Paul Manafort, the campaign chairman for the USRepublican presidential candidate Donald Trump,has resigned. There have been allegations thatMr.Manafort received secret payments for lobbyingwork on behalf of the party of the deposed Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych. He hasdenied any wrongdoing. The BBC Washington correspondent says his resignation is morelikely the result of dwindling support for Mr. Trump.
The International Paralympic Committee says its games will go ahead in Rio in September, butthere will be cuts to the numbers of venues and staff because of a budget shortfall. Thechairman said the anticipated support from Rio 2016’s organizing committee had not matchedthat originally promised.
The European Olympics chief Pat Hickey has been denied bail and has been taken to prison inBrazil. The 71-year-old was arrested on Wednesday accused of involvement in the illegalresale of Olympic tickets.
Proposals by conservatives in Germany to introduce a partial ban on the burqa are beingopposed by the junior party in the governing coalition. The German Interior Minister saidregional leaders had agreed on a proposal for tougher security measures, but the JusticeMinister, who is from the SPD, said debates about the burqa and security should be keptseparate.
Residents in the Syrian city of Hasakah say government warplanes have hit Kurdish districts forthe second day running. Thousands are reported to have fled their homes. Hasakah is mainlyunder the control of the Kurdish militia YPG.
Officials in the US state of Florida say five cases of the Zika virus have been identified inMiami-Dade County. The centers for disease control and prevention have now issued advice topregnant women to avoid the south beach area, which is popular with tourists.
Firefighters say they are making significant gains against wildfire in southern California. Theysay the fire, which has scorched about 150 square kilometers,is now 26% contained.Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes.
