AT&T has unveiled a mega-deal for Time Warner that would transform the telecom giant into a media-entertainment powerhouse positioned for a sector facing major technology changes.
	The stock-and-cash deal is valued at USD 108.7 billion including debt, and gives a value of USD 84.5 billion to Time Warner - a major name in the sector that includes the Warner Bros. Studios in Hollywood and an array of TV assets such as HBO and CNN.
	It would give the big US telecom firm "the world's best premium content with the networks to deliver it to every screen, however customers want it," a statement from the companies said yesterday.
	"This is a perfect match of two companies with complementary strengths who can bring a fresh approach to how the media and communications industry works for customers, content creators, distributors and advertisers," said AT&T chairman and chief executive Randall Stephenson.
	The tie-up, which could face tough antitrust scrutiny, makes AT&T a strong ...

AT&T eyes new media future with mega-deal for Time Warner

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Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta will be out for between six and eight weeks, the Spanish champions has confirmed after he suffered knee ligament damage in a 3-2 win at Valencia.
	Iniesta was stretchered from the field in tears after just 14 minutes, but fears he could be sidelined for months were eased by tests upon his return to Barcelona.
	"After the first diagnosis carried out at Mestalla, the tests in Barcelona have shown the extent of the injury," Barca said in a statement.
	"The time out is between six and eight weeks."
	Iniesta could now return in time to face Real Madrid in the first El Clasico of the season on December 3.
	However, he will miss Barca's Champions League trips to Manchester City and Celtic next month.
	Barca had earlier confirmed Iniesta had injured the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee.
	Coach Luis Enrique was incensed when Valencia's Argentine midfielder Enzo Perez escaped without even a yellow card for the challenge that caused the injury.
	"We .

Tearful Iniesta out for six to eight weeks

Defending champion Lewis Hamilton powered to pole position for the United States Grand Prix when he out-paced Mercedes team-mate and championship leader Nico Rosberg with a blistering lap in a tense qualifying session.
	The 31-year-old Briton dominated the action with a record best lap in one minute and 34.999 seconds yesterday -- to become the first driver to break the 1:35 barrier -- to outstrip the German by 0.216 seconds as the Silver Arrows pairing reeled off their 10th front row lockout of the year.
     It is the 58th pole position of Hamilton's career, but his first at the Circuit of the Americas where, despite winning three of the four previous races, he had failed to dominate qualifying.
	Daniel Ricciardo qualified third for Red Bull ahead of his team-mate teenager Max Verstappen with the Ferraris of Kimi Raikkonen and four-time champion Sebastian Vettel taking fifth and sixth.
	Renault-bound Nico Hulkenberg was seventh for Force India ahead of Valtteri Bottas and his ...

Hamilton powers to pole at United States Grand Prix

An 81st-minute Gareth McAuley goal prevented Liverpool from provisionally going top in the Premier League as they defeated West Bromwich Albion 2-1.
     Needing a two-goal win to move above leaders Arsenal, Liverpool took a 2-0 lead through Sadio Mane and Philippe Coutinho yesterday, but McAuley's strike left them in second place on goal difference.
	Arsenal had earlier been held to a 0-0 draw by Middlesbrough, while fourth-place Tottenham Hotspur played out a goalless stalemate at Bournemouth.
	"I'm really pleased with the performance," Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told Sky Sports.
	"It was unbelievably difficult against West Brom. You have to always concentrate. They are so dangerous at set-pieces.
	"But I think it would have been kind of a joke if we hadn't won today. It was unbelievable, how we played."
	Pep Guardiola's Manchester City can reclaim first place by avoiding defeat at home to Southampton on Sunday, when Jose Mourinho makes his return to Chelsea with Manchester ...

Liverpool climb to second as Arsenal, Spurs misfire

British Prime Minister Theresa May is to meet with the first ministers from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to plot the path towards Brexit, her office said today.
	May will host the first meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) since December 2014 on Monday.
	They will "discuss how the administrations can work together to get the best deal for the UK and seize the opportunities that exiting the EU will bring", her Downing Street office said.
	She will call on the devolved administrations to commit to working fully with the British government in a bid to enhance prosperity and security, Downing Street said in a statement.
	May will meet with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Welsh FM Carwyn Jones and Northern Irish FM Arlene Foster and her deputy Martin McGuinness.
	While a majority in England and Wales voted for Britain to leave the European Union in the June referendum, a majority in Scotland and Northern Ireland voted for Britain's continued membership.
	May ...

May to lock horns with first ministers on Brexit path

Thousands of women marched in Caracas against leftist President Nicolas Maduro's decision to block opposition-led efforts for a recall referendum.
	The escalating standoff between the unpopular government and the powerful but fractured opposition is destabilizing the oil-rich South American state, stricken by food shortages and violent crime.
	The authorities on Thursday quashed the opposition's plan to remove Maduro through a referendum by annulling a key stage in the process. The government also banned opposition leaders from leaving Venezuela.
	The following day, Henrique Capriles, a leading figure with the opposition MUD coalition, said the move violates Venezuela's constitution, accusing the Socialist government of staging "a coup d'etat."
	The coalition called for nationwide demonstrations starting next Wednesday.
	Former National Assembly speaker Diosdado Cabello, the second most powerful government figure after Maduro, told a news conference yesterday that the protests are ...

Venezuelan women march to protest canceled referendum

British police were granted a further six days to question a 19-year-old man arrested after a suspicious item was found on a London Underground train.
	Counter-terror detectives also found a device they described as "not viable" at an address in southwest England and security was stepped up on the Tube network in a bid to reassure the public.
	The first item, found on Thursday on a train at North Greenwich station, which serves the O2 entertainment complex in southeast London, was still being examined yesterday.
	A controlled explosion was carried out on the item.
	The 19-year-old was arrested by armed police in London on Friday. An electric stun gun was used during the arrest on a busy shopping street, but no shots were fired.
	The man remains in custody for questioning on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of terrorism acts.
	Yesterday, a court in London gave police permission to hold the man until 12:20 pm (1120 GMT) on Friday.
	Detectives have been "working ..

Police given extension in London Tube anti-terror probe

Horrific scenes unfolded in the Mediterranean off Libya today as a full-to-capacity rescue ship was forced to sail away from desperate migrants trying to swim towards the rescuers.
	Nine people drowned and ten were missing after a dramatic 24-hours in which the crew of the Norwegian Siem Pilot and MSF's Dignity rescued hundreds of panicked migrants in the dark, with only limited resources and in the face of aggressive people smugglers.
	At least 8,000 migrants have been saved off the coast of Libya this week alone.
	"I've never had a SAR (search and rescue) like it. We were in the process of transferring 1,000 migrants from the Okyroe (tanker) to the Siem Pilot when suddenly, in the dark, rubber boats appeared. It looked hopeless," said Pal Erik Teigen, the police officer in charge of the rescue operation.
	Migrants aboard one of the rubber boats that had yet to be rescued desperately sought to reach the rescue ship that was by that point full-to-capacity and unable to take on more ...

1,000 migrants rescued, 9 drown, off Libya

Security was stepped up today on the London Underground network as police questioned a 19-year-old man arrested under anti-terror laws after a suspicious item was discovered on a Tube train.
	"The public will see more officers, including armed police, in and around transport hubs," a Scotland Yard spokesman told AFP.
	The item, found Thursday on a train at North Greenwich station, which serves the O2 entertainment complex in southeast London, was being forensically examined.
	Counter-terror officers attended an address in Newton Abbott in southwest England on Saturday as part of the inquiry and "found an item they deemed suspicious", Scotland Yard said.
	Those officers evacuated the address, erected a 200-metre cordon around it, and the local police force is now dealing with the suspicious item.
	The 19-year-old arrested yesterday remains in custody for questioning on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of terrorism acts.
	Armed police arrested him in London in ...

Security raised on London Tube amid counter-terror probe

At least nine migrants drowned and 10 others, including four children, were missing after a tense series of rescues today in the Mediterranean that saved over 1,000 people, rescuers said.
	Survivors saved by medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) from a sinking rubber boat before dawn said six adults and four children were missing.
	As the rescuers took 120 people to safety, there were fears that more may be missing at sea, an MSF spokeswoman said.
	Nine bodies were found later in the day on another vessel, though their cause of death was unclear.
	Along with the bodies of five migrants who died yesterday, they were transferred to the Norwegian Siem Pilot rescue ship, part of the Frontex European border security agency's mission in the Mediterranean.
	The Italian coast guard, which coordinates rescues in the area, said at least 1,000 migrants had been saved today, adding that the number may rise.

Nine migrants drowned, 10 missing and 1,000 rescued off Libya

A ceasefire in the Syrian army's Russian-backed assault on rebel-held Aleppo appeared to expire today with the UN saying it had been unable to evacuate anyone from the ravaged city.
	Moscow had extended the unilateral "humanitarian pause" into a third day until 1600 GMT today, but announced no further renewal of the truce despite a UN request for longer to evacuate wounded civilians.
	Neither residents nor rebels in the opposition-held part of the city heeded calls from Syria's army and Moscow to leave, after weeks of devastating bombardment and a three-month government siege.
	The pause began on Thursday, and came after Moscow announced a temporary halt to the Syrian army's campaign to recapture the divided city.
	The army opened eight corridors for evacuations, but just a handful of people crossed through a single passage, with the others remaining deserted.
	"Members of popular civil committees from regime districts entered the eastern neighbourhoods to try to evacuate the injured .

Truce deadline for Syria's Aleppo passes without evacuations

Toxic fumes released when jihadists torched a sulphur plant near Mosul have killed two Iraqi civilians, made many ill and forced US troops at a nearby base to wear masks.
	Qayyarah hospital has checked at least 500 people complaining of breathing problems over the past two days but officials announced today that the fire had been extinguished.
	"Daesh blew up the sulphur plant two days ago and that has led to the deaths of two people among the civilians in nearby villages," Iraqi General Qusay Hamid Kadhem told AFP, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group (IS).
	The senior officer of the interior ministry's elite rapid response force said "many others were injured as a result of the toxic smoke."
	According to security and health sources in the area, where tens of thousands of Iraqi forces are involved in a massive offensive to wrest Mosul back from IS, the group torched at least part of the Mishraq sulphur factory on Wednesday.
	The blast released toxic fumes that were ...

Sulphur cloud from IS-torched Iraq plant kills two civilians

Canada turned up the heat on the European Union today, saying it was the bloc's "job" to save a trade pact put in doubt by a Belgian region's refusal to sign on.
	Chrystia Freeland, the Canadian trade minister, was firm after leaving last-ditch talks with European parliament head Martin Schulz to salvage the proposed accord that was seven years in the making.
	"Now the ball is in Europe's court and it's time for Europe to finish doing its job," Freeland said, adding that she was returning to Toronto today but hoped to be able to come back on October 27 and sign the agreement.
	Brussels meanwhile scrambled to resolve the impasse as Schulz also had an 11th-hour huddle with Paul Magnette, head of the Wallonia region's socialist government which is blocking the agreement between Ottawa and the 28-nation bloc.
	Afterwards both sides admitted the sticking points are related to "problems within the European Union," said Schulz.
	"We still have some difficulties between Europeans," Magnette ..

Canada says EU's 'job' to save trade pact

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault today asked the UN Security Council to condemn the use of chemical weapons in Syria, and urged that those behind the attacks be placed under sanctions.
	"I want... A clear condemnation of these crimes in a resolution from the UN Security Council... That places the perpetrators under sanctions," Ayrault said.
	The minister's comments came a day after UN experts said in a report that the Syrian army had attacked a village with chemical weapons in 2015. The Islamic State group has also been accused of using mustard gas as a weapon.
	"The Syrian army and Daesh have used chemical weapons against civilians on at least three occasions," Ayrault said, using an Arabic acronym to refer to IS.
	"These acts are inhuman and unacceptable," he said in a statement.
	"France will not accept that the use of chemical weapons in Syria, which has now been proven beyond doubt... Should remain unpunished," he said.
	"We call on all our partners in the Security ...

France seeks sanctions over Syria chemical attacks

The International Criminal Court today asked South Africa and Burundi to reconsider their decisions to withdraw from the troubled institution that was set up to try the world's worst crimes.
	"Although withdrawing from a treaty is a sovereign act, I regret these decisions and invite South Africa and Burundi to reconsider their positions," said Sidiki Kaba, president of the assembly of state parties to the ICC founding treaty.
	"I urge them to work together with other States in the fight against impunity, which often causes massive violations of human rights," Kaba said in a statement.
	The statement came a day after South Africa dealt a major blow to the court by announcing it would withdraw from the ICC.
	The announcement followed a dispute last year when Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir visited the country despite facing an ICC arrest warrant over alleged war crimes.
	Earlier this month, Burundi said it would leave the court, while Namibia and Kenya have also raised the ...

ICC asks South Africa, Burundi to reconsider withdrawal

Fierce gun battles erupted overnight between Yemeni rebels and pro-government forces along the border with Saudi Arabia despite a three-day ceasefire due to end late today, military officials said.
	Warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition fighting in support of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi also bombed suspected Huthi rebel missile launchers east of the capital Sanaa late yesterday, a military official said.
	The air raids came after Patriot missiles shot down two rebel missiles on Thursday over Marib, east of the rebel-held capital.
	UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said yesterday the ceasefire was "fragile but largely holding", urging all parties "to show restraint, avoid further escalation, and strictly adhere to the 72-hour ceasefire".
	The truce took effect just before midnight on Wednesday to allow aid deliveries in Yemen, where the war has killed thousands of people and left millions homeless and hungry.
	The UN envoy is liaising with the parties in an attempt to ...

Fighting rages in Yemen despite truce

At least nine migrants drowned and 10 others, including four children, were missing after a tense series of rescues today in the Mediterranean that saved over 1,000 people, rescuers said.
	Survivors saved from a sinking rubber boat before dawn said six adults and four children were missing, while nine bodies were found later in the day on another vessel.

9 migrants drowned, 10 missing and 1,000 rescued off Libya

British NGOs, charities and lawmakers have urged French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve to ensure the safety of children in the "Jungle" Calais migrant camp during its demolition on Monday.
	In a letter dated yesterday, the signatories said they had "very serious worries concerning the security and well-being of unaccompanied minors and vulnerable adults".
	Cazeneuve has pledged that all remaining migrants at the site, currently occupied by around 5,700 people according to official figures, would be given "dignified" shelter after the camp is cleared.
	"We fear that the resources currently being deployed and the proposed responses are insufficient to ensure the effective protection of the most vulnerable, notably unaccompanied children," the letter said.
	The signatories, which included Save the Children, the Refugee Council, Safe Passage UK-Citizens UK and the International Rescue Committee UK, said tensions had risen in the camp since its demolition was announced, due to a lack .

UK NGOs, MPs press France on 'Jungle' camp demolition

The Russian defence ministry today accused the US-led coalition fighting jihadists in Iraq of committing war crimes, a day after an air raid killed 15 women at a shrine near the city of Kirkuk.
	"We have observed several times that these deadly strikes... Which have all the hallmarks of war crimes, have practically become a daily routine by the international coalition's warplanes," ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.

Russia accuses US-lead coalition of 'war crimes' in Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi today reiterated his rejection of Turkish participation in the ongoing offensive to wrest Mosul back from the Islamic State group.
	Abadi insisted no Turkish involvement was wanted following a meeting with US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter, who was in Baghdad today to review progress in the six-day-old offensive.
	"I know that the Turks want to participate... We tell them 'thank you, this is something the Iraqis will handle and the Iraqis will liberate Mosul'," Abadi said.
	"We don't have any problems. If we need help, we will ask for it from Turkey or from other countries in the region," he said.
	Carter visited NATO member Turkey yesterday and suggested he could see a role for Turkey in the Mosul operation.
	The United States has been a key supporter of Abadi and Iraq's military operations to reconquer the swathes of land lost to IS jihadists in 2014.
	It heads a 60-nation coalition that has carried out thousands of air strikes against IS ...

Iraq PM says 'thanks but no thanks' to Turkey on Mosul

Forces loyal to Libya's unity government today freed 13 foreigners held by the Islamic State group in its former coastal bastion of Sirte, the forces said.
	Loyalists freed a Turkish and an Egyptian detainee as well as 11 Eritrean women "thought to have been held hostage by Daesh", they said in a statement, using an Arabic acronym for IS.
	Pro-government forces are fighting the last jihadists holed up in Sirte after launching an offensive to retake the city in May.
	Libya has been in chaos with rival administrations and militia vying for power of the oil-rich country since the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi.
	IS jihadists overran the former president's home town of Sirte in June 2015, flying their black flags above public buildings and imprisoning, crucifying or beheading dozens of people.
	Forces allied with Libya's UN-backed Government of National Unity (GNA) began an offensive on May 12 aimed at ousting IS from the city and surrounding ...

AFP

AFP

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