Breking news: December 2017

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Many feared dead in Philippines mall fire

Fire in a shopping mall in Davao, southern Philippines — Image captionEmployees of a call centre were trapped on the fourth floor, officials said

At least 25 people are feared dead in a fire that ravaged a shopping mall in the southern Philippine city of Davao, local officials say.

Firefighters battled for hours to extinguish the blaze that started on Saturday morning on the third floor and spread to the floor above, trapping employees of a call centre.

Their chances of survival were "zero", a local official was quoted as saying.

President Rodrigo Duterte met the families of the missing at the scene.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Davao lies about 800km (500 miles) south-east of the capital Manila.

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Miss America CEO Sam Haskell quits over leaked emails

The Miss America Organization CEO, Sam Haskell, has resigned over leaked emails that disparaged pageant contestants.

In a statement, the organisation said it would accept Mr Haskell's immediate resignation. Its chairperson, Lynn Weidner, is also leaving.

The emails reportedly include vulgar references to past winners and comments about their sex lives.

Former contestants criticised the "appalling" revelations.

The organisation's president and chief operating officer, Josh Randle, has also resigned "in light of recent and new developments", a spokesperson confirmed to the BBC.

Announcing the resignation of Mr Haskell in a statement posted on its Twitter account, the Miss America Organisation (MAO) said Ms Weidner would help install a new leadership before leaving.

The announcement of Mr Haskell's resignation came only hours after the MAO put out a statement saying he had been suspended.

The Huffington Post published the alleged contents of three years of emails between Mr Haskell and other pageant officials.

The internal emails include name-calling, slut-shaming and fat-shaming of some of the contestants who had taken part in the pageant.

Contestants at the pageant — Image captionThe Miss America competition has been running for nearly a century

The revelations caused Dick Clark Productions, MAO's television sponsor, to cut ties with the long-standing pageant.

Dick Clark Productions said in a statement on Friday they had been made aware of the emails "several months ago" and were "appalled by their unacceptable content".

Pressure for the resignation of Mr Haskell also came from 49 former Miss Americas in an open letter.

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A former Miss America winner, Mallory Hagan, who was mocked in some of the emails said she "wasn't shocked, but [felt] validated by the emails".

"For the longest time, I've tried to explain to people around me that this is happening or these things are being said," the winner of the 2013 pageant told NBC.

Gretchen Carlson, a former Miss America and a television presenter, said the alleged emails contained "disgusting statements about women" and "vulgar slurs".

In a statement, Mr Haskell said he had been "under stress from a full year of attacks by two Miss Americas, and while I don't ever want to offer an excuse, I do want to offer context".

But he also said the original story was "vicious" with "conveniently edited emails".

Tropical Storm Tembin: Philippines rescuers seek victims

Rescuers are searching for victims of a tropical storm in the southern Philippines, where nearly 200 people have died in mudslides and flash floods.

Rescue teams have yet to reach some of the affected areas on Mindanao island.

Many people are missing after Storm Tembin, with winds up to 80km/h (50mph), swept through the area.

The towns of Tubod and Piagapo were badly hit, while the remote Dalama village was wiped out by flash floods.

The storm is now moving west

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was saddened by the loss of life, adding that the UN was ready to help.

There are fears the death toll will rise further.

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Tembin, known as Vinta in the Philippines, started lashing Mindanao on Friday, with a state of emergency declared in some areas including the Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur regions.

Regional officials quoted by the Rappler website said there were 127 fatalities in Lanao del Norte, up to 50 in the Zamboanga peninsula and at least 18 in Lanao del Sur.

Tubod police officer Gerry Parami told the AFP news agency that there had been at least 19 deaths in the town, which is in Lanao del Norte.

Another official told AFP that at least 10 people had died in the town of Piagapo, 10km east of Tubod.

A number of homes in the two towns were buried by boulders.

Speaking about Dalama, he said "the river rose and most of the homes were swept away. The village is no longer there".

People look at a collapsed bridge in Tubod, Mindanao island. Photo: 23 December 2017 — Image captionThe loss of communications is hampering rescue efforts

The official added that volunteers were digging through mud to try to recover bodies in the village.

"We've sent rescuers but they're making little progress," Saripada Pacasum said.

More deaths were reported in Bukidnon, Iligan and Misamis Occidental.

Power cuts and the loss of communications have hampered rescue efforts.

Andrew Morris, from the UN children's agency Unicef in Mindanao, said in some areas there were big risks of disease, particularly for children, and restoring clean water supplies would be a priority.

"Lanao del Sur province is the poorest in the Philippines, and in the past seven months there have been around 350,000 people displaced in that province because of fighting," he told the BBC, referring to battles between government forces and Islamist militants in Marawi.

Meanwhile, Richard Gordon, of the Philippines Red Cross, told the BBC: "We have already provided water and hot food.

"And we're going to be distributing non-food items - certainly blankets, mosquito nets and certainly hygiene kits for those who are in evacuation centres so that we can alleviate the suffering of many of the folks there."

Storm Tembin made a second landfall on Balabac island in the Palawan archipelago and is forecast to travel west, south of the Spratly Islands, reaching southern Vietnam in about three days.

A week ago, Tropical Storm Kai-Tak hit the central Philippines, killing dozens.

The region is still recovering from Typhoon Haiyan, which killed more than 5,000 people and affected millions in 2013.

Friday, December 22, 2017

Fifa corruption: South America football bosses convicted

Jose Maria Marin and Juan Ángel Napout in a collage image from photographs outside court on 21 December — Image captionMr Marin (left) and Mr Napout (right) held some of the highest posts in the sport on the continent

Two former top South American football executives have been found guilty of multiple charges at a US trial into corruption in the sport.

Both Jose Maria Marin, the former head of Brazil's Football Confederation (CBF), and Juan Ángel Napout, who led South America's football governing body Conmebol, were convicted on Friday.

The men were arrested in 2015.

The jury in New York are still deciding the verdict in a charge against the former head of Peru's federation.

They will reconvene after Christmas to make a decision in the racketeering charge against Manuel Burga.

His lawyer declined to make a comment on the Reuters news agency.

Marin, who is also a former governor of São Paulo, was found guilty of six of the seven counts against him of money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy.

Napout, who headed the Paraguayan football body as well as the regional one, was found guilty of three charges - one of racketeering conspiracy and two wire fraud charges.

Mr Burga arriving at US federal court — Image captionFederal prosecutors accused Mr Burga (right) of intimidating witnesses during the trial

The investigation focuses on corruption around the awarding of media and marketing rights for major sporting competitions, including the Copa America. Prosecutors have said the crimes amount to an estimated $200m (£150m).

Last month, Argentine former football official Jorge Delhon killed himself after being accused of taking $2m (£1.5m) in bribes as part of the trial.

Following Friday's verdicts, football's world governing body Fifa said it "strongly supports and encourages the US authorities' efforts to hold accountable those individuals who abused their positions and corrupted international football for their own personal benefit".

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The US investigation into corruption at Fifa was first revealed in May 2015.

Federal prosecutors in New York have indicted more than 40 sports and football executives linked to football in the Americas as part of the inquiry.

In October the former head of Guatemala's federation, Hector Trujillo, became the first person to be sentenced as part of the investigation.

Trujillo was sentenced to eight months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy.

Another official, Costas Takkas, former general secretary of the Cayman Islands Football Association, was sentenced to 15 months in prison by a US judge shortly after.

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Catalonia election: Spain PM Rajoy rejects Puigdemont talks call

Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy (L) and Catalonia's ousted leader Carles Puigdemont (R) — Image captionMr Rajoy (L) avoided naming Mr Puigdemont during a Friday press conference

Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has rebuffed calls by Catalonia's ousted leader, Carles Puigdemont, to meet for new talks outside the country.

Mr Rajoy said he would negotiate with whoever became the new head of the Catalan government but they would have to take up their post in Catalonia.

Mr Puigdemont earlier called for talks to take place in Brussels, where he is living in self-imposed exile.

Separatist parties won a majority in a Thursday's snap regional election.

Mr Rajoy avoided naming Mr Puigdemont during a press conference on Friday but said he was prepared to hold talks with whoever took control of the Catalan regional government "in a realistic way and inside the law".

"I offer Catalonia this because I care about the people," he said.

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Will independence happen?

Mr Rajoy said the winner of Thursday's election was Inés Arrimadas, the leader of the Citizens party, which wants Catalonia to remain a semi-autonomous part of Spain.

The Citizens party is now the region's biggest party, although pro-independence parties are best placed to form a government.

"It is evident that something is broken, and it will take time to repair it," Mr Rajoy added.

Speaking in Belgium earlier on Friday, Mr Puigdemont said Catalonia wanted to be an independent state.

"This is the wish of the Catalan people," he said, adding: "I think the plan of [Spanish Prime Minister] Mariano Rajoy is not working, so we have to find new ways to tackle this crisis."

Media captionThe Citizens party held a music event as their victory became clear.

Mr Rajoy's conservative Popular Party (PP) recorded its worst ever result in Thursday's vote.

The Spanish government imposed direct rule on Catalonia and called the election after declaring an October independence referendum illegal.

What were the results?

With nearly all votes counted, the pro-independence parties Mr Puigdemont's Together for Catalonia (JxCat), the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and Popular Unity (CUP) were on course to win a total of 70 seats in total, giving them a majority in the new parliament.

Graphic showing split in Catalan parliament

Citizens (Cs) had 25.3% of the vote, winning 37 seats in the 135-seat chamber.

Its leader told the BBC her party had been "victorious". Ms Inés Arrimadas said forming a coalition would be "difficult - but we will try".

Catalan election results, 22 December 2017

The PP, meanwhile, won only three seats, down from 11 in the previous assembly.

Turnout was more than 80%, a record for a Catalan regional election.

Analysis: What the papers say

By BBC Monitoring

Leading Spanish newspapers say the result has strengthened the government's position.

"Nationalism can no longer claim that it exclusively represents Catalonia," says Madrid-based La Razón. ABC newspaper thinks Madrid should now settle the Catalan crisis. "If Spain wants to win this fight in the long term and prevent Catalonia from leaving one day, it should draft a serious plan for strengthening the state."

The result seems to have split Catalan papers between those who want the independence project to continue, and those who accept the realpolitik of the election result.

"The independence movement has humiliated the Spanish prime minister," El Nacional says. "The decisions that affect Catalonia are not made in Madrid."

But Barcelona's El Periódico says the result means a "divided Catalonia". "The election that Mariano Rajoy called has shown that Catalonia is firmly divided in two blocs and there is hardly any space for intermediaries."

La Vanguardia writes: "Major forces supporting independence should look back, confess to mistakes and avoid making them again,"

Why did the election take place?

Separatists who dominated the previous Catalan parliament declared independence on 27 October after a referendum that was declared illegal by Spain.

In an attempt to stop that referendum, Spanish police stormed some polling stations. However many voters defied the Spanish courts and riot police to cast their ballots.

The move led to violent clashes with hundreds of people reported injured.

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Could Catalonia make a success of independence?

According to referendum organisers, 90% of voters were in favour of independence, but fewer than half the region's electorate took part.

Ines Arrimadas of Citizens — Image captionInés Arrimadas said she would try to form a coalition

However, Mr Puigdemont decided it was enough to declare independence from Spain.

Mr Rajoy then sacked the Catalan government, imposed direct rule and called the 21 December election.

Prosecutors accused 13 Catalan separatist politicians of rebellion and sedition, including Mr Puigdemont and four others who fled to Belgium.

Among the accused, two pro-independence politicians are in Spanish prisons, and six are being monitored while on bail.

Catalonia in numbers

16% of Spain's population live in Catalonia, and it produces:
25.6% of Spain's exports
19% of Spain's GDP
20.7% of foreign investment

Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, Eurostat, Bank of Spain

Getty

What has been the reaction?

The European Commission said that its stance towards Catalonia remained the same, despite Thursday's election result.

The executive arm of the EU has previously stated that events in Catalonia were an internal issue for Spain.

"Our position on the question of Catalonia is well known and has been regularly restated, at all levels. It will not change," commission spokesman Alexander Winterstein told AFP news agency.

Muslim woman seeks seat in Catalonia
Catalonia region profile

"In relation to a regional election, we have no comment to make," he added.