Lohan 'Happy' To Light Up Pro-Brexit Kettering

Hollywood star Lindsay Lohan has said she would be happy to turn on the Christmas lights in Kettering after an "offensive" tweet about the town on the night of the EU referendum.

The 29-year-old pro-Remain American actress was taken to task by the Northamptonshire town's Conservative MP after she "slagged off" areas that voted Brexit, as she live tweeted the results.

He was particularly upset that in one Twitter post she indicated she had never heard of the town, writing: "Sorry #Kettering but where are you?"

This was despite it being home to Weetabix breakfast cereal, record FA Cup goalscoring Kettering Town FC and upmarket shoemakers Cheaney and Loake.

Philip Hollobone was supported in his call for Lohan to switch on the festive lights in reparation by Tory Commons Leader and fellow Brexit campaigner Chris Grayling.

Speaking in Parliament, Mr Grayling joked: "As those of us who have children will know, over the years Lindsay Lohan - as a star of child and teen movies, a very entertaining actress at the time - hasn't necessarily fulfilled her professional potential and perhaps now we know the reason why.

"Had she visited Kettering she might have seen her career turn around and I think the invitation that you have made to her today is one she should accept, she should visit the fine town of Kettering and find herself returned to stardom."

In response on Twitter, Lohan said: "Direct message me about your offer. Would be happy to light the Christmas tree in #Kettering."

Foreign Hostages In Bangladesh Attack

Several foreigners are said to be among a number of hostages taken by gunmen who stormed a restaurant in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka.

Eight or nine attackers stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery, located in the city's diplomatic quarter.

One kitchen staffer said that the gunmen were armed with firearms and bombs, entering the bakery at around 9:20pm local time and taking customers and staff hostage at gunpoint.

Bangladesh's police chief has confirmed that several foreigners are among the hostages.

Police take cover near the Holey Artisan Bakery

One policeman is reported to have been killed and three people seriously wounded by gunfire as officers surrounded the restaurant, located in the Gulshan area of the capital, and a massive firefight erupted.

A large number of security guards have cordoned off the surrounding area.

A police spokesman said: "Our first priority is to save the lives of the people trapped inside." 

The head of Bangladesh's elite security force told reporters: "We are trying to communicate with them (gunmen). We want to resolve it peacefully."

Bangladesh's Daily Star is reporting that heavily armed police in armoured vehicles are preparing to enter the restaurant.

A resident near the scene  of the assault said that gunfire could still be heard almost three hours after the attack began.

"It is chaos out there. The streets are blocked. There are dozens of police commandos," said Tarique Mir.

The US State Department has said the hostage situation is "still fluid", and the US embassy in Dhaka has urged citizens to shelter in place.

A spokesman for the US State Department said it was too early to say who was involved in the hostage situation, but that all Americans working at the US mission in Dhaka had been accounted for.

The White House says that President Barack Obama has been briefed on the situation, and has asked to be kept informed of developments.

One Bangladeshi TV station has reported that the gunmen chanted "Allahu Akbar" as they launched their assault.

The restaurant is located near a small hospital as well as the Nordic Club, a private members' club popular with expats.

There has been a string of recent attacks on religious minorities and secular activists by suspected Islamist militants in the country.

Earlier on Friday, a Hindu temple worker was hacked to death in southwest Bangladesh by three assailants.

Taiwan Accidentally Fires Missile Toward China

Taiwan has mistakenly fired a supersonic anti-ship missile in the direction of China, the Taiwanese navy said.

The 500-tonne patrol boat Chinchiang was undergoing an inspection inside a military base when the missile was fired by accident on Friday.

There were no injuries caused by the error, Taiwan's official Central News Agency reported. 

It said the missile - a Hsiung Feng III - landed in waters off the Taiwanese islands of Penghu, between Taiwan and China.

A preliminary investigation showed that its operators may have failed to follow proper procedures.

"Our initial investigation found that the operation was not done in accordance with normal procedure," Taiwan's Vice Admiral Mei Chia-shu told reporters.

He added that a full investigation was under way. Taiwan's navy has sent a helicopter and boats to search for the missile.

The accident coincided with Beijing's celebrations of the 95th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Communist Party.

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, which handles China policy, declined to say whether the incident had been reported to Beijing.

Ties between Taipei and Beijing have deteriorated since China-sceptic Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen was elected in January.

China still insists that self-ruling Taiwan is part of its territory, even though the two sides split in 1949 after a civil war.

It has not ruled out using force to bring about reunification.

However, Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a speech on Friday calling for peaceful development of relations between Beijing and Taipei.

Fleeing Islamic State Trucks Bombed From Air

A convoy of nearly 800 Islamic State vehicles has been destroyed from the air as it attempted to flee the Iraqi city of Fallujah, officials say.

Hundreds of trucks, minibuses and cars were hit by missiles after Fallujah was wrested from IS by Iraqi forces on Sunday.

The city, west of Baghdad, had been in the militant group's control for more than two years.

Footage released by Iraq's Ministry of Defence showed many of the bombings.

Sights are trained on an apparent Islamic State vehicle

In some of the video, militants can be seen running from trucks seconds before missiles land.     

The strikes - which Iraqi authorities said took place from Wednesday to Thursday - added to what was already a major defeat for the jihadists.

Iraq's Joint Operations Command said the country's forces destroyed 603 IS vehicles.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon estimated that coalition strikes hit at least 175. Those figures could not be independently confirmed.

"Over the last two days, the Iraqi security forces and the coalition conducted strikes against two large concentrations of (IS) vehicles and fighters," Pentagon spokesman Matthew Allen told the AFP news agency.

Iraq's Joint Operations Command spokesman Yahya Rasool said commandos had also seized large quantities of weapons and ammunition.

Iraqi forces retook full control of Fallujah, 30 miles west of Baghdad, after a vast operation that was launched in May.

After tough battles to breach IS defences in south Fallujah, elite Iraqi forces conquered the rest of the city with relative ease.

They took full control of the city on Sunday after IS fighters abandoned the Jolan neighbourhood and retreated to rural areas to the west.

The strikes appear to spell the end of fixed IS positions in eastern Anbar province.

They further shrink the size of the "caliphate" the group proclaimed over large parts of Iraq and Syria two years ago.

Iraqi forces are now training their sights on Mosul, IS's de facto Iraqi capital.

Tesla Driver In First Fatal Autopilot Crash

The US government is investigating the first known fatal crash involving a car in self-drive mode.

Joshua Brown was killed when his Tesla Model S smashed into a turning tractor-trailer after its cameras failed to distinguish the vehicle's white side from a bright sky.

When firefighters arrived at the scene in Williston, Florida, the car - with its roof cleaved off completely - had come to rest in a yard hundreds of feet from the crash site.

Mr Brown, from Canton, Ohio, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash involved a Tesla Model S

Frank Baressi, the 62-year-old driver of the other vehicle involved in the crash, told AP the Tesla was travelling so quickly that "he went so fast through my trailer I didn't see him".

Mr Brown was a Navy SEAL for 11 years and founder of Nexu Innovations Inc, a tech company specialising in wireless internet networks and camera systems.

He was an enthusiastic promoter of Tesla cars and posted a video which he said showed his vehicle's Autopilot avoiding a crash when a truck served in front of him.

Tesla founder Elon Musk expressed "Our condolences for the tragic loss" in a tweet on Thursday.

In a statement, the company did not identify Mr Brown but said he was "a friend to Tesla and the broader EV (electric vehicle) community, a person who spent his life focused on innovation and the promise of technology and who believed strongly in Tesla's mission."

Tesla also stressed the shortcomings of self-drive technology, saying: "Autopilot is getting better all the time, but it is not perfect and still requires the driver to remain alert."

The company said this was the first known death in over 130 million miles of Autopilot operation.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Office of Defects, which is handling the investigation, said the opening of a preliminary evaluation should not be construed as a finding that the government believes the Model S is defective.

Elon Musk has been bullish about Autopilot, even as Tesla warns owners the feature is not for all conditions and not sophisticated enough for the driver stop paying attention to the road.

He has claimed the feature reduces the probability of having an accident by 50% and in January he said it is "probably better than a person right now".

Boris Johnson: I'm Not Running For Leadership

Boris Johnson has ruled himself out of the race to be the next Tory leader and prime minister saying, "that person cannot be me".

:: LIVE: Shocks In Tory Leadership Contest

Mr Johnson, who was the bookies' favourite to succeed David Cameron and was expected to throw his hat into the ring, made the shock announcement after fellow Brexiteer campaigner Michael Gove put himself forward as a leadership contender.

His decision to bat for the Leave campaign was seen by many as a political gamble which, if successful, would have seen him replace his former Eton chum as Prime Minister.

:: Gove's Bombshell: He'll Stand For Tory Leader

In a dramatic press conference just moments before the midday deadline for nominations passed on Thursday, Mr Johnson said that the next Tory leader would have to unite the party and country.

Citing his own credentials, Mr Johnson said he was immensely proud of what his team had achieved in the capital at City Hall.

He said the UK's Brexit vote was a chance for the country's next leader to "restore Britain's standing as an independent sovereign" and "our moment to stand tall in the world".

But then he added: "My friends, you have waited for the punchline of this speech.

"Having consulted colleagues and in view of the circumstances in Parliament, I have concluded that person cannot be me."

There were audible gasps from Tory MPs and journalists in the room as he made the revelation.

Moments later, Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of senior Tory backbench MPs, confirmed Mr Gove, Home Secretary Theresa May, former defence secretary Liam Fox and MPs Stephen Crabb and Andrea Leadsom as the official leadership contenders.

The first sign of any tension between Mr Gove and Mr Johnson was exposed in an email from the Justice Secretary's wife, journalist Sarah Vine, who warned her husband about the risks of backing the former London mayor without "specific assurances" about his role in any Johnson-led Cabinet.

This was cemented when Mr Gove took a swipe at Mr Johnson when he declared his intention to stand in the contest, saying: "Boris cannot provide the leadership or build the team for the task ahead."

Sky's Political Editor Faisal Islam described the move as an "Et tu, Brute?" moment.

Justice Minister Dominic Raab who backed the joint ticket of a Mr Johnson bid supported by Mr Gove, said the ex-London mayor's "cavalier" attitude had scuppered the plan.

The party needed a "unity figure who can bring people together and ultimately put a team together", he told Sky News.

"Until the 11th hour Michael Gove was committed to doing that with Boris. It hasn't happened and some of the reassurances that we had had about turning a dream ticket into a dream team didn't materialise."

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: "Boris follows the Bullingdon playbook: you break it and someone else has to fix it."

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt have both ruled themselves out of the race, with Mrs Morgan backing Mr Gove and Mr Hunt throwing his support behind Mrs May.

The first round of voting will take place on Tuesday, with the contender with the least votes eliminated at each round until two front runners emerge and a new party leader is chosen by 9 September.

Obama Tells EU Leaders To 'Catch Their Breath'

Barack Obama has warned European leaders to "catch their breath" and make plans for the UK's exit from the EU.

Speaking during a visit to Canada, the US President said he expected the global economy to stay steady in the short term after Brexit - but he warned there could be trouble later.

Mr Obama said the priority for Britain and Europe should be to work on a clear plan to reassure nervous populations and businesses that deal with the EU.

He said: "My main message to David Cameron, Angela Merkel and others is everybody should catch their breath, come up with a plan and a process that is orderly, that's transparent, that people understand.

:: Obama Says UK Special Relationship Will Endure 

"Obviously leadership issues in Great Britain will need to be resolved for it to move as crisply and as effectively as it needs to."

Acknowledging the turbulent week for markets and currencies since the historic referendum, Mr Obama said preparations by central banks, finance ministers and the US treasury secretary had kept the financial system on an even keel.

But he added: "I think there are some genuine longer term concerns about global growth if in fact Brexit goes through and that freezes the possibilities of investment in Great Britain or in Europe as a whole.

:: Obama: UK-US Trade Deal Would Be Back Of Queue

"At a time when global growth rates were weak already, this doesn't help."

The President backed Mr Cameron's Remain campaign when he visited the UK in April.

He warned that Britain would be "in the back of the queue" for a new trade deal if it left the 28-member bloc.

But since the referendum result Mr Obama has moved to reassure Britons about the future. 

He said: "While the UK's relationship with the EU will change, one thing that will not change is special relationship that exists between our two nations.

"That will endure. The EU will remain one of our indispensable partners."