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  • Puerto Rico increases Hurricane Maria demise toll to 2,975

    A man rides his bicycle through a damaged road in Toa Alta, west of San Juan, Puerto Rico Symbol copyright AFP/Getty Symbol caption The island government have struggled to fix infrastructure and the ability grid and want $139bn in recovery budget

    Officers in Puerto Rico now say 2,975 other people died following Typhoon Maria – a devastating typhoon that struck the united states island territory in September 2017.

    The revised demise toll is sort of 50 occasions the former estimate of 64.

    Governor Ricardo Rossello “familiar” the findings in a long-awaited commissioned impartial investigation.

    Puerto Rico has struggled to fix its infrastructure and gear grid for the reason that storm, and is asking US Congress for $139bn (£108bn) in restoration funds.

    “I’m giving an order to update the legit selection of deaths to 2,975,” governor Ricardo Rossello stated at a press convention. “Although this is an estimate, it has a systematic foundation.”

    Official popularity moves recovery forward

    Gary O’Donoghue, BBC Washington correspondent

    For just about a yr, Puerto Rico’s government has clung to the speculation that 64 other people died as a results of Maria, the 3rd so much financially pricey typhoon in the America due to the fact 1900.

    That determine used to be all the time risible – specifically when you believe that the A HUNDRED AND FIFTY mph (241 kmh) winds brought about round $90bn price of damage and left families for, on moderate, EIGHTY FOUR days without electricity; 64 days without water and 41 days with out mobile phone protection.

    The govt’s number used to be arrived at through simply counting the ones overwhelmed through collapsing structures, drowned and hit by means of flying debris.

    But now the governor, Ricardo Rossello, has bowed to the inevitable and ordered the reliable toll to be up to date greater than forty-fold.

    In reality, the brand new reliable number continues to be an estimate – based on mortality knowledge and taking into consideration ancient information on migration patterns.

    But the respectable popularity will allow the island to transport on and focus totally on rebuilding its infrastructure and extracting the tens of billions of greenbacks wanted from Congress to offer the three million population of this already bankrupt territory one thing of a future.

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  • Scallop war: French and British boats clash in Channel

    Image copyright EVN/France Télévision Image caption British boats are legally entitled to fish off the Normandy coast – however their French counterparts accuse them of “pillaging”

    A video published by French media appears to show a Scottish scallop dredger, the Honeybourne THREE, colliding with nearby vessels.

    The British could not fit the local armada. Numbering approximately five boats to 35 French vessels, they were in the end chased away.

    Why has all of it blown up now?

    Stress has rumbled for 15 years, however in the past 5 a deal has prevailed – higher British boats stayed out of the realm in alternate for extra fishing rights.

    British boats collected scallops year-round, but the French were restricted to between 1 October and 15 May.

    This yr, the fed-up French rejected that settlement.

    “For the Brits, it is an open bar – they fish when they need, where they would like, and as much as they would like,” Mr Rogoff complained.

    Symbol copyright Reuters Image caption Scallops are a popular shellfish on each side of the Channel

    “We Don’t want to stop them from fishing, however they could no less than wait until 1 October so that we will be able to proportion.

    “Scallops are a flagship product for Normandy, a first-rate useful resource and a extremely sensitive factor.”

    How have the Brits reacted?

    Mike Park, leader govt of the Scottish White Fish Producers Association, described the clashing incident as “transparent piracy”.

    Talking in regards to the Scottish boat, he told BBC Scotland: “He’s fully entitled to be there. UK vessels can enter that French zone, it’s not illegal.

    “The Peterhead vessel is going approximately its business. The French vessels are most certainly attacking it.”

    Fears fishermen ‘will no longer survive’ Brexit no deal Fish thrown into Thames in Brexit deal protest World’s fishing fleets mapped from orbit

    Appeals for calm had been issued by means of Britain’s National Federation of Fishermen’s Enterprises, which mentioned some boats have been filmed manoeuvring dangerously.

    “we have raised the matter with the British executive and requested for cover for our vessels, which are fishing legitimately,” its leader government, Barrie Deas, mentioned.

    “The deeper issues at the back of the clashes have to be settled via talking around the desk, now not at the top seas the place other people might be harm.”

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  • Google News boss: We’re Not a media company

    Audio Google News boss: ‘We do not produce media’

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  • Fake news a democratic obstacle for UNITED KINGDOM, MPs warn

    Social media apps on a phone Symbol copyright PA

    The United Kingdom faces a “democratic hindrance” with citizens being targeted with “pernicious views” and data being manipulated, a parliamentary committee is ready to warn.

    The Digital, Tradition, Media and Recreation (DCMS) Committee has been investigating disinformation and fake news following the Cambridge Analytica information scandal.

    In its first document, MPs will suggest social media corporations must face more difficult legislation or a brand new tax.

    It also proposes measures to combat election interference.

    The MPs’ document comes after months of investigating the have an effect on of generation giants and how persons are affected by the rise in fake news on social media.

    Symbol copyright AFP Symbol caption The committee stated they were unhappy with evidence by Mr Zuckerberg’s leader era officer

    The committee’s file can even say it had gained “nerve-racking proof” – some of which it had not published – of hacking, disinformation and voter suppression in elections seeing that 2010.

    “We urge the federal government to ensure that the Nationwide Crime Company totally investigates those allegations.”

    what is going to the committee counsel?

    Social media websites need to be held chargeable for ‘harmful’ content on their services

    Companies corresponding to Fb and YouTube have again and again stated they’re only a “platform”, in place of a “writer”. They Have Got argued that they are not chargeable for the content folks put up on their services.

    The committee’s record is predicted to say social media firms “can’t disguise behind” this claim.

    A “new category of tech corporate” that is one thing in between a platform or writer need to be created, the committee will recommend. this could determine “transparent criminal liability for the tech corporations to behave towards destructive and unlawful content material on their systems”.

    The laws on political campaigns should be made have compatibility for the digital age

    The committee will say that electoral legislation needs to be “updated to mirror changes in campaigning techniques”.

    Image copyright Fb Symbol caption Vote Leave’s Facebook commercials were released

    it is going to counsel:

    creating a public sign in for political advertising so that anybody can see what messages are being dispensed online political advertisements will need to have a digital imprint stating who was once accountable, as is required with printed leaflets and commercials social media websites have to be held answerable for interference in elections through malicious actors electoral fraud fines need to be larger from a most of £20,000 to a percentage of an firms’ annual turnover

    Social network safety have to be audited

    The record will counsel that an unbiased body reminiscent of the contest and Markets Authority should audit the social networks.

    it’s going to say that safety mechanisms and algorithms utilized by social networks have to be available for audit by means of a central authority regulator, to verify they’re “operating responsibly”.

    The committee can even warn that fake debts on sites corresponding to Fb and Twitter “not just injury the consumer experience, however potentially defraud advertisers” who might be paying to promote to accounts now not run via real other people.

    Image copyright Reuters Symbol caption Faux followers defraud advertisers, the committee stated

    Tech companies must be taxed to fund education and regulation

    Tighter legislation of social media websites might mean extra work for establishments reminiscent of the Electoral Fee And Knowledge Commissioner’s Place Of Job (ICO).

    The committee will suggest a tax on tech corporations. a few of the cash should fund the additional responsibilities of the regulators.

    The remainder of the cash should be spent on digital training in schools and a public consciousness marketing campaign, to help other people establish disinformation and pretend news.

    “Digital literacy must be the fourth pillar of education, along reading, writing and maths,” the record will say.

    The file may even summarise the evidence accrued throughout the committee’s inquiry, which was introduced in September last year.

    Whistleblower Christopher Wylie and Cambridge Analytica leader government Alexander Nix had been some of the SIXTY ONE witnesses that gave evidence.

    Image copyright AFP Image caption Whistleblower Christopher Wylie exposed knowledge misuse

    Tom Baldwin, who has written a e-book at the courting between politics and media, advised BBC Radio 4’s As Of Late programme the record’s recommendations did not move a ways sufficient.

    “The social media commercials that had been observed utilized by Donald Trump and the Go Away campaign are the most deadly political weapons ever invented,” Mr Baldwin said.

    Will Moy, the head of truth checking charity Complete Truth, informed the BBC that the similar conversation approximately pretend news goes on across the global – and the response of some governments had been “rather scary”.

    He stated MPs must acknowledge that it’s important to also “stand proudly on being an open society and valuing loose speech”.

    Rules for political promoting have become out of date because they do not work for online, and the transparency of the place advertisements come from should be available straight away, he added.

    Kid’s self-esteem ‘harmed by fake information’ Fake news ‘travels faster’, take a look at finds

    In The Meantime, Jamie Bartlett, the top of think tank Demos, said the file is set the “long-time period integrity of elections” so folks “trust they’re getting accurate data”.

    He said he fears the Brexit debate may just distract the focus of the issue.

    “So people who are pro-Brexit will push aside so much of it, people who are anti-Brexit will say ‘this is why we must have any other referendum, after which we omit what’s essentially far more vital: The lengthy-time period well being of democracy.”

    The committee’s final file is predicted ahead of the tip of the year.

    Facebook and Twitter have not begun to reply to a request for comment.

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  • Chemnitz protests: Germany probes banned Nazi salutes

    Image copyright AFP Symbol caption The a ways-proper placards say: “Stop the asylum flood!”

    Police said they had now not expected this type of fast and massive mobilisation of a ways-proper supporters on the streets.

    On Monday evening there were 591 police officers confronting about 7,000 demonstrators, who had rallied by the use of social media. a minimum of 20 other people were injured as fireworks and other gadgets had been thrown.

    Saxony Inner Minister Roland Wöller mentioned a ways-right activists had temporarily travelled to Chemnitz not just from different portions of japanese Germany but also from the western areas of Decrease Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia.

    Learn extra on an identical topics:

    German police in a long way-proper protest row Should Germany pay its migrants to depart? Simply how a ways to the right is AfD?

    How did the difficulty get started?

    The stabbing came about at about 03:15 (01:15 GMT) on Sunday, at the sidelines of a side road festival.

    The a long way-right demonstration in the town centre on Sunday led to the pageant to be cancelled abruptly.

    The stabbing victim, a chippie elderly 35, died in health facility. He had a German mom and a Cuban father.

    Image copyright EPA Image caption The spot where the fatal stabbing took place is now a makeshift shrine

    Two other German males with him, elderly 33 and 38, had been significantly harm, police say.

    The Syrian detainee is 23 and the Iraqi 22.

    Police have denied rumours on social media that the fight was linked to the sexual harassment of a girl.

    A part-Cuban lady who grew up with Daniel H, Nancy Larssen, told Deutsche Welle news that media misreporting had helped gas the “terrible” far-right protest.

    “It’s sad that within the media they are simply pronouncing that a German has died, and that’s why all the neo-Nazis and hooligans are out, however the media should describe who died, and what skin color he had, because i don’t assume they’d be doing all this in the event that they knew,” she mentioned.

    What did the federal government say?

    “we don’t tolerate such unlawful assemblies and the hounding of people who look different or have different origins and makes an attempt to spread hatred at the streets,” Mrs Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, told reporters.

    “That has no position in our towns and we, because the German executive, condemn it in the strongest terms. Our fundamental message for Chemnitz and past is that there is no position in Germany for vigilante justice, for teams that wish to unfold hatred at the streets, for intolerance and for extremism.”

    Why is the migrant factor so thorny?

    In 2015, Chancellor Merkel decided to let in a file 890,000 asylum seekers. Syrians fleeing the civil war comprised the largest workforce – a 403% upward push on Syrian arrivals the previous yr, the German migration administrative center reported.

    She and her allies were punished by way of voters ultimately yr’s general election, while AfD entered parliament – the Bundestag – for the primary time, winning 12.6% of the vote and NINETY FOUR seats.

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  • Theresa Might: ‘Common sense’ to arrange for no deal Brexit

    Video Might: ‘Common sense’ to arrange for no deal

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  • Alex Salmond officially starts criminal motion against Scottish government

    Alex Salmond Symbol copyright Getty Photographs Image caption Mr Salmond instructed BBC Scotland final week that he had never sexually confused any person

    Alex Salmond has formally started his prison motion against the Scottish govt over its dealing with of sexual misconduct proceedings against him.

    Two people have made allegations concerning the former first minister, who strongly denies ever sexually harassing anyone.

    He is looking for a judicial review of a new lawsuits process that was once introduced by means of the Scottish executive in December.

    His petition has been lodged with the Courtroom of Consultation in Edinburgh.

    The court docket will now searching for a response from the Scottish executive. it’s more likely to be a few weeks prior to there’s a hearing prior to a judge.

    The proceedings about Mr Salmond had been made in January – just weeks after the brand new methods for coping with harassment court cases was once introduced with the blessing of his successor, Nicola Sturgeon.

    Salmond probe ‘entirely personal’ Sturgeon: Salmond court cases ‘could no longer be ignored’ Salmond denies sexual misconduct claims

    Ms Sturgeon had asked for the Scottish executive’s existing insurance policies to be reviewed and up to date following wider concerns about harassment at Holyrood and Westminster.

    Mr Salmond claims that the next investigation into the allegations in opposition to him by senior Scottish govt civil servants was once “unfair and unjust”.

    He mentioned he have been given no opportunity to “see and therefore to correctly problem the case against me” and that he had “not been allowed to peer the evidence”.

    He has additionally described the allegations as “patently ridiculous”, and has written to the Scottish govt’s top civil servant, Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans, urging her to analyze how the claims have been made public.

    Mr Salmond has claimed that somebody throughout the Scottish government has “flagrantly and again and again” breached the confidential court cases procedure via leaking details to the Day By Day File newspaper.

    The Scottish government argues that a remark released through Mr Salmond on Thursday of final week contained “significant errors” about its methods, with Ms Sturgeon pronouncing it would “defend its position vigorously”.

    ‘Entirely confidential’

    It has insisted that its investigation into the two lawsuits in opposition to Mr Salmond were “solely confidential right through”.

    The Scottish government has passed main points of the lawsuits to Police Scotland, and the drive has said it’s assessing the ideas.

    The Day By Day Document newspaper says it has seen the wording of 1 of the complaints, which was made by a Scottish govt team of workers member.

    She alleges the former first minister touched her backside and breasts via her clothing even as she used to be on my own with him at Bute House, the paper has reported.

    The alleged incident is said to have taken position on the first minister’s legitimate place of dwelling Bute House in Edinburgh in the first week of December 2013.

    The paper claims the lady has alleged “multiple incidences of harassment and conduct of an undesirable sexual nature”.

    Mr Salmond, who had spells as chief of the pro-independence SNP, led the devolved Scottish govt as first minister from 2007.

    He quit within the aftermath of the independence referendum in 2014, whilst Scotland voted to stay within the United Kingdom.

  • Brexit: May defends ‘sensible’ plans for future EUROPEAN family members

    Media playback is unsupported to your tool

    Media captionMay: ‘Common sense’ to prepare for Brexit no deal

    Theresa Would Possibly has insisted her way to Brexit will ship a “good” deal for the uk and allow it to make essentially the most of opportunities around the world.

    Talking in South Africa, she instructed the BBC she was once sticking through her “good” plans as they both respected the 2016 referendum vote and protected jobs.

    While hopeful of an settlement in October, she said it used to be proper to organize for leaving with no deal.

    In Advance, she introduced £4bn of additional British make stronger for African economies.

    On the first day of a 3-day consult with to the continent, the top minister insisted industry offers with nations like South Africa could be a prize for “international Britain” after it leaves the eu subsequent yr.

    however the BBC’s political correspondent Ben Wright stated that as she heads to Nigeria and Kenya this week, she is aware of an excessively tough autumn of political bargaining awaits her again home.

    PM seeks new jobs partnership with Africa

    In an interview with the BBC, Mrs May performed down warnings by way of Chancellor Philip Hammond last week in regards to the dangers of a no-deal exit – which he stated will have a £80bn poor economic impact.

    She mentioned the feedback have been according to research first released in January that had been, at the time, a “work in development”.

    Mrs Would Possibly then pointed out feedback by means of the head of the world Business Organisation, who mentioned Brexit “may not be a stroll in the park, but would possibly not be finish of the sector both”.

    Media playback is unsupported on your device

    Media captionTheresa Might was all smiles as she joined faculty kids for a dance

    “we are operating for a fair deal, we have put forward our idea for a good deal,” she said. “i believe that deal is to the ease, not only of the united kingdom, but the ecu.

    “What the federal government is doing is setting up position the arrangements to be sure we can make a hit no matter what our long run courting is with the ecu and regardless of the end result of the negotiations.”

    Through the BBC’s Ben Wright in Cape The City

    With dogged choice Theresa Might danced together with a bunch of children in a soggy Cape The Town playground – her first stop on a three-day sprint round sub-Saharan Africa.

    It Is the primary No 10-led industry delegation to Africa for the reason that 2011. the school children symbolised, she mentioned later, the dynamism and creativity of the continent’s growing and youthful inhabitants.

    And it is jobs for those youth and tens of millions like them that the uk wants to lend a hand African economies create – the usage of UK firms, capital and executive lend a hand to speculate in African countries in the hope of keeping them politically solid later on.

    At a speech within the city on Tuesday, the prime minister pledged an extra £4bn in direct UNITED KINGDOM executive investment – which she expects to be matched by the personal sector.

    Mrs may additionally stated the uk could essentially shift the way in which it spends support money – to deal with lengthy-term economic and security demanding situations rather than brief-time period poverty aid.

    For the united kingdom in fact, Brexit is a spur to expand business beyond the ecu, that is by way of far our biggest market.

    A Few Tory MPs have said they can not fortify Mrs Would Possibly’s blueprint for the uk’s long term members of the family with the ecu, pronouncing it is a betrayal of the thousands and thousands who voted to depart the european in 2016.

    But Mrs May mentioned the proposals were good as they insisted that an end to ECU freedom of motion and the jurisdiction of the european Court was “non-negotiable”, at the same time as ensuring British manufacturers had unrestricted get admission to to an european extensive loose industry zone for goods.

    “It Is right as we look to our long term relationships that we protect jobs and livelihoods,” she added.

    As part of a renewed take care of Africa, Mrs Might has said she desires the united kingdom to grow to be the continent leading’s funding spouse throughout the G7, overtaking the US.

    She told the BBC that this used to be no longer unrealistic, given that the uk was already the biggest foreign investor in South Africa, the continent’s biggest economic system.

    “one in all the benefits of leaving the eu is that we will be able to have the opportunity to negotiate our personal business deals in the long run,” she mentioned.

    “we glance to an international Britain outdoor the european making the most of these trade offers across the rest of the world.”

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