD — Two bomb blasts outside a shopping mall in central Baghdad claimed by the Daesh terror group killed at least 13 people, security and medical officials said on Saturday. The ultra-hardline insurgents have lost ground in the past year to U.S.-backed government forces and Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias, but such bombings show the group can still strike outside the territory its controls in northern and western Iraq.

Twin suicide bombings at the Nakheel Mall in eastern Baghdad kill 12 people and injure more than 40 others. ISIL claims responsibility.

Vietnamese-Canadian Phan Thi Kim Phuc delivers her speech before her June 8, 1972 Pulitzer-Prize-winning photograph during the Vietnam war, during a lecture meeting in Nagoya, Aichi prefecture on April 13, 2013 (AFP Photo/Jiji Press) San Francisco (AFP) - Facebook on Friday reversed its decision to censor an iconic Vietnam War photo of a naked girl escaping a napalm bombing, after the move set off a wave of outrage, including from Norway's prime minister. “An image of a naked child would normally be presumed to violate our Community Standards, and in some countries might even qualify as child pornography,” Facebook said in a statement. ALSO READ: * Facebook 'napalm girl' row mounts as Norway PM posts picture * Facebook weeds out clickbait from News Feed, says don't rely on Facebook for all your news "After hearing from our community, we looked again at how our Community Standards were applied in this case," Facebook said in a later statement, adding it recognised "the history and global importance of this image in documenting a particular moment in time." In a clash between a democratically elected leader and the social media giant over how to patrol the Internet, Norway Prime Minister Erna Solberg said Facebook was editing history by erasing images of the iconic 1972 "Napalm Girl" photograph, which showed children running from a bombed village. "Less than 24 hours after the email was sent, and before I had time to give my response, you intervened yourselves and deleted the article as well as the image from Aftenposten's Facebook page," Hansen wrote. The editor of Norway's largest newspaper wrote an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg on Friday earlier in which he accused the Facebook chief of "abusing your power" because of the social media firm's decision to remove an iconic, Vietnam War-era photograph of a naked girl running from a napalm attack.

The Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten accuses Facebook of censorship because of the website's decision to remove the iconic Vietnam War–era photo "napalm girl" as child pornography.

WASHINGTON, Sept 9 (Reuters) - General Motors Co said on Friday it will recall nearly 4.3 million vehicles worldwide to fix a software defect that can prevent air bags from deploying during a crash, a flaw already linked to one death and three injuries. GM said the sensing and diagnostic module that controls airbag deployment has a software defect that may prevent the deployment of frontal airbags in certain "rare circumstances when a crash is preceded by a specific event impacting vehicle dynamics." The Detroit automaker said the recall of newer trucks, cars and SUVs from the 2014-2017 model years would not have a material impact on its financial results. The following models will be recalled; 2015-2017 Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban and Silverado HD, GMC Yukon, Yukon XL and Sierra HD and Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV; 2014-2017 Buick Encore, GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Corvette, Trax, Caprice and Silverado; 2014-2016 Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet SS and Spark EV. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a notice posted on Friday that "certain driving conditions may cause the airbag sensing and diagnostic module software to activate a diagnostic test" that would prevent the airbag from deploying in the event of a crash. In July, GM said the NHTSA may force it to recall another 4.3 million vehicles for potentially defective Takata airbag inflators, a call-back that would cost the U.S. automaker $550 million.

General Motors recalls 4.3 million vehicles after a defect in the software for the airbag led to one fatality.

A Volkswagen engineer was indicted in Detroit federal court Friday and pleaded guilty for his role in developing an emissions-cheating device installed on a half-million diesel cars sold in the United States. The 62 year-old German citizen, who lives in Newbury Park, California, appeared in US District Court in Detroit on Friday and entered into a plea agreement that includes his cooperation with the government in its investigation. James Liang, who has worked for VW since 1983 and was part of a team of engineers who developed a diesel engine, was charged in an indictment made public on Friday with conspiring to commit wire fraud and violating US clean air laws. As described in a 25-page indictment unsealed Friday along with the plea deal, Liang and the other VW employees at Volkswagen knew “from almost the beginning of VW’s process to design its new ‘clean diesel’ vehicles” that the cars “would not meet U.S. emissions standards.” When they realized that they could not design an engine that would adhere to the strict U.S. standards, while also delivering solid road performance, they created and implemented so-called defeat devices — software that could recognize when cars were being tested “in order to cheat” the tests, according to court papers. Liang could face up to five years in prison but could get a much lighter sentence if the government finds he provided substantial assistance. The cooperation of Liang, who began work in Wolfsburg, Germany, and also worked in the U.S., is a major breakthrough in the Justice Department's investigation into the automaker's cheating scandal. In a statement released Friday, the Justice Department said Liang admitted to using the software while working on the diesel engine and “assisted in making the defeat device work.” Volkswagen said in a statement that it is “continuing to cooperate with the U.S. Department of Justice,” but couldn’t comment on the indictment. While working at VW’s test facility in Oxnard, he served as “leader of diesel competence.” Advertisement According to the plea agreement, Liang said he and his co-conspirators “misrepresented” that the VW diesel vehicles met U.S. emissions standards during certification meetings for new cars with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board and “hid the existence of the defeat device from regulators.” According to court papers, Liang and his fellow engineers did not stop at creating the defeat devices — they improved them. The indictment says that in May 2008 Liang transferred from Volkswagen headquarters in Germany to the U.S. to help oversee the launch of the new "clean diesel" models. The indictment says Liang conspired with current and former VW employees to mislead US regulators about the software that allowed the automaker to circumvent the nation’s emission standards.

An engineer from Volkswagen pleads guilty for his role in the emissions cheating scandal.

Having done so, the court must nonetheless conclude that the tribe has not demonstrated that an injunction is warranted here.” Despite the ruling in its favor, the federal government said it would halt pipeline work that occurs on federal land near Lake Oahe until it “can determine whether it will need to reconsider any of its previous decisions”. We urge everyone involved in protest or pipeline activities to adhere to the principles of non-violence.” The Standing Rock Sioux tribe has waged a vociferous protest against the pipeline, which would run near its North Dakota reservation. Judge James Boasberg of the US district court ruled that the US Army Corps of Engineers “likely complied” with National Historic Preservation Act by permitting the 1,170-mile Dakota Access pipeline, which will take oil from North Dakota to Illinois.

A U.S. federal judge denies a request to stop construction of a pipeline that runs through the Standing Rock Reservation of the Sioux people.

Just minutes after U.S. District Judge James Boasberg denied the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s attempt to halt the construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline that skirts the reservation in southern North Dakota, three federal agencies appealed to the pipeline company to “voluntarily pause” work on a segment that tribal officials say holds sacred sites and artifacts. Here's a look at the planned pipeline and the tribe's ongoing protest: ___ AFTER FIERY TRAIN DERAILMENTS, A MASSIVE PIPELINE PLANNED Owned by Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, the $3.8 billion, 1,172-mile project would carry nearly a half-million barrels of crude oil daily from North Dakota's oil fields through South Dakota and Iowa to an existing pipeline in Patoka, Illinois, where shippers can access Midwest and Gulf Coast markets. The tribe, whose cause has drawn thousands to join its protest, had challenged the Army Corps of Engineers' decision to grant permits at more than 200 water crossings for Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners' $3.8 billion pipeline, saying that the project violates several federal laws, including the National Historic Preservation Act, and will harm water supplies. Filed on behalf of the tribe by environmental group Earthjustice, the suit says the project violates several federal laws, including the National Historic Preservation Act, and will disturb sacred sites outside of the 2.3-million acre reservation. The lawsuit alleges that the pipeline, which would be placed less than a mile upstream of the tribe's reservation, could impact drinking water for more than 8,000 tribal members and millions who rely on it downstream. Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II is expected to speak from the North Dakota Capitol shortly after 3 p.m. Friday. Nearly 40 people have been arrested since the protest began in April, including tribal chairman Dave Archambault II, though none stemmed from Saturday's confrontation between protesters and construction workers. The ruling on a Native American tribe's request for a temporary restraining order on construction comes one day after Gov. State authorities announced this week that law enforcement officers from across the state were being mobilized at the protest site, some National Guard members would work security at traffic checkpoints and another 100 would be on standby. ___ CULTURE CLASH Last weekend, tribal officials said crews bulldozed several sites of "significant cultural and historic value" on private land, which Energy Transfer Partners denies. The state's Private Investigation and Security Board received complaints about the use of dogs and will look into whether the private security personnel at the site are properly registered and licensed, board attorney Monte Rogneby said Friday, adding that he would not name the firms. Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg partially granted the tribe's request to temporarily stop work near Lake Oahe to prevent the destruction of more sacred sites, but not on the private land that sparked the protest.

Following this ruling, and to head off an immediate confrontation, the Obama administration temporarily suspends further construction of the pipeline on U.S. Army Corps land bordering or under Lake Oahe, and asks the Dakota Access construction company to voluntarily pause all work within 20 miles of the lake.

LEGAZPI CITY—The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on Thursday raised the alert level over Mt. Mayon in Albay province from zero to 1 after it observed abnormalities around the volcano. Ed Laguerta, resident volcanologist of Phivolcs here, said 146 earthquakes had been recorded in areas around the volcano from Aug. 3 to 6, with epicenter traced to Santo Domingo town. ADVERTISEMENT Laguerta also described the volcano’s base ground as “inflated.” Michael Jaucian, Inquirer Southern Luzon Read Next LATEST STORIES MOST READ

The alert level for the Mayon Volcano in the Philippines is increased after more than a hundred earthquakes were detected in its vicinity.

At least two dead as train derails in northern Spain MADRID, Sept 9 (Reuters) - At least two people have died after a train derailed in Galicia, in northern Spain, a spokesman for the local emergency services said on Friday. “There are still some injured here but not very serious, the seriously injured were quickly evacuated.” The train was travelling from the Galician town of Vigo to the city of Porto in Portugal when the accident happened near O Porrino. 'Covered in blood' The front portion of the train was badly mangled, but the last two carriages were only lightly affected and Spanish media report that many people were able to walk off the damaged train. The back two cars were partly off the tracks. READ MORE: * Five killed in train derailment south of the Egyptian capital * Train derails after hitting truck in Australia, no one killed Adif railway infrastructure company said it has opened an investigation. Image copyright EPA Image caption The mangled front coach of the Portuguese train near O Porrino station At least four people have been killed and 47 hurt in a train derailment near O Porrino in north-western Spain. Galicia was also the scene of one of Spain’s worst rail disasters in 2013, when around 80 people were killed and another 144 injured after a train slammed into a concrete wall on the outskirts of Santiago de Compostela.

A train derails at a station in the town of O Porriño in Galicia, Spain, killing at least four people.

After Cable Cars Got Stuck In The Alps, Dozens Spent Night Suspended In Midair Enlarge this image toggle caption Luca Bruno/AP Luca Bruno/AP On Thursday night, a series of cable cars traveling over the Mont Blanc Alpine Massif stopped working — leaving more than 100 tourists stranded, NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports. With the cables now straightened, the cable cars were able to resume their journey, at very slow speeds and under close surveillance, and delivered the passengers to the nearest ground stations, mayor Eric Fournier said. The interior minister said 65 people were rescued Thursday night, but 45 had to be left there overnight after rescue operations were halted because of rough flight conditions for helicopters and darkness. Five rescuers stayed overnight in the cable cars and provided blankets, food and water to help weather the chilly mountain nighttime conditions. The incident comes five years after around 40 people were stuck for nearly seven hours on the Grande-Motte cable car in the southeastern French Alps after it broke down. The French Téléphérique de l'Aiguille du Midi connects the peak of Aiguille du Midi to the village of Chamonix, while the Italian Skyway Monte Bianco connects the peak of Pointe Helbronner to the village of La Palud, just north of Courmayeur near the Mont Blanc Tunnel.

More than a hundred tourists in the French Alps spend an evening suspended in midair inside cable cars that ceased to move.

(CNN) Planes completed aerial spraying for mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus early Friday in the Miami area, despite concerns over possible effects that the insecticide Naled may have on health and the environment. Florida's health department told The Miami Herald (http://hrld.us/2c1fOBF) that eight out-of-state residents have contracted Zika in Florida but are not included in the state's total count of local Zika infections. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said it could lift its advisory for a 1-square-mile zone encompassing Miami's Wynwood neighborhood on Sept. 19 if no new locally contracted cases are confirmed, The Miami Herald reports (http://hrld.us/2bZrzIO). The virus can cause neurological disorders in unborn children Health officials have sprayed pesticide and larvicide on the ground in areas where they believe the mosquitoes may be, and are expanding those efforts with the aerial use of Naled. County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said in a statement Wednesday, Sept. 7 that the spraying to fight the Zika virus scheduled for Thursday morning was moved to Friday morning. Naled spray droplets stay airborne for an extended period, and the chemical begins to break down once exposed to sunlight or water. Mosquitoes, sexual contact with someone infected and contact with infected blood can transmit the virus to humans. The United Kingdom has advised pregnant women to avoid the county for non-essential travel and consider postponing non-essential travel in the rest of Florida. Pregnant women are at greatest risk because the virus can have devastating consequences for an unborn baby, including the birth defect microcephaly and other neurological deficits, as well as miscarriage and stillbirth among women who were infected while pregnant.

Miami Beach authorities begin spraying for the Zika virus despite protests.

Magnitude of N.Korea seismic event greater than last one - CTBTO agency VIENNA, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Preliminary data collected by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) in Vienna indicates that the magnitude of the seismic event detected in North Korea on Friday was greater than a previous one in January, the agency's chief said. A spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, Ned Price, says Washington is aware of seismic activity on the Korean Peninsula in the vicinity of a known North Korean nuclear test site. Image copyright AP Image caption South Korea's military said the test appeared to be the North's biggest yet Ms Park, who is cutting short an overseas visit, said the test was a "grave challenge" to the international community that would "only earn more sanctions and isolation" for North Korea. North Korea's state TV said Friday that the test elevated the country's nuclear arsenal and is part of its response to the international sanctions following its earlier nuclear test and long-range rocket launch in January and February. In recent months the North has conducted a series of ballistic missile launches - some of which reached Japanese waters - and has unleashed a rising tide of aggressive rhetoric, threatening nuclear attacks on its enemies. (The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 5.3-magnitude seismic event in North Korea on Friday, near a nuclear test site in the northeastern part of the county.

A 5.3 magnitude seismic event recorded in North Korea is confirmed to be the result of a nuclear weapons test.

“Leaving the EU customs union will require the introduction of new customs controls (a ‘hard border’) between Northern Ireland and the Republic, in order to prevent goods from crossing the Border in contravention of customs checks.” Negotiating a new free trade agreement with the EU, which would have to be ratified by all 27 remaining member states, could take years.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny says that Irish unity must be considered in Brexit talks.

According to United Nations figures, more than 9,500 people have been killed in the fighting in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that began in April 2014, after Ukraine’s Russia-friendly president Viktor Yanukovych was ousted by street protests and Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula.

Czech President Milos Zeman says in an interview that the Crimean peninsula can never be returned to Ukraine, notwithstanding the fact that it was de facto annexed by Russia.

U.S. House votes to allow Sept. 11 families to sue Saudi Arabia WASHINGTON, Sept 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation by voice vote on Friday that would allow the families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to sue Saudi Arabia's government for damages, despite the White House's threat to veto the measure. The House passed the legislation Friday by a voice vote, about four months after the measure cleared the Senate despite vehement objections from Saudi Arabia. The bill -- approved in the House by a voice vote some four months after its Senate passage -- is strongly opposed by the government of Saudi Arabia, the home nation of 15 of the 19 hijackers in the September 11, 2001 attacks. The bill set for a House vote Friday gives victims' families the right to sue in U.S. court for any role that elements of the Saudi government may have played in the 2001 attacks that killed thousands in New York, the Washington, D.C., area and Pennsylvania. The White House has signaled that Obama would veto the legislation over the potential for it to backfire and apprehension about undermining a long-standing yet strained relationship with a critical U.S. ally in the Middle East. US House allows 9/11 victims to sue Saudi, bill heads to Obama The House of Representatives passed legislation Friday that would allow victims of the 9/11 attacks and their relatives sue foreign governments suspected of backing acts of terrorism against the United States. [nW1N12802E] If Obama carries out that threat and the required two-thirds of both the Republican-majority House and Senate still support the bill, it would be the first time since Obama's presidency began in 2009 that Congress had overridden a veto. Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, said the U.S. government should be more concerned about the families of the victims than “diplomatic niceties.” Poe said he doesn’t know if the Saudi government had a role in the attacks that killed more than 3,000 people. Following Friday’s vote, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., one of the authors of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, said he was “pleased” the House had “taken this huge step forward towards justice” and said he hoped the Obama administration would not veto the bill. The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act had triggered a threat from Riyadh to pull billions of dollars from the U.S. economy if the legislation is enacted.

The United States Congress passes a law allowing families of the victims of the September 11 attacks to sue Saudi Arabia. U.S. president Barack Obama threatens to veto it.

During Najib’s state visit to Bangkok, the Malaysian leader and his Thai counterpart Prayut Chan-O-Cha will discuss building a new stretch of fence along a small section of the border, according to Thailand’s defense ministry spokesman. People-trafficking and the smuggling of contraband, including drugs and petrol, have flourished along the Thai-Malay border for years until a crackdown by Thai officials on human traffickers caused some of the routes to shut down last year. "We both face security issues including the fight against terrorism, human trafficking and illegal smuggling, that is why we need to address these issues seriously," said Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. The Thai and Malaysian leaders will discuss ways to advance dialogue with the insurgents, according to Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Najib’s visit follows three deadly bomb attacks in southern Thailand over the past month, including a wave of bombs in tourist towns in August that Thai police have linked to Muslim separatists operating in the country’s south. Thailand’s three Muslim-majority southernmost provinces are plagued by a bloody insurgency, and the porous 650-kilometer (400 mile) border with Malaysia is also a crime hotbed, criss-crossed by human traffickers, drug mules and weapon smugglers. Since 2004, Muslim separatists operating in the area have waged a bloody insurgency which has claimed more than 6500 lives, according to the Deep South Watch which monitors the conflict. Thailand’s three southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat were once part of an independent Malay Muslim sultanate until they were annexed by Thailand in 1909. “The second reason is that insurgents operating in Thailand regularly cross the border and use Malaysia as a safety base.” Yet, it remains unclear how far the wall will reduce crime.

Elections in Malaysia are to occur in 2017 as efforts to challenge the legitimacy of Najib Razak mount.

‘Today, Sergei Lavrov and I, on behalf of our presidents and our countries, call on every Syrian stakeholder to support the plan that the United States and Russia have reached, to … bring this catastrophic conflict to the quickest possible end through a political process,’ US secretary of state John Kerry told a news conference after marathon talks in the Swiss city. Kerry said the “bedrock” of the new deal was an agreement that the Syrian government would not fly combat missions in an agreed area on the pretext of hunting fighters from the Nusra Front, an Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria which recently changed its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham. Second, the U.S. agreed to pressure “moderate” rebel groups opposed to the Syrian government to fully distance themselves from the Front for the Conquest of Syria, formerly known as Al Nusra Front, which the U.S. considers Al Qaeda’s branch in Syria.

The U.S. Obama administration and the Russian Putin administration agree to a Syrian peace deal. The deal is intended to end combat in specified areas and create a joint center of combat to fight ISIL and Al-Nusra Front.

Earthquakes are fairly common in the Great Lakes region but are almost always of low intensity ©Tony Karumba (AFP/File) "Some people have been discharged from hospital," he told AFP. By Tony Karumba (AFP/File) Dar es Salaam (AFP) - At least 13 people were killed and 203 injured in northwest Tanzania when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit the country Saturday, local authorities told AFP.s "The toll has climbed from 11 people dead to 13 and from 192 injured to 203," said Deodatus Kinawilo, District Commissioner for Bukoba, the town close to the epicentre of the quake. "We currently have 11 people dead and more than 100 injured, several of whom have been hospitalised... rescue operations are ongoing," Augustine Ollomi, the Kagera province police chief in charge of the Bukoba district said by telephone. The U.S. Geological Survey said Saturday that there is a low likelihood of casualties and damage from the quake in the Lake Victoria region whose tremors were felt as far as western Kenya and parts of Uganda, which share the waters of the lake. The epicentre of the 1227 GMT quake was about 25 kilometres (15 miles) east of the north-western town of Nsunga on the border of Lake Victoria, according to the US Geological Survey. An AFP correspondent in the Tanzanian capital whose mother's family lives in Bukoba said 10 family houses had collapsed and that the regional hospital was overwhelmed and could not handle any more patients. No damage had been reported in the economic capital, Dar es Salaam, which is located some 1,400 kilometres southeast of Bukoba.

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake occurs in northern Tanzania, near Lake Victoria, killing at least 13 people and injuring 200 others. Tanzanian authorities report significant damage in the town of Bukoba. The governments of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda report tremors.

A federal judge ruled in late July that the 61-year-old Hinckley is not a danger to himself or the public and can live full time at his mother's home in Williamsburg, Va. At the time of the shooting, Hinckley was a troubled 25-year-old obsessed with actress Jodie Foster and the movie Taxi Driver. Marking 30 years since Reagan's shooting Life after shooting a US president Image copyright AP Image caption John Hinckley Jr was found not guilty due to his psychiatric problems (file photo from 2003) As part of his release he will: be banned from speaking to the press; have to work three days a week; be allowed to drive no more than 30 miles (48km) from his mother's home, or 50 miles if accompanied; see a psychiatrist two times a month The shooting, just weeks into Ronald Reagan's presidency, shocked the world. Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity at a 1982 trial and was diagnosed with depression and psychosis, both of which are now in remission, according to his doctors. Hinckley, 61, will move in with his elderly mother in a gated community in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he has been making increasingly long furlough visits in recent years under the watchful eyes of the U.S. Secret Service.

The District Court for the District of Columbia releases John Hinckley Jr, U.S. President Ronald Reagan's March 1981 would-be assassin, from a psychiatric hospital after 35 years.

The leader of the National Federation Party, Biman Prasad, and the leader of Sodelpa, Sitiveni Rabuka, were being held, along with the general secretary of the Fiji Council of Trade Unions, Attar Singh, an academic and former politician, Tupeni Baba, and Jone Dakuvula, from the organisation Pacific Dialogue. “Anything restraining free speech would be a concern to the New Zealand government.’’ McCully said a lot of good things have happened since the disarray in Fiji after Bainimarama led a military coup in 2006 and “we want to keep encouraging those who move things in a good direction’’.

Fiji authorities detain two opposition party leaders, a prominent trade unionist, and another opposition activist, following their participation in Wednesday's forum on the Pacific island's 2013 constitution. A police spokesperson told the Fiji Times that several people were being questioned about comments made at the forum that, "Could affect the safety and security of all Fijians."

The 28-year-old German -- who will rise from second to first in the rankings Monday, ahead of Serena Williams -- became the first female player other than Williams to win two majors in a season since Justine Henin in 2007. Indeed it has been a stellar year for Kerber, who opened her grand slam account at the Australian Open by defeating Williams, made the final at Wimbledon -- losing to Williams in a high-quality encounter -- and won silver at the Rio Olympics last month. When I was a kid, I was always dreaming to be the number one player in the world and to win Grand Slams, and today's the day." 1 and win grand slams," Kerber, a breakthrough artist at the US Open five years ago in reaching the semis, said during the trophy presentation. I mean, all the dreams came true this year, and I'm just trying to enjoy every moment on court and also off court." "Everything started here in 2011, and now I'm here in 2016 and I'm standing with the trophy, second grand slam trophy, and it means so much to me." Kerber won most of the big points in the first set-and-a-half against the tall, powerful Pliskova, who was appearing in a first grand slam final. But 11th-ranked Pliskova broke late in the second and then led 3-1 in the third. At 4-4 in the final set it came down to a test of nerve, and Kerber's was rock solid as she held impressively before Pliskova fell 0-40 behind and blazed a forehand wide on match point. She took time to reflect in her chair, weeping in joy, and later picked up a check for $3.5 million. @AngeliqueKerber is the first German woman to win the #usopen since Steffi Graf in 1996. pic.twitter.com/Bg2PyL105x — US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 10, 2016 The Czech had become the first player in six years to beat Serena and Venus Williams -- who own a combined 29 singles majors -- at the same tournament but was unable to overcome the counter-punching Kerber three weeks after downing the left-hander in Cincinnati. "I was just happy that I took it to a third set and even though I couldn't get the win I'm really proud of myself, the way I was playing in the last two weeks," said Pliskova. "Hopefully many more finals to come." Prior to this fortnight, the 24-year-old had never been beyond the fourth round at a major despite being an established player the previous two seasons. Media playback is not supported on this device US Open 2016: Winning tournament is incredible - Angelique Kerber Pliskova said: "I found out I can play my best tennis on the big stages. The men's final will be decided Sunday, when world No. 1 Novak Djokovic plays No. 3 Stan Wawrinka; Women's Doubles Final: No.

In tennis, German Angelique Kerber defeats Czech Karolína Plíšková in three sets to win the 2016 US Open women's singles title.

Its initial aims include allowing humanitarian access and joint targeting of jihadist groups A nationwide ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russia came into effect in Syria on Monday evening, the second attempt this year by Washington and Moscow to halt the five-year-old civil war. The Syrian army, announced the truce at 7 p.m. local time, the moment it took effect, saying the seven-day "regime of calm" would be applied across Syria. Just moments before the ceasefire came into force, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported that three people were killed in regime shelling in the rebel-held town of Douma near Damascus. The worst strikes were in Idlib, where at least 61 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in an attack that targeted a crowded market, an activist who witnessed the bombing and its aftermath told CNN.

Before a ceasefire takes effect tomorrow, over 100 people have been killed and over 100 injured in airstrikes on rebel-held Idlib.

This file photo taken on January 8 shows smoke billowing from a petroleum storage tank after a fire was extinguished following fighting at Al Sidra oil terminal, near Ras Lanuf in the so-called ‘oil crescent’ along Libya’s northern coast (AFP photo) BENGHAZI, Libya — Forces loyal to eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar on Sunday seized at least two key oil ports from a rival force loyal to the UN-backed government, risking a new conflict over the OPEC nation’s resources. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori/File Photo Ahmed al-Mismari, a spokesman for Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), said its fighters had full control of Es Sider, Ras Lanuf, Brega and Zueitina after launching an early morning military operation on the eve of the Muslim holiday of Eid. EXPORT QUESTIONS The ports targeted by the LNA were previously under the control of the Petrol Facilities Guard (PFG), whose leader, Ibrahim Jathran, struck a deal with the GNA in July to end its blockade of Ras Lanuf, Es Sider and Zueitina.

Forces loyal to Libyan general and former US citizen Khalifa Haftar, commander of the elected Council of Deputies military, seize control of the ports of Sidra, Ra's Lanuf, Brega and Zuwetina.