Indonesia president condemns rally violence 'chaos'
Indonesia's president urged protesters rioting in Jakarta on Saturday (Nov 5) to return to their homes, lamenting the "chaos" in the capital as gangs of hardline Muslims torched police cars and attacked officers.
The violence - just metres from the presidential palace and city hall - marred an otherwise peaceful rally on Friday (Nov 4) in which 50,000 people marched against Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, a Christian accused of insulting Islam.
The rally turned ugly as night fell and thousands of hardliners clashed with police, setting vehicles ablaze and hurling bottles and rocks at officers, injuring several.
Police responded with tear gas, water cannon and truncheons but it took hours to quell the violence, which later spilled over into a poor neighbourhood in Jakarta's north.
US authorities warn of al Qaeda threat to election
Federal officials have warned authorities in New York City, Texas and Virginia about an unspecific threat of attacks by al Qaeda militants around Election Day, putting local law enforcement on alert days before the vote, officials said on Friday (Nov 4).
A US government source in Washington said some federal agencies sent bulletins to local and state officials flagging the information but that the threat was relatively low level.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates airports, tunnels and bridges around New York City, continues high levels of patrol it has had in place, spokesman Steve Coleman said.
First 13 cases of deadly fungal infection emerge in US
Thirteen cases of a sometimes deadly and often drug-resistant fungal infection, Candida auris, have been reported in the United States for the first time, health officials said Friday (Nov 4).
The infection, which often spreads in hospitals and other health care settings, was identified by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in June 2016 as an emerging global threat.
Four of the patients diagnosed with the infection have died, although the precise causes remain unclear, the CDC said.
German prosecutors investigate Facebook over hate postings
German prosecutors are investigating Mark Zuckerberg and other Facebook executives, a spokesman for the Munich prosecutor's office said on Friday (Nov 4), following a complaint alleging the company broke national laws against hate speech and sedition by failing to remove racist postings.
The spokesman declined to provide further details.
German attorney Chan-jo Jun had filed a complaint with prosecutors in the Bavarian city in September and demanded that Facebook executives be compelled to comply with anti-hate speech laws by deleting racist or violent postings from its site.
Singer Michael Buble says 3-year-old son has cancer
Canadian singer Michael Buble said on Friday (Nov 4) that his three-year-old son has cancer, and that he is putting his career on hold.
"We are devastated about the recent cancer diagnosis of our oldest son Noah who is currently undergoing treatment in the US," Buble and his Argentinian actress wife Luisana Lopilato wrote on his Facebook page.
"Luisana and I have put our careers on hold in order to devote all our time and attention to helping Noah get well," the couple said.
