The chairman of Brazil's  Olympic Committee, who helped organize the Rio 2016 Games,  submitted his resignation, saying he wanted to concentrate on  defending himself against corruption charges.
"To be able to fully exercise my right to defense, which  has up until now been violated, I resign with immediate effect  my duties as chairman of the Brazilian Olympic Committee,"  Carlos Nuzman said in a statement released Saturday but dated  Friday.
He also resigned as chairman of the Rio 2016 organizing  committee, which ran the first Olympics ever held in South  America.
The Games were generally lauded as a success at the time.  However, the aftermath has produced a flow of corruption  scandals alleging the embezzlement of millions of dollars.
Nuzman, 75, was arrested in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday as  part of a probe into allegations he helped buy votes from the  International Olympic Committee (IOC) to secure Rio's hosting  of the 2016 Games.
Brazilian officials said last month Nuzman ...

Rio 2016 Olympic committee chief resigns after arrest

PTI Automatic

US President Donald Trump has  said that diplomatic efforts with North Korea have  consistently failed, adding that "only one thing will work."
Trump has engaged in an escalating war of words with  North Korean strongman Kim Jong-Un, trading insults amid  rising tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals.
"Presidents and their administrations have been talking  to North Korea for 25 years, agreements made and massive  amounts of money paid," Trump tweeted yesterday.
It "hasn't worked, agreements violated before the ink was  dry, makings fools of US negotiators. Sorry, but only one  thing will work!"
The US has not ruled out the use of force to compel  Pyongyang to halt missile and nuclear tests, and Trump has  threatened to "totally destroy" the country.
The mercurial American president also told journalists at  a recent gathering with military leaders to discuss Iran,  North Korea, and the Islamic State group that this "could be  the calm before the storm," declining to clarify ...

Trump says N Korea diplomacy has failed, 'Only one thing will

A gunman shot dead two Saudi  guards and wounded three others at the gate of the royal  palace in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, the interior ministry  said.
Royal guards killed the gunman, identified by the  ministry as a 28-year-old Saudi national armed with a  Kalashnikov and three grenades.
"An outpost of the royal guard came under fire by a  person who got out of a Hyundai car," the ministry said in a  statement yesterday carried by the official Saudi Press  Agency.
"He was immediately dealt with and his cowardly act also  resulted in the martyrdom" of two royal guards, it added.
The US embassy in Saudi Arabia had earlier cautioned its  citizens over reports of the attack.
"Due to the possibility of ongoing police activity,  American citizens are advised to exercise caution when  travelling through the area," the embassy said in a brief  statement.
The warning comes after the Saudi police raided hideouts  of a "terror" cell linked to the Islamic State group this  week, killing two ..

Gunman kills two guards at Saudi royal palace

US Gulf Coast residents  scrambled with last-minute preparations as the outer bands of  Hurricane Nate began lashing New Orleans amid fears it could  intensify into a more powerful Category Two storm.
Nate spawned widespread flooding and left dozens of  people dead in Central America, the latest in a series of  deadly storms to hammer Caribbean islands, Mexico and the  southeastern US in this exceptionally busy hurricane season.
But US President Donald Trump said federal officials were  prepared for the fast-moving storm. He urged residents of the  states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida on  Twitter to "listen to your local authorities & be safe!"
As a weary and sodden region prepared for its third  hurricane in two months -- filling sandbags, stocking up on  essential supplies or packing cars to flee -- New Orleans,  which was ravaged by deadly Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and  other cities on the coast were under a hurricane warning.
Nate's center "will pass near or ...

Deadly Hurricane Nate approaches US Gulf Coast

Tens of thousands of demonstrators  rallied across Spain calling for Spanish unity and demanding  action to resolve a volatile political crisis over plans by  Catalan separatists to declare independence.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy yesterday sought to reassure  Spaniards, saying in an interview published in the daily El  Pais at the end of the day of protest that if an independence  declaration is made it won't have any effect.
"The government will ensure that any declaration of  independence will lead to nothing," he told El Pais.
He also urged moderate Catalan nationalists to distance  themselves from the "radicals" in the separatist camp who are  pushing hardest for an independence move.
Protesters dressed in white gathered in front of town  halls in dozens of cities to demand dialogue to end the crisis  in demonstrations organised by a group called "Let's Talk".
"I am sad to see the state in which we find our country  and the mediocrity of our government," said Marte Muro, 67, at 

Spain protesters demand action on Catalonia crisis

A force allied with Libya's  unity government in the people-smuggling hub of Sabratha has  detained more than 3,000 migrants, a security official has  said.
"We arrested 3,150 illegal immigrants of different Asian,  Arab and African nationalities," the force's commander Bassem  Ghrabli said.
His force said Friday it had driven a rival militia, led  by the head of a former people smuggling network, out of the  city after three weeks of fighting.
The clashes left 39 people dead and 300 wounded,  according to the unity government's health ministry.
The fighting also damaged schools, hospitals and UNESCO-  listed archaeological treasures in Sabratha, 70 kilometres (45  miles) west of Tripoli.
Following the ouster and killing of long-time dictator  Moamer Kadhafi in a NATO-backed 2011 revolution, the city  became a major hub for clandestine migrants seeking a chance  to head to Europe.
Taking advantage of a security vacuum, some local  smugglers controlled whole sections of the city and ...

More than 3,000 migrants arrested in Libya smuggling hub

Russian police today  violently broke up an opposition rally in Saint Petersburg and  detained more than 60 people protesting against President  Vladimir Putin on his birthday, a monitoring group said.
Artyom Platov, spokesman for OVD-Info, a group that  monitors politically motivated arrests, said at least 66 had  been arrested in Russia's second city and Putin's hometown.
"These are the people we have confirmed data on," he told  AFP.
Witnesses said police violently broke up the rally in  which some 3,000 people took part, throwing protesters into  police vans, injuring several demonstrators and forcing some  to run for cover.
That stood in stark contrast with a rally in Moscow where  police largely showed restraint and allowed protesters to  march in the city centre.
The protests, along with rallies in dozens of other  cities, were called by the jailed opposition leader Alexei  Navalny to mark Putin's 65th birthday, urge him to quit power  and allow the opposition leader to run for 

Russian police detain 66 anti-Putin protesters: monitors

Grammy Award-winning rapper  Nelly was arrested today after a woman accused him of raping  her in his tour bus, police in the northwestern state of  Washington said.
Just before 4 am local time a woman called the emergency  911 line "to report that she was sexually assaulted by a male,  who is known as the rapper 'Nelly,'" police in Auburn,  Washington said.
After police investigated the incident, "at 4:37 AM Nelly  was taken into custody and booked" at the local jail, the  police statement read.
The alleged assault reportedly took place on the tour bus  hours after Nelly had performed at the White River  Amphitheatre just east of Auburn.
A lawyer for Nelly vehemently denied the charges.
Nelly -- born Cornell Haynes Jr. -- "is the victim of a  completely fabricated allegation," the unnamed lawyer told the  TMZ celebrity news site.
The allegation "is motivated by greed and  vindictiveness," the lawyer said, adding that Nelly "is  prepared to pursue all legal avenues to redress any ...

US rapper Nelly arrested over tour-bus rape allegations

Opener Dimuth Karunaratne scored a  career best 196 to guide Sri Lanka to an imposing 482 in their  first innings of the second and final day-night Test in Dubai  on Saturday.
Karunaratne missed his double hundred by four runs in a  marathon nine hour stay at the crease on the second day of the  Test before he unluckily played onto leg-spinner Yasir Shah  just before dinner.
Shah took 6-184 in a marathon 55.5 overs of hard work and  toil on a flat Dubai stadium pitch.
Pakistan trail by 1-0 in the series after they lost the  first Test by 21 runs in Abu Dhabi.
Karunaratne added 146 with skipper Dinesh Chandimal (62)  for the fourth wicket before another 88 was put on for the  fifth between him and Niroshan Dickwella, who made a rapid 52.
As if that was not enough, Karunaratne put on 59 for the  sixth wicket with Dilruwan Perera who scored a polished 58.\
Karunaratne hit 19 boundaries and a six, improving on his  previous best Test score of 186 made against the West Indies  at Galle two 

Karunaratne misses double ton but Sri Lanka in command

Scores at close of play on the  second day of the second Test between South Africa and  Bangladesh at the Mangaung Oval.
Bangladesh, second innings
Imrul Kayes not out
6
Soumya Sarkar not out
1
Extras
0
Total (0 wkts, 1.2 overs)
7
Bowling: Rabada 1-0-6-0, Olivier 0.2-0-1-0
Bangladesh, first innings
Imrul Kayes c De Kock b Rabada
26
Soumya Sarkar b Rabada
9
Mominul Haque c De Kock b Olivier
4
Mushfiqur Rahim c Bavuma b Olivier
7
Mahmudullah c De Kock b Parnell
4
Liton Das c Du Plessis b Rabada
70
Sabbir Rahman c Parnell b Rabada
0
Taijul Islam b Olivier
12
Rubel Hossain b Rabada
10
Mustafizur Rahman c Markram b Maharaj 0
Subashis Roy not out
2
Extras (lb3)
3
Total: (42.5 overs)
147
Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-26, 3-36, 4-49, 5-61, 6-65, 7-  115, 8-143, 9-143
Bowling: Rabada 13.5-4-33-5, Olivier 12-3-40-3, Parnell  7-1-36-1, Maharaj 5-2-7-1, Phehlukwayo 5-1-28-0
South Africa, first innings
D. Elgar c Mustafiziur Rahman b Subashis Roy 113
A. Markram b Rubel Hossain
143
H. Amla b Subashis ...

Bloemfontein, Oct 7 (AFP) Scores at close of play on the

Scoreboard at the close of the second  day of the second day-night Test between Pakistan and Sri  Lanka at Dubai Stadium on Saturday:
Sri Lanka 1st innings (overnight 254-3)
D. Karunaratne b Shah
196
K. Silva c Ahmed b Shah
27
S. Samarawickrama c and b Amir
38
K. Mendis c Shafiq b Shah
1
D. Chandimal lbw b Shah
62
N. Dickwella c Ahmed b Abbas
52
D. Perera b Shah
58
R. Herath not out
27
S. Lakmal lbw b Abbas
8
L. Gamage st Ahmed b Shah
1
N. Pradeep  c Shafiq b Shah
0
Extras: (b1, lb 3, nb 5, w 3)
12
Total: (all out; 159.2 overs)
482
Fall of wickets: 1-63 (Silva), 2-131 (Samarawickrama),  3-136 (Mendis), 4-282 (Chandimal), 5-370 (Dickwella), 6-429  (Karunaratne), 7-454 (Perera), 8-469 (Lakmal), 9-474 (Gamage)
Bowling: Amir 19.3-5-74-1, Abbas 33-9-100-2 (1nb),  Riaz 26-6-62-1 (4nb), Shah 55.5-9-184-6, Shafiq 11-1-24-0  (3w), Sohail 14-3-34-0
Pakistan Ist innings
Shan Masood not out
15
Sami Aslam not out
30
Extras: (b4, lb2)
6
Total: (for no loss; 18 overs)
51
Bowling: Lakmal 5-2-11-0, ...

DUBAI, Oct 7 (AFP) Scoreboard at the close of the second

South Africa's fast bowlers  ripped through Bangladesh's batting as the home side gained a  massive 426-run first innings lead on the second day of the  second and final Test at Mangaung Oval on Saturday.
Bangladesh were bowled out for 147 in reply to South  Africa's 573 for four declared.
The hosts enforced the follow-on and Bangladesh were  seven for no wicket when bad light stopped play. Kagiso Rabada  took five for 33 and new ball partner Duanne Olivier claimed  three for 40.
Only wicketkeeper Liton Das, with a career-best 70,  offered prolonged resistance to the pace barrage as the gulf  between the sides in South African conditions was ruthlessly  exposed.
Bangladesh's dismal showing was in stark contrast to the  ease with which South Africa's batsmen dominated the visiting  bowlers.
Hashim Amla and captain Faf du Plessis completed  centuries before South Africa declared.
Amla (132) and Du Plessis (135 not out) became the third  and fourth centurions of the innings. They joined .

Rabada takes South Africa to brink of series victory

Russian police today  violently broke up an opposition rally in Saint Petersburg  and detained more than 60 people protesting against President  Vladimir Putin on his 65th birthday, a monitoring group told  AFP.
Artyom Platov, spokesman for OVD-Info, a group that  monitors politically motivated arrests, said at least 66 had  been arrested in Russia's second city and Putin's hometown.

Police detain 66 anti-Putin protesters in St Petersburg:

A federal  intelligence agent and his mother were killed when assailants  opened fire on their car in northern Mexico, an attack that  came hours after a mayor in western Michoacan state was gunned  down outside his home, officials said.
While the killers in the shootings yesterday escaped,  both regions are wracked by gun battles between drug gangs and  Mexican police, and by turf wars between criminal cartels.
The federal agent -- identified as Julio Cesar Baez  Guillen, 35 -- was traveling with his 65-year-old mother and  his 31-year-old girlfriend when gunmen pulled alongside their  car and opened fire, the Chihuahua state prosecutor's office  said late yesterday.
Baez and his mother died, while the agent's girlfriend,  also an intelligence agent, was wounded but survived.
Baez had been assigned to the Puente Grande maximum  security federal penitentiary in Jalisco state, infamous for  being the prison from which drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo"  Guzman escaped in 2001.
Guzman is ..

Mexican federal agent shot dead with mother; mayor killed

Several thousand supporters of jailed  opposition leader Alexei Navalny rallied across Russia on  President Vladimir Putin's birthday today, as police arrested  more than 100 people.
A thousand protesters turned up in rainy Moscow and 3,000  more people took to the streets in Putin's hometown of Saint  Petersburg today, with protests also taking place in dozens of  other cities.
The protests - called by Navalny after he was sent to  jail for 20 days this week -- were markedly smaller than the  rallies he mustered in March and June when tens of thousands  took to the streets against corruption.
But police in Moscow also showed restraint, allowing the  crowd of mostly young protesters to march along Tverskaya  Avenue, the capital's main thoroughfare, in an apparent effort  to avoid clashes on Putin's birthday.
Some 124 people were detained in the nationwide protests,  some of them violently, said OVD-Info, a group that monitors  politically motivated arrests.
That figure is much lower ..

Thousands rally on Putin's birthday

The American embassy in Saudi Arabia  today cautioned its citizens after reports of an attack around  the royal palace in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.
Saudi news websites reported that security forces had  foiled an attack around the Al-Salam palace that left the  attacker and at least two Saudi guards killed.
There was no official confirmation of the incident.
"Due to the possibility of ongoing police activity,  American citizens are advised to exercise caution when  travelling through the area," the embassy said in a brief  statement.
The warning comes after the Saudi police raided hideouts  of a "terror" cell linked to the Islamic State group this  week, killing two people and arresting five, according to the  national security agency.
The State Security Agency said police raided three  hideouts in the capital Riyadh and exchanged gunfire in one of  them, the SPA news agency reported on Thursday.
Since late 2014, IS has claimed a series of bombings and  shootings against Shiites and 

US embasssy in Saudi issues warning after attack reports

Suspected Islamists attacked a string  of police stations in a small town in northern Mozambique  killing two policemen but 14 of the gunmen were slain, police  said today.
Police have been slow in releasing details of the attacks  which occurred on Thursday and yesterday in  Mocimboa de  Praia.
"We recorded 14 deaths and several bandits were wounded,"  police spokesman Inacio Dina told AFP.
Police said the attacks were coordinated.
Local media said three police stations in the sleepy  town, 80 kms from natural gas fields, were targeted.
At a news conference on Thursday, Dina suggested the  attackers were linked to a homegrown "radical Islamic sect"  but gave no details.
Police have so far arrested 10 other gunmen, recovered  four firearms and more than 100 rounds of ammunition.
"The motive of the attacks is still unknown but in the  past police arrested some religious leaders of Islamic  extremist sects," Dina said.
"The way they operated makes us believe that there is a  structure ..

16 killed as Islamic gunmen attack Mozambique police

Malaysian police said today  they have detained four locals and four foreigners suspected  of militant activities, the latest arrest of alleged Islamic  extremists in the Muslim-majority country.
The group, who include three Filipinos and one Albanian,  were detained between September 27 and October 6 in the states  of Sabah, Selangor and Perak, police said.
Fears have been growing in Malaysia that Muslim militants  are ramping up their activities, inspired by the Islamic State  (IS) group and a conflict in Marawi city in the neighbouring  Philippines between jihadists and authorities.
In the Sabah raid, two Malaysians and three Filipinos  were arrested, national police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun said  in a statement.
"They were suspected of helping terrorist elements of the  Abu Sayyaf Group infiltrate Malaysia via Sabah," he said in a  statement, referring to a militant group which operates in the  southern Philippines.
The 35-year-old Albanian, a lecturer at a university, was  ...

Malaysia arrests eight suspected militants

Indonesian police have detained 58  men including several foreigners in a raid on a gay sauna, an  official said today, the latest sign of a backlash against  homosexuals in the Muslim-majority country.
Police late yesterday raided a building in the capital  Jakarta that houses a sauna and a gym after they received  information from the public that it was being used for  prostitution.
"We secured 51 and seven employees for allegedly  providing pornographic services," Jakarta Police spokesman  Argo Yuwono said in a statement.
Six foreigners were among those detained, including four  men from China, one from Thailand and one from Holland.
Homosexuality and gay sex are legal everywhere in  Indonesia except in conservative Aceh province, but police  have used the country's tough anti-pornography laws or drugs  charges to criminalise LGBT people in the past.
Yuwono said six of those detained would be charged under  Indonesia's anti-pornography law, and could face up to sex  years in ...

Indonesian police arrest 58 men in raid on gay sauna

German Chancellor Angela  Merkel confirmed today she would start talks with liberals and  Greens to try to form a new coalition government after last  month's election.
Merkel won a fourth term in the September 24 vote but the  far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) poached one million  votes from her conservative bloc, leaving her without an  obvious coalition to lead Europe's largest economy.
She has already said she would seek exploratory talks on  forming an alliance between her CDU/CSU bloc and two smaller  parties, the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and the  ecologist Greens.
Merkel said in a speech in the eastern city of Dresden  today that the negotiations would be "difficult", but added:  "I hope the coalition will fall into place."
Such an alliance -- which would be unprecedented in  Germany at the national level -- has been dubbed the "Jamaica  coalition" because the colours of the three parties match the  black, yellow and green of the Caribbean country's flag.
The ...

Merkel confirms ready to govern with liberals and Greens

Two policemen have been killed in a  string of attacks on police stations in a small town in  northern Mozambique but 14 of the gunmen were slain, police  said today.
"We recorded 14 deaths and several wounded among the  bandits," police spokesman Inacio Dina told AFP of the attacks  in Mocimboa de Praia.
Two policemen were also killed during what appeared to be  coordinated attacks that occurred on Thursday and yesterday.

AFP

AFP

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