International Headlines
Sep 22: Coup To End
The national army of the west African country of Burkina Faso has delivered an ultimatum which is likely to put an end to the coup undertaken by the presidential guard, lead by General Diendere. Negotiations are being held with a view to avoiding violence, and the army has given Diendere until 10:00 GMT to give up the capital of Ouagadougou.
Sep 21: Refugee Crisis
United States Secretary of State John Kerry has announced that the US will increase its refugee intake to 100,000 by 2017. However some human rights advocates are concerned that certain refugees are being unfairly excluded and refugee aid groups said they were still waiting for the the US to release guidelines on how to apply the rule change that will enable the increased intake.
Sep 20: Nepal’s New Constitution
Nepal has peacefully adopted its first democratic constitution in a move that is intended to unite the nation. Nepal's President Ram Baran Yadav is promoting the new charter, despite significant protests and violence in recent weeks. Today in Kathmandu a crowd of over 2,000 people cheered in support of the new constitution and there were no reports of major violence.
Sep 19: Japan’s Military Move
A bill has passed in the Japanese parliament allowing the Japanese military to fight overseas for the first time in 70 years. Public protests were seen across the country, and stalling tactics were used within the parliament to delay the vote. Supporters claim that the new bill is necessary to protect Japan from the regional threats, such as those posed by China and North Korea.
Sep 18: Clock Boy Feted
Ahmed Mohamed, 14, the Muslim boy in Texas who made a clock and showed it to his teacher only to be arrested because the school thought it was a bomb, is receiving an outpouring of support from politicians, celebrities and leading scientists. He has been invited to visit Massachusetts Institute of Technology and says he will accept an invitation to the White House. He plans to change his school.
Sep 17: Chile Earthquake
A massive earthquake, magnitude 8.3, rocked Chile’s capital city Santiago causing thousands of people to flee from their homes onto the streets, and huge destruction of buildings. Within minutes of the quake a tsunami alert sparked across the Pacific Ocean. At least three people were killed and 10 others were injured. The quake is the biggest hit since 2010.
Sep 17: Combating Malaria
More than 650 million cases of malaria have been prevented in Africa since 2000 according to a report published in Nature. The report says this is a 50% drop, with bed nets responsible for the majority of the decrease: a billion insecticide-treated bed nets were distributed. There are now calls for more funding to maintain progress. Despite this, a child still dies from malaria every minute in Africa.
Sep 16: “Dislike”!
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has announced a new "dislike" button is to be added to its social network. The button would used to express empathy, he said people have been asking for this for many years. Mr Zuckerberg was clear that will not be a mechanism for people to "down vote" others' posts, it will be for times when clicking "like" on "sad" posts feels insensitive.
Sep 15: Australia’s PM
Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott has been ousted as leader of the centre-right Liberal Party by Malcolm Turnbull in a dramatic late night party leadership ballot. Mr Turnbull says he expects parliament to serve its full term, implying there will be no snap general election. Mr Abbott was plagued by poor opinion polls. Mr Turnbull will be Australia's fourth prime minister since 2013.
Sep 14: Anti-Corruption Protest
Thousands of protestors in the Moldovan capital Chisinau are demanding the government’s resignation over a $1bn (£655m) bank fraud. Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe; living standards have been damaged by the fraud and the authorities’ failure to hold to account those responsible for the disappearance of the cash from the country's banks. The fraud has caused a depreciation of the leu, the national currency.
Sep 12: Mosque Tragedy
At least 87 people died and more than 180 people were injured when a crane collapsed into the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The Grand Mosque is the largest in the world and was filled with worshippers at the time. The collapse has been attributed to strong winds and heavy rains.
Sep 11: New Species of Homo
Scientists in South Africa have discovered 15 partial skeletons of a human-like species in a burial chamber in a cave system. They claim that it will change ideas about our human ancestors. The individuals were capable of ritual behaviour and belong to the genus Homo, the same as modern humans, and the scientists say they may have been the first Homo, living up to 3 million years ago.
Sep 10: Concert Cancelled
Bon Jovi’s first ever concert in China has been cancelled because the band used an image of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as a backdrop to their concert in Taiwan in 2010. The Culture Ministry cancelled the concerts which were slated for next week in Shanghai and Beijing. Other bands and celebrities have been either banned from China, or made unwelcome, after showing support for the Dalai Lama.
Sep 9: Chess Cheat
Arcangelo Ricciardi, an Italian chess player, has been caught cheating at the Imperial Chess Festival, Italy's longest running open event which attracts some of the biggest names in chess. Ricciardi has been thrown out of the tournament. Officals became suspicious when he started beating much higher-ranked players. A metal detector identified a small camera under his shirt and he is said to have used it, and morse code, to cheat.
Sep 8: Humanitarian Crisis
European leaders are trying to agree tactics to deal with the influx of hundreds of thousands of people seeking asylum, the biggest such crisis since the second world war. Many of the people are fleeing Islamic State influence in Syria, and are trying to reach the west by any means possible. Thousands of European residents are offering to host families in their own homes.