The top US general Joseph Dunford today made a previously unannounced visit to Ankara for talks with his Turkish counterpart, the army said, as Kurdish-Arab forces launched an operation to capture the jihadist bastion of Raqa in Syria.
	The chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff was to hold talks with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar, the army said, without giving further details.
	The Kurdish-Arab force leading the fight to take the Syrian city of Raqa from the control of Islamic State jihadists had said earlier that Washington had agreed Turkey would play no role in the offensive.
	Ankara had previously expressed alarm that the Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were dominated by the Kurdish Peoples' Protection Units (YPG) militia.
	It considers the YPG to be an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has waged an insurgency against Ankara for more than three decades.
	Turkey has repeatedly targeted the YPG inside Syria and indicated it would not support ..

US top general Dunford visits Ankara

PTI Automatic

At least six children were killed today in Syrian government shelling that hit a kindergarten in the rebel-held town of Harasta outside the capital Damascus, a monitor said.
	The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said 17 people, most of them children, were also injured in the shelling.
	An AFP photographer saw the body of one child, a girl, lying on a bed at a makeshift hospital, her face bloodied and her clothes torn.
	At the kindergarten, smears of blood were left on the tiled floor, underneath a small red slide propped against a wall painted with children's drawings.
	Harasta is in the rebel stronghold of Eastern Ghouta, outside Damascus, a region that is regularly targeted by government air strikes and shelling.
	More than 300,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.

Syria regime shelling kills six children in kindergarten

Pope Francis today celebrated Mass before a thousand prisoners specially invited to the Vatican, giving them a message of hope while denouncing the "hypocrisy" of society.
	The event was also attended by 3,000 others including prison staff and volunteers and without any visible police presence.
	The Argentine pontiff regularly meets prisoners -- both in Italy and on his trips abroad -- but this is the first time so many inmates were received at the Vatican.
	The pontiff, recalling his visits to jail, said: "Every time I enter a prison, I ask the question 'why them and not me?', we all can make mistakes."
	The prisoners came from jails in Italy and Spain but 12 countries were represented including Britain, Mexico, South Africa.
	He exhorted them never to lose hope.
	"Hope is a gift of God," he said. "Certainly, breaking the law involves paying the price, and losing one's freedom is the worst part of serving time, because it affects us so deeply. All the same, hope must not falter."
	He 

Pope holds special Vatican Mass for 1,000 prisoners

Suicide bombings claimed by the Islamic State group killed at least 25 people and wounded more than 50 in two cities north of Baghdad today, officials said.
	One bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle at the southern entrance to Tikrit, while another other blew up an ambulance at a car park in Samarra, possibly in concert with a third bomber.
	The Tikrit attack killed at least 15 people and wounded at least 33, while at least 10 died and at least 25 were wounded in Samarra, security and medical officials said.
	Iranian pilgrims were among the victims in Samarra, which is home to a major Shiite shrine that was bombed in 2006, setting off a wave of brutal sectarian violence.
	IS issued a statement claiming today's attacks, but said there were three suicide bombers: two who struck Samarra and the third who attacked Tikrit.
	A police lieutenant colonel also said there was a second bomber who attacked the car park in Samarra, but other sources only mentioned one in the city.
	The IS 

25 killed in Iraq suicide bombings claimed by IS

President Bashar al-Assad claimed Western powers are "becoming much weaker" in Syria, in a confident interview published today.
	"In the past if I said anything, people would say the Syrian president is disconnected from reality. Now it's different. The West is becoming much weaker," told the British weekly The Sunday Times.
	"They don't have a leg to stand on explaining to people what's going on.
	"Isis (the Islamic State group) was smuggling oil and using Iraqi oilfields under American satellites and drones to make money, and the West was not saying anything.
	"Whereas here the Russians interfered and Isis started to shrink in every sense of the word."
	Assad acknowledged the key role played by Russian airstrikes, saying: "What made the difference, of course, was firepower. They have firepower we don't have."
	He added: "At the end we were fighting an unlimited reserve of terrorists coming to Syria and we struggled, so Russian firepower and Iranian support has ...

Assad says West growing weaker in Syria

The first step is under way to isolate the Islamic State group's de facto Syrian capital Raqa ahead of a larger assault on the city, a US official said today.
	"We will first undertake an effort to isolate Raqa to set the stage for an eventual assault on the city itself to liberate it" from IS control, a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity, as a US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance launched an offensive on the city.
	The official said the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) "is the partner force most capable of acting soon to isolate Raqa, and we believe the inclusion of fighters from the local population is an important advantage the SDF brings to this effort.
	"As these operations unfold, we will continue to plan with our allies and partners how the eventual liberation of Raqa will unfold and who will hold that ground to prevent ISIL's return," he said, using another term for the Islamic State group.
	The US official compared the Raqa operation with the meticulous, multi-step plans 

'First step under way to isolate Raqa for military assault'

German prosecutors probing whether Volkswagen executives manipulated the markets in the wake of the "dieselgate" scandal have widened their investigation to include the chairman of the group's supervisory board, the auto giant said today.
	"The proceedings refer to the period during which (chairman) Hans Dieter Poetsch served as the group chief financial officer," VW said in a statement.
	The announcement is a fresh blow to VW's efforts to move on from the worst crisis in its history, which erupted in September last year after the group admitted to installing software in 11 million diesel engines worldwide that could dupe emissions tests to make the cars seem less polluting than they were.
	Prosecutors in the German city of Brunswick are already investigating former CEO Martin Winterkorn and another former board member for allegedly holding back information from investors in the days after the scandal erupted.
	By law, listed companies are required to disclose information that could ..

German prosecutors extend 'dieselgate' probe to VW chairman

Thousands took to Hong Kong's streets today after Beijing said it would step into an escalating row over whether two city lawmakers who advocate a split from China should be banned from taking up their seats.
	The protest follows an ongoing judicial review by Hong Kong authorities, who are seeking to disqualify Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching from the Legislative Council (Legco) over their invalid oath-taking attempts last month, as fears grow that China is tightening its grip on the city.
	The government said on Friday Beijing had notified Hong Kong authorities that China's top legislative body would discuss the law which states that council members must swear allegiance to the "Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China".
	The interpretation of Hong Kong's constitution - the Basic Law - by China's National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) is expected to be announced tomorrow, local media reported.
	Hong Kong was handed over by Britain to ...

Hong Kong rallies against China wading into lawmaker row

Part-time seamer Hamilton Masakadza picked up two wickets as Zimbabwe made inroads into the Sri Lankan line-up on the first morning of the second and final Test at Harare Sports Club on Sunday.
     After winning the toss and electing to bowl on a pitch boasting a green tinge, Zimbabwe were beset by early injuries and poor bowling until Masakadza picked up two unexpected wickets.
     With Chris Mpofu going on to remove Kaushal Silva for 37, Sri Lanka went to lunch on 105 for three.
     Zimbabwe's search for wickets at the top of the innings was hampered by fast bowler Carl Mumba limping off after the first over, and when Sri Lanka's openers preyed on some inconsistent bowling to advance to 62 for one it appeared as though the hosts faced a trying day in the field.
     But Masakadza was introduced at the end of the first hour, and struck shortly after the drinks break when Dimuth Karunaratne guided one straight to gully to depart for 26.
     Kusal Perera's decision to attack ...

Masakadza makes inroads for Zimbabwe

Scoreboard at lunch on the first day
of the second Test between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka on Sunday:
     Sri Lanka first innings
     D. Karunaratne c Williams b Masakadza 26
     K. Silva lbw b Mpofu                  37
     K. Perera c Mumba b Masakadza          4
     K. Mendis not out                     20
     U. Tharanga not out                   15
     Extras (1lb, 2w)                       3
     Total (3 wkts, 26 overs)             105
     Fall of wickets: 1-62, 2-66, 3-84.
     Bowling: Mumba 4-1-13-0, Tiripano 9-2-33-0, Mpofu 8-2-38-1, Masakadza 4-1-13-2, Cremer 1-0-7-0.

Harare, Nov 6 (AFP) Scoreboard at lunch on the first day

The death toll from an explosion and fire at a Pakistan shipbreaking yard last week has risen to 26, officials said today.
	More than 50 others were wounded in the incident when a gas cylinder exploded and started a fire inside an oil tanker at the Gadani yard in the southwestern province of Balochistan.
	"Six more wounded from the Gadani shipyard have died, so the new toll is now 26," Zulfiqar Hashmi, a local government official, told AFP.
	"One person died at home after being discharged from hospital while five others expired in hospital," he said.
	Muhammad Hashim, commissioner of Kalat region of which Gadani is a part, confirmed the new toll.
	Pakistan has banned all activities at the shipbreaking yard in Gadani and a probe is underway.
	A high-level committee formed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to investigate the causes of the fire held its first meeting in the port city of Karachi yesterday and said it would finalise a report within a week.
	Industrial accidents are common in .

Death toll rises to 26 in Pakistan shipbreaking blast

Iraqi forces battled jihadists inside Mosul for the third day running today while civilians risked their lives dodging bombs and snipers to slip out of the city.
	The Islamic State group put up fierce resistance to defend the city it seized more than two years ago and also claimed responsibility for deadly suicide attacks further south.
	The elite Counter-Terrorism Service has been spearheading the attack on the eastern front of the three-week-old offensive on Mosul, Iraq's largest military operation in years.
	"Our forces are continuing to clear neighbourhoods including Al-Samah, Karkukli, Al-Malayeen and Shaqaq al-Khadra," CTS Staff Lieutenant General Abdelghani al-Assadi told AFP.
	The jihadists have given up some of its bastions in Iraq and Syria with barely a fight in recent months but its men began the defence of their last Iraqi hub with anger.
	"Resistance is very heavy and they have suffered major losses," Assadi said of IS.
	Soldiers from the army's 9th armoured division ...

Iraq forces gain ground in Mosul despite fierce resistance

A US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters said today it had began a long- awaited operation to capture the Islamic State group's de facto Syrian capital Raqa.
	"The major battle to liberate Raqa and its surroundings has begun," Jihan Sheikh Ahmed, a spokeswoman for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said at a press conference in Ain Issa, some 50 kilometres north of the jihadist bastion.
	The operation, dubbed "The Wrath of the Euphrates," comes as Iraqi forces backed by the US-led coalition press an assault to take the jihadist group's Iraqi stronghold of Mosul.
	Ahmed said the fight would involve some 30,000 fighters and had begun last night.
	"Raqa will be liberated by its sons and Arab, Kurdish and Turkmen factions, heroes under the banner of the Syrian Democratic Forces, and with the active participation of the (Kurdish) People's Protection Units... In coordination with the international coalition" led by Washington, a statement read at the press conference said.
	Ahmed .

US-backed forces launch bid to capture IS Syria bastion Raqa

Suicide bombings claimed by the Islamic State group killed at least 18 people and wounded more than 30 in two cities north of Baghdad today, officials said.
	One bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle at the southern entrance to Tikrit, while the other blew up an ambulance in Samarra, the officials said.
	Jassem al-Jbara, the head of Salaheddin province's security committee, said the Tikrit attack killed 12 people and wounded 20, while six people died and 12 more were hurt in Samarra.
	Security and medical officials confirmed the attacks, but gave higher tolls.
	IS issued a statement claiming the attacks, but said there were three suicide bombers: two who struck Samarra and the third hitting Tikrit.
	The jihadist group identified two of the bombers as "Al-Moslawi" - a nom de guerre that would indicate they were from Mosul, though it could be a propaganda attempt to link militants from other areas with the ongoing battle for Iraq's second city.
	Iraqi forces are fighting to ...

18 killed in Iraq suicide bombings claimed by IS

Bangladesh police said they arrested early today a veteran Islamist extremist who had "mentored" the assassins of a Japanese farmer shot dead last year.
	Rangpur district police chief Mizanur Rahman said Belal Hossain, described as the recruiter and mentor of the killers of Kunio Hoshi, was detained along with three of his followers during an operation in the northern district.
	"Hossain was an absconding militant and a senior member of the JMB who mentored and trained up Kunio's killers," Rahman said.
	He was referring to the homegrown Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), an extremist group which has been banned for over a decade.
	"We caught four of them near an abandoned brick kiln," Rahman told AFP, adding the militants injured four policemen by hurling home-made bombs.
	The official said the arrest of Hossain, 45, would help in the hunt for more militants since he was "a mentor to many others".
	Hoshi, 66, was killed on October 3 last year in a drive-by shooting on a dirt road .

Bangladesh arrests 'mentor' of Japanese farmer's assassins

Emerging South African paceman Kagiso Rabada claimed three crucial wickets as South Africa closed in on victory against Australia on the fourth day of the opening Test in Perth on Sunday.
     Set an intimidating victory target of 539, the home side were wobbling on 169 for four at stumps and facing a potential record defeat against South Africa.
     Usman Khawaja was on 58 and Mitchell Marsh on 15, with South Africa's unbeaten record at the ground set to be extended.
     An extraordinary piece of fielding by the diminutive Temba Bavuma removed the dangerous David Warner for 35 to end an opening stand of 52.
     Warner dropped the ball in front of him and set off for a quick single, but Bavuma pounced from cover and unleashed a powerful throw while horizontal and still in mid-air.
     It rattled the stumps at the non-striker's end with Warner centimetres out of his ground.
     The dismissal set the stage for Rabada (3-49) to display his quality in the absence of champion pacemen .

Australia lose four wickets chasing record 539 target

South Korean prosecutors arrested two former top presidential aides today in a snowballing influence-peddling scandal which has seen tens of thousands of people take to the streets to demand President Park Geun-Hye resign.
	Park's approval ratings have hit a historic low of five percent -- a record for a sitting president -- over the scandal involving her close friend Choi Soon-Sil.
	Choi has been arrested for fraud and also stands accused of meddling in state affairs -- including government appointments and policy decisions -- despite holding no official position.
	Ahn Jong-beom, a former senior advisor to Park, was formally arrested early Sunday on charges of abuse of power and attempted coercion, the Yonhap news agency reported.
	He is suspected of helping Choi collect millions of dollars in donations from conglomerates like Samsung to two dubious non-profit foundations which Choi set up and allegedly used for personal gain.
	Ahn, who has been in custody since Wednesday after ...

S Korea scandal widens as presidential aides arrested

Nicaragua's first couple, President Daniel Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo, easily lead the field ahead of elections today that look likely to extend their rule over one of the poorest countries in the Americas.
	Ortega, a former rebel who first took power after a Marxist revolution in the 1970s and returned as head of state since 2007, is known as "el comandante" (the commander) for his strong-fisted rule that has cleared away any serious rivals.
	Murillo, extravagant, with a penchant for poetry and art, is no less redoubtable in her current role as the government's chief spokeswoman and - many believe - the eminence grise behind her husband.
	Known as "Companera Rosario" (Comrade Rosario), she would be elevated to the post of vice president in the probable event of an election victory.
	Ortega, who turns 71 on November 11, first seized control after his Sandinista guerrillas ousted the Somoza dynasty that had held power over Nicaragua with increasing autocracy from the 1930s to .

Nicaragua's shrewd power couple

Filipino southpaw Manny Pacquiao reclaimed the World Boxing Organization welterweight title for the third time with a unanimous decision victory over former champion Jesse Vargas in his comeback fight today.
     The 37-year-old Pacquiao systematically dismantled the former welterweight champion despite Vargas' size and reach advantage.
     He used a short right-handed counterpunch to floor Vargas in the second round en route to a one-sided win in front of a crowd of 16,132 at the Thomas & Mack Center.
     "I feel happy," Pacquiao said. "I'm trying every round to knock him down but also not be careless."
     Pacquiao, 59-6 with two drawn and 38 knockouts, showed he still has a lot left in the tank but he failed to get the knockout victory that has eluded him for the past seven years.
     All three judges scored the bout for Pacquiao, two of them by 118-109 and the other by 114-113.
     Pacquiao won the WBO title for the first time in 2010 when he beat Miguel Cotto. He lost it ...

Pacquiao reclaims WBO title for third time

A Bangladesh court today acquitted cricketer Shahadat Hossain and his wife on charges of torturing an 11-year-old girl whom he employed as a maid, a prosecutor said.
     Police last year charged the 30-year-old fast bowler and his wife Nritto Shahadat with assault and torture after the young girl was found crying by the roadside with her eyes bruised and swollen.
     "The couple have been released as the prosecution failed to prove them guilty," prosecutor Ali Asgar from the women and children repression prevention tribunal told AFP.
     The couple pleaded not guilty to the charges which were brought after the girl lodged complain against them.
     The cricketer spent two months in custody after surrendering to police in October last year, and his wife was arrested.
     Hossain was later released on bail, as was his wife. But he remained banned from all forms of the game by the Bangladesh Cricket Board during the investigation into the alleged criminal offence, which drew huge ...

Bangladesh player acquitted in maid torture case

Police at Turkey's largest airport in Istanbul today fired warning shots at a motorbike that failed to stop at a security checkpoint, with the facility on high alert after the deadly June attack blamed on jihadists, local officials said.
	Both the driver and the passenger of the motorcycle were later caught and detained after the incident at Ataturk International Airport but no explosives or weapons were found on them.
	The incident resulted in the brief closure of entrances to the airport as a precaution but it carried on working normally.
	"Tonight two people on a motorbike who failed to stop were detained after police opened fire," Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin wrote on his Twitter account.
	"No weapons or explosive materials were found on them. The airport is open to entrance and exit," he added.
	According to the Anadolu agency, one of the suspects had a criminal record for theft and had been drinking.
	After the shots were fired, they came off the bike and tried to run away but .

AFP

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