02/09/2016 World News Today

broadcasting in the UK and around the world.

After hours of confusion, confirmation that one of Asia's most

Karimov Islam Karimov has ruled Uzbekistan with an iron fist

We'll look at what it means for the country and its appalling

A total recall of Samsung's flagship phone, the Galaxy Note 7,

Hurricane Hermine lashes Florida - the storm is now heading up

NASA releases spectacular new images of Jupiter taken by it Juno probe.

It is jaw-dropping. You see these images looking down the pole.

President Kariomov of Uzbekistan has died according to national TV.

The 78-year-old led the central Asian country for more

than a quarter of a century with an iron fist, often repressing

The death of Islam Karimov could mean a power vacuum

He hadn't been seen in public since mid-August.

President Karimov will be buried in the city

The Russian delegation at his funeral will be headed

Uzbekistan - a landlocked country in central Asia -

has spent most of the past 200 years as part of Russia, and then

the Soviet Union, before it emerged as an independent nation in 1991.

With a look back at his life, here's Rayhan Demetrie.

Islam Abdug'aniyevich Karimov's election as president of independent

Uzbekistan followed the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Those were the only elections when a genuine opposition figure

stood against the former Communist Party leader.

His critics and opponents were swiftly imprisoned

Mr Karimov jailed thousands of devout Muslims, suspected

of ties to radical Islam, and insisted that Uzbekistan

was following its own version of democracy.

But this was a democracy in which free speech and freedom

After surviving an assassination attempt in 1999, President Karimov

started a new wave of oppression against his opponents,

Human rights organisations have said that hundreds of peaceful protesters

were killed by government troops after an uprising

The question now is - who will replace him?

President Karimov's eldest daughter Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva was once

a favourite to succeed her father but she fell out of grace over

business scandals and an extravagant lifestyle and is currently

The country's long-serving Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev

and his deputy, Rustam Azimov, are among the possible successors.

Loathed by his critics and described as one of the most brutal dictators

of our time, President Karimov's death leaves Uzbekistan facing

President Karimov's health had sharply deteriorated in recent days

- on Monday his daughter said he'd suffered a brain haemorrhage.

heard from the Turkish Prime Minister, sending his condolences

before the official announcement, and also the Georgian President.

Something peculiar going on. We do now have that official

statement. It was read out on state television in Uzbekistan by a very

sombre looking newsreader. Talking on but half or reading a statement

on behalf of the government and Parliament. Talking of their huge

grief. They wanted to inform the country of the death of their dear

President. They described him as a great historic leader. They said his

name was synonymous with peace and stability. He has led Uzbekistan for

25 years and now he has gone, the big question over who will succeed

him. Potential for significant uncertainty and instability in

Uzbekistan because he never pointed the successor.

How brutal were those years? It was indeed one of the most brutal

regimes. What stands out is the massacre of 2005. I remember it very

well because I was in Aber 's Irish am right after it happened when

hundreds of children were gunned downed by the troops. There were

peaceful protesters sitting there, waiting for him to come and talk to

them. But that was just the culmination of the repression that

was happening before and after. For years and years. He was shutting

down any opposition and threw in jail anybody who he believed could

challenge the regime. Torture, unfair trials, defined the criminal

justice system. Just this year, there

is a new report about unfair trials in Uzbekistan were without

exception, convictions were based on torture. Despite the documentation

of human rights abuses and the massacre in 2005, President Karimov

never faced any international justice? He never faced any justice.

That leads us to a very important point about the fact that all these

abuses were allowed to continue unabated without any accountability

by his international counterparts, including Russia. It included the

United States, which for a very long time has had interests related to

the operations in Afghanistan and particularly the European Union. But

then they lifted them. All of that was happening pretty much place in

the international community, who chose to ignore it. His supporters

say these curbs on freedom and brutality kept up the law and order

in a country that might otherwise have been split apart by rivalry

between clans and different factions. For sure. That is the

excuse they use for years. Almost everybody thrown into prison was

charged with some activity. After the global war on terror was

announced, that played very well into his international agenda. But

that cannot hide in anyway and justified the abuses that his regime

is responsible for. It is not just him. It is pretty much anybody who

took office and said of him, marred by this record of human rights

violation. Would this change anything at all? Will it

change the regime? It is very unlikely to change the regime. There

is one hope, though, that it might change the international attitude.

It is a moment for the international community to rethink its

relationship with the dictatorship in Central Asia.

The electronics giant Samsung is recalling millions of its latest

top-of-the-range smartphone, after reports that a small number

2.5 million Galaxy Note 7s have been sold worldwide just a fortnight

The flagship product was due to be rolled out in the UK today.

Our correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones is at a technology show in Berlin,

At Europe's biggest technology show, it's Korea's Samsung

And its star product this year is the Galaxy Note 7.

This super size smartphone has won rave reviews in the US

and Asia and was due to go on sale in the UK today.

This American man posted a video on YouTube claiming his Galaxy Note

Similar reports arrived from around the world.

Be careful out there, everyone rocking the new Note 7.

Samsung held a press conference to announce a radical move.

The company was halting sales and recalling the Note 7.

A battery issue was behind the Note fires, although just 35 out

of 2.5 million customers had reported problems.

35 is a big number and I think Samsung is doing the right thing

in siding on caution and taking the devices off the market,

figuring out why there is an issue with the cells in the battery,

This news could hardly come at a worse time for Samsung.

Not only does it overshadow the launch of the Note

7 and the many other products on display here,

but it comes just a week before its deadly rival

At an event in California next week, Apple is expected

Its sales have disappointed lately, allowing Samsung to pull ahead

But will such bad publicity affect the way the Samsung brand is seen?

We asked some phone owners in Leicester.

You don't know if it could happen again, or any other phone.

I am not opposed to Samsung products.

I think they make good TVs and even good cellphones, until I read

But I think that would put me off purchasing it, for sure.

It probably wouldn't put me off, and the reason being that large

In Berlin today, Samsung continued to show off the capabilities

of the Note 7, which even works underwater.

But customers will now need reassurance that they won't need

to take drastic action with a phone that catches fire.

Now a look at some of the day's other news.

A large explosion in the southern Philippines has killed at least

12 people and injured several dozen more.

The blast took place in a busy night market in Davao, the hometown

of the Philippine President, Rodrigo Duterte.

Pictures from the scene appear to show a street

littered with broken glass and overturned restaurant chairs.

The cause of the explosion has not yet been identified.

Several hundred Syrians have been evacuated from a rebel held town

near Damascus in the first stage of a deal between rebel

The agreement to move the people out of Moadamiyeh gives the rebels

amnesty and restores the area to government control.

More than 2.5 billion people around the world live

in areas that may be vulnerable to outbreaks of Zika -

that's according to a new study into the spread of the virus.

Researchers found that people in countries like India, Pakistan,

Indonesia and Nigeria could be particularly vulnerable

For the first time in more than a decade, Florida is in a state

The storm system, called Hermine, hit the coast just before 6am GMT,

that's two in the morning local time, east of Tallahassee.

As the hurricane moved inland, it's been downgraded to a tropical

storm but its heavy rains and high-speed winds

have already left tens of thousands without power.

The worst of the wind and waves hit in the early hours of this morning.

The tide was the highest since records began. It may not been the

most powerful the state has ever seen but she packed a punch. Towns

across Florida were beaten a battered for hours. The historic

village bore the brunt of her wrath. Vanessa Edmonds has lived through

dozens of hurricanes. She was prepared for the worst. There is a

lot of clearing up to be done at her home and businesses in tax. It was

really bad here. I have lived here all my life. It was pretty bad. Work

is underway to restore power and clean water to this part of Florida.

Tens of thousands of homes lost supplies but there is an added risk.

This state is also fighting the Zika virus and standing water can help

infected mosquitoes breed. It is incredibly important that everybody

does their part to combat the Zika virus by dumping standing water, no

matter how small. The tropical storm is barrelling its way from Georgia

to the Carolinas, threatening further flooding. In some places,

the hurricane has left in her wake trail of utter devastation but

warnings were in place for days. The people of this state no storm could

have been a lot worse. Still to come: we hear how Mrs Trump

is suing Britain's Daily Mail online over claims she worked as an escort

in the 1990s. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in India's slums. Mother

Teresa was a wonderful example of how to help people in need. We help

to identify the bodies. We took them back home. Hostages appeared. Some

running tried to escape the nightmare bind them.

Britain lost a princess today. Described by all to whom she reached

out is irreplaceable, an early-morning car crash in Paris

underpass ended a life with more than its life of courage and

passion. After hours of speculation,

Uzbekistan's state TV has confirmed the President Karimov is dead.

Samsun has recalled its flagship galaxy model after reports of

exploding batteries and suspended sales of the device.

Melania Trump - the wife of the Republican presidential

candidate Donald Trump - is suing the Daily Mail Online

for libel, saying the newspaper alleged that she was an escort

Her lawyer says the claims are 100% false.

The Mail Online has published a statement in which it

retracted any suggestion that the allegations were true.

Melania Trump, the wife of Donald Trump has,

like most other prospective First Ladies, faced a good

There was that speech to the Republican convention

which bore more than a few similarities to one

You work hard for what you want hard in life.

In the Daily Mail today, there was a retraction of another

story which had asked questions about her immigration status

Given Mr Trump's position on immigration, it was a highly

They also looked at allegations that she had worked as an escort.

Today, in a statement, the Daily Mail said this...

His lawyer is the man who recently represented the wrestler Hulk Hogan

Charles Harder, here on the right, said the accusations were 100% false

It is not just the Daily Mail, another blogger has been cited

in court papers with a warning to other media outlets.

Of course, it is not the first time Donald Trump has taken

issue with the press, banning some papers from his rallies

His stance on immigration is a central pillar of his campaign.

He also needs to enthuse conservative America.

Melania Trump's reputation is an important electoral asset.

It is not just the Daily Mail, another blogger has been cited

Marin Cilic has lost a third-round stage at Flushing Meadows, beaten by

the American. He is the seventh seed in this year's tournament and lost

in straight sets. He won the mixed doubles gold in the Olympics in Rio

and has reached the fourth round at the US Open for the first time in

his career. There, he will play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the first man

through to the last extreme today after a straight sets victory. Novak

Djokovic is playing against the Russian. In the women's draw, last

year's runner-up has made it through as well. The seventh seed eventually

came through 6-3 in the decider. There was a shock once a walkover

went out. She was beaten by the Ukrainian in three sets. That is in

part to her 54 unforced errors. Also through, Joe Hanna can't. She isn't

around four. You can keep up-to-date with the progress of Novak Djokovic

and all the others on the BBC sport website.

The club appealed the FA charge. It was rejected today by an independent

disciplinary panel. Pep Guardiola has left the at the city's 25 man

squad. He will not be able to play. Clubs are only allowed 17 overseas

players in their squad. The Ivorian would have been in 18th. He has been

out of favour so far this season. He has been included in Manchester

United's 25 man squad. The 32-year-old had said he will be

ready if the team needs me after turning down possible moves away

from Old Trafford before the transfer deadline Bernie Ecclestone

has announced that monster will be retained as the head of the Italian

Grand Prix for the next three years. The site has been a permanent

fixture since back in 1950. On the track today, Lewis Hamilton was

fastest. The world champion is aiming to extend his lead in the

driver's standings of the Nico Rosberg. The Tour de France champion

Chris Froome remains 54 seconds behind the leader. The British rider

stayed in the peloton to keep tabs on him. Valerio Conti broke away to

win the stage. Tomorrow's stage to the Pyrenees could see Chris Froome

launch an attack on the Columbia leader. More than 1 million

applications have been received for next year's world athletics

Championships are been received. The Olympic Stadium will likely be using

Bob's last before retiring. NASA has released spectacular

new images of Jupiter The pictures show the swirling

clouds of the planet at both its poles -

views that no previous mission has Scientists say the mission will give

an unparalleled understanding of the largest planet

in our solar system, as our science correspondent

Rebecca Morelle reports. Jupiter is never seen before. For

the first time, its South Pole is revealed. Covered in swirling

storms, many even bigger than they are. In the north, it is thick

atmosphere is far bluer than scientists imagined. Now they want

to find out why. Here, and infrared view. At the top, you can see

Jupiter's Northern lights. And this sound? It was captured as Nasa's

spacecraft at through the charged particles that created the

spectacular light show. Look at these images! There are coming from

Jupiter. It is jaw-dropping. You see these images from over the pole.

Lift. Nasa's billion-dollar mission blasted

off in 2011. The start of a 3 billion kilometre voyage to the

solar system. The spacecraft reached its destination in July, grabbed

into orbit by Jupiter's gravitational pull. Jupiter

dominates our solar system. It is located at past Mercury, Venus, the

Earth and Mars. It is fast. More than 1000 earths would fit inside

it. This mission will last for 20 months. It takes Juno two weeks to

orbit Jupiter so it will only go around 37 times before it burns

up in the atmosphere. It means, for the first time, we can peer into the

thick clouds. We will study Jupiter's features including the

great red spot and storm that has been raging for centuries and

because Jupiter has hardly changed the billions of years, this mission

could tell us about the origins of the solar system. This mission is

the latest to inspire a new generation at Leicester's National

space Centre. Nasa is now inviting people to go on to the Juno website

to get involved. From early November, visitors can go onto the

website and vote for targets they want the image. We can see certain

areas that have never been photographed before. This is the

first batch of images to be sent back to work. Many more will soon

follow. Their remarkable detail will now be pored over by scientists.

They say Jupiter is like nothing they have ever seen before.

After hours of speculation Uzbekistan state television has

confirmed that President Islam Karimov has died.

The authoritarian leader has ruled the country for more

President Putin has offered his condolences.

And Smartphone giant Samsung has recalled its flagship Galaxy Note 7

model following reports of exploding batteries.

It's also suspended sales of the phone.