Nine people were killed when an air-ambulance plane crashed at a resort area near the Philippine capital on Sunday, sparking a fierce blaze and sending terrified locals fleeing, authorities said.
Dramatic video on social media showed emergency vehicles rushing toward a building engulfed in roaring flames in Calamba City as authorities urged crowds to move away for their own safety.
After dousing the blaze, rescuers found nine bodies in the smoking ruins -- believed to be those aboard the King Air 350 light aircraft.
"No one will survive this crash. We assume that all confirmed passengers of this plane are dead," local emergency official Jeffrey Rodriguez told AFP.
Police said two people on the ground were injured in the crash and rushed to hospital, but have not reported any fatalities from those who were in the resort area when the plane went down.
Philippine aviation authorities said the plane was carrying a patient and medical team from the nation's south to Manila when it ...

Nine killed in Philippine air-ambulance crash

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A fourth Rohingya refugee was shot dead, Bangladesh police said Sunday, amid growing fallout over the murder of a ruling party official that sparked a violent backlash from locals.
There has been an outbreak of violence in recent weeks at refugee camps in southeast Bangladesh, where nearly one million Rohingya live after fleeing crackdowns in Myanmar.
At least five Rohingya men have died in clashes in the settlements -- allegedly over gang violence -- while an Awami League official was shot in the head in late August at Jadimura camp in the border town of Teknaf.
Police blamed Omar Faruk's death on Rohingya hitmen, and have shot dead three refugees over the past week in connection with the incident.
The latest to die was 36-year-old Nur Mohammad, who officers allege was a Rohingya gang leader who arrived in Bangladesh in 1992 and was operating in the hills around the refugee camps.
Local officials say Mohammad was a drug trafficking kingpin involved in using refugees to smuggle yaba, .

Fourth Rohingya refugee shot dead over Bangladesh murder

A Sri Lankan court Sunday banned two ultra-nationalist Buddhist organisations from demonstrating against a major Shiite holy day, the first on the island since the deadly Easter Sunday suicide bombings.
Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said Colombo Magistrate's court issued restraining orders against the two groups led by Buddhist monks who planned to disrupt a gathering in Colombo of Dawoodi Bohra, a Shiite sect.
An estimated 25,000 adherents from around the world have been meeting in Colombo since Saturday for a 10-day religious event culminating with Ashura.
It is one of the holiest days in Shiite Islam and commemorates the 7th century martyrdom of Prophet Mohammed's grandson.
Gunasekera said police had information that two nationalist groups were planning to disrupt the event in the capital, where police and troops have stepped up security.
It was not immediately clear what the groups were planning, but nationalist groups have usually taken a hardline stand against religious ...

Sri Lanka bans protests against Shiite pilgrims

Hurricane Dorian strengthened into a catastrophic Category 5 storm Sunday, packing 160 mph (267 kph) winds as it was about to slam into the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas, US weather forecasters said.
"#Dorian is now a category 5 #hurricane with 160 mph sustained winds," the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said in a tweet.
"The eyewall of this catastrophic hurricane is about to hit the Abaco Islands with devastating winds," it said.
The slow moving storm was expected to linger over the Bahamas through Sunday and much of Monday, dumping up to 25 inches of rain in some areas and unleashing storm surges of 10 to 15-feet, forecasters said.
"If you're watching anybody in the Bahamas a very dangerous, dangerous situation," said Ken Graham, the NHC's director.

Hurricane Dorian now Category 5 storm: NHC

An Afghan asylum seeker who killed a man and stabbed several others in the French city of Lyon sparked a row about immigration on Sunday as new details emerged about his rampage.
The 33-year-old killer stabbed a 19-year-old to death and injured eight others on Saturday afternoon in the Villeurbanne suburb of Lyon before he was cornered by locals and arrested by police.
French investigators are so far treating the stabbings with a knife and meat skewer as a criminal incident, rather than a terror attack, amid reports that the perpetrator was a drug addict.
Far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen led criticism of what she termed "the laxness of migration policy" in France which she said was "a serious threat to the safety of French people."
But the mayor of Villeurbanne, Jean-Paul Bret from the Socialist party, accused her and others on the right and far-right of "exploiting things politically."
"It's the classic reaction from the far-right which tries to turn a dramatic event to its ...

Afghan killer sparks far-right criticism in France

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday renewed his pledge to annex all Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank as he sought to shore up right-wing support ahead of a September 17 election.
Netanyahu and his Likud party have been working to maximise turnout and wrest votes from other right-wing parties close to the influential settlement movement.
"With the help of God we will apply Jewish sovereignty to all communities, as part of the (biblical) Land of Israel, and as part of the state of Israel," he told an audience at the West Bank settlement of Elkana.
He made the same promise ahead of the last election in April, but the results left him unable to form a viable governing coalition and he opted for a fresh poll for September 17.
Israel occupied the West Bank in the Six-Day War of 1967.
Israeli settlements are viewed as illegal under international law and as major obstacles to peace since they lie on land the Palestinians see as part of their future ...

Netanyahu renews pledge to annex West Bank settlements

Sudan's hard-won transition to civilian rule fell further behind schedule Sunday, days after the new prime minister delayed the formation of the first government since veteran leader Omar al-Bashir was ousted.
Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, a seasoned UN economist who faces the daunting task of rescuing his country's moribund economy, was supposed to unveil a cabinet on Wednesday under a post-Bashir roadmap.
But he is still considering the candidates, causing a knock-on delay to the first meeting between the government and the joint civilian-military ruling body overseeing the transition which was supposed to have been held on Sunday.
Hamdok, who took the oath on August 21, only received the nominees list from the Forces for Freedom and Change umbrella protest group on Tuesday and has been mulling the candidates since then.
"The FFC was late in submitting the list of nominees to the PM which has ultimately delayed the unveiling of cabinet," protest leader Amjed Farid told AFP.
Ibrahim 

Sudan's post-Bashir transition faces further delay

An anti-tank missile was fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel on Sunday, Israel's army said, after Hezbollah vowed revenge for a drone attack a week ago it blamed on Israel.
It was unclear if the missile caused any damage or injuries. Israel's military said it was fired toward the Israeli community of Avivim, but did not immediately give further details.

Anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel: Israeli army

Pope Francis said Sunday he will create 13 new Catholic cardinals next month, including some from the developing world and a Vatican expert on aiding migrants and refugees.
Francis made the surprise announcement during his weekly Angelus, and said they would be appointed on October 5.
The appointments come as the Argentine pontiff gradually shapes a less European college of cardinals.
The newcomers hail from North America, Central America, Africa, Europe and Asia, and Francis says "their origin expresses the missionary vocation of the Church".
The new "princes" of the Church, who will be appointed at a special ceremony known as a consistory, come from countries including Cuba, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia and Morocco.
Cardinals under age 80 are able to take part in the secret conclaves to elect the head of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, who is chosen from among them.
As well as having that key role, cardinals often also hold the highest administrative offices in the 

Pope to create 13 new cardinals in October

A computer breakdown briefly disrupted all air traffic in France, but flights are now gradually resuming.
A spokesman for the civil aviation authority DGAC said the automatic flight plan system broke down Sunday morning and the reason is being investigated.
He said the problem had "no impact on flight security" and was fixed before midday.
The spokesman wasn't authorised to be publicly named according to the authority's rules.
However it temporarily halted all air traffic throughout French territory, and airports are still seeing residual delays.
That includes Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport, among Europe's busiest, where dozens of flights are running late.

Air traffic computer glitch delays all flights in France

The UK Labour Party's chief Brexit adviser says opposition plans to block a "no-deal" Brexit will require another extension to Article 50 so the October 31 deadline doesn't take effect.
Keir Starmer told the BBC on Sunday that the legislation to be introduced in Parliament will focus on an extension of the deadline to prevent Prime Minister Boris Johnson from leaving the European Union without a deal.
He says the length of the extension is "secondary" because the top priority is preventing a disorderly departure on October 31.
Current plans call for Britain to leave the EU on that date unless Britain formally asks for an extension and each of the bloc's other 27 nations agree.
Britain's Parliament only has a short time to deal with the situation.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to suspend Parliament for part of the time during the run-up to the Brexit deadline.
Cabinet minister Michael Gove, who is heading up "no-deal" preparations, declined Sunday to commit the government to ...

UK Labour Party to seek Brexit extension in Parliament

Nepal police have arrested five Chinese nationals for allegedly stealing money from an ATM in Darbarmarga here.
Presenting the arrested here on Sunday, the police said they had seized Nepalese Rs 12.64 million and some foreign currencies from them.
One of the accused had been nabbed on Saturday night when he was stealing money from the ATM, officials said.
Based on the arrested's statement, the police arrested four others from a hotel here.

5 Chinese nationals arrested for stealing money from ATM in Kathmandu

The US and the Taliban are on the brink of striking a deal after 18 years of war, Washington's top negotiator said Sunday, ahead of a visit to Kabul where he was to meet with Afghan officials.
The apparent progress at the latest round of talks to conclude in Doha came even as the Taliban launched a broad offensive on the city of Kunduz in northern Afghanistan, and violence flared in a neighbouring province.
"We are at the threshold of an agreement that will reduce violence and open the door for Afghans to sit together to negotiate an honourable and sustainable peace," tweeted Washington's special envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad.
His comment came just hours after Afghan security forces said they had cleared Kunduz of Taliban fighters, who on Saturday launched a broad assault on the provincial capital in a bid to score a repeat of a 2015 takeover.
Afghan forces, backed with local and US air power, were able to stop the city falling and repel the Taliban, but 20 troops and five ...

US and Taliban on 'threshold' of deal, says US Afghan envoy

More than 100 people are believed to have been killed when the Saudi-led coalition fighting Huthi rebels launched an air strike on a detention centre in Yemen, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Sunday.
"We estimate over 100 people were killed," Franz Rauchenstein, head of delegation for the ICRC in Yemen, told AFP after he travelled to the city of Dhamar where the air strikes hit.
He said at least 40 survivors were being treated for their injuries in hospitals in the city, which lies south of the capital Sanaa.
The Saudi-led military coalition said earlier that it launched air strikes against a Huthi military target that "stores drones and missiles".
However, the Huthi television channel Al-Masirah said that "dozens were killed and injured" in seven air strikes that hit a building the rebels used as a prison.
The ICRC has sent medical teams and hundreds of body bags to Dhamar, saying that it had visited detainees at the location before.
"As we speak, the teams are ...

More than 100 believed killed in Yemen air strike: ICRC

Long a pioneer in drone technology, Israel today sees its superiority challenged by Iran and its ally Hezbollah which are also developing military UAVs.
The past week has illustrated the complex and shifting dynamics.
On August 24, Israel struck what it said was an attempt to stop an Iranian force from launching a cross-border drone attack from a Syrian village.
A day later, two drones which Lebanon said were Israeli crashed in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut, an area dominated by Israel's longtime foe Hezbollah.
The Lebanese army later fired at a number of Israeli drones.
On Saturday, Hezollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed that Israel "must pay a price" for the alleged August 25 strike.
On Sunday, Iran unveiled what it said was a new reconnaissance and attack drone with a range of more than 1,000 kilometres (620 miles).
Meanwhile in Iraq, Israel has been accused of being behind several attacks and drone sightings against a paramilitary group. Israel has not ...

On Israel's borders, drone rivalries play out

A minute's silence was held to honour the late French racing driver Anthoine Hubert before Sunday's scheduled Formula Three race at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Hubert, 22, was killed in a crash during Saturday's Formula Two race at the high-speed Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
A minute's silence will also be held before the start of the Formula One Grand Prix race later Sunday.
Hubert's family stood holding his racing helmet at the front of a large group of racing team members and others during the brief reflective ceremony.
The scheduled F2 race was cancelled.
Other special tributes to the Renault-backed driver are being organised by fans through messages on social media.
These include a round of applause to honour Hubert on lap 19 of the Grand Prix race, marking a memory of his racing number.
The official minute of silence is set to be observed at 1453 local time (1253 GMT), said officials.
The race is due to begin at 1510.
An official schedule said a video tribute to the Frenchman is to be 

A minute's silence in tribute to Formula Two crash victim Hubert

Young Indian racer Jehan Daruvala could not make the most of his pole position as he settled for a third-place finish in round six of the FIA Formula 3 championship but the podium performance pushed him to number two in the drivers' title race.
Starting from his maiden pole position in the series, Jehan exited the first corner ahead but Pedro Piquet, son of three-time F1 champion Nelson Piquet, took advantage of Indian's slip stream to overtake him after Eau Rouge.
Jehan continued to lose ground and fell all the way to fourth in the race which is a support event to the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix.
The Indian pushed hard and was able to move back into second place, behind Piquet. A virtual safety car was declared and the timing of the call affected Jehan, causing him to lose four seconds.
Later, Jehan's Prema teammate, Robert Shwartzman managed to use his DRS (Drag Reduction System) to drive right around Jehan.
The Indian had to settle for third place, behind Shwartzman, while Piquet .

Jehan moves up to 2nd in the FIA F3 Championship

Afghan security forces appeared to have cleared Kunduz of Taliban fighters Sunday, a day after insurgents tried to repeat a 2015 takeover of the northern Afghanistan city.
Fighting also broke out Sunday in Pul-e Khumri, the capital of neighbouring Baghlan province, but officials said the situation was "under control".
The Taliban launched a multi-fronted attack on Kunduz early Saturday, but were eventually repelled after heavy fighting that included US air support.
The fighting comes as US and insurgent negotiators were seeking an agreement in Doha that would see thousands of American troops leave Afghanistan in return for security guarantees.
Kunduz had been "completely cleared" of Taliban fighters by Sunday afternoon, the interior ministry said in a statement, noting that 56 "terrorists" had been killed.
The ministry said 20 Afghan security forces had been killed along with five civilians. Another 85 civilians were wounded, officials said.
In one incident, a suicide bomber blew ...

Afghan forces secure Kunduz after Taliban attack: Officials

Iranian judo star Saeid Mollaei, who claimed he was ordered to deliberately lose a world championship fight, could compete under a refugee flag at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, officials said Sunday.
International Judo Federation (IJF) president Marius Vizer has thrown his support behind former world champion Mollaei, who reportedly complained he had been instructed by Iranian authorities to throw a match in Tokyo last week to avoid facing Israeli Sagi Muki.
"It is our mission to protect our athletes -- that's clear," Vizer told AFP.
"We will do our best that he will compete in the Olympic Games. Later we will see in which team -- there are different options, but one of them will be applied for the Olympics."
Vizer was quoted by local media as saying that Mollaei had told him pressure was being exerted on his family in Iran, prompting him to lose to Belgium's Matthias Casse in the semi-finals of the men's 81-kilo class.
The 27-year-old Tehran native subsequently fled to Berlin where he is .

Judo boss offers Olympic lifeline to asylum-seeking Iranian Mollaei

More than a dozen flights were cancelled Sunday as thousands of pro-democracy activists blocked routes to Hong Kong's airport, a day after protesters and police fought pitched battles in some of the worst violence seen in the city since unrest began three months ago.
At least 16 flights were cancelled, the airport's website said, with the departure hall packed with a backlog of passengers who had struggled to make it to the terminals.
Earlier, operators of the Airport Express train suspended services after the station was besieged, while black-clad protesters - hiding from CCTV cameras under umbrellas - built barricades at the bus terminus and attempted to stop traffic on the main road leading to the facility.
Stranded travellers were forced to abandon their lifts and drag their luggage along the airport road.
Sunday's action is the latest in three months of increasingly violent protests sparked initially by opposition to a proposed law that would have allowed extraditions to mainland 

Flights cancelled after Hong Kong protesters target airport

Seven people were killed when an air-ambulance plane crashed into a resort area near the Philippine capital on Sunday, sparking a fierce blaze and sending terrified locals fleeing, authorities said.
Seven bodies have been found and it is believed all eight people aboard the light aircraft died in the disaster in Calamba City, local emergency official Jeffrey Rodriguez told AFP.
Footage on social media showed the chaotic scene as an ambulance drove towards a building that was engulfed in flames and witnesses shouted for help in the street.
"No one will survive this crash. We assume that all confirmed passengers of this plane are dead," said Rodriguez, confirming seven bodies had been discovered in the smoking ruins.
Police said two people were injured in the crash and rushed to hospital, but have not reported any fatalities from those who were in the resort area when the plane went down.
Philippine aviation authorities said six passengers and two pilots were aboard the craft when it ...

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