An official from West Virginia has reportedly lost her job after posting a racist comment about Michelle Obama on Facebook.
After Donald Trump won the US presidential election, Pamela Ramsey Taylor, from the Clay Development Corporation, posted: "It will be refreshing to have a classy, beautiful, dignified First Lady in the White House. I'm tired of seeing an Ape in heels."
Clay's mayor, Beverly Whaling, responded: "Just made my day Pam."
The post, which was initially reported by WSAZ-TV, was shared hundreds of times before it was deleted.
Image Caption:Melania Trump is to take over the first lady role from Mrs Obama in January
An online petition was subsequently launched, calling for the sacking of both women.
Owens Brown, from the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People's West Virginia chapter, was among those calling for the removal of the women.
Mr Brown said: "I feel it's so unfortunate that people still have these racist undertones.
"Unfortunately, this is a reality that we are dealing with in America today. There's no place for these types of attitudes in our state."
State Democratic Party chairwoman Belinda Biafore apologised to Mrs Obama, writing in an email: "On behalf of my fellow Mountaineers I would like extend my sincerest apologies to First Lady Michelle Obama.
Image Caption:Mrs Obama, a lawyer, has been praised for her efforts to encourage young women to achieve their highest potential
"West Virginia truly is better than this. These radical, hateful, and racist ideals are exactly what we at the West Virginia Democratic Party will continue to fight against. These words and actions do not represent West Virginia values.
"We will continue to fight for a West Virginia that is inclusive, not divisive and a home for all to feel safe, welcome, and protected. In a time when we are at a crossroads and many fear the future we must stand together against hate of all forms."
A local councillor stressed the Clay Development Corporation was not connected with the city of Clay itself.
African-Americans make up about 4% of West Virginia's 1.8 million residents, according to the US census.
Mr Trump was supported by about 77% of Clay County residents in the 8 November election.
Russia has launched a major air offensive in Syria as part of a joint operation with Bashar al Assad's regime.
Jets have taken off from the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier and hit targets in Idlib and Homs, while the Syrian military has attacked rebel groups inside east Aleppo.
Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said the main targets include Islamic State (IS) and al Nusra ammunition depots, as well as plants producing weapons.
According to the minister, operations launched from the country's sole aircraft carrier, which arrived on the Syrian coast at the weekend, are targeting IS operations in the two areas.
This is the first time the aircraft carrier, the flagship of the Russian Navy, has taken part in a military operation.
Another ship in the flotilla, the frigate Admiral Grigorovich also fired cruise missiles at Syrian targets, the minister said.
Mr Shoigu said terrorists have developed "factories" for producing weapons and claimed this is the reason for the fresh attacks.
He also said the Russian military had thoroughly assessed the targets before striking them.
He said: "You are aware that we have sent a large group of our radiation, chemical and biological protection troops to determine the toxic substances which are used by terrorists.
"Within the past week they used them twice - in one case, 27 people were hospitalized and three died, in the other case 30 people were hospitalised - I mean the Syrian Army soldiers."
To the west of Aleppo, heavy strikes have been reported in the opposition-controlled countryside and three hospitals have been bombed in the last two days.
At present, 275,000 people are said to be trapped by regime troops inside the besieged city.
The Government has no Brexit plan and will not have a strategy for six months because of a split in the Cabinet and lack of Civil Service fire power, a leaked document seen by Sky News claims.
It says that despite discussions, nearly six months after the Brexit vote "no common strategy has emerged" and this is "in part because of the divisions within the Cabinet".
In short, it suggests, Theresa May has got little further than saying "Brexit means Brexit".
A Government spokesman said Downing Street does not recognise the claims made in the document.
According to the leaked memo, which has been drawn up by an unnamed consultant, Whitehall has 500 Brexit projects and will need as many as 30,000 civil servants to work on them.
And it warns that when it comes to Brexit negotiations big businesses like Nissan could "point a gun at the Government's head".
The consultant says the Cabinet split is between the "three Brexiteers" - Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox and Brexit Secretary David Davis - on the one side and Mr Hammond and Business Secretary Greg Clark on the other.
And the document, circulated among civil servants, warns that the Prime Minister is "rapidly acquiring the reputation of drawing in decision and details to settle matters herself - which is unlikely to be sustainable."
Image Caption:Boris Johnson is one of the three Brexiteers
According to the consultant, the Government's decision to appeal against the High Court decision that Mrs May doesn't have the power to trigger Article 50, the formal EU divorce process, is to stop the Conservative Party from splitting.
It says the appeal is "about avoiding any more public debate than necessary because it will expose splits within the predominantly 'remain' Conservative MPs and intensify the pressure from predominantly 'leave' constituency parties".
The document says all Whitehall departments have developed a "bottom up" plan of what Brexit could be", but that "this falls considerably short of having a 'Government plan for Brexit'."
And it adds that the failure to put together a Brexit plan means senior civil servants will "feel compelled to present high level plan(s) to avoid further drift".
It says "departments are struggling to come up to speed on the potential Brexit effects on industry" and there is fragmentation because certain departments are trying to guard areas, such as the Treasury and financial services.
However, one of the biggest problems is Whitehall's inability to carry out any Brexit arrangements quickly because of a lack of fire power, the document says.
Image Caption:The Chancellor is on the other side of the split from Mr Johnson, Mr Davis and Dr Fox
It says that one department "estimates that it needs a 40% increase in staff to cope with its Brexit projects".
The release of the damaging document, which was first reported by The Times, will bolster recent key criticisms from Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the SNP, namely that the Government does not have a Brexit plan.
MPs from all parties have sought to force the Government to put its plans on the table ahead of going into negotiations with the EU.
However, despite this, the PM's "over-riding objective" is to stop the party from splitting, the document says.
It says an early General Election is a "last resort" for three reasons: the Conservatives don't stand to benefit from the boundary changes until 2019, the Fixed Term Parliament Act makes it more difficult and it may help distract from Brexit.
But Transport Secretary Chris Grayling told Sky News it was not a Government memo and he didn't know where it came from.
He said: "Well I don't know where it came from. It's certainly not a Government report and I certainly haven't seen evidence and I sit on the Cabinet Committee that is planning the Brexit process. I haven't seen any evidence of the kind of splits discussed.
"This is not a report we commissioned. It is not a report we have seen. It is not something we recognise."
A navy ship has been dispatched to rescue tourists and residents stranded in a New Zealand town hit by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake.
The quake killed two people, damaged roads and buildings and sparked a tsunami warning which sent thousands of people fleeing to higher ground.
Emergency teams flew helicopters to the areas thought to be worst-affected by the quake, which had its epicentre about 57 miles northeast of Christchurch on the country's South Island.
A military helicopter and surveillance aircraft were sent to the small coastal town of Kaikoura, which was left inaccessible by road.
A navy ship has been dispatched to evacuate around 1,000 tourists and hundreds of residents trapped in the town, which had its water supplies and sewerage systems knocked out by the quake.
HMNZS Canterbury is expected to arrive in Kaikoura on Wednesday morning, the New Zealand Herald reported.
Aerial footage showed railway tracks ripped up and thrown 10 metres, while landslips dumped hundreds of tonnes of debris on to the main highway.
Electricity and phones were also down in the town of 2,000 residents, well-known among tourists as a base for whale-watching trips.
Barack Obama says he "absolutely" has concerns about a Donald Trump presidency, in his first news conference since the US election.
And he advised Mr Trump to change some aspects of his behaviour.
"I think what will happen with the President-elect is that there are going to be certain elements of his temperament that will not serve him well unless he recognises them and corrects them," he said.
During their face to face meeting on Thursday, he said he offered Mr Trump "honest advice" and highlighted the importance of finding trusted aides for the White House.
"We had a very cordial conversation," he said. "Do I have concerns? Absolutely."
Mr Obama told Mr Trump he must reach out to voters who did not support him.
He told journalists he thinks Mr Trump will try to "send some signals of unity" to people who were alienated by what was a ferocious campaign.
And he urged the President-elect "to reach out to minority groups or women or others that were concerned about the tenor of the campaign".
Mr Obama said the job of President was a big challenge, and the Presidency was bigger than one person.
Video:Trump's Oval Office sit-down with Obama
But he promised that he and his team will do all they can to help make the transition peaceful and smooth.
Mr Trump needed to be given the "rope and space" for a "reset", he said, reflecting on his own arrival in the White House during the economic crisis.
He said Mr Trump will have more "time and space" than he had to make "judicious decisions".
Mr Obama said that immigration was good for the American economy if it was orderly and lawful, and he would urge Mr Trump to think "long and hard" before he cracks down on young undocumented immigrants.
Following Hillary Clinton's defeat, Mr Obama said Democrats must accept the result, compete everywhere and show up everywhere.
He is about to leave for his last foreign trip, a week-long tour to Greece, Germany and Peru.
Mr Obama said he would be reassuring America's allies that Mr Trump supports NATO, despite comments made during the campaign that he wanted other countries to pay more towards it.
Video:Protests continue as Trump softens tone
Meanwhile, there have been more protests against Mr Trump's election victory.
Six days after the vote, high school students walked out of class to stage protests in several US cities, including Los Angeles, Denver, Portland and Oakland.
Mr Trump accused some of being "professional protesters", but during an interview for 60 Minutes he said they were afraid because they did not know him.
Barack Obama says he "absolutely" has concerns about a Donald Trump presidency, in his first news conference since the US election.
And he advised Mr Trump to change some aspects of his behaviour.
"I think what will happen with the President-elect is that there are going to be certain elements of his temperament that will not serve him well unless he recognises them and corrects them," he said.
During their face to face meeting on Thursday, he said he offered Mr Trump "honest advice" and highlighted the importance of finding trusted aides for the White House.
"We had a very cordial conversation," he said. "Do I have concerns? Absolutely."
Mr Obama told Mr Trump he must reach out to voters who did not support him.
He told journalists he thinks Mr Trump will try to "send some signals of unity" to people who were alienated by what was a ferocious campaign.
And he urged the President-elect "to reach out to minority groups or women or others that were concerned about the tenor of the campaign".
Mr Obama said the job of President was a big challenge, and the Presidency was bigger than one person.
Video:Trump's Oval Office sit-down with Obama
But he promised that he and his team will do all they can to help make the transition peaceful and smooth.
Mr Trump needed to be given the "rope and space" for a "reset", he said, reflecting on his own arrival in the White House during the economic crisis.
He said Mr Trump will have more "time and space" than he had to make "judicious decisions".
Mr Obama said that immigration was good for the American economy if it was orderly and lawful, and he would urge Mr Trump to think "long and hard" before he cracks down on young undocumented immigrants.
Following Hillary Clinton's defeat, Mr Obama said Democrats must accept the result, compete everywhere and show up everywhere.
He is about to leave for his last foreign trip, a week-long tour to Greece, Germany and Peru.
Mr Obama said he would be reassuring America's allies that Mr Trump supports NATO, despite comments made during the campaign that he wanted other countries to pay more towards it.
Video:Protests continue as Trump softens tone
Meanwhile, there have been more protests against Mr Trump's election victory.
Six days after the vote, high school students walked out of class to stage protests in several US cities, including Los Angeles, Denver, Portland and Oakland.
Mr Trump accused some of being "professional protesters", but during an interview for 60 Minutes he said they were afraid because they did not know him.
Barack Obama says he "absolutely" has concerns about a Donald Trump presidency, in his first news conference since the US election.
And he advised Mr Trump to change some aspects of his behaviour.
"I think what will happen with the President-elect is that there are going to be certain elements of his temperament that will not serve him well unless he recognises them and corrects them," he said.
During their face to face meeting on Thursday, he said he offered Mr Trump "honest advice" and highlighted the importance of finding trusted aides for the White House.
"We had a very cordial conversation," he said. "Do I have concerns? Absolutely."
Mr Obama told Mr Trump he must reach out to voters who did not support him.
He told journalists he thinks Mr Trump will try to "send some signals of unity" to people who were alienated by what was a ferocious campaign.
And he urged the President-elect "to reach out to minority groups or women or others that were concerned about the tenor of the campaign".
Mr Obama said the job of President was a big challenge, and the Presidency was bigger than one person.
Video:Trump's Oval Office sit-down with Obama
But he promised that he and his team will do all they can to help make the transition peaceful and smooth.
Mr Trump needed to be given the "rope and space" for a "reset", he said, reflecting on his own arrival in the White House during the economic crisis.
He said Mr Trump will have more "time and space" than he had to make "judicious decisions".
Mr Obama said that immigration was good for the American economy if it was orderly and lawful, and he would urge Mr Trump to think "long and hard" before he cracks down on young undocumented immigrants.
Following Hillary Clinton's defeat, Mr Obama said Democrats must accept the result, compete everywhere and show up everywhere.
He is about to leave for his last foreign trip, a week-long tour to Greece, Germany and Peru.
Mr Obama said he would be reassuring America's allies that Mr Trump supports NATO, despite comments made during the campaign that he wanted other countries to pay more towards it.
Video:Protests continue as Trump softens tone
Meanwhile, there have been more protests against Mr Trump's election victory.
Six days after the vote, high school students walked out of class to stage protests in several US cities, including Los Angeles, Denver, Portland and Oakland.
Mr Trump accused some of being "professional protesters", but during an interview for 60 Minutes he said they were afraid because they did not know him.
