Former presidential candidate Jill Stein of the Green Party has raised money to fund a recount in the state of Wisconsin after voting experts said the state requires a re-examination.
A group of US voting rights experts believe cyber hacking could have led to Donald Trump’s narrow win over Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin and urged Mrs Clinton’s campaign to request a recount.
The group also suggested she request recounts in Pennsylvania and Michigan, two states Mr Trump also won with a minor lead.
The deadline to request a recount for Wisconsin is Friday, hence Mrs Stein’s urgent request. On her website, Mrs Stein said the recount would “shine a light on just how untrustworthy the US election system is”.
Mrs Stein has already raised $2.5 million needed to fund the recount. Mr Trump and Mrs Clinton are yet to comment and no formal request has been made by Mrs Clinton’s campaign.
Police search for gunman in France
A masked gunman is on the run after killing a woman at a retirement home for former missionaries in the south of France. Police were called to the home after a caretaker escaped and contacted authorities. A women’s body was found tied up and gagged. The incident is not thought to be terror related and a search is under way for the suspect.
Myanmar accused of ethnic cleansing
Myanmar is targeting the Muslim Rohingya minority in an attempt to ethnically cleanse the country, a UN official has told the BBC. Witnesses say armed forces have set fire to their villages, are murdering men and children and raping women. The government has denied reports of wrongdoing and said it was “very disappointed” by the claims.
The one million Rohingya are seen in Myanmar as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. In October, nine Border Guard Police were murdered and the attack was blamed on a Rohingya militant group. It is thought the recent attacks on the Rohingya are in retaliation for those murders. The foreign ministry of Bangladesh confirmed thousands of Rohingya have fled Myanmar and sought safety in the country.
Attack on Shia pilgrims leaves nearly 100 dead
A truck bomb killed 97 people and wounded dozens, many critically, at a petrol station in Baghdad on Thursday. The Shia Muslim pilgrims were returning from the holy city of Karbala. Islamic State took responsibility for the attack. An Al Jazeera reporter said the tanker, rigged with explosives, incinerated buses and minivans carrying the pilgrims. Bodies and debris were scattered across the main highway. The death toll is expected to rise.
Power station collapse kills 67 in China
At least 67 people died when a tower on a construction site collapsed in China’s Jiangxi province. Only two workers could be rescued, one is still missing. Industrial accidents are a huge problem in China. Approximately 14,000 workers died in mines, construction and factory sites in the first six months of this year.
China does not have strong safety standards nor unions to protect workers rights. After a chemical blast killed 170 people last year, China’s president promised the government would reform its safety precautions. – Compiled from web sources by Alicia Camilleri, Sinead Fogarty and Samantha Besgrove
Image from the first presidential debate, covered by NBC.
About the author
Enthusiastic reporter-to-be, who has a love for anything and everything. Follow her on Twitter: @AliciaCam98; and Facebook: Alicia Camilleri
