Tsunami Alerts Issued After Major Earthquake

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Three people have been killed after an 8.3-magnitude earthquake struck off Chile's northern coast, causing buildings to shake and flooding in coastal towns.
Authorities issued several tsunami alerts for Chile's entire Pacific coast in the wake of the tremor, which occurred 141 miles northwest of the capital Santiago.
Strong aftershocks shook the region - including one with a magnitude of 7.0 - as residents were ordered to evacuate the coastline.
A series of waves have been reported along Chile's coast and tsunami alerts remain in place for Peru, Ecuador and Hawaii.
As the alerts were issued, fishing boats headed further out to sea for the safety of deep water.
Many residents also packed their cars and drove inland to seek higher ground.
"People started screaming that everything was shaking," said Jorge Medina, a Santiago resident.
Footage aired on Chilean state TV showed water flowing into the streets of Concon, a coastal town near Valparaiso.
Other footage showed the walls and ceilings of buildings shaking as people rushed to safety.

In the inland city of Illapel, around 175 miles from Santiago, a woman was killed and the town's electricity supply was disrupted.
"We are very scared. Our city panicked," said the city's mayor Denis Cortes.
It was the first major earthquake to strike Chile since hundreds died following an 8.8-magnitude quake in 2010.
"Once again we must confront a powerful blow from nature," Chile's President Michelle Bachelet said while addressing the nation.
Chile is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries.
The Nazca tectonic plate which lies off the coast plunges beneath the South American plate, causing major seismic activity.
The strongest earthquake ever recorded occurred in Chile - a 9.5-magnitude tremor in 1960 that killed more than 5,000 people.

Children Injured As Tear Gas Fired At Refugees

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Hungarian police have fired tear gas after hundreds of migrants broke through its razor wire fence on the border with Serbia.
Sky News witnessed a pregnant woman being stretchered from the scene and footage later emerged of distressed and injured children who had been in the line of fire when police used tear gas and water cannon.
A nearby medical centre in Serbia reported that two people had been seriously injured and up to 300 sought treatment.
Some 1,500 refugees who had been hoping to travel through Hungary are now blocked by a 3.5m-high fence.
Tensions spilled over at about 3pm when some migrants responded to the police tactics by throwing rocks and house bricks.
The majority ran desperately from the scene.
Sky News' Colin Brazier described the scene at the Roszke-Horgos border crossing as clashes broke out around him.
"It's very fractious," he said. "There are young men who are really angry. It's a determined hard core of maybe a score - and behind them children and mothers.
"The imagery of this is being beamed around the world - people are going to look at this in other European capitals and be concerned."
Brazier said refugees had been left at the fence without food, water and information.
Hungary arrested 29 migrants during the riot, including one it described as a "terrorist".

Serbia sent ambulances to the crossing, where thick smoke billowed after the clashes.
The country reacted furiously to Hungary's tactics.
"This is being thrown across the border line, which no state has the right to do and because of that I protest in the strongest terms," Serbian minister Aleksandar Vulin said.
Serbia later said it would send extra police to the crossing to "prevent further attacks on the Hungarian police from our territory and in a humane and respectful way distance the migrants from the fence and the Hungarian police".

Refugees Head For Western Europe Via Croatia

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With the Hungarian route blocked some of the refugees have taken matters into their own hands, heading west through Serbia towards Croatia or north from the southern border with Macedonia.
It is such a new route that the refugees have no idea what to expect.
All they do know is that Hungary is inhospitable and now violent and dangerous.
It has never been very welcoming but now it is shut and intends to defend its borders with as much force as its government deems necessary.
Fences, water cannon, gas, the military and the law are all being deployed with equal vigour.
On buses and in taxis they arrive at an informal junction on the old road to Croatia outside the town of Sid.
They shoulder their bags, grab a packed lunch from waiting NGOs and head off on a farm track through cornfields to yet another unofficial crossing point.
Some have done this through four or five nations.
By coming through Croatia and Slovenia to Austria, what should have been the last and arguably quickest leg of their journey has now been doubled.

I spoke to a number of the refugees who had made it to the Hungarian border.
They are all uniformly unhappy.
"It is terrible the way we have been treated," a young man from Damascus told me as he trudged with a group of friends towards the border.
"It is wrong, there are women and children in this heat, without food, without any respect being shown to them.
"Hungary is a big problem but we will keep going this way (through Croatia) and then eventually we will get there."
The Serbian authorities have shown remarkable flexibility in dealing with the tide of refugees but they still insist on keeping the official border crossings open, so they direct the refugees to what are basically illegal crossing points.

Syrian Refugees' Stories Of Fear And Hope

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The violence and desperation at the Serbia-Hungary border is another reminder of the risk so many people are taking in their quest to reach Western Europe.
I've been on the road, following the migration route through Hungary, Austria and into Germany.
I wanted to find out more about the people travelling through Europe. Who are they? What is their profession? How did they get here? Where are they going?
And to ask: What drives a person to leave their home and everything they know behind and set off on a very long journey in search of a new life?
Here are some of the stories I found along the way.

RAAFAT: 37
HOME: DAMASCUS, SYRIA
DESTINATION: NORWAY

At the border crossing from Serbia into Hungary I meet Raafat from Damascus in Syria. He wants to build a new future with his son in Norway. His journey has taken him via Lebanon and Turkey, where he says he swam at night for seven hours to reach Greece and Europe.
FADI: 38
HOME: DAMASCUS, SYRIA
DESTINATION: GERMANY

I find Fadi taking shelter from the rain in a tent near Roszke. He's a professional artist from Damascus in Syria. He's travelling with his Nephew and wants to go to Germany. He left Syria 9 months ago, and took a boat from Turkey to Greece before travelling up through Macedonia and Serbia.
MUSTAFA: 14
HOME: IDLIB, SYRIA
DESTINATION: GERMANY

In the refugee camp at Roszke in Hungary, 14-year-old Mustafa tells me his story through the fence. He's from Idlib in Syria where he says he went to school every day, until the building was destroyed by a bomb. He wants to go to Germany to be "free" and go to school.
AHMED: 19
HOME: ALEPPO, SYRIA
DESTINATION: GERMANY

At the border crossing between Hungary and Austria 19-year-old Ahmed is travelling with his mother, brother and little sister. He says they lost their home in Aleppo in Syria and escaped to Europe via Turkey by boat. He wants to go to Germany to study and become a dentist or a doctor.

Trump Trades Jibes With Republican Rivals

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Donald Trump has been attacked by his political rivals during the much-hyped second Republican US presidential TV debate which kicked off with a series of punchy exchanges.
The 11 candidates, selected on the basis of recent polls, went head-to-head at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
Senator Rand Paul said Mr Trump's habit of hurling personal insults made him "worried to have someone like that in charge of the nuclear arsenal".
Mr Trump hit back, saying: "I never attacked him on his look, and believe me, there's plenty of subject matter right there."
The mudslinging didn't end there. Mr Trump threw a jibe at Jeb Bush, saying he liked that he was "showing energy", having previously said that he lacked it.

Former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina gave a strong performance with detailed answers on foreign policy and powerful attacks on Hillary Clinton's achievements.
She attacked Mr Trump's business acumen, reminding the millions of viewers that he filed for bankruptcy four times.
She said: "That is precisely the way you ran your companies.
"You ran up mountains of debt, as well as losses, using other people's money. Why should we trust you to manage the finances of this nation?"
Earlier they bickered over Mr Trump's recent insult to Ms Fiorina, saying people might not vote for her because of her face.
"I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr Trump said," she said.
Mr Trump's reply got a more muted response: "I think she's got a beautiful face, and I think she's a beautiful woman."
Mr Trump also sparred with former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, with Mr Bush hitting back at criticism of his brother George's presidency by saying: "One thing about my brother - he made us safe."
The epic debate covered a swathe of issues from the Iran nuclear deal to defunding planned parenthood.
Real estate tycoon Mr Trump, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and Ms Fiorina have enjoyed a recent rise in the polls thanks to a growing contempt for the perceived establishment elite.

Obese Girl, 3, One Of Youngest Ever With Diabetes

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An obese toddler who weighs the same as an average 11-year-old has been diagnosed with lifestyle-related diabetes.
The three-year-old girl is one of the youngest people ever to have the type-2 form of the condition, according to her doctor.
Dr Michael Yafi, from Houston in Texas, said that when he made the diagnosis the anonymous girl tipped the scales at 35kg (5st 7lb).
He told the European Association for the Study of Diabetes conference in Stockholm that the family had "poor nutritional habits, with uncontrolled counting of calories and fat".
Both parents were obese, but there was no family history of diabetes.
The girl was given the drug metformin to bring her blood sugar under control.
Her parents were also told to control her food portion sizes, count calories and increase the amount of exercise she did.
Six months later the girl had lost 9kg (1st 7lb) and her blood sugar levels were within the healthy range.
Dr Yafi said the growing obesity epidemic meant doctors should be alert to lifestyle-related diabetes even in young children.
"Reversal of type-2 diabetes in children is possible by early screening of obese children, early diagnosis, appropriate therapy and lifestyle modification," he said.
Tam Fry of the UK's Child Growth Foundation told Sky News: "Fifteen years ago it was rare even for an adolescent to have type 2 diabetes.
"It was thought to be a mid-life disease.
"In those 15 years it has gone from being something that nobody got in childhood to being quite common at the age of 10.
"We have taken the eye off the ball in preventing obesity and none of this should happen."
Douglas Twenefour, clinical advisor at Diabetes UK, said that "probably less than 100" young children have been diagnosed with type-2 diabetes in the UK.
"This highlights how important it is that children get a healthy start to life, which includes a healthy diet and regular exercise," he said.
Later this year the Government will publish a new plan to tackle the one in five children who are now obese.
The strategy will include measures to stop children putting on weight over the summer holidays, when they're not being given portion-controlled meals at school.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "The obesity epidemic and particularly childhood obesity has now taken over as the biggest health challenge of our time and it's a challenge we are determined to rise to."

Children Thrown From Windows To Escape Fire

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More than 100 people, mainly children, have been taken to hospital after a fire started in a building housing a kindergarten.
The blaze began in a paper flower shop on the floor below the kindergarten in Ningde City, in China's Fujian province. 
All 303 children were rescued, with some being hurled from windows onto blankets as smoke filled the building.
TV pictures also showed adults running from the building with children in their arms.
Some 92 children and 12 adults were taken to hospital and all are said to be in a stable condition.
Despite the chaos, firefighters were able to extinguish the fire in around half an hour.

Russian Admits Credit Card Hacking Scheme

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A Russian man has pleaded guilty in a US court to taking part in a computer hacking scheme involving the theft and sale of 160 million credit and debit card numbers.
Vladimir Drinkman entered the plea in the District Court of Camden, New Jersey, as he admitted being involved in the scheme between 2005 and 2012.
One of the main corporate targets of the scheme was Princeton-based Heartland Payment Systems Inc.
The value of the scam is reported to be around $300m (£195m).
The 34-year-old will be sentenced on 15 January and faces up to 35 years in jail, followed by deportation.
The case was described in 2013 by US Attorney Paul Fishman as the largest hacking scheme in the US ever to go to court.
Three other Russians and a Ukrainian were also charged in connection with the fraud - two of them are not yet in custody.
The hacker, who originally pleaded not guilty to the charge, was first arrested in Amsterdam in 2012 and subsequently extradicted to the US.
He was accused of hacking through online security to steal passwords and credit card numbers and then handing the details over to an associate who would sell the numbers on.

Listen: Sir Elton Duped By Putin Pranksters

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A recording of Sir Elton John's phone call with two pranksters - one claiming to be Vladimir Putin - has been released, with the singer claiming to be "extremely honoured" to talk to the Russian president.
The comedians Vovan and Lexus appeared on Russian TV to release the conversation, in which Sir Elton was asked to discuss gay rights.
Lexus, whose real name is Alexei Stolyarov, pretended to be Mr Putin, while Vovan acted as a translator.
Believing himself to be addressing Mr Putin through a translator, Sir Elton said: "Tell him that I am extremely honoured that he is calling me and that I am speaking to him.
"It's a great privilege to be able to speak to one of the most influential people in the whole world. It's amazing.
He added: "I am a musician and a philanthropic person and a humanitarian."
Asked what he thought were the most pressing issues in Russia, Sir Elton said: "I think the violence towards LGBT people.
"They don't feel safe. But this is something I don't really want to talk about over the phone.
"This is something I can have a dialogue with the president face-to-face.
"And I would welcome that because things get done better  when you see somebody and you meet them.
"If both our offices can find a convenient date when we can convene and have a really wonderful discussion, then that would be a miracle and it would be fantastic and it would be a dream come true."
Sir Elton posted on Instagram on Monday thanking the Russian president for "reaching out" to him and said he looked forward to a face-to-face meeting "to discuss LGBT equality".

Tears And Hugs After Richard Glossip Reprieve

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The prison official who checked my passport as ID told us: "This is a horrible event but we're going to make it as pleasant as possible. We have cookies and coffee for you."
And with that, three official witnesses to an execution were waved into Oklahoma State Penitentiary.
I was in a car along with Sister Helen Prejean, the author of Dead Man Walking and Richard Glossip's best friend, Kim Van Atta. 
Behind us were the two other witnesses who the death row inmate had requested, Crystal Martinez, another friend, and Kim Bellware from the Huffington Post.
So two friends, two journalists and a nun. 
Though the official briefing from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections had listed Kim Bellware and me as "friends" too.
I may be a reporter but I now consider Richard Glossip to be a friend. 
It was 11.30am and Richard Glossip was due to die in three-and-a-half hours. 

Sister Helen was optimistic. 
She felt that the attorneys who filed a motion for a stay of execution with the Court of Criminal Appeals had done a good job. 
I didn't believe her.The speed with which the Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin had rejected the new evidence had convinced me the execution would go ahead.
We were shown to a room with water and coffee, though not yet any cookies. 
We chatted. 
The mood was reasonably upbeat, given that was how Richard Glossip had been the night before. 
Sister Helen asked to use the bathroom.
I was about to broach the tentative subject of funeral arrangements with Crystal and Kim Van Atta when half a dozen men in suits walked into the room. 

White House Invite For Arrested Muslim Student

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US President Barack Obama has invited a Muslim boy to the White House after he was detained by police for taking a homemade clock to school that teachers mistook for a bomb.
Ahmed Mohamed, 14, was led away in handcuffs from Irving MacArthur High School in North Texas on Monday after bringing the device to his engineering class.
In a tweet posted on Wednesday, Mr Obama said: "Cool clock, Ahmed. Want to bring it to the White House?
"We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It's what makes America great."
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Ahmed had been "failed" by his school, calling the episode a "teachable moment".
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg also invited Ahmed, an aspiring inventor who builds his own radios, to the social network's California headquarters.
"Having the skill and ambition to build something cool should lead to applause, not arrest," said Mr Zuckerberg.
"The future belongs to people like Ahmed.
"Ahmed, if you ever want to come by Facebook, I'd love to meet you. Keep building."
Irving Police Chief Larry Boyd told a news conference on Wednesday that Ahmed would not be charged.
"We have no evidence that there was an intention to create alarm," he told reporters.

The police department earlier said three teachers at the high school had accused the teenager of a bomb hoax.
Irving Independent School District spokesperson Lesley Weaver said students and staff are encouraged to report any suspicious behaviour.
"We will take all necessary precautions to protect our students and keep our school community as safe as possible," Ms Weaver said in a statement.
Ahmed said he demonstrated his homework project to his engineering teacher and was advised not to show it to anyone else.
When his clock rang in English class later in the day, he said the teacher confiscated it claiming it looked like a bomb.
Ahmed said he was led into a room where five police officers were waiting, one of whom remarked: "Yup. That's who I thought it was."
He was taken to Irving police headquarters to be questioned, fingerprinted and photographed, reports the Dallas Morning News.
"It made me feel like I wasn't human," Ahmed told the newspaper. "It made me feel like a criminal."
The principal reportedly threatened to expel him unless he made a written statement to police. Ahmed has been suspended.
The incident has sparked an outcry on social media, where #IStandWithAhmed was trending on Twitter.
His older sisters have set up a Twitter account for him, @IStandWithAhmed, which has more than 40,000 followers.
Alia Salem, the director of the North Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the arrest "raises a red flag".
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has joined the chorus of tweets supporting Ahmed.
"Ahmed, stay curious and keep building," she wrote.
Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne defended school officials, insisting they were simply following protocol. 
She made headlines in March when she accused Muslims of plotting to bypass US courts by offering shariah-law mediation to worshippers.

Wage Growth Boosts Consumer Spending Power

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Household spending power is on the rise as real wage growth accelerates at a pace not seen for 13 years because of zero inflation in the UK economy.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) charted a 2.9% annual increase in average weekly earnings, excluding bonuses, in the three months to July.
It represented a 0.5% jump on April to June, with the bulk of the increase coming in July when it measured growth of more than 3%.
The increase was announced just a day after the ONS confirmedinflation had returned to zero last month - with falling fuel prices credited.
When the rate of inflation was taken into account, it meant that people were seeing the strongest growth in regular pay since June 2002 in July, the ONS said.
It was not all good news for the Government though as wider data confirmed the jobless total had risen for the third consecutive month - by 10,000 to 1.82 million.
The chancellor, George Osborne, said: "It is welcome news that pay packets are rising and jobs are being created.
"With wages up 2.9% over the year and inflation low, working people have received the fastest real terms rise in over a decade."
He also rounded on Labour's new leadership when adding: "We still face risks both from the global economy and from those at home who would undermine our economic security, hike taxes and nationalise industry.
"This government will continue to support firms, increase training and provide more free childcare for working parents, as well as introducing a National Living Wage."
Mr Osborne made his comments less than 24 hours after Jeremy Corbyn used a speech to union leaders in Brighton to denounce the Tories as "poverty deniers".
Labour's shadow work and pensions secretary Owen Smith said: "It's welcome news that workers' pay packets are increasing after years of stagnating.
"However, this is now the third consecutive increase in unemployment and ministers mustn't become complacent about overall joblessness.
"With such low levels of productivity persisting in the workforce and high levels of youth unemployment, the Government must do more to bring about an increase in the number of secure jobs in the British economy."
The Bank of England has been paying particularly close attention to the recovery in jobs and pay as it decides when the time is right to start raising the base rate of interest.
Despite inflation standing at zero, the surge in pay growth could prompt more members of the Bank's monetary policy committee to support a 0.25% hike at next month's meeting following an 8-1 vote in favour of no change in September.

Richard Glossip's Execution Halted In Oklahoma

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An Oklahoma appeals court has called a last-minute halt to the execution of a man who says he was framed by a colleague in his boss' murder.
Richard Glossip, 52, was due to face lethal injection in the death chamber at 3pm local time on Wednesday.
But the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals granted a request from his legal team for time to explore new evidence.
Glossip was twice convicted of the 1997 murder of Barry Van Treese, who owned the Oklahoma City motel where Glossip worked.
Justin Sneed, a handyman at the motel who admitted killing Van Treese with a baseball bat, said Glossip had paid him to do it.
Sky News reporter Ian Woods was invited by Glossip to witness him being put to death.

He described emotional scenes at Oklahoma State Penitentiary as the execution was put off to 30 September.
The case has featured on Sky News because of the unusual nature of the conviction.
There was no physical evidence linking Glossip to the crime, just the testimony of the teenager who escaped the death penalty in return for testifying against Glossip.

Budweiser Seeks Takeover Of Peroni Owner

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FTSE 100 brewer SABMiller has confirmed takeover interest from the world's biggest beer manufacturer - the maker of Budweiser, Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev).
SAB, which produces beer brands including Grolsch and Peroni, announced the approach following months of talk surrounding a possible bid.
Its statement said: The board of SABMiller notes the recent press speculation and confirms that Anheuser-Busch InBev has informed SABMiller that it intends to make a proposal to acquire SABMiller.
"No proposal has yet been received and the board of SABMiller has no further details about the terms of any such proposal."
A takeover would create a brewing giant with a combined value of almost £180bn - based on the share prices of the two firms following SAB's announcement.
Shares in the UK-listed firm rose almost 19% following the release of its statement.
Its rival said: "AB InBev confirms that it has made an approach to SABMiller’s board of directors regarding a combination of the two companies.
"AB InBev’s intention is to work with SABMiller’s Board toward a recommended transaction.
"There can be no certainty that this approach will result in an offer or agreement, or as to the terms of any such agreement."
SABMiller, which employs 69,000 people in more than 80 countries, produces 200 beer brands and has annual sales of almost £17bn.
AB InBev has 155,000 staff and a huge portfolio of major brands including Stella Artois, Corona, Beck's, Leffe and Hoegaarden.
Any takeover would be subject to regulatory clearances, which could require AB InBev to sell a number of brands - particularly in China and North America - to satisfy any competition concerns.

Diesel Drivers 'At Mercy Of Global Market'

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Diesel use has risen by 76% over the past 20 years and it is now twice as popular as petrol, according to a study by motoring research charity The RAC Foundation.
Some 45% of the UK's diesel demand is already met by foreign suppliers whereas the UK is a net exporter of petrol.
The report says the reliance on imports is partly down to the declining number of refineries - from nine in 2009 to six today.
Another cause is older refineries being configured to produce petrol rather than diesel. Retrofitting for the latter is hugely expensive.
RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said: "That leaves us at the mercy of the global market and much of the rest of Europe is in the same boat.
"We are having to look further and further afield for the fuel we need."
He added: "Recently motorists have benefited from falling forecourt prices. We should be concerned about the potential for things to go the other way."
The report noted that the number of diesel cars on Britain's roads has soared from 1.6 million in 1994 to 11 million in 2014.
It predicted that diesel fuel will be four times more popular than petrol by 2030.

Mr Gooding said: "Today every other car bought is a diesel, but our refineries have struggled to keep pace with demand and have not attracted the investment they need to switch over from petrol production.
"Most of our refineries - some of which are more than half a century old - were built when diesel was a niche product.
"Retro-fitting them is a billion-pound decision that has failed to stack up for investors who see refining as a low margin business despite our sky high pump prices."
The RAC Foundation report is entitled Readdressing The Balance Between Petrol And Diesel Demand.

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