The speaker of Ethiopia's lower  house of parliament announced his resignation without giving  any reason today.
Abadula Gemeda was the speaker of the House of People's  Representatives from 2010 and was previously army chief of  staff and president of the country's most-populous region,  Oromia.
"I have submitted a letter of resignation to the House of  People's Representatives and the concerned body to quit my job  as the speaker of the House," he told a press conference.
"I don't want to continue in this position and I have  lost interest," he said, adding that he would disclose the  precise reasons for his departure once his resignation is  accepted.
Abadula said he would stay in parliament as a member of  the Oromo People's Democratic Organisation (OPDO), which he  helped found.
The OPDO is one of four ethnically based parties that  comprise the ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary and  Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition, which together with its  allies controls all seats in ..

Ethiopia parliament speaker resigns

PTI Automatic

An Italian, a Swiss and a Venezuelan  journalist have been arrested as they prepared a report on a  prison in northern Venezuela, human rights and press freedom  groups said.
Roberto Di Matteo of Italy, Filippo Rossi of Switzerland  and Jesus Medina of Venezuela were arrested Friday after  entering Tocoron prison in northern Aragua state with a  television crew, according to the rights group Foro Penal.
The national journalists union said the trio were  conducting a "media investigation" when they were arrested.
Critics say Venezuelan prisons are overpopulated and  inmates are malnourished, despite government plans to reduce  inmate populations.
The Swiss foreign ministry said the Swiss embassy in  Caracas "is in contact with the appropriate authorities and is  assisting this Swiss national in accordance with the consular  protections afforded him."
The Italian foreign ministry said its mission "has been  following from the very beginning the arrest of Italian  national Roberto Di ...

Three journalists arrested over Venezuela prison report

A brother of Ahmed Hanachi, the  Tunisian national who stabbed to death two young women in the  French city of Marseille in early October, has been arrested  in Italy, local police said.
Anis Hanachi was arrested on Saturday night in Ferrara,  in the country's north, after French authorities issued an  international arrest warrant, Italian police said, adding he  is at the disposal of Bologna's public prosecutor.
He is accused of being complicit in his brother's attack  and of participating in a terrorist organisation.
His brother Ahmed Hanachi, who killed two cousins on  October 1 at Marseille's Saint-Charles train station before  being shot dead by anti-terror troops, spent several years in  Aprilia, south of Rome.
"He married an Italian in Aprilia in 2008, and was  registered as a resident there between March 2010 and 2017," a  city council press officer told AFP on Wednesday.
The 29-year-old petty criminal had been "arrested once  for drugs and once for theft" and is believed to ..

Brother of Marseille attacker arrested in Italy

US consulates in Turkey indefinitely  halted all non-immigrant visa services today, the American  embassy said, after one of the mission's Turkish staffers was  arrested in the latest dispute between the NATO allies.
The embassy said "recent events" had forced the US  government to reassess Turkey's "commitment" to the security  of US mission services and personnel in the country.
In order to minimise the number of visitors while the  assessment is carried out, "effective immediately we have  suspended all non-immigrant visa services at all US diplomatic  facilities in Turkey," it said.
Non-immigrant visas are issued to all those travelling to  the United States for tourism, medical treatment, business,  temporary work or study. Visa services are only those seeking  to live in the US permanently.
Beyond mentioning "recent events", the statement made no  explicit mention of the the arrest by Turkish authorities of a  local Turkish staffer working at the US consulate in Istanbul.
The ...

US missions in Turkey halt all non-immigrant visa services

US consulates in Turkey are halting  all non-immigrant visa services with immediate effect, the US  embassy said today, after one of the mission's Turkish  staffers was arrested.
The embassy said "recent events" had forced the US  government to reassess Turkey's "commitment" to the security  of US mission services and personnel in the country.
In order to minimise the number of visitors while the  assessment is made, "effective immediately we have suspended  all non-immigrant visa services at all US diplomatic  facilities in Turkey," it said.

US missions in Turkey halt all non-immigrant visa services:

Sri Lanka, after gaining a big 220-run  lead in the first innings, were struggling at 34-5 at close on  the third day of the second day-night Test against Pakistan in  Dubai today.
Dinesh Chandimal was dismissed for nought in the last  over before close, with Kusal Mendis not out on five.
Sri Lanka, who lead the two-match series 1-0, have an  overall lead of 254 runs with five wickets intact.

Cricket: Sri Lanka 34-5 at close in second Test

Scoreboard at close on the third day  of the second day-night Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at  Dubai Stadium today:
Sri Lanka 1st innings 482 (D Karunaratne 196; D Chandimal  62, D Perera 58, N Dickwella 52; Yasir Shah 6-184)
Pakistan Ist innings (overnight 51-0)
Shan Masood b Gamage
16
Sami Aslam lbw b Perera
39
Azhar Ali lbw b Herath
59
Asad Shafiq c Mendis b Lakmal
12
Babar Azam c Samarawickrama b Herath
8
Haris Sohail lbw b Perera
56
Sarfraz Ahmed c Mendis b Perera
14
Mohammad Amir lbw b Herath
7
Yasir Shah b Lakmal
24
Wahab Riaz c Samarawickrama b Gamage
16
Mohammad Abbas not out
1
Extras: (b4, lb2, nb4)
10
Total: (all out; 90.3 overs)
262
Fall of wickets: 1-61 (Masood), 2-65 (Aslam), 3-92  (Shafiq), 4-109 (Azam), 5-180 (Ali), 6-199 (Ahmed), 7-214,  (Amir), 8-220 (Sohail), 9-250 (Riaz)
Bowling: Lakmal 17.3-5-41-2, Pradeep 9-2-21-0, Gamage 15  -2-38-2 (3nb), Perera 26-3-72-3, Herath 23-2-3-84-3
Sri Lanka 2nd innings
D Karunaratne b Riaz
7
K Silva c Ahmed b Abbas
3
S ...

Cricket: Pakistan v Sri Lanka second Test scoreboard

A Swiss woman, reportedly working for  an aid organisation, has been abducted in the conflict-torn  Darfur region of Sudan, Switzerland's foreign ministry said  today.
The Swiss foreign ministry told AFP in an email it was  "aware of the case of a Swiss woman kidnapped in Sudan  (Darfur)."
"Our local representatives are in contact with the local  authorities," it said, without providing further details about  the woman's identity or the circumstances surrounding the  kidnapping.

Swiss woman abducted in Darfur: Swiss foreign ministry

Galen Rupp became the first American  man in 15 years to win the Chicago Marathon today while  Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba, a three-time Olympic champion,  captured the women's crown.
It was only the fourth career start at the 26.2-mile  (42.16km) distance for Rupp, who was second in April's Boston  Marathon and third in last year's Rio Olympics, and just the  third marathon for Dibaba, a former world and Olympic 5,000  and 10,000m champion.
"It's just incredible," Rupp said. "You train so hard to  have a race like this and to have it all come together, words  just can't describe the feeling when I came across the line.  It's just a great day."
Rupp surged ahead for good with three miles remaining to  win in 2hrs 9mins 20secs with Kenyan runner-up Abel Kirui, the  defending champion, 28 seconds back and Bernard Kipyego, also  of Kenya, third in 2:10:23.
Only one rival remained with Dibaba past the halfway mark  as this year's London Marathon runner-up cruised to victory in  2:18:31, ...

Rupp, Dibaba win first major marathons at Chicago

Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath  inflicted a double blow on Pakistan to restrict them to 186-5  at dinner on the third day of the second day-night Test in  Dubai today.
Herath, who took 11 wickets in Sri Lanka's 21-run win in  the first Test in Abu Dhabi, removed a well set Azhar Ali for  59 after he dismissed Babar Azam for eight.
Haris Sohail was 38 not out with Sarfraz Ahmed on five as  Pakistan still trail Sri Lanka's first innings total of 482 by  296 runs.
They need another 97 to avoid the follow-on.
Azhar had added an invaluable 71 for the fifth wicket  with Sohail but Herath trapped him leg-before and reviewed it  to overturn a not-out decision.
Pacer Lahiru Gamage took his first wicket in Test cricket  when he bowled Shan Masood through the gate after the opener  had made 16.
Sami Aslam was trapped leg before by off-spinner Dilruwan  Perera for 39 to leave Pakistan two down for 65.
Asad Shafiq fell for 12. Sri Lanka lead the two-match  series 1-0.

Herath's double rock Pakistan in second Test

Israeli security forces said today  they had arrested two Palestinians after the murder last week  of an Israeli man, labelling it a "terrorist attack".
The arrests were made on October 5, but the investigation  has been under a gag order and the motive for the killing had  remained unclear.
Reuven Schmerling, 70, was found dead on Wednesday in a  building he owned in the Arab Israeli city of Kafr Qasem, with  media reports saying he had been either beaten or stabbed.
Schmerling lived in the nearby Israeli settlement of  Elkana in the occupied West Bank.
The Shin Bet domestic security agency issued a statement  on Sunday saying "evidence gathered thus far... indicates that  this was a terrorist attack".
Two Palestinians from Qabatiya in the northern West Bank  were arrested.
"The investigation of the suspects is ongoing. Their  identities, along with other details, are under a gag order,"  it said.
The incident occurred as Jewish Israelis celebrate their  high holidays, which have ...

Israel calls murder a 'terror attack', arrests two

A strong 6.1-magnitude earthquake  struck off the Pacific nation of Tonga, US seismologists said,  but no tsunami warning was issued.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake was  shallow, striking 154 kilometres (95 miles) northwest of the  village of Pangai, the administrative capital of the Ha'apai  group of islands in central Tonga.
The region's homes are vulnerable to earthquake shaking,  according to USGS, but it said there was a low likelihood of  casualties and damage.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not immediately  issue any warnings.
Tonga sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a  region of frequent seismic activity due to collisions between  continental plates.

6.1-magnitude quake strikes off Tonga: USGS

At least 11 civilians including two  children were killed today in air strikes on a market in  northwestern Syria, a monitor said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes  on the market in Idlib province's Maaret al-Numan were  probably carried out by regime forces.
Much of Idlib province, including Maaret al-Numan, is  controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group led by Al-  Qaeda's former Syria affiliate.
Idlib is one of four so-called "de-escalation" zones  under a deal brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran in May.
However, the HTS is not party to the agreement.
Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said "military  aircraft" had targeted the market in Maaret al-Numan, blaming  the regime for the strike.
"At least 11 people were killed including two children,"  he said. "There are around 20 wounded and the toll of victims  could rise."
The Observatory relies on a network of sources inside  Syria, and says it determines whose planes carry out raids  according to ...

At least 11 dead in Syria market air strike: monitor

An epic 3,000-kilometre (1,860-mile)  solar car race across the desert heart of Australia designed  to showcase new technology that could one day help develop  commercial vehicles got underway today.
The World Solar Challenge, first run in 1987 and last  held in 2015, began in a high-tech, futuristic flurry from  Darwin's State Square.
Dutch team Nuon is aiming to defend its title but  Belgium's Punch Powertrain led the 41 cars -- powered by the  sun and mostly developed by universities or corporations --  off on the punishing journey south to Adelaide after a  surprise win in today's time trial.
"We knew our car was good but we never expected pole  because there are a lot of competitors over here, a lot of  very fast looking cars," team manager Joachin Verheyen told  reporters.
The event has become one of the world's foremost  innovation challenges with teams looking to demonstrate  designs that could one day lead to commercially available  solar-powered vehicles for  ...

Epic world solar car race begins in Australia

Turkish prosecutors have demanded  up to 15 years jail on charges of backing a terror group for  11 activists, most of whom were detained in a raid on a  workshop led by Amnesty International, a report said today.
The accused, who include the director of Amnesty Turkey  Idil Eser, several prominent Turkish rights activists and a  German citizen and Swedish citizen, have been charged with  "giving help to an armed terror group", the Dogan news agency  said.
Prosecutors have asked for jail sentences of 7.5 to 15  years, Dogan said, without specifying the request for each  suspect.
In the indictment, the activists are accused of seeking  to create "chaos in society" similar to the anti-government  protests that rocked Turkey in the summer of 2013.
Ten activists were detained in July in a raid by police  on a workshop session of human rights activists held on the  island of Buyukada, a popular getaway spot off Istanbul.
Their jailing sparked international alarm and amplified  fears of ...

Turkish prosecutors demand up to 15 years jail for Amnesty

Final scores on the third day  of the second Test between South Africa and Bangladesh at the  Mangaung Oval today:
South Africa, first innings, 573-4 declared
Bangladesh, first innings, 147
Bangladesh, second innings
(overnight 7-0)
Imrul Kayes c De Kock b Olivier 32
Soumya Sarkar c Du Plessis b Rabada 3
Mominul Haque c Maharaj b Rabada 11
Mushfiqur Rahim lbw b Parnell 26
Mahmudullah c Elgar b Rabada 43
Liton Das b Phehlukwayo 18
Sabbir Rahman c Du Plessis b Phehlukwayo 4
Taijul Islam b Rabada 2
Rubel Hossain b Rabada 7
Subashis Roy not out 12
Mustafizur Rahman b Phehlukwayo 7
Extras (lb6, n1) 7
Total (42.4 overs) 172
Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-29, 3-63, 4-92, 5-135, 6-139, 7  -145, 8-145, 9-156
Bowling: Rabada 11-1-30-5, Olivier 11-1-39-1, Maharaj 6-  1-30-0, Parnell 5-0-31-1, Phehlukwayo 9.4-2-36-3.

Bloemfontein, Oct 8 (AFP) Final scores on the third day

World number one Rafael Nadal won  his sixth title of another remarkable year as he punished a  disgruntled Nick Kyrgios at the China Open today.
The 31-year-old Spaniard was never really in trouble  against the temperamental Australian in a 6-2, 6-1 rout in 92  minutes on Beijing's outside hard courts.
Nadal, a 16-time Grand Slam winner, came to the Chinese  capital on the back of winning his third US Open.
He saved two match points in his nervy opener against  Frenchman Lucas Pouille.
But after that Nadal sliced through the opposition to win  the China Open for the first time since making his debut in  Beijing in 2005.
Since then Nadal has gone on to become one of the  greatest players of all time and he underlined his brilliance  in swatting aside the 22-year-old Kyrgios.
The world-ranked 19 displayed his best side in forcing  Nadal to 2-2 in the first set, but his other side emerged  later.
Kyrgios was already on a warning from the umpire from the  first game of the match for ...

Nadal punishes penalised Kyrgios to win China Open

Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada led a  ruthless bowling performance as South Africa completed an  innings and 254 run win on the third day of the second Test  against Bangladesh at Mangaung Oval today.
It was the biggest win in South Africa's Test history,  surpassing the innings and 229 run victory over Sri Lanka in  Cape Town in 2000/01.
Rabada took five for 30 as Bangladesh were bowled out for  172, a slight improvement on their first innings of 147 in  reply to South Africa's 573 for four declared.
Rabada, 22, who had match figures of 10 for 63, became  the youngest of 16 South Africans to take 100 Test wickets. He  was playing in his 22nd Test. Only Vernon Philander (19) and  Dale Steyn (20) of his compatriots have achieved the feat in  fewer matches.
It was Rabada's third 10-wicket haul in Tests. He took  his tally of Test wickets in 2017 to 54, the most by any  bowler this year.
It was another poor performance by Bangladesh on a pitch  which had bounce but was not especially ...

Rabada spearheads South Africa's biggest win

Sri Lanka took four wickets in the  first session to put Pakistan in trouble at 115-4 at tea on  the third day of the second day-night Test in Dubai today.
Sri Lankan pace-cum spin attack put the brakes on  Pakistan's progress after they resumed at 51-0.
They removed both the openers in the first hour and then  made inroads on a still batting friendly Dubai stadium pitch.
At the interval Azhar Ali was unbeaten on 28 and Haris  Sohail was six not out as Pakistan still trail Sri Lanka first  innings total of 482 by 367 runs.
They need another 177 more to avoid follow-on.
Pacer Lahiru Gamage took his first wicket in Tests when  he bowled Shan Masood through the gate after the opener had  made 16.
Sami Aslam was trapped leg before by off-spinner Dilruwan  Perera for 39 to leave Pakistan two down for 65.
Asad Shafiq fell for 12 while Babar Azam made eight.
Sri Lanka lead the two-match series 1-0 on account of  winning the first Test by 21 runs in Abu Dhabi.

Sri Lanka hurt Pakistan with four wickets

Iran's judiciary confirmed today the  five-year prison sentence given to a Canadian-Iranian member  of its nuclear negotiating team on spying charges.
"Mr Abdolrasoul Dorri Esfahani... was among some who were  accused of spying and providing information for foreigners and  had links with two espionage services," judiciary spokesman  Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeie told reporters.
Some reports have also said Dorri Esfahani has British  citizenship.
"The court sentenced him to five years in prison and the  verdict is final," Ejeie said.
"He also has a financial corruption case for which a bail  has been issued but no indictment has been issued yet."
Dorri Esfahani has a background in the banking sector and  was a member of the supervisory board overseeing  implementation of the nuclear deal signed between Iran and  world powers in 2015.
Since mid-2016, conservative websites and members of  parliament have repeatedly accused Dorri Esfahani of spying  for Britain.
This was flatly denied by ...

Iran confirms nuclear negotiator imprisoned for spying

Tropical storm Nate moved  quickly inland from the US Gulf Coast early today after making  landfall twice as a powerful hurricane, triggering widespread  flooding and power outages.
After leaving a trail of death and destruction in Central  America, the storm hit the southern United States -- the third  hurricane to hit the region in less than two months as part of  an especially active hurricane season.
More than 100,000 people were without power. Ahead of the  storm, officials urged residents to evacuate some vulnerable  areas before the storm first made landfall on the southeastern  tip of Louisiana last evening and later hit along the  Mississippi coast.
At 5:00 am local time, the storm had top winds of 113  kilometers per hour and was moving north-northeast at 23 miles  per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center.
"Rapid weakening anticipated," the NHC said as the storm  moved further inland over Mississippi and Alabama. It was  expected to track further north through ...

AFP

AFP

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