Asteroid3122 Florence, which is roughly 2.7 miles (4.4 kilometers) wide, comes within 4.4 million miles (7 million km) of Earth — approximately 18 times the distance from our planet to the
Moon.
(Space)
Seven people are killed and 13 are injured after suicide bombers hit a state-run power station near the northern city of
Samarra,
Iraq. The
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claims responsibility for the attack.
(Reuters)
Hurricane Harvey is projected to possibly become the second costliest
hurricane in the
United States's history, with estimates ranging from
US$72 billion to over $125 billion. In comparison,
Hurricane Katrina's total damage is estimated to be around $118 to $160 billion.
(ABC News)
Large portions of
Frankfurt,
Germany, are evacuated as local authorities work to defuse a bomb left over from a
Royal Air Force raid during World War II. The evacuation is the largest to occur in Europe since
World War II.
(CNN)
Bomb disposal experts successfully defuse the bomb.
(AP)
The independent seismic monitoring agency
NORSAR estimates that the blast had a
yield of around 120 kilotons, approximately three times more than the combined explosive yield of the bombs dropped on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II.
(NOSAR)
U.S. Secretary of DefenseJames Mattis says in a statement “Any threat to the United States or its territories, including
Guam or our allies, will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming".
(Reuters)
South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo says it is worth reviewing deployment of U.S. strategic assets (aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, and B-52 bombers) to South Korea more regularly.
(The Washington Post)
Hurricane Irma strengthens to a maximum
Category 5 hurricane, becoming the strongest Atlantic hurricane since 2005's
Hurricane Wilma in terms of maximum sustained winds, described as "extremely dangerous." The
National Hurricane Center (NHC) predicts that Irma could strengthen even more due to favorable conditions.
(Washington Post)
Amid tensions from
South Korea, U.S. President
Donald Trump announces that he is "allowing Japan and South Korea to buy a substantially increased amount of highly sophisticated military equipment from the United States."
(The Independent)
The Trump Administration announces that, during the next six months, it will be ending the
DACA program that has halted the deportation of about 800,000 people who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Congress is called upon to pass legislation to correct the situation.
(The New York Times)
Hurricane watches are issued for the state of
Veracruz on Mexico's Gulf coast.
Category 1 Katia (75 mph/120 km/h) is about 185 miles (298 km) off the Mexican coast, slowly moving at 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h).
(Weather Channel)(The Times-Picayune)
A last minute presentation to the
Parliament of Catalonia results in the formal approval of a referendum concerning independence from Spain after tense discussions. Though the country's president urges the government to ignore the bill, parliament is expected to vote in favor of an independence vote. For the approval of this law, the Speaker,
Carme Forcadell breaks the regulations of the Parliament, placing the camera outside the law and violating the rights of the opposition.
(BBC)
Fifteen states and the
District of Columbia file suit challenging President Donald Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, arguing, in part, that federal government has reneged on the promise to protect young immigrants who came forward and registered with the government.
(Reuters)(Los Angeles Times)
Facebook tells congressional investigators an operation, traced to a
Russian company seeking to target voters, spent $100,000 on thousands of U.S. ads promoting divisive social and political messages during the
2016 U.S. election.
(Time)(The Washington post)
Irma has killed at least 14 people. The storm, still at
Category 5 strength with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph (280 km/h), is moving west-northwest at 16 mph (26 km/h). It has reached the dual-country island of
Hispaniola and is forecast to pass over the
Turks and Caicos Islands as it heads towards
The Bahamas and
Cuba. The eye did not directly hit
Puerto Rico; still casualties are reported and around two-thirds of its 3.4 million population are without electricity.
(Reuters)(The Washington Post)(BBC)
Seven first responders file a $1 million lawsuit against the
Arkema chemical company for failing to warn them in advance about the
environmental dangers from the plant explosion. The seven people, six police officers and an emergency worker, remain under a doctor's care.
(UPI)(Bloomberg)
In
Groton, Massachusetts, Orion Krause is arrested for killing his mother, grandparents, and a caretaker in their home. Authorities believe the killings were an act of domestic violence.
(Boston CBS)
Saudi Arabia suspends any dialogue with
Qatar, accusing it of “distorting facts” in its reporting of yesterday's phone call between the leaders of both countries which suggested a breakthrough in the Gulf dispute was possible.
(Reuters)(RT via Newsline)
In
cricket,
England defeat the
West Indies by nine wickets to win the three-match series. England bowler
Jimmy Anderson takes 7–42 and becomes only the third fast bowler in history to take 500 Test wickets.
(BBC)
Hurricane Irma makes landfall in
Florida as a category 4 hurricane, killing at least three people and knocking out power to over one million households.
(ABC News)(CNN)(The Guardian)
A gunman shoots seven people dead at a house party in
Plano, Texas, amid a domestic dispute. The gunman was then killed after exchanging fire with a Plano Police Department officer.
(The Independent)
Sweden starts its largest military exercise in over 20 years. Nearly 20,000 troops are set to participate, including a contingent of over 1,000
U.S. soldiers. The drills will take place on and around the island of
Gotland, including soldiers from
NATO countries.
(AP)
Mouscron mayor
Alfred Gadenne is found dead with his throat slashed inside the Belgian city's cemetery. A suspect has reportedly turned himself in to police.
(Reuters)
Seattle mayor
Ed Murray announces his resignation after allegations surface that he sexually abused five teenagers in the 1970s and 80s.
(The Seattle Times)
A suicide bombing occurs at a checkpoint near the Kabul International Cricket Stadium in
Kabul,
Afghanistan, killing at least three people and injuring five.
(Reuters)
Former businessman
Martin Shkreli has his bail revoked for threatening former politician
Hillary Clinton, after Shkreli posted on
Twitter that he would offer $5,000 to anyone who could directly obtain a lock of Clinton's hair. Shkreli was convicted of fraud in August and is awaiting sentencing.
(CNN)
In an official dinner hosted by the
United StatesPresident,
Donald Trump and leaders of the
Democratic party
Chuck Schumer and
Nancy Pelosi agree to fix DACA but disagree with the details, with Trump denying on Twitter the following day that a deal had been made which excluded funding for his proposed wall on the Mexico–United States border.
(CNN)
Several members of
ISIL stage multiple attacks on the outskirts of
Nasiriyah in the southern
Dhi Qar Governorate, killing at least 50 people and injuring 87 others.
(BBC)(RT)
Russia and
Belarus begin a six-day joint strategic
military exercise inside Belarus and Russia's
Kaliningrad Oblast. The military exercise simulates war against the fictional state of
Veyshnoria. According to the
Defence Ministry of Belarus, fewer than 13,000 personnel will be taking part in the exercise; however, Western analysts believe the total number will range from 60,000 to 100,000.
(Reuters)
Prime MinisterBjarni Benediktsson is criticised after his father wrote a letter recommending that a convicted child molester be pardoned. The
Bright Future party withdraws from the governing coalition, triggering its collapse.
(BBC)
Irishlow-cost airlineRyanair cancels 82 Sunday flights as the first step in a six-week program that will eliminate 40 to 50 flights daily to wipe out its crew vacation backlog in order to meet
Irish Aviation Authority requirements by the end of this year.
(Bloomberg)
More than 700 Catalan mayors meet in
Barcelona with
Catalan PresidentCarles Puigdemont to confirm their support for the October 1 independence referendum. Earlier this week,
Spanish prosecutors warned that officials participating in this vote could be criminally charged.
(Reuters)
The government of
Scotland releases a statement in support of the
Catalan independence referendum but would prefer that both
Catalonia and
Spain agree on the terms.
(The Scotsman)
Hurricane Maria has been upgraded from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane. Hurricane watches and warnings have been issued in parts of the Caribbean. It is following a path similar to Category 5
Hurricane Irma which left at least 82 dead.
(CNN)
A few hundred pro-government protesters gather in
Myanmar's commercial capital
Yangon, condemning
Rohingya militants as well as perceived foreign interference in the Rakhine conflict.
(MSN)
Toys "R" Us files for
Chapter 11bankruptcy protection in the United States, and also files for bankruptcy in Canada, as it attempts to restructure its debts.
(BBC)(CNBC)
Hurricane Maria makes
landfall on
Dominica as a
category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 km/h). Maria is the second category 5 hurricane to make landfall at that intensity in the 2017 season, making this and
2007 the only seasons on record to feature this occurrence.
(National Hurricane Center)
A
magnitude 7.1 earthquake strikes Mexico, killing at least 220 people and collapsing several buildings in
Mexico City and widespread evacuations, hours after a yearly earthquake drill in commemoration of the
1985 Mexico City earthquake.
(KTLA)
The
U.S. Federal Reserve announces its
benchmark interest rate will not change this month, though it expects an increase by the end of the year, along with three increases in 2018 and two in 2019. The Federal Reserve also says its
balance sheet reduction program will begin in October.
(CNBC)
Searches continue for possible survivors of the magnitude 7.1
earthquake that hit central
Mexico yesterday. By mid-afternoon, 52 people are rescued while at least 226 people have been killed and another 800 injured.
(Los Angeles Times)(ABC News)
The
National Hurricane Center predicts Puerto Rico's total rainfall through Saturday will be 20–30 inches (51–76 cm) inches with 35 inches (89 cm) in isolated areas. The
Virgin Islands will receive an additional 3 to 5 inches (7.6 to 12.7 cm).
(National Hurricane Center²)
Speaking to government workers at the presidential palace in
Manila, President
Rodrigo Duterte orders police to kill his eldest son, Paulo Duterte, if drug trafficking allegations against him are proven true, and adds that those who carried out the execution would be protected from prosecution.
(Independent)
Casualty reports indicate at least 15 people have been killed on
Dominica and two on
Guadeloupe. The casualty report for
Puerto Rico is now two deaths, including a man from a capsized boat near
Vieques, Puerto Rico. Power remains out for an estimated 3.4 million Puerto Ricans as the energy grid is all but destroyed.
Guajataca Dam in Puerto Rico will experience an "imminent dam break" according to the
National Weather Service which will threaten 70,000 residents. In addition, more than 95 percent of the island’s wireless cell sites are out of service.
(The New York Times)
Puerto Rico is forecast to get an additional 4 inches (10 cm) to 8 inches (20 cm) of rain through Saturday, on top of the several feet of rain that has fallen on parts of the island.
Caguas has received the most, 37.9 inches (96 cm). The NHC expects 8 inches (20 cm) to 16 inches (41 cm) rain for the Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos, and
Mayaguana in the southeast Bahamas.
(National Hurricane Center)(The New York Times)
Rescuers are focusing on 10 collapsed buildings where people may still be alive.
Mexico City MayorMiguel Ángel Mancera reports the death toll is now at least 273, with 50 people still missing.
(Reuters)
Conspiracy theorist and book author
David Meade predicted that a mythological
rogue planet known as
Nibiru (sometimes known as Planet X) would collide with
Earth and that the world would end on this day.
(Fox News)
Thousands of people on the
Indonesian island of
Bali flee from their homes due to concerns over
Mount Agung erupting. The alert status for the
volcano was increased to the highest level possible the day before.
(AP via Fox News)
China limits petroleum exports and bans imports of
textiles from
North Korea as part of new sanctions following the latest nuclear test.
(BBC)
An earthquake is detected in North Korea that China's earthquake authority believes is due to a North Korean nuclear test.
South Korea states that it could be a natural earthquake.
(ABC News)
The White House announces that citizens of
North Korea,
Venezuela, and
Chad will be restricted from travelling to the United States, along with citizens of the six nations previously listed in
Executive Order 13780 with the exception of
Sudan.
(CNBC)
Gunmen attack the
Ogba Zoo in
Benin City,
Nigeria, killing three police officers and abduct the zoo's director. There is no information on who the gunmen and abductors are, or whether they have made any demands.
(BBC)
Frauke Petry resigns as leader of the far right
Alternative for Germany (AfD), a day after the party won seats in the
Bundestag for the first time, saying the party has become too "anarchical" and "could not offer a credible platform".
(The Guardian)
The
king of Saudi Arabia issues a decree allowing women to be issued driving licenses by June 2018. Saudi Arabia is the world's last sovereign state that does not allow
women to drive.
(The Guardian)(The Telegraph)
The office of the
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York announces that 10 individuals, including assistant coaches at four
NCAADivision I men's
basketball programs—
Arizona,
Auburn,
Oklahoma State, and
USC—have been arrested on federal corruption charges. The accused are alleged to be part of a scheme by which coaches accepted bribes to steer
NBA-bound college players toward certain
agents and financial advisers. Court documents also allege that an apparel company later identified as
Adidas paid $100,000 to the family of an unnamed player to ensure his signing with an unnamed Division I school, which was later confirmed as the
University of Louisville.
(ESPN)
Iran and
Turkey have vowed that there may be military aggression if the result is independence.
(Newsweek)
Turkey's president has said
Iraqi Kurds could go hungry as a result of the punitive measures it is considering after Monday's independence referendum.
(BBC)
Justice
Roy Moore and U.S. Senator
Luther Strange face off in Alabama’s special election in what political analysts claim is a deepening rift between the Republican Party's establishment and anti-establishment factions. Moore is projected to win the primary runoff.
(BBC),
(New York Times)
Russian aircraft carry out air strikes on the
Christian-majority Qaina and Yaqobia villages, in the western countryside of
Idlib, killing a child and injuring 5 others.
(Iraqi News)
Five Russian warplanes bombard the city of al-Tamane’a with rockets, bombs, and Bunker-Buster missiles, wounding several civilians and causing a significant damage to the area, and causing large number of civilians to flee.
(Iraqi News)
Tokyo governor
Yuriko Koike establishes the conservative
Kibō no Tō (Party of Hope) to contest the upcoming election although she will neither lead it nor run.
(Kyodo)
U.S. PresidentDonald Trump waives the
Jones Act for
Puerto Rico after he first disallowed additional aid, citing shipping industry business interests. Senator
John McCain says the Jones Act makes prices for food, water, and other emergency supplies too high in Puerto Rico.
(Newsweek)
More than 134,000 people on the island of
Bali,
Indonesia, have been taken to shelters as the
Mount Agungvolcano continues to release smoke. The alert level for an
eruption has been raised to the second highest level, 4. In addition, the entire population of
Vanuatu's
Aoba Island, also at alert level 4, is being moved from the path of the increasingly active
Lombenben volcano.
(news.com.au)(CNN)
At least 14
Rohingya people, including 10 children, fleeing violence in
Myanmar are killed when their boat apparently hits a submerged object and capsizes just yards from the
Bangladesh coast.
(AFP via MSN.com)
A
Mexico City borough president says previous officials ignored warnings that unauthorized construction work had damaged the structural integrity of several buildings in the city. The overall death toll from the magnitude 7.1 quake which hit Sept. 19 now stands at at least 358 people.
(AP)
The
U.S. State Department removes all families of employees and nonessential personnel from Cuba following apparent
sonic attacks that injured 21
personnel on the island. Cuba denies any involvement and has authorized the
FBI to travel to the island to help the ongoing investigation into the causes.
(CNN)
Reverberations from the Sun Zhengcai case are said to have ensnared a number of senior officials from Chongqing, including former Organization Department head
Zeng Qinghong (female). 14 out of 43 delegates to the
19th Party Congress from Chongqing are said to have lost their eligibility.
(SCMP)
In
Edmonton,
Alberta, Canada, near
Commonwealth Stadium, a man drives into a police officer and then stabs the officer. The suspect fled the scene and was later arrested that night following a police pursuit, where four pedestrians were hit by the suspect in a rental truck. Police are investigating the incident as an act of terrorism.
(Edmonton Journal)(Reuters)
Tens of thousands of protesters march through
Dublin to demand Ireland to change its abortion laws, and anti-abortion activists stage counter-demonstrations. A
pro-choice rally is held outside the
Irish embassy in London.
(BBC)