Security forces in the occupied West Bank have uncovered a Palestinian cell plotting to assassinate three senior leaders, a security official said today.
	"The four-man cell planned to assassinate three leaders," the source said, adding that the targets came from the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
	Three of the suspects, including a senior member of the Palestinian security services, were arrested more than two months ago, the source said, while a fourth was on the run.
	The targets were Ghassan Shakaa, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation executive committee, as well as Jamal al-Tirawi and Amin Maqbool, officials in president Mahmud Abbas' Fatah party, the source added.
	He said they sought to undermine security in Nablus.
	Tirawi confirmed the plot, saying all of the suspects were also members of Fatah and were known to him personally.
	"The three suspects admitted planning the assassination," he told AFP.
	He added that the fourth person was the "key to solving the 

Palestinians uncover assassination plot: source

PTI Automatic

A nurse has been arrested and charged with murdering eight elderly residents under her care at retirement homes in Canada's Ontario province, police said today.
	The alleged killings occurred between 2007 and 2014 at two private facilities where Elizabeth Wettlaufer worked, authorities said.
	The 49-year-old faces eight counts of first-degree murder.
	The male and female victims aged 75 to 96 "were administered a drug," Ontario Provincial Police detective superintendent Dave Truax told a nationally-televised press conference.
	"We're not in a position at this time to comment further on the specifics of the drug as it forms part of the evidence that is now before the courts," he said.
	An investigation was triggered in September by a tip that "a nurse had involvement in the murder of eight elderly patients while she worked at several long-term care facilities in Woodstock and London," said Woodstock police chief William Renton.

Nurse charged with killing Canada retirement home residents

South African President Jacob Zuma said today he supported Indian origin Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan who is due in court next week on criminal charges widely seen as politically-motivated.
	Gordhan, a respected veteran of the ruling ANC party, will appear in court on November 2 on charges dating back to 2010 over a colleague's retirement package.
	Many analysts say he has been targeted by Zuma loyalists in the increasingly fractured ANC.
	The charges "against the minister of finance are a concern to all of us, including the investor communities," Zuma told lawmakers.
	"As cabinet we have expressed our full support of the minister."
	The president said that Gordhan "was innocent until found guilty".
	The finance minister has been a vocal opponent of corruption and excessive spending by Zuma's government, which has been hit by a series of graft scandals and slowing economic growth.
	Gordhan's cause has also attracted backing from Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, some ministers and .

S.Africa's Zuma backs minister over graft charges

Workers escorted by scores of French police officers moved into the "Jungle" in Calais today, demolishing shacks and tents emptied of migrants being bussed to shelters around France.
	The workers used electric saws to take down wooden shelters and earth-moving equipment to carry debris away from the sprawling camp that people have used for years as a launchpad for attempts to reach Britain.
	The demolition work comes on the second day of a massive operation to clear the squalid settlement in northern France, where an estimated 6,000-8,000 migrants, mostly Afghans, Sudanese and Eritreans, have been living.
	Around 2,700 people have already been bussed away to shelters around France and around 600 unaccompanied minors have been taken into a part of the camp where families had been living, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said.
	The clean-up workers piled discarded mattresses, blankets, clothes, pots and suitcases on top of the wood and plastic sheeting used to build the tents and ...

France begins demolition of 'Jungle' migrant camp

The European Union today moved  to prolong border controls in the passport-free Schengen area for three months, after introducing them as an emergency measure to cope with last year's massive migrant influx.
	The European Commission, the EU executive, said it recommended for "a period of a further three months" the extension of checks at the borders of Austria, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

EU to extend Schengen border controls for 3 months: statement

Iraqi forces were inching to within striking distance of eastern Mosul today as defence chiefs from the US-led coalition met in Paris to review the offensive on the jihadist bastion.
	With the Mosul battle in its second week, French President Francois Hollande called for the coalition against the Islamic State group to prepare for the aftermath and the next stages of the war against IS.
	Forces from the elite counter-terrorism service (CTS) retook areas close to the eastern outskirts of Mosul, IS's last major urban stronghold in Iraq.
	"On our front, we have advanced to within five or six kilometres (three to four miles) of Mosul," their commander, General Abdelghani al-Assadi, told AFP.
	"We must now coordinate with forces on other fronts to launch a coordinated" attack on Mosul, he said, speaking from the Christian town of Bartalla.
	Kurdish peshmerga forces are making gains on the northeastern front, but federal forces advancing from the south have some way to go before reaching ...

Coalition huddles as forces inch towards Mosul

Russia's foreign minister today said that US support of Iraqi efforts to recapture Mosul from jihadists was equivalent to Moscow's backing of a Syrian government offensive to seize rebel-held eastern Aleppo.
	"They are preparing an operation to liberate Mosul from terrorists," Russian news agencies quoted Sergei Lavrov as saying.
	"And in Aleppo, the city needs to be freed from terrorists. With the exact same plea as we made in Aleppo, the American coalition is appealing to residents in Mosul, calling on them to leave. Just like in Aleppo, humanitarian corridors have been set up."
	Lavrov said that his American counterpart John Kerry had assured him that the situation in Mosul was "completely different" from that in Aleppo.
	"In Mosul we planned in advance, while in Aleppo, you didn't plan and civilians are suffering," Kerry said, according to Lavrov.
	The West has accused Moscow of perpetrating potential war crimes in Aleppo through indiscriminate bombing in support of a Syrian ...

Russian FM equates Mosul offensive to Moscow's Aleppo bombing

Sri Lankans went on strike across the island's north today as anger mounted over the police killing of two Tamil university students at a checkpoint.
	Shops, banks and other offices were closed across the war-ravaged Jaffna peninsula and public transport was halted in protest against the shootings last week.
	"The entire province is paralysed by the 12-hour work stoppage which started this morning," Tamil politician Eswarapatham Saravanapavan, who represents Jaffna district, told AFP.
	"Only a few private vehicles and security services are on the road."
	Officials in the northern province's four other districts said schools were also forced to shut after students stayed away, while many workers also failed to show up at government offices.
	Police initially reported the students, aged 23 and 24, died in a motorcycle accident, but later said they were shot and died last Thursday night after they failed to stop at a checkpoint.
	Saravanapavan said the strike was the largest in Jaffna ...

Strike in Sri Lanka's north over police killings

Government support and lower costs will power stronger-than-expected global growth in renewable energy over the next five years, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said today.
	After a record 2015, global renewable electricity capacity will grow by 825 gigawatts by 2021, a massive 42-per cent rise, the IEA said.
	The estimate is 13 per cent higher than the agency's forecast last year. The IEA has been criticised in some quarters for being over-cautious about renewables.
	In 2021, solar, wind and other renewable sources will provide comprise 28 percent of world electricity production compared to 23 percent in 2015, the IEA said.
	Last year marked a "turning point" for renewables in terms of investment and use, the IEA declared.
	The pick-up is mostly down to "stronger policy backing" in the United States, China, India and Mexico, it said.
	Costs are expected to drop by around 25 per cent for solar panels, and 15 per cent for onshore wind.
	"We are witnessing a transformation of ...

IEA hikes green energy forecast after 'turning point' year

Leaving Yemen is now an unattainable dream for Abdulsalam Khaled, despite being awarded a scholarship to pursue his education in India, because of a Saudi-led coalition "control" on movement.
	He is just one of thousands of people inside and outside Yemen who have been blocked from entering or leaving the war-torn country.
	The 34-year-old had been hoping to obtain a master's degree in English-language studies, but all he can do now is wander the streets of Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa, lamenting his bad luck.
	"Because the airport is closed, I'm now stuck and can't travel," he said, showing AFP his scholarship documents.
	"There are other airports in Yemen I could have flown from, but unfortunately we can't reach them because of security problems."
	Yemen has been rocked by conflict since Iran-backed rebels overran Sanaa and other large parts of the country, prompting military intervention by a Saudi-led coalition in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognised ...

Coalition 'controls' on Yemen strand thousands

Bangladesh police said today they shot dead two members of the country's largest Islamist party in gunfights, as a rights activist demanded an independent probe on concerns of extrajudicial killings.
	Security forces have launched a major crackdown on suspected Islamist militants since jihadists raided a Dhaka cafe in July and left 22 mainly foreign hostages dead.
	But the crackdown which has seen a string of suspects killed in gunbattles has sparked concerns that opposition activists were among those being targeted.
	Senior police officer Azbahar Ali Sheikh said a Jamaat-e- Islami party leader from the western district of Jhenaidah and a leader of its student wing were killed early today.
	"They fired from pistols and threw three (molotov) cocktails at policemen when they challenged them at 3:45 am. We fired back and two people were hit. Later we learnt their identities," the officer told AFP.
	Top human rights activist Nur Khan Liton demanded a judicial probe into the ...

Bangladesh police say two Islamists killed in gunfight

Two Ugandans were arrested outside the US Embassy in Kampala this morning while taking part in a demonstration of support for US presidential candidate Donald Trump.
	Carrying placards, one emblazoned with the slogan "A vote for Trump is a vote against African dictatorship!", the two men attempted to enter the US embassy grounds in the Ugandan capital.
	The men -- named by local media as Bigirwa Moses and Allan Kitonsa -- are reportedly members of the youth wing of Uganda's Democratic Party, though spokesman Kenneth Kakande distanced his party from the demonstration.
	"Today's protest was not sanctioned by the Democratic Party. Perhaps overzealous young people, excited by what's taking place in America, were just seeking media attention," Kakande told AFP, saying that in his view the billionaire Republican candidate was not suitable for the White House.
	Police spokesman Emilian Kayima described the incident as an "embarrassment by two young men who appeared to be seeking political ...

Trump backers arrested outside US embassy in Uganda

Six people were killed and 37 injured today in a bus crash in northern Jordan near the border with Syria, the authorities said.
	Two Egyptians and two Syrians were among those hurt when the bus overturned while travelling between the cities of Irbid and Mafraq, civil defence spokesman General Farid al-Sharaa said.
	Traffic accidents, largely due to the poor state of roads and vehicles as well as disregard for driving rules, killed 688 people and injured more than 14,000 last year in Jordan, according to the authorities.

Jordan bus crash kills 6

A self-driving truck built by Uber's unit Otto made a pioneering delivery of beer in Colorado last week, Otto announced today.
	The 18-wheel semi loaded down with Budweiser made the 200 kilometre trip from Fort Collins through the centre of crowded Denver to Colorado Springs using only its panoply of cameras, radar and sensors to read the road.
	The truck carried a professional driver, but he simply monitored the progress from the truck's sleeper berth behind the driver's seat.
	The trip was a fairly straight two-hour drive south on the I-25 highway, "exit-to-exit", the company said in a statement, suggesting the initial and final stretches off the highway were handled by a driver.
	The test came just six weeks after Uber launched its demonstration self-driving car service in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, gaining a jump on the many automakers that are now developing systems for cars and trucks to pilot themselves.
	"This shipment is the next step towards our vision for a safe and ...

Driverless truck from Uber's Otto makes Colorado beer delivery

Skipper Misbah-ul-Haq showed disappointment over the downfall of once-mighty West Indies after Pakistan achieved a series-clinching win in the second Test in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
     Pakistan thumped West Indies by 133 runs on the fifth and final day to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
     The defeat is West Indies' 19th in their last 29 Tests since November 2013, having won only four and drawn the remaining six.
     It is in total contrast to the West Indies team of the 1980s, when under Clive Lloyd's captaincy they were an indomitable force at international level, going undefeated in 27 Tests from January 1982 to December 1984.
     "That's bit disappointing and if you see their strength in international cricket they were always a force but now they are having a downfall," said Misbah after Pakistan's victory in Abu Dhabi.
     "They are a young side with some players performing well in bits and pieces at the moment. They will become a good side but at ...

Misbah disappointed at West Indian downfall

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said today Ankara could launch a ground operation in Iraq to remove any threats to Turkey that may arise.
	"If there is a threat posed to Turkey, we are ready to use all our resources including a ground operation... To eliminate that threat," Cavusoglu said in an interview with Kanal 24 broadcaster.
	"It is our most natural right," he added.
	Cavusoglu referred to Turkey's ambitious offensive in Syria as an example of how Turkey took the threat to its security seriously.
	Since August 24, Ankara has supported opposition rebels to clear the Islamic State group (IS) from its border and halt the westward advance of the Syrian Kurdish militia YPG.
	Turkey views the YPG (People's Protection Units) as a terror group linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is waging an insurgency in Turkey's southeast.
	The PKK is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the United States and the European Union but Washington believes the YPG is 

Turkey may launch ground operation in Iraq if threatened: FM

Israel's national theatre company is to perform for the first time in a West Bank settlement with a hardline reputation, drawing praise from the right-wing government and outrage from opponents.
	The Habima national theatre will take to the stage in Kiryat Arba, adjacent to the flashpoint city of Hebron, next month, local media reported today.
	The company will perform Israeli Nobel literature laureate Shmuel Agnon's "A Simple Story," they said.
	The theatre's spokeswoman could not be reached by AFP for comment.
	The decision won a warm welcome from Culture Minister Miri Regev, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party and a former chief military censor.
	"This is what a vision becoming reality looks like," she posted on her Twitter account on Tuesday. "This is how a national theatre should behave."
	Since taking office in May last year, Regev has been battling cultural works critical of the Jewish state and its policies.
	Cultural figures in Israel accuse 

Anger over Israel theatre show in hardline settlement

Sophisticated NATO surveillance planes have flown their first mission in support of the US-led coalition battling the Islamic State group, alliance head Jens Stoltenberg said today.
	NATO leaders agreed in July to commit the AWACS planes after Washington had pressed hard for the alliance to make a concrete gesture to help the fight against IS.
	"NATO itself is now offering direct support with our AWACS surveillance aircraft," Stoltenberg told a press briefing in Brussels, announcing that the first flight took place on October 20.
	NATO was "committed to sustaining the coalition's momentum so that IS can be defeated once and for all," he said at alliance headquarters ahead of a two-day defence ministers meeting in Brussels.
	All 28 NATO members also belong to the anti-IS alliance but some were reluctant to see the coalition directly involved in the Syrian conflict, so the aircraft were limited to flying in international airspace or over NATO member Turkey, from where they can look deep 

NATO flies AWACS surveillance mission backing anti-IS alliance

Leg-spinner Yasir Shah took six second-innings wickets in Pakistan's crushing 133-run second Test win over West Indies here today as they took an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
     The wily spinner finished with 6-124 to secure his second ten-wicket haul in Test cricket after claiming four wickets in the first innings as West Indies were bowled out for 322 before tea on a weary fifth and final day pitch at Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
     Shah had deprived West Indian batsman Jermaine Blackwood his second Test hundred when he bowled him for 95 in the pre-lunch session.
     West Indies, set a mammoth 456-run target for an unlikely victory, still fought hard and batted for 108 overs with Shai Hope also scoring a fighting 41.
     Hope and Devendra Bishoo fought for 45 runs during their eighth-wicket stand before left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar (2-51) had Hope and Bishoo (26) caught to finish the match.
     In between Babar's wickets, Shah had Miguel Cummins bowled for ...

Yasir Shah spins Pakistan to series-clinching win

Final scoreboard on the fifth and
final day of the second Test between Pakistan and West Indies at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium here today:
     Pakistan first innings 452 (Younis Khan 127, Misbah-ul-Haq 96; S. Gabriel 5-96)
     West Indies first innings 224 (D. Bravo 43; Yasir Shah 4-86, Rahat Ali 3-45)
     Pakistan second innings 227-2 dec (Azhar Ali 79, Asad Shafiq 58 not out)
     West Indies 2nd innings (overnight 171-4)
	Brathwaite lbw b Nawaz             67
	Johnson b Shah                      9
	Bravo c Nawaz b Rahat              13
	Samuels c and b Shah               23
	Blackwood b Shah                   95
	Chase c Ahmed b Shah               20
	Hope c Younis b Babar              41
	Holder lbw b Shah                  16
	Bishoo c Misbah b Babar            26
	Cummins b Shah                      0
	Gabriel not out                     7
	Extras: (B-4, LB-1)                 5
     Total: (all out in 108 overs)      322
     Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-63, 3-112, 4-124, 5-187, ...

Abu Dhabi, Oct 25 (AFP) Final scoreboard on the fifth and

The Afghan Taliban have released aerial footage of a suicide car bombing in southern Helmand province, marking the first time the media-savvy militant group has used a drone to record an attack.
	The 23-minute video shows a suicide bomber ramming a Humvee into a military base in volatile Nawa district, triggering a mushroom cloud of flames and smoke and razing the entire compound.
	With pro-Taliban poems playing in the background, the video reported Tuesday by the US-based SITE Intelligence group shows a turban-clad bomber in front of a Humvee, hugging fellow fighters before he departs.
	The camera mounted on a drone shows a birds-eye view of the target, tracking his Humvee as it strikes the base, causing a massive explosion.
	The video, which could not be independently verified, is the first drone footage released by the Taliban. The Afghan defense ministry in a statement rejected it as a "propaganda".
	The Taliban already have a robust social media presence and a website in five ...

AFP

AFP

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