Zoya Faessler

US election 2016: Trump overhauls campaign team again

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has overhauled his campaign team for the second time in two months, with two new leaders. Pollster Kellyanne Conway becomes campaign manager and Stephen Bannon of Breitbart News the CEO. Paul Manafort remains campaign chairman, but analysts say he has effectively been demoted. Mr Trump told AP the new leaders were "terrific people... they're champs". Mr Trump has seen his poll ratings slip since the party conventions last month. He trails Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton both nationally and in key battleground states. Diehard supporters still backing Trump

'I don't want to change'

The latest shake-up comes just 82 days before the election. On his website, Mr Trump said: "I have known Steve and Kellyanne both for many years. They are extremely capable, highly qualified people who love to win and know how to win." The Associated Press news agency said the details of the new hierarchy were hammered out at a lengthy senior staff meeting at Trump Tower on Tuesday and that more senior appointments were expected in the coming days.

by Zoya Faessler

Patrick Hickey: Europe's top Olympic official arrested in Rio

Police in Brazil have arrested the head of the European Olympic Committees, Irishman Patrick Hickey, in Rio over illegal Olympic ticket sales.Mr Hickey, 71, is suspected of illegally passing on tickets for the Games to be sold on at extortionate prices, Brazilian media report.Mr Hickey was taken ill and is currently being treated in hospital.Police say the suspect, who also heads the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI), tried to escape when they came for him. They say he slid his Olympic pass under the door when police came knocking and fled into the adjacent hotel room, where his son had been staying until recently. A spokesman for Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told the BBC: "We are aware of an Irish citizen having been arrested in Rio. The department, through its consulate in Rio, is following up and stands ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance." Brazilian media believe Mr Hickey's arrest is related to that of fellow Irishman Kevin James Mallon on the day of the Olympic opening ceremony. The OCI said in a statement it was "aware of the media stories regarding Pat Hickey and we are seeking total clarity on the situation before we comment further".

by Zoya Faessler

India: Three die as kite string slits their throats

Three people, including two children, have died after their throats were slit by glass-coated strings used for flying kites on India's Independence Day. Saanchi Goyal, 3, and Harry, 4, were looking out through the sunroof of their cars in different parts of Delhi when sharp strings slit their throats. Zafar Khan, 22, died in the same manner when he was riding his motorbike. Glass-coated strings are used to bring down competitors' kites, but they also end up injuring and killing people. Many Indians fly kites to celebrate festivals and important occasions like the Independence Day, which is celebrated on 15 August. But every year, there are reports of people dying or getting wounded from the kite strings - locally known as manja - treated with powdered glass or metal to sharpen them.

by Zoya Faessler

North Korea diplomat in London defects to South

A top North Korean diplomat who disappeared from the country's embassy in London has defected to South Korea, officials in Seoul have confirmed. Thae Yong-ho and his family are under the government's protection, a South Korean official said. Mr Thae was the ambassador's deputy and is thought to be the highest-ranking North Korean official ever to defect. His main mission in London had been to spread positive perceptions of the North Korean leadership. He had been due to return to Pyongyang with his wife and children. Mr Thae had come under pressure from his government to quash growing criticism of North Korea's human rights record, sources say.

by Zoya Faessler

North Korean diplomat at London embassy 'defects to another country'

A diplomat at the North Korean embassy in London has defected to another country, BBC News understands. The diplomat left the embassy, based in Ealing, west London, earlier this month for a "third country", reports in the South Korean media say. The diplomat reportedly lived in the UK for 10 years with his wife and family, the BBC's diplomatic correspondent James Robbins said. Neither the Foreign Office nor the embassy has commented. Calls about the issue have not been answered at the Embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), which is the North Korean embassy's official title. "A DPRK diplomat in London is going through procedures to seek asylum in a third country," a report in the South Korean daily newspaper JoongAng Ilbo said. "The DPRK Embassy made belated attempts to figure out the diplomat's whereabouts, but has failed," the paper's report added, citing an anonymous source. The paper said that in this context "a third country" means one which is not either North or South Korea. 

by Zoya Faessler

South Africa rape: 'Shocking' levels of violence in mining area

One in four women living in a key platinum mining area in South Africa has been raped in her lifetime, a survey by medical charity MSF has said. About half of women in Rustenburg had been subject to sexual violence or intimate partner violence, it said. The charity said the findings of its survey were "shocking but not uncommon" in South Africa. South Africa has one of the highest incidences of rape in the world and a low prosecution rate.

by Zoya Faessler

Syrian conflict: Russian bombers use Iran base for air strikes

Russia's defence ministry says it has used a base in western Iran to carry out air strikes in Syria. Tupolev-22M3 long-range bombers and Sukhoi-34 strike fighters took off from Hamedan today, a statement said. The aircraft attacked jihadist militants in Aleppo, Idlib and Deir al-Zour provinces, it added. It is reportedly the first time Russia has struck targets inside Syria from a third country since it began a campaign to prop up Syria's president last year. Iran is Bashar al-Assad's main regional ally and has provided significant military and financial support since an uprising against him erupted in 2011.

by Zoya Faessler

Guantanamo Bay: US in largest detainee transfer under Obama

The US says it has sent 15 Guantanamo Bay detainees to the United Arab Emirates - the largest single transfer during President Barack Obama's administration. The Pentagon says the transfer of 12 Yemeni nationals and three Afghans brings the total number of prisoners down to 61 at the US facility in Cuba. The released inmates had been held without charge, some for over 14 years. President Obama wants to close the prison before he leaves office.

by Zoya Faessler