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WASHINGTON - Jerry Falwell Jr., a leading U.S. evangelical Christian whose endorsement played a key role in President Donald Trump’s 2016 victory, has resigned as president of Liberty University, the school said on Tuesday. Falwell, through an attorney, sent a resignation letter late last night to members of Liberty’s board, the Lynchburg, Virginia-based school said in a statement. The news follows conflicting reports about Falwell's next move, after Reuters reported on Monday that his business partner said he had a years-long sexual relationship here involving Falwell's wife and the evangelical leader. Falwell, who served as Liberty’s president for over a decade, did not respond to a request for comment. Falwell, 58, had initially agreed to resign immediately following the Reuters report, but then changed his mind following other media reports about his decision, according to the university. Giancarlo Granda said he was 20 when he met Jerry and Becki Falwell while working as

UNITED NATIONS - More than 10,000 Islamic State fighters are estimated to remain active in Iraq and Syria two years after the militant group´s defeat, and their attacks have significantly increased this year, the U.N. counter-terrorism chief said Monday. Vladimir Voronkov told the U.N. Security Council that Islamic State fighters move freely "in small cells between the two countries." He said the Islamic State extremist group - also known as IS, ISIL and ISIS - has regrouped and its activity has increased not only in conflict zones like Iraq and Syria but also in some regional affiliates. "However, in non-conflict zones, the threat appears to have decreased in the short term," he said. "Measures to minimize the spread of COVID-19, such as lockdowns and restrictions on movement, seem to have reduced the risk of terrorist attacks in many countries." Nonetheless, Voronkov said, "there is a continued trend of attacks by individuals inspired online and ac

WASHINGTON - New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the Trump administration aimed at stopping what she said was an effort to disrupt operations at the U.S. Postal Service at a time when a pandemic has prompted millions more people than usual to plan to vote by mail. The lawsuit - which names President Donald Trump, the postal service and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy - asks the court to vacate recent changes made to the U.S. Postal Service and to stop it from implementing additional service reductions. A planned overhaul of the post office, which is suffering deep financial shortfalls, has worried Democrats concerned that voters who want to avoid the new coronavirus will be prevented from casting ballots by mail because of potential delays in receiving voting materials or returning them. U.S. Postmaster Louis DeJoy told lawmakers recently that he would resume some cost-cutting measures that have factored in widespread service delays after the Nov.

He spent his 31st birthday without his Bachelor winner on Monday, as the couple continue to stay apart ahead of the show's finale. But it appears Locklan 'Locky' Gilbert's leading lady was not far from his mind as he went for a stroll with a male pal in his hometown of Perth. The former Survivor star was seen smiling as he received a text during the walk. Missing someone? Bachelor star Locklan 'Locky' Gilbert was glued to his phone as he went for a stroll with a male pal in Perth on his 31st birthday  The 31-year-old hunk was glued to his phone as he chatted away with his pal.  Locky showed off his incredibly muscular physique and an array of tattoos in a pair of white shorts, a black T-shirt, black sneakers and a matching black baseball cap. Meanwhile, 4,000km away in Sydney, brunette beauty Bella Varelis, who was an early bookies' favourite to win Locky heart, was photographed smiling away as she chatted on the phone last Wednesday. The marketing professio

NEW YORK - The euro rose on better-than-expected German business morale data on Tuesday while global equity markets gained, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq poised to set new closing highs, as a phone call between U.S. and Chinese trade officials fueled optimism. Gold prices fell as the positive signals on the U.S.-China trade front bolstered risk sentiment and offset support for the metal from a weaker dollar. Top U.S. and Chinese trade officials reaffirmed their commitment to a trade deal that had appeared on shaky ground because of worsening bilateral ties. Trading volume was low - typical for a late August session - but also as investors awaited a speech by Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell on Thursday, when he is expected to address the U.S. central bank’s view on inflation and monetary policy. A lack of news or single-stock catalyst to drive markets kept the session quiet, said Yousef Abbasi, global market strategist at StoneX Group Inc in New York. “The market’s on cruise con

Many Australians are set to lose their jobs as a popular consulting company slashes five per cent of their global workforce due to the effects of COVID-19. Accenture employs more than 500,000 people globally and about 5,000 people in Australia - 180 of them who will be made redundant locally.  The company could let go 25,000 employees around the world, mainly targeting the bottom five per cent of based on their performance, achievements and skills.  This means up to 250 could be at risk in Australia. Accenture employs more than 500,000 people globally and about 5,000 people in Australia - 180 of them who will be made redundant locally (pictured, its Sydney office) Accenture CEO Julie Sweet addressed the job cuts saying the company's growth fell to 1.3 per cent when the pandemic hit after reporting eight per cent in February  Managers have been tasked with ranking their employees based on their performance to decide who to let go.   But two Accenture Australia executives accused ma

- A total of 15.8 million people watched the mostly virtual Republican National Convention’s first night on Monday, according to early Nielsen Media Research, fewer than the 18.7 million viewers who watched the first night of the Democratic National Convention across the same number of networks. The 15.8 million RNC number reflects the audience across six TV networks between 10 p.m EDT and 11 p.m. EDT and does not include online and streaming viewers. Fox News had the biggest audience, with 7.1 million viewers. A total of 19.7 million people watched the first night of the virtual Democratic National Convention on 10 U.S. TV networks on Aug. 17. A comparable figure for the RNC is expected later on Tuesday. The Republican convention’s first night featured speeches by former U.N. Ambassador and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley; Donald Trump Jr., the president’s oldest son; and Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the St. Louis couple who pointed guns at Black Lives Matter protesters w

- Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore on Tuesday accused President Donald Trump of trying to “put his knee on the neck of democracy” by undermining mail-in voting and sowing doubts, without evidence, about the integrity of the Nov. 3 election. “He seems to have no compunctions at all about trying to rip apart the social fabric and the political equilibrium of the American people, and he’s strategically planting doubts in advance,” Gore, a Democrat, said in a conversation with Reuters Editor-in-Chief Stephen Adler and Reuters Editor-at-Large Harold Evans. Gore, who served as vice president from 1993 to 2001 during Bill Clinton’s presidency and lost the 2000 presidential election to Republican George W. Bush, called Trump’s actions a “despicable strategy.” Trump has made unsubstantiated claims that voting by mail, a regular feature of U.S. elections that is expected to increase this year amid the coronavirus pandemic, will cause widespread fraud, while also refusing to say he would a

Aboriginal protesters have blocked the main road to the controversial Adani Carmichael coal mine in a bid to stop construction. More than 20 people, including Traditional Owners of Wangan and Jagalingou country, stood outside the central Queensland facility on Monday. Adrian Burragubba, a Wangan and Jagalingou man, was among the protesters and has been a key figure in the decade-long opposition of the coal mine. 'We're taking back control of our land, that's what we're doing here,' he said.  'We're doing it because we've been ignored, as the original Wangan and Jagalingou people, we've been ignored through this whole process.' More than 20 people, including Traditional Owners of Wangan and Jagalingou country, stood outside the central Queensland facility on Monday  Indigenous protesters stand in front of an 'evict Adani' sign as a blockade was formed Mr Burragubba has repeatedly taken his case to the courts in a bid to stop the mining fac

Aug 24 - A Florida judge struck down a state mandate Monday requiring "brick-and-mortar" schools to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic, siding with a major Florida teachers union that wants local districts to decide. The state's largest teacher's union, Florida Education Association , argued that the state's blanket mandate to reopen all schools was unsafe. Judge Charles Dodson in the Circuit Court in Tallahassee sided with the union, granting a temporary injunction that adjusted the Florida Department of Education's emergency order to reopen in-person class. Instead, the decision must be made locally with school boards, the union said on its website. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the state's Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran have said repeatedly that all schools must open, but the decision for student in-person attendance would be up to the parents. But the judge sided with the teachers union saying that any decision to reopen should be made

By Arathy S Nair, Liz Hampton and Jennifer Hiller Aug 24 - Two U.S. shale oil producers, Pioneer Natural Resources Co and Parsley Energy Inc, are planning to trim staff in coming days, people familiar with the matter said on Monday, after each posted large second-quarter losses. The cost cuts are the latest by oil and gas producers as oil demand and prices have plunged due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 100,000 jobs in the U.S. industry had been axed this year through mid-June, consultancy Rystad Energy estimates. Parsley is laying off about 10% of its 496 employees, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. It posted a $356 million second-quarter loss and suspended production guidance. A spokesperson declined to confirm the number of job cuts. Pioneer Natural, which had cut drilling activity and lowered a production growth target, said its layoffs are part of a restructuring that will conclude next quarter. A spokesperson declined to say how many workers would be affected.

Aug 24 - Chip company Arm Holdings Ltd said on Monday it has put the brakes on the proposed transfer of two of its software businesses to its Japan-based parent SoftBank Group Corp. In July, Arm said it would transfer two units under its internet-of-things services group to Softbank and that it was aiming to complete the transfer by September. Arm, which supplies chips for virtually all mobile devices, said on Monday it has opted to keep the two units with separate accounting structures. SoftBank, a telecommunications carrier, acquired Arm for $32 billion in 2016, its largest-ever purchase, in part to expand into the "internet of things" sector, which connects everyday devices from traffic signals to refrigerators to the internet. SoftBank declined to comment. (Reporting by Neha Malara in Bengaluru and Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)

Las Vegas Raiders receiver Tyrell Williams has a torn labrum in his shoulder that he will try to play through this season. A person with knowledge of the injury confirmed Monday that Williams got injured in practice last week. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hasn´t made any announcement. NFL Network first reported the injury and said Williams will try to rehabilitate it over the next few weeks. The Raiders were counting on a healthy season from Williams after he spent most of last season dealing with injuries to both feet. He finished his first season with the team with 42 catches for 651 yards and six TDs but his production waned after the first four weeks. Williams has an $11 million guaranteed salary this season and is one of the highest-paid players on the team. He said earlier this summer he was fully healed and excited to contribute to the offense. Las Vegas used two of its four draft picks on wide receivers in April with the speedy Henry Ruggs III get

Businesses which have recovered enough to no longer be eligible for JobKeeper will still be able to claim benefits, as long as their turnover is down by 10 per cent.  The current scheme winds up on September 27 with the extended JobKeeper 2.0 kicking in the following day until the end of March 2021.   Under the existing scheme, amendments to the Fair Work Act were introduced in April to assist struggling businesses and help with the implementation of JobKeeper payments.  Businesses will still be able claim some JobKeeper benefits if their turnover is down by 10 per cent (Pictured, the locked down Victorian town of Bendigo) Amendments to the Fair Work Act were introduced in April to assist struggling businesses and help with the implementation of JobKeeper payments (Pictured: a retailer in Bendigo in August)  A view of Collins Street in Melbourne after Stage 4 restrictions were brought into effect in the Victorian capital prompting an extension of JobKeeper  These changes for employers

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Every time Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes looked into the stands on Saturday, they saw Chiefs fans wearing masks. There were plenty of videos making the rounds on social media afterward that showed many were not. It was the first chance for Kansas City fans to glimpse the Super Bowl champions after an offseason scuttled by the coronavirus pandemic. The Chiefs were forced to move training camp from the fan-friendly Missouri Western State University to their locked-down home base just across the parking lot from Arrowhead Stadium. The roughly 2,000 season ticket holders that were allowed to watch the workout were required to wear masks, just as fans will be when 22% of capacity is allowed for the season opener Sept. 10 against Houston. But plenty of tweets, posts on Instagram and Facebook feeds showed fans wearing masks incorrectly or not at all - contradicting rules set down by the Chiefs and regulations that have been encouraged by local and state authorities. "

A construction tycoon and his family are soaking up the Queensland sunshine after they were granted an exemption to flee lockdown Victoria. While the lives of other Melburnians are restricted by stage four lockdown, group executive director Mark Simonds managed to escaped the city's cold winter. He and his entourage embarked on a 15 day sailing trip up Australia's east coast on his 30-metre long super yacht Lady Pamela. The vessel docked at six stops along the coast before it arrived at its final destination at Gold Coast Marina on Monday morning. The multimillionaire and six others on board were not allowed to disembark until they were tested for coronavirus by Queensland Health medical staff, who didn't arrive until late afternoon. Simonds Group executive Mark Simonds looked very relaxed with wife Cheryl (pictured together) during their 15 day voyage along Australia's east coast on board Lady Pamela Mr Simonds' wife Cheryl, their son, and Hannah Fox, daughter of

There's no love lost between Sophie Monk and her former Bardot bandmates. On Tuesday, the 40-year-old issued a withering response to Tiffani Wood, after she called Sophie out for 'having the time' to appear on The Masked Singer but not to do a Bardot reunion tour. Speaking on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, Sophie insisted she's had nothing to do with the other members of the girl group since they disbanded in 2002.  'I haven't spoken to the girls for 18 years': Sophie Monk has offered a brutal response after her former Bardot bandmate criticised her appearance on The Masked Singer  'I haven't spoken to the girls for 18 years, except for one of them,' Sophie shrugged.    'I didn't hear about a reunion. I didn't think this year it was possible to do anything, really,' she added, referencing the travel bans and venue closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday night, Tiffani took an almighty swipe at Sophie after she was reve