A 17-year-old girl killed by a California police officer last week appears to have been pointing a replica gun at the officer when she was shot, video footage released Friday shows.
The graphic video, released by the Fullerton police department following questions from the teen's family, shows Hannah Williams collapsing and pleading for help after she was shot on July 5.
The replica gun can be seen lying next to her in the video.
Police on Friday also released audio of an emergency call the teen's father, Benson Williams, made about 90 minutes after the shooting to report his daughter missing.
Williams tearfully tells the dispatcher in the call that he fears his daughter might harm herself and that she was on anti-depressants.
Police said the deadly encounter unfolded after the officer involved in the shooting spotted the teen driving at high speed on a freeway as he was taking his K-9 dog to the veterinarian.
He chased her vehicle and attempted to stop her, but at some point she made 

Video shows US teen killed by police appeared to point gun at officer

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Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's choice of Port-au-Prince as the first stop in her Caribbean tour is highly symbolic of the diplomatic power struggle being played out in the region.
Last year, the neighboring Dominican Republic dropped Taipei and threw in its diplomatic lot with Beijing, leaving Haiti as one of only 17 countries still officially recognizing Taiwan as a country.
Since Tsai became president, China -- which considers Taiwan part of its territory -- has poached five of the island's dwindling roster of allies, and some in Haiti think President Jovenel Moise should do more to leverage that diplomatic tension when the two leaders meet on Saturday.
In May 2018, Moise visited Taiwan but failed to come away with any significant achievements.
"There was nothing concrete, nothing new to come out of it except for a loan which had already been negotiated well ahead of the visit," said Haitian economist Etzer Emile.
While Chinese loans and investment offered to the Dominican Republic 

Taiwanese president shores up support in crisis-hit Haiti

Dung Nguyen has been shrimping in Gulf waters for a quarter century, and he's not about to let anything come between him and his livelihood -- not torrential rain, not evacuation orders, not even full-blown hurricanes.
"I'm not scared," Nguyen said Friday outside a friend's trailer home in Boothville, a fishing village about 70 miles (112 kilometers) southeast of New Orleans, as a major storm bore down on Louisiana.
As a fisherman, "I have to come back here," the 59-year-old told AFP. "Storm not coming yet." Thousands of residents were heeding evacuation orders and fleeing Plaquemines Parish, the low-lying web of marshland and bayous that juts into the Gulf of Mexico, to escape the impact of approaching Tropical Storm Barry.
The storm was expected to strengthen into a hurricane Saturday and slam much of Louisiana including the city of New Orleans, dumping up to two feet (61 centimeters) of rain on already water-logged communities.
But many hearty and stubborn locals like Nguyen are ...

'Not scared': Bayou residents refuse to flee storm

The head of Lebanon's Tehran-backed Hezbollah said Friday that US ally Israel would not be "neutral" if a war broke out between the United States and Iran.
And "Iran is able to bombard Israel with ferocity and force," Hassan Nasrallah said in an interview broadcast on Hezbollah's Al-Manar television.
His remarks came after weeks of increasing tensions between the United States and Iran, and as US President Donald Trump steps up his war of words with the Islamic Republic.
"When the Americans understand that this war could wipe out Israel, they will reconsider," Nasrallah said.
"Our collective responsibility in the region is to work towards preventing an American war on Iran," he said.
He said neither Saudi Arabia nor the United Arab Emirates had any interest in a conflict erupting.
On Friday, the US House of Representatives voted to restrict Trump's ability to attack Iran, voicing fear that his hawkish policies are pushing toward a needless war.
Hezbollah is considered to be a ...

Hezbollah warns Iran able to bombard Israel if war started

Argentina registered a primary surplus of 30.3 billion pesos (USD 719 million) for the first half of 2019, Finance Minister Nicolas Dujovne revealed on Friday.
That surpasses the 20 billion pesos mandated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), with which Argentina negotiated last year a USD 56 billion bail-out loan.
It's a marked improvement on the primary deficit of 105.8 billion pesos recorded for the same period last year.
"It's the first time in eight years that the non-financial public sector has had a surplus in the first semester," Dujovne said in a press statement.
The healthy results were posted despite a 6.6 billion-peso primary deficit in June alone.
June was, however, the 24th consecutive month in which total revenues rose proportionally more than primary expenditure did, Dujovne added.
"It's the 10th successive year the government has achieved its fiscal target," he said in a news conference.
Dujovne said the government predicted for 2019 a fiscal deficit of 0.3 ...

Argentina hits IMF fiscal target for first half of 2019

At least seven people were killed on Friday in a suicide bomb and gun attack claimed by Al-Shabaab militants on a hotel in southern Somalia, a security official said.
Authorities said a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle loaded with explosives into the popular Medina hotel in the southern port town of Kismayo before several heavily armed gunmen forced their way inside, shooting as they went.
The attack is the latest in a long line of bombing and assaults claimed by the Al-Qaeda-linked group.
"We have confirmed the death of seven people including a former local administration minister and a lawmaker," said Abdi Dhuhul, a security official.
"The toll may increase since the attack is not over yet."
Witnesses said among those killed were a well-known social media activist, her husband and a local journalist.
"The blast rocked the popular Medina hotel formerly known as Cascasey which is located in downtown Kismayo," said security official Abdiweli Mohamed.
"Several gunmen entered and started .

At least seven dead in Somalia hotel attack

A bomb and gun attack claimed by Al-Shabaab militants on a hotel in Somalia's port city of Kismayo left several people dead Friday, security forces and witnesses said.
"Several people died and many more are injured but we don't have the exact number of the fatalities so far because there is still a rescue operation going on," said security official Abdiweli Mohamed.
A suicide bomber rammed a vehicle loaded with explosives into the popular hotel in the southern town before several heavily armed gunmen forced their way inside, shooting as they went, he said.
"The blast rocked the popular Medina hotel formerly known as Cascasey which is located in downtown Kismayo," said Mohamed.
"Several gunmen entered and started shooting but the security forces responded quickly and engaged in a gunfight with the terrorists inside the building," he added.
Witnesses said among those killed was a well-known social media activist, her husband and a local journalist. "The blast was very big," said witness 

'Several dead' in Somalia hotel attack

The two candidates vying to become Britain's next prime minister both said Friday they believe the EU will agree a Brexit deal this year without the controversial "backstop" provision for the Irish border.
Ex-London mayor Boris Johnson, the favourite over foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt to replace outgoing premier Theresa May, predicted the European Union would instead negotiate the issue during post-Brexit free trade talks.
"We will get a deal by October 31st," Johnson told the BBC during highly-anticipated separate interviews with the leadership rivals, referring to the latest delayed deadline for Britain's departure from the bloc.
"They (the EU) need to take... the Irish backstop and they need basically to remit it, to remove it, to delete it," he added.  Johnson said it was "manifestly in the interests of both sides" to reach a new deal, noting "the EU has a very substantial net balance of trade with us".
"They will want to continue to see those goods flowing," he added.
European ...

UK PM contenders say EU will drop Irish backstop for Brexit deal

Kuwaiti authorities have arrested members of a "terrorist" cell linked to Egypt's outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, the interior ministry said on Friday.
A statement carried by the state-run news agency KUNA said the militants were allegedly members of a "terrorist cell", including some who have been "convicted of terrorism" and sentenced to jail in Egypt.
"Those arrested carry Egyptian nationalities and belong to the Muslim Brotherhood organisation," the ministry said.
The suspects, it said, are wanted by Egypt where some of them have been sentenced to up to 15 years in jail.
The interior ministry did not disclose how many people were arrested and said investigations were ongoing.
Egyptian authorities have led a crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood members after the military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
Later that year Egypt outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood and declared it a "terrorist organisation".
Egypt and its allies, including Gulf powerhouses Saudi Arabia and the ...

Kuwait arrests 'terrorist' cell linked to Muslim Brotherhood

Dutch police found thousands of letters buried in holes in a forest by a postman, officials said on Friday, adding that they were seeking a motive.
Police made the bizarre discovery on Wednesday after a walker near the central town of Laren alerted them to mounds of earth and part of a shovel.
They round a "significant amount" of mail in eight holes each measuring one metre deep. Some were buried for weeks.
"They were mostly bills, magazines, and publicity letters," Margot van de Coterlet, a spokesman for the Sandd postal company, told AFP.
The company said it was not revealing the identity of the postman.
"It was someone who has unfortunately not respected our work standards. We are taking the necessary measures." She did not comment on why the postman was believed to have buried the letters.
The letters that were still in good condition were being sent to their destinations, albeit several weeks late. Those that had rotted would be destroyed after consultations with the senders, she 

Mystery of Dutch postman's burial of thousands of letters

The US House of Representatives voted Friday to restrict President Donald Trump's ability to attack Iran, voicing fear that his hawkish policies are pushing toward a needless war.
The Democratic-led House approved an amendment on a broad defense bill that would prohibit funding for military operations against Iran unless they are in self-defense or explicitly approved by Congress.
But a similar measure failed in the Senate, where Trump's Republican Party holds the majority. The two chambers will have to negotiate over the language as they finalize the defense bill.
Representative Ro Khanna, the Democrat who led the amendment, said the measure showed that the United States was fed up with war.
"Frankly, what it will prevent is what this president promised to the American people not to do -- to get into another endless, costly war in the Middle East," he said on the House floor.
Trump, who walked out of a nuclear accord with Iran and instead slapped sweeping sanctions, last month ...

US House votes to curb Trump powers to start Iran war

Roberto Bautista Agut's stag party may after all go ahead in clubbers' paradise Ibiza after his gallant loss to defending champion Novak Djokovic in Friday's Wimbledon semi-final.
The 31-year-old Spaniard, who was not over-awed appearing in his first ever Grand Slam semi-final pushing Djokovic hard before losing 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, was watched from the player's box by his six friends who had originally been waiting for him in Ibiza.
Bautista Agut will marry former beauty pageant queen Ana Bodi Tortosa in November.
He said he had been touched by the friends flying from Ibiza to watch him play.
"Well, they came yesterday as a surprise," said Bautista Agut, whose bride-to-be was also watching from the box.
"Was really nice to have them in the crowd. They support me so much.
"Well, now I think I deserve some vacation. We will have some time off after that."
However, Bautista Agut, who this time last year was experiencing starkly different emotions with the sudden death of his mother ...

Ibiza set for Bautista Agut stag weekend after all =

The heirs of the former Prussian monarchy are seeking the return of thousands of artworks, memorabilia and other historical artefacts from the German state, the culture ministry said Friday, confirming a report in Der Spiegel magazine.
Negotiations have been going on "for several years" between the Hohenzollern family, the federal government as well as the states of Berlin and Brandenburg over the aristocrats' demand for restitution, the ministry told AFP.
"The talks... are aimed at finding a lasting solution for different art and collection objects, which are valued differently by the public institutions on the one hand and the Hohenzollern House on the other hand," said the culture ministry in a statement.
According to Der Spiegel, the Hohenzollerns are seeking the restitution of tens of thousands of paintings, sculptures, coins, books and furniture.
Further, they want a right to reside at one of several properties, including Cecilienhof Palace, where Allied powers met after World ..

Last German Kaiser's heir seeking return of properties

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's appearance in Congress next week to testify on the Russia election meddling investigation and allegations of obstruction by President Donald Trump has been postponed, US media reported Friday.
Mueller was scheduled to appear on July 17 before the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees.
But media reports say the planned sessions were viewed as too short by members of the committees and that negotiations were underway for longer hearings, possibly on July 24.
Completed in March after a more than two-year investigation into Russian election meddling in the 2016 presidential election, the Mueller report documents numerous instances of attempted collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia, but found no grounds for criminal conspiracy charges.
The report also listed ten occasions when Trump allegedly attempted to obstruct the investigation.
But Mueller refrained from recommending criminal charges against the president, saying he had no power to do ...

Mueller testimony on Russia meddling investigation postponed: media

Popular Czech Barbora Strycova rebounded from the disappointment of losing in the women's singles semi-finals at Wimbledon to reach the final of the women's doubles on Friday with Taiwanese partner Hsieh Su-Wei.
Strycova and Hsieh,- who had gone off to have a traditional English cup of tea while her partner was losing to Serena Williams in the singles on Thursday, ousted the top seeded pairing of Hungary's Timea Babos and Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic 7-6 (7/5), 6-4.
They will play China's Xu Yifan and Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada in Saturday's final.  Xu and Dabrowski had also upset the seedings earlier on Friday, beating defending champions and second seeds Barbora Krejickova and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.
It will be 33-year-old Strycova's first appearance in a Grand Slam final whilst Hsieh has won two doubles titles, the 2013 Wimbledon crown and the French Open a year later.  Seeded four Xu, 30, and 27-year-old Dabrowski will both be appearing in ...

Strycova bounces back to reach doubles final

Wimbledon referee Andrew Jarrett insisted Friday that on-court behaviour was much worse in his playing days despite record fines being handed out at this year's tournament.
In the first week at the All England Club, a total of $106,000 was levied in fines, the bulk of which was incurred by Australia's Bernard Tomic ($58,000) for tanking his opening round match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Serena Williams was handed a $10,000 fine for damaging a practice court with her racquet while Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus was hit with the same amount for "unsportsmanlike behaviour".
Italian wild man Fabio Fognini was fined $3,000 for saying he wanted to see "a bomb dropped" on the tournament.
However, Jarrett, 61, a former tour player in the 1970s and 1980s -- the era of John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Ilie Nastase -- believes standards of behaviour have improved.
"I would humbly claim that my generation was the worst behaved. We were shocking back in the late 70s and early 80s," said Jarrett, who ..

Behaviour was wilder in my day, says Wimbledon referee

US officials will travel to China in the "very near future" to resume trade negotiations that collapsed in May, a White House official said Friday.
President Donald Trump and China's leader Xi Jinping agreed to "fully engage" on trade when they met in Osaka at the end of June, and since then trade officials have spoken by phone, White House trade advisor Peter Navarro said on CNBC.
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will go to Beijing "in the very near future and we're going to have constructive talks to deal with these significant structural issues," Navarro said.
The trade dispute has roiled global financial markets and undermined business confidence as Washington and Beijing have lashed out with punitive tariffs on about USD 360 billion in goods.
The sides appeared to be close to a deal but Trump accused China of reneging on its commitments, scuttling the talks until the leaders met on the sidelines on Group of 20 summit in Osaka, where .

US trade negotiators will travel to China in 'very near future': official

Britain said Friday it was sending a second warship to the Gulf and raising the alert level in the region as tensions spike after Iranian gunboats threatened a UK supertanker.
The decision was disclosed as US President Donald Trump stepped up his war of words with the Islamic republic over its nuclear programme and its alleged support for terror groups in the Middle East.
"Iran better be careful," Trump told reporters outside the White House. "They're treading on very dangerous territory. Iran, if you're listening, you better be careful."
British officials said the naval deployment was part of a pre-planned rotation and meant to ensure a continued British naval presence in one of the most important but volatile oil shipment routes in the world.
But a source said the switchover was brought forward by several days and should see two of Britain's most advanced warships jointly navigating the waters off Iran for a period that might last a number of weeks.
A government spokesman said the ..

Britain sends second warship to the Gulf after Iran tanker standoff

Hundreds of undocumented migrants on Friday surged into the historic Pantheon memorial complex in central Paris, occupying the premises to demand that their status is regularised, activists said.
A member of La Chapelle Debout activist group, which helps migrants in Paris, said that 700 migrants and supporters had rushed into the building in the afternoon.
A video posted on Twitter showed hundreds of people under the main dome of the building chanting "Black Vests!", the name of an association of migrants in Paris.
A statement issued in the name of the Black Vests, whose name refers to the "yellow vest" anti-government protests movement, said they were demanding a meeting with Prime Minister Edouard Philippe.
Tourists were evacuated from the Pantheon, the final resting place of France's greatest non-military luminaries including the writers Voltaire, Victor Hugo and Emile Zola.
Some activists protested outside while police maintained a heavy presence around the building.

Hundreds of migrants occupy Pantheon in Paris: activists

Defending champion Novak Djokovic reached his sixth Wimbledon final Friday as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal prepared to meet at the All England Club for the first time since their epic 2008 title showdown.
World number one and four-time Wimbledon winner Djokovic booked his 25th Grand Slam final appearance with a nervy 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Spain's 23rd seed Roberto Bautista Agut.
"This has been a remarkable tournament for me and to be in another final is a dream come true," said the top seed.
"I had to dig deep, Roberto was playing his first semi-final at a Grand Slam and he was not really overwhelmed.
"It was a really close opening four to five games of the third set that could have gone either way -- thankfully it went mine."
The 32-year-old will go into Sunday's final seeking a 16th major title with a career advantage over both his great rivals.
He leads Federer 25-22 and Nadal 28-26.
"I will watch Federer and Nadal. I am a fan of that match up -- it's one of the most ...

Djokovic into sixth Wimbledon final as Federer, Nadal wait

The US government could run out of money in early September unless Congress allows the administration to borrow more, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin warned Friday.
The Treasury has been taking extraordinary steps since March to shuffle its cash around to continue paying its bills after hitting the $22 trillion debt limit set by Congress.
Officials have issued dire warnings that without an increase in the borrowing limit, the US could default on its debt for the first time and they have been urging the legislature to act before the summer break later this month.
"Based on updated projections, there is a scenario in which we run out of cash in early September, before Congress reconvenes," Mnuchin warned in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi late Thursday said she is working to finalize a deal that would temporarily raise the debt ceiling before the House of Representatives shuts down July 26, according to news reports.
The House is not scheduled to reopen until September .

AFP

AFP

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