Irma loses power in USA

[Daily Maverick] FIRST THING with JOHN STUPART Monday, 11 September 2017 "Go down this set of stairs and then just run, run as fast as you can." Lt David Brink, 9/11 [Exclusive Books Top]([10 .]([For discerning readers.]( STORY OF THE DAY [Zimbabwe: Marange diamond fields firms ‘captured’ by sinister spooks, state elites]( Political elites and security services have captured the companies mining Zimbabwe’s Marange diamond fields and siphoned off billions, even as the government blames private companies for crucial data gaps in its accounts, a report released on Monday alleges. KRISTEN VAN SCHIE reports. [Irma peters out after US landfall]( Hurricane Irma has been downgraded to Category 2 after wreaking havoc on mainland US and the Caribbean. In St Martin and St Barts, six of every 10 homes are damaged or destroyed, with Barbuda described as "barely habitable". West coast Florida residents have been warned to avoid the seaside as well, with warnings of swells up to 15ft. [Anderson clobbered in US Open final]( Rafael Nadal put an end to Kevin Anderson's fairy tale final on Sunday night. A woefully one-sided match saw Nadal defeat Anderson 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, with the former never once facing a break point. Anderson's historic achievement at the US Open, however, will remain an incredible feat, not just for his career but in terms of inspiring future South African tennis champions. [Draft of sanctions on North Korea presented]( On Sunday a revised UN draft resolution was circulated among the Security Council. Detailed in it were proposed sanctions to be placed on an increasingly bellicose North Korea. A "progressive" oil embargo appeared to be the focus of the sanctions, but ultimately represented a significantly less aggressive draft than initially proposed. [UN slams UK air pollution]( Apparently, the UN had a busy weekend. On Sunday the international organisation took a break from punishing North Korea to criticise the United Kingdom for failing to address its ongoing air pollution problem. With over 40,000 deaths in the UK linked to air pollution, the UN slammed British government "inaction" over improving the country's air quality. — [Exclusive Books Top]([10 .]([For discerning readers.]( PICTURE OF THE DAY By EPA/KEITH MEYERS A file picture dated 15 September 2001 shows smoke continues to rise from the destroyed World Trade Center in New York, US. On 11 September 2001, during a series of co-ordinated terror attacks using hijacked airplanes, two airplanes were flown into the World Trade Center's twin towers causing the collapse of both towers. A third plane targeted the Pentagon and fourth plane heading towards Washington, DC ultimately crashed into a field. The unprecedented attack claimed the lives of almost 3,000 people. IN NUMBERS 114% The percentage of Switzerland's population that can be accommodated in a nuclear shelter. FACTS OF THE DAY Today in 2001 al-Qaeda launched a series of aircraft hijackings that ultimately saw 2,997 people killed in a single day. The Boston Tea Party was commonly known as "the destruction of the tea" until the 19th-century advent of actual tea parties. 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