Hurricane Maria: Puerto Rico may be months without power –
Hurricane Maria has knocked out power across the island of Puerto Rico, home to 3.5m people, officials have said. Flash flood warnings cover the entire island, which continues to be lashed by heavy rain in the storm’s wake. Meanwhile more pictures are emerging of widespread destruction on the small island of Dominica, hit on Monday. Maria, now a category three storm, is now lashing the Dominican Republic further west and heading towards the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is the second devastating storm to hit the Caribbean this hurricane season – the first being category five Irma earlier in September. [BBC]
Facebook Russian ads that influenced election released to Congress –
Facebook has agreed to disclose ads to Congress that were purchased by Russians on the social media platform in that country’s effort to influence the 2016 election, the company announced Thursday. CEO Mark Zuckerberg made the brief announcement in a live video update on his Facebook page. “I care deeply about the democratic process and protecting its integrity,” he said. “I don’t want anyone to use our tools to undermine democracy — that’s not what we stand for.” [CBS]
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Zuckerberg says Facebook will work to protect election integrity
Other News Stories –
- Armed conflicts and attacks
- Syrian Civil War
- Russian and Syrian warplanes carry out airstrikes in southern Idlib, killing three civilians and wounding others. (Iraqi News)
- Business and economy
- Economy of the United States
- Economy of China
- China‘s credit rating has been downgraded by Standard & Poor’s (S&P) because of worries over the rapid build up of debt in the country. (BBC)
- Disasters and accidents
- European migration crisis
- At least five migrants have died and ninety are missing after their boat sinks off the western coast of Libya. (AP via US News and World Report)
- 2017 Atlantic hurricane season
- Hurricane Maria
- Maria, now a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph (205 km/h), is passing offshore of the northern coast of the Dominican Republic, expected to impact the Turks and Caicos Islands and southeastern Bahamas later tonight and Friday. (National Hurricane Center)
- Casualty reports indicate at least 15 people have been killed on Dominica and two on Guadeloupe. The casualty report for Puerto Rico is now two deaths, including a man from a capsized boat near Vieques, Puerto Rico. Power remains out for an estimated 3.4 million Puerto Ricans as the energy grid is all but destroyed. Guajataca Dam in Puerto Rico will experience an “imminent dam break” according to the National Weather Service which will threaten 70,000 residents. In addition, more than 95 percent of the island’s wireless cell sites are out of service. (The New York Times)
- Puerto Rico is forecast to get an additional 4 inches (10 cm) to 8 inches (20 cm) of rain through Saturday, on top of the several feet of rain that has fallen on parts of the island. Caguas has received the most, 37.9 inches (96 cm). The NHC expects 8 inches (20 cm) to 16 inches (41 cm) rain for the Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos, and Mayaguana in the southeast Bahamas. (National Hurricane Center) (The New York Times)
- Hurricane Maria
- 2017 Central Mexico earthquake
- Rescuers are focusing on 10 collapsed buildings where people may still be alive. Mexico City Mayor Miguel Ángel Mancera reports the death toll is now at least 273, with 50 people still missing. (Reuters)
- International relations
- North Korea–United States relations
- U.S. President Donald Trump announces new sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear weapons program. (BBC)
- Law and crime
- Protests against Rodrigo Duterte
- Coinciding with the 45th anniversary of the declaration of martial law in 1972 by the late Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, nationwide protests are conducted by various groups against the government’s implementation of war on drugs and the ongoing martial law in the whole of Mindanao under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. (Rappler)
- Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
- Facebook agrees to disclose ads that ran in the U.S. in 2016 from accounts associated with a Russian entity known as the Internet Research Agency to United States Congressional investigators. Earlier, this information was provided to Special Counsel Robert Mueller. (CBS News) (Facebook)
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