Chilean police used tear gas and water cannon to break up a protest against the country's privatised pension system, which opponents say is leaving many retirees in poverty.
	Protesters set fire to at least two buses, forcing passengers to flee, and blocked some two dozen streets with burning barricades in the capital Santiago on a day of nationwide demonstrations.
	Launched in 1981, Chile's "pension fund administrators" (AFPs) have been held up by pro-market politicians and pundits worldwide as a model of how to privatize a national pension system.
	But opponents say the system has left the 10 million Chileans enrolled in it with deplorable retirement benefits far short of the Pinochet regime's promise of 70 per cent of workers' last paychecks.
	The average pension is less than the minimum wage in Chile.
	The yesterday's protests came on the same day as a strike by public sector workers demanding a raise, adding to the pressure on center-left President Michelle Bachelet.
	Protesters .

Fiery protests against Chile's private pension funds

PTI Automatic

Turkey has jailed two leaders of the country's main pro-Kurdish party and several other MPs, in an unprecedented crackdown as a bombing killed nine in the Kurdish-dominated southeast.
	A court in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir remanded in custody Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) co-leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag yesterday after they were detained along with 10 of its MPs, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.
	Including Demirtas and Yuksekdag, nine of the 12 HDP MPs were placed under arrest by the courts pending trial in hearings that lasted throughout the day.
	The United States and European Union both raised alarm over the arrests, which marked a new escalation of the clampdown under the state of emergency imposed in the wake of the July 15 coup attempt.
	Hours earlier, a blast blamed on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) struck outside a police station in Diyarbakir, Turkey's main majority-Kurdish city.
	Nine people were killed, including two police, 

Turkey jails Kurdish party leaders as attack kills nine

Gunmen killed a top Egyptian army officer outside his home today in the northern Sinai where the local affiliate of the Islamic State group is leading an insurrection, the army spokesman said.
	"Three terrorist elements fired on Brigadier General Hisham Mohammed Mahmud, one of the heroes of the armed forces, outside his home in El-Arish after prayers, resulting in his martyrdom," the spokesman said on Facebook.
	The army has been battling an Islamist insurgency in northern Sinai which escalated after the military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
	Egypt's government says hundreds of police and soldiers have died in the attacks, which have also hit Cairo and the Nile Delta.
	Most of the attacks have been claimed by the Egyptian IS affiliate, which also said it bombed a Russian plane over Sinai in October 2015 killing all 224 people on board, most of them Russian tourists.

Gunmen in Sinai kill Egyptian general: army

A French court has handed a three-month suspended jail sentence to a teenager who named his domestic wifi network after the Islamic State group, his lawyer said today.
	"There was no sympathy for terrorism! There was only the word 'Daesh21'," explained lawyer Karima Manhouli, saying he would appeal his client's criminal conviction.
	Daesh is a widely-used Arabic acronym for IS.
	"It was a stupid act by a young man of 18 who can't explain why he did it," he said.
	The case came to court in the eastern town of Dijon after a neighbour saw the name pop up on a list of available wifi networks in July and called the police.
	"There was an investigation and searches but nothing was found. There is nothing to suggest (my client) shares this ideology. On the contrary, he strenuously denies it," Manhouli said.
	The court handed the youth a suspended jail sentence after he turned down an offer of 100 hours of community service.
	The lawyer said there had been a spate of similar criminal charges .

Naming wifi network after IS backfires on French teen

Two associates of New Jersey's Republican Governor Chris Christie, a key ally of Donald Trump, were found guilty today of deliberately causing major traffic snarl-ups to wreak political revenge on a Democrat.
	Bridget Kelly, then-deputy chief of staff to Christie, and Bill Baroni, whom the governor appointed deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, were found guilty on all counts, prosecutors said.
	The 12-person jury took five days to reach the verdict. The convictions include wire fraud, depriving people of their civil rights and conspiracy.
	A third Christie aide, David Wildstein, had pleaded guilty.
	Prosecutors argued during the six-week trial that the defendants unlawfully forced days of traffic jams on the world's busiest bridge to punish a Democratic mayor for refusing to endorse their boss's re-election bid in 2013.
	Thousands were affected in the town of Fort Lee in September 2013, with children prevented from going to school and emergency .

Associates of Trump ally Christie convicted at trial

Thirteen cases of a sometimes deadly and often drug-resistant fungal infection, Candida auris, have been reported in the United States for the first time, health officials said today.
	The infection, which often spreads in hospitals and other health care settings, was identified by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in June 2016 as an emerging global threat.
	Four of the patients diagnosed with the infection have died, although the precise causes remain unclear, the CDC said.
	"We need to act now to better understand, contain and stop the spread of this drug-resistant fungus," CDC Director Tom Frieden said.
	"This is an emerging threat and we need to protect vulnerable patients and others."
	The report in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) described seven of the cases, which occurred between May 2013 and August 2016.
	Another six "were identified after the period covered by the report and are still under investigation," it said.
	The first seven ...

First 13 cases of deadly fungal infection emerge in US

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was expected to reshuffle his cabinet, state TV reported today, in an apparent bid to boost his government's standing after unpopular austerity cuts.
	State TV ERT said the reshuffle was "hours away".
	According to reports, Tsipras was expected to oust a pair of hardliners opposed to privatisations, bring in younger party members loyal to him personally, and create a separate ministry to tackle Greece's migration crisis.
	But the key posts of foreign affairs, defence and finance were likely to remain unchanged.
	After only a year into a four-year term, Tsipras has seen his popularity wane following a new round of tax hikes and pension cuts.
	His government also caused fresh controversy this year with an overhaul of the private TV sector that, although long overdue in Greece, was rejected by the country's top administrative court last week.
	Tsipras hopes the economy will rebound from recession this year, and has pinned his hopes on the promise of ...

Under-pressure Greek PM to reshuffle cabinet: state TV

A Turkish court today formally arrested the two co-leaders of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) as well as five of the party's MPs, state-run Anadolu news agency said.
	Party leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag, who were detained overnight during a terror investigation, were today remanded in custody by a court in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir.
	They will be held behind bars pending trial, although no date has been set yet.
	A total of 12 HDP parliamentarians were rounded up overnight in an unprecedented crackdown on the party, which has sparked international alarm.
	As well as Demirtas and Yuksekdag, five other MPs were also remanded in custody following hearings in Diyarbakir and in other cities.
	Among them were Idris Baluken, head of HDP's parliamentary faction, and four other parliamentarians: Leyla Birlik, Nursel Aydogan, Selma Irmak and Gulser Yildirim.
	Another three HDP lawmakers -- Ziya Pir, Imam Tascier and Sirri Sureyya Onder -- were allowed 

Turkey holds pro-Kurdish party leaders, 5 MPs

Three US troops were killed in a shooting outside a military training facility in Jordan today, a US official said.
	"A total of three US service members died today in the incident in Jordan," the official said in Washington.
	"The service members were in vehicles approaching the gate of a Jordanian military training facility, where they came under small arms fire," the official added.
	"Initial reports were that one was killed, two injured. The two injured service members were transported to a hospital in Amman, where they died."
	"We are working with the Jordanian government to gather additional details about what happened."
	Earlier, the Jordanian army said the shooting took place at the gate of Al-Jafr base in southern Jordan after the car carrying the US trainers failed to stop.
	It said that a Jordanian officer was also wounded.
	"An exchange of fire occurred Friday morning at the gate of the Prince Feisal Air Base in Al-Jafr when a car carrying trainers attempted to enter the ..

Three US troops shot dead in Jordan

The US economy added a solid 161,000 jobs in October while the unemployment rate fell to 4.9 per cent, according to Labor Department figures released today.
	In a show of steady momentum in the world's largest economy, the department revised upward its jobs reports for the previous two months by a total of 44,000 positions, taking the average for the past three months to a strong 176,000 new jobs.
	Average hourly earnings also saw their strongest gains in seven years, rising 2.8 per cent to USD 25.92.
	The jobs report pointed to the continued health of the US economy, according to Ian Shepherdson of Pantheon Macroeconomics, who said he expected gains in average hourly earnings to continue into 2017.
	"With the labor market very tight, employers will struggle to resist," he said in a client note.
	The unemployment rate was little-changed from prior months, declining a tenth of a point to return to the level recorded between June and August. However, the jobless rate among Hispanics ...

US unemployment rate falls to 4.9 pc on solid job creation

A roadside bomb has killed 11 people on their way to a wedding in the northern Afghan province of Faryab, officials said today, as civilian casualties rise in the war-torn country.
	The blast occurred yesterday just as 30 Afghan civilians were killed in US air strikes in the neighbouring province of Kunduz, a hotbed of Taliban insurgency.
	No group immediately claimed responsibility for the Faryab blast, which also killed women and children, but officials blamed Taliban militants.
	"Eleven civilians were martyred and 12 others wounded when they struck a roadside bomb in Kosa Qala village in Faryab province," provincial spokesman Ahmad Jawed Bedar told AFP, adding that the victims were heading to a wedding.
	A provincial police spokesman confirmed the same toll.
	Roadside bombs are the favourite weapon of the Islamist militants fighting to oust the Western-backed Kabul government.
	Insurgents frequently target Afghan police and military, but the surge in attacks has also taken a heavy .

Blast kills 11 on way to Afghan wedding: officials

A worldwide pact to battle global warming entered into force today, just a week before nations reassemble to discuss how to make good on their promises to cut planet-warming greenhouse gases.
	Dubbed the Paris Agreement, it is the first-ever deal binding all the world's nations, rich and poor, to a commitment to cap global warming caused mainly from the burning of coal, oil and gas.
	"A historic day for the planet," said the office of President Francois Hollande of France, host to the 2015 negotiations that yielded the breakthrough pact.
	"Humanity will look back on November 4, 2016, as the day that countries of the world shut the door on inevitable climate disaster," UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa and Moroccan Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar said in a joint statement.
	Mezouar will preside over the UN meeting opening in Marrakesh on Monday.
	"It is also a moment to look ahead with sober assessment and renewed will over the task ahead," they said.
	This meant drastically and .

Historic climate pact enters into force

A young footballer who played in Lebanon's Premier League has been killed fighting alongside Hezbollah in the battle for Syria's Aleppo, a source close to the Shiite movement said today.
	Kassem Shamkha was killed "while fighting off a rebel attack yesterday on western Aleppo," the source told AFP, referring to the government-held side of the city.
	The 19-year-old midfielder was from Burj al-Barajneh, a southern suburb of Beirut where support for Hezbollah is widespread.
	Since 2009, Shamkha had played for Hezbollah's Al-Ahed football club which has won Lebanon's national championships four times, most recently in 2015.
	In Lebanon, most football teams are financed by political parties.
	"He will go down in history in the club's records, because he was a hero on the football field just like on the battlefield in defence of the homeland," Al-Ahed secretary general Mohammad Assi told AFP.
	"He was a talented player with huge potential for the club and for Lebanon, but he chose the ...

Lebanese footballer killed fighting in Syria

Islamic State group militants killed seven members of Iraq's security forces today during a raid south of the jihadist bastion Mosul which pro-government troops are battling to recapture, officials said.
	The attack comes in the third week of the massive operation to retake Iraq's second city from IS, which has already carried out diversionary attacks in other areas.
	The militants crossed the Tigris River early in the morning and clashed with security personnel in the Sharqat area about 90 kilometres from Mosul, police officers said.
	The militants killed four soldiers, two tribal militiamen and one policeman, according to the police officers, who said that clashes in the area were still ongoing.
	One of the officers, a lieutenant colonel, said that the jihadists had planted bombs in the area.
	Ali Dawdah, the local official responsible for the area, confirmed that seven security personnel were killed.
	Iraq announced the recapture of Sharqat in September, but IS holds areas to its ..

IS kills 7 Iraq security personnel south of Mosul: officials

A Chinese monkey described as the "king of prophets" has tipped Donald Trump for the US presidency, a tourism park said, after the creature successfully predicted the winner of football's European Championship final earlier this year.
	Known as Geda - which means knots or goose bumps - the prophetic primate is the latest in a series of purportedly psychic animals that have popped up around the world since Paul the Octopus correctly predicted multiple 2010 World Cup matches.
	The simian seer, wearing a yellow shirt emblazoned with his title, was given a chance to pick between life-sized cut-outs of Republican Trump and his Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton.
	After "deliberate thought" the mystic monkey chose Trump, Shiyanhu Ecological Tourism Park said today in a statement on its website. Without even waiting, he congratulated the cardboard candidate with a kiss on the lips.
	The five-year-old simian correctly predicted Portugal would win the 2016 European football championship in .

China's 'monkey king' picks Trump as next US president

Jihadist fighters unleashed a deluge of bombs and gunfire today on Iraqi forces punching into the streets of Mosul for the first time, forcing some units into a partial pullback.
	Some armoured vehicles from the elite Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) returned from the streets of Al-Karamah a few hours after moving in and encountering fierce resistance from the Islamic State group, an AFP correspondent reported.
	"We weren't expecting such resistance. They had blocked all the roads," said one officer, as top brass considered whether or not to attempt a fresh foray.
	"There are large numbers of jihadists... It was preferable to pull back and devise a new plan," the CTS officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
	Some CTS forces remained inside the city however and there were at least five regiments involved in the operation launched today, making it hard to gauge the extent of the pullback.
	After daybreak, bulldozers and tanks backed by air strikes had pushed into the streets of .

Elite Iraq forces punch into Mosul, face tough resistance

British Prime Minister Theresa May today told European leaders that her March deadline for triggering Brexit negotiations "remains unchanged" despite a court ruling that she first needs parliament's approval.
	May told European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and German Chancellor Angela Merkel that the "government's planned timetable for notification of Article 50 remains unchanged", during separate phone calls, according to a statement released by Downing Street.
	She added that the government was confident of winning next month's Supreme Court appeal against Thursday's High Court ruling that her government does not have the power on its own to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which would formally start the process.
	"The PM explained to both Chancellor Merkel and President Juncker that while the government was disappointed with the judgement, it had strong legal arguments ahead of the case moving to the Supreme Court," the statement said.
	The decision raises the ..

May tells EU Brexit timetable 'unchanged' despite shock ruling

Germany today summoned Turkey's envoy after Ankara detained almost a dozen lawmakers from the main pro-Kurdish party, warning that a crackdown against terror should not be used as an excuse to silence the opposition.
	Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier "summoned Turkey's envoy to the foreign ministry" for talks on the "latest developments in Turkey", said a ministry source.
	While Ankara "has the right to counter the threat of terrorism and to deal with the bloody coup attempt through the law, that should not serve as a justification to muzzle the opposition or to put them behind bars," the source said.
	Berlin felt it "could not remain silent" given the deep ties between the two countries and its people.
	"It is therefore necessary to formally communicate the government's position to the Turkish government," said the source.
	The talks between the secretary of state at the foreign ministry and Turkey's charge d'affaires are due to be held later.
	Both co-leaders of Turkey's ...

Germany summons Turkish envoy over pro-Kurdish MP arrests

The European Union said today the timing of Britain's exit from the bloc was in London's hands, following a court decision that could delay the process.
	British Prime Minister Theresa May had been expected to tell European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker that she would stick to a late-March deadline for starting the process following the shock June Brexit vote.
	"The president (Juncker) explicitly stressed that he respects the legal order and constitutional order of the UK," commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said while briefing reporters about a phone conversation between Juncker and May.
	"And this is now a British affair. The timing is in the hands of the British authorities," Andreeva said, without disclosing details of the call.
	"We have no further comment to make and we will also not speculate on the British timeline," Andreeva said.
	"It was rather a short phone call," she added when asked to characterise the exchange.
	May's office said earlier she still intended .

Brexit timing in UK hands, EU says

The playing future of South African fast bowler Dale Steyn appeared in grave doubt Friday, with the cricketer expected to need surgery on his troublesome right shoulder as he faces the prospect of being sidelined for at least six months.
     Steyn, who first hurt his shoulder late last year, aggravated the problem before lunch on the second day of the first Test against Australia in Perth as his series came to a premature end.
     The 33-year-old right-armer had just bowled the fourth ball in his 13th over when he clutched at the shoulder and left the field.
     Scans at a local hospital revealed a fracture in his right shoulder and he will return to South Africa for possible surgery at the conclusion of the Test.
     Team doctor Mohammed Moosajee said Steyn, who is just four Test wickets shy of Shaun Pollock's South African record, was likely to be sidelined for at least six months.
     "Today while he was bowling he felt something thud or pop," Moosajee said.
     "He will ...

Steyn set to be sidelined for six months

An inmate set to die by lethal injection in the southern US state of Alabama has been granted an 11th-hour reprieve, his latest stay of execution.
	The late-night order by the Supreme Court in Washington was the seventh time that Thomas Arthur, 74, has seen his scheduled execution called off.
	Arthur had been scheduled to die at 6 PM at the prison in Altmore, following decades-long imprisonment for his conviction in the 1982 murder of his mistress's husband.
	Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas issued an order about 10:30 PM yesterday temporarily halting the execution, which had been delayed so he could consider the issue, until he or other justices made another decision, a court document said.
	Just before midnight, the Supreme Court granted Arthur's request to stay the execution, the Washington Post reported. It would remain in place until the full court decides whether it will consider the case.
	If it decides not to take on the case, the stay would be terminated, the Washington .

AFP

AFP

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