Wind and rain lash Vietnam as Typhoon Doksuri hits

Wind and rain lash Vietnam as Typhoon Doksuri hits http://reut.rs/2h5QdXH

Syrian Observatory says has ‘confirmed information’ that Islamic State chief killed

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told Reuters on Tuesday that it had “confirmed information” that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said in June that it might have killed Baghdadi when one of its air strikes hit a gathering of Islamic State commanders on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Raqqa, but Washington said it could not corroborate the death and Western and Iraqi officials have been skeptical.

Reuters could not independently verify Baghdadi’s death.

“(We have) confirmed information from leaders, including one of the first rank, in the Islamic State in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zor,” the director of the British-based war monitoring group Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters.

Baghdadi’s death had been announced many times before but the Observatory has a track record of credible reporting on Syria’s civil war.

Abdulrahman said Observatory sources in Syria’s eastern town of Deir al-Zor had been told by Islamic State sources that Baghdadi had died “but they did not specify when”.

Source: Syrian Observatory says has ‘confirmed information’ that Islamic State chief killed | Reuters

Video shows Pres. Trump, Russian Pres. Putin shaking hands at G-20 summit

Video shows Pres. Trump, Russian Pres. Putin shaking hands at G-20 summit ahead of their high-stakes meeting today. https://t.co/xxeBvDKdjR http://pic.twitter.com/QunvkPdEFd

— ABC News (@ABC) July 7, 2017

Donald Trump’s state visit to Britain put on hold

Donald Trump has told Theresa May in a phone call he does not want to go ahead with a state visit to Britain until the British public supports him coming.

The US president said he did not want to come if there were large-scale protests and his remarks in effect put the visit on hold for some time.

The call was made in recent weeks, according to a Downing Street adviser who was in the room. The statement…

The conversation in part explains why there has been little public discussion about a state visit.

May invited Trump to Britain seven days after his inauguration when she became the first foreign leader to visit him in the White House. She told a joint press conference she had extended an invitation from the Queen to Trump and his wife Melania to make a state visit later in the year and was “delighted that the president has accepted that invitation”.

Source: Donald Trump’s state visit to Britain put on hold | US news | The Guardian

#F1 McLaren switch to new orange F1 car for 2017

Orange was the colour of choice for founder Bruce McLaren in the 1960s. The team’s first victory in F1 came in an orange car in 1968. The MCL32 comes in distinctive orange and black.

McLaren has gone back to its roots to launch a new era in Formula One.

The British team unveiled their car for the season on Friday: The MCL32, in distinctive orange and black.

Orange was the colour of choice for founder Bruce McLaren in the 1960s. The team’s first victory in F1 came in an orange car in 1968.

Sponsorship deals meant McLaren’s cars were red and white from the 1970s to the `90s. It was most recently dark gray.

Source: McLaren switch to new orange F1 car for 2017 | Daily Mail Online