Miss Turkey stripped of her crown over coup tweet

Itir Esen (C) has lost her crown, and runner-up Asli Sumen (L) will take her place

The winner of Miss Turkey 2017 has been stripped of her crown after one of her past tweets came to light.

Itir Esen, 18, had shared a post referencing last year's coup attempt, comparing her menstrual cycle to the spilt blood of "martyrs".

The competition's organisers said the tweet was "unacceptable" and confirmed their decision to dismiss her, just hours after she won.

Ms Esen has since said, via Instagram, that she was not being political.

The tweet was posted around the first anniversary of the 15 July coup attempt, when nearly 250 people died fighting an army uprising.

She wrote: "I am having my period this morning to celebrate the July 15 martyrs' day. I am celebrating the day by bleeding a representation of our martyrs' blood."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan regularly refers to the "martyrs" who died resisting the coup.

The beauty pageant's organisers said the tweet did not come to light until after Thursday's ceremony in Istanbul, after which they held a long meeting to discuss the situation and verify the post.

On Friday, they released a statement to announce their decision to rescind her title: "We regret to say that this tweet has been tweeted by Itir Esen. It is not possible for the Miss Turkey Organisation to promote such a post, when it aims to introduce Turkey to the world and contribute to its image."

Ms Esen later responded with her own statement on social media: "I want to say that as a 18-year-old girl, I had no political aims while sharing this post."

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"I was raised with respect for the homeland and the nation," she added, apologising for "being misunderstood".

Runner-up Asli Sumen will now travel to China to represent Turkey in the Miss World competition.

Ms Esen is not the first Miss Turkey to find herself embroiled in a political row.

Former Miss Turkey Merve Buyuksarac got in trouble for "insulting" the president

In 2016, another past winner, Merve Buyuksarac, was given a 14-month suspended prison sentence for insulting President Erdogan via satirical poem she shared on social media.

Ms Buyuksarac, who won the 2006 crown, was also briefly detained over the issue in 2015.

Around that time, President Erdogan launched thousands of lawsuits against people he said had insulted him.

He later withdrew them, saying he was inspired by the feelings of unity after the failed coup.

However, a harsh crackdown has continued, which the president insists is necessary for national security. More than 150,000 state employees have been dismissed and some 50,000 people arrested

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Migrant crisis: Dozens feared drowned off Libya coast

Lifejackets believed to be from the capsized boat were washed up on the coast

At least 50 migrants are feared drowned after their boat ran out of fuel and capsized off the Libyan coast.

The dinghy, which had been carrying at least 100 people, had set off from Libya's western city of Sabratha last Friday, local officials told the BBC.

The vessel was adrift for days before it capsized and was washed onshore near the city of Zuwara in the early hours of Wednesday.

Thirty-five survivors were found, along with eight bodies, officials said.

A spokesman for the Libyan navy said the survivors were all from sub-Saharan Africa.

Libya is a popular transit route for migrants trying to reach southern Europe by sea. Many are packed into unseaworthy vessels by traffickers who then abandon them to their fate in the Mediterranean Sea.

More than 100,000 have crossed the Mediterranean to Italy so far this year, according to the UN. More than 2,400 people have died in the attempt.

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Migrants caught by Libyan authorities are often taken to overcrowded detention centres in Tripoli where they are kept in poor conditions.

Arrivals to Italy from Libya fell sharply earlier this summer following a reported deal between the internationally recognised government in Tripoli and a Libyan militia alleged to have been involved in human trafficking.

Italy's parliament also approved a plan to send naval boats to Libya to stop migrants crossing the Mediterranean.

A note on terminology: The term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants.

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Man and woman charged with murder after burned body found in London

Sabrina Kouider and Ouissem Medouni appear in court over remains in garden, which police have been unable to identify

 Kouider and Medouni were remanded in custody at Westminster magistrates court to appear at the Old Bailey on 26 September.

A man and a woman have appeared in court charged with murder after the discovery of a badly burned body in the garden of their home in London.

Sabrina Kouider and Ouissem Medouni are alleged to have killed the victim on or before 20 September at the address in Wandsworth, south-west London.

Police have been unable to tell the age or gender of the dead person because of the level of burns, but the victim has been named in local reports as Sophie Lionnet, a nanny from Troyes, north-east France, who is said to have worked for Kouider.

Police discovered the body on Wednesday after parents walking their children home from school reported a large fire and “foul-smelling smoke”, according to reports.

Kouider, 34, a makeup artist and designer, is the former girlfriend of Mark Walton, who was part of the initial lineup of the boyband Boyzone. On Friday, she and Medouni, 40, were remanded in custody at Westminster magistrates court to appear at the Old Bailey on 26 September.

A friend of Lionnet’s told the Daily Mail she had come to London to learn English but found it difficult living there, adding: “Sophie had been unhappy for a long time, so unhappy she left to stay with one of her few friends for two nights last month.

“She had finally decided to go home, though, and had just asked her mum to send her £40 so she could afford the fare. She was supposed to have gone back on Monday. She never arrived.”

Forensic officers continued their work on Thursday. Scotland Yard said: “Police were called to a residential address at Wimbledon Park Road at 6.26pm on Wednesday, 20 September, following reports of a fire and a person deceased.

“A body was found at the scene. The body was too badly burned to establish the gender and age. A postmortem examination will be held in due course.”

The Metropolitan police’s homicide and major crime command is leading the investigation.

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Pig born with TRUNK coming out of its forehead terrifies locals in China

A PIG born with one eye and a trunk coming out of its forehead baffled  locals in China.

The deformed piglet was filmed by fascinated onlookers who held the pig when it was just minutes old in Daqing, Heilongjiang Province.

The piglet was born with one eye and a trunk coming out of its forehead

One intrigued woman held and prodded the pig shortly after it was born

It had two ears flattened to its head, a large eyeball in the centre and an extra trunk-like limb which had grown above it.

It looped over the cover the eye from the front.

The woman seen in the video smiles as she shows off the deformed animal to crowds.

Footage of the pig, filmed on September 10, has been shared widely on Chinese social media.

The pig sadly died just hours after it was born. It is not known how the pig's deformities were formed.

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FULLY ARMED:Defiant Iran ignores Donald Trump’s threats as it unveils its latest ballistic missile during massive military parade

Iran's president promised to increase the country's military missile capability after Trump condemned its 'corrupt dictatorship'

IRAN today unveiled its latest ballistic missile during a massive military parade just days after the country's government was condemned by Donald Trump.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani promised to increase the country's military power and missile capability

The move was seen as a defiance to Trump who blasted Iran's leadership in a speech to the United Nations earlier this week.

Rouhani made the speech to a parade of the country's armed forces in the city of Tehran

The parade in Iran's capital city of Tehran showcased various Iranian army units and Revolutionary Guard forces, as well as the police.

It unveiled its latest ballistic missile with a range of 1,250 miles -  capable of reaching much of the Middle East, including Israel.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addressed the crowd promising to increase the country's military power and missile capability -despite US demands.

In a speech broadcast on state television, he said: "We will strengthen our defense and military capabilities ... whether you want it or not.

"Iran's military power lies in its commitment to never invade another country or land.

"We will not seek permission from anyone to defend our country."

Iranian armed forces march in a military parade marking the 37th anniversary of Iraq's 1980 invasion of Iran

He also said Tehran will keep supporting the "oppressed people of Yemen, Syria and Palestine" and Palestinian militant groups such as Hamas.

In his speech at the United Nations, Trump blasted Tehran's support for "terrorists" during his visit to Jerusalem.

He condemned the country' s government calling it a "corrupt dictatorship" and a "murderous regime".

Trump said: "Most importantly the United States and Israel can declare with one voice that Iran must never be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon - never ever.

"And must cease its deadly funding, training and equipping of terrorists and militias.

"And it must cease immediately."Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif hit out at the US just hours after the US President had accused his country of being at the heart of global terror.

Speaking a day later, Rouhani demanded an apology from Trump for his "extremely offensive" rhetoric and "unfounded" allegations about Iran.

The Iranian president later accused Trump administration of finding "an excuse" to pull out of the landmark 2015 nuclear agreement that capped Iran's nuclear activities in return for the lifting of international sanctions on Iran.

The deal, Rouhani said, is supported by his government and the five other parties Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany that signed the agreement.

Tehran has backed Yemen's Shiite rebels known as Houthis against a US-supported and Saudi-led coalition of mostly Arab states that seeks to return the internationally elected government to power in Yemen.

In Syria, Iran is a close ally of President Bashar Assad

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END OF DAYSIs the end of the world on October 21 and what is David Meade’s new Planet X conspiracy theory?

A seven-year series of catastrophic events including earthquakes, hurricanes, nuclear attacks and volcanic eruptions is set to begin in October, according to a Christian conspiracy theorist

A DOOMSDAY theorist fears "seven years of catastrophic events" begins next month - and recent natural disasters are proof the supposed Biblical prophecy is coming true.

David Meade predicts nuclear attacks and hurricanes will devastate the earth - triggered by a mysterious Planet X. Here's everything we know about his latest theory.

A huge planet is allegedly going to either smash into the Earth or pull us off our axis

Christian Conspiracy Theorist David Meade

3 4

A huge planet is allegedly going to either smash into the Earth or pull us off our axisIMAGE: GETTY - CONTRIBUTOR

Christian conspiracy theorist David Meade

A prophecy, which said Planet X would cause the end of the world this weekend, spread globally

d this weekend, spread globally

Is the end of the world on October 21?

The Christian conspiracy theorist has repeatedly warned about a mysterious planet named Planet X or Nibiru on the far edge of our solar system.

Conspiracies suggested it's hurtling towards earth and set to destroy it this Saturday (September 23).

Now Meade claims people have misunderstood his Planet X prophecy.

Instead, he's now claiming we could be in for SEVEN years of nuclear war and natural disasters starting on October 21.

October 2017 may signal "the end of the world as we now know it".

The earthquake in Mexico and hurricanes in the Caribbean are all related to the Planet X theory, Meade claimed.

"It’s the beginning," he said.

"Ever since the Great American Solar Eclipse of August 21^st we have been hit by a continued series of judgements."

The date of September 23 relates to a verse in the Bible which apparently matches the August 21 date when Hurricane Harvey battered Texas.

Luke’s passage 21: 25 to 26 reads: “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars.

“On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.

^“People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”

What is David Meade's new Planet X conspiracy theory?

David believes that a "spiritual sign" will appear in the sky on September 23 where the moon will appear under the constellation of Virgo.

Then on October 5, Planet X will fully eclipse the sun and cover the earth in shadow.

This will signal the start of the "seven-year-tribulation" on October 21, he believes.

He claims an asteroid named Wormwood, measuring at least three kilometers in diameters, which is attached to the "debris field of the Planet X star system" will hit earth at some point during the seven years.

The "tribulation" will also involve "nuclear exchanges between the US, Britain and our enemies – Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.""It will involve cataclysmic climate events related to Planet X or Wormwood – those are the trumpet judgements of Revelation," he explained.

Huge solar flares would "bring down the electrical grid," according to Meade.

"Rioting and looting will be unrestrained.... society will be in chaos," he warned.

An unusual celestial arrangement set for September 23 has triggered the doomsday fears.

But astronomer Christopher Graney says it's happened four times before in 1827, 1483, 1293 and 1056.

What is Planet X?

Meade expects Nibiru will pass the Earth – bringing with it volcanic eruptions, tsunamis and earthquakes.

The mysterious planet was first mentioned in 1976 by author Zecharia Sitchin in his book The 12th Planet.

He wrote it is home to ancient aliens called the Annunaki who he claimed created the human race.

What does Nasa say?

This theory gained momentum earlier this year when NASA discovered what could be a new planet deep in the solar system, which they named Planet Nine.

It could have a mass 10 times that of earth.

Jim Green, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division, said: "It's too early to say with certainty there's a so-called Planet X."

The space agency has however firmly, and repeatedly, dismissed the theories about Nibiru as an "internet hoax".

“The planet in question, Nibiru, doesn't exist, so there will be no collision," said Nasa.

"The story of Nibiru has been around for years (as has the 'days of darkness' tale) and is periodically recycled into new apocalyptic fables.

"There is no factual basis for these claims.

"If Nibiru or Planet X were real and headed for an encounter with the Earth … astronomers would have been tracking it for at least the past decade, and it would be visible by now to the naked eye. "Obviously, it does not exist."

Nick Pope, who headed up the Ministry of Defence’s UFO desk, agrees with the space agency.

He said: "The bottom line is that if a mysterious 12th planet was really going to hit the Earth on Saturday, we’d all be able to see it right now.”

Meade believes an asteroid named Wormwood will hit the earth

d this weekend, spread globally

IMAGE: GETTY - CONTRIBUTOR

Meade believes an asteroid named Wormwood will hit the earth

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Puerto Rico battered by Hurricane Maria: 'Devastation – it's everywhere'

• Worst storm to hit Puerto Rico in 80 years felled trees and smashed buildings
• Governor’s spokesman describes scene of ‘total devastation'
• After hours of hurricane-force winds and torrential rain, Puerto Ricans emerged from hurricane shelters on Thursday morning to find that their island was still under threat from landslides, flash floods and crippled water and electricity systems.
• Hurricane Maria – the worst storm to hit Puerto Rico in more than 80 years – felled trees, smashed buildings and tore roofs from homes. Chest-deep floodwaters forced people to use boats, paddleboards or jetskis to seek medical help or reach family and friends.
  “Devastation – it’s everywhere,” Carlos Mercader, a spokesman for Puerto Rico’s governor, told the Guardian. “It’s total devastation.”
  The full extent of the destruction was unclear because communications have been severely disrupted, Mercader said.
  “Now that the sun has come up, it is the time to assess all of the damages,” he said.
  Governor Ricardo Rossello, said the only known death was a man struck by a piece of wood blown by the wind, but the death toll was expected to rise as reports come in from outlying areas.
  The government has dispatched people with satellite phones to report on the scene in rural areas. There is also a curfew in place from 6pm to 6am every night through Saturday morning.
• The onslaught began early on Wednesday, with winds growing gradually until they reached category 4 hurricane strength as the storm rampaged across the territory, knocking out the power supply and tossing vehicles from the road.
  As the storm cleared on Thursday, rescuers were forced to thread their way through a maze of toppled trees and collapsed communication services. And while many streets remained flooded, Mercader said 70% of the island was without drinking water.
  In Carolina, a municipality on the island’s north-east coast, floodwaters were still 2ft deep on Thursday morning; trees lay strewn across the roads and most wooden homes were completely destroyed.
  In Levittown, a suburb of San Juan, about 40 families were rescued from the roofs of their homes overnight after several people managed to contact the governor’s office. The suburb is less than 20km from downtown San Juan, but it took the national guard an hour and a half to reach the neighborhood, said Mercader. The rescuers traveled by boat and were working into Thursday morning to save about 100 people, he said.
• Debris littered the streets of Puerto Rico’s capital, San Juan, where residents were spotted cleaning up debris. One of those people was Male Álvarez, whose home had been lashed by unrelenting wind and rain for hours. “The house shook – it felt like an earthquake,” Álvarez told the Guardian.
  Her neighborhood was without electricity, water and internet but she was emphatic that the island would rebuild.“Puerto Ricans went out of their way to help all the islands around [after Hurricane Irma],” Álvarez said. “They were heroes, and that’s who Puerto Ricans are – and I know we’re we are going to rebuild.”
  Álvarez had been able to contact family and friends in the continental US after walking a few blocks from her home to find a cellphone signal, but thousands of people with family members in Puerto Rico, and other Caribbean islands, were still trying to reach family members they hadn’t heard from in days.
  Even Mercader, with his government connections, had not been able to reach his parents in Puerto Rico. He last heard from them on Tuesday before Maria touched down. “I’m a person of faith – I think that they’re doing well,” he said.
  He said the government would provide guidance on how to communicate once the system was restored. “Keep calm, the government’s working very, very, very hard to re-establish communication throughout the island,” he said.Fourteen thousand people are currently taking refuge in 520 shelters across the island. The government expects that number to increase, as people typically return home after the storm – only to realize that the destruction is too great and that they need to remain in shelter.
  The White House on Thursday morning declared Puerto Rico “a major disaster” zone and ordered federal assistance to be directed to dozens of municipalities in the territory. Donald Trump said the island had been “absolutely obliterated” by the heavy winds. “All you have to do is read or turn on the television and you will see a place that is practically leveled,” he said.
  Before hitting Puerto Rico, Maria left a trail of destruction in smaller Caribbean islands including the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat and Dominica.
  The prime minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, said at least 15 people died and 20 were missing.
  Maria weakened to a category 2 storm overnight but had regained strength by morning as it headed along the northern coast of the Dominican Republic towards the Turks and Caicos islands. Maximum sustained winds remained near 185km/h (115mph) on Thursday morning, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), which warned more strengthening was possible.Sophie Newstead, who works for the charity Hurricane Irma Relief Turks and Caicos (HIRTAC), said the islands were still in “recovery mode” from Irma. She said: “We are not stable enough to cope with even a mild storm.”
  Sylvie Wigglesworth, principal of British West Indies Collegiate, said she was waiting out the storm at home because her mother has Alzheimer’s and the local shelters wouldn’t take her dog.
  “The biggest worry is water. All the buildings are weakened [from Irma], so if it rains a bit you can see water dripping in parts,” Wigglesworth said. “It is going to be a disaster.”

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