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SA President Zuma must face corruption charges, court rules

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma must face charges of corruption, fraud, racketeering and money laundering, the Supreme Court of Appeal has ruled.

It agreed with a lower court ruling last year that prosecutors could bring back 783 counts of corruption relating to a 1999 arms deal.

The charges had been set aside eight years ago, enabling Mr Zuma to become president.

The president has always maintained his innocence.

In a statement, Mr Zuma's office said the ruling was "disappointing", but anticipated.

The president now expected South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to consider representations from his legal team before making a decision about whether to prosecute him, it added.

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The charges relate to Mr Zuma's relationship with a businessman, Shabir Shaik, who was tried and found guilty in 2005 of soliciting bribes from a French arms company "for the benefit of Zuma".

Mr Zuma and other government officials have been accused of taking kickbacks from the purchase of fighter jets, patrol boats and other arms.

Charges were first brought against Mr Zuma in 2005 but dropped by prosecutors in 2009.

Last year, the High Court in the capital, Pretoria, ruled in a case brought by the opposition Democratic Alliance that he should face the charges.

Mr Zuma went on to lodge a challenge with the Supreme Court of Appeal.

Analysis: 'Spy tapes' appeal

By Andrew Harding, BBC News, Johannesburg

It is the corruption case that will not go away.

President Zuma has battled for years to avoid going on trial for 783 counts of corruption, linked to a politically charged bribery scandal that stretches back to the 1990s.

The case against him was dropped in controversial circumstances in 2009, when the security services produced recordings of phone conversations that apparently show there was "political meddling" by prosecutors.

Weeks later, Mr Zuma became president of the country.

But the so-called "spy tapes" have never been made public, and opposition parties have fought in the courts to have the corruption charges reinstated.

After this appeals court ruling, that could now happen – in theory.

In practice, many believe South Africa's NPA is unlikely to proceed, at least not without further delays.

Mr Zuma's presidential term ends in 2019, when he will not be eligible to stand in another election having already served two terms in office.

His eventful presidency has seen him survive eight votes of no-confidence, making him the most colourful and controversial president South Africa has had since white-minority rule ended in 1994.

Source – bbc.com

Trump to end Obamacare subsidies amid strong criticism

US President Donald Trump will end subsidies to health insurance providers designed to help low income households, as he continues his attempts to dismantle Obamacare.

The White House announced the move hours after Mr Trump signed an executive order allowing the sale of health insurance plans which are exempt from some of the law's regulations.

The two decisions came after Congress repeatedly failed to repeal Obamacare.

The moves were instantly criticised.

Democratic Party leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer issued a joint statement denouncing the end of subsidies as a "spiteful act of vast, pointless sabotage" which would harm the poorest citizens.

Meanwhile, critics of the initial announcement argued it could de-stabilise the Obamacare market by encouraging healthy consumers to leave their current plans, prompting a spike in premium costs for older Americans and those with pre-existing conditions.

But Mr Trump says his plans will provide "relief" for people struggling to afford the rising costs, adding that ending the subsidies would "fix" the "imploding" Obamacare, officially known as the Affordable Care Act.

Skip Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump

The Democrats ObamaCare is imploding. Massive subsidy payments to their pet insurance companies has stopped. Dems should call me to fix!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 13, 2017

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According to a statement from the White House, the subsidies, which run into billions each year, were not legal.

Following advice from the Department of Justice, the statement said, the Department of Health and Human Services "concluded that there is no appropriation for cost-sharing reduction payments to insurance companies under Obamacare".

Some fear this could sound the death-knell for Barack Obama's healthcare law, as insurers pull out of the marketplace.

Some within Mr Trump's own party have also been critical, with Florida's Republican Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen warning it would lead to more people being uninsured.

Skip Twitter post by @RosLehtinen

Cutting health care subsidies will mean more uninsured in my district. @potus promised more access, affordable coverage. This does opposite.

— Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (@RosLehtinen) October 13, 2017

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Speaking to the press earlier on Thursday, Mr Trump said the White House was just "starting the process" of repealing and replacing Obamacare.

His executive order would allow small businesses and some individuals to band together and form associations to sponsor coverage across state lines.

But it also directs federal agencies to consider easing rules allowing small businesses and some individuals to buy cheaper plans with fewer benefits.

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The new plans would also lift limits on short-term health insurance plans and circumvent Obamacare regulations requiring "essential health benefits" including maternity care, emergency room visits and mental health treatment.

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The order, however, does not lift the Obamacare individual mandate that requires most Americans to have some form of health insurance or face a tax penalty.

It was unclear when the plans would be available but it is unlikely to affect consumers during the 2018 open enrolment period, which begins on 1 November.

The Trump administration is likely to face legal challenges from medical associations, consumer groups and some insurers who have railed against earlier repeal efforts.

The president added he would continue to press Congress to repeal and replace his predecessor's signature health bill.

Source – bbc.com

Uber lodges appeal over London ban

Uber has filed an appeal against the decision by London authorities to deny it a licence to operate in London.

Last month, Transport for London (TfL) refused Uber a new private hire licence, saying the ride-hailing firm was not fit and proper.

TfL said it took the decision on the grounds of "public safety and security implications".

The appeal process could take months, during which time Uber can continue to operate in London.

"While we have today filed our appeal so that Londoners can continue using our app, we hope to continue having constructive discussions with Transport for London. As our new CEO [chief executive] has said, we are determined to make things right," an Uber spokesperson said.

TfL "noted" the appeal but said it would not be commenting before the hearings.

'Constructive talks'

Some 3.5 million passengers and 40,000 drivers use the Uber app in London.

Earlier this month, Uber's new chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi met Mike Brown, who runs Transport for London.

Uber described those talks as "constructive", while TfL said the talks "centred on what needs to happen to ensure a thriving taxi and private hire market in London".

When TfL denied Uber its licence last month it listed four main concerns about Uber's operation:

• The way it reported serious criminal offences

• Its approach to obtaining medical certificates

• Uber's procedure for Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for drivers

• The use of software that TfL claims could block the work of regulators

Uber disputed those complaints, saying it had a special procedure for dealing with allegations of criminal offences.

It argued that DBS checks were properly handled by a third party organisation and that TfL's concerns over its use of software were unjustified.

Troubled times

Uber's trouble in London adds to a long list of problems faced by the company.

In July, chief executive Travis Kalanick, who helped found the company in 2009, resigned following a series of scandals and criticism of his management style.

In June, 20 staff were sacked in the US after a law firm investigated complaints made to the company about sexual harassment, bullying and retaliation for reporting problems.

Last year, Uber lost a landmark employment tribunal in the UK which ruled drivers should be classed as workers rather than being self-employed.

Source – bbc.com

Iraqi Kurds send reinforcements to Kirkuk amid army 'threats'

Thousands of Kurdish fighters have been deployed to Iraq's disputed Kirkuk region, officials say, amid fears that government forces want to retake it.

The autonomous Kurdistan Region's Vice-President, Kosrat Rasul, said it was responding to "threats" by the army.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said he would not use the army against Iraqi citizens, but convoys were seen heading towards Kirkuk late on Thursday.

The move comes two weeks after the Kurds held an independence referendum.

Voters living in Kurdish-controlled areas – including Kirkuk – voted overwhelmingly in favour of secession, prompting calls from Kurdish officials for negotiations.

But Mr Abadi said the referendum was illegal and demanded it be annulled.

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Kirkuk is an oil-rich province claimed by both the Kurds and the central government. It is thought to have a Kurdish majority, but its provincial capital has large Arab and Turkmen populations.

Kurdish Peshmerga forces took control of much of the province in 2014, when Islamic State (IS) militants swept across northern Iraq and the army collapsed.

The Iraqi parliament asked Mr Abadi to deploy troops to Kirkuk and other disputed areas after the referendum result was announced, but he said last week that he would accept them being governed by a "joint administration" and that he did not want an armed confrontation.

On Thursday, the prime minister and the Iraqi military reiterated that they had no plans for a military operation in Kirkuk and were focused on recapturing the last IS foothold in Iraq, around Rawa and al-Qaim near the border with Syria.

"We won't use our army against our people or to launch a war against our Kurdish citizens," Mr Abadi said in a statement, according to Reuters news agency.

However, the BBC's Orla Guerin saw a convoy of soldiers, federal police and Shia militiamen from the paramilitary Popular Mobilisation force moving towards Kirkuk.

Some made victory signs from armoured personnel carriers. One said they were going to Kirkuk to crush the Kurds.

Our correspondent says this may be just a show of force by Baghdad, but that it is a risky move. There are fears that Kirkuk could be the spark that ignites a civil war, she adds.

Overnight, the Kurdistan Region Security Council expressed alarm at what it called a significant build-up of pro-government tanks, artillery, Humvees and mortars in Bashir and Taz, in southern Kirkuk.

"These forces are approx 3km from Peshmerga forces. Intelligence shows intention to takeover nearby oil fields, airport and military base," it said on Twitter.

On Friday morning, Mr Rasul was quoted by the Rudaw news agency as saying at least 6,000 Peshmerga fighters had been sent to Kirkuk to support the tens of thousands already stationed there.

"There are threats by the Iraqi army that has deployed forces near Kirkuk supposedly to attack Kirkuk. But I don't believe it will be easy for them to do that."

"We do not want war, and we seek to solve problems through dialogue," he added.

An unnamed general was quoted by AFP news agency as saying troops had already taken one base after Peshmerga fighters withdrew.

However, the Iraqi military's War Media Cell insisted that an operation had not begun. A statement posted on Facebook said its forces were "still clearing, inspecting and holding" areas recently retaken from IS.

Source – bbc.com

WeChat translates 'black foreigner' into racial slur

Chinese messaging app WeChat has apologised after its software used the N-word as an English translation for the Chinese for "black foreigner".

The company blamed its algorithms for producing the error.

It was spotted by Ann James, a black American living in Shanghai, when she texted her Chinese colleagues to say she was running late.

Ms James, who uses WeChat's translation feature to read Chinese responses, got the reply: "The [racial slur] is late."

Horrified, she checked the Chinese phrase – "hei laowai" – with a co-worker and was told it was a neutral expression, not a profanity.

WeChat acknowledged the error to China-focused news site Sixth Tone, saying: "We're very sorry for the inappropriate translation. After receiving users' feedback, we immediately fixed the problem."

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The app's software uses artificial intelligence that has been fed huge reams of text to help it pick the best translations.

These are based on context, so it sometimes uses insulting phrases when talking about negative events.

Local outlet That's Shanghai tested the app, and found that when used to wish someone happy birthday, the phrase "hei laowai" was translated as "black foreigner". But when a sentence included negative words like "late" or "lazy," it produced the racist insult.

Almost a billion people use WeChat, which lets users play games, shop online, and pay for things as well as sending messages. It resembles another popular chat app, WhatsApp, but is subject to censorship.

A research group at the University of Toronto analysed the terms blocked on WeChat in March, and found they included "Free Tibet", "Down with the Communist Party", and many mentions of Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo, who was China's most prominent human rights advocate.

Source – bbc.com

Penguins die in 'catastrophic' Antarctic breeding season

All but two Adelie penguin chicks have starved to death in their east Antarctic colony, in a breeding season described as "catastrophic" by experts.

It was caused by unusually high amounts of ice late in the season, meaning adults had to travel further for food.

It is the second bad season in five years after no chicks survived in 2015.

Conservation groups are calling for urgent action on a new marine protection area in the east Antarctic to protect the colony of about 36,000.

WWF says a ban on krill fishing in the area would eliminate their competition and help to secure the survival of Antarctic species, including the Adelie penguins.

WWF have been supporting research with French scientists in the region monitoring penguin numbers since 2010.

The protection proposal will be discussed at a meeting on Monday of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).

The Commission is made up of the 25 members and the European Union.

Adelie penguin breeding habits

• Adelie penguins are the most southerly breeding bird in the world.
• They are found along the Antarctic coast, and breed from October to February
• They typically lay two eggs in nests made of stones, and parents take turns to incubate the eggs
• Breeding adults may have to travel up to 30-75 miles (50-120 km) to catch food to then regurgitate for their chicks
• See more on Adelie Penguins

Source: National Geographic and Antarctica.gov.au

"This devastating event contrasts with the image that many people might have of penguins," Rod Downie, Head of Polar Programmes at WWF, said.

"The risk of opening up this area to exploratory krill fisheries, which would compete with the Adelie penguins for food as they recover from two catastrophic breeding failures in four years, is unthinkable.

"So CCAMLR needs to act now by adopting a new Marine Protected Area for the waters off east Antarctica, to protect the home of the penguins."

Source – bbc.com

UK mobile coverage 'deplorable', says Lord Adonis

Mobile phone coverage in the UK is "deplorable", according to the chairman of the national infrastructure commission, Lord Adonis.

The comments come on the day that Lord Adonis launches a public consultation into the UK's infrastructure.

Speaking to the BBC, he also highlighted traffic congestion.

Lord Adonis said traffic speeds in London had fallen dramatically over the past five years and in much of the city were lower than in 1914.

He warned that without action the UK faced gridlock on roads, railways and in the skies, along with worsening air quality.

"We've got to get real about tackling congestion and with it, air pollution, because the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has rightly highlighted air pollution as one of the big killers and threats to the quality of life in London," he said.

• Productivity growth 'to remain sluggish'

He also argued that mobile phone companies need to be pushed to raise investment in their phone networks.

"Making a mobile phone call is rather like watching an early Charlie Chaplin black and white film where the picture is fuzzy and it disappears every 10 seconds or so.

"And try making a mobile phone call on a train and it's nearly impossible across much of the network," he said.

Ofcom which regulates the phone industry said: "We agree that mobile coverage must improve, and we also want to see more people right across the country being able to access faster broadband.

"Our rules mean virtually all UK premises must receive a 4G signal by the end of this year."

UK infrastructure challenges – Lord Adonis

• 4G and broadband speeds lag behind the USA, the Netherlands and Japan

• Between 2012 and 2015, speeds on inner London roads fell by up to 9%

• Overcrowding on rail services during peak times in London up by 45% between 2011 and 2016

• More than 60% of the UK's power stations will need to be replaced to meet carbon targets

Lord Adonis is launching the consultation in Birmingham along with the mayors of five metropolitan areas.

West Midlands mayor Andy Street said there needed to be a "massive" investment in public transport in his region.

Mr Street argued that investment in transport and communications could help to cure the UK's sluggish growth in productivity.

"If you improve your mobile broadband speeds, you improve the productivity of your business. If you reduce congestion you improve productivity," he told the BBC's Today programme.

Source – bbc.com

Australia skydiving: Three dead after 'mid-air collision'

Three skydivers have died in Queensland after they apparently collided mid-air, say Australian authorities.

Paramedics and police were called to Mission Beach, a popular skydiving spot about 140km (87 miles) south of Cairns.

Two men in their 30s, and a woman in her 50s, were found dead at the scene, Queensland police said in a statement.

Police said initial investigations found one person may have collided with tandem skydivers, and their parachutes failed to deploy correctly.

Queensland's ambulance service told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that one skydiver was found in the garden of a residence, and the other two were found close by.

A resident was also quoted as saying the bodies were found about 1.5km north of the usual landing site.

Operating company Skydive Australia told local media that it had suspended its operations at Mission Beach while an investigation took place.

The solo skydiver was a "highly experienced instructor who had completed thousands of jumps", while the other two were a customer and another experienced instructor, it said in a statement.

"The company extends its deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to the individuals and families involved and the broader skydiving community," it added.

An unnamed eyewitness told the Cairns Post that he saw one of the skydivers falling. "You could see one chute was tangled and it wasn't opening."

"I was just watching him in free fall until he went behind the trees, and that was the last I saw," he said.

"It wasn't good to watch. I had my heart in my mouth."

The area's local mayor, John Kremastos, told the ABC that the incident was "horrible news", saying: "Three people in one accident is very, very sad."

Skydiving is a popular tourist activity in the area, with many of the backpackers who travel the Queensland coast stopping by Mission Beach.

Source – bbc.com

Samsung Electronics CEO resigns over 'unprecedented crisis'

Samsung Electronics chief executive Kwon Oh-hyun has resigned citing an "unprecedented crisis".

It is the latest management upheaval at the firm after the heir of the entire Samsung Group was imprisoned for corruption in August.

Mr Kwon is one of three co-chief executives of Samsung Electronics.

His resignation comes on the same day the firm forecast record quarterly profits, citing higher memory chip prices.

Mr Kwon said he had been thinking about his departure "for quite some time" and could "no longer put it off."

"As we are confronted with unprecedented crisis inside out, I believe that time has now come for the company [to] start anew, with a new spirit and young leadership to better respond to challenges arising from the rapidly changing IT industry," he said in a statement.

He will remain on the board of Samsung Electronics until March 2018.

Management crisis

Ryan Lim, founding partner of the Singapore technology consultancy QED said "Samsung is in a leadership crisis situation".

Mr Lim said "the current management structure seems to be a complicated web that does not clarify, but rather confuses".

"This needs to be resolved soon as it can be worrying not to know who is truly steering the Samsung behemoth into the future," he said.

In response to the criticism, a spokesperson for Samsung Electronics told the BBC that a successor would be appointed "soon" but could not give a timeframe.

Corruption charges

Samsung Electronics is regarded as the jewel in the crown of the Samsung Group conglomerate, which is made up of 60 interlinked companies and is one of South Korea's massive family-run businesses known as chaebols.

In August, the group's heir apparent Lee Jae-yong was convicted of bribery and corruption and sentenced to five years in jail.

Mr Lee was accused of giving donations worth 41bn won ($36m; £29m) to non-profit foundations operated by Choi Soon-sil, a friend of South Korea's former President Park Geun-hye, in return for political favours.

He was back in court on Thursday, appealing against his jail term.

Andrew Milroy, head of advisory services at technology consultancy Ovum, said Samsung needed to regain the confidence of the government and financial markets in the aftermath of the corruption scandal.

"This may mean new senior management who are not associated with the past," he said.

Record profits

However, the leadership troubles do not appear to have hit the company's bottom line yet.

Ahead of the announcement from Mr Kwon, Samsung Electronics said it would report a record quarterly profits thanks to surging chip prices.

The world's largest smartphone maker said operating profit in the three months to the end of September is expected to have tripled from a year earlier.

The forecast profit of 14.5tn won (£9.65bn; $12.81bn) beats market expectations for the quarter.

While memory chips were the main driver of Samsung's profits, its mobile phone business was given a boost by its new Note 8 smartphone which received the firm's highest number of pre-orders.

But scope for continued earnings growth from smartphones is likely to narrow. Ovum's Mr Milroy said the market was slowing and despite record results the company "faces a lot of risk".

"It may be felt that someone new can drive greater innovation and manage the firms move into new areas as the smartphone market matures," he said.

Source – bbc.com

North Carolina prison guards dead after failed escape attempt

Two prison guards have died after inmates attempted to break out of a North Carolina jail.

Justin Smith, 35, and Veronica Darden, 50, died after prisoners at the Pasquotank Correctional Institution tried to escape on Thursday at 15:00 local time (19:00 GMT).

Three other guards remain in a critical condition in hospital.

According to officials, the inmates set fire to the prison's specialty sewing plant before attempting the escape.

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The initial fire was put out, but the prisoners lit a second fire at the plant, where about 30 inmates work.

The fire was finally extinguished by 17:00 local time.

The exact circumstances surrounding the deaths of Ms Darden, the manager responsible for supervising and training at the plant, and Mr Smith, a correctional officer, have not been revealed.

Skip Twitter post by @NCPublicSafety

Pasquotank CI remains on lockdown. No inmates have escaped. Three counts conducted have confirmed no missing inmates.

— NC Public Safety (@NCPublicSafety) October 12, 2017

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In total, 10 guards were taken to hospital, seven of whom have since been released. Four inmates were also treated for injuries.

All inmates have been accounted for since, North Carolina's Department of Public Safety said.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper paid tribute to the guards,

"Those who work in our prisons do a difficult and demanding job that is critical to our safety," he said.

"We're grateful to these fallen prison employees for their service, and we offer our condolences to their families, friends, co-workers and community on this tragic loss."

The high security Pasquotank Correctional Institution, in Elizabeth City, has 725 inmates.

Source – bbc.com