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[ad_1] ISTANBUL: Turkish police and other officials on Monday entered Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul to search the premises in the investigation over missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi , an AFP correspondent said. Uniformed Turkish police and other officials in suits believed to be prosecutors went inside the consulate after receiving agreement from Riyadh to conduct the search. Khashoggi has not been seen since entering the consulate on October 2. [ad_2]

[ad_1] SYDNEY: Australia is considering moving its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem , Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Tuesday, following the lead of US President Donald Trump. Morrison called a press conference to say he was "open-minded" to proposals to formally recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move his nation's embassy to the holy city, a sharp break with the policy of successive Australian governments for decades. "We're committed to a two-state solution, but frankly it hasn't been going that well, not a lot of progress has been made, and you don't keep doing the same thing and expect different results," Morrison said. He described proposals to recognise Jerusalem and move Australia's embassy as "sensible" and "persuasive" and would be considered by the government. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement saying he had discussed the possible embassy move with Morri...

[ad_1] SEOUL: The two Koreas and the US-led United Nations Command began talks Tuesday on demilitarising a section of the heavily fortified border dividing the peninsula, as a diplomatic thaw gathers pace. "The first meeting between the South, North and the UNC on disarming the Joint Security Area (JSA) will take place at 10am today at Panmunjom," Seoul 's defence ministry said in a message sent to reporters. The JSA, also known as the truce village of Panmunjom, is the only spot along the tense, 250-kilometre (155-mile) frontier where troops from the two countries stand face to face. It was a designated neutral zone until the "axe murder incident" in 1976, when North Korean soldiers attacked a work party trying to chop down a tree inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), leaving two US army officers dead. South and North Korea — which are technically still at war — agreed to take measures to ease military tensions on their border at a meeting in Pyongyang last mo...

[ad_1] Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Hang on, what ARE the US 'mid-terms'? On 6 November, American voters get to decide the direction of their country once more in the mid-term elections. There are local races, and 36 states will choose their governors. But the key races are for members of both houses of Congress, that help push through laws in the US. Produced by Roland Hughes and Paul Sargeant [ad_2]

[ad_1] Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The US moved its embassy to Jerusalem in May Australia will consider recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moving its embassy there from Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says. If acted upon, the move would follow a recent policy shift by the US that has drawn criticism internationally. Mr Morrison said Australia remained committed to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Political opponents said Mr Morrison's comments were a "deceitful" ploy for votes ahead of a crucial by-election. The status of Jerusalem is one of the most contested issues between Israel and the Palestinians. US President Donald Trump drew international criticism last year when he reversed decades of American foreign policy by recognising the an...

[ad_1] Image copyright AFP Image caption Kenyans have been praying for the country to overcome its many challenges In our series of letters from African journalists, Kenyan Joseph Warungu looks at the new strategy by the country's anti-corruption body to use the Bible to deter theft of public funds. You know you are in deep trouble when nothing else can save you except prayer. That's where Kenya is at the moment. The country is sinking into deep debt, much of it the result of widespread mismanagement of public funds. Corruption is eating us up alive, with new scandals emerging day after day. And nothing is sacred, not even the water we need for life. Problem 'getting worse' In parts of the capital, Nairobi, criminal cartels with alleged connections to some powerful people at the Nairobi county govern...

[ad_1] Image copyright Getty Images Image caption It's home to glaciers, national parks and vineyards, but there's also a darker side to New Zealand It's a mountainous wonderland decorated with ancient glaciers, breathtaking national parks and sumptuous vineyards, but behind its glossy image New Zealand is failing many of its children. Rates of disadvantage have stayed stubbornly high and they are a stain that Jacinda Ardern, who became New Zealand's youngest female prime minister a year ago, is determined to cleanse. She has promised to halve child poverty over the next 10 years, insisting that her South Pacific nation should "aspire to be the best place in the world to be a child". It's a monumental task, but advocacy groups have been encouraged by what they've seen in the first...

[ad_1] Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Allen announced his diagnosis earlier this month Paul Allen, who co-founded Microsoft, has died aged 65 from complications of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He had revealed the disease's return only two weeks ago, after previously being treated for it in 2009. On his website he had said he and his doctors were "optimistic" about treatment. In a statement confirming his death on Monday afternoon, his sister Jody described the businessman as a "remarkable individual on every level". "Paul's family and friends were blessed to experience his wit, warmth, his generosity and deep concern. For all the demands on his schedule, there was always time for family and friends," the statement said. "At this time of loss and grief for us - an...

[ad_1] Millions of Venezuelans have left the country in the last two years, fleeing the oil-rich nation’s economic collapse. Shortages of food and basic goods, years of recession, soaring inflation and regular power shortages have left the country almost on its knees. The government says those against the socialist President Nicolas Maduro are waging an "economic war" – but many within and outside the country blame his policies, combined with corruption and mismanagement. One of the most affected areas is the state of Zulia, long known as the centre of the country's oil industry. The BBC’s Vladimir Hernandez is one of the few international journalists who has been able to report from the state. How Venezuela's crisis developed [ad_2]

[ad_1] President Moon Jae-in of South Korea, currently holding talks with European leaders, says "North Korea's economy is in huge difficulty due to international sanctions." UN sanctions have been imposed to pressure Kim Jong-un's government over its nuclear weapons programme. Reality Check investigates how North Korea tries to evade these sanctions. Motion graphics by Jacqueline Galvin. [ad_2]

[ad_1] Image copyright AFP Image caption Boko Haram has been responsible for kidnappings and attacks in Nigeria Boko Haram militants have killed a female aid worker held by the group since March, the Nigerian government has confirmed. In September, the jihadist group killed a midwife taken at the same time. The militants have also been holding a 15-year-old schoolgirl and another medical worker. On Sunday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) appealed for their lives to be spared as a deadline issued by the militants approached. Nigerian Information and Culture Minister Alhaji Lai Mohammed said on Monday the government was "deeply pained" by news of the killing, but added it would "keep the negotiations open and continue to work to free the innocent women who remain in the custody of th...

[ad_1] Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton After Hillary Clinton said on Sunday that her husband's affair in 1998 with 22-year-old intern Monica Lewinsky was not "an abuse of power", many online have been debating her view. The 2016 Presidential candidate made the comments in an interview with CBS that also discussed the confirmation of Supreme Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh who was accused of sexual harassment. Mrs Clinton also told CBS that she believes it was right that her husband, who was 49 at the time, did not resign from office, and that Ms Lewinsky "was an adult". The frank remarks on the scandal are being interpreted in the context of the year-old #MeToo movement that caused numerous high-profile men to resign after accusations of s...

[ad_1] The project to race a car at more than 1,000mph has run into a financial roadblock with the company behind the venture going into administration. The Bloodhound supersonic vehicle is all but built but needs a £25m investment if it is to break records on a dried-out lakebed in South Africa. The administrators, FRP Advisory LLP, have already begun to talk to potential suitors. But without the funds the project faces being wound up in the coming weeks. [ad_2]

[ad_1] Image copyright BANDAR ALGALOUD / SAUDI ROYAL COUNCIL / HANDOUT Has it really been less than 18 months since Air Force One touched down in Riyadh to a red carpet welcome? When President Trump chose Saudi Arabia for his first overseas presidential visit in May last year most Saudis were delighted. They hadn't much cared for his predecessor, Barack Obama. He was never that interested in the Middle East, they reckoned, and his legacy nuclear deal with Iran was a bad one in their eyes. But Donald Trump was a man they could do business with. He lifted the Obama-era curbs on weapons sales for the war in Yemen, he refrained from lecturing them on human rights and he seemed happy for his son-in-law Jared Kushner to forge an exceptionally close working relationship with Saudi Arabia's all powerful Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. A return visit by MBS as he is known, to the W...

[ad_1] Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have presented Uganda's leader Yoweri Museveni with a pair of Yeeezy sneakers. The US rapper, who recently changed his name to Ye, took time off during his visit to Uganda, where he is recording material for his next album, to meet Mr Museveni at the president's official residence State House. "I thank Kanye for the gift of white sneakers. Enjoy your time in Uganda," Mr Museveni tweeted. Mr Museveni gave both visitors Ugandan names to mark the occasion. "Kanyesigye" for Kanye, which means "I trust" and "Kemigisha" for Kim, which means "the one with blessings from God" in the local language. [ad_2]

[ad_1] Image copyright Reuters Image caption "Rupture full communion" - Russian bishop Metropolitan Hilarion announced on Monday The Russian Orthodox Church says it is cutting all links with the Constantinople Patriarchate - the body that wields spiritual authority over the world's Orthodox Christians. Constantinople recently recognised the independence of the Ukrainian Church from the Moscow Patriarchate. Many Ukrainian Christians accuse the Russian Church of favouring Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine. Constantinople holds sway over 300 million Orthodox Christians globally. Moscow rejects the independence of the Ukrainian Church. Metropolitan Hilarion, the bishop who heads the Russian Orthodox Church's diplomacy, told reporters in Belarus: "A decision has been made to rupture full co...

[ad_1] Image copyright SNPVAC Image caption This picture - which the company says was staged - was taken to illustrate the conditions faced by the crew Four Ryanair crews spent the night on the floor of a Portuguese airport office without food or drink, according to a cabin crew union. Twenty-four crew members were stranded in Malaga airport after their Porto-bound flights were diverted. The SNPVAC union, which represents Portuguese airline crews, says the above photo shows the conditions that crew "had no choice" but to stay in. Ryanair claims the picture is "staged" and says "no crew slept on the floor". "Due to storms in Porto a number of flights diverted to Malaga," Ryanair said in a statement. "As this was a Spanish national holiday, hotels were fully booked. "...

[ad_1] Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Turan currently plays for Istanbul Basaksehir, and is on loan from Barcelona Turkish football star Arda Turan has been charged over an alleged brawl with a prominent Turkish singer. Prosecutors have asked for the 31-year-old to be jailed for 12.5 years over the incident, which left pop star Berkay Sahin with a broken nose. The brawl allegedly broke out at an Istanbul nightclub and led to a later confrontation involving a gun. The midfielder currently plays for Istanbul Basaksehir, where he is on loan from Barcelona. Reports say the singer, who goes by the name Berkay, was with his wife Ozlem Ada Sahin at an upmarket nightclub in Istanbul when the altercation allegedly broke out with the midfield footballer. Ms Sahin told the Haberturk newspaper that the footballer ha...

[ad_1] KATHMANDU: Rescuers hampered by difficult, remote terrain took two days to recover the bodies of nine climbers, including one of the world's best, who hoped to map a new route to a Himalayan peak in Nepal that hasn't been scaled in eight years. Local police chief Bir Bahadur Budamagar said a group of villagers reached the climbers' devastated campsite on Saturday on Gurja Himal, a less-popular but pristine mountain in the shadow of Dhaulagiri , the world's seventh-highest peak and a day's walk from the nearest village. The climbers included Kim Chang-ho, the first South Korean to summit all 14 Himalayan peaks over 8,000 meters (26,250 feet) without using supplemental oxygen, who was leading the expedition with four other South Koreans and four Nepalese guides. A sixth Korean climber had become ill and was in a village far below the base camp during the storm. When the members of the expedition team broke radio contact and went silent, the climber, who has not...

[ad_1] COLOGNE: German police said Monday they were not eliminating terrorism as a possible motive for a hostage-taking at Cologne central station that left four people injured. "The investigation is considering all possibilities and we are not ruling out terrorism," said Cologne deputy police chief Miriam Brauns at a news conference. The suspect, who was badly wounded when police stormed the scene, had claimed to be a member of the Islamic State jihadist group, another police spokesman said. He had first hurled a Molotov cocktail inside a McDonalds restaurant, injuring a teenage girl, then taken another woman hostage in an adjacent pharmacy. He was holding a real or replica pistol when commandos stormed the site, said police, adding that the man was also in possession of camping gas containers. Police said they could not yet positively identify the hostage-taker, who was undergoing surgery, but believed he was a 55-year-old Syrian immigrant. Syrian identity documents had be...

[ad_1] Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Saudi Arabia has become a major economic and political force US President Donald Trump has threatened to inflict "severe punishment" on Saudi Arabia if it is found to have killed the prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who disappeared while visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia, which has dismissed as "lies" claims by Turkish officials that Mr Khashoggi was murdered by Saudi agents, has vowed to respond to any punitive action by Western powers "with greater action". But what are the possible implications? 1. Oil supply and prices Saudi Arabia possess about 18% of the world's proven oil reserves and is the world's biggest oil exporter, according to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Ope...

[ad_1] NEW YORK: Eight groups across the nation have been awarded funding from the New York Women's Foundation for their efforts to fight sexual violence . The groups in this first round of funding were chosen in consultation with #MeToo founder Tarana Burke . They are focused on underserved communities such as those of color, immigrant communities and LGBTQ people. The money - $840,000 - comes from the "Fund for the MeToo Movement and Allies," set up by The New York Women's Foundation earlier this year. The group provided an initial $1 million for a fund to support Burke and the movement she founded 12 years ago, along with other similar organizations, with a goal of raising $5 million a year. [ad_2]

[ad_1] Abdul Hamid Youssef lost his wife, his 11-month-old twins, two brothers, his cousin and many of his neighbours in the 4 April 2017 chemical attack on Khan Sheikhoun, Syria. More than 80 people were killed in the attack and almost 300 wounded. "I lost the most precious people in my life", Mr Youssef said as he returned to the scene of the attack. A joint investigation by BBC Panorama and BBC Arabic has determined that there have been at least 106 chemical attacks in Syria since September 2013. The Syrian government has denied using chemical weapons. [ad_2]

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[ad_1] Image copyright Alexander Kozlov/Instagram Image caption Mr Kozlov racked up thousands of replies in days A Russian minister has come in for criticism for awarding a plot of land as a competition prize on his official Instagram account. Alexander Kozlov, minister in charge of the development of the Far East, launched a mystery prize draw, open to anyone who subscribed and commented on his Instagram page as long as they also tagged a friend - with surprise gifts for anyone who guessed what the main prize was, the Rambler news portal reports. He garnered almost 8,000 comments in a matter of days. Some suggested the prize was lunch with Mr Kozlov on his expense account while others guessed at early retirement - a reference to the Russian government's decision to raise the pension age that has prompted m...