Fire engulfs Torre dei Moro in Milan
A major fire has practically destroyed an 18-storey building in the southern outskirts of Milan. There are numerous fire brigade teams and many ambulances on site. The fire affected about 70 families and probably spread from the top floor of the “Torre dei Moro”, collapsing the windows of the facade and generating a column of smoke visible from miles away.
First death from Hurricane Ida
Louisiana authorities have reported the first death from Hurricane Ida after a 60-year-old man was fatally injured when he was struck by a fallen tree. The hurricane, which has now weakened and is downgraded to category 3, battered Louisiana, moving across the state with heavy rains and high winds that have left nearly a million customers without power. The storm made landfall on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina as a dangerous Category 4 hurricane with winds of 200 kph.
France, UK, Germany to propose Kabul safe zone
France, UK and Germany are working on a United Nations proposal aimed at establishing a safe zone in Kabul to allow safe passage for people trying to leave Afghanistan. French President Emmanuel Macron said the resolution would be brought later today to an emergency UN Security Council meeting. He told France’s TF1 there were already some discussions to see how flights could be re-established, adding that Qatar was also helping negotiations.
US drone strike ‘eliminated airport bomb threat’
The US military says it was investigating reports of civilian casualties after a drone strike in Kabul prevented an Islamic State suicide bomber from attacking the airport. The Pentagon said they were still assessing the results of the strike. However, local television Ariana quoted witnesses saying the strike left six dead, including four children.
Afghan children ‘at greater risk than ever’
UNICEF estimates that 300,000 Afghan children have been forced to leave their homes, in some cases while sleeping, following the arrival of the Taliban and the rush to leave the country. The organisation’s regional director says over four million children, including 2.2 million girls, are out of school, and are struggling with anxieties and fears no child should experience.
‘Pray and fast for Afghanistan’, urges Pope
Pope Francis has called on the world’s Christians to pray and carry out fasting to ask God to bring about peace and coexistence in Afghanistan. Speaking to pilgrims and tourists in St Peter’s Square for his weekly blessing, Francis said he was following events in Afghanistan with “great worry”. There are very few Christians in Afghanistan, all of them foreigners in embassies or aid workers.
30 soldiers killed, 60 wounded in Yemen
At least 30 soldiers were killed and 60 others wounded in a rocket attack on a base of the Saudi Coalition in Yemen. Al Jazeera said the attack was carried out with the aid of drones and the death toll was set to rise.
Actor Ed Asner dies aged 91
Ed Asner, best-known for playing fictional TV newsman Lou Grant, has died aged 91. The character Lou Grant was first introduced as Mary Richards’s boss on The Mary Tyler Moore Show in the 1970s. Grant, the irascible editor of the fictional Los Angeles Tribune, then became a character in a show in his own right from 1977 to 1982. The role helped earn Asner seven Emmy awards across his career, the most for a male performer.
Jamaican soul of reggae dead at 85
The death has been announced of legendary Jamaican singer and music producer Lee “Scratch” Perry. He was 85. He was known for his pioneering experiments in dub, which revolutionised not only reggae, but also hip hop, dance and other genres. Since the 1950s, Perry went on to work with a number of fellow music legends, including Bob Marley and the Beastie Boys.
