Rescuers in Japan worked into a third day on Tuesday in an increasingly desperate search for <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/at-least-58-dead-by-japan-typhoon-rescuers-day-and-night-hunt-for-missing-255957">survivors of a powerful typhoon</a> that killed nearly 70 people and caused widespread destruction.

Hagibis slammed into Japan on Saturday night, unleashing fierce winds and "unprecedented" rain that triggered landslides and caused dozens of rivers to burst their banks.

By Tuesday morning, national broadcaster NHK put the toll at nearly 70, with more than a dozen missing. The government's confirmed death toll was lower, but it said it was still updating its information.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said there was no plan to slow rescue operations, with around 110,000 police, coast guard, firefighters and military troops involved.

"Currently in damaged areas rescue work and searches for the missing are continuing around the clock," Abe told parliament.

"Where rivers flooded, work is ongoing to fix spots where banks broke, and water is being pumped out where floods occurred," he added.

The prime minister's office said more than 3,000 people have been rescued in the wake of the disaster, which affected 36 of the country's 47 prefectures.

Rain prompts new warnings

Government officials warned that more rain was expected throughout the day Tuesday in several parts of the country affected by the typhoon.

"Because of the heavy rain so far, water levels at rivers have risen and ground has softened in some places," said chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga.

"We ask people not to drop their guard and to remain fully alert," he told reporters.

Hagibis crashed into land packing gusts up to 216 kilometres (134 miles) per hour, but it was the storm's heavy rain that caused the most damage.

At least 176 rivers burst their banks, including in central Nagano, where a levee breach sent water from the Chikuma river gushing into residential neighbourhoods and submerging bullet trains in a depot up to their windows.

Deaths were reported across many prefectures and included a man whose apartment was flooded, a municipal worker whose car was caught in rising waters and at least seven crew aboard a cargo ship that sank in Tokyo bay on Saturday night.

By Tuesday morning, some 34,000 households were still without power, and 133,000 homes had no water.

Tens of thousands of people spent Monday night in government shelters, with many unsure when they would be able to return home.

Government pledges aid

The government pledged to offer financial support to affected regions, without specifying how much aid it would set aside.

"Support for the victims of the disaster is an urgent task," Abe said.

"There are concerns that the impact on daily life and economic activities may be long-lasting."

Among the areas affected by the storm was the Fukushima region, where several bags containing soil and plants collected during nuclear decontamination efforts were washed away.

"Ten bags out of 2,667 were swept into a river during the typhoon, but six of them were recovered yesterday," environment ministry official Keisuke Takagi told AFP, adding that the remaining four bags had been found and would be collected soon.

"Residents must be worried about the environment, but there are no reports that the bags were broken, so there will be nothing to worry about once they have been recovered safely," he said.

Hagibis caused transport chaos over a holiday weekend in Japan, grounding flights and halting train services.

By Tuesday, things were largely back to normal, though some flights remained cancelled and train services were partially disrupted where tracks or train stock were damaged by the storm.

The typhoon also caused disruption to sporting events, delaying Japanese Grand Prix qualifiers and forcing Rugby World Cup organisers to cancel three matches.

A crunch fixture pitting the hosts against Scotland went ahead on Sunday night, with Japan winning its first-ever quarter-finals spot.

Rescuers in Japan worked into a third day on Tuesday in an increasingly desperate search for survivors of a powerful typhoon that killed nearly 70 people and caused widespread destruction.

Rescuers in Japan worked into a third day on Tuesday in an increasingly desperate search for survivors of a powerful typhoon that killed nearly 70 people and caused widespread destruction. Hagibis slammed into Japan on Saturday night, unleashing fierce winds and "unprecedented" rain that triggered landslides and caused dozens of rivers to burst their banks. By Tuesday morning, national broadcaster NHK put the toll at nearly 70, with more than a dozen missing. The government's confirmed death toll was lower, but it said it was still updating its information. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said there was no plan to slow rescue operations, with around 110,000 police, coast guard, firefighters and military troops involved. "Currently in damaged areas rescue work and searches for the missing are continuing around the clock," Abe told parliament. "Where rivers flooded, work is ongoing to fix spots where banks broke, and water is being pumped out where floods occurred," he added. The prime minister's office said more than 3,000 people have been rescued in the wake of the disaster, which affected 36 of the country's 47 prefectures. Rain prompts new warnings Government officials warned that more rain was expected throughout the day Tuesday in several parts of the country affected by the typhoon. "Because of the heavy rain so far, water levels at rivers have risen and ground has softened in some places," said chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga. "We ask people not to drop their guard and to remain fully alert," he told reporters. Hagibis crashed into land packing gusts up to 216 kilometres (134 miles) per hour, but it was the storm's heavy rain that caused the most damage. At least 176 rivers burst their banks, including in central Nagano, where a levee breach sent water from the Chikuma river gushing into residential neighbourhoods and submerging bullet trains in a depot up to their windows. Deaths were reported across many prefectures and included a man whose apartment was flooded, a municipal worker whose car was caught in rising waters and at least seven crew aboard a cargo ship that sank in Tokyo bay on Saturday night. By Tuesday morning, some 34,000 households were still without power, and 133,000 homes had no water. Tens of thousands of people spent Monday night in government shelters, with many unsure when they would be able to return home. Government pledges aid The government pledged to offer financial support to affected regions, without specifying how much aid it would set aside. "Support for the victims of the disaster is an urgent task," Abe said. "There are concerns that the impact on daily life and economic activities may be long-lasting." Among the areas affected by the storm was the Fukushima region, where several bags containing soil and plants collected during nuclear decontamination efforts were washed away. "Ten bags out of 2,667 were swept into a river during the typhoon, but six of them were recovered yesterday," environment ministry official Keisuke Takagi told AFP, adding that the remaining four bags had been found and would be collected soon. "Residents must be worried about the environment, but there are no reports that the bags were broken, so there will be nothing to worry about once they have been recovered safely," he said. Hagibis caused transport chaos over a holiday weekend in Japan, grounding flights and halting train services. By Tuesday, things were largely back to normal, though some flights remained cancelled and train services were partially disrupted where tracks or train stock were damaged by the storm. The typhoon also caused disruption to sporting events, delaying Japanese Grand Prix qualifiers and forcing Rugby World Cup organisers to cancel three matches. A crunch fixture pitting the hosts against Scotland went ahead on Sunday night, with Japan winning its first-ever quarter-finals spot.

Clean-up, rescue underway in Japan as Typhoon Hagibis death toll nears 70

The Libra Association, created by <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/paypal-abandons-facebook-backed-libra-cryptocurrency-group-253843">Facebook to launch its new cryptocurrency</a>, has announced its 21 founding members after defections by previous supporters including Visa and Mastercard.

The announcement on Monday came as the planned Libra global currency faces swelling criticism from regulators, and reported warnings from the Group of Seven that it poses a threat to the global financial system.

The group kicked off its first council meeting in Geneva and founding members including Uber, Spotify and Vodafone formally signed onto the Libra Charter, director-general Bertrand Perez said.

"We now have a total guarantee of their involvement, so we have confidence in the project," he said.

Last month, the non-profit association voiced hope that the number of companies backing it when it opened for business would swell from an initial 28 to "well over 100".&nbsp;

But instead, the list has shrunk, after more of its initial backers walked away amid swelling criticism from regulators around the world.

Credit card giants Visa and Mastercard, online marketplace eBay and digital payments firm Stripe each announced Friday they had changed their minds about being founding members of the association, following a similar recent announcement by digital payments firm PayPal.

The Libra Association confirmed Friday that the companies would no longer be founding members, but said it would continue building an alliance of businesses, social-good organisations, and others to implement the cryptocurrency.

Its launch was originally planned for mid-2020, but Perez said he had not ruled out a later start date.

"What we want is to build a platform that is solid, that is there to last and that will survive in the long term," he said, adding he was still "optimistic" about reaching around 100 members as planned.

Threat to financial stability?

The membership departures came after US senators sent letters to several financial firms noting that they could face "a high level of scrutiny from regulators" if they participated in the new currency plan.&nbsp;

French economy and finance minister Bruno Le Maire has warned that under current circumstances, Libra posed a threat to the "monetary sovereignty" of governments and could not be authorised in Europe.

Facebook executives have, however, claimed the new digital coin could help lower costs for global money transfers and help those without access to the banking system.

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg is set to testify at an October 23 hearing in the US House of Representatives on the Libra plan.

But in a fresh blow, a draft G7 report has outlined nine major risks posed by such digital currencies, according to the BBC.

The report, due to be presented to finance ministers at International Monetary Fund's annual meeting this week, did not single out Libra but referred to "global stablecoins" with the potential to "scale rapidly" as posing a range of potential problems.

Stablecoins are seen as more steady than cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, since they are pegged to traditional currencies such as the US dollar or the euro.

But the G7 draft report reportedly cautioned that such currencies could pose problems for policymakers setting interest rates, and could threaten financial stability if users suddenly suffer "loss of confidence" in the digital unit.

Randal Quarles, the head of the Financial Stability Board (FSB), which oversees regulation among G20 economies, also sent a letter to G20 finance ministers Sunday warning that "global stablecoins could pose a host of challenges to the regulatory community".

This, he wrote, was "not least because they have the potential to become systemically important, including through the substitution of domestic currencies".

"Stablecoin projects of potentially global reach and magnitude must meet the highest regulatory standards and be subject to prudential supervision and oversight," he insisted.

The Libra Association, created by Facebook to launch its new cryptocurrency, has announced its 21 founding members after defections by previous supporters including Visa and Mastercard.

The Libra Association, created by Facebook to launch its new cryptocurrency, has announced its 21 founding members after defections by previous supporters including Visa and Mastercard. The announcement on Monday came as the planned Libra global currency faces swelling criticism from regulators, and reported warnings from the Group of Seven that it poses a threat to the global financial system. The group kicked off its first council meeting in Geneva and founding members including Uber, Spotify and Vodafone formally signed onto the Libra Charter, director-general Bertrand Perez said. "We now have a total guarantee of their involvement, so we have confidence in the project," he said. Last month, the non-profit association voiced hope that the number of companies backing it when it opened for business would swell from an initial 28 to "well over 100". But instead, the list has shrunk, after more of its initial backers walked away amid swelling criticism from regulators around the world. Credit card giants Visa and Mastercard, online marketplace eBay and digital payments firm Stripe each announced Friday they had changed their minds about being founding members of the association, following a similar recent announcement by digital payments firm PayPal. The Libra Association confirmed Friday that the companies would no longer be founding members, but said it would continue building an alliance of businesses, social-good organisations, and others to implement the cryptocurrency. Its launch was originally planned for mid-2020, but Perez said he had not ruled out a later start date. "What we want is to build a platform that is solid, that is there to last and that will survive in the long term," he said, adding he was still "optimistic" about reaching around 100 members as planned. Threat to financial stability? The membership departures came after US senators sent letters to several financial firms noting that they could face "a high level of scrutiny from regulators" if they participated in the new currency plan. French economy and finance minister Bruno Le Maire has warned that under current circumstances, Libra posed a threat to the "monetary sovereignty" of governments and could not be authorised in Europe. Facebook executives have, however, claimed the new digital coin could help lower costs for global money transfers and help those without access to the banking system. Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg is set to testify at an October 23 hearing in the US House of Representatives on the Libra plan. But in a fresh blow, a draft G7 report has outlined nine major risks posed by such digital currencies, according to the BBC. The report, due to be presented to finance ministers at International Monetary Fund's annual meeting this week, did not single out Libra but referred to "global stablecoins" with the potential to "scale rapidly" as posing a range of potential problems. Stablecoins are seen as more steady than cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, since they are pegged to traditional currencies such as the US dollar or the euro. But the G7 draft report reportedly cautioned that such currencies could pose problems for policymakers setting interest rates, and could threaten financial stability if users suddenly suffer "loss of confidence" in the digital unit. Randal Quarles, the head of the Financial Stability Board (FSB), which oversees regulation among G20 economies, also sent a letter to G20 finance ministers Sunday warning that "global stablecoins could pose a host of challenges to the regulatory community". This, he wrote, was "not least because they have the potential to become systemically important, including through the substitution of domestic currencies". "Stablecoin projects of potentially global reach and magnitude must meet the highest regulatory standards and be subject to prudential supervision and oversight," he insisted.

Group behind Facebook's Libra coin announces 21 founding members

South Africa's embattled former president <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/south-africas-zuma-due-back-at-corruption-inquiry-after-adjournment-237053">Jacob Zuma is expected in court</a> on corruption charges on Tuesday, in what would be the first time he faces trial for graft despite multiple accusations.

Zuma stands accused of taking kickbacks before he became president from a&nbsp;$3.4-billion&nbsp;purchase of fighter jets, patrol boats and military equipment manufactured by five European firms, including French defence company Thales.&nbsp;

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) party forced him to resign as president last year after a nine-year reign marred by corruption allegations and diminishing popularity.

After several attempts to dodge the trial, he will appear before a High Court in the southern-eastern city of Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday for the opening of the case in which he allegedly profited $270,000.&nbsp;

However, his appearance could be brief -- a court official has predicted that at the start of the process he would likely appeal last week's ruling that he should stand trial.

That would potentially drag out a case that is already more than 20 years old.

Zuma is expected to appear alongside representatives of Thales, which is accused of paying the bribes. Both Zuma and Thales deny the charges.

There is also doubt over whether the court will be able to start proceedings straight away.

"I just don't see how the trial is going to start tomorrow. It takes a whole year to prepare for a trial of this magnitude," Johannesburg-based lawyer Tyrone Maseko told AFP.

"They are not ready for a trial," said Maseko, adding that Zuma faces many charges and that a final indictment needs to be defined.

Zuma faces 16 charges of fraud, graft and racketeering related to the 1990s arms deal struck when he was deputy president to the country's second black president Thabo Mbeki.

His former financial adviser Schabir Shaik, who allegedly facilitated Thales's payments, was in 2005 found guilty of fraud and corruption and was sentenced to 15 years behind bars.&nbsp;

But, shortly after Zuma became president in 2009, Shaik was released on medical parole.

Analysts have warned that if Zuma goes on trial, he will drag down with him many leaders of Nelson Mandela's ANC, which has governed the country since the end of apartheid in 1994.

'The king of corrupt people'

Zuma has also been accused of overseeing the mass looting of state assets during his nine-year presidency.

High on the list of alleged benefactors is the wealthy Indian-born Gupta business family, who were accused of unfairly obtaining lucrative government contracts and even influencing Zuma's ministerial appointments.

The country's former anti-corruption watchdog head Thuli Madonsela accused Zuma of being an integral player who opened the doors for individuals and private companies to loot state resources.

After duelling with Madonsela in the courts, Zuma was ordered to appoint a commission of inquiry into the corruption scandal -- commonly known as "state capture". It has been hearing testimonies since August last year.

Zuma appeared at the inquiry in July, putting on a defiant performance and denying all wrongdoing.

"I have been vilified, alleged to be the king of corrupt people," he said, adding that he had been the victim of "character assassination over 20 years".

President Cyril Ramaphosa, who took over from Zuma, has vowed to tackle deep-seated corruption but faces opposition from senior powerful ANC members, many of whom remain Zuma allies.

South Africa's embattled former president Jacob Zuma is expected in court on corruption charges on Tuesday, in what would be the first time he faces trial for graft despite multiple accusations.

South Africa's embattled former president Jacob Zuma is expected in court on corruption charges on Tuesday, in what would be the first time he faces trial for graft despite multiple accusations. Zuma stands accused of taking kickbacks before he became president from a $3.4-billion purchase of fighter jets, patrol boats and military equipment manufactured by five European firms, including French defence company Thales. The ruling African National Congress (ANC) party forced him to resign as president last year after a nine-year reign marred by corruption allegations and diminishing popularity. After several attempts to dodge the trial, he will appear before a High Court in the southern-eastern city of Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday for the opening of the case in which he allegedly profited $270,000. However, his appearance could be brief -- a court official has predicted that at the start of the process he would likely appeal last week's ruling that he should stand trial. That would potentially drag out a case that is already more than 20 years old. Zuma is expected to appear alongside representatives of Thales, which is accused of paying the bribes. Both Zuma and Thales deny the charges. There is also doubt over whether the court will be able to start proceedings straight away. "I just don't see how the trial is going to start tomorrow. It takes a whole year to prepare for a trial of this magnitude," Johannesburg-based lawyer Tyrone Maseko told AFP. "They are not ready for a trial," said Maseko, adding that Zuma faces many charges and that a final indictment needs to be defined. Zuma faces 16 charges of fraud, graft and racketeering related to the 1990s arms deal struck when he was deputy president to the country's second black president Thabo Mbeki. His former financial adviser Schabir Shaik, who allegedly facilitated Thales's payments, was in 2005 found guilty of fraud and corruption and was sentenced to 15 years behind bars. But, shortly after Zuma became president in 2009, Shaik was released on medical parole. Analysts have warned that if Zuma goes on trial, he will drag down with him many leaders of Nelson Mandela's ANC, which has governed the country since the end of apartheid in 1994. 'The king of corrupt people' Zuma has also been accused of overseeing the mass looting of state assets during his nine-year presidency. High on the list of alleged benefactors is the wealthy Indian-born Gupta business family, who were accused of unfairly obtaining lucrative government contracts and even influencing Zuma's ministerial appointments. The country's former anti-corruption watchdog head Thuli Madonsela accused Zuma of being an integral player who opened the doors for individuals and private companies to loot state resources. After duelling with Madonsela in the courts, Zuma was ordered to appoint a commission of inquiry into the corruption scandal -- commonly known as "state capture". It has been hearing testimonies since August last year. Zuma appeared at the inquiry in July, putting on a defiant performance and denying all wrongdoing. "I have been vilified, alleged to be the king of corrupt people," he said, adding that he had been the victim of "character assassination over 20 years". President Cyril Ramaphosa, who took over from Zuma, has vowed to tackle deep-seated corruption but faces opposition from senior powerful ANC members, many of whom remain Zuma allies.

Former South African president Jacob Zuma faces court on corruption charges

The Italian authorities have given permission to 176 migrants aboard a rescue ship to disembark in the port of Taranto in the south of the country, the NGO SOS Mediterranee said on Monday.

"We are relieved that the 176 survivors can disembark in a safe place without unnecessary waiting," the organisation said in a tweet.&nbsp;

"We are currently heading north," towards Taranto, it added.&nbsp;

The Ocean Viking ship, operated by the NGOs SOS Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders, picked up the migrants from inflatable boats in two operations off the coast of Libya. They include four pregnant women and at least nine people aged under 16.

Earlier on Monday, it had asked EU member countries to assign it a port where the migrants could disembark.

"No site in Libya can currently be considered safe" for migrants, SOS Mediterranee it had said in a statement.

The Ocean Viking's appeal for help comes as European leaders struggle to agree on how to jointly handle the thousands of people trying to reach the continent from Africa.

SOS Mediterranee said it was the fourth time it had asked for access to an EU port since August, shortly after relaunching rescue operations following a seven-month hiatus it blamed on obstruction by European nations.

Last month Italy, France, Germany, and Malta proposed a system for automatically distributing asylum seekers across the EU, but so far only a handful of other nations have backed the plan.

"Ad hoc accords cannot be the solution. We are calling on governments to put an end to an unacceptable situation," said Fabienne Lassalle, a deputy director at SOS Mediterranee France.

The Italian authorities have given permission to 176 migrants aboard a rescue ship to disembark in the port of Taranto in the south of the country, the NGO SOS Mediterranee said on Monday.

The Italian authorities have given permission to 176 migrants aboard a rescue ship to disembark in the port of Taranto in the south of the country, the NGO SOS Mediterranee said on Monday. "We are relieved that the 176 survivors can disembark in a safe place without unnecessary waiting," the organisation said in a tweet. "We are currently heading north," towards Taranto, it added. The Ocean Viking ship, operated by the NGOs SOS Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders, picked up the migrants from inflatable boats in two operations off the coast of Libya. They include four pregnant women and at least nine people aged under 16. Earlier on Monday, it had asked EU member countries to assign it a port where the migrants could disembark. "No site in Libya can currently be considered safe" for migrants, SOS Mediterranee it had said in a statement. The Ocean Viking's appeal for help comes as European leaders struggle to agree on how to jointly handle the thousands of people trying to reach the continent from Africa. SOS Mediterranee said it was the fourth time it had asked for access to an EU port since August, shortly after relaunching rescue operations following a seven-month hiatus it blamed on obstruction by European nations. Last month Italy, France, Germany, and Malta proposed a system for automatically distributing asylum seekers across the EU, but so far only a handful of other nations have backed the plan. "Ad hoc accords cannot be the solution. We are calling on governments to put an end to an unacceptable situation," said Fabienne Lassalle, a deputy director at SOS Mediterranee France.

Italy allows migrants to disembark from rescue ship

A French court on Monday sentenced five members of an all-female jihadist cell to between five and 30 years in prison over a failed bid to detonate a car bomb outside Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris.

The case is the first to involve a group of women attempting to stage an attack in France, which has been repeatedly targeted by jihadists since 2015, causing the loss of 255 lives.

The five women, aged between 22 and 42, were arrested after a car packed with gas cylinders was found parked near the bustling esplanade in front of the cathedral in the heart of the capital on November 4, 2016.

The two main defendants, Ines Madani and Ornella Gilligmann, had doused the car with diesel in the middle of the night and tried but failed to set it alight with a cigarette.

They were sentenced to 30 years and 25 years in prison respectively.

The women are believed to have been acting on the orders of Rachid Kassim, a French Islamic State (IS) propagandist also suspected of ordering the grisly murder of a French police couple at their home in June 2016.

Kassim is believed to have been killed in an air strike near the Iraqi city of Mosul in February 2017.

Madani, 22, was arrested a few days after the failed attack in a Paris suburb along with two other defendants, Sarah Hervouet and Amel Sakaou, who were each sentenced to 20 years.

The three burst out of the apartment to which they had been tracked down by police, brandishing knives.

Hervouet stabbed an officer in the shoulder, while Madani was shot in the leg.

Gilligmann was arrested in southern France.

A fifth woman, Samia Chalel, was also tried for allegedly helping hide Madani. She was sentenced to five years in prison.

The court heard how Madani posed as a male jihadist online to try recruit women for IS and won over Gilligmann in messages exchanged online.

Madani's lawyers described her as a lonely young woman with half-baked attack plans and a death wish -- a far cry from the prosecution's characterisation of a determined gang of would-be killers.

Madani told the court on Monday she regretted her actions.

"At the time all my plans involved death. Today, my plans are about life," she said.

Gilligmann, a married mother of three, spoke emotionally of the "shame" she had brought on her family and asked for forgiveness from the victims of terrorism.

Her lawyers argued she had acted out of love for a fictitious jihadist named Abou Junayd, for whom she left her husband.

A French court on Monday sentenced five members of an all-female jihadist cell to between five and 30 years in prison over a failed bid to detonate a car bomb outside Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris.

A French court on Monday sentenced five members of an all-female jihadist cell to between five and 30 years in prison over a failed bid to detonate a car bomb outside Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris. The case is the first to involve a group of women attempting to stage an attack in France, which has been repeatedly targeted by jihadists since 2015, causing the loss of 255 lives. The five women, aged between 22 and 42, were arrested after a car packed with gas cylinders was found parked near the bustling esplanade in front of the cathedral in the heart of the capital on November 4, 2016. The two main defendants, Ines Madani and Ornella Gilligmann, had doused the car with diesel in the middle of the night and tried but failed to set it alight with a cigarette. They were sentenced to 30 years and 25 years in prison respectively. The women are believed to have been acting on the orders of Rachid Kassim, a French Islamic State (IS) propagandist also suspected of ordering the grisly murder of a French police couple at their home in June 2016. Kassim is believed to have been killed in an air strike near the Iraqi city of Mosul in February 2017. Madani, 22, was arrested a few days after the failed attack in a Paris suburb along with two other defendants, Sarah Hervouet and Amel Sakaou, who were each sentenced to 20 years. The three burst out of the apartment to which they had been tracked down by police, brandishing knives. Hervouet stabbed an officer in the shoulder, while Madani was shot in the leg. Gilligmann was arrested in southern France. A fifth woman, Samia Chalel, was also tried for allegedly helping hide Madani. She was sentenced to five years in prison. The court heard how Madani posed as a male jihadist online to try recruit women for IS and won over Gilligmann in messages exchanged online. Madani's lawyers described her as a lonely young woman with half-baked attack plans and a death wish -- a far cry from the prosecution's characterisation of a determined gang of would-be killers. Madani told the court on Monday she regretted her actions. "At the time all my plans involved death. Today, my plans are about life," she said. Gilligmann, a married mother of three, spoke emotionally of the "shame" she had brought on her family and asked for forgiveness from the victims of terrorism. Her lawyers argued she had acted out of love for a fictitious jihadist named Abou Junayd, for whom she left her husband.

French female jihadist gang sentenced to up to 30 years in jail

Fresh rain threatened to hamper efforts by tens of thousands of Japanese rescuers searching for <a href="wionews.com/world/japan-searches-for-survivors-as-typhoon-hagibis-death-toll-hits-56-255880">survivors after a powerful typhoon</a> that by early Tuesday had killed 58 people.

Typhoon Hagibis crashed into the country on Saturday night, unleashing high winds and torrential rain across 36 of the country's 47 prefectures, triggering landslides and catastrophic flooding.

The death toll from the disaster has risen steadily, and national broadcaster NHK early Tuesday said 58 people had been killed, according to authorities, while more than a dozen were still missing.

The government has given lower numbers but was still updating its information.

Watch Video:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/35-killed-at-least-170-injured-after-typhoon-hagibis-makes-landfall-in-japan-255725/embed" width="560" height="350" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" autoplay=1 allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

"Even now, many people are still unaccounted for in the disaster-hit area," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told an emergency disaster meeting on Monday.

"Units are trying their best to search for and rescue them, working day and night," Abe said.

Later in the day, he pledged to "do whatever the country can" for victims and survivors, ordering the defence ministry to call up to 1,000 reserve troops to join 31,000 active forces in search operations.

But rescue work that continued into the night Monday risked being thwarted by additional rain falling in central and eastern Japan.

"I would like to ask people to stay fully vigilant and continue watching for landslides and river flooding," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference.

In Nagano, one of the worst-hit regions, officials said they were working cautiously.

"We are concerned about the impact of the latest rain on rescue and recovery efforts," local official Hiroki Yamaguchi told AFP.

"We will continue operations while watching out for secondary disasters due to the current rain."

Seven sailors among dead

Bodies pulled from flooded cars and homes, swollen rivers and landslides all added to the death toll.

The casualties included a municipal worker whose car was engulfed by floodwaters and at least seven crew from a cargo ship that sank in Tokyo Bay on Saturday night, a coast guard spokesman said.

Four other crew, from China, Myanmar and Vietnam, were rescued when the vessel sank and the coast guard was still searching for the last crew member.

Wind gusts from Hagibis reached up to 216 kilometres (134 miles) per hour, but it was the heavy rains that caused the most damage.

A total of 176 rivers flooded, mainly in eastern and northern Japan, local media said.

In central Nagano, a levee breach sent water from the Chikuma river gushing into residential neighbourhoods, flooding homes up to the second floor.

Television footage from the area showed patients being transferred by ambulance from a Nagano hospital where some 200 people had been cut off by flooding.

Elsewhere, rescuers used helicopters to winch survivors from roofs and balconies, or steered boats through muddy waters to reach those trapped.

Rugby win dedicated to victims

By Monday afternoon, almost 76,000 households remained without power, and water was cut off to 135,000 homes.

The disaster left tens of thousands of people in shelters, many of them unsure when they would be able to return home.

"Everything from my house was washed away before my eyes, I wasn't sure if it was a dream or real," a woman in Nagano told NHK.

"I feel lucky I'm still alive."

The storm brought travel chaos over the holiday weekend, grounding flights and halting commuter and bullet train services.

By Monday most subway trains had resumed service, along with many bullet train lines. Flights had also restarted.

But NHK reported the swamping of a maintenance yard for the Hokuriku bullet train which connects Tokyo with Nagano. Ten trains were damaged when water levels rose by an estimated four metres (yards), NHK said, citing the train operator.

The storm brought havoc to the sporting world, forcing the delay of Japanese Grand Prix qualifiers and the cancellation of three Rugby World Cup matches.

But a crucial decider pitting Japan against Scotland went ahead, leaving the hosts with a stunning 28-21 win they dedicated to the disaster victims.

"To everyone that's suffering from the typhoon, this game was for you guys," said Japan's captain Michael Leitch.

Fresh rain threatened to hamper efforts by tens of thousands of Japanese rescuers searching for survivors after a powerful typhoon that by early Tuesday had killed 58 people.

Fresh rain threatened to hamper efforts by tens of thousands of Japanese rescuers searching for survivors after a powerful typhoon that by early Tuesday had killed 58 people. Typhoon Hagibis crashed into the country on Saturday night, unleashing high winds and torrential rain across 36 of the country's 47 prefectures, triggering landslides and catastrophic flooding. The death toll from the disaster has risen steadily, and national broadcaster NHK early Tuesday said 58 people had been killed, according to authorities, while more than a dozen were still missing. The government has given lower numbers but was still updating its information. Watch Video: "Even now, many people are still unaccounted for in the disaster-hit area," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told an emergency disaster meeting on Monday. "Units are trying their best to search for and rescue them, working day and night," Abe said. Later in the day, he pledged to "do whatever the country can" for victims and survivors, ordering the defence ministry to call up to 1,000 reserve troops to join 31,000 active forces in search operations. But rescue work that continued into the night Monday risked being thwarted by additional rain falling in central and eastern Japan. "I would like to ask people to stay fully vigilant and continue watching for landslides and river flooding," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference. In Nagano, one of the worst-hit regions, officials said they were working cautiously. "We are concerned about the impact of the latest rain on rescue and recovery efforts," local official Hiroki Yamaguchi told AFP. "We will continue operations while watching out for secondary disasters due to the current rain." Seven sailors among dead Bodies pulled from flooded cars and homes, swollen rivers and landslides all added to the death toll. The casualties included a municipal worker whose car was engulfed by floodwaters and at least seven crew from a cargo ship that sank in Tokyo Bay on Saturday night, a coast guard spokesman said. Four other crew, from China, Myanmar and Vietnam, were rescued when the vessel sank and the coast guard was still searching for the last crew member. Wind gusts from Hagibis reached up to 216 kilometres (134 miles) per hour, but it was the heavy rains that caused the most damage. A total of 176 rivers flooded, mainly in eastern and northern Japan, local media said. In central Nagano, a levee breach sent water from the Chikuma river gushing into residential neighbourhoods, flooding homes up to the second floor. Television footage from the area showed patients being transferred by ambulance from a Nagano hospital where some 200 people had been cut off by flooding. Elsewhere, rescuers used helicopters to winch survivors from roofs and balconies, or steered boats through muddy waters to reach those trapped. Rugby win dedicated to victims By Monday afternoon, almost 76,000 households remained without power, and water was cut off to 135,000 homes. The disaster left tens of thousands of people in shelters, many of them unsure when they would be able to return home. "Everything from my house was washed away before my eyes, I wasn't sure if it was a dream or real," a woman in Nagano told NHK. "I feel lucky I'm still alive." The storm brought travel chaos over the holiday weekend, grounding flights and halting commuter and bullet train services. By Monday most subway trains had resumed service, along with many bullet train lines. Flights had also restarted. But NHK reported the swamping of a maintenance yard for the Hokuriku bullet train which connects Tokyo with Nagano. Ten trains were damaged when water levels rose by an estimated four metres (yards), NHK said, citing the train operator. The storm brought havoc to the sporting world, forcing the delay of Japanese Grand Prix qualifiers and the cancellation of three Rugby World Cup matches. But a crucial decider pitting Japan against Scotland went ahead, leaving the hosts with a stunning 28-21 win they dedicated to the disaster victims. "To everyone that's suffering from the typhoon, this game was for you guys," said Japan's captain Michael Leitch.

At least 58 dead as Typhoon Hagibis ravages Japan; rain hampers rescue effort

US President Donald Trump on Monday authorized <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-imposes-sanctions-on-turkey-amid-conflict-in-northern-syria-255959">sanctions on Turkey's leaders</a>, reimposed steel tariffs and ended talks on a trade deal, seeking to punish the historic ally for its <a href="wionews.com/world/turkey-says-eu-shielding-terror-elements-by-criticising-syria-offensive-255938">deadly offensive into Syria</a>.

Trump also said he was reimposing tariffs of 50 per cent on Turkish steel -- one of a series of measures taken last year to win the release of a detained US pastor, and which contributed to a plunge in the value of the country's lira currency.

In May, Trump reduced tariffs back to 25 per cent, in line with levels the protectionist-minded president has imposed on other trading partners including the European Union.

The US Treasury also slapped punitive sanctions on Turkey's defence minister and two other ministers.

Minister of Defense Hulusi Akar, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, and Energy Minister Fatih Donmez were placed on the Treasury's sanctions blacklist, freezing their US assets and banning US or US-related transactions with them.

Watch video:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-turkeys-offensive-in-syria-gives-new-lease-of-life-to-isis-255943/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The defence and energy ministries were also hit with sanctions, the Treasury said.

"The United States is holding the Turkish government accountable for escalating violence by Turkish forces, endangering innocent civilians and destabilizing the region," said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

The sanctions seek mainly to lock the designated individuals and organizations out of the global financial system, by threatening to penalize any international banks with a US presence involved in transactions with those on the blacklist.

US President Donald Trump on Monday authorized sanctions on Turkey's leaders, reimposed steel tariffs and ended talks on a trade deal, seeking to punish the historic ally for its deadly offensive into Syria.

US President Donald Trump on Monday authorized sanctions on Turkey's leaders, reimposed steel tariffs and ended talks on a trade deal, seeking to punish the historic ally for its deadly offensive into Syria. Trump also said he was reimposing tariffs of 50 per cent on Turkish steel -- one of a series of measures taken last year to win the release of a detained US pastor, and which contributed to a plunge in the value of the country's lira currency. In May, Trump reduced tariffs back to 25 per cent, in line with levels the protectionist-minded president has imposed on other trading partners including the European Union. The US Treasury also slapped punitive sanctions on Turkey's defence minister and two other ministers. Minister of Defense Hulusi Akar, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, and Energy Minister Fatih Donmez were placed on the Treasury's sanctions blacklist, freezing their US assets and banning US or US-related transactions with them. Watch video: The defence and energy ministries were also hit with sanctions, the Treasury said. "The United States is holding the Turkish government accountable for escalating violence by Turkish forces, endangering innocent civilians and destabilizing the region," said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The sanctions seek mainly to lock the designated individuals and organizations out of the global financial system, by threatening to penalize any international banks with a US presence involved in transactions with those on the blacklist.

US Treasury slaps punitive sanctions on Turkey's defence minister

Judges tore up the rule book on Monday, awarding the prestigious Booker Prize for Fiction jointly to Canadian author Margaret Atwood for "The Testaments" and Anglo-Nigerian author Bernardine Evaristo for "Girl, Woman, Other".

Atwood becomes only the second female author to win the award twice, sharing the $62,800&nbsp;prize at the 50th-anniversary ceremony at London's Guildhall.

The award has been shared twice before, in 1974 and 1997, when the rules were changed to supposedly prevent it from happening again.

The 79-year-old Atwood, who wore a badge of climate activist group Extinction Rebellion, held aloft the arm of her fellow winner as they walked to the podium together.

"I'm very surprised, I would have thought I would have been too elderly," said Atwood, who was honoured for her best-selling sequel to her 1985 dystopian classic "The Handmaid's Tale".&nbsp;

"I don't need the attention, so I'm very glad that you're getting some," she said to Evaristo, joking that as "a good Canadian, we don't do famous, we think it is in bad taste, so it would have been embarrassing if I'd been alone here".&nbsp;

Evaristo responded that it was "so incredible to share this with Margaret Atwood, who is such a legend.&nbsp;

"I am the first black woman to win this prize," she added, to cheers from the audience.

She late told reporters she was "happy to share it, I'm a sharing person," adding the prize money would go on paying off her mortgage.

'Resilience and resistance'

The title of best work of English-language fiction published in the United Kingdom and Ireland has launched careers and courted controversy since its creation in 1969.

Past laureates have ranged from celebrated writers such as Ian McEwan and Julian Barnes to Kazuo Ishiguro and Roddy Doyle.

Paul Beatty became the first American winner when the Booker bowed to pressure and began including authors from outside the British commonwealth, Ireland and Zimbabwe in 2013.

This year's shortlist featured six novelists -- four of them women -- born across four continents.&nbsp;

The five-judge panel included the writer-broadcaster Afua Hirsch and the British-Chinese novelist and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo.

Of Atwood's novel, chair of judges Peter Florence said the panel "loves this examination of complicity and resilience and resistance, we love the language and the story-telling power, we love the ambition."

'Polyphony'

Nominated for the 1986 prize, "The Handmaid's Tale" became an award-winning TV series in 2017, and sales of the English-language edition have topped eight million copies worldwide.

Evaristo's "Girl, Woman, Other" tells the tale of 12 women from black British families with roots across the country, Africa and the Caribbean in what judge Florence called a "polyphony".

He praised it for "giving voice to people who are not always articulated, of making the invisible visible."

Explaining the decision to break the rules, Florence said the "situation demanded" it.

"We explained this to the Booker people, they said they wouldn't allow it," he added.&nbsp;

"We spent an hour discussing it... we then took another half an hour, and still came to the conclusion that... this was our decision.

"They agreed to respect our decision."

Rushdie, who won the Booker Prize in 1981 for "Midnight's Children", missed out on a second award with his latest work "Quichotte".

The tragicomedy, inspired by the classic "Don Quixote", is the story of an ageing travelling salesman who falls in love with a TV star and sets off to drive across America on a quest to prove himself worthy of her hand.

Nigerian author Chigozie Obioma made the shortlist for "An Orchestra of Minorities" -- his second novel after "The Fishermen", which was shortlisted in 2015.

Lucy Ellmann challenged judges with "Ducks, Newburyport" -- a story made up almost entirely of one sentence that absorbs readers and is occasionally funny.

Elif Shafak, the most widely read female author in Turkey, meanwhile brought Istanbul's underworld to life through the recollections of sex worker Tequila Leila in "10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World".

Judges tore up the rule book on Monday, awarding the prestigious Booker Prize for Fiction jointly to Canadian author Margaret Atwood for "The Testaments" and Anglo-Nigerian author Bernardine Evaristo for "Girl, Woman, Other".

Judges tore up the rule book on Monday, awarding the prestigious Booker Prize for Fiction jointly to Canadian author Margaret Atwood for "The Testaments" and Anglo-Nigerian author Bernardine Evaristo for "Girl, Woman, Other". Atwood becomes only the second female author to win the award twice, sharing the $62,800 prize at the 50th-anniversary ceremony at London's Guildhall. The award has been shared twice before, in 1974 and 1997, when the rules were changed to supposedly prevent it from happening again. The 79-year-old Atwood, who wore a badge of climate activist group Extinction Rebellion, held aloft the arm of her fellow winner as they walked to the podium together. "I'm very surprised, I would have thought I would have been too elderly," said Atwood, who was honoured for her best-selling sequel to her 1985 dystopian classic "The Handmaid's Tale". "I don't need the attention, so I'm very glad that you're getting some," she said to Evaristo, joking that as "a good Canadian, we don't do famous, we think it is in bad taste, so it would have been embarrassing if I'd been alone here". Evaristo responded that it was "so incredible to share this with Margaret Atwood, who is such a legend. "I am the first black woman to win this prize," she added, to cheers from the audience. She late told reporters she was "happy to share it, I'm a sharing person," adding the prize money would go on paying off her mortgage. 'Resilience and resistance' The title of best work of English-language fiction published in the United Kingdom and Ireland has launched careers and courted controversy since its creation in 1969. Past laureates have ranged from celebrated writers such as Ian McEwan and Julian Barnes to Kazuo Ishiguro and Roddy Doyle. Paul Beatty became the first American winner when the Booker bowed to pressure and began including authors from outside the British commonwealth, Ireland and Zimbabwe in 2013. This year's shortlist featured six novelists -- four of them women -- born across four continents. The five-judge panel included the writer-broadcaster Afua Hirsch and the British-Chinese novelist and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo. Of Atwood's novel, chair of judges Peter Florence said the panel "loves this examination of complicity and resilience and resistance, we love the language and the story-telling power, we love the ambition." 'Polyphony' Nominated for the 1986 prize, "The Handmaid's Tale" became an award-winning TV series in 2017, and sales of the English-language edition have topped eight million copies worldwide. Evaristo's "Girl, Woman, Other" tells the tale of 12 women from black British families with roots across the country, Africa and the Caribbean in what judge Florence called a "polyphony". He praised it for "giving voice to people who are not always articulated, of making the invisible visible." Explaining the decision to break the rules, Florence said the "situation demanded" it. "We explained this to the Booker people, they said they wouldn't allow it," he added. "We spent an hour discussing it... we then took another half an hour, and still came to the conclusion that... this was our decision. "They agreed to respect our decision." Rushdie, who won the Booker Prize in 1981 for "Midnight's Children", missed out on a second award with his latest work "Quichotte". The tragicomedy, inspired by the classic "Don Quixote", is the story of an ageing travelling salesman who falls in love with a TV star and sets off to drive across America on a quest to prove himself worthy of her hand. Nigerian author Chigozie Obioma made the shortlist for "An Orchestra of Minorities" -- his second novel after "The Fishermen", which was shortlisted in 2015. Lucy Ellmann challenged judges with "Ducks, Newburyport" -- a story made up almost entirely of one sentence that absorbs readers and is occasionally funny. Elif Shafak, the most widely read female author in Turkey, meanwhile brought Istanbul's underworld to life through the recollections of sex worker Tequila Leila in "10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World".

Margaret Atwood, Bernardine Evaristo declared joint Booker Prize winners

A third of the world's nearly 700 million children under five years old are undernourished or overweight and face lifelong health problems as a consequence, according to a grim UN assessment of childhood nutrition released Tuesday.

"If children eat poorly, they live poorly," said United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Henrietta Fore, unveiling the Fund's first State of the World's Children report since 1999.&nbsp;

"We are losing ground in the fight for healthy diets."

Problems that once existed at opposite ends of the wealth spectrum have today converged in poor and middle-income countries, the report showed.

Despite a nearly 40 per cent drop from 1990 to 2015 of stunting in poor countries, 149 million children four or younger are today still too short for their age, a clinical condition that impairs both brain and body development.&nbsp;

Another 50 million are afflicted by wasting, chronic and debilitating thinness also born of poverty.&nbsp;

At the same time, half of the youngsters across the globe under five are not getting essential vitamins and minerals, a long-standing problem UNICEF has dubbed "hidden hunger."

Over the last three decades, however, another form of child malnutrition has surged across the developing world: excess weight. &nbsp;

"This triple burden -- undernutrition, a lack of crucial micronutrients, obesity -- is increasingly found in the same country, sometimes in the same neighbourhood, and often in the same household," Victor Aguayo, head of UNICEF's nutrition programme, told AFP.

"A mother who is overweight or obese can have children who are stunted or wasted."

Across all age groups, more than 800 million people in the world are constantly hungry and another two billion are eating too much of the wrong foods, driving epidemics of obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

'Hidden hunger'

Among children under five, diet during first 1,000 days after conception is the foundation for physical health and mental development.&nbsp;

And yet, only two-in-five infants under six months are exclusively breastfed, as recommended. Sales of milk-based formula have risen worldwide by 40 per cent and in upper-middle-income countries such as Brazil, China and Turkey by nearly three-quarters.

Missing vitamins and minerals, meanwhile, can lead to compromised immune systems, poor sight and hearing defects. A lack of iron can cause anaemia and reduced IQ.

"It's 'hidden' because you don't notice the impact until it is too late," Brian Keeley, editor-in-chief of report, told AFP.

"You don't notice that the child is running a little slower than everyone else, struggling a bit in school."

The rise of obesity, however, is plain to see.

The problem was virtually non-existent in poor countries 30 years ago, but today at least 10 per cent of under-five-year-olds are overweight or obese in three-quarters of low-income nations.

"There needs to be a focus on obesity before it is too late," said Keeley. "Unless you deal with it in a preventative way, you're going to struggle to fix it later on."

Cheap, readily available junk food, often marketed directly to kids, has made the problem much worse.

"Children are eating too much of what they don't need -- salt, sugar and fat," Keeley added.

Progress in fighting undernourishment will also be hampered by climate change, the report warned.&nbsp;

Tax sugary drinks

A single degree Celsius of warming since the late-19th century has amplified droughts responsible for more than 80 per cent of damage and losses in agriculture.&nbsp;

Earth's average surface temperature is set to rise another two or three degrees by 2100.

Research by scientists at Harvard University, meanwhile, have shown that the increased concentration of CO2 in the air is sapping staple food crops of those essential nutrients and vitamins, including zinc, iron and vitamin B.&nbsp;

"The impacts of climate change are completely transforming the food that is available and that can be consumed," Aguayo said.

Making sure every child has access to a healthy diet must become a "political priority" if widespread malnutrition is to be conquered, especially in developing countries, the report said.

Taxes on sugary foods and beverages; clear, front-of-package labelling; regulating the sale of breast milk substitutes; limiting the advertising and sale of 'junk food' near schools -- these and other measures could make a difference, it concluded. &nbsp; &nbsp;

"The way we understand and respond to malnutrition needs to change," said Fore.&nbsp;

"It is not just about getting children enough to eat. It is above all about getting them to eat the right food."

The recent rise of awareness about the danger of global warming is instructive, the authors said.

"Just as we have organised a movement around climate change, we need to mobilise civil society," said Aguayo. "If our children are not fed healthy diets, we are putting a huge question mark on the future of our societies."

A third of the world's nearly 700 million children under five years old are undernourished or overweight and face lifelong health problems as a consequence, according to a grim UN assessment of childhood nutrition released Tuesday.

A third of the world's nearly 700 million children under five years old are undernourished or overweight and face lifelong health problems as a consequence, according to a grim UN assessment of childhood nutrition released Tuesday. "If children eat poorly, they live poorly," said United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Henrietta Fore, unveiling the Fund's first State of the World's Children report since 1999. "We are losing ground in the fight for healthy diets." Problems that once existed at opposite ends of the wealth spectrum have today converged in poor and middle-income countries, the report showed. Despite a nearly 40 per cent drop from 1990 to 2015 of stunting in poor countries, 149 million children four or younger are today still too short for their age, a clinical condition that impairs both brain and body development. Another 50 million are afflicted by wasting, chronic and debilitating thinness also born of poverty. At the same time, half of the youngsters across the globe under five are not getting essential vitamins and minerals, a long-standing problem UNICEF has dubbed "hidden hunger." Over the last three decades, however, another form of child malnutrition has surged across the developing world: excess weight. "This triple burden -- undernutrition, a lack of crucial micronutrients, obesity -- is increasingly found in the same country, sometimes in the same neighbourhood, and often in the same household," Victor Aguayo, head of UNICEF's nutrition programme, told AFP. "A mother who is overweight or obese can have children who are stunted or wasted." Across all age groups, more than 800 million people in the world are constantly hungry and another two billion are eating too much of the wrong foods, driving epidemics of obesity, heart disease and diabetes. 'Hidden hunger' Among children under five, diet during first 1,000 days after conception is the foundation for physical health and mental development. And yet, only two-in-five infants under six months are exclusively breastfed, as recommended. Sales of milk-based formula have risen worldwide by 40 per cent and in upper-middle-income countries such as Brazil, China and Turkey by nearly three-quarters. Missing vitamins and minerals, meanwhile, can lead to compromised immune systems, poor sight and hearing defects. A lack of iron can cause anaemia and reduced IQ. "It's 'hidden' because you don't notice the impact until it is too late," Brian Keeley, editor-in-chief of report, told AFP. "You don't notice that the child is running a little slower than everyone else, struggling a bit in school." The rise of obesity, however, is plain to see. The problem was virtually non-existent in poor countries 30 years ago, but today at least 10 per cent of under-five-year-olds are overweight or obese in three-quarters of low-income nations. "There needs to be a focus on obesity before it is too late," said Keeley. "Unless you deal with it in a preventative way, you're going to struggle to fix it later on." Cheap, readily available junk food, often marketed directly to kids, has made the problem much worse. "Children are eating too much of what they don't need -- salt, sugar and fat," Keeley added. Progress in fighting undernourishment will also be hampered by climate change, the report warned. Tax sugary drinks A single degree Celsius of warming since the late-19th century has amplified droughts responsible for more than 80 per cent of damage and losses in agriculture. Earth's average surface temperature is set to rise another two or three degrees by 2100. Research by scientists at Harvard University, meanwhile, have shown that the increased concentration of CO2 in the air is sapping staple food crops of those essential nutrients and vitamins, including zinc, iron and vitamin B. "The impacts of climate change are completely transforming the food that is available and that can be consumed," Aguayo said. Making sure every child has access to a healthy diet must become a "political priority" if widespread malnutrition is to be conquered, especially in developing countries, the report said. Taxes on sugary foods and beverages; clear, front-of-package labelling; regulating the sale of breast milk substitutes; limiting the advertising and sale of 'junk food' near schools -- these and other measures could make a difference, it concluded. "The way we understand and respond to malnutrition needs to change," said Fore. "It is not just about getting children enough to eat. It is above all about getting them to eat the right food." The recent rise of awareness about the danger of global warming is instructive, the authors said. "Just as we have organised a movement around climate change, we need to mobilise civil society," said Aguayo. "If our children are not fed healthy diets, we are putting a huge question mark on the future of our societies."

One-in-three young children undernourished or overweight: UNICEF

A white policeman who shot dead a black Texas woman as she played video games at home with her young nephew has been charged with murder, police said Monday.

Aaron Dean gunned down 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson from outside her Fort Worth property in the early hours of Saturday as she approached a window to investigate noises outside.

The incident, less than two weeks after a white policewoman was jailed for killing a black man in his apartment in nearby Dallas, has sparked a wave of anger in the US, where so-called blue-on-black violence fueled the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement.

"We are all heartbroken today. Atatiana was a beautiful, smart, amazing young woman by all accounts, who was unjustly taken from her family," Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price told a news conference.

She said an independent panel of experts would review the incident, adding: "As a mother, a grandmother, a sister, an aunt, I can't imagine anything worse and I'm so sorry."

Police said he had been charged with murder and was being held in custody.

Fort Worth interim police chief Ed Kraus made Dean's name public, and promised "a thorough and transparent and speedy investigation."

"My intent was to meet with him today to terminate his employment with the Fort Worth Police Department. However, the officer tendered his resignation this morning before we met," Kraus said.

Jefferson's brother Darius Carr demanded tough, immediate action earlier Monday.&nbsp;

"This man murdered someone," Carr told reporters.&nbsp;

'Take it to the streets'

The shooting came after a neighbour called police to report that Jefferson's front and side doors were lying ajar.

Police body-cam footage showed two officers with flashlights walking quietly around the property before spotting someone standing inside near a window.

Family attorney Lee Merritt said the victim had heard sounds in the backyard and had walked toward the window to investigate when she was shot.

Her eight-year-old nephew had been playing a video game with Jefferson, a pharmaceutical worker, when she was gunned down.

"Perceiving a threat, the officer drew his duty weapon and fired one shot striking the person," the Fort Worth force said, releasing a blurry image of a gun found in the home that the mayor later described as "irrelevant."&nbsp;

Dean, who had been with the department since 2017, did not identify himself as a police officer before opening fire, police said. &nbsp;

In the body-cam footage, he is heard saying in rapid speech that is difficult to understand: "Put your hands up, show me your hands."&nbsp;

The words are followed immediately by the sound of gunfire.

"There was no reason for her to be murdered. None," said a GoFundMe page organized to help the family with funeral expenses. "We must have justice."

Several hundred mourners took part in a vigil Sunday in Fort Worth to honour Jefferson, local media reported. Some shed tears, while others cried out in anger.

Local pastor Michael Bell was quoted as urging people in Fort Worth to "take it to the streets."

"We're not hugging them and giving them a Bible," he said.&nbsp;

The local Star-Telegram newspaper said Fort Worth police had shot at least seven people -- six of them fatally -- since June 1, although the department has not released figures for that period.&nbsp;

Merritt described the city police as "basically one of the deadliest police departments in the United States."&nbsp;

A white policeman who shot dead a black Texas woman as she played video games at home with her young nephew has been charged with murder, police said Monday. Aaron Dean gunned down 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson from outside her Fort Worth property in the early hours of Saturday as she approached a window to investigate noises outside.

A white policeman who shot dead a black Texas woman as she played video games at home with her young nephew has been charged with murder, police said Monday. Aaron Dean gunned down 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson from outside her Fort Worth property in the early hours of Saturday as she approached a window to investigate noises outside. The incident, less than two weeks after a white policewoman was jailed for killing a black man in his apartment in nearby Dallas, has sparked a wave of anger in the US, where so-called blue-on-black violence fueled the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. "We are all heartbroken today. Atatiana was a beautiful, smart, amazing young woman by all accounts, who was unjustly taken from her family," Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price told a news conference. She said an independent panel of experts would review the incident, adding: "As a mother, a grandmother, a sister, an aunt, I can't imagine anything worse and I'm so sorry." Police said he had been charged with murder and was being held in custody. Fort Worth interim police chief Ed Kraus made Dean's name public, and promised "a thorough and transparent and speedy investigation." "My intent was to meet with him today to terminate his employment with the Fort Worth Police Department. However, the officer tendered his resignation this morning before we met," Kraus said. Jefferson's brother Darius Carr demanded tough, immediate action earlier Monday. "This man murdered someone," Carr told reporters. 'Take it to the streets' The shooting came after a neighbour called police to report that Jefferson's front and side doors were lying ajar. Police body-cam footage showed two officers with flashlights walking quietly around the property before spotting someone standing inside near a window. Family attorney Lee Merritt said the victim had heard sounds in the backyard and had walked toward the window to investigate when she was shot. Her eight-year-old nephew had been playing a video game with Jefferson, a pharmaceutical worker, when she was gunned down. "Perceiving a threat, the officer drew his duty weapon and fired one shot striking the person," the Fort Worth force said, releasing a blurry image of a gun found in the home that the mayor later described as "irrelevant." Dean, who had been with the department since 2017, did not identify himself as a police officer before opening fire, police said. In the body-cam footage, he is heard saying in rapid speech that is difficult to understand: "Put your hands up, show me your hands." The words are followed immediately by the sound of gunfire. "There was no reason for her to be murdered. None," said a GoFundMe page organized to help the family with funeral expenses. "We must have justice." Several hundred mourners took part in a vigil Sunday in Fort Worth to honour Jefferson, local media reported. Some shed tears, while others cried out in anger. Local pastor Michael Bell was quoted as urging people in Fort Worth to "take it to the streets." "We're not hugging them and giving them a Bible," he said. The local Star-Telegram newspaper said Fort Worth police had shot at least seven people -- six of them fatally -- since June 1, although the department has not released figures for that period. Merritt described the city police as "basically one of the deadliest police departments in the United States."

Texas police officer charged with murder for shooting black woman

Saying China has promised to buy up to $50 billion in US agricultural products, President Donald Trump is encouraging American farmers to prepare for a major influx of business.

But after months of losses and uncertainty amid the trade war Trump launched, many in the farm sector say they need more detail before they pop the champagne corks.

Shortly after announcing that a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-president-donald-trump-announces-partial-trade-deal-with-china-255358">trade deal had been reached </a>in principle between the world's two leading economies, the president even jokingly suggested on Twitter that farmers "start thinking about getting bigger tractors!"

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
CHINA HAS ALREADY BEGUN AGRICULTURAL PURCHASES FROM OUR GREAT PATRIOT FARMERS &amp; RANCHERS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1183500215241859073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
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But on Monday, the country's biggest agricultural federation, the Farm Bureau, told AFP it was awaiting more concrete information on the tentative deal with China, which negotiators are continuing to finalize.

And Roger Johnson, president of the National Farmers Union (NFU), said that "while we are glad to see a detente in this seemingly endless trade war, the tangible benefits to American family farmers and ranchers are unclear."

"Over what timeframe will the $50 billion of agricultural purchases -- an amount that is double our peak annual farm exports to China -- take place?" he asked in a statement on Friday.

At their peak in 2012 and 2013, when a drought in the US had sent the prices of agricultural commodities to record levels, exports to China reached no higher than $26 billion.

China's imports of US farm goods fell in 2017 to $19.5 billion, before dropping sharply last year to just over $9 billion after Beijing imposed burdensome taxes on US imports in retaliation for similar US measures.

"From the very beginning of the trade war, farmers have been promised that their patience would be rewarded," Brian Kuehl, co-executive director of Farmers for Free Trade, said in a statement. "To date, the deal they've been promised has not come."

The Trump administration has released $28 billion in financial aid to American farmers to soften the blow from the Chinese tariffs, but there is no mention in the trade deal of China lifting its existing tariffs.

"Farmers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Texas and elsewhere will still wake up facing double-digit tariffs into one of America's largest export markets," Kuehl said.

At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, where brokers bet on trends in the prices of farm products, the market was far from euphoric.

Soybean prices were up just 0.5 per cent on Monday, even though American producers of oilseed products would be among the first to benefit from a surge in Chinese orders.

China's soybean imports from the US totalled $12 billion in 2017; the Asian giant purchased 57 per cent of all US soybean exports that year.

That total fell to $3 billion in 2018, due to new US tariffs and an epidemic of African swine fever that decimated Chinese herds -- many of them fed by American soybeans.

"The market's muted reaction shows the skepticism about the deal, the idea that, even if it happens, it just shuffles the trade flows" between different countries, said Bill Nelson, a chief economist for agricultural consultancy Doane Advisory Services.

Since the tariffs, China has upped its reliance on Brazil and Argentina for soybean supplies, while Mexico and some European Union members have purchased more of the US's crop.

Nelson said it is not possible to suddenly "materialize another $20 billion of buying interests out of nothing."

To compensate for losses from the African swine fever epidemic, China has greatly boosted its pork orders in recent weeks, while ordering around 3.7 million tons of soybeans during the month of September. &nbsp;

Nelson cautioned that while "that sounds pretty impressive... sales are still lower than what they used to be three or four years ago."

Saying China has promised to buy up to $50 billion in US agricultural products, President Donald Trump is encouraging American farmers to prepare for a major influx of business.

Saying China has promised to buy up to $50 billion in US agricultural products, President Donald Trump is encouraging American farmers to prepare for a major influx of business. But after months of losses and uncertainty amid the trade war Trump launched, many in the farm sector say they need more detail before they pop the champagne corks. Shortly after announcing that a trade deal had been reached in principle between the world's two leading economies, the president even jokingly suggested on Twitter that farmers "start thinking about getting bigger tractors!" CHINA HAS ALREADY BEGUN AGRICULTURAL PURCHASES FROM OUR GREAT PATRIOT FARMERS & RANCHERS! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 13, 2019 × But on Monday, the country's biggest agricultural federation, the Farm Bureau, told AFP it was awaiting more concrete information on the tentative deal with China, which negotiators are continuing to finalize. And Roger Johnson, president of the National Farmers Union (NFU), said that "while we are glad to see a detente in this seemingly endless trade war, the tangible benefits to American family farmers and ranchers are unclear." "Over what timeframe will the $50 billion of agricultural purchases -- an amount that is double our peak annual farm exports to China -- take place?" he asked in a statement on Friday. At their peak in 2012 and 2013, when a drought in the US had sent the prices of agricultural commodities to record levels, exports to China reached no higher than $26 billion. China's imports of US farm goods fell in 2017 to $19.5 billion, before dropping sharply last year to just over $9 billion after Beijing imposed burdensome taxes on US imports in retaliation for similar US measures. "From the very beginning of the trade war, farmers have been promised that their patience would be rewarded," Brian Kuehl, co-executive director of Farmers for Free Trade, said in a statement. "To date, the deal they've been promised has not come." The Trump administration has released $28 billion in financial aid to American farmers to soften the blow from the Chinese tariffs, but there is no mention in the trade deal of China lifting its existing tariffs. "Farmers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Texas and elsewhere will still wake up facing double-digit tariffs into one of America's largest export markets," Kuehl said. At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, where brokers bet on trends in the prices of farm products, the market was far from euphoric. Soybean prices were up just 0.5 per cent on Monday, even though American producers of oilseed products would be among the first to benefit from a surge in Chinese orders. China's soybean imports from the US totalled $12 billion in 2017; the Asian giant purchased 57 per cent of all US soybean exports that year. That total fell to $3 billion in 2018, due to new US tariffs and an epidemic of African swine fever that decimated Chinese herds -- many of them fed by American soybeans. "The market's muted reaction shows the skepticism about the deal, the idea that, even if it happens, it just shuffles the trade flows" between different countries, said Bill Nelson, a chief economist for agricultural consultancy Doane Advisory Services. Since the tariffs, China has upped its reliance on Brazil and Argentina for soybean supplies, while Mexico and some European Union members have purchased more of the US's crop. Nelson said it is not possible to suddenly "materialize another $20 billion of buying interests out of nothing." To compensate for losses from the African swine fever epidemic, China has greatly boosted its pork orders in recent weeks, while ordering around 3.7 million tons of soybeans during the month of September. Nelson cautioned that while "that sounds pretty impressive... sales are still lower than what they used to be three or four years ago."

Trump claims victory in trade war with China, but US farmers want details

From the pinnacle of the City of London's largest skyscraper, Stuart Lipton is wagering a $1.2 billion bet that the British capital remains a master of the international financial universe no matter what happens with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/brexit-on-october-31-a-priority-for-british-government-queen-255851">Brexit</a>.

The 76-year-old property developer is not alone. Bankrolled by a host of global investors, including France's Axa, his big-ticket gamble in London's financial district is - so far - on the money.

The cataclysmic warnings during the 2016 referendum that London would lose its financial throne if it voted to leave the European Union (EU) have, so far, been proven wrong. London is still the world's banker, only bigger by some measures.

"London is extraordinarily resilient and its future as a finance centre is secure because what we have here is unique," Lipton told Reuters on the 61st floor of 22 Bishopsgate, set to become western Europe's second tallest skyscraper when it opens next year.

In the year to June, London has attracted more cross border commercial real estate investment than any other city. It has overtaken New York as a destination for fintech investment and it has increased its dominance of the world's $6.6 trillion daily foreign exchange market.

Since the vote to leave the EU, Britain has leapfrogged the United States to become the largest centre for trading interest rate swaps, despite calls by ex-French President Francois Hollande to end London's dominance in clearing euro-denominated derivatives.

That London has expanded its influence as an international finance centre is one of the biggest riddles of the United Kingdom's tortuous three-year <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/uk-economy-starts-to-shows-cracks-under-brexit-and-global-strains-254409">Brexit crisis.</a>

The city's standing ensures the United Kingdom keeps one of its last big chips at the top table of world politics just as it splits from the EU.

It also means EU companies will still come to London to raise finance outside the bloc after Brexit, a fact not lost on Wall Street heavyweights such as Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan.

Just a mile away from 22 Bishopsgate, Goldman opened its new 1 million square foot European headquarters - complete with mothers' rooms and wildflowers on the roof - in July, three years on from the 2016 referendum.

Largely abandoned by the British government during Brexit talks, ten senior industry officials told Reuters London's financial services sector has grown since 2016 because there is no realistic competitor in its time zone.

And high-rolling bankers are too attached to its Anglo-Saxon, work-hard, play-hard culture.

The chief executive of the British division of one of Europe's largest banks said although some business will move to the EU, most senior bankers will be reluctant to leave London. He would consider taking a 20 per cent&nbsp;pay cut to remain in the city.

"If you are an Italian banker, who moved out to London 20 years ago, and your kids go to private school around the corner then you are not going to move to Frankfurt," he said.

A global hub for trading, lending and investing, London is the largest net exporter of financial services in the world, with the EU accounting for a quarter of the business.

The 2016 referendum shocked many of the masters of London's financial universe, triggering the biggest one-day fall of the pound since the era of free-floating exchange rates was introduced in the early 1970s.

But so far, most major financial institutions have opted against moving large numbers of people and activities until the loss of access to the EU's lucrative single market is confirmed.

Banks, insurers and asset managers have shifted over a trillion euros of assets such as derivatives and bonds from London to the continent and opened new EU hubs as a hedge against London suddenly being cut off from the bloc if Britain exits the EU without a formal agreement.

The Bank of England estimates around 4,000 people may have moved by the time Britain has exited the EU. But the key decisions are still taken in London.

Reuters contacted JP Morgan and Goldman, and rivals Citi, Bank of America, UBS, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse&nbsp;and Deutsche Bank, to seek details on how a 'no-deal Brexit' might accelerate the transfer of resources and activities from London.

All banks said they were prepared for a no-deal Brexit, and had been since the first quarter.

Earlier this year, Morgan Stanley's chief executive, James Gorman, said that he scarcely worried about Brexit. "That's not in my top 200 issues," he said.

British data shows the total number of people employed in the City between 2016 and 2018 overall rose by 31,000, though the total number of people employed specifically in banking and insurance is down 3,000 over the period.

It is not clear how much of that drop is due to Brexit and how much is due to new regulations or structural changes, such as higher numbers of tech specialists at lenders while traditional banking jobs shrink.

Initial estimates of potential job losses ranged from about 30,000 roles within a year of Britain leaving the EU, estimated by the Brussels-based Bruegel research group, to up to 75,000 by 2025 by Oliver Wyman.

Oliver Wyman said they stand by their predictions because it is important to distinguish between job losses on the first day of Brexit and over the longer term. The final number will depend upon the level of market access, which is not clear yet.

Bruegel did not respond to a request for comment.

Financial capitals such as London have remarkable longevity and their rise and fall typically happens at a glacial pace, said Youssef Cassis, a professor of economic history who specialises in financial centres.

"There is no precedent for decoupling between a major economic power- in this case, the European Union- and its financial centre, London," he said.

Some key activities have moved out of London ahead of Brexit. Eurozone government bond and repurchase agreements trading worth around 230 billion euros a day, along with clearing, switched to Amsterdam, Milan and Paris earlier this year.

London-based CBOE Europe, the EU's largest share trading venue, began trading euro shares at its new Amsterdam hub at the start of October.

Nicolas Mackel, who heads a body promoting Luxembourg's financial centre, said it would be a shift in activities and not jobs that will affect London most.

"It's not between now and Christmas you have to look, but on a five, 10, 15 and 20-year framework. It's a false comfort that you are providing by only focusing on jobs," Mackel said.

After Brexit, the $15.9 trillion EU 27 economy will still be reliant on a financial capital outside its borders, which could be politically hard for Brussels to stomach indefinitely.

One European Commission official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the EU had no intention of smothering Britain's financial sector to accelerate its own plans for an EU capital markets union.

But there is scepticism in the market about the longevity of such pledges.

"Why should one expect the EU to give an economic answer to what is a political challenge?" said Xavier Rolet, former head of London Stock Exchange and CEO of investment manager CQS.

"I would expect them to respond politically, even if those answers are not necessarily in the best economic interests of EU-based investors, corporates and banks."

Rolet, who said in the aftermath of the referendum that half of all finance jobs in London may disappear if derivatives clearing left the capital, said it was too early to assess the implications of Brexit.

"I do stand by my statement," he said of the potential job losses.

From the pinnacle of the City of London's largest skyscraper, Stuart Lipton is wagering a $1.2 billion bet that the British capital remains a master of the international financial universe no matter what happens with Brexit.

From the pinnacle of the City of London's largest skyscraper, Stuart Lipton is wagering a $1.2 billion bet that the British capital remains a master of the international financial universe no matter what happens with Brexit. The 76-year-old property developer is not alone. Bankrolled by a host of global investors, including France's Axa, his big-ticket gamble in London's financial district is - so far - on the money. The cataclysmic warnings during the 2016 referendum that London would lose its financial throne if it voted to leave the European Union (EU) have, so far, been proven wrong. London is still the world's banker, only bigger by some measures. "London is extraordinarily resilient and its future as a finance centre is secure because what we have here is unique," Lipton told Reuters on the 61st floor of 22 Bishopsgate, set to become western Europe's second tallest skyscraper when it opens next year. In the year to June, London has attracted more cross border commercial real estate investment than any other city. It has overtaken New York as a destination for fintech investment and it has increased its dominance of the world's $6.6 trillion daily foreign exchange market. Since the vote to leave the EU, Britain has leapfrogged the United States to become the largest centre for trading interest rate swaps, despite calls by ex-French President Francois Hollande to end London's dominance in clearing euro-denominated derivatives. That London has expanded its influence as an international finance centre is one of the biggest riddles of the United Kingdom's tortuous three-year Brexit crisis. The city's standing ensures the United Kingdom keeps one of its last big chips at the top table of world politics just as it splits from the EU. It also means EU companies will still come to London to raise finance outside the bloc after Brexit, a fact not lost on Wall Street heavyweights such as Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan. Just a mile away from 22 Bishopsgate, Goldman opened its new 1 million square foot European headquarters - complete with mothers' rooms and wildflowers on the roof - in July, three years on from the 2016 referendum. Largely abandoned by the British government during Brexit talks, ten senior industry officials told Reuters London's financial services sector has grown since 2016 because there is no realistic competitor in its time zone. And high-rolling bankers are too attached to its Anglo-Saxon, work-hard, play-hard culture. The chief executive of the British division of one of Europe's largest banks said although some business will move to the EU, most senior bankers will be reluctant to leave London. He would consider taking a 20 per cent pay cut to remain in the city. "If you are an Italian banker, who moved out to London 20 years ago, and your kids go to private school around the corner then you are not going to move to Frankfurt," he said. A global hub for trading, lending and investing, London is the largest net exporter of financial services in the world, with the EU accounting for a quarter of the business. The 2016 referendum shocked many of the masters of London's financial universe, triggering the biggest one-day fall of the pound since the era of free-floating exchange rates was introduced in the early 1970s. But so far, most major financial institutions have opted against moving large numbers of people and activities until the loss of access to the EU's lucrative single market is confirmed. Banks, insurers and asset managers have shifted over a trillion euros of assets such as derivatives and bonds from London to the continent and opened new EU hubs as a hedge against London suddenly being cut off from the bloc if Britain exits the EU without a formal agreement. The Bank of England estimates around 4,000 people may have moved by the time Britain has exited the EU. But the key decisions are still taken in London. Reuters contacted JP Morgan and Goldman, and rivals Citi, Bank of America, UBS, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank, to seek details on how a 'no-deal Brexit' might accelerate the transfer of resources and activities from London. All banks said they were prepared for a no-deal Brexit, and had been since the first quarter. Earlier this year, Morgan Stanley's chief executive, James Gorman, said that he scarcely worried about Brexit. "That's not in my top 200 issues," he said. British data shows the total number of people employed in the City between 2016 and 2018 overall rose by 31,000, though the total number of people employed specifically in banking and insurance is down 3,000 over the period. It is not clear how much of that drop is due to Brexit and how much is due to new regulations or structural changes, such as higher numbers of tech specialists at lenders while traditional banking jobs shrink. Initial estimates of potential job losses ranged from about 30,000 roles within a year of Britain leaving the EU, estimated by the Brussels-based Bruegel research group, to up to 75,000 by 2025 by Oliver Wyman. Oliver Wyman said they stand by their predictions because it is important to distinguish between job losses on the first day of Brexit and over the longer term. The final number will depend upon the level of market access, which is not clear yet. Bruegel did not respond to a request for comment. Financial capitals such as London have remarkable longevity and their rise and fall typically happens at a glacial pace, said Youssef Cassis, a professor of economic history who specialises in financial centres. "There is no precedent for decoupling between a major economic power- in this case, the European Union- and its financial centre, London," he said. Some key activities have moved out of London ahead of Brexit. Eurozone government bond and repurchase agreements trading worth around 230 billion euros a day, along with clearing, switched to Amsterdam, Milan and Paris earlier this year. London-based CBOE Europe, the EU's largest share trading venue, began trading euro shares at its new Amsterdam hub at the start of October. Nicolas Mackel, who heads a body promoting Luxembourg's financial centre, said it would be a shift in activities and not jobs that will affect London most. "It's not between now and Christmas you have to look, but on a five, 10, 15 and 20-year framework. It's a false comfort that you are providing by only focusing on jobs," Mackel said. After Brexit, the $15.9 trillion EU 27 economy will still be reliant on a financial capital outside its borders, which could be politically hard for Brussels to stomach indefinitely. One European Commission official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the EU had no intention of smothering Britain's financial sector to accelerate its own plans for an EU capital markets union. But there is scepticism in the market about the longevity of such pledges. "Why should one expect the EU to give an economic answer to what is a political challenge?" said Xavier Rolet, former head of London Stock Exchange and CEO of investment manager CQS. "I would expect them to respond politically, even if those answers are not necessarily in the best economic interests of EU-based investors, corporates and banks." Rolet, who said in the aftermath of the referendum that half of all finance jobs in London may disappear if derivatives clearing left the capital, said it was too early to assess the implications of Brexit. "I do stand by my statement," he said of the potential job losses.

London retains global finance throne amid Brexit chaos

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