John Ashe, a former United Nations General Assembly president accused by US prosecutors of taking $1.3 million in bribes from Chinese businessmen, has died at 61, his lawyer said on Wednesday. 
 
The death of Ashe, a former UN ambassador from Antigua and Barbuda who served as General Assembly president from 2013 to 2014 and was arrested in October on federal charges, was confirmed by his lawyer, Jeremy Schneider. 
 
Asked if his client had died from a heart attack as reported by an Antiguan media outlet, Schneider said that was his understanding. But he later clarified that he did not know the cause of death. 
 
Ashe&#39;s death marked a surprising turn in the corruption investigation, in which seven people have been charged to date. He had been in plea talks as recently as last month as prosecutors mulled further charges. 
 
The status of those plea talks was not immediately clear. Schneider said his client had been preparing for trial. 
 
A spokesman for Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara, whose office was pursuing the case, had no immediate comment. 
 
Prosecutors said Ashe received more than $500,000 in bribes from billionaire Macau real estate developer Ng Lap Seng to seek UN&rsquo;s support of a United Nations-sponsored conference centre in Macau that Ng&rsquo;s company would develop. 
 
Those bribes were paid through intermediaries that included Francis Lorenzo, a suspended deputy UN ambassador from the Dominican Republic, and Jeff Yin, Ng&rsquo;s assistant, prosecutors said. 
 
Lorenzo pleaded guilty in March while Ng and Yin have pleaded not guilty. 
 
Prosecutors said Ashe also received more than $800,000 from Chinese businessmen to support their interests within the United Nations and Antigua. 
 
Those bribes were arranged through Sheri Yan, who was the Global Sustainability Foundation&#39;s chief executive, and Heidi Hong Piao, the non-governmental organisation&rsquo;s finance director, prosecutors said. Both women pleaded guilty in January. 
 
Authorities said Ashe solicited bribes in various forms, including payments to cover a New Orleans family vacation and construction of a $30,000 basketball court at his house in Dobbs Ferry, New York. 
 
At the time of his death, Ashe had only been charged with tax fraud in connection with the bribes, amid questions about whether diplomatic immunity might preclude any bribery charges. 
 
But at a May 9 hearing, Assistant US Attorney Daniel Richenthal said prosecutors were planning to seek a new indictment in the case against Ashe. 
 
Ashe is survived by his wife, Anilla Cherian, and two children. 
 
(Reuters)

61-year-old John Ashe was accused of taking a bribe of more than $500,000 from a Chinese real estate developer in lieu of UN support

John Ashe, a former United Nations General Assembly president accused by US prosecutors of taking $1.3 million in bribes from Chinese businessmen, has died at 61, his lawyer said on Wednesday. The death of Ashe, a former UN ambassador from Antigua and Barbuda who served as General Assembly president from 2013 to 2014 and was arrested in October on federal charges, was confirmed by his lawyer, Jeremy Schneider. Asked if his client had died from a heart attack as reported by an Antiguan media outlet, Schneider said that was his understanding. But he later clarified that he did not know the cause of death. Ashe's death marked a surprising turn in the corruption investigation, in which seven people have been charged to date. He had been in plea talks as recently as last month as prosecutors mulled further charges. The status of those plea talks was not immediately clear. Schneider said his client had been preparing for trial. A spokesman for Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara, whose office was pursuing the case, had no immediate comment. Prosecutors said Ashe received more than $500,000 in bribes from billionaire Macau real estate developer Ng Lap Seng to seek UN’s support of a United Nations-sponsored conference centre in Macau that Ng’s company would develop. Those bribes were paid through intermediaries that included Francis Lorenzo, a suspended deputy UN ambassador from the Dominican Republic, and Jeff Yin, Ng’s assistant, prosecutors said. Lorenzo pleaded guilty in March while Ng and Yin have pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors said Ashe also received more than $800,000 from Chinese businessmen to support their interests within the United Nations and Antigua. Those bribes were arranged through Sheri Yan, who was the Global Sustainability Foundation's chief executive, and Heidi Hong Piao, the non-governmental organisation’s finance director, prosecutors said. Both women pleaded guilty in January. Authorities said Ashe solicited bribes in various forms, including payments to cover a New Orleans family vacation and construction of a $30,000 basketball court at his house in Dobbs Ferry, New York. At the time of his death, Ashe had only been charged with tax fraud in connection with the bribes, amid questions about whether diplomatic immunity might preclude any bribery charges. But at a May 9 hearing, Assistant US Attorney Daniel Richenthal said prosecutors were planning to seek a new indictment in the case against Ashe. Ashe is survived by his wife, Anilla Cherian, and two children. (Reuters)

Ex-UN General Assembly president in US bribery case dies

Two bomb explosions rocked Afghanistan Monday morning. In the first, a&nbsp;suicide bomber killed at least 14 and wounded eight in an attack on a minibus carrying Nepalese security contractors in the Afghan capital, Kabul, officials said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
A Reuters witness saw several apparently dead victims and at least two wounded being carried out of the yellow bus, while police and emergency service vehicles surrounded the scene in the Banae district of the city.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said on Twitter that 14 people had been killed and eight wounded. Police were working to identify the victims, he said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The casualties appeared to include both Afghans and Nepalese security contractors, Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
He said the suicide bomber had waited near the compound housing the security contractors and struck as the vehicle moved through early morning traffic. As well as the bus passengers, several people in an adjacent market were also wounded.&nbsp; 
 
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack on the minibus that was carrying Nepalese security guards in Kabul. He said India will provide all assistance to Nepal government in this hour of tragedy.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We strongly condemn the horrible tragedy in Kabul. Our deep condolences to the people and governments of Afghanistan and Nepal on the loss of innocent lives,&quot; he said in a tweet.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We are taking steps to provide all relevant assistance to the Nepal government in this hour of tragedy,&quot; PM Modi said.&nbsp; 
 
Fourteen Nepalese security guards were killed when a Taliban suicide bomber targetted their minibus in the Afghan capital.&nbsp; 
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which occurred during Ramadan, Islam&#39;s holy month.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
It underlined how serious the security threat facing Afghanistan remains since the death of former Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a US drone strike last month.&nbsp; 
 
Also Monday morning, at least eight people were killed and 18 injured in a seprate attack Monday morning, when a motorcycle bomb exploded in a crowded market in Afghanistan&#39;s northeastern Badakhshan province, local authorities said. 
 
&quot;Our initial information is eight people were martyred, and 18 others were wounded, all the victims are civilians,&quot; the Badakhshan provincial governor&#39;s spokesman Naweed Froutan told AFP, adding that the death toll is set to rise. 
 
The district governor of Keshim, where the attack took place, gave a higher toll of at least 10 killed and 30 wounded. 
 
&quot;It was a motorcycle bomb explosion inside a main market in Keshim district of Badakhshan province,&quot; Abdul Salam Paiman told AFP, adding that some of the wounded were in critical condition and all had been taken to hospital. 
 
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the blast in the remote, mountainous province. 
 
Reuters reports that the attack was the latest in a recent surge of violence that highlights the challenges faced by the Afghan government in Kabul and its Western backers as Washington slowly draws down its remaining troops despite a persistent insurgency. &nbsp; 
 
AFP notes that the attacks come just days after Washington expanded the US military&#39;s authority to carry out airstrikes on the insurgents. 
(With inputs from Reuters and AFP)

Suicide attack and so far unclaimed motorcycle bomb devastate country as insurgency persists despite Taliban leader's recent death

Two bomb explosions rocked Afghanistan Monday morning. In the first, a suicide bomber killed at least 14 and wounded eight in an attack on a minibus carrying Nepalese security contractors in the Afghan capital, Kabul, officials said. A Reuters witness saw several apparently dead victims and at least two wounded being carried out of the yellow bus, while police and emergency service vehicles surrounded the scene in the Banae district of the city. Interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said on Twitter that 14 people had been killed and eight wounded. Police were working to identify the victims, he said. The casualties appeared to include both Afghans and Nepalese security contractors, Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said. He said the suicide bomber had waited near the compound housing the security contractors and struck as the vehicle moved through early morning traffic. As well as the bus passengers, several people in an adjacent market were also wounded. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack on the minibus that was carrying Nepalese security guards in Kabul. He said India will provide all assistance to Nepal government in this hour of tragedy. "We strongly condemn the horrible tragedy in Kabul. Our deep condolences to the people and governments of Afghanistan and Nepal on the loss of innocent lives," he said in a tweet. "We are taking steps to provide all relevant assistance to the Nepal government in this hour of tragedy," PM Modi said. Fourteen Nepalese security guards were killed when a Taliban suicide bomber targetted their minibus in the Afghan capital. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which occurred during Ramadan, Islam's holy month. It underlined how serious the security threat facing Afghanistan remains since the death of former Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a US drone strike last month. Also Monday morning, at least eight people were killed and 18 injured in a seprate attack Monday morning, when a motorcycle bomb exploded in a crowded market in Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province, local authorities said. "Our initial information is eight people were martyred, and 18 others were wounded, all the victims are civilians," the Badakhshan provincial governor's spokesman Naweed Froutan told AFP, adding that the death toll is set to rise. The district governor of Keshim, where the attack took place, gave a higher toll of at least 10 killed and 30 wounded. "It was a motorcycle bomb explosion inside a main market in Keshim district of Badakhshan province," Abdul Salam Paiman told AFP, adding that some of the wounded were in critical condition and all had been taken to hospital. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the blast in the remote, mountainous province. Reuters reports that the attack was the latest in a recent surge of violence that highlights the challenges faced by the Afghan government in Kabul and its Western backers as Washington slowly draws down its remaining troops despite a persistent insurgency. AFP notes that the attacks come just days after Washington expanded the US military's authority to carry out airstrikes on the insurgents. (With inputs from Reuters and AFP)

Twin blasts rock Afghanistan Monday morning: At least 22 dead, 26 injured

Somalia&#39;s al-Shabaab jihadists have confirmed the death of a commander suspected of organising the 2015 attack on Kenya&#39;s Garissa University that left 148 people dead. 
 
The killing of Mohamed Mohamud, aka Dulyadin, was announced by Somali officials on June 1, and Shabaab confirmed his death with the release of an obituary yesterday. 
 
&quot;We console ourselves and our nation for the martyrdom of the Muslim knight commander Sheik Mohamed Mohamud Ali (Dulyadin). May Allah accept him and lift him to paradise,&quot; it said. 
 
Shabaab said the commander, also know by the aliases &#39;Kuno&#39; and &#39;Gamadhere&#39;, was killed by &quot;US crusaders&quot;. 
 
Somali officials had said he died in a Somali special forces raid close to the southern port town of Kismayo. Somalia&#39;s special forces are trained by, and receive logistical support from, the US. 
 
Mohamud, a Kenyan national and an ethnic Somali, was killed alongside three other commanders and his body later put on display by local authorities. 
(AFP)

He died earlier in June but was made official in obituary by the jihadist outfit only yesterday

Somalia's al-Shabaab jihadists have confirmed the death of a commander suspected of organising the 2015 attack on Kenya's Garissa University that left 148 people dead. The killing of Mohamed Mohamud, aka Dulyadin, was announced by Somali officials on June 1, and Shabaab confirmed his death with the release of an obituary yesterday. "We console ourselves and our nation for the martyrdom of the Muslim knight commander Sheik Mohamed Mohamud Ali (Dulyadin). May Allah accept him and lift him to paradise," it said. Shabaab said the commander, also know by the aliases 'Kuno' and 'Gamadhere', was killed by "US crusaders". Somali officials had said he died in a Somali special forces raid close to the southern port town of Kismayo. Somalia's special forces are trained by, and receive logistical support from, the US. Mohamud, a Kenyan national and an ethnic Somali, was killed alongside three other commanders and his body later put on display by local authorities. (AFP)

al-Shabaab confirms commander, who allegedly organised university attack killing 148, dead

Egypt&#39;s ousted Islamist President Mohamad Morsi was today sentenced to life imprisonment by a Cairo court in an espionage trial in which six co-defendants were handed death penalties for leaking state secrets on military intelligence to Qatar and a Doha-based TV network. 
 
The Cairo Criminal Court upheld the death sentences of the six Muslim Brotherhood members and awarded life imprisonment to two others. 
 
Life in prison in Egypt is 25 years. But Morsi, who received life in prison for leading an unlawful group, was given an additional 15 years for stealing documents related to national security, increasing his jail term to 40 years. 
 
The six co-defendants were Ahmed Abdo Ali Afifi, a documentary film producer (who is in jail), Asmaa el-Khateeb, a reporter with Rasd News Network which is widely suspected of links to Morsi&#39;s Muslim Brotherhood (sentenced in absentia). 
 
Two more included Al-Jazeera employees - news producer Alaa Omar Mohammed and news editor Ibrahim Mohammed Hilal (both sentenced in absentia). 
 
Qatar, a wealthy Gulf state, was the main backer of Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood during his term in power between 2012 and July 2013, when the military overthrew and detained him.&nbsp;Today&#39;s verdicts are not final and can be appealed. 
 
Last month, the court ordered that case documents of the six defendants, excluding Morsi, be referred to the Grand Mufti, who according to Egyptian law must review all death sentences. His decision, however, is not binding. 
 
The co-defendents have been convicted for leaking classified documents to Qatar and selling them to Doha-based Al-Jazeera channel. The documents allegedly include information on general and military intelligence, the armed forces, its armaments and state policy secrets. 
 
Other charges include leading and joining the outlawed Brotherhood, that aims at changing Egypt&#39;s regime by force, and attacking army and police posts and public properties. 
 
Muslim Brotherhood&#39;s Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie and 35 other members of the proscribed Islamist group were last month sentenced to life for committing violent acts after the ouster of country&#39;s first democratically-elected President in 2013. 
 
Badie and Morsi were also sentenced to life in prison in the espionage case. Their sentences are currently in appeal. 
 
Morsi, Badie and 100 other leaders were sentenced to death in June last year for escaping from prison in 2011. 
 
However, an Egyptian court later quashed the death sentence against Badie. Hundreds of other Muslim Brotherhood members were also sentenced for life in various cases. 
 
The Egyptian government has been cracking down on the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters since Morsi&#39;s ouster. The Muslim Brotherhood was designated as a terrorist group in November 2013 by the government. 
(PTI)

Six other co-defendants, including three journalists, were handed death penalties for leaking military secrets to Qatar

Egypt's ousted Islamist President Mohamad Morsi was today sentenced to life imprisonment by a Cairo court in an espionage trial in which six co-defendants were handed death penalties for leaking state secrets on military intelligence to Qatar and a Doha-based TV network. The Cairo Criminal Court upheld the death sentences of the six Muslim Brotherhood members and awarded life imprisonment to two others. Life in prison in Egypt is 25 years. But Morsi, who received life in prison for leading an unlawful group, was given an additional 15 years for stealing documents related to national security, increasing his jail term to 40 years. The six co-defendants were Ahmed Abdo Ali Afifi, a documentary film producer (who is in jail), Asmaa el-Khateeb, a reporter with Rasd News Network which is widely suspected of links to Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood (sentenced in absentia). Two more included Al-Jazeera employees - news producer Alaa Omar Mohammed and news editor Ibrahim Mohammed Hilal (both sentenced in absentia). Qatar, a wealthy Gulf state, was the main backer of Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood during his term in power between 2012 and July 2013, when the military overthrew and detained him. Today's verdicts are not final and can be appealed. Last month, the court ordered that case documents of the six defendants, excluding Morsi, be referred to the Grand Mufti, who according to Egyptian law must review all death sentences. His decision, however, is not binding. The co-defendents have been convicted for leaking classified documents to Qatar and selling them to Doha-based Al-Jazeera channel. The documents allegedly include information on general and military intelligence, the armed forces, its armaments and state policy secrets. Other charges include leading and joining the outlawed Brotherhood, that aims at changing Egypt's regime by force, and attacking army and police posts and public properties. Muslim Brotherhood's Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie and 35 other members of the proscribed Islamist group were last month sentenced to life for committing violent acts after the ouster of country's first democratically-elected President in 2013. Badie and Morsi were also sentenced to life in prison in the espionage case. Their sentences are currently in appeal. Morsi, Badie and 100 other leaders were sentenced to death in June last year for escaping from prison in 2011. However, an Egyptian court later quashed the death sentence against Badie. Hundreds of other Muslim Brotherhood members were also sentenced for life in various cases. The Egyptian government has been cracking down on the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters since Morsi's ouster. The Muslim Brotherhood was designated as a terrorist group in November 2013 by the government. (PTI)

Egypt's ousted Islamist President Morsi sentenced to life in jail, plus 15 years

Britain has been left deeply shocked after&nbsp;Labour&nbsp;member of&nbsp;Parliament&nbsp;Jo Cox was murdered on the streets of her constituency. She died after she was shot at least two times and stabbed in West Yorkshire.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The 41-year-old politician was kicked and left lying bleeding on the pavement in&nbsp;Birstall, near Leeds,&nbsp;an eyewitness said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
A second witness reported three shots&nbsp;including one &quot;round the head area&quot;.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
She was married with two young daughters aged three and five. Her husband, Brendan Cox, said in a statement that his wife &quot;believed in a better world and she fought for it every day of her life with an energy, and a zest for life&quot;.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
He also urged people to &quot;fight against the hatred that killed her&quot;. &quot;Hate doesn&#39;t have a creed, race or religion, it is poisonous.&quot;&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
A fifty-two-year-old man has been arrested over the attack. He has been named locally as Tommy&nbsp;Mair. He was described by&nbsp;neighbours&nbsp;as&nbsp;a loner who never had a full-time job and had suffered mental illness in the past.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Police say they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the shooting.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
British Prime Minister&nbsp;David Cameron paid tribute to the&nbsp;Labour&nbsp;politician saying, &nbsp;&quot;We&#39;ve lost a great star. She had a big heart and people are going to be very, very sad at what has happened.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q0wbnxAVRDw" width="560"></iframe> 
&nbsp; 
Labour&nbsp;leader&nbsp;Jeremy&nbsp;Corbyn&nbsp;said the country will be &quot;in shock at the horrific murder&quot; and said that&nbsp;Ms&nbsp;Cox was a &quot;much loved colleague&quot;.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The EU referendum Remain and Leave campaigns suspended their activities for Thursday and Friday as a result of the attack&nbsp;and David Cameron cancelled a pro-EU rally in Gibraltar.&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Incredibly sad to hear shocking news about Jo Cox. All my thoughts with Brendan and their children
&mdash; George Osborne (@George_Osborne) <a href="https://twitter.com/George_Osborne/status/743478309338636288">June 16, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Extremely sad news of the murder of Jo Cox MP, killed whilst serving her constituents, thinking of all who knew her
&mdash; Chloe Smith (@NorwichChloe) <a href="https://twitter.com/NorwichChloe/status/743487945802399745">June 16, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Hoping, praying and thinking of Jo, Brendan and the children. GB
&mdash; Gordon &amp; Sarah Brown (@OfficeGSBrown) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeGSBrown/status/743441830713384960">June 16, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Absolutely devastated at Jo Cox death, a beautiful person, a wonderful caring and decent person, R.I.P. friend <a href="https://t.co/LdKMlYOM0c">pic.twitter.com/LdKMlYOM0c</a>
&mdash; Angela Rayner MP (@AngelaRayner) <a href="https://twitter.com/AngelaRayner/status/743485648854728704">June 16, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Absolutely devastating news that the wonderful, beautiful &amp; brilliant <a href="https://twitter.com/Jo_Cox1">@Jo_Cox1</a> has died. All my thoughts are with Brendan &amp; her children
&mdash; Lucy Powell MP (@LucyMPowell) <a href="https://twitter.com/LucyMPowell/status/743477884531138560">June 16, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="~/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Please pray for our friend Jo Cox and her lovely staff and wonderful family x
&mdash; Wes Streeting MP (@wesstreeting) <a href="https://twitter.com/wesstreeting/status/743437508743172096">June 16, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="~/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script>

She was shot, stabbed, kicked, and left lying bleeding on a pavement

Britain has been left deeply shocked after Labour member of Parliament Jo Cox was murdered on the streets of her constituency. She died after she was shot at least two times and stabbed in West Yorkshire. The 41-year-old politician was kicked and left lying bleeding on the pavement in Birstall, near Leeds, an eyewitness said. A second witness reported three shots including one "round the head area". She was married with two young daughters aged three and five. Her husband, Brendan Cox, said in a statement that his wife "believed in a better world and she fought for it every day of her life with an energy, and a zest for life". He also urged people to "fight against the hatred that killed her". "Hate doesn't have a creed, race or religion, it is poisonous." A fifty-two-year-old man has been arrested over the attack. He has been named locally as Tommy Mair. He was described by neighbours as a loner who never had a full-time job and had suffered mental illness in the past. Police say they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the shooting. British Prime Minister David Cameron paid tribute to the Labour politician saying, "We've lost a great star. She had a big heart and people are going to be very, very sad at what has happened." Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the country will be "in shock at the horrific murder" and said that Ms Cox was a "much loved colleague". The EU referendum Remain and Leave campaigns suspended their activities for Thursday and Friday as a result of the attack and David Cameron cancelled a pro-EU rally in Gibraltar. Incredibly sad to hear shocking news about Jo Cox. All my thoughts with Brendan and their children — George Osborne (@George_Osborne) June 16, 2016 Extremely sad news of the murder of Jo Cox MP, killed whilst serving her constituents, thinking of all who knew her — Chloe Smith (@NorwichChloe) June 16, 2016 Hoping, praying and thinking of Jo, Brendan and the children. GB — Gordon & Sarah Brown (@OfficeGSBrown) June 16, 2016 Absolutely devastated at Jo Cox death, a beautiful person, a wonderful caring and decent person, R.I.P. friend pic.twitter.com/LdKMlYOM0c — Angela Rayner MP (@AngelaRayner) June 16, 2016 Absolutely devastating news that the wonderful, beautiful & brilliant @Jo_Cox1 has died. All my thoughts are with Brendan & her children — Lucy Powell MP (@LucyMPowell) June 16, 2016 Please pray for our friend Jo Cox and her lovely staff and wonderful family x — Wes Streeting MP (@wesstreeting) June 16, 2016

Kingdom united in grief after death of anti-Brexit MP Jo Cox

Singer Christina Grimmie, the former contestant on television singing contest &quot;The Voice&quot;, died after being shot at a concert in Orlando, said police on social media. 
 
Grimmie was signing autographs with band members of Before You Exit, with whom she performed earlier, when a gunman approached and opened fire before her brother tackled him at the Plaza Live music venue, said the Orlando Police Department on Twitter. 
 
Grimmie died due to her injuries, said the authorities in a post early Saturday. 
 
The assailant shot and killed himself, police tweeted. 
 
Grimmie placed third during the 2014 season of the &quot;The Voice,&quot; a singing competition on NBC. 
 
&quot;We are heartbroken&quot;, The Voice tweeted.

Gunman opens fire as Grimmie was signing autographs after a performance, shocking fans

Singer Christina Grimmie, the former contestant on television singing contest "The Voice", died after being shot at a concert in Orlando, said police on social media. Grimmie was signing autographs with band members of Before You Exit, with whom she performed earlier, when a gunman approached and opened fire before her brother tackled him at the Plaza Live music venue, said the Orlando Police Department on Twitter. Grimmie died due to her injuries, said the authorities in a post early Saturday. The assailant shot and killed himself, police tweeted. Grimmie placed third during the 2014 season of the "The Voice," a singing competition on NBC. "We are heartbroken", The Voice tweeted.

The Voice contestant Christina Grimmie is dead after Orlando concert shooting

Giant waves, cyclone-strength winds and torrential rain swept three people to their deaths on&nbsp;Australia&#39;s east coast on Monday after the&nbsp;storm&nbsp;forced hundreds to flee their homes.

Waves up to five metres (17.5 feet) were pounding much of the east coast, including Sydney, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning of further danger as the&nbsp;storm&nbsp;moves south.

Two bodies were found in cars washed away in flood waters while a man was swept off the rocks south of Sydney&#39;s surfing beach of Bondi, police said.

The New South Wales state emergency services said they had received more than 9,250 calls and had conducted 280 flood rescues.

Insurers received more than 11,150 claims with estimated insured losses of A$38 million, the Insurance Council of&nbsp;Australia&nbsp;said. It expects the number of claims to rise further over the coming days.

Stocks in&nbsp;Australia&nbsp;biggest insurers, including QBE Insurance &lt;QBE.AX&gt;, Insurance&nbsp;AustraliaGroup &lt;IAG.AX&gt; and Suncorp &lt;SUN.AX&gt;, skidded in a stronger wider market.

But CLSA analyst Jan Van Der Schalk did not see a major earnings impact on insurers who said they were still assessing the impact of the catastrophe.[S9N0ZH019]

Australian websites including Channel Nine &lt;NEC.AX&gt;, Foxtel Play &lt;TLS.AX&gt; &lt;NWSA.O&gt; and Domino&#39;s Pizza &lt;DMP.AX&gt; went down on Sunday when Amazon Web Service&#39;s &lt;AMZN.O&gt; Sydney zone experienced a two-hour power outage, ITnews website said.

An Amazon spokesman declined to comment but Amazon Web Services&rsquo; status page on Monday showed several connectivity issues in Sydney had been resolved.

Automated teller machines and point-of-sale banking services were also hit.

A spokeswoman for the Port Authority of New South Wales state said Newcastle, the world&#39;s largest exit point for sea-borne thermal coal and used by global miners Glencore &lt;GLEN.L&gt;, Rio Tinto &lt;RIO.AX&gt; &lt;RIO.L&gt; and Anglo American &lt;AAL.L&gt;, was placed on restricted ship movements over the weekend but did not sustain any damage.

&quot;While some sites had minor production interruptions, none of these has impacted our contractual obligations or production forecasts,&quot; Glencore said.

Port Kembla, the largest vehicle import hub in&nbsp;Australia, remained closed as the&nbsp;storm&nbsp;moved south.

Three people died as the giant waves and torrential rain hit the east coast of Australia on Monday. The storm has forced hundreds of people to leave their homes.

Giant waves, cyclone-strength winds and torrential rain swept three people to their deaths on Australia's east coast on Monday after the storm forced hundreds to flee their homes. Waves up to five metres (17.5 feet) were pounding much of the east coast, including Sydney, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning of further danger as the storm moves south. Two bodies were found in cars washed away in flood waters while a man was swept off the rocks south of Sydney's surfing beach of Bondi, police said. The New South Wales state emergency services said they had received more than 9,250 calls and had conducted 280 flood rescues. Insurers received more than 11,150 claims with estimated insured losses of A$38 million, the Insurance Council of Australia said. It expects the number of claims to rise further over the coming days. Stocks in Australia biggest insurers, including QBE Insurance <QBE.AX>, Insurance AustraliaGroup <IAG.AX> and Suncorp <SUN.AX>, skidded in a stronger wider market. But CLSA analyst Jan Van Der Schalk did not see a major earnings impact on insurers who said they were still assessing the impact of the catastrophe.[S9N0ZH019] Australian websites including Channel Nine <NEC.AX>, Foxtel Play <TLS.AX> <NWSA.O> and Domino's Pizza <DMP.AX> went down on Sunday when Amazon Web Service's <AMZN.O> Sydney zone experienced a two-hour power outage, ITnews website said. An Amazon spokesman declined to comment but Amazon Web Services’ status page on Monday showed several connectivity issues in Sydney had been resolved. Automated teller machines and point-of-sale banking services were also hit. A spokeswoman for the Port Authority of New South Wales state said Newcastle, the world's largest exit point for sea-borne thermal coal and used by global miners Glencore <GLEN.L>, Rio Tinto <RIO.AX> <RIO.L> and Anglo American <AAL.L>, was placed on restricted ship movements over the weekend but did not sustain any damage. "While some sites had minor production interruptions, none of these has impacted our contractual obligations or production forecasts," Glencore said. Port Kembla, the largest vehicle import hub in Australia, remained closed as the storm moved south.

Australia storm sweeps three to their death as it hits east coast

Music superstar&nbsp;Prince, who was found dead in his home in a Minneapolis suburb in late April,&nbsp;died&nbsp;of an&nbsp;accidental, self-administered&nbsp;overdose&nbsp;of an opioid painkiller, the county&nbsp;medical&nbsp;examiner&nbsp;said in a death report on Thursday.

The Midwest&nbsp;Medical&nbsp;Examiner&#39;s Office in Anoka County, Minnesota, had been investigating the 57-year-old&nbsp;singer&#39;s death since he was discovered in an elevator in his home and studio on April 21.

&quot;The decedent self-administered fentanyl,&quot; the&nbsp;medical&nbsp;examiner&#39;s report said,&nbsp;listing cause of death as &quot;fentanyl toxicity&quot;, and noting it was&nbsp;accidental.

The investigation into&nbsp;Prince&#39;s death has centered on&nbsp;painkillers after prescription opioid medication was found at the scene and after reports he had been struggling with an addiction and had been scheduled to meet with a doctor who specializes in treating dependency.

Fentanyl is a highly addictive opiate that is more powerful than morphine and is used to treat patients with severe pain, often after surgeries. It took weeks for officials to release the cause of death because they were waiting for the results of toxicity tests.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune said it was not clear whether fentanyl had been prescribed to Prince&nbsp;and if so, which doctor prescribed it.

Fentanyl is often sold illegally and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has said that rising drug overdose&nbsp;deaths in the United States are linked to increased use of illicitly manufactured fentanyl.

The local prosecutor, Carver County Attorney Mark Metz, said the county sheriff&#39;s office continues to investigate&nbsp;Prince&#39;s death, assisted by federal authorities, but at this point has not handed over the results of the probe to prosecutors.

&quot;They will be looking at many different things,&quot; Metz told Reuters by telephone.

Prince, whose full name was&nbsp;Prince&nbsp;Rogers Nelson, did not leave a will, and his multimillion-dollar estate including royalties from his more than 30 albums is being handled by a court. The songwriter&#39;s hits include &quot;Purple Rain&quot; and &quot;When Doves Cry.&quot;

Music superstar?Prince, who was found dead in late April,?died?of an?accidental, self-administered?overdose?of an opioid painkiller, the county?medical?examiner?said in a death report on Thursday

Music superstar Prince, who was found dead in his home in a Minneapolis suburb in late April, died of an accidental, self-administered overdose of an opioid painkiller, the county medical examiner said in a death report on Thursday. The Midwest Medical Examiner's Office in Anoka County, Minnesota, had been investigating the 57-year-old singer's death since he was discovered in an elevator in his home and studio on April 21. "The decedent self-administered fentanyl," the medical examiner's report said, listing cause of death as "fentanyl toxicity", and noting it was accidental. The investigation into Prince's death has centered on painkillers after prescription opioid medication was found at the scene and after reports he had been struggling with an addiction and had been scheduled to meet with a doctor who specializes in treating dependency. Fentanyl is a highly addictive opiate that is more powerful than morphine and is used to treat patients with severe pain, often after surgeries. It took weeks for officials to release the cause of death because they were waiting for the results of toxicity tests. The Minneapolis Star Tribune said it was not clear whether fentanyl had been prescribed to Prince and if so, which doctor prescribed it. Fentanyl is often sold illegally and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has said that rising drug overdose deaths in the United States are linked to increased use of illicitly manufactured fentanyl. The local prosecutor, Carver County Attorney Mark Metz, said the county sheriff's office continues to investigate Prince's death, assisted by federal authorities, but at this point has not handed over the results of the probe to prosecutors. "They will be looking at many different things," Metz told Reuters by telephone. Prince, whose full name was Prince Rogers Nelson, did not leave a will, and his multimillion-dollar estate including royalties from his more than 30 albums is being handled by a court. The songwriter's hits include "Purple Rain" and "When Doves Cry."

Singer Prince died of accidental painkiller overdose: Medical examiner

After shooting dead a&nbsp;gorilla&nbsp;at the&nbsp;Cincinnati&nbsp;Zoo to save a 3-year-old boy, zoo officials said they had collected a sample of his sperm, raising hopes among distraught fans that Harambe could sire offspring even in death.

Officials at the main U.S. body that oversees breeding of zoo animals, however, said it was highly unlikely&nbsp;that the Western lowland&nbsp;gorilla&#39;s contribution to the nation&#39;s &quot;frozen zoo&quot; of&nbsp;genetic material of rare and endangered species would be used to breed.

&quot;Currently, it&#39;s not anything we would use for reproduction,&quot; Kristen Lukas, who heads the Association of Zoos and Aquariums&#39; (AZA) Gorilla&nbsp;Species Survival Plan, said on Wednesday. &quot;It will be banked and just stored for future use or for research studies.&quot;

Lukas&#39; statement undercuts a weekend statement by&nbsp;Cincinnati&nbsp;Zoo director Thane Maynard that the death of the 17-year-old young silverback, who had been too young to breed, was &quot;not the end of his gene pool.&quot;

Zoo officials did not respond to calls on Wednesday seeking more detail on their plans for Harambe&#39;s sperm.

There are currently 350&nbsp;gorillas of Harambe&#39;s species in US&nbsp;zoos, according to the AZA, which accredits zoos, including&nbsp;Cincinnati&#39;s and approves breeding plans. That population is large enough to maintain a breeding program so robust that many female gorillas&nbsp;of child-bearing age are given hormonal contraceptives.

Zoo officials have stood by the decision to shoot Harambe dead on Saturday, saying the 450-pound (200-kg) animal could have easily&nbsp;slain&nbsp;or grievously injured the toddler.

But their decision to kill the&nbsp;gorilla&nbsp;has drawn criticism online and sparked a&nbsp;Cincinnati&nbsp;police investigation into the boy&#39;s family.

The highly charismatic animals are closely related to humans, making them popular zoo attractions. Major US&nbsp;zoos from New York&#39;s Bronx Zoo to the San Diego Zoo rely on&nbsp;gorillas as a major draw for visitors.

&nbsp;

INTO THE &#39;FROZEN ZOO&#39;

Harambe&#39;s sperm will&nbsp;likely&nbsp;go into a collection of samples taken from&nbsp;gorillas and other animals that are preserved in liquid nitrogen and typically viable for hundreds of years, said the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians director Robert Hilsenroth.

&quot;We call it the frozen zoo,&quot; said Hilsenroth. &quot;It&#39;s nice to have that in your pocket just in case.&quot;

Given the numbers of&nbsp;gorillas in captivity, Harambe&#39;s&nbsp;genetic&nbsp;material would&nbsp;likely&nbsp;be drawn on only in the event of some new disease that took a heavy toll on the population, the AZA&#39;s Lukas said.

&quot;In a dire situation like that, we would then be able to continue the population,&quot; Lukas said.

There are about 175,000 of the&nbsp;gorillas in the wild, but habitat destruction, hunting and disease are resulting in a rapid decline in the population.

The practice of breeding&nbsp;gorillas in captivity has been criticized by animal rights groups.

&quot;In theory, conserving is great but without a habitat what&#39;s the point,&quot; said Julia Gallucci, primatologist for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

After shooting dead a?gorilla?at the?Cincinnati?Zoo to save a 3-year-old boy, zoo officials said they had collected a sample of his sperm for future use

After shooting dead a gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo to save a 3-year-old boy, zoo officials said they had collected a sample of his sperm, raising hopes among distraught fans that Harambe could sire offspring even in death. Officials at the main U.S. body that oversees breeding of zoo animals, however, said it was highly unlikely that the Western lowland gorilla's contribution to the nation's "frozen zoo" of genetic material of rare and endangered species would be used to breed. "Currently, it's not anything we would use for reproduction," Kristen Lukas, who heads the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' (AZA) Gorilla Species Survival Plan, said on Wednesday. "It will be banked and just stored for future use or for research studies." Lukas' statement undercuts a weekend statement by Cincinnati Zoo director Thane Maynard that the death of the 17-year-old young silverback, who had been too young to breed, was "not the end of his gene pool." Zoo officials did not respond to calls on Wednesday seeking more detail on their plans for Harambe's sperm. There are currently 350 gorillas of Harambe's species in US zoos, according to the AZA, which accredits zoos, including Cincinnati's and approves breeding plans. That population is large enough to maintain a breeding program so robust that many female gorillas of child-bearing age are given hormonal contraceptives. Zoo officials have stood by the decision to shoot Harambe dead on Saturday, saying the 450-pound (200-kg) animal could have easily slain or grievously injured the toddler. But their decision to kill the gorilla has drawn criticism online and sparked a Cincinnati police investigation into the boy's family. The highly charismatic animals are closely related to humans, making them popular zoo attractions. Major US zoos from New York's Bronx Zoo to the San Diego Zoo rely on gorillas as a major draw for visitors. INTO THE 'FROZEN ZOO' Harambe's sperm will likely go into a collection of samples taken from gorillas and other animals that are preserved in liquid nitrogen and typically viable for hundreds of years, said the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians director Robert Hilsenroth. "We call it the frozen zoo," said Hilsenroth. "It's nice to have that in your pocket just in case." Given the numbers of gorillas in captivity, Harambe's genetic material would likely be drawn on only in the event of some new disease that took a heavy toll on the population, the AZA's Lukas said. "In a dire situation like that, we would then be able to continue the population," Lukas said. There are about 175,000 of the gorillas in the wild, but habitat destruction, hunting and disease are resulting in a rapid decline in the population. The practice of breeding gorillas in captivity has been criticized by animal rights groups. "In theory, conserving is great but without a habitat what's the point," said Julia Gallucci, primatologist for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Slain Cincinnati gorilla likely to live on in genetic 'frozen zoo'

Saudi Arabia sentenced 14 people to death for terrorism today&nbsp;after they were convicted of attacks on police in the Shi&#39;ite Muslim minority area of Qatif in Eastern Province, scene of past anti-government protests, their lawyer said.

Another nine people were given jail sentences of three to 15 years and one was acquitted, their defence lawyer, who asked to remain anonymous, told Reuters.

He said the 24 defendants had been held for about three years and accused of carrying weapons and shooting at police. During 2011-14 protests, around 20 Shi&#39;ites and several police officers were killed.

A spokesman for the Saudi justice ministry could not immediately be reached for a comment on the report, first broadcast by the Dubai-based al-Arabiya TV.

Some Saudi Shi&#39;ites complain they suffer systematic discrimination in Saudi Arabia, whose majority follow a strict form of Sunni Islam that regards the minority sect as heretical. The government denies that.

On January 2 Saudi Arabia executed four Shi&#39;ites convicted of similar crimes alongside 43 Sunnis accused of carrying out attacks for al Qaeda a decade ago.

The execution of the Shi&#39;ites, including a prominent cleric, by Sunni-led Saudi Arabia pushed up tensions with its main regional rival Iran and contributed to rising sectarian anger in some neighbouring countries.

International human rights groups have criticised Saudi Arabia&#39;s justice system, which they say holds unfair trials, and have said that convictions for terrorism sometimes extend to peaceful protesters and are secured by torture.

Saudi Arabia denies this, saying its judiciary is independent and that it does not practice torture. It says it does not differentiate between Sunnis and Shi&#39;ites accused of politically motivated attacks on other citizens or the security forces.

Saudi Arabia sentence 14 people to death for attacking police in the Shi'ite Muslim minority area of Qatif.

Saudi Arabia sentenced 14 people to death for terrorism today after they were convicted of attacks on police in the Shi'ite Muslim minority area of Qatif in Eastern Province, scene of past anti-government protests, their lawyer said. Another nine people were given jail sentences of three to 15 years and one was acquitted, their defence lawyer, who asked to remain anonymous, told Reuters. He said the 24 defendants had been held for about three years and accused of carrying weapons and shooting at police. During 2011-14 protests, around 20 Shi'ites and several police officers were killed. A spokesman for the Saudi justice ministry could not immediately be reached for a comment on the report, first broadcast by the Dubai-based al-Arabiya TV. Some Saudi Shi'ites complain they suffer systematic discrimination in Saudi Arabia, whose majority follow a strict form of Sunni Islam that regards the minority sect as heretical. The government denies that. On January 2 Saudi Arabia executed four Shi'ites convicted of similar crimes alongside 43 Sunnis accused of carrying out attacks for al Qaeda a decade ago. The execution of the Shi'ites, including a prominent cleric, by Sunni-led Saudi Arabia pushed up tensions with its main regional rival Iran and contributed to rising sectarian anger in some neighbouring countries. International human rights groups have criticised Saudi Arabia's justice system, which they say holds unfair trials, and have said that convictions for terrorism sometimes extend to peaceful protesters and are secured by torture. Saudi Arabia denies this, saying its judiciary is independent and that it does not practice torture. It says it does not differentiate between Sunnis and Shi'ites accused of politically motivated attacks on other citizens or the security forces.

Saudi Arabia sentences 14 to death for terrorism

At least 23 people were killed in Russian air strikes overnight in the Syrian rebel-held city of Idlib, the heaviest bombardment there since a cessation of hostilities was agreed in February, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Observatory said the air strikes targeted a number of positions in the city, one of them next to a hospital. Seven children were among the dead, Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman said. The toll was likely to rise.

Idlib is a stronghold of rebel groups including the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front.

Idlib death toll climbs after Russian airstrike

At least 23 people were killed in Russian air strikes overnight in the Syrian rebel-held city of Idlib, the heaviest bombardment there since a cessation of hostilities was agreed in February, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Observatory said the air strikes targeted a number of positions in the city, one of them next to a hospital. Seven children were among the dead, Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman said. The toll was likely to rise. Idlib is a stronghold of rebel groups including the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front.

Death toll from Russian air strikes in Idlib climbs to 23

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