Icetruck

Somalia attack: Death toll rises in Mogadishu blast

At least 276 people have died in a massive bomb attack in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Saturday.

A Turkish military plane has arrived with medical aid. It will then evacuate about 40 of the injured to Turkey for medical treatment.

It is the deadliest terror attack in Somalia since the Islamist al-Shabab group launched its insurgency in 2007.

One of the victims was a medical student who was due to graduate the next day.

Her father had flown to Mogadishu to attend her graduation but instead witnessed her burial.

• Africa Live: BBC news updates
• Who are Somalia's al-Shabab?

No group has yet said it was behind the bombing.

But President Mohamed Abdullahi "Farmajo" Mohamed blamed al-Shabab, calling it a "heinous act".

Al-Shabab, which is allied to al-Qaeda, and which often attacks Mogadishu, normally claims them fairly quickly afterwards.

On Sunday, some Somalis took to the streets of Mogadishu to condemn the group.

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The explosion was at a busy junction, destroying hotels, government offices and restaurants.

Some 111 of the dead have been identified and buried by their families.

However, 165 bodies who cannot be identified will be buried in a national mass funeral, according to Somalia government News Agency, Sonna.

Maryam Abdullahi had been due to graduate as a doctor the following day.

Ms Abdullah's sister Anfa'a told the BBC Somali Service that she was devastated.

"The family is so shocked, especially our father who travelled all the way from London to attend her graduation, but instead he attended her burial."

Anfa'a said she had spoken to her sister 20 minutes before the blast.

"At that time she was in Banadir Hospital where she was working. She told me she was waiting for some files from the hospital and she promised to call back".

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A BBC Somali reporter at the scene of the main blast said the Safari hotel collapsed with people trapped under the rubble.

An eyewitness, local resident Muhidin Ali, told AFP it was "the biggest blast I have ever witnessed, it destroyed the whole area".

Meanwhile, the director of the Madina Hospital, Mohamed Yusuf Hassan, said he was shocked by the scale of the attack.

"What happened yesterday was incredible, I have never seen such a thing before, and countless people lost their lives. Corpses were burned beyond recognition."

Source – bbc.com

Drone collides with commercial aeroplane in Canada

A drone has collided with a commercial aircraft in Canada, the first such incident in the country, according to the Transport Ministry.

The drone struck one of the plane's wings, while six passengers and two crew members were aboard.

The aircraft sustained only minor damage and was able to land safely, the Canadian transport minister said.

Earlier this year, Canada announced that it was making it illegal to fly recreational drones near airports.

The law prohibited airborne drones within 5.5km (3.5 miles) of an airport and restricted the height of a drone's flight to 90 metres (300ft).

Those breaking the restrictions could face fines of up to 25,000 Canadian dollars ($20,000, £15,000).

The Skyjet flight was heading to Quebec City's Jean Lesage International Airport when the drone hit it on 12 October.

In a statement, transport minister Marc Garneau said: "Although the vast majority of drone operators fly responsibly, it was our concern for incidents like this that prompted me to take action and issue interim safety measures restricting where recreational drones could be flown.

"I would like to remind drone operators that endangering the safety of an aircraft is extremely dangerous and a serious offence."

According to a UK Airprox Board report, a drone passed directly over the wing of an aircraft approaching Gatwick Airport this summer.

The drone was "flown into conflict" with the Airbus 319, with a high risk of collision, read the report.

Source – bbc.com

Catalonia leader Puigdemont 'unclear' on independence – Spain

The Spanish government has said that the head of the Catalonia region has failed to clarify whether he declared independence last week.

In a letter to Madrid on Monday, Carles Puigdemont instead called for negotiation over the next two months.

Spain's Deputy PM Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said Mr Puigdemont now has until Thursday to clarify his position.

The Spanish government has warned that Catalonia must revoke the declaration or face direct rule from Madrid.

Last week Mr Puigdemont signed a declaration of independence, but halted its implementation to allow negotiations.

• Catalan crisis in 300 words
• The man who wants to break up Spain

Ms Saenz de Santamaria said on Monday that Madrid "deeply regrets" that the Catalan government had "decided not to respond" to Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's request for clarity on the region's independence decision.

Speaking at the official residence of the Spanish prime minister, the Moncloa Palace, she said that any future dialogue between Madrid and Catalonia's regional government must take place "within the law".

Ms Saenz de Santamaria added that the Spanish government's handling of the Catalonia crisis was widely backed in the Spanish parliament.

Spain's Justice Minister Rafael Catalá earlier said that Mr Puigdemont's response to the Madrid deadline was "not valid", Spanish news agency Efe reported.

Mr Catalá said the letter had failed to clarify Catalonia's position or explain what measures Mr Puigdemont's regional government was planning in order to fulfil Madrid's demands.

Catalonia's controversial independence referendum result, which was immediately rejected by the Spanish government, has plunged Spain into turmoil.

The vote, held on 1 October, was declared illegal by Spain's Constitutional Court.

Catalan authorities said that slightly fewer than 90% of voters backed independence, although the turnout for the poll was only 43%.

Polling day was marred by scenes of violence as Spain's police confiscated ballot boxes and attempted to prevent members of the public entering polling stations.

• The view from Barcelona v Madrid
• Catalonia crisis: What are the options now?

In a letter to Mr Rajoy on Monday, Mr Puigdemont said his "suspension of the political mandate given by the polls on 1 October demonstrates our firm will to find a solution and not confrontation".

"For the next two months, our main objective is to bring you to dialogue," he said, asking for a meeting as soon as possible.

"Let's not let the situation deteriorate further. With good will, recognising the problem and facing it head on, I am sure we can find the path to a solution."

Article 155 of the country's constitution allows the government to impose direct rule in a crisis – but it has never been invoked in democratic Spain.

Some 4,000 national police who were dispatched to Catalonia during the crisis have remained there since polling day.

Source – bbc.com

Death toll in Portugal wildfires soars to 27

At least 27 people have died in a series of wildfires in Portugal, the country's civil protection service says.

More than 50 people have been injured.

A spokeswoman for the agency told reporters that firefighters were still tackling 145 separate fires, 32 of which were serious.

"We can confirm the deaths of 27 people in the districts of Coimbra, Castelo Branco, Viseu and Guarda," AFP quoted Patricia Gaspar as saying.

Thousands of firefighters are battling the flames, which erupted across north-eastern Portugal and parts of Spain over the weekend after a hot dry summer.

In Spain, at least three people have died.

Conditions were worsened by Hurricane Ophelia, which is approaching Europe's western coast, bringing strong winds to fan and spread the flames.

The wildfires follow a massive forest blaze in June which killed 64 people and injured more than 130.

Source – bbc.com

Facebook funds anti-bullying training in schools

Facebook has said it will fund existing training for one young person in every UK secondary school so they can support children who experience cyber-bullying.

There are 4,500 secondary schools in the UK, of which around half have a digital ambassador trained by anti-bullying campaigns The Diana Award and Childnet International.

The "digital safety ambassador" scheme is part of Facebook's commitment to online safety, the firm said.

But one charity said more must be done.

Facebook will provide £1m ($1.3m) to the scheme.

The funding provides an extension of existing projects offered by the two organisations to schools who choose to opt in.

New research suggests that young people are more likely to discuss online bullying with each other than with parents or teachers.

"This partnership is the next step in our ongoing effort to help young people build safe and supportive communities," said Antigone Davis, Facebook's head of global safety policy.

"Over the last decade, we have developed a wealth of innovative resources on Facebook that enable young people to look after themselves and their peers, from our updated Safety Centre, to our online reporting tools.

"By offering trained digital safety ambassadors to every UK secondary school we are now taking this commitment offline too."

The UK's children's charity NSPCC welcomed the investment but said it was only part of what needed to be done.

"Anything that arms children with the tools and confidence to deal with online bullying is a good thing," it said.

"However, it is absolutely vital that Facebook and the internet industry work to ensure that their platforms are safe environments for young people to use.

"We want to see a strong set of minimum standards that all social media companies must follow including grooming and bullying alerts on platforms, an army of child safety moderators, clear community guidelines, and greater transparency about how and what they are doing to keep children safe online."

'Positive changes'

Poppy Muffett, a 15-year-old digital leader from Wath Comprehensive School in Rotherham, said the role had given her confidence.

"The most enjoyable part of the programme is planning events or creating posters, as you know that you're making a difference within the school and wider community," she said.

"Over the two years that I have had this role, I have noticed positive changes around the school. It feels like we have made the school a better place, and I know we will continue to do so in the future."

Analysis: Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC Technology Correspondent

This looks like an ambitious initiative by Facebook, but £1m is quite a limited sum if thousands of children in 4,500 schools are to be trained as digital ambassadors.

It comes as all the social media firms are under pressure from the government to sign up to a voluntary code of practice.

The culture secretary Karen Bradley has described this move as "fantastic" but she says she wants more from the companies.

This is an existing programme run by Childnet and the Diana Award. On the face of it, it's an impressive idea – kids are more likely to listen to other kids than to parents or teachers.

What parents may be asking is, "why isn't Facebook doing more to remove abusive content quickly from its platform?".

Source – bbc.com

Wi-fi security flaw 'puts devices at risk of hacks'

The wi-fi connections of businesses and homes around the world are at risk, according to researchers who have revealed a major flaw dubbed Krack.

It concerns an authentication system which is widely used to secure wireless connections.

Experts said it could leave "the majority" of connections at risk until they are patched.

The researchers added the attack method was "exceptionally devastating" for Android 6.0 or above and Linux.

A Google spokesperson said: "We're aware of the issue, and we will be patching any affected devices in the coming weeks."

The US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (Cert) has issued a warning on the flaw.

"US-Cert has become aware of several key management vulnerabilities in the four-way handshake of wi-fi protected access II (WPA2) security protocol," it said.

"Most or all correct implementations of the standard will be affected."

Computer security expert from the University of Surrey Prof Alan Woodward said: "This is a flaw in the standard, so potentially there is a high risk to every single wi-fi connection out there, corporate and domestic.

"The risk will depend on a number of factors including the time it takes to launch an attack and whether you need to be connected to the network to launch one, but the paper suggests that an attack is relatively easy to launch.

"It will leave the majority of wi-fi connections at risk until vendors of routers can issue patches."

Industry body the Wi-Fi Alliance said that it was working with providers to issue software updates to patch the flaw.

"This issue can be resolved through straightforward software updates and the wi-fi industry, including major platform providers, has already started deploying patches to wi-fi users.

"Users can expect all their wi-fi devices, whether patched or unpatched, to continue working well together."

It added that there was "no evidence" that the vulnerability had been exploited maliciously.

Tech giant Microsoft said that it had already released a security update.

Security handshake

The vulnerability was discovered by researchers led by Mathy Vanhoef, from Belgian university, KU Leuven.

According to his paper, the issue centres around a system of random number generation known as nonce (a number that can only be used once), which can in fact be reused to allow an attacker to enter a network and snoop on the data being sent in it.

"All protected wi-fi networks use the four-way handshake to generate a fresh session key and so far this 14-year-old handshake has remained free from attacks, he writes in the paper describing Krack (key reinstallation attacks).

"Every wi-fi device is vulnerable to some variants of our attacks. Our attack is exceptionally devastating against Android 6.0: it forces the client into using a predictable all-zero encryption key."

Dr Steven Murdoch from University College, London said there were two mitigating factors to what he agreed was a "huge vulnerability".

"The attacker has to be physically nearby and if there is encryption on the web browser, it is harder to exploit."

More details can be found at this website.

Krack explained

Prof Alan Woodward explained the issue to the BBC.

When any device uses wi-fi to connect to, say, a router it does what is known as a "handshake": it goes through a four-step dialogue, whereby the two devices agree a key to use to secure the data being passed (a "session key").

This attack begins by tricking a victim into reinstalling the live key by replaying a modified version of the original handshake. In doing this a number of important set-up values can be reset which can, for example, render certain elements of the encryption much weaker.

This attacks appears to work on all wi-fis tested – prior to the patches currently being issued.

In some it is possible to decrypt and inject data, enabling an attacker to hijack a connection. In others it is even worse as it is possible to forge a connection, which, as the researchers note, is "catastrophic".

Not all routers will be affected but the people this could be most problematic for are the internet service providers who have millions of routers in customers' homes. How will they make sure all of them are secure?

Source – bbc.com

Venezuela socialists win governor seats amid fraud claims

Electoral authorities in Venezuela say the governing Socialist Party has won 17 of 23 state governorships in a crushing victory.

President Nicolás Maduro hailed it as a victory for Chavismo, his party's brand of socialism named after former president Hugo Chávez.

But opposition leaders alleged fraud.

The Democratic Union Roundtable coalition has refused to recognise the result and demanded a complete audit, campaign director Gerardo Blyde said.

He said that "neither Venezuelans nor the world will swallow this fiction".

The results were announced by the president of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Tibisay Lucena. The council is dominated by government loyalists and has been accused of pro-government bias by the opposition.

The CNE came under fire earlier this year when the company providing the voting systems for July's elections for the constituent assembly said the turn-out figures for that poll had been manipulated.

The CNE dismissed those allegations and used a different company for Sunday's vote.

More conflict ahead

Analysis by the BBC's Will Grant in Caracas

As the results came in, it was clear this would be a comprehensive victory for the government. One by one, the states were named and one by one they went to the candidates in red.

President Nicolás Maduro immediately appeared on state television, surrounded by his inner circle and members of the military. "Chavismo is back, victorious," he told them, before urging the opposition to recognise the result too.

In fact, his opponents were already calling fraud. Mr Maduro's government has only garnered around 20% support in recent polls and opposition supporters are saying the count can't have been clean.

But as jubilant Maduro supporters dance in the plazas, this result may have repercussions outside Venezuela's borders. The Trump administration is sure to side with the opposition and call this election fraudulent.

Just as the calm was beginning to return to Venezuela after months of violent street protests ended, this overwhelming government victory brings with it more uncertainty and the real possibility of further conflict ahead.

The opposition MUD coalition won in the states of Mérida and Táchira, which have been at the centre of anti-government protests, as well as in Anzoátegui, Nueva Esparta and Zulia.

While the number of states the MUD now holds has increased from three to five, the opposition coalition had expected to win at least in 18 states.

The state of Bolívar is still too close to call.

'Suspicions and doubts'

A poll conducted by private firm Datanalisis before the election suggested 45% of voters intended to vote for opposition candidates and 21% for the governing socialist party candidates.

However, another poll by the same firm had also suggested that President Maduro's popularity rose by 6 percentage points after the US imposed sanctions on him.

Other polls had suggested many voters were blaming the government for the serious food shortages and the economic crisis facing Venezuela.

"We have serious suspicions and doubts," Mr Blyde said about the results, which came in the wake of mass anti-government protests during which more than 120 people from both sides of the political divide were killed.

The former president of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla, who recently visited Venezuela on an invitation from the opposition, tweeted that the results were "the chronicle of a fraud foretold. They are an outrage, but they're no surprise. Dictatorships never lose".

Skip Twitter post by @Laura_Ch

Resultados electorales de hoy son la crónica de un fraude anunciado. Indignan,pero no extrañan. Las dictaduras nunca pierden.#Venezuela pic.twitter.com/RiAI5Z2Xyr

— Laura Chinchilla M. (@Laura_Ch) October 16, 2017

Report

End of Twitter post by @Laura_Ch

President Maduro, on the other hand, praised the results as proof that Venezuela has "the best electoral system in the world".

Source – bbc.com

Colin Kaepernick files a lawsuit against NFL owners he claims are refusing to hire him because of his protests against racial injustice.
Source – bbc.com

Catalonia leader Puigdemont fails to clarify independence bid

The president of the autonomous Spanish region of Catalonia has failed to clarify whether he has declared independence, in a letter to Madrid.

Spain had issued a Monday deadline for Carles Puigdemont to clarify his intent – or face direct rule.

Instead, the Catalan leader called for negotiation over the next two months.

Mr Puigdemont declared independence last week after a controversial referendum – but immediately suspended the declaration to allow for talks.

Spain's Justice Minister Rafael Catalá said on Monday that Mr Puigdemont's response to the Madrid deadline was "not valid", Spanish news agency Efe reports.

Mr Catalá said the letter failed to clarify Catalonia's position or explain what measures Mr Puigdemont's regional government was planning in order to fulfil Madrid's demands.

It is now thought that the Spanish government will give Mr Puigdemont until Thursday to revoke any independence declaration, before taking steps to enact direct rule.

The region voted for independence in a controversial 1 October poll declared illegal by Spain's Constitutional Court. Catalan authorities say just under 90% of voters backed independence – but turnout was only 43%.

Polling day was marred by scenes of violence as Spain's police confiscated ballot boxes and attempted to prevent members of the public entering polling stations.

• Catalan crisis in 300 words
• The man who wants to break up Spain

In a letter to Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Monday, Mr Puigdemont said his "suspension of the political mandate given by the polls on 1 October demonstrates our firm will to find a solution and not confrontation."

"For the next two months, our main objective is to bring you to dialogue," he said, asking for a meeting as soon as possible.

"Let's not let the situation deteriorate further. With good will, recognising the problem and facing it head on, I am sure we can find the path to a solution."

Article 155 of the country's constitution allows the government to impose direct rule in a crisis – but it has never been invoked in democratic Spain.

Some 4,000 national police who were dispatched to Catalonia during the crisis have remained there since polling day.

Source – bbc.com

Harvey Weinstein: Met police investigate new sex assault claims

UK police are investigating a number of sexual assault allegations involving Harvey Weinstein, the BBC understands.

The Metropolitan Police says he is accused of assaulting three women in separate incidents in London in the late 1980s, 1992, 2010, 2011 and 2015.

Officers are looking into claims they were attacked in Westminster, Camden and west London.

The Hollywood film producer has "unequivocally denied" any allegations of non-consensual sex.

No arrests have been made over any of the allegations, police say.

New York police are also investigating claims against Weinstein, including rape and sexual assault.

More than two dozen women – among them actresses Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Rose McGowan – have made a number of accusations against him.

Weinstein, 65, is a huge figure in the film world, where his productions have received more than 300 Oscar nominations and won 81.

• Woody Allen 'sad' for Harvey Weinstein
• Harvey Weinstein: The accusers' stories
• James Corden criticised for Weinstein joke
• Women in his own words
• Alice Evans: My Weinstein encounter

On Saturday, the organisation behind the Oscars (the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) voted to expel Weinstein.

Hollywood figures including Tom Hanks and Whoopi Goldberg sit on its board.

Announcing its decision, the Academy said the "era of wilful ignorance and shameful complicity in sexually predatory behaviour and workplace harassment in our industry is over".

French President Emmanuel Macron has said he has taken steps to revoke Weinstein's Legion d'Honneur – the country's top honour – which he was awarded in 2012.

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British actress Lysette Anthony is the latest named star to accuse Weinstein after she told the Sunday Times he attacked her at her London home in the late 1980s.

Anthony says she reported the attack to the Met adding she met the producer in 1982 when she was in sci-fi film Krull and the alleged assault happened a few years later.

It was a "pathetic, revolting" attack, the actress said, that had left her "disgusted and embarrassed".

The Metropolitan Police said it was passed an allegation of sexual assault, without giving details.

• What it was like to work for Weinstein
• How the scandal unfolded
• Did everyone really know?
• Exploring the casting couch culture of LA

BBC home affairs correspondent Daniel Sandford says detectives have two problems going forward – one will be gathering evidence from the time of these allegations, including an incident from 35 years ago.

He adds the other is that because Weinstein faces allegations in the United States, police will want to deal with that first before agreeing to extradite him to the UK to face any charges against him there.

Meanwhile, Woody Allen has said he had heard rumours about Weinstein but not "these horror stories", adding he was "sad" to hear about the numerous allegations.

The film-maker later clarified his comments. "When I said I felt sad for Harvey Weinstein I thought it was clear the meaning was because he is a sad, sick man," he told Variety.

Harvey Weinstein's brother has refused to comment on whether the board of Weinstein Company had been aware of settlements with women during recent contract negotiations.

But Bob Weinstein told the Hollywood Reporter he had no idea of "the type of predator" his brother was.

Other developments include:

• Kate Winslet has revealed she deliberately did not thank Harvey Weinstein when she won her Oscar for The Reader in 2009. "I remember being told, 'Make sure you thank Harvey if you win,'" the actress told the Los Angeles Times. "And I remember turning around and saying, 'No I won't.'"
• The British director of Oscar-tipped film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri said he was pleased Weinstein had "got his comeuppance". Speaking on the closing night of this year's London Film Festival, Martin McDonagh said: "Hopefully it's the start of something better."
• James Corden has apologised for making jokes about the Weinstein affair at a charity gala in Los Angeles. "I am truly sorry for anyone offended, that was never my intention," the British talk show host wrote on Twitter.
• The Producers Guild of America is to hold a special meeting on Monday to discuss expelling Harvey Weinstein from its ranks.

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Source – bbc.com