Robert Mugabe, longtime ruler of Zimbabwe, dead at 95 - Fox News

Robert Mugabe, the controversial president of Zimbabwe who was forced to resign in 2017 after decades in power, has died at age 95.

Mugabe’s death was confirmed Friday on Twitter by Emmerson Mnangawa, who succeeded Mugabe as leader of the East African nation.

"It is with the utmost sadness that I announce the passing of Zimbabwe's founding father and former President, Cde Robert Mugabe," Mnangawa wrote on Twitter. "Cde Mugabe was an icon of liberation, a pan-Africanist who dedicated his life to the emancipation and empowerment of his people. His contribution to the history of our nation and continent will never be forgotten. May his soul rest in eternal peace."

CONCERNS OVER ROBERT MUGABE'S HEALTH GROW, EX-ZIMBABWE STRONGMAN IN HOSPITAL FOR 4 MONTHS

Mnangagwa's statement did not provide details of Mugabe's death.

Family members also confirmed the death to the BBC, that news agency reported.

Reuters reported that Mugabe died in Singapore, where he had previously undergone medical treatment in recent years. In November, Mnangagwa said Mugabe was no longer able to walk when he was in Singapore for medical care -- but Mnangagwa did not specify why Mugabe was being treated, according to Reuters. Officials often said publicly that Mugabe was treated for a cataract, and denied reports that he had prostate cancer, the report said.

In August, Fox News reported that Mugabe had been hospitalized in Singapore fourth months earlier. A photo tweeted in August showed Mugabe with his son, Robert Mugabe Jr.

Mnangagwa claimed at the time that Mugabe "could be released soon."

In May, Mugabe announced plans to place as many as 30 vehicles as well as farm equipment up for auction, suggesting financial problems for the family.

Mugabe took power in Zimbabwe after white minority rule ended in 1980. He blamed  Zimbabwe's economic problems on international sanctions and once said he wanted to rule for life. But growing discontent about the southern African country's fractured leadership and other problems prompted a military intervention, impeachment proceedings by the parliament and large street demonstrations for his removal.

The announcement of Mugabe's Nov. 21, 2017 resignation after he initially ignored escalating calls to quit triggered wild celebrations in the streets of the capital, Harare. Well into the night, cars honked and people danced and sang in a spectacle of free expression that would have been impossible during his years in power and reflected hopes for a better future.

Zimbabwe's former president Robert Mugabe looks on during a press conference at his private residence nicknamed "Blue Roof" in Harare, Zimbabwe, July 29, 2018. (Reuters)

Mugabe's decline in his last years as president was partly linked to the political ambitions of his wife, Grace, a brash, divisive figure whose ruling party faction eventually lost out in a power struggle with supporters of Mnangagwa, who was close to the military.

Despite Zimbabwe's decline during his rule, Mugabe remained defiant, railing against the West for what he called its neo-colonialist attitude and urging Africans to take control of their resources, a populist message that was often a hit even as many nations on the continent shed the strongman model and moved toward democracy.

Mugabe enjoyed acceptance among peers in Africa who chose not to judge him in the same way as Britain, the United States and other Western detractors. Toward the end of his rule, he served as rotating chairman of the 54-nation African Union and the 15-nation Southern African Development Community; his criticism of the International Criminal Court was welcomed by regional leaders who also thought it was being unfairly used to target Africans.

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Mugabe was born in Zvimba, 40 miles west of the capital of Harare. As a child, he tended his grandfather's cattle and goats, fished for bream in muddy water holes, played football and "boxed a lot," as he recalled later.

Mugabe lacked the easy charisma of Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader and contemporary who became South Africa's first black president in 1994 after reconciling with its former white rulers. But he drew admirers in some quarters for taking a hard line with the West, and he could be disarming despite his sometimes harsh demeanor.

"The gift of politicians is never to stop speaking until the people say, 'Ah, we are tired,'" he said at a 2015 news conference. "You are now tired. I say thank you."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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2019-09-06 06:15:45Z
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Boris Johnson's brother Jo announces resignation from UK government - CNN

Johnson is the MP for Orpington and the universities minister in his brother's government.

"In recent weeks I've been torn between family loyalty and the national interest - it's an unresolvable tension [and] time for others to take on my roles as MP & Minister," Johnson tweeted.

This story has been updated to correct the day of Jo Johnson's announcement.

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2019-09-05 10:50:00Z
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Hurricane Dorian has strengthened to a Category 3 storm as it threatens landfall in the Carolinas - CNN

The storm had lost some of its strength after hitting the Bahamas. But it intensified again into a Category 3 storm Wednesday night, with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

TRACK THE STORM

The city of Charleston was already experiencing flooding Thursday morning, Charleston County Emergency Management told CNN. Dorian is 80 miles south-southeast of the city, the National Hurricane Center said in a 5 a.m. advisory.

Dorian is expected to continue moving closer to the coast of South Carolina throughout the day and then along or over the coast of North Carolina Thursday night into Friday, the National Hurricane Center said.

'Just stay put ... until this passes,' mayor says

More than 1 million people in parts of South Carolina and North Carolina are under mandatory evacuation orders, forecasters said.

The South Carolina cities of Charleston, North Charleston and Mount Pleasant are under a flash flood warning until 10:15 a.m. ET, the National Weather Service in Charleston said Thursday morning.

Hurricane Dorian is expected to bring between 15-20 inches of rain along the South Carolina coast, including downtown Charleston, through Thursday afternoon, meteorologist Steve Rowley with the National Weather Service in Charleston office told CNN.

The storm's eye wall is forecast to pass less than 40 miles from the Charleston County coast, he said.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, and the hurricane center warned of "life-threatening storm surge and dangerous winds, regardless of the exact track of Dorian's center."

As conditions began to deteriorate in Charleston early Thursday, emergency management officials requested that citizens shelter in place, the Charleston Police Department said on Twitter.

Charleston mayor John Tecklenburg said that he wants the city to be a "ghost town" during the storm.

"Just stay put for another six or eight hours until this passes, and then we're going to clean up and get back to normal quickly," Tecklenburg said.

More than 167,000 customers were without power in South Carolina and Georgia Thursday morning, according to poweroutage.us. The bulk of those were in South Carolina, where 154,000 customers were in the dark.

State, federal and local agencies at the State Emergency Operations Center are working together to prepare evacuation and recovery efforts in anticipation of Dorian, according to a tweet from the South Carolina Emergency Management Division.

Hurricane warning extends to Carolina-Virginia border

A hurricane warning is in effect from north of the Savannah River up to the North Carolina-Virginia border.

In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp issued a mandatory evacuation order for six coastal counties.

"We need people to evacuate," he said. "This is not a storm to mess with."

A state of emergency has been declared for 21 Georgia counties.

More than 9,1000 customers along coastal Georgia were without power Thursday, with the bulk of the outages around the Savannah area, according to Georgia Power.

FOLLOW LIVE UPDATES

Virginia also declared a state of emergency Tuesday, expecting possible flooding, storm surge, damaging winds and prolonged power outages, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management said.

"Current predictions indicate that it may affect parts of Virginia," Gov. Ralph Northam said. "I am declaring a state of emergency to ensure that localities and communities have the appropriate level of assistance, and to coordinate the Commonwealth's response to any potential impact from Hurricane Dorian."

Dorian is expected to remain a hurricane over the next few days, the hurricane center said Thursday morning.

An unpredictable path

Before its march toward the Carolinas, Dorian had been forecast to strike Florida the hardest. But it changed paths, wreaked havoc on the Bahamas and has so far not caused significant damage along Florida's coast.

Although the state avoided a direct hit, three Florida residents died in incidents related to storm preparation, including a 55-year-old Ocoee man who fell while trimming trees around his house, local officials reported.

A second storm brewing

As Dorian spins along the southeastern US coast, another storm is churning in the Atlantic.

Tropical Storm Gabrielle, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, was located 825 miles west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands Thursday morning, moving at 8 mph, the NHC said.

The storm is not expected to strengthen over the next couple days and, but could slowly intensify by the weekend, the hurricane center said.

CNN's Eric Levenson, Joe Sutton, Athena Jones, Michelle Krupa and Monica Garrett contributed to this report.

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2019-09-05 10:30:00Z
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Hurricane Dorian has strengthened to a Category 3 storm as it threatens landfall in the Carolinas - CNN

The storm had lost some of its strength after hitting the Bahamas. But it intensified again into a Category 3 storm Wednesday night, with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

TRACK THE STORM

The city of Charleston was already experiencing flooding Thursday morning, Charleston County Emergency Management told CNN. Dorian is 80 miles south-southeast of the city, the National Hurricane Center said in a 5 a.m. advisory.

Dorian is expected to continue moving closer to coast of South Carolina throughout the day and then along or over the coast of North Carolina Thursday night into Friday, the National Hurricane Center said.

Mandatory evacuations in the Carolinas

More than 1 million people in parts of South Carolina and North Carolina are under mandatory evacuation orders, forecasters said.

The South Carolina cities of Charleston, North Charleston and Mount Pleasant are under a flash flood warning until 10:15 a.m. ET, the National Weather Service in Charleston said Thursday morning.

Hurricane Dorian is expected to bring between 15-20 inches of rain along the South Carolina coast through Thursday afternoon, including downtown Charleston, meteorologist Steve Rowley with the National Weather Service in Charleston office told CNN.

The storm's eye wall is expected to pass less than 40 miles from the Charleston County coast, he said.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, and the hurricane center warned of "life-threatening storm surge and dangerous winds, regardless of the exact track of Dorian's center."

As conditions began to deteriorate in the city of Charleston early Thursday, emergency management officials requested that citizens shelter in place, the Charleston Police Department said on Twitter.

More than 167,000 customers were without power in South Carolina and Georgia Thursday morning, according to poweroutage.us. The bulk of those were in South Carolina, where 154,000 customers were in the dark.

State, federal and local agencies at the State Emergency Operations Center are working together to prepare evacuation and recovery efforts in anticipation of Dorian, according to a tweet from the South Carolina Emergency Management Division.

Hurricane warning extends to the Carolina-Virginia border

A hurricane warning is in effect from north of the Savannah River up to the North Carolina-Virginia border.

In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp issued a mandatory evacuation order for six coastal counties.

"We need people to evacuate," he said. "This is not a storm to mess with."

A state of emergency has been declared for 21 Georgia counties.

More than 9,1000 customers along coastal Georgia were without power Thursday, with the bulk of the outages around the Savannah area, according to Georgia Power.

FOLLOW LIVE UPDATES

Virginia also declared a state of emergency Tuesday, expecting possible flooding, storm surge, damaging winds and prolonged power outages, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management said.

"Current predictions indicate that it may affect parts of Virginia," Gov. Ralph Northam said. "I am declaring a state of emergency to ensure that localities and communities have the appropriate level of assistance, and to coordinate the Commonwealth's response to any potential impact from Hurricane Dorian."

Dorian is expected to remain a hurricane over the next few days, the hurricane center said Thursday morning.

An unpredictable path

Before its march toward the Carolinas, Dorian had been forecast to strike Florida the hardest. But it changed paths, wreaked havoc on the Bahamas and has so far not caused significant damage along Florida's coast.

Although the state avoided a direct hit, three Florida residents died in incidents related to storm preparation, including a 55-year-old Ocoee man who fell while trimming trees around his house, local officials reported.

A second storm brewing

As Dorian spins along the southeastern US coast, another storm is churning in the Atlantic.

Tropical Storm Gabrielle, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, was located 825 miles west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands Thursday morning, moving at 8 mph, the NHC said.

The storm is not expected to strengthen over the next couple days and, but could slowly intensify by the weekend, the hurricane center said.

CNN's Eric Levenson, Joe Sutton, Athena Jones, Michelle Krupa and Monica Garrett contributed to this report.

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2019-09-05 10:05:00Z
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Hurricane Dorian has strengthened to a Category 3 storm as it threatens landfall in the Carolinas - CNN

The storm had lost some of its strength after hitting the Bahamas. But it intensified again into a Category 3 storm Wednesday night, with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

TRACK THE STORM

The city of Charleston was already experiencing flooding Thursday morning, Charleston County Emergency Management told CNN. Dorian is 80 miles south-southeast of the city, the National Hurricane Center said in a 5 a.m. advisory.

Dorian is expected to continue moving closer to coast of South Carolina throughout the day and then along or over the coast of North Carolina Thursday night into Friday, the National Hurricane Center said.

Mandatory evacuations in the Carolinas

More than 1 million people in parts of South Carolina and North Carolina are under mandatory evacuation orders, forecasters said.

The South Carolina cities of Charleston, North Charleston and Mount Pleasant are under a flash flood warning until 10:15 a.m. ET, the National Weather Service in Charleston said Thursday morning.

Hurricane Dorian is expected to bring between 15-20 inches of rain along the South Carolina coast through Thursday afternoon, including downtown Charleston, meteorologist Steve Rowley with the National Weather Service in Charleston office told CNN.

The storm's eye wall is expected to pass less than 40 miles from the Charleston County coast, he said.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, and the hurricane center warned of "life-threatening storm surge and dangerous winds, regardless of the exact track of Dorian's center."

As conditions began to deteriorate in the city of Charleston early Thursday, emergency management officials requested that citizens shelter in place, the Charleston Police Department said on Twitter.

More than 106,000 customers were without power Thursday morning in South Carolina. Dominion Energy said 64,000 customers were in the dark along the South Carolina coast.

State, federal and local agencies at the State Emergency Operations Center are working together to prepare evacuation and recovery efforts in anticipation of Dorian, according to a tweet from the South Carolina Emergency Management Division.

Hurricane warning extends to the Carolina-Virginia border

A hurricane warning is in effect from north of the Savannah River up to the North Carolina-Virginia border.

In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp issued a mandatory evacuation order for six coastal counties.

"We need people to evacuate," he said. "This is not a storm to mess with."

A state of emergency has been declared for 21 Georgia counties.

More than 9,1000 customers along coastal Georgia were without power Thursday, with the bulk of the outages around the Savannah area, according to Georgia Power.

FOLLOW LIVE UPDATES

Virginia also declared a state of emergency Tuesday, expecting possible flooding, storm surge, damaging winds and prolonged power outages, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management said.

"Current predictions indicate that it may affect parts of Virginia," Gov. Ralph Northam said. "I am declaring a state of emergency to ensure that localities and communities have the appropriate level of assistance, and to coordinate the Commonwealth's response to any potential impact from Hurricane Dorian."

Dorian is expected to remain a hurricane over the next few days, the hurricane center said Thursday morning.

An unpredictable path

Before its march toward the Carolinas, Dorian had been forecast to strike Florida the hardest. But it changed paths, wreaked havoc on the Bahamas and has so far not caused significant damage along Florida's coast.

Although the state avoided a direct hit, three Florida residents died in incidents related to storm preparation, including a 55-year-old Ocoee man who fell while trimming trees around his house, local officials reported.

A second storm brewing

As Dorian spins along the southeastern US coast, another storm is churning in the Atlantic.

Tropical Storm Gabrielle, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph, was located 825 miles west-northwest of the Cape Verde Islands Thursday morning, moving at 8 mph, the NHC said.

The storm is not expected to strengthen over the next couple days and, but could slowly intensify by the weekend, the hurricane center said.

CNN's Eric Levenson, Joe Sutton, Athena Jones, Michelle Krupa and Monica Garrett contributed to this report.

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2019-09-05 09:04:00Z
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Coast of the Carolinas preps for a strengthened Hurricane Dorian - Fox News

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper warned residents Wednesday to adhere to evacuation orders and finish last-minute storm preparations as the coast of the Carolinas braces for Hurricane Dorian, a Category 3 storm whose center is projected to come within 40 miles off Charleston, S.C.

“Today is the day to finish preparing,” Cooper said Wednesday afternoon. “Do not underestimate this dangerous storm. Listen to your local emergency officials and leave now if they have ordered evacuations.”

SOME 8,000 NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS IN 4 STATES READY FOR HURRICANE DORIAN RELIEF EFFORTS

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said at 3 a.m. ET Thursday that the Category 3 storm’s maximum sustained winds were at 115 mph. Dorian was located about 105 miles south of Charleston, S.C., moving north at 7 mph.

The hurricane was a Category 3 storm Tuesday, then dropped to Category 2 before regaining strength Wednesday night, according to the NHC. Hurricane-force winds were extending outward up to 60 miles from the center, while tropical storm force winds were extending outward up to 175 miles.

“Dorian could maintain this intensity for about 12 hours or so, but guidance is showing shear increasing, and that should result in gradual weakening,” Lixion Avila, a specialist at the National Hurricane Center, told The Charleston Post and Courier.

The hurricane is expected to hit Charleston by midday Thursday. Hurricane force winds are expected the thrash the coast by early Thursday. The paper reported that forecasters predicted high tide of about 10 feet in the city by 2 a.m. The streets flood there at 7 feet, the report said. 

A federal state of emergency was issued in North Carolina. Nearly 8,000 troops across Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina and nearly 400 North Carolina National Guard soldiers are also positioned in armories across the state.

Cooper issued a mandatory state evacuation for barrier islands along the entire North Carolina coast that went into effect 8 a.m. Wednesday. More than two dozen counties have declared states of emergency, the governor’s office said.

A flash flood watch is in effect in parts of central and all of eastern North Carolina through Friday. Shelters are opening to accommodate evacuees. A large state shelter opened last night in Durham—an inland city located adjacent to state’s capital, Raleigh.

Cooper toured C3 church in Clayton, N.C., which was turned into a medical facility for evacuees who need constant medical attention. Cooper said the church represents the state’s partnership with non-profits and churches in eastern North Carolina to make sure people are taken care of during the storm. The shelter provides a place where nursing home residents could go in the case of an evacuation, he said.

The state’s medical examiner’s office announced the first storm-related fatality in North Carolina. An 85-year-old in Columbus County died Monday after falling off a ladder while preparing his house for the arrival of Hurricane Dorian.

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“We really are very sorry about that and thinking about his family. It reminds us that preparations for storms can really be a dangerous activity,” Cooper said, according to Raleigh's The News & Observer. He warned residents to take caution when boarding up windows and carrying out other measures to prepare for the storm.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency in 21 counties Wednesday morning and ordered residents to evacuate amid high winds, rain and slight flooding as Dorian krept up the coast. Kemp expanded a state of emergency to include nine additional counties by the afternoon and reopened highways to expedite access for rescuers, supplies and equipment after the hurricane passes, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Fox News’ Melissa Leon and Travis Fedschun contributed to this report.

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2019-09-05 07:41:52Z
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Brexit: Bill designed to stop no-deal 'will clear Lords' - BBC News

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The government has said a bill to stop a no-deal Brexit will complete its passage through the Lords on Friday.

The proposed legislation was passed by MPs on Wednesday, inflicting a defeat on Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

There were claims pro-Brexit peers could deliberately hold up the bill so it could not get royal assent before Parliament is prorogued next week.

Following Wednesday's votes, No 10 said the public will get to choose between a deal, no deal, or "more delay".

Downing Street said the prime minister will deliver an address later setting out the "vital choice that faces our country".

"It is clear the only action is to go back to the people and give them the opportunity to decide what they want: Boris to go to Brussels and get a deal, or leave without one on 31 October or Jeremy Corbyn arriving in Brussels with his surrender bill begging for more delay, more dither and accepting whatever terms Brussels imposes over our nation," the spokesperson said.

Mr Johnson's address comes after the Conservative chief whip in the Lords announced a breakthrough on the bill in the early hours after talks with Labour.

The peers sat until 01:30 BST, holding a series of amendment votes that appeared to support predictions a marathon filibuster session - designed to derail the bill - was under way.

• LIVE: Lords focus for anti-no deal move

But then Lord Ashton of Hyde announced that all stages of the bill would be completed in the Lords by 17:00 BST on Friday.

He added that the Commons chief whip had also given a commitment that MPs will consider any Lords amendments on Monday and that the government intends that the "bill will be ready" to be presented for royal assent.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn previously said his party required the bill to gain royal assent before it would consider backing Mr Johnson's call for a general election.

Baroness Smith, Labour leader in the House of Lords, confirmed the opposition supported the move in the Lords overnight, and said she hoped there would be "no further frustrations" of the bill as it goes through all its stages on Friday.

"It has been quite a night. It has been a long debate - and I am grateful to the noble Lords who have stayed the course - it shows the importance of the work we do and the issue we are debating," she said.

"I am grateful that we are now able to confirm that we will be able to complete all stages of the bill in a time-honoured way by 5pm Friday."

What does the no-deal bill say?

The bill, presented by Labour MP Hilary Benn, says the prime minister will have until 19 October to either pass a deal in Parliament or get MPs to approve a no-deal Brexit.

Once this deadline has passed, he will have to request an extension to the UK's departure date to 31 January 2020.

Unusually, the bill stipulates the wording of the letter Mr Johnson would have to write to the president of the European Council.

If the EU responds by proposing a different date, the PM will have two days to accept that proposal.

During that time, MPs - not the government - will have the opportunity to reject that date.

The bill also requires ministers to report to the House of Commons over the next few months. potentially providing more opportunities to take control of the timetable.

The bill to block a no-deal went to the Lords after it passed all its stages in the Commons in one day, backed by opposition MPs and 21 Tory rebels working to push it through ahead of Parliament being suspended next week.

The prime minister was also defeated on Wednesday over his plan to hold a snap general election on 15 October.

Labour and other opposition MPs would not back the move while the option of a no-deal Brexit on 31 October remained open to the PM.

He needed two-thirds of all MPs to vote in favour - under the rules set by the Fixed Terms Parliaments Act - but, after Labour whipped its members to abstain, there were only 298 in favour of the motion and 56 against. That left Mr Johnson 133 short of his target.

Speaking after the vote, the prime minister said Mr Corbyn was "the first leader of the opposition in the democratic history of our country to refuse the invitation to an election".

He said he "urged [Mr Corbyn's] colleagues to reflect on the unsustainability of this position overnight and in the course of the next few days".

But earlier, the Labour leader likened Mr Johnson's offer to "an apple to Snow White from the Wicked Queen... offering the poison of a no-deal".

He added: "Let this bill [to block a no deal] pass and gain royal assent, then we will back an election so we do not crash out."

The government claims that progress has been made in redrafting elements of the Withdrawal Agreement painstakingly negotiated over the past two years.

However, Michel Barnier, the chief European Brexit negotiator, is reported to have told European diplomats that negotiations with London over the terms of Britain's withdrawal from the EU are in a state of paralysis.

He also advised that Britain appeared intent on reducing the level of ambition in the political declaration that will steer the next stage of the negotiations.

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2019-09-05 07:07:30Z
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