13 held over fire near Greek migrant camp

ATHENS • Thirteen people have been detained on the Greek island of Samos after a fire threatened the local migrant camp, the police said yesterday, days after a blaze destroyed Europe's largest migrant camp on Lesbos. The fire broke out in a forested area near the Samos camp late on Tuesday, but firefighters were able to put it under control.

The Lesbos fire at Moria camp on Sept 8 left 12,000 asylum seekers homeless. Six Afghan men have been arrested in connection with the incident.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Father of Microsoft's Bill Gates dies at 94

WASHINGTON • Bill Gates Sr, a lawyer and the father of Microsoft's co-founder, died on Monday at his beach home in the Seattle area. He was 94.

Mr Gates stepped in when appeals for charity began to overwhelm his billionaire son and started what became the world's largest philanthropy, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

He died of Alzheimer's disease, his family said. Mr Gates saw his middle child grow to become the world's second richest person, with a net worth of over US$123 billion (S$167 billion), according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

NYTIMES, BLOOMBERG

Hurricane Sally slams into Alabama, Florida

ALABAMA • Hurricane Sally made landfall on Alabama's Gulf Coast yesterday morning as a Category Two hurricane, spreading strong winds inland across the region, shaking windows and throwing debris into roadways. The storm is expected to cause extensive flooding, dumping nearly 90 cm of rain in spots along the Gulf Coast, as it is moving at a glacial 6kmh pace.

Upon landfall, winds were clocked at 165kmh, able to cause extensive damage. More than 430,000 homes and businesses were without power in Alabama and Florida early yesterday.

REUTERS