August 18, 2016
US to end federal use of private prisons
The US Justice Department will phase out use of privately owned prisons, citing safety concerns. Contracts with 13 private prisons will be reviewed and and allowed to expire over the next five years. "They do not save substantially on costs and ...…
August 17, 2016
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…
August 17, 2016
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…
August 17, 2016
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…
August 17, 2016
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…
August 17, 2016
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…
August 17, 2016
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…
August 17, 2016
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…
August 17, 2016
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…
August 11, 2016
Canada police ‘kill suspect in anti-terror operation’
Police have shot dead a suspect in an anti-terror operation in the Canadian province of Ontario. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) confirmed that a suspect was fatally shot in a police operation. Canadian media said police had raided a…