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The incident happened just after 2 a.m. local time on Monday when a loud explosion was heard at the complex in Neder-Over-Heembeek, which is located in the northern part of the City of Brussels. A fire broke out at the scene. There were no injuries as a result of the explosion, but residents in the surrounding neighborhood reported being shaken by the blast. Firefighters extinguished the fire that engulfed the car and caused damage in the vicinity. No one was injured. Belgian media initially reported that the incident was caused by an explosives-laden vehicle that was rammed through gates at the facility before being detonated, but officials later said that no explosives were found. Instead, the fire was likely caused by fuel that was set on fire. "It's probably not terrorism. It's a criminal act," Ine Van Wymersch, a spokeswoman for the Brussels prosecutor's office, told the Associated Press news agency. This is a breaking news alert. Please check back or follow @BNONews on Twitter as details become available. If you want to receive breaking news alerts by email, click here to sign up. You can also like BNO News on Facebook by clicking here. Les pompiers sont toujours sur place #Belga #Nederoverheembeek pic.twitter.com/KVuxyuX9wx — Angèle Olivier (@AngeleOlivier) August 29, 2016 Click here for reuse options! ||||| Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption A vehicle was used to break through barriers before it was destroyed by fire Attackers rammed a car through the gates of a Brussels crime laboratory before starting a fire to destroy forensic evidence, prosecutors say. Prosecutor's spokeswoman Ine Van Wymersch said a car broke through fences at about 02:00 (00:00 GMT). She said there was "sensitive material" inside the laboratories, but it is not yet clear what if anything was destroyed in the fire. Five people arrested nearby were later released without charge. Initial reports in Belgian media said a bomb had exploded. But Ms Van Wymersch said that while a bomb was unlikely to have detonated, it was impossible to fully rule out that scenario. "The location was not chosen randomly," she said. "It's an important site, that includes sensitive documents relating to current investigations." "The possibility of a terrorist act is not confirmed. It goes without saying that several individuals may have wanted to destroy evidence related to their legal cases," Ms Van Wymersch added. The case was being treated as arson, she said. Image copyright Reuters Some 30 firefighters helped put out the fire at the National Institute of Criminology, which Ms Van Wymersch said caused damage but caused no casualties. Forensic analysis linked to criminal cases is carried out at the site, but while it is not the only laboratory of its kind linked to the police, it is the most important forensic test centre in Belgium. Images submitted to broadcaster RTL by nearby residents showed flames and heavy smoke rising into the night sky. The independent institute, linked to Belgium's federal justice body, is in Neder-Over-Heembeek, a suburb in the north of Brussels. Belgium's terror alert level remains high since bomb attacks on Brussels airport and the city's metro, claimed by so-called Islamic State, that killed 32 people in March. ||||| BRUSSELS, Aug 29 (Reuters) - A bomb exploded at the Brussels Institute of Criminology in the north of the Belgian capital on Monday but the building was empty and no one was wounded, broadcaster RTL said. Brussels prosecutors confirmed that there had been an explosion at the institute and that there had been no casualties but said the cause had still not been determined. A car rammed through the barriers at about 3 a.m. local time and one or more attackers exploded a bomb near the laboratories which caught fire, RTL said. The institute is linked to the Belgian ministry of justice and carries out forensic investigations in criminal cases, it says on its website. Europe has been on high alert after Islamic State attacks in Paris and Brussels over the past year. (Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek; Editing by Nick Macfie) ||||| Five held over fire at Brussels criminology institute - prosecutors BRUSSELS, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Five people were being held and questioned on Monday over a fire at Brussels' criminology institute, a spokeswoman for the city's prosecutors said. Arsonists set fire to Belgium's National Institute of Criminology in Brussels earlier on Monday, causing an explosion but no casualties. "Five people were detained in the vicinity and are being heard," the spokeswoman, Ine Van Wymersch, told a news conference. (Reporting by Robert-Jan Bartunek, Writing by Gabriela Baczynska) ||||| A bomb has reportedly gone off at the Brussels Institute of Criminology. It happen at about 2.30am loncal time, according to Belgian media. A car reportedly rammed three fences to get near the institute’s building, where the bomb was detonated. No casualties were reported Brussels airport and metro were the targets of an Islamic State bomb attack that killed 32 people in March. Belgium remains on a high terror alert. ||||| A bomb has exploded at the Brussels Institute of Criminology in the north of Brussels but the building was empty and no one was wounded, according to local media. A car rammed through the barriers at about 3am local time on Monday and one or more attackers exploded a bomb near the laboratories which caught fire, broadcaster RTL said. State broadcaster RTBF said no one was injured but that damage at the site was significant. Police have been deployed in force and sealed off the area. The institute is in Neder-Over-Hembeek, a suburb north of Brussels. It is linked to the Belgian ministry of justice and carries out forensic investigations in criminal cases. Belgium has been on high alert since March when attacks on the the city’s airport and subway killed 32 people. Days before the Brussels attacks, Salah Abdeslam, one of the leaders of the terror attacks on Paris in November 2015, was arrested in the Molenbeek area of Brussels after a four-month international manhunt. This is a developing story, please check back for updates. ||||| Arsonists set fire to Belgium’s National Institute of Criminology in Brussels on Monday, causing an explosion but no casualties, a Brussels prosecutor said. Ine Van Wymersch said there were no immediate indications that the fire at the institute, which was empty at the time, was a militant attack although nothing had been ruled out. Europe has been on high alert after Islamic State attacks in Paris and Brussels over the past year. “It was arson, deliberate arson at the laboratory of the federal police,” she said. “With a fire you get explosions, but it’s not that explosives were thrown inside or installed.” “It is a path we are looking down,” she said, referring to the possibility of militant involvement. “But certainly not the first one we are thinking about. We are thinking more of deliberate arson by organised crime. We have no indications that it was terrorism,” she said. The institute is linked to the Belgian ministry of justice and carries out forensic investigations in criminal cases, according to its website. The attack was carried out by more than one person, Ms van Wymersch said. Two people had been detained, although they were not necessarily the perpetrators. Belgian broadcaster RTL said that a car rammed through barriers at the centre at about 3am local time. ||||| Nobody hurt in blast outside Brussels criminology institute BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgian media say unidentified attackers have detonated a bomb outside Belgium's criminology institute in the capital, Brussels, but the building was empty and nobody was injured. State broadcaster RTBF and other outlets reported Monday that a car drove through a security barrier at the site about 2 a.m. (0000 GMT), followed by an explosion that caused significant damage to the facility on Brussels' north side. Police have deployed in force and sealed off the area. The institute assists and advises Belgium's justice authorities in carrying out their investigations. Belgium has been on high alert since coordinated March 22 suicide bomb attacks on the Brussels airport and subway killed 32 people. ||||| A bomb has exploded at the Brussels Institute of Criminology in the north of Brussels. A car rammed through the barriers at about 3am and one or more attackers exploded a bomb near the laboratories which caught fire, RTL said. The blast hit the empty building on Monday morning and no one was wounded - it is not clear what happened to the bombers. There was significant damage at the site and police have sealed off the area. State broadcaster RTBF said a car with two people on board accessed the site before scaling a ladded and launching a bomb at the building. They are then said to have torched their vehicle. The institute, which is in the Neder-Over-Hembeek suburb of northern Brussels, assists and advises Belgium's justice authorities in carrying out their inquiries. Eyewitnesses reported seeing thick black smoke coming from the building before fire crews descended on the scene in the early hours of the morning. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack. Fire service spokesman, Pierre Meys, said: 'it was probably not accidental. 'The explosion was extremely powerful. Windows of the lab were blown out dozens of metres away.' He said about 30 firefighters were called to the scene. Belgium has been on high alert since a March 22 attack on the Brussels airport and tube network killed 32 people. Those attacks were claimed by ISIS, which controls large areas of territory in Iraq and Syria and has claimed numerous terror atrocities in Europe in recent months. ||||| BRUSSELS (AP) - Reports of a bomb outside Belgium’s criminal institute early Monday are probably false, the Brussels prosecutor’s office said, adding that the incident is much more likely an arson attack on a crime lab. “It’s probably not terrorism. It’s a criminal act,” said spokeswoman Ine Van Wymersch. “I cannot confirm that there was any bomb.” State broadcaster RTBF and other outlets reported that a car drove through a security barrier at the site about 2 a.m., followed by an explosion that caused significant damage to the facility on Brussels’ north side. Nobody was injured. The institute assists and advises Belgium’s justice authorities in carrying out their investigations. Belgium has been on high alert since coordinated March 22 suicide bomb attacks on the Brussels airport and subway killed 32 people.
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Multiple individuals rammed a van into the entrance of the Brussels National Institute of Criminology building, setting its laboratories on fire. No casualties have been reported. At least five people are arrested.
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Story highlights At least nine people reported dead as storm passes over Japan's main island Flooding, at least one missing on northern island of Hokkaido Tokyo (CNN) Nine bodies were found in a home for the elderly in the town of Iwaizumi in Iwate Prefecture, which suffered flooding following Typhoon Lionrock, police tell CNN. Rescue operations are underway to rescue 400 people who are stranded due to flooding and landslides, according to a statement by the town's prefecture disaster prevention office. Over 1,100 people were evacuated from their homes and are taking shelter in public facilities across Iwaizumi, the statement says. Prefectural officials confirmed that nine bodies were found in the Ran Ran retirement home after the nearby Omoto river broke its banks. Police are working to identify the bodies. Another home for the elderly, Friendly Iwaizumi, avoided casualties as staff were able to move residents to the second floor of the building and avoid the floodwaters. Ran Ran is a single-storey structure. Read More ||||| At least 9 dead as typhoon hits northern Japan TOKYO (AP) — At least nine elderly people were killed when their nursing home was flooded in northern Japan after Typhoon Lionrock dumped heavy rains on the area. The bodies of all nine residents were found at a nursing home in the town of Iwaizumi in Iwate prefecture, when police were checking another facility in the flooded neighborhood, said Takehiro Hayashijiri, an official at a prefectural disaster management division. Hayashijiri said identity of the bodies or other details, including whereabouts of their caretakers, were not known. NHK said the nursing home was for the residents with dementia. Waves crash against a coast in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture, northeastern Japan, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016. A typhoon is about to barrel into northern Japan, threatening to bring floods to an area still recovering from the 2011 tsunami. Typhoon Lionrock has already paralyzed traffic, caused blackouts and prompted officials to urge residents to evacuate.(Jun Hirata/Kyodo News via AP) Japan's NHK national broadcaster said authorities have found two more bodies in another town in Iwate. Its footage showed the nursing home partially buried in mud, surrounded by debris apparently washed down from the mountains. A car by the home was turned upside down. "We're making a government-wide effort to assess the extent of damage," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters. The government sent Self-Defense Forces to help in the rescue and cleanup of the damage caused by the typhoon. At least two rivers swollen by the typhoon broke through their banks, flooding areas in northern Japan. The embankments gave way before dawn on Wednesday on the northern island of Hokkaid, said NHK, quoting Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Tourism. Authorities in the town of Minami-furano are reporting many people trapped in houses and shelters by flooding from the Sorachi river, NHK said. Aerial photos from Kyodo News service also showed serious flooding south of Hokkaido in Iwate prefecture on Honshu, Japan's main island. Typhoon Lionrock slammed into northern Japan on Tuesday evening, hitting an area still recovering from the 2011 tsunami. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said at least three people were injured in three northern prefectures — Aomori, Akita and Miyagi since Tuesday. It made landfall near the city of Ofunato, 500 kilometers (310 miles) northeast of Tokyo late Tuesday before moving away from Japan. It's the first time a typhoon has made landfall in the northern region since 1951, when the Japan Meteorological Agency started keeping records. More than 170,000 people were subject to evacuation, including 38,000 in Ofunato, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. More than 10,000 homes in the northern region were without electricity, with power lines damaged from the winds. The scene of large parts of northern Japan covered with muddy water was a shocking reminder of the tsunami disaster that struck the region five years ago. Iwate, hardest-hit by the typhoon, is one of the areas still recovering from the tsunami damage. The March 2011 earthquake and tsunami left more than 18,000 people dead in the wide swaths of Japan's northern coast, including 340 in Ofunato. ||||| Nine people were killed when floods hit an old people’s home in Japan, police said on Wednesday, taking the death toll from a typhoon battering northern parts of the country to at least 11. Police found nine bodies on Wednesday in the nursing home in the town of Iwaizumi, in Iwate Prefecture in the north of Japan’s main island of Honshu, but it was not clear when their home was flooded. It was also not clear why people there had not been taken to safety before the storm struck. The nursing home is located near a river and was partially buried in mud and debris when the river overflowed its banks. Japanese public broadcaster NHK said the home was for people with dementia. “The area is in a state of chaos. We are not sure what preparations the facility had taken,” said a prefectural government official who asked not to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media. The town issued evacuation preparation information on Tuesday morning, which is to inform elderly or disabled people who take time to evacuate. That, however, was not as strong as an evacuation warning, according to another prefecture official. More than 1,000 other people were forced from their homes by the flooding brought by Typhoon Lionrock. The body of a man was also found near a river in Iwaizumi and a dead woman was found in Kuji city, police said. Further north, on the island of Hokkaido, at least two rivers broke through their banks. The fire and disaster management agency said at least one person went missing while driving or riding in a car that went down with a bridge torn away by the flood. Authorities in the town of Minamifurano reported hundreds of people trapped in houses and shelters by flooding from the Sorachi river, the agency said. Hundreds of other people were also trapped in buildings and isolated in several towns in Iwate. Typhoon Lionrock made landfall on Tuesday evening near the city of Ofunato, 310 miles north east of Tokyo on the Pacific coast and crossed the main island of Honshu before heading out to the Sea of Japan. It was the first time a typhoon had made landfall in the northern region since 1951, when the Japan Meteorological Agency started keeping records. Iwate prefecture, the hardest-hit by the typhoon, is one of the areas still rebuilding from the March 2011 tsunami and earthquake, which left more than 18,000 people dead along Japan’s north-eastern coast. ||||| Nine people killed in flooded Japanese old people's home TOKYO, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Nine people were killed when floods inundated an old people's home in Japan, police said on Wednesday, taking the death toll from a typhoon battering northern parts of the country to at least 11. Police found nine bodies on Wednesday in the nursing home in the town of Iwaizumi, in Iwate Prefecture in the north of Japan's main island of Honshu, but it was not clear when their home was flooded. It was also not clear why people there had not been taken to safety before the storm struck. The nursing home is located near a river and was partially buried in mud and debris when the river overflowed its banks. "The area is in a state of chaos. We are not sure what preparations the facility had taken," said a prefectural government official who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media. The town issued evacuation preparation information on Tuesday morning, which is to inform elderly or disabled people who take time to evacuate. That, however, was not as strong as an evacuation warning, according to another prefecture official. More than 1,000 other people were forced from their homes by the flooding brought by Typhoon Lionrock. The body of a man was also found near a river in Iwaizumi and a dead woman was found in Kuji city, police said. Television pictures showed flooded rivers with cars and homes partly submerged, while rescuers picked up stranded people by helicopter. Several people were also missing on the northern island of Hokkaido, police said. Iwate, the worst-hit prefecture, was devastated by a massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. (Reporting by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Robert Birsel and Paul Tait) ||||| Heavy rain from Typhoon Lionrock flooded towns across Japan's north and left at least 11 people dead, most of them elderly residents at a nursing home who could not escape rising floodwaters, officials said on Wednesday. The home in the town of Iwaizumi, which only had the ground floor, included people suffering from dementia who were in their 80s and 90s. Police discovered nine bodies there on Wednesday while checking another facility in the inundated neighbourhood. As floodwaters rapidly rose on Tuesday night, all 85 elderly residents and staff at a three-story facility next door were rescued uninjured after evacuating to the top floor, said Iwate prefectural official Reiko Ouchi. A caretaker at that facility notified the town office about their evacuation to the third floor, noting that the nine residents next door were stuck, NHK TV reported. READ MORE: Typhoon hits site of 2011 tsunami in Japan Ouchi said officials are looking into if and how town officials responded to the call. An evacuation order was not issued. Hiroaki Sato, a senior official at the company that runs the nursing homes, said floodwater poured into the compound in a matter of 10 minutes, making it impossible for the nine elderly residents to escape. The water was at chest-high on Tuesday evening. Despite earlier warnings of the approaching typhoon, only one of the eight staff was on overnight duty, Sato told Kyodo News, adding that a telephone line was cut off due to flooding and she could not reach police or firefighters. "An overnight staff attended the residents, but in the end they all died, including one in (her) arms," Sato told nationally televised NHK news. "I'm so sorry we could not help any of the nine residents," he said, as he bowed deeply in apology, his teary voice trembling. The identity of the victims and other details, including the whereabouts of their caretakers, were not immediately known, said Takehiro Hayashijiri, a prefecture disaster management division. Authorities found two more bodies in Iwate - one in the same town and the second in another town of Kuji, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Footage on NHK showed the nursing home partially buried in mud, surrounded by debris apparently washed down in the swollen river. A car by the home was turned upside down. At another nursing home, a rescue helicopter was perched atop a flat roof, airlifting residents, each wrapped in a blanket and carried by their helpers. "We're making a government-wide effort to assess the extent of damage," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters. The government sent troops to help in the rescue and clean-up effort. Farther north, on the island of Hokkaido, at least two rivers broke through their banks. The disaster management agency said at least one person went missing in a car that went down with a bridge torn away by the flood. Authorities in the town of Minamifurano reported hundreds of people trapped in houses and shelters by flooding from the Sorachi river, the agency said. Hundreds of others were also trapped in buildings and isolated in several towns in Iwate. Typhoon Lionrock made landfall on Tuesday evening near the city of Ofunato, 500km northeast of Tokyo on the Pacific coast and crossed the main island of Honshu before heading out to the Sea of Japan. It was the first time a typhoon has made landfall in the northern region since 1951, when the Japan Meteorological Agency started keeping records. The scene of large parts of northern Japan covered with muddy water was a shocking reminder of the major tsunami that struck the same region five years ago. Iwate prefecture, the hardest-hit by the typhoon, is one of the areas still rebuilding from the March 2011 tsunami and earthquake, which left more than 18,000 people dead along Japan's northeastern coast. ||||| Police found nine bodies on Wednesday in the nursing home in the town of Iwaizumi, in Iwate Prefecture in the north of Japan's main island of Honshu, but it was not clear when their home was flooded. It was also not clear why people there had not been taken to safety before the storm struck. The nursing home is located near a river and was partially buried in mud and debris when the river overflowed its banks. "The area is in a state of chaos. We are not sure what preparations the facility had taken," said a prefectural government official who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media. The town issued evacuation preparation information on Tuesday morning, which is to inform elderly or disabled people who take time to evacuate. That, however, was not as strong as an evacuation warning, according to another prefecture official. More than 1,000 other people were forced from their homes by the flooding brought by Typhoon Lionrock. The body of a man was also found near a river in Iwaizumi and a dead woman was found in Kuji city, police said. Television pictures showed flooded rivers with cars and homes partly submerged, while rescuers picked up stranded people by helicopter. Several people were also missing on the northern island of Hokkaido, police said. Iwate, the worst-hit prefecture, was devastated by a massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. ||||| At least nine elderly people have been found dead at a nursing home in Japan after heavy overnight rain from Typhoon Lionrock flooded towns across the north of the country. Police discovered the bodies in the town of Iwaizumi while checking another facility in the neighbourhood, said Takehiro Hayashijiri, an official at the Iwate prefecture disaster management division. The identities of the victims and other details, including the whereabouts of their caretakers, were not known, Hayashijiri said. The Japanese public broadcaster NHK said the home was for people with dementia. NHK also reported that authorities found two more bodies in another town in Iwate. Footage showed the nursing home partially buried in mud, surrounded by debris apparently washed down from the mountains. A car by the home was overturned. “We’re making a government-wide effort to assess the extent of damage,” the chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, said. The government sent the self-defence force, Japan’s military, to help in the rescue and cleanup effort. Further north, on the island of Hokkaido, at least two rivers broke their banks. The embankments gave way early on Wednesday, NHK said, quoting Japan’s ministry of land, infrastructure and tourism. Authorities in the town of Minamifurano reported many people trapped in houses and shelters by flooding from the Sorachi river, NHK said. Typhoon Lionrock made landfall on Tuesday evening near the city of Ofunato, 310 miles (500km) north-east of Tokyo on the Pacific coast, and crossed the main island of Honshu before heading out to the Sea of Japan. It was the first time a typhoon has made landfall in the northern region since 1951, when Japan’s Meteorological Agency started keeping records. The scene of large parts of northern Japan covered with muddy water was a reminder of the major tsunami that struck the same region five years ago. Iwate prefecture, the area hit hardest by the typhoon, is one of the areas still rebuilding from the March 2011 tsunami and earthquake, which killed more than 18,000 people along the north-east coast. ||||| The town issued evacuation preparation information on Tuesday morning, which is to inform elderly or disabled people who take time to evacuate. That, however, was not as strong as an evacuation warning, according to another prefecture official. INTERNATIONAL NEWS - Nine people were killed when floods inundated an old people's home in Japan, police said on Wednesday, taking the death toll from a typhoon battering northern parts of the country to at least 11.Police found nine bodies on Wednesday in the nursing home in the town of Iwaizumi, in Iwate Prefecture in the north of Japan's main island of Honshu, but it was not clear when their home was flooded.It was also not clear why people there had not been taken to safety before the storm struck. The nursing home is located near a river and was partially buried in mud and debris when the river overflowed its banks."The area is in a state of chaos. We are not sure what preparations the facility had taken," said a prefectural government official who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media. ||||| Nine people killed in flooded Japanese old people's home TOKYO, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Floods have inundated an old people's home in Japan killing nine people, police said on Wednesday, taking the death toll from a typhoon battering northern parts of the country to at least 11. Police found the nine bodies in the nursing home in the town of Iwaizumi on Wednesday but it was not clear when their home was inundated. Nor was it clear why people there had not been taken to safety before the storm struck. More than 1,000 other people were forced from their homes by the flooding brought by Typhoon Lionrock. The body of a man was found near a river in Iwaizumi and a dead woman was found in Kuji city, police said. Television showed pictures of flooded rivers with cars and homes partly submerged while rescuers picked up stranded people by helicopter. The worst-hit Iwate prefecture was devastated by a big earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. Several people were missing on the northern island of Hokkaido, police said. ||||| At least nine elderly people have been found dead at a nursing home in Japan as heavy overnight rain from a devastating Typhoon left towns flooded across the country's north. Police discovered the bodies in the town of Iwaizumi while checking another facility in the flooded area. Takehiro Hayashijiri, an official at the Iwate prefecture disaster management division, said the home was for people with dementia. Footage from public broadcaster NHK showed a helicopter hovering over the building as rescuers tried to pluck other stranded residents to safety. Media reports said the building was reserved for people with dementia and another 86 elderly residents and employees were in another facility building at the time. Footage showed the nursing home partially buried in mud, surrounded by debris apparently washed down from the mountains. A car by the home was turned upside down. The death toll from the powerful storm rose to 11 after an elderly woman was found dead in her flooded home nearby, and another body was discovered not far from the nursing home, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said. 'We're making a government-wide effort to assess the extent of damage,' Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters. The government sent the Self-Defense Force, Japan's military, to help in the rescue and cleanup effort. Further north, on the island of Hokkaido, at least two rivers broke through their banks. The embankments gave way early on Wednesday morning, NHK said, quoting Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Tourism. Authorities in the town of Minami-furano reported many people trapped in houses and shelters by flooding from the Sorachi river, NHK said. The typhoon, with winds of over 100 miles an hour when it made landfall, also caused flooding on the northern island of Hokkaido. The typhoon was later reclassified as an extratropical cyclone and moved out into the Sea of Japan at midnight, said the Japan Meteorological Agency. The full scale of damage, however, did not become apparent until daybreak when rescue operations began in earnest. In Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan's four main islands, one person who had been inside a car was missing in the town of Taiki, police and government officials said. At least three cars fell into rivers in other towns on the island after bridges collapsed, they said, stressing it was not known how many people were inside the vehicles. 'In Minamifurano town, the water level is still very high with a current, and rescue workers are using helicopters now to try to evacuate several people who are left on the roofs of their houses or their cars,' said Hokkaido official Terumi Kohan. Lionrock's path -- hitting northeastern Japan from the Pacific Ocean -- was unusual. Typhoons usually approach Japan from the south and southwest before moving northward across the archipelago. Up to eight centimetres (three inches) of rain per hour fell overnight and authorities had warned of flooding and landslides. The typhoon's landfall came at high tide, which exacerbated the flow of water. Lionrock comes on the heels of two other typhoons that hit Japan in the past nine days, resulting in two deaths, the cancellation of hundreds of domestic flights and disruptions to train services. As of noon Wednesday it had combined with another similar storm in the Sea of Japan and was near the North Korea-China border, said Eiju Takahashi, an official at Japan's weather agency. The scene of large parts of northern Japan covered with muddy water was a shocking reminder of the major tsunami that struck the same region five years ago. Iwate prefecture, the hardest-hit by the typhoon, is one of the areas still rebuilding from the March 2011 tsunami and earthquake, which left more than 18,000 people dead along Japan's northeastern coast.
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At least two rivers break embankments, causing floods on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. Operations are underway to rescue 400 stranded people. On Honshu Island, at least 11 people, including nine elderly from a nursing home, have died.
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Hurricane specialist Eric Blake works at the National Hurricane Center to track the path of Tropical Storm Hermine, which strengthened this morning and is expected to make landfall along Florida's Gulf Coast as a hurricane by by tomorrow on September 1, 2016 in Miami, Florida. The National Hurricane Center forecasters are urging people to be ready for the possibility of the state's first hurricane in nearly 11 years. ||||| 000 WTNT34 KNHC 240234 TCPAT4 BULLETIN Post-Tropical Cyclone Chantal Advisory Number 13 NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL042019 1100 PM AST Fri Aug 23 2019 ...CHANTAL BECOMES A REMNANT LOW... ...THIS IS THE LAST ADVISORY... SUMMARY OF 1100 PM AST...0300 UTC...INFORMATION ----------------------------------------------- LOCATION...35.6N 40.9W ABOUT 785 MI...1265 KM W OF THE AZORES MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...30 MPH...45 KM/H PRESENT MOVEMENT...S OR 185 DEGREES AT 6 MPH...9 KM/H MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...1014 MB...29.95 INCHES WATCHES AND WARNINGS -------------------- There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect. DISCUSSION AND OUTLOOK ---------------------- At 1100 PM AST (0300 UTC), the center of Post-Tropical Cyclone Chantal was located near latitude 35.6 North, longitude 40.9 West. The post-tropical cyclone is moving toward the south near 6 mph (9 km/h). A turn toward the southwest and west is expected over the weekend, followed by a slow motion toward the northwest Sunday night and Monday. Maximum sustained winds are near 30 mph (45 km/h) with higher gusts. Gradual weakening is anticipated and Chantal is forecast to dissipate on Monday. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1014 mb (29.95 inches). HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND ---------------------- None. NEXT ADVISORY ------------- This is the last public advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center on Chantal. Additional information on this system can be found in High Seas Forecasts issued by the National Weather Service, under AWIPS header NFDHSFAT1, WMO header FZNT01 KWBC, and online at ocean.weather.gov/shtml/NFDHSFAT1.php $$ Forecaster Zelinsky ||||| By Faith Karimi and Steve Almasy, From CNN CNN)Hurricane Hermine made landfall early Friday in Florida with a furious mix of rain, whistling winds and surging waves — then weakened into a tropical storm as it wobbled toward Georgia. Hermine, which had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, was the first hurricane to come ashore in Florida since Wilma struck 11 years ago. It made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in the Big Bend area, a part of the Gulf Coast where the state’s peninsula meets the Panhandle. In Tallahassee, more than 100,000 utility customers were without power as winds and rain lashed the city, according to the mayor’s office. Downgraded A few hours after landfall, Hermine had weakened into a tropical storm, according to the National Hurricane Center. All hurricane watches and warnings were dropped, but tropical storm warnings remained for parts of the Florida Gulf Coast, Georgia and up through North Carolina. By dawn Friday, the tropical storm was 20 miles west of Valdosta, Georgia, and moving north at 14 mph, according to the hurricane center. “This motion is expected to continue today and Saturday,” the center said. “On the forecast track, the center of Hermine should continue to move farther inland across southeastern Georgia today and into the Carolinas tonight and Saturday.” Its maximum sustained winds decreased to 70 mph, with additional weakening forecast as it moves farther inland. ‘You cannot rebuild a life’ After its short reign as a hurricane, it’s expected to spawn a few tornadoes in northern Florida and southern Georgia. A tornado watch was in effect for dozens of Florida and Georgia counties until 8 a.m. ET Friday. In Florida, life-threatening flooding remains a risk as rain has pounded the Gulf Coast since Wednesday. Forecasters say much more is in store. Hermine could bring up to 10 inches of additional rainfall to some places, including Tallahassee — with up to 15 inches possible in some areas, forecasters said. Several Florida counties issued mandatory evacuation notices for Gulf Coast communities on the water or in low-lying areas. Parts of Georgia also are expected to get up to 10 inches of rain over the weekend. Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday urged residents to heed warnings about the storm. “We have a hurricane. You can rebuild a home. You can rebuild property. You cannot rebuild a life.” Hurricane Hermine storms into Florida Photos: Hurricane Hermine storms into Florida Sgt. Andy Pace and Lt. Allen Ham with the Franklin County Sheriff's Department jump-start one of their vehicles as Hurricane Hermine approaches. Traffic moves along US 98 as Hurricane Hermine approaches Eastpoint, Florida, on September 1. Power crews with Pike Electric in South Carolina arrive in Carrabelle, Florida, on the Florida Gulf Coast as Hurricane Hermine approaches on September 1. Sunken and beached boats line the shoreline in Eastpoint, Florida, as Hurricane Hermine approaches. Residents of the Sandpiper Resort survey the rising water coming from the Gulf of Mexico into their neighborhood as winds and storm surge from Hurricane Hermine affect the area on Thursday, September 1, in Holmes Beach, Florida. Workers install storm shutters on a storefront as they prepare for Hurricane Hermine on September 1. A resident of the Sandpiper Resort in Holmes Beach, Florida, surveys the rising water coming from the Gulf of Mexico because of Hurricane Hermine. Sgt. Andy Pace and Lt. Allen Ham with the Franklin County Sheriff's Department jump-start one of their vehicles as Hurricane Hermine approaches. Traffic moves along US 98 as Hurricane Hermine approaches Eastpoint, Florida, on September 1. Power crews with Pike Electric in South Carolina arrive in Carrabelle, Florida, on the Florida Gulf Coast as Hurricane Hermine approaches on September 1. Sunken and beached boats line the shoreline in Eastpoint, Florida, as Hurricane Hermine approaches. Residents of the Sandpiper Resort survey the rising water coming from the Gulf of Mexico into their neighborhood as winds and storm surge from Hurricane Hermine affect the area on Thursday, September 1, in Holmes Beach, Florida. Workers install storm shutters on a storefront as they prepare for Hurricane Hermine on September 1. A resident of the Sandpiper Resort in Holmes Beach, Florida, surveys the rising water coming from the Gulf of Mexico because of Hurricane Hermine. Sgt. Andy Pace and Lt. Allen Ham with the Franklin County Sheriff's Department jump-start one of their vehicles as Hurricane Hermine approaches. He told residents not to drive into standing water and to avoid downed power lines, saying crews were working hard to ensure limited disruptions. “We have 6,000 members of the national guard ready to be mobilized,” he said. Scott declared a state of emergency for 51 of the state’s 67 counties. He ordered all state offices in those 51 counties to close. Hours before landfall, Hermine was lashing Apalachicola, St. Petersburg and other cities. A video posted by Joanna Crandell (@chica_de_aqua) on Sep 1, 2016 at 3:17pm PDT The surge of ocean water could be as high as 9 feet above normal levels, forecasters said, as authorities warned its effect was not limited to Florida. The storm is expected to deluge coastal Mid-Atlantic states from Virginia to New Jersey, beginning early Saturday, the hurricane center said. The National Weather Service issued a new online product to help people prepare for the storm. The storm surge watch/warning graphic highlights spots with the highest risk for “life-threatening inundation from storm surge,” the service said. ‘Lock down the house and pray’ In Apalachicola, on the Panhandle coast, contractors Lake Smith and Joshua Wolfhagen boarded up windows in a two-story brick building about 60 feet from the waterfront. “Storm (surge) is what got me worried right now,” Smith said. “Mostly worried about washing out the roads and a few of the homes in low-lying areas.” Eddie Bass, who owns a home in Alligator Point, said he wasn’t boarding it up despite worries about the storm surge. “It’s not much you can do. You just got to bring everything you can. Lock down the house and pray,” he said. In Panama City, a popular Labor Day destination, organizers canceled one of the major tourist draws, the Gulf Coast Jam. Officials said the stage for the three-day country music event had to be taken down as the winds picked up. Emergency management officials in Taylor County said mandatory evacuations were ordered for coastal communities. Nearby Wakulla County also had mandatory evacuations for low-lying areas. Franklin County, just southeast of Panama City, issued a mandatory evacuation order for the coastal towns of St. George Island, Dog Island, Bald Point and Alligator Point, the county’s emergency management office said. Zika concerns dismissed The storm may leave behind large areas of standing water, but one expert said it shouldn’t increase fears over the Zika virus. “We associate severe rain events like tropical events and hurricanes with increases in nuisance mosquitoes, not disease-spreading (mosquitoes),” said Ben Beard of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The type of mosquito that could potentially carry Zika is affected by heavy rain and flooding, which also washes away larvae from small breeding sites such as bird baths and flower pots. Nuisance mosquitoes will breed in water that remains standing after the storm passes. In Georgia, Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency for 56 counties. And in North Carolina, Gov. Pat McCrory issued a state of emergency for 33 eastern counties. For more on this story go to: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/09/02/us/hurricane-hermine/ ||||| Tropical Storm Hermine strengthened into a hurricane Thursday as it continued churning on a path toward Florida, US forecasters said. At 1855 GMT, data from an Air Force hurricane hunter plane indicated that maximum sustained winds in Hermine were about 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. That would make it a Category One hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Hermine is the fourth Atlantic hurricane of 2016. The storm was located about 175 miles west of Tampa, Florida and moving north-northeast at 14 miles per hour. A hurricane warning was in effect for northern Florida and authorities warned of potential strong winds and storm surges that could cause flooding. "Hurricane conditions are expected to reach the coast within the warning area beginning tonight," the National Hurricane Center said. "Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion." With the tropical storm approaching, intensifying winds threaten to make outside preparations "difficult or dangerous," it added. Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency in 51 counties to free up resources to brace for the storm. The center of Hermine is expected to be near the Florida coast in the warning area by late Thursday night or early Friday, forecasters said. ||||| TAMPA, Fla., Aug 31 (Reuters) - Florida Governor Rick Scott declared an emergency on Wednesday, with parts of the U.S. Gulf Coast under a tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch from an approaching system that forecasters warned could bring life-threatening flooding and fierce winds. Storm preparations were also underway off the U.S. Pacific coast, where residents of Hawaii's Big Island were warned of an encroaching hurricane, as well as another brewing hurricane that could impact the state over the weekend. In Florida, Scott declared an emergency in 42 of the state's 67 counties in advance of an expected tropical storm that could make landfall on the north-central Gulf Coast between late Thursday and early Friday. Heavy rains were already pounding parts of the state on Wednesday morning. As much as 15 inches (38 cm) could fall from central to northern Florida, National Hurricane Center in Miami said. The approaching system, currently an unnamed tropical depression packing 35 mph (55 kph) winds with higher gusts, is expected to strengthen as it heads east. Forecasters said it could be near hurricane strength at landfall. On its current path, the system would also bring heavy rain into coastal areas of Georgia and the Carolinas on its way to the Atlantic Ocean. Another unnamed tropical depression was turning out to sea on Wednesday after threatening the North Carolina coast, according to the hurricane center. On Hawaii's Big Island, residents were warned that Hurricane Madeline will bring strong winds and heavy rains as it passes over the area, beginning late on Wednesday. Another brewing hurricane could potentially impact the state over the weekend. The National Weather Service (NWS) tracked Hurricane Madeline swirling about 200 miles (320 km) east of the town of Hilo around 2 a.m. local time on Wednesday. Madeline was ranked as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kph), the weather service said. The County of Hawaii sent residents an alert about the hurricane's dangers, including heavy rains that could lead to mudslides, as well as possibly damaging ocean swells. "Preparations to protect life and property should be completed by nightfall today," the alert said. (Additional reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Richard Balmforth and Marguerita Choy) ||||| HILO, Hawaii – A tropical storm left parts of Hawaii’s Big Island soggy but intact Thursday as residents of the island state prepared for a second round of potentially volatile tropical weather. Hawaii Island was pummeled with heavy rain and powerful waves overnight, but residents woke to blue skies and little damage after Madeline skirted the island. Hurricane Lester remains on track to affect the islands this weekend and was upgraded to a Category 3 storm Thursday afternoon. CARRABELLE, Fla. – Hurricane Hermine gained strength late Thursday as it roared toward Florida’s Gulf Coast, churning up rough surf that battered docks and boathouses as people braced for the first direct hit on the state from a hurricane in over a decade. The National Hurricane Center said the storm’s top sustained winds rose from 75 mph in the afternoon to 80 mph by nightfall as the former tropical storm gained new fury as it bore down on the coast. Forecasters said the storm would likely gain a little extra punch before slamming ashore. Hermine’s landfall was expected early this morning in the Big Bend area – the mostly rural and lightly populated corner where the Florida peninsula meets the Panhandle – then drop back down to a tropical storm and push into Georgia, the Carolinas and up the East Coast with the potential for drenching rain and deadly flooding. Florida Gov. Rick Scott ordered many state government offices to close at noon, including those in Tallahassee, home to tens of thousands of state employees. The city has not had a direct hit from a hurricane in 30 years. He also urged people during the day to move to inland shelters if necessary. “This is a life-threatening situation,” Scott said. “It’s going to be a lot of risk. Right now, I want everybody to be safe.” Scott added that 6,000 National Guardsmen in Florida are ready to mobilize after the storm passes. The governors of Georgia and North Carolina declared states of emergency. Projected rainfall ranged up to 10 inches in parts of northern Florida and southern Georgia, with 4 to 10 inches possible along the coasts of Georgia and the Carolinas by Sunday. Lesser amounts were forecast farther up the Atlantic Coast, because the storm was expected to veer out to sea. The last hurricane to strike Florida was Wilma, a powerful Category 3 storm that arrived Oct. 24, 2005. It swept across the Everglades and struck heavily populated south Florida, causing five deaths in the state and an estimated $23 billion in damage. Flooding was expected across a wide swath of the Big Bend, which has a marshy coastline and is made up of mostly rural communities and small towns, where fishing, hunting and camping are mainstays of life. On Thursday, residents were out in force preparing for the storm, and stores began running low on bottled water and flashlights. City crews struggled to keep up with demand for sand for filling sandbags. Courtney Chason, a longtime resident of Carrabelle in the Big Bend coastal area, warily watched with his girlfriend Thursday evening as surging waves began battering some docks and boathouses, the angry surf slowly tearing at them. Water also crashed into yards closest to the shore. “I’ve never seen it this high, it’s pretty damn crazy,” Chason said. “I hope it doesn’t get any higher; we need lots of prayers.” On Cedar Key, a small island along the Big Bend, about a dozen people went storefront to storefront, putting up shutters and nailing pieces of plywood to protect businesses from the wind. One of them, Joe Allen, spray-painted on plywood in large black letters: “Bring it on, Hermine.” Despite the bravado, he said, “I’m worried. You can never fully protect yourself from nature.” Chris Greaves and family members stopped in Tallahassee to pick up sandbags for his garage and the church they attend. Greaves said he lived in South Florida when Hurricane Andrew devastated the area in 1992. ||||| CEDAR KEY, Fla. — People on Florida's Gulf coast stocked up on supplies Thursday and some set out sandbags as they braced for Tropical Storm Hermine, which forecasters said could strike land as a hurricane. A hurricane warning was in effect for Florida's Big Bend from the Suwannee River to Mexico Beach. And on the East Coast, a tropical storm warning was issued for an area extending from Marineland, Fla., northward to the South Santee River in South Carolina. Georgia's governor declared a state of emergency for 56 counties through Saturday, in anticipation of high water and strong winds. Hermine's maximum sustained winds Thursday morning were near 65 mph. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Hermine was likely to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane when it lands in Florida on Thursday night or early Friday. As of 10 a.m. Thursday, Hermine was centered about 220 miles west of Tampa, Fla., and was moving north-northeast near 14 mph. Residents in some low-lying communities in Florida were being asked to evacuate Thursday as the storm approached. The Tallahassee Democrat reported that emergency management officials in Franklin County have issued a mandatory evacuation notice for people living on St. George Island, Dog Island, Alligator Point and Bald Point. Residents in other low-lying, flood-prone areas were also being asked to evacuate. Florida Gov. Rick Scott ordered state government offices in 51 counties to close at noon Thursday. The order included the state capital of Tallahassee, home to tens of thousands of state workers. The city, roughly 35 miles from the coast, has not had a direct hit by hurricane in 30 years. ||||| Are you affected by Tropical Storm Hermine? If it's safe for you to do so, WhatsApp us on +44 7435 939 154 to share your photos, experiences and video. Please tag #CNNiReport in your message. (CNN) Hurricane Hermine made landfall early Friday in Florida with a furious mix of rain, whistling winds and surging waves -- then weakened into a tropical storm as it wobbled toward Georgia. Hermine, which had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, was the first hurricane to come ashore in Florida since Wilma struck 11 years ago. It made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in the Big Bend area, a part of the Gulf Coast where the state's peninsula meets the Panhandle. In Tallahassee, more than 100,000 utility customers were without power as winds and rain lashed the city, according to the mayor's office. A few hours after landfall, Hermine had weakened into a tropical storm, according to the National Hurricane Center. All hurricane watches and warnings were dropped, but tropical storm warnings remained for parts of the Florida Gulf Coast, Georgia and up through North Carolina. By dawn Friday, the tropical storm was 20 miles west of Valdosta, Georgia, and moving north at 14 mph, according to the hurricane center. "This motion is expected to continue today and Saturday," the center said. "On the forecast track, the center of Hermine should continue to move farther inland across southeastern Georgia today and into the Carolinas tonight and Saturday." Its maximum sustained winds decreased to 70 mph, with additional weakening forecast as it moves farther inland. After its short reign as a hurricane, it's expected to spawn a few tornadoes in northern Florida and southern Georgia. A tornado watch was in effect for dozens of Florida and Georgia counties until 8 a.m. ET Friday. In Florida, life-threatening flooding remains a risk as rain has pounded the Gulf Coast since Wednesday. Forecasters say much more is in store. Hermine could bring up to 10 inches of additional rainfall to some places, including Tallahassee -- with up to 15 inches possible in some areas, forecasters said. Several Florida counties issued mandatory evacuation notices for Gulf Coast communities on the water or in low-lying areas. Parts of Georgia also are expected to get up to 10 inches of rain over the weekend. Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday urged residents to heed warnings about the storm. "We have a hurricane. You can rebuild a home. You can rebuild property. You cannot rebuild a life." He told residents not to drive into standing water and to avoid downed power lines, saying crews were working hard to ensure limited disruptions. "We have 6,000 members of the national guard ready to be mobilized," he said. Hours before landfall, Hermine was lashing Apalachicola, St. Petersburg and other cities. The surge of ocean water could be as high as 9 feet above normal levels, forecasters said, as authorities warned its effect was not limited to Florida. The storm is expected to deluge coastal Mid-Atlantic states from Virginia to New Jersey, beginning early Saturday, the hurricane center said. 'Lock down the house and pray' In Apalachicola, on the Panhandle coast, contractors Lake Smith and Joshua Wolfhagen boarded up windows in a two-story brick building about 60 feet from the waterfront. "Storm (surge) is what got me worried right now," Smith said. "Mostly worried about washing out the roads and a few of the homes in low-lying areas." Eddie Bass, who owns a home in Alligator Point, said he wasn't boarding it up despite worries about the storm surge. "It's not much you can do. You just got to bring everything you can. Lock down the house and pray," he said. In Panama City, a popular Labor Day destination, organizers canceled one of the major tourist draws, the Gulf Coast Jam. Officials said the stage for the three-day country music event had to be taken down as the winds picked up. Emergency management officials in Taylor County said mandatory evacuations were ordered for coastal communities. Nearby Wakulla County also had mandatory evacuations for low-lying areas. The storm may leave behind large areas of standing water, but one expert said it shouldn't increase fears over the Zika virus. "We associate severe rain events like tropical events and hurricanes with increases in nuisance mosquitoes, not disease-spreading (mosquitoes)," said Ben Beard of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The type of mosquito that could potentially carry Zika is affected by heavy rain and flooding, which also washes away larvae from small breeding sites such as bird baths and flower pots. Nuisance mosquitoes will breed in water that remains standing after the storm passes. ||||| Growing winds and driving rain from Hurricane Hermine lashed Florida’s northern Gulf Coast early on Friday as power outages left tens of thousands of households in the dark in what the state’s governor warned would be a potentially lethal storm. Conditions deteriorated as Hurricane Hermine was making landfall, packing winds of 80 mph (130 km/h) with several areas in Florida already reporting 5 inches (12 cm) of rain and media reported about 270,000 households had been left without power. “It is a mess…we have high water in numerous places,” Virgil Sandlin, the police chief in Cedar Key, Florida, told the Weather Channel. “I was here in 1985 for Hurricane Elena and I don’t recall anything this bad.” Hurricane Hermine packed a dangerous storm surge that was expected to cause 9 feet (3 m) of flooding in some areas, as rising waters move inland from the coast, the National Hurricane Center warned in an advisory. Hermine, expected to become the first hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Wilma in 2005, also posed a Labor Day weekend threat to states along the northern Atlantic Coast that are home to tens of millions of people. “Hurricane Hermine is strengthening fast and it will impact the majority of our state,” Florida Governor Rick Scott said in a late-evening bulletin. The National Weather Service issued several tornado warnings for communities throughout northern Florida on Friday as the National Hurricane Center extended a tropical storm watch to Sandy Hook, New Jersey. Hermine became the fourth hurricane of the 2016 Atlantic storm season. By 11 p.m. EDT, maximum winds were listed at 80 mph (130 kph), with hurricane-force winds extending up to 45 miles (75 km) from the storm’s center. Hermine could dump as much as 20 inches (51 cm) of rain in some parts of the state. Ocean storm surge could swell as high as 12 feet (3.6 meters). After battering coastal Florida, Hermine is expected to weaken and move across the northern part of the state into Georgia, then southern U.S. coastal regions on the Atlantic. The governors of Georgia and North Carolina on Thursday declared emergencies in affected regions. In South Carolina, the low-lying coastal city of Charleston was handing out sandbags. Scott declared a state of emergency in 51 of Florida’s 67 counties, and at least 20 counties closed schools. Mandatory evacuations were ordered in parts of five counties in northwestern Florida, with voluntary evacuations in at least three more counties. Twenty emergency shelters were opened across the state for those displaced by the storm. “This is life-threatening,” Scott told reporters on Thursday afternoon. “You can rebuild a home. You can rebuild property. You cannot rebuild a life.” In coastal Franklin County, people were being evacuated from barrier islands and low-lying shore areas. “Those on higher ground are stocking up and hunkering down,” said Pamela Brownlee, the county’s emergency management director. Towns, cities and counties were hastily preparing shelters for people and pets and placing utility repair crews on standby ahead of the storm. The storm was expected to affect many areas inland of the Gulf Coast. In Leon County, home to the state capital of Tallahassee, more than 30,000 sandbags were distributed. At Maximo Marina in St. Petersburg, Florida, dock master Joe Burgess watched anxiously as waters rose 6 inches (15 cm) over the dock at high tide on Thursday, before slowly receding. “If we get hit with a real storm head on, all the provisions you can make aren’t going to matter out here,” he said, preparing to use a chainsaw to cut beams on covered slips if rising water took boats dangerously close to the roof. On its current path, the storm also could dump as much as 10 inches (25 cm) of rain on coastal areas of Georgia, which was under a tropical storm watch, and the Carolinas. Forecasters warned of “life-threatening” floods and flash floods there. ||||| CARRABELLE, Florida (AP) — Forecasters say Hurricane Hermine has made landfall over northwest Florida just east of St. Marks. It's the first hurricane to directly strike the Sunshine State in more than a decade, roaring in from the northwest Gulf Coast with 80-mph winds and heavy rains. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Hermine made landfall early Friday around 1:30 a.m. EDT. Projected storm surges of up to 12 feet menaced the coastline and expected rainfall up to 10 inches carried the danger of flooding through the storm's path, including the state capital, Tallahassee, which hadn't been hit by a hurricane since Kate in 1985. Hermine is expected to drop back down to a tropical storm before pushing into Georgia, the Carolinas and up the East Coast with the potential for drenching rain and deadly flooding.
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The National Hurricane Center declares a hurricane watch and tropical storm warning from the Anclote River, north of Tampa, to Destin, Florida, near the Georgia border. Hermine, now at 45 mph (75 km), is expected to reach hurricane strength when it makes landfall Thursday afternoon. Florida Governor Rick Scott, with life-threatening flooding forecast, declares a state of emergency.
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Police investigators inspect the area of a market where an explosion happened in Davao City. Lean Daval Jr., Reuters Andanar: Initial reports say IED shrapnel were found in blast site DAVAO CITY (6TH UPDATE) - A huge explosion rocked a busy night market Friday evening in Davao City, the hometown of President Rodrigo Duterte, killing at least 14 people and injuring more than 60 others, police and local officials said. A statement from Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, released through the local government's official Facebook page, confirmed the initial 10 victims who died on the spot. Two other blast victims were reported dead at the South Philippines Medical Center. A Davao City police report handed to President Rodrigo Duterte at a closed-door meeting with officials from concerned agencies raised the death toll to 14. It said 67 others were confirmed injured. The cause of the explosion has yet to be determined. "Right now, we cannot yet give definite answer to as to who is behind this as we are also trying to determine what really exploded," said Paolo, a son of President Duterte. "It's a sad day for Davao and for the Philippines." The explosion happened at around 10 p.m., a time when many people flock to the popular night market in Roxas Avenue, according to Davao City police Insp. Katherine Dela Rey in an interview with DZMM. Online images show emergency teams rushing people out of the night market, which was reopened only three weeks ago after being shut down, in wheelchairs and stretchers. Police have since cordoned off the area. Members of Davao City 911, the Philippine Army, Explosive Ordnance Division (EOD) and Scene of the Crime Operations (SOCO) also arrived at the scene. SWAT in Davao: pic.twitter.com/9PLW98Fkz0 — Fr. Jboy Gonzales SJ (@jboygonzalessj) September 2, 2016 More photos: now in front of Ateneo de Davao Roxas Ave gate is this scene: pic.twitter.com/nasMvoJrRI — Fr. Jboy Gonzales SJ (@jboygonzalessj) September 2, 2016 Police Regional Office 11 Director Chief Superintendent Manuel Gaerlan, in a statement, called for calm and asked people to refrain from "creating/passing misleading or unverified reports to avoid confusion and panic." "The PNP is assuring the public that the situation is being handled carefully. A thorough investigation is being conducted to determine the cause of the explosion and checkpoints/chokepoints were already established at all exit points in the city. We call on all the people to be vigilant at all times and report to the police any suspicious packages or persons," said Gaerlan. Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, quoting initial reports, told ABS-CBN News that components of a suspected improved explosive device (IED) were found at the blast site in Davao City. "Sa initial reports ay mayroong nakitang shrapnel from a mortar-based improvised explosive device," he said. Andanar, however, said it is not yet confirmed if an IED indeed caused the explosion. "No. You can say na mayroong initial report na galing sa isang mortar-based na IED." He added that Davao City has been placed on high alert. Checkpoint inilatag sa Doña Carmen Commonwealth kaugnay ng paglalagay sa QC sa heightened alert | via @RPfredcipres pic.twitter.com/dTjq1Vn6Ax — DZMM TeleRadyo (@DZMMTeleRadyo) September 2, 2016 Ateneo de Davao University, which is near the night market, has issued a lockdown and warned its students to avoid the area moments after the incident. "To all the students and bystanders in the Roxas night market, please stay away from the area and give way to the ambulances and police," an announcement posted on the university's official Twitter account read. Locals and tourists frequent the Roxas Night Market for bargain items and food. - with reports from Paul Palacio, Hernel Tocmo, and Jasper Magoncia, ABS-CBN News; DXAB ||||| DAVAO, Philippines (Reuters) - Philippine police blamed Islamic State-linked rebels on Saturday for a bombing that killed 14 people in President Rodrigo Duterte’s hometown and dealt a blow to the firebrand leader’s bloody crackdown on narcotics and militancy. Investigators said Abu Sayyaf, a southern Philippine group notorious for acts of piracy, kidnappings and beheadings, had claimed responsibility for Friday’s night bombing at a Davao street market, although police said they were still trying to authenticate the claim. The attack rattled the normally peaceful home city of Duterte, who typically spends his weekends there, some 980 kilometers away from the capital Manila. He was in Davao at the time of the bombing but far from the site of the blast outside a hotel where he often holds meetings. National police chief Ronald Dela Rosa said the bomb was home-made and fragments of mortar were found at the site, where two “persons of interest” had been caught on camera. The bomb was likely to have been planted by Abu Sayyaf, he said, to divert the military’s attention from its operations to flush them out of their strongholds on the islands of Basilan and Jolo. The military on Tuesday agreed to deploy a further 2,500 troops to carry out Duterte’s order to “destroy” Abu Sayyaf. “From being offensive, they want us to be defensive,” Dela Rosa told a news conference late on Saturday. Duterte canceled what would have been his first overseas visit on Saturday, to Brunei, and declared a nationwide “state of lawlessness” to deal with what he called an extraordinary security situation. “I must declare a state of lawless violence in this country,” Duterte told reporters after visiting the blast site, where he assured the public that martial law had not been imposed. Rallyists display placards condemning the bombing at a market in Davao city during a candlelight protest in front of the Catholic church in Quiapo city, metro Manila, Philippines September 3, 2016. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco “I have this duty to protect this country,” he said. POWERFUL ENEMIES Police and military promised to act in accordance with his “state of lawlessness”, although there was some confusion about what that actually entailed. Duterte’s office said it referred to a constitutional clause that states the president has full power over the armed forces. The bombing came as the abrasive former prosecutor wages war on narcotics kingpins and street dealers, Islamist rebels and corrupt bureaucrats, scoring big points in opinion polls but at a risk of making powerful enemies. Rumors have swirled of a plot to assassinate Duterte, 71, which he has shrugged off as part of his job. The talk has been fueled by his controversial crackdown on drugs that saw him elected by a huge margin, but condemned by human rights groups and the United Nations. More than 2,000 alleged drug pushers and users have been killed since Duterte’s June 30 inauguration. Critics are alarmed at the sheer number whose deaths have been attributed to vigilantes, and the president and police chief’s apparent support for it. Duterte’s tough stance on crime has ensured Davao has been spared the kind of violence that has dogged other parts of Mindanao, a large island province where several Islamist militant groups operate, including Abu Sayyaf. Abu Sayyaf, which means “bearer of the sword”, has previously used an Islamic State flag in some of its propaganda videos and runs what is among Asia’s most lucrative kidnap rackets. It has this year decapitated two Canadian hostages and held Norwegian, Indonesian, Malaysian and Japanese citizens. Slideshow (16 Images) The group has long been a thorn in the side for the military and has used its ransom earnings to entrench its network and invest in modern weapons, boats and radar technology. The White House offered condolences and assistance to the Philippines, a key regional ally. Duterte is expected to meet U.S. President Barack Obama in Laos next week, when he attends a the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and East Asia Summits. ||||| Police investigators inspect the area of a market where an explosion happened in Davao City. Lean Daval Jr., Reuters ZAMBOANGA CITY (1st UPDATE) - The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) has claimed responsibility for the blast in Davao City which left 14 dead and more than 60 wounded on Friday evening. READ: Davao blast death toll rises to 14; 67 others hurt ASG spokesperson Abu Rami said the Davao attack is a "call for unity to all mujahideen in the country" amid the all-out offensive of the military against the group. Rami said that the attack in Davao City is not part of a tactic to divert the attention of government forces who have been pursuing the bandits in Sulu and Basilan. He warned that similar attacks should be expected in the coming days. President Rodrigo Duterte earlier this week ordered intensified operations to finish off the 400-strong terror group, following the death of 15 soldiers in a clash in Patikul, Sulu. After the explosion in Davao, Duterte also declared a "state of lawlessness," where he will "invite uniformed personnel to run the country." READ: Duterte declares 'state of lawlessness' The military and the Philippine National Police earlier dismissed circulating text messages about an imminent attack. ||||| (CNN) At least 14 people have been killed and dozens hurt in an explosion at a night market in Davao City in the Philippines, according to the Philippines News Agency, quoting a police official. Earlier, Chief Superintendent Manuel Gaerlan, the director of Region 11 of the Philippine National Police, told CNN Philippines that 12 people were killed and 60 injured. He said 10 people died at the scene and two died after being taken to the Southern Philippines Medical Center. He said the situation was fluid, and a maximum deployment of police and armed forces was called in to secure the region. He asked the public to be vigilant, adding that the government was on the watch "in case there are other attacks." He said Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, whose hometown is Davao City, was heading to the explosion site. It occurred at a busy night market known to attract thousands on Mindanao, the southern Philippine island where the city is located. Paolo Duterte, Davao City's vice mayor and the President's son, told CNN Philippines that 60 people were injured in the blast. The Philippines News Agency said three of them are in critical condition. All victims appear to be adults, Gaerlan said. Authorities were still trying to confirm the cause of the explosion, he said. While the city was not on lockdown, there was an alcohol ban in place, and officials had asked people in the area to return to their homes. Davao City was on high alert, with police checkpoints set up throughout the city, officials said. Noel Vilanueva, medical director of Davao Doctors Hospitals, told CNN Philippines that four patients were brought to the facility, one of whom required surgery for a leg injury. That patient had metal fragments in the wounds. Presidential spokesman Martin Andanar mentioned the possible involvement of the Islamist militant Abu Sayyaf group or drug lords, according to CNN affiliate ABS-CBN. Duterte campaigned on a no-nonsense approach to crime and the Philippine Daily Inquirer's "Kill List" -- regarded as one of the most accurate records of the killings of suspected drug dealers by police and vigilantes -- has recorded 832 deaths since Duterte assumed office June 30. Police say at least 239 drug suspects were killed in the three weeks after Duterte's inauguration. And government troops have been battling Abu Sayyaf, which remains outside the country's sputtering peace process. Andanar said components of a suspected improved explosive device were found at the scene of the explosion, according to ABS-CBN. Leonor Rala, a 19-year-old medical technology student at San Pedro College, told CNN she was in her dorm and about to go to bed when she heard an explosion. She said she initially thought something had fallen on the roof of a neighboring building. She then went down to survey the scene of the blast, about 100 yards from her dorm. Emergency teams were already in place. "I am really scared to go out," she said. "The roads are closed and nobody's allowed to go out of the city. There are bomb threats everywhere and some of my schoolmates are victims of the explosion and now dead." She continued: "We're very terrified because Davao City was known to be the safest city in the Philippines and a situation like this is very rare." Witness Janoz Laquihon told CNN Philippines he was at the scene when the explosion happened. "I saw some smoke. I thought it's just barbecue. A few minutes later ... a big blast." Witness Father Jboy Gonzales told CNN Philippines that he saw more than 30 people being loaded onto ambulances. "[A] lot of people are wounded, shocked, traumatized," he said. Davao City Government tweeted on its official account: "Let us pray for the victims of this unfortunate incident, especially for those who died." Duterte made his name in politics as the mayor of Davao City. His term in office was noted for his hardline stance on drug crime that he has now incorporated into his national policies . It has resulted in more than 1,900 people being killed in a crackdown, which has drawn criticism at home and abroad. ||||| DAVAO CITY: Authorities on Saturday blamed the notorious Abu Sayyaf terrorist and kidnap group for the bombing of a night market in President Rodrigo Duterte’s home city that killed at least 14 people and injured dozens. An improvised explosive tore through the bustling market in the heart of Davao City and close to one of its top hotels just before 11:00 p.m. on Friday. Authorities said the Abu Sayyaf, a small band of bandits that has declared allegiance to the Islamic State group, most likely carried out the attack in response to a military offensive launched against it last week. Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said Duterte believed the terrorists were behind the blast. “The Office of the President texted and confirmed that was an Abu Sayyaf retaliation. For the city government side, we are working on that it is an Abu Sayyaf retaliation,” Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, who is also the President’s daughter, told CNN Philippines. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Abu Sayyaf had struck back after suffering heavy casualties on its stronghold of Jolo island in Sulu, about 900 kilometers from Davao. “We have predicted this and warned our troops accordingly but the enemy is also adept at using the democratic space granted by our Constitution to move around freely and unimpeded to sow terror,” Lorenzana said in a statement. Duterte, who was in Davao at the time of the attack but not near the market, told reporters before dawn Saturday that it was an act of terrorism, as he announced extra powers for the military under a “State of Lawless Violence.” At least 14 people were killed and another 67 were wounded in the explosion, police said. Sixteen of the injured were in critical condition, a local hospital director told reporters. Philippine National Police chief Ronald de la Rosa called on the public to remain calm but vigilant. “We will not be cowed by this single act of terrorism; these people don’t deserve an inch of space in a civilized society,” he said in Camp Crame. The President visited the blast casualties at the San Pedro Hospital, the Southern Philippines Medical Center, Angel Funeral Parlor and the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes. “I suggest that the citizens also do their part by being vigilant and at this time, you can go anywhere but be sure if your hairs on your nape stand up, there’s something that’s afoot. Then maybe just get out as soon as possible,” he told reporters. Pregnant woman dies Durian vendor Maribel Tabalwon, 34, told AFP chaos broke out after the blast. She helped rescue three victims but one of them, a woman seven months pregnant, eventually died. “The blast was so loud the ground shook. She was crawling but she was lucky enough no one trampled her during the stampede. She was shaking and bleeding.” Davao, which has a population of two million people, is the biggest city in Mindanao, where Islamic rebels have waged a decades-long separatist insurgency that has claimed more than 120,000 lives. Duterte had been mayor of Davao for most of the past two decades, before winning presidential elections in a landslide in May and being sworn in on June 30. He became well known for bringing relative peace and order to Davao with hard line security policies, while also brokering deals with local Muslim and communist rebels. Duterte in recent weeks pursued peace talks with the two main Muslim rebel groups, each of which has thousands of armed followers. Their leaders have said they want to broker a lasting peace. But the Abu Sayyaf, a much smaller and hardline group infamous for kidnapping foreigners to extract ransoms, has rejected Duterte’s peace overtures. In response, Duterte deployed thousands of troops onto the small and remote island of Jolo to “destroy” the group. The military reported 15 soldiers died in clashes on Monday, but also claimed killing dozens of Abu Sayyaf gunmen. While Davao has been regarded as relatively safer than the rest of Mindanao, the Abu Sayyaf and other Islamic groups have carried out deadly attacks there in the past. In 2003, two bomb attacks blamed on Muslim rebels at Davao’s airport and the city’s port within a month of each other killed about 40 people. Duterte initially raised the possibility of drug lords carrying out Friday’s attack as a way of fighting back against his crime war. More than 2,000 people have died in his unprecedented anti-crime crackdown, drawing widespread international condemnation over an apparent wave of extrajudicial killings. ||||| AT LEAST 10 people were killed and 60 others were injured when an explosion struck a crowded night market on Roxas Avenue in President Rodrigo Duterte’s home city of Davao Friday night, authorities said. The explosion occurred around 10:20 p.m. close to one of Davao City’s top hotels that is popular with tourists and business people, city police spokeswoman Sr. Insp. Catherine de la Rey said. President Rodrigo Duterte, the former mayor of the city, and aide Christopher Go went to the blast site. Police suspected that an improvised explosive caused the blast, but presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a television interview there was “nothing definite yet” as regards the details of the explosion. ”We don’t want to cause anxiety,” Abella told CNN Philippines. Those injured in the blast were rushed to the Southern Philippines Medical Center. In a statement, Davao Region police director Chief Supt. Manuel Gaerlan said: “The PNP is assuring the public that the situation is being handled carefully. A thorough investigation is being conducted to determine the cause of the explosion and checkpoints/chokepoints were already established at all exit points in the city.” ”We call on all the people to be vigilant at all times and report to the police any suspicious packages or persons. Please refrain from creating/passing misleading or unverified reports to avoid confusion and panic,” he added. Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, one of the President’s sons, likewise said authorities were on top of the situation. “Right now, we cannot yet give a definite answer as to who is behind this as we are also trying to determine what really exploded,” he said. “Let us pray for the victims of this unfortunate incident, especially for those who died. Let us pray for those who are being treated in different hospitals and pray for their quick recovery. There are at least 10 people who perished because of the incident and a number were reported wounded,” he added. The blast occurred amid military offensives against the IS-linked Abu Sayyaf group in Sulu province. Jihadists have earlier threatened to retaliate against military and civilian targets. ||||| DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/01 Sept) — The Task Force Davao has assured Dabawenyos that there are no threats directed at the city from the Abu Sayyaf despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to “destroy them.” Speaking in Thursday’s iSpeak Forum at the City Hall, TF Davao deputy commander Col. George Lalaquil said they have not received reports from the intelligence community that the city, where Duterte served as mayor for 22 years, is under threat amid Duterte’s war against the Abu Sayyaf terrorists. He said TF Davao is coordinating closely with other military units outside the city, which increases the military’s position to deter possible terror attacks not only within but also outside the city. “All relevant information is always shared to the appropriate unit that needs to act on it,” he said. Lalaquil said TF Davao is now conducting more random monitoring activities day in and day out and setting up more checkpoints at all entry points both by land and sea in order to secure the city. He said TF Davao has enough number of Special Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit Active Auxiliary (SCAA) members and regular troops who do the security patrols while another platoon from the10th Infantry Division will agument the security force. A press release issued by the City Information of Office (CIO) on Wednesday, said the Presidential Security Group (PSG) has doubled the security of the President’s family, most especially his grandchildren, following Duterte’s naming of alleged involvement of politicians, high ranking police officials and judges. Duterte’s son, Paolo, the city’s vice mayor, told reporters that their security has been beefed up. “Akong gipabantayan og maayo sa among pamilya kay among mga anak (I requested that security of our children be intensified),” he said. The President has four children, three with his former wife, Elizabeth Zimmerman – Paolo, Sara, the incumbent mayor, and Sebastian, and one with partner Honeylet Avancena. The President has nine grandchildren. Paolo has five, Sebastian has two and Sara has two, and will soon have five. Sara is pregnant and the ultrasound result indicates she will have triplets. The press release quoted the Vice Mayor as saying threats have always been part of their lives but security measures have been undertaken to ensure their protection. as saying that threats have always been part of their lives but they “have always been “Kami tanan alerto (All of us are ready),” he said. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews) ||||| At least 12 people died and dozens were injured when a bomb tore through a bustling night market in Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's home city on Friday, authorities said. The blast occurred just before 11:00pm (1500 GMT), leaving bodies strewn amid the wreckage of plastic tables and chairs on a road that had been closed to traffic for the market in the heart of Davao city. An improvised explosive device caused the explosion, presidential spokesman Martin Andanar said, adding drug traffickers opposed to Duterte's war on crime or Islamic militants may have been responsible. "There are many elements who are angry at our president and our government," Andanar told DZMM radio, after referring to the drug traffickers and the militants. "We are not ruling out the possibility that they might be responsible for this but it is too early to speculate." Twelve people were confirmed killed and more than 30 others injured, according to Ernesto Abella, another presidential spokesman. Davao is the biggest city in the southern Philippines, with a population of about two million people. It is about 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) from the capital of Manila. The blast occurred in the centre of Davao, close to one of the city's top hotels that Duterte sometimes holds meetings in, as well as a major university. "The force just hurled me. I practically flew in the air," Adrian Abilanosa, who said his cousin was among those killed, told AFP shortly afterwards. Duterte was in Davao on Friday but was not near the market when the explosion occurred, according to his aides. They said he went straight into meetings with security chiefs following the blast. Davao is part of the southern region of Mindanao, where Islamic militants have waged a decades-long separatist insurgency that has claimed more than 120,000 lives. Communist rebels, who have been waging an armed struggle since 1968, also maintain a presence in rural areas neighbouring Davao. Duterte had been mayor of Davao for most of the past two decades, before winning national elections in a landslide this year and being sworn in as president on June 30. Duterte became well known for bringing relative peace and order to Davao with hardline security policies, while also brokering local deals with Muslim and communist rebels. However in 2003, two bomb attacks blamed on Muslim rebels at Davao's airport and the city's port within a month of each other killed about 40 people. Duterte has in recent weeks pursued peace talks with the two main Muslim rebel groups. Its leaders have said they want to broker a lasting peace. However Duterte also ordered a military offensive to eliminate the Abu Sayyaf, a small but extremely dangerous group of militants that has declared allegiance to Islamic State and vowed to continue fighting. Fifteen soldiers died on Monday in clashes with the Abu Sayyaf on Jolo island, one of the Abu Sayyaf's main strongholds about 900 kilometres from Davao. Presidential spokesman Andanar referred to the fighting on Jolo when he speculated on who may have been behind Friday's bomb attack. The Abu Sayyaf claimed responsibility for three bomb attacks in 2005 -- one in Davao, one in a nearby city and a third in Manila -- that killed eight people. The Abu Sayyaf, notorious for kidnapping foreigners to extract ransoms, said it conducted the 2005 attacks in response to an offensive against it at that time. Andanar on Friday also raised the possibility of drug lords carrying out the attack as a way of fighting back against Duterte's war on crime. Duterte has made eradicating illegal drugs the top priority of the beginning of his presidency. Security forces have conducted raids in communities throughout the country to arrest or kill drug traffickers. More than 2,000 people have died in the war on crime. The United States, the United Nations and rights groups have expressed concern about an apparent wave of extrajudicial killings. But the United States quickly released a statement expressing deep condolences for Friday's blast. ||||| Philippines president: Explosion that killed 15 was act of terrorism Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said an explosion in Davao City that killed at least 15 people Friday night was an act of terrorism and he placed the country on lockdown, the official Philippines News Agency reported. About 69 people were hurt in the explosion that happened around 10 p.m. Friday (10 a.m. ET) at the Roxas night market near Ateneo de Davao University, said Chief Inspector Catherine Dela Rey, spokeswoman for Davao City Police. The market is known to attract thousands. Duterte authorized the police and military to search cars and frisk people at checkpoints, the PNA said. He put the nation under a “state of lawlessness,” saying he has not declared martial law and has not suspended the writ of habeas corpus. “We have to confront the ugly head of terrorism,” Duterte said, standing near the explosion site on Roxas Avenue in Davao City, his hometown. “We will take this as a police matter about terrorism.” No group has claimed responsibility, but Duterte said it’s possible the explosion “could be a reprisal” from extremists. Presidential spokesman Martin Andanar mentioned the possible involvement of the Islamist militant Abu Sayyaf group or drug lords, according to CNN affiliate ABS-CBN. Duterte campaigned on a no-nonsense approach to crime and the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s “Kill List” — regarded as one of the most accurate records of the killings of suspected drug dealers by police and vigilantes — has recorded 832 deaths since Duterte assumed office June 30. Police say at least 239 drug suspects were killed in the three weeks after Duterte’s inauguration. And government troops have been battling Abu Sayyaf, which remains outside the country’s sputtering peace process. Andanar said components of a suspected improved explosive device were found at the scene of the explosion, according to ABS-CBN. Duterte people should submit to searches and frisking at checkpoints. “We know that this is not a fascist state. I cannot control the movement of the citizens of the city and every Filipino has the right to enter and leave Davao. It is unfortunate we cannot stop and frisk anybody for just any reason,” he said. MORE FROM THIS SECTION ||||| (CNN) Police in the Philippines are looking for three people they want to question -- one man and two women -- in connection with the blast at a crowded market in Davao City that killed 14 people Friday night. Philippines National Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa told CNN Saturday the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device made of mortar rounds -- which pointed to extremist groups being behind the deadly explosion. Dela Rosa told reporters at a news conference in the southern Philippines city Saturday evening that authorities had eight witnesses, and a sketch of one suspect. Sixty-eight people were injured in the explosion at the crowded night market in President Rodrigo Duterte's hometown, Dela Rosa said. Fifteen of the injured are in critical condition, CNN Philippines reported, citing Southern Philippines Medical Center director Leopoldo Vega. Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte -- the President's son -- said the city had received a bomb threat two days before the blast, CNN affiliate ABS-CBN reported. On Saturday morning, during a visit to the blast site, Duterte told reporters that Islamist militants could be responsible. "We are not new to this kind. It is always connected with the Abu Sayyaf or in Central Mindanao," he said, according to a statement from his office. "But this is not the first time that Davao City has been sacrificed in the altar of violence." He said he had warned the public that there could be blowback from intensified government military operations against the pro-ISIS Islamist group Abu Sayyaf in Sulu province, where 8,000 troops deployed in recent weeks. "We have always been ready for this. I warned, I remember warning everybody that there could be a reprisal because of the pressure there in Sulu which is going on," Duterte said. Abu Sayyaf is a violent extremist group that split from the established Philippines separatist movement Moro National Liberation Front in 1991. The group, which remains outside the country's sputtering peace process, has the stated aim of establishing an independent Islamic state on the southern island of Mindanao, on which Davao City is located. The Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country, with a large Muslim population in the south. Duterte has described the attack as an act of terrorism, and declared the nation in "a state of lawlessness," authorizing police and the military to search cars and frisk people at checkpoints. The "state of lawlessness" is the mildest of the three executive powers the president can order, giving him the power to summon the military and work more closely with police, but falls short of being a declaration of martial law. The president can only impose martial law in case of invasion or rebellion, Duterte's spokesman said. "It's not martial law but I am inviting now the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the military and the police to run the country in accordance with my specifications," he said, according to CNN Philippines. Duterte, who visited a morgue early Saturday to pay respects to the dead, said people should submit to searches and frisking at checkpoints for the sake of public safety. "We know that this is not a fascist state. I cannot control the movement of the citizens of the city and every Filipino has the right to enter and leave Davao. It is unfortunate we cannot stop and frisk anybody for just any reason," he said. Police and military are on high alert across the country, and authorities have urged the public to be vigilant in case of further attacks. Duterte, the longtime mayor of Davao City, has faced domestic and international criticism since taking national office for his hardline stance on suspected drug offenders. The Philippine Daily Inquirer's "Kill List" -- regarded as one of the most accurate records of the killings of suspected drug dealers by police and vigilantes -- has recorded 832 deaths since Duterte assumed office June 30. Police say at least 239 drug suspects were killed in the three weeks after Duterte's inauguration. Leonor Rala, a 19-year-old medical technology student at San Pedro College, told CNN Friday night that she was terrified after the blast struck near her dorm. She said she initially thought something had fallen on the roof of a neighboring building. She went down to survey the scene of the blast, about 100 yards from her dorm. Emergency teams were already in place. "I am really scared to go out," she said. "Some of my schoolmates are victims of the explosion and now dead." She continued: "We're very terrified because Davao City was known to be the safest city in the Philippines and a situation like this is very rare."
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An explosion at a night market in Davao City, Philippines, kills at least 14 people and injures 60. President of the Philippines and former Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte was in the city at the time. Abu Sayyaf have claimed responsibility for the attack.
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Hurricane Hermine tore a path of destruction across Florida on Friday, leaving more than 253,000 homes and businesses without power, flooding low-lying areas and raising concerns about the spread of the Zika virus due to the massive pools of standing water left behind. The first hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Wilma more than a decade ago, Hermine came ashore early on Friday near St Marks, Florida, 30km south of the capital of Tallahassee, packing winds of 130kph and churning up a devastating storm surge in coastal areas. It was set to snarl US Labour Day holiday travel after battering Florida's US$89-billion tourism industry. The tempest headed toward the Atlantic seaboard on a path where tens of millions of Americans live, causing storm watches and warnings stretching to New Jersey, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. One homeless man was hit by a tree and died, Florida Governor Rick Scott said, but officials have not confirmed whether the death was storm-related. "Now is the time to come together. There is a lot of work to do," Scott told a news conference, warning people to look out for downed power lines and avoid driving in pools of standing water. Concerns over the standing water in which mosquitoes breed intensified as the state battles an outbreak of the Zika virus. "... It is incredibly important that everyone does their part to combat the Zika virus by dumping standing water, no matter how small. Any amount of standing water can serve as a breeding ground for mosquitoes," Scott said. According to the Florida Department of Health, there have been 47 cases of Zika in people believed to have contracted the virus through local mosquitoes. Active transmission is thought to be occurring only in two small areas around Miami. As the sun rose on Friday morning (Saturday NZT) on Hudson Beach, just north of Tampa, cars sat askew in the middle of flooded out roads. Palm fronds, tree branches and garbage cans were scattered about. Overnight, Pasco County crews rescued more than a dozen people and brought them to shelters after their homes were flooded. Richard Jewett, 68, was rescued from his home in nearby New Port Richey, around 1.30am local time (5.30pm NZT) on Friday as emergency workers carried out a mandatory evacuation. "The canal started creeping up toward the house and even though it wasn't high tide it looked like it was coming inside," he said. A weakening Hermine moved across southern Georgia, blowing winds of 95km at 8am local time (12am Saturday NZT), according to the NHC. The tropical storm was expected to reach the coastal Carolinas later on Friday (Saturday NZT), then move offshore from North Carolina on Saturday (Sunday NZT). Forecasters said it could strengthen over the sea. In Cedar Key, an island community in northwest Florida, waters rose more than 2.9 metres, among the highest surges ever seen, the National Weather Service said. Officials in the affected region on Friday (Saturday NZT) warned that homes continued to be threatened by high water and implored people to avoid flooded roads. "This is one of the worst that we have seen in the city in a long time, and unfortunately, it is not over yet," Mayor Rick Kriseman of St Petersburg, Florida, told reporters. On its current path, the storm could dump as much as 38cm of rain on coastal Georgia, and the Carolinas. Forecasters warned of "life-threatening" floods and flash floods. The governors of Georgia and North Carolina declared emergencies in affected regions. As it moved north across Florida, the storm continued to whip up heavy rain. Trees blocked roads and bridges were shut to assess the damage caused by high waters, the Florida Department of Transportation said. ||||| Tropical Storm Hermine moves northeast across the Carolinas on Friday afternoon in this satellite image from the National Hurricane Center. The storm slammed into Florida's Big Bend around 1:30 a.m. EDT Friday as a category 1 hurricane. Forecasters expect it to regain strength when it reaches the Atlantic Ocean. Image courtesy National Hurricane Center/NOAA Beach trash cans are strewn along the dunes from high winds along the coast from Tropical Storm Hermine in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, on September 2, 2016. Beach goers were discouraged from entering the water due to rip currents, turbulent waves and winds exceeding 50-mph. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo A woman picks up her small dog after tides surged along the beach in high winds from Tropical Storm Hermine in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, on September 2, 2016. Beach goers were discouraged from entering the water due to rip currents, turbulent waves and winds exceeding 50-mph. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo A and and daughter hold themselves against high winds along the coast from Tropical Storm Hermine in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, on September 2, 2016. Beach goers were discouraged from entering the water due to rip currents, turbulent waves and winds exceeding 50-mph. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo A young girl struggles to walk along the beach in high winds along the coast from Tropical Storm Hermine in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, on September 2, 2016. Beach goers were discouraged from entering the water due to rip currents, turbulent waves and winds exceeding 50-mph. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo A surfer struggles to hold on to his surfboard in high winds along the coast from Tropical Storm Hermine in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, on September 2, 2016. Beach goers were discouraged from entering the water due to rip currents, turbulent waves and winds exceeding 50-mph. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo A young man uses a raining parachute to pull his boogie board along the incoming tide as winds reach 50-mph along the coast from Tropical Storm Hermine in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, on September 2, 2016. Beach goers were discouraged from entering the water due to rip currents, turbulent waves and winds exceeding 50-mph. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo The Storm Warning flag flies above the beach in high winds along the coast from Tropical Storm Hermine in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, on September 2, 2016. Beach goers were discouraged from entering the water due to rip currents, turbulent waves and winds exceeding 50-mph. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The Sunshine State hardly lived up to its namesake on Friday, as Hurricane Hermine stormed ashore and left behind a soggy mess that killed one person and left a quarter-million others without electricity, authorities said. Hermine arrived about 1:30 a.m. EDT Friday at Florida's Big Bend area and carved a path between Tampa and the Panhandle with hurricane-force winds and torrential rains. Officials said a 56-year-old man died when he was hit by a falling tree. John Mayes had been sleeping in a tent behind a gas station in Ocala when a tree fell without warning. Emergency workers had to cut through the tree to get to him, but they declared him dead on the spot. RECOMMENDED Hawaiian islands prepare for Hurricane Lester Several Homes and businesses in Taylor County, located in the Panhandle area, were damaged from rising flood waters and at least 10 feet of storm surge. In Pasco County, unconfirmed reports of a tornado overturned a tractor trailer and downed trees. RELATED Hawaiian islands prepare for Hurricane Lester Florida Gov. Rick Scott said crews began assessing damages Friday afternoon and said the storm cut power to about 253,000 customers. He warned residents to begin cleanup with caution. After reaching shore, Hermine immediately began losing strength -- as storms pick up their speed from warm water in the oceans -- and was downgraded to a tropical storm early Friday as it headed northeast. By early Friday evening, it was located over North Carolina -- about 15 miles east of Charlotte, N.C. -- and making its way to the Atlantic, the National Hurricane Center said. RELATED Oil prices edge higher on Gulf of Mexico weather woes Video: CBS Evening News "We expect to see downed traffic lights, road signs and power lines that must be avoided. We also expect to have significant amounts of flood water along coastal and inland areas," Scott said earlier Friday. Hermine was the first hurricane to hit Florida since Hurricane Wilma in 2005. Forecasters said the storm, the eighth named system of the year, made landfall just south of Tallahassee as a Category 1 hurricane, bringing with it winds of 80 mph. By late Friday, tropical storm warnings had been discontinued for Florida's Gulf Coast, but meteorologists said tornadoes are possible for North and South Carolina throughout Friday night. The National Hurricane Center said the storm should re-strengthen once it moves into the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday and picks up more steam from the warm water there. "The combination of a storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. There is the possibility of life-threatening inundation during the next 48 hours at most coastal locations between the North Carolina/Virginia border and Bridgeport, Conn.," the National Hurricane Center said. A tropical storm watch has been posted for parts of New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island as Hermine continues north. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio warned the storm could cause severe damages, including flooding. "I don't want anyone to take this one lightly," he said Friday morning. "There are some elements of this storm that are very, very troubling." ||||| Hurricane Hermine, the first hurricane to strike Florida in more than a decade, made landfall on the Florida Gulf Coast early Friday morning, pummeling small seaside towns with powerful 80 mph winds and heavy rain. The Category 1 hurricane crashed ashore early Friday near St. Marks, a tiny town with a population of less than 300, in the low-lying, marshy Big Bend area, where the state's peninsula meets the Panhandle. In St. Marks, the storm surge flooded the Riverside Café, the Sweet Magnolia Inn and Bo Lynn’s Grocery, the community’s only grocery store. Yet it did not reach the post office as it did when Hurricane Kate swept through the region in 1983. “It just came up like a torrent, like you’re on the river rapids,” said Denise Waters, owner of the Sweet Magnolia Inn, which began to fill with 18 inches of water around dusk Thursday night. Storm water pooled in all the lower rooms, damaging her etched-glass doors and baby grand piano, and leaving mud all over her baseboards. “Oh boy, it’s a mess, for sure,” Waters said, as her husband, Andy, drove 15 miles to visit his 92-year-old mother, who had taken refuge in a hotel. “I don’t know what we’re going to do as she needs oxygen and all the hotels have lost power.” After pounding through a mostly undeveloped area of Wakulla County, full of national wildlife refuges and forests, Hermine stormed on to the state’s capital of Tallahassee, which has a population of more than 181,000. Hermine downed trees and tree limbs and knocked down power lines, blocking roads and cutting off power to more than 253,000 utility customers across Florida. Yet there were few reports of fatalities or injuries. In Marion County in Central Florida, a homeless man was hit by a tree, but officials were waiting for the coroner to confirm the death was storm related. At least 59 shelters were operational in Florida on Thursday night, serving approximately 300 people, the governor’s office said. The American Red Cross reported that five shelters were open in Georgia, sheltering 140 people. “We got a little less rain that we thought,” said Florida Gov. Rick Scott in a Friday morning news briefing. “What I worry about now is people driving in standing water, people touching power lines… We need to be careful. By end of the day, hopefully a lot of this will be cleaned up.” In Tallahassee, a tree fell on to Amy Park’s brick home about 11:45 p.m. Thursday night, creating a 10-by-10-foot hole in the middle of her living room and another in her kitchen. As rain poured through the roof, flooding her home, her husband and a friend emptied buckets through the night. “We have six kids sleeping on mattresses in the hallway right now,” she said in an interview with local television station WCTV. “The house is actually flooding, so we’ve grabbed pillows, blankets, couch cushions, anything we can to try to stop flooding from coming into the hallway where the children are.” As the hurricane traveled north, residents were urged to remain indoors and not travel unless absolutely necessary as crews from the Florida Department of Transportation cleared debris and fallen trees from roads. A few hours after landfall, Hermine weakened into a tropical storm as it moved further inland toward Georgia, according to the National Hurricane Center. At 11 a.m. EDT, it was about 55 miles west-southwest of Savannah, Ga., with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. Hermine is forecast to move up into the Carolinas late Friday and Saturday, with tropical-storm-force winds extending outward up to 175 miles from the center. Tropical storm warnings has been extended northward, all the way up to Fenwick Island, Del. Major cities, such as New York City and Long Island, are now under a tropical storm watch. A few hours after landfall, Hermine weakened into a tropical storm as it moved further inland toward Georgia, according to the National Hurricane Center. At 5 a.m., it was about 20 miles west of Valdosta, Ga., with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. Hermine is forecast to move farther inland across southeastern Georgia on Friday and into the Carolinas on Friday night and Saturday, with tropical-storm-force winds extending outward up to 175 miles from the center. Hermine is the first hurricane to strike the state since Wilma hit just south of Marco Island in southwest Florida in 2005, killing five people and causing $20 billion in damage. Governors in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina have declared states of emergency in a swath of counties: Gov. Rick Scott for 51 Florida counties, Gov. Nathan Deal for 56 Georgia counties and Gov. Pat McCrory for 33 North Carolina counties. Friday morning, the Weather Channel reported that 16 million people were under a tropical storm warning and 6 million were under a tropical storm watch. As the National Weather Service in Tallahassee forecast a storm tide of up to 9 feet that could lead to flooding, mandatory evacuations were in effect across low-lying, coastal areas of Franklin, Wakulla, Taylor, Dixie and Levy counties. Voluntary evacuations were issued along the coast of Walton, Gulf and Jefferson counties. “We’re right in the target, directly in the bull’s-eye,” said Steve Spradley, director of emergency management for Florida’s Taylor County, as a slow, steady rain soaked his region in the bend of the panhandle. “It’s quiet. We’re just sitting and waiting and planning.” ||||| Tropical storm and flooding watches and warnings were in effect along the Atlantic seaboard from South Carolina north to Rhode Island as the potentially life-threatening storm moved along a stretch inhabited by tens of millions of Americans. "Hermine not only threatens to foil weekend getaways at the beach, but has the potential to cause damage in some communities and pose risk to the lives of those who venture in the surf or on the seas," said Alex Sosnowski, a meteorologist, on Accuweather.com. The storm was projected to creep north along the Carolina coast, then gather strength after moving offshore into the Atlantic on Saturday morning, possibly reaching near-hurricane intensity by late Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said. The threat of severe weather caused officials in Atlantic City to cancel concerts over the weekend and beaches to close in several coastal communities. Labor Day weekend plans for thousands of vacationers who were headed to popular beach spots along the Atlantic seaboard were dampened after the storm battered Florida's $89 billion tourism industry. "We’ll probably stay inside watching movies or going to the movie theater," Joan Whalen told an ABC affiliate in Virginia after canceling plans to head to the beach for the weekend. Hermine, the first hurricane to make landfall in Florida in 11 years, swept ashore early on Friday near the Gulf shore town of St. Marks, 20 miles (30 km) south of the capital of Tallahassee, packing winds of 80 mph (130 kph) and churning up a devastating storm surge in coastal areas. As of 2 a.m. EDT, the fourth named storm of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season was about 115 miles (185 km) west of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, where 60 mph (95 kmh) winds were reported, the hurricane center said. Early Saturday morning, crews in Wilmington, North Carolina rescued several people who were sitting on top of their vehicle after a flood engulfed their street, photos from local media showed. At least one tornado was reported touching down in North Carolina on Saturday, causing at least one injury, local media reported. On Friday the storm passed near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, leaving some 51,000 power outages across the state, said state emergency management spokesman Derrec Becker. Becker said localized flooding hit low-lying areas across the state, and there were widespread reports of "downed power lines, downed trees, trees on cars and some flooded cars," along with isolated incidents of tree-damaged homes. A total of about 150,000 households were without power in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, utility companies reported on Saturday. Emergency declarations remained in effect for all or parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland. Overnight, crews in Pasco County, Florida, rescued more than a dozen people after their homes were flooded. Richard Jewett, 68, was rescued from his home in New Port Richey, just north of Tampa, as emergency teams carried out a mandatory evacuation. "The canal started creeping up toward the house, and even though it wasn't high tide it looked like it was coming inside," Jewett said. One storm-related death was reported by authorities in the northern Florida town of Ocala, where a fallen tree killed a homeless man sleeping in his tent. In addition to powerful winds extending up to 185 miles (295 km) from its center, Hermine was expected to unleash a dangerous storm surge in the Hampton Roads area of tidewater Virginia, where flooding could become 3 to 5 feet deep, the NHC warned. The storm also could douse several southeastern and mid-Atlantic states with up to 15 inches (38 cm) of rain through Sunday, the agency said. New Jersey, still mindful of devastation from superstorm Sandy in 2012, was on high alert as emergency officials advised residents to prepare for flooding, high winds and a surge of seawater. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday activated his state's emergency operations center and ordered officials to stockpile resources, including sandbags and generators. New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio said residents should avoid beach waters for fear of life-threatening riptides. In Florida, concerns over the standing water in which mosquitoes breed intensified as the state battled an outbreak of the Zika virus. ||||| There's a storm brewing, and it's not just in the Gulf Of Mexico, but on Twitter — over the name of a hurricane that is due to hit the Gulf Coast of Florida on Thursday night. The argument is over whether storm Hermine should have been named after the Harry Potter character Hermione or even the late Cincinnati gorilla, Harambe. More than 2,500 people have already signed a Change.org petition urging the World Meteorological Organization to change the name to pay tribute to Harambe, who was shot dead in May after a young boy fell into his enclosure at the city's zoo. 'Tropical Storm Hermine sounds terrible, and is disrespectful to the great Harambe. To honor Harambe, a renaming is required to continue his legacy,' the petition notes. A number of Twitter users appear to be campaigning for the storm to be renamed Hermione after one of Harry Potter's best wizarding friends. On social media Wednesday, the National Weather Service made it clear the name didn't have anything to do with Hermione Granger, one of the lead characters from the wildly popular Harry Potter series. 'We now have TS Hermine in the Gulf of Mexico! This is pronounced 'her-MEEN' instead of a certain character's name,' NWS in Huntsville said. In German versions of the fictional series, however, Hermione is named 'Hermine,' the feminine form of the name Herman. Despite the good intentions of the general public, the names for tropical storms come from a pre-determined list that see each season start at the beginning of the alphabet, alternating between genders, on a six-year cycle. The names are only retired if a storm is particularly deadly or catastrophic. Only then, can new names be introduced. It was a system that was developed by the World Meteorological Organization in 1979 to avoid confusion if more than one storm system developed at the same time. Hermine, the French version of Hermione, is derived from the Greek messenger god, Hermes, and is the eighth tropical storm of the year. In 2010, a different Tropical Storm Hermine killed four people and caused extensive flooding in Texas. ||||| Hurricane Hermine wreaked havoc across Florida on Friday, causing widespread power outages and flooding before diminishing into a tropical storm and plowing up the Atlantic Coast into the Carolinas with a still-potent mix of high winds and heavy rains. The first hurricane to make landfall in Florida in 11 years, Hermine swept ashore early on Friday near the Gulf shore town of St Marks, 20 miles (30 km) south of the capital of Tallahassee, packing winds of 80 mph (130 kph) and churning up a devastating storm surge in coastal areas. Torrential downpours and high surf left parts of some communities under water early Friday, with mandatory evacuations ordered in parts of five northwestern Florida counties. State officials said electricity had been knocked out to nearly 300,000 homes and businesses by afternoon. One storm-related death was reported by authorities in the northern Florida town of Ocala, where a fallen tree killed a homeless man sleeping in his tent. Hermine was expected to snarl Labor Day holiday travel as it churned northeast for several more days after battering Florida’s $89 billion tourism industry. While maximum sustained winds had weakened to 50 mph (80 kph), the tempest headed to the Atlantic seaboard along a path inhabited by tens of millions of Americans, prompting storm watches and warnings as far north as Rhode Island. As of 9:00pm EDT (0100 GMT), the fourth named storm of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season was passing near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, leaving some 51,000 power outages across the state, said state emergency management spokesman Derrec Becker. Becker said localised flooding hit low-lying areas across the state, and there were widespread reports of ‘downed power lines, downed trees, trees on cars and some flooded cars,’ along with isolated incidents of tree-damaged homes. One mobile home was virtually sliced in two by a fallen tree, but authorities had no reports of serious storm-related injuries or fatalities, Becker added. Likewise, emergency officials reported no storm deaths in Georgia, which Hermine swept through on its way to South Carolina, but said at least 100,000 utility customers were without power at one point. Emergency declarations remained in effect for all or parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland. The storm was projected to creep north along the Carolina coast Friday night, then gather strength after moving offshore into the Atlantic on Saturday morning, possibly reaching near-hurricane intensity by late Sunday, according to the National Hurricane Center. In addition to powerful winds extending up to 185 miles (295 km) from its center, Hermine was expected to unleash a dangerous storm surge in the Hampton Roads area of tidewater Virginia, where flooding could become 3 to 5 feet deep, the NHC warned. The storm also could douse several southeastern and mid-Atlantic states with up to 15 inches (38 cm) of rain through Sunday, the agency said. New Jersey, still mindful of devastation from superstorm Sandy in 2012, was on high alert as emergency officials advised residents to prepare for flooding, high winds and a surge of seawater. New York governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday activated his state’s emergency operations center and ordered officials to stockpile resources, including sandbags and generators. New York City mayor Bill De Blasio said residents should avoid beach waters for fear of life-threatening riptides. ‘I say that to people who go the beach, I say that to surfers: Don’t even think about it,’ De Blasio told reporters. In Florida, concerns over the standing water in which mosquitoes breed intensified as the state battled an outbreak of the Zika virus. ‘It is incredibly important that everyone does their part to combat the Zika virus by dumping standing water, no matter how small,’ Florida governor Rick Scott told a news conference. Overnight, crews in Pasco County, Florida, rescued more than a dozen people after their homes were flooded. Richard Jewett, 68, was rescued from his home in New Port Richey, just north of Tampa, as emergency teams carried out a mandatory evacuation. ‘The canal started creeping up toward the house, and even though it wasn’t high tide it looked like it was coming inside,’ Jewett said. ||||| Sept 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. East Coast faces a potential mix of dangerously high winds and heavy rains over the long holiday weekend as Tropical Storm Hermine plowed up the Atlantic Coast on Saturday, leaving a path of destruction in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. Tropical storm and flooding watches and warnings were in effect along the Atlantic seaboard from South Carolina north to Rhode Island as the potentially life-threatening storm moved along a stretch inhabited by tens of millions of Americans. "Hermine not only threatens to foil weekend getaways at the beach, but has the potential to cause damage in some communities and pose risk to the lives of those who venture in the surf or on the seas," said Alex Sosnowski, a meteorologist, on Accuweather.com. The storm was projected to creep north along the Carolina coast, then gather strength after moving offshore into the Atlantic on Saturday morning, possibly reaching near-hurricane intensity by late Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said. The threat of severe weather caused officials in Atlantic City to cancel concerts over the weekend and beaches to close in several coastal communities. Labor Day weekend plans for thousands of vacationers who were headed to popular beach spots along the Atlantic seaboard were dampened after the storm battered Florida's $89 billion tourism industry. "We'll probably stay inside watching movies or going to the movie theater," Joan Whalen told an ABC affiliate in Virginia after canceling plans to head to the beach for the weekend. Hermine, the first hurricane to make landfall in Florida in 11 years, swept ashore early on Friday near the Gulf shore town of St. Marks, 20 miles (30 km) south of the capital of Tallahassee, packing winds of 80 mph (130 kph) and churning up a devastating storm surge in coastal areas. As of 2 a.m. EDT, the fourth named storm of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season was about 115 miles (185 km) west of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, where 60 mph (95 kmh) winds were reported, the hurricane center said. Early Saturday morning, crews in Wilmington, North Carolina rescued several people who were sitting on top of their vehicle after a flood engulfed their street, photos from local media showed. At least one tornado was reported touching down in North Carolina on Saturday, causing at least one injury, local media reported. On Friday the storm passed near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, leaving some 51,000 power outages across the state, said state emergency management spokesman Derrec Becker. Becker said localized flooding hit low-lying areas across the state, and there were widespread reports of "downed power lines, downed trees, trees on cars and some flooded cars," along with isolated incidents of tree-damaged homes. A total of about 150,000 households were without power in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, utility companies reported on Saturday. Emergency declarations remained in effect for all or parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland. Overnight, crews in Pasco County, Florida, rescued more than a dozen people after their homes were flooded. Richard Jewett, 68, was rescued from his home in New Port Richey, just north of Tampa, as emergency teams carried out a mandatory evacuation. "The canal started creeping up toward the house, and even though it wasn't high tide it looked like it was coming inside," Jewett said. One storm-related death was reported by authorities in the northern Florida town of Ocala, where a fallen tree killed a homeless man sleeping in his tent. In addition to powerful winds extending up to 185 miles (295 km) from its center, Hermine was expected to unleash a dangerous storm surge in the Hampton Roads area of tidewater Virginia, where flooding could become 3 to 5 feet deep, the NHC warned. The storm also could douse several southeastern and mid-Atlantic states with up to 15 inches (38 cm) of rain through Sunday, the agency said. New Jersey, still mindful of devastation from superstorm Sandy in 2012, was on high alert as emergency officials advised residents to prepare for flooding, high winds and a surge of seawater. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday activated his state's emergency operations center and ordered officials to stockpile resources, including sandbags and generators. New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio said residents should avoid beach waters for fear of life-threatening riptides. In Florida, concerns over the standing water in which mosquitoes breed intensified as the state battled an outbreak of the Zika virus. ||||| Sept 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. East Coast faces a potential mix of dangerously high winds and heavy rains over the long holiday weekend as Tropical Storm Hermine plowed up the Atlantic Coast on Saturday, leaving a path of destruction in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. Tropical storm and flooding watches and warnings were in effect along the Atlantic seaboard from South Carolina north to Rhode Island as the potentially life-threatening storm moved along a stretch inhabited by tens of millions of Americans. "Hermine not only threatens to foil weekend getaways at the beach, but has the potential to cause damage in some communities and pose risk to the lives of those who venture in the surf or on the seas," said Alex Sosnowski, a meteorologist, on Accuweather.com. The storm was projected to creep north along the Carolina coast, then gather strength after moving offshore into the Atlantic on Saturday morning, possibly reaching near-hurricane intensity by late Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said. The threat of severe weather caused officials in Atlantic City to cancel concerts over the weekend and beaches to close in several coastal communities. Labor Day weekend plans for thousands of vacationers who were headed to popular beach spots along the Atlantic seaboard were dampened after the storm battered Florida's $89 billion tourism industry. "We'll probably stay inside watching movies or going to the movie theater," Joan Whalen told an ABC affiliate in Virginia after canceling plans to head to the beach for the weekend. Hermine, the first hurricane to make landfall in Florida in 11 years, swept ashore early on Friday near the Gulf shore town of St. Marks, 20 miles (30 km) south of the capital of Tallahassee, packing winds of 80 mph (130 kph) and churning up a devastating storm surge in coastal areas. As of 5 a.m. EDT, the fourth named storm of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season was about 60 miles (95 km) west-northwest of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, where 60 mph (95 kmh) winds were reported, the hurricane center said. Early Saturday morning, crews in Wilmington, North Carolina rescued several people who were sitting on top of their vehicle after a flood engulfed their street, photos from local media showed. At least one tornado was reported touching down in North Carolina on Saturday, causing at least one injury, local media reported. On Friday the storm passed near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, leaving some 51,000 power outages across the state, said state emergency management spokesman Derrec Becker. Becker said localized flooding hit low-lying areas across the state, and there were widespread reports of "downed power lines, downed trees, trees on cars and some flooded cars," along with isolated incidents of tree-damaged homes. A total of about 150,000 households were without power in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, utility companies reported on Saturday. Emergency declarations remained in effect for all or parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland. Overnight, crews in Pasco County, Florida, rescued more than a dozen people after their homes were flooded. Richard Jewett, 68, was rescued from his home in New Port Richey, just north of Tampa, as emergency teams carried out a mandatory evacuation. "The canal started creeping up toward the house, and even though it wasn't high tide it looked like it was coming inside," Jewett said. One storm-related death was reported by authorities in the northern Florida town of Ocala, where a fallen tree killed a homeless man sleeping in his tent. In addition to powerful winds extending up to 185 miles (295 km) from its center, Hermine was expected to unleash a dangerous storm surge in the Hampton Roads area of tidewater Virginia, where flooding could become 3 to 5 feet deep, the NHC warned. The storm also could douse several southeastern and mid-Atlantic states with up to 15 inches (38 cm) of rain through Sunday, the agency said. New Jersey, still mindful of devastation from superstorm Sandy in 2012, was on high alert as emergency officials advised residents to prepare for flooding, high winds and a surge of seawater. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday activated his state's emergency operations center and ordered officials to stockpile resources, including sandbags and generators. New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio said residents should avoid beach waters for fear of life-threatening riptides. In Florida, concerns over the standing water in which mosquitoes breed intensified as the state battled an outbreak of the Zika virus. (Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Gareth Jones) ||||| Hurricane Hermine dropped to a tropical storm but then regained strength Saturday as it drenched coastal North Carolina and Virginia on a path up the East Coast. Hermine (her-MEEN) could approach hurricane intensity again Sunday as it spins over the Atlantic Ocean, lashing coastal areas as far north as Massachusetts through a soggy Labor Day weekend. "Anyone along the U.S. East Coast needs to be paying close attention this weekend," said Dennis Feltgen, a spokesman for the National Hurricane Center. At 11 a.m. Saturday, Hermine was centered just off North Carolina's Outer Banks, with top sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph), moving east-northeast at 15 mph (24 kph). Tropical Storm Warnings were extended through New York City to Rhode Island, and a dangerous storm surge was expected from Virginia to New Jersey. Hermine rose up over the Gulf of Mexico and became the first hurricane to hit Florida in more than a decade, wiping away beachside buildings, toppling trees onto homes and leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity as it plowed onward to the Atlantic Coast. About 300,000 homes were without electricity in Florida, Gov. Rick Scott said Saturday morning. Other outages included more than 107,000 without power in Georgia, 21,000 in South Carolina, 45,000 in North Carolina and 53,000 in Virginia. "I want everybody to have their power. I want them to be able to take a hot shower," Scott said. Governors Terry McAulliff of Virginia and Larry Hogan of Maryland declared states of emergency for coastal areas and warned of life-threatening storm surges. In Florida's Big Bend area, the storm surge crumpled docks and washed out homes and businesses. A homeless man died from a falling tree south of Gainesville, Scott said. Scott observed damage in the coastal communities of Cedar Key and Steinhatchee by helicopter, and pledged state help for damaged businesses. Hermine spawned a small tornado over North Carolina's Outer Banks, knocking over two trailers and injuring four people. In Virginia Beach, the storm forced Bruce Springsteen to move a Saturday night concert to Monday. Further up the coast, Amtrak cancelled or altered some service as the storm approached. New Jersey officials ordered swimmers out of the surf. And Gov. Andrew Cuomo activated New York's Emergency Operations Center to begin preparations. In Valdosta, Georgia, Hermine didn't cause much damage other than the holes in Nick Wykoff's roof from a burly pecan tree that was toppled in strong winds. He, his wife and their small children were unhurt. The timing couldn't be worse for communities along the coast that count on Labor Day weekend festivals for revenue. In Savannah, Georgia, Bacon Fest was canceled Friday and the Craft Brew Fest had to move beer tents indoors. Back in Florida, the surge at Dekle Beach damaged numerous homes and destroyed storage buildings and a 100-yard fishing pier. The area is about 60 miles southeast of St. Marks, where Hermine made landfall at 1:30 a.m. An unnamed spring storm that hit the beach in 1993 killed 10 people who refused to evacuate. This time, only three residents stayed behind. All escaped injury. In nearby Steinhatchee, Bobbi Pattison wore galoshes and was covered in black muck as she stood in her living room amid overturned furniture and an acrid smell. Tiny crabs darted around her floor. "I had a hurricane cocktail party last night and God got even with me," she said with a chuckle. Only wet sand and rubble remained where her bar once stood. Pattison and two neighbors managed to set upright a large wooden statue of a sea captain she had carved from wood that washed ashore in the 1993 storm. The last hurricane to strike Florida was Wilma, a powerful Category 3 storm that arrived on Oct. 24, 2005. It swept across the Everglades and struck heavily populated south Florida, causing five deaths in the state and an estimated $23 billion in damage. The Florida governor declared an emergency in 51 counties and said about 6,000 National Guardsmen stood ready to mobilize for the storm's aftermath. The governors of Georgia and North Carolina also declared emergencies. Associated Press writers Freida Frisaro and Curt Anderson in Miami; Terry Spencer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Gary Fineout, Joe Reedy and Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee, Florida; Tamara Lush in Tampa, Florida; Russ Bynum in Valdosta, Georgia, and Jeff Martin in Atlanta contributed to this report. ||||| Tropical storm and flooding watches and warnings were in effect along the Atlantic seaboard from South Carolina north to Rhode Island as the potentially life-threatening storm moved along a stretch inhabited by tens of millions of Americans. "Hermine not only threatens to foil weekend getaways at the beach, but has the potential to cause damage in some communities and pose risk to the lives of those who venture in the surf or on the seas," said Alex Sosnowski, a meteorologist, on Accuweather.com. The storm was projected to creep north along the Carolina coast, then gather strength after moving offshore into the Atlantic on Saturday morning, possibly reaching near-hurricane intensity by late Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said. The threat of severe weather caused officials in Atlantic City to cancel concerts over the weekend and beaches to close in several coastal communities. Labor Day weekend plans for thousands of vacationers who were headed to popular beach spots along the Atlantic seaboard were dampened after the storm battered Florida's $89 billion tourism industry. "We’ll probably stay inside watching movies or going to the movie theater," Joan Whalen told an ABC affiliate in Virginia after canceling plans to head to the beach for the weekend. Hermine, the first hurricane to make landfall in Florida in 11 years, swept ashore early on Friday near the Gulf shore town of St. Marks, 20 miles (30 km) south of the capital of Tallahassee, packing winds of 80 mph (130 kph) and churning up a devastating storm surge in coastal areas. As of 2 a.m. EDT, the fourth named storm of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season was about 115 miles (185 km) west of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, where 60 mph (95 kmh) winds were reported, the hurricane center said. Early Saturday morning, crews in Wilmington, North Carolina rescued several people who were sitting on top of their vehicle after a flood engulfed their street, photos from local media showed. At least one tornado was reported touching down in North Carolina on Saturday, causing at least one injury, local media reported. On Friday the storm passed near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, leaving some 51,000 power outages across the state, said state emergency management spokesman Derrec Becker. Becker said localized flooding hit low-lying areas across the state, and there were widespread reports of "downed power lines, downed trees, trees on cars and some flooded cars," along with isolated incidents of tree-damaged homes. A total of about 150,000 households were without power in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, utility companies reported on Saturday. Emergency declarations remained in effect for all or parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland. Overnight, crews in Pasco County, Florida, rescued more than a dozen people after their homes were flooded. Richard Jewett, 68, was rescued from his home in New Port Richey, just north of Tampa, as emergency teams carried out a mandatory evacuation. "The canal started creeping up toward the house, and even though it wasn't high tide it looked like it was coming inside," Jewett said. One storm-related death was reported by authorities in the northern Florida town of Ocala, where a fallen tree killed a homeless man sleeping in his tent. In addition to powerful winds extending up to 185 miles (295 km) from its center, Hermine was expected to unleash a dangerous storm surge in the Hampton Roads area of tidewater Virginia, where flooding could become 3 to 5 feet deep, the NHC warned. The storm also could douse several southeastern and mid-Atlantic states with up to 15 inches (38 cm) of rain through Sunday, the agency said. New Jersey, still mindful of devastation from superstorm Sandy in 2012, was on high alert as emergency officials advised residents to prepare for flooding, high winds and a surge of seawater. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday activated his state's emergency operations center and ordered officials to stockpile resources, including sandbags and generators. New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio said residents should avoid beach waters for fear of life-threatening riptides. In Florida, concerns over the standing water in which mosquitoes breed intensified as the state battled an outbreak of the Zika virus.
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Hermine, as a Category 1 storm, kills one person and leaves a quarter-million others without electricity during its trek through Florida. Now a tropical storm over North Carolina, Hermine should re-strengthen when it moves into the Atlantic Ocean tomorrow. Tropical storm warnings and watches are issued from Georgia to Rhode Island.
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KABUL, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Afghan security forces ended an 11-hour standoff in central Kabul on Tuesday, killing the last gunman holding out after an attack that began when a car bomber blew himself up in a prosperous business and residential area. Police sealed off the centre of the city as they battled three attackers who barricaded themselves inside an office of the aid group Care International. After hours of standoff, interrupted occasionally by sporadic gunfire, Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said Afghan special forces had killed all those involved in the attack in the Share Naw area of Kabul. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which took place just hours after Taliban suicide bombers killed at least 24 people near the Defence Ministry, including a number of senior security officials. Initial casualty reports suggested one person had been killed and six injured while more than 31 people were evacuated. The attacks highlighted the precarious security in the capital just a month before a conference in Brussels where international donors are expected to pledge continued financial support to Afghanistan. After several hours of quiet overnight, gunfire and explosions could be heard as day broke. Rafi Ullah, a security guard near the Care International office was walking in the area when the explosion occurred. "Right after the explosion, a huge flame rose and everything was covered with smoke, and then Afghan security forces arrived and blocked the area," he said. City traffic was blocked in several places and schools in the vicinity were closed. Hours before the attack in Share Naw late on Monday, at least 24 people were killed and 91 wounded when twin blasts in quick succession tore through an afternoon crowd in a bustling area close to the Defence Ministry. The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for that attack, in which a suicide bomber caught security forces personnel and civilians who rushed to help victims of the first explosion. An army general and two senior police commanders were among the dead, a Defence Ministry official said. Another official said the deputy head of President Ashraf Ghani's personal protection force had also been killed. The double bombing came less than two weeks after gunmen attacked the American University in Kabul, killing 13 people. It was the deadliest attack in Kabul since at least 80 people were killed by a suicide bomber who targeted a demonstration on July 23. That assault was claimed by Islamic State. The Taliban's ability to conduct coordinated attacks in Kabul has piled pressure on the Western-backed government, which has struggled to reassure a war-weary population that it can guarantee security. Afghanistan's foreign partners, concerned about the ability of the security forces to withstand Taliban violence, are expected to pledge support over coming years at the Brussels conference, three months after NATO members reaffirmed their commitment at a meeting in Warsaw. Outside Kabul, the insurgents have stepped up their military campaign, threatening towns including Lashkar Gah, capital of the strategic southern province of Helmand, as well as Kunduz, the northern city they briefly took last year. (Additional reporting by Sayed Hassib; Writing by James Mackenzie, Rupam Jain; Editing by Nick Macfie, Robert Birsel) ||||| ||||| KABUL (Reuters) - A car bomb hit the center of Kabul late on Monday, just hours after a Taliban suicide attack near the Defense Ministry killed at least 24 people including a number of senior security officials, and wounded 91 others, officials said. Gunmen who followed the initial attack appeared to have barricaded themselves into a building and security forces blocked off a large area in the city center. After several hours of quiet overnight, sporadic gunfire and explosions could be heard as day broke but there was no immediate comment on the operation from police and no claim of responsibility. Just a month before a conference in Brussels where international donors are expected to pledge continued financial support to Afghanistan, the attacks highlighted the precarious security climate in the capital. Earlier on Monday, twin blasts in quick succession tore through an afternoon crowd in a bustling area of the city close to the Defense Ministry. The Taliban immediately claimed responsibility for that attack, in which a suicide bomber caught security forces personnel and civilians who rushed to help victims of the first explosion. “When the first explosion happened people crowded to the site and then the second blast occurred, which was really powerful and killed lots of people,” said Samiullah Safi, who witnessed the attack. An army general and two senior police commanders were among the dead, a Defense Ministry official said. Another official said the deputy head of President Ashraf Ghani’s personal protection force had also been killed. The double bombing came less than two weeks after gunmen attacked the American University in Kabul, killing 13 people. It was the deadliest attack in Kabul since at least 80 people were killed by a suicide bomber who targeted a demonstration on July 23. That assault was claimed by Islamic State. Slideshow (5 Images) The Taliban’s ability to conduct coordinated high profile attacks in the capital Kabul has piled pressure on the Western-backed government, which has struggled to reassure a war-weary population that it can guarantee security. Afghanistan’s foreign partners, concerned about the ability of the security forces to withstand Taliban violence, are expected to pledge support over coming years at the Brussels conference, three months after NATO members reaffirmed their commitment at a meeting in Warsaw. Outside Kabul, the insurgents have stepped up their military campaign, threatening Laskkar Gah, capital of the strategic southern province of Helmand as well as Kunduz, the northern city they briefly took last year. ||||| Explosions in Afghan capital Kabul kill at least 24 KABUL, Sept 5 (Reuters) - A loud explosion hit the centre of Kabul late on Monday, just hours after a Taliban suicide attack near the Defence Ministry killed at least 24 people, including a number of senior security officials, and wounded 91 others, officials said. Sporadic gunfire could be heard in an area with many shops and businesses and initial reports suggested that a guesthouse had been targeted. Glass from shattered windows lay on the street near the explosion but police sealed off the area but there was no immediate claim of responsibility and no word on any casualties. Just a month before a conference in Brussels where international donors are expected to pledge continued financial support to Afghanistan, the attacks highlighted the precarious security climate in the capital. Earlier on Monday, twin blasts in quick succession tore through an afternoon crowd in a bustling area of the city close to the Defence Ministry. The Taliban immediately claimed responsibility for that attack, in which a suicide bomber caught security forces personnel and civilians who rushed to help victims of the first explosion. "When the first explosion happened people crowded to the site and then the second blast occurred, which was really powerful and killed lots of people," said Samiullah Safi, who witnessed the attack. An army general and two senior police commanders were among the dead, a Defence Ministry official said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which it said killed 58 officers and commanders. The militants have stepped up their campaign against the Western-backed government in recent weeks, following a brief lull after the death of their former leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansour. The double bombing came less than two weeks after gunmen attacked the American University in Kabul, killing 13 people. It was the deadliest attack in Kabul since at least 80 people were killed by a suicide bomber who targeted a demonstration on July 23. That assault was claimed by Islamic State. Afghanistan's foreign partners, concerned about the ability of the security forces to withstand Taliban violence, are expected to pledge support over coming years at the Brussels conference, three months after NATO members reaffirmed their commitment at a meeting in Warsaw. (Additional reporting by Sayed Hassib; Writing by James Mackenzie; Editing by Robert Birsel and Alison Williams) ||||| The double bombing came less than two weeks after gunmen attacked the American University in Kabul, killing 13 people. A loud explosion hit the centre of Kabul late on Monday, hours after a Taliban suicide attack near the Defence Ministry killed at least 24 people, including a number of senior security officials, and wounded 91 others, officials said. Sporadic gunfire could be heard in an area of the city near to embassies and government buildings, including the Interior Ministry but there was no immediate claim of responsibility and no word on any casualties. Earlier, twin blasts in quick succession tore through an afternoon crowd in a bustling area of the city close to the Defence Ministry. The Taliban immediately claimed responsibility for that attack, in which a suicide bomber caught security forces personnel and civilians who rushed to help victims of the first explosion. “When the first explosion happened people crowded to the site and then the second blast occurred, which was really powerful and killed lots of people,” said Samiullah Safi, who witnessed the attack. An army general and two senior police commanders were among the dead, a Defence Ministry official said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which it said killed 58 officers and commanders. The militants have stepped up their campaign against the Western-backed government in recent weeks, following a brief lull after the death of their former leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansour. The double bombing came less than two weeks after gunmen attacked the American University in Kabul, killing 13 people. It was the deadliest attack in Kabul since at least 80 people were killed by a suicide bomber who targeted a demonstration on July 23. That assault was claimed by Islamic State. Government officials have been preparing for a conference in Brussels next month at which foreign donors, concerned about the ability of the Afghan security forces to withstand Taliban violence, are expected to pledge continuing support over coming years. ||||| KABUL， Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Taliban militants fighting the government to regain power have claimed responsibility for twin blasts that went off near the fortified defense ministry on Monday claiming 24 lives besides injuring 91 others including security personnel and civilians. In the deadly incidents， according to the spokesman for Public Health Ministry， Ismael Kawusi， two dozen people have lost their lives and more than 90 injured who have been taken to hospitals for medical treatment. "Based on the latest information collected from concerned sources and hospitals， 24 people including civilians and security personnel were killed and 91 others injured in the twin blasts that hit near defense ministry today afternoon，" Kawusi told Xinhua. However， eyewitnesses believed that the casualties might go higher than reported by officials. Meantime， Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi in talks with media has confirmed that one police officer is also among those killed in the deadly attacks. According to Sediqi， an explosive device went off in front of the second police district， which is next to defense ministry， causing casualties， and when security personnel rushed to the site of the blast to rescue the injured people， a suicide bomber blew himself up killing and injuring people at nearby. The twin blasts occurred at 03:30 p.m. local time when the employees of defense ministry were coming out from the gate after their duties. Defense Ministry is located next to the Finance Ministry， the Presidential Palace， and the Petroleum and Mines Ministry among other government buildings. A busy road is located in front of the Defense Ministry， where hundreds of civilian vehicles and pedestrians travel to the downtown city. This is the third terrorist attack conducted by militant groups on the same road against defense ministry over the past couple of years. Zabihullah Majahid who claims to speak for the Taliban outfit， in contact with media claimed responsibility for the twin attacks， insisting huge casualties inflicted to the personnel of defense ministry. President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani in a statement released by his office blamed the "enemies of Afghanistan" for organizing the deadly bombings and condemned it with strongest term. Meantime， local observers blamed security lapse for the deadly double bombings， saying that security slips would enable Taliban and associated groups to conduct subversive activities even in the fortified capital city Kabul. ||||| Attacks in Afghan capital kill at least 24 KABUL, Sept 6 (Reuters) - A car bomb hit the centre of Kabul late on Monday, just hours after a Taliban suicide attack near the Defence Ministry killed at least 24 people including a number of senior security officials, and wounded 91 others, officials said. Gunmen who followed the initial attack appeared to have barricaded themselves into a building and security forces blocked off a large area in the city centre. After several hours of quiet overnight, sporadic gunfire and explosions could be heard as day broke but there was no immediate comment on the operation from police and no claim of responsibility. Just a month before a conference in Brussels where international donors are expected to pledge continued financial support to Afghanistan, the attacks highlighted the precarious security climate in the capital. Earlier on Monday, twin blasts in quick succession tore through an afternoon crowd in a bustling area of the city close to the Defence Ministry. The Taliban immediately claimed responsibility for that attack, in which a suicide bomber caught security forces personnel and civilians who rushed to help victims of the first explosion. "When the first explosion happened people crowded to the site and then the second blast occurred, which was really powerful and killed lots of people," said Samiullah Safi, who witnessed the attack. An army general and two senior police commanders were among the dead, a Defence Ministry official said. Another official said the deputy head of President Ashraf Ghani's personal protection force had also been killed. The double bombing came less than two weeks after gunmen attacked the American University in Kabul, killing 13 people. It was the deadliest attack in Kabul since at least 80 people were killed by a suicide bomber who targeted a demonstration on July 23. That assault was claimed by Islamic State. The Taliban's ability to conduct coordinated high profile attacks in the capital Kabul has piled pressure on the Western-backed government, which has struggled to reassure a war-weary population that it can guarantee security. Afghanistan's foreign partners, concerned about the ability of the security forces to withstand Taliban violence, are expected to pledge support over coming years at the Brussels conference, three months after NATO members reaffirmed their commitment at a meeting in Warsaw. Outside Kabul, the insurgents have stepped up their military campaign, threatening Laskkar Gah, capital of the strategic southern province of Helmand as well as Kunduz, the northern city they briefly took last year. (Additional reporting by Sayed Hassib; Writing by James Mackenzie; Editing by Alison Williams, Sandra Maler and Michael Perry) ||||| Image copyright Reuters Image caption The attack on Monday is the latest in a series of militant bombings of Kabul in recent months Twin bomb blasts in the Afghan capital Kabul have killed at least 24 people and injured 91 others near the defence ministry, officials say. The first bomb was detonated remotely while the second was triggered by a suicide bomber, local media reported. An army general and two senior police officers are among the dead, a ministry of defence spokesperson told the BBC. The Taliban, who have carried out frequent attacks in Kabul, claimed the blasts. Deputy defence ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanish told the Associated Press news agency that the suicide attacker struck as security forces gathered near the ministry to deal with the first blast. As night fell, another loud explosion was heard in Kabul, followed by gunfire. There was no immediate word on the cause of the blast or details of any casualties. Image copyright Reuters Image caption Police and the security services have now secured the area of the blasts Image copyright Reuters Image caption The emergency services rushed to treat numerous injured people Image copyright AP Image caption The area of the attack is now being cleared up by fire fighters Civilians, police and soldiers were all killed in the earlier blasts as ministry employees were leaving work at rush hour. President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack saying it had been carried out by "the enemies of Afghanistan who have lost their ability to fight the security and defence forces". He said that "the aim of the terrorists is to spread fear". An Italian-run emergency hospital in Kabul tweeted that it was treating 21 injured people, four of whom died on arrival. The attack comes 11 days after 13 people, including seven students, died in an attack by gunmen on the American University in Kabul. Image copyright Reuters Image caption Scores of the injured were rushed to hospital in the aftermath of the blasts In August two foreign professors, one from the US and one from Australia, were kidnapped by armed men near the university. No group has admitted responsibility and their whereabouts are still unknown. Several other foreigners have been kidnapped in recent times. In July a suicide bomber from the self-styled Islamic State (IS) targeted a protest march by members of the Shia Hazara minority in Kabul, killing 80 people. Shia Muslims are reviled by IS. The upsurge in violence in the capital comes as the Taliban also strives to increase its presence nationally, making an already uncertain security situation even worse since Nato forces ended their combat mission in Afghanistan at the end of 2014. The militants are now threatening to capture Lashkar Gah, the capital of the southern province of Helmand, in addition to the northern city of Kunduz - which they briefly captured last year in their biggest military offensive since the US-led 2001 invasion. ||||| Afghan security forces sealed off the centre of Kabul on Tuesday as they battled gunmen who barricaded themselves inside the offices of an international aid group after a car bomb attack on Monday night. The attack in a prosperous business and residential area of the capital took place just hours after a Taliban suicide attack near the Defence Ministry killed at least 24 people, including a number of senior security officials. Fraidoon Obaidi, chief of the Kabul police Criminal Investigation Department, said one of the two gunmen who had entered an office of Care International in Kabul had been killed but another was holding out. “We have rescued several families from the area,” he said. The attacks highlighted the precarious security climate in the capital just a month before a conference in Brussels where international donors are expected to pledge continued financial support to Afghanistan. After several hours of quiet overnight, sporadic gunfire and explosions could be heard as day broke. Security officials evacuated terrified civilians from their offices and homes near the explosion site. An Interior Ministry official said initial reports indicated one person had been killed and six wounded in the attack, with 31 people rescued from the area. Kabul traffic was blocked in several parts of the city and schools in the area were closed. On Monday, 24 people were killed and 91 wounded when twin blasts in quick succession tore through an afternoon crowd in a bustling area of the city close to the Defence Ministry. The Taliban immediately claimed responsibility for that attack, in which a suicide bomber caught security forces personnel and civilians who rushed to help victims of the first explosion. “When the first explosion happened people crowded to the site and then the second blast occurred, which was really powerful and killed lots of people,” said Samiullah Safi, who witnessed the attack. An army general and two senior police commanders were among the dead, a Defence Ministry official said. Another official said the deputy head of President Ashraf Ghani’s personal protection force had also been killed. The double bombing came less than two weeks after gunmen attacked the American University in Kabul, killing 13 people. It was the deadliest attack in Kabul since at least 80 people were killed by a suicide bomber who targeted a demonstration on July 23. That assault was claimed by Islamic State. The Taliban’s ability to conduct coordinated high profile attacks in Kabul has piled pressure on the Western-backed government, which has struggled to reassure a war-weary population that it can guarantee security. Afghanistan’s foreign partners, concerned about the ability of the security forces to withstand Taliban violence, are expected to pledge support over coming years at the Brussels conference, three months after NATO members reaffirmed their commitment at a meeting in Warsaw. Outside Kabul, the insurgents have stepped up their military campaign, threatening Lashkar Gah, capital of the strategic southern province of Helmand, as well as Kunduz, the northern city they briefly took last year. ||||| Dozens of people have been killed after a Taliban suicide attack in Kabul - with a second blast aimed at those helping the wounded. Two explosions in quick succession went off near the defence ministry in the Afghan capital, killing at least 24 people - including security officials - and wounding 91. A witness described how the second blast ripped through a crowd of troops, police and civilians who had rushed to the busy area, near a market and a main junction. 'When the first explosion happened people crowded to the site and then the second blast occurred, which was really powerful and killed lots of people,' said Samiullah Safi, who witnessed the attack. The casualty total may increase as more information becomes available, said Mohammad Ismail Kawousi, a spokesman for the public health ministry. An army general and two senior police commanders were among the dead, a defence ministry official said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which it said killed 58 officers and commanders. The militants have stepped up their campaign against the Western-backed government in recent weeks, following a brief lull after the death of their former leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansour. The double bombing came less than two weeks after gunmen attacked the American University in Kabul, killing 13 people. It was the deadliest attack in Kabul since at least 80 people were killed by a suicide bomber who targeted a demonstration on July 23. That assault was claimed by Islamic State. Government officials have been preparing for a conference in Brussels next month. This is expected to see foreign donors pledge continuing support over coming years in the light of Afghanistan's security forces to withstand terrorist violence.
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Two successive suicide bombers on foot kill at least 24 people and injure 91 others, including senior security and police officials, after striking close to the Afghan Ministry of Defence in Kabul. The Taliban claims responsibility by disclosing the death of 58 officers and commanders. Another bombing took place not long after.
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Wells Fargo has long been the envy of the banking industry for its ability to sell multiple products to the same customer, but regulators on Thursday said those practices went too far in some instances. The largest U.S. bank by market capitalization will pay $185 million in penalties and $5 million to customers that regulators say were pushed into fee-generating accounts they never requested. “We regret and take responsibility for any instances where customers may have received a product that they did not request,” the bank said of a settlement reached Thursday with California prosecutors and federal regulators. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will receive $100 million of the total penalties - the largest fine ever levied by the federal agency. “Today’s action should serve notice to the entire industry that financial incentive programs, if not monitored carefully, carry serious risks that can have serious legal consequences,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. Los Angeles officials and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency were also party to the settlement. In a complaint filed in May 2015, California prosecutors alleged that Wells Fargo pushed customers into costly financial products that they did not need or even request. Bank employees were told that the average customer tapped six financial tools but that they should push households to use eight products, according to the complaint. The bank opened more than 2 million deposit and credit card accounts that may not have been authorized, the CFPB said Thursday. Wells Fargo spokeswoman Mary Eshet said the bank fired 5,300 employees over “inappropriate sales conduct.” The firings took place over a five-year period, Eshet said, adding that the bank has 100,000 employees in its branches. Wells Fargo regularly releases numbers about how many products it sells to customers, a practice it calls “cross-sell.” Its wealth and investment management unit, for example, sold 10.55 products per retail banking household in November 2015, up from 10.49 a year earlier, according to the bank’s annual 10-K financial filing. A Wells Fargo branch is seen in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois, February 10, 2015. REUTERS/Jim Young In the second quarter, however, the bank changed how it tallies up some of those numbers and said it was considering more changes. Piper Jaffray analyst Kevin Barker said he does not think the crackdown on Wells Fargo will have much of an impact on others in the industry. “I think this is unique to Wells Fargo and their particular situation and how hard they push on cross-sell,” he said. ||||| (Reuters) - Wells Fargo will pay $185 million in penalties and $5 million to customers that regulators say were pushed into fee-generating accounts that they never requested, officials said on Thursday. "Wells Fargo reached these agreements consistent with our commitment to customers and in the interest of putting this matter behind us," the bank said of its settlement with California prosecutors and federal regulators. "We regret and take responsibility for any instances where customers may have received a product that they did not request," it added. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will receive $100 million of the total penalties - the largest fine ever levied by the agency, which was conceived after the 2008 financial crisis. "Today's action should serve notice to the entire industry that financial incentive programs, if not monitored carefully, carry serious risks that can have serious legal consequences," said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. Los Angeles officials and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency were also party to the settlement. In a complaint filed in May 2015, California prosecutors alleged that Wells Fargo pushed customers into costly financial products that they did not need or even request. According to that complaint, Wells Fargo employees pushed checking account customers into savings, credit and online accounts that could generate fees. Bank employees were told that the average customer tapped six financial tools but that they should push households to use eight products, according to the complaint. The bank opened more than 2 million deposit and credit card accounts that may not have been authorized, according to the CFPB. The bank said that the deal this week settles the "allegations that some of its retail customers received products and services that they did not request." In recent financial filings, Wells Fargo has changed how it describes and calculates "cross-sell" - a term for bundling multiple products to retail, wealth management and corporate customers. The bank added new language to its last annual report, stating that its "approach to cross-sell is needs-based as some customers will benefit from more products, and some may need fewer." ||||| NEW YORK (AP) — Regulators are fining Wells Fargo $185 million for illegally opening millions of unauthorized accounts for their customers in order to meet aggressive sales goals. The San Francisco-based bank will pay $100 million to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a federal agency created five years ago; $35 million to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and $50 million to the City and County of Los Angeles. It will also pay restitution to affected customers. The CFPB says Wells Fargo sales staff opened more than 2 million bank and credit card accounts that may have not been authorized by customers. In a statement, Wells Fargo said: "We regret and take responsibility for any instances where customers may have received a product that they did not request." ||||| Everyone hates paying bank fees. But imagine paying fees on a ghost account you didn't even sign up for. That's exactly what happened to Wells Fargo customers nationwide. On Thursday, federal regulators said Wells Fargo employees secretly created millions of unauthorized bank and credit card accounts -- without their customers knowing it -- since 2011. The phony accounts earned the bank unwarranted fees and allowed Wells Fargo employees to boost their sales figures and make more money. "Wells Fargo employees secretly opened unauthorized accounts to hit sales targets and receive bonuses," Richard Cordray, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, said in a statement. Wells Fargo confirmed to CNNMoney that it had fired 5,300 employees over the last few years related to the shady behavior. Employees went to far as to create phony PIN numbers and fake email addresses to enroll customers in online banking services, the CFPB said. Related: Who owns Wells Fargo? You, me and Warren Buffett The scope of the scandal is shocking. An analysis conducted by a consulting firm hired by Wells Fargo concluded that bank employees opened up over 1.5 million deposit accounts that may not have been authorized, according to the CFPB. The way it worked was that employees moved funds from customers' existing accounts into newly-created accounts without their knowledge or consent, regulators say. The CFPB described this practice as "widespread" and led to customers being charged for insufficient funds or overdraft fees -- because the money was not in their original accounts. Additionally, Wells Fargo employees also submitted applications for 565,443 credit card accounts without their knowledge or consent, the CFPB said the analysis found. Roughly 14,000 of those accounts incurred over $400,000 in fees, including annual fees, interest charges and overdraft-protection fees. The CFPB said Wells Fargo will pay "full restitutions to all victims." Wells Fargo is being slapped with the largest penalty since the CFPB was founded in 2011. The bank agreed to pay $185 million in fines, along with $5 million to refund customers. "We regret and take responsibility for any instances where customers may have received a product that they did not request," Wells Fargo said in a statement. Wells Fargo is the most valuable bank in America, worth just north of $250 billion. Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA), the investment firm run legendary investor Warren Buffett, is the company's biggest shareholder. The $100 million fine will go toward the CFPB's Civil Penalty Fund, a $35 million penalty will go to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and another $50 million will be paid to the City and County of Los Angeles. "One wonders whether (the CFPB) penalty of $100 million is enough," said David Vladeck, a Georgetown University law professor and former director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection. "It sounds like a big number, but for a bank the size of Wells Fargo, it isn't really." Wells Fargo confirmed to CNNMoney that the 5,300 firings took place over several years. The bank listed 265,000 employees as of the end of 2015. Related: Barclays fined $109 million for trying to hide a deal with rich clients "At Wells Fargo, when we make mistakes, we are open about it, we take responsibility, and we take action," the bank said in a memo to employees on Thursday. The CFPB declined to comment on when the investigation began and what sparked it, citing agency policy. "We don't comment on how we uncover these matters," a spokesman said. As part of the settlement, Wells Fargo needs to make changes to its sales practices and internal oversight. "Consumers must be able to trust their banks. They should never be taken advantage of," said Mike Feuer, the Los Angeles City Attorney who joined the settlement. Feuer's office sued Wells Fargo in May 2015 over allegations of unauthorized accounts. After filing the suit, his office received more than 1,000 calls and emails from customers as well as current and former Wells Fargo employees about the allegations. Wells Fargo declined to say when it hired a consulting firm to investigate the allegations. However, a person familiar with the matter told CNNMoney the bank launched the review after the L.A. lawsuit was filed. Even though the Wells Fargo scandal took place nationally, the settlement with L.A. requires the bank to alert all its California customers to review their accounts and shut down ones they don't recognize or want. "How does a bank that is supposed to have robust internal controls permit the creation of over a half-million dummy accounts?" asked Vladeck. "If I were a Wells Fargo customer, and fortunately I am not, I'd think seriously about finding a new bank." Brian Kennedy, a Maryland retiree, told CNNMoney he detected that an unauthorized Wells Fargo savings account had been created in his name about a year ago. He asked Wells Fargo about it and the bank closed it, he said. "I didn't sign up for any bloody checking account," Kennedy, who is 57 years old, told CNNMoney. "They lost me as a banking customer and I have warned family and friends." --To reach the author of this article email [email protected] ||||| Retail and commercial banking giant Wells Fargo will pay more than $185 million in fines after US regulators accused the bank of secretly opening accounts without customers' knowledge, officials said Thursday. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said employees at Wells Fargo, the world's largest bank by market value, had illegally boosted sales figures by opening unauthorized deposit and credit accounts and then covertly funding them with customers' money, sometimes creating phony email addresses to enroll them. This resulted in fees and other charges for customers and improperly helped bank employees meet sales targets and receive bonuses, according to the CFPB. Wells Fargo will pay $100 million to the CFPB, the largest fine to date imposed by the bureau, which was created in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The San Francisco-based bank will pay $50 million to the City of Los Angeles, which had filed suit last year, accusing the bank of pressuring employees into fraudulent behavior, such as opening fictitious accounts. The bank will also pay a $35 million fine to banking regulators at the Treasury Department in addition to fully compensating all customers concerned, the CFPB said in a statement. “Today's action should serve notice to the entire industry that financial incentive programs, if not monitored carefully, carry serious risks that can have serious legal consequences," CFPB Director Richard Cordray said in a statement. ||||| Everyone hates paying bank fees. But imagine paying fees on a ghost account you didn't even sign up for. That's exactly what happened to Wells Fargo customers nationwide. On Thursday, federal regulators said Wells Fargo employees secretly created millions of unauthorized bank and credit card accounts -- without their customers knowing it -- since 2011. The phony accounts earned the bank unwarranted fees and allowed Wells Fargo employees to boost their sales figures and make more money. "Wells Fargo employees secretly opened unauthorized accounts to hit sales targets and receive bonuses," Richard Cordray, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, said in a statement. Wells Fargo confirmed to CNNMoney that it had fired 5,300 employees over the last few years related to the shady behavior. Employees went to far as to create phony PIN numbers and fake email addresses to enroll customers in online banking services, the CFPB said. Related: ATM and overdraft fees top $6 billion at the big 3 banks The scope of the scandal is shocking. An analysis conducted by a consulting firm hired by Wells Fargo concluded that bank employees opened up over 1.5 million deposit accounts that may not have been authorized, according to the CFPB. The way it worked was that employees moved funds from customers' existing accounts into newly-created accounts without their knowledge or consent, regulators say. The CFPB described this practice as "widespread" and led to customers being charged for insufficient funds or overdraft fees -- because the money was not in their original accounts. Additionally, Wells Fargo employees also submitted applications for 565,443 credit card accounts without their knowledge or consent, the CFPB said the analysis found. Roughly 14,000 of those accounts incurred over $400,000 in fees, including annual fees, interest charges and overdraft-protection fees. The CFPB said Wells Fargo will pay "full restitutions to all victims." Wells Fargo is being slapped with the largest penalty since the CFPB was founded in 2011. The bank agreed to pay $185 million in fines, along with $5 million to refund customers. "We regret and take responsibility for any instances where customers may have received a product that they did not request," Wells Fargo said in a statement. Wells Fargo is the most valuable bank in America, worth just north of $250 billion. Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA), the investment firm run legendary investor Warren Buffett, is the company's biggest shareholder. "One wonders whether a penalty of $100 million is enough," said David Vladeck, a Georgetown University law professor and former director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection. "It sounds like a big number, but for a bank the size of Wells Fargo, it isn't really." The CFPB declined to explain how it came up with the $100 million penalty figure. Wells Fargo confirmed to CNNMoney that the 5,300 firings took place over several years. The bank listed 265,000 employees as of the end of 2015. "At Wells Fargo, when we make mistakes, we are open about it, we take responsibility, and we take action," the bank said in a memo to employees on Thursday. It's not clear when Wells Fargo hired a consulting firm to investigate the allegations, nor what triggered the response. Wells Fargo did not respond to a request for comment on this. The CFPB declined to comment on when the investigation began and what sparked it, citing agency policy. "We don't comment on how we uncover these matters," a spokesman said. As part of the settlement, Wells Fargo needs to make changes to its sales practices and internal oversight. "Consumers must be able to trust their banks. They should never be taken advantage of," said Mike Feuer, the Los Angeles City Attorney who joined the settlement. Feuer's office sued Wells Fargo in May 2015 over allegations of unauthorized accounts. After filing the suit, his office received more than 1,000 calls and emails from customers as well as current and former Wells Fargo employees about the allegations. Even though the Wells Fargo scandal took place nationally, the settlement with L.A. requires the bank to alert all its California customers to review their accounts and shut down ones they don't recognize or want. "How does a bank that is supposed to have robust internal controls permit the creation of over a half-million dummy accounts?" asked Vladeck. "If I were a Wells Fargo customer, and fortunately I am not, I'd think seriously about finding a new bank." --To reach the author of this article email [email protected] ||||| NEW YORK (AP) — California and federal regulators fined Wells Fargo a combined $185 million on Thursday, alleging the bank’s employees illegally opened millions of unauthorized accounts for their customers in order to meet aggressive sales goals. The San Francisco-based bank will pay $100 million to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a federal agency created five years ago; $35 million to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and $50 million to the City and County of Los Angeles. It will also pay restitution to affected customers. It is the largest fine the CFPB has levied against a financial institution and the largest fine in the history of the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office. The CFPB said Wells Fargo sales staff opened more than 2 million bank and credit card accounts that may have not been authorized by customers. Money in customers’ accounts were transferred to these new accounts without authorization. Debit cards were issued and activated, as well as PINs created, without telling customers. In some cases, Wells Fargo employees even created fake email addresses to sign up customers for online banking services. “Wells Fargo built an incentive-compensation program that made it possible for its employees to pursue underhanded sales practices, and it appears that the bank did not monitor the program carefully,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. The behavior was widespread, the CFPB and other regulators said, involving thousands of Wells Fargo employees. “Consumers must be able to trust their banks,” Feuer said. Wells Fargo’s aggressive sales tactics were first disclosed by The Los Angeles Times in an investigation in 2013 . The story series prompted the Los Angeles City Attorney office to sue Wells Fargo over its tactics. Roughly 5,300 employees at Wells Fargo were fired in connection with this behavior, according to Los Angeles City Attorney’s office. In a statement, Wells Fargo said: “We regret and take responsibility for any instances where customers may have received a product that they did not request.” Wells Fargo said they’ve refunded $2.6 million in fees associated with any product that was opened without authorization. Despite the LA Times investigation, Wells Fargo is still known for having aggressive sales goals for its employees. Wells Fargo’s executives highlight every quarter the bank’s so-called “cross sale ratio,” which is the number of products the bank sales to each of their individual customers. The ratio hovers around six, which means every customer of Wells Fargo has on average six different types of products with the bank. Ken Sweet covers banking and consumer financial issues for The Associated Press. Follow him on Twitter at @kensweet. ||||| Wells Fargo & Co. will pay $185 million to resolve claims that bank employees opened deposit and credit-card accounts without customers’ approval to satisfy sales goals and earn financial rewards, U.S. regulators said. The lender opened more than 2 million accounts that consumers may not have known about, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said in a statement Thursday. Wells Fargo, which fired 5,300 employees over the improper sales practices, agreed to pay a record $100 million fine to the CFPB, $35 million to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and $50 million to the Los Angeles city attorney to settle the matter. The San Francisco-based bank also will compensate customers who incurred fees or charges, the agencies said. “Wells Fargo employees secretly opened unauthorized accounts to hit sales targets and receive bonuses,” CFPB Director Richard Cordray said in his agency’s statement. “Because of the severity of these violations, Wells Fargo is paying the largest penalty the CFPB has ever imposed.” The bank agreed to resolve the allegations without admitting or denying the agencies’ accusations, and said in a statement that it had set aside $5 million for customer remediation. “We regret and take responsibility for any instances where customers may have received a product that they did not request,” Wells Fargo said in its statement. The thousands of employees terminated by Wells Fargo included managers and were dismissed over five years, said Mary Eshet, a bank spokeswoman. “On an annual basis, more than 100,000 team members worked in our stores,” she said. “While we regret every interaction that was not handled properly, the number of instances and team members involved represent a very small portion of our business.” “Each quarter we consider all available relevant and appropriate facts and circumstances in determining whether a litigation matter is material and disclosed in our public filings,” Eshet said. “Based upon that review, we determined that the matter was not material.” Thousands of employees at Wells Fargo were involved in opening accounts and moving funds that resulted in customers getting charged fees for services they didn’t seek, according to the regulators. Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer sued Wells Fargo last year and accused the bank of high-pressure quotas for workers that encouraged them to skirt the rules. “When I worked at Wells Fargo, I faced the threat of being fired if I didn’t meet their unreasonable sales quotes every day, and it’s high time that Wells Fargo pays for preying on consumers’ financial livelihoods,” Khalid Taha, a former employee, said in a statement. Wells Fargo shares rose 13 cents to $49.90 in New York trading Thursday. The stock has dropped 8.2 percent this year, the third-worst performance in the 24-company KBW Bank Index. ||||| More than 5,000 Wells Fargo employees have been fired as a result of a scandal involving phony bank accounts. But do the CEO or other senior executives need to be let go too? Wells Fargo is paying $185 million in fines after the Los Angeles City Attorney and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found that Wells Fargo employees had secretly set up new fake bank and credit card accounts in order to meet sales targets. In some cases, Wells Fargo customers were hit with overdraft fees and other charges because their money had been unknowingly moved from their regular account to a fake one. The CFPB said Thursday that the practice was "widespread." But how "widespread" remains to be seen. During the past decade, only a few top executives at many U.S. and European banks have lost their jobs due to numerous scandals going back to the financial crisis. Several big banks inflated the value of mortgage-backed securities on their books. And some major banks coordinated to manipulate the Libor lending rate and foreign exchange rates, for example. But the Wells Fargo (WFC) scandal impacts thousands of average people a lot more directly than these instances of fraud. Imagine having to pay a fee because someone took your money and moved it somewhere else! The outrage is justifiable. So it's fair to wonder why some of Wells Fargo's highest-paid employees are not taking more responsibility and why no one is taking the fall. CEO John Stumpf made $19.3 million in compensation in 2015. That makes him one of the top-paid bankers in the United States as he has been for years, along with these others: JPMorgan Chase (JPM)'s Jamie Dimon, Bank of America (BAC)'s Brian Moynihan and Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs (GS). Stumpf, and his predecessor Dick Kovacevich, are well-known in banking circles for leading the bank's efforts to cross-sell, or get customers to sign up for more and more accounts, with Wells Fargo. Both often won banker of the year awards from various industry organizations because of their cross-selling prowess. The stock has outperformed nearly all of its big bank rivals over the past five and 10 years as well. Wells Fargo's financial success is a big reason why many investors, including the legendary Warren Buffett, love the bank. His Berkshire Hathaway firm owns nearly 480 million shares of Wells Fargo, a 9.5% stake. That makes Berkshire Hathaway (BRKB) the largest owner of Wells Fargo. And Wells Fargo is Berkshire Hathaway's second largest holding overall, trailing only Kraft Heinz (KHC). Berkshire Hathaway and Buffett were not immediately available for comment about the Wells Fargo scandal and whether or not high-level management changes are needed. Related: Who owns Wells Fargo? You, me and Warren Buffett But Buffett's right hand man, Berkshire vice chairman Charlie Munger told me in an interview at the company's 2015 annual shareholder meeting, that "Wells Fargo behaves better than the average big bank." He added that "nobody's perfect" though. Stumpf isn't the only one at Wells Fargo that is making a lot of money though. COO Timothy Sloan took home $11 million in compensation in 2015. CFO John Shrewsbury received $9.05 million. As did David Carroll, the senior executive vice president in charge of Wealth and Investment Management. In an SEC filing, Wells Fargo justified Carroll's pay package by saying that under Carroll's leadership, his division "achieved a number of important strategic objectives, including ... growth in loan balances and deposits." A spokesperson for Wells Fargo said in an e-mailed statement that "both managers and team members were affected by the disciplinary actions and terminations." Related: Who owns Wells Fargo anyway, You, me, and Warren Buffett The spokesperson added that the firings took place between January 2011 and March of this year and that it only affected about 1% of its workforce over that timeframe. "While we regret every interaction that was not handled properly, the number of instances and team members involved represent a very small portion of our business," the spokesperson said. But a lawsuit filed by the state of California against Wells Fargo in May, 2015 sheds some more light on the bank's cross-selling efforts and alleged misconduct. According to the suit, Wells Fargo imposes "unrealistic sales quotes on its employees." The suit claims that employees engaged in "unlawful and fraudulent conduct, including opening customer accounts and issuing credit cards without authorization" and that the bank "has known about and encouraged these practices for years." "The result is that Wells Fargo has engineered a virtual fee-generating machine, through which its customers are harmed, its employees take the blame, and Wells Fargo reaps the profits," according to the lawsuit. Wells Fargo boasts that its customers have an average of six financial products or accounts with the bank. It "seeks to increase this to an average of eight" financial products per account holder. It's a company goal "Wells Fargo calls the 'Gr-eight' initiative." But there's nothing Great about the attention Wells Fargo is now getting though. --CNNMoney's Matt Egan and Pallavi Gogoi contributed to this report. ||||| Wells Fargo, the largest U.S. bank by market cap, will pay $185 million in fines and penalties plus restitution to customers, according to a statement from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and Los Angeles prosecutor's office were also parties to the settlement. In a complaint filed in May 2015, California prosecutors alleged that Wells Fargo for years pushed customers into costly financial products that they did not need or even request. The bank opened more than 2 million deposit and credit card accounts that may not have been authorized, according to the CFPB.
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International banking company Wells Fargo agrees to pay $190 million, including $100 million to the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (largest ever for the agency), to settle a case involving deceptive sales that pushed customers into fee-generating accounts they never requested. The bank fired 5,300 employees over "inappropriate sales conduct." The firings took place over a five-year period.
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