US

Raccoon 'dragged US baby across room' in Philadelphia attack

Four-month-old Jourini Black suffered claw marks to the face when the raccoon attacked her while she slept then dragged her across the floor.

"She was laying on the floor - across the room - blood all over her face and her PJs," her mother told US media.

The girl has undergone surgery but could take a year for her to fully recover.

Her mother, Ashley Rodgers, says the attack happened late on Wednesday when she took her other child, a six-year-old boy, to the bathroom.

"We heard a sound upstairs and we see a raccoon run down the steps," she told CBS News.

Kava craze hits the USA

Kavafied is the brain child of former NFL player Matt Masifilo, who developed a simple and quick way to make kava at the end of his 2014 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

He says people in the USA are catching on to the kava craze and the demand for the Pacific Island beverage is at an all-time high.

“There’s not enough kava right now to meet demand, especially with the phenomenon of the American kava bar scene that’s exploding on to the market right now."

Donald Trump signs directive to send astronauts back to Moon

It will focus on long-term explorations and use of the Moon's surface, in partnership with the private sector.

Mr Trump also said the program would lay the foundation for an eventual mission to Mars, although he did not give a date for this.

Correspondents say any realistic effort will probably need Congress to agree to a big funding boost.

There is bipartisan support for further space exploration but parties disagree over the timeline and budget.

US adds North Korea to list of state sponsors of terror

In a cabinet meeting, he said the move would trigger "very large" additional sanctions to be announced on Tuesday.

Mr Trump blamed the country's nuclear programme, and support for what he called international acts of terrorism.

While announcing the decision, the US president said it "should have happened a long time ago".

Mr Trump said that North Korea had "repeatedly supported international acts of terrorism" and added that the regime must act lawfully and also cease its nuclear weapons programme.

Donald Trump calls for end of 'green card' immigration lottery

Australian style merit-based immigration.

Paris accord: US and Syria alone as Nicaragua signs

The deal unites the world's nations in tackling climate change.

Nicaragua refused to sign it last year, arguing that it did not go far enough to tackle the problem.

In June President Donald Trump said the US would withdraw from the deal, but the rules of the agreement state that this cannot be done until 2020.

The president said it was part of his "solemn duty to protect America" and he would seek a new deal that would not disadvantage US businesses.

North Korea urges Australia to distance itself from US

The note denounces the US president's warning that America would destroy North Korea if forced to defend itself.

Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull said the letter had been sent to other nations.

He said it demonstrated that diplomatic pressure on North Korea was working, despite the document being "basically a rant" consistent with earlier rhetoric.

The one-page letter was sent via North Korea's embassy in Indonesia and attributed to the Foreign Affairs Committee of Pyongyang's Supreme People's Assembly.

Israel to join US in quitting Unesco

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the US decision as "brave and moral", a statement said.

The agency is known for designating world heritage sites such as Syria's Palmyra and the US Grand Canyon.

Unesco head Irina Bokova earlier called the US withdrawal a matter of "profound regret".

The US withdrawal will become effective at the end of December 2018 - until then, the US will remain a full member. The US will establish an observer mission at the Paris-based organisation to replace its representation, the state department said.

American Samoa joins US climate change Alliance

The same day President Trump pulled out of the Paris Agreement, New York, California, and Washington announced the formation of the Alliance.

It aims to uphold United States commitments under the Paris Agreement, and to try and meet or exceed the Clean Power Plan, an Obama-era rule on power plant emissions.

As of last month, the Alliance had 15 members including Puerto Rico and now American Samoa has become a member.

Turkey and US suspend most visa services

The Turkish embassy in Washington said it needed to "reassess" the US government's commitment to the security of the mission and personnel.

A very similar statement was earlier made by the US embassy in Ankara.

This comes after a US consulate worker in Istanbul was held last week on suspicion of links to a cleric blamed for last year's failed coup in Turkey.

Washington condemned the move as baseless and damaging to bilateral relations.

The arrested consulate employee was a male Turkish citizen, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported.