Hurricane Maria has been upgraded from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane. Hurricane watches and warnings have been issued in parts of the Caribbean. It is following a path similar to Category 5 Hurricane Irma which left at least 82 dead. (CNN)
Irishlow-cost airlineRyanair cancels 82 Sunday flights as the first step in a six-week program that will eliminate 40 to 50 flights daily to wipe out its crew vacation backlog in order to meet Irish Aviation Authority requirements by the end of this year. (Bloomberg)
More than 700 Catalan mayors meet in Barcelona with Catalan PresidentCarles Puigdemont to confirm their support for the October 1 independence referendum. Earlier this week, Spanish prosecutors warned that officials participating in this vote could be criminally charged. (Reuters)
The government of Scotland releases a statement in support of the Catalan independence referendum but would prefer that both Catalonia and Spain agree on the terms. (The Scotsman)
Prime MinisterBjarni Benediktsson is criticised after his father wrote a letter recommending that a convicted child molester be pardoned. The Bright Future party withdraws from the governing coalition, triggering its collapse. (BBC)
Several members of ISIL stage multiple attacks on the outskirts of Nasiriyah in the southern Dhi Qar Governorate, killing at least 50 people and injuring 87 others. (BBC)(RT)
Russia and Belarus begin a six-day joint strategic military exercise inside Belarus and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast. The military exercise simulates war against the fictional state of Veyshnoria. According to the Defence Ministry of Belarus, fewer than 13,000 personnel will be taking part in the exercise; however, Western analysts believe the total number will range from 60,000 to 100,000. (Reuters)
A suicide bombing occurs at a checkpoint near the Kabul International Cricket Stadium in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing at least three people and injuring five. (Reuters)
Former businessman Martin Shkreli has his bail revoked for threatening former politician Hillary Clinton, after Shkreli posted on Twitter that he would offer $5,000 to anyone who could directly obtain a lock of Clinton's hair. Shkreli was convicted of fraud in August and is awaiting sentencing. (CNN)
In an official dinner hosted by the United StatesPresident, Donald Trump and leaders of the Democratic party Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi agree to fix DACA but disagree with the details, with Trump denying on Twitter the following day that a deal had been made which excluded funding for his proposed wall on the Mexico–United States border. (CNN)
