A massive suicide blast at a Shiite mosque in Kabul killed at least 27 people today and wounded 35 as worshippers gathered for a religious ceremony, officials said.
	"It was a suicide bomber who blew himself up among worshippers inside the mosque, killing 27 and wounding 35," senior police official Fridon Obaidi said.
	Police cordoned off the area around the Baqirul Olum mosque in the west of the Afghan capital.
	"I was in the mosque, the people were offering prayers. Suddenly I heard a bang and windows broke. I had no idea what had happened. I rushed out screaming," Ali Jan told AFP.
	Worshippers were gathering to mark the Shiite ceremony of Arbaeen, which comes 40 days after the major festival of Ashura.
	Ashura commemorates the death of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad who was assassinated in the year 680.
	His fate laid the foundation for the faith practised by the Shiite community, a minority in mainly Sunni Muslim Afghanistan.
	Arbaeen marks the end of the mourning 

Suicide blast at Kabul mosque kills 27, wounds 35: police

PTI Automatic

Yemeni government forces and rebels were engaged in fierce fighting as a 48-hour ceasefire declared by the pro-government Arab coalition approached its end today, military officials said.
	Fifteen rebels and nine loyalist troops were killed in clashes overnight in and around the flashpoint southwestern city of Taez, military and medical sources said.
	Four civilians were killed and 11 others wounded in rebel bombing of loyalist-held neighbourhoods, the sources said.
	Early today, forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi attacked Shiite Huthi rebels and their allies on the western outskirts of Taez, military officials said.
	The offensive, coming hours before the midday (0230 IST) scheduled end of the ceasefire, targeted an air defence base, the officials said, while witnesses reported loud explosions.
	Four of the Huthi casualties were killed in an air strike by the Saudi-led coalition, which has been fighting the rebels since March 2015, when insurgents expanded their control 

Clashes as Yemen ceasefire nears end

A strong blast hit a Shiite mosque in Kabul today as worshipers gathered there for a religious ceremony, officials said, with casualties feared.
	"A blast was reported at around 1230 (local time) in police district 6 of Kabul, we are still gathering the details," interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said.
	Officials said the attack took place at the Baqir Olum mosque in the western part of the city.
	At least 15 wounded were taken to hospitals, the health ministry said.

Blast at Kabul Shiite mosque, casualties feared: officials

Blast hits Shiite mosque in Kabul, victims feared:

Swiss-based pharmaceuticals giant Novartis said today it was acquiring Selexys Pharmaceuticals Corp, a US research lab in blood and inflammatory disorders, in a deal costing up to USD 665 million (627 million euros).
	Selexys specialises in sickle cell disease, an inherited form of anaemia that is most common among people of African descent.
	In a statement, Novartis said it exercised rights to buy the company after seeing results from a large trial into a drug to treat pain for people with the disease.
	The drug, called SelG1, aims at easing so-called vaso-occlusive pain crises, which happen when sickle-shaped red blood cells block the flow through blood vessels.
	The prototype treatment has just completed the second phase of the three-phase process to test new drugs for safety and effectiveness.
	"Sickle cell disease affects millions of people around the world and there are limited therapies available for treatment of vaso-occlusive pain crises, a very common complication of the ...

Novartis acquires US pharma firm Selexys Pharmaceuticals

The impeachment of South Korea's embattled President Park Guen-Hye in a snowballing corruption case inched closer today when the main opposition party said it was examining its options.
	The move comes the day after prosecutors named Park a criminal suspect in a major influence-peddling case, tightening the noose on an already hugely unpopular leader.
	"We will immediately review the timing and methods of impeachment and set up a subcommittee to review a push for impeachment," said Choo Mi-Ae, head of the opposition liberal Democratic Party.
	Two smaller opposition parties have already said they will seek to remove her.
	Lawmakers have been under growing public pressure to oust Park, with weekly mass protests drawing hundreds of thousands of protestors across the country.
	But with impeachment proceedings likely to drag on for months, the Democratic Party has been reluctant to move because of fears of a backlash from conservative voters.
	On Sunday, Seoul prosecutors said Park had ...

S Korea's main opposition moves toward Park impeachment

More than 1,000 houses in Rohingya villages have been razed in northwestern Myanmar, according to analysis of satellite images from Human Rights Watch released today that fly in the face of government denials.
	Troops have poured into a strip of land along the Bangladesh border, an area which is largely home to the stateless Muslim Rohingya minority, since a series of coordinated and deadly attacks on police border posts last month.
	Up to 30,000 people have been displaced by the ensuing violence, according to the UN, half of them over a two-day period when dozens died after the military brought in helicopter gunships.
	Security forces have killed almost 70 people and arrested more than 400 since the lockdown began six weeks ago, according to state media reports, but activists say the number could be far higher.
	Hundreds of Rohingya, who have long been persecuted by the state, have tried to flee the violence to neighbouring Bangladesh.
	Witnesses and activists have reported troops ...

More Rohingya villages razed in Myanmar's Rakhine: HRW

Australia are facing mounting calls from former greats for a drastic overhaul of how cricket is run as they stare down the barrel of a first-ever home Test series whitewash.
     Five Test defeats in a row -- just nine months after being crowned the world's top-ranked team -- have left the sport-obsessed country convulsed over the downward spiral of the national team.
     Cricket Australia's under-fire chief James Sutherland admitted they were "lucky to be a top 10 side" after the abject surrender to South Africa by an innings in the second Test in Hobart.
     Captain Steve Smith confessed he was "embarrassed" and "humiliated" but now faces the prospect of crashing to an unprecedented 3-0 series defeat in this week's final day-night Test in Adelaide.
     Why Australia have fallen so far so quickly is complex. But former greats say the demise has been long coming. They point to the diminution of the bedrock domestic Sheffield Shield four-day competition, increasing commercial ...

Greats call for shake-up to fix Aussie crisis

A security official travelling with the South African team shoved an Australian television reporter against a glass door in ugly scenes as he attempted to interview captain Faf du Plessis Monday.
     Du Plessis is due to face an International Cricket Council disciplinary hearing on ball tampering charges arising from the second Test against Australia in Hobart last week, and tensions with media are simmering.
     Nine Network reporter Will Crouch was aggressively pulled away from the skipper as the team arrived at Adelaide airport ahead of the third and final Test this week, footage showed.
     The journalist pushed back before he was shouldered away and into the door by a man Australian media said was Proteas security chief Zunaid Wadee.
     Du Plessis was wearing headphones at the time of the altercation and reporters said he gave a thumbs-up to cameras moments before Wadee clashed with Crouch, who was unharmed.
     Veteran batsman Hashim Amla lashed out at the reporter.
     ..

South Africa official clashes with Aussie reporter

Thailand's economic growth slowed in the third quarter, data released today showed, with the nation plunged into mourning following the death of its long-serving King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
	High household debt, weakening exports, slumping foreign investment and low consumer confidence have cramped growth in what for years was Southeast Asia's flagship economy.
	A military junta seized power in 2014 vowing to end years of political instability and kickstart the lacklustre economy.
	Thailand's growth has since picked up slightly, mainly off the back of ramped-up government spending and tourist arrivals, but it remains comparatively low compared with its neighbours.
	The National Economic and Social Development Board said Monday the economy grew 3.2 per cent on-year in July-September, missing estimates and also down from 3.5 per cent in the previous quarter.
	Seasonally adjusted quarter-on-quarter growth was 0.6 per cent, down from a revised 0.7 per cent in the three months prior.
	King ...

Thai growth slows in third quarter after king's death

A 6.4-magnitude earthquake has jolted western Argentina and parts of Chile, with no immediate reports of damage, authorities said.
	The quake rocked San Juan province at 1757 local time yesterday, striking at a depth of about 130 kilometers, Argentina's seismological institute said.
	In Chile, the quake was measured at a magnitude of 6.5, officials at the government's National Emergency Office (ONEMI) said.
	The earthquake was felt in northern and western Chile in the regions of Atacama, Coquimbo, Valparaiso, 0'Higgins and the Santiago metro area.
	Cellular phone service was briefly knocked out in San Juan province.

6.4-magnitude earthquake jolts Argentina, Chile

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has conceded defeat in the first round of the rightwing presidential primary after finishing third behind two former prime ministers.
	"I did not manage to convince the voters," Sarkozy said yesterday in a speech to supporters after he was beaten into a surprise third place behind Francois Fillon and Alain Juppe, who move into next Sunday's run-off.

Sarkozy concedes defeat in French rightwing primary

Egypt will try 292 jihadist suspects over plots to assassinate President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the Saudi crown prince and attacks in the Sinai Peninsula, a prosecution official said today.
	The suspects, including 151 currently in custody, were referred to a military court for alleged membership of the "Sinai State", the local affiliate of the Islamic State group, which is leading an insurrection in Sinai.
	The suspects were questioned about the accusations against them and 66 confessed during an investigation that lasted more than a year, the official said.
	All of the suspects were involved in 17 operations, including two plots to kill Sisi, one while he was on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia and one in Cairo, the official said.
	The official gave no further details, but said those who planned the assassination attempts were dismissed police officers who adhere to jihadist ideology.
	The suspects allegedly also planned to assassinate Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef in the Gulf 

Egypt says 292 face trial for Sisi assassination plots

At least 16 people have been killed and hundreds of others injured in accidents in Senegal in recent days as pilgrims headed to a major Sufi Muslim religious gathering, firefighters said today.
	Millions of people were making their journey home from the town of Touba in central Senegal today, a day after the so-called Magal ceremony -- the high point of the annual pilgrimage -- was held.
	Multiple road accidents this week left 16 dead and 572 wounded as people made their way to Touba, said Moussa Niang, spokesman for the fighters, according to the local media.
	In a separate incident, a child drowned in Touba, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) east of the capital Dakar, Niang said.
	In 2015, 15 people were killed in road accidents as pilgrims gathered for the Mourides' annual gathering.
	The Mourides are one of four important Sufi brotherhoods followed by Senegal's Muslims, who overwhelmingly practise a moderate version of Islam while following the teachings of local spiritual ...

16 killed in Senegal pilgrimage road accidents

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg holds a pair of the touch controllers for the Oculus Rift virtual reality headsets on stage during the Facebook F8 conference in San Francisco, California. Photo: Reuters

Photo: Reuters

Facebook has made headlines with its projects on connectivity and internet access

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg urges post-Trump world not to 'disconnect'

Agencies

The US vice president-elect insisted today he was not offended when the cast of the Broadway hit "Hamilton" expressed worries to him that Donald Trump might not respect US racial, cultural and social diversity.
	In another chapter of what appears to be a nascent culture war, Mike Pence clearly sought to defuse the swirling controversy over the Friday night performance he attended in New York of a hugely popular play that many see as a symbol of the multicultural left in America.
	The incident prompted the president-elect himself to demand an apology over what he saw as rude behaviour toward Pence, who was also booed by some in the audience as he entered the theatre with his family.
	"I did hear what was said from the stage, and I can tell you I wasn't offended by what was said. I'll leave to others whether that was the appropriate venue to say it," Pence said on Fox News today.
	Pence acknowledged that these are anxious, disappointing times in America for people who voted for Hillary .

VP-elect downplays flap over 'Hamilton' appeal on diversity

The death toll from a petrol tanker blast in Mozambique has risen to 73, with dozens of people still being treated in hospital for severe burns, an official said today.
	The explosion occurred last Thursday when people were trying to syphon off petrol from the tanker after it was abandoned by its driver, officials said.
	"We can inform to you that 73 of our citizens have so far lost their lives as a result of the accident," Minister of State Administration Carmelita Namashulua told a press conference.
	The tanker loaded with 30,000 litres of petrol exploded in Tete province, a remote western region near the border with Malawi, killing 43 people on the spot, with over 100 badly burnt including children.
	The truck was said to be carrying fuel from Mozambique's port city of Beira to landlocked Malawi.
	Some of the victims being treated at Tete Provincial Hospital were children, in a disaster that President Filipe Nyusi called a "tragedy".
	The government yesterday declared three days of 

Mozambique fuel tanker blast toll hits 73

Oscar-winning actress Juliette Binoche and French cinema queen Catherine Deneuve have joined dozens of celebrities in rallying to the defence of the nation's deeply unpopular Socialist President Francois Hollande.
	In an appeal published in the Journal du Dimanche newspaper, around 60 signatories -- among them writers, musicians, businessmen and sports personalities -- penned a strongly-worded denunciation of the attacks on the French leader, urging an immediate halt to what they termed "Hollande bashing".
	The appeal comes as France heads into a crucial 2017 election campaign with the left bitterly divided and the right under pressure from the growing popularity of the far-right.
	"From the start, Francois Hollande has been unfairly tried in the court of public opinion by those on the left and the right," said the statement which also listed signatories such as fashion designer Agnes B and singer Benjamin Biolay, who is currently dating Johnny Depp's former long-time partner Vanessa .

French celebs in impassioned plea against 'Hollande bashing'

More than 20 people were killed in fighting this week between rival tribes in southern Libya, a medical official said today, in violence reportedly sparked by an incident involving a monkey.
	Witnesses said several homes were hit by rockets and shells in the confrontation.
	Nasser al-Jehimi of the medical centre in Sebha said 21 people were killed and around 100 others injured in clashes since Tuesday in the city between Awled Suleiman tribal members and the Guedadfa tribe of Libya's toppled dictator Moamer Kadhafi.
	The casualty toll was for the Awed Suleiman tribe alone as information was not immediately available from another hospital being used for their rivals.
	The cause of the fighting was unclear, but Libyan and social media said it erupted after a monkey belonging to one tribe attacked a child from the other camp.
	There was no official confirmation of the report.
	Salah Badr, a member of Sebha city council, declined to give specifics but noted that relations between the two .

20 dead as Libya tribes clash 'after monkey incident'

The UN's Syria envoy warned today that time was "running out" for eastern Aleppo as he expressed international outrage over a regime bombing campaign of rebel-held parts of the city.
	"We are running out of time, we are running against time," Staffan de Mistura said after talks in Damascus with Foreign Minister Walid Muallem.
	The UN envoy said concern was running high among aid agencies that "instead of a humanitarian or a political initiative" there would be "an acceleration of military activities" in eastern Aleppo and elsewhere in Syria.
	De Mistura said he discussed the escalating violence in Aleppo where government forces last Tuesday began a bid to retake the eastern rebel-held side of the city using air strikes, barrel bombs and artillery.
	Dozens of people have been killed in the onslaught, most of them civilians, a monitor has said, and many have been wounded, overwhelming rescue workers in a city where hospitals are also hit.
	Today, rebels retaliated with a barrage of ...

UN Syria envoy warns time 'running out' for east Aleppo

Eight people were killed today when fighting broke out in a northern Myanmar town on the border with China, a region long plagued by ethnic rebel insurgencies.
	The clashes are another blow to civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi's hopes of forging a nationwide peace agreement after years of war in Myanmar's many ethnic minority border regions.
	Locals in the town of Muse, a hotbed of smuggling, reported that fighting began in the early morning.
	"People from (the) border checkpoint are now fleeing to Muse because of heavy fighting," Aye Aye, a resident of the town, told AFP.
	In a statement later today, Suu Kyi's office said eight people were killed in the fighting - one soldier, three police officers, one rebel fighter and three civilians.
	A hospital worker in Muse told AFP two civilians died after arrival from bullet wounds.
	Fighting between Myanmar's military and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Kachin state, which reignited in 2011 after the collapse of a 17-year ceasefire, ...

AFP

AFP

Page 1312 - Afp