1. ‘We are all saying a big prayer for you, Aretha’
Aretha Franklin, whose gospel-rooted singing and bluesy yet expansive delivery earned
her the title “the Queen of Soul,” died this morning in her Detroit, Michigan, home. She was 76.
Franklin died at 9:50 a.m. at her home in Detroit, surrounded by family and friends, according to a statement on behalf of Franklin’s family from her longtime publicist Gwendolyn Quinn.
The “official cause of death was due to advanced pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type, which was confirmed by Franklin’s oncologist, Dr. Philip Phillips of Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit,” the family statement said.
2. Former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee Dies
Former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who presided over clandestine nuclear tests that confirmed India as a nuclear power but soured relations with rival Pakistan, died Thursday at the age of 93.
His death was announced by a New Delhi hospital, where he had been treated for a kidney infection for the past nine weeks, and by the current prime minister, Narendra Modi, who called him “a great son of mother India” and a “leader with no enemies.”
3. Four planes make emergency landings in Chile and Peru after bomb threats
Police patrol with dogs near the LATAM airlines gates in Jorge Chavez airport in Callao, Peru, August 16, 2018
Four planes were forced to make emergency landings in Chile and Peru on Thursday because of bomb threats issued to Chile’s civil aviation authority, the authority said in a statement.
Two of the planes were operated by LATAM Airlines and two by Sky, a low-cost Chilean airline, the aviation authority said. Sky also reported that a third plane it operated was prevented from taking off because of a bomb threat.
According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) and the airlines, inspections of three of those five planes found no bombs, and at least one plane was later allowed to resume its flight.
4.U.S. welcomes Saudi Arabia’s pledge of $100 million for Syria
A view of tents at a refugee camp for the internally displaced Syrians in Idlib province, Syria July 30, 2018.
The United States on Thursday welcomed Saudi Arabia’s contribution of $100 million to help stabilize parts of Syria no longer held by Islamic State, which comes as the Trump administration looks to cut back on foreign aid.
“This significant contribution is critical to stabilization and early recovery efforts and comes at an important time in the campaign,” the State Department said in a statement.
It said Islamic State’s territory is down to 400 square miles (1,000 square km) in Syria and nearly 150,000 people have returned to the city of Raqqa after the militant group fled.
5.Madonna turns 60 in Marrakesh
Celebrated pop star, actress, director and writer Madonna is celebrating her 60th birthday in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh.
She has shared photos of herself wearing Berber headdress on Instagram:
updatefly 