Car attack victim Heather Heyer's mother Susan Bro speaks at her memorial service inside the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S., August 16. 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Washington

 

President Donald Trump’s turnabout on the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia has rocked his administration, leading to rising speculation that some top officials may be looking for a way out. A parade of business executives broke ties with Trump on Wednesday, a day after he blamed white nationalists and counter-protesters in equal measure for the weekend clashes that left one woman dead. Now, frustrated aides could be next. Trump’s remarks have left some wondering if sticking by the president comes at too high a cost to their reputations.

 

Trump blasts Republican senator on 'moral equivalency' after Virginia attack

 

Trump's stance on Virginia violence shocks America's allies

 

Apple CEO Tim Cook has joined a chorus of business leaders who have voiced their opposition to President Donald Trump after he blamed white nationalists and anti-racism activists equally for violence in Virginia over the weekend. "I disagree with the president and others who believe that there is a moral equivalence between white supremacists and Nazis, and those who oppose them by standing up for human rights. Equating the two runs counter to our ideals as Americans," Cook wrote in a note late on Wednesday to employees, according to technology news website Recode.

Syria


Girls who survived, from what activists say is a gas attack, rests inside a mosque in the Duma neighbourhood of Damascus, Syria August 21, 2013. REUTERS/Mohamed Abdullah/File Photo

 

Nearly four years after President Bashar al-Assad’s government promised to get rid of its stockpile of chemical weapons, gas attacks are still commonplace. What went wrong?

 

Graphic: Chemical attacks

 

Gallery: An invisible enemy

 

Reuters TV: Chemical weapons in Syria

 

Syria's war has entered a new phase as President Bashar al-Assad extends his grip in areas being captured from Islamic State, using firepower freed by Russian-backed truces in western Syria.

North Korea

 

What will Kim Jong Un do next?

 

The United States and South Korea will go ahead with joint military drills next week, the top U.S. military official said, resisting pressure from North Korea and its ally China to halt the contentious exercises.

 

Interactive: North Korea’s nuclear capabilities

 

China

 

The "wrong" actions of the United States on Taiwan, its South China Sea patrols and deployment of an advanced anti-missile system in South Korea have had a large, negative influence on military trust, a senior Chinese officer said.

 

The United States is in an economic war with China, U.S President Donald Trump's chief political strategist has said, warning Washington is losing the fight but is about to hit China hard over unfair trade practices.

Business

 

Hyundai said it was placing electric vehicles at the center of its product strategy - one that includes plans for a premium long-distance electric car as it seeks to catch up to Tesla and other rivals.

 

Sixt CEO hints at car-sharing merger talks between BMW and Daimler

 

Wal-Mart reported its 12th straight quarterly increase in comparable sales, but margins fell as the retailer continued to cut prices and invest in its e-commerce operations.

 

Wisconsin lawmakers debate billions in incentives for Foxconn plant

 

An RAF parachute display team let off smoke canisters as they descend as part of a ceremony for the Queen's Baton Relay for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games at Brize Norton, Britain August 16, 2017. REUTERS/Neil Hall

Australia

Australian thermal coal prices for spot cargoes above $100 a tonne, lifted by reports of strikes and strong Chinese demand, are providing a boost in earnings and share prices for miners like Glencore and Whitehaven Coal.

 

Australian far-right senator Pauline Hanson wore a burqa to parliament as part of her campaign to ban the all-enveloping garment worn by some Muslim women, drawing a quick rebuke from the government and Muslim people.

 

UK

 

Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai, the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize when she was 17, said she was "excited" after she had been accepted at Oxford to study Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. She joined thousands of other students in Britain in discovering where they will go to university after getting their final school results.