Authorities in El Salvador arrested the country's ex-president Elias Antonio Saca and several other former officials today for alleged embezzlement and money-laundering, the attorney general's office said.
	Saca, 51, and six other former officials from his government were detained in the early morning "on charges of various crimes," it said on Twitter.
	Saca is a member of the conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA). He was president of El Salvador from 2004 to 2009.
	He is accused of embezzlement, money-laundering and links to illegal groups, the prosecutors' office said.
	It give no further details of the accusations for the time being.
	A self-made businessman, Saca became a well-known journalist before becoming president.
	He was seen as a strong ally of the United States during his time in power.
	The other suspects arrested include former public waterworks official Cesar Funes, 46, and ex-presidential communications chief Julio Rank, 65.
	El Salvador is a Central ...

El Salvador arrests ex-leader Saca on fraud charges

PTI Automatic

Iceland's prime minister resigned today after a snap vote in which no party won a majority, paving the way for intense negotiations over the next government.
	The announcement by Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson came after his centrist Progressive Party suffered a drubbing in yesterday's election, winning just eight seats in the 63-member parliament from 19 in the outgoing assembly.
	He told a news conference that the move was in line with the constitution, which provides for him to remain in office until a new government is established.
	President Gudni Johannesson is set to task Finance Minister Bjarni Benediktsson, whose conservative Independence Party won 21 seats yesterday, the highest number of any party, with trying to form a new government.
	The Progress and Independence parties have been governing in a coalition but a snap election was called after Johannson's predecessor Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson was forced to resign over the Panama Papers offshore tax havens scandal in ...

Iceland PM announces resignation after vote drubbing

An Afghan woman immortalised on a National Geographic magazine cover is to be freed on bail days after being arrested in Pakistan for fraud, a government minister said today.
	The haunting image of Sharbat Gula, taken in a Pakistan refugee camp by photographer Steve McCurry in the 1980s, became the most famous cover image in the magazine's history.
	Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested Gula on Wednesday for living in the country on fraudulent identity papers following a two-year investigation on her and her husband, who has absconded.
	"I think I will have to review this case because she is a woman and we should see it from a humanitarian angle," Pakistan Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan told a press conference today.
	"But if we withdraw charges against her, deport her or give her a temporary visa to leave Pakistan, then we will have to take back cases against the officials who issued her fake ID card, they are real culprits and I do not want to let them ...

Pakistan to free on bail National Geographic 'Afghan girl'

Ten years after scoring his maiden Test century, Upul Tharanga notched up his second as Sri Lanka continued to make all the running in the first Test against Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club.
     Tharanga's first century had come against Bangladesh in March 2006, and his 110 not out on Sunday allowed Sri Lanka to amass 537 all out on the second day in Harare.
     Having dropped seven catches in the field, and seen three dubious umpiring calls go against them, Zimbabwe managed to rouse themselves with the bat and go to stumps on 88 for one.
     While opener Brian Chari fell in Rangana Herath's first over, Tino Mawoyo reached the close unbeaten on 41, while Hamilton Masakadza was 33 not out.
     Tharanga had not played a Test in more than a year and was not picked in Sri Lanka's initial squad, but made the most of his opportunity when it came along.
     "I came into the side after a year out because Angelo (Mathews) and Dinesh (Chandimal) were ruled out, so it gave me a good chance," 

Tharanga gets 2nd century 10 years after 1st

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim said his team's historic Test win against England today was the beginning of a new era with the country now blessed with talent like teen sensation Mehedi Hasan.
     Bangladeshi bowlers, led by 19-year-old Mehedi, took all ten England wickets in a single session in the second Test as Rahim's team beat Alastair Cook's men by 108 runs and square the series.
	The victory saw celebrations erupt at Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla Stadium and across the country as Bangladeshis revelled in one of the proudest moments in their sporting history.
	Chasing a target of 273, England seemed to be cruising when Cook and Ben Duckett guided them to 100 without loss at tea.
	But Mehedi, playing only his second Test and who celebrated his 19th birth just this week, triggered a dramatic collapse as England crumbled to 164 all out to suffer their first-ever defeat by Bangladesh in 10 Tests.
	Bangladesh secured Test status in 2000 and the win was only their eighth in 95 Tests -- ..

Rahim hails start of new era for Bangladesh

A car ramming in the occupied West Bank today lightly wounded three Israeli police officers, and the Palestinian attacker was shot dead, Israeli police said.
	The incident occurred in the Beit Ummar area near the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron as border police were conducting an operation, police said. Officers then shot the Palestinian.
	A wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car-ramming attacks began a year ago, but the violence has signficantly declined in recent months.
	Since October last year, the violence has claimed the lives of 236 Palestinians, 36 Israelis, two Americans, a Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP count.
	Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out attacks, according to Israeli authorities. Others were shot dead during protests and clashes, while some were killed in air strikes in the Gaza Strip.
	Human rights groups have accused Israeli security forces of using excessive and often lethal force in certain cases.
	Internal reviews ..

Car ramming in West Bank, Palestinian attacker killed

Scoreboard at close on the second
day of the first Test between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka today:
	   Sri Lanka first innings
	   D Karunaratne c Mawoyo b Cremer   56
	   K Silva c Williams b Waller       94
	   K Perera c Waller b Perera       110
	   K Mendis c Moor b Cremer          34
	   U Tharanga not out                96
	   D de Silva c Williams b Cremer    25
	   A Gunaratne c Cremer b Williams   54
	   D Perera run out                  23
	   R Herath c Waller b Mumba          7
	   S Lakmal c Tiripano b Mpofu        7
	   L Kumara c Moor b Mpofu            0
	   Extras (B-10, B-7)                17
	   Total (all out in 155 overs)     536
	   Fall of wickets: 1-123, 2-198, 3-282, 4-307, 5-351, 6-450, 7-498, 8-512, 9-536, 10-536.
	   Bowling: Mpofu 31-6-96-2, Mumba 24-2-101-1, Tiripano 26-7-71-0, Cremer 42-6-142-4, Masakadza 9-3-31-0, Williams 17-2-54-1, Waller 6-0-25-1.
	   Zimbabwe first innings
	   T Mawoyo not out                  41
	   B Chari lbw b Herath               ..

Harare, Oct 30 (AFP) Scoreboard at close on the second

England captain Alastair Cook admitted today "inexperience" in playing on spinning wickets cost his team a crushing 108-run defeat to Bangladesh inside three days of the second Test here.
     Chasing a target of 273, England seemed to be cruising when they reached 100-0 at tea on the third day with Cook unbeaten on 39 alongside Ben Duckett, 56 not out.
	Young Bangladeshi off-spinner Mehedi Hasan struck off the first ball after the break to remove Duckett, ending their partnership that triggered a dramatic collapse.
	England soon crumbled to 164 all out in less than two hours, suffering their first-ever defeat to Bangladesh in 10 Tests and sharing the two-Test series 1-1.
	"We possibly showed our inexperience in those conditions - it was amazing the difference before tea and after tea," Cook said.
	Cook downplayed the suggestion it was his toughest career defeat, but said sloppy fielding made things difficult for the side.
	England had the chance to limit their target when their ...

Cook blames 'inexperience' for Dhaka debacle

Saudi authorities said today they had foiled a plot to bomb a football stadium during a World Cup qualifying match and dismantled two "terrorist" cells linked to the Islamic State group.
	The interior ministry said in a statement that four suspects from each cell had been arrested.
	One of the cells had planned to park a bomb-laden vehicle outside Al-Jawhara stadium in the Red Sea city of Jeddah during an October 11 World Cup 2018 qualifying football match between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the ministry said.
	Its members were two Pakistanis, a Syrian, and a Sudanese, the ministry said, without providing further details of the plot or arrests.
	The other group had been plotting attacks against security forces and its members had received orders from an IS leader in Syria, the ministry said.
	Its alleged members were based in Shaqra, northwest of Riyadh, and are all Saudis, the ministry statement said, adding that the suspects had all confessed.
	Six other Saudis were ..

Saudi says foiled plot to bomb World Cup qualifier

The bodies of 16 migrants have been found on a beach near the western Libyan town of Zwara, the Libyan Red Crescent said today.
	The migrants had been attempting to reach Europe, Khames el-Boussefi, a spokesman for the Libyan Red Crescent, told AFP.
	"We have not been able to verify their nationalities, but they are presumed drowned after their boat sank," he said, adding that none of the migrants had identity documents.
	"The remains were handed over to the authorities who will take care of their burial," he said.
	People smugglers have exploited the chaos gripping Libya since the 2011 uprising that overthrew dictator Moamer Kadhafi to traffic migrants across the Mediterranean to Europe.
	Many set off from the western coast in small, unsafe boats for the perilous journey to Italy, 300 kilometres (190 miles) to the north.
	It is often impossible to identify the bodies of those who die during the attempt. Many are buried in numbered graves outside Libyan towns.
	At least 3,800 people ..

16 migrants found dead on Libya beach

Israel should have better prepared for Hamas's use of tunnels in the 2014 Gaza war, a senior army official said today, ahead of the release of a key report on the conflict.
	Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, the official said Israel's military has sought to learn lessons from the 2014 war, including by better preparing troops to deal with tunnel warfare.
	The official's comments come ahead of a report by Israel's state comptroller on the conflict expected to be released before the end of the year.
	A draft of the report reportedly found that "the security establishment did not have a comprehensive plan for dealing with Hamas's offensive tunnels".
	The army has conducted its own internal review of the conflict, which also found that the military was unprepared for the tunnel threat.
	The official, who has read the internal review of some 182 pages completed several months ago, said: "I think that we could come to this war... Better than we came to it."
	"I think the (military) 

Israel wasn't ready for 2014 Gaza war: army official

Thousands of people took to the streets in cities across Bangladesh as the perennial under-achievers beat England by 108 runs on Sunday to post one of their most momentous cricketing victories.
     It was Bangladesh's first win in the game's long form against a full-strength major Test-playing country.
     It was also only the eighth Test victory in 95 matches since the country secured Test status in 2000.
     As teenage spinner Mehedi Hasan dismissed Steven Finn to level the two-Test series 1-1, joyful fans waved national flags and shouted slogans to mark the historic occasion.
     "Thousands came out on the streets to celebrate victory," said Mahbub Hassan, police chief of Dhaka's Mirpur neighbourhood where the match took place.
     "Young kids to elderly people -- everybody is celebrating," Hassan told AFP.
     Flag-waving fans flashed victory signs as they marched through the streets.
     Supporters also staged processions in the port city of Chittagong where the first Test 

Bangladesh erupts in joy after historic England win

Upul Tharanga closed in on a second Test century as he became the latest Sri Lankan batsman to make the most of Zimbabwe's dropped catches in the first Test at Harare Sports Club on Sunday.
     Kusal Perera cashed in on two dropped catches to score his maiden Test century on the opening day of the match, and day two saw Tharanga put down on 66 by Tino Mawoyo.
     The left-hander moved to 96 not out by the tea interval, as Sri Lanka reached a formidable 512 for eight.
     Tharanga's reprieve took the number of dropped catches in the innings to seven, while Sri Lanka also benefited from three questionable decisions in which umpires Simon Fry and Ian Gould turned down appeals for lbw that replays suggested should have been given out.
     With the Decision Review System not in use, Zimbabwe were unable to request a review.
     While Perera's century on the opening day was full of attacking intent, Tharanga was his usual patient self as he played his first Test innings in more than a .

Tharanga closes in on 100 as Zimbabwe toil

Scorecard at close on the opening
day of the third and final Test between Pakistan and West Indies at Sharjah stadium today:
     Pakistan
     Sami Aslam c Holder b Bishoo               74
     Azhar Ali c Brathwaite b Gabriel            0
     Asad Shafiq lbw b Gabriel                   0
     Younis Khan c Johnson b Chase              51
     Misbah-ul-Haq c Dowrich b Bishoo           53
     Sarfraz Ahmed b Gabriel                    51
     Mohammad Nawaz st Dowrich b Bishoo          6
     Wahab Riaz lbw b Bishoo                     4
     Yasir Shah not out                          1
     Mohammad Amir not out                       6
     Extras: (LB-4, NB-4, W-1)                   9
     Total: (for eight wkts in 83 overs)       255
     Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-1, 3-107, 4-150, 5-230, 6-242, 7-248, 8-248.
     Bowling: Gabriel 17-1-58-3, Joseph 15-5-43-0, Holder 12-4-29-0, Chase 20-5-47-1, Bishoo 19-2-74-4.

Sharjah, Oct 30 (AFP) Scorecard at close on the opening

Scoreboard at tea on the second day
of the first Test between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka today:
     Sri Lanka first innings
     D Karunaratne c Mawoyo b Cremer   56
     K Silva c Williams b Waller       94
     K Perera c Waller b Perera       110
     K Mendis c Moor b Cremer          34
     U Tharanga not out                96
     D de Silva c Williams b Cremer    25
     A Gunaratne c Cremer b Williams   54
     D Perera run out                  23
     R Herath c Waller b Mumba          7
     Extras (B-6, LB-7)                 13
     Total (8 wkts in 148.5 overs)     512
     Fall of wickets: 1-123, 2-198, 3-282, 4-307, 5-351, 6-450, 7-498, 8-512.
     Bowling: Mpofu 30-6-95-0, Mumba 21.5-2-93-1, Tiripano 26-7-71-0, Cremer 39-5-130-4, Masakadza 9-3-31-0, Williams 17-2-54-1, Waller 6-0-25-1.

Harare, Oct 30 (AFP) Scoreboard at tea on the second day

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and European Union leaders today finally signed a landmark trade deal seven years in the making, after it was nearly being torpedoed by a small region of Belgium.
	The ceremony in Brussels had been pushed back from Thursday after French-speaking Wallonia, with just 3.6 million people, initially vetoed an agreement affecting more than 500 million Europeans and 35 million Canadians.
	Cheers and applause erupted as Trudeau signed the pact alongside EU President Donald Tusk, European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency.
	Protesters earlier burst through riot police lines and hurled red paint at the European Union's headquarters, while activists banged drums and chanted slogans against the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
	"Well done, well done," Trudeau said as he hugged and kissed Tusk and Juncker on his arrival amid tight security. "Things were ..

EU, Canada sign long-delayed trade deal after Belgian drama

Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo and fast bowler Shannon Gabriel shared seven wickets between them to stop Pakistan from posting a big total on the opening day of the third and final Test in Sharjah today.
     Pakistan were cruising along nicely at 230-4 when West Indies grabbed four quick wickets to put Pakistan on the back foot at 255-8 by close of play at the Sharjah stadium.
     At close tail-enders Mohammad Amir was batting on six and Yasir Shah on one as West Indies will look to bowl out Pakistan early on day two.
     Pakistan, who won a good toss on a batting-friendly pitch, saw opener Sami Aslam (72), Misbah-ul-Haq (53), Younis Khan (51) and Sarfraz Ahmed (51) all failing to build on good starts.
     Ahmed and Misbah had added 80 for the fifth wicket but Pakistan lost four wickets in the space of 18 runs to slump at 248-8, with Bishoo registering figures of 4-74 and Gabriel had 3-58.
     That slump could hurt Pakistan's chances of whitewashing West Indies 3-0 after winning the 

Bishoo, Gabriel derail Pakistan in third Test

Venezuela's government and opposition leaders will meet today in a bid to open a dialogue about the country's deepening political crisis, both sides announced.
	An agreement to hold talks was reached Saturday at a regional summit in Cartagena, Colombia. A representative from the Vatican will also take part, officials said.
	"A process of dialogue is being established with opposition groups," Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said in a speech during the Ibero-American Summit in Cartagena yesterday.
	Opposition leader Jesus Torrealba of the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) coalition group said late yesterday that although the dissident coalition agreed to take part in the talks, it did so with feelings of "skepticism and distrust."
	The talks were scheduled amid heightened political turmoil in Venezuela, where opposition leaders have vowed to try to hold a legislative trial to remove President Nicolas Maduro from power.
	Venezuela is suffering a deep economic crisis - despite boasting ..

Venezuela, opposition agree to hold talks

Final scorecard for the second Test
between Bangladesh and England at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium here today:
     Bangladesh 1st innings 220 (Tamim Iqbal 104, Mominul Haque 66, M. Ali 5-57, C. Woakes 3-30)
    	England first innings 244 (J. Root 56; Mehedi Hasan 6-82)
	Bangladesh second innings (overnight 152-3)
	Tamim Iqbal c Cook b Ansari           40
	Imrul Kayes lbw b Ali                 78
	Mominul Haque c Cook b Stokes          1
	Mahmudullah b Ansari                  47
	Shakib Al Hasan b Rashid              41
	Mushfiqur Rahim c Cook b Stokes        9
	Sabbir Rahman lbw b Rashid            15
	Shuvagata Hom not out                 25
	Tajiul Islam c Bairstow b Stokes       5
	Mehedi Hasan c Root b Rashid           2
	Kamrul Islam c and b Rashid            7
	Extras: (B-17, LB-7, W-1, NB-1)        26
     Total: (all out in 66.5 overs)        296
     Fall of wickets: 1-65, 2-66, 3-152, 4-200, 5-238, 6-238, 7-268, 8-273, 9-276
     Bowling: Finn 3-0-18-0, Ali 19-2-60-1, 

Dhaka, Oct 30 (AFP) Final scorecard for the second Test

Bangladesh today recorded their first Test victory over England, taking all ten wickets in a single session thanks to teenage off-spin sensation Mehedi Hasan to win the second Test by 108 runs and square the series.
     Celebrations erupted at Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla Stadium and across the country as Bangladeshis revelled in one of the proudest moments in their sporting history.
	Chasing a target of 273, England seemed to be cruising when Alastair Cook and Ben Duckett guided them to 100 without loss at tea. But 19-year-old Mehedi, playing in only his second Test, triggered a dramatic collapse in the final session of the third day.
	England crumbled to 164 all out to suffer their first ever defeat by Bangladesh in 10 Tests and share the two-Test series 1-1.
	Bangladesh secured Test status in 2000 and the win was only their eighth in 95 Tests.
	Mehedi, who celebrated his 19th birthday this week, took the final wicket of Steven Finn to finish with 6-77 in the innings and 12 for 159 in the 

Bangladesh post historic Test victory against England

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met EU leaders in Brussels today to finally sign a giant trade deal seven years in the making that was almost torpedoed by a small region of Belgium.
	The ceremony had been pushed back from Thursday after French-speaking Wallonia, with just 3.6 million people, initially vetoed a deal affecting more than 500 million Europeans and 35 million Canadians.
	Protesters today threw red paint at the European Union's headquarters, banged drums and chanted slogans as Trudeau arrived to meet EU President Donald Tusk and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker.
	"Well done, well done," Trudeau said as he hugged and kissed Tusk and Juncker on his arrival amid tight security. "Things were difficult but we managed to succeed in the end."
	"What patience," replied Juncker, adding: "This is an important day for the EU and for Canada too because we are setting an international standard that will have to be followed by others."
	The start of today's summit was 

AFP

AFP

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