(Bloomberg) — The official royal consort of Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has been stripped of her title, according to a Royal Gazette statement.

The title, ranking and all medals have been removed from Sineenat Bilaskalayani for inappropriate behavior and a failure to be loyal to the monarch, according to the statement released Monday night in Bangkok.

Sineenat, 34, was the first person to hold the title of Royal Noble Consort in almost a century. Vajiralongkorn designated her as such in July, three months after he announced his fourth wife Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana as the queen.

But she failed to respect royal traditions by trying to make herself equivalent to the queen, according to the statement, which added that she also defied the royal couple. “Sineenat’s behavior disrespected the monarchy, caused conflict among royal household officials and created misunderstanding among the public,” it went on to say.

In August, the palace released unprecedented pictures and a..

(HARARE, Zimbabwe) — At least 55 elephants have starved to death in the past two months in Zimbabwe’s biggest national park as a serious drought forces animals to stray into nearby communities in search of food and water, authorities said on Monday. “The problem is real, the situation is dire,” said National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesman Tinashe Farawo. Other animals such as lions at Hwange National Park have been affected.

This is the worst drought in years in the southern African nation that also suffers from a collapsing economy. Massive food and water shortages have resulted.

As animals stray from Zimbabwe’s wildlife parks they destroy crops and sometimes kill people, Farawo said, adding that more than 20 people have been killed this year alone.

Overcrowding in Hwange also contributes to the destruction of vegetation. The park can handle 15,000 elephants but currently has about 53,000, Farawo said. Meanwhile the drought is drying up water sources. The wildlif..

(JERUSALEM) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday that he had failed to form a majority government in parliament, marking a major setback for the embattled Israeli leader that plunges the country into a new period of political uncertainty.

In a statement, Netanyahu said he had worked “tirelessly” to establish a unity government with his chief rival, former military chief Benny Gantz, but been repeatedly rebuffed. Facing a Wednesday deadline, Netanyahu said he was returning the “mandate” to President Reuven Rivlin, who will now ask Gantz to try to form a coalition.

While Netanyahu remains at the helm of his Likud party, his announcement marked the second time this year that he has been unable to form a government. With Israel’s attorney general set to decide in the coming weeks on whether to indict Netanyahu in a series of corruption cases, the longtime Israeli leader could come under heavy pressure to step aside.

In last month’s national election, Netanyahu fell short..

(MADRID) — The Spanish government says it will exhume and relocate the remains of late military dictator Gen. Francisco Franco on Thursday.

In a statement Monday, the government said the remains would be taken from the grandiose mausoleum at the Valley of the Fallen complex outside Madrid and taken to a discreet grave close to the capital by helicopter.

The procedure was authorized after the Supreme Court recently dismissed the objections by Franco’s family.

The government is pushing ahead with the exhumation before Spain holds a general election on Nov. 10.

Franco ruled Spain between 1939 and 1975.

AKCAKALE, Turkey — Angry over the U.S. withdrawal from Syria, residents of a Kurdish-dominated city pelted departing American military vehicles with potatoes Monday as they drove through. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that U.S. troops will stay in eastern Turkey to protect Kurdish-held oil fields for at least the coming weeks and that he was discussing options to keep them there.

A video by the Kurdish news agency showed a convoy of armored vehicles driving through the northeastern city of Qamishli. People in the street hurled potatoes at the vehicles, shouting, “No America,” and “America liar,” in English.

“Like rats, America is running away,” one man shouted in Arabic. Another shouted obscenities and talked of babies in Kurdish-held who have died in the Turkish offensive.

Stones and rotten fruit for the withdrawing US force. What a farce this has been. pic.twitter.com/PN82C6I18a

— Adam Harvey (@adharves) October 21, 2019

dand added a new indignity to an American withdrawal t..

In London the clock is ticking down to Brexit day, Oct. 31, the date of Britain’s scheduled exit from the European Union.

But will Britain actually leave the E.U. on Halloween? As of Monday, the answer is probably not.

Brexit is on track to be delayed after Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote to E.U. leaders on Saturday night asking for an extension until Jan. 31. They are currently formulating a response, but are expected to agree to an extension.

However, even though the Prime Minister has asked for a delay, Brexit could still happen on Oct. 31 — if Johnson can first drive the deal he negotiated with E.U. leaders through the U.K. parliament.

So, it’s complicated, events are fast-moving, and things could still change. Here’s what to know:

What happened to Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal?
On Saturday, British lawmakers thwarted a vote on Johnson’s newly-negotiated Brexit deal. Had they voted in favor, Brexit would have happened as scheduled on Oct. 31.

A contingent of lawmakers eager ..